UNSULLIED

A Box Full of Green Goodness: Ecopique

KathryneMar 28, 2014 6 Comments

When my Ecopique Blogger Box arrived, I was so excited to tear it open and see what goodness awaited me inside! This truly was like Christmas morning…except with less egg nog and more natural, good-for-you beauty products.

The idea of Ecopique is simple: make natural beauty and personal care products accessible for everyone. Through their Blogger Boxes, Ecopique sends curated natural products to bloggers, so we can be your guinea pigs and help you choose what you want to try out. Sharing the wonder of clean products by word of mouth is the main goal of Ecopique. And I was so thrilled to try these products. I have to say, the staff at Ecopique has really chose some stellar picks!

The loot:

Soap Makin’ with Old Town Suds: Plus, Giveaway & Discount!

JenniferMar 23, 2014 32 Comments

As a natural product junkie, I’m curious about what goes into my beauty, bath and skincare purchases, all the way from ingredient sourcing/origins to process and packaging.

So, naturally, (had to, sorry) I jumped at the chance to attend a soap making class led by the Owner and “Chief Sudsologist” behind a local, natural soapmaking company that I know, use and love: Old Town Suds. I’m excited to share my soap making experience here on Unsullied, and Old Town Suds was generous enough to offer a freakin’ fabulous giveaway of their products, plus a discount code to use on their classes, beautiful soaps, and other beauty and skincare essentials. Read on for all of the sudsy goodness!

Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a NUMBAH: Tata Harper Saves My Eyes

KathryneMar 19, 2014 4 Comments

Tata Harper, to the natural beauty, is sort of like caviar to the foodie.

It’s one of the most luxurious and trusted companies out there that supports the use of all natural ingredients that are biocompatible with our skin. According to their website, Tata Harper packs between nine and 29 active ingredients into each bottle, (most cosmetic formulas contain between one and three) and they manufacture in small batches so you know that your product is fresh and hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for two years.

All right, enough love for now! Jennifer was so kind this Christmas and got me Tata Harper’s Restorative Eye Créme ($90 for 15 ml). Being an eye cream junkie, you can imagine my glee! I want to tell you what sets Tata apart for me in the eye cream department.

Going Green Tag

JenniferMar 14, 2014 8 Comments

Going Green Tag

Tags, tags, tags: they’re a way for bloggers to pose questions to one another & get to know each other. And this is our first!

This “Going Green” tag was started by Rachel of All Natural Aspirations: it came our way via Ashley Rose of Damedrose (thanks for tagging us!) and we are finally getting around to writing it up. I mean…I’d talk about all-natural products & lifestyle choices all day if I could…so this is going to be fun.

1. What started it all off for you?
It started with buildings, for me: I work in the green building industry, and that opened my eyes to the myriad connections between the materials that we use to build our homes/offices/furniture and human health. From the paints we use to color our walls (you know that “new paint” smell? Yeah, that ain’t good for you!) to the glue that holds our cheap particle board bookcase together, there are unwanted nasties all over our homes that we’re bringing in, breathing in, and that may be causing some adverse health effects.

It’s scary stuff, but luckily there are healthy/greener alternatives available. I eventually began applying the same type of thinking to my beauty and skincare regime. And…here we are!

Spring Body Reset: The “Let’s Not Call It a Cleanse” Cleanse

KathryneMar 11, 2014 2 Comments

All right, I know the Interwebs are always ablaze with a new “super duper miracle cleanse” or an all-juice diet that usually consists of starving yourself whilst cleansing out the toxins that are keeping you from feeling your best. Honey, I have done it AWL. I mean, truly. The Master Cleanse nearly killed me. I tried an apple cider vinegar cleanse, and that lowered my blood pressure so much that I fainted and hit my head on a coffee table giving myself a nice shiner and trip to the E.R. Gwyneth likes to tell us at goop that a full-time working, gym-going, kid-having, on-the-go female can drink herbal teas and a spoonful of mushed lentils to cleanse ourselves, thus making us feel radiant. This might be true, but I also may freak out and order the entire Fresco menu at Taco Bell by day two from sheer hunger/anger/confusion. I can’t be blamed. It’s not my fault that I like to chew things. I am not putting down ANYONE who can do this…but I can’t.

And I got a solution for ya!

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…!

Four Ways to Use Baking Soda and Vinegar

KathryneFeb 23, 2014 5 Comments

DIY with baking soda and vinegar

And no…not for a paper mâché‎ volcano.

ONE: SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER
All right, there’s a LOT of talk out on the Interwebs about how washing your hair with a baking soda/water mixture and conditioning with apple cider vinegar is like, way better for your hair than traditional shampoos that strip your hair of natural oils (and especially those loaded with sulfates, fragrance, yadda yadda). I have also heard that this method helps your hair grow faster. That’s always a plus, eh? The “basic” (pun intended) idea is that baking soda is a basic cleansing agent. Following with acidic ACV helps neutralize your hair while holding in moisture. Not one to be left behind, I did some research and decided to use this recipe:

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?