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Monday, July 29, 2019

Simply Earth Combines Essential Oils with Crafty DIY Project in August's "Face Care" Box

Press Sample and Affiliate Links

It's no secret I love finding and trying out beauty products! While I do not have a dedicated "Beauty Room", I do have an office where I store my products, photograph them, and write about them here on the blog. Another interest of mine is crafting, and I have a shelf filled with assorted odds and ends for my current project du jour. While I've generally kept these two passions separate, I was ecstatic to see my love of do-it-yourself combined with face care when I stumbled across Simply Earth.


Simply Earth is an essential oil brand that curates a subscription box with fun monthly themes. I've always loved the idea of essential oils, but with so much information to digest and the staggering cost of each bottle, I've shied away from really jumping in and using them. Until now! Simply Earth is a family run company that started all because of stinky feet. After sourcing quality and bulk ingredients, they discovered that essential oils aren't as expensive as the MLM brands I keep seeing. This revelation in itself isn't particularly shocking, but what I AM impressed with is Simply Earth's dedication to quality. They have sourced their oils from pesticide-free farms across the globe so each oil is derived from plants grown in optimal conditions. Working directly with farmers, Simply Earth has assured that the oils are then harvested fairly and with safe practices by either steam distillation or cold pressing. Each batch then undergoes GC/MS testing to verify purity for quality assurance. What is sent out is an undiluted, GMO-free oil at an affordable price. If you're not happy with you purchase, there is a 365 day guarantee. This is something I am happy to support!



Now that I've filled you in on the company and the general practices, let's get into the Essential Oil Recipe Box! This is a subscription box with two subscription options:

The MONTHLY BOX is $39 per month, and you will receive a box every month.

The QUARTERLY BOX is $45 every three months, and you will receive one box every three months.

There is no additional membership fee for subscripting, and you can skip boxes should you need to save some money or if the specific boxes just don't appeal to you.

Simply Earth donates 13% of profits to organizations that work to end human trafficking. The specific organization changes each month, but the end goal is always the same. Why 13%, you ask? This is the average age of a child that enters the trafficking ring.


Each Essential Oil Recipe box comes with 4 x 15mL essential oils, recipe cards that utilize the oils with recipes that fit within the monthly theme, and additional extras that may be needed to complete the recipes. Please keep in mind that there may still be some ingredients not included that you will have to provide. This is particularly true in the upcoming "Face Care" box for August as some recipes will require water or a handful of food items from the pantry.


This is what is included in August's Essential Oil Recipe Box:

"Clear Skin" Pure Essential Oil
Frankincense Pure Essential Oil
RosemaryPure Essential Oil
ClovePure Essential Oil
Pure Lavender Hydrosol
DIY Compressed Mask
7 Recipe cards
Sticker labels

I don't know if I can even find the words to express my excitement when I saw the reusable sheet mask! If you've been following my blog, you know I'm no longer purchasing sheet masks once I finish my current stock. I still have more to use up, but I am happy to start using the reusable masks and get those into my beauty routine!

The recipes included in this month's box are:
Feel Good Morning Diffuser
Step 1: Frankincense Face Scrub
Step 2: Rosemary Facial Steam
Step 3: Skin Renewing Face Mask
Step 4: Hydrosol Facial Toner
Step 5: Moisturizing Face Cream
Step 6:Clear Skin Roll On

Simply Earth recommends using all 6 face care steps only once a week, but the toner and cream can be used daily and the acne roll on as needed.


Simply Earth also has a BIG BONUS BOX! When you subscribe to a subscription plan, the BIG BONUS BOX will ship with your first purchase. This box is worth $50 and includes assorted supplies such as hard oil, spray bottles, roller bottles and other things to help with the mixing process. The ensure you have what you need, this box is automatically shipped out with every 6th Essential Oil Recipe Box that comes your way. Now that is convenient!

Also, I have to say I love Katie's fun personality showing through here with her sealing sticker!


My BIG BONUS BOX included the following:

Coconut Oil Pure Carrier Oil (4 oz / 118mL)
Coconut Oil Pure Unrefined Cold Pressed (12 fl oz / 355mL)
Almond Oil Pure Carrier Oil  (4 oz / 118mL)
Beeswax (2 oz)
6 x tall amber vials with metal roller inserts
6 x short amber vials with droppers

That's a lot of stuff! I used to purchase many of these, but it added up quickly and I always ended up with far more than I needed (I can't tell you how many too-small vials I packed once again for my last move). The BIG BONUS BOX is a great way to get what you need while still keeping the volume manageable. I really appreciate that!

As you can see, the Simply Earth subscription service comes with A LOT of great products! I love knowing that I am getting quality essential oils at a great price, and the busy mom part of me appreciates that they have already done the leg work and created fabulous recipes that let me keep my home as natural as possible. The added flexibility of being able to skip months and cancel at any time provides the added security I need to comfortably dive in on a subscription plan.

If you are interested in trying out either the quarterly or monthly subscription plans, or if you just want to visit the website and pick up your own assortment of essential oils, please consider using my referral link. Purchasing through this link allows me to continue sharing great products with you here on the blog.

If you decide to subscribe, please use the code LAUGHLOVECONTOURFREE . This code will get you a $40 gift card with your first purchased subscription box and bonus box. Please note that this code is not a discount but an incentive for first time subscribers. It can be used on your next box or a future purchase. These boxes are fantastic for yourself, and the monthly themes makes these a fun gift for friends and family. The holidays will be here soon, and what better way to show you care than giving a handmade gift!

Super Secret reveal!!!!
As you know, the theme for August's box is "Face Care". Each Essential Oil Recipe Box will give you a few details about the following month's box. Next month's box is focused on soap making and will include Happy Joy Blend, Lemongrass, Bay, and Cajeput essential oils and soap base and soap mold extras. September's box is a great follow up to the August skincare-focused box. I've actually always wanted to try my hand at soap making but haven't yet, so I am really excited about it.

Have you used essential oils? What do you like to do with them? Is the "Face Care" box something you would enjoy? How do you feel about the followup soap making box? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!


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Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Huangjisoo Broccoli voluming mask and pure perfect cleansing Oil

Press Samples


I really enjoying trying out new-to-me skincare products, and the past few years, I have discovered a few K-beauty products that I keep returning to time and time again. When I was given the opportunity to test out a couple samples by Huangjisoo, it was a no-brainer to jump at the chance.  I received a face mask and a sample of their cleansing oil to test out. My thoughts about these are located below.

Broccoli Voluming Mask

My mask was labeled as "Broccoli Voluming Mask" and is the same mask as their "Broccoli Plumping Mask". They sell through their own website in addition to a US storefront on Amazon.com (both linked below), so this is something you will want to know depending on which site you opt to purchase this mask from.


In addition to vitamin rich broccoli extract to revitalize the skin, the serum packaged with this mask also includes mushroom extract for an ultra moisturizing treat for your skin.


Once opened, the sheet mask is unfolded and placed on the face. Unsurprisingly, since facial features vary from person to person, this type of mask generally isn't going to be a perfect fit for everyone. That said, I was still able to place it on my face and didn't find the eye cutouts to be intrusive to my vision like they occasionally can be.


An interesting feature about this mask is the area that covers the cheek has a slit towards the center of the mask. This is a great feature that allows the mask to cover those with longer faces or those with shorter faces to just overlap them like I have shown here. After 20 minutes, I pulled the still damp mask off my face, tapped in the serum on my face, and rubbed the excess serum from the packaging onto the backs of my hands.

I don't find a single use of a mask to be efficient when it comes to full testing purposes, so I really cannot say if consistent use will help with the appearance of your skin. I can tell you that my skin felt incredibly soft after the first use, and I did not experience any unpleasant side effects.

Pure Perfect Cleansing Oil

I also received a sample packet of the Huangjisoo self-proclaimed holy grail product, the Pure Perfect Cleansing Oil.


My experience with cleaning oils is limited, largely in part because I'm not fond of rubbing oil onto by already combination-to-oily skin. In spite of my trepidation, the ingredients in this particular cleansing oil didn't set off any alarm bells in my mind so I went into the testing relatively comfortably.


I figured the best way to test out this cleansing oil was with a full face of makeup, and I was pretty amazed with the results. Sure, I was already pretty confident my makeup would come off without issue, but in spite of putting oil on my face, it still didn't feel like a greasy mess when I was done. After rinsing with warm water and a gentle foaming cleansing step, my skin felt soft and, well, nice! Between the natural ingredients and how this sample package treated my skin, Huangjisoo has turned me into a cleansing oil convert! I should add that it does have a subtle scent that I found to be warm and a little citrusy, but unless you are incredibly sensitive to smells, I suspect most could tolerate it well, if not even enjoy it.


These products were a great introduction to the brand for me, and I look forward to seeing what future products they release! Since I'm trying to not buy any more sheet masks, I don't foresee going that route, but I plan to pick up more cleansing oil and would like to try out their assortment of facial cleansers in the future.

Have you tried any of the products by Huangjisoo? If so, what have been your favorites? Do you like to use cleansing oils? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful evening!
XO!


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Thursday, August 30, 2018

30 Minutes of Self Care with Oh K! and KBShimmer

Press Sample


Being a working mom is tough, and while I wouldn't give up my boys for the world, it does substantially cut out my self care time. Once you add it all together: working outside the house, blogging tasks, and taking care of the household in general, my self care time often is left to the scraps of moments I have in the evenings when all I really want to do is pass out after a long day. While sleep is certainly important for self care, I still like to pamper myself from time to time! Earlier this week, I stayed home to get some work done while my boys were off to school. I decided to take a little bit of time for myself for a little tlc. After a mere thirty minutes, I felt ready to take on the world, or at least the week ahead! Let's jump in on this week's self care routine!


I love using sheet masks as they always make my skin feel incredible from the first use. I came across Oh K! while attending Cosmoprof North America and brought home this mask with me. My skin has actually been looking quite well lately with a current skincare regime I am testing out, but it never hurts to add a hydrating mask into the mix!


Containing cucumber juice extract, honeysuckle, aloe, and green tea, this serum-soaked mask is a great treat to calm and soothe stressed-out skin. Simply apply to your face and let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes, remove, and then massage any residual liquid onto the face in a circular motion. I also went a step further and massaged the leftover serum down my neck and onto the backs of my hands.


It's not uncommon for me to attempt to do "stuff" while wearing sheet masks, but this week, I opted to lay low and really relax for my 15 minutes!


Once my time with my sheet mask was up, it was time to move on to other self care routines. I have these beautiful titanium-coated tools from KBShimmer, and I am thrilled to report that not only are the lovely to look at, they work nicely too! KBShimmer made sure to source these from a company that makes medical grade tools along with beauty products, so you can be confident in their quality.

I'm not a fan of waxing my eyebrows, and the slant tip tweezers plucked my stray hairs perfectly. If your concern is baby fine hair or if you have a pesky ingrown hair, the fine tip tweezers get the job done.


Once my eyebrows were cleaned up, I then moved on to my nails. The cuticle nippers are great at removing hang nails, although mine have been most useful for trimming my nail vinyls!


My self care routine ended with gently pushing back my cuticles with the Dual Ended Cuticle Pusher. While one side is shaped perfectly to fix up the cuticles, the other has a pointed end that allows you to clean up your nails.


It is so easy to focus on what needs to be done and push self care aside, but I strongly encourage you to determine how to best pamper yourself with your own specific time and budget constraints. Self care is important to reduce the negative effects that stress has on the body and is good for both your physical and mental state. This post shows some of my ways of taking care of myself.

Oh, and I don't recommend eating anything that may be contaminated with the serum from the sheet mask- it tastes terrible! This last photo is just me being silly and not recommended.

How have you taken care of yourself lately? What are your favorite techniques?

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!



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