Naturalla Beauty

It's that time again: empties!  I used up a decent number of samples this month, but only four full sized products.  Keep reading for my thoughts on everything...

FULL SIZED PRODUCTS

George's Always Active Aloe Spray Mister   [Review]
I was in love with this spray initially, but I'm no longer convinced it does anything more than water.  It does work well for setting your makeup, hydrating or cooling your face, and helping oils/serums rub into your skin better, but since this ran out, I've been using plain water in a spray bottle, and I haven't noticed any difference.  
Repurchase? Maybe.  

Acure Argan + Argan Stem Cell Conditioner   [Review]
Love this conditioner!  This is the first summer that I haven't struggled with frizzy hair in the humidity and I credit a lot of that to Acure's shampoo and conditioner.  
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

South of France Lemon Mint Liquid Soap   [Review]
Really great as either a hand soap or body wash.  Lathers up well, smells fresh and lovely - lemony with a touch of mint - and does not leave your skin feeling tight or dry.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

(Seed) Grape Seed Enriched Body Lotion   [Review]
(Seed)'s lotion is on the lighter side, which was great for the summer.  It rubs in super easily and still moisturizes well.  The pump is a nice added convenience too! 
Repurchase? Maybe.

SAMPLES

Consonant Ultra Firming Eye Cream
Consonant was kind enough to send me a few samples after a conversation on Twitter, and this was the first one I reached for.  They recommended it for both under eye circles and puffiness, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to do much for my dark circles.  It does, however, take down puffiness like no other eye cream I've used.  This plus my Pure + Simple eye cream - which is great for darkness but falls short with puffiness - makes the perfect combination, but I'm not sure it's feasible to layer two eye creams in the long run.  I have a sample of Consonant's Ultra Moisturizing Eye Cream to try next, so I'm hoping that one will end up being a better fit.
Repurchase? Probably not. 

Cheeky Cosmetics Honeycomb Eye Shadow   [Review]
I really like Cheeky Cosmetics' eye shadows, but Honeycomb wasn't a standout colour for me.  It's a pretty golden brown, don't get me wrong, but I have an abundance of eye shadow and it wasn't unique enough that I need to replace it immediately.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Face Naturals Peppermint & Tea Tree Deodorant
The mini deodorant is super cute and the perfect size for toting around, which I guess is good, since it's something that needs to be reapplied throughout the day!  Even on days when I do nothing, this deodorant doesn't get me through the day stink-free unless I use it more than once.  It's also the worst for getting deodorant marks on clothing.  It doesn't seem to matter how I put my shirt on, I always end up with an awkward white smear on it somewhere!  I've loved plenty of other Face Naturals products, but I really had to force myself to use this one up!  
Repurchase? No.

Dr. Bronner's Citrus Orange Pure Castile Soap
I'm pretty sure everyone knows Dr. Bronner's.  This castile soap is insanely multi-purpose and is a great product to have on hand.  Since it's so gentle, I used the sample to hand wash some delicates.  The citrus scent isn't my favorite, but it worked just as well as any of the other ones.
Repurchase? Yes, but not in this scent.

Himalaya Neem & Turmeric Face Wash
Himalaya is a new-to-me brand, but I was excited to try out this sample whilst hunting for a new cleanser.  I'm still curious to try more from the line, but this face wash just didn't work for me.  It's a gel cleanser that's difficult to wash off and it left my skin feeling tight and a little dry.  It's recommended for normal to oily skin, so it may work better for oilier skin types.
Repurchase? No.

Green Beaver Boreal Body Lotion
I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this, since I usually choose unscented lotions.  It has a subtle scent that dissipates pretty quickly and I was completely fine with it. It's a little richer than my usual Acure lotion, which I imagine will be fantastic come winter.  And, I love that, unlike the Acure, it's a lotion I can actually buy in stores here.  
Repurchase? It's very likely.  

Black Rose Minerals Skink Eye Shadow   [Review]
Skink is another shimmery tan/light brown/gold and really lovely.  These kinds of shades are my favorite for an everyday eye and I'm starting to running low!  Definitely considering ordering a full size.
Repurchase? Maybe.

That's all for August!  Have you tried any of these products?

Just a few things used up this month, but it's nice to give some empties the toss nonetheless!  Here's what I finished up in June:

Doing regular empties posts has made me a lot more aware of consistently using products until they're finished and I've actually managed to use up a good number of things this month.  I even somehow managed to finish four (!) different lip balms!




Face Naturals Vanilla Mint Body Lotion (sample)   [Review]
This is one of the best lotions I've used.  It doesn't contain any water, just lots of nourishing oils and butters, so it's intensely hydrating.  It also absorbs quickly and doesn't leave you feeling greasy like a lot of other water-less lotions.  It's a little pricey at $25, but you need less product, so I figure it basically evens out.  This sample of the Vanilla Mint was included in one of my orders and I'm a little mixed on the scent.  I loved it in the jar and I think it'd work really well for something that gets washed off, like shower gel, but it became overly sweet and cloying on the skin. 
Repurchase? Yes, but not in this scent.

Sassy Minerals Eye Shadow in Panache (sample)   [Review]
Sassy Minerals isn't around anymore, but they used to be connected with Lauress Cosmetics and last I heard, some of the Sassy colours were now available through them.  Panache is a pretty peach that used to be a favorite, but when I pulled it out again this month, I found it leaned a little too orange for my liking.
Repurchase? No.

Shiro Cosmetics Intertube in Longcat   [Review]
Longcat is a white/silver shimmer in a clear base, but I used it more around the house as a lip balm than as a lip color.  I've gone through several tubes before and never had this issue, but in this one, the shimmer wasn't incorporated evenly.  It was very light at the top and then full of shimmer and gritty towards the bottom.
Repurchase?  Maybe.  If Shiro releases more dye-free colors, absolutely.  Otherwise, probably not, since I've found other, cheaper lip balms I like just as much.  I also still have one more backup of Longcat to get through.

Silk Naturals Vegan Kisser Slicker in Shine
This is another lip gloss-type product that I used in place of a lip balm.  The Vegan Kisser Slickers are very moisturizing and amazing for winter chapped lips, though they have a really soft consistency that makes the tube disappear quickly.
Repurchase? Probably not.  I like it, but again, I've found other, cheaper lip balms I like just as much.  I also still have one more of these to use too.

Badger Creamy Cocoa Cocoa Butter Lip Balm
I only discovered Badger's Cocoa Butter line this past winter, but they've quickly become my favorite lip balms.  (It even made its way onto my list of 15 products I'd repurchase.)  These are almost twice the size of an average tube of lip balm and I managed to whip through this one in under three months, which I think says a lot!  I love cocoa butter, both for its moisturizing properties and because of the smell.  The Creamy Cocoa is unscented, so that delicious chocolate smell comes through unimpeded.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Balm Balm Fragrance Free Multi Purpose Lip Balm   [Review]
This was another new discovery this winter.  It can be used as a lip balm, but it also works great for lots of other things.  I used it on my rough elbows and even slathered it all over my face a couple times.   You can see I cut open the tube to get to every last bit!
Repurchase? Yes.  

Young Living Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier
I'm not really big on hand sanitizer, but it does have its moments.  I mostly use it at work, since I can't always get to the bathroom to wash my hands normally.  Young Living uses alcohol and essential oils instead of antibacterial nasties like triclosan.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Blûm Naturals Fragrance Free All-Purpose Cleansing Wipes   [Review]
I don't use wipes much on my face and I'm not sure it's worth having these around just for cleaning up blog swatches, but that's what they end up being used for most.  The canisters do tend to dry out if you have them open for too long, so next time I think the individually wrapped ones will be a better choice for my infrequent use.
Repurchase? Maybe, but not right away.

Egyptian Magic (sample)
Egyptian magic is a popular product, but it's one that I really don't understand the hype about.  I used it on my feet, and while it did leave them soft, it wasn't anything spectacular.  Plus, the smell was horrible!  I'm not sure if my sample had gone off or something, but it just smelled bad and sort of fermented.  It also didn't soak in well and made my feet feel uncomfortable and tingly.  I have another sample hanging around here and I don't even want to touch it.
Repurchase? No.

Weleda Weather Protection Cream (sample)
The Weather Protection Cream is from Weleda's baby line and just as the name implies, it's intended to protect your baby's skin from harsh weather.  I used it on my feet instead, and it worked really well for that too.  It took a while to sink in, but I just threw on socks before bed and woke up to incredibly soft feet.  I think it'd be perfect for protecting my hands in the winter too, as they usually end up getting dry and chapped.
Repurchase? Yes, but probably not until next winter.

Weleda Skin Food (two samples)
Skin Food is another very hyped product in the natural beauty world and this time I completely understand why!  It's a heavier lotion, so not something I'd use all over, but it's perfect for those extra dry spots like your feet and elbows.  I find a lot of Weleda products are too heavily scented for me, but happily, I don't have any problems with the Skin Food. 
Repurchase? Yes, I already bought a big tube.

I also gave my makeup a bit of a spring cleaning this month and a few things are headed for the bin.  I figured I might as well include them too!



SweetPea and Fay Ultra Pigmented Lip Glosses   [Review]
I don't think SweetPea and Fay makes these anymore, but I really liked them!  I hadn't reached for them in a while and when I pulled them out this month they were completely dry.  I've never had lip gloss dry up like that, even after more time, so it's a little odd.  

Darling Girl Cosmetics Lip Balm (sample)
I got this in a blogger sample pack and I guess it didn't impress me, since I just never reached for it.  It's started to smell funny now, so it's got to go!

Burt's Bees Cream Eye Shadow in Trust
This is from Burt's Bees' old makeup line, which I think is from way back before the company was bought by Clorox, and it's just dried up now.  I don't use them much anymore, but I'm still hanging onto a couple of the old lip shimmers from the same time period (they seem fine, honest!), but the metal tins aren't very airtight, so they're definitely drying out too.  


It feels great to use all these things up and get rid of some products that just aren't good anymore too!  Have you tried any of these?  Does anyone else remember Burts Bees' old makeup line?  And am I the only one who did not like Egyptian Magic?  

I didn't actually use up many products in March, but instead of holding onto the empties for any longer, I figured I'd do a post now anyways!  I'm often impressed with the number of products in other bloggers' empties posts, since this is pretty typical of what I get through over the course of a month.

It's that time again!  My last empties post was back in the beginning of December, so this is what I've finished up since then.  There are even a few makeup empties ahead!  (Yup, I'm far too excited about that.)



Face Naturals Pomegranate Scrub (sample)
Face Naturals is one of my favorite companies for body care products, but I'd never tried their scrubs before, so I was excited to see this sample in one of my orders.  I wasn't crazy about the pomegranate scent, which is very sweet and candy-like, but the scrub itself was lovely.  Perfect amount of scrubbiness and a great texture - neither too oily or too dry.   

Madara Moon Flower Tinting Fluid (sample)
I'm glad I was able to try a sample of this first, because it was far too dark for my skin.  I ended up looking orange and oompa loompa-like.  Also smelled kind of funky to me.  

Pai Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening Exfoliator (sample)
This is a lovely scrub.  Looking at it in the jar, it looked pretty smooth and I wasn't sure it was going to exfoliate as much as I wanted, but it really does a fantastic job!  It starts out as more of a gel, but it turns kind of milky on your face and it left my skin feeling incredibly soft.  I'm not going to be purchasing this right away as I just got another scrub, but I would definitely consider it in the future.

Darling Girl Cosmetics Snuggle Eye Shadow
I actually used up an eye shadow!  Darling Girl makes fantastic shadows and Snuggle is a great low maintenance colour that you can basically just sweep on and go.  It was on my eyes pretty much every day a couple summers ago, which is how I went through most of the jar.  I still have a ton of other eye shadows, so it isn't something I'll be repurchasing right away. 

Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar in Light Peach
This is on my face almost every single day and I've already picked up another jar.  I still haven't found an under eye concealer that I'm 100% happy with, but Sleep in a Jar comes pretty darn close.  It's a powder concealer and I wouldn't say it gives full coverage, but it really does a great job brightening up any darkness in the under eye area.  I've also used it on the occasional blemish and it works fairly well for that as well. 

Zosimos Botanicals Fuschia Lip Gloss (sample)
Zosimos' mini lip glosses are an adorable way of sampling colors if you don't want to risk not liking the full size.  Fuschia is a cool pink with a slight blue reflect and I really did enjoy it, but full sizes are $16 and the minis have recently gone up to $5, so I doubt I'll be repurchasing.  It's a nice gloss, but I can get an equally nice, full size gloss from Silk Naturals or My Beauty Addiction for under $5, so I just can't justify the price right now.

Zuzu Luxe Onyx Mascara
As most of you probably know, this is my favourite mascara.  Not a whole lot new to say about it, but I will mention that it survived a trip through blizzard-like weather a couple weeks ago without smudging or running at all.  I try to switch out my tube about every 4 months, so here's another one biting the dust.

Blum Naturals Fragrance Free All Purpose Wipes
I don't use wipes on my face very often, but I did enjoy using these on occasion.  Really, I think I used most of them cleaning blog swatches off my hands and arm.  The last couple wipes did end up drying out before I used them, but for the most part, they stayed pretty moist.

Organic Essentials Organic Cotton Balls
Whenever possible, I prefer to use organic cotton balls on my face.  They really don't cost much more than regular cotton balls and I like to avoid any chlorine or other chemicals found in the regular ones.  These are also quite large, so I end up breaking them in half and only using half at a time, which helps them last longer.


Humphrey's Witch Hazel Astringent
I talked about this in my winter skincare routine, but basically, I've been mixing witch hazel with essential oils (to mask the witch hazel smell) and using it as a toner.  The pores on my nose have a tendency to get clogged and dirty and I've noticed a huge difference since I've been using the witch hazel.  I've already bought a new (jumbo size) bottle.

Bubble & Bee Squeezed Lime Shower Gel
This is a great shower gel that really does smell just like cutting into a fresh lime.  It also lasted an incredibly long time - I started out using it straight on a loofah, but it's super concentrated, so I ended up diluting it in a foamer bottle too, which worked equally well.

Organic Excellence Wild Mint Conditioner
I debated whether or not I should include this one.  Organic Excellence used to be my shampoo and conditioner of choice, but they aren't a company I feel comfortable using or supporting anymore.  In case you missed it, there's been some question of whether or not the brand is disclosing full ingredients, and after emailing back and forth with them a few times, I'm not confident to say either way.  (If you're interested, you can read more about the issue here.)  Unfortunately, I did purchase a new bottle of the conditioner right before all this came out, so while I'll probably use that up, I won't be buying it again.


And that's all for this time!  I love doing these posts, since I get genuinely excited finishing products up.  It's also intensely satisfying watching the empties pile up until I have enough for a post.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.  (Or am I?  Let me know in the comments!)

The new year is almost here!  Just enough time to get one final 'best of' post published before 2012 is gone.  This one is going to highlight my favourite companies for bath and body products.  These are in no particular order.



Face Naturals
In addition to being the year I got into lip products, 2012 has been my year for trying out new shower gels.  I reviewed a number of them over the course of the year and Face Naturals came out on top - it's my favourite so far!  I also really like their body lotions and scrubs. 








Nourish
Nourish is a brand I've purchased from Vitacost, but their products are also available direct from the company and at Ulta if you're in the US.  The whole range has fantastic ingredients and is affordably priced too.  Their packaging is super cute as well!  I've been loving the Organic Body Polish, which is gentle enough for your face and body, and I've just picked up a body wash to try out next.






Young Living 
As I've mentioned before, Young Living is my first choice for essential oils.  For that reason, I'm a big fan of their body care products, which as you might expect, smell amazing.  I use the Valor Bar Soap to wash my face every day and the Boswellia Wrinkle Cream is my favourite splurge moisturizer.  The body lotions are also great!





Earth Mama Angel Baby
Earth Mama Angel Baby is another brand that both your skin and your wallet will thank you for using.  Their scents are not consistently favourites for me, but I love the products themselves.  Luckily for me, many things have an unscented option!  Don't be turned off by the branding - these are great products even if you don't have kids.  I buy mine discounted from either iherb or Vitacost. 






Bubble & Bee
Seriously awesome scents.  The squeezed lime shower gel smells just like cutting into a fresh lime.  Their face cream didn't work the best for my face, but it makes a great intensive moisturizer for your hands or any other dry patches. 







What are your favourite bath and body companies?  Wishing you all a fantastic New Years and an even better 2013! 

When I ordered my samples of their shower gels, Face Naturals also included a 1/2 oz. trial size of their Organic Vanilla-Mint Body Lotion. I don't think they could have chosen a better product for me!  The Vanilla-Mint scent is divine.  To my nose, it doesn't really scream vanilla or mint, but just smells sweet and dessert-like, with just a hint of cool mintyness.  For some reason, it reminds me of chocolate, although there's nothing actually chocolatey about it.

The lotion itself is pretty dreamy too.  It doesn't contain any water, just oils, shea butter, and other botanicals, and it's very moisturizing.  My legs were feeling a little dry and scaly one night, when I remembered I had this.  I applied it before bed and when I woke up, my legs were super soft and hydrated.  Also, as an added bonus, it soaks in right away, so it doesn't leave you feeling greasy at all.  I'm very impressed!

The Bottom Line
This is definitely a product I would recommend.  At $24.95 for 9 oz., it isn't the cheapest lotion out there, but I think it's one of the best.  It comes in several different scents, and with the combination of ingredients, how well it moisturizes, and the non-greasy factor, I do think it's worth the price.  You can also purchase the 1/2 oz. trial size for $4.95.