Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser: First Impression

I'm always on the hunt for good skincare products, but the one thing I've found is that I'm a total cleanser junkie. I've always found myself switching out my cleanser if I don't like something in my skincare routine because I absolutely love cleansing my face...is that just me?

So let's cut to the chase here. I recently ran out of my Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser (which I loved for the warming feeling and how clean and soft it left my skin), so naturally I went into my local Sephora to check out what they had that was good.
Well, that's not exactly true. It started out as a routine trip during my lunch break at work, which turned into me swatching 900 different eyeshadows, followed by a Sephora employee asking if I need help because I'm covered in colors. This time, I told her "oh no, thanks, I'm okay". She turned to walk away and I found myself yelling "WAIT! I think I do need help...how good are  you with cleansers?"
She perked right up. We discussed my skin for a little while; I told her that I'm addicted to cleansing oils and she showed me the Boscia Makeup Breakup cleansing gel. She then asked how into skincare I was and I laughed. She knew that meant I'm just a little obsessed, so she asked if I was into trying something different, and of course I said yes.
So she brought me to Caudalie. I'd heard of them before, Elle Fowler uses their Beauty Elixir so immediately I thought "oh hey, luxurious". She tried the foaming cleanser on the back of my hand dry (which I have come to find out is the wrong way to use it, it's supposed to be used on damp skin) and it still removed most of the swatches I had made with the exception of some hardcore pencil liners. So I said why not!
I tried it for the first time in the shower this morning, and so far it's made my skin so incredibly soft and smooth and radiant. I'm currently experiencing a breakout (ugh PMS) so we'll see how it goes...but if any of you have tried it please feel free to let me know! I'm excited to see how it works- I'm always in the market for the perfect skincare routine. I'll keep you all posted as I use it some more...maybe I'll do an empty bottle review when it's finished? :)

Ingredient Spotlight: Oats

I don't know how I could have forgotten this one in my Ingredient Spotlight series! For those of you with red, irritated, flaky, dry, oily......okay basically oats are incredible for all types of skin, they're beautiful for the body, they're milky in the bathtub...seriously just try them.

Here's the deal:

Ingredient Spotlight: Honey

Time for another ingredient spotlight! This time we'll be focusing on honey, one of the most underrated ingredients in the beauty world.

Sure, you sweeten your tea with it, you might even eat some right off the spoon when you're trying to help your allergies along (local honey helps!) but do you know what it can do for your skin?
Honey is a natural preservative. In lots of face products, you don't need any parabens or other preservatives because honey will keep your products fresh!
Honey is also naturally antibacterial, making it safe to put on acne. It's antibacterial properties can help speed up the healing process of cuts, open wounds (such as popped pimples) and facial inflammation! Cool, right? It also promotes moisturizaton of the skin, so while it antibacterializes pores and helps clear your skin up, it also helps with elasticity and hydration! Sometimes I like to apply pure, raw, organic local honey to my face (about 2 tablespoons), and let it sit on my face for around 15 minutes. When I rinse it off (and lick it off my lips because I can't help it...) my face feels tighter but not dry, and I see a significant difference in the brightness of my skin when I wake up the next morning. No complaints here!
Honey is also an anti-irritant, so it can be used in just about anything to keep skin calm, balanced, and in perfect condition. It's also safe to be used on very young and sensitive skin because it helps protect against free radicals!
Plenty of products contain honey; to name a few from LUSH: Brazened Honey, Honey I Washed the Kids, Fair Trade Honey shampoo, It's Raining Men shower gel...the list goes on!

Let me know if there are any ingredients you'd like to see next time. Can't wait to do another one of these!

The Bugs Are Coming...

Don't get caught being eaten alive this summer, beauties! I've been moving towards more organic beauty/skincare products (I was already addicted to LUSH to begin with, but now that I am an employee there, I'm 100% on the more natural way of caring for your skin wagon.) so I thought it would make an interesting post to talk about some natural bug repellents! 

I recently discovered that Karma Kream from LUSH Cosmetics is a natural bug repellent; I did some more research and discovered that a few other bug repellents have the same ingredient in common: patchouli oil! Bugs apparently can't stand the smell of patchouli, so if you love the smell of Karma, you're in luck. 

Some other (less fragrant than that Off! bug spray) options are: 
Bug Repellent from One Eighty Products which contains distilled water, lemon, eucalyptus, citronella, grapefruit, cedar wood, clove, patchouli, and lavender oils 

Buzz Off Bug Repellent from Plunk Naturals (found on Etsy!) which contains generally the same ingredients as the Bug Repellent. Downside: you have to reapply every two hours.

Badger Anti-Bug Balm (which is a magical product, I completely endorse it), which is a bit different. It is a solid repellent instead of a liquid mist/spray that you rub onto the skin, so a small amount goes a long way with this product.  This product also repels longer than the other two sprays because it is in a more concentrated solid form. This one has eucalyptus, patchouli, gum benzoin, and sandalwood.

And for a fabulous smelling alternative, try the Karma line of products from LUSH! It has patchouli, orange, and lemongrass to make a gorgeous, natural scent. 

Good luck beauties, let me know if any of these natural products work for you!