Tag

Sumita

April 3, 2015

Sumita Color contrast pencil kit in “Colors of India” + swatches

#sumita #makeupswatches – my skin color is very different in different kinds of lighting. Bottom right is natural but cloudy outdoor light. 

I liked the Sumita blue eyeliner so much that when they sent me a promo code for I think being a Birxhbox Ace for a certain amount of time … But only for select products, I ended up choosing this out of what was available. 

Left to right: bombay black, bengal bronze (brown), jaipur gold (olive green), new dehli chai (gold)

All have a bit of shimmer/metallic to them but they aren’t glittery. And they’re smudge proof after you let them sit for a bit. All go on really smoothly and if they’re like the blue, the ingredients should be fairly healthy.

  

February 14, 2015

Birchbox February 2015 “Rent the Runway” box including EWG Skin Deep scores for each of the products

This month I chose the “Rent the Runway” box because none of the other sample options were appealing and I really wanted to try the derma e glycolic scrub. I was also kinda crossing my fingers that there might be a beauty blender in the box that they hadn’t mentioned … but that wasn’t the case.

Birchbox February 2015 Rent the Runway box via ClothingCult.com - post includes EWG scores for each of the products here

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 2Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Raina (a navy blue) – no cones, no frangrance, no parabens. It does have paraffin which I have mentioned feels weird on my skin … when it’s in blushes or eyeshadows or foundations but since eyeliner is such a small amount I’m fine with it as of of the ingredients here. So the other ingredient that’s a problem is one that I think may have been mistyped. “Isodecodane” seems to be a typo. The closest I get for that is “Isododecane” which is the ingredient that shows up for Sumita eyeliner on the Glossybox website. So this scores a very healthy 2 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. I’m looking forward to trying this one!

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 6derma e® Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub – so you know how I’ve mentioned that some of the scores should be taken with a grain of salt? This would be one of them. The “fragrance” in this case is from a natural source (oils) and the vitamin A … it’s supposed to be in this product. Your skin will be more sensitive after using this because it IS a scrub. So even though this ranks a 6 with the Cosmetics Database, I’m looking forward to trying it. In my opinion the fact that it was docked points for two ingredients isn’t a problem in this case. Yes, you should be aware you may more easily burn in the sun after using any scrub, exfoliant or peel.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo  – no cones, no parabens but it does have added fragrance. The last dry shampoo I tried almost killed me with the fragrance. The ingredients are fairly simple though so let’s just check the ranking with EWG to see if anything else throws up red flags here. Isobutane which is what makes this an aerosol spray is also fairly toxic at a 7 on it’s own. So between the 8 it gets for fragrance and the aerosol delivery it brings the score down to a 5. Not the worst I’ve seen but also not the best I’ve seen. I may sniff and try this … but I’m not sure. It does make me think that surely someone could make a nice healthy dry shampoo though. One that also doesn’t turn brown hair white (which is another problem I’ve encountered with dry shampoos … throwing some corn starch into blond hair might work but not so much on brown hair.)

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 4Not Soap, Radio Body Wash  in “the stuff that Cupid dips his arrows in” – so no cones, no parabens BUT it does have fragrance added. And coloring (for a body wash is this really neccessary?) And DMDM Hydantoin (Formaldehyde releaser). So although the  total score is only a 4 I’m not jumping up and down to try this product.  Meh. Could be worse, could be better. Not going to be adding this to my daily staples anytime soon though.

ewg skindeep cosmetics database score 5theBalm® cosmetics Read My Lips™ Lip Gloss in “Bam! – Rose Pink” – no cones, no fragrance, no parabens. But it does have added flavor (usually these are going to be synthetic flavors) and it does have Vitamin A in it. In this case the product is left on the skin so having something that increases skin sensitivity and is worn doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. BUT it also contains a sunscreen (titanium dioxide) so maybe it kinda crosses itself out. This is the kind of thing that the EWG score doesn’t take into consideration. So I’m on the fence on this one. I’m not a fan of added synthetics anything in any product and I suspect that’s the case here with the “flavor/aroma.” So while I debate, feel free to make up your own mind. The EWG score for this is a 5. 

So there’s also a coupon code for $30 off a $75+ rental from Rent the Runway in here too. And you know what? They have accessories and purses which I don’t remember seeing the last time I checked out this company.


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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. 🙂


 Still not signed up for Birchbox? :D

Birchbox affiliate link
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{ yes it’s an affiliate link, I get 50 points which equals $5 credit – share the love! }