Beekman 1802 Facial Wipes- Review and Eco-friendly Option

Beekman 1802 is a company I discovered late last year. I was in a little boutique and saw that they had a mineral facial sunscreen (their sunscreen review to come). As I'm always on the hunt for sunscreen that won't completely ruin my skin, I looked into this brand some more. Beekman 1802 is a cruelty-free brand that is all about their star ingredient- goat's milk which they include in just about everything they sell. Goat’s milk is high in lactic acid which is both exfoliating and moisturizing for skin. 

The 1802 part of the name is from the year 1802, that the farm that the goats currently reside in was originally built. Beekman is after the original owners of the farm. However, what attracted me to Beekman 1802 is that on further research I found out how well formulated their products are and the quality of their ingredients.  They also really focus on the treating everyone as if they are one of their neighbours which I like the idea of. A little kindness and respect go a long way.

One of the items I picked up from Beekman 1802 is their facial wipes. I can already hear some of you screaming- facial wipes aren't eco-friendly! For the most part I agree with you, but Beekman 1802 has gone above and beyond in my opinion and created an eco-friendly option for facial wipes. 

These facial wipes are biodegradable and come in a recyclable package. Which makes me very happy as these would be hard to give up.

I tend to only use facial wipes in either desperate straits and/or to remove my makeup before I wash my face for the night. It makes it so that I actually sort of double cleanse my skin. They aren't an everyday thing, but I do use them. I know they aren't the best environmentally speaking but these at least are making a lesser impact. I figure it’s every little bit that counts. These are great after a long day at school or work and you just want to remove your make-up quickly but not do your whole face routine. They are lovely as they remove make-up well but are gentle enough to use even around the eyes.

Not only do these work, they also smell AMAZING. I've tried two of their scents in the wipes the Honeyed Grapefruit and the Vanilla Absolute and they are both so wonderful. I often just close my eyes and breathe in the smell of them before or after I use the wipe. 

Honeyed Grapefruit is my favourite of the two, to me it exactly embodies grapefruit that has been broiled in the oven with honey drizzled on top (if you've never tried it, I highly recommend that as a snack, so yum). Juicy and sweet and just wonderful. Vanilla Absolute is lovely too with an excellent not overly sweet vanilla scent with a light grounding note. The next scent I'd like to try is their Sweet Grass scent, but they have others if none of these strike your fancy. One thing to keep in mind is that although there are scent notes given for description of the scents, I find that the scent name tends to be a better description of the fragrance. For example, Honeyed Grapefruit scent notes include Jasmine and I dislike Jasmine and can’t smell even a hint of it in Honeyed Grapefruit. For those out there sensitive to fragrance they also have a Pure option that is scent-free.

 

View of a wipe so you can see the texture.

These are also exceptional for face wipes in that they are alcohol-free and actually have moisturizing and skin care ingredients in them. They are ever-so-slightly textured in a honey-comb-like pattern and are white in colouration.

Here's a list of the ingredients for the Honeyed Grapefruit Wipes:
Water (Aqua), Decyl Glucoside, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Extract, Caprae Lac (Goat Milk), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Citric Acid, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Polysorbate 20, EDTA Disodium, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance (Parfum).

In addition to the packaging being recyclable they somehow managed to make it so that the sticker-flap actually seals in the moisture for these wipes. I hated when in the past I’ve used face wipes and the last few in the package are dry because the top didn’t seal properly. Such a waste. I’m now almost through my first package and a good way through my second package and I’ve not had any dry-down in the wipes at all. They are still as wet as when I first opened them. 

Image from the HSN website

These wipes retail for $7 USD for 6 oz or 30 wipes. So, these aren’t cheap, but I feel like the quality of these is so much nicer than other facial wipes I’ve tried. Which I honestly didn’t think I’d say- I mean I was of the idea one face wipe is the same as all the rest. You can purchase them on the Beekman 1802 website, but they are also available through the Home Shopping Network (often you can score deals on bundles), or The Shopping Channel if you’re in Canada. They sometimes have retailers in small boutiques as well, such as Pedlar’s Quay in Tillsonburg, Ontario, where I purchased my first package. 

I would say that the only issue I have with these is that it says on the package that they only have a two-month shelf-life. I’ve kept and am still using them after this point and not noticed any issues but something to keep in mind.

Sprite Rating: 9.5/10

I will for sure be purchasing these again. They work so well, smell and feel luxurious and are biodegradable. Beekman 1802 did a great job on these!

Viva Organics Amaze Exfoliating Gel Review

Viva Organics Amaze Exfoliating Gel, Image from TheGreenKiss.ca

Viva Organics isn't a brand that I've heard too much about, but I was browsing through some clean beauty websites and saw this. Someone left a rave review about this mask/treatment and I eventually decided to take a chance and order it. I am SO glad that I did.

Viva Organics is a natural/clean/green brand. The Amaze Gel is Paraben, Gluten, GMO, artificial fragrance and colourant free. It's also hypoallergenic, formulated for sensitive skin, vegan and cruelty-free.

The Amaze Exfoliating Gel is supposed to do exactly what it says on the jar- exfoliate your face. They state "This exfoliating gel treats blackheads, rosacea, acne, and blocked pores while also minimizing visible age spots, scarring, and fine lines. With its unique combination of ginseng and aloe vera, the Amaze Exfoliating Gel heals, calms, and repairs damaged skin. "

Awesome bamboo lid and logo design.

 But what makes this different than any other product I've tried before?

Frankly this gel is unlike anything else I've experienced.

The consistency of the Amaze Exfoliating Gel.

Firstly this isn't a mask and it's not a leave on product either. This gel is a quick treatment that literally takes 10 minutes tops- and that includes washing and drying your face off before use. In order to use this you dab some of the lovely ginger smelling gel onto your dry face and then gently massage it into the skin.

This is about all you need to treat a full face with the Amaze Exfoliating Gel.

Cloys of the Amaze Exfoliating Gel on my face so you can see approximately how much I use each time. 

Within seconds it starts to feel a little gritty under your fingers and then there are suddenly little balls. That is literally dead skin lifting away from your face and gathering. Keep massaging in circular motions gently all over the face and when the gel seems to have absorbed in/dried up then stop. You'll have this creepy but super satisfying experience of literally seeing all this dead skin come off. A quick rinse with a wash cloth and you're done. (Scroll quick if you don't want to see a pic of me with the result of dead skin balls on my face, I've kept it small so it's easier to ignore. Click the image to see it bigger if you want a better idea).

The impressive results of dead skin removal with the Amaze Gel.

The absolute best part? There is literally no pain associated with this. No stinging, no redness, no scrubbing, no tingling, no menthol. Literally no sensitivity. I'm not sure how it works but this stuff blows me away! There isn't even a grit to this product just smooth super-powered gel.

Afterward using this my skin is so so soft. Like I have to try not to touch my face soft. It has such great ingredients as well, including hyaluronic acid, and aloe as some of my favourites.

Here are the full ingredients: "Aqua (Water), Propanediol (Zemea, Approved by Ecocert), *Vegetable Glycerine, Cetrimonium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Carbomer, Polygonum Multiflorum Root, *Camellia Sinesis Leaf (White Tea), Potassium Sorbate, Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus Ferment, *Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, *Panax Ginseng Root, Angelica polymorpha Sinensis, Sodium Hyaluronate" *items are certified organic.

Past all this, the packaging is super luxurious in my opinion. I love the heavy frosted glass jar and the bamboo lid. The only plastic part is the inner lid and the cover that goes over the mouth of the jar to seal in the moisture. I do wish they'd have come up with a way to eliminate the plastic completely but they did an admirable job in getting most of it.

The Amaze Exfoliating Gel retails for $49 CND for 30 ml or if you can find it some places like thegreenkiss.com have a 10 ml trial size available (as of this moment they are sold out). You can also find this product through PureAnada.ca  and well.ca. Take a look around a bit before you buy because sometimes these places have deals and you can save a bit of money (which is what I did). So yes, while this gel is expensive in my opinion it is so worth it. You don't need much per use and frankly the results are so immediate and satisfying it's well worth the investment.

Sprite Rating: 9.5/10

I will totally purchase this again once I finish it. I love how I can do this super quickly so it fits into my routine really easily, and I love the results. 

Have you tried anything from this brand Viva Organics? What are some of your favourite treatments? I'd love to hear from you!

The Body Shop Earth Lovers Fig and Rosemary 100% Biodegradable Body Wash.

Wow that is a huge mouthful of a name and a heck of one to type out. Sheesh, could they have made it more convoluted? Anyways onto the body wash itself, not just the title.

Lets start first with the claims of this body wash. The Body Shop states that this body wash is 100% biodegradable (i.e. you should be able to use it in a river and not kill anything), soap free, sulfate free, paraben free and colourant free. On top of this they go on to state that the bottle is 100% recycled packaging.

I like that a popular company has actually made a nature-friendly body wash without you having to spend a huge amount of money at a specialty camping store for it. (At least I don’t think it was that expensive, it’s from The Body Shop, they are usually reasonably priced for the most part. I received this as a prize from Product Pixie’s blog giveaway so I don’t know for sure).

As someone who likes camping this is a great option in my opinion without worrying you’re going to make nearby wildlife sick (as normal soaps will. You try eating soap and see if you feel well).

I also like that they’re using 100% recycled plastic. It obviously can be done, I don’t understand why more companies don’t use it. You think it would be easier and more cost effective to melt down already created plastic than to create new stuff from scratch but I digress.

The body wash comes in an easy to flip open closed snap bottle. It’s also not an issue to squeeze to force body wash out of the bottle too, which is important in the shower when you’re all soaped up and wet.

The scent of it though it certainly sounds strange is actually quite pleasant. Not too herbally, and not too figgy either. Just kind of a little bit of both. It’s not a very strong scent either which I think is a perfectly okay thing to have in an ecologically impact aware product.

Now the important part, without soap (and everything else) does it actually clean? The answer is a certain yes. I’ve used this without issue cleaning both myself, and my recently dyed hair and both feel clean and are dirt free. Surprisingly even without SLS it foams up fine- not as well as with it but more than sufficient to clean oneself with.

I also tried it on my hair as there wasn’t any gentle shampoo in the shower at the time and I know SLS is really hard on dyed hair. So I figured why not try the body wash and if it doesn’t feel clean wash it again with something else. It worked seemingly without incident to get rid of the extra dye on my scalp, so bonus there.

Overall, there isn’t too much I can say about this. It’s body wash and it gets the job done without negative impacts. That’s really as much as you can ask from a body wash. It wasn’t particularly moisturizing or had any stellar skin revolutionary ingredients. Though to be frank body wash is barely on your skin long enough to do much for it. And that ingredient would probably poison small creatures. In comparison there isn’t anything harmful or potentially harmful in the body wash either which is great and probably better for you in the long run.

Sprite Rating: 9/10. It does its job and it isn’t going to harm the local environment. It doesn’t get a perfect score as it doesn’t blow my mind but it is a good product.

Would I buy this again? If I was going camping and actually remembered it then yes. Otherwise I’ll probably stick to my super luxurious body washes (ex. Lush It’s Raining Men, The Body Shop Satsuma Scrub, or just a plain super cheap bar of soap. Yes, I suck but that’s the water sanitation people’s jobs isn’t it, and you can’t say I’m not telling you the truth).

Ten Beauty Products I Can't Live Without!

1. Blinc tubing Mascara in Black
I adore this mascara. It's the perfect easy to remove tubing mascara that doesn't smudge or run or flake. You can read my full Review Here. :D


2. Clarisonic Mia
I can't live without my Clarisonic Mia. Although mine is the white one, if the purple had been available when I bought mine I would have chosen that colour! This helps my acne so much and it really helps clean deep into pores gently. My review on this is here :D.


3. Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Foundation (Shade Shell)
Although I've been using the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation lately, I finally got my hands on the Double Wear foundation in my correct shade. This foundation is great, matte finish, lasts all day and covers well. My review here!


4. Mac Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
This is my favourite setting powder. I've tried quite a few others such as MUFE HD and Laura Mercier's secret finishing powder but this is the best. It really gives a soft focus effect when I use it with my mini kabuki, blurring the look of my pores until they're almost gone. I've finally done a review for this here.


5. Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Too Faced Shadow Insurance is my Holy Grail eyeshadow primer. It lasts all day for me and prevents creasing as well as feeling nice on and intensifying shadows a bit. Check out my review here!


6. TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer in Lighter than Light
The best undereye concealer I've tried this is creamy the perfect brightening shade and covers wonderfully. The only downside is that it doesn't work well over dry skin at all. I also like how inexpensive it is for the amount of product and how there is Vitamin E in it as well. Here's my review! :D


7. Nail Tek II Intensive Therapy
This stuff has saved my nails big time! From weak splitting nails that couldn't grow to strong healthy ones this as a base coat has transformed my nails. Another plus was that it was quick too! Read about my experience with it here!


8. China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
I don't know about anyone else but I always always ALWAYS mess up my manicure before it dries unless I have a quick dry top coat and this one by China Glaze is the best! Really quick drying and I actually don't mind the sweet smell to it. As with all top coats it gets a bit thick after awhile but some polish thinner takes care of that. (Review to come)


9. Nars Penny Lane Cream Blush
I just got this blush not too long ago and I adore it! I can't see myself without this anymore as it lasts all day (only blush I've had that does) and the finish is amazing! Check out my full review here!


10. Eco Tools Brushes
The best brushes out there in my opinion. Cheap, Eco friendly, creulty-free, easy to clean, and super soft! There is nothing bad about these brushes except maybe the fact that the range is sort of limited! Full review of them here! The picture above is one of the sets of brushes I've bought and use almost daily.

So that's it! I saw this tag and thought it would be a good fun post to do. I have a couple other posts in the works so more coming soonish! Hope you enjoyed!

Ecotools~ Introduction and Review

If you haven't heard of Ecotools brushes, you're about to! This entire lengthy post is all about Ecotools brushes and how much I like them. Because honestly that's what I feel like posting. :D

These are my Ecotools brushes. I use most of them daily. Up top is a mini Kabuki brush I use for my loose Mac Prep and Prime powder. Then from left to right is my blush brush, concealer brush (which I use for eyeshadow), foundation brush, eyeshadow brush and fluffy crease brush. What's so great about these brushes? There are so many I'm going to list them :D

• These are super super soft. Softer than any other brushes I've felt.
• All synthetic. This is great because they are 100% cruelty free but synthetic fibers don't harbour bacteria as easily fur fibers and they clean easier. They won't split or deteriorate as quickly either.
• The handles are bamboo and the ferrels are recycled aluminum
• They pick up a decent amount of pigment when in use
• They're densely packed with bristles (not sparse like some other brushes)
• They're widely available (Zellars, Walmart, Target, Ulta, online)
• They're inexpensive!
• Ecotools gives 1% of all their profits all the time to For The Planet a charity working for the earth  through 2271 different environmentally focused organizations. Yay!
• There are a large selection of inexpensive sets too that are just as good as the singles. (And most of them come with cute little hemp carry bags)
• The plastic and fabric packaging they come in is resealable so you can use it for travelling.
• The bristles DO NOT FALL OUT! Hallelujah!

Ecotools also sells bath items like scrub brushes and Body Wash which is 98% natural, sulfate free and cruelty-free. However, I've never tried them so I can't really include them in my review.
Let's start with my Foundation Brush. This is one of the better foundation paddle brushes I've used. It's soft on my face which is quite sensitive to prickly things and it's not streaky as the brush is dense with hair. Because it's so dense though I do find it hard to clean but it's sturdy and durable to my less than gentle treatment of my brushes. I like the way the handle is shaped as it's easy to hold and I actually like the way the bristles are dyed to look like real hair (even though they aren't!) If I can just find a easy way to deep clean this it would be my top foundation brush. It costs about $5.99 USD but that varies between store.
Rating: 9/10

This 5 piece set (with four brushes and a hemp bag) was my first Ecotool purchase. It includes a mini kabuki, a blush brush, a concealer brush and the fluffy crease brush. All are lovely, though the blush brush is a little flat. I like the blush brush for paler blushes as it picks up quite a bit of powder easily because it's so dense. The fluffy crease brush is perfect for blending or lightly applying a highlight colour , and the conealer brush is one of my favourite brushes for applying eyeshadow to my lids. The concealer brush also makes it easy to apply a line of eyeshadow along my lower lash line as it has a long thin tip.
The mini kabuki is great for my small hands and picks up powder well. I can get a good buffing motion going when I use it, and it helps blend too much blush a bit more too!
To be honest I've never used the hemp bag, though my mom uses it all the time and it seems to be well constructed. Costs approximately $11.99 USD.
Rating: 8/10- because I don't use the hemp bag and the blush brush needs to be fluffed up to work well.



The eyeshadow brush is just as good as the others. Soft, picks up pigment well, cleans well (in fact I can usually just brush it against a tissue to rid of all the pigment it's picked up) and it has a thin edge which makes applying shadow along the lower lash line easy. Love.
Rating: 10/10

Here are some other Ecotools sets and brushes that are popular!
Six piece Brush Set

Bronzer Brush (the handle on this one is hefty! You could use this as rolling pin is so thick! Heard many raves about it though.

Retractable Kabuki in bag

Retractable Kabuki on its own (Great for traveling and all recycled Aluminum)

This is the only picture I can find of the angled liner brush, but it gets great reviews too. Haven't heard anything good or bad about the grooming kit though (pictured above).

I also asked 33 make-up junkies (not including me) who had heard of Ecotools before "Do you love and use Ecotools brushes?" Turns out, 23 out of 33 of them or approximately 70% like them and use them on a semi-regular basis. If that doesn't say something about them I don't know what does!
These make perfect gifts for someone else or yourself if you're just getting into make-up. Having the right brushes makes it so much easier to apply cosmetics and create looks.