Product Reviews: Burt's Bees goodies for super shiny lips and naturally ageless skin

Reviewing natural products is one of the many great joys of this job and the days that you find something, that you know you will be using for many years to come, is always really exciting. Last week, I had such a moment with Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss.

Lip gloss is one of those things that most females (and some males) just love to use. A quick slick of lip gloss seems to make you feel fresh and ready to conquer the world (or the next latte whatever your day may hold!). I often get asked for an alternative to the super glossy offerings from conventional cosmetic companies; Ladies and gentlemen: here is your answer!!

I trialled all three colours in the Mini Lip Gloss Trio and actually loved every one, they seem in a strange way to tone into your lip colour. If I had to choose, 'pucker berry' is my absolute favourite, and will becoming a permanent resident in my handbag. But don't take my word for it, the benefit of the mini gloss trio, is the cost is about the same as a single good quality lip gloss but you get to try all three colours.


Gina's tip: If you want a hint more colour than the gloss provides, these work really well over lipstick too.

Here is what Burt's Bees say about their lip super shiny lip gloss.....

Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Lip Gloss is 100 per cent natural and moisturises lips while providing a brilliant sheer colour gloss. Sunflower oil and sweet almond oil intensely moisturise the lips, leaving them soft, supple and healthy while citrus oils give a fresh, natural flavour. Natural earth pigments such as iron oxide, mica, carmine and titanium dioxide provide colour and a hint of sparkle.

Now you can have three of our favourite shades for just $19.95.

Beat the recession naturally with this great little gift for a friend – or a treat for yourself.

The environmentally-friendly tube contains 26 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic that can be recycled again.

Price: $19.95

The second product I reviewed last week was perfectly timed, I was feeling and looking pretty dull after a nasty bout of gastro knocked the family, when this little parcel of golden oil arrived at my door. I am so glad it did! Being more than a little afraid of needles and just as scared of putting potentially harmful substances into my body, I need all the natural help I can get when it comes to looking young.

I will definitely be adding Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Intensive Repairing Serum, to my arsenal. I'm only on day four of using this product, but already my skin feels smoother. I'll get back to you on how I go with the wrinkles!! The thing I love about this Serum is that it is really lightweight and easily absorbed (so it won't stain your bedsheets!), it is 100% natural and smells fabulous.

Here is what Burt's Bees say about this Serum;

Natural beauty is ageless, so keep your true age a secret with the power of pomegranate, featured in Burt’s Bees premium facial care line, Naturally Ageless.

Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Intensive Repairing Serum helps smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes, mouth and forehead to help address the signs of aging, naturally. 100% natural, this concentrated serum combines the power of antioxidant-rich pomegranate with gentle moisturisers including borage and evening primrose oil.

At $64.95 the price is in line with conventional serums, but you need so very little, so it should last you a long time.

Gina's tip: I use this under my foundation to give my face a 'dewy glow' so to speak. Obviously different foundations may not react so well to this. If you want to try; cleanse as usual, use a tiny amount of oil to cover all areas of the face that need moisture, wait for about 5 minutes and then apply your foundation. If your foundation 'pils' when you do this, the products are not compatible, so stick to using them at different times.

The Burt’s Bees range is available at David Jones, Terry White Chemists and selected retail outlets. For stockist information, phone 1300 855 478 or visit the store locator at www.burtsbees.com.au

What does 'Natural' mean to you, when it comes to personal care?

Like to have your say about what constitutes a natural personal care product?

Burt's Bees (Natural personal care company from the US), have launched an Australian survey, so you can have your say. It is easy to complete and takes around 5 minutes or a little less. You'll find the link on the Burt's Bees home page. http://www.burtsbees.com.au/

Below is a little information from Burt's Bees on the Survey.

Burt’s Bees and Porter Novelli Adelaide have launched an online survey asking Australian consumers about their concerns and attitudes to ‘natural’ ingredients – what ‘natural’ means to them and what matters to them about ‘natural’ ingredients in personal care (meaning products for body, face, hair etc). Burt’s Bees has done a similar survey in the US but as far as we know, no-one’s done one here.

Essentially, we would like to invite you to take a look at the survey and help us encourage people to participate. If you would like to take it further, we are more than happy to set up an interview with Emma Atkinson, the GM of Burt's Bees here in Australia, to discuss in-depth the ideas behind the survey and the ultimate goals for the results.

The survey process itself is only five minutes long and is just a series of simple questions about/around natural ingredients and natural personal care products. We are aiming to gather as much feedback as possible over the next three months, and will be sharing the results with online communities and health and beauty media. Burt's Bees is committed to transparency about 'natural' in the industry, and was instrumental in the creation of a 'natural' standard in the US - now we're aiming high here too! I think that for many people this issue is confusing and frustrating, and I hope that we can achieve greater clarity for everyone interested in natural personal care.

Why are we doing this? Firstly, because we just don’t want to make assumptions about what Australians think and know about ‘natural’ in personal care. Obviously Burt’s Bees is a ‘natural’ focused company but this survey is about understanding what consumers actually want. All sorts of assumptions get made in marketing and both Burt’s Bees and Porter Novelli Adelaide have decided that’s not enough for us. So we’re asking. We’ve decided to approach online communities because we know connecting online is one way consumers can share their unfiltered views and concerns, and that’s what we want to hear. Yes, you will be talking to a PR company and a manufacturer in the industry - because we genuinely want to know what people are thinking.

We will use the results of the survey in the following ways: we will report back to the blogs and site communities that link to the survey on what we find, we will share the results with the health and beauty media in Australia and we will make the results available via the Burt’s Bees website. We hope the results will help address any concerns or confusions about what ‘natural’ means and how it is presented in Australia. (One result of a similar survey in the US was that Burt’s Bees joined together with other major natural personal care companies to develop a national standard for ‘natural’ via the Natural Products Association.)

The results will be available to you to use and we hope the whole process encourages conversation and education about the topic.

The survey is for Australian residents and will run from August 20 until November 14. You can find it here.

As the results of this survey will be featured in the media, this is a great opportunity for CleanLife readers to have their say about what 'Natural' means.

What's your favourite product? Imse Vimse Nappies

One of the most common questions we get asked at CleanLife is;
'What is your favourite .........?'

In the days when green, natural and organic products were limited in number, it was fairly easy to say which was our favourite nappy, lipstick, sheet set etc. Now however we are blessed to have a bounty of great natural products in Australia, more than the CleanLife team can possibly test individually. So, we have started asking our favourite companies, what their favourite products are and why!

This 'favourite product' entry is from Cassandra, owner and founder of New Age Nappies, an online store that sells a huge range of types and brands of eco nappies and associated items.
www.newagenappies.com.au


Cassandra's favourite product;

IMSE VIMSE All-in-One cloth Nappy

The easiest available
Very easy to use, keeping baby dry through the night, quick-drying and works just like a disposable!

- an All-in-One with a modern design
- soft and stretchy fabric provides a comfortable fit for baby
- signature ImseVimse soft leg-gussets keep everything contained
- soft and adjustable hook and loop closure for quick and easy diaper changes
- fold-back laundry tabs prevent snags when washing
- waterproof, but breathable outer fabric (PUL) is both soft and durable
- diaper soaker layers are made with 100% certified organic cotton terry
- designed with internal flaps to allow thorough washing and quick drying
- flap-style soaker design allows the versatility of either stay-dry micro fleece or certified organic cotton next to babies skin

Gina's comment: while you are checking out www.newagenappies.com.au, check out the Imse Vismse swim nappies; we use them for Lilian and have found them fantastic.

What is a skin crusader? and how can we save our skin?

If you are sick of your bathroom cupboards heaving under the weight of a mountain of mostly unused skincare products, you are not alone. So we bring you this interview with much joy. Imagine if you had just three products to clean and nourish your entire face and body. Reading this could make that dream a reality.

Olive Oil, depression, beautiful skin and inspiration are all part of our feature interview with Save our Skin founder Anastasia Lambadaridis. Whether you are looking for a wonderful new skincare range, needing some words of wisdom to warm your cockles or interested to find out what a skin crusader is, then please read on and enjoy.

GC: What inspired you to start Save our Skin and how has the journey been for you?

AL: I went to bed one day and didn’t come out for about 8 weeks. I was depressed, my grand dad had passed away, my job was unsatisfying and I had pnemonia. I was only 27 and I refused to treat my emotional problem with chemicals (anti-depressants) – so I quit my job and started to focus on me for a while. My life started to change for the better. I found out that I was pregnant and having always suffered from sensitive skin, my skin became hyper sensitive during my pregnancy. I turned to olive oil as my staple beauty product, I would wash with it, nourish with it and protect and heal with it. Then I had a dream and the message in that dream was so loud and clear that when I woke I announced that I was going to launch an organic skin care range. That was nearly five years ago now and along the way I’ve been tested as to how much I actually wanted that dream to come true. The journey has been emotional, inspirational and life changing, I know I’m on the right path now.

You call people who use Save our Skin, Skin crusaders, what do you mean by this?

The products in save our skin’s range are all based on ancient formulas that have been around for centuries, the people that developed them where skin crusaders of their time. One of them was Galen, he Greek doctor to the Gladiators of the 2^nd century and by calling ourselves skin crusaders we are paying respect to those that went before us.

Also, those who use save our skin products are like ambassadors for change. That’s why we call them skin crusaders. Skin crusaders understand that we need to be kind to ourselves and this planet and that less equals more. Skin crusaders care about more than just being clean, smooth and shiny they care about the world that we live in. We are conscious that every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in, the world we want our children and grand children to live in and so on.

What do you think gives your products a unique edge?

Our products are uniquely different, as we believe in less is more and this philosophy is alive in everything we do. Our entire range consists of only 5 certified/organic ingredients, there is only 3 multifunctional products in the range. And most importantly they work! People are having amazing results, especially those with skin sensitivities.

Your range has only three items all of which have multiple functions, was that intentional?

Sure was, I saw these three products in the dream I had. These days we are sold a pot of goo for every inch of body, you can but an eye balm, foot balm, cuticle balm blah blah blah – whereas one balm will do the trick. Save our skin products have been designed to eliminate the need for so many other things most people stock in their bathroom cabinets

Do you have a favourite Save our Skin product?

I love them all of coarse but I do have favourites at different times of the year and for different parts of my body… For instance a magical golden oil is such a nice and effective drink for sunkissed skin, and a powerful concoction is an amazing healer and lubricant for the winter dries, whilst the mildest soap on earth is an all year round staple.

We normally ask people ‘if you could have only three beauty products what would they be and why?’, I guess that is easy for you….but is there any other products you couldn’t live without?

There sure is. It’s called the Supa Smoothin’ Skin Scrub and it too is made by skin crusaders and comes under the label of good enough 2 eat. You guessed it you can eat it and it tastes like something you’d find on cinnamon doughnuts. Used 1-2 a week on hands, feet and body it removes dead skin cells and leaves you feeling supa smooth all over. It’s like magic!

Most people consider starting and running a small business a difficult undertaking, what keeps you going when things get tough?

I have a little mantra that gets me through the tough times and believe me there have been a few so far…I convince myself that they are just hurdles along the way, thrown at me to to test just how much I want this dream to be real.

Also as a single parent to Alexander-Jai and running a start up business, It’s only natural for things to get tricky juggling and managing everything. I consider myself lucky and have an amazing network of family and friends, they all support and inspire me in their own special way. I also take time out to exercise, at the moment I am addicted to running – I find it makes me feel strong and happy, it must release the happy hormones in me and it keeps me sane.

Any advice for those individuals wishing to start their own ethical business?

Think BIG!

The perfect day is different for everybody, how would you describe yours?

I don’t kiss and tell! But it would involve enjoying our gorgeous beaches, sunsets and lots of laughter and HUGS! As they say the best things are free.

If you would like to find out more about Save our Skin products visit Anastasia's website at www.saveourskin.com.au

Really natural skincare products: Invoke Natural Skincare

Invoke Natural Skincare

Read on for FREE Lavender Luxe Hand Polish until May 30th

With the current experience of some skincare companies mascarading as Natural or Organic, but being nothing more than a tarted up synthetic brand, we offer you another small scale natural skincare producer that live up to their promises. If you are looking for a brand that is affordable yet high quality, natural and suitable for the whole family, then Invoke Natural Skincare, is a good place to look. We caught up with Invoke Natural Skincare Founder and Director, Rebecca Kennedy, to find out a little more about her gorgeous products and the ideas behind her company.

GC:What inspired you to start Invoke Natural Skincare and how has the journey been for you?

RK: After having my first baby I became a lot more conscious of what I was using on her skin and was mortified to find out about many of the nasty chemicals in a lot of the well known commercial baby products. After developing a passion on the subject, I decided to start my own natural skincare range for face and body as well as the mums & bubs range. The rest as they say is history. It has certainly been a very big learning curve turning an idea into a business but I have enjoyed the journey and am looking forward to what the future holds.

In your opinion, can changing the way we look at any use skincare change the world?

Yes I think so. Knowledge is key and consumers are becoming more aware and conscious of making eco friendly decisions that also reflects their lifestyle. The trend is becoming more mainstream creating increased demand for natural based products such as skincare, which indicates the potential for further growth is eminent. If we can create a marketplace where natural products are more accessible and widely available then the shift to using natural skincare products every day will be easy. Can this change the world – well it can certainly help us to have a more positive impact on the environment and our own health.

You are very focused on providing different skincare ranges for different skins, how does this work?

We look at the characteristics that are common to different skin types such as oily, dry or combination and ensure that the key active ingredients such as essential oils or botanical extracts target problems commonly experienced by these skin types e.g. flaking, blemishes or excess oil etc and provide the best benefit to the overall health of the skin.

What do you think gives your products a unique edge?

Well apart from the fact our products are free of nasty ingredients and preservatives, they are made from pure quality natural ingredients, are tailored to suit individual skin types, have minimal impact on the environment, and totally affordable, they also look pretty nice on your bathroom shelf!

Do you have a favourite Invoke Natural Skincare product?

Well of course all of them but my most indulgent is the Lavender Luxe Hand Polish. I not only use it on my hands but also use it on my feet and I feel like I have been treated to a pedicure and manicure session in a day spa.

If you could have only three beauty products, what would they be and why?

Cleanser, toner and moisturiser because these three simple steps are all that is needed to keep your skin in tip top shape. Cleansing obviously reduces blemishes by removing bacteria and free radicals that builds up on the skin. Toning gives the skin clarity and moisturising adds back much needed moisture to keep the skin hydrated and help minimise signs of aging.

What are the best and worst parts of your job?

I just love seeing someone convert to natural products and it is great to see their expressions when they love the smell and feel of a product within my range, it gives me a real buzz.

The worst part is trying to compete against the big cosmetic houses. Many of the larger companies are ‘cashing in’ on the shift to natural and have added some natural ingredients to their existing preservative laden base products and just re-branded them as natural. It makes it very hard for truly natural skincare companies to compete.

Most people consider starting and running a small business a difficult undertaking, what keeps you going when things get tough?

You have to have a passion for what you do and believe in it, but most importantly you need to believe in yourself. Only you can drive the business to where you want it to go. You may have a great concept and fantastic resources but that doesn’t instantly covert to success. It is your own passion, belief and drive that will keep the business on the right path and help you ride out the troughs with the peaks.

Do you have any advice for those individuals wishing to start their own ethical business?

Research, network and plan. These all sound obvious but each one is imperative. Research your potential market place so you have an understanding of what you are putting yourself against and define your P’s e.g Price, place, position, etc. Networking is a great way to get constructive and impartial feedback on your products but it can also open up a world of opportunities such as supplier contacts, retail channels, etc. Lastly plan. In an ever changing retail environment you need to ensure your plan for the future reflects the changing landscape so you don’t get left behind or miss an opportunity.

The perfect day is different for everybody, how would you describe yours?

My perfect day is starting it with a skinny cappuccino and spending it with my beautiful girls and adorable husband.

Invoke are offering a very special offer of a Free Lavender Luxe Hand Polish to CleanLife subscribers

Until the end of May Invoke extends an exclusive offer to Clean Life Subscribers. Receive a free Lavender Luxe Hand Polish valued at $13.50 with every order over $50. To redeem, fill in “Clean Life” in the ‘How did you hear about us?’ box.

Visit www.invokenaturalskincare.com.au