Empties!

Here is my latest round of empties. I took this picture with my phone, please forgive the bad quality!

Clockwise from top:

1. Tom of Maine's Whole Care Fluoride Toothpaste in Spearmint

I originally purchased this toothpaste because I thought it did not contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which can sometimes cause mouth sores. Unfortunately the toothpaste does contain SLS, but so far it hasn't irritated my mouth. I like that this toothpaste is not as sweetly flavored as some others and contains natural flavors and abrasives.

2. Yes to Cucumbers Travel Pack Face Wipes

Review here.

3. The Body Shop Mini Mango Body Scrub

I swiped this scrub from a gift set my sister received ;P I found this scrub to be just okay, mainly because I didn't like the base that the scrubbies were in. The base almost has a gel-like consistency, and I think simple oil bases feel better on skin.

4. Ilka Fine Limp Hair Shampoo (discontinued!)

Review here.

5. Physician's Formula Organic Wear Eye Makeup Remover Fluid

Review here.

Biggs and Featherbelle Tequila Bar Natural Soap

Lately I've been loving citrus scents and Biggs and Featherbelle's Tequila Bar Natural Soap ($3.99) is really hitting the spot.

Doesn't it look like a block of parmesan cheese in this photo? Lol.

Enhanced to show sea salt scubbies!

The soap base has a nourishing oil base and contains sea salt for a bit of scrub. It also contains lime and litsea (evergreen) oils which give it a citrusy zip. The combination of the lime and litsea oils smells more like lemongrass than lime to me, but the scent is still very refreshing. Biggs and Featherbelle claims their soaps are gentle enough to use on the face but I plan to use it just on the body as my face is already quite oily.

Biggs and Featherbelle offers soaps, soaks, scrubs, and balms in a ton of other scents which you can check out here. They also offer a few gift sets, including a holiday scented soap set. Very enticing!

Hotel Minis

As a follow up to my previous post I thought I would share some other luxe hotel toiletries from my trip to Scandinavia this summer. In Stockholm the fiance and I stayed at the wonderful Hotel Mornington right in the city center. Hotel Mornington stocks its bathrooms with toiletries by Face Stockholm, one of the biggest cosmetic companies in Scandinavia. I especially liked the lotion, which was light and unscented. Perfect for moisturizing on hot summer days. Below you can see the toiletries on the bathroom shelf. I love how the bottles complement the black and white decor of the room!

This photo of Mornington Hotel Stockholm City is courtesy of TripAdvisor 

In Copenhagen the fiance and I also stayed at the eco-friendly Hotel Guldsmeden. Hotel Guldsmeden offers its own line of organic body products which are available online here.

The products have very strong herbal scents which put me off a bit but I appreciated the concepts and effort behind creating them. Wouldn't it be neat if more hotels had their own body care lines?

I really enjoyed writing this post and hope you did too. I think I'll make it a habit of documenting hotel toiletries in the future!

Fresh Hotel Minis

I'm back with long overdue news. In May my boyfriend of almost 7 years asked me to marry him, and I said yes! We are both very excited and are looking forward to a life together.

As part of the engagement experience my fiance booked us a room at Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, CA. Not only did the room have panoramic views of the bay, it also had one of my favorite hotel amenities - luxe hotel toiletries. Fresh toiletries to be exact!

Check those babies out. Shown are Citron de Vigne soap, showergel and body lotion; Soy Shampoo; and Pomegranate Conditioner. The Citron de Vigne scent is inspired by the French champagne region of Reims, pretty appropriate for the occasion :)

Fresh doesn't brand itself as a natural beauty company but its products do contain some natural ingredients like shea butter and vitamins C & E. Though I prefer natural products in general, I really like Fresh and love these little toiletries. I'm thinking about wearing Citron de Vigne perfume on the big day to bring back memories of our engagement, wouldn't that be sweet?

Delighted Momma DIY Thyme Clear Complexion Toner

I love the blog Delighted Momma, which is written by an esthetician who favors natural and organic skincare products. Lindsay of Delighted Momma posts DIY skin care types from time to time and today I finally got to try one out - the Thyme Clear Complexion Toner!

The recipe is super simple and the ingredients are easy to find - Apple Cider Vinegar (organic cold pressed is best) and thyme! I found both of these items at Whole Foods for under $6 and the amount I purchased is enough for at least 5 batches.

To make the toner you heat 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then add 3 TBSP of thyme and let sit for up to 2 hours. Then strain into a bottle and enjoy! It took me about 2 minutes to mix up the toner, and now it's sitting happily in my garage steeping away. I do have to admit, the aroma of hot vinegar and thyme is pretty gnarly (hence the mixture got banished to the garage), but I'm excited to see the finished product. Lindsay recommends keeping the toner in the fridge to ensure freshness, and I bet the chill of the fridge will take the edge off the vinegar scent.

Do you have any DIY beauty treatments or recipes? I'd love to know!

Korres Pomegranate Regimen Kit at Marshall's

I'm back to share something I found at Marshall's a couple weekends ago - The Korres Pomegranate regimen kit (reg. $39.50, $14.99 at Marshall's).

The set contains:

-White Tea facial cleanser, 0.68oz
-Pomegranate scrub, 0.68oz
-Pomegranate mask, 0.68oz
-Pomegranate cream-gel, 0.68oz
-Evening Primrose eye cream, 0.34oz

Regular readers may know that I am crazy about Korres' body care line and I am so stoked to finally try some of their skincare offerings! I really like everything in the kit so far, especially the evening primrose eye cream and Pomegranate Mask. I never use masks and I haven't been using eye cream for a while, so it's nice to have these. I'm not sure that I would re-purchase any of the items in this kit since they almost twice as expensive as drugstore alternatives, but it's still nice to give them a whirl.

 Score!!!

 Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday Gift

I have been so excited to pick up this year's Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift! It is a duo of mini-size Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments, one in the original Lemon Sugar (un-tinted) and one in Rose (barely there pink tint). Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments have a cult following and I have never owned one before, so I am happy to have these in my clutches now, especially for free!

 Packaging

Here are the mini lip treatments next to my Skinnygirl lip balm, which is the same size as a Burt's Bees lip shimmer. Though the lip treatment tubes are a bit shorter and thicker than the Skinnygirl lip balms, they have about the same amount of product. And as you can see the actual lip balm is narrower than a traditional Chapstick-size lip balm, which may be a plus or minus depending on your preferences.

As far as the content, these babies do contain chemical sunscreens but they also contain a ton of natural oils. I find the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments to be smooove, cushion-y and buttery. If they weren't so dang expensive I would probably re-purchase, but for now I will just enjoy these freebies!

Green Beauty Blog Rating: *****

DIY Plumping Lip Gloss

 Just saw this awesome DIY tutorial on Delighted Momma for making your own plumping lip gloss and thought I would share. It's super easy, just add some cinnamon oil (or peppermint or wintergreen) to a lip gloss, mix, and you're ready to plump! To make it all-natural, just start with a natural or organic lip gloss. Lindsay of Delighted Momma recommends using an unscented gloss, I assume because the oil may have its own fragrance, but I think it would be cool to mix and match with a fragranced gloss to get cool flavors like cherry-peppermint or cinnamon-orange!

Can't wait to try this...if any of you do and have good results feel free to let me know!

Newbies 2

Some more newbies for you! The results of me trying to reward myself through cheap beauty products.

Johnson's Natural Baby Lotion Minis, $1.50 each
I found these in an endcap display at Walmart. The lotion is 99% natural and has a thin texture which spreads easily but dries with a slightly sticky finish. The scent to me is strange, I can't really place it anywhere. If I had to call it something, I'd say it's like a fruity baby powder scent. I probably wouldn't purchase a full-size of these, but I'm glad to try the minis! The Johnson's Natural Line is also available at Target and drugstore.com.

Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Face Towelettes (10 ct), $2.99
I found these in the Target travel size aisle and figured they would be a good way to wash up on my flights to and around Scandinavia. The towels were slightly drier in the middle than at the edges, which seems to be a problems for towelettes in this type of packaging. They did a fair job at cleaning though, if not as good as regular old cleanser, water and a washcloth. I'm not sure that I would purchase a full-size of these towelettes but again, I'm glad to try them in mini size!

geoGirl Lip Shine in Pomegranate, ~$4
A current favorite and a re-purchase :) Review and swatches here and here.

Yes to Carrots Super Rich Body Butter Mini, $1.99
Another Target travel aisle find. I've tried the Yes to Cucumbers body butter and really liked it, so I thought I would give this a go. The Yes to Carrots body butter seems to have the same texture with the baby powder scent typical to the Yes to Carrots line. I much prefer the jasmine scent of the Yes to Cucumbers line but still like the Yes to Carrots body butter just fine.

There are the remaining newbies...hopefully I will have some more empty posts for you soon so I can feeling better about all the stuff I'm bringing home!

Newbies

I picked up a few new things in my absence from the blogosphere which I'm here to share now!

Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Conditioner, $8.99
I've been using this conditioner for a few weeks and am liking it a lot so far. It has good slip which I love in a conditioner because it makes it super easy to work into my hair. It also has the jasmine scent typical of the Yes to Cucumbers line. This conditioner is meant for color-treated hair, which I do not have, so I can't comment on how well it protects hair color. I have fine hair which breaks easily, and I find it does a good job at smoothing and moisturizing my hair without weighing it down.

ecotools Bamboo 6 Piece Brush Set, $11
I frequently use an angle brush to apply powder as eyeliner and unfortunately lost mine on a trip to Santa Barbara. So, I decided to buy some new brushes to replace my lost one and a few others which were starting to lose bristles. The set includes an eyeshadow brush, lash and brow brush, lip brush, blush brush, concealer brush, and of course my trusty angle brush. The lash and brow brush seems to be missing here, ignore that haha! The set came with a hemp case which is great for holding the brushes but a bit flimsy - one of my brushes has already busted through its little pocket. Oh well, nothing some needle and thread can't fix.

All of the brushes are made of eco-friendly bamboo, recycled aluminum, and cruelty-free taklin bristles. I find the brushes to be very soft, though the concealer brush is hard in the middle. I haven't figured out if there's a piece of material in there to reinforce the brush head or if some of the bristles are glued together or something, but time will tell!

Skinnygirl Tinted Lip Balm in Bright Red, $1.50 (on sale at Walmart!)
I absolutely love Bethenney Frankel and was excited to try something from her new face & body collection on the cheap. Skinnygirl markets this lip balm as being natural, and to some degree it is. Top ingredients include shea butter and castor seed oil, but I also remember seeing some undesirables in the list (like dimethicone maybe? don't have the packaging anymore).

Anyway, it's moisturizing, has a bright but sheer red tint and smells fruity. A great buy at $1.50 but (sorry, Bethenney!) I wouldn't purchase again at $5 unless some of the synthetic ingredients were removed.

Tube packaging similar to a Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer

In the tube...sorry I didn't think to swatch it!

geoGirl Lip Shine in Strawberry, ~$4

I love my geoGirl Pomegranate lipshine (review and swatches here) so much that I re-purchased it and decided to try a new shade. This is Strawberry, which is a purple-pink shimmer. I find Strawberry to be a touch too frosty for me, but I'm keeping it in hopes I can mellow out the shimmer by layering it with some other lip products. I'll let you know if any of my experiments work!

In the tube, I'm a fan of the lipstick style packaging!

Swatch!

I have some other new products to share but this post is getting long so I will leave things here! More to come!

As an avid beauty junkie I made a point of exploring every drug store, pharmacy, and beauty store I stumbled across in Scandinavia. One of my first finds was Kicks, a Finnish beauty shop carrying makeup, fragrance, and body care products. Still kind of puzzled about the name Kicks, I thought it was originally a shoe store. Maybe the store's named for the kicks you get out of buying makeup? Cue Frank Sinatra..."I get a kick out of you...."

Anyway, at Kicks I found my beloved Kings & Queens line, on the sale table no less! For about 6 euros (~$7.50USD) each I got three showergels in Lemon Flower, Cinnamon Orange, and Mango. The store also had the Sugar and Aztec Vanilla Pear scents.

  

 

Originally I had only intended to get Lemon Flower and Cinnamon Orange, but in my excitement I accidentally grabbed a bottle of Mango instead of Cinnamon Orange. I figured this out once I got home and unpacked my bag, and very distraughtly asked my boyfriend if we could go back and fix the mistake! He was kind enough to agree so the next day I brought home the bottle of Cinnamon Orange showergel that rightly belonged to me. I had become kind of attached to the Mango showergel so of course I had to keep that too :P

I've been a big fan of Kings & Queens since I bought a set of mini showergels at Marshall's, and I've been trying to track them down ever since! They are a Korres brand and are mainly available in Europe, though some of the scents are dupes for Korres scents. My absolute favorite scent is Nefertiti Honey, which Kicks did not have, but I've recently seen a set of Nefertiti Honey minis floating around the internet (shopping results here). I am sorely tempted to indulge!

So these showergels were probably my most existing European beauty find, but I have a few others to share. Stay tuned!

Empties

I am a big fan of empties posts so I am doing another to continue my blogging enthusiasm. It's such a satisfying feeling to finish something, even if it's just a bottle of cleanser! I present you with my latest empties...

Tarte Provocateur Face Powder with SPF 8
This must the third or fourth compact of this powder I've finished. I absolutely love the stuff - it's really finely filled and has a matte finish which is great for me since I tend to develop shiny spots throughout the day. The powder is also somewhat buildable so if I forget to apply concealer I just layer on some more powder where needed.

Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30
This is another product I've used for ages. It is cheap, has a high SPF and applies thinly and evenly with no white residue. The downside is that is has a lot of synthetic chemical ingredients including chemical sunscreens. I've been trying to switch to a natural or organic face lotion but alas, all the options I've found are too expensive at the moment! This face lotion has recently been re-packaged, you can see the new packaging at the link above.

Korres Travel Size Guava Showergel
I absolutely love Korres and Guava is one of my favorite scents in their collection. Guava is fruity and warm and it instantly reminds me of vacation since I usually sneak some Guava travel sizes in my vacay bag.

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Face Cleanser
This is my second or third bottle of the stuff and I still like it really well. I re-purchased to replace this empty bottle. You can read my review on this cleanser here.

That's it for my empties! My next goal is to finish a bunch of my half-used lip balms, with a 100% Pure lip glaze as a personal reward. Whowee!

 Norway (between Oslo and Bergen) as seen through a train window!

Yet again, it's been way too long since I last posted. I haven't really felt like blogging lately, but I'm hoping that by bringing myself to Blogspot from time to time I will feel more motivated to get some words down. I do have some exciting news - I just got back from a two week vacation in Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden, Norway, & Denmark). Being the beauty junkie I am I did some research on the local beauty offerings and trends before I left. Based on this awesome article (and my personal observations) most Scandinavians have a "less is more" attitude toward makeup. Many Scandinavian women, including a few friends of mine, rarely wear makeup. If they do it's maybe a smudge of eyeliner or a swipe of mascara. I didn't wear a ton of makeup while I was traveling - I did a brown smokey eye one night and wore cat eyeliner a few other evenings - but even that felt like a lot! It was nice to experience a low-key makeup routine and in some way it made me feel more authentically "me".

I do have a queue of posts I want to put up here, and I have some other news to share (somebody found their beloved Kings & Queens abroad), so hopefully I can come back soon and blog more! In the meantime I hope everyone is happy and well!

Empties!

I love reading other people's empties posts, and finally I've accumulated enough empties to do my own! This is what I've gone through recently:

Left to Right:

ILKA Scottish Pot Ale Conditioner
After months of saving this product for special occasions and "good" days I finally finished it up. I'm sad to see it go since I think the product line was discontinued, but I will remember it fondly. For the meantime I'm using some conditioner I have sitting around my shower but plan to try the Yes to Cucumbers Shampoo and Conditioner next.

Random Leaf-shaped Green Tea Soap
My Dad brought two of these home for me from a business trip. I used one up and have the one in the picture left. I have no idea what's in this soap, but it's shaped like a leaf and smells like green tea and is kind of too adorable not to include.

Burt's Bees Peppermint & Rosemary Body Wash
I absolutely love this stuff after a workout or a long day. The peppermint and rosemary smell is very calming (and natural) and a rinse always leaves me feeling really clean and cool. The product has since been re-packaged and now looks like this but I think I actually prefer the old packaging :P Burt's Bees also makes a soap in this scent, it's sitting in my shower now!

Alba Botanica Aloe & Green Tea Facial Moisturizer
This moisturizer worked pretty well for me though sometimes I felt it didn't moisturize enough. And it contains silicones. I've switched back to my old mainstay, Yes to Cucumbers Daily Facial Hydrating Lotion, and I think my skin is looking clearer and more even.

Love & Toast Mini Body Scrub in Clementine Crush (from the Love & Toast Happiness Kit)
I never did a full review on this - I enjoyed it much more than the Clementine Crush body wash and body lotion, which smelled a bit too sweet and synthetic for me. This scrub smelled sweet and tart and citrusy - my kind of scent! The scrubby bits were large and a bit sparse so I'm not sure I would purchase it again, but it was fun to try!

Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream
I used and loved this stuff for years but am ready to look for a more natural alternative with no silicones. Lately I've been using a bit of Yes to Cucumbers leave-in conditioner for styling (I don't think this is available anymore, but Yes to... does offer a Yes to Carrots and Yes to Tomatoes leave-in). Eventually I'd like to get my hair healthy enough that I only need to rub in a few drops of oil before I run out the door, but I'm not quite there yet!

Hope you enjoyed!

geoGIRL KOC (Kiss on Cheek) Cream Blush in Eco Pink and Eco Bronze

This post is VERY late, almost a year late. But I'm finally getting around to it. This is my review for the geoGIRL KOC (Kiss on Cheek) Cream Blushes, $5. I purchased Eco Pink (light baby pink with no shimmer) and Eco Bronze (reddish bronze with shimmer) shown below. Sorry some of the pics are a bit blurry! I purchased mine at Walmart but you can also find them online at Amazon, Drugstore.com, and other retailers.

 Eco Pink in tube.

 Eco Bronze in tube.

 Swatches L-R: Eco Pink, Eco Bronze

I chose these colors after looking at some pictures online, but was sort of guesstimating since screen settings may vary and the swatches on the packaging are not very accurate. Eco Pink was about the color I was expecting, and is a good every day color for me. Eco Bronze was much redder than I anticipated - I was hoping for a browner color I could use as a bronzer. I was disappointed that Eco Bronze wasn't the color I thought it would be, but I think the color will be good for contouring.

These blushes comes in a stick with the company name printed on the side and the color name labeled on the bottom. A plastic cap protects the product before it is opened for the first time. My stick of Eco Bronze actually popped out with the plastic cap, which I've heard is a common problem, but I pushed it back in and it hasn't fallen out since. Generally I like the stick applicator because it is so easy to use - I just dab some product on and blend.

 

Eco Pink packaging.

Eco Bronze with plastic cap.

I have included the product ingredients below. Main ingredients include castor seed oil, beeswax, candelilla wax and soybean oil. Because of the oil and wax base the blushes are smooth and creamy but they can feel a bit heavy on the cheeks. Almost like you put lip balm on your cheeks. Also because of the oil and wax bases, these babies caused some minor breakouts on my cheeks. I don't use them much for this reason, but I haven't gotten around to tossing them yet. Definitely not a re-purchase for me, but I'm glad I tried them.

My last complaint: You don't get much product with these, only 4 grams (about the same amount of product as the normal stick lip balm). The small amount of product accommodates the low price point, but next time I think I'll save my money for a bigger and better performing blush, even if it's more expensive.

Hope my review is interesting and/or helpful! Have a good week!

Green Beauty Blog Rating: *****

LEAP Organics

Recently I stumbled across LEAP Organics, a company which makes and sells organic soaps and skin care items. LEAP Organics is seriously committed to creating superior organic products in an eco-conscious way - all ingredients are organically and sustainably farmed and the business even runs on renewable energies! LEAP Organics products are cruelty-free and are not tested on animals. All of the products are vegan except for the lip balm, which contains beeswax. The prices are reasonable (from $3.49 for a lip balm to $16.99 for a face lotion) and 1% of the company's revenues are donated to non-profit environmental groups. The product packaging is gorgeous, not to mention fully recyclable or biodegradable. I love animals, so I was a fan right off the bat!

The soaps, body washes and lip balms all come in three scents:

-Lemongrass with Orange & Lime
-Lavender with Clove & Orange
-Eucalyptus with Mint & Anise

I'm most excited about the Lavender scent, but I would love to sniff them all.

Aren't these soaps beautiful? I can't believe they're only $5 each!

20% Off All Green & Natural Items at Drugstore.com

Popping my head out of the cave I've been hiding in to say, "Hi!!!". Also, in honor of Earth Day (April 22), Drugstore.com is offering 20% off all items in their green & natural department. As always, orders over $25 ship for free! I'm already filling up my cart...

P.S. While shopping around I ran across these and was almost knocked over by the burst of nostalgia. I love those fishy bottles :)

Beauty Origins

I was a late bloomer when it came to makeup. When I was 16 my Mom literally dragged me to the mall for my first makeup appointment (to be fair, she wasn't forcing me to wear makeup, but wanted me to at least give it a try). After wandering around the various beauty counters I chose Benefit for my first appointment. Some of my friends were already using Benefit products, and I appreciated the line's fun, girl-friendly approach to makeup. My Benefit makeup artist was fantastic - she recommended products that weren't intimidating to a first-time makeup user AND complimented my features and complexion! I used many of those products for years, and even have some in my makeup bag now! Just for kicks, below are the first makeup products I ever used.

Benefit Eyeshadow in Shimmy

Shimmy was a peachy bronze shimmer - an easy neutral for a new makeup user. The color really accentuated my green eyes and I ended up using every last bit of this shadow. This product has since been discontinued, but Benefit and many other companies make warm neutral shimmers that could be dupes.

 

Benefit Face Powder in Dandelion

Blush for dummies: This sheer pink powder was pretty much impossible to over-do, and I liked the way it brightened my complexion. I still have a box of it in my makeup bag!

Benefit The Gloss in Kiss Me

Kiss Me was a clear fuchsia gloss that smelled like strawberries and gave lips a light but noticeable tint. This cult favorite was re-released several times, and is now available in the form of Benefit's Ultra Shine lip gloss in Kiss You. From what I've heard Kiss You is slightly more pigmented that Kiss Me and contains a bit of shimmer. A mini size of Kiss You is available in Benefit's LE Ticket to Glossytown lip gloss set (6 glosses for $24) for those interested :)

Benefit Plush Mascara in Eggplant

The eggplant color of this mascara made my green eyes pop an the formula was great. I used this stuff for years before it was discontinued. Benefit now carries another purple mascara, BADgal Plum Mascara, which I find to be redder and brighter than the Plush Mascara in Eggplant. The BADgal mascara brush is also much larger, which some people may prefer. Personally I find the large brush to be a bit unwieldy, but maybe that's because I'm clumsy and accident-prone :P


So those are the origins of my makeup story! Do you have a story about your early makeup years you'd like to share? Are there any products from the early days that you still use, or were discontinued and you miss?

Lip du Jour

Lately my lip du jour has been a wash of geoGirl lipshine in Pomegranate over a layer of lip balm. After applying lip balm I smooth on a few layers of the geogirl Lipshine and then blend everything together with my finger. The result is a sheer, semi-matte tint that's bright but very wearable. This look is super easy and cheap to create - all you need is a good lip balm, which can be had for just a few bucks, plus the geoGirl lipshine, which retails for about $4.

I find that the geoGirl lipshines do best over a layer of lip balm as their thick, slightly waxy texture can cause product to get stuck on rough spots or settle into fine lines. Still, for their price they deliver good pigmentation, contain mostly natural ingredients, and come in mostly recyclable packaging.

No lip balm, no nothing!

1 layer lip balm + 2-3 layers geoGirl lipshine in Pomegranate

If anyone is curious, the lip balm I used for these pictures is Kiss My Face SPF 15 Lip Balm in Sliced Peach, which is one of my favorites.

Hope you enjoy! I'm trying to get more pictures of my mug up on this blog, and slowly work toward some Face of the Day posts. Time permitting, of course!

Yes to Carrots New Lip Items

My beloved Yes to Carrots recently released a couple new lip items:

Yes to Carrots Sweet Fig Lip Butter with SPF 15, $3.49

AND

 Yes to Blueberries Line Reducing Lip Treatment, $9.99

I am super interested in the Sweet Fig Lip Butter, but I've been (mostly) sticking with my "no buy" on lip balm and actually set this one back down when I encountered it at my local Walgreens. I have had my weak moments, though...I'll blog about that later ;)

Design:Beauty

Once or twice before I've mentioned on the blog that I'm a student - I'm studying Interior Architecture and Design and hope to be an Interior Designer one day! I stumbled across the gorgeous Malachite wallpaper by Cole & Son  while working on a project and it inspired the little collection of beauty products below. It was pretty fun to merge by love of beauty and interior design. I might try this again in the future!

For those who don't know, malachite is a green mineral that develops beautiful ringed patterns. It has been used for centuries as a green pigment, but it also has antioxidant benefits and is used in many skin care products. Trivia for the day :) Hope you enjoy!

Malachite by laurenlovesocean featuring beauty products

Jane Iredale Mystikol Eyeliner and Highlighter in Malachite
$25 - yesstyle.com

Malachite Perfume by Banana Republic
$60 - amazon.com

Malachite Soap Rock
$8.50 - amazon.com

Mineral Fusion Mineral Shampoo
$9.99 - drugstore.com
*Contains actual malachite!

Kings & Queens Body Butter in Nefertiti Honey
nivenandjoshua.com
**Also contains actual malachite!