A few weeks ago, I entered a giveaway contest by Eco Diva Beauty. (If you haven’t heard of them, PLEASE click on the link and check out their site. They’ve got all kinds of great skin products)
The giveaway was for a 1 Liter size bkr water bottle.
I hadn’t heard of bkr before, but I loved the look of the bottles right away. More importantly, I loved that it was a glass bottle, free of any unnecessary chemicals that we sometimes find in plastic water bottles.
So, I entered the context and lo and behold, I won!! Yahoo! THANK YOU Eco Diva Beauty!
My black bkr
I’ve been using this as my main water bottle at work for the past two weeks. I wasn’t quite sure how I’d feel about carrying a 1L bottle around with me. To my surprise, it hasn’t even been an issue. Here’s what I love:
The bkr is made of glass. No need to get a paraben-free one…they are all paraben free!
The silicone sleeve is so easy to slip on and off for cleaning.
The silicone sleeve dresses up the bottle, makes it easy to grip, and protects it from breaking.
The cap/handle — it’s genius! The cap is a simple screw top that makes a great seal. The handle is perfect for carrying a full bottle around by a few fingers. I love it.
My bkr – This is the funky cap/handle that functions perfectly
There’s just one more thing that I love about this water bottle. It holds a full liter of water and I have found myself drinking way more water than before. Staying hydrated by drinking lots of water is the best thing you can do for your skin!
Here’s one last shot of my beautiful bkr. (And yes, that’s my son in the background!)
During the month of February, I tried out another set of skin care products.
This set was given to me as a gift to enjoy and not necessarily for a review. Overall, I’ve enjoyed the products, so I thought I’d put together a review for you.
The brand is Annmarie Gianni Skin Care. Her tag line is organic, natural, and wild-crafted. Seriously, how could you resist a tag line that has the words “wild-crafted” in it?
I had three products to try out. The first was the Aloe-herb Facial Cleanser. The second was a Neroli Toning Mist and third, the Herbal Facial Oil. I used the cleanser and the oil every morning and every night. I used the toner less often, probably once every couple of days.
Annmarie Gianni – Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer
Scent
Each of these products has a fairly strong scent. I was not surprised, given the “wild-crafted” theme. The scents are herbal and last for a few minutes. However, even with the strong scents, I didn’t notice them for long. For the record, they aren’t unpleasant.
Aloe-herb Facial Cleanser
This cleanser has the consistency of a thin lotion. I experimented with different amounts and eventually settled on using two pumps each time I washed my face. As you can see from the photo, two pumps from the bottle is not too much in my hand. The cleanser does not foam up at all. Rather, it coated my skin with a thin film until I washed it off. I always find non-foaming cleanser and soaps to be a little deceiving. I was brought up thinking that foam and suds were signs of effectiveness. The cleanser washes off very easily, leaving skin clean, despite the lack of suds.
Aloe-Herb Facial Cleanser
Neroli Toning Mist
This toner has a citrus scent, which I love. I ended using a couple of sprays each time and I found that it was enough to cover my skin well. It’s light and refreshing. It also never caused my skin to break out!
Herbal Facial Oil
I’ve used many face oils in the past couple of years. I went so far as to start making my own, which I have come to love. This oil worked fairly well for me. I found it to be a little on the thick side, so I used a scant single pump each time. I found that any more than that was too much for my skin and I would end up feeling like I had greasy skin. Again, the scent is on the strong side, but pleasant.
Herbal Facial Oil
Effectiveness
Like I said earlier, I like the set overall. My preference would be to have a slightly thicker cleanser and a slightly thinner oil. I think that would work a bit better for my skin. Having said that, I had clean and moist skin all month while I was trying this out. Perhaps it’s time for me to break out of my norms and get used to something new!
Packaging
The cleanser and the facial oil are both housed in dark glass bottles with pumps. The dark glass (Miron Violet Glass) helps to protect the oils. When I originally opened up the gift bag, I noticed that there was a little mesh bag of fresh lavender included. It’s a lovely touch to the presentation of the products.
Ingredients
The entire Annmarie Gianni Skin Care line is made with natural, organic and wild crafted ingredients. The ingredient list for the cleanser was included right on the bottle. Here’s the list:
Love, aloe vera juice infused with (Lavender flowers, calendula flower, life everlasting flowers, hyssop, lemon balm, neem leaf, olive leaf, plantago leaf), coconut oil, cocoglucoside (coconut oil & glycerin), vegetable glycerin; aspen bark extract; ruby grapefruit oil, lemon oil, green mandarin oil, xanthan gym, rosemary oleoresin
I love that the first ingredient is Love! I also love that the she explains right on the bottle what things like cocoglucoside are. I always take a lot of comfort in knowing what I’m putting on my skin and this list of ingredients helps with that.
Aloe-herb facial Cleanser Ingredient List
The sample of the toning mist was simple too small for an ingredient list. A quick look at the website told me everything I needed to know about the toner. It has a total of two ingredients, Love and pure organic neroli distillate. That’s my kind of ingredient list!
The facial oil didn’t have an ingredient list on the bottle, which I found disappointing. However, I suspect it’s an issue of space on the label. I found the full ingredient list on the website:
Love, herb oil (grapeseed oil, life everlasting, green tea, gotu kola, rosemary, calendula, lavender, milk thistle, lemon balm, licorice root, roobibos, hibiscus, rhodiola, gingko, plantain, amla, ashwaghanda, acai, goji berry, horsetail, comfrey leaves, comfrey root, rose petal, echinacea, ginseng, lotus, boswellia, blue violet), fractionated coconut oil, oleic sunflower oil, olive oil, aloe vera oil, passion fruit oil, tamanu oil, carrot seed oil, vitamin E tocopherols, evening primrose extract, seabuckthorn berry extract, red raspberry seed oil, cranberry seed oil, rosehip extract, calendula extract, buriti fruit oil, sandalwood oil, jasmine sambac oil, bergamot oil, blue chamomile oil, rosemary oleoresin. Organic or Wildcrafted.
Affordability
With each of these products, a little goes a really long way. For that reason, they will each last a long time. I can’t get a great feel of exactly how much I’ve used in the past month, mainly because the Miron Violet Glass is so dark!
The Facial Cleanser is the more economical choice, if you’re looking for a deal. For about $25, you can get a 50 mL bottle. I imagine that bottle would last a few months. The Facial Oil, on the other hand, is a bit more pricey at about $35 for only 15 mL. Though I only used one pump at a time of the facial oil, I find the price quite a bit more than for the cleanser. And having said all of that, my personal opinion is that these products are priced within a reasonable range.
For what you pay, you are getting an effective product that is made with natural ingredients, free from all unnecessary chemicals. Knowing that I’m using safe cosmetics on my skin goes a long way in my books.
My Recommendation?
If you’re looking for skin care products that are free of unnecessary chemicals, this is definitely a set to try out. You need to be willing to accept a different texture for the cleanser. If you can get past that, this might just work for you. I would definitely recommend giving it a try!
It’s a staple ingredient, after all. How could I let that happen?
(Honestly, I don’t actually know how that happened at all…I just realized one day I was completely out! Yikes!)
Out of Beeswax
I was left with two options, use the other waxes I had on hand or frantically try to get my hands on some beeswax.
Of course, not having the energy to be frantic, I did some research and decided to try out the other waxes that I had on hand.
Other Wax Options
After a wee bit of research, I learned that you use about half of the amount of “other” wax as compared to beeswax. In other words, where you would use 2 tablespoons of beeswax, you would substitute 1 tablespoon of “other” wax. Other waxes tend to be harder than beeswax, so you just need a little less of it.
Candellila Wax
I settled on trying out some of the Candellila wax. I was charged with making some belly butter for a good friend who is quite pregnant.
I used exactly half of the amount of wax I would normally use. I melted all of the ingredients together and then poured the butter into the jars. I love the colour of this wax. It’s a light yellow and it didn’t darken up even after it cooled off. I was a bit worried that the mixture didn’t have enough wax because it didn’t start to harden for quite a while. I ended up leaving it overnight and, lo and behold, it had turned into a beautiful butter by the morning. I tried some out for myself and it was great. It was soft enough to easily smear onto your skin and it was hard enough not to be runny in the jar.
Vegan Belly Butter
That’s exactly how I stumbled on the art of making vegan belly butter. I used some different oils and of course, the candellila wax. However, the process was the same in that I simply melted everything together, added some essential oils, and then poured the liquid into jars to set.
I tried this butter out myself and thought it worked wonderfully. However, sadly, it did not work out so well for my pregnant friend. Something in it, either the different combination of oils or the wax itself (or that very combination of wax and oils) didn’t agree with her skin. Fortunately, I got my hands on some beeswax in the interim and whipped up a batch of the regular stuff. Phew!
For the month of January, I have been using a whole new set of skin care products. It’s the Evande Skin Care Set. This set was sent to me free of charge. In return, I’ve been using it religiously so that I could provide you all with my personal review of the set.
Scent
The scent of any skin care product is really important to me. I have to like it or I simply won’t use it.
The scent of the Evande set reminds me of a light baby powder. It’s a very feminine and delicate scent. I love the way it smells when I put it on. I also love that I catch a whiff of it every once in a while throughout the day.
Each of the products in the set has the same scent, so they work really well together.
Evande Cleanser and Make-Up Remover
The soap-free cleanser is light and creamy all at the same time. It works well as a makeup remover. The hardest makeup I had to remove was some lipstick that had lasted beyond its best before date. It was very sticky on my lips and felt horrible. A dab of the cleanser/makeup remover allowed me to wipe it off in one swipe. So yes, it works as a makeup remover.
As a cleanser, it is gentle on my skin. After I’m done using it, my skin feels clean without that dreaded squeaky clean feeling. My skin doesn’t feel dry afterwards, either.
Evande Cleanser
Evande Alcohol-Free Pore Minimizing Toner
This is the only toner I’ve ever been able to use without breaking out. In fact, I had all but given up on toners until I received this set to try. I figured I had to give it a try in order to do a complete review. To my surprise, my skin didn’t react poorly at all. I love spraying this toner on my face and neck after cleansing. It seems like such a lovely way to ensure my skin stays moist. I am totally hooked.
Evande Face and Neck Moisturizer
The moisturizer is light. I just need a little bit for my face and neck, especially after the toner. It leaves my skin well-balanced and hydrated, but not greasy or feeling heavy.
Evande Face and Neck Moisturizer
Effectiveness
This skin care set has served me well for a whole month. It’s been cold and dry for most of the month and my skin has been well hydrated throughout. The cleanser is gentle and the moisturizer is nourishing. It’s exactly the right combination I need to keep my skin clean and moisturized.
Packaging
The packaging is simple. The pumps for the cleanser and moisturizer and the spray nozzle for the toner make each product really easy to dispense. I personally like the clean look of the white bottles and the touch of gold classes it up a little bit.
Ingredients
The Evande brand uses the tag line, “Feel the Natural Elegance”. Evande prides itself on creating products that are great for your skin without using harsh unnecessary chemicals. On their website, they have listed the chemicals that are prohibited from use in their product line:
DEA (Diethanolamine)
Dyes
Mineral Oil
PABA
Parabens
Paraffin
phthlates
Sulfates
I love that Evande uses more natural substances to create their products. They also clearly list all their ingredients right on the back of each bottle. I’ve also reproduced the ingredient list below, in case you’re interested.
I looked up this brand on the Good Guide and on Skin Deep. Unfortunately, it was not listed on either site, most likely because it’s such a new brand. I’d love to know how these products rate on either of those sites.
Affordability
Is this magic skin care set affordable? In short, YES!
Each bottle contains 200 mL of product. My best guess is that, after one month, at most, I’ve used about one-quarter of each bottle.
You can buy the whole set of three for $24.99!
Honestly, I didn’t even look at the price until it was time to write my review. I was floored when I saw how well priced the set is.
Would I Recommend Evande?
Yes – I most definitely would. I’ve had a great experience using this set for the past month. My skin feels great and I’ve finally found a toner that works for my skin! I also love the clean packaging and the great price.
Last year, just in time for Christmas, I started experimenting with using colours in my melt and pour soap. I made a few striped soaps and was quite pleased with the result.
That is, until the colours started to bleed and blend with each other. After that, I stayed away from the stripes for a while. What’s the point of stripes if they just blend together?
Two-Toned Soap
This year, as the Christmas Soap Making spirit caught me, I decided to try a two-tone soap using a non-bleed colour.
Two Tone Soap
Here it is! This photo was taken quite some time after I had made the soap and as you can see, there is no bleeding! The colours have stayed separate!
It may seem like a small victory to some, but it’s huge in my little world. I’m so pleased with the result.
I recently took the plunge into the world of homemade deodorant. I tried for months and years to find a store-bought brand that worked for me. After absolutely no long-lasting success, I made my own.
I was thrilled with my first go at it. Click here to read all about it. This recipe worked SO well for me! In fact, it worked better than my regular store bought deodorant. The one complaint I had was with the consistency. I found that it separated easily, requiring a vigorous stir prior to each use. I was also concerned that it would not travel all that well.
I set out to find a recipe that was more solid and would fit into a deodorant stick. I didn’t have to look that hard. I went back to the Crunch Betty site and found a recipe that fit the bill. Click here to see exactly what Crunchy Betty says.
Unlike many other deodorant recipes out there, this recipe doesn’t use baking soda, cornstarch, or arrowroot powder. Instead, it uses clay to help absorb extra moisture.
The Ingredients:
1.5 Tablespoons of Beeswax beads
4 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon of Shea Butter
4 Teaspoons of clay ( I used White Kaolin Clay)
20-25 drops of Essential Oils ( I used Tea Tree, Rosemary, Lemon and Bergamot)
The Method:
I melted the beeswax, coconut oil and shea butter over low heat on the stove. Had I actually done what the recipe said, I would have added the Shea Butter after the beeswax was melted. Shea doesn’t do withstand heat all that well, so it’s best to heat it as little as possible. Having said that, I was excited and put all three into the pot together.
Raw Ingredients
Once that was melted, I removed the pot from heat and whisked in the clay. The mixture turned a gray colour. Then, I stirred in the essential oils.
Deodorant in the Making
I cooled the mixture by putting it in a cold water bath. It wasn’t elegant, but it did the trick. The mixture started to set up in about a minute.
Makeshift Water Bath
Finally, I poured and scooped the mixture into 5 mini deodorant stick containers and popped them into the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Mini Deodorant Sticks
Did It Work?
I tested this stick for 3 days. I even managed to convince two good friends of mine to give it a try.
The texture of the stick was pretty slippery. After coming out of the freezer, the mixture softened considerably. While applying it one day, I thought it might do better in a roll-on applicator.
The scent was unique. One friend of mine went through several love/hate cycles with the scent each day that she wore the deodorant. I noticed the scent, but didn’t find it offensive.
The deodorant was effective for a few hours at a time, provided there was no undue stress or mild physical activity (like walking). Yes, you read that right. This stick just didn’t do the trick. I really wanted to love it, but after several days of this, I couldn’t justify using it anymore. This was far less effective than the first homemade deodorant that I made.
It’s back to the drawing board for me.
Disclaimer
Deodorant is a very personal thing. What works for one person may not work for another person. Further, what works for you one day may not be the solution on another day.
While this didn’t work for me, it doesn’t mean that it won’t work for you. If you walk down this path of homemade deodorant, I think you’ll learn, just as I am learning, that experimentation is key. Don’t discount this recipe just because of my experience. Who knows, this may be just the right concoction for you!
I make a lot of lip balm. It’s easy and the lip balms actually work. How easy, you ask?
Really easy.
Making Lip Balm
First, get your ingredients ready. You’ll need oil, some wax, and some butter if you feel like it.
Next, melt all of the ingredients together. I do this in a pot on the stove on the lowest heat setting possible. If I had a double boiler, I would use that instead. It’s important not to overheat the ingredients or burn the oil.
Melting the ingredients
Once everything is melted, take the liquid off the heat and add your essential oils.
Melted Ingredients
Finally, pour your lip balms. I use this fancy lip balm tray to hold all of the tubes steady. As it turns out, I actually need help holding my hand steady as there is always some spillage.
Lip Balm Tube Filling Tray
Finally, let the balms set and cool. It’s a bit like watching the kettle boil, so it’s best to find something else to do in the meantime. When possible, I like to let mine set overnight. Once they are ready, you can taken them out of the tray and pop the lids on each tube.
The Result?
Do these simple steps and you’ll have a homemade lip balm. I like to call mine Lip Lube.
Here’s a shot of two tubes I just made up for a friend who was brave enough to try out my formula.
Lip Lube
The Recipe
It took me a long time and many trials to come up with the recipe that I use. I like it because it’s soft enough to be used in the cold winter months, but doesn’t melt in your purse or pocket in the hot summer months. I just might end up selling these tubes of Lip Lube one day. So, for now, I’m opting to keep the recipe to myself.
If you’re looking for ideas, check out one of my favorite sites here. It’s the Crunchy Betty site. It’s full of ideas, recipes and tips. It’s a great starting point! Or, if you’re more adventurous, try a few combinations out on your own. It might take a few tries, but I’m sure you’ll end up with a formula that works. Either way, have fun!
A dear friend of mine recently announced to me that she was pregnant. Yay!!
About five minutes after she told me her great news, she asked if I could make her some belly butter to help avoid the dreaded stretch marks. Not only was she looking to avoid the actual stretch marks, but she had found that the stretching her skin had already done in the first few weeks had been a bit painful. She had tried to find a butter in the stores, but found that many of them had unnecessary ingredients. My heart warmed and I assured her I would help her take care of her skin.
Belly Butters
I made a two separate butters for her. One is for the morning and one is for bedtime. I made two jars of each one. I made both with base oils that are great for the skin. The main oils in both are Jojoba and Kukui oil.
Belly Butters
Belly Butter in the Morning
I scented this belly butter with a mixture of citrus scents. It’s perfect for awakening the body in the morning and having a fresh scent on your skin to start the day. I also made this butter quite soft, so that it’s easy to apply.
Bedtime Belly Butter
For nighttime, I scented the butter with a soothing lavender. The scent is calming and will help my dear friend get her sleep.
Why not a straight oil?
Oils are also great for moisturizing the skin. I find that, to achieve a deep moisturizing effect, a butter, lotion or cream is more effective. Once your skin is well moisturized, an oil is excellent and keeping the moisture in. To learn more about my take on the difference between oils and creams/lotions, click here.
Clean Ingredients Make for Safe Cosmetics
When a woman becomes pregnant, she starts sharing everything that she takes into her body, whether through eating, inhaling, or through her skin, with her growing baby. For that reason, it’s so important to pay attention to what that new mama is taking in. Why use a product with unnecessary parabens or other chemicals that will be passed on to the new baby when there are equally effective and less harmful options available? Sometimes, we do it because it’s convenient or because we don’t have access to a better alternative. I was so happy that my friend is paying attention to what she shares with her growing baby and it was such a pleasure to be able to make a belly butter that is safe for both of them.
Who doesn’t love a little bit of pumpkin pie? It’s creamy, smooth and tasty. Now, you can have that for your skin too! Want to know more? Read on!
Indie Lee
I was recently approached by the marketing firm for Indie Lee. As described right on Indie Lee’s website,
“Indie Lee is devoted to making all natural beauty products from the world’s finest ingredients. What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it. We must nurture our soul to let our inner beauty shine through. Live life to its fullest, one moment at a time.”
Indie Lee also likes to share DIY recipes and that’s where I came into the picture. I was asked to try out this DIY body scrub recipe and write about it. There’s absolutely nothing in this for me, except of course, I get to try out a new body scrub and pamper myself. Tough life, isn’t it?
Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub
Here’s the recipe, as it was sent to me:
Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub
Unfortunately, I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand. So, I made do with what I had and made a modified version of this body scrub.
My Modified Recipe:
1 cup of white granulated sugar
1/8 cup of coconut palm brown sugar
4 tsp of pumpkin spice*
1/8 cup of coconut oil
4 T of olive oil
Ingredients From My Cupboard
As you can see from the photo of my ingredients, I didn’t have a whole lot of white sugar left. So, I opted to make half of the amount in this recipe, just so I could have a cup of sugar left over at the end.
I used coconut palm brown sugar. It’s not quite as soft as regular brown sugar, but it worked just fine in this recipe.
I used my homemade pumpkin spice instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg. My pumpkin spice recipe comes directly from Heidi at Lightly Crunchy. It’s a great little recipe that includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Check out the recipe here. I used quite a bit more spice than the original recipe calls for. I did that to compensate for the lack of actual pumpkin in my concoction. I used the spice to simulate that spicy pumpkin pie scent. If only I could transmit smells through my blog, you would know that it worked.
Sugars and Pumpkin Spice
I used both coconut oil and olive oil. While the original recipe did not call for olive oil, I found that I needed to add some moisture to compensate for the lack of pumpkin. I could have just as easily added more coconut oil. Both coconut oil and olive oil are good for your skin, so I didn’t mind having both in this scrub.
Adding Coconut Oil
Finally, it’s obvious that I didn’t include any actual pumpkin. Pumpkin pie mix is just not something that I have on hand. I would have loved to include some pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree. Alas, I had used my entire supply up already (mostly on baby food). So, I did without and added both olive oil and a lot of pumpkin spice to compensate.
The Result
The result of my little concoction looked like this.
Final Product
The mixture was fine and felt pretty smooth. It smelled like baking, which was exactly what I wanted. I used it on my arms and legs and ended up with very soft and polished skin. I could feel the difference right away.
Would I Make It Again?
Sure! I would certainly make this again.
This scrub, like most scrubs, serves two main purposes. It exfoliates the skin and it also provides moisture, by virtue of all the oils. I’m someone who always has to apply lotion to my skin after a shower. However, I was able to skip that step when I had used this scrub.
I love recipes like this one because you can make it with common ingredients found in your kitchen. And if you’re faced with a problem like I was, in that you didn’t actually have some of the ingredients, you can use substitutes and still come up with a great product for your skin.
A few months ago, I made a homemade vapor rub. For some reason, I didn’t blog about it right away. Frankly, it was so easy that I think that’s the reason I forgot to share it with you all!
I had been planning on including it in the Gift Box of Goodies that I put together. Alas, there simply wasn’t enough room in the box. So, I ended up with two sinus-clearing tubs of vapour rub. Darn.
Vapour Rub Packed with Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary
Crunchy Betty via Lightly Crunchy
I found the recipe on Heidi’s blog, Lightly Crunchy. If you’re ever looking for great information on how to live life in a sustainable way, check out her blog. I’m sure that you’ll love it, just as I do.
Heidi had blogged about her homemade vapour rub that was made with a recipe from the Crunchy Betty site. It looked pretty good, so I used the same exact one.
A Simple Recipe
Homemade Vapour Rub
2 tsp beeswax (grated)
1/4 cup olive oil (or experiment with an oil of your choice)
35 drops peppermint essential oil
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
15 drops rosemary essential oil
Melt the beeswax and olive oil together until smooth. I did this in a pot on the stove, on the lowest heat setting possible. Stir iy once in a while to make sure it mixes well. I then took it off the heat and added in the essential oils. Once everything was mixed, I poured this into two small containers and let it set, uncovered, overnight. Store in a cool, dry place for up to a year (or more).
Does it Work?
Oh yes, it certainly does! The smell is quite strong, which is perfect in a vapour rub. It’s both sweet and refreshing. The large amount of peppermint has a great cooling effect. (For more information about the cooling effects of peppermint essential oil, check out my Peppermint Schnuts post).
Essential Oils
But, don’t take my word for it.
As it turns out, a friend of mine happens to use store-bought VapoRub every single night before bed. It’s the only thing that works to keep his sinuses clear through the night. I mentioned to him that I had made a homemade batch and he jumped at the opportunity to be a test subject. He’s been using it for a couple of months now. He reported back to me that it works just as good or better than the store-bought product. He also said that it lasts longer. While it took a week or so to get used to a slightly different smell, once he got over that, he was hooked!
I was so pleased to hear such a positive review.
This is one of the easiest things to make and it works. Sounds perfect to me!
Au Naturel Essence 