** I don’t do affiliate posts – but I think I’m supposed to at least mention that I have not received any compensation for any of the products I mention here. This is just a post blathering about some new finds that I love.
I made a big switch to all nontoxic (and all that jazz) skincare years ago. I went through a period of about 6 months where I insisted on making everything myself. I bought tons of supplies from Mountain Rose Herbs – essential oils, beeswax, butters (shea, cocoa, mango, and on and on), hydrosols, you name it. I made all my own concoctions for face oils, some bath salts. I made a few body washes and lotions that never turned out quite to my liking and I was determined to start making my own soaps.
But then one, anything beyond mixing a few oils into a bottle to make a facial oil blend became tedious and too much work and two, I ran out of time. Once I went back to school, I had to give up some of my uber hippy ways. Plus… did I mention the tediousness?
I went back to my “luxury” all natural skincare stuff because, let’s face it, I love my fancy shmancy oils and things. I’ve purchased most of the products I use from Spirit Beauty Lounge or The Detox Market. (SBL I love you and all those points I’ve accrued but the inconsistency in availability of stuff I want is making me crazy.) I have a huuuuge collection of Ilia Beauty Lipsticks (for someone who doesn’t wear much makeup, I’m not sure how that happened – although I do just snap up every single orange-shaded lipstick I ever see.) May Lindstrom, Tata Harper, and Dr Alkaitis products are the shit. I discovered my favorite perfume company (all natural!) ever at SBL – Strange Invisible Perfumes. People are constantly asking if I’m wearing perfume (it’s subtle and doesn’t smell perfume-y) when they get near me and 97% of the time it’s SI’s “Fair Verona.” (Jasmiiiiine…aaaaaah….)
Somewhere along the way, I discovered the “Beauty Heroes” subscription box. I’m generally suspicious of subscription type things, but I figured I’d give it a go for a month or two. I had considered Birch Box and whatever the other one is that’s all the rage right now, but I didn’t want to try any products that aren’t in the all natural / non toxic / etc range. (Beauty Heroes is all that and a bag of organic, sustainably harvested chips.) The first few products were nice enough – honestly, it was from companies I already knew (such as Kahina), but the $39 monthly charge for stuff that costs significantly more than that was nice. So I kept up with it. The products they sent lasted longer than a month so I started to amass a small collection. The hair stuff I can do without but the In Fiore oil and face wash emulsion was lovely and they sent some products from Osmia that I enjoyed. (I took advantage of my member discount and purchased some Osmia body oils which are wonderful.)
But then…!
A couple of months ago, the monthly box included Skin Owl’s “Mangosteen Beauty Drops: PM” oil. I use facial oils like crazy and if I’m honest, I can’t really tell one apart from another. But this stuff is definitely far and above the rest – the smell alone had me hooked. If it weren’t such a pricey little bottle I would slather it all over my body (it smells SO GOOD, I wish I could drink it). It IS pricey, but so far it’s going a long way so I plan on purchasing it when this bottle is empty. (It retails for $85 but I got it for $39 – the monthly subscription fee and then something like 20% off when I purchase a new bottle from the Beauty Heroes site.)
And for April, they sent True Botanicals Exfoliating Moisture Mask. This mask is serious. I’d previously been a devotee of Tata Harper’s Exfoliating Mask but I’ll be saving those pennies for the True Botanicals mask from now on. (Also pricey but goes a long way – I definitely get far more uses out of it than I do a small jar of Tata Harper.) The True Botanicals Mask smells lovely, like Neroli, and it is an exfoliating marvel. I can’t remember the last time I saw my skin so bright as after I use this mask. (My skin feels tingly for a few hours afterward, but it’s not intolerable. I also always seem to wind up leaving it on for FAR longer than it says to – I get distracted.) I don’t really seek stuff out that “reverses signs of aging” but boy, I do appreciate how smooth my skin looks afterwards – and the effect is lasting. I would love to try more products from True Botanicals but *gulp* yeah, they are pricey. The mask is the most affordable thing they have. Right now I’m saving for my study abroad program in Berlin, so maybe afterwards…!!