12 Best Green Beauty Discoveries of 2017

Hi Lovelies,



Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

Best Green Beauty Discoveries of 2017

So I was browsing some blog or the other, and it had a post that struck a chord with me, New Discoveries Of The Year. So it got me thinking what are my best discoveries for last year and how come I never did any post like this before? After careful consideration and thinking about it for a week, here are my Best Discoveries of 2017 in no particular order. Most of them have reviews on the blog already, so I won't spend time talking about each product in great detail, and thus repeating myself. Only two products escaped my scrutiny so far, but I will make sure to get those reviews out asap. It's just that blogger's overwhelm is getting very real at this stage. Don't get me wrong, I love discovering new products! It's just I am afraid I could miss out on amazing products by not giving them the proper attention they deserve, due to the sheer volume of products I own. By the way, I am stock taking and minimizing my stash at the moment, so expect a blog sale post with lots of free products too.
But for now, let's focus on my best discoveries from last year, shall we?




Isun Ormus Myst

This is a signature ISUN product and for me, love at a first spritz! Have you ever heard of mystical ormus creatures found in living water? Well, you are about to find out! They are tiny spherical atoms of gold, silver and platinum found in clear spring water in Colorado mountains, where ISUN products are made, and that is exactly the base for this facial spritz. They are awesome at renewing and rejuvenating your skin. Plus it smells amazing! See review here. I need this beauty back in my life. It was very hard to choose as all Isun products are amazing in my opinion, but this was a love at a first spritz!



Earthwise Beauty Nap In The Meadow

This is my favourite product from Earthwise Beauty - I haven't tried that many, but I am keen to try more. The woman behind the brand, Ava Zhan is kind of green beauty wizard. Find my review of their Nap In The Meadow, Marshmallow Suds and Passion Eye Serum here. Many things from them are on my wishlist, and those include Sungod, Farizad's Veil, Cistus & Moonlight face mist, Ruby facial oil and one of the facial steams (I want to compare professional formulation to my own DIY)



Living Libations Products 

As soon as I discovered Dutch Health Store carries a large selection of Living Libations products, not just selected few Best Skin Ever, I placed an order for some dental products, and I loved them! Next came the spirulina shampoo, and it was equally amazing - so much that all of these products made into my 2017 Best Products post. You can find my review of the dental products here and the shampoo here; and all I can say, all the other products my this amazing truly clean brand, come this way! Seriously, you should see my Living Libations wishlist! Two miles long, no kidding.

Related posts:

DEW DAB REVIEW

ZEST THE BEST REVIEW

LIVING LIBATIONS HAIR CARE REVIEW

WINTERGREEN & CLEAN TOOTHPASTE REVIEW

MY HOLISTIC DENTAL CARE ROUTINE & PRODUCTS

EVERYBODY LOVES SUNSHINE WITH ZINC BEACH BALM REVIEW

Dr.Alkaitis Organic Healing Gel

This is one of those few items that escaped my scrutiny and exposure on social media. I bought this after receiving a sample in a green beauty swap with Italian blogger 1988 Bori, as I fell love with how good this was for my dermatitis affected area, it was instantly much calmer and soothed! I will review it separately some day, but I can say that it is one of those high end priced products worth the money, at least for me. Fabulous natural ingredients, but if you are very sensitive and can't handle much essential oils, please try to obtain a sample of it - my skin miraculously can handle it, but I have to close my eyes when I apply it, as it irritates them. It increased in price since I bought it, so let me just say I will be looking for deals like a hawk :)

Walden A Different Drummer Perfume

This was a pleasant surprise and the most successful shoot-in-the-dark purchase of the year, and by that I mean it was the most successful perfume purchase online. So successful in fact that it went into my Top Three Favourite Perfumes Of All Times. Please see the review here if you missed it. It has sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean, tobacco and cedarwood. Can be used for men too, which is exactly why I like it! I am one of those rare breed of females who prefer to wear male fragrance.

Get it from Love Lula here, or try a sample kit.

Leahlani Mermaid Mask

This isn't technically a 2017 discovery, it was only a year I finally invested in a full size of the mask, after discovering it a year previously. It is really amazing, with visible results (with continuous use) and amazing ingredients! Essentially it is a honey based mask with spirulina, but it also has some amazing extracts in it, and it is why I can't DIY it. It is also one of the cheapest masks in green beauty (and also available within Europe) and that is exactly why I will keep repurchasing it. Review to come soon.

Couleur Caramel Cosmetics

A great natural brand that is available locally to me, and thanks goodness for that! (Get if from Amazon if not) I have numerous products, and I don't plan to stop there. Review can be found here, and I can tell I can understand why Hollywood and stars of a lesser caliber favour it - it is amazing. Palette and the liquid eye liner made into my 2017 Best Products post, and there is so many products I want to try next - mascara, lip products, green concealer, and hopefully V.Claire will make the coloured finishing pearls called Perles Sublimatrices available here too, because I really want to get them. It is not a need thing, more of a "want" thing - it would finish off my green beauty make up collection very nicely. It reminds me so much of those Guerlain pearls, and I see it as an ultimate luxe product.

 


Dudu Osun African Black Soap

Probably the most affordable out of all products I am mentioning here, and the one I intend to re-purchase time and time again. First of all, it has only minimal natural ingredients, secondly it works very well and does not dry out the skin, thirdly it comes in only cardboard box, no plastic, so it is good for the planet (and us). I have reviewed it here, and I kind of don't want to test and review other soaps, because this is so good. Get it from Love Lula here.

Ere Perez Concealer

If you are after a full coverage concealer, you would love this. I have to be upfront, it is sticky, but it offers full coverage and I find it does not crease. This is my second favourite green beauty concealer after the Hynt Beauty Duo Perfecting concealer (which offers more coverage, but creases slightly, plus I sadly happen to be in between the shades). I have a review of a couple of Ere Perez products here, and I happen to love their Bondi blush too, which is one of the 20+ natural Nars Orgasm dupes I've found. Can be found in Love Lula here.

Dr.Hauschka Rose Day Cream

The best discovery of 2017 for my dermatitis prone skin. Repurchased at least five times in last year alone, so let this be a testament of how much I love it. We all know that bloggers rarely repurchase a thing, unless it is really good. And this is really good for my dry skin - it is amazing, and my skin just drinks it up! it is not designed to treat dermatitis, but my skin is on it's best behavior when I use this, and if I happen to have a breakout due to accidentally glutening myself or testing some unsuitable products, this is the first thing I reach for, as I know my skin will be soothed and calmed in an instant. See review in this link, and if you want to, get it from Love Lula here. 



Rahua Shampoo

Just like with Living Libations True Blue Spirulina shampoo, all I can say is this - it is worth the money. And trust me, I am not someone who recommends pricy products easily! Rahua line has been on my radar since the very start of my own switch to the green side, but it took me eight years to come round to try this - until then I spent many years having bad hair days - trying all the budget clean shampoos I could find, and crying crocodile tears when none of them worked for me.
I got mine in Love Lula.

So those were my favourite discoveries of 2017 - thinking back, it was amazing year for discovering new fantastic products. This is the first this type of post I'd done to date, but I will keep it up. It was fun to look back and remember the new-to-me things I enjoyed. 

What were your best discoveries of 2017? Please share, I would love to know!

*Update in 2020 - every single product is still a favourite and that is saying something 💕

P.s. Please make my day and subscribe & share this or any of my blog posts on social media - it helps to get the green beauty word out and for that I Thank You!

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Tata for now.

Lots of Love,

Renata.

Click to find all the green beauty reviews I'd done to date.

Disclaimer: You can't use any of my photos or blog text without my permission.

Disclaimer II: this post contains affiliate links. It is at no extra cost to you, and I thank you for using them. I am only affiliated with brands and online shops that align with my values. At the moment those are Love Lula and Neal's Yard Remedies. Other links are purely for your convenience and I do not earn anything from them. I want to be crystal clear about it, so we would be on the same page about it.

Shopping My Green Beauty Stash #2 October 2017

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Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome💕💕💕

Shopping My Green Beauty Stash #2

I started this Shop My Stash series last month where I show what products I am reaching for the most at any given month specifically from my stash. This isn't necessarily a repeat of Favourites posts, which I do quarterly - some products do not always translate into faves, even if my initial first impressions are good, you know what I mean? And some products are being used to use it up and never to be repurchased - and as always I will be clear why. Did anyone notice I never followed up my Project Pan post? I guess I was overwhelmed with the amount of products I had to go through and trailed off.. This shopping my stash is also like Project Pan in a way, and I like it this way way better, as I pick around five or seven items each month, rather the whole tray of products to finish, so it seems easy and do-able! So let's see?


DrAlkaitis Organic Healing Gel

I bought this in the summer and I think I failed to mention it anywhere - big whoops! Great for my dermatitis prone skin, as it quickly takes care of flare ups if I am unlucky enough to get them. Pricy, but I already know I will repurchase it once I run out. I will review it sometime in the future too. This has a lot of essential oils in it, and somehow my skin manages to tolerate them very well - must be the formulation!


Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator

Now that the temperatures are dropping, I am upping my misting game! Am I the only one with the heating on btw? Never mind. I bought this from Amazon as I wanted to see what the green beauty world is buzzing about - seriously, I am to come across a bad review of it! I might be going against the grain here, but I find the scent too sweet, so I am not sure if I will get it again - there are too many toners and mists on my wishlist. After being like 2000 years late to the toning game, now I want them all! See my toners and mists post here - and the list keeps growing! Tell me your favourites so I could check them out too.


Isun Skincare Sapphire & Wabi-Sabi Botanicals Akaliko Facial Oils

Despite loving the hell out of DrHauschka Rose Day Cream (review here), which I mentioned in my Shopping My Stash #1 post, facial oils are re-entering my life in a form of ISUN Skincare Sapphire and Wabi-Sabi Botanicals oils - and I do enjoy both of them immensely! Both amazing, with different ingredients. At the moment I am using either one of them, although I should pick one and leave the other for another month or six weeks. That is how I test products for my reviews, and I am due reviews for both of them eventually. I probably forgot to mention that I dropped facial oils out of my routine last spring - despite loving and using only oils as a face moisturisers for many years, I did some digging and found that dermatitis hates oils and the skin needs moisturisers instead - I guess i knew this deep down, but didn't want to admit it to myself - I was too attached to them. Let's see how it pans out this time round.


Barefoot SOS Face & Body Rescue Cream For Face and Body

A very recent discovery and it came just in time, as I managed to gluten myself recently and am sporting a breakout on my face. I knew I shouldn't eat out, sigh. So I applied this on my face immediately upon getting it, and the first impressions are good! The insane itching is diminished somewhat, and I think the redness is too. I obviously need a bit more time to fully form my opinion on it. I think I will touch on it when I will write a post on products good for dermatitis, when I will get round it it, that is.


Mahalo Balm

I have won this and a couple of more Mahalo products around the same time last year, and as they are so pricy, I treated them like they are made of gold, and used them as little as possible. Wrong way to go on about it! Now I am using to use them up - I also have a little bit of the Rare Indigo balm left too. They are both amazing, and as I know I won't be able to afford both (oh man, how I wish I had unlimited play money - their Vitality Elixir Serum is amazing and I wish I had that right now!), I think I will choose to get Mahalo Rare Indigo, as it does more to my dermatitis prone skin. Mahalo balm is also amazing, and if you have normal, non reactive skin, you might want to look into it. At the moment I am using it as a hand balm every night, as my Madara balm didn't cut it out of the sudden - I enjoyed it in the summer, but now it's colder, it tends not to do much - five minutes after applying my hands are crying for more product and are dry again. Never the case with Mahalo balm. If you are interested in my two cents aka the review of products, see it here.

Shopping my stash - natural dental care products

Earthpaste toothpaste

As I wrote in my my dental care post here, I am after a glycerine free carageenan free toothpaste, and this is both of those things free, so when one of the health shops I frequent started carrying it, I bought it straight away. Verdict? Not repurchasing sadly - this doesn't clean well on its own, and I need additional products in a form of dental powders and Living Libation products to do a job well done.



Living Libations tooth drops & Living Libations ozonated tooth gel

I talk about both of these products in the same dental care post, and despite high price I think these are brilliant products and I want to repurchase both of them, as well as explore the dental line further, as well as all other Living Libations products! They have released some new toothpastes too, so I want want want! /insert greedy eye monster emoji here/

(also available in Dutch Health Store in EU)

Allafia Strawberry Coconut hair and body wash

This is a repurchase from Amazon again and again - one of the clean and affordable clean lines I come back to over and over again. Sometimes found in TKMaxx too, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled & check my post on what else you can find in TKMaxx when it comes to natural products :)

and now a few products that didn't make it into photo, but I am using them nonetheless:


Ooh oils - sampler pack

These came in Love Lula September Beauty Box - and as the temperatures are cooling, I am digging into them! Rosehip oil is my favourite, so I am starting with that one. You might want to check them out here - they come in cutest mini 5ml bottles and you will definitely get multiple uses out of each one. Thus you will be able to see for yourself which one is for you.


Trilogy wash & face cream

The cleanser is good in a way that it hadn't made me react nor is making my face dry and tight, so I am eyeing this for full size purchase. The cream is good too, but I will be purchasing it for my daughter rather than for myself - in a pinch I can use it too, but it seems to be not enough of a moisture now, in October, plus it makes my skin itch somewhat, a sure sign my skin doesn't react well to one of the ingredients.



What are you guys reaching for these days? Please share, I want to know! 

Please subscribe and share any of my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude! 

Follow me on my new blog Greenlifeindublin.com, Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube.

Lots of Love,

Renata.

 Want to check out my skincare reviews? Click here. Interested in make up reviews? Click here. All my body care and hair care reviews live in this post. Diy inclined? Even if not, you might enjoy my super-simple-minimal-ingredients-DIYs here. You are welcome.

Disclaimer: You can't use any of my content (text or pictures) without my permission first. This post contains affiliate links, and I thank you for using them. It is at no additional cost to you. You know I've got your back - I am only affiliated with brands and online stores I believe in myself, and my opinion is always honest, no matter which way the product came to me.

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Natural & Organic Empties - August 2017

Hi Lovelies,

 

Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕
 

Natural & Organic Wellness & Lifestyle Empties - Summer 2107

Natural & Organic Make Up, Skincare & Bodycare Empties - Summer 2017

Well, the name of the post is self explanatory, and we all know what these kind of posts are all about, so let's just dive right in. Make up products review links can be found at the end of this post for those of you interested :) Shall we see what I've finished and/or decluttering?


First let's see what I've actually finished:


Layla London Charcoal Toothpowder

I bought this in Boots for around 13€, so the price is not too bad, and the ingredients are really natural too - yay for it, because Boots does not carry that much of truly natural brands/products, mostly greenwashing ones. Anyways, back to the toothpowder - it does whiten your teeth indeed, but only one or two shades lighter than your normal colour. That's ok with me, I didn't expect miracles from it, so I am likely to repurchase it soon. The only thing is the texture feels a bit powdery/chalky, and it stains everything, I have to clean the sink after every use.

 
Bio-White 100% Natural Toothpowder With Calcium

This was purchased in Down To Earth Dublin, and it was a bargain at 6.90€ if I remember correctly. I talk about both of them in my Dental Routine post. Great ingredients, and the texture does not feel chalky at all, so I will buy it again, but I also want to try TheraNeem toothpowder I am also eyeing from the same shop, as well as Earthpaste that's new to Nourish - it does not have glycerin nor carageenan in it, two things I want to avoid in my toothpaste. The nuisance thing is, I already visited two Nourish shops looking for one, and neither of them have it, they keep telling me to visit the next branch - little note to the shop if you are reading - please make them available in all shops, so I wouldn't have to go to different places or order one in and then have to come back for it!


Pure Anada Hand and Body Lotion

This was nice, but on a runny side, so not investing in a full size just yet, as we are moving into cold season and my body will need more moisturisation in a form of body oils and butters. This came via Live in the light UK webshop, post here if you want to see it?


NYR Organic Elderberry Syrup

I just realised I don't talk about this wonderful and natural company enough and I really should! I enjoy a lot of their products for the last three years, and i intend to keep it that way. I make my annual order when some sale or the other is happening to make my euros stretch further, and apart from a couple of face products I found too strong, I really enjoy what I get from them - I should blog about them more often!

P.s. You will see a few more products I found too strong here in this post. Oh, the joys of uber sensitive skin!

Whoa, Renata, you just blabbed a whole chapter and didn't say a word about this wonderful elderberry syrup, get back on track girl! I find it great immune system booster, and I regret picking up just one bottle in my order - we kind of opened sickness season way too early this year, and it's already gone. Will be a repurchase as long as NYR will make it. If you are from Ireland, UK, Germany or France, you might want to shop my NYR page?


Allafia Coconut Strawberry Body & Hair Wash

Got if from Amazon & I also have a hair and body lotion in the same scent, which I am mainly using as a leave in conditioner and flyaway tamer.


Living Libations Spirulina Shampoo

This is one of the best if not the best shampoos in the green beauty world, and by the time I'll post this blog post the review will be either up already or coming soon after, so keep your eyes peeled for it. At the moment I am using Rahua, which is also good but does not give me that much shine as this one does. One to repurchase for sure.

 
Tea Tree Oil 30ml

A staple for more than ten years in my house, used everywhere, for stings, bug bites, spots, hair masks, cleaning, etc etc! I talk about it more in my Top Three Natural Products post, so check it out and let me tell you, you need to have this in your life. A bottle lasts for ages too. A repurchase? Always!


Vitamin D - Solgar 2500iu

I started taking it when I battled my dermatitis, and kept the habit - most people don't realize how deficient most of us are or that it is not only a vitamin, but also a hormone needed for more than 300 body functions daily - so if you don't take it yet, I would suggest you check your levels first (a blood work will show it) and start supplementing accordingly. I would say it is a must if you have any auto immune disease, but do check with your doctor and don't go for measly 10iu sold in most pharmacies - we need more than that. Do your own research and familiarize yourself with the fact that recommended daily allowance is a world away from an optimum levels - same goes for all vitamins & minerals. You can thank me later.


Dermaboost Hydration Spray

Really lovely refreshing toner spray sent to me by gorgeous Natural Beauty Vita (go check her out). Not sure if I am getting it again despite pure and minimal ingredients - I doubt it is available in EU & I moved on to Josh Rosebrook Hydration Accelerator & Amida from Wasi Sabi Botanicals - and I have a good few in my wish list too.


John Masters Organic Conditioner

This mini came in Love Lula Beauty Box May 2017  I mainly used it as a leave in conditioner. I went on to purchase a bigger mini of it, and will share my thoughts after using it up. It is good, but I need to make up my mind if it's worth a hefty price tag? If you happen to know cheaper leave in conditioner that works really well, please do let me know. At the moment I have a huge tub of Alaffia Hair & Body Lotion, which works really well for the hair, but isn't available from withing EU; Child's Farm detangler spray, which doesn't really work, plus it smells of tea tree oil and eucalyptus (I should have checked before buying, doh!) and I am mulling over of buying Calia from SoNaturalBeauty from Belgium, just don't want to pay 15€ for the shipping for it. 


Echinaforce Echinacea Tincture 

Another staple for years, and I always have it on hand in Autumn & Winter, aka The Cold And Flu Season - see my thoughts on it as well as other natural products arsenal against getting sick in my Natural Arsenal Against Cold & Flu post. It has some wonderfully bad pictures, so I am thinking of doing an updated post on it too. A repurchase? Yes. In double the size :)

Natural & Organic Products I am parting ways with - Summer 2017

and now for declutter(s) and the reasons behind it :)


Phb Gentle Moisturiser with Shea Butter and Apricot

This I got in Love Lula May box (if I remember correctly) and was overjoyed to find out it caused zero problems to my dry and uber sensitive skin. I happily used it for around two to three months until it started smelling weird, and with my skin like that, I learned to part with the products there and then, at the first sight of them changing, be it a change in smell, texture or colour; even though my trifty side tells me to keep using the product. My mom, who is against all kinds of wastage (and is equally strict minimalist) was agast when I was about to bin the product at 50% full, so she kept it to herself. I scooped a generous layer of and left her with strict instructions to bin it soon. Even though this particular cream had short shelf life in my case (strangely enough the POA sigh says it's good for 12 months after opening) I still plan to repurchase it at some time as well as write a review on it, but only after my second jar. So glad I didn't rush with first impressions review on it. My overall opinion on it is good, apart from it changing on me after just a couple of month's usage. Maybe I got a bad batch? Please let me know your experiences with this cream if you used before? I want to know how other people who got it via Love Lula Beauty Box. Enjoyed it? Not? Please let me know in the comments!



Ogario London Styling Mist

This came in the same LL Beauty Box and while I initially was very excited to try it, unfortunately I got very limited experience with it due to losing 95% of it to spillage on the plane. S**t happens but I was very sad about it, especially as I was very careful about it. Not sure if I will shell out 18£ for it, not because the product isn't worth it, but purely for other reason - I am super low maintenance when it comes to my hair, I use virtually zero styling products.


**funny story**not**

Another funny thing happened at the same time, and I would be laughing if I weren't so sad about it - my present of OreganolP73 I’d bought to my mom, turned out to be empty sealed bottle! I’d bought it in Nourish health shop and took it to Lithuania still sealed, but to my surprise the bottle turned out to be empty! It was completely empty when I took a plastic seal off it, and I was so shell shocked,and I still don't know what to think of it to this day! I still have a receipt of it and the empty bottle, but as I was away for more than a month without Internet, I didn't go to the shop to complain about it, as I didn't think anyone would believe me. And no, it didn't leak as well as Ogario product, the bottle was well sealed and the cap was screwed on tightly. If it leaked, my whole hand luggage would reek of oregano multiplied times thousand, anyone who has used Oreganol knows it has specific and potent smell. So that's my “funny” story, I got my mom an empty sealed 13.5ml bottle for 30 quid and zero response from the shop when I eventually emailed them about it.


Pure Anada lip shine in Berry Bliss

Really nice lip gloss, but I didn't enjoy the mintiness it has to it. I have reviewed it in my old Pure Anada review post, link at the end of this post if you are interested. Their mineral foundation remains a firm favourite.


Hynt Beauty Duet Perfecting Concealer in Light

I have not one but two reviews of it (again, can be found at the end of this post) and to this day it remains a firm favourite when it comes to under eye concealers, the coverage is insane! I didn't use it up, it expired on me, as you only need a pin prick amount of it, and I am not even kidding you! Thanks goodness it is available in EU now via Glow Organics Brighton, and I will chance to buy it in medium this time, as I find light is way too light on me in summer.


Zao Cream foundation in 733

Even though this was matched to this shade by the brand, I will go a shade down if I will come down to repurchasing, I found it too dark and ashy on me - it worked in summer but not for the rest of the year. Great coverage though and I was impressed with this brand. This is still good, not expired, not finished, I sanitised it well and am passing it on. Review in the link at the end of the post for those of you interested.



Living Nature Volume mascara

I am not sure if the review of it will be published before or after this post, so look out for detailed thoughts on it. Really natural and wonderful company, thankfully available in EU too. I really love their illuminating foundation, but when it comes to this particular mascara, I am not sure if I will get it again. It didn't impress me enough. Natural, great ingredients, gave nice length to my lashes, but I haven't noticed any volume, and my lashes definitely need volume. Didn't flake for the first few weeks, so if you are in the market for a natural looking mascara, this might be the one for you?



100% Pure Lip Gloss in Rainbow Aura

This is a lovely lip gloss with real milled gems, reminds me of my previously loved Juicy Tubes (post with swatches in the link below) but I am not repurchasing this due to changed policy on international shipping by the brand themselves. Free shipping limit is now 125€, when it was 45€; and new shipping for any order below that amount is now 25€, whereas it was 7€ before. Unfortunately it equals big custom taxes for us EU customers, the new shipping cost alone exceeds tax free limit. So this is where they are losing me as a customer, and probably many of you as well. (even if you will buy from EU or UK site, they still ship from US, and they are really cagey about it). Some, but not all, of their make up is available from Naturisimo, you won't get any deals, but at least we can buy it here in EU. These lip glosses are not sold via Naturisimo, and as much as I hoped and pleaded with them to carry them, they started carrying lip caramels instead. Dear Naturisimo, if you are reading this, please add these gemmed lip glosses to your 100%Pure collection, I want to buy those! Peacock Ore is still calling my name, and it has been months and months since I  had it. Sob.


Whamisa Double Rich Lotion (30ml deluxe sample)

This did not agree with my skin, and when I used it together with their famous fermented flowers toner, my skin was really not happy with me! So I shelved them for quite some time, and took it out only recently. I am passing this product on, but giving the toner a second chance.


Sample of DrAlkaitis Nourishing Oil

Way too herbal smelling for me, I am sure it is a great product, but sadly not for me. I invested in full size of Organic Soothing Gel, but even that is too heavy on the essential oils, so I can only use it sparingly. Bought it because it did amazing things for my dermatitis affected areas.


All Natural Face foundation samples

Sent to me by a lovely reader, who turned into Instagram buddy, to try, but as someone who loves full coverage foundations, I wasn't a fan of these - not enough coverage for my liking, plus it only lasted for about two hours on me. Really grateful for a chance to try it without having to order on my own. Now I know what not to buy.


Faerie Minerals Airbrush foundation in Fairly Light

Sent to me by the brand, but not used for the same not-pigmented-enough reasons. They have awesome eye shadows and blushes though - I've included some in my Nars Orgasm Dupes post.


Uma Oils (3 products)

Acquired when I did their IG challenge a couple of months back - the brand was drumming up quite a hype about themselves, so I was dying to try their products. Marketing victim, as my husband says. Unfortunately when receiving products I found out they are heavily scented, way too much for uber sensitive me, so I didn't even use them. Not good of an excuse really. Hmm. But if you are really sensitive to essential oils like me, have this in mind.Two of them went on to someone, and as the mask is dried up and cracked by now, it went to into the bin.


Bellapiere Antique Pink Liquid Lipstick x2

Came via Love Lula Beauty Box June 2017, and one swatch later I am also giving it away to a jobless friend with major health issues, along with some other stuff to cheer her up a bit. Since then I have had a 60£ order from Love Lula, which qualified me for another free beauty box, so I gifted the second one to my sister in law. No longer carried by Love Lula, check them out on Amazon.


Jane Iredale Multiple in Clarity

Not used up, rather drying up and slowly expiring on me, and I doubt if I will repurchase it (it was acquired online, and turned out a bit different in colour from what I expected - the joys of buying online) - this has a cool undertone, and I suit more warmer tones. If I will get one again, I need to see them in person first. Luckily there's a beauty salon not too far away from me who carry Iredale products, and I am planning a visit. This was given away.


Kathy Sue Ann’s rosehip oil with carrot seed oil with lavender

Tested this for OBL Club, so you can find my review there. Couldn't use it because of those EOs in it, I can't stand lavender in anything, not even fresh or dried petals, so it's best if I pass it on. Their body butter and eye balm are gorgeous though.


100%Pure BB Cream in 20

Not something I enjoy using, and it has left about a year in it, so it is time for it to find a new owner. I will include it in my upcoming my current foundations post though, as well as ZAO cream foundation I mentioned earlier - just purely for comparison reasons. For me it is way too shiny, I don't have oily skin, and I look plain oily when I wear it. It is way too dark on me, and if I try to build up the coverage, I turn orange. After getting the shade wrong on their foundation (it turned out to be way too light) I took a medium shade in this BB cream, and I got it wrong again - way too dark. So I am kind of done here.


Naobay Face Cream

This is a natural brand from Spain. The thing is my skin stopped liking it after a couple of months, the weirdest thing ever. I was happily using this while I had my Mahalo Vitality Elixir, and together they seemed like a match made in heaven, but as soon as I ran out of Vitality Elixir and started using this cream on it's own, my skin quickly started showing irritations. So it makes me think it worked well as a duo with that oil, but on it's own it might be not suitable for uber sensitive skin people like moi? I mentioned it in the Reviews I never Posted post a while ago. Loving Argan oil by this brand though.


A few samples from AnnMarie Skincare

Lovely natural skincare line from AnnMarie Gianni - I am following her on Youtube for ages, when she and her husband were posting about raw foods, from about 7-8 years ago. She went on to create a lovely natural skincare line, but I am sad to report that I found some products a bit too strong for me. But then again, not everyone has uber sensitive skin, so the rest of you might enjoy the products?


Leahlani Champagne Serum

Same story as with lovely previous products, I found this too strong for me, probably due to essential oils in it. Loving their Mermaid mask though and I am absolutely dying to try the rest of the line. Generous sample acquired via green beauty swap. 


So that is it for my natural empties, what have you finished lately? Sorry to turn it into a super long post - I will work on my monthly empties posts from now on.


Links galore to all my natural make up reviews can be found here.



Please like and share any of my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude!

Follow me on my new blog Greenlifeindublin.com, Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. (someday I will start making YouTube videos, promise!)


Lots of Love,
Renata.

Enjoy my content? Any contribution to my PayPal Tip Jar -  will get You my eternal gratitude and more awesome green beauty reviews Your way! I weed out all the greenwashing products so You won't have to :)

 

 Want to check out my skincare reviews? Click here. Interested in make up reviews? Click here. All my body care and hair care reviews live in this post. Diy inclined? Even if not, you might enjoy my super-simple-minimal-ingredients-DIYs here. You are welcome.

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My Toners And Mists Collection (And Wishlist too)

Hi Lovelies,



Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

Green Beauty mists and facial toners

Hope you are all well? The summer is finally gracing us, even in this part of the word, thanks goodness for that! The heatwave is most definitely over after three days, but it is still relatively warm. Hoping it to last more than a week this time round - because that's exact amount of time we had it last year. We have a inner joke here in Ireland - "Remember those two days of summer we had? No? Me neither." If you live here or in UK, you will understand.

Anyways, this post is not about non existent summer, but about facial mists and toners, my current collection and my thoughts on the products too. This post is inspired by Instagram posts where people show their stash of green beauty products in each category. I wanted to share my love for facial mists for a while now, so here it is! After ignoring facial mists (and toners) for the last one hundred years I dove deep into it, and before I knew it, I acquired quite a collection. I love all of them for different reasons, and I will be repurchasing all of them at some point. Just as it is a new thing to me, at first I have to run wild and see what else is available. Wait till you see my wishlist! Oh, the addictive nature of human beings.. No? Just me then? Oh well :)


In no particular order, I am sharing my products with you.


Jane Iredale D2O and Pommist Hydration Sprays


I am bundling those together because of the brand even though the products are quite different. They both work well for my sensitive skin, but I have to say D2O is my fave of the two, simply because of what it does to my skin. It smells quite unique because of ylang ylang in it, I have to tell you, so if you are not fond of "grandma's room" type of smells and if you are looking for a nice scent in your facial mist, then I would suggest going for Pommist one. Jane Iredale came of with more hydration sprays, and I am yet to look into them. If you want to try them, thankfully they do minis, so you can try those before you invest in a full size of it. I have a review of them and some other J.Iredale products here if you want to take a look? Find the ingredients in that post too. I should also add that the mister part on it is fabulous, it sprays finest mist, while with some other brands products you get that "garden hose" feeling when it sprays (squirts) too much product into one area of the face, where you are left soaking wet (and with possibly ruined make up) and have to distribute the liquid very quickly with your fingers in order of not getting it dripping onto your clothes. I am sure many of you know what I am talking about! Yeah, no such problems with Jane Iredale products, whoever designed the packaging, did a very good job and gets a thumbs up from me! I heard that Josh Rosebrook Hydration Accelerator has the finest mist spraying nozzle too, and I am very curious to compare. More on it in a second. Back to JI mists. Because of that fine spraying nozzle, the products last for months too - when I received those I wasn't overly happy as I wanted other products instead (and I used to use only rose water as face mist/toner), so I was thinking, oh great, these will be wasted, why would I want to pay 30€ for those when I am happy with my rose water? So I reluctantly started to use them at the start of winter to see if they would help me with my skin going haywire with the seasonal changes, and I fell in love! Had to eat my words immediately and now I am a big fan. The D2O is gone for some time now (it lasted me whole winter, using only that product day in and day out multiple times a day - it worked great, and I was convinced those 30€ are actually money well spent as it will last you for months) and I kept the packaging to decant my other products into. It houses DermaBoost mist now. Pommist is on it's last leg too, and I am also keeping the packaging to decant my Pure Anada Marine Toner into.



Pure Anada Marine Minerals Hydrating Toner


I love it! Correction, love the way it makes my skin feel and the ingredients, but the spray nozzle could do with improvement, and that is exactly why I decanted it. I am a big fan of Pure Anada, you can find my review on their mineral make up here, and I am currently trying their hand and body lotion too, as well as brow powder in Cinder. Most likely to review them, and if not, keep an eye on my IG page for mini reviews or something like that. Or they will end up in Favourites or Empties posts at some time in the future. Affordable. 

Ingredients:
*Aloe barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, *Ascophyllum Nodosum (Kelp) Extract, *Aphanizomenon Flos Aquae ( Blue Green Algae) Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Salix nigra (Black Willowbark) Extract, Sodium Chloride (Dead Sea Salt), Citric Acid.

CODE "GREENLIFE" SAVES WHOOPING 25% AT PUREANADA.CA

Morningstar Minerals Derma Boost Rejuvenating Spray Mist


This is a absolute bargain compared to most of the mists here, and I love the fact that it is only two ingredients! It is available from Amazon. Loving minimal ingredients too, it is only two of them, fulvic minerals and purified water! But make no mistake in thinking it is got nothing in it or that it doesn't do anything - it has a huge list of trace minerals in it, and my skin just looves this mist in the heat of the summer!



Isun Ormus Myst

I have to confess this product is now empty, but definitely on my "to repurchase" list, and I am very definitely getting it someday! I enjoyed it tremendously at the time that I had it, and I even did a insta story when it ran out, completed with crying emoji and all that. Gorgeous really natural ingredients (like all the products from ISUN Skincare UK) and I was definitely intrigued by these mystical Ormus spheres in the mist - it is one of the signature ISUN products because of it. And this mist goes far beyond your regular mist, it is infused with gemstone energy and the bottle houses a clear quartz crystal too, how about that for a special touch? You can find more thoughts in a review here.

Ingredients:
Aqua (spring water infused with gemstone energy); Rosa centifolia (rose) flower extract; Jasminum sambac (jasmine) flower extract; Boswellia sacra (frankincense) oil; Embedded clear quartz crystal.



Lotus Wei Infinite Love Aura Mist

This is not technically a face mist but an aura mist, but I am including here in the post, because it is a mist nonetheless and I do definitely enjoy it every day. I have an old review of Lotus Wei products here if you want to check it out? I have to say I fell in love with Lotus Wei products, and they were first flower remedies to work for me. I went on to purchase full size of Infinite Love anointing oil as well as the mist, and Joy Juice elixir. I forever want to have them, even though they are a stretch on my practically-non-existent play budget. (and they seem to shoot up in price since my last purchase. Gulp.)

Ingredients:
Essential oils of *Citrus deliciosa (Red Mandarin), *Pelargonium roseum (Rose Geranium), Monarda fistulosa (Monarda), Cymbopogon citrates (Lemongrass), Rosa damascena (Rose absolute), Rosa damascena (Rose Wax), and Apies millifera (Beeswax Absolute), and hand-collected flower essences of Bauhinia blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid), Epilobium augustifolium (Fireweed), Magnolia liliflora (Pink Magnolia), Hieracium aurantiacum (Hawkweed), Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus) and gem essence of Pink Tourmaline in pure water. *Certified Organic. Excellent for children.

💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 

And now for my wishlist. Are You ready? Because of that addictive nature of a human being, I want not one, not two, but whole five six mists! No? Just me then? Oh, well, just trying :)




1. Madara Time Miracle Cellular Nutrients Toning Mist

This caught my eye when I was researching toners and mists on LoveLula website, and the draw for this particular product was that the base for this mist is birch juice (or birch water as it is called here). I thought that is so cool, and I definitely want to try it. And yes please to hyaluronic acid in everything! This retails at 20£ for 100ml.

Ingredients:
Betula Alba (birch) Juice Aloe Barbadensis Glycerin Trifolium Pratense Hippophae Rhamnoides Galium Verum Vaccinium Myrtillus Alchemilla Vulgaris Betaine Sodium PCA Benzyl Alcohol Aroma Sodium Benzoate Potassium Sorbate Citric Acid Equisetum Arvense Aesculus Hippocastanum Sodium Hyaluronate Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid Undaria Pinnatifida Extract.



2. DrAlkaitis Organic Soothing Gel


This I had no intention of buying because of the high price tag (56£ for 120ml, for me it is eye wateringly expensive), but I received a sample of it in the green beauty swap, and I fell head over heels in love with it! So amazing for less-than-perfect inflamed skin, it has done wonders! The week I tried it I was having a dermatitis breakout on my face due to accidentally glutening myself, and nothing was working, not even my beloved Mahalo Rare Indigo balm was helping much, so at my wits end I reached for it, and lo behold, my skin was back to normal in two days, no kidding! It has done wonders for the redness too, and the ingredients are amazing. So I need to convince myself to spend that much cash on it. The results I got were incredible, so I think I will go on to buy this before I will get any others from my wishlist.

Ingredients:
base of aloe vera gel*, witch hazelº and grape alcohol* (from the fermentation of organically grown grapes) the following herbs are blended: greater nettle*, german chamomileº, myrrhº, european elder*, sweet weed*, french lavender*, curacao orange*, benzoinº, rosemary*, olibanumº, Italian fennelº, balm mint*, sea oakº, atlantic kelpº and red seaweedº. We also added natural vitamin B and C complexes and 100% pure essential oils. * certified grown º ethically wild-crafted.


3. Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator

At the time of this post going live, I caved in and finally purchased this mist, so technically it should be moved up to another section, but I haven't received it yet. I wanted it for so long, I am yet to come across a bad review on it, it seems to be a cult fave in the green beauty community and naturally I wanted a slice of it too. We shall see if it will live up to the claims? Fingers crossed I will love it, it has so many great ingredients in it. Admitedly I am a bit worried about aloe, as I tend to react to it sometimes. Fingers crossed.

Ingredients:
*Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, *Jojoba Oil, †Marula Oil, *Evening Primrose Oil, *Hemp Seed Oil, *Borage Seed Oil, *Almond Oil, *Grape Seed Oil, *Sesame Oil, *Sea Buckthorn Oil, *Goji Berry, *Ashwaganda, *Calendula, *Black Cohosh, *Dandelion, *Fo Ti Root, *Alfalfa, *Bilberry, *Rosemary, *Turmeric, *Elderberry, *Raspberry Leaf, *Burdock, *Chamomile, *Rose Hips, *Eyebright, *Beetroot, *St. John’s Wort, * Hawthorne Berry, *Chickweed, *Licorice, *Coriander, *Horse Chestnut, *Lavender, *Red Clover, *Olive Leaf, *Sage, *Thyme, *Vitamin E, *Guar Gum, *Gum Arabic, §XanthanGum, §PotassiumSorbate, *Vanilla Extract, †YlangYlang Essential Oil, †Rosemary Essential Oil, †Eucalyptus Essential Oil, †Bergamot Essential Oil, †Carrot Seed Essential Oil



4. Esse Probiotic Skincare Toner Plus

This is available from LoveLula and it is a rather damn pricy at £29.50 for 100ml, but I have to try a probiotic toner at least once, haven't I? 95% of organic ingredients don't hurt :) I will let you know of the results later on.

Ingredients:
Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract*, Inulin*, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Fruit Extract*, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice, Maltodextrin, Lactobacillus, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Flower Oil*, Sodium Citrate, Salicylic Acid, Lactic Acid, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Glyceryl Caprylate, Vanilla Planifolia Extract, Geraniol***, Citral***, Linalool***, Limonene***, Citronellol*** *ingredients from organic farming ***component of natural essential oils 99.9% of the total ingredients are from natural origin 99.9% of the vegetable ingredients are from Organic Farming 95% of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming



5. Natural Wisdom Vitamin C Facial Toner with Hyaluronic Acid

Can we get hallelujah for the sound of this? Another part of the draw is the affordable price (15£ for 50ml) and it comes in Miron glass bottle, no less! Natural Wisdom is new company on my radar, so I need to do my research on them, to see who they are, ethos of the company and the purity level of the ingredients they use. I also want a ton on their solid perfumes - I added about 10 or 15 of them to my cart before emptying it, and I'll leave this for later times, for when I will run out of some of the products I currently own. I don't like having too many things open at once, it freaks me out.

Ingredients:
*(geranium) flower water, punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit extract, *symphytum officinalis (comfrey) root extract), sodium ascorbyl phosphate (Vitamin C), *aloe vera leaf powder, sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) powder, benzyl alcohol, salicylic acid, glycerine, sorbic acid. *certified organic ingredient.



6. Amly Digital Detox Facial Mist & Radiance Boost Facial Mist

Again, pooling those together because they are coming from the same brand. I am really interested in the fact that it has colloidal silver in it, and I have heard it takes them six weeks to make it, so it is comforting to know they are not taking water with some essential oils and some nice extracts and slapping a luxury price tag on it. (42£ for 50ml for each of them). One day this will be mine, I am not sure when that day will come though.

Ingredients: (slighthly different for both)
Aqua, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (***Sweet Orange) Flower Water, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Water, Anthemis Nobilis (Roman Chamomile) Flower Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Aloe Barbadensis (***Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Glycerin (Vegetable), Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil, Achillea Millefolium (Yarrow) Flower Extract, Hypericum Perforatum (St John’s Wort) Leaf Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris (Lady’s Mantle) Leaf Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Hibiscus Berry) Flower Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Extract, Crataegus Monogyna (Hawthorn Berry) Fruit Extract, Sambucus Nigra (Elderflower) Flower Extract, Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Hydrolysed Hyaluronic Acid, Bis (Tripeptide-1) Copper Acetate, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Peptide, *Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Flower Oil, *Tilia Cordata (Linden) Flower Oil, *Rosa Damascena (Rose Otto) Flower Oil, *Boswellia Carteri (Olibanum) Gum Oil, *Jasminum Grandiflorum (Jasmine) Absolute Flower Oil, *Matricaria Chamomilla, Glucose, Benzyl Alcohol, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Silver Citrate, Citric Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, **Limonene, **Linalool, **Geraniol, **Citral, **Farnesol, **Citronellol, **Benzyl Benzoate
*Natural Pure Essential Oils **Potential Allergens ***Certified Organic Ingredients




So there you have it, my mists and wishlists :) What are you using at the moment and how do you like it? Please share with me, I want to know!







Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY (now closed!) if you are from EU, and my international friends, stay tuned, because I *might* have an international giveaway soon! My lips are sealed for now :)





Tata for now!

Lots of love,
Renata.

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Disclaimer: after some recent event I decided to add that you can't use any of my photos without my permission. I want people to know that any of my blog photos are my property and not public domain. I am happy to let brands or web shops use them as long as they give photo credit tracing back to me. Not asking before and not giving photo credit = not cool.
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Enjoy my content? Any contribution to my PayPal Tip Jar -  will get You my eternal gratitude and more awesome green beauty reviews Your way! I weed out all the greenwashing products so You won't have to :)

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