Heavy Metal

Posted by: Emily

Here is a really interesting, scary study about lead and other metals in lipsticks.

http://m.motherjones.com/environment/2013/05/study-lead-metals-lipstick-top-20

People often ask me what the big deal is about chemicals and other “bad stuff” in cosmetics. This article is a great example of why what is in our makeup matters to our health. Please read and share.

In honor of this article and of making our makeup more healthy, we’re giving away a Vapour Organic Siren Lipstick to one lucky reader. Comment below to enter, and share on Facebook and twitter for extra chances to win. Contest ends Sunday, May 12 at 11:59 pm. Good Luck!

Everyone’s a winner… but some of you are getting Lipgloss, too!

Posted by: Emily

This was our most entered giveaway, ever, between all the entries on Facebook, Twitter, this site, and via email. I wish we could give a lipgloss to everyone who entered, but that’s just not possible. So, here are a list of winners, and please stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon!

Gloria M.

Susan I.

Leo E. (who wrote a very sweet email about entering for his mom for Mother’s Day!)

Jenny L.

Mary Ann C.

Ginger G.

Kassie H.

Congrats, Winners! Please email us at productjunkiesrehab@gmail.com with your mailing address and we’ll send you your lip gloss!

Also, we want to introduce you to a fantastic program, coming from one of our favorite websites, Gloss48.com. The program is called Gloss Boss, and you should DEFINITELY apply. (I did!). Details below, and at Gloss48.c0m. Good Luck! 

 

The great LipGloss giveaway

posted by: Emily

If you haven’t entered our LipGloss: The Gateway Drug Giveaway yet, you have one more day to do so, and SEVEN chances to win!

Seven lucky readers will each win one of the following natural lip glosses:

Jane Iredale NEW PureGloss in Snow Berry (reviewed here by Emily)

Jane Iredale NEW PureGloss in Red Currant

Jane Iredale NEW PureGloss in Beach Plum

Vapour Organic Elixir Plumping Gloss in Coax (reviewed here by Jordan)

Vapour Organic Elixir Plumping Gloss in Bolt

Bare Minerals 100% Natural Lip Gloss in Bronze (reviewed here by Emily)

Revolution Organics Freedom Lip Gloss in Vibe (reviewed here and again hereby Emily)

A few “legal” details”:

- contest open to continental US residents only

- contest ends at 11:59pm Monday, April 29, winners will be announced during the following week

- 7 readers will each win ONE gloss. Winners will get to choose the gloss on a first-reply-first-served basis.

We are making it so easy to enter this giveaway. Here’s how:

All you have to do to enter is comment below and tell us you want to enter the giveaway. For bonus entries, share this link on Facebook, tweet it, or post about it on your own blog. You can also email us at productjunkiesrehab@gmail.com if you don’t want to post in public. FOR SPECIAL DOUBLE BONUS ENTRIES, refer a friend to our blog. If you get a friend to subscribe, you each get 2 chances to win a lip gloss. Email and tell us who you referred.

One last thing:

In case you’re thinking, “I don’t wear lip gloss,” just remember that Mother’s Day is coming up! And I can’t speak for all mothers out there, but this Mama LOVES lip gloss, so enter to win and give a gloss to your mom!

LipGloss: The Gateway Drug for Natural Beauty Junkies

posted by: Emily

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Earth Day feels especially important for those who want to incorporate more natural products into their lives, as natural cosmetics don’t only benefit our health, they benefit our planet.

To celebrate Earth Day, we are doing a few things:

1. Giving away SEVEN, (7), yes, seven! LIPGLOSSES (details below)

2. Telling you about some great Earth Day deals (also below)

3. Announcing the winner of our Nourish Body Butter giveaway: Tonya! Congrats, Tonya! Please email us at productjunkiesrehab@gmail.com so we can mail you your prize! We are certain you will love it.

Back to the title of this post: Lipgloss is indeed the “gateway product” for many people trying to go green in their beauty routine. It’s the first thing that Jordan and I tried when we began this chemical-free, organic journey. It started  years and years ago, when I read something about how women eat an enormous amount of lipstick in a lifetime. So when I saw a new gloss containing “vitamins,” I bought it for Jordan. Soon we realized that it wasn’t just about an opportunity to consume an admittedly tiny amount of extra vitamins; here was a chance to eliminate toxins, parabens, and, especially lead, from the makeup product we “eat” the most of. Of course, we know now that all make up and beauty products are absorbed through your skin as if you were eating them, but we started small. And here we are, 4 Earth Days later, giving away 7 fantastic lip glosses FOR FREE!

Here’s what we’re giving:

Jane Iredale NEW PureGloss in Snow Berry (reviewed here by Emily)

Jane Iredale NEW PureGloss in Red Currant

Jane Iredale NEW PureGloss in Beach Plum

Vapour Organic Elixir Plumping Gloss in Coax (reviewed here by Jordan)

Vapour Organic Elixir Plumping Gloss in Bolt

Bare Minerals 100% Natural Lip Gloss in Bronze (reviewed here by Emily)

Revolution Organics Freedom Lip Gloss in Vibe (reviewed here and again here by Emily)

**All you have to do to enter is comment below and tell us you want to enter the giveaway. For bonus entries, share this link on Facebook, tweet it, or post about it on your own blog. You can also email us at productjunkiesrehab@gmail.com if you don’t want to post in public. FOR SPECIAL DOUBLE BONUS ENTRIES, refer a friend to our blog. If you get a friend to subscribe, you each get 2 chances to win a lip gloss. Email and tell us who you referred.

And, as promised, here are some great Earth Day deals from Brands We Love:

Vapour Organic Beauty

John Masters Organics

Vine.com

And, while they aren’t cosmetics, Organic clothes are always fun, too:

“Don’t it always seem to go…

… that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” — Joni Mitchell

Posted by: Emily

This post, especially the way I’m using the quote in the title, feels a little frivolous and silly now in light of the terrible tragedy in Boston this afternoon. But I have learned, as I am sure you have, that the only way to go on in life, past these horrors and events, is to, well, go on. So, we go on.

A few days ago, I was trying to clean the top of my dresser, and knocked one of my 14 lip balms off of it into the deep, dark, unreachable corners behind it. This dresser belonged to my great grandparents, and to say it is heavy and unmovable is a tremendous understatement. I got down on the floor with a flashlight (okay, it was really just my iPhone) shining under the bureau to try and see where the lip balm had gone. I didn’t see it anywhere. 

So I did a little inventory of the remaining dresser-top balms to see who had been lost. There were the 2 Splurge Skincare Lip Buttahs I adore (Lemon and Peppermint), the Vapour Organic Beauty Lux Organic Lip Conditioner, a Revolution Organics All-Over Body Balm that I use exclusively for my lips, (because seriously, I can’t use one on my elbows and then on my mouth– ew!), a Weleda Everon Lip Balm, and… you get the idea. I have a lot of lip balms. 

I quickly realized which one was missing– my Honest Company Organic Lip Balm in Lavender Mint. (See– this is what I get for cleaning! A lost lip balm! Not fair!)

Given that I still had more than a dozen lip balms within arms’ reach of my bedside, I decided, seeing that the Lavender Mint was nowhere to be found, that I could, and would have to, just go on with my life. 

What was I thinking? Over the course of the next several days, I found myself reaching specifically for that Lavender Mint Honest Lip Balm over and over and over. I had never realized, till I dropped it in a dusty, cobwebby corner, how much I ADORED it. 

This weekend, determined and armed with an actual flashlight, I got down on my stomach and reached my fingertips into the corners behind the bureau. And, when I came up with nothing, I REACHED UNDER THERE AGAIN! I pulled out some dust bunnies, and, finally, my beloved Lavender Mint Lip Balm. 

All this to say that it is really terrific. I am a big fan of all things Honest Company, and of this scent combo. Luckily for me, Honest also just released the scent in a soy candle! (100% GMO-free, no synthetic fragrances, hand-poured in small batches, etc– basically, PERFECT. I bought the Gardenia Jasmine one– wow– but clearly I need the Lavender Mint! Also comes in Orange Vanilla!)

Another new favorite, Nourish Organics, has a Lavender Mint collection. My favorite product is the Organic Body Butter, but you really can’t go wrong with Nourish. Clearly, this Lavender Mint trend is catching on, and I’m really happy about it. 

In honor of Earth Day approaching, Nourish sent us a body butter to give away to one lucky reader! It’s not Lavender Mint, but as I said above, you can’t go wrong with anything from Nourish! The flavor is Wild Berries, and I promise you will adore the texture of this amazing, ultra-hydrating body butter. 

Comment below to win the body butter! In your comment, tell us if you’ve come across a Lavender Mint scented product, or, if not, what your favorite scent combos are these days.

Winner will be announced at the end of this week. More contests to come! And all our love goes out to the people of Boston today and always. (Especially to Boston-based Splurge Skincare and Gloss48.com).

Another winner, another giveaway!

Posted by: Emily

Our randomly-selected winner (thanks, random.org) of the Vapour Lip Gloss is… Hallie Kapner! Thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to Hallie! 

Stay tuned for another giveaway coming up. We will be posting about it soon, but in the meantime, you can get yourself a bonus entry before the contest even starts by commenting below and letting us know what brands/products you’d like to see us review!

Have a great day!

Ask a Junkie

Posted by: Emily

Last week, a reader wrote in with the following question:

Hi Emily and Jordan,

I am looking for a replacement for my Lancome Juicy Tubes. I love the way they shine, the color lasts forever, and they smell great, but I want to find a more green/healthy alternative. Can you help?

I am not kidding that LATER THAT VERY DAY Jordan brought over a new lipgloss we’d received in the mail from Jane Iredale. Incredible timing, incredible Gloss! Jane Iredale has just launched a brand-new formulation of their best-selling PureGloss LipGloss. Here’s what their website says about it:

Our lip glosses have always been one of our most popular products and now we’ve made them even better. We’ve improved the packaging so you get a flatter, sexier tube with a longer wand and more product. We’ve also improved the formula so it protects and nurtures your lips with state-of-the-art ingredients and a wonderful flavor – berry fresh.

What they don’t mention, which is very important to me, is that this new formulation has removed it’s previous first ingredient, Bis Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate 2, and replaced it with Triisostearyl Citrate, followed by a bunch of nice, natural oils.

I still wish it didn’t have Triisostearyl Citrate, something I wouldn’t find in my kitchen pantry, but I looked it up and there’s no data on it on EWG’s Skin Deep Database, so I asked Jane Iredale’s specialists about this ingredient and got this reply:

Triisostearyl Citrate is a jelly derived from citric acid which gives texture and glide; it is jane iredale’s  natural alternative to the petroleum-based ingredients traditionally used in other lipsticks and balms.

Citric Acid gets a “2″ rating on Skin Deep (Low Hazard), so that sounds okay. Here at PJR, we like to provide you with all the info and let you decide what ingredients you feel comfortable with. 

The Jane Iredale PureGloss is amazing. It truly feels, looks, and smells like the glosses of my glory-days using chemical products, but it’s natural! Like our reader’s request, it lasts long, has tons of shine, and has that delicious sticky-glossy feeling that chemical glosses like Juicy Tubes have. I have missed that. I’m now a really big fan of Jane Iredale PureGloss!!! I slather it on constantly.

The shade Jane Iredale sent to us is Spice, and I love it. It’s a my-lips-only-better-and-glossier shade, like Bobbi Brown’s Buff from the old days, or Stila’s Blackberry lip glaze.

I personally like a lot of shimmer in my gloss, so I hope to get to try out Jane Iredale’s Iced Mocha or Sangria soon. Beach Plum looks good too… I want to try all of them!

Just a side note:  I had previously thought that Jane Iredale was like Vapour Organic Beauty or Revolution Organics, where all the products are just totally, unquestionably natural, but not all of Jane’s stuff is. And that’s okay– no judgement here, just education. Just be sure to look at the ingredients and decide what you’re comfort level is. It’s a great company– really wonderful products, and the products that are natural are terrific. (See Jordan’s review of the Just Kissed Lip And Cheek Stain here, a product which I love and use.) I was just surprised to learn that not everything is natural. 

But if you’re looking for a no-brainer gloss with 100% natural ingredients that you don’t have to look up, I still heartily recommend Revolution Organics’ Freedom Gloss (my fave shades are Vibe and Integrity, and the main ingredients are Castor Seed oil, Olive oil, and Shea Butter.)

I also recommend Vapour’s Elixir Lip Gloss in Sultry, a sunkissed brown (I only wish it had shimmer!!), or their Elixir Plumping Gloss (I like Coax). In fact, we are giving away a Vapour Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss in Coax (possibly my favorite Vapour shade ever!) this week! Enter below by telling us your favorite gloss (natural or not, we are not judging!!) in the comments below. For an extra entry, post this blog entry on your Facebook timeline or tweet it. Winners will be announced at the end of the week.

P.S. When I checked back in with our reader who was missing Lancome Juicy Tubes, she said she’s trying (and liking!) Burt’s Bees’ 100% Natural Lip Gloss. Looks good– add that to my list of things to try!

Aye, there’s the [sc]rub!

Posted by: Emily

Two [scrubs], both alike in dignity…

In case you couldn’t tell from the title and opening line, I’m on a bit of a Shakespeare kick. The rest of this post has nothing to with The Bard, but the products reviewed are worthy of his poetry (one more than the other, but this Lady can’t protest too much). Okay, last Shakespeare quote, I swear.

The scrub that I find truly sonnet-worthy is Splurge Skincare‘s The Rub. Oh. My. Goodness. Jordan already mentioned how much we lovelovelove this company, and reviewed the amazing scrubs, when telling you about (and giving away!) their fantastic Lip Buttahs. But they deserve more fanfare. I’d post about Splurge each and every time I use The Rub or the Lip Buttah, but I’d be posting every five minutes and no one wants that. But that’s how much I love Splurge. 

So why write about Splurge’s The Rub again? Why now? Well, besides just being awesome, they have released their new scent, Spring. The ladies from Splurge were kind enough to send it to Jordan and me to try out, and surprise, surprise, we adore the new scent.

Here’s Splurge’s description of Spring: 

Our new limited edition Spring scent captures the crisp smell of the earth coming back to life after a long, cold winter.  A blend of yuzu, a sweet, but tart Japanese citrus, combines with the bracing litsea cubeba to provide a fresh, clean scent.  A touch of ylang ylang rounds it out to give it just a hint of subtle floral . The combination smells like Spring itself.

Yeah. I know. It sounds amazing, right? AND IT’S EVEN BETTER THAN THE DESCRIPTION! And the best part about all of Splurge’s Rubs is that they are SO moisturizing. I don’t even feel like I need to apply moisturizer after a shower when I’ve used The Rub. And that’s saying a lot– I’m addicted to moisturizer, and have super-dry skin. Buy it here. And when doing so, you’d really, really be missing out if you don’t also buy a Lip Buttah or two. Seriously. My favorite is Lemon, but they’re all awesome. 

 

The other scrub worth talking about is from Nourish. Fantastic company, sold at Whole Foods, USDA organic. I love them. This scrub is good, but it’s really different. To be fair, it’s actually a Body Polish, which is a totally different animal.  It’s designed to be so gentle that it almost doesn’t feel like an exfoliator at all. It feels like a body wash, and even takes the place of one in the shower, but has a blend of organic corn cob, cupuaçu and murumuru seeds, and forbidden and jade pearl rice polish away dryness and leave skin glowing. I really enjoy it, but my only wish is that it came in scented varieties. I really love Nourish’s Lavender Mint scent. If this Polish came in that fragrance, it’d be even better. 

At $10 for 6 ounces, it’s really well-priced. If you have very sensitive skin and can’t do sugar scrubs, I recommend this one for you.

Here’s to glowing skin. Let us know in the comments what scrubs you love.

Happy Shopping Holiday (and, oh yeah, Thanksgiving, too!)

Posted by: Emily

I have been so excited about seeing my family at Thanksgiving that I forgot that the biggest shopping holiday of the year is fast approaching, too! Gone are the days, for me, of actually going to a physical store on Black Friday (a toddler and traveling make this impossible, not to mention the crowds!) so I rely heavily on Cyber Monday deals to take advantage of this annual retail insanity.

This year, we want to introduce you to a new brand, which became one of our VERY favorite brands as soon as we tested it out. It’s called Nourish, and it’s USDA Certified Organic, Oregon Tilth certified, Gluten free, Vegan, CCIC Cruelty-free, packaging is made with at least 25% post-consumer recycled content, and everything is recyclable. Um, are you hooked yet? How about this: IT’S AFFORDABLE!!

And if it weren’t already incredibly reasonably priced, it is getting better starting now: Their website is doing “Green” Friday and Cyber Monday discounts! Here are the deals:

‘GREEN’ Friday: 25% off and free shipping using promo code “GREEN” at check out on www.NourishUSDA.com

Cyber Monday: 50% off all Nourish Products using promo core “CYBER” at check out on www.NourishUSDA.com

(*tip from PJR: Um, wait till Monday, folks!)

Jordan and I have been using and loving these products for months now. Nourish sent us 4 to try and we’ve been raving about them to each other and to our husbands (and to anyone who will listen!).

Here are the ones we’ve tried and loved:

Organic Body Butter in Fresh Fig I am addicted. Best body butter I’ve tried in ages, hands down. It is the first one that has made me not miss The Body Shop’s body butters of my past. In fact, it’s better than The Body Shop’s butters. Seriously amazing, and inexpensive for something this organic and this awesome. BUY IT NOW. Buy 3– they have deals when you order more than one product on line, plus see above codes for ADDITIONAL discounts. You can’t go wrong.

*note: the Wild Berries and Fresh Fig scents are very strong. Might want to start with unscented or Lavender Mint if you’re sensitive. All the scents are good, some just stronger and sweeter than others.

Organic Body Lotion in Wild Berries: Seriously amazing, luxurious, but the scent is very sticky-sweet. Lotion is fantastic, though. See above note and try it in a scent you think you might like, or start with unscented.

*these products are available at Whole Foods if you want to test the scents. Isn’t that awesome?! 

Organic Hand Wash in Almond Vanilla: I love this. What’s not to love? It’s organic, it’s gentle, it’s effective. It’s soap. It smells wonderful. It makes you clean. It’s cold and flu season– buy some soap!

Organic Deodorant in Lavender Mint: This is the only Nourish product I didn’t obsessively love. But it’s not Nourish’s fault– you all know I have a complicated relationship with Natural Deodorants. Sigh. But I LOVE this scent, and Jordan LOVES this deodorant, and since she’s the expert, I’d say that’s good for the 90% of you who don’t share my irritation issues with natural deodorants.

So go forth and shop! Enjoy. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by love and food and friends.

Green (with envy), Volume 1

Posted by: Emily

When I first heard about Birchbox, from my cool friend, Anna, a few months ago, I became very jealous. She, and about one-hundred thousand other people, receive deluxe samples of fabulous beauty products every month, for a small membership fee, along with discounts, tips, and other special offers. Since Birchbox only occasionally includes natural or organic products– they have sent samples of great  natural brands like Vapour and Dr. Hauschka in the past– it means that, if I joined, I’d be throwing away most of the offerings every month, from old temptations like Kiehl’s and Smashbox. This beauty junkie doesn’t need that temptation.

I started feeling pretty sorry for myself. It seemed everywhere I looked, other subscription companies were popping up. One could pay a monthly fee to receive kids’ toys, women’s clothes, men’s grooming products, baby products, you name it, there’s a delivery “box” company for it. So I began looking for a beauty box that delivered only natural and organic brands– something like Birchbox, but only full of things a Product Junkie’s Rehab devotee would use. Four such companies were nice enough to send me sample boxes to try out and tell you about! Lucky me– I was no longer green with envy. Just green, with a lot of little samples to try!

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting reviews of each of the boxes, one at a time. I will give you a brief description of each box I received, why you might want to subscribe, how much it costs, and my favorite product from each box. (Since the samples in each box each month are different, this doesn’t mean they’re products you’ll necessarily receive in the boxes, but it’ll give you an idea of the kinds of things the company delivers).

First up: Green Grab Bag

Price: $15/month for AT LEAST 6 samples (I got 7)

Shipping: Free

Description from their website:  A Fun, Affordable Way to Try the Best Natural Beauty Products Before You Buy! At least Six Samples Delivered to Your Door for Just $15 a Month and Shipping is Free! White Apricot has been covering natural, organic and vegan beauty productsfor five years. We like to think w´re experts at reporting on all of the best of the best in skin care, haircare, makeup and fragrance. But, we got to thinking – why should we get to have all the fun?! Why shouldn´t you be able to experience the products too. After all, you shouldn´t have to spend a lot of money on products you haven´t tried. So, we created Green Grab Bag! For just $15 a month and free shipping, we hope you´ll join us! What makes this even more fun is that every month is a surprise subscription box, with at least six minis delivered right to your door!

My favorite product:  GGB introduced me to EO Certified Organic Deodorant Spray, and I’m hooked! This is the best product I’ve ever tried in this category, what I like to call “pit perfumes”– they are marketed as stand-alone deodorant sprays, but like Weleda’s Wild Rose spray that I love, and Bubble and Bee’s that Jordan reviewed, I find that they work best when used WITH an actual deodorant (you all know I love DeodoMom). The EO spray they sent me is Vetiver, and I can’t get enough of it’s vetiver, bergamot, grapefruit, geranium, lavender and cedarwood scented blend. This was my gateway drug to EO products– I now love their hand sanitizer sprays, gels, etc. and fully recommend this California Certified Organic Farmers-approved brand.

My take: I got 6 great beauty products, all from brands of which I had not heard before, and each came with a discount code, all but one for 20% off (the other was for 15% off, so not too shabby!) the full-sized product online. I think it’s a fantastic deal, and the price is great. A nice way to try out new brands. I also got in my box a sample of Mighty Leaf Tea, also with a 20% off coupon, so this box isn’t solely beauty products– you might also learn about other natural/organic things! Bonus!!

Here are the other 3 boxes I’ll be reviewing in the coming weeks. Stay Tuned!

Conscious Box

Beauty Box 5

and my new favorite, Goodebox

Check them out, and I will post reviews soon. I will also be reviewing sample offers from Spirit Beauty Lounge (which offers an incredible deal, free shipping, $10 towards your next purchase, and you get to pick your own samples!!– this one is the best) and the Future Favorites box from Hip Apotheca.