Naturalla Beauty

Finding great and inexpensive hair products that work with my curly, frizz-prone mane has been an ongoing struggle for me, but I've discovered a few new winners these last several months.  Most recently, I've been using the Volumizing Shampoo* and Conditioner* from Griffin Remedy.  This non-GMO and vegan hair duo is made with organic jojoba oil and vegetable proteins, and claims to add body and thickness to hair.



The Volumizing Shampoo is a gentle gel that cleanses well without over-washing or stripping hair.  A blend of soap bark, soapwort, and coconut and corn sugar cleansers lathers up easily and I don't have any problem getting this shampoo to suds up in my hair.  Rosemary extract and MSM encourage hair growth and calendula and comfrey extracts are soothing on the scalp.

The Volumizing Conditioner is lightweight but amply moisturizing.  I find myself using a decent amount of product to get the moisture my curly hair needs, but the conditioner never leaves my hair feeling heavy, greasy, or weighed down.  A B vitamin complex adds shine, while vegetable proteins and sage and horsetail extracts strengthen and fortify hair, promoting thickness and minimizing breakage.  The conditioner does a great job detangling as well.

Together, the shampoo and conditioner leave me with bouncy, controlled curls and minimal frizz and static.  They leave my hair feeling healthy, extra soft, and very touchable.  I don't find they add a TON of extra volume at the roots, but they don't weigh anything down either.

I also love the bright citrus scent of both products.  The ingredients list a lemon verbena essential oil blend, which -- to my nose anyways -- smells a lot like lime.  It's not overpowering and I don't find it lingers in my hair post-shower, but it's fresh and delightful in the moment.

The Bottom Line
Perhaps not the most ultra-volumizing of hair products, but a great everyday shampoo and conditioner nonetheless!  They smell great, have awesome ingredients, and keeping them stocked in your shower is not going to break the bank.  Definitely a great hair care discovery and a brand I'll be seeking out in the future!

I'm pretty smitten with Petit Vour and March's box is no exception  With a spring theme, the box looks to introduce products that will elevate your beauty ritual with purpose and innovation, while also giving you lovely things to look at on your vanity.  Here's what was included:



Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream (Sample Value ±$11.50)
I haven't tried much from Juice Beauty, but the CC Cream has gotten a lot of good press, so I was happy to see it in this month's box.  I received Natural Glow, the lightest shade, which is a good match for my fair skin.  The coverage is minimal, but it does even things out a little and gives the skin a healthy, dewy finish.  I ended up going over the CC Cream with a light dusting of mineral foundation, but I don't think it's an absolute must to top it with anything, depending on how much coverage you like and how dewy or matte you want to look.   It smells grassy and very much like petit grain essential oil (which it does contain), but the scent isn't overpowering, nor does it linger much past the initial application.  I'll update once I've used it a little more, but first impressions are good!

Metropolis Soap Co. Lavender & Spearmint Lip Cream ($7)
Metropolis Soap Co. isn't a company I'm familiar with, but I'm always happy to try new lip balms and I like how rich and creamy this one feels.  My nose really enjoys the Lavender & Spearmint scent, but it does taste a little soapy on my lips.  I also don't love that it's made with palm oil, which I try to avoid, but since I have it, I'll certainly use and enjoy it.

The Little Alchemist Cacao & Banana Face Glow ($32)
I've heard really great things about The Little Alchemist, so I was excited to give this a try.  In addition to raw cacao and banana, the mask also contains zeolite, clay, and a whole host of superfoods including acai, green papaya, spirulina, maca, and turmeric root.   I tried it out the same day my box arrived and I loved it!  Dry, it smells a little funky - sort of vinegary - but once you add water, the chocolate scent takes over.  I left the mask on for about 10 minutes, as per the instructions, and it left my skin looking healthy and radiant, and with noticeably less visible pores.

Vert Mont Perfumery Eros (Sample Value ±$5.25)
I've made no secret of the fact that I don't love receiving perfume samples, but I do actually like how Eros smells.  A blend of red mandarin, coriander, orris root, patchouli, juniper, and jasmine, it's sweet and earthy and reminds me of incense - only fresher and without the chemically, headache-inducing qualities.  I'm thinking of mixing this into my next body oil concoction.  Vert Mont perfumes are free of synthetics and are hand-mixed blends of essential oils and plant essences in organic sweet almond and jojoba oils.  



The Bottom Line
I really liked the March box.  The Cacao & Banana Face Glow was the biggest standout for me and I'm also really happy to have been able to try the Juice Beauty CC Cream.  The lip cream and perfume were slightly less exciting to me, but they're nice too - I don't think there were any duds in this box!  The total value, at roughly $55, is pretty phenomenal too.

Petit Vour boxes retail for $15 (US) / $23 (Canada) and individual products can also be bought in the Petit Vour shop.   

Je T'aime Petit Vour is a great name for February's box*, both because February is the month  we make a point to celebrate love and because it really is true, I love these boxes!  The name Petit Vour is a play on petit four and is defined on this month's insert as "a small and temptingly luxurious cruelty-free product inspired by a love for animals and the finer things."  Sounds about right to me.  Everything included in the Petit Vour boxes is vegan and cruelty-free and the items featured are predominantly natural products from higher end, luxury brands.  From a natural/non-toxic perspective, I think my ingredients standards are stricter than most, but in the nine boxes I've received, there have only been a couple products I wasn't comfortable using.  I do get sent these for free, but I always give my honest first impressions and opinions on the boxes and the products included.

Let's get on to what you're really here for - February's box, which was a good one.  Here's what was included:



Balanced Guru Scrub Me Body Scrub (Sample Value ±$3)
I love Balanced Guru, so I knew this product would be a win as soon as I pulled it out of the box.  With a base of coffee and raw sugar, Scrub Me is a body scrub, but it can also be (gently!) used on the face.  The texture is a little drier than I'm used to, but I used it on my hands today and it works great.  It smells delicious too, like a mix of fresh ground coffee and spearmint.

My Daughter Fragrances Always Loved (Sample Value ±$2)
I think the only thing I'd change about Petit Vour would be an option to opt out of perfume samples.  I'm just not a perfume person, so they don't get used.  That said, I like that My Daughter Fragrances are free of parabens, phthalates and synthetic fragrance and I've heard good things about them.  I'm sure I can easily find someone to pass this on to.

Ellovi Mint Chocolate Body Butter (Sample Value ±$4)
I love the Ellovi Tinted Lip Butter that came in September's Petit Vour box and the Body Butter is divine as well.  It feels silky and melts into the skin beautifully, plus it smells incredible: just like Thin Mints or mint chocolate chip ice cream.  I foresee a serious obsession with this scent in my future!

Lily Lolo Vegan Mascara ($20)
Petit Vour revealed that the Lily Lolo mascara would be featured in an upcoming box, so I already knew this was coming.  Good natural mascara is hard to find - and good vegan natural mascara is that much harder I'm sure - and I really love this one.  I just threw out my previous tube (reviewed here) so I'm very happy to have another.  This mascara really excels in terms of volume and, in that regard, it's miles above every other natural mascara I've tried.  It smudges a tiny bit towards the end of the day, but nothing terrible, and it has never irritated my sensitive eyes.



The Bottom Line
This is one of my favorite boxes I've received from Petit Vour, so doing the math on it, I was actually a little surprised.  At $29, it's worth more than what you pay, but it's also one of the lower value boxes I've received.  I stumbled onto some of JenLuvsReviews' subscription box reviews recently and she always makes a point to differentiate between actual monetary value (what an item sells for) and personal value (what you would pay or an item) and I think that's key.  Personally, I'll pay $20 for a good natural mascara like the Lily Lolo, which means everything else in the box is just icing.  So, the fact that I also love both the Ellovi butter and the Balanced Guru scrub makes this a pretty stellar box in my mind.

Petit Vour boxes retail for $15 (US) / $23 (Canada) and individual products can also be purchased in the Petit Vour shop.  

What's your favorite subscription box service?  What do you think of the February Petit Vour box?

After years of seeing UK bloggers rave about Odylique products, I was ecstatic to learn this fall that the company was launching in North America.  Odylique - formerly called Essential Care - is an award-winning, certified organic, 100% natural skin and hair care line that's designed to be compatible with the most sensitive skin.  Created by a mother-daughter team, the line is based on organic herbs, plant oils, and natural active ingredients and is free of parabens, petrochemicals, sulphates, and artificial additives, as well as common allergens like tree nuts, soy, wheat, and dairy.

I've been trying out a few products from the line and I've also got a fantastic giveaway from Odylique, so make sure you read to the bottom and enter!

Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie*

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My favorite of what I tried, the Hand Smoothie is a recent addition to Odylique's line and has a great lightweight feel and a cheery yellow color from sea buckthorn extract and avocado oil.  Other great ingredients include aloe vera, cocoa butter, sunflower and coconut oils, and calendula.   It feels very nourishing on the skin, but also absorbs quickly, so you can continue on with your day without having to wait for your hand cream to sink in before you can touch anything.  The scent is a mix of zesty lemon and lemongrass with sweet, floral geranium.

Calming Rose Super Tonic* + Timeless Rose Moisturizer*

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The Calming Rose Super Tonic, a blend of rosewater, rose essential oil, and calendula extract, works very well at calming the skin and reducing redness.  The glass bottle is elegant and I appreciate that it disperses a good, even mist.  The Timeless Rose Moisturizer is a lightweight lotion that includes anti-aging sea buckthorn and rosehip extracts.  It does contain coconut oil, but I haven't had any issues.

The rose scents are a little overpowering for me - you guys know I'm not a big fan - but if you like rose, I think you would get along well with either of these products.  

Giveaway
Odylique is generously giving away their brand new Selection Box to two of you lovely readers!  The box includes trial sizes of seven of Odylique's most popular products: the Coconut Cleanser, Calming Rose Super Tonic, Timeless Rose Moisturizer, Superfruit Concentrate, Coconut Candy Scrub, Gentle Herb Shampoo, and Ultra Rich Balm. 

If you haven't tried Odylique yet, this looks like a fantastic way to get a feel for the line.

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The giveaway is open internationally, and only requirement is to leave a comment telling us which product in the box you'd be most excited to try.  You can get extra entries by following me and Odylique on social media and tweeting about the giveaway.  Fill in the Rafflecopter widget to make sure all your entries are counted!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I really don't notice a significant difference between the three formulas.  If I had to differentiate, the Hemp has a little more slip to it than the other two, while the More Moisture is a bit more substantial and buttery on the lips.  The Vegan is a little more solid in the tube initially, but it applies great once it's warmed up on your lips.    All three are excellent.

Victoria says...
There's no contest: The Epic Blend flavours Caitie gave me to try are my new favourite lip balms.

I was pretty thrilled with the flavours I scored: The ones Caitie didn't really want were exactly the ones I wanted to try. After a long and very scientific (ahem) trial process, my favourite wound up being Hemp Vanilla, which has an unexpected chocolate note thanks to the combination of vanilla and cocoa butter. Vegan Wild Berry is a close second, with a rich and fruity scent. I also love More Moisture Cherry and More Moisture Green Apple, which smell exactly like the fruits they're named after without any artificial tang--just scrumptiousness. Last but not least, Hemp Coconut is the one that has made its way into my work bag, since it's a neutral but still aromatic flavour.

I had a scare about a month into using Epic Blend, when the weather changed and I discovered that my lips were chapping and peeling. I stopped using anything but Epic Blend for a couple of weeks to give them a fair shot, and the problem went away--which is when I threw out most of my other lip balms. Good riddance!

The Bottom Line
Epic Blend has pretty well hit it out of the park for both of us!  Epic indeed.  I love that the company is Canadian, that the ingredients are predominantly organic, and that the balms really work.  I highly recommend checking these out!

We've also got two balms to give away to one of you: More Moisture Grape and Garnet Star Tinted Lip Balm.  The giveaway will run for a week and is open to anyone, anywhere.  Fill in the Rafflecopter widget (below) to enter.

I was super impressed by Petit Vour's June box, so was really happy to be sent the July one as well.  If you aren't already familiar with it, Petit Vour is a monthly vegan and cruelty free beauty box subscription.  For July's box*, they teamed up with Tashina from Logical Harmony, a vegan lifestyle and beauty blog, to curate a selection of ultimate summer must-haves.  I don't read a lot of vegan blogs, but I actually do read Tashina's, so I was excited to see what goodies she would choose!


LVX Nail Lacquer in Lolli ($16)
I haven't tried these 5-free nail polishes before, but I've heard good things.  Lolli is a pretty pastel pink that, again, is unlike anything else in my small nail polish collection.  I still have the NCLA polish from last month's Petit Vour on my toes, but I'll be swapping it out for this one some time over the weekend.

Pelle Beauty Luxe Face Oil (Sample Value ±$8.50)
Pelle Beauty is actually a local company for me, so it was nice to see their oil included in a US subscription box!  Again, it's a brand I'm familiar with but one I haven't used before.  I believe subscribers received one of a few different oils from Pelle's line and my box included Luxe, an anti-aging oil recommended for all skin types.  The blend contains new-to-me cucumber seed and babassu oils, as well as meadowfoam, ricebran, and fractionated coconut oils, and essential oils of neroli, jasmine, rose, ylang ylang, and sandalwood.  I love testing out new face oils, so I'm happy to see this included in the box.

Modern Minerals Eye Shadow in Cherish ($12.50)
I love mineral eye shadows!  Boxes contained one of a few different shades and I received Cherish, which is a pretty neutral shade, falling somewhere between a shimmery copper and a rose gold.  Modern Minerals leaves out unnecessary fillers like bismuth oxychloride, but this particular color does contain aluminum powder, which I'm a little iffy on.  It's definitely not the worst ingredient out there, but it is one I usually steer clear of.  Tashina posted an eye look using Cherish in the crease, if you'd like a better look at the color.   

Schmidt's Natural Deodorant in Lavender + Sage (Sample Value ±$2.25)
I've used Schmidt's deodorant before and it works really well.  The formula relies on baking soda and arrowroot powder for odor protection and moisture absorption and uses a gentle base of shea and cocoa butters.   I actually already have a full size of the Lavender + Sage, so am planning to pass this sample on to a friend.



Another great box from Petit Vour!  

Boxes retail for  $15 (US) / $23 (Canada) / $30 (International) and with an approximate value of $39.25, you're more than getting your money's worth, wherever you're purchasing from.  I'm really happy to see that Petit Vour is choosing to focus not only on vegan and cruelty free products, but also on natural ones.  Both boxes I've received have been really well curated, with a good mix of skincare, body care, and makeup and a combination of full size and sample items.  I also love that they include both well known and smaller brands.  

Have you tried Petit Vour yet?

Petit Vour is a monthly subscription box dedicated to providing vegan and cruelty free beauty products.  In their own words:

"Beauty is bold.  Beauty is kind.  Beauty is self-expression and emotion, inner glow then outer glow.  We strive to enhance these elements for you and help make it easier in maintaining a compassionate lifestyle.  Every aspect of our beauty box is thought out and constructed to provide you with the highest standards.  To us, that means no animal testing, animal products, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, sulfates, and so much more."

The June box* features the Away We Go Travel Collection.  The box was curated "to honor those no-fuss, wanderlusting beauty days."  Here's what was included:




Tay Rosehip Balancing Cleanser with Sea Buckthorn (Sample Value ±$4)
Tay's beautiful bamboo packaging has always caught my eye, but I've never tried anything from the brand.  New cleansers are one of my favorite skincare items to try out, so I'm happy to receive this, though I have been struggling to track down an ingredients list.  

Mun No. 1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum (Sample Value ±$4.75)
Mun's serum, which consistently garners rave reviews, is made up of only three certified organic ingredients: prickly pear seed oil, argan oil, and rose oil.  The rose has held me back from trying this serum in the past, since as many of you know, it's not my favorite scent, but after smelling the sample, I'm happy to say that the rose isn't overpowering.  With all the accolades, plus a full size ringing in at a steep $95, I'm happy to have the chance to try this oil out in sample size.

NCLA Nail Lacquer in Let's Stay Forever ($16)
My nail polish collection is pretty small and I don't have anything close to this pretty, milky baby blue.  NCLA polishes are both vegan and 5-free, and with polishes retailing for $16, this one item covers the entire cost of the box for US subscribers, and a significant chunk of it for Canadians and Internationals.

EVOLVh UltraShine Moisture Shampoo + Conditioner ($8/$9)
Perfect timing on these two, as I've just run out of shampoo and conditioner and been digging through my sample box to tide me over until my Acure replenishment arrives!  I haven't heard of EVOLVh before, but the ingredients look pretty good.  The scent is a bit perfumey - especially on the conditioner - and reminds me of mainstream, salon hair products, but it's not so strong that I won't still give them a test run.

As an extra perk, the box also includes a coupon code for 20% off purchases at Hipsters for Sisters, which sells designer, eco-friendly, cruelty free belt bags.

The Bottom Line
The Petit Vour Box retails for $15 (US) / $23 (Canada) / $30 (International) and judging by this box, I think you get good value for your money, especially if you're in the States.  I need to check ingredients on the Tay cleanser, but assuming they're okay, I'll be using all five products, which is pretty fantastic for a subscription box.  Petit Vour's main focus is vegan and cruelty free products, but obviously they are interested in natural, non-toxic ingredients as well, which is great.  Going by reviews I've seen of previous boxes, not every product is going to be 100% natural, but the boxes do always at least lean in that direction.

I'm really happy with the contents of the June box, and I do think Petit Vour is worth checking out if you're looking for a monthly subscription box that's cruelty free, vegan, and/or natural.  Full size products are also available in the Petit Vour Shop.  

How cute is that logo?

(Left to Right) Natural, Bali

Natural

Bali (excuse my chapped lips)