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conditioner

April 23, 2015

My Birchbox April 2015 – and EWG scores

My Birchbox April 2015 - and EWG scores

First let me say I LOVE the Rifle Paper Co. box here. Even though it’s just a cardboard box, it’s lovely.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Jouer Tint in petal – Again, not a huge fan of blush or in this case cheek tint. That aside though this has paraben, bht and petrolatum in it. It’s not horribly bad for you but it’s also not great for you and there IS better out there on the market these days. This ranks a 4 with 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 Database (reminder, 0 is the healthiest, 10 is the worst.)

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 3Liz Earle Eyebright™ Soothing Eye Lotion – I’m already addicted the Liz Earle Hot cloth cleanser and I think this is the reason I chose this box over the Mad Men themed boxes. I wanted to try another Liz Earle product because of the quality and ingredients of the first I tried. I’ve lost count on the number of times I’ve emptied and re-purchased the hot cloth cleanser!  Right off the bat though there are a couple of ingredients I’m not keen on – parabens. But there’s not much else in here to worry about so other than that it’s pretty close to being healthy. It ends up ranking a 3 with the EWG cosmetics database. I’m going to try it but they could make it healthier by working on a more natural preservative.

ewg-skindeep-cosmetics-database-score-unknownBeaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturizing Shampoo
Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Repairing Conditioner
I’m going to group these two together since Birchbox didn’t put the ingredients online. Cones rule BOTH out for me. Fragrance is strong and these and hurts my lungs (that’s a new one.) And they also contain parabens. I don’t want to have to type up the ingredients list on these tonight but I can tell you already I won’t be trying them. In fact the scent hurts me enough from within the bottles that I don’t want it on someone else’s hair and I’m throwing them out. Toxic. Gross. It’s making me feel bad and I haven’t even opened it. Gah!

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2MDSolarSciences™ MD Crème Mineral Beauty Balm SPF 50 – several kinds of cones rule this one out for me personally (causes me to break out) but the rest of the ingredients look good at a glance. SPF 50 is a bit overkill however. Unless you’re surfing and need something on your nose or are super fair skin and visiting an island for the first time ever, this just seems a little extreme. We need to allow our bodies to get a bit of sun and produce a certain amount of Vitamin D in order to be healthy. Also at 17% zinc, I wonder if this will be a bit calky despite the color – anyone want to give me feedback on that, please post in the comments. That aside, lets check out the full ingredients for anyone not sensitive to cones. This is actually very healthy – it ranks a 2 with the EWG cosmetics database. So if you’re looking for a strong SPF facial cream (I suspect this will be like a BB Cream instead of a foundation) you might want to give this a shot. Also does anyone know if it’s water resistant? Might make for a good day at the beach lotion for those who hate going without any makeup at all. (Again, cones and I don’t get along so if you can post a comment that’d be great!)


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November 29, 2014

Birchbox November 2014 unboxing & ewg scores

Birchbox November 2014 unboxing & ewg scores • ClothingCult.com

Chuao Chocolatier Assorted ChocoPod – it’s chocolate and I really like this brand. Nice extra. I got the Maple Bacon … mmmmm bacon…. 🙂

DevaCurl 3-Step System – This is a three part product so I’m going to review each piece separately. No cones, no parabens but there is fragrance added to these and there’s no indication that it’s from essential oils.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2No-Poo™ – Cleanse: The ingredients don’t match the current EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics database listing for this so I went ahead and did a custom report. It’s still a healthy 2 with the custom report. Good news here and there’s no fragrance or other nasties.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4One Condition – Hydrate: This is a not-so-bad 4 with EWG’s Skin Deep Costmetics Database. So we’re still hanging in there with the ratings. Since this is a system I think I should try the whole thing to really judge it. I really wish I could easily open these and check out scent and consistency without needing to use them immediately…

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Light Defining Gel – Define: Again with a not-so-bad rating of 4 with EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. I think if DevaCurl would lose the synthetic fragrances this would be even better.

My last comment on the DevaCurl system is that while it’s a great sample to be one sample in my Birchbox, I wish it had come in mini bottles instead of packets you tear open. It’s always frustratingly difficult to keep samples like this if they are more than one use. Also I kinda wanted to sniff them and have Tim sniff them to make sure it wasn’t a scent either of us was outright allergic to and since you have to cut them open I can’t just twist off a top to check.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Body Lotion in “Relaxing Sea Fennel” – no parabens, phthalates, petrol-derived ingredients, mineral oil, urea, DEA, TEA or propylene glycol. But I can’t find the actual ingredient list anywhere online. So I’m going to type them up:

Ingredients: water, cetearyl alcohol, cocos nucifera oil, glycerine, ceteareth 20, helianthus annuus seed oil, parfum/fragrance, macrocystis pyrifera extract, chondrus crispus extract, crithmum maritimum extract, fucus vesiculosus extract, ulva lactuca extract, citric acid, dimethicone, glyceryl dilaurate, stearic acid, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium hydroxide, tocopheryl acetate, alpha-isomethyl lonone, benzyl salicylate, butylphenyl methylpropional (lilial), citronellol, eugenol, hexyl cinnamal, limonene, linalool

So this has dimethicone in it which I can’t use. It’s not the worst product though as it ranks a 4 with the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 3theBalm® cosmetics Cindy-Lou Manizer® – this has dimethicone in it which makes me break out so this is a no go for me personally. Otherwise it’s fairly healthy. It ranks a 3 with the cosmetics database. It looks like it’s a nice color and should work well as a highlighter OR if you don’t like highlighters I would recommend trying it as an eyeshadow.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Not Soap, Radio Body Wash – fragrance and synthetic colors. I don’t think that synthetic colors in soap is really necessary. Actually the color is the only way I was able to tell which one I received. Since it’s yellow I received “Joy Inducing” Lemon + Sugar.  Or to complicate things further, it’s “Pheonix” in the ingredients lists listed on Birchbox.com and “Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil” is not listed on the back of the bottle (I wish they would stop making me work so hard on these ingredients!) It’s a 4 with EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Royal Apothic Cuppa Cuppa Firming Tea Treatment Mask – no obvious nasties except for fragrance. Then Phenoxyethanol is a preservative used in cosmetics and personal care products and it’s not great either. If they would work on these then it would probably be perfect. It’s low enough that if it doesn’t make my nose itch though that I will be trying this. It’s a 4 with the cosmetics database.


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August 14, 2014

Birchbox August 2014 unboxing

 

Birchbox August 2014 unboxing

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2Laura Geller Beauty Cool Lids Cream Eyeshadow so clearly this is the item I chose for myself as I mentioned in my last birchbox post. So as I mentioned previously it doesn’t have cones, it doesn’t have perfumes or parabens or other nasties. This is a really healthy product and I’m excited to try it. It’s a gorgeous neutral silver with just a hint of taupe. It should work well on a lot of skin tones. Not glittery but shimmery and looks like it will stay put and also act as a primer for other eyeshadows.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Harvey Prince Ageless Body Cream so even if this were healthier this is still not a product I’m interested in. Besides being synthetic, I think everything Harvey Prince smells just awful. That’s my personal opinion since I’ve had the perfume in a previous Birchboxes. Harvey Prince skinny chic made me gag on opening the box, Harvey Prince eau flirt yuck, Harvey Prince yogini made me sneeze when I opened the box. Birchbox should really just stop trying to send me this brand. I’m typically allergic to it on top of it being a synthetic fragrance. Nothing like a headache or sneezing on opening the box. This is only a 4 with the cosmetics database and most of that is because of the synthetic fragrance. So while I won’t be using it, if you like the scent and aren’t opposed to synthetic fragrance, then it’s not that bad.
ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 3nügg Beauty Revitalizing Face Mask free of petrochemicals, parabens, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances or colors. It’s only a 3 with the skin deep cosmetics database. One of the ingredients concerns me just a hair since it’s a known allergen. I think I want to test this on my arm because of the benzyl alcohol. There’s only one of these pods so I’m hoping it won’t dry out between my test and getting to use the product if I’m not allergic to it!
ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Neil George Shampoo no cones, no parabens, fragrance is iffy. Based on how it’s listed it’s not clear if it contains synthetic fragrances on top of natural ingredients used as a fragrance or not. That and the benzyle alcohol are probabaly my main concerns with this shampoo. It ranks a 4 with the ewg skin deep cosmetics database if it uses a synthetic fragrance.
ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Neil George Conditioner dimethicone rules this one out for me personally. Same concern on the fragrance as with the shampoo. It’s another 4 with the ewg skin deep cosmetics database.

 

Soooo…. It’s an ok box. Mostly I’m happy with the fact that I got to select one of my items this month so it ensured one item I could try. I DO like the element of surprise though too so letting me select one thing is the best of both worlds.

 


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February 4, 2014

Ipsy Glambag unboxing January 2014

Ipsy Glambag January 2014

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow Pencil – no cones and it’s an excellent healthy ingredient list. The cosmetics database brings this back as a 1 so the only additional question is whether or not it will last the day or crease a lot.

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow Pencil in Penny

(MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm –  the initial search on the cosmetics database had me wowed with a zero (best score ever!) but turned out that their listing for this product only had two ingredients whereas the product is now much more complex OR simply entered wrong for that listing. I created a custom report based on the longer list of ingredients and came back with a rating of a 5. Bah humbug. Other than the synthetic fragrance though it doesn’t have ingredients that have me running for the hills. If this doesn’t bother my nose I MAY try this one anyway.

Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads – Well it’s not the usual ingredient I call out but if you see “urea” you probably have a less than healthy product. I had high hopes for this after I checked for Benzoyl Peroxide (I’m allergic to the key ingredient in the main Proactive product.) I like the idea of something with glycolic acid that would promote skin cell turnover for healthier looking skin and fading acne scarring faster however the IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER) is not something I want on my skin. The cosmetics database report brings this product as a whole back as a 5 rating.

Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner – cones so I can’t use this one personally. It’s also a 6 with the cosmetics database. This brand is fairly hit and miss. Some products that are excellent and healthy and others that might do great things for your hair but aren’t so healthy.

skiin Soothing and Smoothing Eye Cream – cones so I can’t use this one personally. It’s a 5 with the cosmetics database and it brought to my attention one other thing. I like essential oils but since Tim is allergic to certain natural oils I don’t like the vague “blend of essential oils” on the ingredient list.

 

Not in my bag but wish I had received (and I may try):

 


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October 21, 2013

Birchbox & Ipsy for October 2013

Birchbox & Ipsy for October 2013

In my Ipsy Glambag for October 2013:

Zoya Nail Polish in Neve – as always, another great Zoya color. Perfect for fall and winter and really great because it’s a classy cobalt blue shade. All Zoya polishes are 3-free.

Sexy Hair Blow Dry Gel – dimethicone, can’t use it personally. Cosmetics database rates it a 6! Remember, lower is better!

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush – this is going to be my goto eyeshadow brush. I love this shape brush and previously had been buying the ELF brushes that are this shape (a brush doesn’t always have to be expensive to be quality.) The quality of the ELF brushes has gone downhill however as my last purchase of these brushes from ELF, the brush bristles were a little mis-shaped. The Coastal Scents brush is a little long but otherwise it’s a real step up from the ELF brush in terms of quality. The bristles are in the perfect shape and size and the handle coating is much better. This seems like it will last a much longer time and I’ll probably be buying a few more in the near future. It is a synthetic brush in case that is a deciding factor for you.

La Fresh® Eco-Beauty® Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes – I haven’t used this yet but I’m looking forward to trying it. I think they’ve changed the ingredients some since the last time I checked out this product because the current ingredients are healthier than what I remember. I’m already a big fan of the LA Fresh nail polish remover wipes. Cosmetics Database rates this a 4 … I suspect the real life rating would be lower if EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. would account for natural scents. Checked without the “fragrance” this was a 2.

Wet n Wild Photo Op Eyeshadow – dimethicone, can’t use it personally. Cosmetics Database rates this a 1! I’m surprised! But I still can’t use it personally. :/

 


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In my Birchbox October 2013:

Bain de Terre macadamia oil NOURISHING CONDITIONER – argh dimethicone, so I can’t personally use.  Cosmetics Database score is a 4.

POP Beauty Aqua Lacquer – nothing to keep me from trying this but it’s not exactly healthy either. It uses mineral oil, propylparaben, and fragrance. The color is a fun color that reminded me of a cherry lollipop but goes on a little more subtly like a thin layer of something that should pop over neutral lip tone. The color is good. It is fairly sticky sticky however so even if I hadn’t looked over the ingredients, I’m not sure I would choose to wear this regularly. Cosmetics Database score is a 4.

ChapStick® Hydration Lock – dimethicone, can’t personally use. Cosmetics Database score is a 5. Remember, lower is better.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit – INCREDIBLE ingredient list. The only one I wasn’t sure about in terms of personal allergies is hops. I know I have some problems consuming hops but I’ve never had the occasion to try anything topically so I don’t know if I have a skin sensitivity to it. I HAVE used this though for the last 4 days both morning and night and so far no problems. I’m in love with this. My face looks and feels healthier. It doesn’t cause my face to get oily, it doesn’t strip away like a regular soap cleanser might AND I still feel clean after using it. This is a tough thing to accomplish, healthy natural ingredients and not left feeling like you still need to clean.

Really – my face has a nice healthy glow to it now. I can’t tell how much of that is the muslin cloth and how much is this cleanser but this cleanser is definitely good still. Liz Earle has done an excellent job with this product! Cosmetics Database score is a 3. 

Liz Earle Pure Muslin Cloths – LOVE this. Already tried this and absolutely love love love it. This is just the right amount of exfoliation for 1-2 times per day use. It’s surprising because holding the cloth I really didn’t think I was going to be that impressed by it. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to scrub much but somehow it does. I don’t know if all muslin would be scrubby or if Lis Earle has just sourced the perfect cloth but I think I’m in. As long as I can find a better way to store / dry these I think I’m going to buy a few more to have on hand / keep as backups!


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June 13, 2013

June 2013 Birchbox vs Ipsy Glambag

My Birchbox unboxing AND my Ipsy unbagging in the video below along with some swatches and commentary. AKA June 2013 Birchbox vs Ipsy Glambag:

My June 2013 Birchbox:

  • Davines 3-Step System – Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo, Davines Love Smoothing Conditioner, Davines OI/ OIL. dimethicone… staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars
  • Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in “Quick Kiss” – the color was growing on me and at first glance I thought that the ingredient list looked ok. Not super healthy but not super toxic. What I missed was that they include fragrance AND dimethicone. The dimethicone is a deal breaker for me personally. And it’s a gorgeous color.Argh. Cosmetics database custom report has it about a 4. Since I had already swatched on my hand, I tried on my lips just because I was curious about the color. I think it might be a little hard to wear but I do think it might have certain occassions that it would be nice to have that extra pop. Then I washed my face intensely and I’m hoping that a limited test isn’t going to cause cystic pimples anywhere near my mouth. I was thinking of the Laqa & Co Lil’ Lip Duo when I was doing the video so I’m frustrated I didn’t get this product. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars for the Mirenesse (would have been a 5 star if it had been without dimethicone and fragrance … or if it had been the other product.)
  • Color Club Wanderlust Collection – I received “Pardon My French” which is a nice lavendar but I was hoping for “Reign in Spain” because I have a thing for corals. My problem with this isn’t that I have to buy the nail polish color I want, it’s that they don’t have full size bottles and you can only buy the set. Since you already have one of the colors, then you’re buying a second of that color no matter what you got in your box. The purple is a good enough color to have as a mini but I don’t need two and I really wish that they offered these as full sized individual bottles instead of the collection. I will probably buy the collection though at $8 and free shipping, so whatever. starstarstarstaremptystarempty 3/5 stars (I’m just not a big purple fan plus my comments about the collection above and no full size products even available. For purple it’s an excellent shade and always love the Color Club polishes.)
  • Oscar de la Renta Something Blue – synthetic fragrance. They now have a new check box for “don’t send me more than 6 fragrances a year” but I really wish I could make that setting “don’t ever send me fragrances” …. maybe with the additional of “I’m allergic to half of them and I don’t want to use the other half and this is such a waste. One even gave me a headache just from opening the box so please stop sending perfume already.” Sigh. Just know, unless it’s natural / organic and it doesn’t give me a headache (which does exist, just rare) I’m not going to give a fragrance a positive review. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars

My June 2013 Ipsy Glambag:

  • Starlooks Lip Pencil in “Bare” – I had high hopes for this one. However the color made me unsure if it was meant to be a lip liner or a light eyeliner (though lip liner makes more sense …) Nothing jumped out as obviously bad ingredients that I could identify. No dimethicone, no frangrance, no parabens. But the custom report, it ended up a 6.  (pdf linked on this one.) staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars
  • J.Cat Beauty Eyelash + Eyelash Glue – even the glue on this isn’t bad for you. I may cut these apart into individual lashes instead of trying to use the full strip but I’m happy enough with these. Until you get into some really specific eyelashes, those in the under $8 price point are all fairly decent and your biggest factor is lash style / cut. Latex free glue. And these are human hair … ok so a little higher quality than your average drugstore lashes but also a little creepy in that sense. Cruelty free (not tested on animals.) I don’t wear false lashes maybe more than … once every three years but I will be using these for an upcoming special event probably fairly soon. starstarstarstarstar 5/5 stars
  • Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil – AWESOME no cones. Turns up a 3 in a custom report. Talc is the worst ingredient and in this case I’ll forgive it since it’s not going to go on my eyelids (where talc tends to crease) and it’s not filler reducing impact of some other pigment. I love this in the inside corner of my eye and this looks perfect and natural. No shimmer so it can be used easily and I wonder if it might make a good concealing pencil as a result as well. starstarstarstarstar 5/5 stars
  • J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette – this is categorized under “body glitter” instead of eyeshadow. It’s a chunky glitter so this makes more sense. No, just no for so many reasons. Plus there are the ingredients which aren’t good as well. Kind of on par with petroleum jelly mixed with glitter. It even says “This product should be used on the body and not on the eye area.” I’m not sure what they were thinking. Halloween? Rave? 8 year old girls? I don’t know and this just really doesn’t seem like a great fit for an ipsy bag even ignoring the ingredients for a minute. Yes it’s wild but… Might have made more sense it to be sent out in October just for the Halloween reason.  staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars
  • NYX Blush in “Pecan” – awesome bronzer shade but there’s dimethicone and talc so I won’t be using it. I haven’t swatched this but I suspect the color is excellent for a beachy summer look.  staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 0/5 stars

I also just realized that people were commenting below the products on ipsy (linked to in the glamroom) if they wanted to trade. OR there’s also http://mygl.am/glammieswapforum (though the other seems more efficient… or makeupalley would also work better than the facebook page.)

And I’m happy with the leopard bag with the neon zipper. I’ve been leaving the chevron bag in my swim bag recently just to throw my jewelry in so it’s not lost at the bottom of the bigger bag. I’ll probably find a use for this one too.

So there you have it … another mildly disappointing month with Birchbox and a good month with Ipsy. I think I wouldn’t even be saying this if I had received the Reign in Spain polish and the other lip gloss Birchbox had promoted on facebook. Actually I’d probably have been happy with just the other shade of nail polish just because the swatches I saw of it looked like a nice bright fun summer color. The creamy shade is one that I already own something similar and the green … meh, not as versatile. Actually the purple I already own something similar to as well just the that Color Club purple is just a hint better actually.

Swatches of some of the products from these boxes: Swatch Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in Quick Kiss Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil Starlooks Lip Pencil in Bare