Tamanu Oil Lab Review

I recently had the lovely opportunity of getting to know Jeannine, a fellow green beauty enthusiast, who happens to own her own brand of high-quality, non-toxic, and organic oil blends. All of her oil blends feature one specific oil, known as Tamanu oil. These beautiful oils can double as both body and facial oils, and in my opinion are some of the absolute BEST facial oils I have yet to try within the green beauty realm (& I've tried many). The particular blend I fell in love with is the "TΔMΔNU Calm" blend seen in the picture above! Let me brag about it -

My "cannot be without" facial oil - 

1. It's formulation is impeccable and this oil blends beautifully into the skin without leaving

a greasy residue behind, and it works incredibly well under makeup! 

2. It has an aromatherapy aspect to it that makes the blend perfect to apply in the evening before sleeping (take a minute to yourself, massage the oil into your skin, and enjoy the soothing scents it has to offer). 

3. This oil has an incredible price point in comparison to a lot of others on the market. Her blends range from $28 to $32, with the calm blend being $32 (see coupon code below).

4. I have been using this product for a few months now, and it could not have come at a

better time. I was battling a horrible breakout due to the RMS beauty foundation, it contains coconut oil, and my skin reacted very badly to it. I finally pinpointed the foundation, but by then, it had done its damage, leaving behind some scarring which this oil has helped to nearly eliminate! 

5. I have noticed a huge reduction in overall redness, scarring, and breakouts since I began using this facial oil AM & PM! In the morning, I use it alone under my SPF and foundation, but in the evening, I oil cleanse, follow with my beloved MOSS Skincare salvation balm, and finish off with the calm blend. I can't begin to tell you how much of a blessing this oil has been to my skin! I'm currently using up my second bottle if that tells you anything...

Shop for a Cause this Earth Day

First of all, hello! I know it's been quite a while, things have been a bit hectic but I'm excited to bring you this collaboration with a fellow green beauty blogger, Mollie! I'll be sure to link her blog below, but we decided since it's Earth Day, we would showcase our top 5 companies that give back and help make this world a better place, whether that be humanitarian or in relation to keeping the Earth sustained. You all may or may not know, but I love shopping with companies that serve a higher purpose, and those that help to make our planet better in some form or fashion. The following companies are in no particular order, they're all incredible!

1. Meridian Lee Ethical Design - If you've visited my blog before, you may have seen my detailed blog about this company and it's incredible impact on society. I also did an in depth review of my overnight duffle bag I purchased from them {which I must say is my favorite bag I own}. You can read that post here for more detail, but this incredible company has an array of hand-made products including purses, duffle bags, scarves, jewelry, and more! All of their materials are ethically sourced, made from renewable resources, and their products are hand crafted by women who have survived unimaginable conditions. The women employed by Meridian Lee are survivors of human trafficking and other hardship within developing countries. Meridian Lee enters into these communities, and provides these women with a means of supporting their families and a purpose in their trade. One item in particular that is on my wish list is a bracelet called Honoré Bracelet, pictured below in turquoise {also comes in natural}, and this particular bracelet features a hand carved pendant that is made by women in Kenya, and those women use their profits from their artisan co-op to care for orphans of the aids epidemic in their neighborhood. How incredible and humbling is that? I highly recommend you look into this brand and please consider purchasing an item, regardless of size or cost, all proceeds help these women.

MOSS Skincare Review - Part II

One word - merveilleux 

Photo by Celestyna, Moss owner

Modern Organic Sacred Skincare 

Lately I've found myself caught up in other ventures of my green beauty journey and I've been neglecting my sweet blog, but I am back today to share with you all an updated review on some new products I purchased from MOSS Skincare. Needless to say, I have been just as blown away as I was with my initial introduction to this brand through MOSS's sample kit! If you missed my first review you can find it here.

So as you may have read in my first post, I sampled and fell in love with the salvation balm and beurre celeste, which is an oil cleanser/mask combo. So much so that I ordered full size products of each of those beauties. I also purchased a few new products without sampling them, and I will share these below! {I'm overwhelmed with excitement}

Quick overview of MOSS: this line provides unique
skincare products, many of which are specifically geared toward

acne sufferers depending on your individual skin type. This
line is divided into 5 subgroups -

1. oily, unbalanced skin, blemishes

2. very sensitive skin, rosacea, eczema, inflammation 

3. hormonal, cystic, &/or adult acne {my main current issues} 

4. blackheads, congested, dull/rough skin 

5. acne scars, dry, damaged, &/or aging skin

Meridian Lee Ethical Design

Today, I'm introducing you all to a brand I recently discovered on Instagram: Meridian Lee. As I sit here typing in a local airport, looking down at my newly purchased duffle bag from them, I'm thinking of the impact their company has had on the lives of countless women who have survived feats I cannot even begin to imagine. Oftentimes, we take for granted so many things that others throughout the world only dream of one day having. I know firsthand I'm guilty daily.

I was stressing this morning because I ruined my freshly painted nails, was in a rush, and had to just remove the polish entirely. Really, Holly? There are men, women, and children around the world, millions here in the United States, stressing over things that truly MATTER. Things such as where there next meal will come from, how they're going to escape the abusive relationship they find themselves in, will they be able to sufficiently clothe their children or themselves as they walk outside on this chilly February day, where they will lay their head down tonight, and so much more. There are so, so many worse things happening to individuals and when I look at that big picture, I feel horrified and ashamed that I was stressing over something so naive and meaningless this morning. 

Buff Her Review

Buff Her (house of exfoliation) is a brand that makes really unique facial scrubs from natural ingredients and organic fruits & veggies. They have scrubs for all skin types and they address a wide variety of skin issues as well, such as dry, flaky skin or acne-prone skin! You can visit their page here to view all products recommended for your specific skin type.

This company supports an incredible charity as well, so when you purchase from them you can rest assured it's giving back to a greater cause. For each bottle of food scrub purchased, the company donates $1 to the Children's Hunger Fund, which is a non-profit corporation that provides food to children across America and throughout the world. Every bottle sold provides up to four meals for these children. How awesome is that? The lovely owners of this company contacted me and asked if I would be interested in sampling their products. I said yes, of course, and they sent me not sample sizes, but a personalised mini kit of four products I chose from their line. Each product in the mini kit house around 50 applications, while their full-size bottles provide 200+ applications. Visit here to build and purchase your mini kit, code "mini" currently saves you 20% {$25}

First impressions of the brand - their packaging was absolutely adorable and it showcased their slogan:

"Want super smooth skin...FEED IT." 

Second impressions - their products smell AH-MAZING. I literally want to eat the oatmeal blueberry cookie scrub {pictured on the left above} every time I use it. I also chose the milk and honey scrub, the strawberry parfait scrub, and their strawberry lemon crumbles {pictured above on the right}.

MOSS Skincare Review

One word - merveilleux 

photo from MOSS

Modern Organic Sacred Skincare 

I originally saw moss products on Instagram, and I immediately began following the account when I found out this green beauty line was geared specifically towards acne prone/inflammed skin. Upon visiting Celestyna's {moss skincare creator extraordinaire} website I was absolutely amazed to learn that she has skincare not only geared toward acne but she does NOT group "acne" into one large category like so many other lines. Instead, products are geared towards subgroups such as

1. oily, unbalanced skin, blemishes 

2. very sensitive skin, rosacea, eczema, inflammation 

3. hormonal, cystic, &/or adult acne {the first two in this category = my EXACT struggle} 

4. blackheads, congested, dull/rough skin 

5. acne scars, dry, damaged, &/or aging skin

Pure Anada Foundation Review

Hello again, loves! Today, I'll be sharing a review on the Pure Anada Smooth & Conceal Liquid Foundation I recently sampled! Pure Anada is a Canadian based non-toxic, green beauty line that has an incredible array of products including this foundation. Candace, the owner sent me samples of this product {extremely sweet of her}, but the following review is completely my honest opinion and was not affected in any way by the fact that I didn't pay for these samples.

Her products are made within her own lab and manufacturing facility, ensuring their cleanliness. All ingredients are ethically sourced and all products are certified cruelty-free, gluten-free, and free of "synthetic preservatives, dyes, fragrances and flavors; anything that may cause negative short, or long term consequences to your health or the environment." Let's get to the review!

Makeup Brush Cleansing

Hello, my loves! Today I wanted to post a trick I've learned about cleaning makeup brushes. I know there are a ton of brush cleansers out there, but this is more of a DIY deep cleanse for your brushes that I do weekly! Keeping your makeup brushes/sponges clean attributes greatly to your skin's overall health. I've begun double cleansing my brushes, just as you would double cleanse your face: First, you cleanse with an oil {I use hemp oil} and you then follow with any cleanser {I use organic baby shampoo, but I've had to use my Aleavia prebiotic cleanser as of late since I haven't gotten around to buying the baby shampoo!}

Date Night Makeup Idea

Hello, loves! Today I uploaded a tutorial of this look on YouTube, and I'll share that below for anyone who would like to watch {subscribe to my channel please!}. I wanted to share this look for those of you who enjoy reading about them more than watching a tutorial! My prep steps have changed a bit, I no longer use the Foreo Luna Mini. In fact, I returned it because after a few weeks of use, my skin seemed to have some type of reaction, to the silicone I'm guessing. So, back to old fashioned cleansing for me!

Spirit Beauty: Sample Reviews

Hello, all, I'm back with more sample reviews to share! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Today we'll talk about Spirit Beauty Lounge! Their policy on what products they allow in their inventory is as follows: "1. Product packaging is 100% biodegradable, reusable or recyclable – Making landfill is unacceptable. 2. Product is not tested on animals. 3. Product does not contain animal ingredients and is cruelty-free. **Some exceptions, e.g. humane organic milk, beeswax." & 4. They have to pass an ingredient test - read more about their policy here. Let's move on to their sample program:

Photo from Spirit Beauty Lounge

Program: 6 samples for $25 {+ free shipping, but samples are sized rather small in my opinion}

Popular brands offered: Kjaer Weis, Tata Harper, Ilia Beauty, Alima Pure, RMS Beauty, Vapour Organic Beauty {see previous blog for brand review}, & W3LL People just to name a few! Their product selection is incredible.

Aurora Beauty: Sample Reviews

So yours truly has recently been going a little overboard on ordering samples {it happens}, but I wanted to take the time to review each item in detail from two of my top online green beauty boutiques: Spirit Beauty Lounge, and Aurora Beauty. Both of these green beauty sites offer great sample programs, with some incredible non-toxic brands across the board! Today, I have reviews of samples I purchased from Aurora Beauty, and can I go ahead and say I was super impressed with the company's personal thank you note? AND they included a surprise coupon code for my next order!

All brands sold by this online boutique use "only organic, natural, ethically wild-crafted, fair-trade, and cruelty-free ingredients" & their products "are packaged in biodegradable, recyclable and eco-friendly packaging." You can shop worry free with this lovely company! Not to mention their sample program is very affordable -

Photo from Aurora Beauty's website

Why go Natural?

Photo via RMS Beauty

Alright, so today's post may be kind of long and boring for some, but I can guarantee you'll learn a thing or two. Today the average consumer walks into a local Target, and they casually walk down the various aisles picking up groceries, laundry detergent, dog treats, air freshener, cosmetic products, deodorant, body wash, other skincare items, and a ton more if you're like me {oops!}. Most consumers, including myself not too long ago, pay absolutely no mind to the labels on the majority of these products. We automatically assume that these products are regulated for safety by our government, but the scary truth is, most of them are hardly regulated at all. The Food and Drug Administration regulate the overall safety of our food {although they still allow the use of pesticides, GMOs, and other harmful chemicals in the making of this food}, but they do not regulate the cosmetic industry in the least. Items that range from deodorant to foundation to body wash to detergent... the products we use every single day are full of harmful hormone disruptors, allergens, toxins that can harm our immune system, and carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents. Take a look at this quote about the term "fragrance," from the EWG Skindeep Database:

"Federal law allows companies to leave some chemical ingredients off their product labels, including those considered to be trade secrets, components of fragrance and nanomaterials (FDA 2011). Fragrance may include any number of the industry’s 3,100 stock chemicals (IFRA 2010), none of which is required to be listed on labels."

First YouTube Tutorial!

Hello, everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. Monday always comes around too soon. I've been busy recording and editing my first YouTube video this weekend. It's just a super simple everyday makeup tutorial using all natural and organic products. This look can easily be taken up a notch, and it's very similar to my previous post, Simple Everyday Makeup, with the exception of a few slight differences, so be sure to check that out as well, if you haven't already. Please subscribe to my channel and give my video a thumbs up!

This look takes less than 10 minutes, and as with my previous tutorial posts, my prep steps are always the same {see blog link above}. I have a huge blog post coming up soon, in which I'll be reviewing a ton of products I'm currently sampling! Stay tuned, more videos to come.

Stay beautiful. 
xoxo, Holly

Oil Cleansing Method

Today, I want to discuss my experience with the oil cleansing method {OCM}, and what "recipe" of oils I use! I discovered this method over a year ago on Pinterest, but I didn't begin to research it until around this past Fall. I first stumbled across Mommypotamous' blog which you can find here, and you can also google "oil cleansing method blog" and a ton of how-to articles will pop up! I found her blog to be most helpful, and she also has a troubleshooting post found here that includes tips and tricks to beginning the OCM.

Photo by: The Essential Wellness

Okay, down to the nitty-gritty; I researched essential, conditioning, and astringent oils like Mommypotamous mentioned in her blog, and I decided to create a recipe of a 1:4 part oil: 1 part astringent oil to 4 parts conditioning oil because I have normal to combination skin {I'm oily in my t-zone, dry around my nose and cheeks}. I also have really sensitive skin as I've mentioned in previous posts, so I knew I needed to completely avoid castor oil. Many blogs recommend using castor oil, but it's extremely potent and harsh, so unless you have very oily skin and are not sensitive in the least, I would not recommend using castor oil. I decided to try 1 part grapeseed oil to 4 parts hemp seed oil, and I added a few drops of tea tree oil, carrot seed oil, lavender oil, and jojoba oil {as you can see, nearly any oil can be purchased on Amazon!}. It turned out the 1:4 ratio was a little too oily for my skin, so I stepped down to a 1:3 ratio of the grapeseed to hemp seed oil and that was much better, and currently what I'm using. There are a lot of factors that come into play when choosing an oil blend, such as your skin type as well as your skin concern {i.e dryness, blemishes, oiliness, etc.}, so do research to determine what's best for you individually. I oil cleanse in the evening only and use this process to remove all my makeup and build up from the day. The steps are super simple:

Green can be GLAM?

Yes, the car was parked, and it was cold - red nose.

So green, clean beauty can be glam after all, huh? I love that I can help show people that there are TONS of high performing clean beauty products, and even more I have yet to discover. Today, I woke up at 7:30 am and had about an hour to get ready to head to work. I did the usual; said goodbye to morning breath, washed my face, applied moisturizers, and spent entirely too long finding an outfit. The next 5 minutes yielded the messy braid you partly see thrown into a low messy bun {one of my favorite quick styles}, and I had around 15 minutes left to do my makeup. Any longer amount of time spent on makeup, and I'd have to skip my morning coffee, which come on guys, that would have just ruined my day... Needless to say, this look is quick but looks well put together. Here's the simple tutorial:

Green Beauty Skincare Favorites

Hello again, everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful New Year's Day; my day has been a relaxing {after I got my AM workout in}, no makeup, watch football while publishing a new green beauty blog kind of day. 

Today will be short and sweet - I want to introduce you to three of my favorite green skincare products {I find it ironic they're color coordinated & green, of course}. I have tried many, many organic and natural skincare products including those from brands like Aubrey Organics, Alba Botanics, Acure, Origins, Burts Bees, Aleavia, Juice Beauty, and more. I also have experimented with the oil cleansing method, which is just as it sounds: cleansing with a mixture of organic oils such as argan, carrot seed, jojoba, hemp seed, grape seed, etc. I will write a blog soon in which I talk about my experience with this method, if it helped or harmed my skin, and I'll discuss the cleansing oil "recipe" I used. If you want to read more about this method in the meantime, check out Mommypotamous' blog here. Okay, now time to shine the light on the three beauties above.