Reviva Labs Makeup Primer Review

I will begin by saying that I truly love this primer. It makes my face feel like velvet and look like porcelain - I really couldn't ask for much more. 

The product itself is clear and has a slight oily texture. Due to this, I don't usually wear moisturiser under it because it's not really necessary. 

I apply it to my entire face, including my eyelids. I don't always wear foundation but when I do I wear Everyday Mineral's It Base. This primer manages to keep my foundation on for basically the entire day. Surprisingly, it also works fairly well as an eye shadow primer.

Normally a 1 oz bottled costs about $20 but I was able to pick one up for just $12.09 on Vivacost. For that price, you really could not find a better make-up primer. 

     

Bottom line: Yes, buy it and try it! 


Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), olive oil, coenzyme Q10, squalane.

Study Buddy: Steaz Energy (Berry Flavour) Review

Since I'm currently on a study-with-Steaz-energy binge I thought it would be the perfect time to do a quick little review of this drink so here it is!

If you don't know what Steaz is already, it's a company which makes tea-based beverages with an emphasis on environmental sustainability and enviro-ethics. I'm not entirely sure about their other products but this energy drink is fair-trade, and certified both organic and vegan.

I was once a bit of an energy drink junkie during my pre-vegan days in high school. Rockstar, Redbull, Amp, Monster,... none of that nonsense did anything they claimed they would for me. Like many people, each drink just gave me an hour of hyper productivity until I crashed and slept good 8 hours. I'm happy to report that I won't be categorizing Steaz with the energy drinks of my past.

This stuff actually keeps me wide awake for at least an extra 3 hours. It may not sound like a lot but if you're a student you should know that a few hours can make the difference between an B+ and an A.

Obviously, being an energy drink and all, it is not the healthiest thing you can pour down your throat. It is a pretty high in sodium, carbs, and sugars however it is still much better than many of the other energy drinks on the market. The only thing that Steaz Energy really has in common with other energy drinks is that they all are expensive. One box of 4 cans costs about $9.99 but I always wait until these are 50% off at the Superstore before I buy any. Quite frankly I don't think they're worth their regular retail price.

I should note on here that the energy drinks I have purchased thus far are not the new ones listed on their website. The only differences between the old and new appear to be the packaging and a the last 3 ingredients (the new ones contain Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCL), Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) in addition to the old ingredients)

Bottom line: Yes, it's worth trying but probably not buying regularly. 

Ingredients: Sparkling Filtered Water, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Acai Juice, Natural Flavor, Organic Yerba Mate Extract, Citric Acid, Organic Guarana Extract, Fair Trade Certified™ Organic Green Tea Extract, Sodium Citrate, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

North American Hemp Co. Soak It Up Moisturising Conditioner Review

If I had a top 5 list of must-have products, a good hair conditioner would be at the top of the list. To put it simply, my hair is an unruly tangled mess without it. After purchasing and using one particular shampoo bar off of Etsy about a year ago the usual mess has gotten worse. I think it's safe to say I have tried just about everything to make things at least a bit more manageable. From Green Beaver to Live Clean, to Nature's Gate, Desert Essence, Avalon, henna, argon oil, DIY "moisturising" shampoos and conditioners - I have never been very happy. However, I have finally found a product that works for me at a fairly reasonable price.

I'll come out and say it: I love North American Hemp Co. right now! I picked up a bottle for about $7.50 at my local Healthy Planet store. It does seem expensive but it is worth every single penny. Upon the first time using it I was actually able to run my fingers through my hair in the shower for the first time in over a year. I'm completely serious, my hair had gotten to the point where I had to leave some bits tangled and let the blow dryer and a heavy duty brush deal with the mess when it dried. Such awfulness is of the past, thank Jebus.

 Aside from a few obscure ingredients, I have absolutely no complaints about this conditioner. This conditioner has restored my hair to it;s former glory and I could not be happier!


Bottom line: Yes, buy it and try it!


Ingredients: Aqua, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycerin, Sesame (Sesamum indicum) oil, Caprylic/Capric triglyceride, Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis) Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Oat (Avena Sativa) Protein, Panthenol, Flavour, Grape (Vitis Vinifera) Seed Extract, Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Extract, Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) Extract, Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis) Extract, Algae Extract, Bearberry (Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi) Extr

Nature's Baby Organics Face & Body Moisturizer Review

After hearing that Nature's Baby Organics Face & Body Moisturizer made a great facial moisturizer I decided to give it a try for myself. I have been using Desert Essence's Gentle Nourish Day Cream SPF 15 for the last little while and although I absolutely love it, it's really putting a dent into my poor student budget. Rather than paying about $15 for a mere 60 ml of facial cream, I took a trip to vitacost.com and spent $8.59 on a 250 ml bottle of this little wonder.

I've been using this moisturizer for just over a week now so I thought it would be a good time to finally do a little review. Unfortunately moisturizer is another one of those products I have to be pretty  picky about. Since going vegan a few years ago and refraining from using "unnatural" synthetic chemical-based products my skin just will not tolerate many things. Kiss My Face and Green Beaver are just two moisturizer lines that set my skin on fire even though their products claim to be suitable for sensitive skin. I'm happy to say no such things happen with this moisturizer! My face almost immediately feels softer and I'm not bombarded with strong fragrant smells.

I love seeing vegan labels (it means
 this vegan can be a little lazier). 

My only complaint is that it is a little on the oily side. Although you can wear it with make-up I choose not to because of this. Instead I use it as a night-time cream - it's not a perfect arrangement but it does leave my face feeling like a baby's butt in the morning. After washing my face I only need to apply a fraction of the amount of Dessert Essence facial cream I used to and I'm good to go.

Bottom line: Yes, buy and try it!

Ingredients: Organic aloe barbadensis leaf juice, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, ethylhexyl palmitate (from coconut), glyceryl stearate, sorbitan olivate, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), macadamia ternifolia seed oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, glycerin, rosa centifolia flower water, tocopherol (natural vitamin E), hydrocyethylcellulose (cellulose gum), xanthan gum, organic symphytum officinale (comfrey) extract, organic chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, organic calendula officinalis flower extract, capryloyl glycol (amino acid), undecylenoyl glycine (amino acids), sodium benzoate (food preservative), potassium sorbate (food preservative), glycine (amino acid), citric acid.

Vegan Deodorant: Do's, Don'ts, and DIYs.

In all my journeys to veganize that little space underneath the bathroom sink, the hardest thing to find a suitable vegan replacement for was deodorant. In the past (almost) 3 years I have probably spent at least $75 trying to figure out what products work for me. Unfortunately, quite a few do not work at all.

To start on a cheery note, these are some products I would not recommend: Kiss My Face liquid rock deodorant, Jason's deodorant sticks, or Desert Essence deodorant. I have tried different scents of each and all of them last about an hour before all smelly hell breaks loose. Don't waste your money.

Conversely, I do have a few "do's" which worked well for me. The first is LaVanilla's deodorant. It smells lovely and it works incredibly well but unfortunately at $14 for 2oz bottle it is not something most people could afford. Another deodorant I like is Lush's Aromaco. The smell is a bit strange as is applying it but it does the job very well for $6.95/100 g. Finally, Herban Cowboy's deodorant in blossom. The fact that I smell like a bouquet of flowers after biking +5 km wearing this should speak volumes. It costs about $10 for 2.8 oz. but I think it's worth it.

Although these "do" products are effective, they are not the best choice if you're looking for something "natural," "eco-friendly," healthy and/or affordable.

 But don't sweat! There is one more thing you can do: DIY deodorant (a little ironic consider the blog title, no?). There are literally dozens of variations of this recipe floating around the web so I just plucked one off Google at random: ttp://cameraphonevegan.com /2013/03/10/diy-coconut-oil-vegan-deodorant/ 

Laugh if you will but this stuff actually works. There is a company called Bubble & Bee which makes an organic, vegan version of this recipe and it actually worked just as well as all my other "do's," if not better. I was a little short on time and motivation last time I ran out of deodorant which is why I'm still using Herban Cowboy but once it's done I'm not buying anymore. It's probably best that I can cross one more product of my shopping list for good. 

That's all for now, xx

the VPJ