When we were on our honeymoon in Greece I grabbed a tube of the Korres Guava body butter at their store in the airport – since then I’ve been in love with it.  The smell is tropical and always brings me back to my after-beach ritual of spreading on this thick, indulgent, amazing scented lotion.  I popped into Sephora the other day to pick up a tube and was SO EXCITED to find the holiday gift set in stock!  For only $32 I got the same sized butter I was going to pay $29 for, along with a full sized shower gell, purse sized butter and a lip balm!   A $70 value!  So, if you’re in need of a special treat for yourself right now, this is the thing to run out and get before they’re gone!  Since I love it so much I might even run back to pick up one or two as Christmas gifts in hopes that some family members will love it as much as I do!

These make-up remover cloths from Norwex are AMAZING!  They remove make-up and cleanse without any harsh cleansers – that’s right – you don’t need to use a face soap at all!  They’re perfect for sensitive skin and the delicate eye area.  I use one every night to take off my make-up – after giving the cloth a good rinse, the mascara and everything else disappears from the cloth!  After wringing it out I hang it to dry and any bacteria that didn’t get rinsed away dies over the next 24 hours before I use it again.  Every couple of weeks I toss it in the laundry just like anything else – just without fabric softener as that will ruin it over time.  I do still love my Clarisonic so I use that in the morning and use these fab cloths at night!  I’m using 1/2 the amount of cleanser now, avoiding having to use an eye make-up remover and cotton balls.  Such less waste and so much better for my health.

**if you’re feeling like your cloth is extra dirty prior to wanting to put it in the washing machine, you can use a little soap on it or to really deep clean it, put it in boiling water

Clarisonic Mia Review:

I’m in LOVE with my Clarisonic Mia!  I don’t know what is up with my skin lately but it’s been terrible – bad breakouts – constantly.  I’ve tried several different cleansers, creams, serums, etc. and although they were all great products I still was covered in red acne bumps and zits.  So embarassing!!!  My skin was never like that as a teenager – why is it doing this to me at 30?!  I started reading reviews on the Clarisonic and decided to give it a go despite the hefty price tag of $119.  It has made a huge difference!  I still have a few spots here and there that come and go, but nothing compared to what it was.  Oh, and my nose is a million times better – my nose likes to harbor a lot of oil but this cleans so deeplt that I’ve seen a huge difference in the clarity of my nose.

There are a few different Clarisonics.  I chose the Mia, which is the cheapest and since I haven’t tried the others I can’t compare them but I can say the Mia is definitely sufficient.  LOVE it!  Definitely worth the investment.

Veganese Conditioner Review:

I recently was zipping through Macy’s and knowing we were out of condition, grabbed this Veganese Condition by LUSH.  I can’t explain why I didn’t smell it first, that’s normally one of the first things I do with new products like this but I looked at the conditioners, realized there was just one vegan option, grabbed it and left.  I am not at all a fan of this stuff.  I really should take it back but I’ve just got busy and never got around to it and now it’s been too long and Eric and I have both used it seeing as we had been out when I purchased it.  I don’t like the scent at all.  It’s too hippy/manly for me and even Eric isn’t crazy about the smell – I guess it’s too hippy for him.  When I went to grab a photo of it for this post I realized it was rosemary and lavender which I’d have never guessed!  I was thinking more patchuli - hence my hippy description – sorry, hopefully I’m not offending anyone   Anyway, not only is the smell not at all something I enjoy but it isn’t as thick and creamy as I’d like but once dry, my hair does seem well moisturized.  I always put Moroccan oil on my hair before I dry it so it’s hard to say whether the conditioner is lacking and the oil makes up for it or maybe the  conditioner is just deceiving and it is more moisturizing than it feels when I put it on.  Regardless of how it works, due to the smell I won’t be getting it again.

*update* – I used it again this morning and my hair really does seem conditioned and tangle free when I get out of the shower – but I just don’t like the smell

It’s super super light but somehow still moisturizing and there isn’t even the slightest hint of greasiness in it.  I’m very curious to see what my opinion of it will be once the dryness of winter sets in.  I personally prefer a creamier, richer lotion but for those of you who enjoy something light, I would highly suggest this.  It is unscented which I like so I can pair it with any of my perfumes and don’t have to worry about competing scents.  It’s definitely on the pricey side at $22.50 for 8oz but it has lasted well.  It packs a powerful punch in a small amount and has already lasted longer than I expected it to.

It’s horrible!  It doesn’t seem to mask any odor at all.  I hate wasting things but I finally broke down and ordered new Take A Whiff!  I’m keeping this on hand just in case I ever need a back up but I really don’t know why – it’s horrible!  I feel (and smell) so much better now that I’m back to using the good stuff:  Pristine Beauty Take A Whiff! deodorant  

$22

I’ve learned my lesson – I’m sticking with Take a Whiff for good – it really is, hands down, the best natural deodorant out there.  In case you want to check out my original post on this great stuff, it’s here.

4 day stay lash stain with Polyflex™ technology

I rarely spend time posting negative feedback here but I’m just shocked at my bad experience with Tarte Cosmetics.  Last week I ordered 3 new vegan cosmetics from them.  They arrived Wednesday and as I pulled my three items out of the box I realized that they had given me the concealer and 2 eyelid primers instead of one and then the eyelash stain I’d wanted.  Thursday I went online and filled out their customer service form explaining the issue and asking them what they’d like to do.  On Friday – 24 hours later – I hadn’t gotten a response so I started calling the phone number on their website and kept getting a recording with no option to leave a message so I went back to the website and filled out the online form again.  Monday rolled around and I STILL hadn’t heard back.  I remembered that the telephone recording suggested sending them an email so I decided to call back and get that email address so I could try that route.  Boy was I surprised when I called the same number I’d been calling (that I got off their website) and I heard:  “the verizon wireless customer you’re trying to reach is unavailable”!!!!  Crazy!!!  At this point I called my credit card company and disputed the charges.

smooth operator™ Amazonian clay waterproof concealer

This was not my first order from Tarte Cosmetics but it will be my last.  I love that they have a decent number of vegan products that are actually all really great but there is no way I’ll ever give them my business again.  What a disappointment and how unprofessional of them!  I’m just so surprised that I had this odd experience.  I could see it more if they were a tiny company but they can’t be that small – their products are sold in big stores – Ulta for example!

This was my latest shampoo purchase.  I was looking for something different and the awapuhi caught my eye and started to take me back to elementary school and my Paul Mitchell days.  I lifted the cap and took a whiff and was sold.  This morning I finally got to use it and I was in heaven!  It was so yummy I didn’t want to rinse it out.  Thank goodness my current conditioner is almost gone so I can run out and get the awapuhi conditioner so I’ll have that lasting smell on my hair all day long

Nature’s Gate is cruelty free and vegan