Elevate Difference

Reviews tagged natural

Soap Sampler & Solid Body Lotion

I discovered Soap Lady Oregon products at—of all places—a chocolate festival in Portland, Oregon. While the products obviously aren't edible, they smelled better—and had healthier ingredients—than many of the food products that my partner and I sampled at the event. I believe you can vote with your pocketbook, and it was nice to know that the company uses all-natural, vegan and cruelty-free ingredients.

Truth Belt: The Westie

As more companies are becoming earth and animal-friendly, and the DIY movement has seen resurgence in the past few years, I have been on the lookout for a good selection of quality vegan belts. I’ve encountered a lot of hemp and vinyl belts, and even some belts made out of bicycle inner tubes, but I still haven’t found one company that offers a wide variety of both classy and funky vegan belts. Enter: Truth Belts. Truth is an animal-friendly accessory company based in Canada.

YummyEarth Organic Gummy Bears

Looking for the perfect lunchbox treat? Look no further than YummyEarth Organic Gummy Bears. These cute little critters are USDA Certified Organic, made with real fruit juice, and provide 100% of daily vitamin C. The first thing you might notice about YummyEarth’s bears is their color. They are vibrant and appealing, but they colors are markedly more natural (no bright green or screaming orange). This is because of (hooray!) the lack of artificial dyes in the product.

Replenishing Hand Cream (Rose Flower)

My paternal grandmother was the offspring of a French immigrant family that emigrated to the United States. She came of age during a time of great extravagance (Roaring Twenties) followed by a sharp decline (Great Depression) and then raised five children—three boys and two girls—by herself in St. Louis, Missouri while my grandfather reported for duty during World War II. In my grandparents' house there were two bathrooms, one pink and the other blue, a color-coded system marked by a form of gender segregation that had a utilitarian function in the large and evenly split household.

Greens Plus Protein Bars

Snacking is inevitable. I regularly snarf all varieties of energy bars, even though I am not climbing mountains, lofting from ski jumps, or training for triathlons. I schlepp groceries and books and stomp down city sidewalks, but do not exert myself on Himalayan Peaks or the Appalachian Trail.

Organic Original Rice Nectar

A gift box arrived at my home several weeks ago, origin unknown until my partner came staggering through the door, trying to balance the behemoth shipment he’d fetched from the post office. “It’s from Jaimie and Sabrina!” My kind, thoughtful acupuncturist and psychiatrist back in Boston—who share an office space, an affinity for holistic treatment, and unending support for my international move—had sent a care package after receiving a card from us.

Picture Perfect Face Primer

Oily skin is often revered as one’s personal fountain of youth with an ability to slow down aging, but for those who were born with this physical trait, it’s a nightmare that stares at you right in the face. Instead of glowing and glistening, oil oozes from pores, causing pimples to make frequent visits, while rosy cheeks appear slippery and dirty. Not even the finest powders can combat the greasy mess, and at the end of the day, your many hours of carefully applying makeup for a fresh face results in a gloppy gunk.

Gingerbread 1930s Waterproof Mascara

The Gingerbread 1930s Waterproof Mascara from Bésame Cosmetics is a great all natural make-up find, especially for those with make-up sensitivities.

Complexion Bar

I stumbled upon The Soap Factory in Longview, WA while exploring the downtown area nearly seven years ago. I fell in love with the shop and its products instantly, and have continued to order them online after leaving the job in Longview. The Soap Factory's Complexion Bar is a tried and true favorite of mine. While it's not cheap ($6.99), the four-ounce bar lasts a long, long time. (I just bought a new one, having purchased the previous bar in 2006.) With real avocado fruit, carrot juice, shea butter and a host of essential oils, it smells good enough to eat.

Wash 'n' Wear Pads

You’ve got your period. You start digging through your stash and - what? - no more pads! Do you make a last minute dash to the store to sift through new and expensive gimmicks? Perhaps you’ve thought, “There has got to be a better way!” There is. I tried the small, medium and large cloth menstrual pads by Australian maker, Pleasure Puss. The design of the cloth pad is quite simple: absorbent cotton, adjustable snap and closure wings. Like most women, I thought “Is that for me?

Peanut Butter Shortbread

Can something that’s made without wheat or gluten, is egg and dairy free, and has no refined sugar or cholesterol taste good? It absolutely can if it’s Sun Flour Baking Co.’s Peanut Butter Shortbread. These tasty cookies are hard to resist. They are light, but filling, although I did have to resist easting the entire box in one sitting.

3 Citrus Whipped Shea Butter

Dry knuckles? Ashy hands and elbows? Tried every lotion on the shelf? You need Prairieland Herbs' 3 Citrus Whipped Shea Butter. When I opened the little tin tub (which can be reused for multiple purposes), I was taken aback; it actually look like whipped butter! I had to resist sticking my finger in and giving it a lick. Compared to more solid shea butter, this is very gentle and airy—easy to spread and rub in. As soon as I could, I put it to the test. My knuckles stayed moisturized throughout my daily routine much longer than conventional lotions.

Loose Mineral Foundation/Concealer

I have a great deal of fun with makeup. Playing with different looks is a creative outlet for me, and I really enjoy trying different cosmetics. I like using foundation, but I have sensitive skin, so it can be hit or miss finding a brand that doesn't make my face burn. So I was excited to try this product by Jenulence, which is hypo-allergenic, all-natural and cruelty-free. This loose powder foundation/concealer is very light and feels great; perfect for anyone with skin sensitivities. It also provides nice coverage while giving a very natural look.

Mineral Eye Shadow

I have to admit that my taste far exceeds most paychecks I've brought in. There are certain things I have admired from afar, but never thought I would actually own. Mineral makeup is one of those things. Getting to try out Jenulence's mineral eye shadow in Dawn Matte was super fun. I went into the experience as the pleased owner of a mineral powder that decreases the redness in my face and is light, non-greasy and doesn't make me breakout. Who wouldn't love that? When I first saw the color I was a little surprised. The Dawn Matte eye shadow looked pretty grey.

Premium Cinnamon Cookies

Vegans, those who cannot have gluten, and other health-conscious consumers will be happy to hear about Sun Flour Baking Company (based in Sacramento, California), which offers a variety of products that, like these cinnamon cookies, are wheat and gluten-free, contain no cholesterol or refined sugar, and are egg and dairy free. In addition, this particular variety has no trans fat or hydrogenated oil, and twenty-two percent of the ingredients used are organic.

Premium Chocolate Chip Cookies & Brownie Babies

Like pizza or sex, chocolate chip cookies are good no matter how bad they are. Considering these cookies are devoid of most everything that makes cookies so delicious, they’re not too bad at all. These are wheat, gluten, cholesterol and dairy free, as well as twenty-one percent organic. All of this translates into a snack that is both healthy and vegan. This box contains ten soft little cookies. Each one is about 1.5 times as wide as a Famous Amos cookie and twice as thick.

Lemon Shortbread

When I saw there were cookies available to be reviewed—COOKIES—I jumped at the opportunity! I didn't do extensive research on the Sun Flour Baking Co. that makes the cookies. I just saw the words "Lemon Shortbread" and then went a little nuts. When the box of cookies came in the mail, I did read it more closely. Since I had no background information on the baking company, it came as a surprise to read such phrases as "No refined sugar," "Egg & Dairy Free" and "40% organic." I noticed that the Sun Flour Baking Co.

Vanilla Shortbread

The Sun Flour Baking Company has been making vegan cookies since 1993. The founder continued to experiment with the ingredients until he believe he’d found the best combination of natural, egg- and dairy-free ingredients needed to make stellar vegan cookies. I generally don’t mind vegan products, and I absolutely love shortbread, so I was excited to try Sun Flour’s Vanilla Shortbread cookies. However, the cookies were a disappointment. I opened the box hoping for solid pieces of shortbread and instead found small jagged pieces of cookie jumbled together in a box.

Shea Butter Gift Set

Packaged in a cute bag, this little gift set arrived smelling great! After a long week at work, a few hours pampering were needed, and this set delivered a great scent and relaxation. Better than the scent is the feeling of soft and smooth skin that comes after a bath using the Botanical Bath Salts, a product that left this woman feeling great. Best of all, this is an all-natural product made from homegrown herbs and natural oils—no preservatives, synthetics or byproducts. A spa experience in a bag, I started out running my bath with the Botanical Bath Salts.

Delicate Moisture Body Oil

At first sniff from the bottle, the scent is not the best. However, the Delicate Moisture Body Oil from Suki has one of those scents that are best in application. It has a wonderful, earthy scent that is not overpowering, but light and relaxing, especially when applied to the skin. As well it is perfect in the bathtub. Though it says only a few drops are needed for the bath, I found that it was a much better experience with a little bit more than a few drops. What makes this oil so great is that it isn’t just some chemically-induced scent made in some factory.
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