Naturalla Beauty

It's that time again, and in the interest of spicing things up, I filmed an empties video this month.  I'll also run through everything in writing below, if you prefer to read versus watch.



Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz   [Review]
This was my second bottle of this and I'm already onto my third.  It's a good, light hold, aloe-based hair gel.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Rahua Voluminous Spray   [Review]
I have mixed feelings about this one.  Some days I liked how it made my hair look and others  I didn't feel like it did anything at all.  Plus, it leaves your hair very tangly.
Repurchase? No.

Devita Gentle Aloe Face Scrub   [Review]
Very gentle, as the name suggests, but also pretty effective.  Super affordable too!  
Repurchase? Not right away.

Graydon Face Food Mineral Mist*   [Review]
Graydon is a great line and I liked this mist well enough, but I notice the biggest difference on days when my skin is acting up.  When my skin is behaving, I can take it or leave it.
Repurchase? Not sure.

Shea Terra Argan Oil + Acacia Honey Facial Wash*   [Review]
One of my favorite cleansers.  It's a blend of honey and a gentle castile soap that leaves your face really clean, but not stripped or dry.  
Repurchase? Yes, but not immediately.

Nourish Organics Spiced Citrus Body Wash
You guys know I love these body washes.  The Spiced Citrus scent could have been spicier - it smells like orange candy to me - but I still enjoyed it.  
Repurchase? Yes.

Nourish Organics Fresh Fig Deodorant
If I want this to last all day, I need to combine it with another deodorant, but I'm still a big fan.  The formula is gentle enough to use right after shaving and the fig scent is fruity and lovely.
Repurchase? Yes.

Sibu Beauty Clarifying Toner (sample)
Not a hit.  It left my skin feeling dry and I didn't like the scent.  
Repurchase? No.

Ikove Organics Acai Chocolate Radiance Moisturizing Cream (sample)
The sample was separated and I wasn't impressed.  Hopefully full size jars can stay better emulsified!
Repurchase? No.

Kaia Bamboo Tapioca Beads* (sample)    [Review]
I really enjoyed using this dry, powdered exfoliant.  It's easy to customize just by switching up what you liquid you mix it with, and it does a great job.
Repurchase? It's quite likely.

MUN Brightening Youth Serum (sample)
Despite the accolades, I wasn't blown away.  It was fine, but not revolutionary enough to convince me to splurge on a full size bottle.
Repurchase? No.

I've been doing the occasional Sample Stash post for the last several months now, but I still don't feel like I've made any real dent in my sample pile.  So, in the hopes of working through some of the clutter (and perhaps discovering a hidden gem or two along the way), you can expect these posts a little more regularly in the future.  

Today's focus is face oils.  One thing I love about oils is just how little you need.  When it comes to samples, it's especially great, since that means that even a mere foil packet can give you enough time to form a real opinion.  Here are my thoughts on four oils that I've tried recently.




Shea Terra Rubignosa Rose Hips Oil
Before this sample, I'd only used Pai's Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil, but I'd been curious to try other rosehip oils and see how less expensive ones compared.  Shea Terra's seemed pretty similar in terms of feel and the effect it had on my skin, but the smell was nowhere near as nice.  The Pai has both the fruit and seed oils and smells gorgeous, whereas this one, which is just the seed oil was less impressive scent-wise.  In fact, it smelled kind of plasticky.  

Sibu Sea Buckthorn
Sample packets full of oil are messy, and happily, Sibu's found a way to get around that.  The sea buckthorn oil - which is sold in a regular glass dropper bottle - comes in gel cap form in the sample.  All you have to do is puncture the gel cap, squeeze the oil out, and you're good to go.  Pretty brilliant, I must say.  The oil itself was nice and I enjoyed the sample, but it was a little too light on its own for my slightly dry skin.  I could definitely see myself buying a bottle to mix with other oils once my face oil numbers are a little more under control. 

Pukka Firming Face Oil
Pukka's Firming Oil has an impressive ingredients list, starring evening primrose, rosehip, borage, and arnica, and I was curious to give it a spin.  Sadly, I ended up being a little underwhelmed.  It was okay, but it didn't strike me as anything super special....which is just as well since Pukka's entire skincare line has been discontinued.

Acure Marula Oil
This sample was my first time trying marula oil and it became a fast favorite.  Marula is rich in proteins and omega fatty acids, and while it's feels pretty light on the skin and absorbs quickly, it still has some weight to it and hydrates really well.  Acure's oil is wildcrafted, cold-pressed, and unrefined and it's a gentle, neutral smelling oil that my skin is very happy with.  I've since picked up a full size bottle and have been enjoying mixing a few drops in with my Vice960 Face Oil.

What oils are you loving these days?  Let me know in the comments.

If you've done much browsing in the natural cosmetics world, you've probably run across Shea Terra Organics.  The company, which has been around for more than ten years, has a huge selection of products and incorporates exotic African ingredients - some that you've heard of, some that you probably haven't - into their extensive line of skincare, body care, and hair care.   I was sent a couple things to try out and while these may be the first, I'm pretty confident they won't be the last Shea Terra products to grace my vanity!



Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash
Cleansing with honey has gotten super popular of late, and for good reason.  Honey is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and also moisturizing, healing, and full of beneficial minerals, nutrients and enzymes.  That's all great, but if you aren't quite ready to swap out your face wash for your toast spread, this cleanser provides the perfect middle ground.  

Shea Terra's wash combines honey and a gentle castile soap.  And it's not just any honey - we're talking raw, Kenyan honey, harvested from wild acacia trees that grow far from most human pollutants.  The cleanser looks very much like a gel/honey hybrid and feels like a much less sticky honey that spreads easily on a damp face.  It doesn't foam at all and is super gentle, but it's still an incredibly effective cleanser.  The first time I tried it, I hadn't done a face mask in about a week and the pores on my nose were starting to look a little congested.  This little bottle whipped that business back into shape within the first two washes.  In fact, my only complaint - if you can even call it that - is that since I've incorporated this cleanser into my routine, I can't tell if my masks are working as well, since my pores already look so squeaky clean!  

Like straight up honey, the Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash won't do much towards removing makeup, but it's great as either a morning cleanser or as a second cleanse after something more up to the task.  You can wash it off right away, or leave it on for 5-10 minutes as a mask.  I definitely predict this being a repurchase for me!



Ingredients: Deionized water, organic sunflower oil (helianthus annuus), wild African acacia honey, organic argan oil (argania spinosa), organic extra virgin olive oil (olea europaea), organic coconut cream oil (cocos nucifera), potassium hydroxide, Kalahari mineral salts.

Argan & Green Coffee Around Eye Serum
This eye serum is one of Wheaten Beauty's favorites and I've wanted to try it ever since I first heard her talk about it.  Argan oil is rich in squalene, vitamins, and essential fatty acids, while green coffee seed oil contains antioxidants and stimulates blood circulation.  The combination of the two promises to "fight back against wrinkles, sagging, and discoloration and win back brighter, more youthful looking eyes."  I'm not sure I'm the target user here, since, at 26, I don't really have wrinkles or visible aging around the eyes, but I do get dark circles and some puffiness.  The serum hasn't done anything special for my dark circles, unfortunately, but I've noticed less puffiness, and it was a dream during this extra-cold winter.  I tried a few different balms and creams along the way, but nothing kept my eye area as well hydrated as this serum.  

The green coffee seed oil also lends a kind of earthy, grassy scent that's vaguely identifiable as coffee but pretty different from the roasted beans most of us are used to, so keep that in mind if you're hoping for this to smell like your morning cup o' joe.  

Ingredients: organic argan oil (argania spinosa), organic shea butter (vitellaria nilotica), organic rose hips seed oil (rosa rubiginosa), green coffee seed oil (coffee Arabica)

The Bottom Line
One knock-it-out-of-the-park hit and another, slightly more reserved one.  Both great finds, and now that I've dipped my toe into this wonderful world of Shea Terra, I just want to buy up everything on their site!  Seriously though, how dreamy do this Moroccan Mud Spa Wash and these Shea Butter Quenching Hair & Body Oils sound?  I've got quite the wishlist going here...

Have you tried Shea Terra Organics?  What are your favorites?

[P.S. In case you're all set to order now, this is one company where you want to check their social media first.  From what I've seen, there's almost always a 30% off code floating around on Facebook or Twitter.]



Disclosure: Products provided for  review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review in return for free product, nor was I compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own.