Category

Beauty & Skin

March 5, 2016

Ipsy ingredients didn’t match the bottle… :/

So the ingredients listed here on the ipsy site:

ipsy ingredients dont match whats on the bottle

Did not match the ingredients listed on the bottle.

The Theorie website ingredient list appears to be accurate and match the bottle:

Theorie argan oil ingredient list

Just a warning because I thought the ingredient list was a little more reliable on the website. I have allergies, ingredients I avoid and ingredients that cause painful zits for me so reviewing the ingredients and having the ingredients be accurate is of the utmost importance for me.

January 8, 2016

Everyday Minerals, I love your quality but I’m breaking up with you…

3 Everyday Minerals products I used DAILY you’ve now discontinued. It’s been over the last … 4 years but they were staples.

Last year the Everyday Minerals Sand Jojoba base foundation powder was labeled something that worried me (“vintage jojoba base”) and I swear someone assured me it would NOT be discontinued (they did – see the end of the linked to post.) Now it is discontinued despite assurances that it wouldn’t be. It’s NOT been merged with the current jojoba base line. And there’s no equivalent shade.

Everyday Minerals I love your quality but I'm breaking up with you
So despite your amazing quality, I think I’m going to have to break up with you. 
Changing foundations is such a headache. I still miss the pressed powder and raw sugar bronzer and now I guess I’ll miss the sand jojoba base as well. I hope you understand the breakup, I’m tired of being led to believe I found “the one” I can spend the rest of my life with (or a more significant portion of my life with) only to have it discontinued. I need reliability too. I just really hate that it’s come to this…

August 18, 2015

My Ipsy August 2015 & EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database scores for each of the products

My Ipsy August 2015 and EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database scores for each of the products
ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5

Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted – this is a slightly dusty light purple. Very interesting shade. One that I think may look better on than in the bottle. Something about it seems kinda 90’s to me and I’m not sure why. Not in a dated way but in a resurrection of a style way. This nail polish is 5-free. Since I ran the EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. score for the OPI that came in my birchbox, I’m running the EWG score on this too. So while this is “5-free,” the OPI is healthier. This comes in at a 5. Still going to try it because it’s nail polish.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 3

LATHER ultra mild face wash –  didn’t I get this recently in my birchbox? It seems familiar…Wait … nope. It was the face lotion not the wash and it was an ipsy glambag. Anywho. Nothing bad looking in here. Scores a 3 and none of the ingredients scream “run” so I may give this a shot. I am however very happy with soapless cleansers like the Liz Earle now so it would take a lot for this one to win me over.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4

Hikari Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Salsa – Parabens, Mineral oil, I’m out even if this one has a healthy score. Lip glosses that use mineral oil just feel weird and wrong on my skin now. This comes in at a 4 – not horrible but I know better.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 3

Briogeo Blossom & Bloom ™ Ginseng + Biotin Volumizer – I really liked their conditioner and the ingredient list here looks excellent too. This scores a 3 and one of the ingredients it was docked for was over contamination concerns … so if they sourced that one well it isn’t really a concern right? Anyway – looking forwards to trying this one.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2

Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Liner Pen – no fragrance and no cones or parabens. Looks good. Though I tend to personally aim for a waterproof eyeliner which seems to be the only downside. So the EWG score is only a 2 which is good. Might try it when I want a distinctive cat eye just to see…


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August 18, 2015

My Birchbox August 2015 & EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database scores for each of the products

My Birchbox August 2015 and EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database scores for each of the products
ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5

St. Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion – no dimethicone (a personal issue) but it does have fragrance added. Which appears to be the worst thing in this. Overall score is a 5 with the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database score. It could be better but really as I said the worst thing is the fragrance. There are a couple of other things they could probably swap for something more natural for it to be healthier but this is probably one of the better tanning lotions score-wise … and from what I hear, it’s one of the better self tanners color-wise so I MAY give it a shot even though the score is a little higher than I would like. The scent will probably be the determining factor here for me. Things that cause me (or Tim if it doesn’t wash off) problems scent wise end up a no-go. I kinda like the form factor – that it’s a gradual shower lotion instead of something that you have to carefully put on, let dry and then wash your hands immediately.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 6

dr. brandt® microdermabrasion skin exfoliant – fragrance, parabens, and a couple of other things that aren’t so healthy. No cones though. This ends up a 6 with the EWG skin deep cosmetics database. It’s the ingredients and not the score that’s going to keep me from trying this one.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2

OPI Venice Collection Amore at the Grand Canal – so instead of a score I’m going to check and see if it’s “5-free.” Does it any of the following:

  1. formaldehyde – not in here
  2. dibutyl phthalate – not in here
  3. toluene – not in here
  4. camphor – not in here
  5. formaldehyde resin – not in here

For the heck of it I also ran an EWG report on this too … I don’t think I’ve ever run one on a nail polish. It came out a surprising 2!

This is a really nice rich red. The photo on the birchbox site does not do it justice.  I think it will make a really nice fall color.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5

Rene Furterer LISSEA Leave-in Smoothing Fluid – this one I think I can smell through the container. The fragrance in this one makes it a no-go for me along with the dimethicone. It’s also not really that healthy coming in at a 5. 

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2

LAQA & Co. in Humble Brag – no cones, no parfum, no parabens, we may have a winner! BHT seems to be the worst ingredient here but the overall score here is a 2. So winner winner chicken dinner. 🙂


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July 22, 2015

Swatch & Review – Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Bella

Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Bella (swatched below) is a matte neon lipstick that’s part of the stila’s stay all day liquid lipstick line. And although I didn’t wear this one all day … yet, this neon matte lipstick seems like it will have some staying power. I ended up using coconut oil to get it back off both my lips and my hand.

Swatch - Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Bella

Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Bella – Neon Matte madness!

Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Bella neon pink not so sure

I’m on the fence about this. I am kinda in love with the color … but I also feel like I look a bit freaky with it on. And I don’t wear a vibrant or deep lipstick … ever. I recently posted the EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. Skin Deep Cosmetics score on my Birchbox July post and it’s a little less healthy than I would normally go with but I don’t know of any natural equivalent to this. And this is not the type of color most people would wear daily!

I do think this would be pool proof and waterproof…. it does . not . budge . once it’s dry. Which is nice because one of the reasons I don’t wear a lot of dark or vibrant lipsticks is because they do smudge or come off on my teeth. This does not.

But that means you also have to be careful putting it on. You should use the wand to get the shape you want on both top and bottom lips, don’t press your lips together because that can make it look weird. Just apply and let it dry. I have no idea what lip liner you could even begin to use with this so apply carefully because  Unevenness WILL show … you can kinda see that in the image below:

Swatch on lips - Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Bella

Final review of the Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Bella

I’m eyeing the other colors even though I’m not even sure that I will wear this one! The matte neon is very appealing to me. I don’t know why but it is. The fact that it stays put and also comes in a lipgloss tube is also appealing. I’m so torn!!!

July 21, 2015

Birchbox July 2015 and EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database Scores

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5

stila look at me liquid lipstick in bella – I thought this was one with dimethicone in it but in looking at the Birchbox listing, it isn’t (cones rule things out for me – allergy-like issue.) It does have parabens though. This MAY fall into a category of “unhealthy but use once in a blue moon” because the color just pops and is fun. Actually it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s not healthy but it’s a 5. Right in the middle. Mostly because of Propylparaben. I think I may give this one a shot here. Just for those times when I want a super vibrant neon pink lip. 🙂

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5

Juice Beauty® GREEN APPLE™ Peel Sensitive – I’m half and half on Juice Beauty products. Although most are SUPER healthy, I have found that only about half of them seem effective on me in doing what they claim. Juice Beauty’s oil-free moisturizer was one I used until I came across the Derma that trumped it. With that in mind, the ingredients here look good. It’s going to get docked some points with EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. for Vit A and maybe a few things that would make this a good peel … but it’s a PEEL. Yup right about where I expected it to be – it’s a 5 with Vit A causing a lot of that. Look over the ingredients and decide for yourself. I’m going to give this a try.

Keep in mind that with peels you don’t want to use them and then say go to the pool for a couple of hours. I like to use peels and exfoliators at night so I can apply some heavier moisturizers and give my face some time to heal.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 6

Macadamia Professional™ Weightless Moisture Leave-In Conditioning Mist – Cones rule this one out for me personally but there are a lot of long ingredients in here that are throwing up warning flags as well. There is fragrance but no parabens. Let’s see what other ingredients get called out and why…. right off the bat “POLYQUATERIUM-37” doesn’t match anything. No obvious alternative name so going from there. Ah yes … an ingredient I’m starting to see more because people have become aware of parabens. Companies are choosing other preservatives that can be just as bad. In this case: METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE So this ranks a 6 with the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics database.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 6

Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid – so not a “cone” by name but dimethiconol is a silicone polymer which rules this one out for me personally (personal issue with cones.) Two other ingredients were clearly misread by OCR “crosspolyrner” should be “crosspolymer” for example. Yet again with that tricky paraben preservative replacement – Methylisothiazolinone … what a mouthful. This ends up ranking a surprising 6 with the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics database.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 8

English Laundry Eau de Parfum No. 7 for Her – synthetic fragrance. Headache and itchy nose without even opening it. Seriously I need them to realize that this HURTS me and makes me think each month I get a fragrance about quitting. And I would readily accept having one less product in my box if it meant not having to be exposed to synthetic fragrance samples that affect my allergies. And if you think “how do you live with people around you who use these products” to which I say “there’s a reason I don’t live in NYC or some of the other major cities.” And yes I have left places when someone’s perfume was overwhelming. Fragrance is an unhealthy 8. PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE BIRCHBOX GIVE ME A WAY TO OPT OUT OF FRAGRANCE SAMPLES! I know I may still get a scented shower gel I can’t handle but I would at least like to stop getting little vials of insta-headaches. PLEASE!!!

Stila in Bella below: 


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