Green Beaver Sunscreen

I noticed that Whole Foods started carrying Green Beaver's sunscreen and tested it out tonight. Though it was non-whitening, as it says on the tube, it looked like I rubbed Crisco over my face. It did not work out.

Bite Beauty at Sephora

I first read about Bite Beauty in the April 2011 issue of Flare magazine and was looking forward to trying its products, as I'm currently looking for a 'clean' lipstick. Bite Beauty makes lip products that are supposedly "truly good enough to eat".

Here is the article intro:

"The average woman consumes five to seven pounds of lipstick in her lifetime," claims Toronto-based beauty entrepreneur Susanne Langmuir. She's explaining the simple yet shrewd realization that sparked her interest in creating cosmetics made exclusively with edible ingredients: Since we ingest whatever we slick on our lips, it should all be food grade. "If it's good enough to eat-- if you can put it in an organic yogourt or fruit drink or Gummi Bear-- that meets my criteria for what you can put on your lips," she says.

I was pretty excited to read this, thinking that this Bite would have lipsticks that are safe enough to eat! So I went into Sephora yesterday, eagerly testing out the shades. THEN I read the ingredients on the boxes and was quite surprised. Phenoxyethanol is one of the ingredients in the lipstick. Yes, it says it is coconut derived, but I'm uncertain that this makes it less of a toxin concern. Check out what studies have had to say about the ingestion of phenoxyethanol at EWG.

I might be wrong, but common sense tells me that phenoxyethanol is NOT a food grade ingredient, nor will you be finding it in "an organic yogourt or fruit drink or Gummi Bear". At least I would hope not. Yes, coconut is a food, but coconut-derived is not equal to coconut. The ingredients listed Bite lipstick boxes also include calcium aluminum borosilicate-- this caught my attention because anything with aluminum in it raises red flags for me. So I looked up this ingredient and what is it exactly? EWG states that "Calcium aluminum borosilicate is a glass-type material used as a bulking agent." That doesn't sound food grade to me. And I should note that this ingredient is actually not listed online at Sephora, but on the boxes.

Okay, so furthermore, Bite's lip balms contain octinoxate and oxybenzone for sunscreen protection. Neither of which are food grade ingredients, and I'd like to highlight that oxybenzone rates a 'high hazard' 9 on EWG.

I feel that the press surrounding Bite Beauty has been misleading. This just goes to show you that if one is really serious about clean ingredients, you have got to do your research, as onerous as it may be. While Bite Beauty may use food grade ingredients in its lip products, it appears not all the ingredients are food grade. Based on some of the ingredients, I really would not consider Bite Beauty lip products "truly good enough to eat". Would you eat a Gummi bear with phenoxyethanol, calcium aluminum borosilcate, octinoxate, and oxybenzone?

"Holy Crap" Cereal

I don't really care for the crude name of this cereal, but I quite like the content. This cereal was featured on CBC's "Dragon's Den", a show were entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of business investors, ready to invest their own cash. It was a success on the show and has been quite popular with consumers. Apparently the product's name changed from Hapifoods to Holy Crap because people kept saying "holy crap, this is great". I really dislike the name-- I think it's really tacky, BUT I was curious about how good this cereal actually was, since it seemed to be getting good press and was a hit on Dragon's Den.

The cereal is a mixture of organic chia seeds, hulled hemp hearts, organic buckwheat, organic cranberries, organic raisins, apple bits, and organic cinnamon. It sounded pretty healthy-- high in iron, dietary fiber, rich in omega 3 and 6 and antioxidants, and a source of protein and calcium.

'Holy Crap' was popular enough to be sold out at Whole Foods, but it was restocked the next time I was there and I purchased a bag despite it's hefty price tag at approx. $12 CAD for a 8oz. bag. I mean, that's an expensive cereal. The serving size is 2 tablespoons and you can mix it with milk (like almond, soy, regular, hemp), yogurt, oatmeal, etc. Did it taste as great as the hype made it out to be? Is it really the "world's most amazing cereal"? Not really. It was good, but it didn't blow me away as the name might suggest. The seeds didn't really taste like anything, the buckwheat added a crunch to it, and the dried fruits sweetened the mix a bit. I liked the cereal because it's healthy but I didn't want to pay that much for it to have it regularly. I read online that some people made their own mix from bulk bins, so that is what I do now and it is less costly for sure, and I don't include raisins because I don't like them. I should note that the hulled hemp hearts may be harder to find. Whole Foods does not sell this in bulk but in small packages and I decided just to settle for hemp seeds instead and my mix turned out fine. I particularly like the cereal when I'm not very hungry but feel like I should eat to give my body some fuel for energy.

Lavera SPF 15-- Fail

Summer's coming and I'm trying to find another sunscreen that will offer more protection than my current Keys Solar Rx. I tried the Lavera SPF 15 tester at Whole Foods and on my hand it seemed lightweight, non-sticky, non-greasy, and the combined percentage of zinc and titanium dioxide exceeded that of Keys, even though it had a lower SPF, which I think is due to different sunscreen grading regulations in Europe.

The Lavera SPF 15 has alumina, which is a toxin, despite the fact that it's natural, but I decided to compromise because it's so hard to find a decent, natural sunscreen. Side note though, I did contact Lavera weeks ago and asked why they had alumina in their sunscreens, including their baby sunscreen, when their websites state that they use safe ingredients. I never heard back from them. No customer service there.

When I tried the product on my face, the wear was comfortable, however, it looked like clown makeup on me even though I'm quite fair/pale. So back to Whole Foods it went. Oh and the SPF 20 is even worse-- I tested it on the back of my hand and even then it was apparent that it was heavy, extremely white and tacky-feeling.

Tip of the Day

Mixing a teaspoon or so of baking soda with your shampoo application = clarifying shampoo, which removes build-up. I accidentally discovered this when I ordered a natural dry shampoo only to find it it was out of stock and then was experimenting with baking soda. It didn't work out for me as a dry shampoo but I found that the residual baking soda combined with my regular shampoo got my hair squeaky (literally) clean.

Pai Skincare

I discovered UK-based Pai Skincare on the No More Dirty Looks blog, which featured a product review of the Pai Avacado and Jojoba moisturizer. While I was reading it, I had eczema broken out on my face after trying Eco Bella's Age Antidote Day Cream (see, natural is not necessarily better).

My Josie Maran Argan oil didn't seem to help, and I happened to be looking for a natural, rich moisturizer to combat the extreme dryness of eczema. I rarely ever get it on my face, just usually on my hands.

The Pai Avacado and Jojoba moisturizer sounded like it suited my skin care needs and wouldn't exacerbate my eczema, so I ordered it. I loved that it was a genuinely clean skin care line-- it even denounces phenoxyethanol, among other ingredients, which is a organic chemical compound that has been demonstrated in studies to be an irritant and toxin. Phenoxyethanol is widely used as a cosmetic preservative, including by green/natural companies. They'll declare that their products are paraben-free (for those of you who don't know, parabens also have a reputation of being a toxin) but often use phenoxyethanol instead. Some companies use both parabens AND phenoxyethanol. Anyways, I digress.



Ingredients:

purified water, avocado oil*, jojoba oil*, coconut & corn derived emulsifier, thistle oil*, shea butter*, natural vitamin e, vegetable glycerine, borage oil*, sunflower oil*, rose geranium oil*, jasmine essential oil*, corn extract, basil extract, natural lactic acid derived from sugar beet , may chang oil*

*Certified Organic.

I was so surprised that shipping to North America was only $6.30 CAN. That's less than what vendors charge to ship within North America. Not only do they have clean certified organic ingredients, an elegant aesthetic to their packaging and reasonable price points, but they also offer a 30-day money back guarantee. On top of it all, they offer free samples:



I usually don't go into that much detail about the companies of the products I review, but I've found Pai to be pretty impressive and I'm not that easily impressed.

So onto the Avacado and Jojoba moisturizer. It's a really pretty pale green color, with a light to medium consistency. One blogger, I read, described the consistency as almost yogurt-like and I agree. I have dry combination skin and found it to be sufficiently moisturizing and something I could use daily. It absorbs pretty quickly and leaves kind of a dewy finish. I'm not good at discerning scents, but I'd say it has a light floral scent to it. Pai also makes 3 other different moisturizers for different skin needs. I chose a sample of the Geranium & Thistle, which I found to be good on days where I felt I wanted a more matte finish (though I should note that the finish is not entirely matte, like the way powders are). I had a sample of the Camelia & Rose cleanser as well-- it is a cream cleanser that feels really gentle and moisturizing.

I also entered one of Pai's Facebook contests and happened to win their Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil:



I was especially excited about this product because rosehip oil has been said to treat sun damage. Thanks to mine and my parent's ignorance about sunscreen when I was younger (they sent me to the beach, camp, and ski trips without sunscreen, can you believe it?!), I have sun damage on my cheeks which I'm desperately attempting to fix. I've read that studies of rosehip oil use showed to reduce the appearance of freckles and sunspots after several months-- this is precisely what I want (well, the former, not the latter of having it take months). I've been using Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil for about a week now and I've got to say that I have noticed improvement in my skin. My complexion is visibly brighter, radiant and more even-toned, and my sunscreen applies more smoothly. I should mention though that after a week of use my cheeks have started to feel tender and sting a little. I realized that this is due to the retinoid properties the oil has because of the vitamin A. So I'll probably limit my use to 2-3 times a week. Retinoid tolerance varies from person to person. Also, I believe that because of the vitamin A, it is important to wear sunscreen when using rosehip oil.

The Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil has a faint, kind of earthy odor, which I've read is standard for rosehip oil. I don't really notice it when I have it on. The oil absorbs pretty well and quickly if you don't over-apply. I did find that if I applied it too close to my eyes, it made them uncomfortable.

I'll keep using the Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil diligently for sure and report back if I notice the fading of my freckles and sunspots.

Ingredients: co2 extracted rosehip fruit oil*, co2 extracted rosehip seed oil*, natural vitamin e

TreeHugger Best of Green 2011 winners anounced...

TreeHugger is a respected green "Discovery Company" blog and has listed their TreeHugger Best of Green 2011 winners. The categories are food and health, cars and transportation, travel and nature, business and politics, culture and celebrity, and fashion and beauty. If you're seeking some good green options, the TreeHugger awards would be a place to look.

Wow, Vapour Organic Beauty Facebook-- passive agressive and rude much?

When it comes to products, not only quality is important to me but customer service that comes along with the shopping experience as well. I mean, with all the variety and choices we have today, I can easily find another alternative and take my business elsewhere.

Vapour Beauty has garnered some attention in the natural/green lifestyle sphere. Supposedly they make some decent cosmetics. I read about them on a blog and was interested in trying some of their products. Recently they released some new shades of their lipstick, and had a promo code for a day. I've been looking for a natural lipstick that can replace my MAC Taupe. So I started to place an order and found that I couldn't enter the promo code in the Paypal check out so I didn't go through with it. I figured the fastest way to address that might be just to do a Facebook wall post, as I've seen other customers of other brands do. My post consisted something along the lines of "The lip promo code doesn't work for the Paypal check out :-( BTW, does the Incognito lipstick have any orange undertones?" I got home hours later that night to see if I received a response and found that my wall post was deleted. There was no explanation, no private message, nothing. I was taken aback and confused, so I posted another message, "Is there a reason why my wall post was deleted?" Then today, I found THAT message was deleted. The only explanation I could draw from analyzing the wall postings was one of their posts today, "Need assistance placing an order? Questions about our products? We're happy to help! e-mail info@vapourbeauty.com" Okay, so with that clue I deduced that they deleted my wall posts because they preferred certain concerns to be emailed to them. But they never addressed me directly to tell me that. I had to do all the guess work myself. You would think that part of the reason a brand has a Facebook page would be to have more direct interaction with their customers. Wow. Nice. I no longer have any interest in trying Vapour Beauty and will be 'unliking' on Facebook. What a turnoff.

Eye Makeup Removers

Green Beaver is a Canadian company that makes natural personal care products. I found their eye makeup remover at Whole Foods (I'm a Whole Foods addict, and that's really bad when you're a student with loans...there's a reason they call it "Whole Paycheck"). I used to use Lancome Bifacil, which was really effective at removing the most stubborn of makeup, including waterproof. Not only did I have concerns about the ingredients in Bifacil, spending that much on an eye makeup remover didn't sit well with my conscience.

Green Beaver Eye Makeup Remover reminds me very much of cold cream, except it's more hygienic since it comes in a tube and not a tub, and also it is fragrance-free. The consistency is light, almost lotion like but not runny. The application doesn't feel heavy at all or feel like it leaves a residue behind. The removal power, unfortunately, is only moderate in my experience. I noticed on the website that it says it will remove "stubborn waterproof mascara effortlessly". Not with me it didn't. As far as I'm concerned, it didn't work for waterproof mascara or waterproof eyeliner. I do use this regularly though and often, but to usually to clean up smudges, particularly underneath my eyes. I like to squeeze a small amount in a pot and carry it in my purse along with a couple of q-tips in case my eye makeup smudges during the day. It's good for smudge cleanup because it's light and non-oily, thus it's less likely to affect the rest of my eye makeup.

Ingredients : Aqua, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Coco Glucoside, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Sclerotium Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid

For complete/end of the day eye makeup removal, I currently use Desert Essences Jojoba oil with Shiseido cotton pads.



I find this is pretty effective, even for waterproof makeup. It works even better when I hold the soaked pad on my eyelid for a couple of seconds before I wipe or dab. Any residual oil left I just gently blot off with a tissue. Plus the jojoba oil is moisturizing. Next I think I might try almond oil to see how it compares. I have tried olive oil before but it didn't remove eye makeup very well for me.

Ingredient: 100% pure jojoba oil.

Within Temptation's new album "The Unforgiving"

This isn't really related to the context of the blog, but I'm so in love with WT's new album right now that I had to post about it. I think my favorite song on it is "Shot in the Dark":

Thayer's Original Witch Hazel Astringent

I purchased this at Whole Foods. It's what I use when I'm too lazy or tired to wash my face. I squirt a bit onto a Shiseido cotton pad and wipe my face. I find this to be more cost effective than purchasing presoaked wipes or pads, plus it cleans reasonably well (I should note though that I usually don't wear all that much makeup). As for other green quick cleansing products that would be more effective for makeup removal, I've heard that Kaia Naturals makes decent wipes, but they seem a little pricey. The brand Yes to Carrots has facial towelettes which rate a 3 at EWG; their fragrances contain NPA approved synthetics-- I don't know who the NPA are, so I don't know what that means exactly-- but not pthalates according to their FAQ's.

Witch hazel has been long used as an herbal remedy for skin. I can't really think of a way to describe what it smells like, but personally I think it smells refreshing. Thayers makes a variety of astringents in different scents. From what I can remember, some of the others include rose, cucumber and lemon. Whole Foods has testers where you can try/smell them.

The one I'm finishing up right now contains alcohol and I find it to be a tad drying at times, so I have one without alcohol (Thayers makes alcohol-free astringents too) stocked away when I'm done with my current bottle. I'd say that Thayers astringent is one of my skincare fundamentals-- it's replaced the Clinique toner I used before I decided to seek out more natural alternatives. The ingredients of Thayers Original Witch Hazel astringent are all natural, as listed on my bottle:

Purified water, SD alcohol (natural grain) 10%, Aloe Barbadenisis leaf juice (certified organic filet of aloe vera), Hamamelis Virginiana (Thayers proprietary un-distilled Witch Hazel) extract, glycerin (vegetable), fragrance (natural witch hazel), Citris Crandis (grapefruit) seed extract, citric acid.

Description from Thayer's website:

"Made of extract from the Witch Hazel shrub (Hamamelis Virginiana) and a blend of other time-tested ingredients - THAYERS® Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Formula Astringents and Alcohol-Free Toners are soothing, natural treatments that cleanse, tone and soothe your skin. THAYERS® are the only Witch Hazel products made of non-distilled extract from the Witch Hazel shrub maintaining the highest levels of therapeutic tannins."

Know The Ingredients in your Personal Care Products - Health Tips from EWG | Environmental Working Group

The Environmental Working Group shares some good tips on how to choose better body care products:

Know The Ingredients in your Personal Care Products - Health Tips from EWG | Environmental Working Group

Key's Solar RX Sunblock

I have tried so many different sunscreens, in search of the perfect one for me, that it's ridiculous. I prefer physical sunscreens (as opposed to chemical sunscreens), which use titanium dioxide, zinc or both. Common problems with physical sunscreens include greasiness, tackiness, agglomeration (where the sunscreen clumps as you apply it), shininess and white casts. I'm sure there are more but I can't think of any more at the moment. For now I've settled on Key's Solar RX as one of my main sunscreens/sunblocks because it's natural with a decent SPF, not greasy, minimally tacky, and leaves a slight white tint on my fair/pale skin. It's not perfect, but it's the best one I've tried so far (in terms of SPF, ingredients and the extent of negative qualities), and I've tried A LOT (more sunscreen reviews to come). My greatest problem with this sunblock is that it contains nano zinc-oxide and there's a lot of controversy surrounding nano particles because they're believed to be small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream, rendering them a potential organ system toxin. The reason why nano zinc-oxide is used, is to minimize the white cast kabuki mask effect. However, the research seems to indicate that as long as the skin is intact, nano zinc-oxide does not pose a threat. The research appears to be inconclusive though.

Keys Solar RX has a thick (but easily spreadable) creamy consistency and an herbal smell to it. At first I disliked the scent, but now, after using it regularly, I barely even notice it.


Ingredients: Nano zinc-oxide, purified water, shea butter, avocado fruit oil, carrot seed oil, black seed oil, vegetable glycerin USP, Keys vegetable wax (red palm), blood orange, clary sage, rosemary extract.

Overall, the downsides about this sunblock include the concern of nano zinc-oxide, the tackiness, feeling of heaviness, and shiny appearance. I don't like that it makes my face shiny-looking, so I'm starting to just use it on my cheeks and other areas that need more protection; as for the rest of my face, I'm using an SPF 15 which I will review later on.

Tarte's Light's, Camera, Splashes! mascara

Wow it's hard to commit to blogging, especially when you're in school and working. I don't know how people do it.

I got this about two months ago from Sephora and ended up returning it because it was pretty much dried out when I purchased it, and other reviewers have found theirs to dry out rather quickly. I think this might be an issue with the mascara formula.


I did try it, but since it was dried out, I wasn't able to get an accurate experience of how this mascara performs. It was pretty waterproof; there was only a tiny bit of smudging. It wasn't clumpy, but then again I think that may have been due to the mascara being dry-- I have read reviews where people said they had a problem with clumps.

The ingredients list isn't too bad, and it's short, which is good. Tarte is a company that aims to use natural, beneficial ingredients. Most of the following ingredients are zero rated for hazard at EWG; there's four of them that range from a 2-3.

Ingredients: Isododecane, cera alba, aqua, pentaerythrityl hydrogenated rosinate, disteardimonium hectorite, cyclopentasiloxane, VP/eicosene copolymer, polybutene, alcohol, hydrated silica, polyquaternium-10, chlorphenesin, iron oxides (CI 77499).

A significant issue though was that like other reviews have stated, it is VERY difficult to remove, even with jojoba oil. I lost several lashes in the process and was not happy about that.

Also, I didn't really care for the superfluous denim packaging. It's a bit tacky looking, unnecessary, and the top denim cover on the cap actually came off during one of the times I opened the mascara.

Survive a New Year!