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Clean Kiss Organics Kiss My Curls + Kiss Me Clean

Before I jump into today's post, I want to thank you all for such a great response to my last blog post.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm really glad it resonated with so many of you and I appreciate all the lovely comments and support that I've gotten, both on the blog post itself and over on Instagram. 

 Moving on to today's actual topic -- I want to introduce Clean Kiss Organics, a fantastic handcrafted Ontario line that I've had the pleasure of trying out over the last few months.  I met Jodie Pappas, Clean Kiss's founder, at the Holistic Beauty Expo in May and was immediately drawn in by both Jodie's cheerful enthusiasm and Clean Kiss's impressive product range.  (Not to mention by just how good everything at her table smelled!)

 Jodie offered me the chance to try out a couple products from her line and I easily decided on the Kiss Me Clean Facial Cleansing Oil* and Kiss My Curls Nourishing Hair Oil Spray*.  Choosing was a bit of a no-brainer for me -- I mean, if there are two things I'm always game to try out, it's a good oil cleanser and new curly girl hair products!  Keep reading for my thoughts on both...

Kiss My Curls Nourishing Hair Oil Spray
Jodie is a fellow curly girl, so I was excited to try out Kiss My Curls ($18 for 236 ml), one of two recent hair additions to the Clean Kiss Organics range.  Made with a mix of rose water, marula, argan, and jojoba oils, and peppermint, rosemary, and lavender essential oils, Kiss My Curls is a unique intermediate between an oil and a milky leave-in conditioner spray.  The spray has minimal ingredients and no emulsifier to hold the rosewater and oils together, so you do have to shake it before each use to recombine everything.  Once shaken, it has a watery consistency, perfect for misting out of a spray bottle, but offers the feel and nourishment of a lightweight oil.  The spray is recommended for use on both damp, freshly washed hair, and on dry, second-day hair as a curl refresher.  

 Curly hair is notorious for loving moisture, and while my hair needs some moisture, it's also a bit of a curl oddity in that it starts to feel greasy very easily and can't always handle ultra-moisturizing products.  As a result, I like using Kiss My Curls on damp hair, but it's not ideal for me as a second-day curl refresher.  I use it on freshly washed hair much like I would any other hair oil -- misting a small amount through the ends and length of my hair, but mostly avoiding the scalp.  As a second-day product, it's just a little too oil-like for me.  I imagine it could work really well for those with drier hair, but I just tend to prefer more watery products for this purpose.  I do also enjoy misting a small amount onto my fingers and running them through dry hair to tame frizz and flyaways.  The Nourishing Oil Spray has a mild sweet/minty scent.

 Kiss Me Clean Facial Cleansing Oil
I always use an oil cleanser to take off my makeup and Kiss Me Clean ($20 for 118 ml) has jumped right to the top of my list!  With a short ingredient list consisting of just grapeseed, castor seed, jojoba, and chia seed oils, plus calendula and essentials oils, it's a simple formula that really works.  The cleansing oil is gentle, but easily melts off all my makeup and wipes away cleanly.  The oil is pretty lightweight and has good slip to it, making it perfect for massaging into the skin and really breaking down even hard to remove products like sunscreen and eyeliner.  The consistency also means that a little oil goes a long way and you really don't need to use much -- one full pump is enough to completely remove all my face and eye makeup.  I'm a fan of double cleansing, so I usually follow up with a second cleanser, but it's not absolutely necessary since Kiss Me Clean wipes away easily and doesn't leave behind much residue at all.

The product description highlights lemon, tea tree, orange, and bergamot essential oils, and the oil has a mild, fresh/herbal scent.  It doesn't scream citrus to me and, in fact, before rereading the description yesterday, my nose had me convinced there was lavender in there too!  Either way, it's a neutral scent that's pleasant but not overwhelming.  The cleansing oil leaves my skin feeling clean and soft and looking bright and healthy -- it's a product I could see myself buying again and again.

  

 The Bottom Line
Great company, great products, great price point.  Clean Kiss Organics was one of my favorite new discoveries at the Holistic Beauty Expo and trying these products only reaffirmed that my first impressions were spot on.  I'm especially head over heels for the Kiss Me Clean Cleansing Oil, a gentle oil cleanser that breaks down makeup like a dream and would suit a variety of skin types.  Kiss My Curls Nourishing Hair Oil Spray didn't work out as a second-day curl product for me, but I do think dryer hair types would appreciate it in this capacity.  Either way, it's a great lightweight oil for curly and non-curly hair alike!  

 Have you tried Clean Kiss Organics?
* Press sample
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New from Holiskin: Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser + Cacao Seaweed Facial Mask

I was first introduced to Holiskin last year and, more than a year later, I still can't say enough good things about this brand!  With simple formulations, affordable prices, and a focus on sourcing the BEST quality organic and wild crafted ingredients, Holiskin is a line that really resonates with me.  

 The company launched a few new products this spring and I've happily been trialing the Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser* and Holiskin's first mask creation, the Cacao Seaweed Facial Mask*, and, once again, I'm impressed!

Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser
Oil cleansers are my favorite way to remove makeup and the Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser is a real gem.  With a base of organic apricot kernel, camellia, meadowfoam, and castor seed oils, it's gentle and suitable for all skin types.  I prefer traditional oil cleansing (dry skin and a wet washcloth), but it also works well for dry oil cleansing, which I've seen talked about a lot recently.  

 The key to good oil cleansing, for me, is to take a couple minutes to really massage the oil into the skin before taking it off, and the Sensitive Skin Cleanser has the perfect slip and viscosity for that.  It glides over the skin easily, but it's not so thin that it just runs off your face.  It removes every last trace of makeup and grime and leaves skin feeling soft and hydrated.  

 I usually double cleanse with a second cleanser after any oil, but I wouldn't say it's an absolute necessity with this one, as it wipes away cleanly and doesn't leave a noticeable film behind on the skin.  The chamomile lavender scent -- heavy on the chamomile and light on the lavender -- is also beautiful, and perfect for winding down at the end of the day.  

 Cacao Seaweed Facial Mask
With only three ingredients, this blend of organic raw cacao, organic wildcrafted seaweed powder, and kaolin clay is simplicity done just right.  Kaolin is a gentle white clay that detoxifies and purifies the skin, while raw cacao and seaweed are both packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that nourish the skin and fight against free radicals and other environmental stresses.

 Holiskin suggests mixing the mask with honey or coconut milk, but I'll admit, I haven't actually tried it with either of those.  Instead, I've mixed it with plain water and hydrosols.  Both worked great, and I'm sure honey and coconut milk would too.

Because kaolin is such a gentle clay, I don't find the Cacao Seaweed Mask to be supremely detoxifying, but it definitely pulls some junk out of your pores and I can visibly see that they look cleaner after using it.  This would be a great option for sensitive skin or anyone that finds most clay masks overly stripping or drying.  

 A final thing to note is that the seaweed smell is quite pronounced, even when mixed with hydrosols and essential oils.  I love what seaweed can do for your skin, but it's admittedly not my favorite smell in the world.

The Bottom Line
Two great new additions to Holiskin's line!  The Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser is an all around winner and the Cacao Seaweed Facial Mask is great too, as long as you aren't overly sensitive to the smell of seaweed.  

 I also spotted a great deal on Holiskin's Instagram just as I was putting the final touches on this post -- $15 off any purchase of $20+ on the main Holiskin site with the code SPECIAL15.  Good for 3 days only.  I'm not seeing the Sensitive Cleanser on there, but I'm sure Holiskin can hook you up if you get in touch!  

*Press sample
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Nürish Organics Washed Away Cream Cleanser & Makeup Obliterator


Towards the end of last year, I was sent a few products from Nürish Organics and after being thoroughly impressed by everything, I knew I had to try their cleanser.  A well-timed Saffron Rouge sale was all it took for me to take the plunge with Washed Away...
"A gentle yet very effective cream cleanser enriched with quinoa protein and rich tropical butters. Leaves the skin feeling clean and vibrant. Wet face and massage a pea-sized amount to remove makeup or just to cleanse the face at the end of a long day. Can be used to obliterate even the toughest waterproof eye makeup."
As a cleanser, I like it.  It's a little runny - more of a milk consistency than a cream - but it's gentle and leaves my skin feeling clean, if maybe the slightest bit drier than I'd like.  As a makeup remover, I'm less impressed.  It does a good job removing face makeup, but it struggles to take off mascara and eye liner.  Yes, it gets it off in the end, but it takes 2-3 applications and more rubbing than I'd like for such a delicate area.  (I'm not talking about anything waterproof either!)  The scent was also just okay.  A blend of bergamot, petitgrain, lemon, orange, rosemary, neroli, and ylang ylang, it smells very sharp to me.  Not at all citrusy, like one might expect from the ingredients, but instead, more of a floral/herbal cross.  
Using Washed Away to remove swatches from this post
 

All clean!

 The Bottom Line
More succinct than usual, but I think that covers everything.  Washed Away was a so-so product for me, though I'd still recommend other products from Nürish's line.  Best Scrub Ever is my favorite scrub at the moment and Daily Glow is a great oil that's stayed in rotation these last few months as well.  

 Have you tried anything from Nürish?  What's your favorite makeup remover?  

 Where to Buy: $23 from Nürish Organics, Saffron Rouge

 Ingredients: Purified Water, Decyl Glucoside, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oleosomes*, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside*, Glyceryl Oleate*, Hydrolyzed Quinoa Protein, Leptospermum Scoparium (Active Manuka) Honey*, Mango Butter (Mangifera Indica) Seed Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Tocopherols (Full Spectrum Naturally Sourced Vitamin E), Cetyl Alcohol, Bentonite, Sclerotium Gum, Citrus Bergamia (Bergamot) Oil*, Citrus Bigarade (Petitgrain) Oil*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Oil*, Citrus Sinesis (Blood Orange) Oil*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Oil*, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Oil*, Ylang Ylang (Cananga Odorata) Oil*, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid.  [*Denotes Organic]


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Review: Blûm Naturals All-Purpose Cleansing Wipes

 I've never used makeup wipes before, but after seeing loads of bloggers praise different brands of wipes, I decided to give Blûm Naturals a try.  Blûm does make a line of actual makeup wipes, but I bought the all-purpose ones instead, as the ingredients in the two lines are very similar and there's no fragrance free option in the makeup wipes.  The all-purpose wipes cost less too!

Just about actual size
Product Description: Dermatologist tested to be hypoallergenic, non-irritating & safe for babies. Infused with Aloe Vera; it is rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes & proteins. This convenient travel size pack can be used anywhere, anytime throughout the day.  Free of synthetic preservatives or fragrances, parabens, SLS, animal testing.

Ingredients: Aqua (water), Ethyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Organic Aloe Vera Extract, Potassium Sorbate

 Price: $1.69 from Vitacost or $1.60 from iherb

 My Thoughts: If you like makeup wipes, these are are a great natural option.  They're thick enough that I haven't had any issues with them tearing and they remove most makeup very easily.  Mascara can be a bit challenging - it does come off, but it takes a little more effort.  The container does a good job keeping air out and and I haven't found that the wipes have dried out at all since opening them about a month ago.  I love the small size of the travel wipes too.  They're big enough for most jobs, and you can always use more than one if you need to.  Since they're multi-purpose, it also comes in handy that the canister is so small - just about 3 inches tall.  It's definitely a good size to tote around in your purse, and maybe even small enough to attach to your keychain.    

The Bottom Line: Usually I genuinely enjoy the ritual of my regular skincare routine, so these aren't a product I reach for every day.  Still, I'm glad to have them on hand for the occasional night when you just can't bring yourself to wash your face the regular way.  In fact, even if you aren't a makeup wipes kind of gal, these come in handy for all kinds of things - taming flyaway hairs, dusting small areas, cleaning sticky fingers and more!

        

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Repurposing Products

I've come to realize that it's just a fact of life that when you test out a lot of products, some of them aren't going to work for you.  Obviously I don't want to keep using products that just don't do it for me, but at the same time, I hate wasting them or throwing away anything I've spent good money on.  I'm also not a fan of the clutter of having tons of products that I'm not using just hanging around.  With that in mind, if something doesn't work for its intended purpose, I always try to repurpose it for another use. 
Here are three recent examples of that:

Organic Sunflower Oil


I've used sunflower oil in cooking on and off throughout my life.  Without going into a lot of specifics, it's a healthy vegetable oil and not overly expensive.  However, at some point, I seem to have developed a very strong dislike of the taste.  I swear, in the last while, even if there's just the smallest amount of sunflower oil in something I make, it's all I can taste.  Of course, I came to this realization right after I bought a huge bottle of the stuff!

After sitting in my fridge unused for a while, I decided to try it as an eye makeup remover one night.  It's fantastic!  Before this, I'd been using either olive or coconut oil, but I genuinely prefer the sunflower oil to either of those.  Although it melts with body heat, coconut oil is solid at room temperature, which can be inconvenient, and I had problems with olive oil really stinging my eyes if I happened to get any in them.  With sunflower oil, I don't have either of these issues.  It's also noncomedogenic, so it won't clog your pores, and high in vitamin E.


When I originally purchased this, I was expecting an opaque, matte white pencil that I could use to line my waterline.  As you can see in my initial swatch here, what I got was a somewhat sheer, sparkly white pencil.  I was a little disappointed, but decided it would still work to highlight the inner corners of my eyes.  That said, I tend to use an eyeshadow for that purpose and I was never reaching for this product.

Since LUVU's eye pencils are basically identical to their lip pencils, I decided to try it to highlight above my upper lip, around my cupid's bow.  The sheerness works really well for this, and the pencil form is great, since you can get the product right where you want it (and not anywhere else!)  I'll usually line around my cupid's bow and then dab it slightly with a finger to soften the line.

This is a new-to-me product I've been testing out recently.  As a face cream, I unfortunately don't love it.  It's not heavy, but it does take a long time to sink in to my skin.  Even applying just a small amount, I can still feel it on my skin two or three hours later.  Since I wear mineral foundation most days, I just don't have time in the mornings to wait for this to be absorbed.

That said, I've had dry hands recently and this cream works great on them.  Interestingly enough, I find it sinks into my hands pretty quickly and doesn't leave them greasy at all.  I'm not sure I would repurchase this for my hands, just because there are plenty of other, less expensive options for that, but I do like it for this purpose and will continue to use it as long as I have it.


I get excited when I find new ways to use things up, instead of just letting them collect dust and go to waste.  I'm thinking of doing semi-regular posts like this, since repurposing products is something I find myself doing pretty frequently.   How about you?  Do you find new uses for products that don't work as you'd originally intended? 


         

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