Mar
25

VAP Beauty Product Review: Pacifica, Zoya, Poo-Pourri, Hugo’s Naturals & Allafia

VAP Beauty Review

My love for trying out new beauty products goes back to my teen years when $5 could go a long way at the drugstore, while cruising the aisles looking at the new nail colors or lip glosses. I still love to dabble in any new vegan beauty or cosmetic product—that hasn’t changed! The beauty industry certainly continues to appeal to us from every medium, every angle with every gimmick. A dramatic change from years ago and a fresh step in the right direction is the increase in vegan beauty products that seem to be popping up everywhere. A vegan beauty product not only has not harmed animals in their testing, which would be labeled “animal cruelty-free,” but also does not use any animal-derived ingredients. You may be surprised at the ingredients that come from Unknownanimals that you’ll see frequently on labels of cosmetics.

According to an article titled, “Vegan Beauty Care: When Going Natural Isn’t Enough,” from the Los Angeles Times, the rising demand for vegan beauty products is an outgrowth of the popularity of natural beauty products and this demand is increasing. Natural beauty products tend to limit their ingredients to avoid potentially harmful petrochemicals, drawing more from “nature.” But vegan cosmetics takes this a step further and believe in not using any ingredients that originally came from an animal.  Some of the ingredients that vegan beauty products avoid:

  • beeswax, often used in lipstick, lip balms and mascara
  • honey, used as an emollient in cosmetics
  • hydrolyzed animal protein, used in shampoo and hair treatments
  • milk, found in soaps
  • keratin, protein from ground-up animal horns, hooves, feathers and hair, used in hair treatments
  • lanolin, form the oil glands of sheep, extracted from their wool used as emollient in skin-care products
  • collagen, a skin strengthener derived from cows
  • carmine, a pigment that comes from beetle shells, found in purple-y eye shadows
  • animal hair, used in hair brushes and makeup application brushes

photo-trialJust as we are what we eat, perhaps we are also what are applying to our skin.  It’s important to read beauty and cosmetic labels, as well as our food labels, and make mindful decisions about the ingredients we apply and spray topically.

In my most recent “beauty haul,” I found vegan products that I really loved and it’s my pleasure to share them with you so that you can try these items and incorporate them into your beauty routine, as well.

Pacifica “Island Vanilla” Perfumephoto 7

I absolutely love this scent—it’s like I can’t get enough. I literally have started a collection of Pacifica products that use Island Vanilla because I need to be smelling it all day. I have it in solid form, perfume spray and even a soy candle and room reed diffuser! The fragrance is so delicious and is derived from natural and essential oils including Tahitian vanilla, juniper, grapefruit and heliotrope. I inhale it as much as I can because it just brightens my day and mood. It’s really like no other vanilla blend that I’ve ever experienced!

 

 

photo 2 copy 4Poo-Pourri “Before-You-Go Bathroom Spray”

Although Poo-Pourri is not a “beauty Product” per se, many people like to leave the bathroom smelling as beautiful as when they entered it. According to their website, “Poo-Pourri is not a chemical cover up! Based on aromatherapy principles, a few squirts before-you-go creates a protective layer of essential oils that prevent stinky bathroom odors from showing up in the first place.” The scent names  are fabulously funny: Deja-Poo, Call of the Wild, Poo La La, No.2, Sh*ttin’ Pretty, Crap Shooter, Party Pooper, Royal Flush, Heavy Doody!  We bought the spray in the Original scent, which is “a fresh, clean blend of Bergamot, Lemongrass and Grapefruit. As they say, “Spritz the bowl before you go and no one else will ever know.” LOVE this product!!  It smells fresh and really nice and, eh-hem, it works!

photo 1 copy 2The hilarious promotional video, with over 24 million views, is worth a look, if you want to laugh…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKLnhuzh9uY

 

photo 6Zoya Professional Nail Laquer

This lovely nail polish is free of the toxins that you definitely do not want on your nails: toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP (dibutyl phthalate). Zoya promotes their products as natural nail care and can be found in most large health food stores and many smaller beauty supply stores. I love this shade called “Brenna” which applies evenly and sheerly for a clean summer look. With over 300 shades to choose from, Zoya products seem like winners.

 

photo 4Hugo’s Naturals Shower Gel in Creamy Coconut

Since I’m kookoo for anything coconut, I was compelled to buy this wonderful smelling shower gel since it is also 100% natural and vegan. What’s not in it is as important as what’s in it: parabens, phenoxyethanol, sulfates, PEGs, propylene glycol, petroleum products, silicones, phthalates, synthetic surfactants, artificial colors or synthetic fragrances, soy or gluten.”  With a full line of body care, hair care, aromatherapy and gift sets, I know I’ll be collecting various yummy smelling beauty products from this line.

 

photo 8Allafia Everyday Coconut Face Scrub for All Skin Types

Socially conscious Allafia is a wonderful company that stands for “Equality, Empowerment & Beauty.” The EveryDay Coconut products are “non-GMO, vegan, biodegradable, and do not contain parabens, SLS, BPA/Phthalate, or synthetic fragrance.” I love this face scrub because the graininess is very fine and seems to melt into the skin after a while, leaving a moisturized dewy glow of coconut oil. The aroma is very subtle but the suppleness of my skin after rinsing it off made me a believer. It’s been gentle enough to use 2 -3 times per week—I love ridding myself of dastardly dead skin and flakiness to reveal new skin underneath and preparing my skin to properly absorb other moisturizers and beneficial treatments. The Allafia website is extremely interesting and describes the company’s mission and interests in helping empower African women.

Always willing to try new cosmetics, I’m in the midst of testing some new items that I can’t wait to tell you about. So until next time, enjoy checking out these exciting products while living a more vegan lifestyle!

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=9IDTvXNwk9A&offerid=230986.184&subid=0&type=4">Click here For the LA Times Article, “Vegan Beauty Care: When Going Natural Isn’t Enough”

Click here for PETA’s Animal Ingredients List in Beauty Products

Click here for more about Pacifica Beauty Products

Click here for more about Poo Pourri Before-You-Go Bathroom Spray

Click here for more about Zoya Nail Polish and other Zoya products

Click here for more about Hugo’s Naturals

Click here for more about Allafia products

Click here to read VAP Beauty Review: Urban Decay Naked Cosmetics

Click here to read 15 DIY Ways to Use Shea Butter and Shea Butter Products I Love

Click here to read Vegan Glamour Girls

Click here to read Multi-Tasking with Argan Oil and 3 Great Vegan Beauty Products

Enjoy!

xox Ellen

VAP-Photo-of-me-retouchedDSCF0406-150x150

 

 

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