Body Butter

When you want something a bit more thick and rich than body lotion, try body butter. I like Skinfood body butter, $14.95 for 250ml. There are a lot of other options. For example:

$20 and under: Upper Canada Naturally Body Butter 200g $20, available in Cranberry Moro Orange, Wild Lime Mint, Red Tea Grape, Sweet Vanilla Fig, and Pressed Olive Avocado

$30 and under: Greenland less=more Body Butter 200ml $26, available in Bergamot, Pomegranate, Cocoa-Vanilla, and Cranberry

$40 and under: Bod Amazonian Nut Body Butter 200g $39.90

$45 and under: Pure Fiji Body Butter $40.90, available in Coconut, Frangipani, White Gingerlily, Mango, Pineapple, Passionfruit, and Starfruit, Bod Frangipani, Aloe and Cucumber Body Butter 470g $44.90, Antipodes Jubilation Ultra Nourishing Body Cream 200ml $45

$50 and under: Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Body Butter 200g $49, available in Avocado Butter, Olive & Basil, Cocoa Butter, Nutmeg & Cardamom, Illipe Butter, Lemongrass & Sugar, and Mango Butter & Grapefruit

The Body Shop Nature's Minerals

A lot of brands have been bringing out mineral makeup lines lately. The Body Shop has recently launched Nature's Minerals. The Nature's Minerals line consists of:

Foundation SPF25 5g $45, available in six shades

Cheek Colour 2g $30, available in Pink Quartz, Golden Terracotta, Warm Copper, and Brown Topaz

Eye Colour 1g $25, available in Platinum Silver, Radiant Graphite, Golden Emerald, Pink Opal, Bronzed Amber, and Molten Brown
Foundation Brush $38
Blusher Brush $36
Eye shadow brush $20

There are no unescessary fillers in these products - all you'll find is minerals and clay. The SPF is higher than any other mineral makeup that I'm aware of. While this makeup is somewhat expensive, it is a lot more affordable than some other minerals on the market.

I got the foundation in the lightest shade using the 20% off birthday voucher which I got from the I Love My Body Club. I didn't buy the foundation brush; I used a powder brush to apply it. I really like it - it gives good coverage, and it has a matte finish, thanks to the clay I suppose. It is also supposed to be good for blemishes - due to the zinc oxide, I guess.

I also bought the eye shadow in Golden Emerald. It's a little bit more sheer than I'd like, but it works well when I layer it over a brown eyeshadow. I didn't buy the eyeshadow brush, I used one which I already had.

Soap

If you prefer bar soap to liquid hand wash and body wash, there are a lot of natural soaps to choose from. I like Dr Bronner's Bar Soap, available in Almond, Unscented Baby-Mild, Citrus Orange, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose, and Tea Tree. $5.40 for 140g.

I also like Trade Aid Soap, available in Rose, Neem, Cucumber, Green Apple, Clove, Honey Scented (does not contain actual honey, as all the soaps are free from animal ingredients), Jasmine, Sandalwood, Coconut, and Cinnamon. The soaps are 80g, and are $1.95 from Trade Aid stores for a limited time.

Ecostore also a selection of soaps - Manuka Honey & Kelp, Orange & Cinnamon, Goats Milk, Lemongrass, Lavender, Vanilla, Manuka & Oatmeal, Peppermint & Honey, Sandalwood, all $3.95 for 100g. Coconut, Lemongrass, Manuka Honey & Kelp, and Vanilla soaps are also available in boxes, $3.70 for 80g.

Obviously, these are just a selection of the many natural soaps which are available on the market.

Teen products

When you're a teenager, your skin can really start acting up. Oiliness, blackheads, pimples, clogged pores...not fun. Not all teenagers get acne, but it is pretty common. A lot of teens are also on a tight budget, so I'm focusing on affordable skincare, bodycare, and makeup.

A foaming cleanser is best for acne-prone, oily or combination skin types. Try Sukin Fomaing Facial Cleanser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Foaming Facial Cleanser, also $12 for 125ml.

A good ingredient for oily skin is witch hazel, which can be found in both of the above cleansers, as well as in a lot of toners, such as Natural Instinct Toner, $12 for 125ml.

Natural Instinct Aloe Vera Gel ($12 for 125ml, and $19 for 250ml) works well as a moisturiser, and Weleda Iris Moisture Cream, $23.50 for 30ml, is also good, as it contains witch hazel.

Exfoliating two or three times a week helps get rid of dead skin cells which might otherwise clog your pores. Try Skinfood Exfoliating Scrub, $9.99 for 100ml, or Sukin Facial Scrub, $12 for 125ml.

Once or twice a week, after exfoliating, use a clay or mud face mask to draw out impurities. Skinfood Mud Masque, $9.99 for 100ml contains clay, and Rotorua mud. Clear as Mud Face Mud contains bentonite mud from Parehaka. It's $4 per sachet, or $24.99 for a box of ten sachets.

Some teens have dry skin. A creamy cleanser is better for dry skin. Try Skinfood Cleans All Cleanser, $9.99 for 100ml, Sukin Cream Cleanser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Cream Cleanser, $12 for 12ml. For moisturiser, try Skinfood Nourishing Moisturiser, $9.99 for 100ml, Sukin Moisturiser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Moisturiser, $12 for 125ml.

There are a lot of great natural body washes out there. One of the most affordable ones is Pure Innosenses Shower Gel, $11 for 375 ml, available in Reviving (Chamomile and Feijoa), Relaxing (Lavender and Iris), Energising (Rosemary and Citrus), and Hydrating (Peach). Also great is Sukin Botanical Body Wash, $12.99 for 250ml, $16.99 for 500ml, and $24.99 for 1 litre.

Pure Innosense Body Lotion is also pretty good. It's $12 for 375ml, and is available in Reviving (Chamomile and Feijoa), Relaxing (Lavender and Iris), Summer Skin (a gradual tanning lotion, scented with vanilla and mandarin), and Sensitive Skin (fragrance free). I like Sukin Hydrating Body Lotion, $12.99 for 250ml, and $21.99 for 500ml.

Not all natural makeup is expensive, so for teens on a budget, here are some options:

Foundation: Natio Mineral Loose Foundation (available in Beach Sand, Desert Sand, and Sunset) 10g $23

Blusher: Natio Mineral Blusher (available in Sweet Petal) $16 , Natio Mineral Brush N Blush (available in Rose) 3.1g $15

Eyeshadow: Natio Mineral Sparkle Dust Eyeshadow Compact (colours are Pink, Aubergine, Copper, and White) 0.3g $18 , Natio Mineral Eye Shimmer (available in Silver, Rose, Lilac, and Gold) 1.5g $15, SHE Australia Dusting Powders (not specifically for eyes, but could be used as eyeshadows. Available in quite a few shades, not sure what they all are.) $12.95

Bronzer: Natio Mineral Pressed Powder Bronzer (available in Sunswept) 18.1g $23

Lip colour: Alba Terratints Lip Balm (available in Blaze, Bloom, Dawn, Garnet, Sienna, and Sunset, although I've only seen it in Blaze, Bloom, and Sienna) 4.2g $8.9

Nail Polish: SHE Australia Nail Varnish (available in fourteen colours, not sure what they are) $14.90

I haven't yet come across any particularly low-cost natural concealers, eyeliners or mascaras.

Stockists

Sukin: Commonsense Organics, Health 2000, Farmers

Natural Instinct: Homestead Health, various pharmacies

Skinfood: Woolworths, Foodtown, Countdown, New World

Natio: Farmers, various pharmacies

SHE Australia: Various pharmacies

Alba Botanica: Commonsense Organics, Homestead Health

Pure Innosense: Various Pharmacies

Origins Smileage Plus™ Lip Tint

I'm not sure if this is a new product, but it's only been available at Kirkaldies for the last couple of months. Origins Smileage Plus™ Lip Tint is 95% organic, and comes in six shades - Off Beet, Organic Plum, Vintage, Eco-Pink, Sugar Cane, and Raw Honey. It's $32 for 2g.

Lip balms with SPF

Your lips need protecting from the sun as well as your skin. For the colder months I like Apicare Protect Me Beeswax Lip Balm SF 15, $7.20 for 4.5g. It moisturises really well.

Alba Botanica Sun Lipcare SPF 18 Lip Balm is also good. It's $8 for 4.2g. So is Evolu Healing Lip Treatment SPF 15, $19 for 10ml.

For a higher SPF, I like Comvita Lip Balm SPF 30, $11 for 5g. Or try Dr Hauschka Sunscreen Stick SPF 30, $26 for 4.9g.

Moisturisers with SPF

I don't use a moisturiser with SPF myself, (I just use regular moisturiser, then sunblock over that) but there are a lot of them out there.

The most affordable ones I have found are Avalon Organics Lavender Moisture Plus Lotion with SPF 18, $31.30 for 200ml, and Vitamin C Moisture Plus Lotion SPF 15, $27.25 for 100ml.

Then there's Living Nature Daily Defence with SPF 15. It's $55 for 100ml, and is suitable for all skin types. Or Evolu Moisturising Day Cream with Sunscreen SPF 15, $47 for 75ml, also suitable for all skin types.

Or, for something more high end, Aveda Tourmaline Charged Protecting Lotion SF15/Oil Free, $132 for 75ml. Another Aveda moisturiser with SPF is Inner Light™ Tinted Moisture SPF 15, $88 for 50ml, which I have mentioned in a post about tinted moisturisers.