Daily Eats: Lunch | Nubian Heritage Soap

Nubian Heritage Coconut & Papaya Soap || Lunch was ramen, kimchi and a can of coke.

The soap was on my iHerb wishlist for a couple of months and I'm really happy I decided to add it to the cart on my latest order because the smell of this soap is out of this world! I can't wait to use this!

Review: Hurraw! & Crazy Rumors

So today's entry is going to be a little different from my other entries. After my cleanser review, back in Novemeber, I tried to stick to blogging about food for Vegan Mofo since blogging about other things seemed so out place and blogging about food is really fun, so it wasn't a hard rule to stick to. But November is long gone now and when I created this blog I wanted to blog about all sorts of things, not just food. So don't be surprised if you see non-food related blog-posts in the future. :)

Anyway... I'm starting off with some lip balm reviews. Everybody likes lip balms, right? I was googling for some swatches last week and somehow ended up reading a review on Hurraw! lip balms on another blog. Incidentally the blogger mentioned that she bought her balms from Super Smoocher's website and that they were having 20% off all vegan products. Needless to say I had a closer look. Turns out Super Smoocher is an English online shop dedicated to all things lip care related. They carry two all vegan brands: Crazy Rumors and Hurraw! I decided to give them a try and ordered six balms for myself and another two for a friend.

The sale is going on for another couple of days, so make sure to check it out if you're in need of some lip balms. I qualified for free shipping, but shipping prices are very reasonable and EU citizens don't have to worry about import taxes since their warehouse is situated in the UK. Delivery was quick, six days (weekend included) to be precise, though times probably vary depending on the destination. Overall I was very happy with my purchase there and would recommend them. You can check out their shop here: SuperSmoocher

Both brands are sold for the same price (at the moment) and you get 15oz per tube, that is 4.2g for the Crazy Rumors ones and 4.3g for the Hurraw! ones. I found them both to be hydrating and relatively long lasting and they both go on clear, there's no white tint to them or anything. The Crazy Rumors one seems a little harder in texture compared to the Hurraw! balms, but there isn't much of a difference really. Both companies' products are all natural and vegan! :)

For more information about the actual lip balms, check out these websites:

Hurraw! and Crazy Rumors

Super Smoocher's cute packaging! Love is in the air... errr.. on the lips.

I don't know if this is because Valentine's Day is nearing, but the packaging (including the hearts) was a nice surprise. Cute!

Hurraw's Coffee Bean & Chai Spice Lip Balms

Coffee Bean I was hesitant about ordering this one, as I am not someone who likes overly sweet smells, but I was not disappointed. This actually smells like coffee beans, none of that super sweet artificial smell, hooray hurraw! The coffee balm is one of the stronger smelling balms in this batch. I personally haven't gotten a headache from this (yet?), but just so you know. Some people are very sensitive to strong smells and it's certainly something to consider when you put something on your lips, so close to your nose.

Chai Spice Yum! Mhmm, this is a nice one. The balm is infused with cinnamon and cardamon - just right for all of you chai junkies (I know you're out there!).

Hurraw's Grapefruit & Lemon Lip Balms

Grapefruit This smells just like Mamba Fruit Chews, but not obnoxiously so. Although I do have to restrain myself with this, every time I lift the cap I feel like taking a bite! :) I was a little disappointed to find out that this is not one of Hurraw's tinted lip balms, for some reason I assumed it would be, but it's not. It's no big deal since I love the smell so much, but I'd love to see more tinted balms in Hurraw's product line. Maybe in the future?

Lemon I find that a lot of citrus scents used in cosmetics and skin care products have the tendency to smell artificial, similar to those awful anti-mosquito candles. You know, the ones they sell in garden-supply stores? Shudder. Luckily this isn't the case with this one. The smell is natural and subtle, very fresh! Definitely one of my favourites in this batch and something I would buy again.

Crazy Rumors' Apple Spice & Hurraw's tinted Cinnamon Lip Balms

Apple Spice Crazy Rumors have an insanely HUGE variety of lip balms! I had a hard time choosing, it was a little overwhelming to be honest. But eventuelly I did settle on two balms: Apple Spice from the Brew Collection and Peppermint from the Sugar Cane Collection. The Peppermint one is a belated Christmas gift for someone, so I couldn't open it, unfortunately.. Sad face. But the Apple Spice one is aaaall mine! The smell is great: a little something sweet, a little something sour with a little bit of spice. I don't know about the rest of their balms, but this one doesn't smell too sweet either so I really lucked out it seems. :)

Cinnamon (tinted) Drumroll please, let me introduce you to the only tinted lip balm from my package. I may not wear lipstick all that often, but I do have an unhealthy obsession with tinted lip products: balms, butters, glosses - the whole lot. The cinnamon balm is one of the two tinted lip balms in Hurraw's line of products, the other one being Black Cherry, which is a sheer deep/dark red shade from what I've read. The cinnamon balm smells, well, like cinnamon. Big surprise there! ;) The shade is a sheer coral-red, see the photos for a closer look!

Bare lips.

I made sure to wipe my lips with a wet tissue, so you guys can see what my bare lips look like for reference.

Wearing the Tinted Cinnamon Lip Balm on my lips.

I think the balm looks rather natural on my lips, no? Just a bit of colour (and care), nothing too exciting, a nice everyday "go-to" balm.

Close Up.

Smooooth! Compare this to the bare lips photo, looks like my lips went to the spa all on their own. Hehe.

Swatch for the tinted cinnamon balm.

I figured a swatch on white background would give you a better idea of what the color looks like. The photo is pretty much true to the colour. 


So yeah, that's it. Have any of you experience with either of these lip balm brands? Let me know what you think and ask away if you have any question! :)

Review: A-D-E Creamy Cleanser by Earth Science

Quick facts
• pH 5.5
• Paraben free
• Hypo-allergenic
• Natural fruit oil cleanser
• No animal testing
• Vegan!

Company Earth Science
Price $6.55/4,66€ for 8 fl oz/240ml
Where to buy I bought mine from iHerb, shipping is $4 for international shoppers as well as US-residents, free for orders over $40 (US-orders only). If you are a first time customer you can get $5 off your order by using my code: LEB789.

What's written on the bottle

A gentle cream cleanser formulated with natural fruit oils to cleanse the skin and remove makeup without the dryness of soap. Moisturizes as it cleans to leave your skin soft and supple with no greasy build-up. Contains special plant sterols and vitamins to leave skin radiantly fresh and healthy looking. Contains no artificial colors, mineral oil, soaps, harsh preservatives or irritating petroleum products. Will not clog pores.

A bit about my skin type
I've had eczema ever since I was a child so my skin is dry to very dry, especially in winter, and also rather sensitive. I have acne-prone skin, mostly hormonal and on the chin, but I had a HORRIBLE break out on my cheeks earlier this year and have become very very picky with my skin care products.

How to use it
One pump-full every morning and night. Dampen your clean (!) hands with some water and use your fingers to apply the product to your face, I like to use circular motions but do whatever works best for you just don't be too rough. Wet a large cotton pad with hot water, wring it out and take off the remaining product. Rinse with lukewarm water and you're done!
(Ha, I felt really silly writing this, I'm sure you all know how to use a cleanser!)

My thoughts on it
I was using a gel formula before I switched products and the product was gentle enough but it always left my skin feeling tight and dry and when summer was over, I knew I had to change products to be prepared for winter. Cream or 'milk' type cleansers are best for dry and sensitive skin types as they often don't use harsh foaming agents to clean your skin and the A-D-E Creamy Cleanser fits right into said category. This cleanser does not foam up, but it does a great job at cleansing my face and it leaves my skin soft and fresh looking, no sign of redness whatsoever. Note that I always use a separate product to take off eye make up and baby wipes prior to the cleanser on days when I'm wearing make up. I am not sure how well the cleanser would perform without those extra steps, but I actually noticed that it does a better job at removing eyeliner than my eye make up remover. The smell is not strong, but really nice and reminds me of mixed citrus juice and candy. Texture-wise this cleanser looks and feels like a thick body lotion, I know that doesn't sound very nice but it's very easy to take it off and feels quite nice on the skin, don't worry. I've been using it for a little over a month and am halfway through the bottle now, that's the only real complaint I have since my other cleanser lasted me a couple of months, but you really need one full pump per use with this one. The product didn't break me out but I wouldn't say that there are any acne-fighting benefits, it's just a nice and simple cleanser.

Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-8 Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Prunus Aemrniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Glycine Soya (Soybean) Sterols, Allantoin, Glycerin, Peg-10 Soya Sterol, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Tocopherol, Retinyl Palmitate, Ergocalciferol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Ascorbic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Polysorbate 20, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance.


Checking ingredients can be a bit of a head ache, so I used CodeCheck to have a closer look. CodeCheck is a German website that makes it easy to see just what exactly all those unpronounceable ingredients are, unfortunately I don't know about any English websites that do the same, but please let me know if you do. Out of all of the 26 ingredients, 18 were labelled as recommended, 3 as mostly recommended, 1 requires an individual review, 1 as not recommended and 1 was not rated at all.

Let's have a closer look:

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (not recommended). is the only ingredient deemed as not recommendable. It is a chemical preservative used in cosmetics and in some cases it can release formaldehyde in the product and/or on the skin. Formaldehyde is a gas that can cause irritation of the mucosa, it is also described as allergenic and carcinogenic.

Peg-8 Stearate, Peg-10 Soya Sterol, Polysorbate 20 (mostly recommended). All three ingredients are used as emulsifiers, tensides and lipids. This is what helps to create an even mixture of all the ingredients (especially between oil and water) which will make it easier for your skin to absorb the product. However, this also means that your skin may absorb bad ingredients more easily.

Ergocalciferol (not rated).  From what I understand this is basically Vitamin D, however, I had a very hard time finding any information on the effects it can have in cosmetics. Sorry about that.

Fragrance (requires individual review). Personally, I think fragrance should have been labelled as not recommended, but I guess it's hard to rate it fairly without knowing the exact composition. Nevertheless, Fragrance is one of the biggest allergens found in cosmetic products and should be avoided, especially in facial skincare and cosmetic items.


Conclusion
Overall I'm really happy to have found this product and I will most likely repurchase very soon. It's probably not the right product for people with very oil skin or people looking for something that will get rid of pimples, but give it a go if you're looking for a nice gentle cleanser for the upcoming winter season, especially if you have a similar skin type.

+ nice smell, gentle to the skin, didn't cause me to break out, feels nice on the skin, cleans well
- contains a few questionable ingredients, maybe the price (a bottle will last you approx. 2 months)

Thank you all for your well wishes yesterday, they really cheered me up and I'm feeling a lot better today. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!