Naturalla Beauty

January is often a month of scaling back after the holidays and this year was no different for me and my beauty cabinet .  Last year I took part in #NoBuyJanuary and this year I joined Tamara from Rainbow Feet's Green Survivor Challenge over on Instagram.  I love the group aspect of these challenges!

Since I focused a lot on using things up, I actually got through quite a few items this month.  I'm going to try to keep it short- since I have so many products to talk about - but if you'd like more info, I'm happy to expand on anything in the comments.  



Organic Surge Tropical Bergamot Hand & Nail Cream
I usually love citrus scents, but the smell of this one was a little sharp to my nose.  It was a great hand cream though, and even the scent grew on me after a while.  Very affordable too.  I'd buy it again.

Balanced Guru Calming Masque   [Review]
I only discovered this product towards the end of 2014, but it quickly became one of my favorite masks.  It has a lot of calming ingredients, but is also quite detoxifying.  If you saw my massive green beauty haul earlier this month, you'll know that I've already picked up a replacement.

Andalou Naturals Citrus Verbena Shower Gel
I love some of Andalou's products, but this shower gel was not one of them.  The smell was nice at first, but I got tired of it about halfway through the bottle.  It also left my skin itchy and irritated at times.

SkinnySkinny The Cleanser   [Review]
I didn't have the highest hopes for this castile-based facial cleanser, but I ended up loving it.  It's probably one of the best cleansers I've used to date.  If SkinnySkinny were easier to find in Canada, I likely would have bought a second bottle right away, but due to lack of easy accessibility and high shipping costs, I've moved on to a different cleanser for now.

Northman Grooming Co. Shaving Cream*   [Review]
My only complaint with this shaving cream is the tub packaging, which could be a little cumbersome in the shower.  The actual shaving cream is great: very creamy and hydrating.  I'd especially recommend it in the colder months or for anyone who suffers from shaving-related irritation.  

Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz   [Review]
I've gone through several bottles of this light, non-sticky hair gel and it even made my Best Curly Girl Hair Products of 2014 list.  I've already got another bottle on the go. 

Acure Unscented Cocoa Butter + CoQ10 Body Lotion   [Review]
Another staple.  When I want an unscented body moisturizer, nine times out of ten this is what I reach for.  It rubs in easily, but still moisturizes well.  I stocked up the last time Acure was on sale on iherb, so I already had another tube waiting.  

Earthpaste Spearmint Toothpaste   [Review]
I've been using Earthpaste for a couple years now, but this was my first time trying this specific flavour.  The Spearmint is unique in that it's unsweetened and stronger than Earthpaste's other flavours.  I liked the strong spearmint taste, but I wished it was also sweetened a little.  Without the xylitol, I found it to have a slight bitter taste.   



Weleda Body Lotion (samples)
I enjoyed using these lotions - especially the Sea Buckthorn scent - but I'm not sure I liked them enough to purchase a full size bottle.  

Nonie of Beverly Hills AHA! Body Lotion* (sample)
This isn't the richest, heaviest, most moisturizing lotion I've ever used, but with natural alpha hydroxy acids from fruit, it gently exfoliates and leaves you with extra soft, smooth skin.  Smells lovely too, with Nonie of Beverly Hills' signature sweet lemon scent.  

Dr. Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel (sample)
One of my best discoveries of 2014, I love using the Soothing Gel as a spot treatment.  It makes a noticeable difference on large blemishes and literally vanishes smaller ones within just a few hours.  I bought another sample for now, but I expect I'll be picking up the full size bottle at some point in the future.  

Derma E Vitalizing Cleanser (sample)
I was excited to try this as it's one of the few Derma E products made without phenoxyethanol.  I didn't realize it at the time, but it does contain fragrance.  It worked fine as a cleanser, but I think it's been discontinued and I  wouldn't purchase it because of the fragrance anyways.

Suki Moisture-Rich Cleansing Lotion (sample)
Another so-so cleanser for me.  I much prefer Suki's Foaming Cleanser.

John Masters Linden Blossom Face Creme Cleanser (sample)
I'm scratching my head trying to remember how I felt about this one.  Clearly not a very memorable product either way. 

Blûm Naturals Pro Age Daily Cleansing Towelette
I like to carry these individually wrapped towelettes in my purse, but they're not something I use on a day-to-day basis.  The pro-age ones are my favorite of the types I've tried so far.  

Bare English & Co. Vanilla Coconut Lip Balm
I've given Bare English lip balms as gifts but I never actually tried them myself until this fell into my hands this past fall.  I'm not sure why I waited so long!  I love that they're made locally here in Toronto and the formula is excellent too.  I've already picked up a couple other flavors to try.

Young Living Lavender Lip Balm
I love these lip balms too!  They're super smooth and nourishing and last well on the lips without being overly waxy.  The lavender scent is my favorite.

EvanHealy Tea Tree Gel Cleanser (sample)
I've been liking to use a gel cleanser as the second step in a double cleanse routine and EvanHealy's was a nice option.  I don't think I'd buy it - just because I don't need a targeted acne cleanser like this - but it worked well and didn't do anything bad for my skin.  

Hugo Naturals Vanilla Peppermint Soap
I really enjoyed having a festive snowflake shaped soap over the holidays and the peppermint vanilla scent was nice as well.  I'm not rushing to buy more Hugo Naturals soaps immediately, but I certainly would - especially when they come in cute shapes like this!

Pai Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening Exfoliator (sample)
I've tried this before, but after seeing several bloggers rave about it, I thought I'd try another sample.  I like how it works, but I'm not crazy about the scent, so I doubt I will ever purchase a full size bottle.

Silk Naturals Abstract Sheer Blush (sample)
I like Silk Natural's Sheer Blush formula a lot.  The blushes blend easily and aren't overly saturated with pigment, so they work well on my ultra fair skin.  The colors also last well on my face throughout the day.  Abstract is a gorgeous light pink with some plum tones - swatched here - that I will definitely be re-ordering soon.  

Burt's Bees Wings of Love Facial Powder (sample)
This is an ancient sample from Burt's Bees' old makeup line (pre-Clorox ownership I think.)  It was a loose, translucent face powder that did nothing for my skin.  I ended up throwing out most of the sample.

I see a lot of other bloggers keep a tally of empties, and I'm going to start one this year too.  I'm curious to see how much stuff I actually get through over the course of a year!  

January
Skincare: 4
Body/Hair: 7 
Makeup: 0
Skin/Body/Hair Samples:11
Makeup Samples: 2

2015 Total
Skincare: 4
Body/Hair: 7
Makeup: 0
Skin/Body/HairSamples: 11
Makeup Samples: 2

I don't remember ever using hand cream until two winters ago.  Temperatures can drop pretty low here, but it never bothered my hands...until suddenly it did.  There's been no turning back since and for someone who didn't use handcream for most of her life, I've managed to amass quite an arsenal these past couple years.  Each one serves a (slightly) different purpose and they all come together to keep my hands soft, healthy and hydrated through the cold months and all year long.



The Day Time Troopers
Organic Surge Tropical Bergamot Hand & Nail Cream + Odylique Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie*
Whether I'm running around or spending time on the computer, for daytime I need a hand cream that absorbs quickly and doesn't leave my hands greasy, sticky, or coated.  Both of these fit the bill and are also small enough to easily tote around in my bag.  I find the Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie does a slightly better job moisturizing in the moment, but the Tropical Bergamot Hand & Nail Cream has a longer lasting effect and therefore requires less re-applications throughout the day.   

The Before You Step Outside Protector
Weleda Calendula Weather Protection Cream
I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but - with or without gloves - my hands seem like they start losing moisture the second I step out into the cold.  The Calendula Weather Protection Cream is really intended for protecting babies' faces and lips from harsh weather, but it also works great on hands.  A water-free formula with a similar consistency to petroleum jelly, it creates a protective (but non-occlusive) barrier that helps to seal in moisture.

The Healing Helper
ZibaDel Natural Manuka Honey Skin Cream*
When I haven't been super diligent, the Manuka Honey Skin Cream is the perfect product to reach for.  The consistency is somewhere between a cream and a balm and it's phenomenal for healing chapped or cracked skin and other small skin ailments.  

The Overnight Treatment
Northman Heavy Hand Balm*
Despite the name, the Heavy Hand Balm is really more of a thick cream than a traditional balm.  It's very effective at softening dry hands, but it's pretty rich and heavy and I find it a little sticky on my hands at first, so it's a product I reserve for right before bed.  If you're looking for something truly unscented, this is also great in that regard.  

The Boosters
Weleda Skin Food + Acure Marula Oil
For those times when I want to doctor my own hand cream concoction, I like to incorporate Skin Food and/or Marula Oil.  I love Skin Food on dry elbows and feet, but I find it to be so thick as to be difficult to work into the hands on its own.  Instead, I like to mix a small dollop into another, lighter cream.  The same goes for Marula Oil, which is great for adding an extra shot of moisture to any of the other products on this list.  

Clearly dry hands are not welcome 'round these parts!  What's your favorite hand cream?

A few months back, I tried a couple samples of Tata Harper's Regenerating Cleanser and - not to be too dramatic - adored it.  With a perfect balance between good exfoliation and gentleness, this non-foaming, soap-, alcohol- and detergent-free cleanser sloughed off all my dead skin without irritating my sensitive face.  The base of the Regenerating Cleanser is a creamy cleanser - in fact it's Tata's Refreshing Cleanser - so even though this product does double exfoliating duty with apricot seed powder (manual exfoliation) and pomegranate enzymes (chemical exfoliation), it still manages to leave your face feeling hydrated and soothed.  I was sold.  Or I was, until I realized just how very pricey this cleanser is.  Ringing in at $75 (4 oz.), it was beyond what I was comfortable spending, so I started looking around in the hopes of finding something comparable at a lower price point.

Which is where Organic Surge's Skin Perfecting Face Polish came in.  At £6.99 or about $12 (2.5 oz.), it falls pretty well on the other end of the price spectrum.  The Perfecting Face Polish also has a creamy base, this time interspersed with finely ground olive stones.  I like the overall feel of the Face Polish, but I'm not crazy about the olive stones themselves.  The individual pieces are on the larger side, but the amount found throughout the cleanser seems a little sparse.  Where Tata's cleanser has a very even texture, the problem I ran into with the Organic Surge Polish was that one part of my face would feel well exfoliated, while another would seem like I had just washed it with a gentle cleanser.  It takes a bit more work - and sometimes a good deal of product - to get an even exfoliation, but once I'm done, my face is left feeling soft and smooth, so it's not a total loss.

Splurge or Save?
Tata Harper's Regenerating Cleanser was the clear winner for me, so it's a splurge.  I really wanted to find a bargain dupe, but the Organic Surge Face Polish just isn't it.  The Face Polish does the trick and leaves my skin looking and feeling nice, but it's more challenging to work with and lacks the refinement and wow factor of the Regenerating Cleanser.  I also think the olive stone particles would be too harsh for really sensitive skin, in spite of the soft creaminess of the base.

Full disclosure, I'm still not 100% comfortable dropping $75 on an exfoliator.  But, in the process of drafting this post, I was excited to notice that Tata is now also selling a new, 50ml size of this cleanser for $38.  It's more expensive per ounce, but the smaller investment up front means that this beauty might just make its way to me one day after all!

Have you used either of these?  What do you think?