Naturalla Beauty

The one good thing about waiting so long to write up my empties is that I actually had time to accumulate a decent pile of finished makeup!  Using up makeup takes forever, but it's always so satisfying, isn't it?  Here's everything that I finished off in the last few months:

  

Face
Juice Beauty's Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream makes a nice lightweight base.  It offers minimal coverage, but has a pretty, glowy finish.  Natural Glow, the lightest shade, was a great color match for me too.  The scent is the one negative of this product, although by midway through the tube, I was mostly used to it.  The CC Cream smells strongly like petitgrain, which if you aren't familiar with it, has quite a grassy/herbal scent.

I didn't notice any skincare benefits or reduced dark circles from Alba Botanica's Fast Fix for Undereye Circles, but it works pretty well as a yellow-toned color corrector.  It's a little sheer, so most often I used it layered under another concealer.  Alima Pure's Luminous Shimmer Blushes are a fantastic formula and Guava, since discontinued, was a beautiful shimmery peach.  I wish it was still available -- it was a great natural, easy-to-wear color!

Eyes
Zuzu Luxe Onyx Mascara is a longtime favorite of mine -- I've probably used 15 or 20 tubes of it over the years!  It doesn't give the most dramatic lashes, but it's great for a natural look and doesn't smudge or flake at all.  I've even made it through a few snowstorms with intact lashes with this guy!  The Ashley Morgan Cosmetics Black Mascara (now Purely Lulu) was a new discovery for me and a great one!  It's very black and creates beautiful, fluttery lashes.  Both mascaras are also good for sensitive eyes.

Zuzu Luxe's Russet Eyebrow Pencil was, I believe, my very first brow purchase.  I found the color slightly too warm-toned with my natural hair color, but since henna-ing my hair the last couple months, that warmth became a positive.  Color aside, Zuzu's brow pencils have a good, solid formula that goes on nicely and lasts the entire day without budging.    

I still have a ridiculous number of eye shadow samples, but at least I finished off a few more!  Silk Naturals Nekkid Eye Shadow, a supposed dupe for MAC Naked Lunch, is a shimmery pink/pale rose gold.  It's a great all-over the lid shade.  Cheeky Cosmetics Espresso Eye Shadow, a rich and pigmented matte dark brown, was another hit and fantastic as a powder eyeliner.  Lucy Minerals' Creamy White Eye Shadow is a powder, but one with a super creamy feel, similar to the company's foundation, and I liked it a lot as a brow bone highlight.  I used up samples of Silk Naturals' Beach Bunny and Malibu Miss, both technically bronzers, as eye shadows too.  Both are mid-toned warm/yellow browns -- one shimmery, one matte -- which are exactly the kinds of colors I wear in the crease most days, and the sheerer bronzer formula made blending super easy.  Since I'm not much of a bronzer wearer, I was happy to move the samples out this way instead.

Lips
I hear so many people say that they never get through lip balm, but that's clearly not an issue for me!  Rachel's Plan Bee's Lip Balm completely saved my lips last winter when nothing else was working and I'll always have a soft spot for it for that alone!  I prefer the Peppermint to this one, the Natural Flavor, but both are fantastically nourishing and buttery.  I also really enjoyed the Duckish Grapefruit Lip Balm.  It has a slightly heavier formula -- although not uncomfortably so -- and makes the perfect protective lip cover for braving the cold.  This is what I've been wearing for late night winter dog walks where the temperature is regularly around -10°C.  The Savannah Bee Co. Wild Blackberry Beeswax & Propolis Lip Balm was also great.  Less of a heavy hitter than the first two, but it still worked well and the blackberry scent is fantastic -- sweet and fruity without smelling fake or cloying.  Compared to the other three, the Sierra Bees Organic Unflavored Lip Balm was a little unimpressive.  Sierra Bees is one of iHerb's own brands and the lip balms are both certified organic and super inexpensive.  I have nothing bad to say about them -- they're good balms and the price alone (currently $2.95 for an 8-pack!) always has me tempted to throw a pack into my cart, but I realize there are other balms -- like the other three here -- that I like more. 

Nails
Priti NYC's Soy Nail Polish Remover is my gold standard for nail polish remover.  It removes polish well, doesn't dry out nails or cuticles, and it has absolutely no nasty polish remover smell.  I have mixed feelings about the Suncoat Nail Polish Remover Gel, a gel that you're supposed to spread onto the nails and let sit for 2 minutes before wiping off.  By itself, you need to reapply many times to fully remove polish -- really not worth the time or effort -- however as the first step in removing tricky glitter polishes, I did like it.  I'd leave the gel on for closer to 5 minutes and then remove it and go back in with a regular liquid remover like the Priti NYC.  I'd never recommend the Gel Remover on its own, but it definitely helpful in breaking down difficult glitter polishes.  I loved the Pacifica Gloss Top & Base Coat at first, but it was ultimately disappointing.  You can't really tell in the photo, but the bottle is only about halfway done and it doesn't work at all anymore.  The polish is gloopy and has started to dry on the nails with bubbles and divets.  I'm kind of bummed to chuck it, but it's basically unusable at this point and just ruins otherwise good manicures/pedicures.  

And that's a wrap!  I'm so happy to finally get rid of all this beauty trash!

In the four years (!!) since I started this blog, I've gotten a lot of emails and questions about product recommendations, and more specifically, about natural replacements for certain types of products.  With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts encompassing some common questions I've received, as well as some of the products I personally found most difficult to transition to natural and nontoxic options.  Starting us off, let's talk about a product that doesn't get mentioned very much: medicated lip balm.

What's so wrong with medicated lip balm?
In addition to the regular nasties found in conventional lip balm - things like petroleum, silicones, parabens, and synthetic fragrance - medicated lip balms contain ingredients like phenol, an antibacterial and analgesic ingredient linked to neurotoxicity and respiratory, kidney, and cardiovascular problems, docosanol, a topical drug that's been linked to headaches and has not yet been tested for safety with pregnant and breastfeeding women, and chemical sunscreens, linked to free radical damage, cancer, and endocrine and hormone imbalances.  And consider this - the labels on both ChapStick and Blistex Medicated Lip Balms include warnings to "Keep out of reach of children.  If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."  Now, I'm sure they're referring to swallowing larger quantities than a couple swipes across your lips, but do you really want to be putting something with a poison control warning on your mouth??
I'll be totally honest: I've never used a conventional medicated lip balm.  But, from what I've seen, people opt for these choices over regular lip balm for one of three basic reasons: i) to treat cold sores, ii) for sun protection (SPF), or iii) because they like the tingle and/or numbing sensation from phenol, menthol, eucalyptus, camphor, and/or mint.  

So, with that in mind, I've got replacement options to suit all three uses.  I've tried most of them personally, but a couple I've included just based on ingredients and positive hearsay.   

I  also want to mention that I came across more than one article on the habit-forming nature of ingredients like phenol in lip balm, so if you're making the switch, keep in mind that it may take some time to break your lips of that dependency.

Lip Balms for Cold Sores
There's a ton of anecdotal evidence about treating cold sores with the amino acid lysine.  Lysine won't cure the actual herpes virus behind the cold sore, but it's a popular holistic treatment for outbreaks and can both prevent the onset of a sore, if caught early enough, and speed up healing time of any sores that do erupt.  (Along with applying it topically, lysine is great to take internally for cold sores too.)  Other good ingredients to watch for when targeting cold sores are tamanu oil, melissa/lemon balm, and tea tree.  

I don't recommend the popular Quantum lysine lip balms due to their chemical sunscreen content, but MyChelle makes a great alternative.  The Love Your Lips Lip Balms come in four flavors and are made with both lysine and lemon balm.  They don't have any listed SPF content, but they do contain titanium dioxide, so there's a good chance you're getting at least minimal sun protection.

Badger's new Tea Tree & Lemon Balm Herbal Lip Care is another great choice and certified organic as well.  Along with tea tree and lemon balm, it also contains tamanu oil and peppermint oil and menthol crystals for a refreshing minty tingle.  The Herbal Lip Care is available in both Badger's classic lip balm and cocoa butter lip balm formulas.  

Lastly, the Sierra Bees Organic Tamanu & Tea Tree Lip Balm is another good one, although bear in mind that this one does have a pretty strong tea tree oil taste.  It also doesn't seem to be sold on its own right now, just in the Sierra Bees Variety Pack.  

Lip Balms with SPF
As I said before, chemical sunscreens are not ingredients I favor, so these two picks both offer mineral-based sun protection.  My top choice is the Hurraw! Sun Protection Balm with SPF 15, which smells great and is made with non-nano zinc oxide.  It goes on clear, without any whitecast, and is also made with red raspberry seed, sea buckthorn, and pomegranate seed oils, which have SPF and antioxidant properties of their own.

Badger is the first company I think of when it comes to safe sunscreen and their Sunscreen Lip Balm Stick (SPF 15), made with non-nano uncoated zinc oxide, is another good option.  It's unscented and more longwearing than the Hurraw!, but it can leave a whitecast on your lips.  For that reason, this is a great one for layering under a colored lip product.

Lip Balms with a Minty Tingle
The Hurraw! Mint Lip Balm is not for the faint of heart!  I finished my tube a while back, but I remember not wanting to venture outside in the winter with this on because of just how cold and minty it felt on my lips.

For slightly less punch, but still a decent minty tingle, Portland Bee Balm's Oregon Mint Lip Balm is an excellent choice.  With only four ingredients, the peppermint is noticeably tingly, but not as strong as in the Hurraw!  

On the more mild end of the spectrum, Epic Blend's Mint Hemp Lip Balm is fantastic.  It gives just the slightest tingle, but moisturizes like a dream and has a wonderful fresh peppermint/spearmint scent that reminds me of chewing gum. 

Burt's Bees Soothing Lip Balm with Eucalyptus and Menthol also sounds promising, though I haven't used it myself to gauge how strong the cooling sensation actually is. 

And that's a wrap!  Let me know if there are any particular kinds of products you'd like to see featured in upcoming posts for this series.   

Happy 2014!  Starting off the year by getting rid of old garbage seems pretty fitting, so here are my final empties for 2013:



Kahina Giving Beauty Facial Cleanser*   [Review]
I love this cleanser so much! It gets my face clean without any irritation, leaves my skin feeling great, and smells incredible to boot!  Total win in my book.   The mini was kindly sent to me, but I was quick to restock with the full size as soon as it ran out.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Weleda Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion
Two cleanser loves in the same month!  I started using Weleda's Cleansing Lotion when my skin was acting up over the summer and even though it's pretty well back to normal now, the cleanser has stayed a part of my regular rotation.  This is my second tube of the stuff, and while I don't think I'll be buying another immediately, I'll likely rebuy it at some point in the future.  With only six or seven ingredients, it's a great product for sensitive skin or anyone looking for a good, gentle, no frills cleanser.  
Repurchase? Yes, just not right away.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Non-Scents Shampoo & Baby Wash   [Review]
I've gone through a few of these body washes and while the actual product is great, I haven't loved any of the scents I've tried.  I thought I'd circumvent the issue by buying the Non-Scents (unscented) and adding my own essential oils, but that didn't work as well as I'd hoped either.  Without any scent, this wash has a decently strong smell from the base ingredients, and it ended up overpowering any essential oils I mixed in.  
Repurchase? Maybe.  I haven't tried the Orange Vanilla yet, so I may give that one a try before I write these off entirely.  

Acure Unscented Cocoa Butter + CoQ10 Body Lotion   [Review]
I've gone through a few different lotions this year, but Acure's is the one I keep coming back to.  It rubs in without a lot of effort, but it also hydrates very well, so you aren't left sacrificing hydration for ease of absorption.  It's also free of emulsifying wax, which you'll notice pops up in a lot of lotion ingredient lists.
Repurchase? Definitely!  This has become a staple in my routine.

Intelligent Nutrients Destress Express Dry Skin Therapy
One of the great things about Intelligent Nutrients is that they regularly give out samples of new products before they're released, asking only for honest feedback in return (follow them on Twitter to catch the next time they do this.)  The unmarked tube in my photo is, I believe, an earlier incarnation of the Destress Express Dry Skin Therapy.  It's seriously magic on dry feet, especially in the winter.  The price ($29 for 3.75 oz) and my current stash of products are the only things holding me back from immediately restocking.  Intelligent Nutrients products are also not the easiest to get my hands on here.
Repurchase? Possibly.

Zuzu Luxe The Mascara in Onyx   [Review]
I don't even bother trying new mascaras very often anymore since I inevitably end up coming back to this one.  The two main selling points for me?  It never irritates my eyes and once it's on,  it doesn't budge (until you take it off that is - removing it is not a problem either.)
Repurchase? Yes!  I have many times before, and I just stocked up on a couple more tubes in December.

Madre Bees Organic Cocoa Butter Lip Balm
I've been getting one of the Madre Bees (now Sierra Bees) lip balms free in every iherb order for the last several months and I was especially excited to try the cocoa butter one.  Badger's Creamy Cocoa Cocoa Butter Lip Balm is one of my all-time favorites, but sadly the Madre Bees didn't come close to the high standard set by that one.  It's a lot lighter in consistency than Badger's and the cocoa butter smell seemed a little fake (even though it isn't.)
Repurchase? Madre/Sierra Bees lip balms, yes.  The cocoa butter one, probably not.





* Indicates press sample.  Post contains affiliate links.

I don't actually have a whole lot of empties to talk about this month.  October is off to a promising start though - I've already got a number of things on their final legs.  Here's what I finished up in September:



Weleda Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion
As I mentioned in my Sensitive Skin Saviors post, this was the cleanser I turned to when my skin started acting up over the summer.  It's incredibly gentle but still very effective at keeping your skin clean.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Ella's Botanicals Lemon Zing Shower Gel (sample)
Citrus scents are some of my favorites and this was a nice shower gel that smelled lemony fresh.  It lathered nicely and didn't dry out my skin.
Repurchase? Maybe.

Zuzu Luxe Onyx Mascara   [Review]
Zuzu Luxe has been my go-to mascara for years.  It won't give you the most intense, bold lashes, but it never irritates my eyes and it doesn't smudge or flake.  I like to stock up on a couple tubes whenever White Rabbit Beauty has a sale.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Badger Tangerine Breeze Lip Balm
I usually buy Badger's cocoa butter lip balms, but their regular line is nice too.  These are great if you prefer a thinner, slicker balm, versus something thicker and creamier.
Repurchase? Yes.

Sierra Bees Vanilla Lip Balm
Another good lip balm, although I found the vanilla scent got a little sickly towards the end of the tube.  The Sierra Bees lip balms are usually available as freebies with any iherb order.
Repurchase? Yes.

Une Beauty Skin Glow Pencil in GO2   [Review]
I initially purchased this to use in my waterline, and while it works great for that, I actually really like it as an overall concealer.  It does a surprisingly good job brightening up under eye circles and is also great for concealing any redness I get around the sides of my nose.
Repurchase? Definitely.  Thankfully, the lovely Hephzibah from Good for Me Good For You was kind enough to send me a couple backups when I was having a hard time finding somewhere that would still ship Une internationally.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask (sample)
If I was picking a winner for most disappointing product of the month, this would be it.  When I saw that Neiman's Idealist had compared Tata's mask to Ren's Glycolactic Radiance Mask (which I desperately want to try, but haven't let myself because of the phenoxyethanol in it), I knew I had to give it a go.  I'm glad I started with a sample, since sadly my skin was not a fan.  It felt okay on, but in 20 minutes I went from having a good, smooth skin day to random bumps all over my cheeks.  No bueno.
Repurchase? No.

Weleda Citrus Creamy Body Wash (sample)
The Citrus scent isn't my favorite from Weleda, but the actual body wash is lovely.  As the name suggests, it creamy and very hydrating.
Repurchase? Yes.  I've already bought a tube in my favorite, Sea Buckthorn scent.


And that's it for September!  What did you use up this month?  If you've done a post, feel free to link it in the comments.

It's been pretty hot and humid here lately, which has made it a bit more of a struggle to keep makeup looking fresh all day long.  In deference to the heat, I've scaled back what I've been wearing this last month or so, but I thought I'd share the main bits anyways.