Skincare & Beauty – UNSULLIED

Spring Dreamin’: Sunscreen Supplies

JenniferMar 6, 2014 12 Comments

It’s MARCH!

Even though my city is currently frozen over, in just a few weeks time, we’ll all be defrosting among spring blossoms and day drinking craft beer under sunny skies. Which means it’s time to restock your sunscreen cabinet (…and probably get a pedicure).

I’m just going to come out and say it: I’m a glutton for sun. Being outdoors in spring and summer time feels so natural and joyful to me. Plus, I love my vitamin D. Say what you will about Gwyneth, but I kind of love when she said:

I try to get at least 15 minutes of sun a day. We’re human beings and the sun is the sun.

Amen, sista, as long as we’re safe about it and (ideally) protecting ourselves 365 days a year, rain or shine. You can bet that I slather on sunscreen like an Olympic volleyball player. Bring on the zinc oxide!

So, how do you select an adequate, effective sunscreen for body and face that’s as natural as possible?

New Favorites: Splurge Skincare

JenniferMar 1, 2014 4 Comments

Splurge: for us, that usually means getting the chicken quesadilla AND the Nachos Bel Grande from Taco Bell. (Also, who ate my pie? I don’t remember eating this pie.)

When Christine and Kara from Boston-based Splurge Skincare reached out to us about sampling products from their natural line of scrubs and lip “buttahs,” they gave us a chance to redefine the word. Their philosophy?

People shouldn’t wait for a special occasion to treat themselves well, it should be something they do everyday.

Amen. Both teachers, Christine and Kara used their free time to research and test out the best possible formulations for their products. The result? Even though this splurge isn’t smothered in nacho cheese or baked into grandma’s graham cracker crust, it is decadent and indulgent. It’s a skincare and lip treatment unlike anything we’ve ever tried (truly). Let’s get into it…!

Hand-crafted goodness: Natural E

JenniferFeb 19, 2014 13 Comments

Hey: put down that manufactured moisturizer! Give your factory-made face wash a break.

While some of my favorite natural beauty brands are big fish, there’s no denying the “warm fuzzy” feeling brought on by using small-batch, natural, handcrafted skincare products. For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting my fix from Natural E.

After I “favorited” some of her products on Etsy, Elaine from New York City-based Natural E reached out to me and asked if I’d like to sample and review a few of them. Yes, please!

One browse through Elaine’s Etsy page gives you an idea of the amount of care, precision and thoughtfulness she puts into curating the natural and often organic ingredients that make up her products: locally-sourced honey (transported by the beekeeper himself – in full beekeeping garb – through Manhattan), scents inspired by an old-time-y apothecary in the West Village…the list goes on. All of the rich scents, textures and colors of Elaine’s products, from the amber liquid in her face serum to the soothing, herbal aroma of her cleansing grains, bring a character and personal touch that is hard to find in more mainstream products. Plus, Elaine seriously knows her stuff. She’s been experimenting with and studying holistic and natural beauty since she was a teenager. She gets major brownie points from us for being an early adopter…it took us nearly 30 years to get even a basic grasp of things!

I’ve enjoyed using all of Elaine’s gentle and effective products, and some of them have become new staples for me (her lip balms, face serum and scrub…so good!). In fact, the one-two punch of using Natural E’s cleansing grains followed by the face serum helped me bounce back from a yucky break-out (!), which was an unexpected and much welcomed outcome.

Read on for the full experience and get your warm fuzzy on.

You Have Some Sugar on Your Face, Girl: Peter Thomas Roth’s “Oilless” Squalane Oil

KathryneFeb 14, 2014 6 Comments

Leave it to Kathryne to buy more facial oils. I just can’t get enough, OK?! My skin is having a renaissance!

Peter Thomas Roth Oilless Oil 100% Purified Squalane ($38 for 1 oz.) caught my eye while I was researching facial oils because it uses the word “oilless” in its name. How can an oil be oilless? What is happening?

Pink Hues by ILIA for Valentine’s Day

JenniferFeb 10, 2014 8 Comments

For me, Valentine’s Day conjures images of chalky conversation hearts and drugstore greeting cards…but above all, THE COLOR PINK.

That’s why I thought it fitting to share two of my recent pink purchases with you: lip and cheek colors from ILIA.

These were my first purchases from ILIA, which is pretty much THE brand for highly pigmented, all-natural lipsticks. True to the brand’s mission and description, I’m pretty sure I could secretly swap out anybody’s lipstick or cream blush with the ILIA, all-natural alternative without them realizing. They may be natural, but they perform just like the high-end, more hazardous products you’d find at any department store beauty counter.

Sister Scoop: A Tale of Two (All-Natural) Masks

JenniferFeb 6, 2014 10 Comments

KATHRYNE: S.W. BASICS HIBISCUS MASK
We are no strangers to the awesome-ness of the S.W. Basics brand. And this Christmas, Jennifer spoiled me with the S.W Basics Hibiscus Mask as one of my lovely, all-natural presents ($22 for 2.5 ounces). Now, outside of doing a random mask that I might get as a free sample when ordering other goods, I don’t really do masks. I am a washer, a toner, a moisturizer, but not really a “mask” girl. The reason being: I spent the majority of my teen years absolutely destroying my skin with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid in layers over layers in an effort to make my pimples disappear and my oily skin go away. Masks have the connotation of being “tightening” and “drying” to me. Now that I am older, I really only like to put moisture back IN my skin, not take it away. I embrace it! Hence, why I generally don’t buy masks for myself. But this turned out to be a really sweet surprise!

With direct-trade hibiscus, french green clay and lavender powder, the mask arrives as a powder. You mix one teaspoon of the mask powder with one teaspoon of water, yogurt or honey. Mix and apply, and you will look SOOO funny! My fiancé said it looked like I just got done murdering someone – the mask, when applied, is BRIGHT red! As S.W. Basics encourages, take hilarious pictures of yourself with your hair up, in pajamas, on your couch with pizza! (Or salad. Salad.)

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

KathryneJan 24, 2014 16 Comments

Two 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.

Falling For One Love Organics: Essentials To Go Kit

JenniferJan 17, 2014 16 Comments

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!

Bottled Beauty: Herbivore Botanicals Facial Serum

JenniferJan 9, 2014 10 Comments

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!

Nearly Natural: Four Make-up Picks from Sephora

KathryneJan 7, 2014 3 Comments

I received several Sephora gift cards for my birthday and Christmas recently, and I put them toward making my make-up bag less…hazardous. Since so many people are gifted with Sephora cards around this time of year and may be poring over pages of glosses and mascara, I wanted to take a moment to list my four product picks.

As you probably know, Sephora is not the mecca of natural beauty products. And though the products I purchased are not 100% natural, they are free of some major nasties: parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and a whole lot more (check the individual Sephora product pages for full ingredient lists). It’s a start!…especially for those of us who are having some difficulty switching over to all-natural make-up. Pretty much every product we post on this blog is all-natural or as close to it as possible, so consider these “gateway” products.

Tarte, LipSurgence Lip Tint and Lip Luster, $24
Korres, Wild Rose Mineral Foundation, $28
Josie Maran, Argan Tinted Moisturizer, $38
Josie Maran, Argan Lip & Cheek Color Stick Set, $34