Keep Calm & Beautify

Showing posts with label organic/natural. Show all posts

When I became pregnant, one thing that worried me (among other things) is the fact that I might be causing damage to my baby with the beauty products I so enjoy on applying. I know for a fact that lipsticks are the most risky, not only with the questionable ingredients some brands may contain, but also for the fact that we're ingesting them whenever we eat or drink.

It is for this fact that I have made a deliberate switch to organic and natural products, especially for lipsticks. But finding them in the Philippines wasn't exactly easy. The ones I usually find through Google were brands that weren't available here. Fortunately with a little more time and a little more patience (you need it more when you're pregnant), I finally found one that's homegrown.

Pili Beauty's tinted lip balm is made from natural ingredients with pili oil and elemi oil as its core ingredients. It can be used daily, alone or under lip color.

I chose a tinted lip balm instead of a lipstick because I know that my lips tend to chap. At the same time I don't want to get a plain lip balm because I'd love a little color on my lips for when I go out. A tinted lip balm hits two birds in one stone.

I love the labeling of Pili Beauty. It is forest green with gold and turquoise print. It has a natural, a-product-of-the-forest feel to it. Sadly (and my pet peeve with natural brands), it's obviously pasted on, and a little bit skewed at that.

Another thing I've noticed about natural homegrown brands, their packaging is generic. Maybe that's because they want to keep expenses to a minimum. But being a lippie addict, I still salivate over the gorgeous lipsticks like YSL, or the cute ones from Etude House, or maybe even nice and pretty ones from Maybelline. The natural/organic lipsticks like Pili's aren't ones that'll be gracing the stage of my vanity table.

The shade I chose was berry. I thought it'll give me a hint of color that looks like I'm brimming with health. 😀

But I was wrong. Pili's tinted lip balm is very pigmented. 😅 And it's buildable too. So the more I put it on (you know the term - slapping on lip balm), the darker and vampy I become. So much for looking healthy and glowing! 😅

And another thing, I can't exactly wear this at night because of the pigmentation. I'm afraid it might stain my pillowcases. An un-tinted one on the other hand might have been a better choice because it feels good on the lips and keeps the chap at bay.

The price of this one is at P300+. Too expensive for a lip balm. This is available online at Pili's website and at online stores like BeautyMNL and Zalora. Check them out, they have other shades.

So in summary,

I love the tinted lip balm from Pili because it's made with natural ingredients, it's moisturizing, and it's pigmented. It is also easily available online (although that made it difficult to gauge the color on yourself). What I don't like about it is that I chose the wrong shade (I misjudged the intensity on the lips), it's price and it's packaging.

I don't know about you, but I really love online shopping. Especially this Christmas season, it is so much easier than braving the crowds and traffic. You have no idea how frustrating it is to be carrying several shopping bags only to find that there are no available taxis in sight and the lines are so long for both taxis and public transportation alike. Not to mention I am heavily pregnant!

I do this every year, scour the world wide web for places to shop for Christmas gifts. This year, I am fortunate to be handpicked by BeautyMNL to test run their shop. I thought, what better timing!

And I wasn't disappointed. I initially thought, seeing ads of BeautyMNL, that they only carry western products like Maybelline and Revlon, but I was pleasantly surprised that they have Korean brands like Innisfree and Cosrx. Those brands aren't easily available here in the Philippines so this is a great find.

I have also discovered they sell organic products, which they so handily categorized with its own tab by the header. You'd know from my previous post how I was looking for organic stuff now that I am pregnant. Their organics page have brands that I haven't even heard of before. I really had a fun time looking at everything. And yes, I want everything.

But I can't afford everything. So here's what I bought:

It's a mix of natural/organic cosmetics, skincare, bath, and wellness products, plus a couple of Korean items.

One of my favorite find is this Au Naturel box. BeautyMNL curated a few organic items into one beautiful box. They are from different brands so you get to try out new products and discover what you love. The concept is similar to subscription boxes but with this, you'll know exactly what you'll get and they come in full sizes. BeautyMNL also has other boxes/sets aside from Au Naturel, so best to check those out. They might have something you'd be interested in.

This box contains:

a hand sanitizer by Made By David in grapefruit and sage
a body bar by Be Organic in coffee and seaweed
a body scrub by Zenutrients in goat's milk and oatmeal
a lip and cheek stain by Skin Genie in cherry pink (freebie)

Should I dare mention that these are among my fave finds too? Hehe. I guess I'd rather say that these four are the ones I am excited to try the most. 😉

The Lip and Cheek Stain Alive by Skin Genie is one of their bestsellers and have been included in their 2016 BeautyMNL Awards. I picked Rose Pink and Creamy Peach because I already had an organic berry tinted lip balm and was looking for other colors I could wear.

This stain guys is only P80! No wonder it's a bestseller. Not only is it organic, it's also in a stain/tint formula (which is my fave among lippies) and it doubles as a cheek color too. Win!

No-Sedum Mineral Powder by Innisfree. Guys, if you've been following Korean beauty trends, then I don't need to tell you that this is a cult product, highly sought after by oily skinned gals like me. Only, this isn't easily accessible here in the Philippines because Innisfree doesn't have a store here yet (as far as I know). So I'm very happy to find this at BeautyMNL and so excited to try this.

Eyelash/Eyebrow Growth Enhancing Serum by Leiania House of Beauty. I'm so curious about this. I have neither luscious lashes nor normal looking brows (and I've made that known several times) so this is something I really want to try and work. I'm giving this away as a Christmas gift though, but I'm crossing my fingers it's effective so I can get one for myself. Nyahaha. 😄 Sorry I'm using you as my guinea pig *undisclosed name*! It's organic, so you can rest assured you won't damage your face.

These two I picked out to be given as gifts.

Papaya Kojic Soap by Be Organic. I'm not very particular with skin whitening, but I know of someone who is. I just want to introduce to her an organic alternative because I find the chemicals in store bought kojic soaps to be very drying.

Blackhead Silk Finger Ball by COSRX. COSRX is one of the Korean brands that many have been singing praises for. This item I picked is for blackhead removal. It is made of silk in thimble form, something I haven't seen before (Koreans are so innovative) and is said to be painless yet effective.

Packaging

BeautyMNL's package came in a transparent zip lock bag with gold foil insert. It looks pretty guys, I'm even tempted to give some of my gifts in this exact packaging. 😄

Payment, Shipping and Delivery

BeautyMNL makes it easy for you, they have payment methods in all forms. They accept Paypal (my preferred method), credit cards, bank transfers, bank deposits, and cash-on-delivery.

I was able to avail of their holiday free shipping promo, but their usual rates are P50 for Metro Manila and P150 for provincial. They also offer free shipping on orders P1500 and up.

Delivery was fast. I received mine right the next day after ordering (but I paid through Paypal, it might take longer if I paid through bank deposit since they'll need to confirm the payment first). This is the norm for Metro Manila orders. For provincial, the wait is between 5-7 days.

I hope you enjoyed reading about what I got from BeautyMNL, share down below what you got recently from them or anywhere online. 😊

Being pregnant really changes one's perspective. I have become more conscious of the things I eat and the products I allow my body to absorb. First on my checklist was the lipsticks, because we all know that we easily ingest them every time we eat or drink. I am a self confessed lippie addict, and I was sad to see them just sitting on my vanity untouched, more so when I have nothing to apply on my lips. But I have to make sacrifices, for the sake of this little human being I am incubating.

This led me to search for natural and organic products that are safe for pregnant women, as well as for babies. The earlier search was in vain since all I found were products from abroad and either they're not being sold here in the Philippines, or they are crazy expensive!

But I've finally found some that's all natural and/or organic. And they're locally made too! Score! They're less expensive than their foreign counterparts yet they're just as good.

Here are some of the brands I've found.

Phina's Little Factory

Phina's Little Factory or PLF is known for its handmade soaps, shower gels and body scrubs. Phina also makes lotions, face serum, toners, kitchen soaps and even candles. She boasts of hand making all her products and using all natural ingredients. That means no parabens, no sodium laurate sulfate (sls), and no artificial colors and fragrance, just all the natural goodness and benefits that using pure ingredients has to offer.

Phina's Little Factory Facebook Page

Image credit: Phina's Little Factory

Pili Beauty

Pili Beauty's core ingredients are pili oil and elemi oil. They incorporate both oils in their products which includes soaps, lotions, lipsticks, lip balms, lip and cheek tints, as well as deodorants, vapor balm, mosquito repellent, and essential oils. Pili oil is known to be rich in antioxidants, contain vitamin E and has moisturizing properties. Elemi oil on the other hand has firming and anti-bacterial properties.

Pili Beauty Website

Image credit: Pili Beauty

The Happy Organics

The Happy Organics' products are mostly bath, skincare and wellness products. They have handmade soaps, body scrubs, shampoos and conditioners, cleansers and toners, as well as healing balms, room sprays, and body oil. Among their varied products, and what I haven't found elsewhere, are whitening products such as a whitening bar, scar remover, underarm deodorants and creams. They assure that all ingredients are safe and eco-friendly and complements the skin.
The Happy Organics Website

Image credit: The Happy Organics

These are just 3 of the brands I've encountered on my research. I'll share more brands on my next post so stay tuned. If you have any recommendations, feel free to leave a comment down below.

Have a nice day!

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Keep Calm & Beautify

Reasons for testing out a natural shampoo

What happened then?

Instead,

The biggest thing I've noticed?

So, what now?

I hope you enjoyed my post. I would love to hear your experience on using natural shampoos and which ones are your favorites. See you in the comments.

So in summary,

Packaging

Payment, Shipping and Delivery

I hope you enjoyed reading about what I got from BeautyMNL, share down below what you got recently from them or anywhere online. 😊

Phina's Little Factory

Pili Beauty

The Happy Organics

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