Essence of Vali

I recently tried some samples from Essence of Vali which is a NYC based company that sells 100% natural aromatherapy products. They carry oils, mists and balms that does magic on you, they can solve all of your problems such as, sleep problems, stress, pain or if you want balance in your life get the Balance Restore Mist or if you want some passion in your life try their Passion products and so on. I highly recommend them to you. Their mists can be used as a body spray as well

I fell in love with the Sleep Bedtime Balm: Sleep Bedtime Balm is used to help ease you into a peaceful sleep and comfort you during times of stress. Some people report that it helps unclog their sinuses. Dab the balm above the upper lip and on pulse points. Some people like to use it as a lip balm. It is wonderful to use during the day when you are feeling anxious or stressed out.

Relief Massage and Bath Oil: The ingredients of this mixture contains: Jojoba oil, essential oils of lavender oils, peppermint leaves and birch bark. This mixture combines together to help relax the body, penetrate into the muscles and soothe away pain.

Check out the other products here.

 

Jao Limited

Jao Limited is dedicated to bringing 100% natural ingredients to their products. Jao brand products are the creation of Gale and David, a daughter who got lucky enough to have an amazing chemist for a father. It is a must have brand in your purse

My favorite product is the Goe Oil: it’s a mixture of 28 plant, fruit and flower oils. The most important one is not actually an oil at all (Jojoba oil) , but a special liquid wax that closely resembles our bodies natural protecting agents. We can lose the ability to produce these agents over time, with stress and other environmental factors.  Goe oil replenishes the bodies need for these agents in a 100% natural and botanical way.

I also love their Hand Refresher: this one kills germs and freshens hands with ethyl alcohol (less drying). It’ll feel like you just washed with an herbal lavender soap without drying your hands. Get the products here.

Suti – feed your skin

Suti is a luxurious organic skincare collection that’s simply just desserts for the skin. The range harnesses the sumptuous vitamin-rich goodness of pure and potent plant and flower extracts, cultivated from homegrown gardens to the most elusive botanical corners of the world. The result is a deliciously meltsome range of facial oils and balms, cleansers and body butters, intelligently concocted to soothe, smooth and pamper the skin so it naturally glows with health and radiance.  Try Suti and experience the all-encompassing benefits of a holistic daily skincare regime – a time for calm, indulgence and healing. Relish the toe-curlingly scentuous fragrance of fruity blossoms tempered by earthy notes, and allow your senses to momentarily transport you from the hustle and bustle of modern life to the tranquility of luscious remoteness.

My favorite product from their line is the Rejuvenate Face Oil: This best selling oil goes above and beyond moisturizing. It combines rosehip seed oil to help reduce and prevent wrinkles,scars and aging spots along with evening primrose oil which is rich in fatty acids known to be wonderful for the regeneration of skin tissue. Moroccan argan oil is prized for its anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties, often being given the name of ‘Miracle oil’. Organic essential oils of tangerine, sandalwood, frankincense and neroli all known for their effects in rejuvenating the skin. This amazing oil can be used alone or with your existing moisturiser day or night. If you have dry skin, eczema or acne in addition, you will also benefit from the powerful healing properties of the ingredients, such a essential fatty acids that are well known to assist the skin to repair & regenerate. It great for all skin types, even acne-prone skin.

Another favorite of mine is the Purity Moisturising Balm: a gentle, soothing, healing balm for all skin types especially good for use on sensitive skin. Made with sunflower, apricot and sesame oils to soothe, nourish and protect the skin it is combined with healing aloe and calendula and essential oils of lavender and chamomile to soothe and calm any kind of skin irritation such as eczema, psoriasis, rashes, burns, including sunburn & heat rash.

Checkout their other products here.

ECOVER

Ecover is the world’s largest producer of ecological detergents and eco-friendly cleaning and laundry products. Launched in Belgium in 1980, Ecover’s progressive environmental policies place it at the forefront of developing environmentally friendly cleaning products like washing up liquids, household cleaners, laundry and personal care products. In 1992, Ecover opened the world’s first ecological factory, which provoked much media interest and still attracts many visitors today. If you share Ecover’s commitment to the planet and care for the environment, then Ecover’s range of green cleaning products is the right choice for you.

I love their Hand Soap. It’s got plant-based and mineral ingredients and subtle Lavender fragrance from essential oils.

Here is the link to their website: http://www.ecover.com/us/en

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EcoverUS

Blog: http://ecoverusblog.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/EcoverUS

Study finds even more Lead in Lipstick

By Well+GoodNYC

A new FDA study that tested 400 lipsticks found that the levels of lead in lipstick were more than twice as high as a previous study (conducted in 2007) had indicated.

“Lead is in lipstick either because raw materials are contaminated with lead, or the pigment contains lead,” explains Stacy Malkan, the co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “There may also be cases where packaging contributes to lead content.”

Surprisingly, the study found that more expensive brands did not necessarily contain less lead than cheaper options. In fact, the least expensive brand tested, Wet & Wild, also contained the least lead.

L’Oreal was by far the worst offender, having manufactured 5 of the top 10 lead-contaminated products.

Another shocker? Natural mega-brand Burt’s Bees had several products on the list—one placed as the 17th worst offender. You can see the full list of lipsticks and lead content here.

“The bottom line is that FDA needs to provide guidance to this industry by setting a recommended upper limit for lead in lipstick, based on the lowest lead levels that cosmetic manufacturers can reasonably achieve,” says Malkan.

She’s putting pressure on the FDA and the manufacturers with a new campaign called “Kiss Lead GoodBye” that allows consumers to voice their concerns.

In the meantime, you can stick to small-batch natural beauty brands, which are generally not manufactured in the same way and are less likely to contain lead. (Although we unfortunately don’t have a lab here at Well+Good to personally test them!)

Here are some Well+Good suggestions:

Ilia lipsticks, created for the NARS-loving woman
7 natural red lipsticks that perform
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ Lip Tar

New Study Says A.M. Exercise More Effective

By No More Dirty Looks

I kid you not, I was just about to sign up for another month of early morning virtual yoga classes (back to that in a moment) when I noticed a New York Times article about a new excercise study in another window called The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast.

As a rule, we love these kinds of studies, but I’m finding this one particularly compelling. According to the article here’s how it went:

“Researchers in Belgium recruited 28 healthy, active young men and began stuffing them with a truly lousy diet, composed of 50 percent fat and 30 percent more calories, overall, than the men had been consuming. Some of the men agreed not to exercise during the experiment. The rest were assigned to one of two exercise groups. The groups’ regimens were identical and exhausting. The men worked out four times a week in the mornings, running and cycling at a strenuous intensity. Two of the sessions lasted 90 minutes, the others, an hour. All of the workouts were supervised, so the energy expenditure of the two groups was identical.”

But then things got interesting: Of the two active groups, one group did their exercise before eating in the morning and the other after some high-carb-and-fat breakfast bonanza. Their overall calorie intake and expenditure for the day was the same for both groups though.

Keep reading the rest here…

 

Vitamin C

What is Vitamin C ?

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for humans. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, since it protects the body against oxidative stress caused by unstable oxygen molecules. Vitamin C helps heal wounds and prevents excessive bleeding. In human body, vitamin C participates in synthesis of collagen, carnitine, and neurotransmitters.

Natural Sources of Vitamin C

Some of the richest natural sources of vitamin C are kakadu plum, camu camu fruit, rosehip and acerola cherry contain the highest concentration of vitamin C. Sea buckthorn, baobab, guava, blackcurrant, parsley, kiwi fruit, broccoli, and goji berry are all important sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is very unstable and when heated it becomes useless. Eating fresh fruit and vegetables is the only reliable source to obtain a bio-available vitamin C.

Beauty Benefits of Vitamin C

In beauty industry, vitamin C is used in several forms depending on the cosmetic application. In water-rich beauty products, ascorbic acid is more common. Ascorbic acid is a naturally occurring form of vitamin C, although it is usually synthecized. In a rinse-off cosmetic preparation vitamin C only works as a topical skin brightener and exfoliant, similar to alpha-hydroxy acids. Vitamin C as ascorbic acid is easily oxidized and its stability is improved by the use of vitamin E in the same product.

Oil or Water Soluble Vitamin C?

Oil-soluble vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate) is more stable and easier absorbed by the skin. If you want to reap full benefits of vitamin C, you should look for oil-soluble form of this vitamin, because ascorbic acid will not penetrate the skin as it is not oil-soluble. Both forms of vitamin C are not toxic when applied topically, however, day creams and sun protection creams with ascorbic acid may cause sun sensitivity because ascorbic acid sheds upper layer of skin cells and makes skin more sensitive and vulnerable.

Vitamin C and Scars

Vitamin C normalizes collagen production thus helping improve scar tissue. Vitamin C is also mildly acidic helping shed dead skin cells thus promoting smooth complexion. Topical application and supplementation are best combined to effectively combat scars and post-acne marks.

Vitamin C and Under Eye Circles

Vitamin C helps strengthen skin capillaries and prevents blood from leaking into the skin tissue causing micro-bruises that looks like dark circles. Vitamin C eye creams (with ascorbyl palmitate) are best applied at night. Avoid eye creams with ascorbic acid as it may irritate your eyes.

Vitamin C and Wrinkles

Vitamin C encourages collagen formation and preserves existing collagen from age-related depletion. Topical application (both oil- and water-soluble forms) and supplementation are best combined for an effective age-resisting strategy.

Vitamin C and Allergic Dermatitis

Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine (a pharmaceutical drug used to treat symptoms of allergy, such as runny nose and watery eyes.) Vitamin C both prevents histamine release and increases the detoxification of histamine, helping relieve allergy symptoms.

Vitamin C and Acne

As an antioxidant, vitamin C interacts with the immune system. It was found that vitamin C modulates the activities of phagocytes, the production of cytokines and lymphocytes, this way helping decrease inflammation in human skin and other tissues. Topically, vitamin C makes the skin more acidic thus helping restore healthy bacterial balance.

Vitamin C and Sun Protection

Even though vitamin C is an antioxidant and technically protecting against free radicals forming in the skin during sun exposure, it is also an acid and may actually cause more free radical damage by increased oxidation of skin cell components. Therefore, vitamin C is best used in night creams and serums. However,  sunburn can be relieved with a supplemented vitamin C.

 

Hurraw! Balm

Recently I found out about this amazing line called Hurraw! Balm. Their lip balm made my lips soft and moisturized, completely got rid of dryness and cracked feeling. They smell super amazing. If you get a tube lip balm, they always roll off the table somewhere and take a journey of their own, these don’t The balms are all-natural, vegan,  raw and contain organic components! Hurraw lip balms are available in a great many flavors and colors. The Black Cherry and Cinnamon balms are tinted, while most of the others are not, so you can choose what suits you.

I am addicted to these ones. My favorite lip balm from their line is the Black Cherry balm, it’s an amazing subtle red tint, adding a healthy color and glow to your lips without being over-powering and I also love the Vanilla Bean balm which smells just like my vanilla coffee. Hurraw! Balm can be a perfect gift for Valentines Day <3

Here is the link: http://www.hurrawbalm.com/hurraw/index.php

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

There is nothing like feeling something hot on your face to make you feel like you are getting a facial. This is a great alternative to using something deep cleaning like the Clarisonic.  You will feel like you just had a facial right there in the privacy of your own bathroom! This multi-tasker removes every trace of make-up (even stubborn mascara), cleans skin and gently exfoliates when used with the muslin cloth- all in one simple pump. Packed with naturally active ingredients including purifying eucalyptus and skin-softening cocoa butter, it will help reveal soft and radiant skin. It has a rich and creamy texture and works on every age and skin type.

I love it because it truly does the job and it does not dry my skin out

They also have several kits that contain the hot cloth cleanser which are a great way to try things before you invest in something full priced if you are on the fence.

Here is the link: http://us.lizearle.com/

Juice Beauty

Juice Beauty is a revolutionary skin care brand riding the organic crest, offering a broad product range for all skin types. Their skin care products are formulated only with organically or sustainably grown produce from USDA certified organic farms, so you can rest assured they are of the highest purity. Whereas most skin care products subsist in a water base, Juice Beauty uses fruit juice, adding greater antioxidant protection to their products. Organic products from Juice Beauty deliver all the skin nourishing benefits of traditional skin care without any harmful toxins or artificial preservatives. Juice Beauty is the organic solution for healthy, radiant skin and hair.

I love all of the products, now you can even purchase them from Sephora Check it out girls.

Here is the link: http://www.juicebeauty.com/