Naturalla Beauty

Tomorrow marks the official start of fall, so it seems appropriate to wrap up summer today with a favorites post.  These are the standout products I've especially enjoyed using over the last few months.  As many of you know, I've been focused on using the products I already have this year, rather than mindlessly buy-buy-buying, so while there are a couple new things here, most are products I've written about before, although not super recently. 



Gabriel Cosmetics Vibrant Pink Blush*
I used to be terrified of wearing too much blush and looking like a clown, but I've gradually worked up to being comfortable with brighter and more pigmented blushes.  Vibrant Pink is a matte cool hot pink and I loved it this summer.  It gives the prettiest pop of pink without looking overdone.  The Gabriel blushes are quite pigmented -  so a light hand is key - but they're blendable and easy to work with, even if you're fair skinned like me.  

Balanced Guru Calming Masque
I've raved about this mask several times before and it really is a consistent favorite of mine.  Made with a blend of detoxifying bentonite clay and sea kelp, soothing calendula, marshmallow root, echinacea, and aloe vera, and nutrient dense rosehip, sea buckthorn fruit, and gingko, it strikes a perfect balance between drawing out impurities and nourishing the skin with healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  The mask is actually quite detoxifying, but it comes as a powder, which allows you to easily tailor the liquid(s) you mix in to best suit your skin.  I like to use water, in combination with a few drops of a face oil to prevent the mask from drying as firmly as it does with water alone.  I also often mix in a drop or two of carrot seed or frankincense essential oil as an extra anti-aging boost.  My skin is always left looking visibly clearer and brighter after using the Calming Masque and I feel like it's something I'll always keep stocked on my skincare shelf.  

Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash*
I really enjoy a lathering cleanser, but my skin can't tolerate how drying some of them are.  Happily there are products like the Fantastic Face Wash, which foams up nicely, rinses easily, and doesn't leave my skin feeling at all dry.  I first used it about six months ago but gradually drifted onto new things, as we do, only to rediscover it mid-August and fall head over heels all over again.  The scent is an invigorating unisex blend of spearmint and evergreen trees that's lovely and refreshing without being over the top.  The cleanser offers gentle exfoliation from sugar cane and fruit extracts, and a slight tingly sensation from the mint leaves skin feeling extra clean, though never dry or stripped.  

Pacifica Red Red Wine
I first saw this nail polish color in a Youtube video last fall and immediately set my sights on it.  It's taken me until the summer to actually get my hands on it, as even though a nearby health food store stocks the Pacifica polishes, they've been sold out of Red Red Wine every time I've been in.  The color is pretty much just what the name suggests: a classic dark red/wine color with a creme finish.  I wore it in the summer, but it's really a more traditionally fall/winter shade, so I don't foresee putting it away anytime soon.  The Pacifica polishes are 7-free and vegan, with a great, long-wearing formula.  

Brija Cosmetics You Know Who Highlighter
I used to prefer a matte complexion, but these days I really think glowing, luminous skin is the way to go.  To me, it just looks fresher, healthier, and more natural.  That said, I have some larger pores on my nose and cheeks and I've struggled to find a highlighter that provides the radiance I'm looking for without emphasizing or drawing extra attention to them.  But, I think I've finally found it in You Know Who, which gives a beautiful ethereal glow without any piecey shimmer or glitter.  It's a light, white/cream shade, but it doesn't look chalky or frosty on the skin.  It's also versatile in that it can be worn lightly for a subtle everyday look or built up to a more serious gleam for a dramatic highlight.  

Ora's Amazing Herbal All Purpose Salve*
This salve is great for lots of things, but my favorite use is on bug bites.  It works like nothing else on both swelling and itching.  We've got a good number of spruce trees in the backyard and plenty of mosquitos as a result, so whenever I'm out there with the dog, there's a decent chance of bites.  Just last week, I managed to get a bite right in the middle of my forehead, which, being in such an obvious spot, of course swelled up huge and looked like a goose egg.  I used the salve twice that night and it worked like a charm.  The formula has a grapeseed and coconut oil base and is packed with anti-inflammatory herbs like calendula, comfrey, chickweed, plantain, burdock, thyme, and St. John's wort.  It visibly starts to take down swollen bug bites within minutes of application, and within a couple hours, even the biggest bites are nearly gone.  With summer winding down, bug bites aren't as big of an issue, but I know I'll still keep this guy handy for its multitude of other uses.  It works well on other skin irritations and soothes everything from cuts and scrapes to pimples, chapped lips, dry cuticles, and rashes.  

Hope you had a fabulous summer and are looking forward to fall!

It's been several years since I switched over to natural makeup and I've tried out a lot of different products in that time.  After a recent decluttering and organization spree, I thought it'd be fun to show my most used, everyday essentials, as well as a quick look at how I store them.  Some products change, obviously, but a lot are consistent, long term favorites.  

Many of these items may be familiar from previous posts, but if you have questions or if there are specific products you want to know more about, I'm happy to answer in the comments or follow up in future posts.



I use sterilite drawers to hold the remainder of my makeup - mainly lip products and more loose eye shadows - but I like my everyday items to be accessible and easy to grab.  I found this tray for $1.99 in the kitchen section of Value Village and it works perfectly.  It's a sturdy, thick acrylic and the divided sections make it super easy to keep everything visible without turning into one huge messy heap.  

Section #1: Blush

It was only a couple years ago that I owned maybe two blushes, but I'm gotten more into blush recently and this section has filled out quite a bit!  

Pure + Simple Glow + Gabriel Color Vibrant Pink* - My two favorites over the summer.  Both are highly pigmented and give a beautiful vibrant pop of color, but can also be toned down for a more subdued look.  Glow is a bright watermelon pink with the prettiest sheen and Vibrant Pink is, as the name suggests, a matte hot pink.  

Lippy Girl Wall Flower - A matte pale pink.  I'm not sure how it would work on darker skin tones, but it's beautiful on fair skin.

Bare Minerals The Adrenaline Rush - Technically this is an All-Over Color Boost, but I can't imagine using it as anything other than a blush.  With the three colors swirled together, it's a light peach with a satin finish.

Ecco Bella Hibiscus* - The lighter of Ecco Bella's two bronzers, Hibiscus leans very peachy/orange, which I didn't love as a bronzer, but it makes a beautiful bronzy blush!

Silk Naturals Abstract + Lovelace - Silk Naturals blushes are some of the most blendable and easy to wear I've found and I love both these colors.  Lovelace is a bright coral and Abstract is a unique light plummy-pink.  

The All Natural Face Tequila Sunrise - A pretty pinky-coral.  It's not the most longwearing blush - the cream version is much better in that regard - but it's a great everyday shade.  

Gressa Aux Rouge - Aux Rouge makes for a beautiful red lip and I like it a lot on the cheeks too.

Section #2: Everyday Powder Face Products + New Blush Overflow

This section houses all my everyday powder essentials like mineral foundation, finishing powder, and powder concealers, as well as some Brija Cosmetics products that I bought over the summer and am still trying out.  

Everyday Minerals Foundation - I've been working through a sample pack from Everyday Minerals and trying to figure out which color and formula I like best on my skin.  I plan to purchase a full size of the Semi-Matte in the future.

Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Finishing Powder - A good basic, translucent finishing powder.  I like dusting something like this over my forehead as a last makeup step to blur any fine lines I have up there.

Silk Naturals Light Peach Sleep in a Jar + #2 Brightening Concealer + ELF Mineral Eye Brightener - I use one of these everyday that I wear makeup.  All three are great to set a cream or liquid concealer under the eyes and I like them all.  ELF's Mineral Eye Brightener brightens without any real coverage, Sleep in a Jar brightens with a tiny bit of coverage, and the #2 Brightening Concealer, which is supposed to be a dupe for Anastasia's Banana Powder, is a little less brightening than the other two, but offers more coverage.  

Brija Cosmetics Mean Girls Blushes + You Know Who Highlighter - You Know Who and Regulation Hottie blush, a beautiful nude pink, have been getting a lot of love recently.  I'm not quite as smitten with the other two blushes, though they're both pretty colors, and I've yet to try the sample of Hoola Hoop Bronzer.   

Section #3: Loose Eye Shadows

Favorites - Darling Girl Blitzen + Moondust, Pollen Cosmetics Future Sunrise + Saddle Up, The Chequered Lily Apothecary Neverwhere, and Madd Style Cosmetics Mune Glow.  (I'm realzing now how many of these are either discontinued colors or from companies that are no longer around.  Sorry!)

Random Others - SweetPea & Fay British Accent (makes the prettiest indigo blue eyeliner), Shiro Cosmetics Master Sword, Concrete Minerals Blitzkrieg, Sassy Minerals Dry Martini, Noella Beauty Works Mango Berry, Persephone Minerals Pegasus, and Cheeky Cosmetics Blonde Brow Powder (works great as a matte crease/transition shade).

Silk Naturals Splendid Perfecting Glow - I keep this in with the eye shadows because I like using it to blend out other shadows.  It's sheer to begin with and blends away to nothing, but in the process, it helps soften other, hard to blend colors.  

Section #4: Pressed Eye Shadows

Pressed shadows without silicones or talc used to seem like the green beauty holy grail, so it's awesome to have so many choices these days!  

Pure + Simple Taupe - Probably my most used pressed eye shadow.  It's a fantastic medium brown crease shade that works with virtually any eye look.

Jane Iredale Eye Steppes in goWarm* - This palette has everything you need for a peachy/neutral eye.  Most Jane Iredale pressed products are made with silicones, but the Eye Steppes are not.

Bare Minerals Ready Palettes - I like the Ready eye shadows a lot, especially the matte and satin finish colors.  The ingredients aren't the absolute cleanest, but they don't have anything I'm particularly worried about.  The formula is also sturdier and less fragile than a lot of other natural pressed shadows, making these great for travel.  

Lily Lolo Laid Bare Palette* - This is basically a natural alternative to the Naked palettes and I love it for how compact and portable it is.  These aren't the absolute most pigmented shadows ever, but they do the trick, especially with a good primer underneath.  

Red Apple Lipstick Palette* - This holds my four Red Apple Lipstick shadows, as well as my one Honeybee Gardens shadow.  The eye shadows from both brands are great: pigmented and very easy to blend.  

Section #5: BB/CC Creams/Tinted Moisturizers, Bronzers + Highlighters

Most days I just wear mineral foundation, as my skin tends to prefer powder products over liquids and creams, but periodically I like using a BB or CC Cream, which is where this section comes in.

Andalou Naturals Sheer Tint Beauty Balm - I love how healthy and glowy this makes my skin look, but the color is a little dark for me.  It's workable with a lighter powder on top, but probably not something I will buy again.

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream in Natural Glow - A better color match than the Andalou, but everything else about this CC Cream leaves me a little underwhelmed.  It has super light, barely there coverage and smells pretty strongly of petitgrain.  

Suntegrity 5-in-1 Tinted Sunscreen in Fair and Light - I've held onto these samples because of the many great reviews I've read for this product, but I'm still on the fence about whether I'm actually going to try them or not.  Suntegrity contains cetyl dimethicone, a silicone which I usually avoid. 

Mineral Fusion Bronzer Duo in Luster - I don't wear bronzer anywhere near daily, but when I do, I really like the matte shade in this duo.  It looks dark in the pan, but it's not heavily pigmented and blends out easily.  The highlight side is very golden and doesn't get much love from me.  The bronzer duos are one of the few Mineral Fusion pressed powder products made without phenoxyethanol.  

Lily Lolo Rose Glow Shimmer Strips - The Shimmer Strips were limited edition and while Rose Glow is a pretty pink highlight, I only feel like I can pull it off on perfect skin days as the shimmer can tend to emphasize pores.  

Zuzu Luxe Mosaic Illuminator in Light* - I really love this product, both as a setting powder over cream or liquid products and by itself as more of an invisible allover skin perfecter on days when I'm not wearing other face makeup.  It doesn't have any real coverage, but it mutes redness and has a pretty, slightly luminous finish that leaves skin looking natural and glowy.  

Center: Mascara, Eye Liner, Eye Brow Products + Miscellaneous

I use a re-purposed candle holder in the center compartment to hold mascara, eyeliner, brow products, and a few miscellaneous extras.    

Physician's Formula Organic Wear CC Curl + Care Mascara - My only open mascara at the moment and frankly it kind of sucks.  It darkens the lashes, but it doesn't do much for either lengthening or thickening.  My lashes have a natural curl, so I'm not sure how it does in that area.  

Dr. Hauschka Volume Mascara - This is unopened, but I'm looking forward to trying it next.

Pacifica Bare + Jet Eye Liners - Some of the creamiest natural liners I've found.  Bare is a wonderful nude for the waterline and Jet is a great rich black.  

LUVU Beauty Black Eye Liner - I like using this when I want black liner, but not something as rich and ultra-pigmented as the Pacifica.

Honeybee Gardens Blue Jeans Jobacolor Eye Liner - A super beautiful blue/teal shade.  It looks like these have been reformulated recently and I don't like the new ingredients, so I won't be buying them in the future.

Benecos Brown Eye Liner - Another great creamy liner, but I'm not a big fan of the color.  It's a warm, almost orangey-brown that I'm just trying hard to use up before buying a different brown liner.  

Bare Minerals Frame & Define Brow Styler in Universal Light - My go-to for quick, everyday brows.  The twist-up pencil doesn't need sharpening and the light, ashy brown is the best shade match I've found for my eyebrows.  

Lily Lolo Eyebrow Duo in Medium* - A powder and wax brow duo that I also like, although I only really use this when I have a little more time to devote to doing my makeup, since using powder brow products is a slower, more involved process for me.
  
The All Natural Face Diva Stix in Milk - A matte white chubby pencil that I like using as a brown bone highlight.

Alba Botanica Fast Fix for Undereye Circles -  A somewhat sheer yellow-toned concealer/color corrector.  It's not a full coverage product, but it does visibly brighten and it has a great lightweight texture that layers well with other products.

Lavera Eye Shadow Base - Overall, I like this, but I'm not sure I'd buy it again.  It works well at keeping eye shadows on and preventing creasing, but I do find that colors continue to blend and mix together over the course of the day, so it isn't the best for more complex eye looks.

Mini Tweezerman Tweezers + Sephora Pencil Sharpener - Just a couple basic tools that it's always good to have handy.  

Makeup minimalist, I'm not, but everything here has a place in my routine and gets used regularly.  I hope you enjoyed this peek into my everyday/most used makeup!

Every so often it hits me just how strange of a habit saving empties is.  I mean, really,  how did it start?  Did someone just wake up one morning and decide that saving beauty trash was a sensible idea?  Nonetheless, it's pretty ingrained in me now and I can't even imagine throwing these things in the garbage right away!  

This month's batch of empties is oddly free of any body care, but I've got a good bit of skincare, some makeup, and one hair product.  Keep reading for mini reviews and my thoughts on whether these items are worth buying again or not.



Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz
The Spiral Spritz is a basically a cross between a gel and a serum.  With lavender water and aloe vera as the main ingredients, it gives the hair oil-free moisture and also serves as a lightweight soft-hold gel, courtesy of the remaining ingredients.  It's a repeat empty for me, so you know I love it!
Repurchase? Definitely.  I'm currently using the Intelligent Nutrients Styling Gel, but I'm sure I'll buy this again in the future.

Blûm Naturals Pro Age Daily Cleansing and Makeup Remover Towelettes
I don't use wipes for daily cleansing or makeup removal, but I like keeping a couple individually wrapped ones in my purse for spur of the moment makeup fails or other unexpected situations.  The Blûm ones aren't my favorite wipes, but there aren't a lot of companies that offer individually wrapped ones with clean ingredients and Blûm's are cheap and do the trick.  I only use them occasionally - a box of ten lasts me six months or so - so I'm not overly fussy about which ones I buy.  
Repurchase? Yes.  I bought Blûm's Sensitive wipes to try next, but I'm sure I'll buy these Pro Age ones again too.

Andalou Naturals Citrus Kombucha Cleansing Gel
I've tried a lot of Andalou Naturals products this year and I really think they're one of the best affordable skincare lines out there.  I've dabbled in all four different ranges now and to me, most products seem quite mild and not super "active," which is kind of a double-edged sword.  I'm not convinced they're potent enough to achieve great, transformative skin results, but the upside is that the majority of products are gentle and generally work for virtually any skin type.  The Citrus Kombucha Cleansing Gel, for instance, is part of the Clarifying Line, intended for active, oily, and acne-prone skin, but it worked great on my sensitive normal-to-dry skin too.  The cleanser has great ingredients, smells awesome - like a fresh-cut grapefruit - and lathers without overly drying the skin.  
Repurchase? Yes.



Evolve Gentle Cleansing Melt   [Review]
The Gentle Cleansing Melt is a unique emulsifying balm cleanser.  It starts out as a thick gel, but quickly melts into a thinner balm consistency with the heat of your skin.  Once you add water, it transforms into a milky cleanser that easily rinses away.  Evolve has reformulated this product since I bought it, so I can't speak to the current version, but the one I used was great.  I haven't used anything quite like it before, but I'm curious what else is out there.  If there are similar emulsifying balm-type cleansers that you'd recommend, please leave a comment and let me know!
Repurchase? This version is no longer sold.  I'm not sure if I'll try the new one or not.

Andalou Naturals Super Goji Perfecting Cream
My skin has been preferring cream moisturizers over oils recently and the Super Goji Perfecting Cream is a nice one.  It's sold as part of the Age Defy line and is intended for dry and very dry skin, but I'm not sure I'd agree with that recommendation.  The cream is hydrating but also pretty lightweight, so I don't know if it would be sufficient for super dry skin.  Either way, I really enjoyed it.  It sinks in quickly and never leaves skin feeling tacky or greasy.  Noteworthy ingredients include hyaluronic acid, goji glycopeptides and antioxidants that claim to "deliver collagen and elastin building actives deep into dermal layers, boosting cellular renewal and dramatically transforming tone and texture for younger-looking skin with fewer fine lines and wrinkles."  At 27, I'm no prune face just yet, but I also haven't noticed any difference in the fine lines I do have while using the cream.  It's a great basic moisturizer, but I don't suggest buying it with the highest hopes for wrinkle or fine line reduction.
Repurchase? It's very likely.

Badger Seabuckthorn Face Oil*   [Review]
Like I said, I've temporarily moved away from using most face oils recently, but I did really enjoy the Badger Seabuckthorn Oil while I was using it.  Badger is a great company and the face oils are packed full of great nourishing plant oils and extracts.  The Seabuckthorn, specifically, contains sea buckthorn oil and fruit extract, as well as jojoba, baobab, apricot, and pomegranate oils, rosehip fruit extract, and lavender, geranium, and sweet orange essential oils.  Badger currently sells four different oils to suit various skin types, and for the price - under $20! - I really don't think you can do any better than these USDA certified organic blends!
Repurchase? Not right away, but possibly in the future.

Madara Deep Moisture Fluid (sample)
The Deep Moisture Fluid is an interesting product.  As the name suggests, it has a very fluid, liquidy consistency, but it also does provide a lot of moisture.  I actually found it to sit a little heavy on the skin this time of year.  The scent was pretty grassy - like every other Madara product I've tried - but not offensive.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Serum (sample)
This is the first Trilogy product I haven't liked at all.  Both the Cleanser and Moisturizer from the same Calming range are great, but the Serum doesn't absorb well and stays very sticky and tacky on the skin.  It did initially tone down redness on application, but I think it also made me break out.  Not a fan!
Repurchase? No.

Ilike Carotene Essentials Moisturizer* (sample)
Ilike's Carotene Essentials range is specifically targeted at summer skin and I really enjoyed using the moisturizer over the last couple weeks.  It has the same scent as the Carotene Essentials Gel Mask (reviewed here), but while I sometimes find the smell of the mask a little too sweet and even sickly, it didn't bother me in the moisturizer at all, perhaps because it's absorbed more quickly into the skin and doesn't just sit on top for a prolonged period.  The cream itself was really lovely too: hydrating, lightweight and perfect for summer.
Repurchase? Maybe.  I'm not sure it gives enough moisture for my skin in the winter, but I'd consider buying it next summer.



Honeybee Gardens Belgian Chocolate JobaColor Eye Liner
Honeybee Gardens liners are some of my favorites - both for their affordable price point and great performance - but it looks like the company has made some major ingredient changes since I last purchased them.  The biggest difference is that the old formula contained lanolin, while the new one looks to be vegan.  Nothing wrong with that, but I don't like some of the other ingredients that have been added - butylene glycol, for one! - so I won't be buying these any more.
Repurchase? No.  I'll probably replace this with Pacifica's brown liner instead.

Sassy Minerals Rumor Mill and Pixie Sprinkles Eye Shadows (samples)
Sassy Minerals used to be one of the best companies for shimmery and sparkly eye shadows, but they were bought out by LaurEss Mineral Cosmetics a few years ago.  LaurEss carried the same colors, but it looks like they're shutting down as of this summer too.  I initially pulled these samples out just to use them up, but I actually ended up loving both colors and even though I don't need eye shadow, I'm considering ordering one or both from LaurEss before they fully shut down. 
Repurchase? Maybe.

Gabriel Color Black Mascara
The Zuzu Luxe mascara is in my top two mascaras, so I'm always baffled by why the Gabriel Color one, which has the same ingredients and a very similar wand, just doesn't do it for me.  It's an okay mascara, but nothing amazing.
Repurchase? I don't think so.

Pollen Cosmetics Ready Set Go Finishing Powder (sample)
Pollen Cosmetics is another indie makeup company that's no longer in business.  The finishing powder was okay, but nothing spectacular.
Repurchase? Not possible.

Everyday Minerals Ivory (1N) Semi Matte and Matte Base (samples)
Everyday Minerals is the latest company I've been testing in my attempts to pick a new mineral foundation.  Ivory (1N) seems like a good color match for my skin and both the Semi Matte and Matte formulas are nice, depending how you like your skin to look.  The Semi Matte has a slightly more natural finish, which I prefer, but the coverage on both is great.
Repurchase? Probably the Semi Matte.  I still have a sample of the Jojoba Base to try before I decide.

Crazy Rumors Pear & Peppermint Lip Balm
Crazy Rumors has become one of my favorite lip balm companies, but I didn't love this particular one.  It smelled more like a semi-artificial honey scent than either pear or peppermint to me.
Repurchase? Yes, but not this particular flavor.


Total Products Used Up in August
Skincare: 6  (Lip Balms: 1)
Bodycare: 0
Haircare:  1
Makeup: 2
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 3
Makeup Samples: 5

Total Products Used Up in 2015
Skincare: 29 (Lip Balms: 8)
Bodycare: 28
Haircare:  10
Makeup: 11
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 59 
Makeup Samples: 24

I can't believe I'm edging towards 100 samples used up this year!  Crazy!

In the process of weeding through and decluttering my makeup, I realized I've accumulated a fair few eyeliner pencils these last couple of years and - aside from a few brief mentions - I've never written about them.  I rarely used to wear eyeliner, but these days, it's pretty standard for days that I wear makeup.  Pencil is by far the quickest and easiest liner for me to use and it's what I reach for most often.  

Here's my opinions - good and bad - on the eight brands currently in my collection.  I've included some swatches at the end too, for anyone that might be interested in seeing how some of these colors stack up against one another.



The Top Picks

Pacifica Natural Eye Pencils
If I had to pick a number one favorite, this would be it.  The formula glides on effortlessly, both on the lid and in the waterline, and the three colors I've tried all have great color payoff.  Despite the marketing, I wouldn't consider these to be waterproof, but they do last all day on the lashline.  They also don't smear or bleed out of the waterline, although I usually only get 3-4 hours wear there before they start to fade.  Currently there are four neutral shades available, but I'm hoping for more fun colors in the future!  

Honeybee Gardens JobaColors Eye Liner
The JobaColor liners fall in the middle in terms of creamyness, but their gorgeous shades bump them up to my top two.  My two favorites are Blue Jeans, a bright teal blue and Smoking Gun, a beautiful silvered brown/shimmery taupe.  The one exception to the awesomeness of these pencils is Jet Set - the black - which I'm not crazy about.  I definitely think there are better black eyeliners, but I'd recommend the rest of the colors wholeheartedly. 

Middle of the Road

Benecos Natural Kajal Eyeliner
The formula on these is excellent.  They're creamy and apply very smoothly, but the actual colors - at least the two I have - tend to leave me feeling a bit let down.  Brown is a really warm brown with some almost orange tones, and Night Blue - which swatches as an amazing metallic navy - always ends up as more of a muddy grey/charcoal on my eyes.  There are a couple more colors I'm cautiously curious about, so I'll be sure to update this if/when I try more.

Earthlab Vegan Mineral Pencils
If you're looking for a liner that's easy to smudge out, Earthlab is a good choice.  I don't find Black to be the best true, deep black for lining the eyes, but it's excellent for smoking out as it still hangs onto a good amount of colour once blended.  

Gabriel Color
I only have one liner from Gabriel Color, in Black, which is another that I find to be more of a grey/charcoal than a true black.  The actual pencil is a little on the firmer side, but as long as you warm it up on your hand, it's fine to work with.  

Failed to Impress

ELF Mineral Eye Liner
As a retractable pencil sold for a mere $3, I was really excited to give the Mineral Eye Liners a try.  Unfortunately, the pencil is just way too hard and needs a lot of pressure to get any color payoff.  Metallic Purple was disappointing color-wise as well.  It's a plummy brown shade with a purple sheen, but the purple wears off super quickly, leaving you with just a rather ordinary brown.  

Beauty Without Cruelty Eye Defining Pencil*
I love how cool-toned Soft Brown is, but, again, the formula is just way too hard and leaves me feeling as though I'm scraping my eyelid raw whenever I use it. I will say, swatching this again today, the ashy tones and firmer texture reminded me more of a brow pencil than a liner, so if the color happens to be a match for you, it might work great for that purpose.

LUVU Beauty Eye Liner Pencils
The same qualities that I love so much about LUVU's lip pencils make their eye pencils some of my least favorites.  They're very solid and almost waxy, which results in very little color payoff on the eye, unless you're using a good amount of pressure.  I do like the shimmery White for highlighting the inner corner, but it's basically useless for lining the waterline or as a regular eyeliner.  

Blacks: (L to R) Luvu Beauty Black, Gabriel Color Black, Earthlab Black, Honeybee Gardens Jet Set, Pacifica Jet

Neutrals: (L to R) LUVU Beauty White, Pacifica Bare, Honeybee Gardens Brown Sugar, Benecos Brown, Honeybee Gardens Belgian Chocolate, Beauty Without Cruelty Soft Brown, Honeybee Gardens Smoking Gun

The Colors: (L to R) Honeybee Gardens Blue Jeans, Benecos Night Blue, ELF Metallic Purple

Have you used any of these?  What are your favorite eye liners?

It's a rare day that I paint my fingernails, but the holiday season, plus this gorgeous polish combination I discovered when painting my toes earlier in the week made me go for it.  And once it was done, I wanted to show off all the pretty sparklies, which brings us to today's post.

All the polishes I used are at least 3-free (no toluene, DBP, or formaldehyde) and the Gabriel topcoat is also free of camphor and other phthalates.  



The Polishes
As a base, I used Peacekeeper Cause-metics Soulful, a metallic navy.  Sinful Colors Nail Junkie, a turquoise jelly with blue, green and gold sparkles, went on next.  Nail Junkie is a pretty thick, viscous polish, but since that makes it easier to build up a semi-opaque glitter layer, I don't mind.  Last, I used Gabriel Cosmetics' Top Coat, which is great for smoothing out any roughness from the glitter and gives a great shine.  I will say - 5-free or not - the Gabriel polishes are some of the strongest and worst smelling nail polishes I've used.

It all came together with a kind of galaxy feel that I'm very much digging!  It can come across a little lighter/darker depending on lighting, but basically it looks like turquoise and gold glitter on a black base.  I love that it's got a bit of a festive feel, even though it doesn't fall under a more traditional red, green or gold color scheme.    

Sinful Colors Nail Junkie, up close

Gabriel Cosmetics - or more specifically Zuzu Luxe - was the first natural makeup I remember using.  I discovered one of the company's makeup displays as a teenager, whilst wandering through a Wild Oats store in Salt Lake City, and I remember being surprised by how modern and even trendy the color selection was.  This goes back several years - to before I'd made the switch to using only natural products and to long before anything close to today's natural makeup selection existed - and Gabriel Cosmetics and Zuzu Luxe have not left my makeup bag since.  

The line has expanded quite a bit since those days and I'm always eager to check our the company's new releases.  I recently had the chance to try a few new-to-me products and I jumped on it.  I was sent the Zuzu Luxe Mosaic Illuminator in Light* and Gabriel Color Vibrant Pink Blush* and Florentina Multi Pot.*  



Mosaic Illuminator (Light)
Can we just admire how gorgeous these mosaic powders are for a minute?  If there's one thing I'd say is still lacking in the non-toxic makeup realm, it's pressed powders like this that can rival high end mainstream makeup - in terms of packaging and visual appeal, as well as performance - so it's very exciting to see Zuzu Luxe stepping up to the task.  

According to the company, the Mosaic Illuminator "captures light and covers imperfections, giving your complexion a luminous beautiful finish."  It's a light powder that gives minimal coverage, but a really nice, slight radiance to the skin.  It's particularly great for this time of year when skin can start looking a little dull. 

Used by itself, the illuminator slightly perfects and evens out the skin.  There are some yellow-toned components that are helpful for toning down redness, but it still doesn't provide as much coverage as I'd like by itself.  Instead, I like to use it over top of another foundation, as more of a setting powder.  That way, you get the coverage from another product, but the lovely finish and radiance of the Mosaic Illuminator. 



Vibrant Pink Blush
Vibrant Pink looks crazy bright in the pan (it's even brighter in real life than in the photos!), but on the cheeks, it provides a pop of color that's neither garish or over the top.  Gabriel (and Zuzu Luxe) pressed products are always great quality and Vibrant Pink is no exception.  I only need to lightly tap my brush into the product to get enough color for my cheeks and it doesn't kick up much excess powder or fall out either.  I also love that this is a matte shade, but is still pigmented and very blendable.  I'm definitely interested in trying more colors in the future.  



Florentina Multi Pot
Gabriel's Multi Pots are designed to be a three-in-one product for the eyes, lips, and cheeks.  Florentina is a matte, bronzy/neutral pink or raisin color that I never would have chosen for myself, but I ended up quite liking the natural, subtle look it gives, particularly on the cheeks when used as a blush.  The texture of the Multi Pot is significantly drier than a lot of other cream blushes, so it's never greasy or oily on the skin.  Instead, it feels like it sets to a powder-like finish almost as soon as you blend it.  

This consistency also helps it last better on the eyes - although it did crease when I tried to build the color up to more than a sheer wash - but it also means that I don't love how it feels on the lips.  On bare lips it acts as more of a stain, but can be a little drying.  I've also tried applying it over a lip balm, which compensates for the dryness, but means you won't get the best color payoff.  It's all good though, as Florentina is probably a color I'd wear more on my cheeks and eyes anyways!  



The Bottom Line
I already loved Gabriel and Zuzu Luxe products and these three have only served to reinforce that.  If you're looking for high quality natural makeup with great ingredients and the same ease and convenience as mainstream products (no loose powders here!), I don't think you can do better than these lines.  The products are also pretty widely available at Whole Foods and other health food stores, which is always a plus.