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 Natural Face Masks

When it comes to taking care my skin, I'm all about a good face mask. It's an easy way to up level your skincare regime and see the benefits right away (if you have the right face mask). But hey I'm all about them being the solution to any of lifes problems. I think of it as the healthier option to happy hour. Over the past few months, I've been obsessively trying new face masks. I may have wanted to see what all the hype was, but after sorting through the hits and misses I've found 3 natural face mask I use on a weekly rotation.

Svati Organics Radiant Pink Clay Mask

Not only is Svati Organics using high quality ingredients that are safe, but it's woman founded with the mission to help send orphaned girls in India to school. The brand launched this year, but was one of the first mask that got me hooked. It isn't called Radiant for no reason. You'll find a mix of Moroccan lava clay, French Pink Clay, Hibiscus and Rosehip. It's a generous portion packaged in a sophisticated black glass jar. For a real treat, I mix the mask with serum to take it to the next level.

Cocokind Organic Chlorophyll Mask

Well this isn't the first time I talk about Cocokind (see here), it's budget-friendly, clean, and delivers. Anytime my skin seems off or I need to detox after a weekend of indulging, this is my face's best friend. If you're a green tea lover like myself, you'll want smell this all the time! It's made with Spirulina, wheatgrass, chlorohyll and ylang ylang. Depending on how much TLC your skin needs, you can add more powder and less water. Basically, you want a thicker mask for more blemishes/breakouts. I'll use this nightly until my skin clears up, which is usually 2-3 days. 

Be Pure Beauty Theo Skin Balancing Face Wash + Mask

If you're looking for that natural glow, this mask won't let you down. It's a 2-in-1 item, either face wash or mask--total win! As a mask, you'll see you skin look revived and perked up. While it's not vegan, it contains honey. You will find it packed with 7 antioxidants-cacao, coconut milk, Moroccan red clay, honey, basil, elderberry and vanilla. And yes, you might want to eat this. It smells mostly like chocolate. If some of it accidentally ends up in your mouth, you'll be happy to know it's safe to eat ;) 

Are you into face masks? Let me know your favorite.

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 Dry Skin Remedies

If you're sitting there hoping this dry skin will disappear as soon as Spring hits, you're not alone. Let's face it, Winter is almost over, but your skin has taken a beating. I know mine has. I'm no stranger to dry skin. Dry flaky patches and chapped lips are standard. Anyone else dealing with that too? Only this year, I didn't want to deal with all this dry skin like I normally do. The best part is I've got you covered from hands, feet, body and lips! Oh, and you know they have to be natural and non-toxic around here. 

• Honest Organic Healing Balm - I would have not survived without this! It's very thick and moisturizing in the best way. It is greasy, so I recommend using this at night. It's gone on my feet every night and my feet have never looked or felt better. 
• OSEA Anti-Aging Hand Cream - Not going to lie, this is a splurge. But, hey, it works and really gets the job done. Don't be fooled by the light texture (I know I was)! You're hands will get instant moisture, but used consistently you'll see all those dry patches disappear. Because of the texture being light, you can use this day or night. Oh, and a little goes a long way. 
• Lansinoh Nipple Cream - All I can say is I never want to live without this stuff! Yes, it is meant for those breastfeeding. It just happens to be the best for chapped lips and gives a little gloss. Seriously, if you have the worst chapped lips, this is the magical potion you need. Nothing has ever worked for me and this is the game changer.

Hope these help get your skin ready for Spring! Let me know if you have any dry skin products you love!

The Best Natural Deodorant

When I decided to commit to switching to natural beauty, there was no question I was starting with deodorant. Let me tell you how big of a deal this is. My armpits are possibly the stinkiest, most sweaty as they come. Yeah, think teenage boy in the summer bad. I was the girl that clinged to her clinical strength deodorant for life. It was the only thing that worked. BUT this outweighed all the health risks associated to wearing conventional deodorants. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have made this change or journey without having breast cancer diagnosis hit close to home (you can read about that here). 

It's been over a year of testing, hating, loving and back to testing. It is frustrating and plain smelly. Boy do I wish I knew what I know now. Luckily, I am 100% positive I've found something that works. But let's dive into the gists of what you should know before switching to natural deodorant:

• Girl, you need patience and commitment for this switch. Unfortunately, it's not an overnight thing. Your armpits have built up all the product for years of your conventional deodorants and need a grace period to detox. Let me tell you it's not pretty. This could take weeks to a month. 
• Do yourself a favor and try not switching during the Summer months. Like I said, it's going to get smelly. 
• After doing all that detox period, your body could get used to your natural deodorant and stop working like it did. This happened months after for me. It's disheartening--I KNOW. Many times, people end up buying several brands and rotate. It's not ideal, but something to know.
• Most natural deodorants contain baking soda and your body could be sensitive to it or become sensitive to it. There are formulations without it, but not many.
• Natural deodorants will still make you sweat, but kill the smell (after the detox period).
• While natural deodorants do work, you might have to increase the amount of times you apply it. For me, I noticed I had to apply 2-3 times a day.  

The truth is I thought I found my deodorant and it stopped working. Then, I had to start using two brands of  the deodorant for my own little concoction. I was applying that multiple times a day and still self conscious of smelling half the time. Even worse, I started to develop a sensitivity to one of deodorants. Again, I just could not give up on this process for my health. Not to mention, I wanted to find something for the women in my life and ultimately you. While this two deodorants several times a day and the occasional rash was not ideal, I stuck with it.

Then one day, I received a sample of SWAY Deodorant and I haven't looked back. As you know, I've been burned before with natural deodorant, but guys this by far has been the best natural deodorant I've used. Trust me, I have been using this skeptically for about two months, but have only good things to say. It hasn't been on the market longer than a year, but is very different from other brands. First off, they understand that there is a detox period and make a Detox Starter Kit. It comes with a roll-on deodorant and a dusting powder. While I didn't have that weird detox period, I'm certain it's because I've been using natural deodorants for the past year. The other big difference is there isn't any baking soda. They actually use apple cider vinegar in their deodorant. The funny thing is another natural brand suggests doing a detox paste with apple cider vinegar. You'll also appreciate that over time your body might need less applications and will not stain your clothes. And the woman behind the business is one of nicest business owners, so there's that. Never did I think I would be able to forgot about whether or not I put on deodorant and I can't tell you how awesome that is.

Have you thought about switching to natural deodorant or have?