All Natural, Cruelty Free Skincare: Naprodis Oblige By Nature.

I'm not usually worried about using all natural products, but as I'm getting older and wiser, I am realising that just like what we put IN our bodies, what we put ON our bodies is just as important. I am a strong believer in eating organic and I'm starting to shift towards natural beauty and skincare products too. Recently I was contacted to try out some samples from Naprodis, a company that makes supplements and skincare, among other things. Their skincare range is called 'Oblige by Nature'.

From the Naprodis website:

Most average body care products found on store shelves today take advantage of the "natural" trend to trick the consumer into thinking that their product is natural or organic. It is a well known practice that consists in adding natural ingredients to a product in order to attract the consumer. There is no question that the natural ingredient or ingredients are in the product, but there is also no question that the product also contains a range of chemicals, synthetic ingredients, preservatives, colorants and fragrances which both damage and strip the moisture away from your skin, eventually drying it out. Cheap synthetic waxes, oils or more sophisticated synthetic products are used to chemically coat your skin to make it "feel soft", but in actuality these products hide the misery behind the veil. Your skin may appear good, your body will take the hit. 

And as with all of our products, we use NO synthetic chemicals, parabens, synthetic fragrances, synthetic waxes or sulfates in our ingredients. Our products are vegetarian and vegan friendly and we do not test our products on animals or use ingredients that are tested on animals.

I received a number of different samples and while I haven't tested all of them out yet, what I have tried I mostly liked.

Fleur de Lavande
This is a hydrating spray for the face, which is an aroma distilled water that contains B Vitamins. These are great for light hydration throughout the day and very refreshing.. Unfortunately I really can't stand the lavender scent! Lavender is not my favourite smell (a fact which my husband continuously forgets.... he keeps buying me lavender scented stuff).

Fluid Moisturizer
Can I say how much I love, love, love this concept?? A fragrance free, anti-oxidant rich, super lightweight fluid moisturiser in a spray bottle that easily fits in your purse? I'm sold. I liked how quickly this absorbed while still leaving my skin feeling soft. This would be nice for the winter months or mid-summer, when your skin needs that extra burst of moisture during the day. And I LOVE that it's fragrance free.

Moisturizing Day Creme
I couldn't actually find anything named 'day creme' on the website, but I think it might be this product. I recently gave myself a slight surface burn on my face, using an anti-aging serum. My skin feels really scaly and dry right now and is sensitive to anything I put on it. I used this creme and it softened my skin slightly and didn't irritate it at all which is nice. It has a slight lemony scent.




I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the product samples and I love that none of the products were irritating or made me break out. All the scents were nice and not too overpowering, with the exception of the Lavender spray... but then again, if you like lavender it might not bother you.

Disclosure: Samples provided by the company. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Natural Skin Care Products from Cleopatra's Choice

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I love skincare products, especially natural brands.

I got a chance to try out some products from Cleopatra's Choice, a company that utilises natural minerals and ingredients from all over the world, including the Dead Sea. Here are some photos and my impressions after using them.

Adovia Mud Soap, Adovia Bath Salts, Cleopatra's Choice Shea Butter

My fave Winter products!

Well, Winter is steadily approaching and my skin is steadily getting drier. It’s around this time that I will usually switch to more pampering products in order to keep my skin soft, smooth and hydrated. These are a few of my faves.



When it’s cold I absolutely love a hot bath.. Like a STEAMING hot bath, with lots of bubbles and stuff like bath salts/bath bombs/bath oil… anything that smells good and is relaxing.

Calgon has been making bath products for the past 50 years and recently launched a brand new website TakeMeAway.com. These are two of their products that I tried and loved.

 

The Moisturizing Shower Gel & Foam Bath in Tahitian Orchid is heavenly. I used it in my bath and it bubbled up into quite a lot of lovely, slightly scented foam that felt really moisturising. It’s infused with Vitamin E, Aloe and Shea Butter which left my skin feeling really nice and silky. The scent was gorgeous, on the website they say; ‘Delicate yet complex describes this fragrant festival of summer jasmine, mimosa and Tahitian Orchid. Melon and subtle hints of lemon enhance the intensity of the experience’… I could definitely smell the jasmine (since I have no idea what a Tahitian orchid smells like!), but it wasn’t overpoweringly strong. In fact I thought it could be a little stronger, but for people who are sensitive to fragrances, this would be perfect. I will be repurchasing :)

The Relaxing Bath Salts in English Garden however had a much stronger scent. It’s described as ‘A romantic bouquet of flowers that captures the essence of moonlit strolls in a lush, enchanted garden’. I almost wish the bath salts had been Tahitian Orchid as well, since English Garden reminded me a bit of my Grandmother’s old bath and lotion sets she always liked to get for Christmas. It wasn’t horrible, but it was a bit too sickly sweet for my tastes. They dissolved nicely in the hot water though and added oils and minerals to the water that soaked into my skin and left it with that kind of sheen you get from bath oils. I’m definitely going to be picking it up in a few different scents.



My hands get really dry in Winter, especially my cuticles, and I’m always looking for products that soften the cuticles without leaving them really oily and shiny.

Burt’s Bees is one of my favourite skincare brands. They make lovely natural, cruelty free products.

The Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream is well known in the nail blogosphere. It’s rich and moisturising, but not as oily as most cuticle oils. It has a fresh lemony scent that isn’t too sharp or strong, and the creamy formula is great at softening my super dry cuticles. It has Sweet Almond Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter to moisturize and soften your cuticles while Vitamin E and Sunflower Oil nourish brittle nails. I’ve had it for a couple of months now and haven’t made so much as a small dent in the tub.

Lip balm is my absolute go-to product in Winter… or any time for that matter. I tend to have dry lips and find myself constantly reapplying lip balm throughout the day.

eos (evolution of smooth) lip balms and hand lotions are well known and loved among many beauty bloggers. Their lip balms are 95% organic, 100% natural, gluten, paraben and petrolatum free.

I have two of their super cute smooth sphere lip balms, summer fruit and sweet mint. These are just SO CUTE, I love the shape and it fits perfectly in my hand. The shape also allows the lip balm to be applied easily and the formula is very smooth, creamy and moisturising. I am a lip balm fanatic and this is my new favourite. Both scents are lovely, and have a slightly sweet taste. I am also going to look for strawberry sorbet and honeysuckle honeydew.



Of course, I can’t forget body wash and lotion.. especially for my arms and legs. They get all dry and ashy if I don’t take good care of them (ewww.. not a good look) so it’s important for me to have good products that hydrate really well.

Nivea has always been a part of my life. It’s my mother’s favourite brand of moisturiser and when I think of her ‘mother’s smell’ it is always the smell of Nivea body lotion. She has always hounded me to ‘put some cream on’ after having a shower, so I grew up using Nivea and they have never let me down in terms of hydration.

The new Hydra IQ Non-Stop 24hrs+ formula is wonderful, the Touch of Cashmere Cream Oil Body Wash is ultra rich and creamy, and leaves my skin feeling soooo super soft and silky. It does feel like there’s a bit of a film on it after I rinse off, but when I’ve dried off with a towel, it’s no longer there and my skin feels satiny. It also smells gorgeous, sort of jasminey (since again… no idea about orchid blossom scent.. I didn’t realise they had much of a scent).

The Express Hydration Freshening Gel has a lighter consistency to the regular body lotion, but it hydrates just as well, if not better. It has natural sea minerals so it absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn’t leave any greasy residue, but I only applied it once in the morning and my skin felt hydrated definitely til the next day. It smells similar to the old body lotion, which I love since it reminds me of my mother, but has a bit of a fresher, lighter scent. It has cooling mint extract which leaves your skin feeling cool and fresh.



What are your favourite products when the weather starts getting colder?

Ishah xx

Disclosure: A product/products in this post were sent for review consideration by PR representative of the company. This in no way influences my opinion of the product.

Review: Keeki Lip Balm.

Hello on this fine Sunday, Beauties! ^_^

I had an awesome morning yesterday participating in a product info event at Sephora.. Posting about that soon!

Today I have the review on the Keeki pure and simple lip balms sent to me as a prize for a trivia question on their Facebook! Go and follow them, they are good people ;) First, let me talk a little about the company.

This is from their website:

"If you're a mom, what do you do when the non-toxic, organic cosmetics you're looking to buy for your children don't seem to exist?

If you're Natalie Bauss and Katy Scheffler, two West Michigan moms, friends, and entrepreneurs, you create Keeki Pure and Simple products and start a successful business while you're at it."

I absolutely LOVE the idea of non-toxic, organic makeup. Not only to use ON your kids but also to use AROUND your kids. I have two boys and they aren't all that interested in wearing makeup. They do, however, like to be around me while I'm doing my nails and putting my makeup on and I don't want them breathing in potentially harmful chemicals. When I heard about Keeki pure and simple, I was ALL over it. The nail polishes especially appealed to me, but I also wanted to try some of their organic, gluten-free lip balms (lip balm being the only thing my boys actually request me to put on them).

Nail polish haul and Keeki lip balms!

Hey Beauties!

Just wanted to share some pics of the Zoya Intimate collection I bought during their International Women's Day promo and the Konad kit my sister sent me <3 isn't she lovely?!

The Zoya polishes came in this cute carton made from recycled paper and printed with soy ink. All Zoya polishes are Toluene, Formaldehyde, DBP and camphor free and are vegan friendly. The Konad plates are really pretty designs, they are flowers for the most part! I tried out the cherry blossom stamp and it looks so cute, but I definitely need some practice before I post any pics lol.
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I also received two Keeki lip balms from a question I answered on their Facebook page! They are absolutely lovely for sending TWO yummy lip balms! The flavours are Orange Creamsicle and Minty Vanilla Cooler. Thanks Keeki :)

I am really excited about Keeki, they are a natural beauty company started by two beauty mamas that wanted non-toxic products to use with and around their kids. The lip balms are certified organic and cruelty free. I will be doing a review on them soon and I cannot wait to order some of their non-toxic, water based nail polish!

Happy Saturday!

Ishah xx

Dr Wheatgrass Skin Recovery Cream

Check it out, Beauties!

This product is pretty darn amazing.

Here is what it claims on the website:

"What is the Dr Wheatgrass secret for healthier skin?

This cream has substantial benefits compared with other skin care products because it contains high levels of the Grass Juice Factor. This Factor contains powerful molecules essential for cell growth, tissue renewal and enhancement of the natural recovery process."

Have a more in depth look at the product here :)

My mother ordered the cream for me as she is always interested in natural healing products, especially when it comes to her grandkids. I was a little skeptical, but I have to say this product actually does some of what it claims to do.