Skylar Scent Club Review

One areas of my non-toxic and natural beauty journey that has fortunately been an easy transition is in the fragrance department. Fragrance in the beauty industry is considered proprietary property and therefore does not have to be disclosed. However, traditional fragrances are compiled of all types of chemicals. I'm a firm believer that our skin should be treated as an organ and what goes on it will go into it. So the second I smelled Skylar's perfumes, I was instantly hooked knowing they are clean. They're hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and cruelty-free. Recently, they introduced their monthly Scent Club. I should also note that I am not sponsored by them and genuinely want to share my thoughts. Their Scent Club is $20 a month that gives you a roller ball size fragrance that is only available for the month.

After much debate of joining, I caved at the last day it was available in their first month (that was April). I have been a member for four months now and do enjoy the surprise factor, the cute packaging, and having another clean fragrance. If you have ever priced non-toxic fragrance, you would realize how affordable this is. The Scent Club offers more accessibility to more people that might not be able to buy (or risk) a perfume at $100+.

This month's scent is Salt Air. It's timely for the Summer season, which all scents have fit the season. It's one of two that have been my favorites. Each month comes with a bookmark, a box that explains the scent, and will tell you other Skylar fragrances to layer it with.

As a person who is particular on the types of scents I am drown to, this has pushed my scent collection to being open to other notes. And as someone who would not be ok with that, for $20 a month it's a price I'm willing to do. Both May and June were not my favorite and I haven't really worn. For now, I'm keeping those two for my gift stash. Overall, I know this is a subscription I enjoy receiving each month and look forward to.

Have you ever tried a scent subscription?

My Favorite Beauty Products in February

One way I figured I could share my nature beauty journey was on Instagram every Friday. Have you seen it? Well, I figured it would be good to share here on the blog in a roundup for you at the end of each month. And if someone could please explain how it's already the last day of February, I'd highly appreciate it. Overall, I hope this helps you on your natural beauty journey (or at least exposes you to some great brands).

When I made that commitment to swap out my conventional brands to those with clean ingredients, I knew perfume was the first to go. Fragrance is something that brands tend to keep secret, but can contain all kinds of unknown ingredients. There's just no transparency. The major concern is this can cause hormone disruption. So I made peace with not having perfume, and figured I wouldn't find a replacement for a really long time. Turns out, it wasn't that long. At my previous job, we received a PR package with Skylar, a natural perfume line based in LA. Meadow, a soft floral, was my introduction to the line. I've since picked up Isle, a clean and fresh scent. I know I probably wouldn't have bought Isle if I didn't already smell Meadow, but they do have a sample pack to test.

I'm pretty sure the cure to everything is a good face mask. Well, this face mask didn't disappoint! My skin is always dry and I didn't know what to expect from this mask. What I got was extremely hydrated skin that gave me that youthful look I effortlessly had in my early twenties. Yup, I'm sold! It is called Radiant for a reason. Svati Organics is a new non-toxic line I discovered at the Indie Beauty Expo last month. It's owned by a single mom and was inspired by her trip to India. 5% of the brand's profits are donated to send orphaned girls in India to school. 

Oh, Osea! It's an OG brand in the natural beauty world, that derives seaweed as the key ingredient to their entire line. Their Anti-Aging Hand Cream is one of their newer products, but lives up to the rest of the line. Again, my skin is dry. Painfully dry might be a more accurate description. My hands suffered from scaly, cracked patches that were desperate for help. After realizing I had been sent this cream, I gave a desperate try. A couple days later with daily use, I found my hands looking normal again. This definitely is a splurge, but a little does go a long way and it actually works.  

This is one of those things that I can blame Instagram for making me buy. After seeing these fun sticks from Cocokind a bunch of times, I figured at $9 each it couldn't hurt to test them out myself. And let's just say that they are on heavy rotation now. The Turmeric Stick has been a game changer for that time of the month when my hormonal acne decides to show up. Nothing ever cleared it up so quickly until this! The My Matcha is great to add moisture anywhere on your face, but I use it at night under my eyes. Again, this girl needs all the moisture.

Have you tried any of these? 

The Best Green Beauty Products of 2017

Never in my life have I been into beauty products until last year. I was that one girl, who if she found something she stuck with it. Basically, I used all the same skincare and beauty products for a good decade. That all changed when cancer hit real close to home (you can read more here) and found myself head deep in trying to make some preventative changes for myself. While I kept replacing and discovering new-to-me brands/products, I came to find some I flat out hated and loved. Lucky for me, there were more loves than hates, but it's not fun wasting money. So after a year of discovering, these are my favorite green beauty products and hopefully helps you find a clean replacement!

Sway Deodorant
The first thing I tried hard to switch was deodorant and let's just say it was a very stinky year until November/December. This brand has only been on the market for less than a year, but it works like no other natural deodorant. It does come in a kit with the deodorant and dusting powder. There will be a full review coming this month, but had to mention it.

Lansinoh Salve (AKA Nipple Cream)
If there's one thing I learned from my former boss, it's nipple cream is the best chapstick of your life. I did work in the mom industry, in case your wondering how the heck this topic came up.Believe me when I say that you're looking at the girl, who had the worst chapped lips all year long. Nothing ever worked until I used this. They come in small tubes (practically lipgloss size) making it discrete and convenient to use on your face.

OSEA Vitamin C Polish
Not only is OSEA natural, but they are family owned and have been doing this for 20 years. While their Vitamin C Polish is one of their newer products, it's a splurge that is worth it. Powder based, it's a probiotic for your face and does the best exfoliating job. You always hear about glowing skin, while this is my glowing skin product rave. Again, it's an investment, but a little goes a long way for results you can see and feel.

Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Daily Shade Facial Lotion
Obviously, I care about my skin and protecting it from the sun is equally as important as the ingredients I use. But finding an SPF moisturizer when your tan complected is no easy task! Just picture me walking around with a white film on my face--not cute! You don't get that from this affordable moisturizer. The rose scent is mild and no where near off putting.

100% Pure Lipsticks
We can all agree finding your favorite nude lipstick is a big task. After realizing that my conventional lipsticks were ending up in my stomach from eating and lip licking, I made it a priority to find replacements. Out of the one's I tried this year, 100% Pure's latest lipsticks in mojave and cassia are clean and the prettiest nude shades.

Skylar Perfume
One of the big giveaways that something is not clean and green is if it has fragrance. Finding a non-toxic perfume was one I thought would take me years to come by, but so glad Skylar landed in my hands. They were created by a mom, who wanted something clean and hypoallergenic. Besides having minimal packaging that I'm all about, the scents are fresh and unique. You can find my wearing Meadow everyday! While I feel (and smell) good wearing them, I do notice they fade quicker. My tip: spray your hair and clothes to make the scent last.

Defy & Inspire Nail Polish
While there is no such thing as a completely clean nail polish, there are better choices. Trust me, it was hard tossing my collection of beloved Essie bottles both for the money spent and plain vanity. But this brand is one you can find at Target making it easily accessible and affordable. They are 5-free (I've only seen 7 or 9-free), so they are middle of the green standard. They last just as long as your average nail polish and appreciate the range of colors.

Have you bought any green beauty items? I would love to hear your favorites!