Product review - Alverde Citrus-Sage deodorant

It's another great product from Alverde. I got this deodorant from my friend for Christmas. It's the citrus-sage scent, but Alverde has it in cranberry and if I'm not mistaken in peach as well. I would love to try the cranberry one.

This product has no synthetic fragrances and colors, no petroleum derived products (parafines, PEG, -propyl-, -alkyl-, etc.), no silicone oils, no genetically modified ingredients, no irradiaton of end product and botanical ingredients and the product is not tested on animals. And the good news is that it has the NaTrue certification logo.

Although it says that the bottle is only 75ml,it looks much bigger. I'm using it for a month now and it's still full. I think it's really economical.

The good news is for vegans: the deodorant has the Vegan seal.:)

Description about the product

It has a strong citrus smell, but I just love it. It brings me back summer. And actually it feels like a body spray. I know it's winter now and it's not the best time to test it's effectiveness, but it keeps me dry. You have to know that this is not an antiperspirant, so you will sweat. But it will help to cover the smell and you won't be stinky. And it absorbs and dries pretty quickly.

Ingredients:

Alcohol, Aqua, Triethyl Citrate, Parfum**, Polygliceryl-10 Laurate, Glycerin, Citrid Acid, Salvia Officinalis Extract*, Limonene**. Linaool**, Geraniol**, Citral**, Farnesol**

* from certified organic agriculture

**from natural essential oils

It is a good product and I recommend it. The price is also wallet friendly.

You can buy it in all European DM drugstore. Alverde website: Alverde

Product review: Alverde Naturkosmetik- Two-phase makeup remover

Today I want to introduce a German brand, called Alverde Naturkosmetik which is a natural skin care/cosmetic brand by DM (Drogerie Markt) in Europe. DM is a drug store. And they carry this natural skin care line and also another natural line Weleda. Alverde even has the Natrue logo on their products.

This product has no synthetic fragrances and colors, no petroleum derived products (parafines, PEG, -propyl-, -alkyl-, etc.), no silicone oils, no genetically modified ingredients, no irradiaton of end product and botanical ingredients and the product is not tested on animals.

Alverde Naturkosmetik- Two-phase makeup remover

It's an oil based make-up remover. When you use it it's a little bit foamy and left a sticky feeling, so I have to wash my face after using it. But it's not a big deal, cause if I wear makeup, I always wash my face anyways. I like this green look which caused by CI 75810. (It is a copper derivative of botanically derived color obtained from green plants.) And this 2 greens are so cool in the bottle. The darker green is the lighter consistency, this is why it's sitting on the top and the ligh colored green is heavier. You can see the line where they meet. So you have to shake it before you use it, thus those 2 liquid agents will confluent.

Negative things about the product

I don't like the smell tho. I don't even know how to describe it. And it has another bad thing: it stings the eyes, so you have to be careful with it.

But the product works great! You don't have to rub your eyes, it takes off your makeup very smoothly. I really like it. Overall is a very good makeup remover and I recommend it.

Ingredients:

Aqua, Glycine Soja (Oil)*, Glycerin, Alcohol*, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Lactate, Aloe Barbadensis (Extract), Simmondsia Chinensis (Oil)*, Persea Gratissima (Extract)*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Extract)*, Actinidia Chinensis (Fruit Extract)*, CI 75810, Olea Europaea (Oil)*, Helianthus Annuus (Seed Oil), Sodium Coco Sulfate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Parfum**, Limonene**, Linalool **

*Ingredients from certified organic agriculture

**Natural essential oils

You can buy it in all European DM drugstore. Alverde website: Alverde

Product review - Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Here is another great, natural product from Burt's Bees. And you know what's funny? I have no idea how I got it:) Did I get it from someone as a gift or I purchased it? Good question and I think I will never get the answer, but I'm just glad that I have it.

The firts thing that made me fall in love with this balm is the fresh lemon scent. I just love it. It's pretty strong, but not sickening. You don't even have to put close to your nose and you can smell it.

Natural makeup brands

Frankly, I don't really use makeup for every day just if I go out. Ok, I use an eyeliner. I prefer actually a liquid eyeliner than a pencil. Oh and lip gloss. I just loooveee lip gloss. Even though guys think I put some saliva on my lips. Hahaha. But that's it. The reason why I don't really use makeup is that I didn't really find good, natural makeup brands. Until now. I collected some natural makeup brands, enjoy!

Certified Logos in skin care

If you want to buy real organic, natural, vegan or cruelty free skin care products, then you should look for these logos.

1. USDA Organic:

If you see this logo on a product you can be sure it contains at least 95% organic ingredients. Products made with a minimum 70% and under 95% organic ingredients, may display "made with organic ingredients," but cannot display the USDA organic label. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.

2. NaTrue:

It is a non-profit organization formed by natural cosmetic manufacturers in Europe.

They certify to three levels:

• Natural Cosmetics: Ingredients must be natural but they do not have to be organic. This is when the logo comes with 1 star (from organic cultivation)
• Natural Cosmetics With Organic Portion: Natural cosmetics containing ingredients of organic origin at least 70% of natural ingredients must stem from controlled organic production and/or controlled wild collection. This is when the logo comes with 2 stars
• Organic Cosmetics: At least 95 % of natural ingredients must come from controlled organic cultivation and/or controlled wild collection. In addition, minimum levels for natural ingredients are even higher than for the second grade. This is when the logo comes with 3 stars

How to choose natural skin care products?

You are standing in front of the counter and you can't decide which product is really natural. There are so many green bottles and labels saying 'all natural', 'organic' or 'herbal' that you are just so confused and puzzled.

Unfortunately lots of beauty products are falsely labeled as "natural" or "organic". Just because they contain few natural ingredients, they say the product is natural (eg. Aveeno who claims that they are "the leader of active naturals"), when it's not. It's called "greenwashing".

Companies are not required by law to disclose all their ingredients on product labels. This means they can put anything in a product what they want. And they even can call it natural when it's not! According to Dr. Sarah Lantz "Manufacturers may also apply for ‘confidentiality’ or ‘trade secrets’ exemption in relation to the formulation of the product. If successful, the manufacturer only has to list the patented name of the formula and not its specific ingredients. The exemption process effectively denies consumers the right to access information about the ingredients in the product."

How to choose a good, natural moisturizer?

The question first is why we should use a moisturizer and do we really need it?

As I mentioned in a previous post before (Product review - Pond's dry skin cream), the hydratation of the skin depends on the work of the natural moisturizing factors (NMF- a natural mixture of amino acids, lactates, urea and electrolytes, which help the stratum corneum retain water) and how much water gets into the body (basically how much water you drink).

With creams we just get temporary solutions, so the best if we start to drink plenty of good quality water and as a supplement use a moisturizer cream. If you want your dehydrated/dry skin back to its healthy state, then you have to understand what caused it and what it needs. Your skin reflects your health.

Why organic/natural products are better?

Lately we hear more and more about natural and organic skin care and cosmetics products, but why are they better than a synthetic? What are their benefits? Are they really good?

It's known that so many synthetic materials used in beauty products has preservatives, fragrances, sunscreen agents and emulsifiers which can risk our skin and health.

Marta from Truth in aging said it well: "One chemical requires another. So, the chemist puts in one ingredient and needs another to stabilize it, the stabilizer needs something to thicken, the thickener needs a preservative, the preservative will irritate so an anti-inflammatory is required and so on and so on."

It has become clear that the identical natural materials/substances made by cosmetic chemists don't quite behave the same as the agents of the real plants in which there is harmonious interaction.

The experience of recent years shows that the natural products (herbs, vegetables, fruits, beeswax, thermal water, thermal soil, etc) are less foreign and toxic for the body and they have less side effects than their counterparts which has produced in the laboratory.

Natural, Organic, Bio-dynamic - What does it mean?

Just because a product says it's organic or natural, or it's in a green bottle, it doesn't mean it really is. Many companies are using the organic/natural labels for marketing purposes. Some companies even put fake labels on their products. Before you buy a product, check the ingredients- they don't lie.

So when is a product Natural?

Natural

A product is Natural if doesn't contain preservatives, it is free of any artificial dyes, perfumes and other chemical ingredients. The product's ingredients must originate from a natural source, but it's not necessarily grown according to bio standards.

Bio-dynamic

A product is Bio-dynamic if the ingredients are bio, but it also came from a farm where the farmers take into consideration to the cycle of the moon, sun, circulation of the year and a planting calendar. The farmer pays attention to the cosmic forces what effects the soil and the organisms.

To make sure if a product is bio-dynamic, look for "Demeter Certified" on the label.

Organic

Organic means that the plant is grown in soil that is free from pesticides, fertilizers or hormones that are chemically based. The ingredients come from a variety of sources: Herbs, trees, barks, flowers, oils and extracts. The entire process of product development is rigorously monitored beginning with the seed.