Category Archives: Heath & Beauty

So, this month’s $20 a Month was actually $27.95, but there was a ton of stuff plus a makeup bag, i’m a sucker for sample sizes and storage bags/containers. This month I got the Vegan Beauty Essentials Kit. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy this, I’m not, but I also feel since I use things like soap/lotion/make-up everyday, why not use something that I can feel good about using. I’ve been told that every little bit helps.

• Soapbox Black Soap – really intense smelling, but really
• Death by Lavender All Natural Deodorant – effective, but when they say “death by lavender” they mean death by lavender. I like floral scents as much as the next girl, but DAMN.
• Rainbow Honey in Persephone – the color is a very sweet girly candy pink with glitter, which is not really something i’ll really wear a lot, but the coverage and wear is up there with some of the most expensive brands I’ve tried. Two quick coats, no base coast or top coast and my nails were only slightly chipped at the end of a week. I’d be interested in trying out some of their less cutesy colors.
• Pacifica Coconut Kiss Creamy Lip Butter in Lava – the lip butter went on smoothly and had a finish that was creamy instead of glossy or sticky. The smell was softly sweet and vaguely coconut-y (not a big surprise given the name), not much of a flavor, which was fine. The color wasn’t the best for me. Since I am really really pale the orangy-red kind of washed me our and clashed with my red hair, plus the color bled just a little. I will probably try out a different color.
• Earth’s Enrichments Lemon Fresh Shea – My favorite product in the bag. It smelled like a lemon lollipop and while it didn’t have a lot of lather, it moisturized AND exfoliated. My skin was so happy. I will be getting a full sized bar.
• Lotus Moon Hydrating Gel – This stuff is great, I used it on my face for two weeks and my skin looked a-mazing! It moisturizes without leaving any residue and your face never feels oily. The only time I had any issues was when I coupled this with my tinted BB cream since it also has a moisturizing element, it was a little to much of a good things. So I switched to using it with my tinted powder instead and everything was fine. The only things I didn’t care for was the strong herb-y smell, you get used to it, but it definitely lingers all day.
• Concrete Minerals Eyeshadow – This is exactly like the Bare Minerals eyeshadow I was obsessed with a couple of years ago. The best part of the mineral shadow is you can control how dark you want it, the color goes on sheer and you can and additional layers until you get the desired shade. Bonus, these layers don’t get cake-y or crease. I still think I am a pressed shadow girl, but if go back to the loose powder I’ll definitely use this brand.
• Weleda Citrus Hydrating Body Lotion – a FANTASTIC lotion. It hydrates like the name says, without leaving residue. I hate when I go to wash my hands hours after putting lotion on and they feel slimy because the lotion hasn’t really absorbed into the skin. I’ll say it again, this leaves no residue! And it smells like freshly squeezed limes and lemons. I took the sample to work with me and let one of my coworkers try it, she loved it as much as I did.
• Molly Rose Pickles & Ice Cream Lip Balm – it really was pickles & ice cream…I….yeah….it wasn’t for me.
• Aubrey NuStyle Organic Detangler & Shine Booster – I couldn’t use this one myself, my hair is short and baby fine; most days I don’t even use a conditioner. Something like this would leave my hair feeling and looking oily by the end of the end of the day. So instead I sent it home with one of my co-workers. She has been using it on her daughters hair and they both agree that it works really well. Better in fact, then some of the more expensive salon detanglers they’ve tried. The only issue they had was that it smelled “odd”, but not enough to stop using it.

-There was also a sunscreen and a body tonic that I haven’t tried yet.

A lot of stuff right? The items in the essentials kit are randomly selected so you may not end up with everything I had, but it’s kind of exciting to not know exactly what’s waiting for you when you open that brown box. If you try out your own kit, leave a comment to let me know what your favorite product was.