Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Talk About It - Booda Organics



I want to share my newest obsession with you today, which just so happens to be a little tin of magical goodness called Booda Butter. Booda Butter is a 100% pure and natural multitasking moisturizer that can be used from head to toe; in fact, you can even check out the 50 ways the company suggests you can use this product by clicking here.

 Booda Butter is made with only a handful of healthy and organic ingredients. The all-star ingredient lineup is made up of Organic Shea Butter, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, and Organic Olive Oil. The company promises to only use pure, organic, and vegan ingredients and never include any toxic chemicals or yucky preservatives. All of their products are cruelty free and handmade in the USA.



Booda Organics' Booda Butter has become an absolute staple in my daily routine. I use it for moisturizing my body after I get out the shower, hydrating my hands and cuticles, as an eye cream, on dry patches on my face, as a lip balm, and even to tame flyaways but I'm still in the process of discovering additional ways to use this delicious smelling solid yet soft butter.

It starts off as a solid but melts as it gets warmed up between your fingers. It is not scented with any type of fragrance but it does naturally smell of cocoa butter. It smells delicious and feels amazing on the skin. It is very thick and nourishing but is not sticky or heavy. It provides long lasting hydration that leaves skin feeling soft and healthy.

Speaking of long lasting hydration, the company also makes a Booda Butter Naked Lip Balm, which is formulated with Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Olive Oil and Candelilla Wax. It is truly unscented, flavor-free, moisture infusing, and gentle on my ultra sensitive lips.



I'm such a big fan of Booda Organics and their wonderful line of products. I even adore the packaging. I give them 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend you check them out. To learn more about the company you can visit their website by clicking here.

The Booda Butter comes in two sizes, a 2.3 oz tin and an 8.4 oz BPA-free jar. The Naked Lip Butter comes in a flat .15 oz tube. You can purchase online by clicking here or locate where you can purchase near you by clicking here.

(FTC : These products were provided to me by the company free of charge for review consideration. I am not being compensated to write this review. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own and honest.)

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Skin Smoothing Giveaway

This giveaway is for a clear makeup bag filled with the 3 Mineral Fusion products in the above photo. The winner will receive the Skin-Renewing Facial Scrub, Revitalizing Eye Treatment, and Age-Defying Treatment Serum.

 If you want to be the lucky winner of this giveaway all you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter form below. If it doesn't show up right away just give it a minute to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Talk About It - Vapour Organic Beauty - - Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of my Vapour Organic Beauty review! Today we're talking lips and cheeks! Let's jump right in, shall we?

The Siren Lipstick in Tempt 401, described as a classic medium mauve, is the perfect MLBB (my lips but better) shade for me. You all know how sensitive my lips are but this lipstick is great for me since it is non-irritating, longwearing, and super moisturizing. I absolutely love and adore everything about this lipstick!

If you're a gloss lover then you might be interested in checking out the Elixir Lip Gloss or Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss. I don't find the plumping version to be very plumping at all but I don't mind that since my lips are fairly full as is. The Elixir Lip Gloss comes in a squeeze tube while the Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss comes in a lovely glass tube with a brush applicator. Neither are sticky, goopy, or tacky. Both lip-glosses are very hydrating and wearable (meaning they don't look like little girl lip glosses, as some can). The shade of Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss I received is Pout 407, a sheer pinky nude, and the shade of Elixir Lip Gloss I've been testing is Enigma 305, a sparkling lilac mauve.



Vapour's Aura Multi-Use Blush Classic adds the perfect touch of color to lips, eyes or cheeks. This product comes in 5 pretty shades including a light peachy pink, sheer pinky peach, fuchsia, rose, and a sheer soft pink. I've been using the soft pink shade, called Crush 201, and love it as a blush color. It's soft a velvety product that adds a lovely glow to the cheeks. It blends so easily and wears well throughout the day. This shade is one I would have never chosen for myself but it's unbelievably flattering on me and I really love it.



The final product I want to talk about in this two-part review is the Trick Stick in the shade Dazzle 702, a shimmering golden highlight. Trick Stick is described as "the Makeup Artist's secret for a lit–from–within glow". I've tried many highlighters in my time and this one is possibly my favorite since it's not loaded with chunky or iridescent glitter. It's very sheer and wearable. I particularly like to use the product on my brow bones and inner corners of the eye as well as my cupid's bow.



Something I forgot to mention in part one of this review is that all of these products have a very light citrus-y scent to them and even though I typically don't like my products to have any fragrance, I really like this one. I also forgot to mention how lovely, albeit simple, Vapour's packaging is. I really love the quality and look of each and every product.

Despite the fact that Vapour products have a bit of a higher price tag than some of the other brands out there, I highly recommend you check out the line. The quality as well as the variety of products is truly impeccable and as I mentioned in part one, since these products are waterless they will last a lot longer than the typical natural cosmetic so it's totally worth the splurge in my opinion.

To purchase your own Vapour products you can visit their website by clicking here. If you missed part one of my review (which featured the face products) you can click here.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Talk About It - Vapour Organic Beauty - - Part 1

My passion for cosmetics was born many, many years ago while playing as a small child in my Mom's train case. In my late teen years my love grew to encompass high end products when I discovered Sephora and makeup groups on MySpace. Then I went green and everything changed. I discovered that most commercial makeup contained icky, and frankly quite terrifying ingredients that no one should ever apply to their skin.

Sometimes "natural" makeup can leave us with a lot of questions about what is truly natural and what really works. Vapour Organic Beauty leaves no unanswered questions behind thanks to their lovely shade selection, wide array of products, and truly healthy formulations.

Vapour products are 100% natural and made with Certified Organic, minimally processed, food-grade ingredients. Their formulations contain 70% organic ingredients and 30% vitamins and minerals. You will never find parabens, phalates, gluten, artificial fragrance or color, nano particles, or any other toxic chemicals in their cosmetics or skin care. You'll also never have to worry about these products being tested on our furry friends since they are cruelty free and Leaping Bunny Certified. Another plus, Vapour's products are waterless so they have a shelf life of 2 years (short shelf life is my biggest complaint when it comes to natural cosmetics).

I could go on and on about the company (click here to learn more) and their awesome philosophy (click here to read about their values) but instead I think it's time to talk about the face products. I have been playing around with Vapour products since November and have only nice things to say.

The first products I want to discuss are the Stratus Instant Skin Perfector and Stratus Soft Focus Skin Perfector. I tried both of these in the shade 904, which "perfects & color balances light to medium sallow/olive skin". Essentially both of these are the same product, although the Stratus Instant Skin Perfector comes in stick form and is suited for normal, dry, and mature skin while the Stratus Soft Focus Skin Perfector is a liquid that comes in a pump bottle that works best for normal, combination, and oily skin types. The stick version has a more dewy finish while the liquid is more of a sheer satin.



These skin perfectors are amazing. They are described as an "organic BB Cream; a 3–in–1 moisturizer, primer and no-color foundation". At first I was really apprehensive about these because they look really shimmery but upon application skin feels silky soft and looks radiant, diffused, and super smooth. I love the way both feel on my skin, under makeup or alone. I've been reaching for the Stratus Soft Focus more often while my Mom who has more mature skin prefers the Stratus Instant Skin Perfector.

Let's talk foundation next. I've been wearing 115 in both the Atmosphere Luminous Foundation (stick) and Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation (liquid). I really like both versions and the color could not be more perfect for me. I like the Luminous version for day to day wear since it has a light to medium coverage and the Soft Focus for days when I need a little more coverage as it offers medium to full coverage. These never feel heavy or look caked on. These formulations blend magically and seamlessly into the skin and basically make your skin look like your skin, only better. Vapour's foundation just might be the best foundation I have ever worn!



Next up is the Illusionist Concealer in 020. This shade is a bit too dark for me during these cold, winter months but I'm thinking I'll be able to use it in the summer. It works on my face if blended in really well but it doesn't work under my eyes, which is where I need the most coverage. It feels as light as the foundations do and seems to melt into skin. I'll come back to this product when my skin gets a bit darker and tell you more about it then.

If you're interested in this luxurious line of natural cosmetics you can visit their website to purchase their products or learn more. You can check out the second part of my Vapour Organic Beauty review, which features my thoughts on some of their lip and cheek products, by clicking here.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Dehydrated Skin Saver

If your skin is feeling the harsh effects of the cold winter months, like mine has been, then todays DIY beauty recipe will be perfect for you. The ingredients in the following mask are nourishing, soothing, and super rich so your skin will drink it all in and be left feeling hydrated and healthy.




Chop up the cucumber and avocado, then place all four ingredients into the blender or food processor to create a paste. Once your mixture is thouroughly blended you can massage the mask onto your freshly cleansed face, neck, and chest. Let the mask sit for 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water. Follow up with your favorite facial oil or moisturizer.