Posts from — May 2008

A great discovery, a great discovery! Finally! An organic, USDA certified, non-petroleum lip balm! Am I in heaven or am I in heaven? And no, you don’t have to shell out a fortune either…

Say “Yeah!” to “The Merry Hempsters Organic Lip Balm”!

Yeah!

Ok, here is my mini review:

This comes in a tiny tube, just like chapstick. Net weight 4g. I paid $3.99 Canadian, and it is worth every penny. I am putting this on my chapped lips, and I don’t have to constantly worry as to what happens when it ends up on my food. It’s a food grade item. Just look at the ingredients: Organic Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Essential Oil of Orange, Organic Calendula Extract, Organic Rosemary Extract, Vitamin E.

This balm is long lasting. It comes in a few flavors: peppermint, spearmint, lemon-lime, orange, vanilla, cinnamon… I went for the orange one, cause I was in a citrussy mood . The smell on my lips strongly reminded me of orange popsicles – it was both orangey and fresh.

The Merry Hempsters also have a vegan version, though that one is not certified organic, but most of the ingredients look good anyways. And all the products use certified organic hemp oil as base.

There was also another lip-balm option (at the store, where I was shopping…): “Dr. Bronner’s and Sun Dog’s Magic Organic Lip Balm”.

It’s also certified organic by the USDA. I saw these in two flavours: “naked” and “peppermint”. There are more flavours available from the manufacturer, so it’s a matter of what your health store carries. I haven’t tried it yet, cause I just couldn’t visualize what “naked” would taste like. If anyone has experience in that matter, give me heads up .

I have also learned that Badger has a line of lip balm that is now USDA certified organic. It’s called simply “Badger Certified Organic Lip Balm”.

These lip balms contain about 99% organic ingredients, and come in a range of flavours such as Vanilla Madagascar, Pink Grapefruit, Lavender & Orange, Tangerine Breeze, Ginger & Lemon and Highland Mint. They also have an unscented version.

Badger’s other lip balm line is the Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm line, which contains organic cocoa butter (which makes it sound so yummy, I can’t wait to try it out). According to Badger it contains over 70% organic ingredients, and they are hoping to have it USDA certified 95% organic by the end of 2008. That line has flavours like Cool Mint, Sweet Orange, Lime Rocket, Coffee Roast and Creamy Cocoa. Kudos to Badger for their organic efforts.

I think these are some pretty good options. Simple, over the counter, and not expensive. And certified organic (or almost there).

I definitely believe that if there was just one spot on your face where you went organic, it should be your mouth. That stuff touches your food. You smack it of your lips. You leave it on your partner’s mouth…

So be good. Buy organic. You have choices now. Lip-smackingly good ones…

So this is the first of the promised reviews: Jurlique Herbal Recovery Eye Gel. I gave it a fair try. Three days. My companion gave it almost a whole week. Thus you’ll benefit from two unique experiences.

My companion and I come with different skin care needs. I am just about to step into my thirties. She’s crossed the fifty barrier. I’m looking for prevention and moisturizing. She’s looking for maintenance and wrinkle smoothing. We both have dry skin, but mine is way more sensitive. (In fact, if you know any one with more sensitive skin then mine, I’d like to meet them. That’s why I’m so obsessed with organic skin care and organic makeup — I figure my chances of having reactions are minimized.)

But let’s get to the point. Here is the review:

Product name:
Jurlique Herbal Recovery Eye Gel (formerly known simply as Eye Gel)

What and who is it for:
“Rebalance Oiliness, Dryness & Maintain Balance”. To be applied on the eye area. Day or night.

About the brand:
I already wrote a very extensive overview of Jurlique brand. Jurlique uses biodinamic and organic ingredients, which is why they are in the organic skin care category. Jurlique is a well respected brand. Jurlique is a premium priced brand. More details are in the previous post.

Price:
It is currently at $121 US at amazon.com and most online stores I searched for 30ml bottle. (But judging by how little you need per use — see below — this bottle will last for ages.)

Packaging:
It’s a glass pump bottle.

Reading the ingredients:
The new packaging (since the name change) have shown a few new ingredients such as PG-Hydroxyethylcellulose Cocodimonium Chloride and various PEGs (PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PEG-18 Glyceryl Oleate/Cocoate, PEG-20 Stearate & Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate). According to Jurlique, the ingredients have not actually changed from the past, but the “global norms” of listing ingredients have required them to lable this way now. Jurlique maintains that pegs are safe, but they are “striving to develop all new products to be free of PEGs”. I hope they strive faster…

Other claims (from the package):
“A potent botanical concentrate, rich in the living energy of arnica and eyebright which help to firm, brighten and renew the delicate eye area vitality”.
“Our herbs and flowers are gently tended and harvested by hand on our certified organic and biodynamic farms.”

Scent:
The scent is pleasant, and not all too strong. I found it reminiscent of field flowers.

Texture:
A very watery gel.

Our opinions/experiences with this eye gel:
My companions is very pleased with the product. She finds that the gel feels really “fresh” and “cool”. It absorbs really fast, so she is able to apply it as she is getting ready to go to work, and put on makeup right after. The makeup does not smudge. She finds the gel comfortable – her eyes are not watering and not swelling. The product is very economical – just a tiny bit is enough. In fact, she has already managed to stretch the trial pack to almost a week. Now, it must be added that she works in a very hot environment, therefore her concern was that a heavy cream would leak. This is not the case with this product. She is very satisfied that despite the heat, nothing is watering. And she sais that the wrinkles are smoothing out. Basically, I think she’s got sold on Jurlique. When I asked her what I should write, she was very adamant that I write something positive. And she is pretty picky, so that’s saying something.

My experience has been a little less euphoric. I agree that it feels “fresh” and “cool” and absorbs really fast. I also agree that it is very economical – I needed the amount equivalent to a nail-tip. But the first time I applied it, my eyes got just a bit irritated towards the end of the day. I couldn’t figure out if it was due to seasonal allergies, or the cream. So I gave it two more chances. The second time my eyelids didn’t get irritated, but neither did they get any “smoother”. The third time I used it I felt ok at the beginning, but then there was some kind of tightness of the lids. The way my skin feels after a shower. So my conclusion is that it does nothing to me at best, and is somehow tightening/drying to my eyes otherwise. I will not be investing in it, cause I don’t see the point. But, as I’ve said before – I am an extremely sensitive case.

Verdict:
If your skin is not overly sensitive, and you are looking for a light eye care solution for a hot summer day – this product is likely for you. Especially if you intend to put makeup on right after application. Of course, provided you can afford it. But if you have very sensitive eyes, try a sample first. No point in taking such an expensive risk. I believe that most stores that carry Jurlique have little sample packages. Whole Foods definitely does. So try it out, and then decide for yourself.