Acure Energizing Body Lotion Review

Wow... so yeah I 've been on a little bit of a hiatus. I apologize for the long absence, but my day job has been eating up all of my time! I am back now and my new goal is to have a new post at least once every two weeks while I'm working. Once I am free for the summer, I will be posting much more often!

Anyway, on with the review! Last fall I won a bottle of this wonderful lotion from Jasanna over at MunchTalk. It is called Acure Energizing Body Lotion in Mandarin Orange + Mango. It's just lovely! The lotion is more like a cream:  it is very thick and not greasy at all. It feels very nice on my dry, winter skin and seems to last for most of the day. It has a very light fresh orange smell; it reminds me of tea! 

My bottle of lotion.

It's the consistency of a body cream.

Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel Review

I am always looking for a good face wash, and when I received a nice-sized 1.7oz sample of Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel in the mail, of course I gave it a try!

First, The Ingredients: 

Ingredients: Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a synthetic (man-made) surfactant (foam-booster). It can cause allergies in some people. 

Propylene Glycol is a petro-chemical used a skin-conditioning agent. It doesn't pose much risk, but many people are against it because it is a petrochemical and could possibly contribute to carcinogens.

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose is a harmless synthetic polymer that is often used in eye drops. It prevents evaporation, which is what keeps this face wash at a gel-like consistency. 

Panthenol is synthetic Vitamin B5, which is used as a moisturizer and lubricating compound. 

Disodium EDTA is an agent that binds and removes free radicals and impurities. It is also used as a formula stabilizer. There is a lot of complicated chemistry behind this one!

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate is a preservative that is often found in "natural" cosmetics. It is a problem because it is known to often be contaminated with formaldehyde, and is also a known skin-irritant. 

So........ WOW! For a brand that is supposed to be "Simple", they sure pack a lot of chemicals into their products! It is a little disturbing for a company that claims to be an expert in sensitive skin to have all these things that are known to cause skin reactions! Kind of scary... and it pays to do your research!!

I found all of my information from ewg.com, or the Environmental Working Group. Many of these ingredients have been contentious in healthy product debates, so I urge you to look them up yourself if you're unsure. I tend to be a little more lenient with products that are getting washed off my skin immediately and therefore don't have the chance to soak in. 

How it Works:

I actually like this face wash, believe it or not. The ingredients might be a little dubious, but it does do a good job. The product is a gel that is clear and feels very silky when you put it on. It does not foam, but lathers only a tiny bit. I find that I have to make sure to scrub it into my nose really good to get all the make up to wash off. Sometimes (but not always) I need to use a separate eye make-up remover to get all of my mascara and eyeliner off.

What I like about this face wash is that it leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh without any kind of a weird tingle or "tight" feeling. It also does not dry out my face, which is a huge issue for me as most face washes leave me having to put on a ton of moisturizer afterward. This one, very "simply", does what it is supposed to do. 

So I'll leave you to make up your own mind. I might buy this product again if it is on sale, but it probably won't be my main one, as I am still trying to move to more real organic products for my skin. 

What is your favorite face wash? What do you like most about it? Please leave me your comments and questions! I love to read them, and I'll be happy to comment you or your blog back! :)

Until next time,
J

*Disclaimer:  I ordered this sample from CVS.com. Simple did not contact me or request a review of this product.

Origins VitaZing Moisturizer Review

I thought it was about time I reviewed a moisturizer! Today I am reviewing the VitaZing Moisturizer from Origins. Origins is a company that claims to use no parabens, proplyene glycol, mineral oil, phthalates, or other harmful stuff. 

I went into Macy's a few weeks ago because I actually wanted to try their BB cream. However, the sales lady steered me toward the VitaZing. She was nice enough to give me a little tub to take home and try. 

Origins Website and Image Source

Product Purge #1 - What I'm Throwing Away and Why

As I've mentioned before, the switch to natural and organic products does not come overnight. I loathe to throw away some of my most treasured items, but others I don't feel so bad. I am starting to go through my collection of products and throw away the ones that are almost gone and have dangerous ingredients and chemicals in them. The following are the items I decided to throw away this week:



1). Generic Eye Shadow from a random Christmas stocking gift a few years ago. 

These probably came from the dollar store or some place really cheap, and they have no brand whatsoever. Not that I'm knocking the dollar store, but it's not the best place to buy makeup. I have used these a couple of times, and they are terrible. They smear all over my face and last maybe 1 hour at most. Considering their ingredients aren't listed, who knows what horrors they contain! :)

The First Five Products to Change When Making the Switch to Natural and Organic

When I first decided to start the process of moving to more natural products and foods, I was overwhelmed. So many brands and products that we see and use everyday in our lives are actually not all that good for us. I honestly didn't know where to start, especially since I couldn't afford to just throw away everything I had and buy all new products! 


I thought about it and did some research, and realized it's okay to start small. The most important thing is to begin. The following is a list of what I believe to be the first and most important items to change when you are thinking of moving to natural and organic products. 

My collection of natural products so far: J.R. Watkins lotion, Sunflower Market Brand shampoo and conditioner, Naturally Fresh deodorant, EOS lip balm.

1. Body Lotion - Most commercial and well known lotions (I'm looking at you B&BW, VS, and St.Ives) are filled with nasty carcinogens like formaldehyde, parabens, and petrol chemicals. Body lotion gets rubbed all over your skin and stays there to absorb into your body all day long. Who wants all those toxins on their skin? First and foremost, change your lotion. 

2. Deodorant - Like body lotion, deodorant gets rubbed into your skin to stay there all day, and it's some of your thinnest, most sensitive skin as well. Chemicals in deodorants and antiperspirants have been linked to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and reproductive problems. 

3. Lipstick/Lipgloss - Lipsticks historically have contained some of the deadliest poisons, including lead, and you're putting that on your mouth where you will inevitably ingest it throughout the day. Also in many lipsticks are proplyene glycol and retinyl palmitate, two substances that have been linked to infertility. Did you know that the artificial colors in most commercial lipsticks are tested on animals? Just another reason to swap this product.

4. Fragrance - Did you know that perfumes are protected under a special "trade secret" law that allows them to avoid revealing all their ingredients? Like lotion and deodorant, fragrance is sprayed on your skin and stays there all day, not to mention we inadvertently breathe some of the particles into our lungs. Just a couple of the hazards include diethyl phthalate, a chemical linked to sperm damage, and linalool, which causes respiratory disturbances and attracts bees to boot! 

5. Shampoo and Conditioner - Like the products above, shampoos and conditioners are full of harmful chemicals, including harsh detergents that just aren't necessary unless you haven't washed your hair for quite some time! You rub these products into your scalp, which means they have the potential to seep into your head. Better to find a natural shampoo that works for you!

Is there a product that you think should be in this list? Let me know! Are you planning on, or have you already made, any product changes? What are they? I'm looking forward to hearing from you! 

Until next time,

J

References:

No More Dirty Looks

The Daily Green

EHow

Environmental Working Group

Other posts of mine you might enjoy:

The Quest for a Natural Deodorant

Body Lotion

My Favorite Toothpaste

I selected this post to be featured on Healthy Living Blogs. Please visit the site and vote for my blog!

The Quest for a Natural Deodorant, or, The Stinky Pit Conundrum Part 1

Why This Topic?

One fact I learned through my research on natural products is that commercial deodorants and antiperspirants have aluminum as their main ingredient, because of its antiperspirant properties. There is much debate out there concerning this ingredient, because it has been stated that it could be linked to breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease. However, many companies and government entities have stated that there is no proven link between aluminum zirconium/aluminum chlorohydrate and health problems. 


Even though the danger of aluminum has not been proven, there are still plenty of other chemicals in commercial antiperspirants and deodorants that are not good for us: parabens, propylene glycol, TEA, DEA, tricolsan, artificial colors, and talc. 

Body Lotions and a Weight Loss Update

First... The Lotion Conundrum:

Body lotion... there are so many to choose from! So how do we know which ones are actually good and which are slowly leaking chemical poisons into your body? Wait... lotion has poison in it? I didn't know this before either, but last year, I read a book called No More Dirty Looks, and I learned a ton about what was in my favorite lotions. 


I used to be a HUGE Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret fan. It was so easy to become addicted to B and B Works because every time you go in there, there is some kind of a sale and incentives for you to come back. In addition, they have great smelling products! However, I find it disconcerting that I can't find an ingredients list ANYWHERE on their website. They tell you the fragrance notes, and feel-good ingredients like shea butter or jojoba, but nowhere can you find a complete list. If they were truly proud of their products, the entire list of ingredients should be in plain sight, such as with Burt's Bees or Tom's of Maine. What Bath and Body Works doesn't want you to know is that they put harsh chemicals such as formaldehyde and parabens in all of their products. Some people are willing to dismiss these and other toxic chemicals as being safe in the small amounts that are in lotions.

However, stop and think for a minute. Where does lotion go? ALL over your body, and it stays there, and absorbs, on a daily basis. I don't know about you, but when I decided to switch to more natural products, lotion was my first choice since most everything else (like shampoo, body wash, etc.) would at least get rinsed off. 
(Continued...)

First Topic: Toothpaste

My dental hygienists have all screamed at me when I mention my affinity for Tom's of Maine toothpaste: "But that doesn't have fluoride!!!" which shows you how 1)uneducated or 2)bought by major corporations they are. Tom's does, in fact, have varieties of toothpaste without fluoride, but the majority of them do have it. All you have to do is read the package, people... seriously.


My specific favorite is the Tom's Wicked Fresh fluoride toothpaste in Cool Peppermint, as shown below: