Product Review: BeautyCounter Hydrate Everyday Body Lotion

From the website:

Our lightweight citrus-mint body lotion is like a drink of water for thirsty skin. Made with a moisturizing blend of marula, mongongo, and safflower oils plus shea and jojoba butters, this fast-absorbing formula feels rich and nourishing. Perfect for everyday use and packed with antioxidants, amino and fatty acids to soften and condition skin. 

Ingredients: Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes, Linoleic Acid, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Butter, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Olivate, Carbomer, Sorbitan Olivate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Squalane, Allantoin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Ximenia Americana Seed Oil, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Hydrolyzed Amaranth Protein, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mimosa Tenuiflora Bark Extract. 

$22

When I first put it in my hand, a lot more came out than I was expecting. It seemed pretty thin, but not watery. Starting to rub it in, I noticed I would need to move some up onto my arms to get it all absorbed. The amount you see in the photo was able to go up to my elbows. It smells great, though. A nice creamy citrus.

Once it's absorbed, which doesn't take long, it feels really nice. It feels soft and smooth, not greasy or oily. I made my husband try it. He hates lotion. He hates the moist feeling it leaves. But he actually didn't mind this. So that's a win for me! His hands are always very dry. In the winter especially, he complains of them hurting because they're so dry. But he refuses to use lotion, or he'll make faces or complain when I make him put it on. So I'm hoping this winter it will be easier to get him to use it if he doesn't mind it.

I really think this is one of my favorite products so far. I like it a lot. And I like to keep lotion everywhere: the bathrooms, living room, my bedroom, the cars. So I think I'm going to need to get a few bottles so I can have them all where I like :)

Hydrate Everyday Body Lotion

How Many Products Do You Really Use?

BeautyCounter made a claim that on average, women use 12 products a day. When I first heard that, I was like, "Yeah right. They're exaggerating. Or they're talking about high maintenance women. Certainly *I* don't use that many products in a day". So I decided to actually evaluate how many different things I put on my body every day. I'm a full-time mom, so most of these things I don't use all the time, and I state that and put an asterisk next to the number to indicate that it's not used regularly. Now, let me walk you through my routine.

Most days, I take a shower. First I use shampoo (1) then conditioner (2). Then I wash my body with body wash (3). Then I focus on my face with face wash (4) and scrub (5). Then I like to use baby wash (6) that is maybe a little more gentle on my lady bits.  

Once I get out of the shower, one of the first things I put on is deodorant (7). Then if I had makeup on, i'll use makeup remover (8*) to get rid of the black under my eyes. I do normally use coconut oil, but sometimes I use this CoverGirl stuff, just because I bought it and I don't want to waste it. If I shaved my legs, I'll put lotion (9*) on them. I just use body wash to shave, so that's already counted.

I just started regularly using a serum (10) and eye cream (11). And of course, face lotion (12).

If I decide I want makeup on, I use foundation (13*), mascara (14*) and a brow pencil (15*). If I want to feel extra pretty, I'll add blush (16*), maybe eyeliner (17*) and a couple different colors of eyeshadow, no more than three (20*). When I put lipstick on, I like to put chapstick (21) on first (which I use daily anyway), then use a lipliner (22*), followed by the lipstick (23*).

Now when I do my hair, I use some kind of mousse (24*), then blow dry. I style with a pomade (25*) and hairspray (26*).

If I'm going on a date with my man person I might want to spritz on a little perfume (27*). 

YIKES! How in the world did I get to own so much crap?? So basically, at the very least, I use nine products every day. And the most, 26. Wow. I honestly couldn't tell you what is in most of it, and I put that on my skin, my largest organ, so it's soaking up all those unknown chemicals. I feel SO pretty when I do all of that, but I'm a bit disgusted thinking about what I'm putting on myself. 

So tell me. How many products do you have that you use regularly? You might be just as surprised as I was once you go through it all. 

Product Review: BeautyCounter Lip Sheer "Twig"

I tried a new product from BeautyCounter. One of their Lip Sheers. This color was featured in Allure magazine. From the website:

Our team worked meticulously to create the ultimate lipstick: the perfect mix of sheer color and polished sheen. The result? A formula that feels lightweight yet luxurious on lips while moisturizing and conditioning, too. Each of the six universally-flattering shades was color-tested to make sure every hue complements all skin tones.

Ingredients: Diisotearyl Malate, Jojoba Esters, Octyldodecyl Ricinoleate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Microcrystalline Wax, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Calcium Sodium Borosilcate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnuba) Wax, Tin Oxide. May Contain Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 5 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Blue 1 Lake.

$28

Here's their professional photo:

Looking at it, Twig is a VERY neutral color. I wasn't entirely sure how it would look on me. Smelling it, it smells amazing. A sweet vanilla scent. Here's the one I have. 

And here comes the test. In both pictures I've only put the color on the bottom lip so you can see the difference between my natural lip color and the lip sheer and see how much color is being applied. The first picture is when I first put it on. The second is after a few minutes. (pardon the quality, first time blogging and whatnot)

My initial thoughts: Uh... That's BROWN. Like, 90's brown. Oh great. My mom already ordered this color and I'm not sure now that she's going to like it. I walked away from the mirror and came back after a couple minutes. Hm. The color has settled down. If you look closely, the first picture looks more brown and the second picture is more rosy. (I'm hoping you can see it.) I like the color. And it feels really nice on my lips. Very moisturizing. Pretty much exactly like if you were to put actual butter on your lips. I think I'm changing my mind about this. I think their claim to complement all skin tones holds up.

So if you end up trying this and it doesn't look quite right at first, give it a couple minutes. It might just take a little time to settle in and blend with your skin tone. I'm excited to try the other colors now.

Also, just spoke with my mom and she said she really likes the way it feels and she can't decide if she likes the color better when she first puts it on or once it's settled. Either way she likes the way it looks.

If you're interested, you can purchase this product through me here.

Why I Support BeautyCounter

I have a very stubborn personality. I'll get an idea in my head of something that I want. Normally that something doesn't exist. I would love a couch that's comfy and that can recline, but also has built-in storage drawers underneath. That can't be that hard to make, right? But no. It doesn't exist.

I kept reading about how awful all the chemicals are that we're putting on our bodies. But I wanted something that is healthy and WORKS. Ease of use is nice, too. I couldn't find anything. Everything was too expensive, or had this one ingredient that put me off, or was homemade. And I for sure am NOT that patient or have the time and energy to find the ingredients and make my own. Plus it was always mixed as to how it would actually perform. I just wanted something easy. I wanted to find a company that doesn't lie or hide ingredients. It's really hard to find that now-a-days. They're all after their bottom line and they really don't care about their consumers. Walmart's a prime example. After all, where else are people going to go? There aren't a whole lot of options, therefore they can treat you however they want and get away with it. Anyway... tangent.

So. Something that's works and is good for you. Years pass and I'm still just using whatever is cheapest at the store. I'm trying not to pay too much attention to ingredients (I don't even know what the vast majority of them are, anyway). I stumbled across an article that mentioned BeautyCounter and how they aren't like most companies, in that they actually put your health first. The biggest thing that stuck out to me was that, to date, the US has only banned 11 ingredients from cosmetics. BeautyCounter has banned 1500 from their products. Yeah. 1500. That's a lot. I started going through their list of banned ingredients and I was astonished at how many I've seen on labels and had thought nothing of it then. If an ingredient is linked in any way to cause something negative, they won't use it. At first I thought that was a little extreme. But the more I think about it, I really appreciate that they simply aren't willing to take that risk with their consumers.

When I was gave birth to my son in 2010, before I introduced solids, I thought about how I wanted to give him the best nutrition possible. I started realizing how much crap I was putting in my body. I didn't realize what I was doing then, and I can't believe that I didn't see it before. When I saw 1000g of sugar in one serving of whatever, I was just like, "hm. that's interesting", and just ate it anyway. It didn't occur to me what I was doing to myself. I like to use the word "enlightened". It's as if I've been awakened from a long sleep and now I can finally see what I haven't wanted to see. Kind of like the Matrix.

The same thing goes with the chemicals we put on our bodies. I'm just now coming out of the "matrix", the world these companies want you to see, and finally seeing it for what it really is. And it's not pretty. But BeautyCounter gives me some hope that not all companies are just trying to pad their wallets at the expense of the consumer. It's my hope that in spreading awareness and helping people see what they couldn't see before, that we can change the way we treat our bodies and become healthier as a society. Maybe we won't be so burdened with these diseases that are costing us so much money every year. We'll live longer and happier and healthier.

I hope to be very clear about something. I am selling products specifically from BeautyCounter, for the time being, but I am not a hired employee. I have not been through indoctrination or corporate training or any of the sort. Yes, I make money off of sales, but it is merely supplemental to our income. This is much more about supporting a cause than about financial gain, and from what I understand about the CEO of BeautyCounter, she feels the same way. Right now, BeautyCounter is the only product company out there that makes beauty products with completely clean and healthy ingredients. It's beneficial for my family that I get to spread the word about this company while also getting a little bit of money from it. It could've been anyone that took up this mantle, it happened to be BeautyCounter. I am not a blind loyalist, I am not just "hawking my wares," I am most interested in spreading the word.

Also, when I review their products, it's just for you to get a good idea of what it's like. I'll do my best to go at it as a regular every day person and not a salesperson. I would like for you to experience these products as if through a friend, not someone who's just trying to sell you something. I know that some people may be skeptical about if their products work and if they're really that great. I know I was and still am. I've only tried a few things so far. I'm not sure how well these products can work if they don't contain all the ingredients that we're used to. I'd like to show my experience with them as I go through them. You are welcome to join me in this journey through BeautyCounter and their products.