I apologize it’s been awhile since the last post. I’ve been insanely busy with a new job but I’m starting to come up for air. Rest assured that regardless of the publication cadence of this blog, I’m always sampling products while iving and breathing green beauty! I wanted to report out on my natural beauty favorites from Summer 2015 before we’re deep into Fall.

The interesting thing about posting favorites from a few month back is that I can add additional perspective now that some time has lapsed. Here are some of the products I loved during this past summer.

Josh Rosebrook Caco Antioxidant Mask  
As you may know, I adore Josh Rosebrook skin products. I was in the mood to get some more uses out of this mask before retiring it for Fall. This mask is ultra luxurious, effective and reminds me chocolate truffles I love to indulge in during the holidays. Product description: “A powerful skin brightening and rejuvenating product that detoxifies, tones, firms and exfoliates the skin. Users experience a clearer, firmer and brighter complexion after the first treatment. NO animal testing, parabens, sulfates, petro-chemicals, synthetic ingredients, preservatives, colors, fillers, fragrances or GMOs.”

Ingredients: STRUCTURED VITAMIN WATER, DISTILLED WATER, ORGANIC CACAO (COCOA) POWDER, ORGANIC WITCH HAZEL EXTRACT, VINEGAR, ORGANIC OILS OF: ALMOND AND GRAPE SEED, HERBAL INFUSIONS OF: LAVENDER FLOWERS, GINKGO LEAF, ALFALFA, BILBERRY, NEEM LEAF, COMFREY, MARSHMALLOW ROOT, SKULLCAP, ST. JOHN’S WORT, YERBA MATE, SAGE, BLADDERWRACK, PAPAYA LEAF, HAWTHORN BERRY AND CLARY SAGE. ORGANIC COQ10ORGANIC ESSENTIALOILS OF: ORANGE, LAVENDER, ROSEMARY, CALENDULA. $60 You can find it here:

Vapour Stratus Soft Focus Skin Perfector in 902  
I had this product for awhile and didn’t give it much of a try until I read a rave review. This is  a multi-purpose product; moisturizer, skin care and perfecting foundation base all in one. It’s very emollient and may be greasy for oily skin (it’s OK for me since I’m on the dry side. I’ve tried applying this product two ways: 1. Combine it with some Vapour Soft Focus foundation. 2. Follow it with a powder foundation. The product perfects pores, keeps your face moist and dewy all day long and has great staying power.

Ingredients: Organic Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Silica, Organic Cera Alba (Beeswax), Lauroyl Lysine, Mica, Organic Sambucus Nigra (Elderberry) Fruit Extract, Organic Lecithin, Organic Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil, Organic Papain (Papaya) Extract, Solanum Lycopersicon (Tomato) Fruit/Leaf/Stem Extract, Canarium Luzonicum (Elemi) Gum Nonvolatiles, Commiphora Myrrha (Myrrh) Gum Oil, Eriocephalus Punctulatus (Cape Camomile) Oil, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Wildcrafted Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Gum, Organic Ocimum Sanctum (Tulsi/Holy Basil) Leaf Extract, Organic Nelumbo Nucifera (Lotus) Leaf Extract, Pogostemon Cablin Oil [may contain +/- Titanium Dioxide (CI77891) Iron Oxide (CI77491), Carmine (CI75470)] $ 48 Find it here:

Pai Camilia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser   
This product has remained my #1 eye makeup remover for almost a year and it’s also a wonderfully gentle morning cleanser or end of day makeup remover. I had been using oil cleaners religiously and realized I had a large container of this cleanser to use up before it expired. When I started using this cleanser regularly again, I fell in love with it all over again.

Ingredients: Rose, camellia aqua, camellia sinensis seed oil*, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil*, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil*, cetearyl alcohol, vegetable glycerine*, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter* , cetearyl glucoside, rosa damascena (rose otto) oil*, pelargonium graveolens (geranium) oil*, lavandula officinalis (lavender) flower oil*, litsea cubeba fruit oil* – may chang oil, mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin e), sodium lauroyl lactylate, sodium anisate, sodium levulinate, lactic acid, glyceryl stearate citrate $ 50 Find it here:

Studio 28 Bronzer  
I had been dying to try Studio 28 for awhile and chose this product since I was in the “bronzing” mood for summer, This bronzer is lovely and was love at first try. This is a baked formula that is velvety smooth and picks up easily with a soft brush. A weird thing happened in June – this bronzer crumbled into pieces. When I received it from Amazon, I noticed the product wasn’t a perfectly smooth pressed compact and there were some irregularity in the smoothness of the compact. I believe the product was damaged and it was just a matter of time before it broke apart. The original product is usable, just a little tricky to get a small amount of product on your brush. I liked the product enough to give it another try and purchased it again – this time in the lighter shade White Sand which is better for my skin tone. Great stuff.

Ingredients: Mica, zea mays starch*, squalane, zinc stearate, cocos nucifera oil*, helianthus annuus seed oil*, prunus armeniaca kernel oil*, persea gratissima oil*, chamomilla recutita flower extract*, parfum, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, limonene, linalool. May contain : ci 77891, ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499. $43. Find it here:

Spectrum Cosmetics Loose Eye Shadow in Driftwood   
I looked long and hard for an eyeshadow that would add natural looking definition to my brows and this product hits the mark.  This matte grey/brown powder is just perfect for adding natural looking definition. The cool toned product doesn’t contain any of the annoying warmness of many brow products. It’s a real winner and so affordable!

Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Iron Oxide, D&C Black #2, Polyester3  $3.50 Find it here:

Silk Naturals Eyeshadow in Exposed and Focus  
I bought several eye shadows in an attempt to mimic my favorite shades from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palate. These are nice shadows and are made without talc, binders, bismuth oxychloride, or preservatives. Walk of Shame is one of my favorite UD eye shadows and Exposed is working out great as an “better than bare” overall eye color. Exposed Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Myristate, Magnesium Stearate, Boron Nitride, Silica. Also contains: Iron Oxides.

Focus is a taupe tone with just the faintest hint of pearl. It’s great as a crease color and dupe for Naked 2. Focus Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Myrsistate, Magnesium Stearate, Boron Nitride, Silica. Also contains: Iron Oxides $4.99  Find these shadows here:

What did you love most this past summer?

-Barbara

Happy Spring! I love how the tree lined streets around town are growing greener by the day as leaves grow on once barren limbs. New birds are stopping by the garden for a snack, drink or bath.

It’s time to report on the products I used up and my natural beauty favorites from March 2015.

Empties
Jason Sea Fresh Toothpaste – Deep Sea Spearmint 
This toothpaste is quite good – lathers pretty well and leaves the mouth minty fresh. The only complaint I have is that top is a little hard to close. You have to keep the top cleaned really well and use quite bit of force to get it closed – not a show stopper; just a bit of an annoyance. $6.39  Find it here

Agent Nateur N°3 Deodorant
This deodorant was one of my February Favorites (Add link). Because it’s a small deodorant, I used it up pretty quickly. I love the convenience of a roll on. This product is pricey but it’s high quality and I’d buy it again, especially for travel. $11  Find it here

Favorites
Dr. Bronner’s Rose Castile Bar Soap
I’m amazed by all Dr. Bronner products. They’ve been around forever and are still top notch. This soap is super creamy, long lasting and I’m just crazy about it. $4.69  Find it here

Hi Everyone! Another month has gone by and Spring has sprung here in California. It’s so nice to see all the flowers in bloom and the bright green leaves starting to grow back on the barren tree branches. I’ve been making a concerted effort to work through products I already have opened. New products await which serves as great motivation. I’m trying my best to abstain from new skincare purchases which is so hard! I did pick up several new natural cosmetics over the past 6 weeks so stay tuned  for a future blog post to learn about what products I’m loving this Spring. This post is an overview of my natural beauty favorites from Feb. 2015 along with a few empties.

Real Techniques Bold Metals 100 Brush – This brush works great for loose or pressed/finishing powder. l Iove how weighty it is and how it feels in my hand. The bristles are super soft with just the right amount of give to gently pat product on the face without moving your makeup around. It cleans like a dream and dries really fast. $25.99 Find it here

Lily Lolo Lipstick in Love Affair – I kept this lipstick in my purse last month so it was my Go-To in February. Lily Lolo describes the color as a “dusty, brown pink” and it’s perfect for every day of the week, work or play. It’s easy to apply, very moisturizing. It has so much shine, you don’t need to carry a separate gloss. $17.98  Find it here

Agent Nateur Deodorant – I found out about this deodorant from the lovely Britanie, author of the Beauty by Britanie blog. It’s such cute little product, glides on like a dream and really performs. $11  Find it here

Nuyah Lip Balm in Spearmint – This has become a nightstand staple. I can’t get enough of this lip balm including the slight tingle from the spearmint variety. $3.99  Find it here

Laurel Serum in Balance – This was a sample from an online retailer that I enjoyed it last month. It’s rich and hydrating. The Balance variety is geared toward combination or skin with break-out tendencies. Since I have normal to dry skin, I plan to try the Sun Damage variety next time. $68  Find it here

Empties
Mun No. 1 Akori Lightening Serum – This is one of the first facial oils I ever tried and set the bar so high for this skincare category. This product contains a minimum number of ingredients, each one of impeccable quality. This is probably the silkiest oil I’ve ever tried – a real keeper! $95  Find it here

Kari Gran Essential Serum – I’ve tried so many wonderful serums that I would repurchase in a heartbeat. This one, however, didn’t have the right texture to easily massage into the skin and the scent didn’t wow me. $35 for the trial set of cleanser, toner and serum.  Find it here

Josh Rosebrook Moisturizing Cleanser – I bought the trial size and used it during my morning shower for gentle face cleansing. I love how it smells (reminds me of freshly baked sugar cookies) and it always puts a smile on my face. I miss it and will repurchase soon. $27 – $50  Find it here

What natural beauty products have you been enjoying lately?