Tag

moisturizer

July 19, 2014

Ipsy glambag July 2014

Ipsy glambag July 2014

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15  – holy cow, a BB cream with no dimethicone! YAY! Granted it’s eyeshadow instead of a foundation but I’m still excited. No fragrance or parabens etc. Ranks a healthy 2 with the cosmetics database. (ps: I have checked and the bareminerals foundation style bb cream has cones. As mentioned in the past, this might be a personal allergy but cones cause my skin to break out.) So the only negative here with the eyeshadow BB cream is that I can’t seem to find a shade name on what I received! I THINK I got the “Divine Wine” but since all of the shared are neutral and very similar it’s hard to tell (as I know print runs are not always perfectly accurate as well.) There’s a chance that I received Barely Nude as ipsy says “ipsy subscribers who receive this product will receive shades Divine Wine or Barely Nude.”

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 0Befine Food Skin Care Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15 – another one I’m excited to try. Super healthy ingredients – so healthy it actually ranks a zero. Yay!

 

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5Hang Ten Dark Tanning Oil SPF 08 – no cones and again with the healthy ingredients! (Really hope we continue to see more brands using healthier ingredients!) But it does rank a 5 with with cosmetics database because of the OCTINOXATE and a couple of other ingredients (flavor? why does this need flavor? Or was the flavor for scent?) Octinoxate is NOT one of the top suncreen ingredients to avoid though. % could be worse but could be better when it comes to sunscreens. Check back to my previous article on sunscreens that includes the top ingredients to avoid: http://clothingcult.com/2013/05/19/find-a-healthier-natural-spf-sunscreen/ And EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. has a specific page to help you find healthy sunscreens here: http://www.ewg.org/2014sunscreen/

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 6Pixi Beauty Mini Tinted Brilliance Balm in Unique Pink – no cones, no fragrance, no parabens. I’ve been really happy with about half of the pixi beauty products I have. Most wear really well but some shades are just really weird when applied which is the only reason I’m half and half on this company. I can’t remember which product looked chalky on me but one did. HOWEVER I have been regularly using the pixi pink lip balm I received in the May Birchbox which actually came as a surprise to me since usually I grab lip glosses over anything that’s a balm or lipstick. “unique pink” is a “pH reactive pink” but it seems to just be clear on me. Not sure if that’s just me or not. The cosmetics database ranks this as a 6. Mostly for the vitamin A and the limonen which are ingredients that don’t worry me as much personally. So although this ranks higher than I normally would go, I’m still willing to give it a try.

wHet Nail Polish in Facetious – this is a 3-free nail polish which is thankfully becoming the industry standard. It actually looks like it’s a dup for the color club Insta-This nail polish. We’ll see how well it wears!

 


Note on this month’s bag. When I opened my package I thought “what in here am I going to have to throw out?” It’s the cute scalloped bag itself that smells a little bit chemically and toxic. :/

Overall I’m really REALLY happy with this month’s ipsy glambag though! 🙂

 


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July 13, 2014

Birchbox unboxing July 2014

Birchbox unboxing July 2014

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 1Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner – cones rule this one out for me personally. Actually what’s odd is that some of the colors of this eyeliner use cones and some don’t so I had a 50/50 chance of being able to use this. They sent me the black which gets a healthy 1 with the cosmetics database. Which means it sucks that I react to cones by breaking out badly.

RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer – Ambrosia – This shade is a metalic orchid / purple shade. I don’t think it’s a good summer color but I do think I will wear it come fall and winter.

RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer swatch Ambrosia
ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4RUFFIAN Dressing Room Nail Lacquer Remover Towelettes – while not horrible (no nail polish remover will rank a zero and this isn’t bad at a 4 with the cosmetics database) the added fragrance AND no added healthy oils means I will likely stick with the LA FRESH® Eco Beauty Acetone-Free Nail Polish Removers. They are also a 4 but they have aloe, rosemary extract, vitamin E and a few other things that I’ve liked.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Naobay Body Radiance Lotion – no cones, no parabens, and many of the ingredients are organic. I’m excited to try this one. One caveate … fragrance (parfum) is hidden in there and I don’t know if it’s from essential oils or not. The description says no synthetic dyes but it doesn’t say no synthetic fragrances. If they want to be truly natural, that needs to be clarified. In the meantime, “Fragrance” gets them some point docked both by myself as well as on the cosmetics database report making this a 4. Still not bad but it would be SO much better if fragrance were from essential oils. And it might be which would mean this would rank better than a 4 if that were the case. It’s just not clear from anything on the Birchbox OR the company website whether or not the fragrance is synthetic or from natural ingredients.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel – no cones, no fragrances, no parabens… but I don’t expect this to rank well simply because almost no face peels rank well. So keeping that in mind… wow this actually ranked low! It’s a surprising 2 with the cosmetics database! I love peels and exfoliators so I will likely try this.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2100% Pure Gingerade Shower Gel (Honey Cream Wash) – no cones, excellent ingredient list and is a 2 with the cosmetics database. I’m excited to try this one though I hate little packages like this for the shower. I have to remember to cut them open before I get in the shower because they are nearly impossible to open otherwise particularly after you get your hands wet.

There’s also a magazine subscription bonus in here. A year’s subscription to Women’s Health and it doesn’t look like there’s any strings attached! (I’ll have to read the fine print in a bit.)


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May 10, 2013

May Birchbox 2013 – unboxing

May Birchbox 2013

What’s in my May Birchbox:

  • Pilot Corporation of America Acroball PureWhite®
  • Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner
  • Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle
  • Folle de Joie eau de parfum
  • COOLA Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face

 

Reviews & more detail for my May Birchbox:

  • Pilot Corporation of America Acroball PureWhite® – It’s a pen … oooo. Um yeah, I’m neither here nor there on this one. I have favorite pens yes, and pens I hate, and pens I use. This falls into the “pens I use” whatever category. It IS a pink ink pen which I didn’t realize at first (and it kinda fun.) But it’s still a pen so I’m knocking off one star. starstarstarstarstarempty
  • Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner – no ingredients … nada. I’m going to have to write another company for ingredients … sigh. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty
  • Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle – “Amodimethicone” ok so it’s not “dimethicone” specifically but it is a cone and it’s not one of the few water soluble cones either. Ranks well with the cosmetics database but likely to break me out. Pass. In case you’re wondering about its overall cosmetics database score, that would be a 6. It might be paraben free and sulfate-free but it’s not exactly on the healthy side of things still. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty
  • Folle de Joie eau de parfum – Since I can’t find any info on this on their website that says anything about organic or natural fragrance or anything I have to assume that this is a synthetic perfume. Too bad. staremptystaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty
  • COOLA Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face – Excellent ingredient list. THIS one I’m excited to try. The info on CosmeticsDatabase must be old because the product no longer has “fragrance” added. Old report says it’s a 4. My custom report with the current ingredients shows that it’s only a 2 which is not bad at all for a sunscreen. The scent is all natural and light however if you don’t like it, it’s going to be on your face. I did look this up and they have an unscented version. Actually I want to try the unscented sport version for swimming this summer!  starstarstarstarstar

Box score overall: 9 stars out of a possible 25 is starstaremptystaremptystaremptystarempty 1.44 stars. We’re headed back towards thinking “step it up Birchbox, it still costs me $10/month and you’re sending me sample sizes.”

HOWEVER we have one product in the box that’s a real winner. Since it would have cost me $32 to try a full size bottle of the sunscreen, I’m good though. So my May Birchbox is not a complete loss or completely annoying box. 🙂


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January 16, 2013

Birchbox January 2013

My Birchbox January 2013

birchbox january 2013

  • number4 clarifying shampoo – yay! Interested in trying this one
  • the balm hot mama – was excited about this until I read dimeticone on the ingredients – it breaks me out
  • fresh lotus youth face cream – dimethicone strikes again
  • lashem – my eyelashes are thick enough so no interest
  • harvey prince skinny chic – when are they going to stop sending me synthetic fragrances – I haven’t even opened it and the smell coming from it is giving me a headache. They need to stop sending me fragrances already. Particularly since they aren’t sending anything that’s natural.

Anyone want to swap? The only one I plan to try is the shampoo. And I also think I’m going to try ipsy.


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October 16, 2012

October 2012 Birchbox Goop edition

 October-2012-birchbox-goop-contents
What was in the box:
  • DDF® Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum – Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquiioxane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Sodium Hayaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Panthenol, PEG-100 Stearate, Carbomer, C30-45 Alkyl Cetearyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Benzyl Alcohol, Triethoxycaprylysilane, Titanium Diozide, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Polyhydrozystearic Acid, Mica, Methicone, Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Alumina, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, DMDM Hydantoin, Disodium EDTA, Phenozyethanol, Fragrance, Iron Oxides.
    As I’ve said before, cones break me out so I won’t even be trying this product. There are however many other ingredients here that make this a non-natural product.
  • OROFLUIDO Elixir – Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Cyperus Esculentus Root Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Isopropyl Palmitate, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed)Seed Oil, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, CI 47000 (Yellow 11), CI 26100 (Red 17)
    Another I won’t be trying: It says “fragrance” but in this case based on the rest of the ingredients I’m inclined to think it might be from oils. The “Dimethiconol” is a cone however. Probably does amazing things for your hair though.
  • LUNA Bar unfermented soy. If you’re fine with soy, go for it. They’re tasty (I’ve had them before) but soy and I are not best buds.
  • Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss  – the ingredients were not readily available but I did find them on another blog, “Truth In Aging” here. I’m not wowed. A $32-$34 lip gloss that touts natural ingredients that’s full of bad for you ingredients. I’m inclined to believe the post since Chantecaille’s own website avoids listing the full ingredient list as well.
    So I probably won’t be trying this one on. The other problem here is that even if I liked it, I’m not sure what color it is. It’s not labeled on the product or the card. I think it might be “Folly” but it’s hard to tell when you’re looking online. Could be “Charm”?
  • Miracle Skin Transformer SPF20 Face – They say “Free of synthetic fragrances, dyes, wax, mineral oils, and talc. Developed with selected natural ingredients.” Notice the “selected” in that statement. That doesn’t mean it’s natural either.
    Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5.0%, Oxybenzone 2.0%, Zinc Oxide 1.5%.
    Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Methicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Water/Eau, Dicaprylyl Ether, Boron Nitride, Octyldodecanol, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Dimethiconol, Ubiquinone, Tapioca Starch, Mica, Physalis Angulata Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 80, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Potassium Sorbate, Hydrated Silica, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Silica, Isoceteth-10, Retinyl Palmitate, Benzyl Alcohol, Phytonadione, Cholecalciferol, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.
    Again: cones.

So while I had high hopes for at least two products initially, the hair elixer and the lip gloss, we struck out across the board on all products. 3 of which included dimethicone. :/

What’s funny is that at the end of my video I said that none of my boxes have been a complete bust and this one ended up having nothing in it that I’m going to try.

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April 12, 2012

April Birchbox 2012 unboxing

My April Birchbox 2012

Unboxing video:

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What’s inside:

  • amika: Obliphica Nourishing Mask (see why I couldn’t pronounce this!) The ingredient list looks wonderful… but I’m not sure if the “fragrance” is synthetic or from natural oils. I’ve sent them an email and I hope they will let me know. EDIT: They responded “We use natural oils in our products.” 🙂
  • Juice Beauty: Oil-Free Moisturizer these products naturally have a scent. No synthetics but it’s also not fragrance free (if you are someone who HAS to have unscented.) I have tried this brand before and didn’t have much luck with it but I don’t think I’ve tried the moisturizer. It feels pretty good on my hand and the ingredient list is excellent so I will give this a shot.
  • Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift as far as I can tell there is nothing natural about this.
  • Zoya: True Spring Collection in Lotus This is a shimmery yet muted purple color. I’ve put it on a nail wheel (what are those things called) and I’m not impressed by itself BUT I think it will be a good color to use a crackle coat or some sort of sparkly top coat on. Birchbox, if you’re reading this, I lean towards jewel tones. Tru would have been a slightly better pick.
  • Lifestyle Extra :: dropps Laundry Detergent pacs in Fresh Scent. Haven’t tried this one yet BUT big plus is fragrance from natural oils! Ingredients : Laureth – 7 (Plant derived + biodegradable cleaning agent), Polyoxyethylene oleyl ether (Plant derived + biodegradable cleaning agent), Propylene Carbonate (Processing agent), Hexylene glycol (Processing agent), Agua (water), Fragrance (derived from natural oils)

What I mentioned that I didn’t get that I still want to try is the AlimaPure products. I said I was going to use my birchbox points but it looks like they are out of the berry color lip product I was going to buy and I know that the Alima site does mini samples of foundation and bronzer (not lips or eyeshadow as samples) on their website so I’ll probably do that soon. Bronzer is the other thing I’ve been thinking about trying from them.

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