Bath Time Essentials With Maple Holistics

October 08, 2016 by Bree Fesh in Beauty

After a long day I love absolutely nothing more than to get home, undress, and take a dip in a nice, warm bubble bath. I'm sure if you've checked out my Beauty Routine you can tell I tend to take my bath time to a whole other level. Between bath bombs, essential oils, espom salts, and bubble bars, I am all about relaxation and amazing aromas. So naturally I was totally stoked when Hayley from Maple Holistics contacted me to collaborate and review one of their products!

What is Maple Holistics?

Firstly, you're probably wondering what Maple Holistics is. Well, Maple Holistics is a company that originated in Cleveland, Ohio, but is now based out of central New Jersey, which is where all of their products are made. They specialize in personal beauty care and hygiene products, but the difference between their products and other competitors is that they sell 100% natural and organic products. But that's not the only benefit of this awesome company. Check out the following facts about Maple Holistics:

Made in the USA
Cruelty Free
All Natural
Sulfate Free
Safe for Color Treated Hair

So what's not to love about this company, am I right? If you have any questions, you can check out their extensive FAQ here.

Let's Be Bubbly

Like I said earlier, Maple Holistics was nice enough to sponsor this post and sent me an awesome product to test out. The product they sent me a was full sized bottle of their Eucalyptus Hybrid Bubble Bath. For the record, this is how this product is described on their site:

" Eucalyptus Hybrid Bubble Bath enhances any size bath with an abundance of bubbles and moisturizing qualities. our unique Eucalyptus Hybrid Formula delivers the most therapeutic value while contributing natural skin benefits to deliver everything you can expect from this therapeutic bubble bath."

So after reading that, I was thrilled to learn that I was going to get to try this lustrous product. But became even more excited when I received it and read the ingredients which consist of good stuff like, aloe vera, vitamin E, Eucalyptus smithii oil, and many more!

Needless to say after reading all the great info about this about the product and opening it up to be graced with a lovely smell, I was so excited to run a bath and soak for awhile. Which is exactly what I did.

When I first poured the bubble bath the calming aromas of of eucalyptus with hints of citrus filled my bathroom instantly as bubbles filled my bathtub. Before getting in, to add a little more to my relaxing dip, I added a tiny bit of lavender oil (which complimented the scent of the bubble bath perfectly by the way) as well as some epsom salts to ease my sore muscles. But as soon as I slipped in to my bath it was over, I was hooked and knew I found a new favorite bubble bath.

For the record, when I unwind in the tub I enjoy reading and soaking for 30 minutes, and in my experience the foaming of the bubbles in the other products I use don't even last much over 15. Maple Holistics Eucalyptus Hybrid Bubble Bath however, didn't even start to give way until about the 20 minute mark and didn't even completely fizzle out after my full soak. Then after finishing the rest of my beauty routine, I could tell my skin was softer than it normally is and seemed to even have a bit more life too it, and obviously to top it off I smelled amazing.

Final Thoughts

Now here I am a week later after using the product and I've noticed my skin is about 90% more radiant and much softer than it was before! So I think it's safe to say that if you want to use an all natural product to treat yourself with, buying from Maple Holistics is the way to go. And so you know they have tons of other skin care, hair care, and even health food products! So if you want to check out their shop you can either click their name throughout the article or here!

What are some of your bath time essentials? Have you ever tried any products from Maple Holistics, if so which is your fave? Tell me about them in the comments or tweet me at @StarkRavingChic!

Xx, Bree

Beautycounter: Nourishing Cream Cleanser + Nourishing Night Face Cream

September 23, 2016 by Bree Fesh in Beauty

Hi everyone and happy Friday! As the week is winding down I'm happy to announce that amongst my most recent press events with ModCloth and Social Butterfly Magazine, I also had the chance to collaborate with a start-up company by the name of Beautycounter.

When I first received notice that Beautycounter was interested in collaborating with me, I was emailed by one of their consultants, Carley. Though I had heard of the company before I wasn't incredibly familiar with their brand so I took to Google to investigate. After reading loads of reviews, their mission statement, as well as how they select their ingredients, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them!

I'm sure my US readers who are makeup and beauty junkies have came across this California-based company, who stepped into the industry in 2013. But for my readers who are a bit unfamiliar, here's what Beautycounter is all about:

Safer Beauty

As explained in their mission statement, one of Beautycounter's main concerns when making their products is to be sure the beauty products they deliver are safe. Unfortunately in today's market there are over 80,000 chemicals and many of them do not have any safety information. Which in my opinion, leaves the FDA to blame due to the fact the only thing they regulate in cosmetics are the color additives. Meaning they are still allowing companies to use chemicals in their products that are known to be extremely harmful. And to make matters worse think about this: in the past two decades the European Union has banned more than 1,300 chemicals in the use of beauty products where the United States has partially banned 11. (That's right, I'm not sure if I'm more bothered by the "partially" or the fact that only 11 have been [partially] banned.)

Knowing this information, Beautycounter's founder Gregg Renfrew decided it was definitely time for a change. So back in 2013 she started the company, which has been devoted to progress ever since. To further make Beautycounter stand out, they actually have a "Never List" which lists ingredients you will never find in their products. If you want to learn more about the ingredient selection process, click here. And if you want more background information as to why Beautycounter is so unique and why they are so devoted to their process, you should check out this video.

My Beautycounter Experience

Of course after chatting with Carley and learning all these wonderful things about Beautycounter I wanted to try it for myself! So Carley was kind enough to send me two complimentary full size products to try and to review. As the title of my article would lead you to believe, those two products are the Nourishing Cream Cleanser as well as the Nourishing Night Face Cream.

At first, I was a bit leery to try a new facial cleanser due to the fact I have sensitive skin and my Clarisonic cleanser has worked for me for two years now, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The Nourishing Cream Cleanser lathered nicely and is very light, it also easily washed off and didn't leave my face feeling as though there was any excess cleanser left behind. It also left my face feeling fresh and was much less harsh on my skin than my Clarisonic cleanser, even when used with my Mia 2 cleansing brush.

I also feel that this cleanser has actually worked wonders for my skin. In the week I have been using it my skin has felt softer, appeared more vibrant, and has had significantly less redness even with the change in the weather. (Normally around this time of year when the 'Burgh starts to get cold, I tend to get a very windburned face from bustling around the city.) Bottom line? I can guarantee you that I will be switching to this cleanser and ditching my Gentle Hydro.

The next product I tried from Beautycounter was the Nourishing Night Face Cream. As I'm sure you've assumed this is a night time moisturizer. When first trying this I was expecting it to be very heavy and oily like the overnight moisturizers I've tried in the past. However, much to my surprise this moisturizer is just as light and airy as the cleanser. I was very happy with the results too, this moisturizer made my skin feel so lush and smooth, and is definitely another product I will be adding to my beauty routine.

Final Thoughts

In closing I would like to say I would definitely recommend Beautycounter's products for anyone looking for a great skin care line or makeup that only uses 100% safe chemicals in their products. And as for me? You can bet I will continuing to use (and reorder!) these products as a part of my everyday beauty routine, and will be checking out the rest of Beautycounter's Face Collection.

Have you ever tried Beautycounter? What are some of your favorite products? Tell me about them in the comments below or tweet me them at @StarkRavingChic!

Xx, Bree

L'Oréal Paris Extraordinary Hair (Compliments of Influenster)

September 13, 2016 by Bree Fesh in Beauty

Ever since I was in high school, I've had a habit of switching up my hair. Whether it be the cut or color (which my hair has been every color at one time or another) if I am feeling a need for change, my first course of action is to change my hair. Which while that is all fine and dandy, we all know that frequently processing your hair leads to damaged locks. (Which is why I'm back to my natural tresses, and will be for a long while.) So needless to say when my sponsor Influenster gave my the opportunity to try and review L'Oréal Paris' new hair Extraordinary Hair routine (Well new as of February 2016, this post is admittedly a little late but hey, better than never!) I jumped at the opportunity to give it a go. Because though I love my usual Amika products, I was running low and figured why not give a new product a try, especially when it was complimentary.

The Shampoo

This shampoo is absolutely lovely. From it's smell (which the whole routine has a hint of honeysuckle and other floral scents) to the way it lathers. After using it my hair and scalp felt refreshed and even after my first use, I saw improvements in both my dry scalp and dull hair.

The Conditioner

Just like the shampoo, this conditioner works wonders. Unlike other conditioners I've used this one does not feel oily or heavy. It's very light and made my hair feel silky smooth.

The Lustrous Oil Serum

Until now, I had actually never used any kind of hair serum, and boy was I missing out! This part of the routine is actually a leave in step. After you've completed conditioning your hair you just put small amount of the serum in your hands and run it evenly through your hair. And let me tell you this stuff isn't lying when it says "instant shine". Before I dried my hair and unwrapped it from my towel, I immediately noticed that my locks already looked shinier and healthier!

The Leave In Cream

This is the second leave in part of the routine, however you actually apply this to your tresses once your hair is dry. To apply it, you put a dime size drop in your hands and then apply it evenly throughout your locks. I really loved this finishing touch because it made my hair feel even softer and gave it just the right amount of extra shine.

Bottom Line

My final thoughts on this routine are that for one, after just one week of use my hair has already became much softer and appears much more lively. This being said, I am most definitely switching to this routine for my everyday hair care. Not that I don't love Amika, but this routine has the same benefits and effectiveness but at a much more affordable cost. So I'll just be saving my Amika for my "treat yo'self" days. I also would recommend this product to anyone who has distressed hair, as well as to anyone who just wants a little more shine! So if you wanna give these a try, you can purchase these products at Target as well as online.

What are some of your favorite hair care products? Tell me about them in the comments below or tweet me them at @StarkRavingChic! Later babes.

Xx, Bree

P.S. Also note, that though I prefer cruelty free skin, hair, and makeup products, L'Oréal Paris is NOT cruelty free. Even though they claim to no longer test on animals, they still sell in China where animal testing is required by law. So though I love this particular hair care routine, it unfortunately cannot be considered cruelty free.

**All products in this post were provided for me by Influenster. This was a 100% honest review of these products and I was not paid or otherwise persuaded to write the opinions I gave.