Product Review: Josie Maran Eye Shadow in Rejuvenate

By: Megan
Cost: $20

So we missed a post yesterday, and we are making up for it today with two reviews.  Second on the review list is another Josie Maran product, this time her eyeshadow in rejuvenate.  When Meg and I went on our San Francisco adventure we stopped into Sephoria (I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket), we bee-lined it to the 'Naturals' section and started the shopping.  I knew I wanted to get some actual clean cosmetics, because I had already been loading my bathroom up with all sorts of other clean beauty products.  I was very torn about what I wanted to buy (soo many options) and then I spotted this eyeshadow, the world stopped spinning for just a moment, and then I started a love affair.  This shade (Rejuvenate) is a shimmery olive green gold color, which I have actually been wanting to buy, it was perfect.  I slapped some of the tester on and it was everything I wanted it too be.  If you can't tell from the picture (Yes I know its the wrong color, click on it for more color options) the eyeshadow is a pressed powder and comes in Josie's pretty gold packaging.  If you have not read any of our other Josie Maran reviews, I can tell you in two words why we love her so much.... ARGAN OIL!  If you don't know what Argan Oil is, you are missing out, it comes from a Moroccan nut and it is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids, and its awesome.  Joise includes Argan in all of her products, plus a lot of other good for you ingredients.  When you put the powder on it goes on almost creamy and doesn't fall under your eyes (A problem I tend to have).  The eyeshadow stays on all day but it does get creasy on me.  I haven't been using a eye primer and maybe thats part of the problem, but it is a little frustrating to be looking for creasing all day long.  That being said, if I do spot the creasing I can just re-blend the shadow with my fingers and all is good.  This shadow runs about $20, which is more then I usually drop on an eyeshadow, and despite the creasing I would still repurchase it.  Keeping that in mind, If you are looking to buy this shadow (online purchase) in this exact shade, you'll have to run over to Josie Marans website I couldn't find it any where else.  While I was poking around on her site, I noticed that the compacts that they eyeshadow comes in is biodegradable, just one more reason to purchase Josie products!

Product Review: Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit Purfume

By: Megan
Cost: $19

With a name of Lavanila, you better hope you like the smell of vanilla before you pick up one of their products (but I mean who doesn't love vanilla!).  If you haven't heard of Lavanila before, they are most well known for their 'healthy deodorant' (don't worry review of that coming soon) and they also have perfume, lotions, body washes, and even a baby skin care line.  When I started looking for a natural perfume, I knew they would be a great place to start.  They have six different fragrances, but the one I fell in love with is vanilla grapefruit.  I started small, nervous to spend money and end up not loving the product, and bought the $19 rollerball version of the perfume.  Well, the only disappointment I have is that mine was sans roller ball!  I'm way to stubborn/lazy to return the product to get one with a rollerball, but it has been working out okay all the same.  The smell is nice and warm, crisp, and comforting, and it lasts all day!  I just dab some on my wrists, neck, and under my knees and I smell great all day, but it is never overwhelming.  Next time I could definitely splurge for the full size bottle, which runs at about $58.  In reality what I'm more likely to do keep buying small sizes of the different scents until I have a full collection.  I have a feeling Lavanila is going to be  a new addiction, as so many clean product lines have become.

Product Review: Better Botanicals Coriander Cleanser

By: Meg
Cost: 12.00

 Ayurveda is an alternative medicine practiced in India which focuses on whole-body health and balance. Hygiene is an important aspect of this practice. To attain proper hygiene, Ayurvedic medicines and cleansers contain many natural ingredients that work with your body, rather than against it.
 Better Botanicals is a company that has produced a line of cleansers and moisturizers that adhere to the Ayurvedic ideals. Although not all their products are 100% natural, most are between 98-100% natural.  I bought their Coriander Cleanser in my first natural beauty shopping trip. The Coriander Cleanser is all natural, verified by a quick look at the back of the box...are you checking the back of your products yet??
 I cannot say enough how much I love this product! I just adore the way my skin feels when I use it. I cannot wait sometimes, to get home and use this cleanser to get the day's grime off my face. From the first use I saw a difference in my skin, even without makeup on, it looked a whole lot cleaner and fresher than it had the previous day. The improvements continued as I kept using it. This face wash does not foam up when you use it, which I thought would be hard to get used to, but I really like the way it feels.  The price of this is very reasonable too and comparable to most drug store facial cleansers.
 Unfortunately, I liked this stuff so much that I ran out of it pretty quickly. Once I had run out, I decided to try another natural face wash to see if I could find something that worked even better (something we have been doing a lot since our switch to natural products, so that we can give you a wide range of product advice). I have since tried two other cleansers and although they were both really nice, I can't wait to go buy another Coriander Cleanser tube!

Product Review: 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Butter

Lip Butter in Cherry

Cost: $13

By: Megan

Let me start by saying one of my biggest pet peeves is dry lips.  I will have a one track mind to find chapstick and until I do nothing else will matter.  So its now easy to say that a good chapstick is very important to me, and I tend to have at least one lurking in all my purses at all times.  So when I ran out of my go to burt bees and then kept forgetting to buy more every time I went to the store, I was beyond desperate for some chapstick!  Meg and I were heading out for one of our beauty 360 trips and because it is connected to a CVS, Meg and I were on high alert to remember to pickup chapstick for me.  What ended up happening is I started poking around the 100% Pure products and found their line of lip butter.  I picked it up and looked at the ingredients and the first 4 are: Organic butters of Avocado, Shea, Cocoa, and Organic Rosehip Oil.  Ummmmmm HELLO skin softening, lip puckering, lip kissing goodness!  They had a line of colors and flavors that all spelt yumo, but I opted for the black cherry one.  All of them have a little bit of color in them, but nothing extreme and they have some very pretty pinks that I can't wait to use in the summer.  It comes in a little oval tin that is adorable but not as easy to shove in my pocket like a typical tub would be.  I apply it with just with my finger, which I wasn't too found of at first because it leaves me with lip butter on my finger and nowhere to wipe it off at.  But one time after thinking about how great the color is on my lips I thought why not take the extra left over and use it as a cheek color.  I loved it!  Now I don't feel wasteful after using it on my lips, and its an easy way to give my makeup a pick me up as the work day goes on.  I have had this for almost a month and while i'm fully addicted to it and know I use it alot, I feel I am flying through it.  The lip butter says it good for 12 months (which I think is impressive) but I can already see the bottom of the tin, and at $13 a pop I don't know that I will keep buying this as my primary chapstick, but it has been a great replacement and good splurge item.  

Product Review: Deep Steep Organic Soy Body Lotion in Honeydew and Spearmint

By: Meg
Cost: ~ 8.00


 Last week I found a clean body lotion that I am crazy for. I've had trouble ditching my old stuff because, despite containing several ingredients that aren't really good for my skin, it worked really well and kept my skin hydrated without reapplying for a whole day. When I ran out this time, I decided to try out something better for my skin.
 The new clean lotion I found is made a company called Deep Steep and the have a whole line of natural and organic body care products.  I took one whiff of the Honeydew and Spearmint Soy Body Lotion and had to have it. It smells really refreshing and nice. All of their scents are really great, they all smell very light and clean no heavy or perfume-y at all. The packaging for all the Deep Steep products is really cute and the colors are very appealing. The prices are really reasonable too.
 When I got home I tried it out on my legs, which get dry very quickly. I was pleasantly surprised that a little bit of this lotion goes a lot further than a whole glob of my old lotion. My skin smelled so great when I put it on and my legs were still soft 24hrs later. Deep Steep fills their products with great ingredients like Jojoba, Shea, Aloe, and Vitamin E. The ingredients they use result in silky skin you will love!
 I'm so glad that Megan and I have challenged ourselves to find these natural products that don't skimp on quality or results. This has really forced me to try new things and I have found some new things that I think are so great! Hopefully we inspire you to be a bit of a beauty daredevil.

Weekend Special: DIY Hair Treatment

By: Meg
Every once in awhile I catch a creative kitchen bug on the weekends. This bug tends to lead to elaborate dinners or massive amounts of cupcakes. Recently, I decided to throw together a hair treatment in my kitchen. I ended up with an interesting result that was very appropriate for the holidays. Here is the approximate recipe....keep in mind that when I get creative I like to eyeball ingredients, so this is definitely not exact.

Gingerbread Hair Treatment
1/2 an Avocado (peeled)
3 tbsp Molasses (for dark hair, honey for light hair)
3 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1 tsp Jojoba oil

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.
Over a sink, apply to wet hair and smooth from scalp to ends. Tie your hair up away from your face and let the treatment soak in for 20-30 min. Rinse out and shampoo thoroughly (very thoroughly). Condition normally.
When we did this treatment we also gave our hair a final rinse with a can of beer but you can just use water if you choose.
Have fun!