Ethical Beauty Maven

Looking for a Safe, Effective and Environmentally-Friendly way to start your spring cleaning?

It has been a little over a year since I became a subscriber to Grove Collaborative and it has been the best way to find and purchase healthier home essentials.

In this month’s cleaning haul I purchased several Method products to start my spring cleaning.

Method cleaning products are the perfect alternative to traditional household cleaners that are made of harsh chemicals. With Method you are guaranteed a clean home without spreading chemicals through your home and into the environment. Method products use a Non-toxic formula, contains no harsh chemicals, dyes, synthetic scents or sulfates, is Not harmful to kids or pets, they use naturally-derived cleaning agents and use All-natural ingredients.

Using a product that is Environmentally Friendly, made from biodegradable ingredients, use 100% recyclable packaging and are made of Plant- and water-based formulas that make it safe for groundwater is another reason why choose Method.

This company’s product versatility is amazing. You can find a cleaner to use in any area of the home. Methods products tackle tough messes and help clean for any surfaces such as stainless steel, hardwood, granite and marble just to name a few.

Below are images and a description of this month’s Haul.

**Antibac Bathroom Cleaner Spearmint**
*Optimized to target soap scum & hard water stains
*Safe for hard, non-porous surfaces
*Kills 99.9% of household germs

**Laundry Detergent Pour (66 Loads) Free + Clear**
*Safe to use in top-loading, HE, & front-loading washing machines
*Fights tough dirt & stains
*4x concentrated in a recyclable bottle
*Hypoallergenic
**Fabric Softener 45 Loads Beach Sage**
*Safe to use in top-loading, HE, & front-loading washing machines
*Reduces static cling while making clothes & linens soft enough to cuddle
*Naturally-derived ingredients
*Hypoallergenic

**Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner Almond**
*No build-up of residue
*Safe for wood floors
*Ergonomically designed shower-nozzle spray covers your floors in fewer sweeps

**Glass + Surface Cleaner Mint**
*Naturally derived
*Ammonia free
*Streak-free shine

**Tub & Tile Spray Eucalyptus Mint**
*Dissolves soap scum & helps remove old & mildew stains
*Hypoallergenic
*Phosphate-free

Stay tuned to a Method Body products review coming soon.

Is BoxyCharm Worth it?

Have you ever wondered if a Subscription box is worth investing? I was very skeptical Subscribing to BoxyCharm for several months until I decided to give it a try. It has been 4 months since I became a BoxyCharm subscriber and it has been one of the best beauty subscription box decisions I have made.

Being a Cruelty Free Only consumer my biggest concern was receiving products that do not meet my ethical standards. However, to my surprise 21 out of 23 products that I’ve received since July 2019 are Cruelty Free.

Is BoxyCharm Cruelty Free? According to Customer Service FAQ

“While @boxycharm strives to include brands and products that are cruelty free, we don’t exclusively feature cruelty free products.”

Is boxy charm right for you?

Only you can decide if this subscription box is good for you. I personally believe it’s a great investment and the odd have been in my favor (so far) in receiving cruelty free products. There are many other subscriptions boxes that are strictly Cruelty Free and/or Vegan such as LoveGoodly , VeganCuts and Petitvour .

Below are the items I have received since July and BoxyCharm memberships.

October’s Boxy Charm – A total retail value of $135 5 out of 5 items are Cruelty Free

Dose of Colors- Eyeshadow Palette (Blushing Berries) Retails $32 Cruelty Free

Touch In Sol Pretty Filter – Glassy Skin Balm Retails $32 Cruelty Free

Iconic London- Lip Plumping Gloss Retails $26 Cruelty Free

TARTE – Pro Glow Liquid Highlighter Retails $29 Cruelty Free

Luna by Luna – Pencil Eyeliner Retails $16 Cruelty Free

September’s Boxy Charm (Boxy Luxe) – A total retail value of $331.99 6 out of 8 items are Cruelty Free

Dr. Brandt – Hydro Biotic Recovery Sleeping Mask Retails $52 NOT CRUELTY FREE

Violet Voss – Essentials – Eye-shadow Palette – 10 pan Retails $29 Pending CF status I am currently waiting on the company to reply to my email

Hank & Henry Blickity Black – Liquid Liner Retails $20 Cruelty Free

Moda Pro – Studio by Royal & Langnickel 8 PC Brush Kit Retails $69.99 Cruelty Free & Vegan

Stila – Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick Retails $22 Cruelty Free

IGK – Mistress Hydrating Balm Retails $29 Cruelty Free

Tarte Cosmetics – Park Ave Princess Palette Retails $45 Cruelty Free

Sunday Riley – Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Retails $65 Cruelty Free

August’s BoxyCharm Box A Total Retail Value Of $141 5 Out Of 5 Items Are Cruelty Free

Becca – Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder$39.00 Cruelty Free Tarte – Big Ego Mascara$23.00 Cruelty Free & Vegan

Wander Beauty – Glow Ahead Illuminating Oil $42 Cruelty Free

Ace Beaute – Eyeshadow Duo$22.00

Steve Laurant – Lip Liner$15.00

July’s BoxyCharm Box A Total Retail Value Of $138 5 Out Of 5 Items Are Cruelty Free

Adesse – Hi Definition Liquid Lipstick Retails: $24 Cruelty Free

Elemis – Superfood Vital Veggie Mask 75ml Retails $35 Cruelty Free & Vegan

Butter London – Natural Goddess Eye-shadow Palette Retails $ 32 Cruelty Free

Koh Gen Do – Spa Cleansing Water Cloths (10 – Pack) Retails $17 Cruelty Free

Luxie – Gaea 3 Piece Brush Set Retails $30 Cruelty Free

Memberships:

BoxyCharm – Boxy 2.0 $25 a month for 5 Full Size Beauty Products Over a $125 Value (Staring in November you can Choose 1 item + Customization of Skin tone products+ Add-Ons + Boxy Pop-ups+ Rewards)

BoxyCharm – Premium $35 a month for 6-7 Full Size Beauty Products Over a $175 Value (Staring in November + Choose 1 + Customization of Skin tone products+ Add-Ons + Boxy Pop-ups+ Rewards)

Boxy Luxe Every 3 months for 6-7 Full Size Beauty & Lifestyle Products Over a $275 Value! BoxyLuxe replaces your regular Boxy 2.0 for the months of March, June, September & December at an additional $28.99 (Choose 1-3 items + Customization of Skin tone products+ Add-Ons + Boxy Pop-ups+ Rewards)

Boxy Pop up’s are exclusively for active members. Every Quarter members have the opportunity to purchase beauty and lifestyle items at up to 80% off.

Add-Ons are exclusively for active members. The Add-On Store features fan-favorites from current and past BoxyCharm boxes.

Lagunamoon Gel Polish UV LED Soak Off Varnish Lacquer Manicure Pedicure Gel Nail Polish Sets Beauty Salon Nail Arts Kits 6pcs (Starry Night)

I ordered this product (Starry Night Set) a few weeks ago. In order to give it an honest and fair review I had to try on all the shade and test them. I really never had a good experience using gel nail polish but I decided to give this brand a try being that I am already obsessed with their essential oils. To my surprise this 6 piece gel polish set is amazing. Not only are the colors great but the length of wear without chipping is amazing!!!

This gel polish set comes with 6 8mL polishes.

CL305 (Silver With Glitter and Shimmer)
CL217 (Pearl White with Shimmer)
CL237 (Dark/Deep Burgundy with Shimmer)
CL281(Deep Blue with Shimmer)
CL330 (Black with Shimmer)
CL181 (Neon Pink with Shimmer

In order to use this product you will need a LED or UV lamp in addition to a base and top coat. It is recommended to use Lagunamoon’s base and top coat. Each polish had a unique way of applying. It took me a different amount of layers for each polish to get the look I desired. All the colors in this set are gorgeous however, my top two favorites are CL237 (Dark/Deep Burgundy with Shimmer) and CL330 (Black with Shimmer).

There are pros and cons to this product. The pros are that the colors are very nice, the length of wear is great, it does not chip easily and lastly it does not have a chemical smell like many other gel polish have. The con is that the nail polish bottles are black and you can’t see what color you are choosing unless you open the nail polish bottle also the colors do not have names they have two letters and several numbers.

Final thoughts: If you are looking for a cruelty-free gel nail polish definitely give this one a try. The gel polish is very simple to apply and if you need extra guidance there is a how to use page on their website. Over all I do recommend this product and I can’t wait to try more colors! Also don’t forget to try the essential oils by far they are one of my favorites.

How to use:

· PREPARE

Sanitize the nails and hands.
Clean the surrounding nail plate.
Shape the nail using a file.
Remove the shine using a buffer.

· APPLY COLOR

Apply a thin layer of LAGUNAMOON™ Base Coat.
Cure in a UV Lamp for 1 minute or LED lamp for 30 seconds.
Apply a thin layer of LAGUNAMOON™ gel polish color from cuticle to free edge. Be sure to seal the edges.
Cure in the nail lamp.
Apply a second layer and then cure again. Only apply a third layer if needed.

· SEAL IT

Apply a layer of LAGUNAMOON™ top coat.
Remove the inhibition layer with a cleanser and lint-free wipes.
Massage cuticle oil the skin around the nail plate.

How to remove:

File off the top coat gently.
Soak cotton pad with acetone, then wrap around each nail tightly with tin foil, and leave it for around 10 minutes or longer.
Use an orange stick or a cuticle pusher to remove softened gel gently.

https://lagunamoon.com/

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Review

DISCLAIMER: Youngblood cosmetics was nice enough to send me three of their products. This review is not sponsored. My review and recommendation are based solely on my experience with the Products.

Brand: Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics

Animal Testing Policy: Cruelty- Free- PETA Certified

Products received:

Outrageous Lashes Full Volume Mascara (Shade: Black) Retails for $26

Lunar Dust (Shade Imagine) Retails for $22

Luminous Crème Blush (Shade: Champagne Life) Retail $27

The Youngblood Outrageous Lashes Full Volume Mascara contains a full volume formula that keeps your natural lashes healthy while giving you that envied false lash look.

The Youngblood Lunar Dust is a multi-dimensional, highlighting powder

The Youngblood Luminous Crème Blush long wearing blush that consists of an oil-free formula that transforms from créme to powder on the skin.

I received these products a few days ago and in order to give my honest review I had to wear the products for several day to tests its length of wear.

I loved the Mascara!!! This mascara truly does give you lases that full volume while still maintaining a natural look.

The Lunar Dust is very light weight and a little goes a long way. The only Con about this product is in order to get some of the product out is by pouring it into the lid.

The Crème Blush is So Smooth!!! This crème blush has a velvet feel and blends very easily on your cheek.

My Final thoughts:

I would definitely recommend the YoungBlood Mineral Cosmetics Outrageous Lashes Full Volume Mascara and the Luminous Crème Blush. As for the Lunar Dust, it applies very nicely however, I don’t like the fact that I had to pour the product in the lid and if I poured an excess amount it is difficult to pour it back into the container . Therefore, I don’t recommend the Lunar dust unless you are willing to go through with the packaging frustration.

These are the ingredients listed on the YoungBlood Mineral Cosmetics website for each of the products

Outrageous Lashes Full Volume Mascara

Water (Aqua), Beeswax, Acrylates Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Sucrose Polystearate, PVP, Arginine, Behenyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 80, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Squalane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Nylon-6, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Polyquaternium-10, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hexylene Glycol, Silica, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN (+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77499, CI 77491, CI 77492), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

Lunar Dust

Mica, Zinc Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Corn Starch Modified, Lauroyl Lysine, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopherol. MAY CONTAIN (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Carmine (CI 75470), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163).

Luminous Crème Blush

Aprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Euphorbia (Candelilla) Wax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Nylon-12, Silica, Polyethylene, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Dimethicone, Jojoba Esters, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol. MAY CONTAIN (+/-): Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Carmine (CI 75470), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850:1), Red 27 Lake (CI 45410:1), Red 40 lake (CI 16035), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985).

Thank you for reading my review.