Think Dirty June Limited Edition Beauty Box

June 30, 2017

What is Think Dirty?

Think Dirty is an app that aims to help you uncover the truths within the beauty industry. We are overloaded daily with hundreds of chemicals that are present in our daily skin, hair and body care – and most people have no clue that they are absorbing (through our largest organ), hormone and endocrine disruptors and cancer causing chemicals. There is little to no transparency in the formulation and labeling of beauty products in the industry, but luckily, there are a lot of green beauty companies and brands who are (and have been for years) trying to change that.  The founder and CEO of Think Dirty, Lily Tse, wants to help you find those products that you can use with peace of mind.

How to Use the App

The app is one of my favorites, and lives on the front page of my iPhone, which is hard to do since I have so many apps I use daily and love, but Think Dirty is something that I have been using every week consistently. As soon as you go into the app, you will see a ‘Scan Products’ button which you tap on and can literally scan the barcode of any product. It could already be in their extensive database and if it is, you tap on the product and you learn in depth on each and every single ingredient in that product. If the product is not in the database yet, you have an option to submit the product to the TD team for evaluation to be ranked, and to help the TD community learn more in depth on the ingredients of new products. You simply type the name of the brand, name of the product, and submit a picture of the front of the product as well as back (ingredient label) of it. This is truly what I love about the app and the community within it, everyone is collectively trying to help each learn more on these ingredients so we can buy with transparency.

The Dirty Meter

Think Dirty also ranks its products on their ‘Dirty Meter,’ which is a number scale from 0 to 10. Products ranked from 0-3 do not contain any ingredients which have a documented potential health impact. Products ranked from 4-7 have a potential moderate negative long-term health effect. Products ranked 8-10 have potential series long-term negative health effects. There is one more ranking which is N/R, which means the ingredient(s) have not yet been rated. This is more often than not due to the fact that, in some cases, manufacturers choose to define an ingredient or group of ingredients as ‘proprietary,’ which therefore makes them confidential. Those ingredients are not publicly disclosed and cannot be evaluated using health and safety data. An example would be when you see “fragrance” listed on the side of the product. This is extremely vague and inscrutable. You can read more on their website by navigating to their ‘About’ section, and then ‘Methodology’ on the side bar. I highly recommend downloading their free app so you can start to educate yourself on what you are putting on your face, body and hair.

What do you get in the box?

TD has started their own monthly box subscription and is also starting to add individual products for purchase on their Think Dirty Clean Boutique. I recently received their February Limited Edition Beauty Box and I wanted to share my experience with the box as well as the value you get. This box is valued at over $250, but you would only pay $95! TD partners with 0-3 ranked beauty brand sponsors who support their mission on bringing cleaner products to you! Here’s what I received in my box:

 

Rocky Mountain Soap Company Tea Tree Deodorant

Tea tree is incredible for skin infections, burns, cuts, bug bites and to control odor! You simply shake this deodorant up before rolling it onto your underarms and it will keep you cool and dry for up to 6 hours.

 

LUMIONskin Oxygen Serum + HOCL (travel size)

This oxygen serum is lightweight and  defends skin against signs of aging, softens fine lines, and aids in the reduction of skin irritations. Mimicking the body’s natural immune defense system, this softens, hydrates clarifies, purifies and illuminates.

 

Biossance Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil

This cleansing oil is a standout for me in general out of all of the products I own as a first cleanse/to melt away every trace of spf and makeup. This was formerly known as “The Purifier” before Biossance rebranded and got into Sephora. I really enjoy this cleansing oil. It completely takes off all of my makeup (including all eye makeup) and spf with no effort at all. This emulsifies really well with warm water too! Also has vitamins A, B & C to protect the skin.

 

Cleaning Essentials The Original Bottle (16oz)

This durable, refillable 16 oz blue glass sprayer bottle makes it easy to replace wasteful store-bought chemical cleaners with all-natural, non-toxic homemade cleaners you make yourself at home. Simply choose a recipe, add ingredients to the fill lines on the bottle, shake, and you’re ready to clean! Every time you mix up a batch of cleaner, you not only eliminate the waste of a plastic bottle – you also avoid the shipping and production costs associated with that bottle and reduce your family’s exposure to toxic chemicals!

Each reusable spray bottle has 5 cleaning recipes printed on the outside. These homemade recipes use naturally aromatic and antibacterial essential oils to replace harsh chemicals. The tile cleaner works well for whitening grout and cleaning tile. The wood cleaner gently and naturally brings out the beauty of wood furniture and floors. The bathroom cleaner is a great antibacterial all-purpose cleaner for not only the bathroom, but any room of the house. Our ammonia-free glass cleaner works well on any surface that needs a streak-free shine. Finally, the powerful kitchen cleaner is the one to put to work on hard jobs, thanks to its excellent degreasing properties.

 

Crave Skincare Oil Cleanser + War Paint Remover 

Two cleansing oils in this box! This one proves that less is more with super simple ingredients that can take off the day’s makeup and spf with absolutely no problem

 

Crave Skincare 40 Winks Eye Serum

This time release formula feeds your skin with botanicals, brightens dark circles, reduces puffiness, tightens skin, softens crow’s feet and hydrates and moisturizes the delicate skin around our eyes.

 

Little Moon Essentials Mineral Bath: Beach All You Want (28g)

Made with Hawaiian sea salt that is kissed with red clay from the island of Kauai, this is a really amazing way to have an at home spa night. I was so thrilled to receive these bath salts because I like to take some with me when I travel and these are in perfectly sized packets!

 

Mudjestic Skincare Face and Body Mask (20oz) Sold out, replaced with item of equal value.

This jar of Mudjestic Face and Body Mask is perfect for all skin types! This volcanic ash clay mask helps to detoxify and rejuvenate your skin.

 

Spinster Sisters Co. Rosemary Mint Bar Soap (0.9oz)

Spinster Sisters soaps are produced in small batches using the cold process soap method. They use a base of olive, coconut, palm (sustainable/organic), castor, apricot kernel and argan oils, and combine that with cocoa butter and fair-trade shea butter for added moisturization. Each bar retains the natural glycerin that is produced during the saponification process. This soap smells refreshing and uplifting and also comes in the perfect trial size!

 

Final Thoughts

I absolutely love the Think Dirty app and am thrilled that they started this monthly box! I love that you get such a huge value for what you pay, and you are discovering tons of clean brands in all different categories. I think that this is just as fun of a discovery for the clean beauty novice as is it for someone who has been into green beauty for years. I have really enjoyed testing and using the products in the box, and I will be giving samples to friends and family to try who are making transitions into cleaner beauty. I would highly recommend this box! If you choose to buy, you can get the box here and feel free to use my code TYP5OFF for $5 off.

 

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The Australian Outback: Uluru and Ayers Rock

April 24, 2017

 

What is Uluru?

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock is a very large sandstone rock formation in central Australia, specifically, the southern part of the Northern Territory. It lies 208 miles (335 km) south west of the nearest town, called Alice Springs. Most people try to visit Uluru/Ayers Rock and Alice Springs in one trip if possible. For my trip, I only had time for Uluru/Ayers Rock, so I’ll add that to my very long list of reasons to visit the amazing Australia again! Uluru is considered sacred to the Pitjantjatjara Anangu, which are the Aboriginal (native) people of the area. The area around the rock formation is home to an abundance of ancient paintings, rock caves, water holes and springs. Uluru/Ayers Rock is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, another grouping of large, domed rock formations, are the two major features of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Uluru is one of Australia (and in my opinion, one of the world’s) most recognizable natural landmarks. The sandstone rock formation stands 1,142 feet (348 meters) high, rising 2,831 feet (863 meters) above sea level with most of it’s bulk lying underground. This totally reminds me of the land version of an iceberg. It’s total circumference is 5.8 miles (9.4 km) and is known for appearing to change color at different times of the day and even year. It seems to flow more red at dawn and sunset. Both the Uluru and Kata Tjuta formations have great cultural significance for the Anangu people, who are still to this day the traditional inhabitants of the area. They lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna and Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.

 

How did it form?

There are many differing Aborginal ancestral stories and accounts given for the origins of Uluru. Here’s a few of them:

From Robert Layton’s (1989) Uluru: An Aboriginal History of Ayers Rock:

Uluru was built up during the creation period by two boys who played in the mud after the rain. When they had finished their game, they travelled south to Wiputa…fighting together, the two boys made their way to the table topped Mount Conner, on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders.

Two other stories are told in Norbert Brockman’s (1997) Encyclopedia of Sacred Places. The first tells of serpent beings who waged many wars around Uluru, in turn scarring the rock. The second tells of two tribes of ancestral spirits who were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and did not show up. In response, the angry hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as a dingo. A great battle followed, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth rose up in grief at the bloodshed, becoming Uluru.

 

 

 

 

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Kani Botanicals Moon Milk

March 14, 2017

 

Behind the Brand

Stephanie Guerra, founder of Kani Botanicals started her line as a simple solution for her struggles with sensitive skin. After years of fighting terrible acne and allergic skin reactions to everything from laundry detergent to lotions, she became heavily interested in more holistic and natural methods of treating my skin. She began to learn about integrative herbology, holistic nutrition and cosmetic chemistry. She also finally began paying attention to her Colombian mother and aunts who always told her to try oils from fruits and plants that she had never heard of. She went from that girl who spent hundreds of dollars a month on “designer” skincare treatments to the one who would spend night after night in the kitchen experimenting on making her own skincare. Stephanie started reading labels and ingredient lists, and all of it made her shake her head.

The real turning point that changed her hobby into the adventure it is today was after traveling some years back to Finland and Sweden. She was really inspired by how the people there protected and nurtured their skin in extreme weather conditions and by their cultural use of saunas. It was then that she realized that her Colombian heritage was very similar to ones she had seen traveling, in that the people that inhabited these harsh areas took care of their skin with use of the similar natural ingredients; As a result, they had amazing skin. After many sleepless nights and constantly tinkering and tweaking back and forth with formulas, she developed Kani Botanicals. Stephanie was sick of seeing overpriced products, whose first ingredients were alcohol or water and were followed by a list of sulfates, parabens and phthalates. Kani is the exact opposite, and will always be handmade products from the best local, organic, fair-trade and vegan ingredients.

Stephanie named her line ‘Kani,’ because her childhood nickname was ‘rabbit’ because her two front teeth came in before the rest. The Finnish name for rabbit is ‘kani,’ and that namesake will always be her favorite animal.

 

Moon Milk

Kani Botanicals Moon Milk is a shimmering and nourishing oil for the body, face and hair that leaves you luminous and smooth. This is never going to make you look like the tin man. The oil is super lightweight, silky and it illuminates you with gold shimmer which complements all skin tones and complexions. To use, you smooth it over your skin, also highlighting your legs, arms, shoulders and décolleté. You can also gently tap it on your forehead, bridge of the nose and cheekbones for a lit from within glow, and then run what’s left on your hands through the ends of your hair to tame any frizz or split ends you might have. This beauty oil also moisturizes and protects dry skin and has the most intoxicating scent of tuberose, jasmine, bergamot and ylang ylang. When I received this in the mail, I could smell it through the box! This is an absolutely stunning product, just like every single product Stephanie puts her heart and soul into at Kani Botanicals.

 

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