Update // Review of Bella Organics

You know how life gets all chaotic and crazy and you don't know where one to-do list starts and the other one ends? Well, that has been my life for the better part of this past year. My senior year of college got ridiculously busy with deadlines, requirements, and working. I can now say that I made it through it though, and I am one happy Bachelors of Science recipient! At some point this summer I will be taking my state boards and starting a job as a full time registered nurse! Yay! I am literally so excited!

With all that being said, I would like to get back into blogging (on my own schedule that is!) I want to enjoy my time, friends, and family, and as I have always said in my blog posts, I will write when I find inspiration and free-time! That is one great thing about having a blog; you can write posts when you would like, and if someone out there in bloggyland finds interest in your writing, then great-I would love to entertain you with my posts! Now that all of that is out of the way, I want to share a brand with you that I have absolutely been loving for a few months!

Bella Organics 

 " Bella Organics was founded in 2012 in response to a growing concern for the severe lack of all-natural and organic skincare products available. Our mission statement is simple: We believe that we should take care of our bodies, and in turn, our bodies will take care of us. That’s why Bella Organics products will never contain water, emulsifiers, or any of the toxic or unnatural ingredients that are found today in most mass-market products". -The Bella Organics website

A few months back, the Bella Organics company reached out to me to see if I would be interested in trying out a few of their products, since I am trying to change over all of my skincare and makeup to more natural, less harsh/chemical filled products. After looking through their site, I decided the company was one that does align with my concerns in the ingredients in products, so I went ahead and said yes to their email. After having these products for months (literally), I think I have a good opinion on them!

The products I received were the Jasmine & Honey Hydrating Face Cream, the Iced Lemonade Deodorant Creme, the Shea Butter & Sunflower Hand Cream, and Coconut Lime Lip Balm.

The Coconut Lime Lipbalm was probably the product I enjoyed the least; not to say it was a bad product, but compared to the other items I was sent, it was a little lackluster. It did moisturize my lips, but it could be compared to any run of the mill chapstick (except its 100% organic!)

The Iced Lemonade Deodorant Creme was realllly interesting to try out-I found it to control excess sweat, mask any odor, and just be an all around enjoyable product. The scent of this stuff is amazing! I mean the name of the scent is so spot on...I just wanted to eat it! (Don't worry, I didn't!)

The Shea Butter & Sunflower Hand Cream was a nice product; I found it to moisturize my hands and cuticles pretty well, but it was a bit greasy. Since it still is a good product, I work around the greasiness by using it before bed, which means I wake up with soft hands!

The Jasmine & Honey Hydrating Face Cream is the total star here! I was blown away the first time I used this. As you can see in the picture, the product has a whipped-like texture (as does the deodorant and hand cream). When the product is taken out of the container, within seconds it sort of melts down(probably due to all the oils in it). After applying it to my face, it does feel a bit greasy, but I sometimes find that I am using way too much-you only need a small amount to cover your whole face. It does absorb into the skin (but if I am too impatient, I just blot off the excess). Once absorbed, my skin feels soooo soft and healthy...but this isn't even the best part! When I wake up after a night with this stuff on, my skin feels plump, soft and brighter all around. Until today, I had only used this at night before bed, because I thought it would be too moisturizing for daytime. In order to give a good review, I decided to use it as a daytime moisturizer. I am definitely happy about how it works during the day too; using this cream seems to help balance out all my extra face oils (your girl right here is usually an oil slick!) This product would be great for dry skinned and oily girls alike!

Overall, I am super impressed with this brand, and would order from them in the future. If you are interested in natural, non-toxic, organic skincare products, I definitely recommend looking into this brand!

Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey

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**The Bella Organic products were sent to me free of charge; I was not paid nor guided to say anything about these products. All opinions shared are my own.

Vapour Organic Beauty Review

Hey gorgeous! Today I am going to take some time to review a brand that I came across about two months ago-if you are interested in more organic beauty products, this might be right up your alley! According to the Vapour Beauty website, their products are described as being:

"100% natural with 70% certified organic ingredients and 30% minerals and vitamins. There are no toxic chemicals, no parabens, no phalates, no gluten, no animal testing, no nano particles, and no irradiation".

To be honest, I don't know a ton about every single thing these products are made without; however, I know enough that I don't want those things in my products! This has led me to branch out and want to try to use better products in my everyday life. If you have been around this blog for awhile, you know I tried a bunch of mineral makeup products over the past year, nearly all of them being pretty pure in formulation, without any extra fillers or chemicals. I continue to use these products as I move forward in my quest for what I think is best for my skin!

The products I received for consideration of review are the Elixir Plumping Lipgloss, Aura Multi-Use Blush, and the Elixir Lipgloss. I can't seem to find the link for the plain old Elixir Lipgloss, which is why I didn't provide a link! Just as a general piece of info, I have had these products and have been using them for over a month! Now that all that is out of the way, let's get to the individual reviews!

 From top to bottom: Multi-Use Blush, Elixir Plumping Gloss, and Elixir Gloss. Swatches below.

        
Elixir Plumping Gloss:
In the shade "Coax", this product is described as offering "versatile color, dimension, and shine. Hydrating botanicals and organic plumping liposomes lock in maximum moisture for ultra-hydrated voluptuous lips. Never sticky or tacky, Elixir delivers superior body and shine". 

Personally, I love the formulation of this product. It is one of the most moisturizing glosses I have ever used, which might be surprising as it promises to plump! Many name brand plumping glosses I have used actually dry out my lips, which probably is due to the ingredients in them. Compared to plumpers like Too Faced Lip Injection Color Bomb, the Vapour lipgloss doesn't cause a burning or tingly feeling as it plumps. I don't mind the tingly effect...in fact, I kind of like it (does that make me weird?!) Either way, I think the plumping actually comes from all the moisture this gloss packs...I could be totally wrong, but it's almost like it makes the most of what your own lips can achieve from being moisturized! I don't find this to be sticky or tacky, which could be  a downside to some as this usually makes a product last longer. I would say it wears for a good hour before you start seeing the product fade; this includes drinking and eating! I would say the pigmentation is very sheer, at least in the shade I was sent.The taste isn't the best (not like the typical mint or fruit flavor many glosses offer), but for what the gloss does, I don't mind how it tastes.

Elixir Gloss:
In the shade "Sultry", this gloss is very similar to the plumping gloss, although you may not see the same plumping effects with this of course! Unfortunately, I can't find a description of this on the website, and I don't have the original box with me. Taste wise, I find this to have more of a flavor; one I can't exactly describe but it is better than the plumping gloss flavor! This gloss has a bit more of a tacky texture to it, but it isn't sticky...does that make sense? I want to say that maybe it's better explained as just adhering to the lips more effectively! This gloss wears about 2 hours before I really want to touch up. I adore the shade I was sent; it's more pigmented than the plumping gloss and I found it to pair well with many pink-toned lipsticks. I am actually wearing this gloss with a small amount of the plumping gloss in the picture below.

Aura Multi-Use Blush:
In the shade "Spark", this product is described as giving "a natural flush of color. These universally-flattering core colors work on all skin tones and all ages. Give the Vapour glow to cheeks, lips and eyes with one convenient stick. Aura blends like a dream for a polished look in seconds".

I think this is my favorite out of the three items I was sent. It really is very versatile! I have used it on my cheeks and my lips, but I am excited to see how it would work as a cream eyeshadow. I have pretty oily eyelids, so it would be interesting to see the lasting ability. The way I apply this is directly to my cheeks in an upward slanting motion. After this, I buff it out using a stipple brush. I find that doing this makes me look like I have a natural glow, and really makes it foolproof to apply! For lasting power, I would say that this lasts all day on me. I have pretty oily skin, but mostly in my t-zone, so I am not sure how this would work on someone with extremely oily skin everywhere. I do set it with a translucent powder, as I set all of my makeup, so I think with powder the lasting power should be no issue! I haven't had any problems with breakouts from this product. On my lips, it seems to be pretty moisturizing, although lasting only as long as a chapstick probably would.

Application technique! You can also see the shade on my lips in this photo.

Buffed out.

Voila! End result!

You can find more Vapour Organic Beauty products HERE.

Hopefully you find this review helpful! If you currently use natural, organic, or vegan products, I would love to hear about them! Leave me a comment below or email me at kelseylenay@hotmail; you can find me on twitter @kelseylenayyy or instagram @kelseylenayy

Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey

**As started before, I did receive these products free, for consideration of review. Vapour Organic Beauty has no influence on my opinion of these products, as no brand or company ever will! I genuinely enjoy these products and am offering my honest opinion of how they performed on me personally!

Makeup Talk: 100% Pure Makeup Review

Hello lovies! Today I want to talk about the brand 100% Pure. This brand is one that I have been looking into closely lately-if you have been following this blog for awhile, you would know that over the summer I went mineral-makeup crazy. I am always looking for ways to change up my skincare and makeup, and realistically, I would like to make it more natural based, as I feel it is best for my own skin type. Straight from the website-100% Pure is "truly 100% Pure-no synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, harsh detergents or any other unhealthy toxins!" I was lucky enough to receive a few samples, and after more than a month of trying them out, I think I am ready to honestly review them. I should preface this by saying I went into trying these products thinking they wouldn't perform well because they were all natural, vegan, free of preservatives, etc., something I wasn't 100% familiar with...so seeing how they worked was pretty interesting to me.

I received the Coffee Bean Eye Cream, Fruit Pigmented 100% Natural Juicy Lip Gloss in "pink peach", and the Fruit Pigmented Blush in "cherry". At this point, I will start by saying I can't pick a favorite between the three-you'll see why!

 Wearing all three products! No idea why this picture looks so soft focused-I think I may have had it on the portrait setting when I took the picture! Ooops.

First, I want to talk about the Coffee Bean Eye Cream.
Description:
 Clinically proven to de-puff and brighten dark circles.
Clinically proven to lessen lines and wrinkles.
Caffeine rich eye cream makes you look more refreshed and awake.

Pros:

-The texture is so smooth-almost like it is whipped.

-The tube has a pump attached (love this!)

-It smells amazing.

-It is absorbed easily into the eye area, and leaves the under eye really smooth...if you have ever used the Philosophy Miracle Worker, you know how awesome the eye area feels after it is absorbed...you get a very similar outcome with this which is amazing in my book!
-It makes a great base for concealer.
-I have noticed my under eye is  brighter after using this...immediately after applying and in the long run (with no makeup on!)

Cons:
-Sometimes the pump doesn't work correctly. I looked this up somewhere on the website and it does say that if you unscrew the pump, it can alter how well it works....which I unfortunately did. So, lesson learned! 

Price: $21 for 1 fl oz.

Fruit Pigmented 100% Natural Juicy Lip Gloss in"Pink Peach"
Description: 
100% natural, 100% vegetarian, gluten free.

Colored with fruit and vegetable pigments instead of minerals or synthetic dyes.

Made in a base of vitamin e to moisturize and soften lips.

Pros: 
-Really moisturizing on the lips.
-Not sticky.
-If you just so happen to lick your lips, it's pretty tasty!
-The color is build-able, so if you want to wear it alone, it will be a really pretty shade, but it looks gorgeous layered on top of lipstick!
-There is no chunks or pieces of glitter in the gloss.

Cons:
-Some may think the sheer color is a con (although I like to layer!)
-It isn't extremely long-wearing (probably 2 hours if you are eating and drinking).

Price: $15 for 0.24 fl oz.

Fruit Pigmented Blush in "Cherry"
Description:
This fruit pigmented blush to make you sparkle and shine!
This blush is colored with the antioxidant and vitamin rich fruit pigments instead of minerals or synthetic dyes.

Pros:
-Long wearing; I could put this on early in the morning and you can still see it very well into the night.
-Extremely pigmented! When I first got it, I thought it would have to be layered a ton for any color to show up....SO WRONG! You just get a little on your blush brush and use a light hand to apply; I would say this is just as pigmented as MAC blushes or any other high-end brand. 
-The finish looks gorgeous, like you're glowing from within (with no sparkles or glitter of course!)
-The packaging is adorable! I can't get over the design of what it is packaged in.

Cons: 
-If you are particular about fingerprints, the packaging really can attract them.

Price:   $28 for 9 grams (0.32 oz)

Overall, this brand has been nothing but great so far! I am really interested in expanding my makeup collection to include more natural and vegan products, so I will definitely be looking into this brand more! They even have foundations, tinted moisturizers, body washes, hair products, etc. which is awesome for someone who really has interest in products geared to be more natural and chemical free!

Do you buy any vegan, natural, or gluten free makeup products? If so, what are your favorite brands? 

Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey  

*All 100% Pure Products reviewed were sent to me for free in consideration for review. Any opinions stated are all my own and are in NO way influenced by the brand. You can always count on an honest review! 
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