The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Skin Clearing Facial Wash for Oily/Blemished Skin (1/5 stars)

I was at the Body Shop a few months ago, and a very persuasive salesperson persuaded me to buy the Body Shop oily skin sample set.  Unfortunately, the face wash that came with the kit really didn’t work for me.  I started developing these red dots on my face — sort of like almost-pimples.  I stopped using this face wash and they went away, and I’m back to good skin again. So overall, I’m ranking this facewash at 1/5 stars.  Would not recommend.  Did not make my skin clear, in fact, the reverse.

(Reiteration: the Body Shop is in fact 100%-animal-testing-free, despite being owned by evil L’Oreal, 100%-vegetarian, and its products that don’t contain honey, mel, cera alba, lanolin, shellac, or beeswax are vegan. Here’s is the Body Shop’s Policy on Animal Derived Ingredients.)

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Skin Clearing Facial Wash (8.4oz) is available for $11 at your local Body Shop or the online Body Shop store.

Ingredients: aqua, glycerin, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Polysorbate 20, Alcohol Denat, Melaleuca alternifolia, Phenoxyethanol, benzyl alcohol, allantoin, polyquaternium-10, sodium salicylate, limonene, citric acid, Cl 19140, Cl 42090

Today you are again privileged to read a guest cruelty-free review written by another cruelty-free-blogger friend of mine, the Glamorous Grad Student!  Owner of an AMAZING blog devoted to being a fashionista (in a cruelty-free way!) on a grad student budget.  Seriously, it’s a blog you’ll want to check regularly!

The Body Shop Coconut Shimmer Body Butter (5/5 stars)

I was so thrilled when Emily asked me to do a product review for Living Cruelty Free. Her blog is such a great resource for anyone trying to go cruelty-free and I feel really grateful for the opportunity to contribute.

First off, my Body Shop position statement. I am a long-time Body Shop fan, so the L’Oreal connection is not something I’m enamoured with. But like Emily, I’d rather see L’Oreal stop their cruel ways than see the Body Shop go out of business, so I feel that buying from the Body Shop, which is still cruelty-free, and boycotting the other L’Oreal brands is the most constructive way of sending the message I wish to send as a consumer.

Now, on to the review! The Body Shop has recently added some new additions to its divine Coconut body range in the form of a new Coconut Shimmer lotion and body butter. I got a sample of the lotion recently when I bought some other products, and later bought the body butter for myself.

I really really like this product. As I’m a fair redhead, fake tan just looks strange on me. And besides, there’s something unnatural to me about dying my epidermis, you know? But with summer fast approaching, and bare legs and arms beckoning, I’ve been on the lookout for a product that would be amazingly moisturizing and make my skin look less pasty and more porcelain.

And this is it. This body butter is really thick but absorbs really well, and leaves a long-lasting, subtle sheen on the skin. It’s lasted throughout the day for me. It doesn’t leave gritty, glittery residue on the skin like some shimmer products do, it just glows.

And the fact that it’s coconut, my favourite summer scent, is an extra bonus. I am currently layering with the coconut scrub and perfume oil. My nose must think it’s in Tahiti.

The Body Shop’s Coconut Shimmer Body Butter is £12.20, though when I bought it the combination of a special offer and my store loyalty card knocked something like £5 off the price. That said, I would totally pay full price for this product. As I say, I view it as the paler gal’s fake tan alternative, and I know I’d have saved a fortune if instead of wasting sooo much money on disappointing bronzing products over the years I’d embraced my pallor with a product like this!

Ingredients:Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Lanolin Alcohol, Mica, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Sodium Hydroxide, CI 77891, Caramel.

 Shampoo for normal and fine hair with Artemisia Essential Oil

I picked up a travel sized bottle of this at the L’Occitane buy 2 get 1 free sale at Christmas.  So far I REALLY like it.  It doesn’t leave any buildup on my hair, and it gets it clean.  I’m also impressed by the high quality travel size bottle — it seems very solid, well-made, and easy to open without being so flimsy it douses my luggage with shampoo.  Unfortunately it has two drawbacks — it has the Aromachologie scent that I really don’t care for, just like the Aromachologie deodorant.  It’s not bad, it just smells kind of mens’ cologne-y to me.  Just not my style.  It kind of reminds me of 4711 a bit.  The other drawback is the price.  Kind of expensive for shampoo, I feel . . . 

(L’Occitane is 100%-cruelty-free, and vegan except for bee products, and uses some organic ingredients.)

(This shampoo gets rave reviews on MakeupAlley — average of 4.7/5 stars from 7 reviewers.  Quite a feat!)

L’Occitane Aromachologie Shampoo is available from your local L’Occitane store for $3 (that’s where I bought it!).  Unfortunately it does not appear to be available right now from the or online L’Occitane store.

Ingredients: Aqua/water - disodium laureth sulfosuccinate - tea-lauryl sulfate - laureth 2 - laurdimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed wheat protein - peg-120 methyl glucose duiolfate - cinchona succrubra bark estract - sodium chloride - peg/ppg-14/4 dimethicone - propylene glycol - coco-glucoside - glyceryl olfate - parfum/fragrance - panthenol - polyquaternium-7 - polyquaternium 10 - linalool - artemisia hera - alba/artemisa vulgaris extract - citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) oil - methylchlorodisothlazolinone - methylisothiazolinone

  So I’m going to start with my usual disclaimer about the Body Shop here.  I realize it’s owned by L’Oreal.  I am quite aware.  But I support buying Body Shop products because I feel it encourages L’Oreal to go cruelty-free.  It’s giving L’Oreal money to make products that haven’t been tested on animals, and I support that.  (Luckily, L’Oreal will have to give up animal testing ENTIRELY in 2013, but until then, it still tests on animals.) 

Anyway, I really like this lip gloss.  It comes in an adorable little pot, and it comes in GREAT colors.  I really like color #3 “hot pink” — it’s actually not hot pink at all on me, it’s just mildly pink.  It’s also nice because it doesn’t seem to melt in my pocket (though I’m testing this in winter — it may melt like crazy in the summer!)  

The only real drawbacks to this lip gloss, as far as I can tell, are that it doesn’t last very long at all, and it’s not very moisturizing.  Constant reapplying on my part, and I cycle it with other lip glosses that are more moisturizing.  But I don’t mind, because I LOVE the color so much.  (I’ve written more on why I buy lip glosses from the Body Shop — yes, they’re owned by L’Oreal, but it’s really difficult to find any cruelty-free lip gloss samples online, and I really like to try out lip glosses before I buy them.  Otherwise I’m out $12 plus $8 in shipping for lip gloss I don’t like.  So The Body Shop is where I go for lip gloss.  (That and the Gabriel/Zuzu Luxe counter at Whole Foods. But I digress . . . )

Heavenly Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin.  At last, a vanilla, almond milk, and dove orchid moisturiser for sensitive skin.  Use this to soften and calm an easily irritated face and protect city skin against pollution.

Okay, so first off, I fell in love with this moisturizer at the Lush store and had to buy it.  It smells lovely — very mildly floral, and comforting.  I think it’s the slight vanilla fragrance — I’ve always found  most vanilla-fragranced lotions too overwhelming and kind of earthy — they’re just too strong for my nose.  This one though, just the slightest hint of a delicate vanilla fragrance, it’s very, very nice.  It’s like smelling cookies baking from far away.  

All in all, it’s a very nice moisturizer — very thick, very soothing.  I really like it.  It only has three problems — it’s seriously WAY too moisturizing for me — this would be far better for someone with really dry skin.  Even during the winter months when my skin goes dry it’s just too much for me.  Currently I use it once a week at most — it’s a nice break from my regular routine.  But I definitely would NOT use it any more frequently than that since I don’t have really dry skin.  Also, it won’t protect against skin cancer.  And, it’s a little too expensive for me to use all the time.  So I’m taking a star off for those three reasons.

(Lush products are 100%-cruelty-free, this product itself is vegan, and has some organic ingredients.)

Lush Celestial Moisturizer (1.5oz) is Available for $21.35 from your local Lush store or the Lush Online Store.

Ingredients: water (and) vanilla planifolia fruit, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, glycerin, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, parfum, propylene glycol and dendrobium phalaenopsis flower extract, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, methylparaben, triethanolamine, propylparaben.

I feel a little bad giving this 3/5 stars — it’s not that I don’t think it’s probably an excellent product, but it really doesn’t suit anyone who doesn’t have VERY dry skin.  If you have REALLY dry skin, this might be a 5/5 star cleanser for you.  But for me, which my slightly dry skin (just in the winter — in the summer, it’s oily), this is just seriously wrong.

However — and the reason I bought this in the first place — it smells SO GOOD!  Kind of edible and clean-smelling.  I’ve been using it once a week since I love the smell so much.  And it does make my skin very, very soft.

Why is this a good cleanser for someone with really dry skin?  Basically, It has no soap in it whatsoever — it’s kind of a waxy cream — it’s like smearing oil all over your face.  Not good if you have oily skin.  Repeat — DO NOT BUY THIS STUFF I YOU HAVE OILY SKIN.  And honestly, if you have fairly dry skin, I’d think twice about buying it as well.  On the other hand, if you have severly dry skin, or want a once a week nice oil-cleanser, this is quite excellent . . .

(Lush products are 100%-cruelty-free, and some of their products are vegan.  Lush does label every product with a vegan/not-vegan label, which is convenient.  However, this product is not vegan — it has beeswax and honey in it.  Sometimes Lush uses organic ingredients, but not all the time.)

(I’m a little confused by the paraben preservatives.  Aren’t those considered “bad” by knowledgeable organic-people?  Lush seems to think they are “safe synthetics.”)

Lush Ultra Bland Cleanser (1.5oz) is available for $14.45 from any Lush store.  

Ultra-gentle, thorough facial cleanser

This supreme facial cleanser, with magnificently softening rose water, peanut oil and beeswax cream, takes off everything you’ve plastered on and makes your skin astonishingly soft. It’s a marvel. Ultrabland is not the simplest cleanser to use, but it’s not that hard and it’s definitely worth it. Smooth it on, then remove it thoroughly with a slightly damp cotton pad or face cloth. Gently remove until your skin feels soft and not oily. 

I’m slowly increasing the number of Method products I own, (because I can’t help it!  They’re just so pretty! and they work so well!) and this is the latest one.  It’s a really nice floor cleaner with a WONDERFUL fragrance.  I didn’t realize how much I like almond fragrance till I got this — I’m hoping Method starts making an almond scented shower gel and lotion to match, because I would buy those in a heartbeat!

Anyway, this is a lovely floor cleaner — it’s kind to my hardwood floors, leaves them shiny-shiny-shiny, and doesn’t strip them of their finish.  I’ve actually started using it to clean up places my dog has had accidents — if I use any other cleaner I can actually see the chemicals eating into the floor finish making it dull while the rest of the floor looks nice and shiny. And have I mentioned I love the scent?

This floor cleaner only has one major drawback — the nozzle.  While the bottle is very attractive, the nozzle releases a stream of cleaning fluid — and I would much prefer a spray bottle.  My old BonaKemi floor cleaner (which was really nice — dear BonaKemi — have you considered going cruelty-free?  Because then I could buy your floor care products again, and I’d really appreciate it!) came in these really nice spray bottles, so I could spray a very fine mist over the floor.  You’re not supposed to EVER let water pool on hardwood floors, so the Method Floor Cleaner stream of floor cleaner worries me because it leaves these heavy streaks of liquid on the floor.  Method people — that is not good!  It ruins the finish!  Also, the streaks of liquid make it difficult to slide the Method O Mop on the floor — the alternating patches of dry floor and wet floor do NOT lead to an even glide.  Whereas the fine spray of liquid from the BonaKemi spray bottle lets the Method O Mop glide over the floor nicely.

I also think the nozzle wastes a lot of cleaning liquid — the microfiber of the mop soaks up the puddles it comes to, instead of using that liquid to clean the floor, whereas a fine spray of liquid lets the microfiber of the mop clean the floor but not soak up the cleanser and then go all soggy.  I also do not know what crack the Method people are on saying the nozzle on this bottle is “shower style” and covers the floor in a few simple sweeps.  It most emphatically does NOT do that.  No matter how much I fiddle with the top, it releases a single stream of liquid.  Seriously.  It’s just like the top of expensive water bottles — no matter what you do with those you can’t make them “shower.”  If you somehow manage to get the thing to be barely open, it will give off a few tiny bubbles.  Not useful at all, if you ask me.

Luckily, I do have a solution for this — I’m almost at the end of a spray bottle of Method All Purpose Spray, (which I go through really fast), so as soon as that is empty I’m going to pour the rest of the Method Wood For Good Floor Cleaner into it and use it to spray the floors instead.  While I wait for the day Method releases this floor cleaner in a spray bottle!

(Method products are 100%-animal testing free, vegan, but not organic.)

Method Wood for Good Floor Cleaner is $6 at the Method Online Store or your local Target.

Method wood for good® floor cleaner
no-wax, no-nonsense floor cleaning polish
smells so good, you practically want to eat off the floor. we don’t recommend it. but it is good to know this no-wax formula is non-toxic and biodegradable. makes you want to throw out the timer on that whole 5-second rule. plus, the ergonomically designed shower-nozzle spray covers your floors in fewer sweeps and helps avoid puddling.

Non-toxic and biodegradable cleaners (including baking soda) mean that no hazardous residues will stay behind when you clean your floor, making it safe for pets, people and the planet. It’s also a DfE recognized formula and a 100% recycled plastic bottle.
Ingredients: baking soda, non-toxic and biodegradable solvent, color, biodegradable and non-toxic surfactants, fragrance oil blend, purified water, potassium hydrate
preservative (under 0.1%).

poll by twiigs.com

 I bought a bunch of these a few years ago and keep finding them in old jackets.  I used to really like them — they’re a nice basic lip balm.  They last a long time, they don’t run, and they’re not shiny.

However, they have one unfortunate deal-breaker — their spf does not protect against UVA rays, and I like to protect myself from getting cancerous melanomas, so I do not consider them adequate sunscreen, so I won’t be buying any more.

But if Alba would like to jazz up these lip balms with something a little more UVA-proof, (and perhaps remove the lanolin ingredient?  wool-wax kind of grosses me out) — I’d buy them again.  (The active spf ingredients in this lip balm, padimate O and oxybenzone, are NOT adequate for sun protection — only avobenzone, mexoryl (ecamsule), octocrylene, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide are.  I’ve written more here about good vs. bad sunscreens.)

(Alba Botanica products are cruelty-free, vegetarian, but not organic.)

Alba Botanica Lipcare SPF 18 (0.15oz) is available at the Alba Botanica online store for $2.50.

Ingredients:

Active Ingredients
Padimate O 7.5%, Oxybenzone 5.0%

Ingredients
Castor oil (ricinus communis), candelilla wax (euphorbia cerifera), beeswax (cera alba), natural flavors, jojoba oil (simmondsia chinesis), lanolin, carnauba wax (copernicia cerifera), olive oil (olea europaea), tocopheryl acetate and tocopherol (vitamin E), evening primrose oil (oenothera biennis), soybean oil (glycine soja) and echinacea (echinacea purpurea) extract.

Standards
• Hypo-allergenic
• SPF 18
• No artificial colors, petrolatum, mineral oil, phthalates or parabens.
• 100% vegetarian ingredients and no animal testing

Signature ingredient: We use soy bean oil, rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E, to moisturize and protect lips, while echinacea extract and evening primrose oil detoxify, heal, and nourish.

Product description: The secret to soft, smooth, healthy lips in every season and climate. A natural, non-petroleum blend of botanical plant oils, vitamin E and echinacea moisturize, nourish and protect lips from the sun and elements.

Features and benefits: Our lips deserve nourishing protection. That’s why we’ve given our Lip Care an SPF of 18 as well as a range of healing botanicals. Natural plant oils hydrate and protect lips while vitamin E, echinacea and peppermint rejuvenate and restore.

Who should use this product? For all skin types.

Directions for use: Apply daily. Reapply as needed.

 This is, without a doubt, the best eye cream on the planet — it has titanium dioxide as its active spf ingredient, so it will protect the area around your eyes from fatal melanomas ALL DAY LONG (unlike those chemical-based sunscreens that need to be reapplied every 2 hours — for more information on what makes a good and a bad sunscreen, click here), it keeps the skin around your eyes gently moisturized without being too greasy, and it’s cruelty-free!  (Unfortunately it is not vegan or organic.)

But the absolute best thing about it is that it does NOT streak.  Despite having a mineral spf ingredient.  Isn’t that amazing?  I really don’t know how Dermalogica does this — all other titanium-dioxide-containing sunscreens I’ve tried have streaked like crazy on me.  But this one — nary a streak in sight!  It’s pale pinky-orange in the tube, but it goes on clear, and it DRIES CLEAR (even better!).  I should send the people at  Dermalogica a thank you card, really.   I am planning to buy more of Dermalogica’s other spf-containing products as soon as I become super wealthy, because Dermalogica obviously really understands what works in a sunscreen. (I’m not entirely sure it wouldn’t streak on someone with a very dark skintone — I’d be sure to try it out in the store first.  Though if you’re incredibly pale, it really won’t streak on you, I promise — I’ve tested it on my inner elbow which is white,white,white — and my face, which is “fair” — and there have been no streaks whatsoever.)

I originally got this eye cream because my Alba Botanica sunscreen, if applied close to my eyes, tends to run in them and Ow!  This stuff only gets in my eyes if am really sweating buckets, and it doesn’t burn my eyes when that does happen — it just feels a little uncomfortable.  (The whole not-making-the-area-around-my-eyes-look-oily was an excellent bonus.)  One slight issue I have had with it is that it doesn’t mix well with Juice Organics tinted moisturizer — I would get these weird demarcations where the eye cream met up with the moisturizer.

There is one problem with this eyecream — it’s very expensive.  However, despite that, I still think it’s a good value — I use a tiny, tiny amount every morning, and I foresee the tube lasting me at least five years.  So on a cost per year basis, it’s relatively inexpensive.  (Dermalogica’s face and body sunscreens on the other hand — $45 for a small tube of sunscreen?  Are they on crack?  I’d go through that in a few months.  Also a bunch of those appear to have bad sunscreens ingredients — or rather, not UVA-shielding — I’m definitely not paying $45 for those, thank you VERY much.   Dear Dermalogica — please make a face/body sunscreen with titanium dioxide as the active ingredient and your amazing non-streakiness, and charge a lot less for it.  And while you’re at it, if you could please put your ingredient list on your website so I wouldn’t have to go to Pure Beauty to see if you have good SPF ingredients.  Your consideration of this matter would be greatly appreciated!)

Dermalogica Total Eye Care with SPF 15 (0.5 oz) is available for $31.95 from WhatGreatSkin.com.

 Recommended for all skin conditions.  A technologically-advanced eye treatment cream.  Gentle alpha hydroxy acids smooth while firming plant extracts retexturize the skin, helping to reduce the appearance of puffiness and fine lines.  Optical light diffusers help dminish dark circles.  A chemical-free sunscreen helps to shield against further damage.  Contains no artificial fragrance or color.  

 Directions: Gently pat underneath eye area, blending inward from outer corner.  Use daily under makeup or alone.  

 Active ingredient: Titanium Dioxide (4.5%).

Warnings: For external use only, not to be swallowed.  Avoid contact with eyes.  If contact occurs, flush thoroughly with water.  If irritation develops, discontinue use.   Do not use on infants under 6 months old.