Talk About Skincare - PAYARU

It's been a long time since a product has wowed me as much as the Mung Bean Scrubs from PAYARU, a brand on a mission to make skincare simple, affordable, and 100% biodegradable. As a vegan I eat mung beans but didn't know they could be turned into a facial scrub that has saved my skin this winter.

I, like the pair behind the brand, truly believe that simple is best when it comes to skincare and can't stand the thought of an ingredients list that goes on and on so the Original and Cedarwood scrubs are impressive with their 3 and 4 ingredients, respectively.

Mung beans combined with Kaolin Clay and Vegetable Glycerin make this scrub super simple but incredibly gentle, nurturing, and cleansing. It has proven itself a master in getting rid of dry, flaky skin and keeping skin clear and bright. I've had some really great skin days since I started using this product as my morning cleanser.

The original smells slightly earthy, it is made of clay and mung beans after all, but it's not at all an unpleasant scent while the Cedarwood version is not my personal taste but is understandably likable for others, with a deep, rich, and woodsy scent. The texture of the product is interesting and hard to describe because I've never felt anything like it. The beans are scrubby but gentle and never scratchy like some other scrubs can be. It rinses cleanly and leaves only soft skin behind.

It's a little thick, a bit hard to squeeze out of the tube, and I end up having to use a lot of product but for only $12 it's an affordable investment in your skin's health. I can't recommend it enough. Plus, the brand gives back by donating a portion of their profits to the Billion Oyster Project and Project AWARE (click each to learn more).

You can click here to learn more about PAYARU and their mission and products. They also have an Instagram you can check out or their YouTube channel.

(FTC: PAYARU sent their scrubs to me for free for review consideration. I am not being compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.) 

Talk About It - NOW Solutions

Whether you're new to natural beauty or you've been enjoying the spoils of the natural beauty aisles for a while now, you're probably somewhat familiar with NOW Solutions. I was contacted by the company and offered the chance to feature them on Beautiful Basics. NOW Solutions is a family owned company that has been creating and selling cruelty free personal care products made with only pure ingredients since 1968. Their products are high quality, affordable, and accessible! They have a fantastic selection of products you can use to stock your beauty pantry with, like essential oils and carrier oils, or ready to use formulas, like cleansers and moisturizers.

I think the products from their line that stand out most for someone like me, who likes DIY beauty, is what I like to call the beauty pantry staples. These are the products that you can use to produce your own beauty creations that every green goddess needs in her arsenal.



They have so many essential oils, organic and not, to choose from. Peppermint is my absolute all-time favorite essential so I obviously had to try the NOW version and I also selected 3 more of my favorites to test out. I went for the Certified Organic Essential Oils and I'm so pleased with them, with the exception of the Lavender – more on that in a sec. The Peppermint is such a beautiful and true essential oil. I'm in love with it. I'm a migraineur so I'm always appreciative of a good peppermint and this one is pleasant, perfect, and refreshing. The Tea Tree is your typical Tea Tree and the Orange is light and fresh, my Mom's favorite! I'm not really sure why I don't like the Lavender but it smells like artificial lavender to my oversensitive sniffer. Maybe I just don't like Lavender Essential Oil? I've always used another well-known brands essentials oils but these are far superior and I highly recommend them. I also love the bottles and simple but pretty labels.

Next on the agenda is the rest of the DIY lineup including a humectant, carrier oils, and clay. You can mix and match these oils to your hearts content to come up with the perfect ration for you and your skin type. I've been experimenting with Avocado Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, and Organic Argan Oil. All of NOW's oils that I just mentioned, with the exception of the Organic Argan Oil which comes in a dark glass bottle with a dropper, are housed in clear bottles that contains UV light protection. They are all expeller-pressed and Hexane free.



Each oil has wonderful hydrating properties and can be used for different things. I love to add a few drops of Castor Oil to my hair conditioner and I love to use the Coconut Oil as a base for scrub recipes while the Almond and Argan Oils make great skin moisturizers. I think the Avocado Oil is my favorite because it's so rich and deeply hydrating which is perfect for us dry skinned gals.



Vegetable Glycerin is a must have humectant that helps bind water to the skin and is great to add into almost any DIY beauty recipe. You can add a few drops it to your shampoo, conditioner, facial moisturizer, or serum for an extra boost of hydration. The Moroccan Red Clay Powder has become one of my favorite go to products for an easy mask that is gentle on my sensitive skin but helps purify, brighten, and make my skin look better. I love the stuff! It's messy but that's part of the fun. I simply mix some of the powder with water, adding honey sometimes for an extra something special, and apply the paste to my skin and let dry. I can feel it tightening my pores as it dries but it's not one of those masks that hurts or feels really uncomfortable. My skin loves it and I love the result once I rinse it off.

Now let's move on to my thoughts on their personal care products that I've been testing out.



I've been alternating between the Vitamin C & Oryza Sativa Gentle Scrub and Nature's Microderm when my skin needs a little exfoliation. Both are surprisingly gentle but pack quite the brightening punch. My skin has a tendency to get a bit irritated but these two scrubs are mild and leave my skin looking renewed and healthy without the redness that sometimes goes along with exfoliation.



I was also sent the Vitamin C & Sea Buckthorn Moisturizer for face and the Vitamin C & Sea Buckthorn Lotion for body. I absolutely love the Moisturizer and the way it makes my face feel. It's the perfect day cream and wears beautifully under makeup and doesn't cause any meltdown. The body lotion is nice but nothing special. Both have a very nice scent and leave behind a lovely amount of moisture without feeling tacky, sticky, or greasy.



Finally, let's discuss the Citrus Moisture Shampoo and Citrus Moisture Conditioner. I really like the way these smell, very light and clean. They are both fairly basic but they're nice and leave my hair feeling manageable and soft. The shampoo lathers really well and the conditioner is very moisturizing without being heavy and it never leaves my hair looking limp or greasy.

To learn more about NOW you can visit their website by clicking here. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Talk About Skin Care - Kari Gran

Kari Gran is a self admitted beauty junkie who started looking at exactly what ingredients she was putting on her skin when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in her late twenties. She began searching for natural alternatives and was left wanting more. It wasn't until her forties when she started thinking about developing healthy, simple, and elegant products to meet basic skin needs and nourish a healthy complexion.

Kari, who creates the products, teamed up with her friend Lisa Strain, who runs the business side, to create Kari Gran. Kari Gran is a line of all-natural, cruelty free skin care and cosmetics that are made from natural, wild harvested and non-GMO ingredients that are good for the body and the world. You'll never find any toxic ingredients inside any Kari Gran products. You won't find water either, only natural plant ingredients and essential oils. The line is designed to be gentle and safe for all ages and skin types.

I've heard a lot about Kari Gran in the past and was so excited to be able to try some of their products. I was sent their Starter Kit and two of their popular Lip Whips.

I know that not everyone is a fan of oil based products, but I am and I am so in love with the Kari Gran Cleansing Oil. It's my favorite product of theirs that I have tried and I know a lot of you would like it as well. This cleansing oil is made from Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Castor Seed Oil, Organic Lavender Oil, and Non-GMO Vitamin E from Sunflower. This cleansing oil is simple but so luxurious. The formula is deliciously rich and leaves my skin feeling superbly hydrated and supple. My skin absolutely loves it!

The Hydrating Tonic in Rose (which also comes in Lavender) is also really lovely. It adds the perfect touch of extra moisture to my skin and smells divine. I use it as toner but also as a hydration spray over my makeup to get red of any dry patches and make my skin looks fresh and dewy. The texture is perfect and beautifully fine. It does not leave any stickiness or tackiness behind. The bottle is also perfect!

The Essential Serum feels really great on my skin but I really don't like the smell. The scent is so strong but the actual serum leaves my skin looking and feeling so smooth and luminous. I use it at night and love the results when I can get past the smell.

Their Lip Whips, which comes in 4 colored versions and 1 clear, are extremely popular. I've heard so much about these products from other green beauty bloggers so I was excited to get to try them. I received Naked, their original clean lip balm, and Tinted, a perfectly wearable and adorable sheer pink. Their Lip Whips come in two scents, Peppermint and Cinnamon-Pimenta Berry. I really like both scents and both the tinted and untinted balms. I don't really love potted lip balm because I don't like taking them out into the world with me (I'm a germaphobe) but I don't mind using them at home. They work great alone of layered under other lip products.

Have you tried Kari Gran or do you have any of their products on your beauty wish list? I think their line is definitely worth a look because simple and luxurious products are always worth a try in my book. To learn more about the company or their products you can visit their website by clicking here. You can also find Kari Gran on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

(FTC: These products were sent to me for free for review consideration. I am not being compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)