Beauty and Fashion Tech

Chill Essence, All Natural Bath and Body Products

ChillEssence is a company that products a nice line of all natural, organic, bath and body products. I recently gave their body bar, lotion, and body wash a try. Each was quite nice.

The body wash is a moisturizing gel with a light scent. It is a nice choice for those who want a natural product that is not drying. You can also use this one as a bubble bath!

The body lotion is a great companion to the body wash. This light lotion has anitoxidants and absorbs fairly quickly, with a light scent.

My favorite was the body bar. This 100% vegetable based bar lathers nicely and leave you feeling fresh without being drying. For those who prefer a bar soap, this a great item.

ChillEssence products are available online through their website (linked above)

By Carleenp Posted in Bath and Body | No Comments

Thymes Gardener Sink Set

I was sent a lovely sink set from the Thymes Company Gardener Collection to try, and I found it rather unique. first, unlike the standard soap and lotion sink sets out there, the Gardener set includes a nail brush, something I made good use of after planting flowers last weekend!

It also has a fresh grass scent that the site describes as: “Freshly clipped grass, aromatic parsley, cool watercress, dewy moss and a pinch of pink peppercorn.” I really like the scent, especially in the lotion. It has a great spring and summer feel to it.The Gardener Collection is full of other interesting products as well, such as cuticle cream, soap pebbles, and a lip balm. Items from the collection would be a perfect gift for the green thumb in your life.Shop for Thymes Bath and Body Products

By Carleenp Posted in Bath and Body, Misc., Nail Care, Nail Products | 1 Comment

Eco-Tools: Affordable Makeup Brushes Full of Quality and and Conscious

I have a thing for makeup brushes and own a ridiculously large number of them, but my favorites within that number are few. Usually they tend to be on the expensive side and not synthetic. But once in awhile a line comes along that is affordable and manges to put out a quality synthetic product, such as Essence of Beauty Brushes (Read Review). Eco-Tools is another one of those quality lines that is very affordable. Add a bit of environmentally friendly aspects, and the line is a real winner!

Eco-tools make their brushes with bamboo handles, which provides both a low impact environmental effect and attractiveness. The ferule is also ecologically thoughtful, being made from recycled aluminum. The brushes come packaged in a reusable and bio-degradable sleeve; each with an earth-friendly tip on the back.

The synthetic taklon bristles do a perfectly good job of evenly applying makeup, and to my very pleasant surprise were very stable. Usually even the best cheap brushes lose a few hairs when they are new. That was not the case when I tried the eco-tools brushes. I was particularly impressed with the foundation brush. The last time I tried a synthetic foundation brush, I didn’t get great results, but this one worked just fine. In fact, it worked just as well as my favorite MAC foundation brush. I also have been using the powder brush nearly daily since I received it.Now here is the best part: These brushes run in th $4-$8 range and for $11, you can get a five piece set. That is pretty darn impressive!

Eco-tools also make a line of bath tools (I love the foot scrubber!) that are well worth checking out. The line can be found online or at select Walgreens, Kmart, or Ulta stores.

Shop for More Makeup Brushes

By Carleenp Posted in Bath and Body, Brushes | 2 Comments

Contest: Watch a Video and Win New Body Products from Whole Foods Market

New from Whole Foods Market is the Premium Body Care Standard and labeling seal of approval.

To provide education about the standard, Whole Foods has created a video cast and asked me to to spread the word. They would love to hear what readers of Beauty and Fashion Tech think. In the process, you can win a Zia Moisturizing Cleanser and Zia Nourishing Creme from Whole Foods Market.

To be entered to win, watch the new whole body videocast, then leave feedback about the video and new Premium Body Care standard in the “comments” section, with “http://www.beautyandfashiontech.com” in the “website” field on the comment form.

Remember that you must leave a comment and enter the Beauty and Fashion Tech link to be entered in the promotion.

Whole Foods will announce the winner on April 1! So go watch the video (it is pretty interesting) and give Whole Foods some meaningful feedback!

By Carleenp Posted in Bath and Body, Beauty Tech, Concealer, Sale or Promotion Notices, Stores, Video | No Comments

Davies Gate Seed and Grains: Whole Wheat Lotion, Flax Seed Soap, and Cocoa Bean Lip Balm

I first came across Davies Gate while staying at the Palms in Las Vegas. They offered some wonderful Davies Gate items in the rooms. Unfortunately, the last time I was there, they no longer carried them, so I guess I have to buy some now!

Davies Gate Whole Wheat Lotion was my absolute favorite when I first tried it in Vegas. The lotion is very soothing, and I found it perfect for my legs when they got itchy from shaving and from the dry air.

Davies Gate Flax Seed Soap was equally as nice. This rich moisturizing soap is great for dry skin.

Finally, Davies Gate Cocoa Bean Lip Balm is something I bought somewhere along the way, and it was a favorite of mine until I unfortunately sent it through the wash, where it melted into nothingness. As the name implies, this one tastes like chocolate!

Overall, this is a solid line of products.

By Carleenp Posted in Bath and Body, Lip Products | 3 Comments

Pattern Body Wash

Like all natural bath and body products? Like unique fresh scents? How about some good moisture in a body wash? Pattern Body Wash has it all.

There are four cleansers available that can be used on hair, face and body: Eucalyptus and Black Pepper are stronger cleansers recommended for active people that are formulated to clean without stripping natural oils. Citrus and Cucumber are moisturizing cleaners, perfect for avoiding dry skin. Pattern products contain no parabens, and no artificial fragrances, colors, or dyes. Instead, they use natural ingredients to provide gentle cleansing, moisture, and fragrance. Each product has an ingredient list available on the site, along with a glossary of what each ingredient does.

I was immediately curious about black pepper as a body wash fragrance and was told that it is a popular item. I can see why. It really does smell great! I found the smell to be more like black licorice with just a hint of pepper and found it to be quite refreshing, especially after exercising. This is also a good scent for men, who might be turned off by more fruity scents.

The eucalyptus and cucumber scents were as expected and both nice. But my favorite was the citrus scent. First, I am kind of a sucker for anything citrus, so that is no surprise, but I also loved that it was combined with the moisturizing formula, which does indeed feel nicely moisturizing and is a joy to use. Of the four scents, the cucumber is the lightest, so those looking for less fragrance, might prefer that one.

Overall, Pattern has put together a great set of body washes that I definitely recommend.