Living Nature Eyes

  After learning more about nasty chemicals in my everyday skincare and make up, I slowly started clearing out my cosmetics bag. Some things were easy to get rid of, but the one thing I thought I could not let go of was my Dior Show black mascara. Even through there are plenty of 'dirty' mascaras promising x2, x10, x100, x1000 fuller, thicker, longer... and even 4D (what is that, exactly?..) lashes, the only one that worked for me was this Dior mascara. So I thought, how could anything else do the trick?
  However, the well-being of my eyes was somehow more important than 4D parameter of my lashes, so changes had do be made. I found out about this New Zealand- based brand called Living Nature. What attracted me to their eye make up was the ingredient list, judge for yourself:

Conditioning Mascara

Aqua (water), Ricinus communis oil (castor oil), Kaolin (halloysite clay), Cellulose, Cetearyl wheatstraw glycosides (&) cetearyl alcohol (wheatstraw extract), Candelilla cera (candelilla wax), Cera canauba (canauba wax), Jojoba esters, Mel (manuka honey), Cera alba (beeswax), Sclerotlum gum, Citrus grandis seed extracts (grapefruit seed extract), Lavandula angustifolia oil (lavender oil), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Bisabolol, Leptospermum scoparium oil (manuka oil). [May contain: Iron oxides (Cl 77491, Cl77499)

Eyeliner Pencil

Hydrogenated palm kernel glycerides, Caprylic/Capric triglyceride, Hydrogenated vegetable oil, Hydrogenated palm glycerides, Talc, Rhus succedanea fruit wax, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, Macadamia ternifolia seed oil, Ascorbyl palmitate. [May contain: Iron oxides (Cl 77491, Cl77492, Cl77499), Ferric ferrocyanide (Cl77510)

So plenty of healthy and conditioning oils and extracts such as jojoba oil, grapeseed seed extract, vitamin E and manuka oil. Living Nature only uses natural origin ingredients, preservatives and fragrances. They carefully list all the ingredients in their products with the source of each ingredient and their key function on their website. 
  But what about how it works? Well, I must admit I love using it and have honestly chucked the Dior Show in the bin! It took a couple of applications to get used to it, as it is more 'moist' than other mascaras, and it needs to dry a little bit. However, after a couple of uses it was as good as, if not better, a 'dirty' mascara. And the most amazing thing is, I think (well I am pretty sure) it is actually conditioning for my lashes, making them fuller and a little longer without the mascara. I always had short lashes, so this is a dream come true! Using clean eye make up has really made a difference to my lashes and eyes, lashes are more conditioned and my eyelids are not dried out by nasty chemicals. Does anyone else have a favourite natural mascara/ eyeliner? 

Goji Magic

I think I have recently become addicted to... Goji Berries. I am snacking on them all the time, but since they are packed with vitamins, minerals and amino acids, I don't think it is a dangerous addiction!

Goji Berries (Lycium barbarum; Wolfberry) grow predominantly in China, and have long played an important role in Chinese medicine. They also grow in Mongolia, and Himalayan valleys of Tibet and Nepal. Most of the Goji berries we can get in the west are in the dry form, but it is also possible to buy Goji juice. I love the sweet and tangy taste of the berries. For some reason I liked them much more the second time I tried

them. Maybe after finding out more about their nutritional values?...

 Goji berries were recently rated as having high antioxidant powers on the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) by the US Department of Agriculture. The higher the given score, the higher the food's capacity in destorying the free radicals that can cause cancer and speed up the aging process. Goji berries scored a staggering 25,300 per 100g, while prunes, coming second, had 5,770 per 100g. Goji berries contain high amounts of vitamin C, Beta-Carotine (important for vision), vitamins B1 and B2, minerals and amino acids. Goji berries are said to help improve the immune system, vision, liver functioning and to be beneficial for complexion because of their antioxidant properties.

  I am truly enjoying snacking on my Goji berries (they can be bought in any health shop). I prefer the slightly larger, fatter berries: they are sweeter and more juicy. I highly recommend these as a healthy afternoon snack for beautiful skin from within.

Ilia Lipsticks

  I wanted to write about another lovely brand called Ilia. It is a relatively new and small brand of natural and organic lipsticks. Ilia’s founder, Sasha Plavsic, wanted to create a natural lip colour line with a modern twist. Having worked in London, New York and California along different fashion brands in Branding and Marketing, Sasha wanted to focus on creating as natural lip care as possible. And so, after a long and careful process of creating the lip sticks, packaging (recycled aluminum!) and branding, Ilia lip care was born!

  I tried an Ilia lipstick when I was on a hunt for the perfect red lipstick. And found it in… Bang Bang by Ilia. The colour is bright red when you open the tube, but when you apply it is actually quite sheer. If you want more depth of colour, then just apply another layer. I liked that best: you can wear it as a conditioning balm with a hint of colour, but upon further application it transforms into a perfect lipstick. The texture is super-soft and smooth, conditioning and smells delicious too! In fact probably the only downside of it was it made me hungry, as it smelled so good! The lipstick stayed on for ages as well, no need for frequent re-application. All in all, I can definitely say it ticks all the boxes: colour, texture, and long wear!

  Now, the ingredients list. The lipsticks are 85% organic, the rest is mineral colour. There is some synthetic colour (except for in Nobody’s Baby), but it is less than 0.3%. I think I can live with that! They are packed full of wonderful oils such as jojoba, seed oil, sesame oil, pomegranate seed extract among others!

  INGREDIENTS (85% ORGANIC): Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Organic Jojoba (Simmondsia Chinensis) Seed Oil, Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Organic Sesamum Indicum (Seasame) Seed Oil, Organic Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate (Natural Vitamin E), Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) Seed Extract, Grape (Vitis Vinifera) Seed Extract, Citrus Aurantium Ducil (Orange) Fruit Oil, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Oil. May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dixoide, Iron Oxide (CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491), Red 7 CI15850, Red 28 CI45410, Yellow 5 CI19140.

  The lipsticks come in 6 beautiful colours to complement any complexion:

• Nobody’s Baby (nude)
• Dizzy (soft melon)
• Blossom Lady (muted pink)
• Bang Bang (classic red)
• Shell Shock (bold coral)
• Arabian Knights (deep berry)

  Further information at www.iliabeauty.com

Pai

  I wanted the first post to be about a product that I found made the biggest difference to my skin after switching to all natural! It just had to be Pai, a UK brand with Soil Association Certified organic products. It is especially formulated for sensitive skin; it does not contain any chemicals, parabens, or even alcohol (as it can dry the skin).

  I do not have particularly sensitive skin, more mixed and prone to breakouts. However, I knew about healing and regenerative properties of rosehip oil, so I was interested in Pai products that contained it. My first ever all natural product was Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil. Without going over the top one bit, I can say this product is amazing! First of all, you can use it for so many problems! I knew that rosehip oil is good for scar healing and lines. Someone advised me that it worked wonders on breakouts too. I was sceptical at first, but turns out... it does! At the moment it is my salvation for all my skin problems. I gave a bottle to my mum as a gift and she says it made her skin glow! What more could you want?!