2014 Faves…and Happy New Year!

This year was special for us in so many ways. It was our first full year as green beauty bloggers, and we learned so much from this awesome community – the warmth and kindness that met us this year is something we will never forget. We became closer as sisters who live 3,000 miles apart, and Unsullied has been a great way for us to keep in touch and share knowledge and ideas with each other. THAT said…drumroll, please…here are our favorite products of 2014, out of the plethora we slathered all over our sometimes confused and disconcerted skin/bodies (all for the sake of the blog and furthering our green beauty education, y’all). If you read our blog regularly, you probably won’t be surprised at ALL at our picks! (Hey, when we like something, we LIKE something!) We included some tidbits from our original reviews. Onward!

Kathryne’s Faves

Acure Organics: Line Eraser
May 21 – Best of Acure Organics: The Line Eraser is my absolute, hands down, FAVORITE Acure product. The Line Eraser is not only a product I have ALREADY bought for myself, (and will again, and again…) but this little pot of heaven is your answer to most skin care problems. I started with putting it on my “lines” – forehead, laugh lines, etc. Then I started putting it on old acne scars, new acne scars, my eyebrows…you name it! (I started deliberately putting this on my eyebrows at night because I realized that it has helped them grow in thicker. Who doesn’t want THAT?) It’s like a healing salve, and so much more. You can put it on burns, cuts, scrapes, eczema, psoriasis, etc. It’s 100% organic. The Line Eraser’s rich, almost Vaseline-like texture lend itself to really, really working wonders on your skin. It lightens and brightens scars, and has worked literal miracles on my brow/frown lines, the things I am most self-conscious about. Even if you COVER yourself in it, as I have everyday, it will last you a solid 6-8 weeks.

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Are you a skin care herbivore?

Herbivore-Botanicals-Sea-Mist-and-Toner

Herbivore Botanicals. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

All of Herbivore Botanicals’ skin care products are 100% natural. Their ingredient lists are short and simple. Their products are beautifully branded and packaged in glass, so you can repurpose the bottles or recycle them. Did I mention how attractive their labels are?! (I did. I did.) It’s products like these that will win over even more natural skin care users, because whether or not you have an appreciation for…say…witch hazel, who doesn’t covet a beautiful glass bottle for their bathroom countertop?!

I seriously cannot get enough of this brand, if my past posts weren’t indication…(this one, and this one, and this one…) GUILTY.

Here are my latest Herbivore acquisitions from earlier this year. Thank you to Herbviore’s creators, Julia and Alex, for letting me go nuts and pick out a batch of products for review!

Balance Facial Toner

Toner has become my favorite skin care product. For years, I skipped the toning step. But now, I find it’s a critical way to prime my face for application of moisturizer (better absorption and slippery skin surface) and a refreshing/nourishing way to pack in extra natural ingredients that serve my skin’s needs.

Balance ($24 for 4 oz.) has been my go-to toner for the past several months, and I’m not planning on switching any time soon. If you have oily/combination skin like me (aren’t you lucky?), ch-check this one out.

Let me walk you through the ingredients. #1 = witch hazel (yes, there’s more witch hazel than water in this bad boy). Witch hazel is a natural astringent and helps with acne-prone, oily skin. Who needs an irritating chemical ingredient when you can get the same benefits from nature? Next: Aloe vera and vegetable glycerine are both super gentle and smooth moisturizers. And lastly, essential oils for an added punch: neroli and hyssop decumbens. All I knew about neroli oil before bringing Balance into my life (#hallelujah) was that it has a pleasant citrus-y scent. Turns out, it does more than that: Herbivore included it in their toner for its nourishing and regenerative properties. The hyssop decumbens oil is detoxifying.

Despite the high witch hazel content, I’ve found this toner to be gentle enough to apply both morning and night, and super refreshing.

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Giveaway: 1,000 Followers!

Unsullied 1,000 followers giveaway

YOU GUYS! A few days ago, we hit 1,000 followers on Twitter. Once we halted our happy dance, we decided we wanted to give away a pair of our favorite natural skincare products to thank you for following us. We started our blog last November and since then it’s been such a positive outlet for us to share our sisterly bond and write about the products, DIYs and discoveries that make us feel healthy and joyful. We’ve discovered an incredible community of natural livin’ enthusiasts and are so grateful to be a part of it. Thank you so much for reading our ramblings…now claim your rightful rewards and enter the giveaway!

Jennifer’s pick: Herbivore Botanicals Activate Facial Mask
I’m not shy about my love for Herbivore Botanicals…they bring me so much joy when I use their products, not only thanks to their super pure and effective ingredients but because they’re just so dang pretty! I reviewed this mask back in April: it’s a real stand-out because of its bold, inky color and how you can actually see it working. AND it’s powered by tourmaline gemstone. (*BLING BLING*) No matter how often I use masks, it always feels like a nice way to treat yo’self and carve out some time to take care of your skin. Detox with this mask, mist on your favorite toner, and then slather on some of…

Kathryne’s pick: Acure Organics Line Eraser
Acure’s Line Eraser with starflower is my hands down, all time favorite product (check out my full review). I have yet to find something else that not only soothes acne, diminishes old acne scars or regular scars, helps fight fine lines due to aging, and eradicates the occasional eczema flair up on my face/neck. If you have any one of these ailments, I am positive you will love this product as much as I do. (If you don’t have one of these…your face is made of plastic, robot. Be gone!) ENJOY!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for following Unsullied!

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“Magnetic” Mask & Summery Scents: New Releases from Herbivore Botanicals

Herbivore Botanicals mask

Ladies (and possibly gent: Dad, are you reading?), may I present to you my latest haul from my beloved Herbivore Botanicals?

I fell in love with this brand’s simple and striking design and now that I’ve been using their facial serum (check out my review) for the past three months, I can vouch for the quality, purity and simplicity of their all-natural ingredients, too. When I recently saw that Herbivore Botanicals had restocked its shop with some new products, ranging from exotically scented body oils to a blue tinted facial serum (blue!) my credit card practically jumped out of my wallet. I don’t treat myself to an overabundance of things, but these well-designed products double as countertop decor, so it’s a deal, y’all.

The products I picked, their Luminous Body Oil in Neroli Blossom and their Activate Deep Pore Cleanse Mask, both introduced me to new ingredients I’ve never used or applied to my body/face – and so far, I’m loving the results!

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5 Ways to Beat Breakouts, Naturally

Natural Acne Remedies

My complexion and I are officially frenemies.

I give it nothin’ but love: all-natural treatments and masks a-plenty, clean make-up and green juices. But my skin is rebellious. Ungrateful! It will break out with a vengeance, on occasion.

Lucky for me, the enlightened, glorious green beauty community came to my rescue recently when I turned to Twitter for help. Within just a few hours, I received a slew of helpful recommendations for warding off my breakout using natural remedies (thank you, guys!). I’ve been employing these tactics for two weeks with amazing results.

So, behold, five recommendations from the green beauty community to ward off acne…for real. (!)

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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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