Physicians formula mascara

My Favorite Natural Beauty Products

I’ve been trying to use more natural beauty products in an effort to reduce the amount of chemicals coming in contact with my body. I’m not perfect about using all natural products, but I do my best.

The biggest factors for me when choosing a natural product are its effectiveness and cost. Basically, the product has to work as well as its “normal” counterpart, and it can’t be too expensive.

natural-beauty-products

In general, I try to keep my skincare and beauty routine simple. As far as makeup goes, I wear mascara almost daily. I also use powder foundation and eyeshadow a few times a week.

I like to have a good face wash, body wash, exfoliant, and moisturizer, and body lotion in my skincare routine, and that’s about it. Oh, and deodorant! That’s always good to wear 😉

I’ve been experimenting with different natural products for the past few months, and here’s what I’ve found I like so far in terms of how the product works as well as the price.

natural-beauty-products

My Favorite Natural Beauty Products

Yes to Carrots Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 – For me, moisturizer must have SPF. This smells great and my face is never dry.

Yes to Carrots Super Rich Body Butter – This also smells wonderful and soaks into my skin so well.

Tom’s of Maine Fresh Apricot Deodorant – Natural deodorant is so different from “regular” antiperspirant. Natural deodorant kills bacteria when you sweat so you don’t smell. Antiperspirant literally stops you from sweating with aluminum, which can accumulate in your body. When I first started using this, I was like “I’m still sweating?!” But then I read up on natural deodorant vs. an antiperspirant and learned the difference. Even though I still sweat, I don’t smell. Yay!

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Detox Scrub – This smells wonderful and isn’t too rough on my skin, which is important for me when choosing a facial exfoliant.

Physicians Formula 100% Natural Origin Mascara – I’ve loved this stuff for years. I first mentioned it on the blog in 2011. It isn’t clumpy and doesn’t give me raccoon eyes.

Products Not Pictured Above

natural-products

Burt’s Bees Brightening Daily Facial Cleanser – I love how creamy this is. My face always feels refreshed after I use it.

Burt’s Bees Fabulously Fresh Peppermint & Rosemary Body Wash – This smells amazing. It’s natural and gentle and gets me clean.

Dr. Bronner’s Cinnamon All-One Toothpaste – I guess toothpaste isn’t exactly a beauty product, but oh well. Dr. Bronner’s has been the first natural toothpaste that doesn’t leave my mouth feeling super dry. It tastes great, and last time I went to the dentist I was cavity-free! This toothpaste doesn’t foam like a regular toothpaste does, which threw me off at first, but now I enjoy the non-foaming aspect.

Where I Buy My Natural Products

jet-shopping

I started using Jet.com to buy household items like paper towels, cat food, and laundry detergent a few months ago, and I’ve been loving it. You can choose to pay with a debit card and opt out of free returns, and the price of the items in your cart go down. The more you buy, the more the prices of the items lower.

Jet offers free shipping on orders over $35 and delivers within two days. It’s a lot like Amazon Prime, except you don’t have to pay a yearly membership and you can lower the price of the items you buy. I add items to my cart when I notice we’re getting low, and then when my order reaches $35, I buy the items and they show up at my door in two days! Jet also sells fresh food (I haven’t tried this yet, though. I think I’m going to soon!).

Anyway, all that to say I buy my natural beauty products from Jet because the prices drop as I shop. If I know I need toothpaste, face wash, deodorant, and mascara, it’s a lot cheaper for me to buy them on Jet than at Walmart, a drug store, or even Amazon.

I’ve also found some of these products at T.J.Maxx at a discounted price, but it’s never guaranteed that I’ll always find them there since the inventory is constantly changing.

FYI, this post isn’t sponsored in any way. It’s just me sharing what natural beauty products I like and how I buy them!

Do you have any favorite natural beauty products?

Favorites of 2011

Well, 2011 is coming to an end. Insane! I always love reading through magazines/newspapers that have “awards” for the best products or places. I thought it would be fun to do on my blog!

Without further ado, here are my totally random favorite things of 2011:

Favorite Mascara(s):

Physicians Formula Organic Black Mascara. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I love this mascara. I swim a few times a week and I don’t even look like a raccoon! You can get these for around $8.00-$9.00 @ Target.

Favorite (running) shoes:

Brooks Ghost 4. I have always had knee issues when running and ever since switching to Brooks my knees have been doing great! I bought my first pair in July and bought the same exact pair (in a different color) in November! I odered them offline and got free shipping. They were $100.00 and lasted me 4 months, so it’s like $25 a month 😉

Favorite Conditioner 

Mane ‘n Tail Conditioner. Yes, this was created for horses. My hair is really thick and wild. This works great for my hair and makes it smell good. I got my first bottle for around $3.00 at Ross and have been hooked since.

Favorite Waterbottle

Thermos Intak Waterbottle. I bought this water bottle in May 2011 and I have seriously taken it everywhere with me! It has numbers on the side so you can keep track of how many times you have drank 20 ounces. I got it at Target for $9.00.

Favorite Shirt 

 No Boundaries Scoop Neck Shirt. I have this shirt ^ and one in plain green and they are so comfy and stretchy. I got them at Walmart for $6.00 each.

Favorite Peanut Butters

Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter and Archer Farms Natural Peanut Butter With Flax Seeds. What can I say about peanut butter, I love it so much! Both of these are great, Jif’s pb is smooth and creamy. The Archer Farms pb is “drippy” in a good way with lots of flax seeds. I get both from target. Jif is usually $3.99 and the Archer Farms is between $4.00 and $5.00.

Favorite Cereal 

Kashi Honey Almond Flax Cereal. This cereal is so good with rice milk! It is crunchy and has big clusters. I get this at Target for $2.50-$3.00.

Favorite Place To Eat

Panera Bread. Right now I am addicted to Panera Bread. I love all of their food, especially the tuna sandwich, black bean soup, fuji apple chicken salad, garden vegetable soup with pesto, and so much more. The hazelnut coffee is perfect to have whilst doing homework (and using the free wi-fi!). I wouldn’t say it is an inexpensive place to eat, but it is worth it for me because of the high quality food and quick service.

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I could do a million more things that have been my favorites this year but I have to study for my last final. Have a great day!

What are some of your favorite products/places?! 

[Other things I ❤ are my Under Armour back back (or anything Under Armour for that matter!), Bullhead Jeans, Runner’s World calendar, and Silk soy milk.]