Review: Zuii Organic Eyeshadow- Sunflower

As someone who loves the artistry of eye makeup I am always on the watch for natural or organic eyeshadows. The problem with so many natural eyeshadows is that the colours are usually dull, the shadow fades and creases, and they are very expensive. This Zuii Organic Eyeshadow in Sunflower is one of my favourite organic eyeshadows. It has a bright iridescent gold colour that doesn't fade or crease throughout the day.

 This eyeshadow is also talc free.  Though recognized as safe by the FDA it is speculated that talc has fibres similar to those found in asbestos, a material that is widely known to be carcinogenic.

Review: Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner

     Many people overlook toners because they find them harsh and drying. However this witch hazel toner is gentle, refreshing, and does not strip the skin. This toner is great to use in the summer months, when the skin tends to be oilier, or as a refreshing pick-up after exercising. It has a pleasant scent and makes the skin feel clear and smooth. Though it is remarkably moisturizing for a toner I would recommend that individuals with very dry skin abstain from using this product at times such as winter, where their skin is already battling dryness.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf (Certified Organic Filet Of Aloe Vera), Glycerin (Vegetable), Fragrance (Natural Rose) Hamamelis Virginiana (THAYERS® proprietary un-distilled Witch Hazel) Extract, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Flower Water, Citric Acid, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) Acetate.

                                          

Ingredient of the Moment: Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is one of the top natural beauty ingredients. It is known for it’s anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, cooling, moisturizing, and soothing properties. Here are some uses for aloe vera that you might not have known about: 

-Use to sooth sunburns and aid in the healing of minor cuts and scrapes.

-Use to calm rashes and skin inflammation such as acne.

-Use as a gentle moisturizer for lips and skin.

-Keep an aloe vera plant in your kitchen and snap off a leaf for those untimely burns.

-Use as a more moisturising alternative to water when making homemade masks and scrubs.

-Try a bit overnight for under eye puffiness. 

-Use as a hair treatment; simply mix with ¼ cup lemon juice, apply to hair in the shower, let sit for 4min and then rinse well.

-Use a dab as eyebrow gel to keep stray hairs in place. 

Aloe Vera plants can be easily grown yourself, simply squeeze the gel from the plant's leaves, but it should also be commercially available from your local drugstore. 

Do It Yourself: Green Tea Bath

Get ready for St.Patrick's day with this refreshing green tea bath. Green tea is known for its antioxidant properties. It also contains caffeine which helps to tone the skin making it feel smooth and revitalized.

Do It Yourself: Simple Clay Mask

Commercial facial masks can be pricy, and they often contain less than desirable ingredients such as petroleum byproducts, glycol, and parabens.  Instead, try making your own simple clay facial mask to clarify and extract impurities from the skin.

These ingredients should be available at most health food or specialty stores.

Introductions

I decided to start this blog because I believe that beauty can be clean, healthy, and natural. I also created it to show everyone out there that it is possible for us all to ‘drop our masks’, and our preconceived ideas of what society tells us that beauty is. Everywhere you turn the media tells women to put on a mask of chemicals that stifles our true beauty. Beauty is not something that is just external, rather something within us that must also be nurtured.

I introduce you to Dropping The Mask, a blog dedicated to showing you that beauty is natural.