Tuesday, October 29, 2013

What's in My Makeup Bag? | Mini Review


Hey guys. This post is purely, spur of the moment. I was sitting here, thinking up ideas for this blog and decided to talk about the things I carry in my tiny makeup bag. It's a mixture of new products I'm testing out and my "must haves".

I will be featuring just 4 of the products in my bag. If I was to talk about all of them, this post would be more like an essay. I will just go ahead & list of what I have here:

1. wet n wild Coverall Pressed Powder 
2.Real Techniques: i. contour brush, ii.base shadow brush, iii. brow brush
3. Physicians Formula: Organic wear Tinted Moisturizer in Natural to Tan
4. wet n wild's Take on the Day Eyeshadow primer (from Fergie's line)
5. wet n wild's Mega Liner in Black
6.  Milani Color Statement Lipliner: True Instant Color in 02 TRUE RED
* I have a review on this product, click link if you're interested! 

I do carry a lip-balm. I have the lemon EOS one but because my makeup bag is small I keep it in another pocket of my backpack and forgot to include it. :P

1. wet n wild" coverall Pressed Powder 
I usually use tinted moisturizers and it gives me just enough extra coverage. It claims to be an "all day wear" product, however, I do find myself having to reapply it at least once, through out the day. It also claims to "reduce the appearance of wrinkles...", I'm sure about that, but I will say it makes my skin look soft. I find it a very close dupe for the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, it gives me that same look and feel. (Which I'd used in the past).



2. Physicians Formula: Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer in Natural to Tan
This one is new and so far I really like it. My skin is far from perfect and I find this provides me with enough coverage to even out my skin tone. Does it erase my spots and/or does it conceal my under-eye circles? No, I would still use a concealer for that. It will only give you a light coverage, so if you're looking for a product like that, I recommend you give it a try. It also has SPF 15. Also, it only comes in two color selections. I find this color a tiny bit light for my complexion. However, that might be because of the SPF. 

3. Wet N' Wild: Take on the Day Eyeshadow Primer:
I am so pleased with this product. I've seen a couple of reviews on Fergie's line for WNW and so I thought about picking up this very carefully. I figured, since I don't have many eyeshadow primers I'd give this one a go & I'm so glad I did. I can't speak about the rest of Fergie's line but I'm super impressed with this primer. You need just the smallest dot amount to get your shadow to last. I literally mean, tiny amount. This has helped my liner (the one featured here) maintain its crisp-line and it DOES NOT flake or smudge on me at all! 



4. Milani Color Statement Lip liner: True Instant Color in 02 TRUE RED
It's beyond smooth! I didn't know what to expect. When I think of other liners available in the drug-store I think: "drying, hard to apply, sheer... "First this is a beautiful red, it's not overly orangey (which don't get me wrong, I like) or too fuchsia it's, imagine that, a true red color. It glides on like butter and will not move! I want to pick up more Milani products. 

I hope this post wasn't too long & fun to read! I'm trying new content here & I really hope you guys like it! 
Lots of Love,
Camila









Friday, October 11, 2013

Emani Vegan Cosmetics | Mineral Eyeshadow, Mascara, Brow-Trio and Brush Review


 ****These were sent to me to review. This review is 100% based on my experience and I will not be receiving compensation for reviewing these products. I love you guys! 



I was really confused about the name of this shadow. Champagne? Sure it's shimmer but it reminds me more of a rose gold color. 
On Eyes: The shadow itself is beautiful. It was frustrating taking these pictures because I don't think my camera did it justice. I will have to so a 'face of the day' for you guys using this shadow so you can see how it looks on.
Primer?:  Like most mineral products, you will find there is lots of fallout. If you don't usually use eye-shadow primer, I recommend you pick one or use a base. If you use a primer you should be good for most of the day. 
Price: $10.50
Repurchase?: This was send to me. I would absolutely purchase this shade again and am already eying others from this collection. Like roller-queen! OMgosh it's beautiful!!! 





So intriguing! A soy mascara?! Whose ever heard of such a thing.
Wand: It allowed me to catch my most inner lashes. It has a cool and effective shape. I really liked it!
Packaging: It's sleek, which I enjoyed as well. 
Formulation: It's a dry mascara. It doesn't really let you build up the product, or at least that was my experience. I enjoy wet mascara because I like the slightly"clumpy' look they give. Also, because it's more on the dry side it does not clump your lashes. 
Price: It retails on Emani's website for $20.00. 
Repurchase?: This was send to me but I would not purchase. It's a bit pricey and if I was to spend that cash on a mascara I would choose a mascara that met my needs. 






The sun washes out these closers. The picture below is true color. 
Colors: The women of my family (meaning my sister and my mother) have different complexions and hair color. My mom is very fair and her hair is a strawberry blonde color. My sister is also fair, she recently dyed her hair an auburn color, but her natural hair color is a medium-tone brown. I have a tan complexion and my hair is black/dark brown. Why am I telling you all this you might be asking. Well, the three of us have used this trio and found it fitting for diverse brow needs. 
Also, if you have very sparse brows, it gives a very natural look! I LOVE this trio!
Eyeliner: I like the idea of this being used as a liner. I personally like a dark and thick line. The darkest shade of this trio, in my personal opinion, is not dark enough to be used as a liner. I do not use this for that purpose. 
Price: $20.00
Repurchase: It was send to me. I WILL be buying this when I hit pan on it. It's also going to become my signature gift for the women of my family. It's AMAZING! 






 I didn't find this specific brush on Emani's site. All these products came in a little kit so this brush might not be available for individual sale. I hope that makes sense.
All their products are vegan so this brush is synthetic. I would not imagine using the brow & liner trio without it! It's sooooo soft on your skin. When most people think of synthetic brushes they picture coarse and tense tools that irritate the skin. I think that is one reason brushes made of animal hair are still so common. I can't speak for their entire brush collection, but if this brush is an indicator of the rest of their brushes I am really impressed. I hope to add more to my collection.
Be sure to check out their vegan brush collection. Their prices range from $24.00 to $11.50!




Lots of Love,
Camila

P.S. What product mentioned about intrigued you most? 



Wednesday, October 9, 2013

emani vegan cosmetics | cruelty-free inquiry

http://www.emani.com/


Hey guys.
     About two months and a half or so ago. I was contacted by a PR from a company called emani vegan cosmetics. They wanted me to review their products. I emailed them back inquiring about their cruelty-free status.
      They send me three products to review. Yeah, that was almost three months ago. It's taken me a long time to get a comprehensive review for your guys (which I'm wrapping up) and also to present to you guys my research on their cruelty-free status. In all honesty, the reason it's taken me so long to talk about them is because I know a lot of people are weary of reviews where products are sent to bloggers. I have been a reader of blogs for a year now and a subscriber to beauty vlogger for YEARS and I understand the concern. If you notice I don't have a PR tab on my blog because for a long time I didn't want to deal with that. However, I have been blessed with a growing audience and as a result companies have contacted me. I decided that as long as I stay true to my passion for animals and to my blog, my integrity as a blogger won't be compromised. Yes, review meaning I will give you my honest opinion about any products; whether it is sent to me or I purchase it. :D

Now that I got that out of the way! This was emani's reply to me.

Hi Camila,
Thank you for contacting EMANI. The answer to all of your questions is noWe do not test ingredients and/or finished productson animalsWe do not test our ingredients or products on animals via our manufacturers or through a 3rd party. Michelle the owner and founder of EMANI works very closely with our labs and has final approval on all of the products we sellWe are notowned or affiliated with any companies that test products or ingredients on animalsWe do not sell any of our products in Chinaor have any plans to sell our products in China. We only use natural organic ingredients in our makeup. Our products do notcontain paraben, gluten's, gmo's, propylene glycols, petroleum or toxic chemicals. At Emani, we use naturally occurringmineralsorganic extracts and pigments perfectly designed and painstakingly selected specifically for their regenerativeproperties. EMANI is owned and operated By Michelle Doan Who personally sees to it that her products are of the highestquality.  We are a cruelty free, vegan company and are certified by PETA. You can find a complete list of all of our ingredients on our website. www.emani.com.
I hope I have answered all of your questions and I look forward to reading your review on your blog site.
I just love when I receive an email that gets right to the point!!! As you can see they meet my three criteria for determining cruelty-free status. As long as a company answers those three questions, I'm satisfied. (click here to read by).You will notice, that I do inquiry about palm oil and vegan products in the format I use when first contacting companies. They forgot to answer # 7: "Do you use palm oil/carnuaba wax in any of your products? If so, is it from an organic and sustainable source?The PR took the liberty of addressing that question in a separate email:


Hi Camila,
Just realized I missed answering the palm oil/carnuaba wax questionYeswe put carnuaba wax in our concealer and hybridcreamsbut it is from a natural sourceAs I mentioned in my earlier email, here at Emani we only put natural and organicingredients in our product.
I will be adding them to my cruelty-free list. I hope you enjoyed this post and check out their products! They have stuff I'm so excited to try!

Lots of Love,
Camila

Thursday, October 3, 2013

essence beauty | Two types of animal testing & did the EU really ban animal testing?!



Hey guys!

I'm sure you've either heard of Essence makeup or seen their products in Ulta stores. They are a drug store priced cosmetics company. I've seen a couple of cruelty-free beauty blogger talk about them, as I'm sure you might have.

SIDENOTE: I encourage you to reach out and email companies for yourselves. I don’t want my blog to me some kind of authority or definite sawyer of which companies are cruelty-free. I put my list out there because that is the list I, personally, use when shopping. Even if I didn’t have this blog I would still use my list, LeapingBunny’s, PETA’s, VeggieBeauty’s as resources. Hopefully, you understand where I’m coming from.

I had emailed them previously, maybe three or four times. I didn’t receive a reply for months. Maybe a month ago I received a reply. I learned a lot about essence as a company that I didn’t know before. (Which really re-enforces the importance of researching the companies you choose to support).

I emailed them using the format I always use.

This is what I received from essence:

Dear Camila,
thank you for the interest in our products and sorry for the delay. We are pleased to answer your question. Yes, it is true that we do not test our products on animals.
Since the autumn of 1998, animal testing for decorative or pampering cosmetic end-products is no longer permitted. Germany is leading the way in Europe with this legislation. We can assure you that cosnova neither conducts testing on animals, nor commissions it to any third parties – not in Germany or anywhere else in the world. We also strongly disapprove of testing on animals with end-products. This is also one of the criteria for the selection of cosnova suppliers as we need to ensure that their products are also produced without testing on animals. Our suppliers need to sign contracts in which they ensure not to do animal test.

Furthermore we do only use substances that conform with the European and International (f.e. FDA) Cosmetic Law and therefore their riskiness has been estimated a long time ago and is considered as safe. According to the use of palm oil or carnauba wax:
Yes, we do use these ingredients within different essence products of our actual product range. Because of the broad spectrum of our product range it is not possible to verify every plant ingredient’s origin for criteria of sustainability.
According to vegan products:
When producing our decorative products we do not use any ingredients directly derived from animals, such as placenta extracts or animal fat. We do, however, use materials such as beeswax, silk, or lanolin (wool fat from sheep) and the natural dye cochenille (CI 75470) which are indeed animal components (animal by-products), strictly speaking. Ingredients or raw materials from animals like pig, cattle, sheep or goat are not used in any of the products, except ingredients as mentioned before like lanolin or beeswax. The goods have passed the quality control and comply with our high standards and the directives of the World Health Organization.
But due to the nature and origin of single product components we do not consider our products as „vegan”. We are sorry, but it is not possible to send a summary of listed “vegan” products. But if there are single products you are interested in, we can check for the use of ingredients called animal by-products.

We hope we have been able to clarify this issue for you and that you will continue to have lots of fun with our products.

Should you have any further questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us again at any time.

Kind regards,
Your essence Team

That’s a lot of information, which is great but it also requires further examination. I first have to email cosnova and ask about their companies and their cruelty-free status, standards, etc. You will notice, they did not address the China question. (China mandates animal testing for cosmetic products that are sold there). I emailed them again! Inquiring about it!
To Whomever it May Concern:
I am doing research on animal testing, and I need to verify a few key points about your company. Please be sure to answer each question.
1. How many companies does Cosnova own?
2. How does cosnova ensure their raw ingredients are not tested on animals?

3. Does cosnova sell in the Chinese market? Where animal testing is required by law.

Thank you so much! Any reply I receive will he shared on humanelychic.blogspot.com, which is my private blog. HumanelyChic currently has over 39,000 views!!
-Camila

This was their reply:

Dear Camila,


Thank you for your message. We would like to provide you with some general information regarding your enquiry about animal testing:
Since the autumn of 1998, animal testing for decorative or pampering cosmetic end-products is no longer permitted. Germany is leading the way in Europe with this legislation. We can assure you that cosnova neither conducts testing on animals, nor commissions it to any third parties – not in Germany or anywhere else in the world. We also strongly disapprove of testing on animals with end-products. This is also one of the criteria for the selection of cosnova suppliers as we need to ensure that their products are also produced without testing on animals.

To guarantee the safety of our products, we are only allowed to use completely harmless ingredients (just like other manufacturers).

One must therefore differentiate between two types of testing on animals. Animal testing to prove the effectiveness of cosmetics can be avoided as there are now sufficiently adequate alternative methods. However, animal testing to ascertain the so-called “toxicological profile” of ingredients are indispensible and mandatory until further notice.

This safety data is required by the German legislation for chemicals; it must be determined for all new raw materials – whether synthetic or natural. It must be established how dangerous a pure substance is in order to implement the necessary safety precautions during manufacture and processing of the materials.
There are no exceptions for this safety evaluation, all manufacturers and importers in the EU must conduct these tests. Unfortunately, this can mean, for example, that an animal test may have taken place to test a specific ingredient twenty or thirty years ago.
The term “not tested on animals” is only legally allowed if no testing has ever taken place on the finished products as well as all of the ingredients. This is never actually the case.

We are not on the so-called “positive list” of the German Animal Protection Association (Deutschen Tierschutzbund). The companies listed there have committed to only using ingredients for which no animal testing has been conducted in the past 25 years, which means that the raw materials are extremely old. In the field of decorative cosmetics this is very unrealistic because we aim to offer our consumers new, innovative and better products and some ingredients are therefore replaced with new and improved versions, which are, for example, kinder to your skin. This is the reason you will find practically no producers of decorative cosmetics on this list.

We hope we have been able to clarify this issue for you and that you will continue to have lots of fun with our products.

Should you have any further questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us again at any time.
Best regards,

cosnova GmbH

I'm really confused about the whole "two-types of animal testing" situation. I makes me weary about EU's ban on animal testing because if the ban only applies to "effectiveness of cosmetics" testing, that would imply that some type of animal testing is still legal. These are just my thoughts/conclusions based on the content of this email.I am just as confused about this email as you are/might be!

For now we know -though, they did not state it bluntly- that cosnova is associated and/or conducts animal testing for their "new ingredient" products. Seeing as cosnova is essence's parent company I cannot support them! (I will be adding them to my Non-cruelty-free list.)

This was a long and complicated process and I still have questions! I encourage you to help me research this and to leave me feedback!! Thanks so much for reading this and choosing cruelty-free companies. It DOES make a difference!


Lots of Love,

Camila

Friday, September 27, 2013

Two-Types of Animal Testing?

Hey guys!

 I have a really long, complicated correspondence with Essence beauty. I received a reply from them and learned about their parent company, cosnova. Of course, I had to email them as well. The reply I got from cosnova is long and leaves me with more questions than answers. They talk about two-types of animal testing. One for testing "effectiveness of cosmetics" and one for "'toxicological profile'" of ingredients. I honestly, don't know what they are talking about. I need to do my homework, if you will, because I am confused. Would you mind if I shared this un-comprehensive reply? I think it would help me and everyone out. Maybe we can have a discussion in the comments about what this means and implies.
 

Lots of Love,
Camila

Friday, September 20, 2013

Vegetarian Food Ideas

Kinda of a different post, compared to what I usually post. I just thought i'd be fun. It is a re-post from my old blog. Spacealah.


 I just wanted to share some yummy lunch ideas with you all. This is especially great if you, like me, are a vegetarian. However, if you are not I'm sure you can still take something from this. Yes I'm talking to you! Drop the McMuffin and try something different!


Berry-Delish Salad with Asian Sesame Ginger & Soy dressing!

I like using a Spring Mix rather than your traditional Roman Lettuce mix. 



I seriously cannot stand using ranch or any mayo based dressing for salads. Don't get me wrong I love it on pizza, which might be weirder. This dressing is sooooo good!!  It's sweet, tart, and a teeny bit spicy (just a bit, probably from the ginger). 

Mozzarella Grilled Cheese!
I used the MarketSide: Garlic & Herb French Bread from Wal-Mart! Which is a great balance between the mozzarella! I used a panini griller to...grill it. lol!

 Ooh-la-lah! Look at that!!

Blueberry 'Boba': Using Tampico Orange Juice


I'm sure you'd heard & probably tried either a Thai Boba Iced Tea, Taro, etc. I don't have bobas, but I do have plenty of blueberries. I decided to added a couple of them to my drink. They are so fun, you kind of forget they are in your cup until you get a nice little tart surprise!



Lots of Love,
Camila

Friday, September 13, 2013

Sleek MakeUp | Cruelty-Free?


Hey guys.
If you've been following my blog from the beginning, you will know that I've spent the last year trying, and trying, and trying to get a reply from Sleek Makeup. I've vented loads!

The first time I tried to contact them I couldn't even find a contact email, I did find a number but since I live in the US (and am a college student) I didn't want to pay the rate. (Sidenote: a reader who lives in the UK actually emailed me saying she called the number listed and they didn't reply, etc.) I therefore, decided to shoot them a message via my private facebook page. Again I waited....no reply for 5+ months. One day I finally got a message from them saying to email my question(s) to this email: pr@sleekmakeup.com.

(I don't share the company's email because, usually, if you want to contact a company you can google it or find it on their website, it's not exactly private information. However, seeing as it took a while to even find Sleek's contact information I wanted to share it so EVERYONE who is considering buying from them or has bought from them can email them and flood them with their question(s). You have a right to email, ask questions, and hear back from a company. )

Again, I waited 2 more months.

Eventually, they replied! Which was exciting except they avoided the China question.  So I emailed them again. I used the format I always use.

Finally, I got the comprehensive email I was looking for and here it is for you to see:


Hello Camilla,
Thank you for your for contacting Sleek MakeUp’s with your query. We would like to take this opportunity to address the points raised in your email to us. Sleek Makeup is a privately owned family business. When sourcing manufacturers make a conscious decision to work with companies who do not test on animals. We do not test any ingredients or finished products on animals nor are we affiliated with any third party that test on animals. 
Sleek MakeUP is currently sold worldwide which does not exclude China. No Sleek MakeUP products contain Palm Oil. However our hide It Concealer, Kajal, Eye Drama, Magnitude Mascara and Base Duo Kit contain carnauba wax that has been sourced responsibly. In regards to our products that are suitable for Vegans, we have attached a spread sheet that details which specific products are suitable. We hope this addresses all the points you have raised. If you have any further queries, do not hesitate to contact us. Kind 
RegardsCustomer Services

As you can see, they did not meet my criteria for determining cruelty-free status; therefore, I won't be adding them to my list. (1) Compliant parent company, if they have one. (2) Cruelty-free manufacturers of ingredients. (3) Not sold in China.  (To read my criteria in detail and to learn the "whys" click here).

If I'm honest, I was expecting this. Why else would it take them, close to a year to reply? At least now we can all stop guessing and can cross them off our list. I am disappointed, because seeing as they are a European brand and Europe has banned animal testing, I was hoping this correspondence might have been different. I don't understand how they are allowed to sell in a country that mandates animal testing. I'm not a lawyer so I'm not sure about the legality. I am going to try to find out why.

I sorry if this is a bummer! However, knowledge is power and now you (& I) can find an alternative company to support with our money.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Feel free to share how you feel about this email! Leave me feedback!!

Lots of Love,
Camila


Thursday, September 5, 2013

India's Ban of Animal Testing for Household Products PROPOSED!

After reading more into this story, I found that the ban for household testing has only just been proposed. Meaning that animal testing for household products is still legal. Sorry if my facebook post was misleading. I read the email with the news incorrectly. (I'm a wishful thinker, what can I say?) I truly apologize because my intention was not to miss-inform you. However, this is still a great step!! 
source

This past June I was thrilled to share with you all that India had banned animal testing on cosmetic and their ingredients on animals. It was such a huge success and I was really hopeful that they would also ban animal testing for household products.

Well, I am excited to announce that it has been proposed to the Soaps and Other Surface Active Agents Committee to replace the current test-conducted on guinea pigs- with "a non-animal test method called "the human repeated insult patch test." 

If you recall Dr. Chaitanya Koduri -PETA's India Science Policy Adviser- has a seat on said committee, right now they are waiting for all the members of the committee to "submit their comments" for the final decision.

I'm hopefully that the proposal will be successful because they have LOTS of support. Sonia Gandhi (Congress President) along with Lal Krishna Advani (senior leader of the Bharatya Janata Party) are urging the Family Welfare and Ministry of Consumers Affairs to look at PETA's requesy. There are sooo many people who are working to make this ban happen. I will link the official announcement here, be sure to check it out for more information. 

If you want to help makes this happen click here, and sign a petition to urge the ministry to ban this test. 

Hopefully soon I will hear that the proposal has passed!  

A special thanks to Tasgola Bruner for personally emailing me about this great news!!

Until Next Time,

Camila 


Monday, September 2, 2013

Soap and Glory | Cruelty-Free Correspondence




Hey guys.
I received a reply from Soap and Glory. YAY!!
I contacted them using my NEW format. Which is basically the same as the old one, I just added a bit more information.

This is what they replied :


Hi Camila,
We understand that animal testing is a key concern for a growing number of consumers and at Soap &Glory, we can confidently state that all of our formulations are safety and efficacy tested on people. (Although you might argue about that if you’d seen the condition of some of their feet. YEEEESH.)
At Soap & Glory, we uphold very strict guidelines through our regularly audited manufacturing partners that uphold the ‘no animal testing’ policy. As well, we are fortunate that our biggest retail partner – Boots The Chemists- upholds the very same standards by funding through an organisation called FRAME, which is the FUND for the REPLACEMENT of ANIMALS in MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS) in an effort to eliminate reliance in the industry on animal testing.
That said – and because we feel it necessary to be transparent and to educate EVERYBODY- it’s important for you to know that no retailer or manufacturer can categorically state that ‘none’ of their raw materials or ingredients have –at some time in the past- been tested on animals. The majority of individual raw materials used in cosmetics today have been through some kind of animal testing process. At Soap & Glory, we absolutely do not test our formulations on animals, however we can’t say that each and every ingredient that goes into them has not, at some point historically, been cleared for human use, by animal testing.
We hope this answers your question. If you need any more information about animal testing, we’d suggest you contact Colipa, the European Cosmetics Directive association, via www.colipa.eu.
Soap & Glory is a privately owned company.
Kind Regards,

First, they explain that they uphold strict outlines for their manufactures, who uphold a 'no animal testing policy'. I appreciate them acknowledging the fact that yes, today we have some ingredients that we know to be safe because in the past they have been tested on animals. It's a bold statement. Sad, but true. They are being really transparent, which I'm sure you can tell.  However, they did not address # 6, which is:

'6. Do you/your parent company currently or have plans to market and sell your products in the Chinese market, which requires animal testing by law to sell in that country?'
Therefore I emailed then again:

Hi Sopa & Glory team!Thanks for answering my questions. (I know I had tons). You forgot to address # 6. "Do you/your parent company currently or have plans to market and sell your products in the Chinese market, which requires animal testing by law to sell in that country?" Thanks again! -Camila
They emailed me back:

Hi Camila, We have no current plans to expand to more countries in the Asian market. Kind Regards,  (THE USUAL) Soap & Glory CUSTOMER SERVICE 
Maybe I'm just being picky, but this reply didn't really clarify much about whether or not they sell in China. TO be honest, I'm not sure about other Asian countries (expect India's) policies. I needed them to be specific. So yes, I emailed them again. I just like to be sure!!!

Hi, ?Sorry, but I don't seem to be understanding. Does Soap & Glory sale or not sale in the Chinese market? Please clarify!
To which they replied:
Hi Camila, Soap & Glory is not available in China. Nor do any of the stores that sell Soap & Glory deliver to China. Hence, one cannot buy Soap & Glory in China. Kind Regards,  (THE USUAL) Soap & Glory CUSTOMER SERVICE 
 Lol. Yup, that clarified things.

So YAY! As you can see Soap & Glory meets my three criteria to determine cruelty-free status. (1) If they have a parent company, that company must have the same cruelty-free status. (2) Compliant raw ingredient manufactures. (3) That they don't sell in the Chinese market. (Click on link if you're not sure what this means).

I hope this was helpful!

Lots of Love,
Camila 



 


Friday, August 30, 2013

Light Mountain NATURAL | Hair Color and Conditioner REVIEW (LOTS OF PICTURES)



Hey guys. 

A few weeks ago, I was hunting for cruelty-free hair dye companies. I had seen Light Mountain's products in Sprouts and decided to shoot them an email. I shared my correspondence here! I was delighted to learn that they are a cruelty-free company and certified by LeapingBunny! I mentioned I wanted to try their products. 

Well, a representative from Light Mountain show my post and offered to sent me a hair dye to try. So yes, this product was sent to me for free (which trust me is hugely appreciated seeing as I'm a college student on a budget); however this review is 100% my opinion! I am not being paid for this review. I am always transparent on here with you all and hope, seeing as it's almost my 1-year blogger birthday, I have earned your trust! 

About the Product: 
I got the Light Mountain Natural Hair Color and Conditioner, in Light Red. These sets retail for $6.99 on the Light Mountain website. (Which is a GREAT price for a natural/cruelty-free company). 

Their products are super unique. The dye is actually made out of henna, yes henna! It does not have ammonia or peroxide, which is horrible for your hair and the scalp. The henna clings to the hair which causes the color change. (For in-detail info on how this works, click here). However, it does not remove color from the hair, so if you're looking for something that will lighten your hair, this is not the product for you. 

First Impression:
I was skeptical. Looking at the chart (picture is below) I knew that I wouldn't see much change, in terms of color, for my un-bleached hair -which is 95% of my hair. According to the chart the henna would give a 'conditioning effect' to my hair. Conditioning effect?! This basically means that the henna 'enhances and deepens existing color'. On the website they claim: "It can help minimize split ends and acts as "hair insurance" if you spend a lot of time in the sun, surf or wind." When I think of conditioning for hair, it think of hair conditioner, leave in treatments, etc. However, I was really open minded and soo excited to test it out!



Mixing the dye:
As you can see, the henna comes in a powder form. 
I won't go into too much about how to prepare the dye, just to save you time. It's really not complicated at all. Be sure to READ the instructions! I will warn you that it's messy process, so be sure to lay newspaper or something to catch any spills. 
Here's a video of how I mixed the water and henna powder. 

Application:
It was definitely messy. In hindsight, I should have asked for someone to dye it for me. The instructions say to use petroleum jelly to protect your skin from staining. PLEASE do so! I used lotion, which prevented my skin from staining but not from irritation. Yes, there was irritation. However, I've you've ever dyed your hair, it was no way near as uncomfortable as that. Also, test a little bit of the mixture on your skin before you apply it, just to be sure you aren't allergic to it. I applied it to ALL of my hair. Including my blonde ends. 

Before and After: 
I forgot to take a picture of my hair before! Opps!  I will add some random pictures so you can see what my hair looked like before: 

As you can see, my hombre was really blonde. I had dyed my hair black a couple of years back. (I'm not sure why, since my hair is naturally really dark, lol). 






AFTER:
(Be sure to click on the pictures, if you want to look really closely at the color and texture). 






Post-Application Thoughts:
The day after I applied it I was really disappointed. My hair felt stiff and the color was flat. I had read the instructions so I knew that it would take a couple of days for the color to fully 'develop.  Also, when you wash your hair, after the application, they recommend you not use shampoo. Considering those factors, and the fact that my hair had gone two days without washing, I decided to give it time.

I'm glad I did. It's been about two weeks since I dyed it and I think the color is beautiful. It's a coppery-red color. It's a little bit more bright, than I originally wanted, but seeing as my hair was really blonde before I can see why.

As far as the conditioning effect, I really didn't notice a difference.  I will say that I don't have as many split ends as I did before I dyed my hair. However, I have been using argan oil so I can't claim it's because of the henna.


Would I Recommend it:
Yes! It was such a fun experience and, as you can see, it totally works! If you are trying to darken you're hair, I would especially recommend it. However, if you're goal is to lighten it, I would not.
Also, it's soooo much better for the environment! I felt guilt free watching it go down the drain in my shower.


I hope this wasn't too long of a post. Seeing as this product, I would imagine, is foreign for most of you I wanted to take the time to describe what it does. I hope you enjoyed this!

What do you think? Leave me feedback in the comments below. Are you going to give this a try?

Lots of Love,
Camila





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