Friday, April 26, 2013

Garnier Fructis Haircare Sleek & Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment

I had a coupon for the product and it was also on sale so I decided to try it out. The cost with the sale and coupons was about $2 and some change. I had previously been using Creme of Nature's Argan Oil Treatment. Garnier's (G) oil treatment retails for $4.97 (3.76 fl oz) on Walmart.com whereas Creme of Nature's (CON)Argan oil retails for about $9 (3 fl oz). The CON oil was just too much for my budget.  Also, if you look at the ingredients, CON has 4 cones compared to the 2 found in G.


For some reason the G oil felt much heavier than the CON oil. I added a few drops of G oil to my dry hair and then flat ironed. My hair looked very dirty and I didn't finish flat-ironing my hair because I was afraid that I would burn my hair.When I tried it on my wet hair, it felt as if it was just coating the strands and not absorbing it. I tried using it as a prepoo. I tried using it as a hot oil treatment and it was very difficult to wash the oil from my hair. I tried adding a bit to my deep conditioner and it was a mess. Again, it was difficult to rinse the oil out of my hair. My hair was relaxed at the time. I am going to try this oil again on my natural hair and see what happens. I'll write a review to give you guys an update.

I ended up using the product as a body oil. Sometimes, I add a few drops to my bath. I really tried to like this product. I tried it on wet hair, dry hair, air dried hair and flat-ironed hair. My hair just did not like it. I've seen such great reviews online about this product. I also just could not ship the citronellol fragrance. One of my chores was to polish all the furniture in the house and the smell reminds me of furniture polish. It also reminds me of bug repellent and oranges mixed together. I really wish that I liked this product. The price is so reasonable. Maybe I'm using the product incorrectly. If any of you have any advise on how to use it, I would be so appreciative.

What did you guys think about the product? Make sure to mention your hair type. I look forward to hearing from you all.

More information about the product can be found here. Thank you so much for reading my review.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Organix South- The Power of Neem

I won Organix South's Trivia Thursday last week. The winner was announced on Monday of this week. Today is Thursday and I've already received my prize. This in my opinion is how a company grows and I'm sure that this is a testament to their customer service.

I was sent samples of TheraNeem Organix's Moisture Therape Shampoo, Moisture Therape Conditioner, TheraNeem Leaf & Oil Lotion for All Skin Types, Neem Mouthwash, Neem Toothpaste, Neem Therapy Cleansing Bar for facial complexion, Aller Support and Respiratory Support. Neem: A hands-on guide to one of the world's most versatile herbs and Organix South's Catalog. I've been eyeing their TheraNeem Scalp Therape Shampoo for a while now. I wanted to sample the shampoo before buying a full bottle. The shampoo retails on their website for $15.49 I wanted to make sure that the product was worth the investment. I've been having issues  with my scalp and hair growth for the past few months now and I wanted to use a product that would restore the heath of my scalp.










The first thing that caught my eye on one of the products was that they are cruelty free. None of the products are tested on animals. All of the products excluding the lotion have a slightly minty smell. In this post I will give a description of each product and then make additional posts on each products if any of the readers would like me to.

TheraVeda Organix's Respiratory Support has Holy Basil, Neem and other super-critical whole herb extracts (turmeric and long pepper). This product is supposed to be used in conjunction with the Aller Support. According to the website, the goal of the product is to " provide nutritive support for respiratory and sinus health, while maintaining normal mucus levels. Breathe deeply and freely with this Respiratory Support formula" (Source). Because I received a sample, I'm thinking about opening the capsules and adding them to my conditioner. I wrote a post a while back on Aveda's Invati collection. Turmeric was one of the major ingredients.



TheraVeda Organix's Aller Support has turmeric, neem, coriander and black pepper. The website describes the use of the product as being " intended to provide nutritive support during times of seasonal or environmental imbalance" (Source).

TheraNeem Organix's Facial Complexion Bar is "antioxidants, Neem protects, nourishes and moisturizes even the most sensitive skin. With 10% certified organic Neem oil, this bar is ideal for a clean, refreshed and vibrant complexion and great for the whole body". The soap is paraben free, gluten free and sulfate free. You can check out the ingredients here. I think you'd be surprised and how many natural ingredients are in the soap (all if it except the sodium hydroxide used to make the soap). This soap has actually won a beauty award. I think that's pretty neat!

The Neem Toothpaste is fluoride free, paraben free, sulfate free, gluten free and has no artificial colors or flavors. It is also suitable for diabetics and children. The toothpaste has a strong minty flavor and is used to promote healthy gums and teeth. You can read more about the product here.



The Neem Mouthwash also has a very minty smell. Your supposed to use it twice a day and hold it in your mouth for 1-2 minutes for maximum benefit. This product is also suitable for diabetics and children. You can read more about the product here.

The TheraNeem Leaf & Oil Lotion for all skin types smells sorta like soap. Over 80% of the product consists of Organic Neem Leaf, Neem oil & Aloe Vera. This lotion is certified organic.


Jergens Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Dry Skin contains: Water, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl esters, ceteareth-20, glyceryl dilaurate, cetyl alcohol, mineral oil, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, dimethicone, fragrance, stearic acid, dmdm hydantoin, methylparaben, propylparaben, carbomer, isopropyl myristate, sodium hydroxide, ananas sativus (pineapple) fruit juice, citrus medica limonum (lemon) juice, citrus grandis (grapefruit) juice, hydrolyzed silk.


TheraNeem's Skin Lotion Contains: Aqueous Extract of Azadirachta Indica (Neem)* Leaf, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower)* Oil, Aloe Barbadensis* Gel, Azadirachta Indica (Neem)* Oil, Glycerin (Vegetarian), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba)* Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Soya Bean Oil, Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Fragrance (Grapefruit from essential oils), Sodium acrylates copolymer.

The TheraNeem Organix Shampoo and Conditioner is safe for color treated hair and is pH balanced and conditioning. I can't wait to try out the sample. I have my fingers crossed. Read more about the shampoo here and the conditioner here.









You can find out more about Organix South Inc. at www.organixsouth.com, 1(800)-232-3142 or https://www.facebook.com/organixsouth

I was also sent a pretty cool guide on Neem. I can't wait to read through the rest of it.

What is neem? I'll let your curiosity get the best of you. I may write a post about it next week Friday. Thanks so much for reading. I was not paid to give this review. This is my honest opinion. Are you all interested in trying the products? What do you think about these products containing ingredients that you can actually read? Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Thanks so much Organix South for sending me the samples and reading material!

Sunfeather Soaps

So a few weeks ago, I won Sunfeather's Triva Tuesday on facebook. You guys should check it out. It's pretty fun. Plus, if you're that week's winner, you can win a gift. Here's the link if you want to check it out (Sunfeather's Facebook). They usually have the founder answer questions and their facebook is very interactive with the fans.

I love Sunfeather's website. It has beautiful pictures, it's attractive and easy to use. The founder of Sunfeather  is Sandy Maine. She began the business in 1979 with $15.00 worth of local cedar oil and her own instruments in her backyard. The business has now expanded. They offer artisanal soap loaves, artisanal bar soaps, luxurious bath bombs, washy squashy soaps for the kids (or the kids inside all of us), Sunfeather classics (bar soaps, Bug Off Spritzer, Moisturizers , Shampoos, ect. You can check it out here) and other bug repellent products. Artisanal by the way means a skilled manual worker or craftsperson. I'm with you. I had to look up the definition. They have also just released Liquid Castile Soaps with rosemary, spearmint, peppermint, African black soap just to name a few.

In any event, after winning Trivia Tuesday I was promptly (seriously, I think I got the soaps the next week) sent a gift soap pack. Here are the pictures below of all of the soaps:










Sunfeather's Triva Tuesday Gift Pack




                                                   

Cranberry Rose (left), Honey, Goat's Milk & Clover (right)

                                                

Vanilla Goat's Milk (left) , Papaya Toasted Coconut (right)

 


Lavender Shea Butter (left),  Tea Tree & Lavender Hemp (right)




I'm going to tell you guys that my favorite type of soap is anything with goat's milk in it. The soaps with goat's milk make my skin feel so soft. I'm going to post the descriptions of the soaps and ingredients from Sunfeather's website and then give my review on the soaps.

Cranberry Rose
Description: Perfect your day with this romantic cranberry & rose soap. Mildly astringent, it will leave your skin feeling perfectly clean while offering a rose-tempered fruity scent.

Ingredients: Saponified oils of Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil* and Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil*, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil, Natural Cranberry Aromatic, Iron Oxide, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract. * Made with certified organic oils.

Honey, Goat's Milk & Honey
Description: A beautiful milk and honey complexion soap fresh from our friendly goats, blissful bees and merry meadows. Gentle cleansing power you can use from head to toe. **Great for sensitive skin!**

Ingredients: Saponified oils of Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut)* and Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil*, Titanium Dioxide, Honeycomb and Vanilla Essence blended from Naturally Derived Aromatics, Sweetgrass Essence blended from Naturally Derived Aromatics, Goats’ Milk Powder, Clover Honey, Beta Carotene (Natural Color), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract. * Made with certified organic oils.

Vanilla Goat's Milk
Description: For those with sensitive skin, this blend is infused with both goat’s milk that you can actually see with a mild hint of natural vanilla to leave the skin with an extra-moisturized gentle touch. **Great for sensitive skin!**

Ingredients: Saponified oils of Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil* and Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil*, Goats’ Milk Powder, Natural Vanilla Aromatic, and Titanium Dioxide (Natural Color), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract. * Made with certified organic oils.

Papaya Toasted Coconut
Description: Tropical blend of pulpy papaya powder and freshly toasted coconuts to properly pamper your pugnaciously pretty pucker! This soap is truly a culinary pleasure for your skin!

Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil* and Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil*, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract Powder, Shredded Cocos Nucifera (Coconut), Natural Vanilla Aromatics, Natural Cranberry Aromatic, Litsea Cubeba (Litsea) Oil, Paprika Oleoresin (Color), Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Leaf Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract*. * Made with certified organic oils.

Lavender Shea Butter
Description: Refresh and condition your skin with this mildly astringent face & body soap. Scented with fine-quality lavender essential oil and superfatted with an ample portion of skin moisturizing shea butter.**Ideal for normal to dry skin types**

Ingredients: Saponified oils of Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil* and Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Lavandula Hybrida (Lavendin) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Grape Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract. * Made with certified organic oils.

Tea Tree & Lavender Hemp
Description: Rich in essential fatty acids, while also possessing the highly esteemed antibacterial properties of tea tree oil; this soap invigorates and rejuvenates dry and sun-damaged skin types. It both purifies and nourishes the skin as it gently rinses away excess oil and dirt, making it an ideal cleansing bar for blemish-prone skin. *****

Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil* and Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil*, Lavandula Hybrida (Lavendin) Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil, Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Lemongrass) Oil, Lemongrass Herb, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Titanium Dioxide (Natural Color), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract*. *Made with certified organic oils.
(Source)

All of the Soaps are:

  • Artisinal handcrafted soap. 
  • Paraben-free, gluten-free, soy-free and vegan soap. 
  • Plant-based soaps formulated with certified organic base oils. 
  • Scented with essential oils and natural aromatics.

***** The Tea Tree & Lavender Hemp I'm not too sure about. The description didn't list these properties.

My Review

My favorite soap is the Honey, Clover & Goat's Milk. I love the scent of the soap. I've heard of manna from heaven and sweet nectar of life. I'm sure that this soap smells like sweet nectar. The scent of the soap is just delicious. There is no other way to describe it. The soap left my skin very soft and there was a good lather. For all of the soaps if was difficult to judge how good each lathered because the samples were small. Because the surface area is less than that of regular soaps, the true lathering ability of the soaps is hard to determine. 

My second favorite was the Vanilla Goat's Milk. Again, the soap smelled great and left my skin soft. My third favorite was the Lavender Shea Butter. I have a weakness for goat's milk and Shea butter. My fourth favorite was the Cranberry Rose. To me, the soap had sort of a wine smell or spicy scent. I liked the soap plus I'm not sure if they were rose petals but there is something on the soap that allows you to exfoliate. At least that's what I used it for. It was cool to just rub the soap on my skin to clean it without having to use a wash cloth. My fifth favorite was Papaya Toasted Coconut. I think the soap smells more like papaya. It has  a very sweet scent. This soap also has something in it that I'm again assuming helps with exfoliation. Finally, the Tea Tree & Lavender Hemp was a scent that I had to get used to. I didn't realize until I bought a bottle of tea tree oil how strong the scent to tea tree is. This soap does not have the overwhelming scent of tea tree oil thankfully. This soap also had an exfoliating effect. There were pieces of hemp in the soap. One the website the Tea Tree and Lavender Hemp soap has been named as a customer favorite.

Overall, I was very pleased with the soaps. All of them smelled great and did not leave dye stains in the tube. I really like how the soaps are organic and handmade. Plus they have essential oils. The packaging was nice. I'm not sure if they sell the samples but I can see myself using the samples as stocking stuffers, gifts for bridesmaids ( You can gift something else with these), gifts for grandmom or granddad, mother's day, soaps for visiting guests, organic soaps for the kids, spa day for you... I'm sure that Bed & Breakfasts' would love these soaps. Or even places for Glamping (I'll explain that later). Of course these soaps are also great for daily use. Seriously, I couldn't wait to come home and run a warm bath. I felt relaxed and refreshed after using the soaps. Not to mention clean. 

I just want to thank Sunfeather for allowing me to try out their awesome soaps! I was not paid to write this review. 

What do you guys think? Have you all tried out Sunfeather Soaps before? Are you a regular user of handcrafted soaps. Leave a comment with your experience. Thanks for reading!


Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil-Free B.B Cream


Here's the deal. I'm not a make-up user. Once, I decided to wear makeup for graduation pictures. After the photos were taken, I walked into the cafeteria and was told that my face didn't need makeup. I looked quite fine before. I remember that I had to walk to the photographers, it was a really hot summer day and I started to sweat with the makeup on. I then tried to wipe my face and had a line marking the difference between the makeup and my hairline. Good thing I look powder foundation with me. That day I had on primer, liquid foundation, powder foundation, blush, mascara, eyeliner and whatever else my makeup artist decided to put on me. She did a good job. The photographer described me as looking like a China Doll. To this day I'm still not sure if that was a compliment or not. Maybe my readers can clear that up for me. I never feel the need to wear makeup with school or at work because I'm always outside. It's usually very hot where I live so I even try to avoid wearing makeup even at special occasions. Eye shadow and lipstick usually does the trick. Still, over the past few years I've gotten a lot of blemishes.

When I was sent the B.B Cream by Buzzagent. I first had to look up what a B.B Cream was. These have been on the market for awhile and so many girls are talking about using it. I've heard a lot about them but was never interested in trying it out. Liquid foundation is not a close friend of mine so I didn't have any plans of deepening our relationship. For those girls like me who don't wear makeup, I'll give you the T on what is B.B Cream. The B.B in B.B cream means either blemish balm, beauty balm or blemish base. It is apparently a very big thing in East and Southeast Asia. B.B creams are supposed to be an all-in one product that replaces moisturizers, serums, primer, foundation and sunblock.  You can put on the B.B Cream alone or you can put some type of foundation over it. (Source)

I have combination skin. My skin color can be seen below (I may replace the pictures in the future with better lighting. It's really hard to see how different my skin actually looks with the B.B Cream on.But you can see how smooth my hand looks in the second picture). I'm still deciding on whether or not I should put my face up on the blog. I chose the B.B Cream for combination to oily skin in deep. This can be used as a sunscreen. It has SPF 20. Interestingly, on the back of the product, the purpose is described as sunscreen. This product is able to control oil and shine, minimize pores, cover imperfections and protects against the harmful effects of the sun.
Without Garnier's B.B Cream

With Garnier's B.B Cream
                                                        
 
Garnier's B.B Cream

The container is 2 fluid ounces. To me, a non-makeup user, that's pretty big. A little goes a very long way with this product. I put a pea size amount on the back of my hand to begin with and rubbed it on my face with my fingers. You can use a brush or sponge. I wanted to be economical and used a sponge afterwards. I'm sure that this product is going to last quite a while cause I don't have to use so much.

Wow! When I put on the product I was impressed. It matched my skin tone so there was no need to apply foundation. This B.B Cream made my skin look fantastic. I went for a walk and my face did not have a glossy shine afterwards. I will have to try this product out again in warmer weather and give you all an update. Garnier notes that the product is:

  • Dermatologist tested for safety
  • Won't clog pores
  • Won't cause breakouts
  • Gently to skin
  • Oil-free, non-greasy
Based on testing, after one use:
  • 93% saw a more even skintone
  • 88% had a natural shine-free finish
  • 84% found pores less visible
  • 76% saw fewer imperfections
(Source)
This product actually makes me want to wear makeup. As with all makeup products, I would advise you to buy a good cleanser. Some of my friends have been guilty of going to sleep with makeup on because they are tired.  Taking good care of your skin is so important. Especially for reducing the occurrence of acne, to have healthy skin and to build up your skin's resistance to aging. I definitely don't want fine lines and wrinkles earlier than expected.

Tip: be very careful when extracting the product. Don't be tempted to squeeze the container. Unfortunately  it's not a Capri Sun.  

This is my honest opinion. I was not paid to give this review. 

So what do you guys think about B.B Creams? Have any of you tried Garnier's B.B Cream. What are your thoughts on the product? Don't be afraid to leave a comment below! Thanks for reading. 

Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips





Buzzagent sent me the Green Giant Veggie Chips campaign. Honesty, I wasn't really sure about what to expect. I've never tasted veggie chips before. I had tasted Sun Chips before and liked how they were  multigrain chips.Eating a bag of chips without the guilt of the high sodium content was nice. Still, it took me a while to get used to the taste of multigrain chips as opposed to my regular potato chips. My mom actually introduced me to the chips because she was concerned about my late night snacking. That's a whole different story though.

So when I heard about the Green Giant campaign, I was pretty excited to be tasting these new chips absolutely free! I was sent one big bag of the Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips in the Zesty Cheddar flavor, a big bag of the Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt, smaller bags for my friends and family to check out and coupons. 


So I'll start with the Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt. These chips are sweet tasting. They really do remind me of Sun Chips if you've tried them. It took me a while to get used to the sweet taste. Part of me was wishing that there was more salt on the chips.That's probably because my sodium intake has been ridiculous these past few months. In addition, I'm not used to chips tasting so sweet. The chips really do taste like vegetables. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy. Potatoes are veggies so the other chips taste like veggies. No, these chips taste like a mix of broccoli,  green peas, corn even though these ingredients are not in the product. These chips are made with sweet potatoes and are 40% lower in fat than regular potato chips. I think that these chips are best eaten with salsa. I liked the taste much more with salsa. I've never eaten sweet potatoes before, so maybe it was the new experience of tasting sweet potatoes. These chips were okay but not a favorite.

My favorite chip on the other hand was the Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips in Zesty Cheddar flavor. These taste sooo sooo good! They taste like Doritos with 1g less fat, 0.5g less of saturated fat and 20g less sodium. The product is also naturally flavored compared to other chips that are artificially flavored. Of course these chips are multigrained. I had to remind myself not to eat the whole bag in one go. That's how good they tasted. I'm definitely going to buy these instead of other chips. 

So what I decided to do was let you decided. I've posed links to the nutritional information below for various chips:
One thing that also caught my surprise was the packaging. The 1 ounce chips seemed to use less packaging than other brands. Basically, I didn't get half a bag of air with these chips like other chips. I'm not sure if this was Green Giant's intention to be 'green' but I was pleased with it. Also, none of my chips were crushed. I have to give kudos to Buzzagent and Green Giant for sending the chips in beautiful green boxes and shipping them so carefully that none of chips were crushed. 

The descriptions of products from their website is listed below:
  • Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips with Zesty Cheddar are crispy tortilla chips made with real vegetables like carrot, broccoli, and tomato, plus 17g of whole grain
  • Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt are made with real sweet potatoes and 14g of whole grain, with 40% less fat than regular potato chips*
*Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips (6g per 28g serving) have 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips (10g per 28g serving).

I got these products absolutely free as a Buzzagent. Please leave a comment below. Don't be afraid to ask questions! Thanks.

Lysol Touch of Foam Antibacterial Handwash




A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be given the Lysol Touch of Foam Antibacterial Handwash by Buzzagent. I tried the product out and the first thing I noticed was the scent of the product. It smells so good!  I got the creamy vanilla orchid. After washing my hands, the scent remained on my hands unlike some of the gel cleansers that I use. My hands were also moisturized and felt very clean.

I liked how the product was non-drip. This meant that I didn't have to worry about cleaning up any gel that dripped from the product because there was no gel. This made cleaning the bathroom this week so much easier! What makes this product so different from other cleansers is that it has antimicrobial properties that protect the pump and also fight against odor causing bacteria. As usual with the Lysol Brand, this product works to kill 99.9% of germs upon contact. It also offers ten times more germ protection than the national leading competitor.




The best part about the product was that my visitors enjoyed seeing a foam hand wash. I've only seen these foam cleansers in public bathrooms. For Lysol, health is a very important matter. That's why they've started their mission for health. I know that this is a product that I can trust to have in my home. For further information check out  lysol.com/mission-for-health .

Lysol also has this product in two other scents: Rose & Cherry Bloom and Wild Berry Bliss.

I got this product for free from Buzzagent. I was not paid to review the product. So what do you guys think about it. Have you used this product before. Don't be afraid to leave a comment or ask questions!