Revolution Organics

21 Jun 2010 10 Comments

Bring on the Summer Glow: Bronzers from NARS, Revolution Organics & Mary Kay

When it comes to going on vacation, I’m notorious for packing too much makeup. This year I am hoping to scale back and bring only the necessities. That is the plan at least.That is why I starting to dig multipurpose and easily portable products like the ‘stick’ bronzers from NARS, Revolution Organics and Mary Kay.

NARS South Beach Multiple is a shimmery apricot that gives the most beautiful peachy glow. This cream-to-powder product can be swiped on your lips, eyes, and cheeks. I find it a bit shimmery for lips but on eyes it works as a great base or sheer wash of colour. On the cheeks, it adds a gorgeous glow which is even more enhanced if you add a bit of a brighter blush on the apples of your cheeks. I find this Multiple to be creamier in consistency than Riviera, which is the other Multiple I have in my collection.

(Left to Right): Revolution Organics Bronzed, NARS South Beach, & Mary Kay Cooling Bronzing Stick. Apologies for the alligator skin — too much sun makes me rashy

Mary Kay’s Cooling Bronzing Stick is a brand new Limited Edition gel bronzer — and my new bronze love. This is a beautiful shimmery copper colour. When you apply to your cheeks, it really does have a cooling effect. It is very smooth and creamy and once on, it doesn’t feel heavy or dry. This Bronzing Stick doesn’t look overly shimmery on the cheeks and is gorgeous as a highlighter on the cheekbones. Lasting power is fantastic and didn’t melt off my face even after being out in the sun all day.

Revolution Organics Freedom Glow in Bronzed is surprise, surprise, a bronze colour with more of a reddish undertone. This one has no shimmer and is lovely to use as a contour. This one is a bit darker than the other two and works well as a contour and for those days you want to keep it understated. It is also creamy and easy to apply. I tried to take a photo wearing the Revolution Organics Bronzed Freedom Glow in the car while out and about with the family. The lighting didn’t work out but my audience was there in full force.

Excuse the extreme closeups

What do you think about ‘stick’ bronzers?

Disclaimer: Samples provided for consideration by Revolution Organics and Mary Kay

30 Sep 2009 8 Comments

Thoughts on Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Balm

My life is busy. And if there are products out there that promise to simplify my beauty routines, I’m all for it. For the past month or so, I’ve been trying out Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Balms which are marketed as ‘the Ultimate Beauty Multi-tasker.’

These balms are 100% natural and created with 85% certified organic ingredients. You can use them on your lips, cheeks, eyes and even your ‘décolletage’ to get a dewy glowy look. While I didn’t test out on my ‘décolletage’ I did try them out on my lips and cheeks. I tried Blushed (True Rosy glow), Sunkissed (Fresh Peach glow), and Bronzed (Warm Golden Glow).

Overall, these do deliver a nice sheer glow (see swatches below) and I quite like them. The look is very subtle and would work well if you want to have just a hint of colour on your face. I also used these as a base for powdered blush, which helped with the staying power of some blushes I own. On my lips they again apply very sheer but feel moisturizing. I even tried mixing two together to create different effects for lips and cheeks (apologies for a lack of FOTDs — busy busy week!)

These Freedom Glow Balms do remind me a lot of the NARS Multiples and are similarly priced at $37 Canadian. That said, you do get a lot of product for your money and it is something that has multiple uses. What makes these different is that the ingredients are USDA-certified organic. Something to consider.

For more information and where to find these products, click HERE.

06 Sep 2009 13 Comments

Canadian Beauty Spotlight: Revolution Organics — Part 1

Ever think about the chemicals and other ingredients that make up our makeup? I admit I had not until I started doing more research on it out of my own interest.

That’s why I was particularly excited when I was given an opportunity to try out skincare and makeup products from a Canadian company from Ottawa, Ont. called Revolution Organics. Makeup that looks good and is good for you? Why not, I thought?

Revolution Organics was founded by two cosmetic industry veterans, Melissa Shabinsky & Alexandra Zanella. The two women started the company “out of our own personal desire to simplify our lives and to make healthy, responsible lifestyle choices, beauty products included. We wanted luxurious, beautifully formulated, healthy multi-purpose beauty products that could do more so we could use less.” The company’s products are USDA-certified, which represents the highest level of organic certification, starting from the soil that the plants are grown in, to how they are harvested and processed.

Pretty cool premise in my view. The first products I tried were of course, the lip products. For the past two or so weeks, I’ve been testing out The Freedom Lip Glosses.

The Freedom Lip Glosses are marketed as a ‘healthy, good-for-you” glosses that are made with 100% natural and 85% certified organic ingredients.The formula is free of chemicals, mineral oil, petroleum, artificial ingredients and parabens. The glosses come in five colours: Innocent (soft baby pink); Truth (sheer true pink); Integrity (Shimmering Golden Rose); Freedom (strawberry red) and Vibe (fresh warm peach).

(Swatches: Innocent; Truth; Freedom; Integrity; and Vibe)

Priced at $29 each, the glosses do feel luxurious on the lips, and seem very moisturizing. Best of all, they are NOT sticky. But if you like more pigmented glosses, these are not necessarily for you. I used the more sheer colours on top of lipsticks which gave them a nice sheen and added that extra bit of moisture. My favorites were Freedom and Integrity, which were the most pigmented and were wearable on their own. And while these are not super long wearing, I really did enjoy reapplying as they smell and feel great on the lips.

Overall, I’ve been very pleased with these “good for you” Freedom Lip Glosses. I think it is super cool that it is a Canadian company that is behind this concept. Yay Canada!

For more information and where to find these products, visit the company’s web site at www.revolutionorganics.com

Stay tuned for my review on the Freedom Glow Balms, which are turning into HG material for me the more I use them.

Photo credit: Saffron Rouge