Farmhouse Fresh Haul and a Mother's Day Gift

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I've been a fan of Farmhouse Fresh products ever since I picked up a few of their products from a local spa about 4 years ago. So, when I received an email letting me know they had a special going on, I moseyed on over to see what new products they might have. I picked something new and an old favorite, so let's take a closer look!

The old favorite is the One Fine Day Shea Sugar Face Polish ($25). It's a gentle cleanser and exfoliator that is targeted towards dry and sensitive skin, but I find it works well for oily skin as well.

I like using it a few times a week as my morning cleanser, although it s gentle enough to use daily if you prefer. The scent (grapefruit and citrus oils) is lovely and puts me in a good mood, and my skin is left feeling smooth, clean and soft. My first jar lasted me well over a year, and I'm happy to have another!

The something new are two All-Purpose Shea Butter Balms ($12.50) in Marshmellow Melt (scented with all natural tonka bean and sandalwood), and A la Mode (reminiscent of old fashioned vanilla churned ice cream). 

The fragrances on both of these is soft but does linger for a while, and indeed I need to sniff my hands in order to detect them. I'm okay with that, as I will wear them mainly at night, when I tend to have my hands near my face. I wore Marshmellow Melt last night and could smell the scent when I woke up throughout the night due to thunderstorms. 

There are several oils and seed butters in these balms (coconut, soybean, shea butter, mango, cocoa, and apricot) so they are oily in texture. While they do sink nicely into the skin after a few minutes, they are not the kind of balm I would put on when I need to do something with my hands right afterwards. Hence, perfect for night time when I want a more emollient and heavy duty moisturizer for my hands and feet. I bet these will work wonders on my cuticles as well.

For the free shea butter body lotion, I chose Marshmellow Melt ($30) as a Mother's Day present for my mom. She loves body lotions and I keep her in good stock :-) The glass pump bottle feels luxurious and the packaging is lovely.

I love the ethos of Farmhouse Fresh, with their focus on natural/organic ingredients and animal rescue (you can read about those here), and appreciate the little extra touches on the packaging and a $5 off code for my next purchase. They were also extremely generous with samples, including some lovely postcards! 

The free shea butter body lotion GWP runs through May 7th if you would like to indulge, and mine arrived 3 days after ordering, so you should receive it in plenty of time for Mother's Day if you are gifting. You can also check out my reviews on Hello Yellow Shea Butter, Fresh Honeysuckle Blood Orange Custard, Honey Heel Glaze, and the Fluffy Bunny Shea Butter Hand Lotion if you need other gift ideas. I've yet to be disappointed by any of the products I've tried, although I will say the Whoopie! Cream scent is not my favorite :-)

Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream in Natural 05 by bareMinerals

I've been veering more towards BB and CC creams for my foundation choice the past few months, and bareMinerals newest entry into this crowded market caught my interest.  Described as "the best of a BB, a CC, and a tinted moisturizer", Complexion Rescue ($29) claims the ability to provide a 215% increase in skin hydration after just one week.  

I decided on shade Natural 05, designed for medium skin with neutral undertones.  It's a good match for me during winter, which is when I'd more likely be wearing Complexion Rescue due to my skin being slightly less oily then.  Yep, Complexion Rescue is described as providing a "dewy" finish, which I'd say is true.  No way can I wear this during the spring/summer, when my skin goes into oil producing hyper drive.

 Coverage is sheer, which was another concern I had, given my skin's less than perfect appearance.  You can build up coverage slightly, but Complexion Rescue main attribute is it's natural looking, smooth finish.  I relied on concealer to better cover dark spots or blemishes, and finishing off with a tinted setting powder (Le Metier de Beaute's Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Powder is my current favorite), helped both with longevity and shine.  

There were also days when I mixed Complexion Rescue with one of my more full cover foundations, with pretty good results.  I could also see using this as primer for it's sunscreen/skincare benefits, with a mineral powder foundation on top. 

Bottom line, I like Complexion Rescue, although my oily skin makes it not the best fit for me year round.  I'm still planning on purchasing the Goop CC Cream once my shade is back in stock, as it does a better job in the coverage and mattifying department. 

Green & Natural Sample Filled Bear Naked Bag from Drugstore.com

Disclaimer:  Images are from drugstore.com, unless otherwise noted.

Just wanted to give a heads up that drugstore.com is offering a GWP bag filled with $42 worth of green and natural samples.  I took advantage of this offer several years back and really enjoyed testing out the various products I received.

2013 Earth Day sample bag contents (Photo:  my own)

This year's version contains a mixture of food/snack items, supplements/natural remedies, and beauty items.

I see quite a few new to me brands, which is one of the reasons I enjoy taking advantage of these kind of offers.  I've been shopping at drugstore.com for years now, and really appreciate the variety of items they offer, as well as the frequent sales and GWP offers.

To meet the $50 minimum purchase, I selected  mainly food items, although this avocado oil could potentially double as a beauty item as well.

I like to have nutrition/snack bars on hand for those days when I'm running late and need a quick, portable breakfast.

And I needed salt.

I've been making fruit/vegetable/protein smoothies several times a week for breakfast, and I swear my skin is looking better as a result.  It's a really easy way to get my daily dose of antioxidants from real food sources, plus I like them :-)  I'm looking forward to trying out this plant based protein powder.

The Bear Naked bag filled with green and natural samples is available until February 28th if you feel inclined to indulge.  You have to access this offer via a special link (which I'm hoping is also available to all via their site, as mine came via email), as no code is involved. 

NVEY ECO Hydrating Lustres in Amour Rose and Flirt

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

NVEY ECO is an Australian organic makeup brand (no parabens, petrochemicals, or synthetic fragrances) launched in 2005, and the few products I've tried thus far have been LOVELY.  These two lip glosses are no exception, I'm happy to report! 

Featuring coconut and castor oils, honeysuckle extract, orange oil and natural beeswax, I'm finding the formula comfortable and slightly hydrating while providing enough color that I don't feel that I need to use these only as lipstick toppers.  In fact, Flirt is more along the lines of a lipstick creme, although it can be sheered out for a less intense look.

Amour Rose is the sheerer of the two, although it still provides enough color to tint my lips pink.  I was prepared to not like this color when looking at the tube, as I though it would veer '80's frosty pink.  It doesn't, fortunately!

Flirt is a brick toned reddish brown, and I've been reaching for this more often than I expected.  I've had these for months, as they were a GWP from when I bought two NVEY ECO blushes from Ulta, and because my expectations were low I'm just now getting around to wearing them.  Now, these  will definitely be promoted to my purse, I like them so much.

Amour Rose

The tubes are smaller at .28 oz. and the price is $17, but if you are looking for a good organic lip product that is a cross between a gloss and a lipstick, these are definite contenders!

Flirt

Smoky Quartz/Twilight Pressed Eyeshadow Duo by Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques

I'm always excited when I receive makeup items in my Eco Emi subscription box, as they typically are not something I already have in my collection and they are going to be from a natural ingredient based cosmetics company.  That's how I actually discovered Lauren Brookes Cosmetiques, and since then I've found a foundation from them I really like (review here), as well as their pressed eyeshadows.  Lovely formulas on both!

Another thing I love about receiving items in subscription boxes is that often the colors are not ones I would have gravitated towards on my own, but that I end up loving.  Such is the case with this gray duo, both of which feature a matte finish (I'd say they look more satin).  The darker Smokey Quartz has great pigmentation, applies smoothly, and blends out easily while still maintaining intensity.  The lighter Twilight was also lovely to work with and made for a great base shade.

Twilight, Smokey Quartz

For this look, I used Maybelline's Inked in Pink Color Tattoo cream shadow as an all over base color to work with, mainly to help warm up the cool tones of this duo, plus I like pinks/grays together.  The wear time was an impressive 8-9 hours before I could see some disintegration.

In this one, I used a grayish green cream shadow from Sula Beauty called Big Flirt (review here) as the base, which has a nice silver sparkle to it.  It gave the overall look a slightly greenish cast.

 The shadow formula is quite interesting:

• Zinc: Natural UVA & UVB protection. Protects against free radical damage.
• Broccoli Seed: Rich in Vitamin A & Essential Fatty Acids, Moisturizing.
• Orange Peel Wax: Excellent emollient properties, provides a protective barrier for skin, anti-microbial.
• Lecithin: Rebuilding, restorative agent. Supplies Vitamin B and reduces cholesterol build-up in the skin.
• Jojoba: Nourishing and hydrating.
• Allantoin: Stimulates new and healthy tissue growth, a skin cell proliferant.

I've got one other Lauren Brooke eyeshadow duo that I bought last Christmas called Toffee/Sandalwood, and the formula seems to be consistent in the two I've now tried.  Available in 8 color combos, the duo's are $12 each, but you can sign up for email alerts on periodic sales. 

May & June Eco Emi: Happy Independence Day!

June Eco Emi

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

Yes, I'm a bit behind in posting the contents of my Eco Emi subscription boxes ($15/mo), so you are getting a twofer post today.  I'll start with June's box, since it had a 4th of July color motif.  I hope those who celebrate Independence Day are having a happy and safe one!

My faithful photo assistant, Maggie

I'll admit it, I'm excited about the dog shampoo sample ($2).  Maggie is the only one of my dogs that doesn't have to be bathed regularly, as she does not smell.  In fact, she smells really nice!  I think it must be a breed thing.  She's probably only had 7-8 baths in her 9 years of living.  The terriers, OTOH, can get a bit funky.  Both Lulu and Lily are in need of baths soon, so I'll be putting this item to good use!

The second item that caught my eye is the Lavender Cuticle Oil ($5.29) by Whooty Hoot Creations.  Love the rose petals in the mix.

I was super excited to see the eyeshadow duo ($12) from Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques!  Fortunately, it's a different color than the one I purchase last Christmas, Toffee/Sandalwood (review here).  I'll post a review once I've played with this a bit, but I can say the dark gray is super pigmented and smooth.

Also hard to go wrong with receiving a sunscreen this time of year, and the ingredient list of this Aubrey sample (68 cents) is intriguing.  I'll be trying this out while mowing my yard today or Sunday.

The Molly Rose Lime Coconut Lip Balm ($5) smells great, but the formula is rather dry/matte and doesn't provide enough moisture for my lips.  Given the ingredient list I'm not really sure why this is the case, but there ya go.  This one will probably join the others that just didn't gel for me in the not quite right lip balm cemetery.

I also received an emory board ($3), a hair tie ($1.33), and a Vanilla Chai Infusion mix ($2.99), which brings the total of June's box to $32.29.  Now for a quick overview of May's box!

May Eco Emi

The pleasant surprise for me in this box was the Suncoat polish in Cinnamon ($8.99).  I really wasn't expecting much, but it's quite pretty and wore very well for a water based polish.  Very happy with this.

I'm a proponent of aromatherapy and use essential oils to scent my house, so Chill Pill ($10.99) is a welcome addition.  I add a few drops to my heated diffusers and soon can smell the sweet orange, lavender, patchouli, mint, sweet basil, and chamomile that makes up this mixture.  It reminds me of a spa.

I've used the Strawberries & Cream Facial Mask by bodyBrana ($10.50) once, and I like that this is one you can mix with water, milk, or toner.  I used a rose toner and want to try mixing it with yogurt for my next go around. 

I need to find where I put the The Berry Sugar Scrub by Beazer's Garden ($1?), as I don't remember using it yet.  I do remember that it smelled delicious, and now is the time of year that I use sugar scrubs regularly.  

I also received 3 teabags ($1.38), each with a different blend:  Energize, Cycle-Ease, and Sweet Dreams. 

The other food/consumable items in the box were Wild Watermelon sugar-free gum by Glee ($1.09), and a Sundried Italian party dip by Ellbee's ($5), bringing the total of May's box to $38.95.  I'm pleased with both May and June's box, and after 2 years of receiving Eco Emi boxes, still look forward to them!