Beauty Products Review/I Need Your Suggestions

I’m in need of a few products and this if my official call for HELP and suggestions on which exact products to get. But, since I know that’s not exactly fair to ask for help and give you nada in return, I’d also like to share my reviews on some newly discovered products in case you’re looking for new things to try as well. So, let’s do that first! I received my Eco-Emi July Box in the mail a couple weeks ago and have been testing out some of the products to see what I think. In case you haven’t heard of Eco-Emi, they’re a great company that sends you a box full of goodies that are eco-friendly, green, organic, vegan, etc. If you sign up, you get a box a month for only $15. I’ll be letting you know what I think of a few of those products today.

Click on the pictures to be taken to the product’s website!

First up, is the Rose Hips Black Soap from Shea Terra Organics.

This product doubles as a deep pore face wash AND mask. The consistency is much like that of molasses. It’s a very rich, dark color. The smell is nothing special. While it didn’t necessarily bother me, it certainly wasn’t the fresh floral scent I’m used to with these organic products. When applying it to the face, I’d compare it to applying jelly to your face. You take a glob and try to spread it around on your face, but it definitely does not spread easily. So, I decided to only apply the mask to my problem areas instead of my entire face.

After waiting about 10 minutes, you put a little water on your face, and the molasses-like jelly turns into more of a soap that you massage into your face. Let me tell you… my face felt SO clean when I was done. It even made the squeaky-clean sound. I kid you not. Although I didn’t feel anything grainy in the product, it acts as an exfoliator and gets rid of all the dead skin. My skin was SO smooth. I really don’t think I’ve felt my face so smooth before. In the end, the product’s inability to spread easily wasn’t that big of a deal once I saw the results! In the morning when I woke up… my skin felt just as clean!

Next up is the Aloe & Green Tea Hand/Body Lotion by J.R. Watkins

This stuff goes a long way. I only received a sample size of this and with a few little drops of lotion, I had my hands coated in lotion and the bottom portion of my legs covered as well. Keep in mind, I I’m usually pretty conservative when applying anything and don’t “lather it on.” The scent is fresh and organic smelling. I was pretty surprised to find out that an 11 fl oz bottle costs only $9.99! That’s cheaper than Bath & Body Works’ lotions AND this stuff has 10 natural oils and extracts in it. Not a bad deal!

Then we have the Organic Vanilla Mint Lip Moisturizer Balm by Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques

I’ve said this before but I’m generally allergic to most solid lip balms and many lipsticks. So, I’m rather cautious when applying any of these and don’t apply much or use frequently. This lip balm smells nice and I do like the feel of it once it has been applied. It’s smooth and light and definitely didn’t feel too waxy. Well, except when applying it. The first couple times I used it, as I was applying the balm some of the wax would break off in a little piece and I’d have a small chunk sitting on my lip. Not attractive. Yet another reason why I love my jelly lip balms!

 

Now, here is where YOU come in!! :)

There are some particular products that I’m either in need of now or will be in need of soon. Some I like and some I’m willing to replace. If you have any suggestions for what I should replace these products with, either email me (chelsea.lifeisasunset@gmail.com) or leave me a comment!! I value my fellow bloggers opinions and know you guys are full of awesome ideas so I’d love to hear what you have to say :)

Mascara

I haven’t found many mascaras that I love more than my darling L’Oreal Voluminous mascara. I like this mascara so much that I currently have two of them which is a big thing for me. I like the volume this mascara gives me (I mean, obviously, right?) I love that it doesn’t clump, AND it stays on most of the day. I hate that feeling when you run your finger over your lashes and they feel soft and as if nothing is on them and that definitely doesn’t happen with my beloved Voluminous. So, given this criteria, any suggestions on what I should try next?

Laptop

Don’t even get me started on my stupid Dell laptop. Now I feel like I may have hurt my laptop’s feelings, ha. But, in all honesty, this computer has never been my best friend. We first met when I was a sophomore in college. She’s helped me through many papers and presentations and research and Facebooking but she’s also frustrated the HECK out of me through all of those processes. She is s-l-o-w. So slow that there was a pause before that last “w” and the second portion of this sentence took 30 seconds to show up on the screen. I kid you not. HELP! Once I have the money, what laptop should I get? I need decent storage for my larger sized images and something that IS going to be my best friend and last me a long time with few disappointments along the way. I’d prefer to never purchase a Dell again. Ready, go!

Music

Because of my lame laptop, it’s been quite a while since I’ve festered up the patience to download new music to my iTunes. That said, and with me being a music-obsessed girly, I NEED NEW MUSIC! Here are the three songs I did manage to download this weekend to give you an idea of what I like. Lupe Fiasco - “The Show Goes On” (is this not one of the best songs of the year? Yes. Yes, it is.) Kevin Rudolf - “I Made It” (My new theme song) and that Pitbull/Ne-Yo “Give Me Everything” song. Okay, so that’s actually a horrible representation of the music I like. I like SOME hip-hoppish songs. Kind of like how I only like SOME country music (I don’t really like male country singers.) But really my music collection ranges in everything from pop to alternative to classic rock. For these purchases, I’d probably prefer more current songs. Let me know what I should look into!!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions! :)

P.S. Did anyone watch Bachelor Pad 2 last night? If that show is not drama, then I don’t know what is!

Eco-Friendly Beauty Review

If you’ve been following my blog for the past few weeks, you may have watched my first ever vlog! So exciting :) If not, you can go here to watch it. In my vlog I showed you all the products I received in my Eco-Emi June Box and explained what the program was all about.

I got a couple questions and responses to review the products, so today I’ll be telling you what I thought of {most of} them! I’m linking the product’s website to each picture so if you want to peruse their other goodies, just click!

1. Evening Facial Crème in PEACE by Blissoma

I only used this product for one night so I’m sure I haven’t seen the full benefits of it yet. Let me just say, this facial crème smells AMAZING! I said this in my vlog but I have to say it again. It is so calming, which makes it perfect for a night crème. The product smoothly blends into the skin very well and is super light so you’d never even know it was on. I patted it gently into my eye area, face, and décolleté and went to sleep!

2. Glee Gum in bubblegum flavor

This gum certainly tasted like bubblegum. The pieces are like Chiclets, similar to Eclipse brand gum with the harder shell on the outside. The flavor did not last very long and the gum itself was rather thin while chewing, unlike that of real bubblegum.

3. Merry Hempsters Organic Hemp Lip Balm in lemon-lime

If you’re a lip balm lover, I totally recommend this stuff! It tastes delicious and smells even better! It’s so great to look at the ingredients and see that everything is so natural! Like I mentioned before, I’ve always been allergic to lip balms and lipsticks so I only used this product a few times. I didn’t notice any irritation in the times I tried it, though! Plus, this lip balm is only $2.99 and comes in a ton of different flavors like Spearmint, Vanilla, and Cinnamon!

4. Organic Deodorant in Pina Colada by Salubritas

I can’t say that I’ve ever tried a deodorant balm before. It was definitely odd at first, only because I wasn’t used to it. The texture reminds me of sand mixed in some petroleum jelly. I scooped a bit out and applied it as deodorant. It seemed a bit more greasy than the regular deodorant I use, but as soon as it dried, I never noticed the greasiness. The scent (pina colada) was pretty strong. Maybe a little TOO tropical and believe me, I didn’t think there was such a thing. Cool concept though if you’re into trying deodorant balms. It lasted all day, too!

5. Organic Coconut Wax Candle by Pure Light in pure scent

Coconut is one of my favorite scents so I was very excited to try this. The sample they gave me was only a tea candle. So, once the candle was lit, it didn’t take very long for all the wax to melt until it was what appeared to be a flame floating in water. It smelled very nice and peaceful. Since the candle didn’t burn for an extended length of time, the scent didn’t carry throughout the room as a larger candle would. Once I blew the candle out, the wax hardened back up so I can still get a few more uses out of it :)

6. Face Mask in Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry by Pangea Organics

Since all facial masks are different, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but I was still rather surprised once I started distributing the product onto my face. There’s no doubt that this product is organic because it definitely looked like something straight out of the earth. Luckily, it smelled far better than it looked. The mask itself wasn’t the easiest thing to apply to my face. It wasn’t smooth and it was harder to get more coverage in certain areas. The directions said to apply it to your face and neck, but there just wasn’t enough product to cover my whole neck.

I’m really putting myself out there by posting this picture. I apologize if I scare you. I admit, when I went back into the bathroom to rinse it off, I was a bit startled when looking at myself in the mirror for the first time after putting the mask on. I don’t know… maybe it brings out my eyes ;) Kidding.

So, yeah… moving on to something more flattering that WON’T scare you off!

7. Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques

• Organic Crème Eye Shadows in Pearl and Cocoa Latte
• Body Glitter in Starlight
• Lip Gloss in Summer Melon

Company Website

I’ve never been into crème eye shadows. I just don’t really like the “wet” feel of them and have found that powder shadows give me better coverage. I felt the same way about Lauren Brooke’s eye shadows. I applied the pearl all over my lid and used cocoa latte in the crease. It was a simple, clean look – great for a natural, somewhat shimmery look. There wasn’t much contrast in the colors though. I couldn’t really tell that I had a darker color in the crease.

The body glitter was a subtle bronze color and the consistency was a nice surprise. Instead of it being chunky glitter, it was a soft, shimmery powder much like that of actual bronzer. I added a little at the tops of my cheekbones, just below my eyes to brighten things up a bit.

Lastly, the lip gloss was nice and fresh feeling. The gloss was sheer with a little tint. In terms of melons, it was watermelon. I was hoping it would have a hint of cantaloupe somewhere in there too to give me that coral color. No such luck. Also, the gloss smells Bonnie Bell-esque. It’s fruity. A little too fruity. For my liking, at least. Here I am with the eye shadows and lipgloss on:

There are a few more products (such as the smoothie) that I haven’t tried yet. The July box should be shipping out soon so be looking for another vlog in a couple weeks :) Hope you enjoyed the review! Let me know if you have any questions about the products!

Surprise! Trying Something New

As promised, today I have something new and fun to show you on my blog! I’ve always LOVED watching people’s vlogs. (Vlog=Blog in video format!) Call me crazy but it’s a fun way to get a different & even better glimpse into someone’s life.

If you blog, you clearly like to read about new people and I’m sure you would agree that looking through pictures people post about their lives helps you get to know them even better, right? Well, maybe after this video and hearing what I sound like and seeing all my quirks, you’ll {hopefully} like me even more! :) I could be wrong and really you’ll just see that I’m a total dork and never come back ;) For those of you who already know me, well, this is just an added little treat!

I found out about an awesome company called Eco-Emi which I’ll explain more about in the video but basically they’re all about eco-friendly products and send you goodies each month. It’s like Christmas morning each month!! (Okay, minus the eggnog and lights and “White Christmas” playing in the background. Just go with it, alright?)

I wanted to do a little “haul” showing you guys everything I got from them this month and figured a vlog would be the easiest way to do it! Plus, it’d be fun to switch it up a little! I know the sound and lighting aren’t perfect but I think it still gets the job done :)

P.S. I know some of you are at work/school and maybe can’t watch/listen to this right now so I’ll post the wrapped pictures as a teaser of what you’ll have to come back and watch later!

Ladies and gentlemen: Now presenting, Chelsea’s very first vlog!!

So, what’d you think of my very first vlog? I’m a total dork, huh? It’s okay, I embrace it :)

What do you think about Eco-Emi? Do any of you already get these monthly packages in the mail? If there are any products you want reviews on, shout me a comment or email letting me know and I’ll post it on here! :)

Here’s to going green, doing our own part to living an eco-friendly life and taking care of our environment. And…. “World Peace!” Miss Congeniality, anyone? :)