Last year I wrote a long post about all the natural personal care products that I use. Recently I’ve made a few changes and wanted to share those with you. I still stand by all the products in my original post, and if a change is not mentioned, I still use them.
Face
The only change I’ve made to my facial care is that I’m now using handmade body butter as a moisturizer at night, and in the morning too if I feel extra dry (which is often, during the winter). I also started using a tinted moisturizer during the day, but I consider it more of a makeup item.
Makeup
My skin has been too dry recently to use powder foundation; all my little wrinkles were standing out clearly. I switched to Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer with spf, which has a light coverage but it gives me just what I need. On top of that I still use a little powdered sunscreen to take away the shine and set it in place.
Right now I’m using bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara. I think it’s just as good as Tarte Lights Camera Lashes (what I’d been using before) and it’s cheaper.
I also added a brow pencil, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, to the mix. I’m in love! My eyebrows have been thinning as I get older and this looks so natural but really defines my face.
Miscellaneous
I started using Everyone Lotion for my body (apart from face). It’s perfect.
I carry around Honest Company lip balms. Still love Lanolin but these are easier. :)
Two things I’d like to try:
1. A physical facial exfoliator, like a Clarisonic Mia, or maybe this cheaper version by Olay. Anyone have either of these? I wonder why there is such a price difference?
2. Lipstick! I’ve never worn it, but I think it might be fun for church and outings.
Anyone use any of these products? Anything else I should check out?
From Spring:
Just heard about a dupe for the Brow Wiz yesterday! It’s Nyx’s new Micro Brow Pencil. I don’t think it’s available yet, but it will be soon, and only $10!
I have a Clarisonic Mia, and I really don’t know how my face ever felt clean without it. I use it only a few times a week, but nothing else cleans the pores on my nose as well. Natalie Holbrook did a review video of the two here: http://www.babble.com/babble-voices/olay-vs-clarisonic-the-great-face-brush-face-off/
From Nora:
I have a Clarisonic and I love it! I’m not sure the merits of Clarisonic vs Olay but I’ve had mine for over a year and the battery life is fantastic, I love that I can get the whole thing wet (as in, use it in the shower in the morning on my face if I want) or not. It definitely makes a difference in the smoothness of my skin, in getting my face really clean and just feels refreshing overall. I’ve also been known to use it on my lips for a few seconds this winter to help get the chapped lip situation thing taken care of.
I use mostly Arbonne products for my face when it comes to cleanser, moisturizer and anti-aging, and I love their lip balm. Everything has SPF which I really love. I don’t do a lot of lipstick, either. More of a lip gloss or lip balm girl. I probably could stand to get a makeover one of these days as my routine is fairly boring: powder, blush, some eye shadow and mascara. Maybe eyeliner if we are going out. I’m really exciting :)
From Caiti:
If you have dry or sensitive skin, I’d REALLY recommend researching whether the Clarisonic is right for you first. I got one last year and liked it at first, but within a few weeks it became far too drying and painful for my skin, even using it only every other day. And my skin isn’t even *that* sensitive normally. I couldn’t justify the price of the Clarisonic when I was only using it twice a week, and I ended up returning it to Ulta (who has a generous return policy, even with open products, which is why I purchased from them). Instead of the Clarisonic, I started using Konjac sponges, which are an entirely natural and biodegradable facial exfoliator that are becoming quite popular in the natural beauty world. I love them; they feel so good on the skin, last for 3-5 months, and only cost ~$10 each. I wrote a post on my blog about them with additional info links if you’re interested: http://www.rootswingswanderings.com/2014/03/going-natural-konjac-sponges-vs-clarisonic.html
From Kathleen:
Wow, thanks so much for the info, Caiti! I don’t have sensitive skin at all, and only slightly dry in the winter months, but I am still REALLY liking the sound of the Konjac sponges. They seem more in line with my overall values. The reviews seem like they work just as well too, yes?
From Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout:
I won a mini exfoliator in a blog giveaway and I agree with the commenter above, they’re pretty rough on sensitive skin. Those sponges sound cool, though!
I’m a big lipstick fan, but if you’re new to wearing it, try the Black Honey Clinique almost lipstick. (I know that’s not very natural. Maybe the Burts Bees tinted moisturizers?)
From Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout:
I found the hard lotion recipe I was looking for — it’s called massage lotion but really it’s a slightly softer version of a hard lotion bar. You can make it yourself pretty inexpensively. http://www.hardlotion.com/blog/2013/2/16/how-to-make-massage-balm.html