Congratulations ma’am. Please email your shipping address to w.d.grimes@gmail.com!

A big thanks to the ladies who entered and an even bigger one to Jana for allowing me to give away one of her lovely products!

Since Jana was generous enough to send me not one but two Mantra roll-ons, I’m spreading the love and giving you guys the chance to win one of them! I can’t possibly adequately convey how dreamy this stuff smells, but if you’re the lucky winner then I guess you can see for yourself!

To enter: Simply tweet about this giveaway or share it on Facebook, then leave a comment here with the url to your post.  If you share this giveaway on Facebook and Twitter, then leave two comments. That’s it!

The winner will be chosen randomly and announced two weeks from today. Good luck!

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.

Along with the dreamy Rusalka Bath Salt, Jana also sent me five vials of her hand mixed perfumes to try. My nose can be pretty finicky (fickle, too, at times), but I was surprised to discover three whole scents I’d be happy to own in the future.

Ingredients (provided at captainblankenship.com)-  All scents are made from a blend of essential oils in biodynamic grape alcohol from California, with the exception of Phosphorescent, which is made from a blend of essential oils and absolutes in biodynamic grape alcohol from California.

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s free of artificial fragrances and colors, parabens, sulfates, and petrochemicals.

Product Description (provided at captainblankenship.com)-

Mantra-”A meditation aid and a grounding green floral perfume. Mantra is composed purely of scents that help focus and stimulate the mind – jasmine, vetiver, sandalwood, blood orange, grapefruit and spearmint. These tones create a lilting floral scent sharpened by citrus and mint and grounded by the smell of fresh earth.”

Phosphorescent-”Glowing lights in the ocean. Neon green meets the depths. Inspired by memories of sitting on a dock in the summer on a warm night, swirling feet in the sea as fireflies radiate in the water. Part ocean and part creamsicle. Briny seaweed melts in green lemon and yellow mandarin. Honeysuckle and ylang ylang rise from the depths and meet the resinous smells of cypress and fir on nearby shores. Vetiver and vanilla create a luscious base. A salty, warm invigorating scent.”

Vrt-”Garden. A scent concocted with the color green at heart. The forest floor is covered in leaves of sage and mint. Vines of jasmine climb up ylang ylang trees wafting their tones over a verdant landscape. In the grove, grapefruit and sweet oranges grow. This scent is fresh like shades of green after the rain.”

Mani-”Jewel. Kadamb is a green spiky fruit whose essence is used as love oil. The sweet fleshy scent is accented by the warm tones of sandalwood and myrrh, and heightened by patchouli and ambrette seed. Spicy cardamom is met by vanilla and finished with sweet orange and grapefruit. A warm, intoxicating musk.”

Jaune-”Yellow. A true rose. Warm notes of vanilla, cedarwood and ginger waft over fragrant climbing roses. Watery waves of palmarosa create ripples. White flowers (camelia and ylang ylang) change their hue with strokes of sweet orange, grapefruit and bergamot. A subtle, simple, fresh and intoxicating scent.”

Price- $30 each for a 1/6 oz glass roll-on bottle.

Performance- Each scent has pretty remarkable staying power, but Mantra, Mani, and Jaune all seemed to linger the longest.

Scent- The order in which I listed the scents under the product description is based on how much I liked that particular scent. For example, Mantra is my absolute favorite so I listed it first. I even put it on my Christmas list! It’s girly and floral and I received at least 4 compliments while wearing it (at which point I stopped counting). Phosphorescent is my second pick. The description from the website is spot on; wearing it is the next best thing to being at the beach! Vrt reminds me of a toned down, greener phosphorescent. It’s lovely. While Mani and Jaune both have a long-lasting scent, they are both a bit too sweet for my tastes.

Rating-Mantra, Phosphorescent, and Vrt all earn 10/10 from me, but I’ll give Mani and Jaune each 8/10 since I probably won’t wear them again in the future (despite their impressive ingredients).

Would I purchase this item again?  I would definitely purchase Mantra, Phosphorescent, and Vrt again for myself. Mani and Jaune might not be my cup of tea, but I can easily think of several people who would probably love them.

I can only imagine how lovely this White Magik must be. Image Courtesy of aperfumeorganic.com

Anyone in need of a new bottle of perfume should definitely check out this Care2 article about toxin-free fragrances. Click the link at the bottom of the article to receive a 5 vial sample set of A Perfume Organic’s fragrances. You’ll also receive a voucher for a full-size bottle of your choice, to use once you decide on your favorite scent! All of this costs only $40, which is kind of a steal since a full-size bottle alone is ordinarily $65, and a sample set is usually $22. I’ve actually tried a sample of their Mejica fragrance before, which is a blend of three vanillas, and it wasn’t my cup of tea. I’ve since discovered that I don’t care for heavily vanilla-scented fragrances in general, though (meaning it wasn’t a problem with that particular brand), and I’m dying to try some of their other scents. I also recently learned my lesson when it comes to buying perfume without smelling it first, but while buying an individual scent online might be risky, the chance of liking a scent is much greater if there are 5 from which to choose.

Oh, I almost forgot the best part! All of A Perfume Organic’s products are cruelty-free, vegan, and entirely USDA certified organic. If you’re interested in taking advantage of this deal, then be sure to do so before midnight!

And just for fun, here’s a picture of the pretty tea that I’m currently drinking.

A few things to look forward to next week:

• a review of a dreamy eyeshadow collection
• thoughts on and pictures of two homemade face masks
• links to articles that could possibly improve the quality of your life

I put Lavanila Laboratories Vanilla Coconut Perfume on my bigger Christmas list because it seemed like something that I would love. At around $60 a bottle, though, I didn’t get my hopes too high. Imagine my surprise when I actually got it, and imagine my disappointment when I didn’t care for the scent at all. I should’ve known better than to ask for a perfume that I’d never even smelled before. Lesson learned.

Ingredients (provided at lavanila.com)- “Alcohol Denat. (from Organic sugar cane), Botanical Fragrance Blend (Cocos Nucifera & Gardenia Taitensis - Coconut Oil & Tiare Flower), Deionized Water, Lycium Barabrum (Goji) Powder, Terminalia Ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium (Canadian Willowherb) Extract, Olea Europaea (Olive Leaf) Extract, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum (Chamomile) Extract, Oat Amino Acids, Glycerin (Vegetable), Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Oil.”

This product is not in the Cosmetic Safety Database, and guessing an accurate hazard score would be pretty difficult considering all of the data gaps. I’ve linked to each ingredient’s hazard score page so you can see for yourself.

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s formulated without Synthetic Fragrances, Synthetic Dyes, Phthalates, GMOs, Triclosan, Petro-Chemicals, Propylene Glycol, Parabens, Silicone, Mineral Oils, and Sulfates.

2. This product is cruelty-free.

Product Description (provided at sephora.com)- “Sweet Paradise Found.

Escape with Vanilla Coconut filled with an indulgent blend of young coconut, hints of monoi Tiare (a Tahitian white flower), and a warm sensual base of Madagascar vanilla bean. You’ll instantly be transported to an island of healthy delights.

LAVANILA carefully infuses pure essential oils with 100 percent active botanicals for natural fragrances that are fresh, clean, and nurturing. With each spray, proprietary natural technology wraps the skin with super antioxidants goji berry and kakadu plum, soothing willowherb, and hydrating olive leaf for a healthy dose of 30 essential vitamins and minerals and 19 amino acids. Imagine, a fragrance that not only smells good but also is good for you!”

Price-$19.00 for 0.32 fl oz, $39.00 for 1 fl oz, or $58.00 for 1.7 fl oz.

Performance- This perfume has serious staying power; a couple of spritzes in the morning are still detectable as I am getting ready for bed.

Scent- I was really hoping that this perfume would smell more like coconut than it does, but the scent is so overwhelmingly vanilla that I honestly can’t smell anything else. It’s not an altogether unpleasant scent, but it’s not what I was expecting and it’s certainly not something  that I want to smell like. It’s very heavy and rich, and it seems like it would be better suited for an older woman. Maybe I was expecting something a little more tropical? I guess I only have myself to blame; I shouldn’t have presumed to know what it would smell like. Also, the problem could be that it just doesn’t work with my body chemistry. Perfumes are weird like that sometimes, you know? I used to have a friend who wore Body By Victoria, and she always radiated this lovely, warm scent. I bought a bottle and eventually gave it away because it smelled very soapy and kind of weird when I wore it. Another thing that bothers me about this perfume (and I know that it’s a ridiculous complaint) is that my bottle isn’t filled with the clear liquid that is pictured online. The bottle that I received (which is pictured above) contains an amber-tinted liquid, and I find this off-putting for reasons that I cannot explain.

Rating- I’m gonna go with a 5 out of 10.  The scent lasts all day and the ingredients could be worse, but I’m not a fan of the way that I smell and feel when I wear it (and that’s obviously a deal breaker when it comes to perfume).

Would I purchase this item again?-  I would not, but I’m not suggesting that this perfume isn’t right for you. In fact, you might love it! What I am suggesting is that buying a bottle of perfume (or asking for one for Christmas) without ever having smelled it is a horrible idea.

Image courtesy of Indigowild.com

I’ve had this bottle of Zum Mist for several months now, and I just realized that I’ve yet to review it. So here it goes.

Ingredients (provided at indigowild.com)- “Purified water, pure essential oils, aloe and vegetable glycerin.”

The Cosmetic Safety Database is currently down for some reason,  but there are only four ingredients and I’ve heard of all of them..so I’m not too worried.

Recyclability- There is no indication that this little aluminum bottle can be recycled, but I’ll definitely be reusing it to fill it with a homemade room spray.

Product Description (also provided at indigowild.com)- “Sandalwood-Citrus mist. A titillating twosome of synergy, arousing more than the senses.”

I cringed when I read that; it’s also on the bottle. Does anyone else think that titillating is a sick word?

Price-It’s $10.50  for 4 ounces on their website, but I snagged it for $8.95 at a health food store in Mississippi.

Performance-  I bought this spray with the intention of using it as a perfume or body spray. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have very much staying power in clothes and on skin. Lately I’ve been using it as a bathroom spray, and I think it’s pretty perfect for that.

Scent- Kirby says it smells like a hippie, and to that I say: haterz gon hate. I really enjoy the scent, although it does remind me of this shop in a mall somewhere that sells a lot of incense. Sandalwood-Citrus is a pretty accurate description of the scent; it’s appropriately named. It isn’t overwhelming either, which I like.

Rating-  As a perfume/body spray, this product would only get about a 4.  Lasting scent is pretty important for a perfume, and this spray lacks that, which costs it 5-6 points. As a room spray, it’s closer to a 9. I love the straightforward ingredients, the pleasant scent, and that I can reuse the bottle. I subtracted 1 point because ten dollars seems a little steep for a room spray.

I ordered a small bag of trial size items from Coastal Classic Creations a few months ago. I have yet to actually review any of the products, but I did post about liking the trial size light to medium concealer while I was sunburned and on the beach with my family. I will eventually get around to posting thorough reviews of some of my favorites,  but for now I’d just like to say that I adore the Sand Waves perfume that came in my sampler set.  While it is made from fragrance oil rather than essential, the fragrance oil is premium grade and phthalate-free…which is something with which I can always get on board. After my perfume-related post a while back, I gave away all of my questionable perfumes. I’m not too concerned with what the hazard score is, either. While I can’t find this specific product on the Cosmetic Safety Database, Coastal Classic Creations’ other fragrances are all either a zero or a one.

This perfume smells like a dreamy tropical snow cone, and I am not ashamed of the fact that I sometimes wear it to bed.

I mentioned linalool in my recent post about perfume, but I didn’t really expound upon why it should be avoided because I hadn’t done much research at that point (aside from the articles that I linked to in the post).  My curiosity was stirred once again while reading the ingredients to Danielle’s seemingly harmless body oil.  Upon seeing the ingredient “linalool” listed, I immediately did some research.

Linalool earns a hazard score of 5 from the Cosmetic Safety Database and is even linked to cancer according to that source. A few articles that I read pointed out that many people are allergic to linalool and also linked it to eczema. Some sites insisted that whether or not linalool is harmful depends on whether or not it is manufactured synthetically, which makes sense since linalool occurs naturally in lavender essential oil (which has a very low hazard score of one). Some articles stated that  naturally-occurring linalool may have anti-cancer effects. After reading all of these contradictory things about linalool, I honestly don’t know what to think anymore. The most reasonable conclusion to draw, I guess, is that I should always make sure that the linalool in my products is naturally-occurring rather than synthetic.  Synthetic is never really the way to go in my book anyway.

photo credit: tanakawho

Until a few days ago, perfume had always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  I successfully traded in most of my old health and beauty products for safer (and consequently, more expensive) alternatives…but perfume was kind of a hard habit to break. I’d spray just a little on top of my clothes instead of directly on my skin and hope for the best. I kept telling myself that I would make a change as soon as I finished my bottles of  Heavenly (from Victoria’s Secret) and Hot (by Ralph Lauren).  After reading the articles below, however, I can’t put it off any longer. I’ll be taking both bottles to the thrift store the next time I make a donation. In case you’re tired of me talking about articles and don’t feel like reading these, I’ll give you a short list of the high points:

• The basic formula for all perfumes is this: water+alcohol+fragrance oils+chemical compounds
• Fragrances are protected as trade secrets. For this reason, it’s nearly impossible to know how few or how many chemicals make up our favorite scents.
• Some of the most common chemicals found in perfumes are: benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, camphor, ethanol, ethyl acetate, linalool ,acetaldehyde,a-pinene, acetone, a-terpinene, methylene chloride, styrene oxide, dimenthyl sulphate, a-terpineol, limonene
• Side-effects from these chemicals can range from something as simple as eye irritation to much more serious things like cancer.
• “Fragrance Oils” or “Fragrant Oils” are not the same things as “Essential Oils”.
• The absence of an ingredient list should cause suspicion.

Still interested? Here are the sources:

The Toxic Effects of Perfume

Perfume Ingredients- What’s in a Scent?