I’ve had an interest in organic and natural skin care products for a while, but because I have difficult skin it’s been a challenge finding something that alleviates the angry red cystic spots that pop up and fits within my modest artist budget. I’m more than willing to try new things, so when one of my friends mentioned Vitale Natural, a Brisbane organic beauty store, I had to have a closer look.
When I had a closer look I found a bunch of things I wanted to try! I could have gone into the Paddington salon, but postage was only $4.95 and last week was very busy and stressful so I got it mailed out to me. It came two days later, just as we were about to leave for a long weekend of relaxation! Perfect timing.
Let me take you into the marvelously scented world of my recent beauty purchases!
Remedica – Richesse de L’Afrique Pure Organic Anago
One of my friends had sampled this and raved about it, so we each bought a tub. Not knowing what to expect, I had assumed it was a dry cleanser that one adds water to in order to develop the lather. The Pure Organic Anago cleanser turned out to be a brown paste with little bits of stuff in it; in order to get a lather you’ve got to splash your face first then scoop a little out with your nail and rub all over. The lather is pretty fantastic, and a little bit certainly does go a long way. I’ve noticed my skin is a lot less red and bothered looking, and in conjunction with the Bee Yummy cream I’ve seen a lot of gunk come out of my face! My skin does seem to dry out very quickly after using the product, so I make sure I moisturise straight away.
Live Live – Bee Yummy Skin Food
I had been using Perfect Potion’s Geranium Moisturising Emulsion for about a year but was curious to try the Be Yummy “Skin Food” as I’d seen some rave reviews from people suffering from acne. Being a realist (suffering from cystic acne since 12!) I didn’t really expect Bee Yummy to banish my cysts to forever-and-ever-away but in the last couple of weeks I have noticed that I don’t have dry spots and my skin doesn’t feel “heavy”. It also helps my cysts and blemishes heal within days, when it has taken weeks in the past. That’s a pretty fantastic improvement! I did notice minor breakouts around my face within the first week, but that is apparently quite a normal process when you start using the Skin Food.
Third Stone Botanicals – Green Tea Eye Serum
My sister (who manages a Jurlique store) is always telling me I should be using an eye cream. I’ve never bought an eye cream though! At my last facial before I got married the therapist mentioned that the skin around my eyes was quite dehydrated but I shrugged it off as part of the spiel they give you so you buy product. Recently however, I’ve realised I’m turning 30 so it, uh, might be time to look into these things. My skin is oily and I know that helps prevent wrinkles, but I figured it’d be nice to give a light eye product a go and then review the situation when the bottle runs out. So far I really like the serum, and feel my eyes are a lot more relaxed after applying it. Do be sure not to use too much, because a tiny 2mm ball will be more than enough. I’m pretty sure this bottle will last for ages if I store it properly!
Badger Balms – Cinnamon Bay and Tangerine Breeze
Having big old lips means I go through a lot of lip balm, so I’m always looking for something new! My favourite so far is Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil which smells delicious, feels wonderfully moisturising and is a fantastic base if you want to turn your lipstick into a sheer slick. I’d seen some good reviews of Badger Balms so I threw two in my shopping cart. I like the glossy veneer these balms give my lips, they are definitely not matte finish like most balms. I was disappointed by Tangerine Breeze, because it smells and tastes like castor oil to me and I was hoping it’d be very citrussy! On the other hand, the Cinnamon Bay balm is amazing if you love cinnamon like me. I want to eat my face off every time I put it on!
Remedica – African Anago Gentle Salt Scrub – Sample!
The little ball in the little container up there is Remedica’s Anago Salt Scrub. My skin usually finds exfoliating scrubs too harsh, so I stay away from them, but I tried this on non-blemished parts of my skin and adored the aniseed scent and the tingle it left behind. It doesn’t lather very well, and the salt scatters so it doesn’t feel like it’s really exfoliating anything except in between your fingers.
Have you bought any new natural skin care products lately? I’d love to hear your recommendations.
Thanks for the great review Natalie! My friend uses Oatmeal to exfoliate (as in the stuff you eat) – mixes it with water to make a paste, and high quality olive oil at night as a moisturiser. She pretty much has a chemical / synethetic free household (using no chemicals to clean either). Her skin looks amazing!
Thanks for that review!
Have you ever tried Mario Badescu products for your acne? I started seeing reviews on YouTube and because I am a sheep (lol), I decided to try some products. I don't have major skin issues but I do get cystic pimples every month. Since using the products I only got one! I am really impressed.
You're the second person to recommend Anago for cystic acne in the past week – I think I'm going to have to get me some of that!!
Hey there, have you ever tried making your own organic skin care products? You see like the kind of person who would enjoy this.
Organic skin care is definietly growing in popularity, thanks mainly to its price point compared to commercial brands.
I really like your blog, keep up the good work.
. Great post. Sites are a very natural way to attract links. I’d love to see a post on how to get your company to site.
Hi Natalie! I'm a long-time lurker, first time commenter, and finally popped over to Vitale Natural this morning intent on picking up some anago cleanser. They were sold out (I like to think your post triggered a rush), but I paid for a pot which will be mailed out to me at no charge when their new stock arrives – I was most pleased! I also bought a geranium moisturiser for oily/combination skin and some very deliciously-scented soy candles (lime/basil/mandarin and French chocolate milk), and there were many other products that caught my eye/nose that will have to wait for another time.
Thank you so much for your review. I've always felt a bit out of place on the Given/Latrobe Tce strip to do any serious snuffling of shops/cafes etc – too poor and frumpy (although thanks to blogs like yours and the Fatshionista community I'm now working on increasing my fanciness) – but I'll certainly go back to Vitale.
Thanks again – for this and all your posts. Your blog is wonderful on multiple levels :)
I also love organic skincare products because it brings a breath of fresh air. The bee yummy food skin is my favorite!
While some people are genetically blessed with smooth facial skin, most of us are not. And as the skin ages, it becomes thinner and loses elasticity as the tissues become weaker. Added with the stressful life that we are living in, the once “baby-smooth” facial skin becomes a home of many skin problems including acne, eczema, and melasma (yikes!).