Naturalla Beauty

We sell Suki products at my work and between that and Saffron Rouge orders, I managed to accumulate a fair number of samples to try.  Suki is one of the better established natural skincare companies out there and the line blends together pure, natural ingredients and innovative science.  Everything is 100% natural, free of the regular nasties, and cruelty free.  Formulas are made with high potency botanicals and everything is developed to work with the skin's natural cycle.

 Most of these products have a lovely bright, fresh, citrusy scent that I see as something of a Suki signature, so rather than dwell on scent for each product, I've only mentioned it when it veers away from this.  I've got a good few samples to get through, so let's jump right in!


Creamy Foaming Cleanser
I don't usually go for foaming cleansers, but I really liked this one!  It's a great hybrid between a cream and foaming cleanser - it seems like a light cream/milk cleanser straight out of the bottle (or packet), but with a little water, it also lathers.  Not the best at removing makeup, but I could see myself buying it to use in the mornings or on no makeup days.

Moisture Rich Cleansing Lotion
This, on the other hand, was more of a middle-of-the-road product for me.  It seemed gentle but I didn't find it especially hydrating.  My skin was left feeling a little tight after using it.

Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser
Probably Suki's most famous product, this one gets a lot of well-deserved praise!  It's a sugar-based scrub that's elevated to new levels with a super gentle, coconut oil-based soap that foams up as you use it.  The lather isn't drying and the sugar does a great job exfoliating without being harsh.

Pure Facial Moisture - Balancing Oil
Probably my favorite of everything I've tried from Suki!  I'm not acne-prone, EXCEPT for the week or so leading up to my period when my skin can go a little wonky.  I'd accumulated a number of these samples and decided to pour them all into a bottle and give them a trial run during that time.  On its own, the oil is a little too light for my skin, but it was fantastic when mixed with either jojoba or goji seed oil.  I usually get one or two blemishes during that time of the month, but in the two months I've been using this (just during that one week), my skin has been problem free.  I'm not sure it's suited to my skin for the rest of the month, but I'm considering picking up a bottle all the same!  It also smells lovely and relaxing from the blue chamomile.

Balancing Day Lotion
A nice, light moisturizer.  Again, not enough moisture for my skin on it's own, but it was nice layered on top of an oil.

Intensive Nourishing Cream
I wasn't too taken with this one.  It seemed only slightly more hydrating than the Balancing Day Lotion and it left my pores looking a little congested.  I also didn't love the smell, which was pretty floral.

Suki Transformative Cleansing Clay
Suki markets this as a 3-in-1 cleanser mask, and spot treatment, but I only used it as a mask.  The consistency is a little runny for a mask, but once it's on, it feels lovely.  It's cooling and dries firm, but it's a lot gentler than a plain clay mask.  I also found, compared to other clays, that it wasn't quite as good at cleaning out my pores, but it did leave my skin looking bright and glowy.  I really liked this one, but the price - $49 for 1 ounce - is a sticking point for me right now.

Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel
I don't have much experience with chemical exfoliants and reading the directions, I was a little nervous to give this one a try.  The packet said "leave on as long as skin will allow.  Initial stinging will subside," which seemed a little troubling.  In spite of the warning, it didn't sting at all.  Instead, it felt a little cool, but that's it.  I also didn't notice any improvement in my skin, although I did discover couple small blemishes when I washed the mask off.  Not sure if they were a negative reaction or just the mask bringing things to the surface, but I was not impressed.

Exfoliate Foaming Body Scrub
A really lovely body version of the iconic face scrub.  I usually make my own scrubs, but I wouldn't say no to this as a gift or an occasional splurge.

Butter Cream Salve
This salve has an impressive ingredients list with arnica, cocoa butter, calendula, and comfrey - to name just a few - but it left me pretty underwhelmed.  I tried it on both my feet and winter-weary hands, but I didn't notice much difference with either.

These were just small sample sachets, but in trying so many, I feel like I got a good impression of Suki's line.  I had hits, misses, and a few in between, but overall I think it's a great, high quality line.  Factoring everything in - including price - the only ones I'm confident saying I would purchase are the the Creamy Foaming Cleanser, Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, and Balancing Oil.  I also think the Balancing Day Lotion is a great product, just not the best suited for my skin.

Have you tried anything from Suki?  What are your favorites?

I always get drawn in by the Mineral Fusion makeup display at my Whole Foods, but sadly, a large part of the line contains phenoxyethanol which I make a point of avoiding.  I love that they make pressed products (still something of a rarity in natural makeup), but as far as I can tell, there's phenoxyethanol in every single pressed item EXCEPT this bronzer duo.  So, while I usually go for lighter highlighters, I figured I'd chance it with the Bronzer Duo in Luster.

I'm glad I did.

The bronzer side is a light/medium warm brown, but it's not orangey, so all is well.  It's also on the sheer side (a plus in my bronzer-shy book) and very blendable.  And, it's matte, making it super versatile since it works as both a contour and an all over bronzer.

I'm slightly less taken with the highlight, but it's just a matter of color preference.  It's golden and has a lovely sheen (no sparkle!), which I like, but as I feared, the color is too dark for my pale complexion and just ends up looking unnatural.   I will say, even though it's also a little sheer, with a good, sticky primer underneath, it works nicely as an eye shadow.  (Pop the bronzer in the crease and you've got an effortless neutral eye.)



The Bottom Line
I'm a little confused as to who this duo is intended for, since while the bronzer is fantastic for fair skin, the highlight seems like it would be much better suited to darker complexions.  All the same, I really like the bronzer side, so I'm happy to have it in my collection.  I hope it'll be the start of more phenoxyethanol-free products from Mineral Fusion!

Ingredients: Mica, zinc stearate, octyldodecyl stearoyl stearate, titanium dioxide (ci 77891), caprylic/capric triglyceride, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin C), camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract, aspalathus linearis (rooibos red tea) leaf extract, punica granatum (pomegranate) extract, aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf extract, retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), sambucus nigra fruit extract, lauroyl lysine. May contain (+/-): iron oxide (ci 77491, 77492, 77499).

I generally wash my hair every other day, and while I don't have problems with my hair getting greasy, it can be a challenge keeping my curls looking fresh and bouncy after they've been slept on.  I've been searching for something that will refresh second day curls with minimal effort, and believe me, I've tried a good bunch of things!  This is the most recent batch - I think of these as non-hairspray hair sprays (thus the title) since they're spray-type hair products, but none of them provide the hold of a traditional hairspray.  Instead, they're light, leave-in products that give variable amounts of hydration.  None of them are heavy or greasy.  


Acure Organics Argan Oil + Argan Stem Cell Leave-In Conditioner
I did a full review of this product a few months ago, and my opinion has basically stayed the same.  I love the way it works, but I struggle with how it smells.  It smells like lemongrass, but it's heavier and more herbal than the lemongrass scents I'm used to, and unfortunately, the scent is one that really sticks in your hair.  If Acure were to come out with another scent, I'd be all over it, but as it is now, the smell wears on me enough throughout the day that I won't be buying this one again, regardless of how well it works.

Yarok Feed Your Ends Leave-In Conditioner
Yarok's Feed Your Roots Mousse has been a firm favorite of mine, so naturally I had to try their leave-in.  It smells the same as the mousse - sweet, fresh, and lemony - and it does a great job too.  It's one of the lightest of the bunch, so I can really go to town spraying this one and not have to worry about my hair ending up greasy or sticky.  As an added bonus, it also does double duty as a heat protectant.  

Rahua Voluminous Hairspray
Rahua's is the only one of the bunch that's sold as an actual hairspray - soft, flexible hold - but I really thing it would be better marketed as a leave-in conditioner.  As a curl refresher, it works fine initially, but after just an hour or two everything falls flat again and I'm back where I started.  If I'd bought it intending to use it as a regular hairspray, I think I would have been even more disappointed.  I've read positive reviews, but on my hair, it gives virtually no hold.  

Beautiful Curls Shea Butter Curl Reviving Tonic
It shouldn't come as any great surprise that the sole product of the bunch that's actually marketed as a curl reviving product does the best job reviving my curls.  I was initially concerned about how I'd fare with the mango-vanilla scent and eyed this product for months before finally taking the plunge and buying it.  I was worried it would be overly sweet or fake smelling, but it's actually fairly light and not overpowering or sickly.  The product itself performs exactly how I want it to.  Several sprays and some scrunching easily take my deflated curls from sad and slept on to bouncy and fresh once again.

The Bottom Line
All things considered, the Beautiful Curls is the clear winner here and the only one that I'm confident I'll be repurchasing.  (In fact, I kind of already have.  I let my mom try it and ended up having to buy her her own bottle just so I could get mine back!)  The Yarok is also quite lovely and I could see myself buying it as an occasional splurge, but for an everyday product that gets used up fairly quickly, I can't justify spending more when the Beautiful Curls is equally or more effective and a third of the price.  I think the Rahua and Acure could potentially suit different hair types and noses, respectively, but neither were winners for me.

Am I the only one who struggles with second day hair?  Have you tried any of these?

I've become pretty passionate about face masks during the last few months, but I think it's an obsession that's fully justified.  I can't tell you how much the overall appearance and condition of my skin has improved since I've been religiously masking twice a week.  Today I want to introduce you to one of the newer masks in my rotation: Blue Orchid Botanicals' Renewal Mask.  



Rosehip extract is highly anti-inflammatory and full of Vitamin C, leaving your skin soothed and bright.  

Green tea extract is packed with Vitamin E and other antioxidants and is a fantastic anti-aging ingredient.  

Lemon peel contains Vitamin C and natural AHA's that exfoliate, tone, and brighten.  

The combination of the two clays and these three power ingredients leaves the skin feeling clean and detoxified, but also plump and radiant.  I've definitely noticed an added brightness to my skin following a treatment with this mask.

I also love the versatility of dry powder masks, since they're so simple to customize to suit your individual skin needs.  My favorite mixing combination for the Renewal Mask has been water with just a few drops of jojoba oil.  The jojoba oil prevents the mask from drying quite as solidly - making it that little bit more gentle - which is something my skin has appreciated this winter.  Blue Orchid Botanicals also suggests mixing it with aloe vera, yogurt, or avocado, which all sound like great options as well.



The Bottom Line
Blue Orchid Botanicals' Renewal Mask is a great mask to have in your arsenal!  Clay masks are some of my favorites and this one does a great job deep cleaning the pores without ever feeling overly harsh or stripping.  The added benefits from the rosehip, green tea, and lemon peel are fantastic and my skin is noticeably brighter and more luminous after using this product.

Have you tried anything from Blue Orchid Botanicals?


Disclosure: Product 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.

I wasn't able to put together an empties post for January, so this one's going to be a bit of a doozie!  Even though #NoBuyJanuary is over, I've still been focusing on using what I have throughout February and it's always more than a little validating to be able to see some progress with these posts!



This batch is probably what I'm most excited about using up, since it really streamlined the products that are left in my shower.  The Acure Argan + Argan Stem Cell (review) are still my favorite shampoo/conditioner duo for my curly hair.  I'm currently trying the mint ones, which are also nice, but I expect I'll go back to the Argan again afterwards.  The Organic Excellent Wild Mint Shampoo and Conditioner (review) were what I was using before discovering Acure, but about a year ago, there was a bit of an ingredients hooplah over whether the company was accurately disclosing ingredients and they've just been languishing in my shower ever since.  I wouldn't recommend these anymore, but I wanted to move them out, so I used the shampoo up as body wash.  I tried to use the conditioner as a shaving cream, but my skin was no longer a fan and reacted badly.  A search for alternate conditioner uses found many claims that conditioner will clean your drains, so that's what I tried to do with the bottom half of the bottle.  I'm not convinced it did anything, but I'm happy to finally have these out of my shower (and my life) all the same!

I used Desert Essence's Fragrance Free Conditioner maybe two times on my hair, but I loved it as a shaving cream.  I was all set to buy it again for that purpose, but the bottom of the tube was strangely congealed and lumpy and has turned me off it for the moment.  I'm exploring other options, but I'm sure I'll return to it at some point.  Intelligent Nutrients' Styling Gel (review) is a fantastic hair gel, but prices recently went up and at $14 for 2 oz. ($31 for 5 oz.), I'm not sure I can continue to justify the cost for a product I use up at a decently quick rate.  I'm trying out a couple less expensive options right now.


I've written about Earthpaste Toothpaste (review) and Acure's Unscented Cocoa Butter + CoQ10 Lotion (review) many times before.  Both are firm favorites and I've already started on new tubes of both.  I love Weleda, but I'm a little conflicted on the Sea Buckthorn Hand Cream.  I adore the scent, but I do think the Pomegranate Hand Cream is a bit more effective.  Both absorb incredibly fast, but the Pomegranate keeps my hands feeling moisturized for longer.  

This is my second sample of Weleda's One Step Cleanser & Toner and I'm still a fan for morning cleansing.  It's great for refreshing the skin, without being harsh or drying.  Pai's Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil is a bit of a cult favourite, and while I wasn't 100% convinced at first, by the second half of the bottle, I was sold.  It wasn't enough hydration for my skin this winter on its own, but I enjoyed mixing it with other oils, most recently jojoba and goji seed.  This is the only rosehip oil I've used, and while I do believe the combination of fruit and seed oils makes it better than your average rosehip seed oil, the frugal part of me wants to try another, less expensive one before recommitting to Pai's.  


At the beginning of #NoBuyJanuary, I mentioned wanting to use up a bunch of lipstick samples, but so far, Zuzu Luxe's Indulgence is the only one to bite the dust.  It was a pretty color - a plummy-red with gold shimmer - but I'm not a huge fan of shimmer on the lips, so I doubt I'll be buying the full size.  The black rimmed pot was an older homemade lip balm that had been forgotten, but it was something I quite enjoyed once I rediscovered it.  
Lucy Minerals' Juicy Peach Blush is a gorgeous pale peach that might just be my all-time favorite blush color.  I'm not sure how it would suit darker skin tones, but on my fair skin, it looked very glowy and natural.  The sample alone lasted me months, but I'll definitely be ordering the full size at some point.  Another thing I'll be picking up soon is Silk Natural's Splendid Perfecting Glow.  The Perfecting Glows fall somewhere between finishing powders and highlighters and I liked using the Splendid to brighten up under the eyes.  It was slightly yellow-toned and worked really well at boosting other concealers and making everything look more fresh and awake.  

I managed to accumulate a number of Ella's Botanicals soap samples, but these are the last of them.  Skin Soother is very gentle and great for sensitive skin, or for dry, winter weary hands, which is how I used these last two.  I can't believe how many lip balms I've been burning through this winter, but at least I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed that process with these two.  Young Living's Vanillamint Lip Balm was a limited edition holiday flavour, but my favorite is still the lavender one, which is available year round.  Hurraw!'s Mint Lip Balm (review), while fantastic for indoor application, still isn't what I reach for before going outside and braving the elements.  The mint scent is very fresh and tingly.

And that's it!  My usually packed shower is so uncluttered right now, I can't even believe it.  I guess the combination of focusing on finishing things up and not bringing in any new product for January helped me get through a bunch more stuff than usual!