4.09.2013

Osmia Organics


Osmia Organics has been on my wish list for sometime now. Both Britanie and Kimberly love the spot treatment and I was in serious need of one. So I decided to take the plunge and order it. And why order only one item when they all sound so lovely. I ended up picking up the Spot Treatment, Rose Clay Facial Soap and the Oh So Soap. Sarah (the founder) was sweet enough to throw in a few treats for me to try as well. 

The Spot Treatment has become a staple product for me. It's potent mix of essential oils in an evening primrose base that helps to fight bacteria without over drying your skin. My favorite part is that it includes Thyme essential oil. This has been recently shown to be more effective than traditional acne treatments! Win for team natural! 

While I'm not really crazy about body soaps in general I decided to try Sarah's super simple Oh So Soap. This soap has no added essential oils or colorings making it a great choice for my sensitive skin. It's a blend of olive oil and mango butter which sounded divine! Oh So Soap has totally changed my view of body soap. It never leaves my skin feeling stripped or dry. I love it and so does my other half so I think we'll be buying more in the future. And that could be a while as this bar is GIANT!

The Rose Clay Facial soap has been lovely as well. At first my esthetician genes were yelling at me "why did you buy a bar soap?!" But they got over it pretty quickly with this creamy bar. This removes every trace of makeup and has not once stung my eyes. I use this in the evening only and find that it doesn't dry my skin out. I did play around with twice a day but found that to be a bit much for my skin. 

I also received in my order the Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair* which I have been using at night to help keep my lips in good condition. It's a thick very emollient lip treatment that feels like it's really protecting the lips. The other items I received were the Ylang Spring* soap which if it's anything like the Oh So Soap I'll surely love it and Trusque* a lovely lavender and plant-based musk scent. Trusque is a warm and cozy scent that makes me think of snuggly knits and toasty fires. 

I think that this was a great first order from Osmia Organics. I'm already hooked and planning a repurchase of the Oh So Soap and I'd really like to try some of the other skincare. 

Have you tried Osmia Organics? What's your favorite?


*These products and samples were provided to me by Osmia Organics. All opinions are my own.

4.02.2013

Spring Day Makeup


One of my favorite things about spring is the bright tones for makeup. Bright lips, bright cheeks, bright liner- I love it all. This look is a classic for me as it's easy to do in the morning and makes me feel like I'm put together. 
Which is good because at 7 a.m. all I really want is coffee. 


These are what I've been using to achieve the look at the top. 

Silk Naturals Eu-taupe-ia - I use this for just some subtle definition in my socket. This is the perfect shade for contouring my eyes. 

Jane Iredale Aqua Silk - This is technically a cream shadow but who needs rules! I use this on a fine liner brush and apply to coats to achieve the color in the photo. 

Tarte Gifted Mascara - Current mascara love. Such a nice deep black and long lasting formula.

Sula Beauty It's Not Me, It's You - This is a great warm pink blush that adds a little life back into your skin after a long winter.

Burt's Bees Blush Lip Shine - The perfect hint of color to the lips. Sometimes I pair this with the Jane Iredale Pink lip pencil to add more pop. 


Swatches L to R
Aqua Silk, Blush Lip Shine, Sula Cheek Tint, Eu-taupe-ia


What's been your favorite look for spring?
Any favorite bright eyeliners?




3.26.2013

La Bella Figura Daily Elements Defense Face Oil



If you haven't noticed already by my posts or my twitter feed; I have a serious love affair with La Bella Figura. Victoria and Karen are pretty much skincare magicians as far as I am concerned. Everything (and I mean everything) I have tried from them is pretty much golden. The reason being is that not only are their products elegant and feel good, but they are effective and have loads of science behind their ingredient choices. Just check out their blog. You can tell these ladies love some science. And from one science geek to another I totally appreciate that. 

The newest addition to the LBF family is the Daily Elements Defense Face Oil. This face oil features a great new antioxidant - Sacha Inichi oil. Antioxidants in skincare are excellent defenders. They help to protect your skin from free radicals caused by environmental exposure. Free radicals can cause all sorts of nasty cellular damage leading to collagen and elastin loss. Not to mention fine lines, wrinkles and age spots! Ick! 

By using a serum that contains an antioxidant in your morning routine you'll help to protect your skin from future damage. Plus vitamin A and E are wonderful to help repair any damage that's already been done. They help with circulation and cell turnover which leaves you with a radiant complexion. Who doesn't love ingredients that do that?!

You can find this serum over at La Bella Figura. It runs $95 USD. Which is yes pricier than other things out there but the wealth of science and knowledge that goes into each product as well as the best sourced ingredients totally makes it worth it to me. 


*I was kindly gifted this serum by the lovely ladies at La Bella Figura. All opinions on this product are very much my own and I would totally repurchase this!*




3.25.2013

Products I'd Repurchase - A Green Beauty Collab!



I'm doing a Green Beauty Collab with some other lovely vloggers and bloggers. Brianna from iluvjesse444 started this idea and will have the master list over on her site. 
 I love this idea because it's different than an empties video. It's all the stuff I'd really go back out and buy. As well as some things I just plain can't live without. Surprisingly enough I don't have a blush in this mix. I guess since they discontinued my old standby I haven't found the HG blush to win my heart againI hope you enjoy finding out some of my favorites as well as products I'd continue to repurchase.

Link to the Master List






Products Featured:

Amazing Base, Liquid Minerals, and Bitty Brow Kit 

Joy LipSurgence and Gifted Mascara

Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang

"un" cover-up in 11

Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+

Cold Pressed Barbary Fig Seed Oil, Daily Elements Defense Oil*, and La Curacio

Organic Argan Oil

Spot Treatment




All products except those denoted by an * were purchased by me.
Products denoted by an * were gifted. 
I am not paid for my opinion and only review honestly. 
I will only recommend products that I LOVE. 

3.17.2013

Burt's Bees Lip Shines Video Review!






So here's my first ever video appearance. 
I'm reviewing my new favorite lip gloss from Burt's Bees. 
If you like it I'll try another one again soon. 

=)
Alexis

3.06.2013

DeVita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+


I love finding new sunscreens! I'm a bit obsessive about my sun protection being so fair and having burnt so often as a kid. After I trained as an Esthetician I really started to realize the importance of finding a good full spectrum sunscreen that I could use daily. It even kicked in further as I learned of more and more cases of skin cancer with younger people. So I do my best to protect my skin as well as making sure friends, family and anyone who will listen (and sometimes the ones who won't) about sunscreen. I found out about this SPF from a few of my favorite green beauty bloggers. 

This DeVita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30 is the latest and greatest in natural sun protection as far as I am concerned. Most natural SPFs are thick, chalky and generally not cosmetically elegant. No one wants to put something on their face that feels like paste. DeVita's SPF is pretty much the opposite of thick and chalky. It's smooth and easily absorbed. Hyaluronic Acid and glycerin make this a light hydrating SPF that can be used daily. It also rates a 1 on the EWG Skin Deep site.  I've been loving it so much that I'm thinking about getting their body formulation. So that once arms and legs are exposed here in a few months I can protect those too. 

Here's the ingredients!
NO NANO TECHNOLOGY! (average particle size is 240 nm).
ACTIVE INGREDIENT: Zinc oxide 19%. INACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Aloe barbadensis (certified organic aloe vera gel), Purified Water (aqua), Capric/caprylic triglycerides (derived from coconut oil), Glycerin (vegetable), Hyaluronic acid (vegan source), Glyceryl stearate SE (derived from vegetable oil), Stearic acid, Lecithin phospholipid, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Allantoin, Vitis vinifera (grape) seed extract. 

Do you use an SPF daily? What's your favorite one? 

This product runs $25.95. 
Product purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

3.03.2013

Sensational Sunday!



Green Beauty Blog Highlights Week Four!

Pemberly Jones finds a new favorite with Acure Organics Everyday Clarifying Shampoo & Conditioner

Beauty By Britanie shares some of her tips on the Power of Positive Thinking

kimberlyloc shows off her styling skills for the Kansas City Fashion Week Kickoff

Beauty Huile checks out the Know Your Ingredients Oil, Serum and Mask

iluvjesse444 teaches you How to Go Natural with Hand and Body Moisturizers

Eco Beauty Secrets tries a DIY Grapefruit Body Scrub

Pure Makeup gives us a Makeup Spending Plan Update

Naturally Blushed gets super soft with Weleda Citrus Refreshing Body Oil

Genuine Glow sees who's top in comparing highlighters RMS Beauty vs W3LL People

Sugarpuffish tells us what she's ran out of with her February Empties Video

Naturalla Beauty shares her latest discovery in her All Natural Face Haul

zenfemi gives a great mask recipe using Now Foods European Clay

True Beauty by Nature finds an eye cream that works with Mad Hippies Eye Cream


And coming up on my blog you'll see my favorite SPF and a lovely new serum. 

Have a great week everyone!!

Alexis