Alima Pure Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow Review

A few months ago I happened upon Dragonfly Beauty Blog, a fantastic blog with plentiful natural beauty resources.  Tiffany, who writes the blog, hosts monthly "Green Your Routine" giveaways that feature high quality natural beauty items, and I was lucky enough to win the September giveaway (you can view the package here, if you're interested).  I was obviously very excited to have won, especially because there were a bunch of new brands in the package for me to discover.  I was already familiar with Tatcha and Revolution Organics, but a new favorite emerged: Alima Pure.

The two shadows I received in this package were Aubergine and Opal.  Aubergine is a gorgeous purple and Opal is a shimmery white.  I had heard of Alima Pure in the past but had never tried any of their products.  I'm so glad I was introduced to these eyeshadows because they're amazing!

Aubergine is on the left and Opal is on the right in the above swatches.  Clearly you can see how great their pigmentation and color payoff are.  I love anything purple, so Aubergine is so perfect for me.  I don't know if I'll use Opal as often, but when I do need a good highlighter color it's an excellent choice.  Since it is so very pigmented, though, you only need a very little (meaning the 2.5 grams will last you a long time!).  These shadows also have a silky texture and apply easily and evenly, both with fingers and with a brush.  I like to pair Aubergine with gold for a fun weekend look.

Another reason to love Alima Pure is because they're certified cruelty-free by PETA.  The shadows are made in the USA and contain only five ingredients, mainly mica.  The others are naturally-occurring oxides that may be byproducts, I'm assuming--given the "may contain" disclaimer.

• Visit Alima Pure's website and view their entire line of products
• Connect with them on Facebook and Twitter

Bottom Line: I think these two eyeshadows by Alima Pure are amazing, and I can't wait to buy more!  They retail for $12.50 and are available in 46 different colors.

Check out more photos after the cut.

Tilth Beauty Review and Giveaway [CLOSED]

I found Tilth Beauty after they followed me on Twitter, and I contacted them regarding their products.  I was intrigued because they're a Leaping Bunny certified company, and I was also looking for a new skincare line to use.

I was really surprised, and very thankful, when they sent me five products to try!  It took me a little longer to get through them all since I like to use skin care for at least a month to see how it reacts to my skin, but I was really happy with the results.

• Rose Protection Cleansing Gel - This is the cleanser I ended up using the most.  It's good for all skin types, and it contains French Rose Flower Extract to spur anti-aging effects.  When I read the label I thought it would be more of a thick gel consistency, but it actually was a nice liquid that lathered up nicely.
• Argan-Tangerine Deep Cleansing Lotion - This cleanser is one of Tilth Beauty's most popular products.  It contains "infusions of the tantalizing tangerine blossom aroma, which wake up even the sleepiest of heads."  It also contains essential oils to leave skin feeling soft and help remove makeup.  I didn't like this cleanser as much as the Rose Protection Cleansing Gel, but it was mostly a personal preference.  It performed well and lathered nicely, but for some reason I just preferred the Rose.  I think it was because I liked the scent better.
• Gentle Poppy Seed Exfoliator - This was my favorite product of the bunch.  It's a dry exfoliator that needs to be mixed with a base, and the label suggest water or a cleanser.  I thought I'd try using it with one of the cleansers to kill two birds with one stone, but it ended up not working so well.  It didn't glide over my skin as well with cleanser, so I ended up using water and it worked just fine.  What I liked the most about this cleanser is that it was the perfect roughness to use on facial skin.  It wasn't too strong or weak.  I used it once a week and my skin felt baby-smooth after.
• Berry Extract Toner - I haven't used toners very much in the past, so this product was one that I was the most unfamiliar with how to use.  I used it after cleansing and dabbed it on with a cotton swab.  It's a pretty blue color in the bottle, which I liked simply for aesthetic purposes.  Regular use works to "restore, revitalize, and refine skin, while greatly reducing clogged pores and dead skin, and keeping it smooth, soothed, and properly moisturized."  To be honest, I didn't notice much of a difference in my skin after using this, but that may be because I'm still not entirely sure how my skin is supposed to feel after prolonged use of a toner.
• Refresh Peptide Mist - This is my second-favorite product because I have oily skin and I hate when I start to feel it taking over my face throughout the day.  I kept this in my purse and spritzed it on during work and it took the edge off.  It's made from botanical extracts with a peptide to help protect skin.

L to R: Berry Extract Toner, Argan Tangerine Deep Cleansing Lotion,
Rose Protection Cleansing Gel, Refresh Peptide Mist, and Gentle Poppy Seed Exfoliator

As I stated before, my favorite aspect of Tilth Beauty is that they're a Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free company, meaning their products and ingredients are not tested on animals in any stage of manufacturing.  They are also free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, petroleum, silicones, synthetic fragrance, and GMOs.  Some of the ingredients in the products I tried were unfamiliar to me, for example, "Sodium Hydroxypropylsulfonate Laurylclucoside Crosspolymer" is the second ingredient in the Rose Protection Cleansing Gel, but I feel better knowing that they don't contain the above ingredients (information taken from their website).

Tilth Beauty's CEO, Anthony Vargas, has over three decades of industry experience in research and development and has worked to create these and many more consumer-based skin care products.  They also practice environmentally-friendly manufacturing by using wind power to generate 100% of the electrical energy needed to make their paper packaging.  Their packaging partner is an active member in the Green Power Partnership, an "EPA-sponsored program that recognizes organizations demonstrating environmental leadership through green power."

• Learn more about Tilth Beauty and browse their full line of products
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

Bottom Line: I'm impressed by Tilth Beauty's products and eco-friendly practices.  I also love that they're cruelty-free.  I would recommend their anti-aging skincare to anyone who is looking to support a company that shares these ideals.

Want to win a Tilth Beauty cleanser for yourself?  They were kind enough to provide me with an Anti-Oxidant Foaming Cleanser for one of my readers to win.  Enter using the Rafflecopter form after the cut.

$50 Zenoobi Gift Card Giveaway!

I love to support all natural, organic, and eco-friendly companies, so when Terri from Terri's Little Haven & jenn too! contacted me about hosting a giveaway for a $50 gift card from Zenoobi.com, I browsed around the site to explore all of the green products they had available for kids and mom. After careful consideration, I knew this was something my readers would be definitely be interested in participating in.

To enter this giveaway, I have provided a simple to use giveaway form (Rafflecopter). The only mandatory entry required is to leave your email address and first and last name (so you can be contacted if you win). There are multiple extra bonus entries included that I'm sure you will want to take advantage of. This giveaway is open to US residents aged 18+ only and it ends on December 5th.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: See Shop Love! is not responsible for sending the giveaway item to the winner. After all entries are confirmed, Terri from Terri's Little Haven & jenn too! will be responsible for sending the winners information to Zenoobi.

November 1-Year Anniversary Conscious Box Giveaway! [CLOSED]

November is Conscious Box's 1-year anniversary, and to celebrate they have offered a November box for one of my readers to win!  I'm a Conscious Box lover and I'm super excited about this box.  All of their boxes have been amazing (I've been a subscriber since January), but this one is going to be their best one yet.  Here's a teaser they posted on their Facebook:

This November all our boxes are geared towards a "Green Gifts Guide" theme. We've got a huge variety from multiple beauty products, body balms and scents to delicious treats, healing potions, spices, and even bamboo toothbrushes! We know many of you say this every month, but the November boxes are our best ones yet. November is Conscious Box's 1 year anniversary and we've truly out done ourselves!

Sound like a good deal (believe me, it is!)?  If you'd like the chance to win this box, enter below using the Rafflecopter form after the cut.  Or, if you'd rather not leave it up to chance, sign up for Conscious Box by November 6th to ensure you'll receive the box!  You can sign up at ConsciousBox.com.

Eco Lips Review and Giveaway [CLOSED]

I love lip balms!  I think I've mentioned that before.  When I was approached by Eco Lips to host a review and giveaway, I jumped at the chance because it presented the perfect opportunity to highlight a fantastic organic, cruelty-free company as well as allow myself and one lucky reader to try their products!

The labels are ripped because the photos I took before using the balms came out poorly

I have used a few Eco Lips products before and they've worked amazingly well.  I'll take a natural lip balm over a synthetic one any day (what I mean by synthetic is the ones that contain ingredients like petrolatum, etc) because they just work.  I hate the major-brand ones you can get at any drugstore because they just coat your lips and end up making them feel worse.  Natural lip balms made from organic ingredients have always felt better and performed better to me.

There are so many amazing things to say about Eco Lips that this post could get a little lengthy.  In an effort to keep it from getting tl;dr, I'm going to use bullet points:

• Eco Lips recently reformulated their products (on 10 October 2012) in an effort to better support fair trade.  They've increased the FTC (Fair Trade Certified) ingredients in their products and are purchasing more FTC raw ingredients.  What does this mean?  By supporting fair trade, Eco Lips is helping to promote ethical business practices by helping fair trade workers earn a living and providing awareness to consumers.
• Eco Lips products are USDA certified organic.  A USDA certification is only gained when the ingredients used are food-grade quality, meaning you could eat them.  I wouldn't recommend eating one of their lip balms whole, but it makes me feel a lot better knowing that I'm putting organic ingredients on my lips instead of chemicals.
• Eco Lips has vegan options available that don't contain beeswax.
• Last, but definitely not least, my favorite aspect of Eco Lips is that they are an entirely cruelty-free company.  Absolutely no animal testing has been done on these products at any stage!

So, in a nutshell, Eco Lips is awesome.  Here are the balms that I was lucky to try:

The Renew: Orange Spice balm from the ONE WORLD collection is perfect for me!  I love all things spice and orange and spice is one of my favorite combos.  This is a nice big, chubby stick (.25 oz) that's made from 40% recycled content.  It's Fair Trade Certified and feels so smooth and wonderful on my lips.  The base is FTC cocoa butter, and it also contains argan oil "to revitalize skin and neutralize free radicals."  I love this one.  The scent, the recycled packaging, the fair trade and USDA organic certifications--what's not to love?  The other scents/flavors are Restore (Coconut Ginger) and Relax (Lavender Lemon).

The Dagoba: Mint balm is my favorite out of the pack!  I was so excited to receive one of these because I received a Roseberry one in an Eco Emi box, but I left it out in my car and it melted (I tried re-freezing it but it just wasn't pretty).  I didn't know until recently that Dagoba is a chocolate company, and Eco Lips paired with them to create this line of lip balms.  The other flavors are the aforementioned Roseberry and also Lavender.  This is mint chocolate heaven!  I absolutely love the scent, and it glides on just as smoothly as the Renew balm.

I really wanted to love the Mocha Velvet EcoTint as much as the previous two, but the shade just isn't flattering on me.  It's a deep chocolate that is in itself beautiful, but it was just a little too dark on my yellow-undertoned skin.  I could definitely see this on someone who wanted a dark, dramatic look.  But aside from the color, it's unscented and still felt smooth and moisturizing.  The other shades available are Moonstone, Sugar Plum, and Coralyte.  All of them contain over 90% certified organic ingredients.

The Eco Lips Gold balm is for the lip balm purist.  It's unscented and colorless, and it's fantastic at providing long-lasting moisture.  I think this one is great for year-round use, but especially for the approaching winter months.  I live in a climate that sees lots of snow and harsh winds, so chapped lips can come easily if you aren't prepared.  I would recommend this balm to anyone and everyone; I promise that it's going to last you much longer than the petrolatum-based junk that you might be using currently.

Bottom Line: I love Eco Lips for providing consumers with organic, FTC, and cruelty-free lip balms.  Even if you don't care about any of those things (ah!), I'm certain you'll still love these balms as much as I do because they just flat-out work.  There's nothing better than an organic, natural balm because they don't just sit on top of your lips, their ingredients work to soothe and last.

• Visit Eco Lips and view their full line of products, including balms made from Honest Kids flavors!
• Connect with them on Facebook and Twitter

Well after reading all of that, would you like a chance to win a prize pack of Eco Lips balms?  Their awesome team was kind enough to provide eight of them for one of my readers to win!  Enter using the Rafflecopter form after the cut.