Friday, December 23, 2011

And so this is Christmas


...and what have I done? Well, not nearly enough work on this blog this year, sorry about that. I will try to improve on that next year.

The picture above is of a beach somewhere in New Zealand. The tree in the foreground is a Pohutukawa, which is sort of a 'New Zealand Christmas tree'. Christmas is in summer here, remember?

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

To Mama with Love




It's Mothers' Day tomorrow, and here's an opportunity to support a really great cause. You may remember that last year I wrote about To Mama with Love. This is an online collaborative art project, honouring mothers around the world. You can set up a 'heartspace' where you tell everyone how awesome your mum is - it can be personalised with words, photos, and/or videos - and donate money to Epic Change, which supports some amazing women, including Mama Lucy from Tanzania, pictured above. Check it out at http://www.tomamawithlove.org/.



Happy Mothers' Day all you mums! Including mine!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Made from Earth



Ok, so you may all be wondering if I’m still here, given that I haven’t posted in a while...sorry about that. I’m still here, and I have a great brand to tell you about!



Made from Earth is an American company that makes organic skincare products. Check them out at www.madefromearth.com. They kindly sent me some of their lovely products to try. The products I tried were:


Rooibos Tea Facial Scrub


Size: 2 oz (about 57g; I had a smaller sample size)


Price: USD$24.99


Packaging: A plastic jar with a screw-on lid.


The verdict: This is a nice gentle scrub containing key ingredients jojoba beads, aloe vera, and rooibos tea. It’s detoxifying without being harsh, and it smells good too.



Pure Aloe Vera Skin Treatment


Size: 2 oz (I had a smaller sample size)


Price: $14.99


Packaging: A plastic jar with a screw-on lid.


The verdict: Soothing, moisturising, and non-greasy, containing healing ingredients including aloe vera, witch hazel, and neem . Great smell too. Very nice!



Rosehip + Hibiscus Facial Serum (pictured above)


Size: 2 oz


Price: USD$12.50 (Currently on sale from $24.99)


Packaging: A plastic bottle with a pump-top, and lid.


The verdict: This is nice and moisturising, without being greasy. Nice subtle smell. Contains hibiscus flower extract, rosehip seed oil, and glycerine, among other things. Love it!


Blueberry Organic Lip Balm with Vitamin E


Size: 0.15oz (4.25g)


Price: USD$3.99


Packaging: A windup plastic tube with a lid.


The verdict: This has a yummy but subtle taste and smell, and it’s very moisturising too, with sunflower and jojoba oils.



Citrus Fresh Organic Lip Balm with Vitamin E


Size: 0.15oz (4.25g)


Price: USD$3.99


Packaging: A windup plastic tube with a lid.


The verdict: I really like citrus scents and tastes, so loved this. It’s like a glass of orange juice in a tube! A dry-lip quenching one, that is.



I really like that there are so many great natural and organic ingredients in these products. I think it is great how much aloe vera is used in the products – very good for sensitive skin! The packaging is also really pretty. Plus, it is a cruelty free brand, which is a must for me.



To risk sounding like an infomercial, but wait, there’s more! Readers of this blog can get a 5% discount on Made from Earth products when you purchase them from www.madefromearth.com. Just enter the code 'TheMeanGreenBeautyMachine’. No minimum.