Showing posts with label Vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegan. Show all posts

Monday, October 22, 2012

iVi Scents Going Out of Business Sale

iVi Scents

Unfortunately, I have such sad news to share. iVi Scents, one of my favorite stores for body-safe (no parabens, phthalates, GMO’s, mineral oils, triclosan, or cruelty) bath and body products is going out of business… Everything is 50% off right now, and things have been getting close to selling out FOREVER!

Their soap is some of the best that I’ve ever bought. It smells wonderful, and fills the whole bathroom with scent even when not in use. ~ Come back home from a bad day. Smell the bathroom. Mmm…. Life is now 20% better.~ It lathers with little effort, and it’s great for my sensitive skin. They come in loads of awesome scents like Ozone, Sandcastle, Hawaiian Cake, Milk and Honey, and Peppermint Kissed. These are what I’ll be stocking up on soon.

iCing Body Frosting | iVi Scents

They also have pretty awesome body butters, but they do contain silicones. Dimethicone, to be exact. At one point, they actually carried bath bombs, perfumes from Demeter Fragrance, and I think they had some lip balms, too.

So, why are they going out of business if they have all these awesome products? Well, once things were taking off to the point where the owner and creator of the line couldn’t supply the orders by herself, she moved to a lab. This eliminated the products besides the soaps and the body butters, and it also drove the prices up. Even though I adore her soaps, $6.99 per bar was just too much for my wallet. Unfortunately, I think maybe she just priced herself out of the market. (Or Apple went after her because of the lower-case ‘I’ in everything…) And now that she’s having a going out of business sale, the soaps are cheaper than they’ve ever been.

If you’ve never signed up with iVi Scents before, you can get a $5 eGiftcard when you signup for the newsletter, which is enough to get one of the soaps, with almost enough left over to get one of the towel treats. If you have any loyalty points accumulated on your account, now is the time to cash them in for gift cards.

iVi Scents Going Out of Business Sale

I have no idea when the store is actually closing. There’s been very little information put out by the owner about the business closing. So, I guess, once everything is sold out completely, the site will be gone.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Review of the Handmade Lotion (Blue Candy) from School of Wash

Blue Candy Handmade Body Lotion | School of Wash

School of Wash was created by a mother who wanted to make bath time cooler for her little one, and safer without all the toxins used in the the cosmetics industry. I may not have any children, but I can definitely appreciate fun products that are completely safe for my body. This is the sort of thing I wish existed when I was little. With so many scents to choose from, and no worries about the ingredients, I would have been in Heaven. And maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t have started puberty at age 9 (A lot of cosmetics have artificial hormones or chemicals that affect hormones, and have been shown to cause early development in children, among other issues).

Everything isn’t just for kids, though. There’s a separate line that deals with more indulgent things for adults like exfoliating scrubs, body butters, shave soaps, and more.

After I was accepted to review one of the handmade lotions, I excitedly set to scrolling through all of the scent descriptions to pick one out for myself. Oh..my..goodness.. The amount of scents is absolutely overwhelming! I started out with a list of ones that I would like, then kept narrowing that list into smaller lists. It took me so long to decide on a scent, but I finally settled on Blue Candy, formerly known as Blue Sugar. If you’re curious about exactly how each scent smells, check out their Pick-a-Scent pages. Their scents for kids and adults are different, so be sure to check out each page.

|   School of Wash Pick-a-Scent Page      |     SOW Rocks Pick-a-Scent Page   |


Packaging

This lotion is packaged in an aluminum bottle with a black saddle pump. When it arrives, you’ll need to push and twist the pump to unlock it. The label shows the company logo, name of the scent that I chose, the ingredient list, and the address of the company.


Available Sizes

  • 2.5 fluid ounce (75 mL)
  • 4 fluid ounces (120 mL)
  • 8 fluid ounces (240 mL)


Ingredients

Organic Aloe Juice, Coconut Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Palm Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Vegetable Glycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid.

I’ve been reassured that there no phthalates in the composition of the fragrance (“Fragance” is one of the many umbrella terms that can be used to hide a company’s scent-blend, which can include unsafe ingredients such as diethyl phthalate. Question everything.) Also, the Emulsifying Wax NF is plant-based, not petroleum-based. The only thing that I would like to point out is that phenoxyethanol can be a skin irritant to those who are sensitive.


Scent

“Bright mandarin, caramelized sugar, and patchouli are intricately blended with licorice, lavender, and anise. In the middle are the distinctive aromas of coriander, cedar, and tonka. Creamy vanilla and citrusy bergamot finish of this tantalizing fragrance! This scent can naturally be worn by both boys and girls!”

I was happy to find that the scent description that I read on the site was exactly what I got. What comes through the most for me are the scents of lavender, anise and vanilla. Rubbing it in brings out the scent of the cedar, patchouli and coriander. After mixing with the natural chemistry of my skin over the course of the day, the caramelized sugar shines through and leaves me wanting something sweet to snack on. I think I can slightly smell the mandarin, and I’m not sure what tonka is supposed to smell like, so I can’t comment on that. Keep in mind that everyone’s skin chemistry is different, and that’s why the same perfume doesn’t always smell the same on different people.

What’s amazing to me is that my husband likes this scent. I was going back and forth on what scent to pick, mostly because this one has a anise (black licorice) tone to it, which is a scent that my husband always makes a fit over. Since I love anise, I decided I might as well treat myself, and I’m glad I did. Despite me being able to easily pick out the anise tone, my husband doesn’t notice it, and actually likes the scent of this lotion. I’m betting it’s because of the sweet scent of caramelized sugar and creamy vanilla that come through over the anise. He loves sweets and anything vanilla.

After putting it on in the morning, the scent lasts most of the day. I can definitely say that it’s easily smelled by others. My mother has told me that I’ve filled the entire car with scent, and it’s easy for her to tell when I have this lotion on. It’s not something that totally floors you, though. When wearing it, I’ll catch whiffs of it, but it’s not so pungent that it would be bothersome.


Consistency

I would say that this is about the typical consistency of lotion. It’s creamy and light; something that’s thick enough not to drip or run off your hand, and won’t leave a heavy, greasy feeling behind. It spreads easily and soaks in nicely.


Skin

This lotion leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft, without any greasy feeling. I’m happy to report no issues with skin irritation or allergic reactions.


Opinion

I know that I used to be an iVi Scents fangirl when it came to scented lotions, but this lotion is just as body-safe with a longer-lasting scent. I have to say that I’m converted, and I’m not the only one either. School of Wash has loads of body-safe products besides lotions, and my mother has been wanting to go in halvsies on the I Need More SOW Perfume for some awesome scents for ourselves and a couple of my cousins. There are so many scents that I want to try… So, keep any eye out for future reviews for School of Wash products!

 

Go check them out!

School of Wash Just for KidsSOW Just for You

 

 

 

FTC Statement: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Friday, October 15, 2010

My Lip Stuff Could Be Your Lip Stuff! – Enter to Win a Random 6-Pack of Lip Balms from MyLipStuff.com!

My Lip Stuff

Since my birthday, which is tomorrow (10/16) is coming up, I bring you a chance to win a random 6-pack of lip balms from My Lip Stuff! My Lip Stuff has hundreds of lip balms to choose from in addition to lip balms, they also have body butters, bath salts, linen sprays, and loads of other fun stuff. My Lip Stuff products are skin, earth, and animal friendly. That means they NEVER test their products on animals and use only the finest ingredients that are skin safe and environmentally friendly.

How to Enter

Please leave separate comments for each entry! Comment blobs not accepted!

Mandatory Entry:

Go to My Lip Stuff and tell me in the comment box at least one flavor that you would love to try.

Extra Entries:

  • Follow my blog (comment to let me know)
  • Grab my button located in the right sidebar (comment to let me know)
  • Subscribe to my RSS feed (comment to let me know)
  • Follow me on Twitter (comment to let me know)
  • Follow me on Facebook (comment to let me know)
  • Follow My Lip Stuff on Twitter (comment to let me know)
  • Like My Lip Stuff on Facebook (comment to let me know)
  • Tweet about it once per day.

The winner will be announced via Twitter on November 1st at 11am CST. Please make sure you are following me on Twitter so I can contact you if you win. If you do not have a Twitter account, please make sure to leave your email address in the mandatory entry. Open to US residents only.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Craving Caramallow Creme Cake - Review of the Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm from My Lip Stuff

images

imawges Scent/Taste: Tastes like a delicious cream filled cake topped with a caramel marshmallow icing! Can someone please make me a cake like this? Mmm… If there is a cake like this, the whole thing would be crammed in my face in a matter of minutes.  The sweet scent of the cream is enough to drive me nuts, but throw in the caramel? *drools* The Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm makes me SO hungry for a sweet treat. Not recommended for those on a diet!

Seriously, this lip balm smells just like real food. Actually, all of the balms I’ve tried from My Lip Stuff smell like real food. It’s great! I mean, how many of you have tried those cheap balms in the stores that are supposed to taste like peanut butter cups or soda and have failed to deliver a real flavor?

Ingredients: sunflower oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, essential &/or flavor oil

Caramellow Creme Cake Lips: Ok, this is not your average lip balm. Hubby hates when I put lip balm or lip gloss on because he says it’s gunky and calls it “lip goo”. This balm is really light, but very moisturizing. My lips feel soft, but I barely feel like I’m wearing anything. And my hair doesn’t stick to my lips when I use it! My hair always sticks to the lip gloss I have. (PS Just scraped the lip gloss out and recycled the packaging last night. I’m not using that old junk when I have nice new balms. Hubby used to wipe off my gooey kisses, but I have yet to see him do it with this balm.)

I only have to swipe it once over my top and bottom lip and I’m ready to go.  It’s almost buttery. You know how soft and smooth your skin feels if you use a massage bar? That’s the closest thing I can compare it to. I guess some people could find it to be oily, but I like it. It doesn’t wear off as quickly as regular lip balms do and keeps my lips softer for a longer amount of time.

Rating:

5Hearts_thumb1

 

I love My Lip Stuff’s Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm! It’s all natural, not tested on animals and yummy enough to make me crave a caramallow creme cake even though I’ve never had one. My Lip Stuff has hundreds of flavors to choose from. Trust me, I know. I’ve gone through the entire list. Of course, that means a few more lip balms have tempted me. 

Others I would love to get:

My birthday is coming up (10/16) so if any of you feel compelled to buy me something… 

FTC Statement: The Caramallow Creme Cake Lip Balm was provided for free by My Lip Stuff in exchange for a review. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Trick or Treat! - Review of the Candy Corn Lip Balm (Limited Halloween Edition) from My Lip Stuff

 28

                       The Adventures of Pete and Pete

The Halloween season just isn’t complete without candy corn  ( or the “Halloweenie” episode of The Adventures of Pete and Pete  ). Whether you like the traditional Brach’s candy corn or have been spoiled by Jelly Belly’s candy corn in their Fall Festival mix (highly recommended!), candy corn brings joy. And if you’re like me, it’s a comfort food. I was born in October, so Halloween candy has a firm grip on my heart. 

Lucky for me, My Lip Stuff has a very yummy Candy Corn (Limited Edition) Lip Balm

Scent/Taste: Mmmm…just like candy corn… Candy Corn <—I wish that was a real piece of candy corn instead of a graphic. This lip balm makes me crave candy corn…

I put it on in the car the other day and hubby said he could smell it right when I opened it. The scent is definitely strong. Creamy butter, sugar, caramel, & a hint of vanilla make this balm smell and taste like my favorite Halloween treat. Stevia sweetened.

Ingredients: sunflower oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, essential &/or flavor oil

Lips: Ok, this is not your average lip balm. Hubby hates when I put lip balm or lip gloss on because he says it’s gunky and calls it “lip goo”. This balm is really light, but very moisturizing. My lips feel soft, but I barely feel like I’m wearing anything. And my hair doesn’t stick to my lips when I use it! My hair always sticks to the lip gloss I have. (PS Just scraped the lip gloss out and recycled the packaging last night. I’m not using that old junk when I have nice new balms. Hubby used to wipe off my gooey kisses, but I have yet to see him do it with this balm.)

I only have to swipe it once over my top and bottom lip and I’m ready to go.  It’s almost buttery. You know how soft and smooth your skin feels if you use a massage bar? That’s the closest thing I can compare it to. I guess some people could find it to be oily, but I like it. It doesn’t wear off as quickly as regular lip balms do and keeps my lips softer for a longer amount of time.

Rating:

5 Hearts

 

I love My Lip Stuff’s Candy Corn (Limited Edition) Lip Balm! It’s all natural, not tested on animals and yummy! You know how I said it was part of the limited edition Halloween collection?

Well, I looked through the list and saw a couple others I want:

My birthday is coming up (10/16) so if any of you feel compelled to buy me something… 

hallocandycorn

FTC Statement: The Candy Corn (Limited Edition) Lip Balm was provided for free by My Lip Stuff in exchange for a review. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

Friday, September 24, 2010

In The Land of Milk and Honey - Review of Milk and Honey iCing Body Frosting from iVi Scents

iCing Body Frosting

Travel to the land of milk and honey where all of your wants and needs are taken care of with this luxurious body frosting from iVi Scents! The sweet scent of almond cookies is enough to give me that warm and fuzzy feeling while the ingredients work wonders to smooth my skin to a silky finish!

All ingredients are either naturally derived or safe synthetics. Because some scents aren’t found in nature (such as their Birthday Cake iSmell Soap) iVi Scents uses phthalate-free cosmetic grade fragrance oils that are specifically made for bath and body products.

Ingredients: Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Dimethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Silk (Silk Amino Acids), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Fragrance, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Benzophenone 4, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.


Purple = Naturally Derived Ingredient| Black = Safe Synthetic Ingredient

    

almond cookiess Scent: The scent is very similar to almond oil and has a nice sweetness to it that reminds me of almond cookies.  It’s a soft scent, and I catch gentle whiffs of it throughout the day. It’s a wonderfully girly scent that makes me feel rather delicate and sweet .

images Consistency:  Not too thick, not too thin. This body cream is just right. It looks and feels just like frosting! Mmm…  What would be really cute is if a little spatula came with the jar so you really could feel like you’re frosting yourself!

Skin: iCing leaves my skin feeling soft and supple. It’s as moisturizing as a body butter without that greasy feeling of too much oil or shea butter. Smooth it on and rub it in to a powder soft finish. It’s the icing on the cake that is you! What kind of cake am I? I’m a little jasmine flavored tea cake with sweet almond icing!  

The iCing works great on skin that’s parched. My legs thank me for treating them to it after shaving. I think it’s probably the smoothest they’ve been. And of course, that makes me feel better and less insecure when hubby wants to massage my feet and legs. I’m nice and soft so feel free to touch!

It’s infused with real silk amino acids. I think that this, along with the dimethicone, are what really work wonders on my skin. Why the dimethicone? Well, a couple times last winter when my hands were really chapped and I was in a pinch with no lotion to help them, I rubbed a little silicone-based personal lubricant on them and it really softened my hands and made them feel better. Weird, I know, but it worked.

Packaging: Right now, it comes in a clear 4oz jar with a black lid, but iVi Scents has been doing some redesign! Look for cute little zebra print jars soon!

Customer Service: Great! If you have any questions, you’ll get a response back in a day or less!

Shipping: Very fast. Of every order I’ve had with iVi Scents, most come within 3-4 days. Super-fast!

 

Rating:  

5 Hearts

 

Overall, I’m very happy with my purchases from iVi Scents. The Milk and Honey iCing Body Frosting is a great way to pamper my skin and myself in general. Knowing that it’s free of anything that can harm me is really comforting. And, trying to find a safe lotion that works well enough to smooth out my legs and smells great has been one heck of a search! I highly recommend iVi Scents for the baby-soft skin their iCing Body Frosting gives me!  

 

 

iVi Scents  is powered by: Psa 149:4 "For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation."

 

FTC Statement: The Milk and Honey iCing Body Frosting was purchased from iVi Scents. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Take Me Away - Review of Knight in Shining Armor ismell Soap From iVi Scents

 

Knigh in Shining Armor iSmell Soap

 

bell chain_4a3fe0b703e13 Waiting for your knight in shining armor to rescue you from the perils of daily life? I suppose every girl wishes that at some point. When the demands of life get to be too much, we just want to get away from it all. A handsome man to complete the deal isn’t bad either.  Well, this soap can’t whisk you away on a white horse to a palace where your prince will wait on you hand and foot, but it can lift your mood with it’s sweet scent and luxurious lather. 

The Knight in Shining Armor iSmell Soap from iVi Scents is veggie based bar soap that’s full of a sweet, fresh scent and no toxic scuzzies like other soaps. All ingredients are either naturally derived or safe synthetics. Because some scents aren’t found in nature (such as their Birthday Cake iSmell Soap) iVi Scents uses phthalate-free cosmetic grade fragrance oils that are specifically made for bath and body products.

Knight in Shining Armor is made of: 

Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis Guineesis (Palm) Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Glycerine, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Sorbitan Oleate, Glycine Soja (Soy Bean) Protein, Fragrance, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil.  MAY CONTAIN: Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 30.


Purple = Naturally Derived Ingredient | Black = Safe Synthetic Ingredient

 

orange-with-a-berry--thumb4548484 Scent: A very light citrus scent  with hints of strawberry, possibly raspberry, too. I smell the berries more than the citrus. The great thing is that it smells like real fruit! I hate how some fruit products can smell fake.  It’s very sweet and almost candy-like. The scent is not over-bearing and fades shortly after my showers.

I will admit that I would’ve liked Knight in Shining Armor to smell like a man. Upon seeing the title, I assumed it would be a nice woodsy men’s cologne until I saw the scent description. Call me weird, but I don’t mind smelling like a man. My hubby used to be in the Navy, so when he was away, I’d use his shampoo so I’d smell like him every night. Now, that he’s out, I still enjoy masculine scents. Oil of Olay has a body wash that’s called Total Effects 7-in1 Advanced Anti-Aging and it has a slight masculine scent to it. Even though I love the scent of Knight in Shining Armor, I think maybe it should get a new name like “The Candyman” or “Sweetie Pie” or something candy/sweet related, and a more masculine scent to be assigned to it’s current name.

iviscents lather Lather: Oh..my..gosh! The lather with this soap is insane!  It’s so thick and luxurious that I can write messages with my finger when my tummy is lathered up!

I had to write it upside-down, ok? That’s why the letters look kinda funky.  

Skin: This is definitely a nice, moisturizing soap. If you’re one of the girls that uses soap to shave her legs instead of cream or gel (I know I can’t be the only one), then this is a great soap to do it with.

Packaging: Mine came in zebra print tissue paper, but iVi Scents is redesigning their packaging. Look for the iSmell Soap to start coming in zebra print boxes!

Customer Service: Great! If you have any questions, you’ll get a response back in a day or less!

Shipping: Very fast. Knight in Shining Armor was a surprise iSmell Soap included with my Mother’s Day iSmell Soap purchase. Of every order I’ve had with iVi Scents, most come within 3-4 days. Super-fast!

 

Rating:  

5 Hearts

 

Overall, I’m very happy with my purchases from iVi Scents. Even though I would have like Knight in Shining Armor to smell manly, the scent is very true to the description on the site. It lathers better than any soap I’ve ever had, is free of anything that can harm my body, and leaves my skin sweetly-scented and soft. I highly recommend iVi Scents 

 

 

iviscents is powered by: Psa 149:4 "For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation."

 

FTC Statement: The Knight in Shining Armor iSmell Soap was included as a free mystery soap with the purchase of a special Mother’s Day iSmell Soap from iVi Scents. This has not affected the opinions within the review.

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