I'm very familiar with the deodorant and body butter from Nourish, and I love both! When Nourish had their Black Friday sale, I decided to pick up the new moisturizing cleanser because I thought the ingredients were fantastic. And, I wanted to see if it lived up to its 'moisturizing' claims. For those of you that watch me on Youtube or have kept up with my cleanser history, you'll know I don't ever use lathering cleansers. They normally are much too harsh for my skin and dermatitis, and strip my skin, leaving it dry and tight. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the Nourish cleanser. The first time I tried it, my dermatitis was acting up, so it did burn quite a bit, but now that my skin has settled down, I don't experience any burning. I do want to note early on that I don't use this every day and I wouldn't use this every day. I'll use the Nourish cleanser every 3/4 days, usually in the shower. I take off my makeup with coconut oil beforehand, but I like that the cleanser removes any last trace of makeup as well as the coconut residue. It doesn't leave my face dry or tight overall, but on the nights I use this, I do notice my face isn't as hydrated as when I use my Aurelia Probiotic Cleanser (testing) or my Devita Mud Mask (recently featured in my December Favorites). A huge plus, though, is that I am acne prone and it hasn't broken me out at all. The cleanser itself is a white pearly color, and it is very liquidy. I do sort of wish it came in a pump, because it is very hard to control the amount that comes out - it sort of just pours. You really only need a little. Overall - I really like the ingredients (only one lathering agent), the price point, and how well it removes any residue from my face every few days. I will definitely repurchase and now I can actually say I have a lathering cleanser I recommend! Ingredients: Organic Aloe barbadensis leaf Juice, Organic cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Organic Sesamum indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Organic cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (Guar) Gum, Organic Azadirachta indica (Neem) Seed Oil, Organic cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract, Organic Nasturtium Officinale (Watercress) Extract Retails for $13.99 at Nourish Organics. I purchased this myself.
Pressed Mineral Foundation in 'Geisha' $7.99 - $10.99
I love the coverage and it doesn't make my face look cakey. I wish the ingredients were a little more natural, but the price for a natural pressed foundation is great!
'Black Magic' Mascara - $7.99 - $11.99
Very natural look - provides length and a little volume without the spidery look. My lashes did harden and feel crispy after it dried, but no flaking. I still like the PF Fake Out mascara more.
'Zen' Lip Liner - $5.79 - $8.99
Love! Love the color, the price, how it feels. Amazing - I'll definitely be getting more.
'Hollywood' Lip Gloss - $7.99 - $11.99
I love the smell and how it feels on the lips. I wish I didn't have to pump so many times to get the product out, though. Great price.
Since I got the formula without silicones, I do think that greatly effected how the shadows applied. The pigmentation is nice and the colors are gorgeous, but I don't like the fallout and they ended up creasing quite fast. I probably won't repurchase more. They also offer pressed shadows for $8! Silk Naturals 'Beach Bunny' Bronzer - $6.50
I love it!! Definitely getting the full size.
I have only ever tried two natural liquid foundations - the My Beauty Addiction liquid foundation, which I loved, but it has phenoxyethanol, and the All Natural Face Liquid Foundation, which I really didn't like.
*Firstly, I think Papaya needs to be listed in the ingredients because I thought I was allergic to papaya and I've been using this foundation. Uh oh.
The website claims:
"Atmosphere nourishes with Organic Pumpkin and Papaya Complex, brightens the skin with Organic Camellia, and is infused with Vapour’s face-specific infusion of anti-inflammatory Frankincense, antioxidant Tulsi, and moisturizing and calming Lotus flowers"
Skin Type: Perfect for all skin types, especially dry & mature.
Color Spectrum: On the pink side when compared with other foundations.
Coverage: Blendable Sheer to Medium to Full Coverage.
Finish: "Radiant", a hydrated look with "glow" or luminosity.
How I apply:
No primer, just my Burn Out Sunscreen Real Techniques Buffing Brush Dot onto my skin and buff in After buffing, I spray the same brush with a little George's Aloe and buff that into my skin as well. (Doesn't remove any of the actual foundation)
PROs:
-Really clean ingredients
-Need hardly any - half a pump - little goes a long way.
-Easy, FAST, blends right into my skin seamlessly
-Looks really nice in daylight
-Moisturizing most of my face
-Easier to apply a LITTLE for some coverage on my dermatitis as a liquid rather than with a beauty blender and cream foundation, which tends to cake up badly.
-Feels soft without silicones
CONs:
-PRICE
-The scent of holy basil is really strong
-Do find it can look a little cakey if you use too much powder, so usually I don't powder. BUT, the photos (with flash) make my T-zone look a little oily.
-Hugs my dermatitis & makes it look dry (but most foundations do)
Would I purchase it myself for $48?
I think $48 is SUPER expensive for a foundation. I would probably only purchase it on a deal or for a percentage off. However, the ingredients are very, very clean and I think it's an amazing liquid foundation. My favorite thing about it is ease of application, and it will last a long time because I only need half a pump for my whole face!
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.
"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
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
This is the blog post to accompany my Cream Shadow Showdown video! I was inspired by my fellow natural bloggers to try some cream eyeshadows, and ever since I've started using them, I've done my eye makeup every day!
For this video I focused on testing 3 different brands of natural and organic cream shadows:
This was my first time testing out cream shadows of any type before, so I can't compare them to any non-natural drugstore ones.
With all of the shadows, I found they work better without a primer (All Natural Face 'Magic' eye primer), and better WITH a translucent powder (Sobe Botanicals Oil Control Powder) applied to the eyelids before applying the cream shadow. Some benefited from the powder more than others. The powder especially helped P&P and RMS beauty last, but didn't make much of a difference for the Zosimos formula.
Sample - $5 (Used to be $3, they changed the prices :()
I absolutely LOVE that Zosimos offers smaller sizes of their products for $5 each (Used to be $3, they changed the prices :()! I loved being able to try a few things out without having to spend the full $20 to test the cream shadows. For this test, I tried 'Fools Gold' and 'Daylily'. The cream shadow color selection is average - they have your basic colors and not many that stand out as being incredibly unique. But, they work wonderfully under other shadows!
The samples came in little jars that were barely enough to fit my finger (width is shown on the daylily sample), so I depotted them into a plastic clam. (Shipping/arrival took a decent amount of time - I think it was about 10 days that I received my order after placing it).
The pigmentation is great for these. I didn't care for the orange-tone that is Daylily, but I love Fools Gold. It applies evenly on the lid, isn't sticky, and the formula almost changes to a powder once applied to the lid.
These hardly crease AT ALL on me and creased the least (on me) out of all the ones I tried. The color lasted under another eyeshadow all day and there is no fading.
Would I repurchase?
YES. Lasting power is amazing and although the colors in the line are pretty basic, I think I would be able to get a ton of looks with them. Fools Gold is great for neutral and natural looks.
I was sent samples of these to try out in 'Lunar' and 'Solar'. There are currently 5 shades available. I've heard such great things about these and was excited to try them in samples before buying the full sizes (if indeed I loved them that much).
The first thing I noticed with these is that they are incredibly wet to the touch. When applied to the lid in various ways - with a primer, translucent powder, and to the plain lid - they apply unevenly on me and feel very thick. It only takes a little bit to cover the lid and these require a little more work for an even base.
Using a translucent powder on the lid before applying helped with the staying powder - without it there was heavy creasing. Even with the powder underneath, there is a bit of creasing.
There was no fading through out the day under another eyeshadow.
Would I repurchase?
No - These didn't stand out to me and I was disappointed in the staying power especially for how expensive these are.
Ingredients:
Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil*, cera alba (beeswax)*, simmondsia chinesis (jojoba) seed oil*, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter*, tocopherol (non-gmo), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract*. may contain + / - :titanium dioxide, ci 77891, iron oxides ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499.
I purchased the full size of the shade 'Ice Dance' from Kristy's shop on Artfire from the collection inspired by 'Edward Scissorhands'. I absolutely LOVE my Lady of Light highlight from her and had been wanting to try the cream shadows for awhile, so the idea for this series pushed me to finally purchase one! At $8.00 for a full size, they are comparable to drugstore pricing! Kristy makes such unique shades for her cream shadows, based on movies that inspire her. All of her collections are so unique, and she and her husband design the artwork for all of them. The packing is so beautiful and chic too.
The first thing I want to say about the cream shadow is that I am absolutely IN LOVE with the color of Ice Dance. Kristy created it for use as a brow-bone highlight and thus it is semi sheer, but regardless, it is without a doubt my favorite color of the ones I've tried - possibly my favorite color in an eyeshadow EVER. It is a shimmery pearl with blue, purple, and pink tones. Seriously, I'm obsessed.
The texture in the compact is by far the driest of the 3 companies, but doesn't apply as dry as the Zosimos one does on the lid. Ice Dance applies evenly, but since it is a more sheer color - doesn't give a full coverage look.
Kristy uses rice powder in a lot of her product so they will work for oily skin and eyelids. With a translucent powder underneath and a powder on top, creasing was reduced significantly. However, interestingly enough, what shadow I used on top depended on how much creasing I got.
With a zuzu luxe pressed powder shadow, there was hardly any creasing. With a loose mineral pigment, there was a little more creasing, but I also noticed different amounts of creasing within different brands of mineral shadows.
I tried using a translucent powder on top in hopes of keeping the color, but it totally mattified the shimmer. I'm so upset I can't wear it without another shadow on top because the color is out of this world.
One thing I did notice is a little bit of color fading through out the day. I'm someone that doesn't like to touch up my makeup during the day, so I just leave it be!
Would I repurchase?
Yes! Kristy's colors are so unique and I am OBSESSED with the color of Ice Dance that a little creasing is worth it.
Ingredients:
(I typed them off the back of the compact because I couldn't find them on the listing)
Left to Right/Top to Bottom: Daylily, Solar, Lunar, Ice Dance, Fools Gold
Overall WINNERS:
Price: At $5 for a really decent sample for Zosioms and $8 for a full size from Pumpkin and Poppy - very affordable. RMS, not so much. Ingredients: RMS and Zosimos
Unique Color: Ice Dance - Pumpkin and Poppy
Lasting Power: Zosimos
Want MORE cream shadow showdowns or showdowns in general? What natural cream shadows are you using? Let me know!
I've been suffering from dandruff and a flakey scalp for a long time, probably going on a year now. I've switched between Nature's Gate and Organic Excellence shampoos, exfoliating with my DIY Scalp Scrub and using an apple cider vinegar rinse every so often.
I decided that my hair probably wasn't getting enough moisture, had mineral buildup, or I somehow wasn't getting all the shampoo out.
I used the Eucalyptus Mint Shampoo Bar from Sweet Creek Herbal Care on Etsy at the beginning of 2012 and did a video review of Kathleen's store. I loved it back then but couldn't figure out the right way to make an ACV rinse to use after the shampoo bar. Without something to reset the pH (which is what vinegar does), typically a shampoo soap will leave your hair feeling greasy and heavy.
I decided to try the shampoo bar again for moisture and for the dandruff, an ACV rinse like Britanie wrote about in her post, by mixing a little in with water (there are tons of recipes online), pouring and massaging it on the scalp, and leaving it on for a bit in the shower. The mistake I made before was pouring it on, and rinsing it out almost immediately. Leaving it on allows the vinegar to really penetrate the scalp and help condition the hair.
While I washed my hair every 7-9 days with a bottled shampoo, I usually only go 4 or 5 with this combination because it is more moisturizing and has great oils. The ingredients in the shampoo soap are AMAZING and I never (and still can't) seem to find a natural bottled shampoo with fantastic ingredients. Kathleen's sells a ton of shampoo bars - the Eucalyptus Mint is free from olive oil, which I've learned is too strong an oil to use in my hair that doesn't rinse out completely. I want to try the Lavender Rose one soon! The bars last forever - I cut small slices off mine and I'm STILL on the first slice I cut, and I've been using it since the beginning of December.
Conditioners are a bigger worry, since all I've seen contain either silicones, panthenol, cetrimonium bromide, and other types of hair "coating" ingredients which create a film over the hair that over time will make the hair dry, for it doesn't allow 100% of moisture to penetrate. Vinegars acts as conditioner in itself - it detangles! You only need a little bit of vinegar because too much will make your hair stringy.
*Apple Cider Vinegar in full strength is known to strip hair color, so if you currently color you hair, be aware! It also naturally brings out the red in your hair, which I really like, but some people may not.
This combination has been wonderful for my hair and scalp. The shampoo bar leaves my hair SO soft, more soft than any bottled shampoo, and the amount of flakes in my hair has been decreased to almost NONE! I love this combo and I highly recommend it to everyone!
What are you currently using on your hair? Have you ever tried a shampoo bar before?!
