Teadora: Amazon Powered Beauty

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

I've been on a search new body oils, fueled by my rather loose translation of Abhyanga.  What is Abhyanga, you may ask?  This video will both explain and demonstrate it better than I can, but it's the Ayurvedic practice of self-massage with warm oil. 

I like to do a quick oil massage after my morning yoga, as it further relaxes me and sets such a lovely tone for the day.  While I have some jojoba oil that works quite fine for this purpose, I tend to reserve it as a carrier oil to mix with my Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume oils. Consequently, my eye was caught while perusing beauty.com's new brands by Teadora, a company that features products inspired by and sourced from the Amazon rain forest.  I love the culture/ethos of the company, which you can read more about here.  All of Teadora's products are 100% vegan with ethically sourced and sustainably harvested superfood ingredients. They are also free of harsh chemicals and toxins, cruelty, gluten, and synthetic fragrances, and are made in the US.

After doing a bit of searching, I discovered that Teadora has a "try before you buy" sample offer on their site where I was able to chose 5 different samples for a $5 shipping fee.  I believe there was a GWP sample offer as well, which accounts for the 6th sample.  Considering the oils are $48 for 8 oz. and come in 3 different scents, I figured I'd be better off trying some samples before committing to one.  That turned out to be smart, as my first choice based on the scent notes listed - Rainforest at Dawn - turned out to not be my favorite.  Instead, I preferred Rainforest at Dusk.  Descriptions below are courtesy of beauty.com.

• Radiance and Renewal Oil Rainforest at Dawn ($48 for 8 oz.):  Earthy & herbal with a bright, sparkling citrusy burst of bergamot and lemon swirled with eucalyptus, basil & earthy florals to awaken your senses. 
• Radiance Glow Oil in Amazonian Afternoon ($40 for 4 oz.): Exotic cattleya orchids, freesia and river cyclamen flowers, sparkling orange peel, savory green sage and delicate ylang-ylang blossom will take your breath away. 
• Radiance and Renewal Oil Rainforest at Dusk ($48 for 8 oz.):  Botanical yet smooth with sexy floral notes of rose absolute, geranium, amber, patchouli, blended with a hint of orange & coconut to soothe and revitalize your senses.

Right off the bat, I cannot figure out why the Radiance Glow Oil in Amazonian Afternoon is significantly more expensive than the other two oils, as the ingredient lists seem to be the same for all three:
Organic Tinctorious (Safflower) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Kosher Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Berthorlletia Excelsa (Brazil Nut) Seed Oil, Organic Rosa Canina/Rosa Rubiginosa (Rose Hip) Seed Oil, Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu) Seed Oil, Eugenia Unifloran (Pitanga) Leaf Oil, Organic Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit Oil, Passiflora Edulis (Purple Passionfruit) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Oil, Non-GMO Tocopherol (Mixed-Ester) Vitamin E, Retinol Palmitate (Vitamin A), Argania Spinosa Sprout Cell Extract, Isolmalt, Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate, Aqua, Natural Fragrances

The fragrances for all 3 oils arevdistinct yet not overpowering, and indeed I could not distinguish any fragrance 2 hours post application.  The oils were light and soaked in nicely without a greasy after feel, leaving my skin soft and nicely hydrated.

I also ordered samples of the Moisture Repair Body Butter in Dawn ($38), the Brightening & Exfoliating Mud in Dawn ($34), and the Sugar Scrub & Red Clay Masque ($36).  The body butter smelled like it had started to turn, although the formula itself was quite lovely.  The exfoliating mud and sugar scrub/red clay masque were nice but the small size precluded a whole body experience.  I used them on my underarms, where I've got some bumps from ingrown hair, and they both did a nice job of exfoliating without feeling too harsh.  They contain enough moisturizing ingredients that my skin was not stripped and instead felt velvety afterward.  The scents veer towards the more earthy/herbal end of the arena, but that speaks to their ingredient list and lack of synthetic fragrances, which I appreciate.

My order came with a nice hand written thank you note and a bonus sample bar of their Nourishing Exfoliating soap ($14).  It does indeed have a textured finish courtesy of acai seeds that when used directly against the skin does a good job of exfoliating.  I actually like this quite a lot.

Ingredients: Organic Sodium Palmate, Organic Sodium Cocoate, Aqua (water), Natural Glycerin, Amazonian Clay, Natural Açaí Berry, Organic Sodium Citrate, Organic Buriti Fruit Oil, Organic Cupuaçu Butter, Natural Fragrance.

After sampling everything I decided on the Radiance and Renewal Oil in Rainforest at Dusk, which I ordered from beauty.com due to several GWP's they had going on.  However, FedEx lost my order, whamp whamp.  After contacting beauty.com they promptly resent my order, minus the GWP's, which was the primary reason I ordered from them.  In the intervening 3 weeks I was waiting on my order I also discovered another organic oil blend that is more reasonably priced (more on that to come), so I sent the replacement oil back.  I'm sure I would have enjoyed the Teadora oil, but I really can't justify the price right now.

Bubble & Bee Coffee Vanilla, Lemon Poppy, & Mint Tea Organic Soaps

Lemon Poppy, Coffee Vanilla, Mint Tea

I've got a thing for soap.  I will use shower gels, but I actually prefer a good bar soap.  I've been swimming in soap for the past few years, as I've got a family member that started making her own.  Occasionally though, I'll get tempted to buy soap even with my surplus, and Bubble & Bee is the most recent soap siren that got me.

Coffee Vanilla organic soap

I bought Bubble & Bee's Coffee Vanilla soap a while back just to round out an order.  When I got it, I was disappointed that it didn't smell like coffee or vanilla (maybe a bit like vanilla extract).  Despite my disappointment in the lack of fragrance, I then proceeded to fall in love with it.  It has such a creamy lather and I can see the little ground up vanilla beans in it.  So, when Bubble & Bee had a 30% off sale on their soaps, I bought another Coffee Vanilla, along with a Lemon Poppy and Mint Tea so that I could get the 3 pack deal.  There are actually 15 different soaps to chose from, including an unscented version.  

Lemon Poppy organic soap

The benefits listed for these soaps are:  100% natural, contains no water, contains absolutely no synthetic chemicals or estrogen mimickers, contains absolutely no synthetic detergents, completely free of synthetic fragrances and colors, lathers up really well, one bar lasts a long time, can be used in the shower or as a face and hand soap, vegan, no animal testing, gluten-free.

Mint Tea organic soap

The Lemon Poppy does indeed smell like a lemon poppyseed muffin and is supposed to be good for exfoliating.  I'm currently using Mint Tea, a refreshing combo of spearmint and peppermint that also contains french green and kaolin clay to draw out impurities.   The lather on this one is divine.  Of the Bubble & Bee soaps that I've used thus far, I do not find them drying, perhaps because they contain moisturizing vegetable glycerin. 

The soaps retail for $6 each at Bubble & Bee or you can purchase three for $15.  

Vanilla Coffee ingredients:  Organic coconut and palm oils saponified, vegetable glycerin, vanilla bean fiber, organic vanilla extract, organic coffee extract, sorbitol (from sugar beets). 

Lemon Poppy ingredients:   Organic coconut and palm oils saponified, vegetable glycerin, sorbitol [extracted naturally from sugar beets], organic poppy seeds, organic lemon essential oil.

Mint Tea ingredients:  Organic coconut and palm oils saponified, vegetable glycerin, french green clay, kaolin clay, organic spearmint essential oil, organic peppermint essential oil.

Disclosure:  I bought these.