oil – Chocolate 'N Children

January 28, 2020

Katari Beauty – Review

Katari Beauty sent me 2 beauty products to review. Hoba Oil and Rosewater.

I’m kind of a skincare enthusiast. I love trying new products and rarely stick with the same brand for long. And these days, I’m super excited about all the great new products that are out there. I just need to try them all!

Katari Beauty – Mediterranean is a simple-ingredient skincare routine. There are 2 products. Hoba Oil and Rosewater. For moisturizing and toning.

I wash my face with water. This is my preferred cleansing routine as many facial cleansers tend to dry out my skin.
The Hoba Oil is 100% pure JOJOBA OIL – it’s a natural primer, moisturizer, hair, beard & scalp conditioner. And perfect for sensitive skin. While I don’t necessarily have sensitive skin, I prefer to use products that are gentle on my skin because harsh products do tend to irritate. I just put some on my fingers and rub it in on my face. Since this is an oil, it tends to drip a little so I always have a tad left on my hands that I just rub in – because my hands need moisturizing too.
The Rosweater spray (Roseau) comes in a spray bottle. After rubbing in the Hoba oil, I just add 2 sprays of this to my face. It is 100% pure Rose Water (vapor-distilled rose petal hydrosol), perfect for all skin types. As an added plus, I absolutely LOVE the smell of Rose Water, making this the perfect finish to my facial care routine. Not only is is good for my skin, it smells amazing!

I am loving how simple this routine is and how simple the ingredients are. They’re high quality facial products without a bunch of added ingredients. And after almost 2 weeks of using them, my facial skin is holding up well to the cold winter that we’re having.

Want to check these out for yourself? Head to their website: Katari Beauty and use code 50offcleanbeauty for 50% off your purchase!

March 31, 2016April 9, 2016

L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil

Thanks to Influenster and L’Oreal for the L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil set. I received their new shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil.

This stuff is amazing!

First of all, it smells so good! It has a rich scent that isn’t fruity or sweet. This is the perfect haircare scent for me. It smells great while I’m taking my shower and doesn’t last past that. Scent is quite important to me in a hair product. A great scent is just more relaxing and makes me feel like I’ve done a better job of caring for my hair.

The L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil products have done a great job of cleaning, conditioning, and adding shine to my hair without weighing it down.

My only complaint with this product is that the shampoo does not lather as well as I would like. It takes a lot of scrubbing to get a good lather, so I end up having to shampoo twice just to feel like I got it all.

The shampoo and conditioner both rinse out well. I haven’t noticed any residue from either of these.

I apply the oil on my damp hair after towel drying it. It makes my hair so soft and shiny and does not make my hair greasy or weighed down.

The oil is also awesome for my kid’s hair. One day my 7yr old accidentally used body wash instead of shampoo in the shower. She has really long hair and it was impossible to brush out. So, before I sent her back to the shower to re-shampoo and use LOTS of conditioner, I tried out the L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil. And it was awesome! It added enough moisture and softening that her hair brushed right out, and stayed soft until her next shower.

L’Oreal has made a great hair product line and it’s working great with my hair! Thanks to L’Oreal I truly have more #ExtraordinaryHair days!

I received this product for free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

March 10, 2016April 9, 2016

Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum – Review

Royal Rose Hydrating Serum – A lightweight serum that boosts moisture and resilience while soothing and calming the skin.

This Hydrating & Nourishing Serum Will:
– Deeply moisturize skin
– Provide antioxidant protection
– Soothe & nourish dry skin
– Smooth skin tone & texture
– Boost skin radiance

Specially selected ingredients work together to achieve optimum results.

– Rose Damascena: One of the most nourishing and skin friendly natural oils, providing balance, moisture, and a variety of vitamins and minerals to the skin.

– Niacinamide (Vitamin B): This potent vitamin has been clinically proven to fade away hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and acne..

– Rosehip Seed Oil: Naturally rich in Vitamins C & A, these essential fatty acids work quickly to lock in skin’s moisture.

– Evening Primrose Oil: Provides light, non-oily moisture to the skin, never clogging or irritating the skin.

– Bearberry: Reduces melanin production, thereby lightening the skin, revealing a brighter complexion.

– Lavender: Heals the skin, treating pimples, wounds, and sores.

Also Valentia products are Made in the USA, cruelty free, vegan friendly, sustainably produced, and contain organic and natural ingredients.

The first thing I noticed about this product was the aroma. It’s so rosy smelling! It reminds me of this rose lotion my Grandmother used to wear when I was a kid. It always smelled so good, and she would always share a little with me and then I would smell so good as well.

This product smells just like that, just not as strong, because the scent doesn’t really last after it’s rubbed in to your skin. I do love the scent though (it must be from the Rose Damascena) and it brings back happy memories every time I use it.

I also like that this product is made with organic and natural ingredients because then I don’t mind sharing with the kids when they want to try my stuff. My 5yr old tried this out the other day and her first comment was about how good it smells. She said she plans to use it every morning like me so she’ll smell good every day. It’s not just me that thinks that this product smells great!

So, now for how I actually use the product. I use it like the instructions recommend, as the first thing I put on after washing my face. After the Royal Rose Hydrating Serum I use my eye cream, moisturizer, and then makeup.

I love how refreshing it feels when I put it on and it does a great job of adding deeper hydration to my skin every morning. So my face is well hydrated, my skin is soft and smooth, and my complexion is clear. I do like this product for more than just the great scent.

I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

March 25, 2015April 9, 2016

Artisana Organics Review

A big thanks to Artisana Organics for the free products to try and review! All opinions are my own.

They sent me Coconut Oil, Coconut Cacao Bliss Spread, and a variety of Squeeze Packs.

I was a bit skeptical about the squeeze packs actually tasting good. They’re made out of just the nuts without anything added. I was pleasantly surprised. They taste great. The Pecan Butter and the Coconut Butter were my favorites. Cashew and Walnut weren’t bad, but they’re not my favorite nuts so I didn’t enjoy them quite as much as the others.

These are made from organic nuts and there’s no added sugars, so you can feel good about your tasty snack! These are the perfect size for an afternoon pick-me up or on the go.

The Coconut Cacao Bliss Spread was my favorite item! This stuff is awesome!

The ingredient list is so simple! “Organic Raw Coconut Butter, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Agave Syrup, Organic Cacao, Organic Cacao Butter”. Also it’s certified organic, vegan, and raw. I’m all about knowing what I’m eating, so I feel good about eating this.

I tried it a few different ways. On crackers, on bread, warmed with strawberries and just eating it with a spoon(my favorite). This would also be an awesome addition to a smoothie or milkshake.

I had it sitting out on my counter and kept just grabbing a spoon and eating a bite, it’s so delicious!

It’s a bit thicker than peanut butter. I tried it on bread but it’s too thick to spread. So, no chocolate sandwiches for me :(. It works pretty well on toast though, because the heat softens it and it spreads pretty well this way.

If you don’t like coconut, they have 4 different kids of chocolate spreads. You’re sure to find one you love!

And then the Coconut Oil. I haven’t used a coconut oil in a while so I’d forgotten how much I like it. All it has is coconut oil. Nothing else.

You can use it as a lotion or a hair treatment, but I prefer to cook with it. I love the flavor it gives to popcorn! I just do mine on the stove, put some coconut oil in a pan, heat, add popcorn kernels, put the lid on the pan, and wait for the popping to stop. I added some salt after I finished popping and it was delicious!

I also used it as a replacement for oil in other recipes. It’s delicious in brownies (the extra coconut flavor with the chocolate is awesome!). And then I used it to sauté some carrots. I was surprised by the results. Coconut oil fries up differently so I ended up with carrot fries. Which were so tasty! I’m definitely making these again!

Carrot Fries:

1 Tsp Artisana Organics Raw Coconut Oil

5 carrots peeled, cut in half, and sliced in 4ths (to make the fry shape)

Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a skillet over medium heat. Fry until carrots are soft and golden brown on the outside. Stir often. Add another tsp of coconut oil if needed to keep fries from sticking.

They don’t sell the products on their site, but you can purchase them from several online retailers, including Amazon.

October 8, 2012

Glade Expressions Collection – Review

I got to try two products from Glade Expressions Collection for free from bzzagent.com. I love air freshener products so I was really excited to get to try these!

I tried the Pineapple and Mangosteen oil diffuser. It’s sitting right by my front door and it smells delicious every time I walk in my door. I was kind of skeptical because I didn’t expect an oil diffuser to distribute scent evenly – I’ve never tried an oil diffuser before. But, I was pleasantly surprised. It works great and the pineapple is a really nice sweet scent that isn’t too sweet. I’m definitely buying a refill for this when it runs out.

I also tried the Cotton and Italian Mandarin fragrance mist. It’s such a clean scent, I love it! And one spray provides enough scent for an entire room. My husband put three whole squirts in the kids room the other day and we had to stay out for a few minutes to let the scent die down! I wish they had this scent in the oil diffusers because then my house could smell like I’ve been cleaning all day when people walk in my front door.

All in all, I really like these products and I’m really hoping Glad comes out with some holiday scents in time for Christmas. I would love a pine oil diffuser! And I’m planning to buy a few as Christmas gifts this year. They’re attractive on my counter or shelf and smell great!