September 19, 2014

Birchbox unboxing September 2014

Birchbox unboxing September 2014

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 8Harvey Prince Hello – Hello seriously? I just said last month that they should stop sending me fragrances and products from this brand. Synthetic fragrance is an 8. Nuf said. Moving on (and Birchbox PLEASE stop sending me Harvey Prince!!!)

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ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5TOCCA Crema da Mano Luxe – Hand Cream –  I had high hopes for this one but oh well. Anything over a 4 and I usually start questioning whether I want to use it and I definitely don’t want to use it regularly  if it has synthetic fragrance as an ingredient (which this does.) It’s a little too unhealthy for a lotion for my tastes as it ranks a 5 with EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment.’s skin deep cosmetics database.

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ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 3Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit – Ok so I chose this sample deliberately even though I’ve received it before. I looked at the things I could choose from this month and nothing was appealing so I figured I would add this and have a travel version. I’ve been re-purchasing and using the full size of this since the first sample I received last October and I LOVE it. Since I’ve never done the EWG ranking for it (it has crazy healthy ingredients) I figured I should go ahead and post that info now too. The few ingredients that cause this to be a 3 with the skin deep cosmetic database do not concern me. There are no parabens, no synthetic fragrances etc etc.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5Skin&Co Roma SICILIAN LIGHT™ SERUM Vitamin C Brightening Face Serum – so this has dimethicone in it which rules it out for me (cones break out my skin). This is also a 5 with the cosmetics database with fragrance being one of the bigger bad ingredients.

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ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5TEMPTU S/B Highlighter – this has cyclomethicone which rules another one out for me personally. This is also a 5 with the cosmetics database.

 

 

ChapStick® Dual-Ended Hydration Lock Day & Night – Ok this one is going to be a weird one in that the two ends have completely different ingredients. At a glance the day side looks toxic to me and the night side looks healthy and perfectly fine to use. So let me run each set of ingredients through the cosmetic database separately:

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 6ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2

Day side ingredients: is a 6 with the cosmetics database.

Night side ingredients: is a 2 with the cosmetics database.

So chapstick made half their product good and healthy. I’ll give that side a try. I’m not sure how much I’ll use it though because I don’t want to accidentally use the wrong side. Actually I’ve already solved this – I put some masking tape on the end I don’t want to accidentally use so it would be hard for me to make that mistake.

ChapStick Dual Ended Hydration Lock Day and Night

 


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September 11, 2014

Comfy fall travel outfits for fall 2014

Comfy but stylish fall travel outfit

 


Oasis off white cardigan
$77 – johnlewis.com

Rag & bone blue jeans
$265 – montaignemarket.com

Athleta clothing
athleta.gap.com

Tory Burch riding boots
neimanmarcus.com

Kate spade jewelry
shopbop.com

Turquoise jewelry
shoplatitude.com

September 9, 2014

Leopard Love – leopard ballet flats for fall 2014

Leopard ballet flats - leopard love

 

August 19, 2014

Worth sharing: Mascara smackdown
What’s Non-Toxic, Cruelty-Free & Works?

They missed my new favorite which is Pacifica’s Aquarian Gaze. It’s a 2 with EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. AND waterproof! Look for a review and photos here on this mascara soon!

via: http://kriscarr.com/blog-video/all-natural-mascara-reviews

CrazySexyMascaraSmackdown-Infographic

August 16, 2014

Ipsy Glambag August 2014 unboxing

 

Ipsy Glambag August 2014 unboxingewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5Glamglow Youthmud® Tinglexfoliate Treatment – eeee it’s a 5 with ewg’s cosmetics database. The big negative is the fragrance. I’m not sure yet if I’m going to try this one or not. It’s right there on the edge. A bit higher than I would like on the ratings but for using maybe once or twice I might consider it. I like a good mask…

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2Urban Decay Perversion Mascara not waterproof or even water resistant. Therefor not my cup of tea. BUT it is a healthy 2 with the ewg skin deep cosmetics database so it does have that going for it. I just have now found some healthy AND waterproof mascara so I’m not even really interested in trying anything that isn’t waterproof.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 1Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Lip Conditioner Uber healthy ingredients and ranks a 1 with the cosmetics database. No cones, no synthetic fragrances. Basically a healthy chapstick, no color. Plain, simple, healthy. Should be great for winter or for after the pool where the chlorine dries out my lips some.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 8Lord & Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil no cones, no fragrances but it does have parabens. This is the most unhealthy product I think I’ve been sent in awhile, ranking an 8. It is also the smallest black eyeliner sample I’ve seen. I went to check the price just to see if there was some reason the sample was so small but their online store is offline. So if you want to take advantage of the ipsy discount promo code right now you can’t.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 6Manna Kadar Cosmetics Sheer Glo dimethicone rules this one out for me. It also uses parabens. It also ranks an unhealthy 6.  This looks pretty similar to the e.l.f. Essential Shimmering Facial Whip but at $30 a bottle instead of $1. I will admit that since I’m not going to try this one there’s a chance that it may actually have more staying power than the elf product since the ingredients aren’t an exact match so it may be worth the money.


Given the other products that people were sent this month, I don’t think there were really better options. The few things that looked like I might be interested were ruled out by cones for me.

So some good chapstick. A little underwhelmed this month. But it does also come with a cute polka dot tube shaped makeup bag. 🙂

 

 


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{affiliate link – I get 250 points which points equal products but it’s still a little unclear how many points to the dollar}

 

 

August 16, 2014

Thought of the day: ingredients in your … razor?

razor stock photo 839248_58527818So I was thinking about this the other day, my skin seems to be reacting a tiny bit to my razor. It suddenly occurred to me that I’ve never checked the ingredients associated with my shaving razor. WHOA. Yeah. Think about it. That moisturizing strip on your razor, there can be some pretty scary ingredients there.

Most razors these days include a moisturizing strip so what healthy hair removal options are out there?

  • Natural razors? Nope. None that I’ve found yet. “Natural” is not a regulated term so there are still some pretty ugly ingredients on the list for most of these.
  • Using a safety pin to remove the moisturizing strip from your favorite razor? Maybe. Some are probably easier than others. With the Schick Hydro for example that moisturizer is embedded deep down in there. For some though that strip actually sits on top so some people seem to have had some luck with removing the moisturizing strip. I’m wondering if I could maybe soak the razor in warm water to remove the embedded kind. I haven’t tried that yet.
  • Go old school with a safety razor? Yes. Maybe. Ok yes this is an option but I’m still not sure about it because it seems to require more skill to shave without nicking yourself. And the bikini area … this scares me a bit. Modern razors have the ease of use thing down. I think I need to do some more research on this one. There’s definitely no moisturizing strip on this kind of razor.
    safety razor stock 411702_5695
  • Electric razor? Yes. The trick appears to be finding one that is meant for use on legs, bikini area, and underarms and doesn’t quit working after 6 months. Ideally waterproof and cordless. I’m open to suggestions from anyone who has a favorite brand/model.
  • Switch to another form of hair removal? Yes. Maybe. At least if you can find something that works well and works well for you personally.
    • Epilator? Haven’t tried that yet and is maybe one of the more promising options. But I think the hairs have to be long enough and not too coarse.
    • Sugaring? I haven’t been successful with that personally.
    • Waxing? Maybe I need some tips but I always have hairs left.
    • Threading? Is that even possible for legs? That seems like it’s not an option.

Most of the alternatives are extra time consuming. I don’t want something that takes too long either.

I’m absolutely not going to go all hippie granola on this one and go the “accept your body hair and don’t shave” route because I personally don’t like body hair. I shave because I want to not just because of what society says. I actually find armpit hair on guys rather gross too and I just try not to think about it. I don’t expect guys to shave their underarms but it does make me gage a little just thinking about it. So no. Not shaving is not an option (for me at least – what you do to your body is your business.)

So what kind of razor or hair removal method do you use?

Do you have any suggestions on hair removal options that are natural / healthy ingredients? Any tips on razors without the moisturizing strip? Any tips for women shaving with a safety razor? (I haven’t googled that yet so there may be plenty of resources out there I don’t know about yet.) 🙂