100% Natural Jojoba Lip Balm Review

May 4, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I’m a bit of a lip balm freak.

I use it all the time! I keep one in the bathroom, one in my bedside draw and one in my handbag. I am covered for all occasions. There is nothing worse than the feeling of dry lips (well okay there might be a few things).

When The Jojoba Company sent me their new lip balm to try, I was a bit excited, given that I am a huge fan of their other products. Our whole family loves the jojoba oil!

Well they haven’t disappointed! TJC have nailed the perfect formula for a beautiful lip balm.

It’s smooth, lightweight and goes on easily. I found my dry lips were hydrated and soft again very quickly. I didn’t have to reapply for ages so it has a long lasting moisturising effect. There is only a very slight hint of coconut flavour from the coconut oil so there is no strong taste or smell.

Some lip balms I have used are really glaggy (I’m pretty sure that is a word) and feel gritty and weird on my lips. Straight coconut oil tends to slide off and not have any staying power. Many lip balms also contain a base of petrochemicals, which is something I always double check in the ingredients.

This one is 100% natural and The Jojoba Company use their own Aussie grown jojoba oil as a base. Kakadu plum seed oil is also included and they both have naturally occurring vitamins A, D & E.

I am finding that this balm doesn’t separate or melt (yes, it’s always hot here in Queensland). Trust me, there is nothing worse than finding a sticky pile of lip balm or lip stick in the bottom of your handbag!

There is no beeswax, so this lip balm is vegan if that is something you like to look for. I love the little pot rather than a stick – they last longer and are more hygienic. The lid is a little hard to get back on (or maybe that’s me being unco!)

Overall, a fantastic product that makes a great basic lip balm for everyone in the family to use. My favourite feature is definitely it’s ability to moisturise deeply and effectively while still being light weight and smooth.

The Jojoba Company is a family owned, Aussie business and they never test on animals. Two big ticks for me. You can find their range of products online or in most pharmacies and health food stores.

And…. they have kindly given you all a discount code to use! Woohoo!

Use the code: KISS15 to get 15% off the new lip balm at The Jojoba Company’s online store but only until May the 17th 2016!!

{this is a sponsored post}

Beautiful Gifts for Mother’s Day

April 17, 2016 · 1 Comment

Beautiful Gifts for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is coming up and I have some of the hottest gifts around for natural new age mums! Whatever you do, I hope you have a magical day with your family and soak up the love.

♥ Love You Mum Gift Pack from Happy Skincare

Aaron and Phoebe have put together a limited edition pack for Mother’s Day! This is one of my all time favourite skincare ranges – 100% natural, vegan and not tested on animals. In fact, I got my mum a set for Christmas and she loves it!

If you get in early, you also get the pack in a gorgeous fair-trade organic cotton toiletries bag. Sales from this bag help support Freeset and their mission to help the women trapped in Kolkata’s sex trade.

Get it here. 10% off with the code: NNAM

♥ Insulated Food Jar

Now that the weather is warming up, get Mum a stainless steel food jar. They are just the ticket for taking hot soups, casseroles or curries to work or out and about. No microwaves required or buying lunch out and spending a fortune! Biome have a great range available but I have this Thermos one pictured and LOVE it. It’s wide enough to use with a spoon straight out of the jar and it keeps food hot for hours.

Browse here.♥ Lavanila Natural Perfume Gift Box

This cute gift pack has 5 mini roller ball perfumes. With a base of Madagascan vanilla, these perfumes are all natural and contain 100% pure essential oils and natural botanicals. There is a scent for every mood! They are great for popping in the handbag too.

Get it here.

♥ Happy Mama book

My gorgeous friend Amy Taylor-Kabbaz just released her new book, Happy Mama! This book is the collected wisdom from Amy’s makeover from strung-out parent to happy, self-loving mum. Including interviews with working mums, psychologists, counsellors and spiritual leaders, it is full of practical and empowering advice that will help you change the way you feel about motherhood so the whole family can flourish.

Get it here.

♥ Mandala Platter

I am seriously lusting after this gorgeous mandala style platter from Maxwell and Williams. It’s on sale at the moment too – 30% off! It comes gift boxed…. I hope the family is reading this!!

Get it here.

♥ Bahen & Co Chocolate

Sublime!! This hand-crafted chocolate from Margaret River in WA is stone ground in small batches using vintage machinery. Bahen and Co support farmers, fair trade and ensure there are no children working on the cacao farms. There are no weird ingredients, flavours or additives. Choose from plain chocolate, salted Australian almond or chilli salt!

Check them out here.

What are you getting your mum (or yourself) for Mother’s Day??

Love List ~ March 2016

March 31, 2016 · 6 Comments

Well it has been a little while since I have done a love list!

In between moving to Brisbane and settling my kids in at new schools and uni and working on my charity project and updating the website (do you like the new design and logo??), it’s all been a little crazy around here at NNAM.

Here are some things that I have been loving the last few months….

♥ 4 My Earth Bamboo Bags

I am in love with these new bamboo bags! They are so soft and light weight and perfect for replacing plastic bags when buying produce. I have also been using them damp to keep veggies nice and fresh in the crisper. Such a great way to reduce your plastic usage. Get them here.

♥ Erica Brooke Skin Care

Made by a Brisbane natural new age mum, this range is equal to any of the big name natural skin care brands on the market. Erica’s deodorant is already one of my all time favourite products and I think I am also going to add the Honey Cream Cleanser to that list as well. It’s so incredibly beautiful to use and of course, free of nasty toxins and weird stuff! Check it out here.

♥ The Wholesome Cook by Martyna Angell

I was lucky enough to meet Martyna a few weeks ago at a cooking demo and I grabbed a copy of her cookbook while I was there. I really love Martyna’s food philosophy (probably because it is so similar to my own) of eating whole foods for your own bio-individuality. So many delicious whole food recipes to inspire. Check it out here.

♥ Small Steps to Fermenting

I am about to embark on some fermenting. I find it to be all quite overwhelming and I am worried I am going to get it wrong and make us all sick! Luckily the gorgeous Lisa Corduff (guru from Small Steps to Wholefoods) has teamed up with her husband to break it all down step by step in their online course, Small Steps to Fermenting. Check it out here.

♥ Crystal Singing Bowls

I was lucky enough to attend a crystal singing bowl healing workshop last month. I felt incredibly relaxed and in balance afterwards. It was a very magical, spiritual experience. You can check out crystal singing bowls at some new age stores or look for a healing session near you!

What have you discovered lately that you love??

Happy Skincare Review and Giveaway

March 21, 2014 · 99 Comments

Happy Skincare Review and Giveaway

You know I get a bit (very) excited when I find an Aussie, family owned business making awesome natural products without all the nasty toxins!

Well a random Google search last month led me to Happy Skincare and I did get excited! I couldn’t wait to join up with them as an affiliate and help them start spreading the word about their luxurious, affordable products that actually work. So on the blog today, I am going to tell you all about Happy Skincare and what I thought of it and giving some away so you guys can road test it too.

So, who are Happy Skincare?

Aaron and Phoebe are the ‘Happy’ husband and wife team from Newcastle, New South Wales. Aaron is an ex-naval officer, and Phoebe is an ex-software engineer. They left their careers to start their own small business, creating their own natural and organic skincare. Happy Skincare all came from a husband’s desire to do something to help his wife during pregnancy.

Unlike all the other organic and natural brands who have the story of ‘I couldn’t find anything natural that worked’, Aaron just had an audacious idea that he could do it better than the others. It also allowed him feel like he was helping Phoebe while she was preoccupied growing a baby. The belly balm idea morphed into their original product, the Anti-Ageing and Repair Cream.

What is Happy Skincare all about?

Aaron and Phoebe pride themselves on being Aussie owned and made. Their skincare range is made from the highest quality certified organic and 100% natural ingredients. The products are great for a wide range of skin conditions including acne, dry skin, ageing and problem skin.

“One of the ideas that Happy Skincare has been built on is that “skincare doesn’t have to be complicated to make a big difference to your skin.” Nature has done so much of the hard work for us, and with some care and cleverness we have been able to create a whole range of clean, simple and 100% natural skincare products that are gaining a bit of a cult following.”

The Happy skincare range is not tested on animals, most products are vegan and its palm oil use is from a sustainable source. Aaron and Phoebe are also philanthropists and donate 10% of profits to an orphanage in Mexico!

They offer free shipping on all orders over $100 and a 30 day money back guarantee.

What did I think?

I road-tested these four products over two weeks.

Cloud 9 Deep Cleansing Balm: This is a thick, rich, lightly scented cleanser. I found it to be really lovely and left my skin very soft but still feeling clean. You need a cloth or sponge to wash it off, but I think that bit of extra effort is worth it, particularly if you have dry skin. You can also leave it on for a bit and it will work like a nourishing mask.

Tickled Pink Perfecting Tonic: I used this as a spritz before moisturizing. It really refreshes and helps lock in all that goodness.

Perfectly Happy Anti-Ageing Cream: I really loved this moisturizer. Beautifully scented and very light but nourished my skin beautifully. It does feel feather light!

Good Vibes Omega Facial Oil: This has five different omega oils and is a light non greasy oil. I have been using it at night under the moisturizer. It really softens the skin.

Pig In Mud Mineral Mask: Mix some water in with this mask and apply to your face for a really deep clean. Whoops I left it on way longer than recommended and it made my skin a bit tight. Remember to follow the directions next time!

So, after using the Happy Skincare for two weeks, I could notice a real difference in my skin. It had been getting a coarse feel and was a bit dried out and getting a few blemishes Now, it’s softer, fresher and the blemishes have gone away. I feel like it’s looking a lot better too. I would definitely get these products again and I am looking forward to trying out some of the other products in the range. Very impressed.

I am not the only one who thinks Happy Skincare is awesome – there are pages of testimonials on the website of ‘happy’ customers!

What I really like is that the products are affordable. There is nothing over $40 and that is pretty darn good for mostly organic skincare! They also bundle up the products into packs and throw in free stuff to give you a good deal.

I am really struggling to find something I don’t like about Happy! Actually, it would probably only be the packaging – I would like to see recycled packaging be something that they adopt in the future.

Where do you get it from?

Originally Aaron and Phoebe had grand plans of seeing Happy Skincare products in retail stores nationwide but they have shifted focus a bit because selling through retail stores means they totally lose touch with their customers.

By being available mostly online, they can cut out the middle man, keep costs down and have that one on one interaction with their customers.

Why ‘Happy” ?

I had to ask Aaron and Phoebe why they are decided to call themselves “happy” and the reason behind all the fun names for their products – something that initially drew me to them. It makes me smile! 🙂

“We picked Happy because we wanted a positive name and to bring a bit of fun back. It felt like the skincare world had got too serious with a case of white lab coat-it is, with its marketing messages all focused on the latest cutting edge synthetic ingredients and completely forgetting about the plentiful offerings nature has already given us.

We do our best to keep having fun but we have grown into something a little more. Similar to the slow food movement our products have become products that encourage slow beauty. Our products are a perfect way to take care of yourself with a little alone time.

The Cloud 9 Cleansing Balm isn’t a quick squirt, rub your face and rinse. To get the full experience you need to slow it down, give yourself a little face massage and enjoy the uplifting citrus aromas.

‘Pig in Mud’ was the first fun name we come up with because using our mask was like being as happy as a pig in mud. So we thought ‘why not’ stick with fun names? There are already plenty of made-up marketing names like Regenerist, Revitalift or Youth Code.

We do get a bit of resistance to our names, with some thinking that they’re too silly for them, and that they need something more serious. But we just roll with the punches! Cloud 9, Tickled Pink, Raindrops on Roses and Good Vibes all follow that same fun/happiness philosophy. The only problem is that we are running out of ideas for new products.”

Exclusive Discount Code:

Get an exclusive 10% off Happy Skincare with the code: NNAM here.

Giveaway:

(this giveaway has closed, thanks for entering!)

Aaron and Phoebe are kindly giving away 5 of their sample packs to 5 of you to try out for yourselves!! All you have to do is:

♥ Be a blog subscriber (add your email to the box on the right)

♥ Head over to the Happy Skincare website for a look around

♥ Leave me a comment on this blog post telling me which one of the Happy Skincare products you would like to try the most

Terms and conditions: This giveaway will close at midnite (AEST) on Monday the 31st of March. Winners will be chosen using random.org from those fulfilling the entry requirements correctly. Winners will be emailed and announced on this blog post. Sorry, Australian residents only. Good luck!

What are parabens and should we avoid them?

October 28, 2013 · 16 Comments

What are parabens and should we avoid them?

You may have noticed a few products cropping up with “paraben free” on them.

But, what are they? And should we be avoiding them?

I am going to try to simplify this for you and give you some information from sources I trust.

Well, basically, parabens are preservatives used in cosmetic products and sometimes food. Look out for them in your shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, toothpaste, moisturisers, deodorants….. pretty much check the labels of all your cosmetics! They are also found in food products like pies, sausages and pastries.

Their function is to stop fungus and bateria growing in your products.

Parabens are derived from petroleum and you will often see it prefaced with methyl, propyl, butyl, ethyl, isobutyl, isopropyl or benzyl.

So why are people freaking out about parabens?

In a study looking at breast cancer, parabens were found in the tumours of 18 out of 20 women. This led to the suspicion that parabens might be causing an increase in breast cancers.

In another study by the US Environmental Protection Agency, parabens were found to mimic hormones and disrupt endocrine function (our glands which secrete hormones around the body).

There is also some evidence that “butyl paraben adversely affects the secretion of testosterone and the function of the male reproductive system. In the present study, it is shown that propyl paraben also adversely affects the hormonal secretion and the male reproductive functions.”

The EWG Skin Deep Database rates several parabens at the toxic end of the scale.

The Chemical Maze Bookshelf Companion says to avoid parabens because of “suspected endocrine disruption, suspected skin or sense organ toxicity, contact skin irritation or dermatitis in some people and wildlife and environmental toxicity.”

On the other hand, there is this information from Choice Australia – ” The European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety conducted a review of parabens in consumer goods, and determined that they didn’t pose a risk in the quantities permitted in such products. However the Danish government has banned the use of some of the larger-molecule parabens in products for children up to three years old as a precautionary measure, as children might be especially vulnerable to endocrine effects. This is of particular concern if products are used on broken skin, such as nappy rash.”

So, what’s the verdict?

My concern about these products is the amount we use and the fact that parabens are stored in our bodies. Dr Peter Dingle, scientific researcher and toxicologist says “although companies assure us that the chemicals known to be toxic are in amounts too small to cause harm, no one knows what their long-term, cumulative effects will be. What’s more, we don’t know how toxic these substances are when combined with other ingredients in the product.”

Personally, I think there is enough of a risk and questions raised for me to avoid parabens and err on the side of caution. I also try to avoid all products made from petroleum. Remember parabens are just one of the chemicals that can cause problems.

How do you avoid parabens?

Read labels, read labels, read labels! I like to look up The Chemical Maze or EWG skincare database to check products and ingredients. I also like to stick with good quality, natural skincare that I trust, like Twenty 8, Miessence and Mukti to name a few.

You might also want to check out my post on The Best Australian Natural Skincare Brands.

What do you think? Do you avoid parabens?