Cleansers -Boots - Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm
karlakarla 4/21/2013 9:47:00 AM
I have been using this as my night cleanser for over a year. It is Boots from reformulated organic Botanics line (and according to the package this cleanser is 97% organic). It replaces eve lom's cleanser in my regime. And at such a savings! (Boots Botanics is about 1/5 the price!) The ingredients are so much cleaner than Lom's petrolchemically-infused balm. I find that it works exactly the same as Lom's if not better and I still do her lymphatic drainage massage routine a couple of nights a week.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare -Neal's Yard - Wild Rose Beauty Balm
karlakarla 5/26/2012 10:50:00 AM
I use this as a cleansing balm -- in the mode of Eve Lom or the OCM (the oil cleansing method). Using it this way, it is by far the best cleansing balm that I have ever used. After using it for about a few weeks, even my stubborn clogged pores on my nose (blackheads) started loosening. It is expensive, but it lasts a while.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -evanhealy - Vintage Patchouli Essential Oil
karlakarla 1/17/2011 7:55:00 PM
Just amazing stuff! Not your ordinary patchouli! This is like a dream -- rich, warm, and super sophisticated. It is not acidic, acrid, or sour in anyway (like so many nasty cheap patchouli's tend to be). I wear it directly on my skin or I dilute by adding a few drops to a tablespoon of e.v. coconut oil or mix some into a small spray bottle with highproof vodka. This amazing oil is a testament to EvanHealy's expert sourcing and sensitive noise!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -evanhealy - Rose Cleansing Milk
karlakarla 6/26/2009 4:03:00 PM
My skin loves evanhealy's cleansing milks. They are just perfect. Rich and never stripping and yet they rinse clear. This one is scented with a lovely rose geranium smell.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -evanhealy - French Rose Clay
karlakarla 6/26/2009 4:00:00 PM
This is a lovely basic clay that you mix with water to form a mask. I like that it smells like fresh clay or earth, not chalky dust. I think the clay must be finely milled or something b/c it feels very smooth. This feels calming.
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Treatments -evanhealy - Blemish Treatment Roll-On
karlakarla 6/26/2009 3:41:00 PM
Almost everything else from evanhealy is great, including the tea tree cleansing gel, but this blemish stick didn't do a thing for two underground zits that I had. I will not buy again. In fact, I am not sure I will use it again if I get a pimple.
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Treatments (Eye) -Dr. Hauschka - Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream
karlakarla 6/26/2009 3:37:00 PM
I love my hauschka, but this eye cream doesn't really do much for my eye area (which is pretty dry and often crepey). I was very hopeful about it b/c the consistency seems perfect -- light but rich somehow. And the scent in barely there but pleasant. But I used a whole tube over the course of two months and saw no improvement. At least, it doesn't make my eye area look worse (like weleda's rose eye does).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - JASON-Aloe Vera Shampoo
karlakarla 6/26/2009 3:33:00 PM
This is my basic cheap non-SLS shampoo. I've been using it once/twice a week for about 8 years....especially when I decide that more posh shampoos are outside my budget. I like it because it foams very little and never stripes. If I decide that I need only the lightest cleanse, I just smooth it on my head without any scrubbing movements. Then let it sit there for a couple of minutes and then rinse. Presto! My hair doesn't look dirty and it doesn't look frizzy or puffy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Weleda - Almond Facial Oil
karlakarla 6/26/2009 11:44:00 AM
This is a great basic facial oil with very little scent. It was a staple for me until I found evanhealy's rosehip oils. What I like about it is that it sinks in quickly and it doesn't break me out (like the generic almond oil does). It helps keep my oily/dry face balanced and keep my clogging under control. It's cheaper than Dr. Hauchka's facial oil which I also love. In fact, I think my skin likes might like this oil better than the Hauschka. Again, I am not sure why this simple oil works better than oils from the supermarket or elsewhere, but it does. My big complaint (as with many Weleda products) is the spout on the bottle which is far to hard to control and not air tight. It is like the spout on the olive oil in your kitchen. If you're dressing a salad it would be fine, but if you're using small amounts everyday over several months, it's hard to control getting a consistent amount out and let's too much air in.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Weleda - Wild Rose Cleansing Lotion
karlakarla 6/26/2009 11:35:00 AM
This is a loose cleansing milk that smells strong but fairly nice. I can't take the smell everyday, and I much prefer evanhealy cleansing milks for smell and effectiveness. But when I want a little vacation, I use this. It's never broken me out, and my skin hates most cleansers, esp those that are too harsh and/or not PH-balanced. It is doesn't leave a greasy film on my face, but I think it is also a little more drying and less effective than other cleansing milks. It doesn't have the occulisive thickness that I like in clarins or evanhealy. I miss that quality when I use this cleanser. The thicker cleansers feel like when you pat them on your face they are suctioning off dirt. This one just slips around too much. It's close to the Dr. Hauschka cleansing milk, but I think Hauschka's is better and probably a better value given it's pump (even portions are easy to control) and size. Packaging: I love the bottle with grips. This is great for something oily that comes in a glass bottle. I do not like the pour spout. Why not a pump? Or something that allows you to portion out the product more effectively.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Neal's Yard - Lavender Sunscreen SPF22
karlakarla 6/26/2009 11:27:00 AM
I've bought this for about 2 years to use on my face, and I've been hooked ever since. It's a huge tube that lasts me about 6 months. If you buy it in Britain it is cheap, but even in the US, this is a great price for so much sunscreen that is so pure. Here's my situation: I am finicky about not putting parabens and toxic sunscreen products on my face. Plus, I breakout from anything containing Titanium Dioxide or Jojoba oil. This seriously limits my SS options. I was using Epicuren Zinc Block and I still like this product but I question whether it is a protective. One more thing: I am scared of NANO-particles too. So, for me, this block has it all: * I don't breakout from it. * No Nanos. * No parabens. * The rest of the ingredients look pretty benign. * Most zinc. * Relatively cheap. So certain staff at Neal's Yard often think this is too rich to use on the face (despite the label's recommendation). They think that I am a bit nuts. It does feel a bit thick, but it's not bad. It does have a slight white cast, but after about 20 minutes this nearly goes away, and I always mix a bronzer into my sunblocks which takes care of the white cast. (Also, you cannot get a natural non-nano sunblock that offers real protection without something of a white cast.) One thing to know. It dries with a slightly matte quality. So I put on moisturizer first.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -John Masters - Citrus & Neroli Detangler
karlakarla 6/26/2009 11:13:00 AM
I bought this b/c I was looking for a light conditioner that I could use in place of shampoo. I have thick coarse and wavy hair that acts up when washed too frequently. I am following the curly-girl's philosophy here. I have also tried lowpoo and nopoo. I have also had great luck with using lighter drugstore conditioners and they work great, but I am really don't like buying stuff with tons of chemicals, esp parabens and petroleum products. (And don't worry, I still use real shampoo [but still non-SLS] once or twice a week.) In this "shampooing" capacity, this conditioner worked pretty well. My hair was lightly cleansed and refreshed without being stripped. If you're someone exploring options for using conditioner rather than shampoo a few days of the week, you might consider this option. The real reason that I don't want to repurchase is that something in here makes my scalp itch. Urgh. This is a rich by drugstore standards but relatively light by organic conditioner standards (since most are oil based and don't have parabens which means they can't use as much water-based ingredients). I only used it as a rinse-out conditioner but it says that you can leave it in.
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Shampoo -John Masters - Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner
karlakarla 6/26/2009 11:02:00 AM
I am a slut for organic and all natural products. The Whole Foods beauty salesperson recommended this to me as a gentle shampoo. At first I liked it a lot. Smelled like coconut and left my hair shiny but not stripped. But eventually it dried out my hair. Not to straw, but some how coarser and not as soft. I am not buying again. Also, I read that this is for dandruff which I don't have.
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Bronzers -Physicians Formula - Organic wear™ 100% Natural Origin Liquid Bronzer
karlakarla 6/24/2009 9:44:00 AM
I mix this into my sunscreen everyday. It cures the white cast of my natural zinc sunscreen. I am on my fourth tube of this bronzer. I really like it, and the price is sooo right. I have used Dr. Hauschka bronzing concentrate for years and their compact bronzer.... but both of those are nearly $40! By contrast, PF's Organic Wear is only $10. COMPARISON OF SHADES: LIGHT: I have tried all the shades, and have found that the shade called "Light" is by far the best for my skin tone. If you have medium-light toned caucasian skin, I suggest trying this color first. I find it looks most natural...by far. Also, I feel this color is closest to a more expensive formulation. It has none of those cheap, garish pigments that are so common in the cheaper drugstore makeup. Here's some more info on the colors b/c how the company has named the different shades confuses me. FAIR: The shade lighter than "light" is called "fair." "Fair" is very tawny and beige. When in comes out of the tube, the color reminds me of the pale pallor of an old-fashioned liquid foundation. It has barely any visible warm tones in it: no red or yellow undertones. This might be good for a shockingly pale person, but even then I am not sure if would look that great. If you are super pale and want a very very light (translucent) foundation, maybe mix this into your moisturizer. MEDIUM: The shade darker than "light" is called "medium." "Medium" seems way too orange a formulation to me. On my skin it is more apt to look streaky than the other formulations. It doesn't blend in or absorb in the way that "light" does. It may just the wrong shade for me, but it's hard to imagine who this formulation would work for. Maybe someone with dark skin that is ashy or dull? Even still, it has none of the warmth that more expensive foundations for people of color have...like gentle warming yellows, glowing ocres, and deep rich browns of more luxurious products. It seems too ruddy and off-balance in a way that reminds me of cheap drugstore foundation. All this to say, that I wonder if "light" might also be the best choice for skin tones darker than me.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -evanhealy - Rosehip Treatment Facial Serum - Blue
karlakarla 4/19/2009 9:52:00 PM
All of Evan Healy's best products appear to be very simple at first. They have just a couple of ingredients...and with this product, the rosehip oil, you immediately might wonder: why not just buy cheaper rosehip oil? Well, one reason to buy this deceptively simple product is is because not all oils are equal. Raw ingredients can be dramatically different even when listed as the same on the ingredient list (think about how different one quality of Olive Oil can be from another). My guess is that Evan Healy selects only the best rosehip oil. That's the only way I can answer why it performs so differently. I have used other rosehip oils, even fancy brands. They all stink...seriously, they smell bad, like they aren't fresh. This is the first rosehip oil that I have used that hasn't broken me out. My skin loves it, drinks it in.
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