Pardon my absence, but guess what I've been up to lately?!
Danielle, a couple of our friends, and myself planned a potions party for this past Tuesday night, and we ended up making beet blush, toning mist, and deodorant bars. I've only used each product a couple of times so far, but I'm already in love with the beet blush. I'll be back with extensive reviews when I have time to form solid...
I used to take biotin religiously, but I must've failed to restock after running out at some point and then forgotten about it completely. I do that a lot. As someone who is trying to maintain long, healthy hair, I recently started taken it again. I tell myself it's helping, but who really knows? I'll believe almost anything written on a hard plastic bottle (not really). How about you? Do you take biotin, or do you rely on fruits and vegetables for that sort of thing? If you do take it, then do...
I've always heard that unrefined coconut oil is the way to go when it comes to cooking, and this makes plenty of sense. Apparently the polyphenols in coconut oil, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, are damaged during the refining process. I've also read that the proteins/minerals are significantly diminished after being refined.
But because it was the cheaper option at the health food store, I've been moisturizing my body with organic refined coconut oil for the past couple of weeks. Common sense tells me...
Leave it to me to be the last person on earth to try something useful, but are you guys familiar with dry skin brushing? Danielle mentioned incorporating it into her daily routine a couple of months or so ago, and (as with most awesome things she tries) I simply told her to let me know how she liked it.
I had all but forgotten about dry skin brushing until I saw a recent morning routine on No More Dirty Looks that mentioned it, and soon...
Someone recently asked what the point of using toner is, and I must've been caught off guard since what tumbled out of my mouth was a string of utter nonsense. After having time to collect my thoughts, though, I realized that I'm not entirely sure what toner is supposed to do exactly. I mean, I've used it for years because it seems to improve the texture and overall appearance of my skin, but as far as specifics? I was as lost as a goose in a snowstorm until I did a little research. I scanned several articles devoted to the benefits...
Today's review is of Stark Skincare's Cypress Purity+Defense Oil, the last of the Stark samples I received for review. Since all of the products have been such a treat, I won't say I saved the best for last...but this oil sure is special!
Ingredients (provided by Jessica and soon to be up at starkskincare.com)- "Oryza sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Prunus armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Camellia oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil, Argania spinosa (Argan) Nut Oil,Tocopherol (vitamin E), Cupressus sempervirens (Cypress) oil, Citrus bergamia (bergamot) oil, and...
Today I'll be reviewing Stark Skincare's Grapefruit Cleanse+Hydrate Balm. If you're not already aware of how much I love multi-use products, then you're about to be. Sit tight!
Ingredients (provided by Jessica and soon to be up at starkskincare.com)- "Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Fruit Butter, Cocos nucifera (Virgin Coconut) Oil, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Glycine soja (Soybean) butter Candelilla (Euphorbia cerifera ) Wax, Camellia oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Maranta Arundinacea (Arrowroot) Root Powder, Citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel wax, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), pure essential oils/huiles essentielles...
I'm smitten with each Stark Skincare product I've tried. Can you tell?
Ingredients (provided by Jessica and soon to be up at starkskincare.com)- "Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) fruit extract, Cucumis sativus (cucumber) extract, Salix alba (willow) bark extract, Citrus aurantifolia (lime) fruit extract, Citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract (and) vegetable glycerin, Litsea Cubeba fruit oil."
The preliminary report I created for this product in the Cosmetics Database gives it a low hazard score of 2, with no individual ingredients having a higher hazard score than 3.
Some great...
When I contacted the founder of Stark Skincare to request samples, she seemed just as eager for me to try her products as I was to try them. Jessica's enthusiasm, combined with her confidence in her products' ability to improve "slightly oily skin, with an occasional blemish" were all the assurance I needed! The first of the four samples I tried was the Green Tea Detox Clay Mask, and that's the gem I'll be reviewing today.
Ingredients (provided by Jessica and soon to be up at...
As finicky as I am about the ingredients in my health and beauty products, I can only imagine what I'll be like one day when a baby is thrown into the mix. Big companies like Johnson & Johnson are notorious both for greenwashing and for allowing some pretty shocking ingredients to make their way into personal care products, so why should their natural line for babies be any different? The Johnson's Baby website provides a long list of the ingredients their natural line is formulated without: No Parabens No Dyes No Animal...
