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.

New blog on fair trade skincare and makeup

My cousin has started a blog about fair trade skincare and makeup. Good on her! I think fair trade is really important, and there are an increasing number of skincare and makeup brands which now include fair trade ingredients. Check out Fair is Fair at http://fairisfair.inube.com/. You will also see a link to it on this page, under the section ‘Websites and Blogs’ (on the right).

Products I want to try in 2010

It’s a new year (ok, like a month and a half into it, but whatever), so time to try new things (well, not always new, but new to me). Karen Murrell has very kindly sent me her new range of products, so I have been using those (I’ll put more info about this up here soon). In addition to those, this year I would like to try:

- Blue Earth Sunblock $28.90
- Seven Wonders Sculpting Wax $33.50
- Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara $29.95
- Lafe’s Natural & Organic Deodorant Stick 71g $15.99
- Quash Hand Sanitiser 15ml $5.50
- Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil 100ml $30
- Quintessentials Natural Sunscreen 150g $33.40
- Juice Beauty Blemish Be Gone $29
- [Al'chemy] (By A'kin) Lemongrass Shampoo 225ml $15
- [Al'chemy] Jojoba Light Conditioner 225ml $15
- Nature’s Gate 32,000 I.U. Vitamin E Roll-on 32ml $27.70
- Natio Mineral Lip Gloss 9ml $19

Seven Wonders Natural Haircare

Seven Wonders is an Australian brand which has recently (within the last few months) shown up at Health 2000 in Lower Hutt. The products are:

Sulphate-free Cleansing Shampoo 250ml $21.99
Sulphate-free Moisturising Shampoo 250ml $21.99
Natural Volumising Conditioner 250ml $21.99
Natural Moisturising Conditioner 250ml $21.99
Detangling Moisture Spray 250ml $22.99
Natural Protein Treatment 125ml $21.99
Leave-in Moisturiser 125ml $19.99
Thermal Protectant Spray 250ml $27.90
Anti-Frizz Creme 125ml $25.50
Gloss Serum 50ml $33.50
Styling Gel - $22.95
Sculpting Wax - $33.50

Products I wanted to try in 2009

You may (or may not) remember that a year ago I had
a list of 12 products I wanted to try in 2009. Did I try them? More information below.

- Dollop Hair Pomade 70g $27.50 – I bought this in January or February, and still have some left. A little goes a long way!
- Holistic Hair Sea Spray 250ml $23 – This is good for spraying into hair before blow-drying to give some definition.
- SHE Australia Face Serum $24.95 (I think) – Have not tried this, and I happy with the serum I’m using at the moment (Pacifica Organics), so I probably won’t try this anytime soon.
- Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil 100ml $30 – I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m still keen to.
- SHE Australia Dusting Powder $12.95 – I haven’t tried this, but I’ve bought so many mineral eye shadows in the last year, that it might be time to stop buying them for the time being. Technically, this isn’t an eye shadow, but that’s probably what I’d use it for.
- Sparitual Nail Polish $29 – I’ve got this in Up at Noon (bright pink) and Gold Digger (gold), both very nice.
- Origins Smileage Plus Lip Tint $32 – Very nice, but unfortunately it has now been discontinued. I had it in Sugar Cane (light pink) and Off-Beet (dark browny-red).
- Natures Gate Organics Advanced Care Upper Tanagement Self-Tanning Creme $25 – I haven’t tried this, and I’m still keen to, but I can’t find it anywhere (it used to be available at Health 2000 in Lower Hutt).
- Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Cocoa Butter & Cardamom Lip Balm - SPF 8 15g $15 – The Crabtree & Evelyn store in Wellington sold out of this pretty quickly (and they don’t have any of the Naturals range anymore – was it limited edition?), but I picked this up at David Jones in Brisbane. It's a nice bronzey colour with some subtle gold shimmer, and nice taste, although perhaps a bit too sweet.
- Primal Earth Organic Shave Gel 175ml $8.99 – Great! I have used the Extra Sensitive one, which is free from artificial colour and fragrance. It’s also available in Aloe Hydrate and Menthol Cool. It is designed for men, but there’s no reason why women can’t use it!

- Latential Latentialme Eau De Toilette $99.95 – I bought this as a Christmas present for myself with money from my parents and grandparents. I ordered it off the Viola Organics website, because Commonsense Organics no longer stock it. It’s lovely – a spicy floral that is a great scent for summer.

- Lafe’s Natural & Organic Deodorant Stick 71g $15.99 – I haven’t tried it yet, but I would still like to.

Burt’s Bees is in New Zealand

American brand Burt’s Bees has reached New Zealand. Burt’s Bees products can be bought at Smith & Caughey’s, IE Produce and Urban Loft in Auckland, Ballantynes in Christchurch and selected health stores and pharmacies nationwide, and Kirkaldies in Wellington. Prices range from $9.95 to $64. I don’t have a list of the products available, but I know that Kirkaldies has a wide range, including the babies and men’s products.

Top ten products of 2009

I meant to post between Christmas and New Year’s, but didn’t get around to it. Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year! Anyway, these are my favourite products of 2009, in no particular order. I tried a lot of really great products, and it was difficult to narrow them down!

e.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow $12.99 – these eyeshadows are really affordable, and comes in 12 colours. I have four of these (Celebrity – shimmery pale gold, Sassy – shimmery bronze, Confident – shimmery dark brown, and Temptress – matte warm pink). These were available at Bling stores, but I’m not sure if they are stocking them anymore.


Trilogy Energising Face Lotion 100ml $46.90 – technically I bought this right at the end of last year, but never mind that. This is a light but nourishing moisturiser, and a little goes a long way. Doesn’t seem to clog pores, which is great.

Saya Body Butter 200g AUD$26.95 – Thick, rich, moisturising, smells great, and handmade in Noosa. Order from http://www.sayaskin.com/.

Aveda Lip Shine $44 – Yummy taste, moisturising, and comes in five shades.

Pai Echium Eye Cream 15ml £24 – rich, nourishing eye
cream. Order at http://www.paiskincare.com/.






Sustainable Youth® Technologies Immune Performance™ Revitalizing Serum 30ml USD$80 – Nice and light, with a yummy ginger beer scent. Order at http://www.sustainableyouthproducts.com/.

Bloom Minerals Plus Lip Butter $31 – Cute little pots of moisturising lip colour, available in eight shades. I have Natural Woman (brownish nude), and had Shiver (nudey pink), which I have now used up.




ecostore Shampoo and Conditioner for Dry and Damaged Hair 220ml $9.99 – technically two products, but let’s just forget that for the moment. They work well, are very affordable, and smell great.

Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Facial Scrub 110ml AUD$39.95 – Yummy-smelling fine-grain scrub with plantable packaging. Order from http://www.ikigai.com/.


Trilogy Botanical Moisture Masque for dry hair 95ml 29.95 – Good for a weekly treatment.