Korean women are famous for their perfect glowing skin, so naturally I needed to get this book that dishes their beauty secrets. The Little Book of Skincare: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin by Charlotte Cho is a light and easy read – I read the entire book in 1.5 hours but it felt more like 20 minutes. It opened my eyes to how skincare isn’t just a daily routine, but a way of life that’s deeply ingrained in Korean culture. If you’re curious about how Korean women take care of their skin, the type of skincare products they use, and the Korean beauty industry this book will give you an inside look. It brings the streets of Seoul and its skin-obsessed culture to life through vivid personal stories and answers everything you have been wondering or been puzzled by about Korean skincare.
PLANT Apothecary Review
I’m excited to write about PLANT today, because this is a brand on a mission to make organic and nontoxic beauty easily accessible to everyone. They’ve rolled out tentatively in select Targets (call or check one near you) and unlike some other natural beatuy brands that are available at Target, they are truly 100% pure and free of chemicals.
PLANT makes organic, all-botanical skincare and bodycare products that combine aromatherapy and herbalism – think 21st century apothecary. Their fine-tuned formulations are, as you can tell by the labels, created with a goal in mind. Your body listens to the mind so I love how bold and action-minded these product names are. PLANT is also socially responsible and deserves your support as their products are made by adults with physical or mental disabilities in Brooklyn.
Earthwise Beauty Review
Earthwise Beauty is, as you know from my Instagram, one of my favorite organic skincare brands. I am constantly in awe of Ava, the founder’s, creative blend of carefully selected and sourced ingredients and the passion and thought she puts behind each product. The packaging and product names are fun and quirky, yet the ingredients luxurious and outstanding. Each product is unique and made from unrefined, unprocessed fair-trade ingredients: unrefined botanical oils and butters, traditionally prepared herbs, and therapeutic-grade essential oils and absolutes. Let’s dive right into Earthwise’s newest product.
Affiliate code OBL saves 15% at checkout always.
Catharsis Face Cleanser and Mask
This is an innovative powder form cleanser that can also be used as a mask and its certified organic ingredients are truly impressive:
Aloe barbadensis leaf powder
Neem leaf powder (India)
Spirulina platensis powder
Chlorella vulgaris powder
Orange peel powder
Catharsis is a super fine powder that when mixed with a few drops of water turns into a paste. You spread it all around to swiftly remove makeup, cleanse and detoxify the pores and nourish the skin. I love the versatility of this powder which you can turn into umpteen different kinds of masks by adding your favorite facial oil, oil-based serum or honey or even just by itself and leaving it on for up to 30 minutes. Note that Indian neem leaf is strongly antibacterial/powerful and not meant for continued use over long periods of time. I would suggest using this cleanser in rotation with other cleansers like their Scarborough Fairs Face Wash which I absolutely love or their Marshmallow Suds Cleanser.
Forager Botanicals Coconut Isle Body Oil
If you love tropical scents and super hydrating body oils, this Coconut Isle Body Oil by Forager Botanicals ticks both boxes. Forager Botanicals is an all-natural fragrance and bodycare brand with a range of perfumes, body oils, lotions and washes. Their products are handcrafted in small batches in Brooklyn NY and are free of color, parabens, sulfates and preservatives. The Coconut Isle Body Oil has me dreaming of summer with its coconuty-fruity scent.
All-Natural Ingredients
Almond, Jojoba and Apricot Oils
Green Coconut and Tropical Fruit notes
The oil is designed to have a subtle and sophisticated scent, not one that overpowers. I find it to be more of a light oil that absorbs quickly.
Cocokind Review (and Discount Code)
Born in San Francisco, Cocokind skincare is affordable quality with certified organic, simple and effective ingredients and a focus on coconut oil. A lot of people want to switch to organic but find it too expensive for their budget when there ARE brands who create products keeping these people in mind. Cocokind is one of them. My cocokind discount code OBL saves at checkout!
French Girl Organics Review
I recently won several French Girl Organics products from a Petit Vour giveaway and could not wait to dish about them. Drawing from the founder Kristeen’s French heritage and inspired by the Parisian lifestyle, French Girl Organics is a skincare line that’s organic, wildcrafted and vegan. Many of their ingredients are sourced from their Urban Farmstead in Seattle where they handcraft each of their products, and the recipes have been tested on Kristeen’s family for 20 years. Read on for my French Girl Organics review.
Crystal Beauty
I am new to crystals and have just started learning about them because I tried crystal-infused skincare products recently. I Instagrammed my excitement over this new discovery and was fortunate to win a giveaway for a Druzy 24k Gold ring handcrafted by Leslie Francesca and receive a custom-designed Smoky Quartz and Amethyst necklace by Truly Deer. What I find most interesting about crystals is that:
Crystals are actually alive and have a precise rate of vibration
Crystals provide different healing benefits to its owner
The energy crystals carry can interact and exchange with the human magnetic energy field
Truly Deer
PureSol Konjac Sponge Review
If you haven’t heard of Konjac sponges by now, they’re 100% natural cleansing and exfoliation tools made from steaming the edible fiber of the konjac root plant. Used in Japan for 100 years as bathing sponges for babies, they’re now my favorite skincare tool because of their versatility and benefits. Here are the reasons why I love them:
Gently exfoliates and is great for sensitive skin
Improves skin texture and makes your pores smaller
Also a massage tool with a texture that feels amazing on my skin
Transports cleanser deeper into your pores
Biodegradable, sustainable natural and vegan
Marie Veronique Review
Perhaps the most scientifcally driven natural skincare line that I’ve tried, Marie Veronique combines cutting-edge research with the finest ingredients to create products that deliver results. This line is designed to target specific skin conditions from acne to aging and hyperpigmentation to rosacea. I tried their PRO Essentials Starter Kit which is a great routine to follow if you’re interested in probiotics-focused skincare and looking to prevent further damage.
My Handcare Routine
Taking care of the skin on my hands is very important to me because I adore the look of soft and supple hands. I also want to avoid rough, mottled and wrinkly hands for as long as possible. These are the rituals I do:
Overnight Intense Moisturization
Each night before going to bed I rub a dollop of organic, unrefined shea butter into my skin. It’s inexpensive (I purchase mine from Nature’s Shea Butter), deeply moisturizing and provides an intense treatment each night. I occasionally alternate with Henne Organics Lip Balm which can be used on dry skin.
Lilfox Botanicals Review
This was my first time trying crystal-infused skincare and I quickly became interested in the properties and healing powers of crystals. Each type of crystal has its own vibration and energy and are widely known to have a variety of health benefits. It is possible that this energy interacts and exchanges energy with the human body’s magnetic field. I also love the spiritual aspect that they bring into my skincare routine.
Use code organicbeautylover to save 15%.
Behind Lilfox Botanicals
Lilfox Botanicals is an exquisite organic skincare line infused with crystals that takes your skin ritual to an otherworldly level. The line is created by Alexis Rose (aka Madame Fox), a certified aromatherapist, essential oil guru, and phytotherapist based in Miami, Florida.
The Real Reason to Switch to Organic Beauty
The reason I switched to organic products was not because of how wonderful organic ingredients are but because I learned about the research behind the toxins we use in our everyday products. Each day the average woman uses 12 cosmetic products filled with 168 ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration are not required to review, test or approve any of these products nor do they have the ability to recall harmful products from the market. Considering personal care products are manufactured with 10,500 unique chemical ingredients and they’re not required to undergo any safety testing before being sold to the public, you can be sure that in your lifetime you have been exposed to your fair share of harmful toxins known to cause cancer, harm the reproductive system and disrupt the endocrine system.
How to Switch to Organic Beauty
Why Everyone’s Switching to Organic Beauty
Similar to the organic food revolution, organic beauty is now sweeping the world. Jessica Alba is slaying with her Honest Beauty company, Gywneth Paltrow with goop and you can now find organic beauty brands in Target and Sephora. Many of us are now choosing to lead healthier, more conscious lifestyles from what we eat to the clothes we wear to the beauty products we use. It’s shocking when you think about the thousands of chemicals lurking inside our everyday skincare and makeup products, many of which are linked to cancer, infertility and birth defects. We’re learning that it’s important to nourish our beauty through our skincare and makeup since the skin absorbs majority of what we put onto it. With more and more people deciding to place their health first when it comes to beauty, the organic beauty market has grown more sophisticated and accessible than ever before with an endless variety of choices.
How I Switched to Organic Beauty
Prim Botanicals Review
Behind Prim Botanicals
Prim Botanicals is a beautiful line of all-natural and carefully researched blends that truly perform. The brand was started by Stefanie and Victoria, 2 childhood friends who decided to create a line that would put an end to adult bad hair days and breakouts. Read on for my experience with each of their products.
The Three Face Mask Routine
This masking routine doesn’t involve just 1 face mask but 3! It’s the most intense at-home facial routine that I do on days when I have a ton of time for self-pampering. If you know how to give yourself a good facial at home, you can save hundreds of dollars on expensive spa facials. It does require a decent amount of effort, but grab a glass of bubbly, turn on Netflix and your skin will look amazing in no time.
Green & Gorgeous Organics Dry Shampoo
Why should you switch to an organic dry shampoo? The scalp and face absorb at a much higher rate than the rest of our body, so we need to be extra careful about what we use on this area. If you look at Dove’s Invigorating Dry Shampoo on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database you’ll find it has a toxicity level of 7/10 due to harmful ingredients like Butane and SD Alcohol. I would not want to accidentally ingest any of this.
Green & Gorgeous Organics Dry Shampoo is made only of Certified Organic ingredients:
Green & Gorgeous Organics Dry Shampoo
Why should you switch to an organic dry shampoo? The scalp and face absorb at a much higher rate than the rest of our body, so we need to be extra careful about what we use on this area. If you look at Dove’s Invigorating Dry Shampoo on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database you’ll find it has a toxicity level of 7/10 due to harmful ingredients like Butane and SD Alcohol. I would not want to accidentally ingest any of this.
Green & Gorgeous Organics Dry Shampoo is made only of Certified Organic ingredients:
