May + June
Makeup
Real Purity Disguise System Duo Light .2 oz. - This has amazing clean ingredients. I prefer the shade Medium on me and when it's fresh its wonderful. The shelf life on this is not amazing, and I had this one a bit too long. I wouldn't purchase this shade again. I would get Medium for color but for the price point and how quickly i use it up I am less likely to purchase it again.
Lily Lolo New Black Vegan Mascara 7 ml - This is probably my new favorite natural mascara! I was very impressed with this formula and what it did for for my lashes without any irritation. I will definitely be purchasing this in the future although I currently have several mascaras to use first.
The All Natural Face Vegan Lip Gloss Frosted Peach .43 oz. - This has great clean ingredients but I hate wand style gloss because it feels so germy! As usual I used this a few weeks until it grossed me out. This is a beautiful sheer peach color with shimmer. Looks gorgeous, just hate the packaging!
Julep Nail Vernis America .27 oz. - This is completely beautiful in the bottle. Unfortunately it was absolutely awful on my nails. It was very gummy and applied very unevenly. In it's defense my bottle was a few years old. I took this off immediately and can't recommend it.
Real Purity Shrimp Lipstick sample - Real Purity lipstick is one of my favorite formulas. Shrimp is a beautiful orange-red with a bit of shimmer. This is definitely on my wish list!
Skin
Pure All Natural and Handmade Facial Soap French Pink Clay FS - I bought this locally in Columbia, SC at the Soda City Farmer's Market and was so excited about it! Unfortunately this was too harsh for my skin which was quite surprising as it is considered Pure's sensitive skin soap. Ingredients include olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, avocado butter, french pink clay, essential oil, and beeswax. David ended up finishing this soap without problems, so I'm going go assume there was just too much clay in it for my skin.
Simply Eden Bath & Body Goat-Milk Soap Frankincense, Lavender & Lime 5.25 oz. - I can't really provide much of an opinion on this one as this particular soap had been around quite awhile and Simply Eden does not sell this one anymore.
Winter Rose Soap Castile Soap Loaf 3 lb. - I really liked this soap quite a bit. My gold standard for castile soap is Hill's Natural Soap. This one was more moisturizing because Cathy sent me a message and asked if I wanted to add cocoa butter! I went back and forth between the two for a long time and they are both great. I would definitely order from Winter Rose Soap again!
Trader Joe's Shave Moisturizing Cream Shave Honey Mango 8 oz. - Next to a lot of things I use these aren't the cleanest ingredients, but I find them acceptable for a shaving cream. Also, this smells awesome. It's a unisex product and David uses it a lot too.
Trader Joe's Nourish Spray Sunscreen SPF 50 6 oz. - This is the one I buy over and over again! It's only $6 which is cheaper than regular spray sunscreen.
Banana Boat SunComfort Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ - This is what happens when you run out of sunscreen and don't have time to go to Trader Joe's. I think we actually went through 2 of these this summer. Then I bought more of the Nourish from TJ's...
Alba Pineapple Quench Lip Balm .15 oz. - Much like the coconut one this started off great but over time became grainy. It was still nice and quite moisturizing with very clean ingredients. I didn't love the packing as it twists at the top which makes it difficult to open. Would still buy again.
Skin Samples:
Andalou Naturals Acai + White Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer Clarifying x2
Andalou Naturals Resveratrol Q10 Night Repair Cream
Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Beautiful Day Cream
Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Heavenly Night Cream
Bull Dog Original Moisturizer
MaMi SkinCare Satiated Moisturizer
Weleda Baby Derma White Mallow Face Cream x2
Weleda Baby Caledula Face Cream
Weleda Baby Calendula Diaper Rash Cream
Weleda Pomegranate Firming Day Cream
I would definitely love to try more of the Andalou Naturals and Weleda products!
Other:
Tom's of Maine Maximum Strength Sensitive Soothing Mint 4 oz.
Trader Joe's Anticavity Peppermint Toothpaste 6 oz.
I try to stick to sensitive toothpaste but when I run out I always go back to Trader Joes!
July
I spent the month of July in Shijiazhuang Shi, Hebei, China (yes, I have to look up how to spell that every time!) I decided not to bring any makeup to China and only pack necessities. I will admit there were times I regretted that, but it wouldn't have been practical to wear makeup anyway as it would have melted off!
All I actually used up in China was a small Juice Beauty Moisturizer and a Real Purity travel size Roll-On Deodorant. I also took a full bottle of Josh Rosebrook Deep Nourishing Shampoo and the end of a bottle of Real Purity Moisturizing Hair Conditioner. Both were mostly finished when I accidentally left them in my dorm bathroom as I stayed in five different places during the course of the month!
August
So I came back from China, went back to work, and immediately sprained my ankle. It's still recovering and I'm feeling pretty silly walking around in a big clunky boot, but... I have my makeup back so that makes me feel more glamorous!
Makeup
Gabriel Mascara Black - This is just a slightly smaller version of their regular black mascara. Performs the same. Review here.
Skin
Acure Brightening Facial Scrub 1 oz. - This was a free sample from Whole Foods! This super dark scrub is very fine. At first I thought it was too harsh for my skin but I think it's actually just very... thorough. When I use it my skin feels ridiculously soft. I don't need to repurchase it as I have a lot of scrubs sitting around, but I could see myself getting it again in the future.
The All Natural Face Age Defying Extract Daily Moisturizer Pure and Simple 1 oz. - This is a very light facial moisturizer that smells exactly like lemons. I like it fine but I don't love it. I think I want something a bit more moisturizing but this is great for summer when you want something lighter.
Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes with Cotton Extract 30 ct. - This has been a staple lately. I will probably keep buying them. Products of this nature usually irritate my face and the irritation from these is incredibly minimal.
Silk Naturals Stark & Son Peanut Butter Matte Lip Balm .15 oz. - This lip balm is marketed to men because it has a somewhat matte finish. It really does have a peanut butter scent but more like roasted peanuts and not at all like sugary peanut butter. This is the balm that traveled all over China with me! I almost lost it on the airplane there. Close call.
The All Natural Face Organic Helichrysum Hydrosol Toner 2 oz. - This is just okay. I didn't find it particularly moisturizing which is the main thing I look for in a toner. It's supposed to reduce facial redness but if it did I didn't notice. Not likely to repurchase.
The All Natural Face Fresh Roses Facial Cleansing Cream and Makeup Remover 2 oz. and The All Natural Face Face Food Cherries & Cream 2 oz. I don't feel like I can adequately review these as I am pretty sure both went bad before I finished them. I will definitely say don't store these products in the shower!
Real Purity Roll-On Deodorant 3. oz. - Gold standard as always.
Hair
Josh Rosebrook Deep Nourishing Shampoo 8 oz. - I could write a novel about this, but we'll start with this: The bottle you see here is my first bottle. I took a second bottle to China and there is a third in my shower right now. Full review coming soon!
Derma E Vitamin E Skin Oil 14,000 I.U. - I'm losing track of how many of these I've gone through!
Currently Listening to The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness
Recently watched The Affair
Recently read Loot by Jude Watson
