Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Natural Joy Beauty Review and Giveaway!!!

On Earth Day of 2008 Utah based Natural Joy Beauty launched online and is now a one-stop internet destination for carefully selected cruelty free beauty and personal care products made with only the healthiest ingredients. With so many greenwashed and falsely labeled products out there Joy puts a lot of thought and research into each product she sells. You can feel confident that when shopping at Natural Joy Beauty you won't be purchasing any products made with toxic ingredients like parabens, petroleum, synthetic fragrances or colors, triclosan, or formaldehyde, just to name a few.

Before being contacted by Joy to possibly do a review I had never browsed Natural Joy Beauty but I'm so glad to have been introduced to the web store and the wide variety of goods she offers. I discovered a ton of products and brands I had never tried before, let alone heard of.

I was generously offered the chance to pick out two products for review, the first being the Creamy Mineral Face Concealer by PRIIA Cosmetics. I selected the color Neutral Ivory and it couldn't have been a more perfect match! This natural, vegan, and gluten free concealer applies seamlessly and wears extremely well throughout the day. Unlike a lot of other concealers made with natural ingredients this one seems to stick to the skin a little longer due to its slightly drier texture. Don't let that scare you though because it's not too dry to be applied to my dehydrated undereye area. I like using this to even out my skin tone and then setting it with a light dusting of mineral powder. On a side note, it smells great – slightly sweet with a touch of cinnamon!



This concealer is made with the following ingredients:
Jojoba Seed Oil, Castor Seed Oil, Candelilla Wax, Rice Bran Oil, Mica, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Boron Nitride, Silica, Allantoin, ProVitamin B5, Bisabolol, Iron Oxides. May Contain: Chromium Oxide Green, Ultramarine Blue.



The other product I selected was the Peppermint Earthpaste, a truly natural toothpaste that many other green beauty bloggers seem to obsess over. I had heard so many good things about this stuff that I just had to try it for myself! Made with only Purified Water, Food Grade Redmond Clay, Xylitol, Peppermint Essential Oil, Menthol, Redmond Sea Salt and Tea Tree Oil it is unlike any other toothpaste I have ever tried. I can't say that I love the taste (it tastes a lot like earth and clay) but it gets teeth superbly clean. My teeth feel like I have just come from the dentist after using this stuff! Earthpaste also comes in Cinnamon, Wintergreen, Lemon Twist, and Spearmint.

Natural Joy Beauty has so many different products that you have to check it out for yourself! You can also try a lot of the products for sale in sample size for a fraction of the price before making the decision to purchase the full version.




You can save 15% off storewide now - 3/15/14 with promo code: BB15.


To enter to win a $20 gift code to Natural Joy Beauty, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. It may take a moment or two to load. This giveaway is only open to those in the US. Also, don't worry if your comment doesn't show up right away. I can see it! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(FTC: I was kindly sent these products for review by Natural Joy Beauty and given the opportunity to do a gift code giveaway for free. I am not being compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own and honest.)

Monday, January 13, 2014

Talk About Skin Care - Josh Rosebrook Active Enzyme Exfoliator

It's not always love upon first application with products but I like to give some products second, and even third chances to change my mind. The first time I tried the Josh Rosebrook Active Enzyme Exfoliator I was really offended by the scent, the texture, and the way the product itself looked but I continued to massage it onto my skin, left it on my face for the recommended time, and rinsed it off.

I wasn't very impressed until the next day when my Mom asked me why my skin looked so amazing. I, personally, couldn't really see any difference in my skin but she was adamant about how fantastic my face looked. I tried it a couple of more times with the same results so I put it in my facial drawer and sort of forgot about it.



I picked up the jar again last week and have suddenly discovered the appeal and value of this awesome stuff. Don't get me wrong about how I feel about the scent, I think it absolutely stinks - like a combination of curry and my favorite Tazo Zen Green Tea, it's just plain weird but I'm most decidedly not offended by it anymore for whatever reason.

I like to wash my face using my Spa Sonic and then gently massage the goopy green stuff all over my face, moving in small circular motions for around 4 or 5 minutes. I then leave it on for about 45 minutes before removing with a warm, damp washcloth. My skin is left feeling ridiculously smooth and even. It doesn't look particularly good immediately afterwards but the next day I wake up with clear, glowing skin. Even though I prefer instant gratification I can certainly sit tight to wait for these awesome results to show up.



It also somehow makes my pores look smaller and my skin looks more refined in general. I don't know why I didn't instantly adore this stuff but my dull winter skin is thoroughly enjoying it! Even though it's pretty pricey at $60 for 1.5 oz I would definitely recommend it if you have the available funds and the desire for ridiculously radiant skin.

You can learn more about the ingredients in this exfoliator by clicking here. You can also learn more about Josh Rosebrook and his other product offerings by visiting his website here.

FTC: This product was provided to me by the company, free of charge, for review consideration. I am not being compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.