NATURAL BLOGS! (And some others)

NATURAL BLOGS!

             I was introduced to the wonderful community of natural bloggers sometime in early December by the wonderful Caitie. I love these girls and their blogs SO much. I love chatting with them (most, if not all, have twitters!) and they have introduced me to so many new products!

As always, I recommend keeping up with new blog posts via Bloglovin

Follow my blog on Bloglovin here

*Blogs that recommend products similar to the products in my videos

(In no particular order) 

Britanie - Beautybybritanie (her youtube)

*Caitie - Naturalla Beauty

*Mary - Pure_Makeup (her youtube)

Alex - The Green Beauty Bunny

Hayley - The Flaxen Owl (her youtube)

Pemberley - Pemberley Jones 

Vivi - Eco Beauty Secrets 

Andreiana - True Beauty By Nature

Nicole - Eco Chic Beauty Diva
Bailey - Bailey Blush

Dana - Live Green Beauty

Sarah - Sugarpuffish (her youtube)

Kimberly - Kimberly Loc

Zara - Free To Be Natural

Heather - Beauty Au Natural

Beauty Huille

Added:

Vanessa - LonelyKiwee

Marcy - Naturally Marcy
Lisa - Retro Housewife Goes Green
Marg - Marg's Eco Life
Gem - Gemma Means Jewel

Non-Natural

Aaron (boyfriend!) - lifestyle, humor, movie reviews - ARK's Ramblings

Shoudra Stargleam - FOTD, Pumpkin and Poppy, etc - Starshine (her youtube)

Andrea - Reviews, gorgeous photos, more! - From Inside My Closet (her youtube)

Nancy - Makeup! Indie brands, tutorials, etc - Dark Side of Beauty

Phyrra -Makeup! Indie brands, mainstream, tutorials swatches galore - Phyrra

Make Colored Liner POP!

Products Used:

Pumpkin and Poppy 'Divinely Happy' Cream Shadow

Shiro Cosmetics 'The Wandering Wizard'

Shiro Cosmetics 'Chimera'

Pumpkin and Poppy 'Blue Ruin' Cream Liner

Geek Chic Cosmetics 'As You Wish'

Shiro Cosmetics 'Alkahestry'

All Natural Face 'Pale Lilac'

Benecos Volume Black Mascara

For the gradient liner:

(Zuzu Luxe 'Vixen' on Lid)

(Shiro Cosmetics 'Chimera' in crease)

Pumpkin and Poppy 'Blue Ruin' Cream Liner

Shiro Cosmetics 'Day of Reckoning' 

Geek Chic Cosmetics 'As You Wish'

My Foundation Routine/The All Natural Face's Cream/Liquid Foundations

First, some links!

Products Used in the video:

Sobe Botanicals Oil Control Powder

Sobe Botanicals Mineral Foundation in Fairly Light

Silk Naturals Eyeshadow (bronzer) in Eu-Taupe-la

All Natural Face Cream Blush in 'Everyday is A Good Day'

Silk Naturals Liquid Lip Gloss in St. Tropez

EYES: Rose Purple Shimmer Tutorial

The All Natural Face's Cream/Liquid Foundations
**I DO use the powder foundation (in the same shade - Porcelain Kissed By Honey) as a spot concealer after I set my foundation with the Sobe Botanicals powder foundation. I personally don't like using a mineral powder foundation alone with nothing else under my skin as it can make me look super dry. 

Liquid Foundation

1 oz for $13.80

Old Foundation Routine (fingers) 

Applying with EcoTools foundation brush

Site Claims:

"This formula rocks. The special ingredients in this formula are Organic Jojoba Oil and Squalane Oil, both are wonderful for your face and skin.  Squalane is a known wrinkle fighter.  There is also glycerin in the formula to help protect your face from the environment and control oil and dryness at the same time. You will get wonderful coverage from this foundation as well. Available in all 51 shades of my foundation. Don't know your color?  Try a sampler and get the perfect color in powder.  No more "just close enough " Get the perfect match!  We do not offer samplers in the liquid foundation."

My thoughts: The formulation is very thin - I would consider a very light coverage foundation, but more so a tinted moisturizer without being a moisturizer (if that makes sense).

I used to really like this foundation, but the formula hasn't worked on my skin type lately. I used it a lot in the spring of last year, but now my skin is drier (less acne though!) and no matter how I apply it, it usually looks dry and cakey. Applying it with a kabuki brush leaves streaks, and the beauty blender doesn't give much coverage for me - when I used it I applied it with my fingers!

I think it would be great for people with normal to oily skin (more on the oily side). It does have some preservatives, as all liquid products need, but these ingredients are MUCH better than the ingredients of drugstore foundations.
Rating: 2/5

Ingredients: purified water, glycerin, mica, oxides, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide(sunscreens), organic jojoba oil, squalane oil,boron nitride(mineral),Ceteareth-6 Olivate(olive based emulsifier), xanthan gum(co-emulsifier),cosmocial cq (preservative) potassium sorbate(food grade preservative)

Cream Foundation/Concealer Pot

10g for $6.50

20g for $12.45

Get Ready With Me video (Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki)

Review/Demo (SOHO Beauty Blender)

Site Claims:

A lot of folks have asked and we listened. The other formula was dense and had dense coverage. With the new formula you won't lose any of the coverage but the application is much creamier and feels just wonderful! Now you can get your foundation color in a great cream pot! Offered in every color of foundation. Incredibly easy to travel with, fits in your purse or pocket! Never leave home without it!This pot has replaced the stick. The pot makes for easier application and the formula is now a little creamier. Comes in a 10 gram pot or a 20 gram pot. Each pot also has a puff for application. The foundation can be used as a concelaear or as a foundation. You get fantastic coverage with this formula!

My thoughts: I've used this same product as a concealer alone (not all over the face) for about 3 years now. It matches my skin perfectly (Porcelain Kissed By Warm Honey - the neutral porcelain, not too pink or too yellow). 

I love the consistency, and it's creamy and moisturizing. The ingredients are fantastic and there are no preservatives. With a brush, I do still get a bit of a cakey look (keep in my my skin is dry). 

The way I apply it as you can see in my review: a few sprays of my George's aloe before I scoop out the cream (as shown in the photo to the right, although I usually use more), warm it between my fingers, dot it on my face, another two sprays, and start blending with my wet beauty blender from SOHO. The cream is quite thick to only use a dotting motion with the beauty blender, so I do have to drag it a bit. 

EDIT: I used the tiniest bit this morning and applied it with my hands to act as a "tinted moisturizer" almost. Still great coverage, leaves your hands OILY so if you apply with your fingers, be prepared! Let a great finish too. 

It gives medium coverage, the perfect amount of coverage without looking like a mask, in my opinion. It looks so natural! I do have to go back with a brush to add just a bit more to my acne hyperpigmentation though. 

*One of the reasons I love using this foundation is that it's FAST to apply. I don't need to use any effort to blend it in at all. Applying it is faster than when I used a small brush and went over my hyperpigmentation and acne individually over and over to get the coverage I want.
Rating: 4.75/5

Ingredients: organic jojoba oil, organic argan oil,candelillia wax, mica, oxides, tuitanium dioxide and zinc oxide(sunscreens)

Go Natural Ep #2: Hand/Body Moisturizers

Episode 2 on Hand/Body Moisturizers is here!

Episode 1 on Body Wash!

I was excited when Jen requested this for our next topic because I've been loving my hand/body creams lately! Lotions and creams for the body are less subjective than face moisturizers, which can be very specific based on skin types. (My skincare routine!)

The goal for this series is for Jen to switch more of her items to natural, and me to help others make the switch with some help from my acquired knowledge about ingredients!
Here you will see all of the important information written out so you can come back to it when you need it! I also linked some of my older videos for parabens, sulfates, and silicones. (I'll eventually get around to redoing these ;P)

Rainwater Botanicals Monoi De Tahiti Hand Cream

Rainwater Botanicals Intensive Repair Cream

Nourish Organics Lavender Mint Body Butter

J.R. Watkins Hand and Body Lotion 

(does have phenoxyethanol which I do recommend avoiding, 

but it's better than drugstore lotion by a long shot and doesn't have silicones!)

Waxelene (great for targeted dry areas)

*Kinds of moisturizers-

Lotions with water will typically be thinner and less moisturizing than a cream or body butter with no water at all. A cream with pure shea butter and oils, such as the Nourish Body Butter is SUPER thick and oily, and great to apply to the hands and feet at night. The RB Monoi cream has water and is thinner and perfect for daytime use. 

AVOID

Silicone:

My videos: Silicone Part 1 , Silicone Part 2

-Silicone is used to create a barrier on the skin making it feel soft and moisturized, when really it prevents any moisturizer from going to and from your skin. It is especially important to avoid in body and hand moisturizers because they will prevent them from getting thr most moisture possible. 

-Most common names are dimethicone, amodimethicone, and clyclomethicone . Other names/derivatives found here. 

-These can be found anywhere in an ingredient list, so read the ENTIRE list. 

Parabens: 

My video: Parabens

-These are a no-no, especially in body wash and products that cover large surface areas of your body. -Most common names are methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben.

-These will usually be found towards the bottom of a product (where MOST preservatives are located, but not always).

Numbers/ Can you pronounce the ingredient?

-Numbers usually signal a chemical ingredient that usually has a complex name. If you can pronounce the ingredient and it doesn't "sound" chemical, that's a good sign.

BE AWARE OF

Alcohol:

Alcohol is very drying and it won't help you In a moisturizer at all!  

Essential oils (for fragrance);

-Essential oils are made from natural sources and whilst they are strong, they are not at all like synthetic fragrances.

*Be careful with these when spending time in the sun/in the summer, as essential oils on the skin can cause skin sensitivity when in the sun and this is really important to keep in mind when applying a body lotion. I recommend using something with less essential oils or in an unscented formula. 

YES

Natural butters:
Shea butter, cocoa butter,
-Shea butter is an ingredient I ALWAYS look for in my hand and body moisturizers. I've even used it alone too. Butters are incredibly moisturizing and a great base to add additional oils too, as listed below!

Natural oils: 

-Olive, coconut, jojoba, argan, avocado, etc! There are tons! These are THE BEST for your skin and the MOST important in a moisturizer. 

What's great is that you can use all of these ingredients ALONE as moisturizers! I love coconut oil for my body!

*If a moisturizer has a huge ingredient list and only a few are natural oils and butter, put it aside and find one that has an ingredients list comprised of most of these things. 

As always, feel free to ask any questions you have or shoot me a list of ingredients via youtube or my email iluvjesse444@me.com for help! Let me know if you decide to purchase any body washes and if you have suggestions for future episodes/posts!

SIC: What I've Been Spending $ On!

I haven't done a SIC 'Shopping in Control' update in a LONG time - mid October to be exact!

If you'd like to see my previous ones, you can check out the SIC Tab on my blog OR:

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Purchasing!

Tips to Control Spending

My friend Mary created a Makeup Spending Plan for 2013, and that reminded me to update my blog on purchases I've been making lately for this series.

In my prior  updates in the Fall, you can see I was very much dedicated to clothing, fashion, and shoes. I was constantly going to Goodwill for thrifted finds and looking online window shopping all the time. I would jump at the chance to buy something on sale.

A goal of mine for the year specifically clothing wise is to spend money on something I love and know I will wear, even if it's a little more expensive, rather than buying a bunch of things on sale. I purchased a sweater from River Island (Asos) in November, originally $60 (I got it for $42!) that I LOVE and I wear it all the time because I love it. So far this goal is going well for the few clothing pieces I have bought.

That brings me to what I've been spending the most on lately - Home Decor and Makeup!!

Since I purchased the Chevron blanket at Tjmaxx that you can see on the chair in my January Favorites, I have been obsessed with looking at home decor. I won't so much look online, but at tjmaxx, target, etc - now I will always go to the home decor section in a store before/INSTEAD of the clothing section.
And, I love that when I buy something for our room - I can look at it all the time rather than a piece of clothing I'll wear once every month.

Makeuppppp!

I think Wheatenbeauty1 with all her Postman Cometh videos made me jump on the bandwagon to getting into pigments, as well as the Cream Shadows I tested out.
The other thing I've been spending money on is makeup, specifically pigments and shadows! I have been LOVING doing my eye makeup and experimenting (you can see some looks in my Eye Looks of the Week post). I've been ordering from a lot of indie companies a lot, but when I buy makeup - I will never buy more than 5/6 pigments at a time because I love to try the new shadows first rather than buy a TON at once. Lately I've purchased from The All Natural Face, Shiro Cosmetics, Pumpkin and Poppy, and Silk Naturals! I'm waiting for a shadow I got from Geek Chic (their collections have STICKERS!), Darling Girl Cosmetics samples, All Natural Face cream blushes and LOTS of things for a giveaway (shh!) and a larger Silk Naturals order with some lip products this time. My ANF cream blush collection is coming too!

What are your favorite shadows to use lately? And your favorite companies to buy pigments from?!
Please share!!

Get Ready With Me #1!

For this video I tried out a bunch of new products/techniques.

-Thoughts on the ANF cream foundation all over the face
          As most of you know I've been using the All Natural Face cream foundation as a concealer for probably two years, but I had never tried it as a full foundation. For this video I applied it with my sigma brush and followed up with my beauty blender slightly wet with Georges Aloe Spay. I had to work the product into my skin quite a bit, but I'm super happy with the coverage it gives.
           I've tried the foundation twice more since the video and realized I prefer skipping the brush and doing all the work with the beauty blender because it prevents the dry look (although I do still get some). The ingredients are better in the cream than the liquid foundation, and the cream has more coverage!

-Mermaid eyes!
I tried out the new Pumpkin and Poppy cream shadow in 'Beauty Sleep' as a base as well as some new turquoise/purple pigments from the ANF. Quite a bright look for Winter! :P

Pigment Fall Out Protector

PRODUCTS USED:
All Natural Face cream foundation in 'Porcelain Kissed by Honey'
All Natural Face blush in 'Suntan' as bronzer
All Natural Face cream blush in 'Touch of Pink'
Sobe Botanicals oil control powder - My (quite old) Review
Sobe Botanicals mineral foundation in 'fairly light'
RMS Beauty un cover up in 11 - My Review
P&P 'Beauty Sleep' cream shadow
ANF pigments in 'Ocean Green', ''Mermaid's Choice', 'Twilight', 'Pale Lilac'
Shiro Cosmetics in 'Alkahestry'
Geek Chic Cosmetics in 'Angel of Thursday'
P&P cream liner in 'Blue Ruin'
Benecos Deep Black Mascara

Valentine's Day Full Face Tutorial

NEW 'Eye Looks of the Week' POST

2 New Tutorials!
Everyday Neutral Eyes
Rose Purple Shimmer Eyes

Products Used:
My Beauty Addiction bronzer in 'Goddess Glow'
All Natural Face cream blush in 'Dusky Rose'
All Natural Face Angel Dust Bronzer
Zuzu Luxe Shadow in 'Vixen'
All Natural Face 'Rose Gold', 'Pink Gold', 'Whitest White'
Geek Chic Cosmetics 'As You Wish'
Benecos Deep Black Mascara
Geogirl Eyeliner in 'Organic Rose'
Yes to Carrots lip tint in 'Natural Smile'
Revolution Organics lip gloss in 'Truth'

Eye Looks of the Week!

I've been experimenting a lot with my eye makeup lately and I thought I would do an 'Eye Looks of the Week' style post showing you my favorite shadows of the week as well as the looks I created with them!

My favorites from this week are:

Zuzu Luxe Pressed Shadow in 'Vixen'

Shiro Cosmetics in 'Chimera' and 'Day of Reckoning'

Geek Chic Cosmetics in 'As You Wish' 

All Natural Face 'Rose Gold'

Pumpkin and Poppy 'Blue Ruin' Cream Eyeliner

Monday

On Monday I did my Everyday Neutral Eye with a pop of teal/light turquoise on the lower last line - Sea Breeze from My Beauty Addiction. Admittedly, I really didn't feel comfortable wearing this look because of the bright lower lash line. It could be because it was the first day of classes and I felt it might have been too "out there". I do love this look on other people though.

Tuesday

On Tuesday I experimented with the new Shiro Cosmetics pigments I received in the mail on Monday night as well as my (my secret weapon is out!)  - my Pumpkin and Poppy liner in 'Blue Ruin'. I'm not a huge blue/black liner fan as I've said before. BUT, when I was creating this look and used my Geek Chic pigment in 'As You Wish' over the blue liner, it created this beautiful lilac purple. The liner stayed all day, the color didn't fade, and it was my favorite part of the look. On the lid I have Shiro's 'Wandering Wizard', 'Chimera' in the crease, applied the Blue Ruin liner, then 'As You Wish' on the top of that. Then I applied Shiro's 'Alchestry' (?) over the lower lid as well (which doesn't show up on the photo much), but it is a GORGEOUS blue/purple sparkle. 

Wednesday

Wednesday I worked again with Blue Ruin and colored liner. I used Zuzu Luxe in Vixen (my favorite brown neutral right now), with Chimera in the crease. I used Geek Chic's 'As You Wish' and Shiro's 'Day of Reckoning' over the liner and blended in the middle to create a gradient. I wore this in my Skincare Routine video.

Thursday

On Thursday I recreated my Valentine's day look that will be up very soon (this picture was from that day). I wore this in my January Favorites video after filming and got a lot of compliments on it - I absolutely love this look and think it's so romantic. Zuzu Luxe 'Vixen' on the inner lid, All Natural Face 'Rose Gold' on the outer lid and half of the lower lashline, and Geek Chic 'As You Wish' in the crease. A little white in the inner corner as well. 

Friday

Today's look was probably my least favorite. It unfortunately came out looking like I have a black eye (this photo is totally embarrassing)/ I used Pumpkin and Poppy's new cream shadow in 'Divinely Happy', a light taupe, as a base, with Zuzu 'Vixen' on top. I LOVE the color of Shiro's 'Day of Reckoning', but it didn't show up at all true to color on the lid. I tried 'As You Wish' in the crease, but thus it all ended up looking like a purple and brown black eye. It's raining today so I wore my Zuzu Luxe mascara in Navy instead of the Benecos Black I've been wearing all week. 

So those are the looks I wore this week as well as my favorite pigments! What have been your favorite natural shadows lately? Please share! Also, let me know if you liked this post!

I just made my first order with Silk Naturals last night for some beautiful colors, and I have an ANF order with more pigments coming in too. I can't wait to play!