Cover Girl’s NatureLuxe Collection came out last year in the spring, but I only recently became aware of its existence since I tend to avoid this brand like the plague. I happened to see a display on a recent trip to the store with my grandmother, and I immediately made a mental note to do some research.

The green packaging (I’m speaking only in reference to the color and not Cover Girl’s environmental awareness or impact) was a clever move on their part, since most of us associate green with all things natural. And if that doesn’t effectively lure unsuspecting consumers in, then the inclusion of the word “nature” in NatureLuxe certainly will…right?

Don’t be fooled, ladies. Sure, the foundation might contain comfrey root and rose hip extract, but it also has fragrance, phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, and octinoxate. Oh, and I could keep going.

Surprise! The gloss balm isn’t any better. It’s full of petrochemicals, dangerous preservatives, and vague ingredients like fragrance, propylene glycol, propylparaben, octinoxate, parrafin, and artificial colors. If you ask me, all the shea butter and coconut oil in the world don’t right those wrongs.

Come on, y’all. Let’s act like we’ve got some sense and stick to the products that actually represent nature.

Image Source

This product might be sulfate free, but it’s also full of petrochemical derivatives like propylene glycol and PEG-40 almond glycerides, as well as the ever-elusive fragrance.

Don’t be fooled by fancy words like “green tea” and “dead sea.” Sulfates and parabens were hiding out in this product’s ingredient list.

Both of these products boast their lack of parabens, SLES, and mineral oils, but the body wash contains another synthetic surfactant, cocamidopropyl betaine, as well as fragrance. The body cream also contains fragrance.

I was sad to see fragrance on this product’s otherwise short and nonthreatening list of ingredients.

I guess I’ll stop picking on Ross and choose a new place for the next round of nearly natural products. Any suggestions? I’m thinking either Sephora or Target.

]]> http://turbyandjohn.com/2011/09/29/nearly-natural-ross-revisited/feed/ 0 10/10 http://turbyandjohn.com/2011/02/18/lavera-volume-mascara-in-black-review/ http://turbyandjohn.com/2011/02/18/lavera-volume-mascara-in-black-review/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:00:21 +0000 Dawn http://dawnandkirby.porchswingmedia.com/?p=1454

Yesterday I reviewed my current party time mascara, and today I’ll be reviewing my current everyday mascara, which is Lavera Volume Mascara in Black.

Ingredients (provided at lavera.com)- “Water, Grain Alcohol*, Sorbitol, Castor Oil*, Grain Alcohol, Jojoba Oil*, Tricaprylin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Hectorite, Lysolecithin, Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Xanthan Gum, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines (Cl 77007)

* indicates ingredients from
Certified Organic agriculture”

I couldn’t find this product in the Cosmetic Safety Database, so I searched the ingredients individually. I’ve linked to the only ingredient that has a hazard score higher than a three, which is grain alcohol. It’s also listed twice, and I can only assume this is because some of it’s organic and some is not…?

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s formulated without Parabens.

2. It’s vegan.

3. It contains organic ingredients.

Product Description (provided at lavera.com)- ”Lavera Volume Mascara with Advanced Shaping Brush adds lasting volume & length to lashes for beautiful, bright eyes! Nourishing extracts of Organic Jojoba & Wild Rose Oils deeply hydrate allowing flake-free volume throughout the whole day. This pure, paraben-free and heavy-metal-free formula rinses off with a mild cleanser and is ideal even for very sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Your personal assistant for tired looking eyes.”

Price- $17.98-$20.00 for 0.21 oz.

Performance- My favorite aspect of this mascara is that it doesn’t clump, even after several coats. Sometimes I go a little mascara crazy, so having a mascara that doesn’t clump is nice. It’s lightweight and subtle, and it successfully gives my lashes volume, definition, and color without making me look like I’m in a beauty pageant.

Scent- It smells a little less like dirt and a little more like brownies than Light, Camera, Lashes! Honestly, though, who ever has a mascara wand close enough to their nose for a long enough period of time for it to matter?

Rating- I have no complaints, so 10/10.

Would I purchase this item again?- I’m sure that I will, eventually. Since I can purchase it at Target, it’s one of my most convenient options.

Click the link to purchase your own tube of Lavera Volume Mascara!

I bought the above mascara with some of my Christmas money from my mom, and it’s long overdue for a review. Don’t be fooled by the hideous faux animal skin casing; this mascara is all kinds of fly.

Ingredients (provided at sephora.com)- “Aqua, Alcohol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Stearyl Olive Esters, Stearic Acid, Cera Carnauba, Triethanolamine, Candelilla Cera, Acacia Senegal Gum, Panthenol, VP/VA Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Aminomethylpropanediol, Chlorphenesin, Iron Oxides (CI 77499).”

I found this product in the Cosmetic Safety Database, and it received a hazard score of 4 but Tarte has clearly reformulated this product since it was added to the CSD, because Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Methylparaben, and Ethylparaben are no longer used to make this mascara.  In addition, the ingredients Cyclopentasiloxane, Alcohol, VP/VA Copolymer, and Chlorphenesin have all been added. Taking into account the hazard scores of all the ingredients that have been added and removed from the mascara, I’m guessing that the hazard score would be a a little lower after the reformulation (or here’s to hoping).

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Dyes/Fragrances, Phthalates, Mineral Oil, and Petrolatum.

2. It’s cruelty-free.

Product Description (provided at tartecosmetics.com)- “This is what we call a push-up bra for your lashes™ a 4-in-1 (lengthening, curling, volumizing and conditioning) dermatologist tested mascara that gives dramatic, thick, sexy lashes and is clinically proven to increase lash volume by 424%.”

Price- $19 for 0.24 oz.

Performance- I typically wear this mascara if I’m going on a date, to a party, or to a wedding. It gives my lashes an almost fake (in an attractive sort of way) look that’s great for special occasions but might be a bit much for the grocery store. Does that make sense?  The mascara that I’ll be reviewing tomorrow is my everyday mascara. Also, a few words to the wise: three to four coats of Lights, Camera, Lashes! will do the trick; it will clump if you’re not careful.

Scent- Don’t all mascaras smell pretty much the same? The scent is really too faint to notice, but it smells a little like dirt when I sniff the wand.

Rating- I’m gonna go with a seven out of ten. The ingredients aren’t ideal, and I could do without the product’s tendency to clump.

Would I purchase this item again?- Perhaps, but I probably won’t do so immediately after running out; I rarely make long-term commitments to mascara.

Click the link to buy your own tube of Lights, Camera, Lashes!

She began with mentioning how she stopped using baby oil after her showers upon discovering that it was unsafe on the Cosmetic Safety Database (with it being a petroleum byproduct and all).  While browsing the CSD, she also discovered that the Summer’s Eve Feminine Wash for Sensitive Skin that her friend had been using had all kinds of awful ingredients that you would never want near your nether regions like synthetic dyes, fragrance, and ammonium laureth sulfate (a harsh surfactant). This made my friend wonder, and I’m quoting here, “What the hell can ladies use that won’t cancer up their lady parts?” I found this question to be a very valid (not to mention wonderfully-worded) one, and one that I’ve never heard addressed, so I took it upon myself to find the answer.

I began my quest on the CSD in the feminine care category, but I was soon disappointed when I learned that they had no feminine cleansers in their database with a hazard score lower than a three. No thanks!

One of the first moderately helpful sites that I found listed several easy solutions to vaginal odor and/or discomfort.  This site suggested using inexpensive products that most people already have lying around like vinegar, aloe vera gel, hydrogen peroxide, and slippery elm bark (well, maybe most people don’t have this one lying around)  to clean down there. I must admit, though, I’d be hesitant to put vinegar and especially hydrogen peroxide around my vagina (the former because it seems like it might cause irritation and the latter because it’s linked to cancer, which is what we’re trying to avoid here).

I checked out the green and natural section of drugstore.com, and I literally found only two natural feminine washes. The first is called DivaWash, and while it’s not specifically sold as a feminine wash (the bottle says that it can be used to wash the face or the body), it was located in the feminine cleansing category.

The positives:  It’s free of parabens (preservatives that mimic estrogen), sulfates (harsh surfactants), and petrochemicals (chemical products derived from petroleum).

The negatives:  The ingredients still aren’t awesome. The second ingredient listed is Cocamidopropyl Betaine, which is a synthetic surfactant that’s associated with skin irritation.

The second natural feminine wash that I found on drugstore.com is Natracare Organic Cotton Intimate Wipes.

The positives: They’re alcohol, paraben, sulfate, chlorine, and synthetic preservative-free. They’re also biodegradable.

The negatives: They come in the form of wipes, which seems a little unnecessarily wasteful…even if they are biodegradable.  Also, very little is known about most of the ingredients (ie: datagaps). One of the ingredients that doesn’t have a huge data gap is Sodium Dehydroacetate, which is a preservative that’s linked to cancer. Bummer!

I also found an entire line of organic feminine care called Pink Kitti. The name makes me cringe a little, but what’s more unnerving is that I cannot find an ingredient list on the entire site. Major ingredients are listed but nothing else. Their site does state that their products are paraben and sulfate-free and that the ingredients are 89% organic. Still, I need a little more information about a product that’s intended to clean my vagina. If you have nothing to hide, then you should list your ingredients on your site. Am I right?

I always feel like I am let down when I try to get to the bottom of something, but maybe I’m just not looking in the right places. Do you guys know of any legitimately natural and safe feminine cleansers?  I’ve consistently used whatever soap I’m currently using as a body wash to clean my lady parts, and I’ve never had any problems with it. But what about the people who feel like they need a little something extra down there? Shouldn’t there be a safe and effective product out there for them?

I like that you can get it with the box or without (which costs less)!

1) Lusa Organics Calendula Baby Soap- I can pronounce each of the ingredients in this soap, and I can count them on two hands. That’s usually a good sign.  It comes as no surprise that the Cosmetic Safety Database gives this soap a hazard score of zero.

Carol's Daughter has yet to disappoint me.

2) Carol’s Daughter Unscented Body Jelly- Carol’s Daughter’s Unscented body jelly can be used as diaper cream! This product also has a hazard score of zero, and it has only five ingredients (another impressively low number). Unlike Lusa Organics, I am familiar with this brand. I gave Danielle a bottle of Carol’s Daughter hair oil for Christmas, and she loved it. It also smelled/smells like heaven.

Image Courtesy of Amazon.com

3) Nurture My Body Baby Shampoo- This baby shampoo is formulated without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Parabens, and Phthalates. The ingredient list is a good bit longer than the first two products, but it still has a zero hazard score.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

4) Dingo Baby Moisturizing Shea Stick- I’ll be honest; I chose this product mostly because I love the name. Still, it has a hazard score of zero, and a moisturizing stick seems way less messy than lotion. Babies are wiggle worms!

Just look at that adorable sleeping bear!

5) TushiesWipes- The final item on my list is something that moms probably use more often than most other baby products: wiiipes! Since they come in contact with the baby’s skin pretty frequently, I figured that a low hazard score was almost imperative. So these wipes are, of course,  a zero (and they have very few ingredients).

P.S. If life were easier and slightly more awesome, then I’d be attending the International Health and Beauty Expo in North Carolina on November 21.  But since life is only marginally awesome, I’ll be shopping in Houston, Texas and seeing Iron & Wine on that day. In a perfect world, I could do all three.

As cute as these little tins are, they're pretty hard to open sometimes. I scooped out the perfume and put it into a tiny jar with a twist off lid.

Danielle gave me two Pacifica Solid Perfumes around a year ago (Sandalwood and Mexican Cocoa), and I immediately fell in love with the Sandalwood-scented one. I used it for a couple of months until it started making my head hurt (which tends to happen to me with any scent when I expose myself to it for long enough).  I decided to give the other one a try, even though it didn’t really smell like my cup of tea while it was in the tin.  Surprisingly, after I applied it behind my ears and on my neck, I discovered that I found the Mexican Cocoa to be much more pleasant than the Sandalwood.  I’ve been wearing it daily for a little over a month, and the scent is still as pleasant as it was in the beginning.  We’ll see how long that lasts, but for now I’m a big, big fan.  On the bright side, there are 21 different scents which allows me a lot of room to switch each time a scent begins to nauseate me.  I’m pretty pumped about trying Malibu Lemon Blossom next.

Fun Fact: These little guys are free of parabens and made from organic oils.  How nifty!

For the past two years or so, I had been passionately searching for a shampoo and condioner that satisfied, met, and maybe even exceeded all my expectations.  I was actually not asking for much. I just needed something free of parabens(a type of preservative) and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates(a cleaning agent) that would also make my hair look fabulous. I learned very quickly that regardless of what the bottles tell you, most “natural” hair products will absolutely make your hair look like turds. The shampoos made my hair feel too clean, and the conditioners did far less than condition. I threw away an embarrassing amount of half-used Nature’s Gate, Burt’s Bees, Jason, and Kiss My Face shampoo/conditioner bottles until I read some great reviews and ordered John Masters Organics Lavender Rosemary Shampoo and Lavender & Avocado Conditioner about a month ago. Feast your eyes upon these simple and lovely bottles:

Hello, soft hair.

Basically, I am thrilled with the results. I am almost excited to finish off these bottles, because that means I can try the Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructing Shampoo and the Citrus & Neroli Detangling Conditioner.