W3LL People Mascara and Universalist Colorstick #8

  Two months ago, I went to a green beauty event in LA that featured a green skin care line (Arcona), a green hair care line (Briogeo), and a green makeup line (W3LL People). Most green makeup lines aren't carried in stores, and this makes it difficult to find the right shades for your skin tone. With this in-person event and knowing I could see/try these items in person, the inner beauty junkie took over and signed up immediately. I HAD TO BE THERE. The event was great--there was some green beauty Q&A and we were off to check out all the brands at the event.

  I ran off to W3LL People. I had been eyeing a few products from their line and wanted to see how the colors looked. I knew I'd be in trouble after I spoke with a rep from their line, and 10 minutes later, I was off to check out, having purchased more than I thought I would. I ended up leaving with their Universalist Multi-Use Colorstick in #8, Hedonist Mineral Bronzer in #52, Altruist Mineral Foundation in #16, Expressionist Bio-Extreme Mascara in Black, their soft kabuki brush, and a freebie clear lip gloss. I also left with a Briogeo Blossom and Bloom thickening conditioner .

  Today's review is about their Universal colorstick and mascara, since I've had a chance to use both items for two months.

Universal Colorstick #8: I was confused about how to wear the cream colorstick as a blush over my mineral veil, but after I figured out I could layer it over my mineral veil, it soon won me over. I swipe it 3-4 times on my index finger and dab it on to each cheek, blend and voila: coral-y tinted cheeks! Love the color on my medium toned skin. I found it gave me a few clogs the first week, but they went away afterwards and now just adds a nice touch of color to my face. It does give me a few small clogs if I use it it too many days in a row, so I can't use it too many days consecutively. 

EWG Skin Deep Score: 4


Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara: This mascara definitely is in the same league as my 100% Pure mascara--this one lengthens and volumizes. With two coats, it gives my lashes great length and good volume. This formulation is less dry than the 100% Pure mascara and the brush is made of injection molded rubber, so it separates lashes very well. But, don't make me pick between the two, because they are both REALLY great mascaras.

EWG Skin Deep Score: 4

Best Beauty Find of 2014: The Konjac Face Puff-Better than my Clairsonic

I found my favorite green beauty find of 2014 this past January--the Not.a.sponge konjac face puff (white puff--In the Raw). They have a few others available, but I really love the original white puff.

I had read several reviews about this on green bloggers sites, and was curious to see how this simple product would fare against my Clairsonic face exfoliator. Now that I've been using it for several months, I feel like I can write a fair review on it. If I were to sum it up in a few words, I would say: I LOVE IT, more than my Clairsonic! It's natural, extremely soft, exfoliates gently, leaves my face feeling smooth and is biodegradable.

The first time I used it, I thought it was too soft to do anything for me--I was used to my Clairsonic and other harsh exfoliators that were abrasive. It's that old mentality that it has to burn or be rough to exfoliate, right? Wrong. After my first few uses, I had random people telling me my skin looked nice. I thought about it and realized the only new thing I added to my regimen was this Not.a.sponge. YES!! I rarely add things to my skin care regimen because I'm happy with it, but this addition was welcome.

Here's a quick breakdown of the Not.a.sponge face puff:

What is it: It's a fibrous, super soft vegetable that grows off a Korean island rich in volcanic soil. It's filled with tons of vitamins and minerals like Vitamins A, C,E, D, B1, B2, B6, B12, Zinc, Protein, Folic Acid and Iron. It also stimulates new growth of skin cells and encourages blood circulation. 

How to use it: Wash your face. Saturate the puff with water until it becomes a soft, spongy puff. Squeeze out excess water and gently massage around your face. Splash water on your face and pat dry. Follow your typical skin care routine afterwards. Rinse the puff under water, squeeze out the excess and hang dry (it comes with a string attached for hanging). I use it 2-3x/week, but I know some people who use it daily.

Why do I like it more than I like my Clairsonic? 

First, it's very affordable ($10). They recommend replacing it every 2-3 months, or until it starts cracking. With my Clairsonic, they recommended I replace my brush head every three months, which was $27 a pop. Plus, the device itself is pricey to start (I got mine when it first came out and it was $200 back then). 

Second, even the softest brush head for my Clairsonic was too rough for the area around my nose--it was always red after each use.  I have since stopped using my Clairsonic and use the Not.a.sponge--no more redness, just soft, happy skin.

Third, it's biodegradable. 

Have you ever liked something so much you wished you could sell it? I've only felt this way about a few things in my life:

• Trader Joe's Cookie Butter
• 302 Skincare
• Garlic Dip from my local farmers market

I've since added this to my list and….decided to open up a tiny online boutique! I only carry the green beauty products I love, so it's small right now. :) Come visit at www.greenbeautique.com. Get 15% off for the month of June using a friends and family discount code: frfam15. Happy green shopping!

Sick of Plastic Water Bottles? Try a Glass One

When trying to go "green," I found one of the hardest things for me to give up was plastic water bottles. They're so convenient, portable, light. I would force myself to forget that if it's left in your car for an afternoon, it's no longer drinkable, for fear of plastic leaching into your life source. One day, I saw my sister with a pretty, glass water bottle with a silicon sleeve and I wanted, no, NEEDED to try one for myself.

I did my research and decided to buy a Life Factory water bottle. The mouth of the bottle is wider than the standard glass water bottles, which I like for ease of washing.

I've had my Life Factory 22 oz. glass water bottle for over 6 months, and I love it. No more being scared of drinking water that's left out in the heat, no more fear of drinking water with some plastic leached into it, no more contributing to plastic waste. All things to feel good about.

**Edit: I did want to mention why I prefer Life Factory over other cuter water bottles with smaller mouthpieces/openings/whatever you want to call the piece that's covered by the top: it's much wider than most other brands. I like this because it makes it easier to clean. If you purchase one that's smaller, you have to buy a baby-bottle-cleaner-device to get inside the bottle to clean it. To me, this is a hassle, so I stick with my beloved Life Factory.

There are, however, some cons with a glass water bottle:

1. It is glass, so it's considerably heavier than a plastic water bottle. When my 22oz. water bottle is filled up, it's a mini weight.

2. It's glass, so it's also easier to break. There is a silicon sleeve surrounding the bottle, except on the mouth of the bottle. I've gone through two different glass water bottles due to me breaking the glass on the mouth of the bottles. I've learned to be VERY careful when I wash my bottle and take great care when pulling my water bottle out of the dishwasher. Both times I broke the glass on my water bottles, it was from taking the bottle out of my dishwasher and it brushing up against a ceramic dish. DOH.

3. It's not cheap. It runs about $20 for a 22oz. bottle.


Click on the bottle and it'll take you to the site on Amazon!

Graduation from the Kiddie Pool--True Red Lipstick (but it's Green)

I wrote a post a few months ago about dipping my toe into the red lipstick pool by starting off with Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner….then a month later, I decide to take the plunge and hang with the people in the grown-up pool by trying REAL red lipstick. I love it. Sounds sarcastic, but I'm being completely serious.

It started at Sephora. I only wanted to look at Bite Beauty because it's formulated without all the junk that I'm trying to avoid (parabens, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances and petrochemicals) and made with food grade ingredients that are supposedly edible. I think this is important because, let's face it--if you wear lipstick, you will inevitably eat a little bit of it. If that's the case, you may as well purchase one that's safe enough for consumption.

As I perused, their many shades of red, the saleswoman helped me decide on trying Bite Beauty's Lush Lip Tint in Cherry. I instantly liked it--it was the first time I found myself thinking I could actually pull off wearing a bold lip color. It's a bright, light red color that's surprisingly hydrating. It contains argan oil and fruit butters, but the best part is the white "B" in the center of the lip tint--it contains Resveratrol, the same antioxidant found in red wine.

Of course a few days later, I wanted a BOLDER red lip…maybe something a bit darker. Since I'm a bit tan, I knew I had to look for a red with a blue undertone (opposed to an orange one), as reds with a blue undertone tend to be flattering on any skin type (yep, found this out researching red lipstick). I found exactly what I was looking for in their High Pigment Pencil in Tannin, described as a "deep, poppy red." And when I combine the Tannin with the Cherry Lip Tint? A unicorn appears! It's the best color combination and it actually makes you feel more bold. I've gotten so many compliments on it from both men and women, it's been really difficult not to wear more often. Seriously, if a man notices and compliments a lip color, it's gotta be decent.

If you're hesitating on trying a bold red, I say DO IT--go to Sephora and take someone with you who will give you an honest opinion.

**I did want to mention one strange thing I noticed with wearing red lipstick--when combined with my Dr. Bronner's lip balm, I got a strange allergic reaction that resulted in incurable dry lips for a week. My lips felt like sandpaper yet felt very sensitive. I was initially depressed because I loved my new red lipsticks and thought I was just allergic to them. I decided to give it another go with a different lip balm by chance, and I was fine. Since I'm a glutton for punishment, I tried the red lipstick again with Dr. Bronner's lip balm and got the same allergic reaction. This may not happen to you, but user be ware.


Score Card from EWG Skin Deep (click on the name of the product to see the report):

Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tint in Cherry: 3

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Tannin: 3

My Natural Under Eye Concealer: Alima Powder Concealer Review

I've always had a love/hate relationship with under eye concealer. I know I have to use one, but it was tough finding an ideal one--many were too drying, cakey, didn't provide enough coverage or weren't the right color.

I sort of gave up trying to find a good concealer because everything I tried fell into one of the above categories. I tried tons of different concealers: true concealers, foundations as concealers, brightening luminizing pens, but I didn't love any of them. The only type of concealer I didn't try was a powder concealer, because I didn't think it could really do much for me. Then a few months ago during a trip to Toronto, I purchased a few Alima items at a boutique, including a powder concealer. I played around with this concealer to use on my under eyes and voila, new concealer found!

My under eye circles aren't the worst…it really depends on the day. They're not black, is all I'm saying. I don't need super heavy coverage, so you may need to add more powder or try something else that's a bit heavier if you have very dark under eye circles.

Here's how I use it:

1. Make sure your under eye is very hydrated by using a good eye cream. I use Aurelia's Probiotic Eye Duo (review here).
2. Take a soft concealer brush and lightly dip the brush in the powder.
3. Tap the powder into the lid of the concealer and swirl it into the brush (I bought mine in the color Amber).
4. Lightly brush the powder on the desired area.
5. Using your fourth/ring finger, lightly tap the powder into your under eye to soften and blend the powder.
6. Your under eyes are a little less racoon-y.

Pros:
-Scores a 1 on the EWG Skindeep website
-Provides coverage that is not cakey or drying
-$14
-Since you only use a little bit at a time, seems like it will last a long time

Cons:
-May need to layer up on coverage for those with very dark circles

Click here to review the EWG Skindeep report.

Aurelia Probiotic Eye Cream Review

It's a sad day when you realize you're not "young" anymore. Several things happen before this dawns on you: you no longer enjoy late nights out, sleeping in doesn't feel productive, healthy food actually starts tasting good, late night eating=belly in the morning and the dark circles under your eyes no longer go away. Oh, and the wrinkles that appear when you smile, decide to stay AFTER you're done smiling. AHHHHH.

I've been using eye creams since my early twenties.  A saleswoman once told me "with eyes, prevention is key," because once the wrinkles come, they don't go home. I've tried TONS of eye creams over the past decade (La Mer, Guerlain, Origins, Restorsea, Perricone, Kinerase, DermaDoctor, etc.) and liked some of them to varying degrees and didn't care for others. I don't think I appreciated the prevention they provided since I was younger and the skin around my eyes was younger too. I'm graduating out of my early thirties into "mid-thirties" soon, so a good eye cream is essential. Now that I've transitioned everything over to cleaner skin care, I found my biggest challenge was finding a good eye cream. 

I did my research and decided to try Aurelia Probiotic Eye Duo--this comes with two separate eye creams (one rollerball serum eye dew for AM and an eye cream for PM). The duo was about $140, which is a lot more than I typically would spend on an eye cream (except for my La Mer and Guerlain splurges), but then I divided it by two, since you get two eye creams out of it, and this made my decision a bit easier (I often trick myself like this to justify buying things I want to try). Seventy dollars is still expensive, but I was really curious to see what this eye cream could deliver.

I've been using this duo for a little over two months and I do really enjoy the products. I like the PM eye cream more than the day serum, so sometimes I'll use the PM cream in the AM over the serum. It's very hydrating and softens up the lines under my eyes, at least for a little bit. I can't fight nature and I'm not going to stop smiling, so this is the best I can do for now. Did I mention it has a lovely smell? Not like scents matter much if the thing works, but it's a nice benefit.

Pros:

-cream is very hydrating
-uses actives, botanicals and probiotics to help fight wrinkles and dark circles
-rollerball has a cooling effect
-pleasant scent

Cons:
-price

EWG Skin Deep Score:

PM Illuminate & Smooth Puff Reduction Eye Cream: 3

AM Revitalise & Brighten Eye Dew: 3

Here's a blurb from their website about the products:

Supporting the skin’s defence system with supercharged levels of probiotics and peptides is essential for radiant and youthful skin. Aurelia Probiotic Skincare’s technology uses immune modulatory glycoproteins to generate targeted impulses within the skin, balancing stress-damaged skin whilst stabilising the skin’s defence system. Aurelia works to protect against skin ageing, regenerates cell metabolism, prevents cellular DNA damage and is proven to counteract the effects of UV damage to collagen and elastin.

Our eye complex has been scientifically proven to result in an age correction improvement of 5 years in just 28 days of use. Specifically targeting wrinkle depth, the potent complex adds to Aurelia’s powerful scientifically proven technologies. Aurelia Probiotic Skincare prides itself on its beautiful mix of science and natural luxury. All products are free from synthetic fragrances, parabens, mineral oils, silicones, sulphates, propylene glycol, phthalates, GMO, PEGs, TEA and DEA. We never tested on animals.