If you’ve checked out the sponsor section of Turby & John, then you might’ve noticed something pretty exciting.

Not only does the blog have its first paid advertiser, but it just so happens to be one of my favorite companies in the whole world: Karen’s Botanicals. And if you head on over to the Karen’s Botanicals site then you can get 15% off any order with the code TURBYANDJOHN!

Here are a few past reviews of some of my favorite Karen’s Botanicals products-

• Rehydrating Aloe Vera Lotion
• Perfect Lotion
• Gentle Cleansing Lotion
• Melissa Rose Toner

Be sure to check out the safe and natural sun and summer care as well. With plenty of outdoor fun just around the corner, protecting ourselves from harmful UVA & UVB rays should be a top priority!

What a great Tuesday, right?

While I had fun experimenting with the oil cleansing method (as well as moisturizing with a mixture of oils), I can honestly say that I’m glad to be using my old favorites again–Karen’s Botanicals Perfect and Gentle Cleansing Lotions. With these guys, I don’t have to worry about proportions or adjustment periods…and sometimes leaving out the guesswork is just what I need.

For those of you who are interested, the mixture of oils I used was equal parts grape seed and castor oils with a few drops of argan oil. In the future, if I come back to the OCM, then I’ll probably use a little less castor oil.

Are there any brands or products from which you can’t stay away? We all have them; I’m sure of it.

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.

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!

In visiting my bag of samples recently, I found three samples Kiss My Face Eye Repair Creme. Instead of using each packet before opening the next, I put them all in a small container with a top. It seemed to be the sanitary and practical thing to do, and it was basically like getting a .5 oz container of eye creme for free!

Ingredients (provided at kissmyfacewebstore.com)- Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Leaf Extract),* Glycine Soja (Soybean Oil),* Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower Oil),* Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Olea Europaea (Olive Oil),* Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Xanthan Gum, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile Flower),* Euphrasia Officinalis (Eyebright Extract),* Crataegus Laevigata (Hawthorne Berry Extract),* Equisetem Arvense (Horsetail Leaf Extract),* Echinacea Angustifolia (Echinacea Leaf Extract),* Rosa Canina (Rose Hips Fruit Extract),* Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass Leaf Extract),* Tocopherol, Caprylic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Bisabolol, Ascorbyl Phosphate, Hyaluronic Acid, Glycine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender Oil), Potassium Sorbate.
*Certified by Quality Assurance International

While Skin Deep does have an Eyewitness Eye Repair Creme in it’s database, it appears to be the old formulation. For this reason, I’ve linked to each ingredient individually above. I couldn’t find Hawthorne Berry Extract in the database (which is why it’s linkless), and those with hazard scores higher than 2 are Retinyl Palmitate (8) and Potassium Sorbate (3).

Some great things about this product:

1.  It’s free of parabens, phthalates, SLS, animal ingredients, artificial colors or fragrances.

2. It’s cruelty-free.

Product Description(also provided at kissmyfacewebstore.com)-”Reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness with organic ingredients. Smooth the appearance of wrinkles and moisturize the delicate skin around your eyes. Natural and organic oils and butters leave skin looking hydrated and rejuvenated.”

Price- It’s $19.00 for a .5 fl oz. tube.

Performance- This eye cream is pretty lightweight, and it wears really well under eye makeup without looking shiny or dull. I doesn’t seem quite rich enough to use at night, but it’s perfect for daytime use. A little dab on your ring finger and a few gentle pats are all it takes!

Scent- It has a pretty faint that reminds me of this body lotion.

Rating- 8/10. I subtracted 2 points for the two questionable ingredients.

Would I purchase this item again? I might. It’s more reasonably priced than some other natural eye creams I’ve tried, but its ingredients aren’t quite as impressive as my other (also current) favorite daytime eye cream.

*Samples were provided by Kiss My Face. Opinions were provided by me.

Image Source

Image Courtesy of Carenonline.com

I’ve been using The Answer’s Ideal Eyes Anti-Aging Eye Cream for several months now. While typing up Wednesday’s review of Karen’s Botanicals Perfect Lotion, I realized (after mentioning and then attempting to link to my review of the eye cream) that I’ve yet to actually review this fantastic product.

Ingredients (provided at carenonline.com)- “Rose hydrosol*, sunflower seed oil*, helichrysum hydrosol*, meadowfoam seed oil, plum kernel oil*, jojoba oil*, rosehip seed oil*, blue/green algae extract*, mango seed butter, distilled water, vegetable glycerin, macadamia nut oil*, emulsifying wax NF, green tea extract*, vitamin E, essential oils of elemi* and carrot seed*, rosemary extract and grapefruit seed extract.
*Certified organic ingredient.”

I couldn’t find this product in the Cosmetic Safety Database so I searched each ingredient individually. A disappointing amount the ingredients had large data gaps (which means they haven’t been “assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel”), and two of the ingredients had hazard scores higher than a 3 (emulsifying wax NF* & grapefruit seed extract). At least most of the ingredients sound like things that are found in nature, right? I’m taking a great deal of comfort in that.

*I’ve just been informed by Ellen Holder, creator of The Answer, that “the emulisfying wax used in The Answer for Skin’s products is EcoMulse, which is EcoCert approved for use in organic products but there is no where on EWG’s Skin Deep database to specify this.” She also said that The Answer For Skin uses “a combination of rosemary extract and a tiny bit of grapefruit seed extract to prevent mold and bacteria growth–a must for an eye cream.” All of this sounds logical, and it also eases my mind. And who better to hear it from than the creator of the product line?

Some great things about this product:

1. It contains organic ingredients.

2. It’s free of parabens.

3. I will definitely be reusing the tiny glass jar that holds this product.

Product Description (also provided at carenonline.com)- “The Answer’s Ideal Eyes anti-aging eye cream is your best defense in fighting the aging process around the eye area. This thin-skinned area is often the first place to show signs of aging and needs powerful, yet super light and gentle, ingredients that can penetrate quickly and easily.  Ideal Eyes contains an arsenal of nature’s best anti-aging fighters.   Essential oil of elemi [EL-uh-mee] is highly regarded for boosting collagen support, reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles and has cell-regeneration properties, rejuvenating wrinkled, sagging skin.  Combined with vitamin A-rich carrot seed and antioxidant-rich sea algae and green tea, this nourishing eye cream feeds the skin of your delicate eye area.  Moisturizing plant oils of meadowfoam, rosehip, macadamia, and sunflower seed are rich in vitamins A, C and E and rich fatty acids.  It’s like a complete balanced diet for eye area.”

Price- It’s a little pricey at $27.95 for .5 oz. Fortunately, I managed to snag a 5 ml sample size for around 5 dollars before they stopped offering it at carenonline.com (which was an amazing deal, because I’ve still got half a jar after using the eye cream once a day for months). Use this product sparingly as the directions suggest, and you’ll be much more likely to get your money’s worth.

Performance-I recommended this product to a friend, so I’m obviously a fan of it. I used it as a daytime eye cream before discovering Perfect Lotion, and I loved that it made my under eye area glow. When used sparingly, it never caused my eye makeup to run. I currently use it as a nighttime eye cream, and it fills this role just as dreamily. It’s gentle and soothing, and I feel good about the possibility of it preventing and/or delaying wrinkles.

Scent- It doesn’t have much of a scent at all, but I guess it very faintly smells like cinnamon.  Who knows why that’s the case, since cinnamon is nowhere to be found on the ingredient list.

Rating- 8/10. I subtracted one point for each of the two questionable ingredients.

Would I purchase this item again?- I won’t rule it out completely, but I might go for something with even better ingredients next time…especially since this product isn’t sold in a try me! size anymore. I’m afraid it’ll go bad before I even use it all if I splurge for the .5 oz jar!

As promised, below is my review of Karen’s Botanicals Perfect Lotion.

Ingredients (provided at karensbotanicals.com)- “Distilled water, Calendula extract*, Aloe Vera*, Olive oil*, Coconut Oil*, Vegetable emulsifying wax, Mixed Tocopherols (Non-GMO certified Tocobiol-vitamin E oil), Soy Lecithin*, Rosemary leaf extract. *Denotes certified organic. Use within 6 months of purchase.”

This product receives a hazard score of 0 on the  Cosmetic Safety Database, which is wonderful but not entirely surprising.

Some great things about this product:

1. It contains organic ingredients.

2. It’s free of parabens & petrochemicals.

3. It’s cruelty-free.

4. It’s unscented, which is good new for people with sensitive skin.

5. The bottle is #1 plastic and can be recycled in Lake Charles.

Product Description (provided at karensbotanicals.com)- “A luscious, and unscented moisturizing body lotion. This is an all purpose lotion, gentle enough for the face, rich enough for the body. Formulated with a minimalist approach to ingredients for babies, children, and those with sensitive skin. This lotion was created in response to customer requests for an all purpose, pure and simple lotion that is gentle and non-allergenic. Made with an especially fabulous certified organic Coconut Oil, this lotion glides on and absorbs quickly and easily. It is a bit heavier and more emollient than our other lotions.”

Price- $13.50 for an 8 0z. bottle and $44.00 for a 32 oz. bottle. Unless you’re going to be using this all over your body every single day, then I’d recommend getting the smaller bottle since it’s supposed to be used within 6 months.

Performance-I’ve been using this product on my face as a night cream (with The Answer’s Ideal Eyes Anti-Aging Eye Cream under my eyes) and as an eye cream during the day (with Karen’s Botanicals Rehydrating Aloe Vera Lotion on the rest of my face). I love that it’s heavy enough to use as a night cream and still light enough to use under my eyes without making my eyeliner melt away. I wake up with unbelievably soft skin after a night of wearing this lotion on my face. Fortunately, this is the first lotion that I’ve used in quite some time that isn’t too rich for my face.

Scent- You know that really faint, nondescript scent that most or all unscented lotions have? It smells like that to me. It isn’t unpleasant, and it is fleeting, which is exactly what a person wants in an unscented lotion, right?

Rating- I’m gonna say 9/10, and that’s only because if I were going to use this stuff as an all over moisturizer then it could get a little expensive.

Would I purchase this item again?- Definitely!

*This product was provided by Karen’s Botanicals; the opinions were provided by me.

When I heard Danielle raving  about her two new Karen’s Botanicals products, I knew I had to try them for myself. We have similar skin types and look for the same things in cleansers/moisturizers, so I figured they’d be right up my alley. Also, I’ve tried and loved several of Karen’s products before. In the process, I learned that her gentle and safe ingredients are hard to match and even harder to beat. For these reasons, I was positively giddy when Karen agreed to send me her Gentle Cleansing Lotion and Perfect Lotion in the mail for review. Below is my review of her Gentle Cleansing Lotion, and coming soon is my review of her Perfect Lotion.

Ingredients (provided at karensbotanicals.com)-”Distilled Water, Witch Hazel, Vegetable Glycerine, Coconut Oil*, Jojoba Oil*, Balm of Gilead buds*, Extracts of Burdock* and Sage*, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Xanthan Gum, Rosemary Oil Extract, Clary Sage Essential Oil. *Denotes certified organic.”

You can probably guess by simply reading through the ingredients, but this product receives a hazard score of 0 on the Cosmetic Safety Database.

Some great things about this product:

1. It contains organic ingredients.

2. It’s free of parabens & sulfates.

3. It’s soap-free, which is exactly what the sensitive skin on my face needs.

4. Did I mention that it has a hazard score of zero?

5. This product, and all of Karen’s Botanicals products, are cruelty-free.

6. The bottle is #1 plastic and can be recycled in Lake Charles.

Product Description (provided at karensbotanicals.com)- “A very gentle, soap free, and lotion-like cleanser for all skin types. Excellent for use as make up remover. Leaves skin feeling dewy and soft. With natural salicylic acid from Balm of Gilead buds. Non-foaming cleansers are pH balancing, mild, and effective for all skin types: oily, dry, mature, sensitive, and normal. Botanical oils and extracts dissolve excess oil and give skin increased flexibility and suppleness. Very lightly scented with pure, steam distilled Clary Sage essential oil. Massage ½ to 1 teaspoon into face for a minute, then rinse with lukewarm water.”

Price- $12.50 for a 4 oz. bottle or $18.00 for an 8 oz. pump. Since I’ve only been using about a dime-sized  amount each time I wash my face, I have a feeling this stuff will last for a while…which makes the price seem very reasonable, in my opinion.

Performance-My former facial cleanser was a little too drying for my skin type, but this product is just right. It cleans my skin without making it feel squeaky clean or tight. I’ve been using it both morning and night with increasingly positive results. I no longer feel the need to apply extra moisturizer around my nose and mouth after cleansing, and the small dry skin bumps that I occasionally suffer from are nowhere to be found. When I feel the need to exfoliate, sometimes I add a little of Karen’s Botanicals Exfoliating Cleansing Grains into the mix and gently massage my face with a wash cloth. Hello soft, glowing skin!

Scent- The product description says this cleansing lotion smells like Clary Sage essential oil. Since I’ve never smelled Clary Sage essential oil on its own, I can neither confirm nor deny these claims. I will say this, though: I’m reminded of Earl Grey tea (which happens to be my very favorite black tea) when I wash my face with this product, and I love every second of it.

Rating- I cannot think of a single thing I’d change about this product. The ingredients, performance, scent, and price are all fantastic, so 10/10 it is!

Would I purchase this item again?- Of course! I’d be crazy if I didn’t.

*This product was provided by Karen’s Botanicals; the opinions were provided by me.

Image Courtesy of Acureorganics.com

I’m the kind of person who finds a great moisturizer and sticks with it, but I love trying new facial cleansers. In the past several months I’ve tried and loved two others: Karen’s Botanicals Rehydrating Olive Oil Cleanser and Aubrey Organics Vegecol Facial Cleansing Lotion. Despite my contentment with my cleansing lotion, I was eager to try something new when I received Acure Organics Olive+Mint Facial Cleansing Creme in the mail for review.

The following product was given to me by the kind people at Acure Organics, but my opinions were given to me by no one. : )

Ingredients (provided at acureorganics.com)- “Organic Curoxidant™ Blend (Organic Acai Berry, Organic Blackberry, Organic Rosehips, Organic Elderberry, Organic Nettle Leaf, Organic Cranberry, Organic Goji Berry, Organic Raspberry, Organic Pomegranate, Organic Blueberry), Organic Calendula officinalis, Organic Chamomile, Fair Trade Certified™ Organic Yerba Mate, Organic Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Emulsifying Wax NF (Vegetable), Fair Trade Certified™ Organic Cocoa Seed Butter, Organic Safflower Seed Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Glyceryl Stearate (vegetable derived),  Lauryl Glucoside (vegetable derived), Decyl Glucoside (sugar soap), Fair Trade Certified™ Organic Olive Oil, Organic Chlorella pyrenoidosa (Chlorella Growth Factor), Glucono Delta Lactone (fermented sugar), Potassium Sorbate (food grade preservative), Organic Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Essential oils of Sage, Lavandin, Lemongrass, Spearmint.”

I couldn’t find any of Acure Organic’s products on the Cosmetic Safety Database, but after searching the suspicious-looking ingredients individually..Emulsifying Wax NF has a hazard score of four and a large data gap, which isn’t at all ideal.  Potassium Sorbate only has a hazard score of one, but it isn’t my fave since it’s a preservative, has a large data gap, and is linked to cancer.

Lauryl and Decyl Glucosides, which both sound suspicious, have hazards scores of zero but also have large data gaps. Chlorella Growth Factor and Fermented Sugar both have zeros and large data gaps as well.

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s vegan.

2. It’s sulfate, paraben, phthalate, PEG, petroleum, silicone, and cruelty-free.

3. The bottle is #1 plastic, so I can recycle it in Lake Charles!

Product Description (also provided at acureorganics.com)- “This extra-gentle, creamy facial cleanser features the moisturizing benefits of Fair Trade Certified™ Organic Olive Oil and Cocoa Butter, the antioxidant power of Blackberry and Blueberry and the mild cleansing of mint. It quickly removes makeup, dirt and impurities without stripping the skin’s natural acid mantle. Great for even the most sensitive skin.”

Price-$14.99 for 4 oz.

Performance- Here’s the thing. I need a cleanser that isn’t going to dry out my skin at all, especially in the winter months. It doesn’t even need to foam; I just want something that I can rub on my face that makes my skin soft and gets rid of a day’s worth of oil and dirt. The last two cleansers that I used succeeded in doing that. This cleanser is a little more drying than I’d like. It smells wonderful and my skin is indeed soft after using it, but I’ve noticed that I need to use more moisturizer afterwards, especially around my nose and mouth.

Scent- Olive and mint are definitely present in the scent of this cleanser, but there’s something else that I can’t put my finger on. I think that it reminds me a little of a sweet and delicious Thai dish that I’ve had before. Red Curry, maybe? Don’t let that deter you. The scent is still very pleasant. I’m a weirdo sometimes.

Rating-  I’m subtracting one point because the ingredients could be better and another because this cleanser is more drying than my skin is accustomed to…8/10

Would I purchase this product again?- I have friends whose skin I think this cleanser would be ideal for, but for my skin…it’s just a little too drying. Someone with consistently oily and/or combination skin would love this stuff. I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to giving it as a gift!

Click the link to get your own bottle of Acure Organics Olive+Mint Facial Cleansing Creme!

Happy MLK Day, everyone!

Today’s post is less about Christmas gifts and more about advice. My friend Kristen recently had a couple of questions for me about moisturizer and eye cream. I decided address most of her questions in a post since they all seemed pretty relatable.

Her Problem:

She told me that she’d been using Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face and Eye Creams for several years, and that she had no problems with them other than their price and her lack of knowledge concerning their ingredients.

She asked me if I had any suggestions for a more natural moisturizer and eye cream, as well as whether or not I knew of another reliable place that rates health and beauty products and their ingredients (since she couldn’t find her current moisturizer and eye cream in the Cosmetic Safety Database).

My Response:

I told her that I didn’t know of or use any other sites to analyze the ingredients in products, since the CSD has such an expansive list of ingredients. I did send her links to another site I came across that used some sort of system to rate her current moisturizer and eye cream, since she seemed curious about the ingredients. I was sure to tell her that I was unsure of the site’s reliability.

I searched for a couple of the ingredients from her current moisturizer and eye cream on the CSD that I was pretty sure were hazardous, and found that Cyclopentasiloxane (an ingredient in the eye cream) and Myristyl Myristate (an ingredient in the face cream) were both linked to cancer.

I suggested that she try Karen’s Botanicals Rehydrating Aloe Vera Lotion, since it’s my absolute favorite moisturizer, hands down, and it only has a hazard score of one (not to mention that  it’s way less expensive than Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream).

I gave her two recommendations for eye cream, Skin’s Apricot Mango Eye Cream and The Answer’s Ideal Eyes Anti-Aging Eye Cream,  both of which have great ingredients and are about half the price of Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Eye Cream. I told her that the former is better as an evening eye cream since it tends to smear eye makeup and the latter is better for daytime use specifically because it makes my under eye area sort of glowy, which is something that I actually love.

Hopefully my advice helped Kristen, and perhaps it will help a reader or two as well!