Shopping My Green Beauty Stash #2 October 2017

Hi Lovelies,



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! 

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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.

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Balms, amazing balms

Hi Lovelies,


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

My collection of balms 

Let me tell you one thing, balms are the bomb, and if you haven’t experienced these little beauty miracle workers, you are seriously missing out! They should be your best friend if you are fellow dry and sensitive skin gal like moi, but all skin types can use them regardless. Skin acting up? Reach for a balm. Chapped lips? Had too much sun? Reach for a balm. Want to protect your skin against elements? Want to deeply soothe, hydrate and nourish your skin? Reach for a balm. You get the idea. I am obsessed with them since discovered them a few years ago, and it is something I always have on hand. You are guaranteed to find a jar or two at any given time in my house, and it is something I always travel with as well, because it is a multi use product, and it is just perfect too soothe and rehydrate cabin air parched skin. Heck, even when my face dermatitis was at it’s worst, Neals Yeard Remedies balm was one of the very few products my skin would tolerate, so I immediately purchased a full size of it once my sample ran out, and thanks goodness I did, it was one of the very few things that calmed the skin and reduced the insane itching. Those who have or had dermatitis or eczema, know perfectly well how uncomfortable and painful it is, and why not try all natural balm instead of those nasty steroid creams your doctor is prescribing you? Your skin will thank you.

Balms can be used on the face or just about anywhere you want to soothe, calm and deeply nourish the skin, it can be used on the lips, hands, dry elbows, or any dry patches on the skin, you can put them on the feet or all over the body if you wish. Well, that would be kind of expensive, but if that is what you want to do, go for it. It’s your call :) It can be used on the face (especially for dry skin people) and I often use one instead of the night cream, if I see that my skin needs it. The are specific balms for the face/body/lips or all over universal balms, so there’s something for everyone to choose from. You can also remove your make up with it, the same way as you would with oil cleanser, you would take a small amount of it, put it on the slightly dampened face, massage it into a skin for a few minutes and then remove it with a hot cloth. Face balms often come with organic cotton (or other fabric) cloths, so make sure to utilise those. You can use it on the chapped lips, to soothe the skin around the nose if you have a cold and constantly blow your nose, it can be used as a cuticle cream, hand cream, eye cream in a pinch, although I would advise to to use it at night, to avoid that oily feeling on your hands/skin. I also use it on the ends of the hair if I am out of the hair oil, but it is up to you if you want to do that or not. All I am saying that these wonderfully emollient skin loving beauties are a true multitaskers and can be used all over. The ingredients also range wildly, the base is often cheaper oil in a form of safflower, olive, coconut oil ( please check that it’s not mineral oil, more on it later) and then they have other active oils, botanical extracts or essential oils added. Plain balm will soothe, protect and nourish the skin (because that’s what they are made for) throughout day and night, but if you want let’s say antiinflammatory action from your balm too, then look for antiinflammatory properties containing balm. 
 This might be TMI for some of you, but I hope this will help some fellow mum with a newborn or a toddler out there, but I want to add that balm was exactly the thing that healed my daughter’s nappy rash when nothing was helping and we were in and out of the doctor’s office for two months, and all she was doing was prescribing stronger and stronger steroid creams to a few weeks old baby! I was at the end of my tether when I reached for my balm, and a miracle happened - overnight the rash was two times less red and angry and even shrank in size, and previously it was only getting bigger. It was sorted in less than a week, and I thanked God for this miracle product.
Oh, did I mention that it can be used as a mask too? Just keep it on your skin for about 30 mins and go relax in the meantime. Read a book or treat yourself to a lie in. You won't believe the change in your skin, and it will stay this way for a couple of days. You will also hardly need a foundation, as your skin will look so good without it. Speaking of foundation, one little tip, you can also mix balm with the mineral  foundation if you want to, just think of it, you will get great coverage while your face will be protected and nourished by a balm. Try it and let me know how did you like it?
Are you addicted to chapstics? Well, chapped lips aren’t cute; neither is becoming a slave to applying a product that doesn’t do it’s job. Ditch the conventional chapstics that are all petroleum based and filled with hair raising chemical, and move onto a natural lip balm made with beeswax, natural oils and maybe some essential oils for added goodness and nice smell, these natural lip balms will offer you all-natural, deeply nourishing hydration that actually heals.

Balms are made out of oils and plant butters plus beeswax (or carnauba wax for vegans) to solidify them, although I must correct myself and say they aren’t rock solid, but rather pliable and easy to use. Thicker and more emolient, “balmy” in texture. The ingredients in them vary wildly, and my advice to you would be to always flip the box or a jar and look at the ingredients, always look for the most natural ingredients you can find, you literally should understand every single ingredient in them. The reason I am saying this is because some companies cheat and use mineral oil as a base, with only a small percentage of active ingredient and still charge a hefty price for it. My hair stood up when i was about to purchase one popular balm with fermented paw paw in it, thanks goodness I checked the ingredients first! Needless to say I skipped it and decided to take my money elsewhere. Sadly a lot of “greenwashing” is happening and I always advise people to be informed consumer and always always check the ingredients list. We won’t go into the law loopholes and loose definitions of “natural” and “organic” labels, allowing chemical laden  products to be labeled as so, this is another post for another time, and in the meantime let’s get back to the balms. Where was I? Ah, the ingredients of the balms. Here’s the thing - balms are waterless, meaning they can last up to a year without the need for any preservatives (yay or what?) so you should only see some beautiful oils and waxes in the ingredient list, plus some essential oils or some “actives”, but that depends on the brand/balm. The simplest balm I have has six ingredients, and I love it! It is olive oil based with beeswax and some bee products, but as I just mentioned, this varies from brand to brand, so do your little research first to find the product perfect for you. Another balm I own is  rosehip oil based, and although it is significantly more expensive, it is also worth every penny, because a little goes a long way with balms, a 50ml jar lasts me about a year with frequent use. Prices range from 3.99 to over a hundred, so there is something for everyone for sure. Go organic if your budget lets you, but then again, do your research first, organic does not always equals big bucks, I found organic balms for as little as 6.99 for 30ml jar. I am going to purchase one of them and see how do they compare to my beloved balm I currently own.
I almost forgot to mention that you can make your own balm too, and it is pretty easy. If you can make your own pancake batter, you can make a balm too. There are tons of recipes on the internet, including my blog, and you can use as little or as much nourishing ingredients as you like, because this is your balm and you make the rules! Just remember to pour it into totally dry sterilised jar to avoid mold and bacteria growth.
Keep this post in mind for the upcoming winter, balm is exactly the thing that will protect your skin against the cold. Apply it 10-20 minutes before you leave the house and you will be good to go. I only wish my mom would knew it, because we never used any, and let me tell you, frostbite is never cute or pleasant. Then again, in summer it is good post sun, so it is a fabulous all rounder and I don't know how I lived without it!

So there you go, my two cents on balms and it's uses. Have you tried balms and what are your favourites? Please share with me, I would love to know! 


Lots of Love,
Renata. 


P.s. All products shown here were purchased with my own money or won in a giveaway. One is PR sample. This post was intended to go up as blog post on one US brand page, but not seeing it published there six months on, I take it back.

My Everyday Skincare Routine

Hello Lovelies,

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

My skincare, Earthwise Beauty, Neal's Yard Remedies, Mahalo

Today I will share my skincare routine with you - I thought you will never ask? Well, actually a lot of you have asked, so there you go, this post is for you! As you know me, I only use truly natural cruelty free products, so that's what you will see here.

As my skincare is really simple, I will share both AM and PM routines with you. You will find minimal products here, no acid peels or anything like that, my uber sensitive and dermatitis prone skin is at its happiest when I leave it alone. Last year was the year I discovered a lot of great clean beauty goodies, because post battling dermatitis my skin is very finicky, and started disliking products I used to use for years, like rosehip oil. So with a lot of trial and error I am finally down to my happy place where I don't want to change a thing because it works so well for me!

Being a green beauty blogger I test and I am sent new things all the time, but I always find myself going back to these products, especially if my skin goes haywire from doing so!  So yes, I can safely say these are my Holy Grail Products for the moment.

AM Routine 

First thing I do is to spread my face with two pumps of Nap In Meadow by Earthwise Beauty - this wonderful anti-inflammatory beauty stole my heart and I will want to have this forever, something does not happen often! It is aloe based serum that has an amazing ingredients and one of my favourite ingredients of late in a form of blue tansy (another being turmeric, found in Mahalo oil and balm) - amazing for inflammation, I can attest to that! My face is brighter and with less blemishes, more even in colour and more happy overall. I took a break from it for a few days and I immediately saw the difference in my skin, it went red in some places, dry patches reared their ugly heads again, and no one wants that, right? It is not enough moisture on its own right now, so I layer it with other products, but it might be enough in the summer, we will see.

Next is the facial moisturiser that I am loving for more than six months (but I am yet to review, whoops!) is Neal’s Yard Remedies Palmarosa one. The funny thing is it is aimed at oily skin, but it suits my dry skin perfectly. I was using it on its own during summer, and when autumn rolled around, I added Mahalo Vitality Elixir oil and voila, it worked like magic to transition my skin into winter!

Speaking of Mahalo (see review here) Vitality Elixir, it is exactly what goes on my face next, often times mixed in with the facial cream, one pump of each and I am set for the day. This oil is very quick to sink into the skin and does not leave you with residue whatsoever. So don't be afraid to try it if you are oil-phobic, it is just divine and will leave your face protected from the elements! And do I need to tell you that ingredients are top notch natural and the best quality you can get??

My eye oil of now is Earthwise Beauty Passion oil, highly anticipated eye oil release from Ava Khan, green beauty community had been asking her to create an eye product  and she took her time until she was sure it is perfection! It is a mix of beautiful only the best quality oils and butters that is supposed to nourish, moisture and protect the delicate under eye area. And protecting it does indeed, it forms a protective layer on your skin. As it is an oil, it takes about ten minutes or so to sink in. It works well for me because I use powder concealer these days (or should I say mineral foundation as a concealer, mine is surely pigmented enough to do that. It is by Pure Anada and you can see the review here. My opinion on it hasn't changed, still love it so much). But I have to say it might not work for you if you use cream concealers, once I decided to bust out my trusty fave Hynt Beauty concealer (review here) and the two didn't gel well together, I had mascara smudges all over. So if you are gel/cream concealer lover, you might want to use this eye oil at night? Oh, and the bottle you see here is not the original bottle, the oil comes in a tiny vial with a dropper. I was forever afraid of knocking it over and/or accidentally touching the dropper with my finger and contaminating the product, so as you can see in the photo below, I transferred it into more substantial glass bottle with stainless steel roller ball, which is naturally antibacterial, so no more worries for me.

So that is my morning routine. As you can see, I am committing two cardinal sins of not washing my face and not using the sunscreen! I shall face the Purgatory for it, but it my choice and I am standing for it. With so very few rays of sunshine we get here in Ireland, I may as well catch them all, given half the chance. But I do use (natural) sunscreen in summer, mind you.

Now let's go grab a cup of tea or coffee, and let's dive into the evening routine, shall we?

PM Routine

So, in the evening I do wash my face with Earthwise Beauty Marshmallow Suds, this is the second cleanser in my life that does not dry out my skin. Yay or what? You have to shake it really well, because it comes layered in two layers, the oil part and the “marshmallow suds” part and you have to mix those two prior to using. Ingredients are really good, but even if I didn't perused them, I would still be ok with using it, as I trust anything that Ava creates is top notch natural and the best quality. It leaves a layer of oil on my skin after washing, but I am ok with it, as it is a layer of moisture, and I can skip the moisturiser if I want to.

Next is the same combo as in the morning, the NYR moisturiser plus Mahalo Vitality elixir and the eye oil by Earthwise Beauty.

I have to say that my skin is extremely happy with this routine, I don't get much redness or dry patches which is fabulous in winter, isn't it? On the rare occasions where I do get dry patches, it is remedied by balms, there’s two favourite ones in my rotation, and those are the Mahalo Rare Indigo Balm and the ISun Soothing Balm, and sometimes a sheet mask by 100%Pure, their Caffeine one (you might want to see review here where not only I review them, but I also share my frugalista tip on how to make them last three times longer, and no, it is not wearing the same mask over and over again!) - I said it before and I say it again, this mask will make your skin red carpet ready, it will take care of a multiple things at once, your skin will be glowing and happy, you might want to skip make up the next day. I have tried their other two sheet masks, but this is my firm fave. I also use Mahalo Bean mask and iSun Algae Mask, on a weekly basis too (I own some more masks, plus I DIY them, but that will be another posts for another time) but I don't know how about you, but I need to be home alone if I want to mask, I am poked fun at if I wear a mask in front of my family. The sheet masks from 100%Pure scare my children and I am forever told to take them off, which is why I nicknamed them Hannibal masks. So yeah, as "me” time doesn't happen often in the Casa Green Life In Dublin, I am lucky if I can squeeze it once or twice a week.

I was really late to the masking party, like really late, it was only last year I started masking regularly. Sure I did it before too, but it was more like once in a moon, or three times a year if I am honest. Doing them on a regular basis made my skin so much better, and I really like that. I pledge keep my masking game strong in the future!

I should also say that I spray my face with Jane Iredale mists throughout the day.

So that is it for now, that is all the skincare routine I do. let me know the products you can't live without?

Please see 250+ posts and reviews here.

Lots of Love,

Renata.

P.s. Earthwise Beauty and ISUN Skincare reviews are to come really soon, keep your eyes peeled.

Mahalo Review

Hi Lovelies,

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

Gorgeous Mahalo products

Where do I even begin?? I was late to the Mahalo party, and I would have missed out on it at all, if I didn’t win their Instagram giveaway! I still can't believe my lucky stars, as I used to be the girl who never won anything in her life, and now this happened! I am extremely grateful and thankful. Mahalo was the brand on my radar and I always wanted to try it and see what the buzz is all about, everyone in the green beauty community seems to love it and l am yet to come across a bad review. The thing is I am living La Vida Broka life right now, so I thought these products were forever out of my price range, but I am changing my way of thinking - I would much rather invest into something I know will be working for me, rather than buying and testing ten different budget options. As well as blogger, I am your regular consumer, so as much as I want to continue to bring content to you guys, I don't need to chain test every single product on the market, right? Especially as my uber sensitive skin protests wildly if I do so! This whole line is aimed at people like me, with problematic skin, and let me tell you it is amazing for dermatitis and other skin irritations! Not only that, their products are wholesome in a holistic way, it will work on so many levels, your skin will be nourished, calmed down, fed and happy!

Now, let's break it down to the individual products and see my thoughts on them, shall we?

Want my thoughts in a nutshell? The products are amazing and I think they are worth every single penny. I don't say this lightly, products have to go the extra mile to impress me, so hear me out!

Mahalo Bean Mask

The Bean Mask

This is a gorgeous product, but do I need to say that? All Mahalo products gorgeous! Again, this mask has beautiful ingredients, and it does work on so many levels, your skin will be left nourished, smooth and happy, all the irritations and red patches you had will be gone and your skin will stay plump for a few days afterwards. Definitely treat yourself if you get the chance! The only thing I found to be a slight con, is that the mask is kind of thick and a bit hard to spread, so in order to thin it out a bit (and make the mask go further, not gonna lie), I mixed it with a bit of rosewater or toner. But that is not even a con, I hate to say anything that would be perceived as negative about this product, so let's make it into a positive thing - it’s a good thing that the mask is in concentrated form, it is up to you however way you will use it! (P.s. this mask is coming out spring or summer 2017)

Ingredients:

Not currently on the website as this mask is not up for sale yet, but I am sure the ingredients are all natural and amazing! Have no doubts about that.
Update a few months later:
As the mask is launched already, I can update the post with the ingredients list:
mel (Hawaiian raw honey)*, theobroma cacao (raw cacao) powder*, santalum paniculatum (Hawaiian sandalwood) powder*, bambusa arundinacea (bamboo carbon charcoal) powder, red morrocan rhassoul clay, camellia japonica (thea seed) oil*, coffea arabica (green coffee bean) oil*, coffea arabica (coffee) hydrosol water*, leuconostoc ferment filtrate & lactobacillus ferment, hibiscus sabdariffa (hibiscus) flower*, curcuma longa (turmeric) root*, zingiber officinalis (ginger) root*, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)*, non-gmo mixed tocopherols, haematococcus pluvialis algal (astaxanthin) extract, solanum lycopersicum (tomato lycopene) extract, leontopodium alpinem (edelweiss) extract*, salix nigra (willow) extract*, beta vulgaris (beet root) extract*, curcuma longa (turmeric) supercritical extract*, hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) supercritical extract*, daucus carota (carrot seed) supercritical extract*, cinnamomum zeylanicum (ceylon cinnamon)*, rosmarinus officials (rosemary) supercritical extract*, eugenia caryophyllus (clove)*, coffee arabica (coffee) supercritical extract*, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) oil*, theobroma cacao (cocao) absolute, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot fcf) oil*, vanilla planifolia (vanilla) extract*, elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) supercritical extract*, santalum paniculatum (Hawaiian sandalwood) oil*, pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil*, phytosterols, psidium guava (guava) extract, potassium sorbate, citrullus lanais (watermelon) extract.

Mahalo Vitality Elixir

Vitality Elixir Serum

Now, the thing is, I discontinued the use of facial oils prior to winning this, as it is known that dermatitis hates oils, and I kind of didn't want to admit this, as facial oils and not creams were the exact thing I used for so many years previously. So I was a bit apprehensive that I wouldn't get much use out of it. Oh boy, how wrong I was! Not only my skin LOOOVES it, it also helps with dermatitis! It is the only facial oil that goes on my face these days, and needless to say I never want it to run out! I mix it with my favourite facial cream of the moment, Neal’s Yard Remedies Palmarosa one and my skin is ready to face the day! If I am feeling extra dry, I will add this oil neat but that very rarely happens these days, this is a winning combo for me, and I don't want to test any other products right now, my skin is looking and feeling the best it has been in a really long time! So there you go, that is a big claim and a testament in one.

Ingredients:

calophyllum inophyllum (polynesian tamanu) co-op grown oil*, salvia hispanica (chia seed) organic supercritical CO2 extract**, aleurite moluccans (kukui) nut oil*, nigella sativa (black cumin) organic supercritical CO2 extract**, daucus carota (carrot seed) organic supercritical CO2 extract**, hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) organic supercritical CO2 extract**, curcuma longa (turmeric) organic supercritical CO2 extract**, helichrysum italicum (immortelle) flower oil*, pelargonium graveolens (geranium) flower oil*, boswellia carteri (frankincense)oil*, citrus aurantium var. bergamia (bergamot fcf) bergapten-free, non-photosensitizing oil*^, rosa centifolia (rose de mai) flower oil*, ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10), non-gmo mixed tocopherols

Mahalo Balm

Mahalo Balm

This gorgeous orange coloured pot brings me so much joy and much needed TLC to my winter parched skin, I am telling you! Isn't the color everything? I admire it every time I open this jar. I wasn't a big balm user until last year, but I am making up for the lost time, mind you! The balm has turmeric in it, which is one of my favorite ingredients when it comes to skincare right now, and I assume it's what gives it's distinctive orange color too. I use it on the dry patches on my face or all over. Kiss goodbye to winter parched skin with this beauty. And it can be used as under eye balm. How fabulous is that?
Update many many weeks later - I discovered it is amazing at healing sports chaffing (Mr Green Life In Dublin experience, not mine) so I wanted to let you all know.
 

Ingredients:

macadamia integrifolia (macadamia) oil*, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil*, persea gratissima (avocado) butter*, theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter*, vitis vinifera (grapeseed) oil*, calophyllum inophyllum (Polynesian tamanu) oil*, cera alba (beeswax)*, rosa rubiginosa (rosehip) supercritical extract**, aleurite moluccans (kukui) oil*, prunus amygdalus dulci (sweet almond) oil*, azadirachta indica (neem) oil*, calendula officinalis (marigold) flower*, hibiscus sabdariffa (hibiscus) flower*, symphytum officinale (comfrey) leaf/root*, hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) supercritical extract**, daucus carota (carrot seed) supercritical extract**, non-gmo mixed tocopherols, curcuma longa (turmeric) supercritical extract**, citrus aurantium var. bergamia (bergamot fcf) oil*^, lavandula augustifolium (lavender) oil*, pelargonium graveolens (geranium) oil*, santalum paniculatum (Hawaiian sandalwood) oil*, pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil*, jasminum grandiflorum (Hawaiian jasmine) extract*

Unfortunately I won't be able to afford all these products, so this will have to let go of Mahalo Balm, even though I don't want to let it go! Even though Rare Indigo balm is more expensive with less product in the jar, it is amazing for inflammation, so it kinda does double duty, and that is why I will be investing in it, and I hope it will last! With my zero income and 110€ price tag, I need it to last!

Mahalo Rare Indigo Balm

Rare Indigo Balm
Hear this out - two samples worth of it impressed me enough to include into 2016 Favorites! I have no words how much I love this product, I never want to run out of it! The first sample was provided by gorgeous flame haired beauty Sasha from Balanced Beauty Bristol, and I fell in love hard! It is amazing for calming and treating my dermatitis patch, and any other red patches that you might have, it helped me so much with the seasonal change, when my skin was freaking out. And I was freaking out running out of sample too, thinking what I am going to do now, when the Universe provided me with another sample, and so much more! I am talking about the giveaway here of course. It has amazing ingredients and it pretty much the only thing I plan to invest in in the 2017. Of course no one could stretch the whole year with buying just one product, I meant to say I am willing to compromise in so many other areas in order to have this. This is a must for me, for life! One little thing to add though, this balm is time sensitive, so it is best if you used it within a year.
Update many many weeks later: I discovered that it heals scalded skin in no time at all! (Experience is mine this time) I managed to scald myself with a hot steam from the pot and accidentally touched the pot too. Dumbass! I just ran some cold water over my hand and continued with the dinner and the usual errands, but as the day went on, my skin got more red and more painful - my whole fleshy part of the thumb was turning into red sore, so I reached for this balm over anything else, and you know what? within minutes the redness and the pain went down. I went to sleep after applying some more of it, and I woke up with my hand almost back to normal - I have no pain and just little red patch where the flesh touched the pot - amazing!! This to me confirms even more that it is worth every single penny and I will be sure to invest in a full size of it once I will be done scrapping the sample. I wish I had taken a "before" and "after" pictures to show you. I was actually thinking about it, but as it happened in the evening with the sun down, the light was poorly, so I didn't, I am kind of perfectionist in that way. Blogger's problems, much?? 😄
  

Ingredients:

cannabis sativa (hemp seed) oil*, astrocaryum murmuru butter*, orbignya oleifera (babassu) butter*, sclerocarya birrea (virgin marula) oil*, vitis vinifera (grape seed) oil*, camellia japonica (thea seed) oil*, aleurites moloccans (kukui) oil*, euterpe oleracea (acai) oil*, in-house biodynamic proprietary infusion (astragalus, chamomile, comfrey, gromwell, hibiscus, indigo)*, polygonum tinctorium (indigo) extract, achillea millefolium (yarrow) oil*, matricaria chamomile (chamomile) oil*, helichrysum italicum (immortelle) oil*, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) oil*, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot fcf) oil*^, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil*, boswellia frereana (frankincense) oil*, rosa damascena (rose) oil*, ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10), daucus carota (carrot seed) CO2 extract*, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (vitamin C ester), non-gmo mixed tocopherols, vanilla planifolia (vanilla) oil, rosmarinus officials (rosemary antioxidant) CO2 extract, iris pallida (orris butter) oil.

Vacation Glow (sample)

This is a body oil, very nice and luxurious. The cute sample bottle provided me with one use for half a body application, so I can't claim to have a firm opinion on it and what it does to the skin. It is definitely softening and the smell is gorgeous. Also it sinks in really fast leaving no residue on the skin whatsoever, so if you are afraid of using body oils thinking they will leave you greasy, this is the one for you.

I won't be able to treat myself to this either, but I am ok with it, the way I see it, I am happy to invest in skincare, but I have to choose the hardest working products that would be the best for me. But if you are a luxury lover looking for amazing products to treat your skin, this is a product for you. 

Ingredients:

Again, not currently on the website. I think this is a seasonal product and will be up for sale once the summer will grace us. Correct me if I am wrong.

My thoughts and the verdict:

I am in love! And I know this is forever love. I am so glad to have gotten the chance to try out these products, otherwise I might have missed out on such an amazingness. I am very happy to change my mind and go from frugalista to being happy to invest in my skincare, because it is your skin after all and it deserves the best attention after all! Maryna’s creations are just wonderful and I have never come across a line of products that EVERYTHING would work for me and give me zero reactions. And Maryna herself is the sweetest woman ever! I am entering into the long haul relationship with these amazing products from the sunny Hawaii. The call is strong.

Happily for me and my fellow green bunnies in the EU, these amazing products are available here too in a few online shops, such as Alyaka and a few others (the list can be found on Mahalo website) but I must also say that my products were sent directly from the Hawaii and I didn't get any custom fees.

It sort of became of tradition of mine to end my review posts with a wishlist from the brand I am reviewing, and in this case it is very short and simple - I want EVERYTHING! Maybe starting from the Unveil cleanser, because that beauty is calling my name like no other. And I just found out it touted as one of the Top Five Cleansers by Vogue, can't be better than that! Maryna, thanks for making me a very happy woman, you have my eternal gratitude. And thanks for making amazing products! I feel like Maryna knows my skin, I have never come across a line of products that would work so well on me. Even though I am very sensitive to essential oils (another reason I was apprehensive), I haven't had any reactions at all, so I am confident that anyone can use and enjoy these amazing goodies.

So that is all for now. Have you tried Mahalo and what are your favorite products from the brand?

Lots of Love and Aloha!

Renata.