Nice try, Burt’s Bees. Your (sort of) new line of bath and beauty products almost won me over. The phthalate-free scents are lovely, and the branding is nice and clean. But wait! Let’s have a closer look at the ingredients, shall we?

• Floral Cherrynova Natural Softening Conditioner-water, cetearyl alcohol, fragrance, ceteareth-20, glycerin, phenoxyethanol, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, hibiscus sabdariffa flower*, mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf extract*, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract*, thymus vulgaris (thyme) leaf extract*, urtica dioica (nettle) leaf extract*, glycerin, behentrimonium methosulfate, stearalkonium chloride, potassium sorbate, citric acid, alcohol denat. *Organic.
• Floral Cherrynova Natural Body Mist-water, fragrance, polysorbate 20, coco-glucoside, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower extract*, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract*, zingiber officinale (ginger) root extract*, potassium sorbate, citric acid, alcohol denat. *Organic.
• Floral Cherrynova Natural Body Wash- water, sodium coco-sulfate, fragrance, cocamidopropyl betaine, disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, sodium chloride, coco-glucoside, glycerin, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, hyssopus officinalis extract*, juglans nigra (black walnut) leaf extract*, melissa officinalis leaf extract*, rosa canina fruit extract*, rubus idaeus (raspberry) leaf extract*, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, citric acid, alcohol denat., potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol *Organic.

Allergies, immunotoxicity, use restrictions, and contamination concerns?

“That’s a dealbreaker, ladies!”

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From Left to Right:

Captain Blankenship Mantra Perfume Sample- I ran out of this dreamy sample almost immediately. After Jana heard about how much I liked this particular scent, she kindly offered to send me my own roll-on for free! My Christmas list just got a little shorter.

Wash the Day Away Calming Chamomile Facial Elixir- Since running out of this product, which I loved, I’ve been cleansing my face with another oil blend of Danielle’s.

Burt’s Bees Aloe & Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer- While I did enjoy this product, I probably won’t purchase it again since the ingredients could be better. I’ll probably pick up a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Hand Sanitizing Spray next.

Karen’s Botanicals Perfect Lotion-I tried to make this lotion last as long as I possibly could, and I think I did a pretty good job. Now that it’s gone, I’m pretty bummed out. I need the largest bottle available, and fast!

Dr. Bronner’s Tea Tree Castile Soap- Luckily, when I was home for Thanksgiving, my mom bought me a huge bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Almond Soap to replace my dwindling supply of the other.

All done! Depending on how many products I finish this month, maybe I’ll do another at the end of December. Let me know if you guys do a similar post so I can check it out. : )

P.S. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a lovely giveaway! Here’s a hint: I’ll be giving away a product pictured above.

1.  Alima Pure Nourishing Lipbalms (Natural, Fig, & Holly Berry)- They’re just what a girl needs for minty, soft lips.

2. Priia Cosmetics Vacation in a Jar Sample- Sup, sun-kissed face?

3. W3ll People Universalist Matte Muti-Use Color Stick  (#5)- This color stick makes a great blush or lipstick, and just an FYI: mine looks more rusty red and less brown than the one on W3ll People’s website. Review to come for this pretty lady!

4. 100% Pure Lip & Cheek Tint (Cranberry Glow)- It’s hard to beat the pretty shade of pink I get on both my lips and cheeks from this product.

5. Alima Pure Rosy Cheeks (the blush from the Cold Outside Collection)- This blush is great when I’m in the mood for a powdered blush, which happens once in a blue moon.

6. Alima Pure Firelight (the luminous shimmer powder from the Warm Inside Collection)- Who doesn’t like glowing? Not this girl.

7. W3ll People Nudist Lipshine Stick (#1)- This lovely, unassuming lip tint is just about perfect. Review to come.

8. Burt’s Bees Sun Protecting Lip Balm- It really only comes in handy on trips to the beach, but I suppose it’s well worth it since I usually take at least two of those a year.

9. Priia Cosmetics Pucker Upz Lip Infusions (Cha-Cha Cherry)- A rusty red that’s surprisingly flattering.

10. Vapour Organic Beauty Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss (Vivid)- This fruity, shiny gloss reminds me of high school (AND I LOVE IT). Review to come.

11. 100% Pure Creamstick (Perfect Naked Berry)- I’m a big fan of this no-nonsense lip color.

12. Vapour Organic Beauty Siren Lipstick  (Ravish)- Bold and beautiful! Review to come.

Well, that’s it! Maybe you guys aren’t completely horrified by the amount of makeup I own. From eyebrows to portion sizes to makeup, “less is more” has never really been my motto.

If you too would like to fancy up your feet at home, I’ve provided a picture of the supplies I used and a list of the steps I took below.

Supplies:

1. Nail Maintenance Kit (Out of this kit, I only used the toenail clippers and the nail file.)
2. Karen’s Botanicals Exfoliating Cleansing Grains
3. Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme
4. Burt’s Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion
5. Piggy Paint Nail Polish Remover
6. Piggy Paint in Sea-quin
7. Large Baking Pan (This pan should be large enough to accommodate both feet.)
8. Ped Egg
9. Pumice Stone

Steps:

• First, I filled the large pan with enough warm water to cover my feet. I soaked them for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, I took my feet out and dried them off with a hand towel.
• Next, I scrubbed both feet with the Exfoliating Cleansing Grains (making sure to get in between my toes and the tops of my feet as well) and rinsed them off in the water I initially soaked them in.
• I dried my feet a second time and began scrubbing my heels with the Ped Egg.
• After removing the dead skin from my heels, I used the pumice stone to scrub the rest of my feet.
• Once my feet felt completely free of dead skin, I trimmed my nails carefully with the toenail clippers, leaving enough nail on each toe to avoid a future ingrown toenail.
• Next, I used to end of the nail file to remove any dirt from underneath each nail tip.
• Then, I applied the coconut creme in between my toes (which tends to be especially dry) and the peppermint lotion all over the remaining area.
• After using a cotton swab dipped in polish remover to get rid of any lotion/creme that ended up on my toenails, I painted each nail with my Sea-quin Piggy Paint.
• Adding a step that wasn’t entirely necessary (but following a suggestion provided on my polish bottle), I dried my freshly-painted toenails with a blow dryer on medium heat with the low blower setting for approximately 1 minute.

From my smooth, pleasantly minty feet to the bright, fun polish color, I am very happy with the results of my at-home pedicure. If I were inconsiderate and aimed to gross you guys out, I would’ve posted a before picture. The finished product would have been all the more impressive!

After going to so much trouble to make your feet pretty (assuming you’ll give this DIY pedicure a go), don’t forget to protect them from the sun!

After realizing that all three of my bottles of sunscreen were expired, I began looking for a safe and affordable replacement to bring with me to the beach. I researched my past purchases (the first three below) and several other sunscreens I’ve yet to try. Below are my findings, made (for the most part) incredibly easy by the Environmental Working Group’s 2011 Sunscreen Report.

Burt’s Bees Chemical-Free Sunscree (SPF 30)- This sunscreen has excellent stability and good UVB protection, but the merely moderate UVA protection and the presence of fragrance and sodium borate in the ingredient list might be future deal breakers.

Price- around $15.00 for 3.5 fl oz.

Nature’s Gate Aqua Block (SPF 50)- Excellent and good UVB/UVA protection (respectively) seems promising, but the high hazard score of Oxybenzone, one of the active ingredients, is quite alarming.

Price- around $8.99 for 4 fl oz.

Alba Botanica Facial Sunblock (SPF 20)- This sunscreen has been reformulated at least once since I bought it, and it might even have a new bottle.  The current formulation provides only moderate UVA and UVB protection, so I probably won’t be repurchasing it.

Price- around $9.95 for 4 fl oz.

Kiss My Face Cell Mate Facial Creme & Sunscreen (SPF 15)- While the link and the picture are specific to the SPF 10 version, I actually have two small free samples of SPF 15. Still, I cannot imagine their performance and ingredients being terribly different from one another.  And while I do still plan to use my free samples, the poor UVA protection and presence of Oxybenzone are not at all ideal.

Price- around $21.oo for 1 fl oz.

Kiss My Face Oat Protein Complex (SPF 30)- I have two free samples of this sunscreen as well. Perhaps its decent ingredients and excellent stability will overshadow its moderate UVA protection.

Price- around $12.95 for 4 fl oz.

And now for those that appear to be the safest (unfortunately, affordable products with entirely exceptional ingredients aren’t as easy to come by):

Badger Unscented Sunscreen (SPF 30+)- With low health concerns, good UVB protection, and excellent UVA protection, this sunscreen seems like it might be a winner. For something a little fancier and for the same reasons, I’d also like to try the Badger Lightly Scented Lavender Sunscreen.

Price- around $16.00 for a 2.9 oz tube.

Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Unscented Sunscreen (SPF 30+)- Good UVA/UVB protection? Check! Excellent stability? Double check! Low health concerns? Triple check!

Price- around $13.67 for 4 fl oz.

Loving Naturals Sunscreen (SPF 30+)- This sunblock has excellent UVA protection and stability. Additionally, its UVB protection is good and its health concerns are low.

Price- around $18.99 for 5 oz or $9.99 for 2.7 oz.

True Natural Cosmetics All Natural Sunscreen (SPF 40)- This sunscreen has fantastic ingredients, excellent UVB protection and stability, and good UVA protection.

Price- around $17.99 for 3 oz or or $7.49 for 1 oz.

Tropical Sands All Natural Sunscreen (SPF 50)- The UVA/UVB protection and stability of this sunscreen are all excellent, and the health concerns are low. It seems pretty great all around.

Price- around $19.95 for 5.4 oz.

I hope you guys find this information as useful as I did! I’ll let everyone know which choice I made with a product review in the near future.

If for some reason you feel like none of the above sunscreens would work for you, then you might wanna check out the full list of Top Sunscreens.

Image Sources: Burt’s Bees, Nature’s Gate, Alba Botanica, Kiss My Face Cell Mate, Kiss My Face Oat Protein Complex, Badger, Aubrey Organics, Loving Naturals, True Natural Cosmetics, Tropical Sands.

Mosquitoes in Lake Charles are a different kind of awful than I’m used to encountering. Applying a little bug spray before an evening cookout always got the job done in Mississippi. Here, I’ve been getting bitten throughout the day and through my pants while covered in my go-to bug spray. That isn’t to say Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent doesn’t help at all (I get twice the bites when I forgo wearing it), but it definitely isn’t providing optimal protection. And since my supply is dwindling, I thought I’d do a little research on what to buy or make next.

The following five natural bug sprays have very low hazards scores in the Cosmetics Database (either a 0 or a 1):

• Vidoma Naturals Out & About Insect Repelling Spray

Ingredients- Distilled water (Aqua), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), and neem oil (Azadirachta indica), with cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), peppermint (Mentha piperita), organic lavender (Lavandula augustifolia), manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), lemon (Citrus limon), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora) essential oils.

This spray contains witch hazel, neem oil, lavender essential oil, and eucalyptus essential oil, all of which are absent from Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent ingredient list.

• Chartreuse Natural Bug Spray

Ingredients-Natural Essential Oil Blend (Lemon Eucalyptus and other natural essential oils), Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive & Jojoba, Organic Aloe.

Maybe the coconut, olive, jojoba, and aloe would at least make this spray more soothing, if not more effective.

• Zosimos Botanicals Bug-Away Spray

Ingredients- Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel); Organic Apple Cider Vinegar; Organic Cymbopogon Nardus (Citronella) Essential Oil.

Apple cider vinegar is a miracle worker.

• Badger Anti-Bug Shake & Spray

Ingredients- 23% *Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, 10% *Ricinus Communis (Castor) Oil, and Essential Oils of 4% *Cymbopogon Nardus (Citronella), 2% *Cedrus Atlantica (Cedar), 2% *Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass), 1.5% *Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary), and 1% *Mentha Piperita (Peppermint), Water and 0.5% *Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen).

I’d like to smell this bug spray before buying it. Sometimes wintergreen is a little too much to handle, you know?

• Jason Natural Quit Bugging Me! Spray

Ingredients- Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil — 2 %, Geranium Oil —- 2 %, 96.00%, Aqua (Purified Water), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Lecithin, Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Benzoate.

I wonder what purpose the baking soda serves.

Some of the above ingredient lists are similar to my current bug spray, but I’m not writing them off immediately since it’s reasonable to assume that different proportions can result in varied performance.  I wish there were more reviews of these products online, but I had a lot of trouble finding any reviews at all for most of them.

Homemade Options:

According to one article I came across (5 Homemade Chemical Free Bug Repellents That Work), vanilla extract and lavender flower both repel mosquitoes. You can also mix witch hazel with a few drops of tea tree, lavender, and peppermint oils for an all over spray repellent. I plan on trying all three of these suggestions!

This article on Natural Homemade Mosquito Repellent lists plants, oils, and vitamins that all act as mosquito deterrents and ends with its own recipe for natural insect repellent.

How about you guys? Do you have a favorite natural insect repellent? Have you tried making your own?

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My day isn’t complete unless I’ve entered a giveaway (or six). Here are a few health and beauty-related ones I’ve come across recently that you guys might be interested in:

• Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Giveaway- Do you have a tiny bundle of joy in your life or know someone who does? Want to win 4 full sized Baby Bee products? Entering this giveaway is as easy as commenting with the name of a Burt’s Bees product you’d like to try, and there are several other ways to earn bonus entries! This giveaway ends on April 29th.
• Sacred Rose Tea Giveaway- This is another giveaway from Canadian Natural Mama, so there are plenty ways to earn extra entries with this one as well. You’ll be entered to win a box of Matri: Tea of the Mother when you comment specifying another Sacred Rose Tea you’d be interested in trying. What a lovely Mother’s Day gift! This giveaway is open until April 22.
• Eco Natural Soap Giveway-Simply visit Eco Natural Soap, comment on the post, and be entered to win up to $50 worth of Eco Natural Soap bath and beauty products. Earn more entries by following the instructions in the post. This giveaway closes on April 16th, so you better hurry!
• EcoStiletto- Subscribe to EcoStiletto’s free newsletter and you’re automatically entered into monthly giveaways. I actually just won a bottle of Alaffia Curl Enhancing Shea Butter Shampoo for being one of the first nine EcoStiletto subscribers to respond to a post, and I’m pumped about trying/reviewing it! This is a first for me; I never win anything!

Have you guys heard of any fun giveaways lately?

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Ingredients (provided at burtsbees.com)- “ethyl alcohol, water, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, glycerin, fragrance, aloe barbadensis leaf extract.”

This product receives a hazard score of 4 on the Cosmetic Safety Database, and the only ingredient with a hazard score above a 3 is fragrance. The bottle says the fragrance is natural, and I guess that’s just vague enough to make it seem less threatening. The CSD also lists Sodium Benzoate as an ingredients, but the Burt’s Bees website and the bottle do not.

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates & petrochemicals.
2. It’s cruelty-free.
3. The bottle is #1 plastic and can be recycled in Lake Charles.

Product Description (provided at burtsbees.com)- “Eliminate up to 99.99% of germs and make your hands smooth and soft, naturally, with this 100% natural hand sanitizer. This unique formula combines the effective germ-killing strength of corn-based alcohol with vitamin-rich Aloe Vera, to soften and moisturize hands, plus Witch Hazel to soothe skin. Clean hands on-the-go without water, naturally!”

Price- Ordinarily it’s around $5.oo for 2 oz, but I found it on sale for $2.50 at Walmart.

Performance- I expected this product to be really drying since it contains alcohol. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the contrary to be true. Maybe it’s the aloe vera, but this hand sanitizer actually leaves my hands feeling soft. None of the above can be said of the bright pink soap in most gas station bathrooms. I’ve skipped hand sanitizing of any sort many times to avoid using that soap; it’s actually embarrassing.

Scent- The scent reminds me of a gin and tonic, actually (or really any alcoholic beverage that includes gin and citrus).

Rating-I’m subtracting 2 points for the questionable ingredients, but this product gets a well-deserved 8 for saving me from the pink mystery soap.

Would I purchase this item again? Eh, maybe.

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Image Courtesy of eoproducts.com

After finishing my bottle of Milk & Shea Butter Body Wash, I began searching for something with an ingredient list that wasn’t tainted by fragrance.  When I came across EO Essentials Orange Ginger Spice Shower Gel, I must’ve been so pleased by the price and the lack of synthetic fragrance that I forgot to analyze the rest of the ingredient list before purchasing it.

Ingredients (provided on product packaging)- “Purified Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Vegetable Glycerin, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, EO Essential Oil Blend, EO Organic Herbal Blend [Organic Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis),Organic Chamomile (Matricaria Recutita) Extract, Organic Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) Extract, and Organic White Tea (Camelia Sinensis) Leaf Extract], Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Organic Cranberry Flavor Concentrate, Organic Hibiscus Flavor Concentrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate.”

I couldn’t find this specific product in the Cosmetic Safety Database, but a very similar EO Essentials Shower Gel receives a hazard score of 4. That isn’t a complete deal-breaker, but what’s more unnerving is the amount of suspicious-sounding ingredients with large data gaps.

Some great things about this product:

1. It contains organic ingredients.

2. It’s free of parabens, sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and disodium EDTA.

3. It’s cruelty-free.

4. The bottle is made from 100% recycled content and is #1 plastic (which means that it can be recycled in Lake Charles).

5. According to the product packaging, EO is “a small family owned and operated business located in Marin County, California.”

Product Description (provided at eoproducts.com)- ” EO Orange & Ginger Spice Shower Gel gently cleanses with pure Essential Oil & organic herbal blends to soothe & nourish the skin. Pure Sweet Orange, Spicy Ginger Extracts and Organic Botanicals pamper the senses and reward the body. Bask in the decadent scent and ultra nurturing botanicals to treat your body to the ultimate skin experience. Our richly foaming Coconut Oil Cleansing Complex combines with rich and soothing Aloe Vera to gently cleanse skin without drying.”

Price- It sells for around $10 for a 32 oz. bottle.

Performance- I’d be lying if I said this product was lacking in the performance department. My skin still feels hydrated after using it, and it forms just enough lather that I feel clean… but not so much that I feel like I’m washing my body with dish detergent.

Scent- This shower gel has a really warm and pleasant scent that reminds me of fall. It smells like mulled cider mixed with gingerbread men.

Rating- I’m subtracting two points each for the ingredients that concern me most: Benzyl Alcohol & Phenoxyethanol.  6/10

Would I purchase this item again?- No. I love the scent and performance of this product, but I’m not comfortable enough with the ingredients to stick with it.

With my approaching period, I’ve been feeling not quite myself lately. I’ve been eating everything in sight without a second thought. My skin and my hair haven’t been behaving themselves (My clay and eggs mask had positive but fleeting results), and after walking Clem and Winston every day this week, my feet are sore and actually pretty smelly (It happens to the best of us).  One night this week, in an attempt to make myself look and feel less haggard, I made time for a hair mask, face mask, foot moisturizing/scraping (I did try to think of a less disgusting word), and a long bath (which was made complete by a couple of drops of sweet orange and lavender essential oils).

The hair mask did make my hair shiny, and my feet feel a million times better, but the bath and face mask were definitely the highlights of my night. Since I slightly altered the face mask that I linked to, here are the exact proportions I used:

• 1 tbsp of whole organic milk
• 1 tbsp of honey
• all of the aloe vera gel that I could squeeze out of that chunk in the picture
• 1 drop of lavender essential oil
• a pinch of whole grain old fashioned oats

This was my first time using essential oil to make a face mask, and it couldn’t have been a lovelier experience. I love the scent of lavender, and it had a calming effect on both me and my skin. I got a little on my lips and, after licking it off, discovered that this mask is also oddly delicious. I’m not entirely sure that ingesting lavender oil is safe, but I can’t imagine that just a drop would be dangerous. I did a little research, quickly became overwhelmed, and then gave up.

As for bathtime, sweet orange oil will definitely be a common future addition. I actually felt cheerful afterwards.

Here’s my skin post mask. Yes, that is a floral towel turban on my head.

P.S. In the first picture, the tiny brown bottle with the dropper (which used to be home to my argan oil) contains a mixture of tea tree oil and olive oil.  I applied it to my feet in addition to the peppermint lotion.

If you haven’t had a date with a couple of masks and a hot bath lately, then I’d suggest treating yourself. I feel great!