Eco Beauty Reviews Vol. II

You may have seen my first Eco Beauty Review, it's been a little while, so I figured I would go on to a new volume! 

Today I wanted to share a few more eco products that I have been trying, and how I like them so far. :) I hope to do a recurring feature on the products I try, and how I like them. Are you interested in reading more? Let me know in the comments! :)

1) Fruit Pigmented Lip & Cheek Tint by 100 Percent Pure

These little pigment sticks are one of my favorite makeup items, I use it every day! I have two colors: Shimmery Strawberry and Peach Glow. I tend to use the peach one in the summer months, and the strawberry one in the winter ones, but they are both great for any time of year. I use them as my blush in my "5 minute face" routine. I simply swipe a little over each cheek, and then blend with my fingers or a blending sponge. It gives me a little bit of color in my cheeks without being too bright. It also makes a nice sheer lip color. Though I don't tend to use it on my lips a lot. While these are a little pricey for blush ($25), I think they last me almost a year! So they are a really good value!

Purchase Here: Strawberry and Peach.

2) Natural Hand Lotion by 100 Percent Pure

When I went to college I had TONS of lotions. Mostly gifts from friends and family, tons of scents, tons of chemicals, etc. I used them all up, because I didn't want to be wasteful... but after that point, I didn't purchase a lot of lotions. One winter 100 Percent Pure did a Black Friday special where you could get three small sized lotions for a really good price. I got one and it included lavender, coconut, and honey almond scents. I really loved it, and since then I have continued purchasing them as I'm out. I don't love the coconut scent, which I usually do like coconut, but the honey almond and lavender are favorites. I even use the lavender ones on my face when I forget my moisturizer, and it works great! These hand creams are $12, and last for quite a while.

As a tip, these eco lotions don't absorb into your skin immediately. In turn they moisturize better, but you'll want to give it a few minutes before you go about doing other things.

One of the things I've hated the most about "going eco" is that there are so many less items with fun scents. Everything is pretty hippie or just comes in a few scents. I love that 100 Percent Pure has found natural ways to scent their products. It's so much more fun again!

Purchase Here.

3) Luminizing Face Powder by Honest Beauty

I have always loved makeup looks with just a little bit of shimmer. I don't want a ton of glitter on my face, but a subtle mineral eye shadow or powder with a bit of shimmer is a favorite. This luminizing powder is really really gorgeous and layers subtly over my other makeup. I just swipe a little bit over my cheek tint (above) and it gives me a highlight on my cheek bones. You can also use it near your brow! Or wherever you want to highlight. This powder is $25 on its own, or part of a three item $50 per shipment bundle. It comes in three colors: Midnight Reflection, Dawn Reflection, and Dusk Reflection. I use the Midnight Reflection color.

Purchase Here.

What beauty products have you guys been trying? Any that you love?

Are you interested in seeing more eco-beauty posts?

This post does not contain affiliate links. As always, I'm giving you guys my honest opinion!

Thank you for reading!

Alexandra

Eco Beauty Review Vol. I // Featuring CORA

As you guys know, I am very into keeping it green and chemical free around here. You may have read some of my past posts, especially my recent one about our Honest Bundle... but I don't share my favorite products or product reviews as often as I would like to!

Today I wanted to share a few new eco products that I have been trying, and how I like them so far. :) I hope to do a recurring feature on the products I try, and how I like them. Are you interested in reading more? Let me know in the comments! :)

1) Sensitive Skin Moisturizer via ACURE Organics

I use ACURE organics for nearly all of my skincare products. I love the products and you can read more about my skin journey here.

While I am happy with all of the things I currently use, I recently decided to try the sensitive skin moisturizer. This moisturizer is $17.99 and comes in a 1.7 fluid oz squeeze tube. Overall, I think this is a nice heavier moisturizer, it seems to be working well with my sensitive skin. I try not to put a lot on the spots where I am breaking out or prone to break out because it's too heavy for that skin. This moisturizer is unscented.... but it smells kind of weird. Salty maybe. Maybe that's the sunflower oil? Not sure, but I don't really like the smell that it has. We'll see how continued use goes and whether or not I decide to buy more when this one runs out. I think it would be really nice for the colder months for when you need more moisture!

Purchase Here.

I currently also use the day cream - which is less heavy, and has a nice citrus scent, much better for warmer seasons.

2) Organic Cotton Tampons c/o CORA

CORA is a relatively new company that has a great business model! A few things I love are:

1) Organic cotton! ... and they don't contain any of the nasty synthetic materials and chemicals that the FDA doesn't require a label for. -yay!

2) For every month of CORA you buy, a month is delivered to girls in need. Over 100 million girls and women don't have access to feminine hygiene items! This means that they miss school and work because they have no other option!

3) It doesn't stop at #3! Through CORA, "Small scale manufacturing units" are set up in communities of need, where feminine hygiene products will be produced for the area. The women working in the unit will be local women, who will be paid a living wage. They also work to teach women's health education to their employees and their daughters.

4) Their branding is SO DARN CUTE. I love the packaging, the little vegan leather case that you can stash in your tote bag, and the larger box for your stash at home. I found the small one really handy on our summer vacations!

Overall, these tampons are great. They work well, they're cute, they are easy to conceal in the cases. I love that they don't include nasty chemicals and synthetic materials, and that they are delivered right to your door, much like the Honest bundles. The biggest plus is of course the cause! Incredible work being done there! I'm very impressed by their goals and the work they are doing, and I can't wait to find out more as they grow!

The things that I don't love about CORA are mostly related to their applicator and packaging materials. They currently have a plastic applicator and a plastic wrapping for each tampon. I like that the applicator is BPA free, and I see that they are in the process of developing a bio-based plastic, but for now I'm not a big fan of the waste the plastic is creating. I am VERY excited though, that they are working to reduce that already! Maybe someday they will have an applicator free version as well. :)

Purchase & Learn More About CORA Here. - price varies based on your preferences in your order and payment plan.

For $5 off your first order you can use my code: CORA5ALEXANDRA . :) 

3) Brow Filler by Honest Beauty

You guys know that I love The Honest Company and that I am really loving their essentials bundle! What I haven't shared yet, is that I am also trying out their makeup/skincare line, Honest Beauty. I will happily share more on other products soon (let me know if you are interested!), but I wanted to share about the brow filler today!

I am one of those people who just has the scraggliest eye brows. They have never been full or dark, they have always been different shapes, and many eco-brow products I have tried just looked strange, like I have tried to paint over them or something! Not good. This pencil is what I've been looking for for a LONG TIME! It goes on easily, fills in my brows without looking harsh, obvious, or fake, and is eco! :) The pencil is $15 on it's own or part of a 3 item $50 per shipment bundle. It comes in 4 colors: blonde, auburn, brunette, and black.

I wish that it didn't have the brow brush on the end, because I have a brow brush with my makeup brushes, and it feels wasteful to get a disposable brush with each new eyebrow pencil. Other than that, I love it.

Purchase Here.

Are you interested in learning more about Honest Beauty Bundles? Let me know!

4) Naked Palette by 100 Percent Pure

I have been using 100% Pure makeup since college, I love that it's eco and that it works well. They have a HUGE inventory... so there is always something new to try. I decided to pick up their naked palette with one of my orders. The palette is $45 and contains three eye shadows, a powder blush, and a luminizing powder. I had tried the luminizer before and I really like the subtle shimmer it gives over my blush. However, I hadn't tried any of the other products in the palette. After months of use the luminizer is gone and I am still using the eye shadows. I haven't touched the blush yet, because I just don't use a lot of powdered blush. Overall, the palette is not my favorite, mostly because my daily go-to eye shadows have a bit of shimmer to them. However, if you like a daily shadow without shimmer, this is the palette for you. The colors are neutral and work with all skin tones.

I probably won't order this again, but I will continue to get the luminizer, and other individual eye shadows as well as cream blushes from them. See a review of three of my favorite 100 Percent Pure products, here. - though they have sadly discontinued my favorite eye shadow. *sobs*

Purchase Here.

What beauty products have you guys been trying? Any that you love?

Are you interested in seeing more eco-beauty posts?

This post does not contain affiliate links, but this blog was given a free product from CORA to review. As always, I'm giving you guys my honest opinion!

Thank you for reading!

Alexandra

Honest Essentials Bundle Review // One Year Later

Hopefully it isn't any secret that I love all things eco. (though I don't post about it enough!) I made the decision in college to switch over a lot of my products and habits to be greener and cleaner, and I have rarely regretted any of it! There are still things I am working on, and I am not 100% good at anything. I'm human! I just do my best, and I always strive to do better. :)

You guys DEFINITELY know that I am typically very very busy. We are usually out of the house or entertaining at least three nights a week, we work "full time", and travel frequently. This often leaves me cleaning in a flash, or not having time to run to the health food store for eco cleaners, and not always having time to make my own cleaners, etc. This is one reason I LOVE the Honest bundle.

I am not being sponsored by them, though how cool would that be?! - but seriously, I share my REAL opinions with you guys, always. 

Anyhow, we started our bundle in June of 2015, and after more than a year of bundling, I have a lot to share with you guys. So read on if you are interested!

What is it?

We do the Honest Essentials Bundle (they also have wellness, and baby related bundles). With the essentials bundle you can choose 5 items monthly (mixing and matching), pick when it ships (we do every 6 weeks), and it gets delivered to your door. The cost for this bundle is $35.95 per month (plus shipping), and you can cancel at anytime.

What Can You Choose?

With the essentials bundle you can choose from personal care (shampoo, soap, tampons, bug spray...), cleaning items (detergents, dish towels, dryer sheets, cleaners...), kiddo related (diapers, wipes, creams...), and other "add ons". (Add ons are items that don't fit into your 5 items, but can be added on as an extra item - where you can save up to 25% on each.)

Pros & Cons

Pros: 

• It's really easy. 
• Mixing and matching is convenient and quick.
• You can choose how frequently you want to get your bundles.
• You get an email when it's time to update, you can swap your items easily, and you don't have to think of it again. 
• You know that the company holds itself to a high eco-standard and makes safe and healthy products.
• We have really loved almost every product that we have tried in over a year! That's pretty impressive considering how many different things we have ordered! :) 
• HUGE selection of products that are included in your 5 items. Even huger if you consider the add on items.
• Many products are offered in multiple (natural!) scents.
• Even the shipping materials are eco. They are also good quality - I reuse mine a lot, and it's always easy to recycle as well. :) 
• We often get coupon codes via email to add on a free item, or get a discount added to the bundle. That's always a nice surprise!
• Their customer service is awesome, any time I have a question or concern they are quick on the site chat, and very helpful! 

Cons:

• There have been some concerns related to sulfate in the detergents.
• There have been complaints about the sunscreen. - I haven't had any issues with their sunscreen!
• As just two people, we don't go through many of these cleaners that quickly! So sometimes, we feel like we are getting them too close together. But now that you can get more personal care items, it's been better. I do sometimes wish that we could change it to every 7 weeks or 8 weeks though. - you CAN adjust the shipping date to make it come later though, which is a plus! :)
• I don't love EVERY product I have tried. But I really don't expect to either. 
• Sometimes popular items are out of stock, and you won't be able to add them to your bundle. This doesn't happen often for us.
• I forget to update my bundle sometimes (#usererror ...) 

Bottom Line:

We love our Honest bundle. We get consistently great customer service, good quality eco products, and it fits into our busy schedule. It saves us time and money. While we don't love EVERYTHING about bundling, we do love almost everything. It makes it just a little bit easier to get our chores done, and gives us more time to spend together. That's what's HONESTLY important. :P

I can only imagine that as a parent (someday) this will be AMAZING. Safe diapers and baby products being delivered. Yes, please.

If you would like to try a bundle, or purchase anything from their site, please use my referral link! :)

I would love to share some un-boxings of the bundles, and specific thoughts on specific products if you guys are interested. Would you like to see/hear more?! Let me know in the comments.

Have you tried the Honest bundle or any other bundling service? What did you think of it?

Have you made any eco-friendly product or habit switches in your life? Do you have any goals to? Looking for ideas? Check out my post 12 Easy Ways to Go Green in 2016!

Side note: I LOVED Jessica Alba's book that came out before her company, read my review of it here if you are interested. :) I found it VERY informative and inspiring!!

XO,

Alexandra

DIY Watercolor Mani for Valentine's Day // Lazy Girl Basics

I love having polish on my nails, but often when I try to do something super fancy... it fails. Which is such a bummer. We've all been there right? The first step is done, you go to add the easy half moon or tip... and the whole nail is botched. Surely I'm not the only one.

Well this manicure is great* for two reasons:

1) It's easy, and it doesn't have to be perfect. (shaky hands? no big deal, lack of polish finesse? even better). In fact this mani looks better the more varied it is!

2) You can actually do this on top of a chipped mani. Yep. Those once pretty nails can be refreshed starting with the second step of this process. No more chips, pretty nails again!

Sound good? Here we go.

Supplies & Prep:

Prepped Nails (w/ base coat applied & dried)
1 Light Colored Nail Polish (I used 100% Pure's 12:51)
1 Darker Colored Nail Polish (I used Essie's 'Jelly Apple' (red), but also liked 'plumberry' (pink))
Top Coat
Remover etc. for touch ups

1) Apply your lighter color to all of your nails. Be patient. Let dry.

2) Apply darker color over the top of each nail. Start about halfway down and fill in with strokes to the top. Do this in strips to give it a more 'painted' type look. You can decide if you want to use less polish and make it look watercolor-y or more polish, which will look more like an oil painting. Don't worry if some parts are thicker than others, if there are curves or indentions in your polish, the variance will make it look more artsy. :) Let dry, completely.

3) Add top coat. Let dry again. 

Another way you could try this mani is with a darker color on the bottom and a metallic color over the top.

I personally think this would be really pretty with a lilac and a plum, or a gold over a bright pink. Or black with nude or white. See? really anything works. :)

You are one step closer to being a manicure master.

What are you planning for this weekend?

My v-day inspiration, here, and outfit, here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

XO,

Alexandra

*Disclaimer: It's not for everyone, it's kind of got an artsy flair to it, you can't be into perfection. But, if you want to go with the flow, and don't mind asymmetry... this is for you!

I LOVE 100 Percent Pure!!!

When it comes to makeup I have 2 requirements:

1) It's good for me and the earth. Free of nasty chemicals, non-natural fragrances and harsh ingredients.

2) It does it's job without a ton of work on my part.

And it doesn't hurt if it has pretty packaging :)

Upon a lot of research and investigation I found a company called 100 Percent Pure, and fell in love.

100 Percent Pure is a business dedicated to protecting the earth and our health by using chemical free, natural and gentle makeup, skin care and hair care products. They pigment and scent their makeup with things like fruits and chocolate which leaves you with really gorgeous hues and extremely yummy scents.

I have tried many of their products, and am ordering more all of the time. I thought that since this blog encompasses so many lifestyle topics, beauty might as well be another one! :)

I am looking forward to reviewing specific items in detail. But right now I'll just leave you with a taste of my top 3!

*all images (below) via 100 Percent Pure*

1) Luminous Primer Vitamins + Antioxidants With Resveratrol -$26

This stuff is AH-MAY-ZING. Changed my life. And since I favor tinted moisturizer to foundations, it helps it last all day! :) I cannot completely describe my love for this item. I was over-the-moon about the cyber Monday surprise that made this primer just $10(!!!) with free shipping! HOORAY! Buy it here.

2) Fruit Pigmented Raspberry Lip Butter -$1

This little pot of tinted gloss is so convenient and pretty. I am not a gloss girl by nature, but this is something that I actually use quite a lot! My favorite way to wear it is to layer it over a sheer bright pink lipstick! Plus, I can just throw it in my bag and not worry about it losing it's lid or breaking.. it's very easy. (makeup requirement #2... ) Buy it here.

3) Fruit Pigmented Cocoa Plum Eye Shadow -$15

This is my go-to eye shadow. I wear it quite a bit more than I had expected! I find myself wanting to wearing it to work several (if not every!) day of the week! This color is so gorgeous, a smokey bronzey plum that's not too dark and not too purple... but also not too brown! It's the best of all worlds and I will probably be wearing it for the rest of my life! Buy it here.

So there you have it! My top 3 from 100 Percent Pure. Check out their site they have so many amazing products all of which I feel safe and comfortable using! 

I am excited to start a little bit of beauty blogging here for you guys!

What is your favorite natural beauty product? 

Let me know in the comments!

All for now,

Alexandra