Sorry for being gone for a while. You guys know that I don’t typically get personal on my blog/social media. During the past couple of months, however, I have been dealing with health issues that caught me completely unprepared and kept me very busy. I would like to share more about it with you all some time soon, and share some information that could be helpful to you guys. In the meanwhile, I will be blogging as often as possible about all things green beauty related.
As far as beauty/bodycare products, I have been trying a bunch of new things, but since I cannot go over all of them in this post, I will write individual reviews for them. I just wanted to highlight a few products that I have been loving and that you should definitely check out.
Hair
Innersense Organic Hair Care. The Pure Harmony Shampoo that I mentioned a few weeks ago was pretty good for my hair, but it wasn’t until I tried the Color Awakening Shampoo, that I was really hooked to Innersense. It’s gentle to the scalp, yet it cleanses my oily roots very well, leaving no residue. It has a pleasant scent that makes my hair smell fresh for at least a couple of days, but it’s not overpowering and/or obnoxious. Despite the name, it is definitely not only good for color-treated hair, but for all hair types.
I recently also started to use the Color Radiance Daily Conditioner*, which is, no exaggeration, the best conditioner I have tried in years. It’s softens my hair but it does not weigh it down, at all. Being that my hair is fine and straight, I am usually very conservative with conditioner (I don’t even use it unless my hair feels/looks like hay), but I can use plenty of this conditioner without getting a flat head of hair. I am also testing out two other products from the line, but I will tell you more about them in a post coming up soon. If you haven’t tried Innersense yet–get on it. Available here.
Makeup
W3LL People Bio-Correct Concealer. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I haven’t even used under-eye concealer for a while. Not that I didn’t need it, but I had not tried one that I liked enough. Most oil-based, creamy concealers tend to crease under my eyes and look too shiny for my liking. The only product that I have been using to conceal my under eye area is actually a foundation, the Gressa Minimalist Serum Foundation (review here). However, I finally found a very good concealer option in the W3LL People Bio-Correct Concealer*, shade Light. It has moderate coverage, but it’s just enough to disguise my under-eye darkness. It has an immediate brightening effect that makes my eyes look more fresh and well-rested. When used on bare skin (by bare I mean post-skincare–no primer, foundation, or any other prep step), it tends not to crease, unless I layer too much product.
On top of sunscreen, however, it tends to crease due to the slippery base underneath. I haven’t found the perfect compromise with a sunscreen product yet, but I am very happy with the way that it performs on bare skin. Last week, a new friend of mine told me that I looked very tired. Believe me or not, it was the first time that she saw me without concealer. That sealed the deal. I will post an individual review to go over ingredients, shades (a bit limited, unfortunately), etc. Available here. Samples available here.
Skin
Sunscreens. Since my skin has been in very good shape for the past month, (if you follow me on Snapchat you may know that I quit sugar, which is possibly the main reason why), I have felt pretty brave, and started to try some new products. However, the two products I wanted to give a shoutout to are two face sunscreens that I have been liking very much. The first one is the Pratima Neem+Vetiver spf 30 Body Sunscreen, which has been working great for my skin (yep, I use it on my face). It contains 18.6% of non-nano zinc oxide, so it offers good protection. It leaves a bit of white cast on the skin, but it’s really not bad, compared to all the others I have tried. The other one is the Coola Matte Tint spf 30, which is very very similar to the non-tinted Cucumber one with a matte finish, except that the tinted one does not leave a white cast on the skin. When squeezed out of the tube, it looks like a pale yellow color, but once it’s rubbed in, it looks colorless. Great option for oily skin types. Available here.
A simple, effective face mask. I have continued to use the MV Skincare Signature Mineral Mask that I received with the Detox Market Beauty Box* (reviewed here), and it has been working so well for me. It only contains White French Clay, and I either mix it with my gel cleanser, with a face mist, or with water. It has actually been very effective at drying out a couple of pimples I had — before I quit sugar. Also, the price tag seems quite heavy for a one ingredient mask, but the amount of mask is higher than your usual 50 gram jar. It’s actually double — 100 grams of mask. A good weekly or bi-weekly treatment for more delicate skin types (the least amount of ingredients, the least the chance of reactions). Available here.
Body
Leahlani Coco Infusions. If you asked me to describe how I imagine the scent of the Hawaiian women (even though I haven’t been to Hawaii, yet), I would say the Leahlani Coco Infusions*, Mahana and Pua Lei. Slightly sweet, very tropical. They are light lotions; comfortable, with no greasy or sticky finish that can be used on hair and skin. I haven’t tried them on my hair (haven’t had salty, beach waves-days yet), but I love them on my skin. Pua Lei contains very fine golden shimmer that gives a beautiful sheen to legs, arms, and décolleté for a special night out or whenever you want to glow. If you enjoy tropical scents, these lotions are a must-try (even my husband says that they smell incredible). Available here. If you, like me, would love to visit Hawaii, but it’s not happening anytime soon, you can at least smell like it ;).
Giveaway
I am currently hosting a lovely giveaway on Instagram. The prize is a body care duo made by Etta + Billie, a body oil and a body scrub. I am currently using their Grapefruit+Cardamom body oil, and it smells so, so good (any other Cardamom lovers out there?). Make sure to enter! Head over to this post.
Be back soon! Follow me on Snapchat for unedited life snaps, skincare chats, health news, food prep, etc. My Snap name is genuineglow, obvs. 😉
