Deodorant Musings {Product Review + Giveaway}

Hi gals! Today I'm doing a review and giveaway I'm pretty excited about. I'm reviewing Vanilla Mint Deodorant from Bella Organics. I received this in exchange for my honest review.

Deodorant is such a strange thing. For some reason we humans tend to sweat and smell under the arms. Which is definitely not a lovely thing. You want to know what is even worse? When you are involved in something physical like theater. That's me.

 You see, my mother hates all the strange ingredients they keep in deodorant these days. And I have to agree with her. There are so many unnecessary (and extremely unhealthy) ingredients. The one we probably dislike the most is aluminum (why does that need to be in deodorant?) because when my Grandma had cancer that was on a list of things to avoid because apparently it could cause cancer, or make it worse.

 Also, antiperspirant. Let's talk about that one. I use antiperspirant in fact. I wish I didn't, but being in theater I've found it necessary. Since a female deodorant can hardly be found without all sorts of horrible ingredients I've used mostly male deodorant since I've been of an age to use it. Apparently my body rejects that deodorant because it doesn't work for me as well as it used to, so I've found it sadly necessary to use antiperspirant deodorant during shows (especially during tech week when there are costumes that won't be washed for a while) so that I don't leave a terrible stench everywhere.

 I don't like using antiperspirant because your body actually needs to sweat a certain amount. It's a healthy function and impeding it can be potentially harmful.

 So this deodorant. I wanted to review it because finding good deodorant alternatives is hard and I'm tired of either smelling like a guy or using antiperspirant. So I jumped at the chance. It smells wonderful. I LOVE mint and the mix of that and vanilla is just fantastic. When I tried it, it felt really cool and nice.

 One unfortunate setback is that this deodorant detoxifies you if you've been putting lots of chemicals in your body. Since I have been, it was causing me to sweat and all kinds of stuff. Which is pretty bad when I have to go somewhere basically every day. The deodorant worked well besides that issue. I hope as soon as I get a bit of a break to use it more so that I'll detoxify and it will be less strange in that sense.

 The deodorant works as a creme that you rub in with your fingers. It's pretty thick and spreads pretty easily. This is an organic deodorant and I think it is pretty awesome.

 Do you have any thoughts on deodorant and health? Share deodorants you've come across in the comments! You can buy this deodorant here. <--- Well as soon as I can find the link. XD

GIVEAWAY! Bella Organics is offering to give away some of this deodorant creme to one of our followers or anyone else. To enter just comment below (include a way to contact you) and I'll put your name in! :)

~ Bethany

Pure Peppermint Oil Essential Oil {Product Review}

 So I'm reviewing peppermint oil again. I thought I would try to point out some more things. But remember to enter my mud mask giveaway! Since no one has entered yet I'm running it a bit longer. This peppermint oil is made by gopure and Adovia Mineral Skin Care. I received it for free in exchange for my honest review.

 There is a slight difference in smells with this and the peppermint oil I've reviewed before. I'm not sure what this means, but I don't think it affects the product. I like the packaging of the bottle. It has a normal cap on it, which I think contains it a bit better than just a stopper cap. But to make it even better, it comes with a separate dropper with a cap if you'd rather do that. And of course you can use the dropper whenever. So I just think that is a handy little feature so you can do whatever you like best.

 According to the company this is the purest oil available and is made from 100% pure peppermint oil. Research shows that peppermint oil has an impact on the body and stimulates the brain.

 This is therapeutic grade essential oil and I believe it is okay to ingest based on what I have read but don't take my word on that.
As you see it is stored in a dark glass bottle to keep it from being ruined early.

It is really good for digestive issues. Apparently if you put a couple drops in a glass of water it will help immensely. I think I'll try this since I've had some issues.

Peppermint oil is great for respiratory stuff. You can rub it on your chest or anything. I've started to have some Spring allergies this week so all I did was open a bottle of peppermint oil and inhale and I could actually breathe it. So I definitely think there is merit in this. I'm thinking about trying the vapor rub if I get congested.

Peppermint oil can also relieve headaches and muscle pains. So it's pretty much an amazing thing. And I feel like I'm only scratching the surface of all its uses and I'm so excited to see what I can do with it in the future. It seems to me from what I've observed and just by seeing other reviews that this is a good quality product. Check it out.

Hello Cutie Mud Mask {Product Review + Giveaway}

 Hi girlies. Here's another mud mask review. This is the Hello Cutie Mud Mask from Glam Essentials! This time I'm mixing things up with a youtube video. (This is from my channel. I should be having one up on the APOC vlog very soon.) I am a very interesting person on camera...Ha...Ha... (I received this product in exchange for my review.)

 
So that was... different. Anyway, this was a pretty cool mask. And it made my face feel great afterward! It isn't an extremely thick goop but is almost like the consistency of shampoo. It goes onto your face pretty easily and isn't extremely hard to wash up.  After you wait until it dries you just wash it off with warm water and then use toner or whatnot. I didn't have a cotton ball or anything so I just put moisturizer, but...

 Anyway, it's really great for you! If you'd like to check it out, click here.

DRUM ROLLL.  Glam essentials is offering one lucky winner one of their very own mud masks! (At least that's what I'm pretty sure they meant when they said "contest" aka giveaway. XD) This giveaway will end on Sunday, so you have a few days! Comment below to enter, and if you share with you friends (and let me know in the comment) you get an extra entry! Thanks for reading.


~ Bethany

Retinol Moisturizer

Hello girlies! I have a video coming soon. We just have to get the youtube stuff figured out, but be looking for that! Today I am reviewing 2.5% Retinol Moisturizer from Body Merry! (Picture soon.)

I love moisturizer and this one is pretty good. It's a somewhat thick consistency, which is fine, but not the thickest I've ever had to use. It works pretty well, though I notice if my skin is extremely dry it doesn't always seem to affect it, but I sometimes have that trouble with all moisturizers.

This moisturizer is special because of its retinol content. Retinol is a youth reviving ingredient. So I guess it helps your face stay smooth and youthful and doesn't increase dryness or irritation, which is always a good thing.

It also include hyaluronic acid (great for your skin,) green tea, jojaba oil, vitamin E, shea butter, and Vitamin B5.

This moisturizer helps with acne, discoloration, and one thing I think is awesome is that it is for both men and women. It also works well for all skin types. The bottle is quite large so it's a pretty nice item to have.

If you'd like to buy it, see here.

Enjoy!

~ Bethany

Peppermint and Lavenger Essential Oils {Product Review}

 Hello girlies! Tonight I am writing a review on peppermint and lavender essential oils from Insta Natural. I received this product in exchange for my honest review.

 There has been a growing interest in essential oils within the last few years and I've been itching for a chance to get into it and see what they were like. I've heard so many positives about them and what they can do for you that when I had the chance to review some I jumped at it. Now, originally this was to include lemon essential oil, but they had some manufacturing issues so were only able to send the peppermint and lavender.

 This is the first of two peppermint oils I'm going to review. I don't know how that happened, but it is what it is. When these oils were taken out of the box I could immediately smell them. Whoo! The scent is powerful, which is something I'm fine with. It just means that the oils are concentrated and probably good quality.

 I guess I'll start with peppermint oil, because why not? I love peppermint. I just love mint in general. It smells great. I used some carrier oil to rub peppermint on my arms and hands and it was nice. If you aren't interested in wearing a perfume but want to smell nice you really just need a drop or two and it'll do the trick. It is 100% steam distilled peppermint oil.

 Peppermint oil is used for a variety of reasons like:

• Nausea
• Indigestion
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Abdominal pain
• Etc.   

 Really, people use the stuff for a variety of different reasons, so it's pretty cool.

Now lavender oil.  I have to say, lavender isn't my favorite scent in the world, but many people like it and I like this oil for its benefits. It has a very strong scent as I mentioned but that shouldn't be a problem if you do the proper things.

Lavender oil benefits include:

• Reduces anxiety and stress (helpful for this college student)
• Improves sleep (helpful again)
• Heals burns and wounds
• Restores skin complexion and reduces acne
• Etc.

 Lavender oil has a ton of benefits that are just a bit jaw dropping. I plan on using it in most of the ways I listed here. Pretty amazing and powerful stuff.

 I recommend diluting these are they are pretty strong. It is my hope to perhaps make some mint lotion or lip balm with the peppermint and use the lavender for other things. I like these and am excited to continue using them. Quality product and packaging. The bottles are also quite large. See it here and here.

Adieu!

~ Bethany

Dead Sea Mud Mask {Product Review}

 Hiyo Ladies! Today I am reviewing A Dead Sea Mud Facial Mask from Pure & Essential Minerals. I received this product free in exchange for my honest review. I'd like to say... if there is any sort of post you'd like me to talk about (Outfit, encouragement, etc.) just let me know in the comments and I will try to write something focusing on that. I know it seems like I'm doing a lot of product reviews, but I'm willing to write whatever you need to hear, so just let me know. :)

 So, I happen to think facial masks are the coolest things. There's just something about lathering your face with some substance and leaving it on for an extended period of time that peaks my interest. I did it once and it wasn't a terrible experience, in fact I might say I enjoyed it.

 Since I tend to be the product guinea pig on here (if you take a look at my past posts I've put a lot of stuff on my skin in the last few months!) I figured it might be fun to review some of these mask things.

 So this. It is a mud mask. Rather interesting, I admit. And the mud comes from the Dead Sea. Cool. Now, it isn't entirely composed of mud from the dead sea, but that is the base. It has minerals from there. So apparently this stuff draws out excess oils and impurities and infuses your face with minerals and essential oils. If you use it weekly it's supposed to really help your skin.

 In the time I've had this product I've used it twice. You put a coating over your face and leave it until
it dries, then you wash it away with warm water and exfoliation. It has a mint smell to it actually, so I'm pretty sure it has mint of some kind in it. The stuff feels pretty nice. Then you rub it all over your face and mannnnn. It burns like crazy. But it isn't a painful burn in the way that you're going to get a scar. It smarts a little, but is bearable. Not bad at all. Eventually, your face feels extremely tight after it dries. You should make sure all the remnants get cleaned out of your sink because they can dry and get stuck to your sides if you aren't careful.

 After it was washed off my skin felt ah-ma-zing. Literally. My face was so soft, I kept trying to show people. It made my skill feel wonderful. I haven't seen any long term effects yet, but I plan on continuing its use as its pretty nice stuff. It's high quality and there's a good amount of mud in there. I really like this product.

 Enjoy the photos of me being silly with my interesting faces. :)

 See the product here.

~ Bethany

Powered by Brandbacker

Fractionated Coconut Oil {Product Review}

 I'm starting to get into trying essential oils. In fact, very soon I'll be reviewing some. This is something I'm pretty excited about. But today I am reviewing Fractionated Coconut Carrier Oil and Message Oil. This oil is made by GoPure Naturals. (Facebook page.) I received this product free in exchange for my honest review.

I'm pretty sure you can use this stuff for a lot of things. My personal hope is to one day use it to make lip balm or something (along with some of the essential oils.) Actually, since this oil is in liquid form (one of its features) and not solid, I'm not sure if you would use it in lip balm. I suppose you could, possibly... Because I am so new to the realm of essential oils and carrier oils, I haven't used this oil a lot yet. As I research more about it, I can see myself using it frequently in the future.

 Carrier oil is used to dilute essential oils. It can be used to spread the essential oils over a larger area or to make the oils that would be harmful in their strongest form into a gentler form. Apparently, this oil is a good massage oil. Because this is carrier oil it is only for outer use. This isn't the oil you buy in the store that can be used for cooking.

 I used this oil to spread essential into my hands and arms. It spread well, and I like the fact that my hands don't use super greasy after use, like I have to wash my hands or something. That is a definite plus. I also like the fact that this oil is 100% fractionated coconut oil and not diluted with something else. The bottle it comes in is quite large, 16 oz. I am not extremely familiar with the costs of these type of things but I think that is a pretty good deal for the less than $15 price.

 If you have been keeping an eye on health crazes, you already know the benefits of coconut oil in general. It is amazing how many good things coconut oil can do for you. Besides the kind of oil you use for consumption, fractionated coconut oil can do fabulous things for your skin and hair. The best part is that it is natural and you aren't putting weird chemicals on your body. This oil is produced to have a long shelf life. In fact, if properly taken care of, this oil can last years. It is also odorless and colorless so won't stain clothes.

 Once again this is a nice, light weight oil. It is very nice, I love the package (it has a easy to use pop top like a shampoo bottle) and is just a very well put together product. If you'd like to check it out yourself, see here.

~ Bethany