Love Letters to Argan Oil: Pura D’or and Acure Organics

Argan oilTwo sisters means we have two favorite brands of argan oil and two love stories about our oil of choice. Here goes!

KATHRYNE: PURA D’OR
I found Pura D’or argan oil on Groupon. That’s right, I said it. At the time, I wasn’t even actively seeking it out. I had just heard really great things about it online: that you could use it on your hair, face, body, cuticles, you know. It seemed like an ideal product for someone like me who is always searching for a new way to de-age myself. Preserve? I don’t ever want to go under the knife or needles, so preservation is key!

I had this idea in my head that pure, organic argan oil was super duper expensive, thus it was a purchase I delayed for some time. When I saw a Groupon offering 4 oz. of Pura D’or’s 100% argan oil for 20 bucks, I jumped on it! In addition to being cheap, most brands sell argan oil in 1 or 2 oz. vials, at most, so this seemed like a killer deal. I researched the product and the company before I bought it, and it not only had stellar customer reviews, but it was praised as being “the real thing.” There are companies out there that are slapping together various oils, including soy and sunflower, in addition to argan oil, and marketing it as “pure.” I wanted to make sure I was getting true argan oil, and by golly, when it arrived, it was glorious.

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Falling For One Love Organics: Essentials To Go Kit

One Love Organics

You know how love compels us to do things we normally wouldn’t? Like…eat arugula, for example. (My boyfriend abhors arugula, but choked down a pizza covered in it on our first date because he didn’t want to seem picky). Or, in my case, watch and cheer for the Patriots? (I’m from Bills country. I am in trouble.) Cue the Meatloaf: “I would do anything for loooove….”

Welp, the aptly named skincare line One Love Organics elicits similar actions. Minus the emotional hangover.

You see, I’m usually knee deep in labels, looking up every individual ingredient and triple-checking products to ensure they live up to their all natural claims. But due to its stellar reputation among bloggers and customers, I let my guard down with One Love Organics…and I don’t feel a bit guilty about it. Instead, I feel confident that the ingredients used in their products are 100% clean, as stated on their website. That’s a great feeling, when you find a transparent and trustworthy brand. Saves a heck of a lot of time, too! (Though, for the record, since I’m sharing these products with you on the blog, I did do some due diligence and look up every ingredient on EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Old habits die hard? The good news is I found zero, zip, nada to be afraid of.)

First, a few quick facts about the brand:

  • 100% natural
  • Chemical-free
  • Organic where possible

I wanted to try a bevy of One Love Organics products, so I put their “Essentials To Go” travel kit on my Christmas list. Thanks, Santa!

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Bottled Beauty: Herbivore Botanicals Facial Serum

Herbivore Botanicals Facial Serum

Etsy is a goldmine for handcrafted, natural skin and beauty products. I could spend hours on Etsy. Wait, wrong verb and tense. I do spend hours on Etsy.

Hence where I discovered Herbivore Botanicals! Man, if I could award a “Best in Show” superlative to any of my natural skincare products, it would go to these guys. Their super sleek, geometric branding caught my eye immediately. SO LOVELY. The good news is the nutrient-rich oils and all-natural ingredients that they pack into those beautiful little bottles are just as good as what’s on the label. Feast your eyes.

I’ve only tried out Herbivore Botanicals’ Facial Serum ($36 for 1 oz.), but I’ve perused their Etsy page at length, and I have high expectations for all of their all-natural soaps, masks and more (I mean…worse comes to worse, it’s still going to look pretty on your countertop. Joking!). I selected their Organic Pink Clay Floral Facial Mask to include in my green beauty swap with Mayah of Call it Vanity. You can read her input over there!

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Get the London Look: Green Beauty Swap Edition

Green-Beauty-Swap

They say it’s good to have friends in high places. Well, in my book, that means having friends who live in London. Who are green beauty bloggers. And who agree to mail you packages!

Toward the end of last year, I signed up to participate in the “Green Beauty Swap” organized by Ria of Naturia Beauty and Tania of Bow Tied Beauty. I was thrilled to be matched with Mayah of Call it Vanity, a super funny and savvy green beauty blog that’s also written by a dynamic duo, based out of London. The basic premise of the swap is that you & your partner select a price point & then pick out green beauty products for one another and mail them like you would any holiday gift (y’know, with the trimmings).

Mayah SERIOUSLY delivered! I had told her I was hoping to nab some British green beauty products that are hard (or impossible) to find in the States. When I opened her beautifully wrapped package, I literally heard a choir of (British) angels singing in the distance. She packed so much goodness into one little box! Plus, her thoughtful and curated picks came at a great time: every part of my face, body and hair is dry, dry, dry, and these products are perfect winter antidotes, full of moisture and utility. In case you’re curious, here’s Mayah’s great post on the package I put together for her.

So, without further ado, here’s the “London edit” of green beauty, straight from the pro herself! All of these items are on my “re-purchase” list for the next time I make it across the pond.

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Champagne & Self-Reflection: It’s Almost 2014!

200 Cigarettes Martha Plimpton“Happy F-ing New Year!” (Martha Plimpton in 200 Cigarettes. Photo credit: risabg.com)

As 2014 approaches, we’ll be watching our ALL-TIME FAVORITE SISTA FILM: 200 Cigarettes (trust us, you need this NYE tale – which also contains every celebrity on the planet – AND takes place in the ’80s – what more you could possibly WANT?!)

Oh, and thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Right, that. Both of us feel that the New Year is an incredible opportunity to reset and recalibrate. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true. It’s hard to adopt new rituals and make major lifestyle changes all of the sudden. But the New Year brings renewed purpose and perspective. And we don’t want to let it go to waste.

We decided to highlight one goal each for 2014: a goal that we can track throughout the year, whether via our Twitter and Instagram pages or in entries down the road in 2014. Here they are!

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Last Minute Drug Store Gift Ideas That Don’t Suck

Last Minute Natural Holiday Gifts

  1. Acure Organics Cell Stimulating Facial Mask, $15.99, available at Whole Foods
  2. Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Wash, $9.99, available at Target
  3. J.R. Watkins Coconut Scrub, $12.99, available at Target
  4. eos Smooth Sphere Lip Balm, $3.29, available at most drugstores/Target
  5. Elemis Skin Brush, $48, available at Nordstrom

You know those boxes in buildings that read, “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS” – ? This is the blog entry equivalent of that.

We’re three days out from Christmas and there’s a good chance that some of you still haven’t picked up last-minute gifts for coworkers or stocking stuffers for family members. SHAME ON YOU! (Just kidding, this is the story of my life.) Unfortunately, for many of us, our favorite all-natural and organic beauty finds require an online shipment. Ain’t nobody got time for that. And if you’re marooned in the suburbs or country this holiday, chances are you’re more than a few miles out from a specialty skincare boutique (but please support small biz if there is one in your vicinity!).

If you’re out of options (and hair), instead of grabbing the first thing you see at the drugstore and giving your mother a lumpy bag of mixed nuts or a stale chocolate bar from the CVS checkout counter (which I have done in desperation every year…sorry, Mom…), make the most of the drug/grocery/department store nearest you and snag a natural beauty gift that’s available at mainstream shops.

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Make It: All-Natural Whipped Body Butter

DIY Natural Body Butter

A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to make homemade, all-natural body lotion and package it in cute little jars to give as holiday gifts. Easy enough, right?

Fast forward two months: five mediocre lotion recipes later, I finally figured out the secret to making DIY body lotion. IT’S WHIPPING, DUMMY (I say this to myself, not to you)! Just like you (or someone…on a dairy farm…) whip cream into butter, you can whip the ingredients for a nourishing body lotion into a thick, creamy body butter. I find the texture much more luxurious and enjoyable than just melting ingredients into a body cream/lotion.

I’ve finally landed on a recipe that is perfect for gift-giving, and fun to make. All you need are a few common ingredients and biceps made of steel!

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Give a Little: Kahina Giving Beauty Eye Cream

Kahina Giving Beauty Eye Cream

You know who put the fear of God into me when it comes to under-eye wrinkles? KATHRYNE.

…starting when she gave me my first eye cream on my 19th birthday (thanks, girl). I wish I could say that I’ve been extraordinarily proactive since then, taking utmost care of my delicate under-eye skin, wearing SPF 60 everyday and teaching myself how to smile without crinkling my eyes (could that work?). The reality is, I’ve been doing nada for my under-eye skin for the past four years or so (I’m sorry, sensei!).

This Cyber Monday, my fear of aging finally eclipsed my nonchalance (the 20% off sale at Beauty Sage also didn’t hurt). I’m in my mid-twenties now, and while I think society’s obsession with preserving youth can be pretty disturbing, I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t want to look as fresh-faced as possible for as long as possible. It’s empowering to take care of your skin, body and face in a way that maximizes your happiness and makes you feel good about your choices (that’s what this blog is all about!). And right now, for me, it feels good to use a natural, luxurious eye cream to ward off wrinkles.

Enter Kahina Giving Beauty’s Eye Cream.

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Liebster Love

Liebster Award
We got a nice surprise this week: Melissa from A Prudent Life tagged us with the Liebster torch last week – a way for new bloggers to recognize and get to know one another. WE WERE PSYCHED. Thank you, Melissa!

Before we get into answering the fun questions that Melissa wrote for us (we worked on these over the phone and had some real laughin’ out loud moments), here are the Liebster rules, for reference:

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Beauty and the Beets: Lip Colors from Fat and the Moon, Alima Pure

Fat and the Moon Alima Pure

“It’s made of beets!

Apologies to the dozen or so folks who heard me say this on Friday night whilst brandishing my newest natural beauty product acquisitions. I was talking about Fat and the Moon’s Lip & Cheek Stain, and technically, it’s made with beet root (but my heart was in the right place).

I found myself in a lip product desert recently, having used up all of my ol’ standbys, and ordered the stain as well as Alima Pure Lip Tint in Mango. I’ve been using these products in tandem, so figured I’d review them in a single post.

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