Kristin Ess - Cruelty-Free Hair Care That Looks so Damn Good!

I’ve been using Kristin Ess hair products for years and they never disappoint. This cruelty-free hair care brand offers a huge range of affordable luxury level products for pretty much every kind of finishing, styling, and conditioning you can imagine. Since I am a hair curling addict, I apply simple products every day to ensure my curls feel clean and natural. This was hard to do with the innumerable prepping, holding, and finishing products I was using before I discovered Kristin Ess. No matter how I tried to ration them, my hair always came out looking crunchy and pin curled, like a porcelain doll past her prime. One day, one of my favorite vegan influencers turned me on to Kristin Ess. With most of the products coming in at $14 and under, I felt it couldn’t hurt to try. Once I did, I was hooked.

Kristin Ess products are designed to be combined with any other hair styling tools you may already use, but personally, I haven’t needed to keep any of my old ones around. The finishing products are my all-time favorite. Now my ultimate go-to for daily curl styling is the Kristin Ess Dry Finish Working Texture Spray. After I finish curling, I run my hands through my hair while spraying this for a naturally loose look that lasts all day. It’s never hard or sticky unlike the finishing I received from my past hairsprays.

The other Kristin Ess product I use most often is the Style Reviving Dry Shampoo. This is something I apply if I didn’t have time to wash my hair or if I feel my hair just needs a little pick-me-up before I go out. I quickly fluff my hair up with this sweet and clean smelling spray and bam! I look totally revived. The dry shampoo never fails to make my hair look bright and freshly washed - no matter how dry and unruly my hair might have looked before. And I honestly can’t oversell how good it smells. This is affordable luxury for real.

Kristin Ess also runs a super popular line of shampoos, conditioners, and styling tools for about $10 each. The shampoos are great for dry hair especially if you have a lot of fly-aways or split ends. You can buy each of Kristin Ess’ most popular products from Target but you always run the risk of them being sold out (because they are so popular) so I prefer to just grab them straight from their website!

Review by Despina Parthemos

Tastes like candy on ya lips- NYX Candy Gloss

I have been using NYX products for a few years now because of their cruelty-free/vegan policies. Compassion for living beings is at the core of their brand. Every product I have tried has been long-lasting and definitely worth the buy. I love their brand because they aren’t over-the-top expensive, but actually decently affordable. One of my personal favorites is NYX Candy Slick lip color/gloss. I am constantly looking for good glosses that aren’t too sticky or overly glossy. I was drawn to Candy Slick because of the sweet name, of course. At first it looks like a matte coloring, but once it sets in after about 30 seconds, your lips will glow! The best part- its SWEET. Your lips will be looking and tasting good all day. It has worked as a moisturizer for my lips as well and can be used in place of chapstick. It is a notably thicker lip gloss, but that must be why it lasts so long. I’ve worn it a few times now and will probably use it as my daily gloss. I haven’t tried other colors Candy Slick colors, but the light pink is great for day or nighttime.  It has a bit of a nude tint, which I’m not used to wearing, but it isn’t overbearing. I’m excited to try new Candy Slick colors. - Review by Landry Carrera

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make-your-own- Moisturizer with Your Zodiac

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There are two certain things I know: no two faces are alike and if it involves astrology, count me in! I met the team of Rose and Abbot (which are two streets in Venice, CA where I live) at a beauty and wellness festival/seminar called Love Beauty Wellness in downtown LA earlier this year. They had an interesting setup as they had a mini laboratory on-site where they were creating your very own moisturizer. Basically you fill out a sheet about your skin (you do this on their website too) and they blend all of the necessary ingredients into a bottle, slap your zodiac sticker on it and there ya go- customized hydration straight into your hands! Their ingredients are all vegan, sulfate free, alcohol free, cruelty free, basically everything free (except for the product itself.) You also get to choose the scent of your cream. I picked lavender and grapefruit since that felt relaxing yet citrus-y clean. Update: I have been using the lotion for over two months and haven’t had any breakouts from it. I love how light the texture is and I use this in the daytime (I use my oil at nighttime.)

A Very Dirty Shower: Charcoal Body Scrub

So if you want a real body scrub, not a gentle exfoliant, then I have the one for you. Brooklyn Botany popped out to me because of their fun, playing branding on a nourishing and would-be-hippie brand that they made into a chic, cruelty-free, vegan, natural skin care line. I chose the Activated Charcoal Scrub, because I am pretty addicted to all things charcoal (I use charcoal toothepaste, teeth whitener powder, and now body scrub). Like most charcoals, it gets EVERYWHERE, but also like most charcoals it comes off very easy and also seems to clean the surface area it touches. It makes your body totally black while you’re scrubbing away (which is very fun) and it has oils in it so that your skin still feels moisturized afterwards. Due to the pretty big granular size of the scrub paired with the color and mess it makes, it certainly is not for the feeble-minded beauty experimenter, or if you’re trying to have a quick experience. The other scrubs I would LOVE to try are the blueberry and sweet orange scrub (YUM!) They also have a line of tea tree oil hair products which are apparently hot to trot because they are all sold out! 

Rose Scented Coconut Oil (Best Eye-Makeup Remover!)

One of my dearest friend’s has worked with this woman-run company and so I’ve been experiencing their products for quite some time. My skin is prone to breakouts so I am (sadly) one of the few people people who cannot claim that “coconut is my panacea!” because it actually causes me to get acne when use topically. I do however, cook daily with it. The one product from Organic to Green that I can use without the fear of zits is their coco oil (I love the rose scented one.) I use the small pump size one only on my eyelids to take off eye makeup and it works like a charm (and fits in your travel bag.) I can also use it on my hands to moisturize them on-the-go (another zit free zone.) However I do envy those who can use the coco oil all over their hair and bod. All of their products are cruelty-free, vegan and EWG verified. 

Sundays got even better: Non-Toxic Nail Perfect Polish

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I was SO excited when I found Sundays, a toxin-free, cruelty-free, basically everything-free (except the product cost) nail polish company.

 Not to mention that the branding is so on-point too. They have a nail salon in NYC that I will definitely be stopping by when I visit next, but in the meantime I was able to try out one of my favorite shades (which was really hard because there were so many good ones to choose from!!) I am really awful at painting my own nails - honestly, it would have been catastrophic - so I took my kit (came with base, color, top coat) to my local nail salon in Santa Monica for a BYOP (Bring Your Own Polish)  and voila - I came out with beautiful, perfectly polished, professional nails without all of the chemicals AND without hurting any animals in the process. Couldn’t recommend this brand enough - although it didn't chip shortly after which I’m not sure is the polish or just me using my hands A LOT in life. I’ve never been one to maintain a manicure…

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Golden Elixirs Phytoactive Facial Oil (safe for problem skin!)

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I was hesitant to try another facial oil because I typically breakout from them, but this was a different case…

Really though, I can only use coconut oil on my hands and eyelids (to remove eye makeup) or else it clogs my pores and I suffer an immediate breakout. So to my surprise a week…and now three months later after having tried The Golden Elixir’s Phytofacial oil…I still haven’t broken out! Somehow all of the plant-based ingredients, and wow there are a lot (which is why I think the product isn’t cheap) have agreed with my combination skin type. I still do use the oil only at nighttime before I sleep (I opt for a lighter, gel-style cream in the daytime) and I tend to concentrate most of the oil on my dry spots and either avoid or go lightly on my t-zone. 

My favorite ingredients in this oil are: 

Kukui Nut Oil

Means “enlightenment” in Hawaiian, moisturizes, prevents wrinkles, high in essential fatty acids and is great for both dry and oily skin.

Camelina Oil

Crowned the "Gold of Pleasure" oil in Europe, it has a high concentration of linoleic acid and naturally occurring Vitamin E. It’s high Omega 3 fatty acid content helps improve skin elasticity and repair damaged skin. 

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 Collageneer ®

Sourced from lupine plants cultivated using sustainable agricultural practices in France, it is an anti-aging and firming ingredient which stimulates collagen synthesis to increase elasticity and firmness in the skin.

CoQ10 

Vital to the production of energy within cells and is also a very powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger active which protects the skin from the damaging effects of UV light.

I will definitely invest in this product and continue to use it for my nightly routine…mostly because I am so surprised that I can use oil on my face finally, and if anything it has helped to keep it clear! 10 out of 10 stars.

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