Devita 100% Vegan, Organic Skin Care Review Ft. Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30 and Beauty Balm

I've been on the hunt for some sunscreen and tinted moisturizer that does not contain silicone. My only options are usually to find something organic or give-up. I'm not a quitter and I started my search for some 100% vegan skin care items. 

I had heard some good things about this company DeVita and their Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30. It has hyaluronic acid, is certified organic, no GMO's, and Gluten sensitive safe. I paid somewhere around $20 dollars for this on Ebay but the regular price is closer to $30 if I'm not mistaken. This sunscreen is supposed to be a moisturizer as well but I find it is not moisturizing enough to use without another product that provides more hydration. I have normal/dry skin but this may be the right amount of moisture for combo/oily skin types. This product goes on very nicely and smoothly, and you don't need a whole lot of it. It spreads very easily. It can ball up a bit when you use it in conjunction with other moisturizers but I don't find it to be much of an issue. I use it on my chest, neck, face, hands, and a bit on my arms. Gotta protect those hands and arms while you're driving to ward off evil sun spots. 

The next product I thought I would try from DeVita is their BB Cream. I know, not another freaking BB Cream right? Besides, American BB Creams are pretty much glorified tinted moisturizers anyway. And this one is too. But I do like it. Also certified organic, Devita describes this as a multi-beneficial beauty balm. And by multi-beneficial, I guess it means that it has SPF 15 and it moisturizes. This is not enough SPF for me to wear alone in the summer so I pair it with the SPF 30 mentioned above. This product comes in a light, a medium, and a tan shade. Given that these types of products do not usually give off a lot of color or coverage, I opted for the medium hoping that it would help to warm up my skin. It's kind of a watery formula but without being runny at all. I just mean you can feel that it is not a thick substance,  it's nice and light and spreads very easily over the skin. It does give off about the coverage that a tinted moisturizer would. Nice product but I would not depend on it to really do much but provide a little SPF. 

DeVita BB Cream Medium, DeVita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30

 

Overall, this is a nice brand and I would love to try their other products. They have a whole line of foundations that are also organic and contain no silicone. And get this, they are cream foundations that do not contain silicone. Usually when you see foundations that boast healthful benefits and are vegan, they are mineral powder. And I get tired of that.

I'm Back With a Sephora Haul! Ft. YSL, Obsessive Complusive Cosmetics...

Hi! So I've been gone since January! I was very busy with grad school and I am now done, yay! I don't know what to do with the extra time, aside from looking for a job (borrring!), and so I thought I'd dive into blogging again. And what better way to start off than with a nice little Sephora Haul? I only bought three things but got lots of samples and the 500 point Beauty Insider Gift (It's a good one!). 

Here's what I bought + Mini Descriptions:

 

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Nude Beige # 1: It's been a rocky relationship for me and Rouge Volupte. I used to hate them even wrote a negative post about them a few years back (gasp!). But I thought I'd give them another try since I started loving their other formulas. I purchased Nude Beige because it's gorgeous for starters. But also because for a nude, it has a lot pink in it which I like. This one is a keeper, the box can officially be tossed. Very opaque and very creamy, almost too creamy, but the color, packaging, and scent make up for it.

OCC Skin Conceal, R1: I'm so excited that OCC has concealer now because they are 100% vegan and guess what that means? NO SILICONE! Yay! Do you know how impossible it is to find concealers or creamy face products of any kind that do not contain silicone? My skin detests silicone. I've heard good things about this concealer in that its similar to MAC Studio Finish concealer which I love (not for under eye but for spot concealing) but creamier. Perfect! I picked out the shade R1, for reference I am NW 20 in MAC concealer. This OCC shade is more of a neutral tone and looks a bit yellow for me but when I apply it on the skin, it's actually a good match so don't be afraid. 

Tarte Maracuja Lip Scrub: Every time I go to ULTA, this is sold out and finally it was in stock. You know what that means, I HAD to buy it right? I didn't buy this at Sephora but I threw it into the haul because I just purchased it. This is great, its a lip scrub with very fine granules and a minty fresh scent. Of course you can make your own lip scrub with sugar and any oil you have in your house like olive oil and get the same results. But what can I say, I love the little oval container!

Tarte 500 Point Beauty Insider Gift: Finally, after denying the current 500 point gift time and time again, Sephora brought in something that I can get on board with. This little set contains a mini Maracuja Oil (not that mini, good size), a cream shadow in golden beige (although in the picture it looked like moss green, glad they changed it), Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed (been wanting this forEVER), Lights Camera Lashes mascara, AND the Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder (which I can't use because of the silica). I think this is a great Beauty Insider Gift by the way, hurry before it goes away and they bring in something lame. Crap I think they already did.

Extra's: 

Promo Code Freebie: Murad Vitamin C Peel
Free Samples: Guerlain Cils Definer Mascara
Bond No. 9 I Love NY for Men
Buxom Lip Gloss in Katie 

All in all, it's a good time for freebies/samples/Beauty Insider Gifts at Sephora.

Review (Rant): Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion SPF 30

It took this terrible sunscreen made by Hawaiian Tropic to break my 4 month hiatus from blogging. Yes, it is that bad. I'm hoping I will feel better after I've expressed my frustrations to you. I don't know what is wrong with me, I can't be content just picking out some normal sunscreen that does what it is supposed to do. Rather, I am continually sucked in by products that claim to go beyond the realm of simply blocking UV-Rays and perform some extra magical task. Hawaiian Tropic, you've promised me the world for the last time. 

This product is SPF 30 and promises hydrating properties. I'm a sucker for the words "Silk" and "Hydration", what can I say? So I lathered myself up in this stuff and headed out for about 1.5 hours in the mostly sunny Carolina outdoors. Mind you I was not at a beach or in a pool, just out in my driveway for some kiddie pool supervising. I had shorts and tank and sprayed this stuff very liberally. Fast forward to later in the day and I have a blazing sunburn all over my chest. My chest is the spot I sprayed the most sunscreen because that is a sensitive area for most people when it comes to the sun. Imagine my confusion as I stared at my bright red burning flesh after having used SPF 30 for a mere 1.5 hours in the sun, taking breaks here and there to seek shade. So I get the little devil out and check the ingredients, it has mineral oil and about a 100 other oils. A-ha! This is what they had to do to make the product hydrating! Oil = BURN. Do we not all remember our mothers or aunts stories of rubbing baby oil all over to tan with back in the 70's/80's? Mineral oil being a prime suspect here and a key ingredient in this Hawaiian Tropic nightmare. I guess all of the oil kind of defeats the SPF properties because I do not burn very easily when I've got at least SPF 30. Hell, I don't burn at all if I've got SPF 30 and am outdoors for a little over an hour. 

Now, some of you may be thinking it is my fault for not looking at the ingredients first. While I can appreciate this sentiment, I am still pissed that this company or any other company even makes an SPF product with so much oil in it. I feel as though I've been deceived. All of the hard work I've done to protect the youthfulness of my skin over the last few years may be flushed down the drain if I suffer any visible signs of aging because of this. Thank GOD I didn't put it on my face. So, the moral of the story, don't buy this if you don't want to take the chance of burning. Who buys SPF 30 if they want to burn anyways? Lesson learned.