March 3, 2010
Posted by Shyema
There is nothing like a great face mask that really makes a visible difference to your skin after you wash it off. That’s 100% Pure’s Pineapple Enzyme Facial Peel for me. It’s been my go-to skin brightener for years now.
The vegan brand stays true to its name, using only pure ingredients free of chemicals, synthetics and dyes as we’ve seen in 100% Pure’s cleanser and tinted moisturizer. This mask comes in a powder form, which I love for two reasons: (1) It has a longer shelf life and won’t go bad for a long, long time; (2) you only use a tablespoon per use so it will last you forever. I’ve had mine for years and still have half a tub left! Read more...
March 2, 2010
Posted by Summar
Exotic ingredients are no strangers to luxe cosmetic lines, so upon reading that Amala’s Purify collection (we have used and reviewed Amala’s Rejuvenating line) uses the rare Blue lotus as the common thread in each of its seven facial skincare products (Rejuvenating products major in on antioxidant cocoa), it seemed like high time to give the beautiful botanical a second glance.
Blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) and its cousin the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) are native to Africa and parts of Southern Asia. The sacred flower was celebrated in ancient Egyptian times as a perfume, health tonic and possible aid for sexual stimulation; its blossoms were even found scattered over Tutankhaman’s body when the pharaoh’s tomb was opened in 1922. In cosmetics, the ingredient can be found in cleansers, moisturizers and exfoliants, functioning as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. However, it is also rich in phytosterols, cholesterol-like molecules found in plants that can make skin sensitive to light. Read more...
February 23, 2010
Posted by marta
When I was asked to take a look at eye cream called Pack Your Bags They’re Leaving ($39.95) from a company called Simply Divine Botanicals, my first thought was this is cool, a natural cosmetic company with a quirky sense of humor. Ok so, so the web site’s tag line - “merging science with energy and love” – was a bit New Agey, but what the heck. Then I looked at the ingredients for Pack Your Bags. The first item was “unconditional love and gratitude”. Definitely New Age. Then I looked again, something was a bit fishy.
As I dug around, I found myself brushing up against the paranormal, tele-evangelists and visions from God that led to humanity-saving soap. Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up. Read more...
February 18, 2010
Posted by marta
Sometimes, perfectly good brands fall off my radar. Take Arcona. This company makes antiaging cosmetics that use powerful ingredients, doesn’t charge the earth, and does no evil. But for some reason I completely forgot about them until I saw the Arcona Berry Fruit Bar (proving that the maligned soap bar has cleaned up its act) and was reminded that I had once liked the peptide-packed Peptide Firming Complex Regenerate. So I set out to investigate some of the other products in the Arcona range.
I decided to start with a potion called Magic White Ice ($38). When I tried it out, memories came flooding back to me and they weren’t necessarily good ones. Like the Peptide Firming Complex, Magic White Ice has a strong smell and is a little sticky. In this case, it has pleasant lemony undertones, but there is a much more pungent pong that is sort of musty and medicinal. Eventually, I worked this out. It is actually apple (malus fruit extract) and what I am getting is both a nice, fresh apple scent and a strong rotting fruit smell. The other thing I don’t much like is the tacky feeling that remains for quite a long while. Read more...
This post is dedicated to Kim for putting me on to 100% Pure and Synergie who is partial to foam in her cleansers and we can only imagine how bitter her disappointment that one of my recent finds, Nutra-Lift Nonsoap has nothing soapy about it. 100% Pure Organic Cranberry Facial Cleansing Foam has more froth than a vat of Guinness.
For me, this cleanser passes the no moisturizer test. I hate that tight feeling that some cleansers leave you with until you slather on some moisturizers. I was able to wash my face in the evening and add nothing before going to bed in perfect comfort. Or perhaps that should be porefect comfort. My pores are closed after using 100% Pure’s cleanser and my skin free of direct and grease. Read more...
