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.