An honest 2 year review

I hope you had a wonderful Easter:) This one was special as it was Avonlea's first time celebrating the  resurrection of our sweet Savior! My parents hosted in their beautiful home, and every fire place in the house was roaring as it was pouring rain outside. It was actually rather magical with the fires and tons of candles all over the house. My huge wonderful family had driven in for the event, and Avonlea got more than her fair share of cuddles. I barely held her, haha! Today I thought I'd share a review of products that have truly changed my life:)

It's been exactly two years since I was introduced to 100% Pure. I was in the beginning of my quest to rid my life of the toxins that I so cluelessly was rubbing all over my body (lotions, make-up, etc). I started my search at the local natural food shop, and found that the make-up there was just not cutting it.  I did an online search, but was overwhelmed with options. Finally, I read a review from another blogger on 100% Pure products, and thought "i'll give them a try". So, I bought some basics…foundation, mascara and a lip stick. When my package arrived, I excitedly tore it open and tested them out. I was amazed at how beautifully they applied, and then lasted the entire day!

Now…two years later, I can honestly say these products have changed my skin in the best way possible. If you are someone on the beginning of your search for a toxin-free lifestyle, I would really recommend trying out a few staples. Of course they are going to cost more than the products in the beauty aisle at the grocery store, but that's because they are made with only the BEST pure ingredients...free of all toxic chemicals and anything that will harm your body. I literally felt the difference the minute I put the make-up on, and my body did too!

Here are the staples I use on a daily basis. I hope you'll consider trying them for yourself!

I wash every morning and every evening with the Purity Facial Cleanser + Mask. It's amazing, and I will never part with it!

After washing, I rub a dollop of the Coconut Whipped Body Butter all over my face. I actually started using this on my face by accident, as one day I ran out of my face lotion and tried this. My face loved it so much i've been using it for about 8 months and my skin is so hydrated and no break-outs!

For make-up, my routine includes:
Mattifying Primer: This is a total STAPLE you should try. Game changer in my opinion! Regular primers make me break-out for sure, but not this one. It is smooth, healthy, and makes my foundation slide on my skin!

Fruit Pigmented Healthy Foundation (in Peach Bisque) : Another staple I will always buy. Great coverage and so smooth!

Maracuja Mascara: Black Tea: Best mascara i've ever used!

If you're into lipsticks, this one is my favorite. If you're looking for something more subtle, I adore this lip glaze, and if you like a good lip gloss, this one is my favorite!

At night, I wash with the Purity Facial Cleanser + Mask, and then apply a serum that they actually discontinued. Once I run out of the serum, I'm planning on trying their new night cream product called the Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm.

They also source baby products too!! I got this lotion, this shampoo, and this sunscreen for Avonlea. I feel super comfortable using them on such a tiny babe as they are all non-toxic and gentle as can be!!

So that's that! These are the staples I use on a daily basis! My advice is to start small, purchasing just a few foundational products (foundation, mascara, etc) and try them out! If you like them, then over time add a few more to your routine. Everything lasts a good amount of time, and I swear you'll notice the difference!

Hope this helps get you where you want to be with your more natural, non-toxic lifestyle:) And as a fun added bonus, in the month of April 100% Pure will plant a tree for every item you purchase! So cool, right?

Hopefully this week i'll be sharing my birth story and more pics of sweet Avonlea! Have a lovely day:)

a gift for YOU: 25% off everything at 100% Pure

So...just a quick Happy Friday to YOU to let you know that everything at 100% Pure is 25% off today!! Just click the banner below and start shopping!!

If you don't know this awesome company, you can read my stories below to learn more about them:
- My skin struggle and how I beat it
- My favorite 100% Pure skincare
- My favorite 100% Pure make-up 

Happy Friday! I'm off to Carmel this weekend for my brother's wedding. SO so excited for him to get hitched! Woo hoo!! Hope you have a great day:) 

Make-up I wear on an everyday basis

It's almost been a year since I discovered 100% Pure, and to say they've changed my skin is an understatement. I doubt i'll wear any other make-up because this stuff is the real deal. As someone who has dealt with skin issues since high school, I am so thankful I found this company. I wanted to share with you today the products that I wear every single day. I've tried a lot of their products, and some I like more than others..but the items below are products I love and will continue ordering. Here we go…

1. Mattifying Primer: I start with this product every morning. After I wash and dry my face, I rub a drop of this primer over my skin. Because this is 100% pure of toxins and chemicals, the nourishing ingredients include aloe, seaweed collagen, eucalyptus, tea tree, oregano, thyme and other natural ingredients. This is the first primer i've ever used that didn't break me out, but instead added an extra coat of silky support for my skin! And it's part of the huge give-away below:)

2. Fruit Pigmented Healthy Foundation {in Peach Bisque}: After applying the primer, I let it still for a few minutes while i'm working on my eyes. Then I use a beauty blender (total game changer!) to put on this healthy foundation. This foundation is amazing. It gives good coverage without being cakey. And, my first bottle I bought lasted me 9 months! I just recently had to purchase a new one.

3. Fruit Pigmented Sex Kitten Palette: I'm pretty simple with my eye make-up. I like good neutrals for my lids, and then use a darker shade to line my eyes. I used to use the Pretty Naked Palette (which I also love), but it doesn't come with a dark purple color (which the sex kitten palette does) which is what I use to line my eyes. The nice thing about these palette's is that they also come with a blush, so when I'm feeling like wearing blush, I can just use this one as opposed to buying another blush. And, all the colors are pigmented by fruit which is so awesome!

4. Maracuja Mascara: Black Tea: My favorite mascara ever. It smells delicious, and more importantly, doesn't make my eye lashes droopy or worn out. It makes them bright and perky, which I love. It is also packed with essential oils, which makes me happy.

5. Fruit Pigmented Pomegranate Oil Anti-Aging Lipstick: I've tried almost all of 100% Pure's lipsticks and lip glosses. These pomegranate lipsticks are my favorite. They are so moisturizing because the majority of the ingredients are shea butter and fruits:) If you like bright colors, I love primrose (which is a bright pink) or poppy (which is a pinky red, may be my favorite). If you like a more muted color, foxglove is a good choice.

I hope that was helpful! In another post I have shared what skincare products I use on a regular basis, and hopefully this will inspire you to throw out those toxic products you use, and start treating your skin to non-toxic and gentle cleaners that actually work!!

Happy Wednesday friends!!

New from 100% Pure- Vitamints!!

It's no secret that my new favorite skin care company is 100% Pure. You can read more about my love of their make-up here, but basically they are a clean, green company that does wonders for your skin, and gives back to the community!! What's not to like?

The company is so creative with their products, all pigmented from fruits and nourished with essential oils, so i've had a ball trying out everything from make-up to skin care! Recently they sent me their newest item to test called the Vitamint!!

The Vitamint is more like a lip gloss/lip stain and is perfect for a light summery look! According to the website the Vitamint is a "super moisturizing, minty tint colored from antioxidant and vitamin packed fruit pigments to give you a gorgeous pop of color while softening your lips. 100% natural and 100% vegan, free of synthetic chemicals, fragrances, chemical preservatives or any other toxins."

I've tried out a few different colors now, and I must say my absolute favorite is dragon fruit (which surprised me!). I usually go for more muted wine colors, but the dragon fruit tint (which is a BRIGHT PINK) is so fun and the stain lasted longer than I expected! I'm wearing the dragon fruit in the picture below! {The cherry tomato color was my second favorite! A prefect summer red!}

I've also layer this gloss over a lipstick, and that's been nice too! I really do love these as a fun alternative to lipstick!!

Also, as a shout-out to chap stick lovers, 100% Pure has some really great chap sticks! I threw the SPF stick in my beach bag and have been applying all summer…my lips are both protected and moisturized!

Hope you are having a great week! I'm gearing up for a weekend full of paper writing and reading, and also dreaming of our trip to Sweden in August!! Woo hoo! Happy Wednesday!

*This post was sponsored by 100% Pure, but all all thoughts and opinions are my own!* 

 

GIVE-AWAY! The Best Make-Up I've EVER Used!

You may think the title of this post is a little dramatic...but i'm totally serious. I've been searching for a good 15 years for make-up like this, and i've finally found it {PTL! Cue the confetti!}. If you need any more convincing, let me preface this post by saying that I found out about 100% Pure through a friend and immediately used my own money to buy quite a few of their products. They did not pay me to write this post! That's how much I love them:)

With that being said, I can literally tell you that 100% Pure's products are hands-down the best make-up i've EVER used. And i'm not exaggerating. Here's why:

1. They are 100% Pure and use fruit pigments and essential oils! No yucky toxins!  
Skin is the biggest organ of our body, and for most of us, we've been slathering chemicals and toxins on our skin for far too long. Everything we put on our skin seeps into our blood stream. Because of this, i've been on a mission the last few years to find make-up that isn't toxic. Let me tell you, it's hard! If you read the back of any drugstore make-up label, my guess is that you'll have no clue what any of the ingredients mean...because they are all chemicals! Not 100% Pure. I've heard of every ingredient on the back of 100% Pure products because they are all natural ingredients such as Goji Berry, Peach, Apricot, Rice Starch, Grapefruit, Vitamin E, etc. I literally can't believe how clean these products are!!

2. They Work...better than any other make-up i've used!
On my search for a clean make-up line, i've tried many other products that advertise as "clean" "organic" or "pure" but the quality is terrible! I feel like in the past i've wasted money trying to be clean with my make-up, only to have it melt off my face or crumble on my eye lids. I even tried Bare Minerals (which is known for being less toxic) but my sensitive skin couldn't handle the mineral make-up. 100% Pure has changed all that! I'm not even lying when I say that my skin has felt flawless (which is quite a big deal as i've struggled with skin issues in the past!). Not only are the healthy products nourishing your skin, but they leave the most gorgeous clean and fresh look on your face! I literally haven't had a break out since I've been using their make-up.

Today I wanted to share the products i've tried, and give away a $25 credit to their online store! So, without further ado...these are the make-up products i've tried:

- Fruit Pigmented Healthy Skin Foundation: Peach Bisque
This will be my foundation forever and amen. It gives the perfect amount of coverage (ie: covers blemishes well), but doesn't look cakey. Make sure to pick up a beauty blender to apply it (100% Pure sells the beauty blenders here, but I got mine for really cheap at Marshalls!).

- Luminous Primer
Ok, THIS PRIMER IS AMAZING!!! {yes, I just shouted that!}. In the past, I could never even wear primers because my skin would break out like crazy! But not this one. This baby actually nourishes my skin and makes it better!!! And it enhances the foundation to an even greater degree. If you bought 2 products from their store, make it the foundation and the primer!! I can't recommend this primer enough...don't believe me? Check out the fantastic reviews it gets here!!

- Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze: Fig
This lipstick is a total favorite. The color is beautiful, and it nourishes my lips so much I feel like i'm putting on chap stick. The main ingredients are avocado and cocao butter and has extracts of all sorts of yummy fruits!! {Can it get any better?}

- Fruit Pigmented Mascara: Black Tea
This mascara smells so delish you will want to eat it, haha! This mascara really seems to be keeping my lashes healthy. While it doesn't elongate them as much as other products i've used, it is very consistently good so i'm sticking with it!!

- Fruit Pigmented Pretty Naked Palette 
So this is a total steal of a deal! For $35 you get a palette that has 3 eye shadows, a blush, and a luminizer! It was the perfect palette for me to get to try many of their products at once. I love the colors they offer, and have had fun playing around with contouring with the luminizer and blush! A total beauty basic in my make-up bag!

- Fruit Pigmented Eye-Shadow: Cashmere
One of the staples in my make-up bag is a dark purple eye shadow that I use to line my eyes. I love this cashmere color so much, and have had fun playing around with it! This shadow doesn't seem to stick as well as other shadows i've used, but i've noticed that putting a little primer on my eye lid helps a lot!

-Creamy Polish: Kiss
So not only am I trying to clean my make-up products up, but also my nail care too. Most nailpolishes have so many toxic chemicals in them, but this one is free of the common carcinogens in most nail polish: formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, camphor, and formaldehyde resin. I LOVE this color too, so spunky!

These are the make-up basics that I have built my new make-up bag around {I've literally thrown out all my old toxic make-up and have started fresh with 100% Pure!}. I can't wait to try more products and let you know what I think...but so far, i'm kind of addicted to the quality of their products!!

So much so that today I want to give away 

a $25 gift card to 100% Pure!

Here's what you need to do to enter: 
1. Visit 100% Pure's website and find what product you would buy!
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite product is!
3. Follow 100% Pure on FB, IG and Twitter (both @100percentpure)
4. Follow Hope Engaged on FB & IG @hopeengaged
{If you don't have a particular social media links, enter anyway! I don't want anyone to be disqualified!}

Give-Away ends Friday, May 8th

That's it!!! I hope this inspires you towards clean living and taking ownership of what products you allow in your body. I've seen a huge difference already!! Happy Monday loves!!