Tag: beauty review

Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle

Beauty Finds: Honest Beauty Magic Gel-To-Milk Cleanser

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Beauty Finds: Honest Beauty Magic Gel-To-Milk Cleanser

Welcome back to another Beauty Finds! This edition Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser.

I have a few requirements when it comes to cosmetics and skin care: cruelty free, natural, clean, vegan better. I do my best to avoid the nasty ingredients such as SLSs, parabens, PEGs, silicones, etc. Petrochemicals are the sneakiest with so many derivatives and aliases. I also avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. Coconut oil marketed as the good oil I’m also cutting down on as it can be just a damaging crop as palm oil. If I do get products with these ingredients in I try to get organic or sustainably sourced. With make up it’s a little harder so I go for cruelty free brands. I prefer products with less plastic and thankfully more brands are aware consumers don’t want unnecessary plastic (or governments are telling them less plastic). My skin type’s oily sensitive, acne prone and now wrinkles. I know nothing stops those lines, but if I can delay them then….

I’ll be straight up honest (no pun!) I didn’t like this cleanser. Maybe I’m biased towards Korean cleansers but this I felt didn’t clean my skin at all. I gave it a few days but I could tell on the first use, it wasn’t removing make up. I think I applied it twice each use. On Honest Beauty it’s recommend to apply like a cleansing balm which then foams a little as on Honest Beauty videos. I found it didn’t foam or get milk like colour. It says avoid contact with eyes and on its video it removed eye makeup or what looks like eyeliner. Let’s just say it stings like a MF if it gets in your eyes thanks to the rose water! It blotchy removed eyeliner and mascara and left my skin feeling striped bare dry still with make up residue on. I think I ended up using it as shower gel.

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Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle

Beauty Finds: Sioris Stay With Me Day Cream

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Beauty Finds: Sioris Stay With Me Day Cream

Welcome back to another Beauty Finds! This edition Sioris Stay With Me Day Cream!

I have a few requirements when it comes to cosmetics and skin care: cruelty free, natural, clean, vegan better. I do my best to avoid the nasty ingredients such as SLSs, parabens, PEGs, silicones, etc. Petrochemicals are the sneakiest with so many derivatives and aliases. I also avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. Coconut oil marketed as the good oil I’m also cutting down on as it can be just a damaging crop as palm oil. If I do get products with these ingredients in I try to get organic or sustainably sourced. With make up it’s a little harder so I go for cruelty free brands. I prefer products with less plastic and thankfully more brands are aware consumers don’t want unnecessary plastic (or governments are telling them less plastic). My skin type’s oily sensitive, acne prone and now wrinkles. I know nothing stops those lines, but if I can delay them then….

I discovered Sioris in Miin Cosmetics last year. Initially I was a little skeptical. The packaging is minimal, I didn’t want a plastic packaging brand again (dream on Nat) but I wanted to try new moisturisers. Their own site is mostly in Korean so I rely on stockists for product and brand info such as Miin Cosmetics. I believe the packaging is minimal with investment in the actual lotions and potions. Previously I was using Kora Organics and Honest Beauty moisturisers but I wasn’t happy with them. Kora Organics lotions (from douglas.es) are expensive for what they are, Honest Beauty, Honest Hydrogel Cream (from douglas.es) I liked, but couldn’t find what their hyaluronic acid sources were. Honest Beauty last year dropped a vegan line which had me questioning the hyaluronic acids used as they can be animal derived.

I decided to try Sioris Stay With Me Day Cream which the girls at Miin Cosmetics recommended. My skin in a day or 2 looked so much more healthier I went back to purchase the You Look So Young Night Cream and A Calming Day ampoule. Sioris isn’t an organic brand but everything they use is natural, mostly vegan and seasonal. Yes, seasonal. They use seasonal ingredients in many of their products. This also means that sometimes products aren’t available due to selling out fast until the next batch. Their prices aren’t cheap, but they’re not too expensive being mid range price with a little going a long way. All products are nasty ingredient free save one below. The products also are fragrance free, with no artificial fragrances or perfumes added so the smell of products is subjective. Some say it smells bad, but honestly it doesn’t smell of anything. Their Forever Young Night cream does as it contains tamanu oil, but the scent dissipates quickly and I’ll take that scent over artificial heavily scented or perfume any day.

So far most Sioris products I’ve used I’ve liked. Stay With Me Day Cream is a Daily Moisture Cream formulated with Schisandra fruit to help hydrate the skin intensively without being oily. Jeju Calendula and Ceramide also help soothe and strengthen a weakened skin barrier.

The cream has a slight pink hue which varies from batch to batch as it doesn’t contain any colouratives. The only ingredient that is on the bad list is butylene glycol. It’s rated 1 on ewg safety list and it is in the first 1/4 of ingredients. I’m hoping however all the other ingredients cancel out any damage done. It’s first ingredient is citrus junos fruit or yazu fruit which renowned for it’s high vitamin C properties (I’ve just started a yazu serum: by Urang (Miin Cosmetics here. Yes, I love Miin Cosmetics!) which it packed with it and have noticed a huge improvement in skin tone). Schisandra fruit is renowned for it’s skin calming and restorative properties. I’m in! Calendula calms skin and acne. 

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Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle, Recycle Less

Beauty Finds: Ola Tropical Apothecary Hawaiian Body Products Ocean Elements Kai Toner

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Beauty Finds: Ola Tropical Apothecary Hawaiian Body Products Ocean Elements Kai Toner

Welcome back to another Beauty Finds! This edition, Ola Tropical Apothecary Hawaiian Body Products, Ocean Elements Kai Toner.

I have a few requirements when it comes to cosmetics and skin care: cruelty free, natural, clean, vegan better. I do my best to avoid the nasty ingredients such as SLSs, parabens, PEGs, silicones, etc. Petrochemicals are the sneakiest with so many derivatives and aliases. I also avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. Coconut oil marketed as the good oil I’m also cutting down on as it can be just a damaging crop as palm oil. If I do get products with these ingredients in I try to get organic or sustainably sourced. With make up it’s a little harder so I go for cruelty free brands. I prefer products with less plastic and thankfully more brands are aware consumers don’t want unnecessary plastic (or governments are telling them less plastic). My skin type’s oily sensitive, acne prone and now wrinkles. I know nothing stops those lines, but if I can delay them then….

Kai toner blends Distilled Water to purify the skin, Aloe Vera and Coconut Sugar to exfoliate the skin, naturally astringent Witch Hazel and an infusion of mineral-rich Hawaiian Seaweeds and Nigari to support exfoliation, purification and balancing of the skin. 

I found Kai toner in a department store in Honolulu on holiday last year in the main shopping/high street. There were so many local skincare and cosmetic brands I wanted to take them all back with me. Luggage allowance and pennies prevented me. Lets not talk about Target’s beauty department, Ulta or Sephora on the ‘mainland’ either. I’d have needed an extra suitcase just for beauty products as I’d have gone crazy if it was unlimited. We did get another suitcase each, but mine wasn’t filled entirely of beauty products!

Toners are the one product I’m not that loyal with. Creams, cleansers I’ll stick with a brand for a few bottles. Toner’s being the link between restoring ph levels after cleaning and before serums, oils and creams I switch out a lot more regularly. Maybe this because I can tell if my skin likes them more than other products. 

Aloe vera, coconut sugar, Hawaiian seaweed and formulated for oily skin had me. Even more so hibiscus flowers my favourite flower. Made in Hawaii, I’m in. Local crafted, I’m in. Sustainably crafted, locally harvested, naturally active and certified organic, I’m always in. I really like Hawaiian Body Products ethics and use of ingredients and materials. 

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Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle

Beauty Finds: Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Beauty Finds: Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer

Welcome back to another Beauty Finds with a difference! Rather than review several products at once, from now on single product reviews starting with Colourpop Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer.

I have a few requirements when it comes to cosmetics and skin care: cruelty free, natural, clean, vegan better. I do my best to avoid the nasty ingredients such as SLSs, parabens, PEGs, silicones, etc. Petrochemicals are the sneakiest with so many derivatives and aliases. I also avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. Coconut oil marketed as the good oil I’m also cutting down on as it can be just a damaging crop as palm oil. If I do get products with these ingredients in I try to get organic or sustainably sourced. With make up it’s a little harder so I go for cruelty free brands. I prefer products with less plastic and thankfully more brands are aware consumers don’t want unnecessary plastic (or governments are telling them less plastic). My skin type’s oily sensitive, acne prone and now wrinkles. I know nothing stops those lines, but if I can delay them then….

Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer I picked up on holiday at Ulta in the USA. I knew about the brand but never looked into thinking I couldn’t get it in Spain. While there are silicones listed I like the ingredient list as compared to other BBC creams, tinted moisturisers, foundations the list is kinda minimal. 

Pretty Fresh hyaluronic tinted moisturizer. A hydrating tinted moisturizer with skin-perfecting, lightweight coverage for fresh healthy looking skin.

I prefer BBC creams as they give a nice glow, provide coverage without looked caked and are light weight. Most Korean BB creams are too pale for me and western BB creams are more like tinted moisturisers which do nothing for me. Provide hardly any coverage. Colourpop’s is more like a BB cream, it covers amazingly, doesn’t settle in fine lines or wrinkles and does’t clog my skin too much. It never looks caked on yet provides lightweight medium coverage. It stays on on hot humid days and is almost waterproof after dip in the sea. With a face mask depending on how long you wear it for it doesn’t rub off too much.  It’s easy to apply with a beauty sponge (I use Tarte Babassu foundcealer multi tasking sponge from Sephora Espana). Bonus it gives you a glow while looking natural no makeup. Perfect!!!

I was concerned about the hyaluronic acid source as I’d read that it’s obtained via animals. I contacted Colourpop customer service who kindly said they’d check and get back to me. Good news, they hyaluronic acid isn’t obtained from any animal source! The coconut water I overlooked. I’m not perfect throwing out all of what I said about what I look for in products. Bad Nat.

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Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle

Beauty Finds: Mists, Toners, Masks and Eyeshadow. Kora Organics, Freshly Cosmetics and Honest Beauty.

by natjtan1 Comment on Beauty Finds: Mists, Toners, Masks and Eyeshadow. Kora Organics, Freshly Cosmetics and Honest Beauty.

Welcome back to another Beauty Finds! As always all products are cruelty free, natural as possible with my honest thoughts. So grab cup of tea and let’s begin!

There are a few requirements I look for in beauty products: cruelty free, natural, vegan better (I’m vegan but I eat honey. Beeswax depending on the brand I’m okay with. I know bad vegan. I haven’t eaten meat in almost 20 years. The honey I try to make sure is local or national from a good source). No snail slime. I try to avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. Nasty ingredients such as SLS, parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals etc and their derivatives are out. I opt for clean ingredients although what’s clean can also be petrochemical derived. I’m not perfect, some slip through. I find it annoying purchasing online the list of ingredients isn’t inclusive when reading them on the packaging. Maybe I sped read. I usually put them back spotting an ingredient I don’t like. I’m sure I drive shop assistances crazy while I check ingredients online. Make up, it’s more tricky so I go for cruelty free brands opting for those with containing less petrochemicals. Silicones I try only to use in BB creams and concealers as they love clogging my skin. If lotions and moisturisers contain silicones, I don’t go near them! 

Products that are clean, natural, cruelty free and Korean, well, there goes the money! My love of Korean products might be waning but it’s still there. My skin type’s, oily, combo, sensitive, acne prone, at times dry and now anti ageing. Those lines are coming through fast.  

I’ve always said, beauty products are one of my biggest plastic consumption as I reduce the amount of plastic I use. More brands are awaking to being less plastic both in packaging and ingredients which I appreciate! I try if possible opt for the lesser plastic packaging. It’s hard though. Okay Nat, less beauty products! Some of these products I tested last summer through to winter. I like to use them of a while to see if they work. Some products you know straight away work or don’t, some you have to give time, others you have to see through the hype to see if they do or don’t. 

Kora Organics Sleeping Mask

A lightweight bouncy gel treatment mask that boosts hydration to deliver smoother, plumper looking skin. Wake up with your skin super soft and glowing. Thanks To: Certified Organic Silver Ear Mushroom, Coconut Milk, Caviar Lime and Kadadu Plum for boosting hydration to deliver super soft, plumper looking, glowing skin.

I was keen to try this as a friend introduced me to Kora Organics and that sleeping masks are huge in Korea. Kora Organics (Australian, not Korean) is perhaps one of the most famous internationally available organic, cleanest, natural skincare lines. It’s not cheap, products last a long time. A long time. A little goes a long way. Ingredients you can tell are high quality. While I can’t get this in Spain, my friend who introduced my to Kora Organics kindly bought me back one from Australia (paid her back of course!) and P also got me one from the USA last year. Continue reading “Beauty Finds: Mists, Toners, Masks and Eyeshadow. Kora Organics, Freshly Cosmetics and Honest Beauty.” →