Yumzezz: A Boutique Brand for Banishing Sad Winter Skin

Yumzezz

It’s no secret that winter is rough on the skin. It’s no secret that most of us, at some point or another, will suffer from dry patches, itchy patches, or just plain ol’ sad and tired-looking skin. It’s also no secret that there are so many natural options for you to save that skin and make it polished and glowing for springtime! I want to share two products that are really helping me this winter with exfoliating my sad skin.

Yumzezz is a new company that reached out to us last year, and I’ve been trying out/ enjoying their products for a few months now. Any wintertime gal knows that exfoliation is the key to surviving in sub zero temperatures. Well, I live in LA…but hey! It still gets cold here, and with the air so dry, my legs and arms are always beggin’ for moisture! (Plus, I’ve got east coast roots…you can trust my wintertime skincare advice.)

Yumzezz is a line of “inedible skin delectables.” They sent me their creamed body scrubs ($12.50 for 2 oz.) to sample. The basis of their body scrubs is organic sugar mixed with palm kernel oil, safflower oil, apricot oil, shea butter, and other sweets for your skin like honey and buttermilk. A simply divine experience in the shower, you just need a little bit to start working the mixture into your skin to melt your stress away. Their body scrubs come in three different scents: Mocha Crunch (my HANDS DOWN favorite – I’m a coffee addict), Coconut Lemongrass (like your favorite sweet Thai dish) and Fruiter (made with actual milled and sterilized fruit seeds). Just like in life, if I am given the option for fruit sorbet or a deep, decadent scoop of chocolate ice cream…uh, yeah, IMGONNACHOOSETHATICECREAM. Mocha Crunch for the win! Coffee plus body scrubs should always go hand in hand – they wake you up while making your skin luminous. The inclusion of “fragrance” in this product, which no doubt contributes to the delectable smell of this product, set off the alarm bells for us, though. Yumzezz confirmed with us that their fragrance formulation is free of parabens, phthalates and vanillin, which is comforting, though we’d rather it only contain all-natural scents.

Also, here’s a fun fact: you don’t need wet skin to use the body scrubs. You can use them on dry skin, as well! Although I have never tried that, (I love me some scrub at shower/bath time) it’s a useful piece of knowledge and a testament to the moisture content in this product!

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Best of Acure Organics: Jennifer’s Favorites

Acure Organics Brightening Facial Scrub

I’m bringing up the kaboose here in our Acure Organics blog series. Hope you’re not sick of us…or Acure…yet. Oh, you’re not, you say? Well then, by all means, click on over to our Q&A with Acure’s President & Formulator Amy Halman, and take a gander at some of Kathryne’s favorite Acure products!

Back? Great. The truth is, we both had a go at a bevy of products by Acure (my favorite affordable, natural, easy-to-find brand!) and we couldn’t cram all of those reviews into one post. As you may have noticed…we’re a little verbose over here at Unsullied!

Acure sent me some products to help out with my problem-child skin and super dry hair (*tumbleweed blows by*). My can’t-live-without-’em favorites are Acure’s Brightening Facial Scrub and their Leave-In Conditioner. Pure magic, and so reasonably priced. But there’s more to love…

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CeeCee & Bee, a Family Affair: 20% off and DIY Scrub Recipe!

CeeCee and Bee soap

I came across CeeCee & Bee on Natural Kath’s blog a little while ago, and my interest was piqued by their creativity, get-to-it-ness, and of course, their pretty, PRETTY all natural/vegan products. Based on the branding alone, I was ready to get on board. What really got to me, though, were the two sisters behind CeeCee & Bee, Charlene and Debbie, who wanted to make products that they could feel good about using. It’s these small steps taken by companies like CeeCee & Bee that start a chain reaction. As Jennifer and I know well, once you “know” about the side effects or potential hazards of some of the harsh ingredients in our everyday beauty and skincare products, it’s hard to “un-know.” So, two sisters who started a feel-good soap company, each bringing their own separate set of strengths, and voila: CeeCee & Bee was born. These two sisters at Unsullied think that’s pretty great.

Based in sunny San Diego, Charlene told me how she picks fresh herbs from her garden and infuses them in her products. Kind of wonderful, don’t you think? Ah, handmade goodness. For my fellow Californians, they’ll be at the Carlsbad Village Faire on May 4, and the Cardiff Dog Days of Summer coming up August 9, so catch them this spring/summer if you’re in the area!

OK, on to the products…read on for a discount code AND CeeCee & Bee’s DIY scrub recipe, if you’re feelin’ crafty!

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New Favorites: Splurge Skincare

Splurge Skincare

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…!

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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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