I’ve had my bottle of Yes To Carrots Can you C Me Eye and Face Makeup Remover for at least two years. I’ve had it for so long, in fact, that the company has stopped selling this product and replaced it with a Makeup Removing Cleanser. Since it is still being sold online elsewhere, I figured a review wouldn’t be entirely pointless.

Ingredients (provided on product packaging)- “Spring Water and Carrot Juice and Rosemary Extract, Algae Extracts (Dunaliella, Spirulina, Rhodella), Cucumber Extract, Propylene Glycol and Sesame Oil, Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil, Camomile Oil, Calendula Oil, Avocado Oil, Almond Oil, Silt (Dead Sea Mud), Magnesium Chloride, Organic Extracts of: Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Melon, Orange & Honey, Silt (Dead Sea Mud), Sesame Oil and Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Fragrance, Rosemary Extract, Carbomer, Niacin, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Aloe Vera Gel, Propolis Extract, Vitamin E, Imidazolidinyl Urea.”

I couldn’t locate this product in the Cosmetics Database, so I’ve linked to each ingredient individually above. The ingredients with hazard scores higher than 3 are as follows: Triethanolamine (5), .Fragrance (8), and Imidazolidinyl Urea (5).   Additionally, there is no data for Dunaliella Extract, and Rhodella Extract couldn’t even be located in the database. Here’s what Good Guide has to say about Rhodella Extract.

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s paraben free.

2. It’s cruelty-free.

Product Description(provided on product packaging)- “Don’t you love that feeling at the end of the day when you can take off your makeup and finally put your feet up? Can you C Me Eye and Face Makeup Remover will have you on your couch in no time. This exceptional blend of carrot juice, minerals and Dead Sea Mud removes all traces of both eye and face makeup to refresh, stimulate and revitalize your skin.”

Price- around $8.00 for an 8.45 fl. oz. bottle.

Performance- I’ve  had this product for so long for several reasons, but mostly because it’s not my preferred makeup remover. Since I usually only wear eye makeup and a bit of concealer under my eyes, I try to stick with removers that will take off my makeup with minimal scrubbing/rubbing.  Unfortunately, this product just doesn’t remove my eye makeup easily enough. Even when I use a ridiculous amount of it, it still doesn’t hold a candle to coconut oil. It’s a shame, too, because it does leave my skin feeling super soft.

Scent-It smells like all Yes To Carrots products, which is a powdery and pleasant (albeit generic) lotion scent.

Rating- 5/10. I deducted 2 points for the questionable ingredients and another 3 for the less than ideal performance.

Image Source

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!

Image Courtesy of yestocarrots.com

Kirby knows that I moisturize almost compulsively, so the sweet guy bought me two tubs of Yes To Tomatoes Truly Terrific Body Butter for Christmas. After finishing the first tub, I feel confident in my ability to thoroughly review it.

Ingredients (provided at yestocarrots.com)- “Aqua (Water), Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomatoes) Extract*,Cetearyl Alcohol, Maris Aqua (Dead Sea Water), Capsicum Annuum (Red Pepper) Extract*, Aspalathus Genus (Red Tea) Extract, Isopropyl Palmitate, Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Extract*, Canola Oil*, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil*, Algea (Spirulina, Rhodella, Dunaliella) *, Aspalathus Linearis (Red Tea Rooibos) Extract*, Prunus Dulcis (Almond) Oil*, Maris Limus (Silt) Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Niacin*, Ginkgo Biloba Extract*. * Certified Organic Ingredient”

I could not find this product in the Cosmetic Safety Database, so I linked to the ingredients individually. The only ingredients with hazard scores above a 2 are Fragrance (8) and Benzyl Alcohol (6), but several of the ingredients with zeros as hazard scores have large data gaps.

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, and Petroleum.

2. It’s contains organic ingredients.

Product Description (provided at yestocarrots.com)- “Well, the truth is, we already know you are beautiful. And we want to keep you feeling that way! Yes To Tomatoes Body Butter perfectly balances the pH levels in your skin while providing you with deep, long-lasting hydratation. Why not indulge yourself, a little skin therapy is good for the soul! Go on, get balanced, renew your skin and yourself!”

Price- $12.99 for 8.45 fl. oz. on their website, but Kirby bought me two tubs of it from Walgreens for around $3.00 a piece (possibly because it was about to expire).

Performance-Maybe, at 21 years of age, I’m just learning that I prefer lotions over body butters, but I find this product to be a little greasy and slow to absorb/dry after I apply it.  There’s no debating whether or not it makes my skin soft, because it definitely does…but I feel a little sticky for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours after applying it. Also, it’s too rich for the sensitive skin on my neck and chest, which is not uncommon but still inconvenient.

Scent- This body butter smells pretty powdery to me, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s kind of a stereotypical lotion smell. That makes sense, right?

Rating-I’m subtracting two points for the less than awesome ingredients and another two for the greasiness/slow absorption. 6/10

Would I purchase this item again?-Probably not. While this product does leave my skin feeling soft, I can think of several other moisturizers whose performance and ingredients I prefer.

Desert Essence tea tree oil mouthwash

1. Desert Essence tea tree oil mouthwash- Let’s get real, natural toothpastes don’t actually do much for bad breath.  Flossing and brushing are great for making my teeth look clean, but mouthwash is where it’s at if I want to talk close to someone’s face (and I do).  I love the way this stuff tastes, and it makes my breath downright pleasant.

Spring Valley tea tree oil

2. Spring Valley tea tree oil (that walmart jurnt)- Can you tell that I’m a big fan of tea tree oil? Tea tree oil, when applied a few times a day, makes my blemishes go away in half the time.  I stopped using it for a while because I wanted to see if something like Clean & Clear  Persa-Gel 10 would work just as well, but I quickly realized that tea tree oil was far superior.  Kirby hates the way it smells, but I do what I want. Also, I find the licorice/hippie scent comforting for some reason.  Sometimes I like to call it tree tree oil. That’s how I roll.

Burt's Bees vitamin E body and bath oil

3. Burt’s Bees vitamin E body & bath oil- I love pure vitamin E oil, but this is a lot less sticky and it smells like a yellow starburst. I put it on scars and stretch marks, and it really does make them go away faster. Imagine that!

Yes To Carrots c me smile citrus lip butter

4. Yes To Carrots c me smile citrus lip butter- I never thought I’d stop using vanilla Soft Lips until I tried this guy. I prefer it. I don’t feel the need to reapply as often, and it doesn’t leave that weird lip scum build-up that sometimes happens with Soft Lips. Know what I mean, or am I just gross? Also, I sometimes put this on underneath a few light strokes of the lipstick that I posted about. It looks fancy.

Ojai Lavender natural conditioner

5. Ojai Lavender natural conditioner- I tried using this as a regular conditioner, and it made my hair kinda flat and oily-looking. But then I tried using it before shampooing my hair, and I loved the results.  It makes my hair look really shiny, like Pantene Pro-V commercial shiny. btw, I condition my hair again with my usual conditioner after shampooing.

• current facial cleanser- Burt’s Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing cream (rating-3)future facial cleanser- Karen’s Botanicals Rehydrating Olive Oil Cleanser (rating-0)
• current deodorant- Tom’s of Maine Sensitive Deodorant, Fragrance Free (rating-2)future dedorant-  disfordelicate’s easy homemade deodorant
• current lotion- Alba Botanica Hawaiian Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion (rating-5)future lotion- Karen’s Botanicals Summer Sunflower Lotion (rating-0)
• current facial moisturizers-Alba Botanica Hawaiian Aloe and Green Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer(rating-5)Burt’s Bees Radiance Day Creme with Royal Jelly (rating-6)

  Burt’s Bees Radiance Night Creme with Royal Jelly (product not found on site, but it would be reasonable to assume that it is somewhere close to the day creme)

  Burt’s Bees Radiance Eye Creme (rating-7)

  future facial moisturizers-

  Karen’s Botanicals Calendula Rose Facial Cream (rating-0)

  Skin’s Apricot Mango Eye Cream (rating-0)

• current toothpaste- Tom’s of Maine Natural Whole Care Fluoride Peppermint Toothpaste (rating-3, and I’ve been meaning to stop using this for a while now since it has both SLS and fluoride in it)future toothpaste-  disfordelicate’s slightly modified toothpaste recipe
• current shampoo- John Masters Lavender Rosemary Shampoo for normal hair (product not found on site, but other John Masters shampoos are rated 3)future shampoo- Dr. Bronner’s Magic 18-in-one Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (rating-2: it’s not perfect, but it’s an improvement…and the health concerns are minimal)
• current conditioner-John Masters Lavender and Avocado Intenstive Condtioner (product not found on site)Yes to Cucumbers Calm Cucumber Daily Makeover Conditioner (product not found on site)

  future conditioner- Opas Soap Palmarosa Conditioner (rating-0)

• current hand soap- Method Gel Sweet Water Handwash (rating-4) future hand soap- Dr. Bronners Magic Peppermint Shikakai Pump Soap (rating- 2)