Intelligent Nutrients Gives Good Lip & Hair!

INTELLIGENT NUTRIENTS LIP DELIVERY ANTIOXIDANT GLOSSES

Intelligent Nutrients is the latest health and beauty line by Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda.  I own many of their products, but want to chat about my favorites today:

Organic Perfect Hold Hairspray When I first became interested in changing all of my skincare and haircare products to natural/organic, there were a few items I thought were going to be a bit challenging to change.  Because I'm a performer, hairspray was one of them, but I managed to stumble upon Intelligent Nutrients' spray pretty quickly and that was that.  I don't use this every day, but when I do need hold, I reach for this baby.  The sprayer does get clogged often, but if you run it under some warm water, you should be good to go. 

Organic Volumizing Spray This is the best natural volumizing spray that I've used so far and I've used quite a lot of them.  It's not sticky, doesn't smell funny and it works.  I just get out of the shower, comb my hair out, lift up my hair and give it a few sprays.  I highly recommend this if you're looking for some extra bounce.

Organic Lip Delivery Antioxidant Gloss This is my latest love.  I was kindly sent Purple Maize by Nubo Nau (awesome natural/organic online shop for all things gorgeous) and later got myself some Pink Hibiscus.  These glosses smell and taste FANTASTIC!  I'm not kidding.  It's like you wiped your lips with some wonderful fruit.  It's not a super glossy look, but I can honestly say that I really haven't had to re-apply this gloss too often.  I don't want to say it's a stain, but it definitely leaves it's color behind when the initial gloss wears off.  From their site:

Looks good, tastes good, and good for you. Intelligent Nutrients® Lip Delivery Antioxidant Gloss is abundant in vibrant antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables like cranberries, blueberries and purple corn. Nutrient-dense oils of acai, rosehip and black cumin—along with Intellimune and soothing, antioxidant-rich waxes and butters—aid in fighting the visible signs of aging. Brush on any of our certified organic flavor blends, and you’ll enjoy a refreshing balance of sweet and tart.

They've got so, so many products in this line and it really does appear that everything is super high quality.  I really recommend giving this line a try.

Sebon Organics Changes The Organic Haircare Game

I'm not the kind of girl who has a ton of different shampoos and conditioners in my shower.  I have my favorites, and I stick to 'em.  So I was very excited to try Sebon Organics Papaya Shampoo and conditioner when they were sent to me by owner, Julian Huxley.  

What I'm looking for in a shampoo and conditioner is this:  I want it to be made without harmful chemicals, to not load down my hair with heavy conditioners and that it keep my hair full, healthy-looking, soft...and do the dishes.  Am I asking too much here?

So, first thing I noticed when I opened up the bottle is that it doesn't smell fake and fruity.  Sebon Organics are made with whole fruits and herb pulp.  It smells clean and fresh like you would expect a natural product to smell.  Not like a chemical lab's version of what a papaya smells like.

The shampoo lathered up really well (a big plus with natural/organic shampoos) and felt great on my hair.  I only needed a little and I've got a lot of hair.  I followed up with the conditioner and it really made my hair super soft.

After drying?  My hair feels soft, but not weighed down, strong and clean.  I say strong because it's not limp at all.  It was also so easy to brush out AND I've got volume...big plus.  I also LOVE the fact that it inhibits UVA oxidation...a huge deal if you're a girl with color-treated hair and are planning on spending time outdoors.  I think I have a new favorite, here.  

UPDATE:  Used the shampoo & conditioner again last night, slept on it wet and I woke up to shiny, soft hair that's not weighed down.  Go Sebon!

From their site:  

Papaya Conditioner is a gently refreshing with a sweet summer fragrance. It is excellent in stabilizing oily hair/skin conditioner for everyday use and for people who like to wash their hair more than twice a week. Herbal extracts keep hair strong and protected while conditioning agents maintain and enhance a healthier shine. Lavender and Extracts of Geranium keep the hair lightly moisturized.

Papaya contains vitamin A, a property that benefits hair repair by increasing the rate of new cell formation. Vitamin C is also found which is also an anti-oxidant with wonderful properties for smoother softer hair.  $15.95

Revolution Organics Will Make You Blush...

REVOLUTION ORGANICS FREEDOM GLOW BEAUTY BALM

For me to love makeup, it's got to be super easy & green.  Such is the case with a new stick blush that I find myself reaching for when I just want to pretty pop of color, but don't feel like dealing with brushes, etc.  The brand is Revolution Organics and the color is Blushed.

This multi-use stick comes in three colors: Blushed (pink), Bronzed (golden tan) and Sunkissed (coral peach).    It's 100% natural and they use 85% organic ingredients.  With ingredients like coconut oil and olive oil, it's no surprise that it leaves your skin looking fresh and hydrated.

What I also really love about it is how easy it is to use.  I make two "Toy Soldiers" circles of pink on my cheeks and then rub it in.  It's also so easy to carry.   I hear their other products are great too, but I've only tried this so far.  $34

Ingredients:
Organic Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Organic Beeswax*, Organic Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil**, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*,Silica***, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil**, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil**, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate**, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Tocopherol**, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract* MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides***, Mica***, Titanium Dioxide***, Carmine**.
* certified organic ** naturally-derived *** mineral

*I purchased this myself & all opinions are my own!

EcoTools Put Other Makeup Brushes To Shame...In More Ways Than One!

I'm not that good at makeup.  There, I said it.  I just can't seem to nail down the basics of makeup application.  If you see me, you wouldn't be able to tell that I'm clueless about blending, coordinating colors or drawing a good cat eye, but I know it and I stink!  I do, however, really know how to fake it, I know what I love, and definitely know what makes applying it much easier.

Enter EcoTools.  There's so much to love about this company and their products:  they feature bamboo handles, recycled aluminum and are completely cruelty-free.  Plus, if you get the brushes in the set, the brush holders are made from hemp.  

My favorites:   Their Recycled Retractable Foundation Brush is amazing.  Just perfect for carrying around in your bag and it stays so nice and clean.  I wash my brush about once a week with some natural shampoo & leave it to dry. I have never had a better foundation brush.  Honest.

I also their have their 6 Piece Eye Brush Set.  So compact, and so eco-friendly, it's a no-brainer.  

So, if you're moving in the green direction, I surely hope you're going to give these a whirl.  Oh, and I used to use only Chanel brushes and I have to tell you, I prefer these over them not only because they're eco-friendly, but because they're better!  Take that.

*I purchased these brushes myself and all opinions are my own, gosh darn it!

Who's Smells Faintly of Delicious Coconut? ME! Honoré Des Prés Love Coconut

Honoré Des Prés' Love Coconut Perfume

Let me start off by saying that I would never, ever, ever dream that I would end up buying a perfume that smelled faintly of coconut.  I'd always equated coconut with some cheesy-smelling tanning oil - an outdated, cheap scent straight out of the 80s.  But that was before I got a sample of Love Coconut from Honoré Des Prés from my all-time favorite natural beauty shop, Spirit Beauty Lounge.

This scent is beautiful...and 100% natural.  It's made from the pure extract of white coconut milk and coriander leaf.  The scent is subtle, so fresh and pretty and best of all, you can spray away without the worry of chemicals because their perfumes are 100% organic and natural.   I've already gone through my first bottle and am dipping into my second.  

By the way, each time I hug someone, I get a "Hmm...you smell so good!"  And that is never bad.  $98

MarieNatie Lip Gloss - Super Hydrating, Pretty & Natural

MARIE NATIE GLOSSES IN AMERICAN BEAUTY, PINK LADY, 
TAHITIAN SUNSET, NEARLY WILD & APRIL IN PARIS

As I've said many, many times, I'm big into lip glosses and lipstick.  Making the switch to natural lip gloss was tough in the beginning because I struggled to find companies that were making cool colors with clean ingredients.  So, I was really excited when I was sent new lip glosses to try out by MarieNatie All Natural Cosmetics.  

First thing I loved?  What their lip glosses are formulated without:
Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Fragrances, Synthetic Dyes, Petro-Chemicals and Phthalates

Second thing I loved?  Their ingredients:  
Jojoba oil, jojoba gel, pomegranate oil, sunflower oil, grapefruit seed oil, candelilla wax, carnauba wax, vitamin E, vitamin E acetate, mica and essential oil.

Okay, the moment of truth.  I gave the gloss a shot.  I wore American Beauty (first gloss on left) for the entire day.  First off, I love that it's not sticky at all.  It goes so smooth that it actually feels more like a hydrating treatment than a lip gloss.  I would definitely say that this gloss could give any of those chemical-laden ones a good run for their money...and win.   The color is a sheer-ish ruby.  The reason I say "sheer-ish" is because it does have pigment, but it's not a thick glob of color.  It's so pretty and hydrating, I really love it.  I would say that you'll have to re-apply this during the day, but for me, I have no problem doing that, especially since it's got such a pretty gloss to it.   It feels so nice on the lips, you're going to want to keep re-applying, anyway....trust me.

I also wore Cotton Candy, a true sheer shimmer gloss, over my lipstick at one of my recent concerts.  It kept its shine, felt fantastic and didn't have any strange effect on the lipstick underneath (big plus since sometimes gloss gets tacky or dries out lipstick).  I think this color would be  excellent for beach days and for girls who just like that simple shimmer on the lip.

So, if you're in the market for trying out a new clean gloss, I say definitely give these glosses a whirl.  I look forward to trying out some of their other colors!   $18

Australian Scent's Balm Of Gilead is the Bomb! Bye, Bye Heat Rash & Eczema!

A few weeks ago I bought Australian Scent's Balm of Gilead.  The container is pretty big so I thought to myself, "No way am I going to be able to finish this, no matter what I end up using it for."  Well, I finally figured out what I was going to use it for and, let me tell you, it's going fast.  

In the Summer I usually get a little heat rash.  Heat rash causes patches of red skin where either a shirt strap or bra has been up against your skin when you've perspired.  I've also gotten it from sitting on a hot chair in the sun.  I tried a lot of things to get rid of it, like powder and aloe vera, but nothing worked until I decided to give that balm sitting in the fridge a shot.  I'm so glad I did.

That evening I put a little of the balm on the affected areas before bed and when I awoke in the morning, everything was perfectly clear...I mean, completely clear.  It's rare that I find a product that produces such great results so quickly.

From what I understand (and can totally tell) this balm must have a ton of uses.  It has amazing all-natural ingredients, feels and smells fantastic.  From their website: 

Formulated to hydrate and smooth the complexion, whilst balancing the skins' texture. With the high vitamin E content of wheat germ oil and the conditioning and scar healing properties of almond oil and shea, this delightful moisturizer is a nutrient reservoir for your skin. Balm of Gilead has produced beautiful results for oily, combination and dry skins. High in essential fatty acids, known for their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, it is particularly suitable for sufferers of acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacia.

I have also used their soaps and they are heavenly!  I haven't tried all of their products, but I can guess that the quality is great as the products I have tried are stellar.  So, check out Australian Scent and let me know if you love it.


*I purchased this product myself and all opinions are mine.