100% Pure Mascaras Round Up and Review

 Hi Lovelies,

100%Pure Mascaras Review & Comparison

100%Pure Maracuja mascara in Black Tea at the top, their original Fruit Pigmented Mascara in Black Tea at the bottom

Today I am presenting to you my favourite clean and green mascara! Pass the drum roll please, and ta-da-da-dah! it's 100%Pure Maracuja Mascara in Black Tea! 100%Pure does have two types of mascaras, and I will touch on both of them here, but to be clear from the start, my favourite is Maracuja one, while their original mascara tends to do very little for me, and it's mainly down to the brush. I think. I will go in a bit more details in just a second.
So as I just mentioned, 100%Pure does two types of mascaras, they sound very similar in name and they also appear very similar on the outside, they both have that gorgeous sleek silver bullet type of packaging with flower prints on them, but if you look closely, the original mascara is in true silver, but their Maracuja is packaged in rose gold packaging, and that is the one I like. I should also mention they also do some variations in colours, but having tried (and overdid) coloured mascaras in my youth I have no desire to wear them again, so I only tried the black ones. The original Fruit Pigmented Mascara has some weird shaped brush that does nothing for you, and it is also too long in my opinion, it is very easy to get mascara on your eyelids and everywhere you don't want your mascara to be! The brush thins out in the middle and I am not sure where were they going designing this type of the brush, but they sure missed it if you ask me, it is very hard to use and you hardly can build it up, the result is very "natural looking", or as they say "it's good everyday mascara" - or as I say, it will give you zero volume and sparse looking lashes, which is exactly what I don't want! I was really disappointed when i first tried it, I can compare it with DrHaushka mascara, they are very similar in that sense, but having learned this lesson I avoid any mascaras that are described as "good for everyday" or "natural looking" from then on, I don't want natural looking, I want volume! length! drama! With my short and stumpy lashes I need all the help I need in this department. If you would see my family's lashes, you would understand why. Cow's lashes anyone?
Now let's get back to the mascaras, shall we? The Maracuja one has a way better brush as you can see in the photo, it's the old fashioned big fat brush that you can really build the product up with, and this is exactly what I need, so I was like, thanks Green Beauty Gods for this! I am so glad I gave this a chance, because after such a disappointment with their first one I very nearly missed out on it. Both mascaras have gorgeous very clean ingredients, shall we look into it?

Ingredients: Fruit Pigmented Black Tea Mascara:
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Organic Green Tea), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Cera Alba (Honey Beeswax), Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract (Blackberry Extract), Ribes Nigrum Fruit Extract (Blackcurrant Extract), Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract (Raspberry Extract), Hydrolyzed Oat Protein (Oat Protein), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein (Wheat Protein), Pantothenic Acid (Pro-vitamin B5), Fucus Vesiculosus Extract (Seaweed Powder), Coconut Stearic Acid (Coconut Acid), Mica, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa Butter), Pearl Powder, Oryza Sativa Germ Powder (Rice Powder), Theobroma Cacao Extract (Cocoa Powder), Coffea Arabica Seed Extract (Powdered Coffee Beans), Mel (Lavender Honey), Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract (Oregano Extract), Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract (Thyme Extract), Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract (Rosemary Extract), Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract (Lavender Extract), Hydrastis Canadensis Extract (Goldenseal Extract)

Ingredients: Maracuja Mascara in Black Tea:
Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Coconut Stearic Acid, Pantothenic Acid (Pro-vitamin B5), Fucus Vesiculosus (Seaweed) Powder Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Passiflora Alata (Maracuja) Seed Oil, Extracts of Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice) Leaf*, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Germ Powder, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Powder, Coffea Arabica (Coffee Beans) Seed, Origanum Vulgare (Oregano) Leaf, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem, Hydrastis Canadensis (Goldenseal), Passiflora Alata (Maracuja) Seed, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower and Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Vegetable Glycerin, May Contain Iron Oxides * Certified Organic


Now, if you looked into that closely you would notice that their original mascara has beeswax and pearl powder in it, making it not vegan, and their Maracuja one does not have those, making it perfectly fine for my vegan friends! It does not also contain gluten, making it perfect for me! Both formulas are fantastic, very clean ingredients, you would be pressed hard to find such a clean ingredients in the green beauty world, and what I like even more, both mascaras will make your eyelashes grow! And I know it is this for a fact, I noticed them getting very long and healthy looking since starting using it, and I don't use any lash serums, no castor oil, nuffink! Now, I probably confused you a little bit here saying that I like both formulas very much, and let me clarify - once I got a (maracuja) mascara  that was gone off already and it smelled of alcohol, not the usual pleasant fruity scent, and after a few email exchanges I got a replacement (their customer service is fantastic btw) but since Maracuja mascara was out of stock at the time, they sent me the original one, and after one use I was like "Oh, now I remember why I don't like this!" but since switching up the brush from their Maracuja mascara it worked just fine, the way I like it. Such a minor thing, the bend in the brush, but it makes such a dramatic difference!

So to round it up, both mascaras are very good for different reasons, and it is up to you which one to choose, if you already have perfect lashes to begin with and you are not a vegan, you may go for their original Fruit Pigmented Mascara, but if you are like me where you need all the help in this department, I highly recommend that you try their Maracuja mascara (remember, rose gold packaging) and you will be glad you did! I have never repurchased any other mascara five or six times before, and to be honest I am so happy with it, l don't plan to look much further in the mascaras department, because I have wasted tons of money in doing so, where all these other brands didn't work for me for various reasons, and when you finally hit the jackpot you don't want to stray from it, right? In fact I will go on as far as to say that it is my nr1 from this brand, and it's one thing I will always repurchase as long as 100%Pure will ship it to Ireland.


So there you have it, my 100%Pure Mascaras round up and review, and I hope I touched all aspects of it, but if you have any questions, please let me know :)


Have you tried it? What is your favourite green mascara? Please share with me either here on in my Instagram page, I would really love to know.



That is all for now, see you next Monday.
Lots of Love,
Renata.
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100%Pure Luminous Primer Review

Hi Lovelies,

100%Pure Luminous Primer Review

 A few of you wanted me to review this 100%Pure primer, so here I am putting my two cents on it.
I was using it for more than a month now, so I feel I gave it enough time to form my opinion on it, and truth to be told I am loving it! This is my first primer ever as I was against the primers for the longest time ever, my thinking was that the foundation should work perfectly on it's own, without the crutch of an additional product, that I am looking to simplify my make up routine, not add another step to it, that sort of thing. (another option I tried before was the Vapour Organics Stratus in 902, but it didn't work out for me in a way that it made my skin itch). But truth to be told that us ladies over 30 (shhh..) really DO need to add this step to our make up routine because as we get older make up does not last as long. I made up my mind after Sam (or was it Nic?) from a powerhouse that is Pixiwoo complaining about it, I think she is younger than me, and she uses conventional make up (which adheres to the skin much better) so I figured if her make up does not last, then so be it, primer it is, because I don't know about you, but I find that natural make up does not last on me, mineral powders tend to do a bit better, but I am lucky if I get more than four hours of wear with my cream or liquid foundations.
I have written about 100%Pure as a brand already, so let's skip the introduction to it, and let's get straight to the review, shall we?

The official blurb:
Light reflective pigments diffuse the look of lines and wrinkles and makes skin instantly appear more luminous, bright, healthy, and glowing. Infused with red wine resveratrol, vitamins and antioxidants to shield from free radical damage. For Whom For all (universal). For those desiring a luminous complexion and longer wearing makeup.
 I have to say I agree with it, my skin looks better with it, pores are minimised - I never used any product with silicones, but i imagine it feels/works similar, plus the skin really looks dewy! So if you are a fan of a dewy skin (I know I am) then this primer is for you. I have a very sensitive and reactive skin, and I had zero problems, no initial irritation, nor my skin broke out from it. For you ladies out there that have sensitive skin like me, do not be afraid of trying this product out. It retails for 31€ but if you find that too pricy, you can do what I do and wait for their deals that they have from time to time. More info on how I go on about it on my other blogpost - check my 100%Pure collection and overview.

The ingredients:
Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice) Leaf Extract*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Jojoba Esters (Wax), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Euphorbia Cerifera Cera (Candelilla Wax) Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Organic Green Tea) Leaf Extract*, Resveratrol, Silica, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Butter, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower and Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Mica * Certified Organic
I really like the ingredients apart from the Japanese Honeysuckle (although from a natural source, it still behaves like a paraben in your body wreaking havoc with your endocrine system, and that is my only problem with this brand! Well, one of two problems, actually. Make sure you don't overload yourself with too many parabens, natural or not) I also like the fact that it contains candelilla wax instead of beeswax, which makes it a vegan product.

The performance:
I is a white gel consistency product with a tiny gold shimmers through it. But don't let that scare you, it won't be noticeable on your face, you won't look like a glitter disco ball, the finish is very natural and it looks like you are glowing from within. The make up glides on very smoothly on, and it stays that way

100%Pure Luminous Primer

The verdict:
Do I like and recommend this product? Yes and yes :) I have tried it with cream and liquid foundations, as well as mineral powder foundation, it works with all of them equally well, and I am so happy with it. Let me know your thoughts if you tried it already or plan to do so?

Psst, you can get it on Amazon The Detox Market, Safe & Chic & other places



So that is all for now. I wanted to take an opportunity to wish a Happy Easter to all of you my lovely readers :) 

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Lots of Love,
Renata. 
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Update six or seven months later - this primer expired on me when it was half full, and I didn't get that much use out of it. For this reason I will be looking into other options when it comes to primers. i still think it is a great product, but be sure to use it daily or frequently to get your money's worth out of it.

100% Pure Collection and Review

Hi my loves!


Today I am coming at you with my 100%Pure collection and the mini reviews of all the products that I have from this brand, so if you are interested, please keep on reading :)
100%Pure is a really clean US brand that does skincare and make up, the latter being coloured with the fruit and veg pigments, black tea and stuff like that, how awesome is that, right? You can take any of their products and looking at the ingredients list you can understand EVERYTHING that is in it, without needing a chemist's degree. This company has been on my radar for around 6 years and the only thing that held me back was the steep prices. They never had any sales or any sort of deals until one or two years ago - I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the first deal popped into my inbox - if you were to buy stuff for 40€, you got a make up bag full of goodies valued for around 120€ and that's when I made my first purchase and got hooked for good! I have had many orders since, and plan at least two more splurges this year - they will have another deal similar to what I mentioned late July/early August, and I am already saving up for their Black Friday sale, hoping to pick up some awesome goodies! By some miracle their Black Friday deals are available on EU website too (that's not always the case, often US website has amazing offers that are not available to us, and they have Purist Perks system where you collect points and get free stuff only available in the US too) Not really fair if you ask me, but nothing I can do about it. I am still a happy bunny, I mean a customer, but I have to admit I shop there only when there are deals available, call it cheap or call it clever, your choice. That way I can justify my spending, plus us EU girls have to pay shipping and risk getting extra customs tax, and that increases the prices threefold, part of the reason I watch their deals like a hawk! Want to know when the sales are happening? Subscribe to their email newsletter or follow me on Instagram, I will let you know :)

So without further ado, let's dive in! I will keep my reviews short in order to not to bore you too much, not everything has worked out for me, so I won't be repurchasing everything you see here, but one thing I will always buy from them is the make up, with the exception of the liquid foundation. There are two major drawbacks for me, but I will reveal those at the end of my post, as well as my top picks, so stay tuned.

My 100%Pure haul & review

100% Pure haul

100%Pure powder blushes

Let's start with my favourites, shall we? Those are blushes in Chiffon and Mimosa and luminizer - I just adore these products and always reach for them! They retail for 31€ a piece, but do not let that scare you, as you get nine grams of product - three times the usual amount! I picked up Chiffon for 10€ during their Black Friday sale, and when I bought Mimosa along with something else I got a make up bag full of goodies including luminizer, so there are ways around it if you watch their deals.
The photos are taken in direct sunlight and are not retouched in any way, so you see what they really look like. They look gorgeous on the skin, are really pigmented and do last all day! See them included in Natural Nars Orgasm Dupes post here.

Mimosa, Living Luminizer and Chiffon swatched once

Luminizer and Mimosa, swatched twice

100%Pure Luminzer review

Eyeliner - it is great in a way that it lasts all day, but I have to be honest and say that it smudges and transfers to the upper lids, I don't mind it, but if you do, it is probably not the product for you.

Liquid foundation - I am still not sure if this is the perfect foundation for me, as at first when l got it I really couldn't get it to work for me, but since getting the luminous primer l am happy with it, as it really helps the foundation to stay on and not to cling to dry patches. I feel it would work perfectly to young ladies, say under 25, but for us ladies over that, you would need a help of a primer. Having perfect smooth skin helps of course, but if your skin is less than perfect like mine, I would suggest exfoliate first and then apply emollient moisturiser or a facial oil before using this. Oh, and I have used it when my dermatitis was at it's worst and had zero reaction, so keep that in mind if you suffer from dermatitis or eczema like me. Try to get a sample first to see if it will suit you though.

Add caption

Powder foundation - again, not repurchasing, it does not have nowhere near enough coverage for me, and it is somewhat drying to my dry and sensitive skin, I don't even know why did I buy it? It might work for somebody else, but not for me.

Top row: Lip butter in Peach, Lip & Cheek stain in Pink Grapefruit, Lip Butter in Pomegranate
Bottom row: Anti-aging lipstick in Poppy and Lip Glaze in Watermellon

Lip butters- these do last on the lips as a stains, but they are not moisturising at all, I expected them to be like tinted lip balm, but the texture is much drier, and you would have to use something else underneath it for moisturization as well. These do work on the cheeks too (trust me to try it, ha!) and as they are twice cheaper than the stick stains, you can go for this option instead and save yourself a bit of money! Last all day too.

 Lip glaze in Watermelon -not my ideal shade, but I do like this lip glaze a lot and will be using the heck out of it come spring and summer, it glides smoothly, lasts a decent amount of time, it does not bleed into the fine lines around the mouth (looks like their lip caramels do, check their IG page and judge for yourself) and the packaging is gorgeous, I adore those sleek silver bullets, swoon! I am happy with it and will be picking this product again, just in the different shades.

Anti-aging lipstick in Poppy - although the package looks smaller than your average lippie tube, you are actually getting more product! The vibrant red shade is the brightest shade I own, but it is good to step out of our comfort zones, isn't it? I like it just as much as the lip glaze, not so much a fan of the packaging, but will be picking up more of them as the time goes on, have my eyes on Calendula and some more of them. I didn't notice any anti-aging benefits, but I can feel good it has good ingredients.

100%Pure lip butters in Peach and Pomegranate

Lip balms - I have two, one is your standard one in cherry, and the other one is lysine balm that is perfect natural dupe for Carmex! Definitely a repurchase :)

100%Pure Lip Balms

100%Pure Mascaras

 Fruit Pigmented and Maracuja mascaras - at first I tried Fruit Pigmented mascara and it did nothing for me, I was really disappointed and thanks God I tried their new Maracuja mascara when it came out. It is a thousand times better than the original one, so if you are thinking which one to get first, I highly suggest the latter- it lengthens, volumises, does everything you want in a mascara, and did I mentioned it is gluten free? Even He Who Notices Nothing said that my eyelashes look great, and trust me, they do look great! This mascara will also make your eyelashes grow, and I know it's this, I haven't been using any eyelash serums, no castor oil, nuffink! (Full review to come)

100%Pure Mascaras

Maracuja Mascara at the top, their original Fruit Pigmented one at the bottom

Some of my 100%Pure hauls

This photo of mine is featured on 100%Pure Instagram page :)

100%Pure Lysine & Herbs Lip Balm - natural Carmex Alternative

My last 100% Pure haul

Pretty Naked palette - not a hit with me, as the colours didn't suit me, my eyes looked tired when using eyes shadows from this palette and the blush makes me look muddy. The eye shadows are not pigmented too, also lasting power isn't great. Not a happy bunny with this. Not sure why it didn't work for me, I know some other bloggers love it, maybe it does not work for older skin?

Caffeine mask- this is one of the best things from this brand - I am working on a separate review on them, so stay tuned! All I can say is - AMAZING!

100%Pure Caffeine Sheet Masks

100%Pure Luminous Primer

Luminous primer - this is great, it is my first ever primer, and I am really happy that I got it, before that my thinking was that the foundations should work on their own without the crutch of a primer, I didn't want to add another step in my routine, that sort of thing. But this beauty really does work, it fixes the shortcomings of natural foundations, in a way that they last better and don't collect in patches on my face, and it does give that luminous effect that I really like! I haven't worn it for more than 6 hours, so I am not sure if it would withstand more than that. When I got it I couldn't get a pump to work and I opened it to see what the problem was and was a bit freaked out when I saw separated product inside, so I shake it really vigorously each time now. I will be using the heck out of it come spring and summer and then kissing it goodbye, because it will be expired by then, but more on it later.

100%Pure products

Dark spot remover -haven't used it as it went into the care package for my mum, so I can't comment on it, sorry folks.

Brightening serum and sun damage corrective cream - I can't comment on these either, purely because I haven't used them enough to form an opinion - you see, I had dermatitis when I got it, so I couldn't use them for months, and now when I reached for them, they changed consistency and smell funny, so I think they are expired by now. A bit of a shame, really.

Green tea SPF30 moisturiser - terrible product, it is chalky, hard to spread, you are white as a ghost after applying it and it is super runny, don't even think about opening it if the tip is facing down or you will lose a lot of product, it is not a cream consistency, it is runny yogurt consistency. Not buying again. I found organic SPF products for half the price, so will move on to trying them.

Algae hair mask - this I only used once or twice, so I will update this post once I will test it some more, but it seems really good at softening the hair, they were silky smooth afterwards.

100%Pure Hair Mask

Coconut body scrub - this is a great product, and I really wanted to try it as that's how I discovered 100%Pure all those years ago, so I have been curious ever since. This originally has a ridiculous price tag of 31€ and I stopped using sugar scrubs a while ago, because sugar feeds the bacteria on your skin (so be careful to not overdo it, alternate with salt and other scrubs) and while I would never pay that much for something I could easily make at home, but the curiosity got better of me and I got it as soon as I spotted it for 10€ at the Black Friday sale.This is a great product, like I mentioned, smells like real coconut (the same smell when you crack open a fresh coconut) and as it has an oil in the ingredients list, you won't be needing a moisturiser after using it.

100%Pure Coconut Body Scrub

Blood Orange hand cream - this I am really enjoy using, probably will repurchase either in the same or different scent. It really moisturises and nourishes your hands and the smell is to die for.

100%Pure Blood Orange Hand Buttercream

Vanilla body butter - I wanted to try it and I am glad I did, but not repurchasing, firstly the jar is tiny, and the butter itself is brownish/purplish in color, not white that you see on their website, but it didn't occur to me to email them this, and now it's too late. It also developed this gummy texture after a couple of months and that put me off for good - I also make DIY whipped body butter and it didn't change in any way for a year!

100%Pure Vanilla Bean Whipped Body Butter

So what do I like and don't like about the brand and products? I really like the brand as a whole, who wouldn't want purest possible products, right? The prices are steep, but I think you got the idea about ways around it, look out for the deals like I do, and you will be fine, that way I can justify my spendings. Like in everything in life, there are hits and misses, and some of the things I don't like about them, like the fact that they sneakily use Japanese Honeysuckle in many of their products, and although it is a natural ingredient from a natural source, it still behaves like a paraben in the body - meaning it might wreak havoc disrupting endocrine system! Another thing I don't like and am kind of puzzled about - all of their products have a shelf life of only six months after opening! I mean I haven't come across such a short shelf life for products at all, so I am wondering what is the deal about it, there are many more natural brands who do skincare and make up, and their stuff is good for solid 12 to 18 months depending on the company, and here you only get six mere months? I have come to realise that even though I built nice little collection here, I better start using al of that everyday if I don't want my products to expire on me, thus wasting money! Also I don't get why their products are marked black if they have clean ingredients? Black marking means chemical s###storm so is there something the company isn't telling us?

I would suggest only getting products from them that you plan to use everyday (and I will do the same from now on) so you would get your money's worth and wouldn't feel too bad if they will end up going off on you, and if you will plan on getting eye cream, definitely go for travel size, I have had their caffeine eye cream samples and they last for months!

Let's end the post on a good note, I will let you know my Holy Grail products from 100%Pure, and these are //drum roll please//
1. Caffeine mask (does incredible things to your skin)
2. Maracuja Mascara (I thought I liked others until I came across it) no longer swear by it, see reasons on my IG here.
3. Powder blushes (really pigmented)
4. Luminous Primer (does work and has great ingredients apart from JH)
5. Lip Glaze (love this, and this comes from non lover of lipsticks)

*Update many weeks later - their gemmed lip glosses are to die for! Find my review here.




Have you tried this brand? What products do you like and don't like? Please share, I would love to know :)

Check them out on Amazon, Detox Market and Safe & Chic

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That is all for now,
Lots of love,
Renata.

Natural Empties & Stuff I Am Throwing Away - Autumn 2015

Hi My Loves :)

Today I am coming at you with my trash, aka empties. I must admit I do enjoy watching these videos on YouTube, as it sorts the good products from the bad in my mind! I mean, the product has to be good if you finish the whole bottle and go on to repurchase it, right?

So let's start from the top left:

Aromatherapy Herbal Soap by Plantlife - this is vegan gluten free GMO free paraben free natural soap that I got in TK Maxx for six bucks in orange and vanilla scent and I really liked it, although my family didn't enjoy it, so I was left to finish it on my own, which was fine with me. The thing is I am trying to wean my family off the shower gels - they are made to run out quickly (meaning you come back to purchase it frequently = you bring more money to manufacturer) and make tons of plastic waste, something I am against, but I kinda have a hard time getting my point across, as  my hubs and elder princess are too used to shower gels, aka easy life :) Now let's get back to the soap, shall we? The label (which is printed in recyclable soy ink, no less!) says that they hand craft the soaps the old fashioned way - no heating, meaning the ingredients retain their beneficial properties. The soap is non drying and not irritating, something I can testify. The ingredients include organic herbs, aromatherapy grade essential oils, and plant oils such as olive oil and coconut oil. Truly natural stuff.

Repurchase? Without a doubt, yes.

Pur Minerals Bling Mascara - this is my natural Holy Grail mascara without a doubt! I am so glad to have found it, you guys have no idea! It lengthens, gives loads of volume, everything that a regular mascara does! Before it i was trying loads of other natural brands including Lavera, Benecos and DrHauschka, and they were so poor in performing, they made me sad as I was imagining to myself all natural mascaras would be this way - i.e. not doing anything - and I basically spent many months with crappy lashes (and not-so-great overall look too) because I don't do fake lashes. I got my first PurMinerals mascara in TK Maxx for 4 or 6 euros, and since then went on to repurchase it at full price in M&S a couple of times too. 

Repurchase? Absolutely! (Although I want to try many different mascaras, including Lash Dominator by Bare Minerals, Lily Lolo, and multiple others, I still want to have this on me at all times).

Declare Skinatura Restructure and Lift Elixir Serum - this is Swiss product that truly works and I was in awe when it helped to heal my dry patch on the face that wouldn't budge for weeks! (result of trying out a tanning product once, yes, my skin is THAT sensitive) and in some time I noticed my complexion getting smoother and firmer, brighter too, in fact my skin looked really good when I was using this and vitamin C serum at night. The ingredients feature organic oils and natural hyaliuronic acid. The problem was, it went rancid on me very soon, even though I kept it in the fridge, so I am not sure if I got an old product or it has extremely short shelf life? i got mine in TK Maxx (where else?) for about 13€ but it retails for 48€ and I didn't see it in the actual shops in Dublin anywhere, nor I was able to find it in TK Maxx ever since.
Repurchase? maybe! I know this is a good product and I do keep it at the back of my mind, but I am having too much fun with other products :)

Bee Lovely Shower Gel by NYR (or Neal's Yard Remedies in other words) - this was a pleasant surprise, and something I really enjoyed using. It came in a Bee Lovely set that I got a little while back, and so far so good! Smells lovely (although all the line of Bee Lovely products smell of orange essential oil, you do not get a scent of honey, but it is definitely on the list of ingredients). You only need a little of it to get a great lather, the very first time I tried it, I used the regular amount i would use with other shower gels, and let's just say I was practically having a bubble bath, lol! This is not drying and not irritating too.

Repurchase? Yes, if on sale. What? I am a thrifty person :)

Lavera Kids Toothgel - this I am throwing away because it got rancid on me. My little princess definitely enjoyed it's strawberry-raspberry flavor, and I enjoyed the fact that it has minimal good ingredients, the only thing I didn't like was the glycerine in it, it is said to coat the teeth and prevent them from re-mineralising themselves, so i will try to look for glycerine free version of toothpaste next. If you will decide to go for it, look for it in health food stores.

Repurchase? No.

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara - this came in a gift set that the brand was giving away with a purchase a while back, and it was my first order from 100% Pure! I mean who can resist a make up freebie, esp this natural, right? At first I really hated this mascara, as it reminded me of DrHauschka one, i.e. I thought it does nothing for my lashes, as it gives zero volume, something I desperately need! But as the weeks went by and it dried up a bit, I warmed up to it as I was able to layer it more, and coupled with Pur Minerals mascara on top of this, it definitely was a good combo. And I appreciate the fabulous ingredients in this! 

Repurchase? Not sure - I ordered their Maracuja mascara, so yes, it is a repurchase in a way, but I have to see which one I like better. Plus I am not sure if |I want to pay custom duties every time I order from this brand. So we will see.

Pur Minerals pressed foundation in Porcelain - this I also got in TK Maxx for €6 about a year ago and I could not find it there at that price ever since. Porcelain is their lightest shade and it is too light on me, so eventually I will purchase the product, but I need to match my shade correctly, but every time I visit M&S store who carry this line, the tester I am looking for is never there, I can't remember the name of the next shade up - that is the one I am looking for. The thing is, on pictures it looks almost identical to Porcelain and the next next shade is way too dark for me, so I need to eventually find a tester and colour match myself to the right shade. So you can see, it is a repurchase. The reason I am buying this again is that it coverage is very good - full coverage if we speak in beauty terms. It also didn't irritate my dermatitis at it's worst, so that's when you know it is a good product.

Repurchase? Yes Yes Yes.

Meswak toohpaste - a staple in my house that I get in Asian shops for 1.5€, so you can see it is much cheaper than any brand from health store (the last time I paid 10€ for one with manuka honey in it, and that is ridiculous price point for a toothpaste if you ask me). The ingredients are really good (and the marking is green!) in it apart SLS which irritates the crap out of me, but there's nothing I can do about it. In order not to have too much SLS I alternate it with neem paste.

Repurchase? Yes, it is a staple.

Korres Hand Cream with organic almond oil and shea butter - this is one fabulous hand cream, that I would repurchase for the smell alone! The marking is black and it has loads of ingredients and some of them I can't pronounce or understand, meaning it is not all natural product. Korres in fact isn't all natural brand, but they are trying.

Repurchase? Not right away as currently I have NYR hand cream, but yes, I would go back to this product.

Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil I got a sample of it from Naturisimo to see if my skin will tolerate it (it is super finicky lately due to dermatitis and seems to react to EVERYTHING, even to the products it loved before, like rosehip oil from another brand. Yes I have it that bad at the moment!) This brand it is a cult product in the green beauty community and it has been recommended to me numerous times, hence me finally trying it out! It is different from other oils in a way that is has rosehip seed and fruits oil blended together.
Repurchase? Yes, very soon I will go for this product.

Bottom row from the left:

Sukin Facial Moisturiser - I found this on Holland and Barrett website and I immediately went on to purchase it as I knew Sukin as this clean Aussie brand, and the ingredients in this sound fabulous - aloe vera, nettle, horsetail, burdock, rosehip, jojoba oil, avocado oil and a bunch of other ingredients, it all sounded fabulous and I was keeping fingers crossed it would work for me, as I needed a good facial moisturiser - who doesn't? I perused the ingredients and I knew it has a couple of alcohols in it, which don't suit my skin in general, but as they were way down on the ingredient list, I thought I might get away with it? Plus, it is 125ml instead of your regular 50ml for your average face cream for 13€, so the price point is fabulous. And I really like the fact that it has a pump, much more sanitary than dipping your germy fingers in a pot, right? Did it agree with me? No, I got breakouts from it even though I tried it multiple times. I did finish it as a body cream but it did not blow me away either.
Repurchase? No, purely because it made me breakout.

Earth Friendly Baby Organic Mandarin Bubble Bath - this you can get in Boots or numerous other shops, and I would highly recommend it as this brand does fabulous products with very clean ingredients, it does not get cleaner than that! this particular product has over 70% of organic ingredients, and what's more, it truly works! I have tried Burt's Bees bubble bath before this, and that was a real flop producing practically no bubbles. Plus Earth Friendly Baby one is 2 or 3 times cheaper, depending on where you buy it. I also really enjoy their Baby Hair and Body wash, I use it as a body wash and the ingredients in that product are also fabulous, you can understand every single ingredients without needing the chemist's degree! This company truly gets Green Life In Dublin seal of approval, and their products cost about a fiver each, which is like music to my ears! Let's hope Boots doesn't discontinue this product like they did with Child's Farm (more on it later)
Repurchase? not for this product, as it turned out my little princess does not like bubble baths and everybody else in the familia are shower users.

Child's Farm Shampoo (over 98% natural ingredients, suitable for eczema prone skin from newborn upwards) - I got this in Boots, or should I say I used to get this in Boots, as they discontinued this fabulous clean brand and replaced it with chemical laden one which also costs twice as much! Boo Boots, and the pun is intended, you really put BOO in Boots this time! Yes I do understand you need to make money, but as you have only a little handful of natural brands/products, so why pull the plug on one of them and introduce yet more chemicals, especially for newborns and young children?! And what is more infuriating to me, Child's Farm is only discontinued in Boots Ireland, it is still available in Boots UK! Why for God's sake? Boo you, and did I mention boo?!
Now, little rant aside, all is not lost as this brand is available in selected Supervalu stores, so look out for that :) it costs a bit more, but I will continue to buy it nonetheless. All my family uses it, as a shampoo and a body wash, it is almost as good as Burt's Bees one, although it won't give you as much shine.
Repurchase? Yes!

Dr Bronners, Burt's Bees Child Shampoo and Bodywash, and Rosewater from Asian shop (edible kind) Please excuse me if I roll these all into one, these are all repurchases and staples in my house and I constantly sing praises to them in my blog and Instagram posts. So I won't repeat myself for the millionth time here, and you can always browse my blog if you want to know more, right? :)
Repurchase? YES YES YES!

So that is all for now :) What are you loving and finishing off lately?


Lots of Love,
Renata.

What Cosmetics Are In My Travel Carry On Bag?

What's in my travel carry on bag?

Hi my loves, today I wanted to share with you what I took with me for my holidays a little while back. This is my liquids bag as you can see, meagre 15x15cm you can take with you to the plane. I was feeling quite proud of myself of squeezing into such a small bag, until I realised I spilled into my daughter's bag, she ended up carrying my second mascara (because duh, you totally need two mascaras for 10 days trip :) Not!) and Hurraw SPF15 lip balm that I ended up losing on the plane on the way back. So let's get into it, shall we?

From the top left corner: 

Hynt Beauty concealer - star product! I ended up using it every time I did my make up, and more often than not I used it as my face foundation too. To sum things up, you need this in your life! I have a separate review on this product. (Mine is the old packaging so yours will be different).

*You can read a review here.

Four little sample pots of lip and cheek stains from Maias Mineral Galaxy. I didn't touch them a single bit.

BellaPierre lip and cheek stain that I got in a set a while back, l thought it was good opportunity to start using it again, as it sits there unloved in my make up drawer. Yes, you guessed right, I didn't reach for it at all.

Pacifica roller perfume in Blood Orange - this and one more Pacifica roller perfume I own were shelved the minute I got Lucy's B roller perfumes, that's all I can say. I used only LucyB one, so next time I am taking just one perfume with me. Plus I ended up buying two new natural perfumes on my destination, so my plan to use up Pacifica perfume didn't work. Both of Pacifica perfumes will end up in my "disappointing products" post (spoiler alert) and i would advise you to sample them at first - mine were both impulse buys because I liked to top notes, e.g. the way perfume smells at first, but both of them developed into something I didn't like at all after some time. It also extremely short lasting, even though the girls at the shop told me it's a long lasting product.

Pacifica lip butter in brown colour, I used it maybe twice, so again, lesson learned is to take ONLY cosmetics that I really love to begin with! I also took loads of sample baggies of mineral eyeshaddows in hopes that I might do more colourful make up looks, what was I thinking? I find myself doing less and less eyeshaddows in my day to day life, so my holiday looks ended up no different, I only tried one of the samples, and it didn't work as I'd hoped, my hubby asked why I had bloodshot eyes! Not a compliment at all :)

Black Cherry lip balm by Crazy Rumours - again, this was taken to use it up, I got a bunch of Crazy Rumours lip balms once they came out, but none of them impressed me much, they might have cute names and a bunch of different flavours, but I found them not moisturising and not lasting at all. I have a new favourite - Hurraw balms, so move over, Crazy Rumours.

Bottom row from left to right:

Juice Beauty CC Cream with SPF30 - the high SPF factor was the sole reason I got this tiny sample from Naturisimo prior to my holidays, as i wanted to test drive it, but truth to be told I forgot all about it until the last two days, so I don't have firm opinion on it yet. It did work as a face SPF cream, that's for sure, but don't expect any coverage from it, it's very slightly tinted, and all the colour disappears once you put it on your face, so keep that in mind. And as for anti-aging claims, I can't confirm or deny it as I didn't use it enough to see any difference. But I plan to get full size of it for the next summer maybe? We will see :)

PurMinerals pink lip gloss -  again, used once or twice, as l found myself not doing any make up for most of the time. 

Two mini samples from The Organic Pharmacy - Double Rose Rejuvenating face cream and a Rose Facial Cleansing Gel - i really liked those two products and would get full sizes of them! They were very gentle and didn't irritate my skin in the slightest, and as usual with The Organic Pharmacy, great ingredients.

Highlighter by PurMinerals - while I love the idea of glowing goddess make up, I can't go all out with my dermatitis scars on my face, I mean you don't want to highlights your problem areas, right? so I used it very minimal-y, mainly in the inner corners of my eyes. I was also disappointed to see dimethicone in the ingredients list, I don't want silicones on my face, thank you very much!

Jane Iredale multiple in Clarity - I liked the idea of natural version of Nars Orgasm and this my first shot at natural multiples, but while this is beautiful colour, it does not work on my cheeks (again, damn dermatitis scars) as it highlights what I don't want people to see, and it does not last on the lips at all. I will find a ways to use it, not to worry.

100%Pure mascara - I didn't like it at all once I first got it, as the formula was too wet and it didn't do anything to my invisible lashes, but now that it dried up a bit and I can build it up quite a bit, I really like it! This is lengthening formula, and I can testify it does that beautifully :) I also appreciate pure ingredients, so it is likely to be a repurchase once I am out.  

*Update many months later - read my review here.

So that is all for now :) What do you take with you for your travels? Please share with me :)

Lots of Love,

Renata.