Naturalla Beauty

I haven’t shared any empties since February of last year, so, needless to say, I’ve accumulated quite a pileup!  In the interest of finally clearing that out, I’m dedicating the rest of this week to empties posts.  Today will be hair care, followed by skincare, body care, and makeup.  Out of necessity, individual reviews will be brief, but I’m happy to expand on anything in the comments if you’d like more information.  


SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER

HENNA

That's it for hair! Stay tuned for lots more empties over the next few days...

Next up, hair empties!   I never go through a ton of hair stuff and it's a bit of a random batch this time as I've been making a concerted effort to use up all the nearly finished bottles of shampoo and conditioner lingering in my shower.  



Shampoos
I liked all three of these (and their matching conditioners too!)  The Griffin Remedy Volumizing Shampoo doesn't dramatically impact volume, but it's a great everyday shampoo and smells wonderful.  After the matching conditioner ran out, I used it to clean my makeup brushes a few times too.  Broo's Malted Mint Invigorating Shampoo uses craft beer in place of water and is incredibly gentle and hydrating.  I tried Broo's old formulas a few years ago -- when they came in bottles rather than tubes -- and had problems with the scents, but this one has a much milder fragrance.  It smells a little like mint and a little like beer, but neither scent lingers at all once hair dries.  The Andalou Naturals' Argan & Sweet Orange Shampoo is another good one, although like I mentioned in yesterday's skincare empties, Andalou has reformulated most of their products with what I consider to be inferior ingredients.  I managed to snag a couple backups of the old formula shampoo and conditioner, but after those, I won't be using Andalou's hair care any more.  

Conditioners
I can't quite wrap my head around Intelligent Nutrients' prices here in Canada, but if money was no object, I'd probably exclusively use their products on my hair.  That said, the Harmonic Conditioner is not one of the company's top standouts for me.  I adore the matching Harmonic Shampoo -- which I used up many months ago -- but the conditioner is just so-so.  It smells great and works well, but I'm not convinced it performs significantly better than less costly options.  The Desert Essence Coconut Conditioner is something of a cult favorite, in the green community and beyond, but I can't deal with its strong scent.  I couldn't even get through the entire mini.  I like some coconut scents, but the DE is verging on synthetic sunscreen coconut to my nose and I'm not a fan.  Beyond the fragrance, the actual conditioner works well, so I ended up replacing it with the Italian Lemon instead.  It has a much milder fragrance and is scented only with essential oils.   

Styling + Extras 
I've gone through countless bottles of the Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz Styling Serum over the last few years and I've got another one on the go right now.  I prefer lightweight products that defines my curls without any stickiness or crunchy feel, and that's exactly what the aloe-based Spiral Spritz does.  It's a great no-frills products for me.  Chorus Supernatural's Moor Clay Mask is technically a face mask, but I loved it even more as a clarifying shampoo mix-in.  (I have an entire post on how I use it HERE.)  I've since replaced the Moor Clay with a different clay, but it's not working nearly as well, so I may circle back to this one again in the near future.  

I bought Rainbow Henna's Persian Burgundy Henna over two years ago, but never quite worked up the courage to use it until this past December.  The color was not at all what I was originally going for, but I ended up liking it a lot nonetheless.  This was my first time dying my own hair, so it was a learning (and a bit of a PITA if I'm completely honest) but the results are great, so I think it's worth the hassle.  One pot of henna was enough for one full dye job and one root touch up on my medium-length hair.  I'm debating dedicating an entire post to my henna experience, so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in seeing!

Avalon Organics Clarifying Lemon Shampoo
I bought this when I was having issues with buildup and an oily scalp and alternated between it and another non-clarifying shampoo.  The combination worked well without over-stripping or drying out my hair.  I figured out a few months ago that my scalp problems were more likely a mild case of seborrheic dermatitis, rather than just oilyness, and started treating that internally with oregano oil, and since then, my scalp issues have stopped, so I don't have any need for a clarifying shampoo anymore.  
Repurchase? For the time being, no.

Rachel's Plan Bee Original Body Polish*   [Review]
I've raved about the Rachel's Plan Bee body polishes several times now, so I won't go into too much detail here. These are one of my favorite scrubs.  The texture is perfect, they don't separate, and they're highly moisturizing, but not overly greasy or oily.
Repurchase? Yes.  There are a couple different scents I want to try in the future.

Meow Meow Tweet Grapefruit Mint Soap
I have problems with some bar soaps drying out my hands in the winter and unfortunately this was one of them.  The soap smelled nice and has worked great during the summer, but I had to put it away in the colder months when my hands became dry and cracked.
Repurchase?  Probably not.

Desert Essence Italian Lemon Hand and Body Lotion
I really enjoyed this lotion.  It was scented with only essential oils and had a much milder fragrance than most Desert Essence products.  My big nitpick is with the packaging.  The label started wearing off early and quickly began shedding blue flakes.  In and of itself, not terrible, but the flakes would magnetize and stick to anywhere I applied lotion, which became a big nuisance.  
Repurchase? Maybe.  The lotion itself was great, but I'm not sure I want to deal with the hassle of the label again.

Nourish Organic Wild Berries Body Wash
I featured this in my most recent favorites post, which is a pretty good hint about how I feel about this product.  Nourish's body washes are a longtime favorite of mine and the berry scent is really lovely.  It's sweet and fruity but also has an herbal/fresh note that keeps it from being overly saccharine or sickly.  
Repurchase? Yes.



Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Oil*   [Review]
This is a great multi-purpose oil to have on hand.  Made with just almond and plum kernel oils, it has a light marzipan-y scent and is very soothing and gentle on the skin.  I liked it a lot as both a regular face oil and to remove eye makeup, and I even used the last inch or so of the bottle as an allover body oil.  I'm actually very tempted to buy it again specifically to use on my body, as it left me with the softest skin ever.
Repurchase? Maybe.

Weleda Rosemary Conditioning Hair Oil*   [Review]
I mostly used this oil as a leave-in on my ends, but I also used it as a pre-shower treatment a couple times too.  Honestly, my hair is easygoing when it comes to oils, so I don't notice a huge difference between different ones, but this one worked well.  It smelled like rosemary and did a good job taming minor frizz and flyaway hairs. 
Repurchase? I'm not sure

Acure Marula Oil
I'm a little conflicted on this marula oil.  I loved it at first, but partway through the bottle, it stopped agreeing with me.  It stopped absorbing into my skin at all and would just sit on top and feel greasy.  I used the last half as a body oil and while it was fine in that capacity, it wasn't anything spectacular.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Yarok Feed Your Ends Leave-In Conditioner
I used another mini Feed Your Ends a couple years ago, and while the first one didn't impress me all that much, I really loved it this time around.  On my hair, it feels very lightweight and non-greasy and I also enjoy Yarok's signature lemon scent.  I used the spray mainly as a refresher on dry second-day hair, but it's also marketed as a heat protectant.  
Repurchase? Yes.  I have a couple other hair products to use up first, but I think this will be my next purchase after those.



Triumph & Disaster Old Fashioned Shave Cream (samples)
Triumph & Disaster is marketed as a men's line, but the Shave Cream certainly works for women too.  With a lotiony consistency and a great cushiony feel, it worked really well and, though definitely more of a masculine scent, I thought it smelled great too.  That said, as much as I enjoyed it, as someone who doesn't even buy shave cream half the time - that's what failed conditioners are for! - I can't see myself spending the extra money on a higher end shave cream.  tl;dr: Great product, but a little pricey for what it is.
Repurchase? I doubt it.  

Weleda White Mallow and Calendula Face Creams (samples)
I've used samples of both of these creams before, and they're okay.  The White Mallow contains coconut oil, which doesn't tend to agree with my face, and I don't love the scent of Weleda's Calendula line, so I actually used these sachets on my body, not my face.
Repurchase? No.

Studio 78 Off We Go Concealer in At Dawn (01) (sample)
I'm going to do a full review of this concealer once I get around to ordering the full size, so I'll save the details for that post.  Needless to say, I like it.  It's a much-talked about product amongst green bloggers, but I'd say it's worth the hype.
Repurchase? Yes, I plan to very soon.

Ilia Vivid Concealer in Cassava (C1) (sample)
The concealer itself was okay - light to medium coverage and nothing extraordinary - but what tipped this product over for me was the smell.  I don't even know what it smelled like, but it was fairly strong and I was not a fan.  I know I swatched this in The Detox Market a few months ago and I don't remember noticing a smell then, so I'm wondering if this sample just went off or something.
Repurchase? Definitely not.

Mineral Foundation Samples
I've been working through an accumulation of mineral foundation samples the last couple months.  I ran out of ones that actually matched me, so this batch is a mix of ones that, by themselves, did not, but I was able to mix and tinker between the lot to make them work.  Lucy Minerals is still the biggest standout for me and unmatched by any other mineral foundation I've tried in terms of both coverage and lasting power.  I also like Urban Minerals a lot and The All Natural Face foundation is okay too, though pretty light coverage.  As I've said before, I'm not a big fan of the Alima Pure foundation, which I find disappears off my face by halfway through the day.
Repurchase? I'm leaning towards going back to Lucy Minerals when I next need foundation, but I'd also consider purchasing Urban Minerals.

Real Purity Desert Rose Blush (sample)
Desert Rose is a very pigmented matte mauvey-rose shade.  I liked it, but it needed extra care and blending to not look ridiculous and clown-like on my fair skin.  I enjoyed using the sample, but considering the number of blushes I have and the little bit of extra work this one required, I'm not sure I liked it enough for a full size purchase.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Total Products Used Up in July
Skincare: 2  (Lip Balms: 0)
Bodycare: 4
Haircare:  3
Makeup: 0
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 5
Makeup Samples: 7

Total Products Used Up in 2015
Skincare: 23 (Lip Balms: 7)
Bodycare: 28
Haircare:  9
Makeup: 9
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 54 
Makeup Samples: 19

Keep reading to see what I bought!

 

Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz
Between Curly Girl Edits and empties posts, I think this has ended up being one of my most frequently featured products, so I won't go on too much!  The Spiral Spritz is a great light-hold gel for curls or waves and is one of my favorite products to use on wet hair.  My current bottle is running low, so I needed to pick up a new one. 

Kiss My Face Pomegranate Grapefruit Moisture Shave
Desert Essences Italian Lemon Hand and Body Lotion
Though I've always enjoyed certain aspects of Desert Essences lotions, I've never found a scent I was happy with.  A lot of them are far too sweet and strong for me, and many are preserved with Japanese honeysuckle extract too, which I'm not comfortable using.  The company  released a couple new scents recently, including this Italian Lemon, which replaces the Japanese honeysuckle with potassium sorbate AND is fragranced only with essential oils.  I usually enjoy citrus scents, so it seemed like a safe bet.  (Plus, for less than $6, the risk really wasn't THAT big.)  Some of the reviews complain that the scent is milder than Desert Essence's other lotions, but for me that's a plus.  It's not overpowering, which is great if you like lighter scents, or if you're looking for a product that won't interfere with perfume or other scented products.  In the tube, it's a sweet, dessert-like lemon, but on the skin I find it loses some of the sweetness and ends up more zesty.  I wish it stayed a little sweeter ( I love how it smells in the tube!), but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.



Crazy Rumors Pear & Peppermint and Leaping Bunny Plum Apricot Lip Balms
I like chia seeds and I like berries, but I just didn't like this bar. I tried it the day my order arrived and I've still got half of it sitting on my counter, which I guess says a lot!
 

 

Happy New Year!  2014 was a challenging year for me.  The first half was spent feeling trapped in a job I wasn't happy at, only to be laid off - for unrelated reasons - from said job during the summer.  Since then, things have been pretty scattered.  I've done a few temp positions, but I'm not really sure what I want to be doing career-wise, which makes it difficult to know what jobs to even apply for.  So, for 2015, I'm hoping for less stress and more clarity (and security) on the work front.  I hope the new year brings you what you're looking for as well.   

Now, how about some empties?



Desert Essence Jojoba Oil
Jojoba is a very handy oil to have on hand.  I use it on both my face and body, to remove makeup, and in face masks and other DIYs.  I don't think I used this particular bottle up quickly enough though, as the very bottom started to smell a little funky.  It didn't seem off or rancid, but it developed a noticeable scent, where the first 7/8 of the bottle was basically unscented.  
Repurchase? Yes, but not right away.

Skin Essence Organics Nourish Moisturizer   [Review]
Nourish was my first face oil love, and I'm still a fan.  It's hydrating but not heavy, and includes my beloved hazelnut oil, along with a bunch of other great oils like rosehip and jojoba.  I really liked this smaller 10 ml bottle too, as the larger 30 ml size has gone off on me before I could use the entire thing up.    
Repurchase? Yes, after I've used up a few other face oils.

Acure Argan + Argan Stem Cell Conditioner   [Review]
I don't even know how many tubes of this conditioner I've gone through, but it's still one of my favorites.  I like the almond scent, plus it moisturizes my curls really well without leaving them feeling heavy, coated, or weighed down.  
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Hush & Dotti Original Cleansing Balm (sample)  [Review]
As cleansing balms go, I quite enjoyed this one.  It removed makeup easily and wasn't waxy, so it wiped away very cleanly.  I also liked the spicy eucalyptus/clove scent and even used it as a moisturizing balm on extra dry patches a couple times.  I generally prefer oils or cream cleansers over balm cleansers though.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Green Beaver Boreal Body Lotion (sample)
I really like these samples for toting around in my bag.  The tiny tube is about the size of a lip gloss, so they fit in even the smallest of purses.  The lotion itself is nice too - hydrating, very lightly scented, and great as a hand cream - although I've yet to be inspired to pick up the full size tube.
Repurchase? Maybe.

Epic Blend More Moisture Unflavored Lip Balm*   [Review]
I discovered Epic Blend's lip balms this past year, and they quickly became some of my favorites.  All their formulas are great, but if I had to pick, the More Moisture line is probably my favorite.  And I especially like the Unflavored one - it smells slightly sweet but very neutral, and it has none of that yucky oil taste that some unflavored lip balms have.
Repurchase? Yes, I definitely will.

Nürish Organics Best Scrub Ever*   [Review]
Loved this!  The scrub has a soft cream base, but it exfoliates very thoroughly with microdermabrasion crystals.  It's a pretty intense exfoliation, so I wouldn't recommend using it over active breakouts or more than once or twice a week.  
Repurchase? Yes, but not immediately.

And that's a wrap!  Not too many empties in December, but that's just how some months go.  

I'm also doing Tamara of Rainbow Feet's Green Survivor Challenge this month, so if you enjoy seeing empties, you should follow me on Instagram.  The idea of the challenge is similar to a no-buy, only rather than a set amount of time, we aren't allowing ourselves to buy any beauty products until we use up 2 makeup, 3 skincare, and 5 body items.  I've got a couple things nearing the bottom already, so I'm pretty confident I can manage it! 

I wasn't able to put together an empties post for January, so this one's going to be a bit of a doozie!  Even though #NoBuyJanuary is over, I've still been focusing on using what I have throughout February and it's always more than a little validating to be able to see some progress with these posts!



This batch is probably what I'm most excited about using up, since it really streamlined the products that are left in my shower.  The Acure Argan + Argan Stem Cell (review) are still my favorite shampoo/conditioner duo for my curly hair.  I'm currently trying the mint ones, which are also nice, but I expect I'll go back to the Argan again afterwards.  The Organic Excellent Wild Mint Shampoo and Conditioner (review) were what I was using before discovering Acure, but about a year ago, there was a bit of an ingredients hooplah over whether the company was accurately disclosing ingredients and they've just been languishing in my shower ever since.  I wouldn't recommend these anymore, but I wanted to move them out, so I used the shampoo up as body wash.  I tried to use the conditioner as a shaving cream, but my skin was no longer a fan and reacted badly.  A search for alternate conditioner uses found many claims that conditioner will clean your drains, so that's what I tried to do with the bottom half of the bottle.  I'm not convinced it did anything, but I'm happy to finally have these out of my shower (and my life) all the same!

I used Desert Essence's Fragrance Free Conditioner maybe two times on my hair, but I loved it as a shaving cream.  I was all set to buy it again for that purpose, but the bottom of the tube was strangely congealed and lumpy and has turned me off it for the moment.  I'm exploring other options, but I'm sure I'll return to it at some point.  Intelligent Nutrients' Styling Gel (review) is a fantastic hair gel, but prices recently went up and at $14 for 2 oz. ($31 for 5 oz.), I'm not sure I can continue to justify the cost for a product I use up at a decently quick rate.  I'm trying out a couple less expensive options right now.


I've written about Earthpaste Toothpaste (review) and Acure's Unscented Cocoa Butter + CoQ10 Lotion (review) many times before.  Both are firm favorites and I've already started on new tubes of both.  I love Weleda, but I'm a little conflicted on the Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream.  I adore the scent, but I do think the Pomegranate Hand Cream is a bit more effective.  Both absorb incredibly fast, but the Pomegranate keeps my hands feeling moisturized for longer.  

This is my second sample of Weleda's One Step Cleanser & Toner and I'm still a fan for morning cleansing.  It's great for refreshing the skin, without being harsh or drying.  Pai's Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil is a bit of a cult favourite, and while I wasn't 100% convinced at first, by the second half of the bottle, I was sold.  It wasn't enough hydration for my skin this winter on its own, but I enjoyed mixing it with other oils, most recently jojoba and goji seed.  This is the only rosehip oil I've used, and while I do believe the combination of fruit and seed oils makes it better than your average rosehip seed oil, the frugal part of me wants to try another, less expensive one before recommitting to Pai's.  


At the beginning of #NoBuyJanuary, I mentioned wanting to use up a bunch of lipstick samples, but so far, Zuzu Luxe's Indulgence is the only one to bite the dust.  It was a pretty color - a plummy-red with gold shimmer - but I'm not a huge fan of shimmer on the lips, so I doubt I'll be buying the full size.  The black rimmed pot was an older homemade lip balm that had been forgotten, but it was something I quite enjoyed once I rediscovered it.  
Lucy Minerals' Juicy Peach Blush is a gorgeous pale peach that might just be my all-time favorite blush color.  I'm not sure how it would suit darker skin tones, but on my fair skin, it looked very glowy and natural.  The sample alone lasted me months, but I'll definitely be ordering the full size at some point.  Another thing I'll be picking up soon is Silk Natural's Splendid Perfecting Glow.  The Perfecting Glows fall somewhere between finishing powders and highlighters and I liked using the Splendid to brighten up under the eyes.  It was slightly yellow-toned and worked really well at boosting other concealers and making everything look more fresh and awake.  

I managed to accumulate a number of Ella's Botanicals soap samples, but these are the last of them.  Skin Soother is very gentle and great for sensitive skin, or for dry, winter weary hands, which is how I used these last two.  I can't believe how many lip balms I've been burning through this winter, but at least I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed that process with these two.  Young Living's Vanillamint Lip Balm was a limited edition holiday flavour, but my favorite is still the lavender one, which is available year round.  Hurraw!'s Mint Lip Balm (review), while fantastic for indoor application, still isn't what I reach for before going outside and braving the elements.  The mint scent is very fresh and tingly.

And that's it!  My usually packed shower is so uncluttered right now, I can't even believe it.  I guess the combination of focusing on finishing things up and not bringing in any new product for January helped me get through a bunch more stuff than usual!