Product Review: Purelygreat deodorant

Purelygreat is a Canadian company that makes all-natural, aluminium-free deodorant. Deb from Purelygreat kindly sent me two samples of the Women’s Cream Deodorant to review; Citrus, and Lavender. They also make an Unscented Deodorant, Men’s Deodorants in Citrus, and Patchouli, Teen Boy’s Patchouli Deodorants, and Teen Girl’s Lavender Deodorant.

Size: 45g (each sample I received is 20g)

Price: CAD$12.99 (On sale from $15.00)

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

Available at: www.mynaturaldeodorant.com

The verdict: This is an extremely effective deodorant. It kept me dry and un-sweaty all day! Yay! I did not have to re-apply it at all; with most other deodorants I do need to re-apply later in the day in order to retain that fresh feeling. Both the scents also smelled very nice. I would definitely recommend it.

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.

Product review: Beautiful Skin by Renee

Renee Blackwell sent me her product, Beautiful Skin, to try out. It’s a blend of six oils: rosehip seed oil, vitamin E. oil, macadamia nut oil, hemp seed oil, carrot seed oil, and essential oil of rose.
Size: 50ml
Price: AUD$45
Packaging: A glass bottle with a screw-on lid.
Available at: http://www.beautifulskinbyrenee.com/
The verdict: This is really good for dry skin. I have been applying it at night, on some of the marks on my face (from previous acne), on my elbows, and on an annoying dry patch of skin on my left foot. After using it for a few weeks, I think that it has been helping the marks, my elbows are a lot less dry, and the annoying dry patch is almost gone, which is great, because nothing else would make it go away. I would recommend this for turning dry bits of skin back into normal bits of skin, or just generally providing some moisture. All the oils are great for moisturising, and it also smells really nice.

More info on the Karen Murell range

Karen Murrell sent me her awesome new range of products in January, and I have been having fun trying them out. You may remember me

mentioning this range a few months ago. Karen launched Skinfood in 2002, and this new range late last year. The products are certified by Ecocert (the first New Zealand brand to have this certification), and the Organic Food Chain. The boxes, tubes and bottles all have the percentage of organic ingredients printed on them. The packaging is pretty cool – the boxes, bottles, and squeezy tubes are recyclable, (the boxes are made from recyclable, renewable paper using soy inks) and the lipstick and lip balm tubes are biodegradable – you bury them. That’s cool, and not something I’ve come across before. The packaging is also very stylish and eye-catching, with funky artwork on the boxes.

They are available at Farmers stores, as well as some other stores. For more information on stockists, as well as more information about the products, check out http://www.karenmurrell.com/.

I think this new range is great. It’s hard for me to pick a favourite out of all the products, but if I had to pick one, it would be the moisturiser. More on it (and all the other products) below).

Here’s the lowdown on the products:

Pure Honesty Cleansing Gel
Size: 100ml
Price: $34
Packaging: A recyclable (HDPE 2) squeezy tube inside a recyclable two-piece cardboard box.
The verdict: It’s gentle, but cleanses thoroughly. I only need to use a little bit, so I can see the tube lasting for a long time. Any skin type could use it, but it contains seaweed and witch hazel, which are both beneficial to oily and combination skin. Using it in combination with the moisturiser has helped my skin clear up (I had previously been getting a few pimples). It smells nice and fresh.

Absolute Luxury Face Moisturiser
Size: 50ml
Price: $45
Packaging: A recyclable (PETE 1) pump-top bottle inside a recyclable two-piece cardboard box.
The verdict: A nice, light moisturiser with a lovely scent. It moisturises well, but doesn’t clog pores, and I find I only need to use a small amount. I have combination skin, and it’s good to have a moisturiser that is non pore-clogging, but still, well, moisturises! It contains tamanu oil, a ‘miracle ingredient’ which accelerates new tissue growth.

Aqua River Face Cream for Men
Size: 50ml
Price: $36
Packaging: A recyclable (PETE 1) pump-top bottle inside a recyclable two-piece cardboard box.
The verdict: I gave this to my brother-in-law, and he likes it. This also contains tamanu oil.

True Miracle Intense Balm
Size: 50ml
Price: $39
Packaging: A recyclable (HDPE 2) squeezy tube inside a recyclable two-piece cardboard box.
The verdict: This is really good for dry cuticles, lips, or dry skin, really. Smells and tastes great too. Ingredients include cocoa butter.

Nature’s Essense Body Scrub
Size: 200ml
Price: $45
Packaging: A recyclable (HDPE 2) squeezy tube inside a recyclable two-piece cardboard box.
The verdict: This is a great moisturising scrub, ideal for using before applying fake tan. Contains tamanu oil, salt and oat flakes.

Moisture Stick Lip Balm
Size: 4g
Price: $24.99
Packaging: A biodegradable tube inside a recyclable two-piece cardboard box.
The verdict: A good, nourishing lip balm that smells great, thanks to the sweet orange essential oil. I find that I don’t need to apply it all that often. Contains jojoba and castor oil.

Lipstick
Size: 4g
Price: $24.99
Packaging: A biodegradable tube inside a recyclable two-piece cardboard box.
The verdict: The lipstick is available in four shades: Cordovan Natural (beige nude), pink starlet (bright pink), Red Shimmer (bright red), Violet Mousse (nudey pink). The shades are fairly matte, but the lipsticks are moisturising, including ingredients such as jojoba and castor oil. The lipsticks smell really amazing, probably due to the cinnamon oil in them. I really like all the colours, but my favourite is Violet Mousse.

I very much recommend the Karen Murrell range, it’s good to have another great New Zealand natural skincare range available.

Priti Nail Products

I’ve mentioned Ikigai before - it’s an Australian online natural beauty boutique. Ikigai have recently added Priti products to their store. Priti is a brand which specialises in nail products which are free from potentially harmful chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP. The Priti products available on the Ikigai website are:

Non-Toxic Soy Polish Remover 56ml $16.95
Non-Toxic Cuticle Remover 12.6ml $17.95
Almond Cuticle Oil 12.6ml $17.95
Non-Toxic Speed Dry Topcoat 12.6ml $17.95
Non-Toxic 2-in-1 Base & Top Coat 12.6ml $17.95
Non-Toxic Nail Polish in 29 shades 12.6ml $17.95
Bean Nail Brush in Flax Pouch $9

The people at Ikigai offered to send me one of the Priti products to try, so I chose the nail polish in Peekaboo Rose (pictured above) Review follows:

Packaging: A clear bottle with a silver flower on the front and a silver lid.
Price: AUD$17.95
Size: 12.6ml
Suitable for: Anyone, including pregnant women
Available at: Ikigai
Pros: Pretty colour, free of harmful chemicals, good value for money.
Cons: None I can think of.

The verdict: Peekaboo Rose is a lovely luminous pink shade that’s subtle enough for the office. It’s a great colour for spring. Very nice! I took a picture of my hand when I was wearing it (shown below), but it doesn’t really do the colour justice - it's a bit brighter than it looks in this picture. Check out the Priti products at http://www.ikigai.com.au/hands-feet-polis/ .

Product reviews: Honoré des Prés perfumes

The people from Luckyscent, a cool fragrance website, sent me samples from a new perfume range called Honoré des Prés. Honoré des Prés is a French brand, and the perfumes are 100% organic. There are five perfumes in the collection – all are EDT, and USD$145 for 100ml, in glass bottles. Or you can buy 7ml samples for $3, or you can buy a sample set for USD$30, which contains 1.5ml spray bottles of each perfume. They can be bought at http://www.luckyscent.com/. Here are the reviews.

Bonte’s Bloom

Notes: Sunflowers, flower grass from the South of India, wild Moroccan blue chamomile, fresh citrus leaves from Paraguay, sage leaves, white orris butter.
Verdict: This is a very pretty floral scent, and not too overpowering. Very nice!


Chaman’s Party

Notes: Vetiver root from Haiti, sacred basil from Egypt, wood of life from Venezuela, dried clove flowers from Madagascar
Verdict: It’s a very spicy scent. It didn’t really suit me so well, but if you are into more spicy scents, this would be great.


Honore’s Trip

Notes: Pure tangerine extract, Mediterranean oranges, yellow and green lemons, pepper, pimento, resins.
Verdict: Very citrusy and fresh. I really like citrus scents, so I love this! It smells good enough to eat.


Nu Green

Notes: Mint leaves, grass, Indian botanical musk, medicinal tarragon and cedar wood.
Verdict: This is gorgeous! This one and Honore’s Trip are my favourites, because I like perfumes that smell really fresh, and this one definitely does. It’s very...zesty!


Sexy Angelic

Notes: Fresh almond, hemlock flowers, angelica seeds, freshly baked calisson accord.
Verdict: Nice and floral. The scent of almond is quite strong to begin with, but it fades as the fragrance settles, and then it smells more generally floral. Nice!


It was great to be able to try these perfumes, so thank you to the people at LuckyScent! I think that Honoré des Prés is a great eco-friendly brand with some really beautiful scents.

Product reviews: Products from Ikigai

I previously mentioned Ikigai, a great online organic skincare boutique. The people at Ikigai sent me some products to review. Here is what I got:

- Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Facial Scrub (full size)
- Two 10ml sachets of John Masters Organics Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner
- Two 10ml sachets of John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor
- Two 10ml sachets of John Masters Organics Citrus & Neroli Detangler

I have heard good things about Pangea and John Masters products, so it was great to be able to try these products out. Here are the reviews:


Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Facial Scrub

Packaging: A squeezy recyclable plastic tube with a flip-top cap in a cardboard box embedded with seeds – You can plant the box!
Price: AUD$39.95
Size: 110ml
Suitable for: All skin types
Available at: Ikigai website
Pros: Gentle, smells nice, generous size, plantable box!
Cons: None

Verdict: I have been using this weekly, and it is nice and gentle, but also effective. It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth, and it smells good too. I think it is very cool that the box can be planted. I haven’t done this; I’ll have to get onto it. When it is planted, medicinal herbs will grow (the same herbs which are used in the product). Nice!


Note: The reviews for the haircare products give details of the price and packaging of the full size products; I tried the sample sachets.


John Masters Organics Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner

Packaging: A squeezy recyclable plastic tube with a flip-top cap
Price: AUD$40.50
Size: 207ml
Suitable for: Dry hair
Available at: Ikigai website
Pros: Moisturising, non-greasy
Cons: None

Verdict: I have dry hair which tends to get frizzy, so this was really good for my hair. It says to leave it in for 1 – 5 minutes, and I left it in for about 2, which worked well.


John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor

Packaging: A squeezy recyclable plastic tube with a flip-top cap
Price: AUD$51.60
Size: 118ml
Suitable for: Very dry, damaged or colour-treated hair
Available at: Ikigai website
Pros: Very moisturising, nice smell
Cons: None

Verdict: My hair is not colour-treated, but it is pretty dry, so using this helped give it some much-needed moisture. It is supposed to be left in for 2 – 4 minutes, and I usually left it in for around 2 minutes.

John Masters Organics Citrus & Neroli Detangler

Packaging: A recyclable plastic bottle
Price: AUD$29.99
Size: 236ml
Suitable for: Dry or fine hair
Pros: Very thick and moisturising, amazing smell
Cons: None

Verdict: The instructions say that this is to be left in for 1 – 3 minutes, but also that it makes an excellent leave-in conditioner. I used it as a leave-in conditioner. It is very thick, adds a lot of moisture to the hair, and smells very yummy!


Thanks to the people at Ikigai for sending me these great products! They came at just the right time, because I was almost out of face scrub, and my hair had been getting very dry, so using the John Masters products helped with that.

Product reviews: Sustainable Youth® Technologies range

Sustainable Youth® Technologies is a new range of evidence-based organic, natural and green nutricosmetic, cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products. The company website explains everything a lot better than I am able to, so check it out: http://www.sustainableyouthproducts.com/.

Sustainable Youth® Technologies Immune Performance™ products all contain Alasta™, which is a propriety blend that contains Aloeride®. This is derived from aloe vera, and research has shown it can be a potent immune-stimulatory ingredient.

The company takes a holistic approach, healing from the inside out as well as using topical skincare. The products are free from animal-derived ingredients and animal testing, so no worries there for vegans. The people at Sustainable Youth sent me their products to try, and I am really liking them, so here are my reviews.


Immune Performance™ Elastifirm™ Supplement with Alasta™

Packaging: A small plastic jar with a plastic screw-on lid
Price: USD$65
Size: 60 capsules
Suitable for: All skin types, and the capsules are vegan also
Available at: Sustainable Youth® website
Pros: Vegan, small pills, no side effects
Cons: None

Verdict: The directions are to take one supplement in the morning and one at night. I have no trouble remembering to do this, because I already take medications at morning and night anyway, so I have been taking these regularly. They are only about a centimetre long and very easy to swallow.


Immune Performance™ Revitalizing Serum

Packaging: A plastic bottle with a pump-top and a clear plastic lid
Price: USD$80
Size: 30ml
Suitable for: All skin types:
Available at: Sustainable Youth® website
Pros: Non-greasy, smells nice, a little goes a long way

Verdict: Very nice! One of the first things I noticed was the serum smells sort of like ginger beer! It’s non-greasy and I don’t need to use too much of it, because a little goes a long way. It contains some really great natural ingredients, including Alasta™, Rice Extract, Green, and White and Rooibos Tea Extracts. I have not used a serum before and I like this one.

Immune Performance™ Elasticity Cream with Alasta™
Packaging: A plastic bottle with a pump-top and a clear plastic lid
Price: USD$80
Size: 30ml
Suitable for: All skin types:
Available at: Sustainable Youth® website
Pros: Non-greasy, nourishing, a little goes a long way
Cons: None

Verdict: Like the serum, a little goes a long way. This is a nice light moisturiser. It leaves my skin nourished, but not greasy. Makeup goes on smoothly over the top of it. I apply this after the serum. This moisturiser contains a long list of impressive natural ingredients such as Alasta™, Organic Olive Oil, Natural Jojoba Oil, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Organic Shea Butter, and Green and White Tea Extracts.


The products are designed to be used together, and one of the first things I noticed was that my skin cleared up a lot. I had been getting a few pimples, nothing major, but still annoying. But after I started using the Sustainable Youth products, the pimples quickly went away within a few days, and my skin looks a lot better now. Also, my skin had previously been a bit dry and flaky (despite having had pimples), but it has improved a lot, and feels smooth and firm.

I am in my twenties, and I don’t have any signs of aging, but I do feel that my skin is in a better condition since I started using these products, and it definitely can’t hurt to start using anti-aging products. This is a very effective range of products, and I highly recommend them!

Product review: Pai Echium Eye Cream

In December, I got an email from the people at Pai skincare, wondering whether I would like to try one of their products. Pai is a UK-based brand founded by Sarah Brown, but has a Maori name (‘Pai’ means 'goodness'), and some of their products contain Manuka oil (a New Zealand ingredient). Good to see some New Zealand influences all the way across the world! The people at Pai were nice enough to send me one of their products to try free of charge. I chose the Echium Eye Cream.

Review

Packaging: A glass jar with a plastic lid, in a cardboard box
Price: NZD $45.05 (£16)
Size: 7ml
Suitable for: All skin types
Available at: Pai’s website - http://www.paiskincare.com/
Pros: Organic ingredients, smells nice, very thick and rich, has a best before date
Cons: None

Verdict: I have only recently started using eye creams, so I’m not really an expert on them, but I really like this one. It’s very moisturising, but not at all greasy. The best before date lets you know when you need to use it up by. Very grateful to the people at Pai for sending it to me!

Product Review: Weleda Iris Moisture Cream

Because my skin was getting dry, two months ago

I switched from using aloe vera gel to using an actual moisturiser. I went for Weleda Iris Moisture Cream.

Price: $23.50

Packaging: A metal tube with a plastic screw-on lid. Comes in a cardboard box.

Size: 30ml

Suitable for: Normal to oily skin.

Available at: Health 2000, Hardy's, Commonsense Organics, Homestead Health, various pharmacies.

Pros: Non-greasy, moisturises well, good price.

Cons: Although it is affordable, you get a very small amount for your money.

Verdict: This is a nice light moisturiser, and it hasn't made me get pimples or clogged pores. I don't like to use too much of it because the tube is so small. I'm onto my second tube already - the first one lasted about a month and a half. However, using a small amount seems to work fine, so that's good. I only use it around my eyes and on dry areas at night, unless I've use a scrub and/or mask beforehand.

Product review: Natio Mineral Radiance Blush 'n Brush

A while ago, I mentioned Natio's Mineral Radiance range. I finally bought the blusher a couple of weeks ago. It was not easy to find! It was sold out at Farmers, and I managed to get it from a pharmacy a few weeks ago.

Review

Packaging: A tube, with a brush on top, so the product comes through the brush. Can be unscrewed.

Price: $15

Size: 3.1g

Suitable for: All skin types

Available at: Farmers, selected pharmacies.

Pros: Affordable, nice colour, good quality

Cons: Packaging is not all that great, only comes in one colour.

Verdict: I really like this blusher, but the packaging isn't that good. The brush isn't very good quality, and feels scratchy and painful on my face (would be even worse for someone with very sensitive skin). But I have solved this problem by uscrewing the container from the brush, tipping a bit of blusher onto a tissue, and using a blusher brush to apply it. But be careful with this - if you're clumsy (which I am), and/or in a hurry (which I often am), you may spill it all over the place. Fortunately, I have not yet done this.

The colour of this (Rose, according to the website, although it says Rose Glow on my one - go figure) is a nice warm pink, which works well on my skin tone - I'm white with yellow undertones. However, it obviously wouldn't work on all skin tones. It has a bit of a shimmer to it, but it's pretty subtle.

So overall, a great product, not so great packaging. I think this would be better in a traditional mineral makeup style container - one with holes for the powder to come through. But it is very reasonably priced for mineral makeup, it's a nice, good quality product, and my way of applying it works well, so I really can't complain too much.