Empties Post Volume XXIX: January 2015 Edition

*Press Samples & Purchased by Me (Affiliate Links)

I must confess that I really didn't make any sort of concerted effort to finish up products in my current skincare rotation this month, and the things that I did finish had been very close to empty the month before. Nonetheless, I did manage to finish up 7 full size products and 4 sample packets. In January my greatest obsession was undoubtedly moisturizing my skin, and if these cold nights persist I will probably have a few moisturizer empties in February as well!

1) *Suave Softening Body Wash with Awapuhi Ginger & Honeysuckle (reviewed here): Lovely smelling, leaves skin soft and clean. I also used this to shave my legs and underarms! I am working on another bottle as we speak!

2) *Belli Pure & Pampered Body Wash (reviewed here): This is a wonderful body cleanser with a light lavender scent. It gently cleans, and leaves skin scrumptiously soft and hydrated!

3) J.R. Watkins Naturals Hand Soap in Aloe & Green Tea (reviewed here): I love J.R. Watkins, and they make my all-time favorite hand soaps. I continually purchase these in multiples! I love the Aloe & Green Tea scent, but am currently using the Lemon which is utterly luscious!

4) *Taya Amazon White Clay Thickening Shampoo (reviewed here): Taya makes really lovely haircare products, and their shampoo and conditioner are among my favorites from their line. The shampoo thoroughly cleanses without stripping, and the conditioner leaves hair tangle-free, soft and shiny!

5) Caudalie Divine Oil (reviewed here): As the name suggests, this is one divine oil! The moment that I finished my bottle I opened another! The scent is gloriously warm and rich, and it leaves skin soft silky and hydrated. I also use a small amount in my hair, and the results are amazing.

6) Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil: Spectrum makes amazing organic products, and I absolutely love their Organic Coconut Oil! While it is fantastic for cooking, I left this jar on my nightstand and used it each night from my scalp to my toes (not on my face). Organic Coconut Oil is a great way to moisturize the skin, and it is one of my absolutely favorite products to use on my feet before putting on fluffy socks. Since it has been cold at night, I have been layering it beneath a heavy cream.

7) *Shea Yeleen Shea Butter Soap in Lemongrass Peppermint (reviewed here): Shea Yeleen makes amazing products, and their earthy soaps are definitely a favorite. They clean the skin thoroughly without stripping, and skin is left soft and hydrated. I have been keeping a bar at my bathroom sink since it prevents my hands from drying out!

8) *Natracare Cleansing Make-Up Wipes for Sensitive Skin (reviewed here): These wipes are highly effective, unbelievably gentle, and well worth trying if you have sensitive skin and/or eyes!

What did you use up, toss out, give away, or return in January? Did you make any great new discoveries? Any duds to report?

Copyright © 2015 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved (Affiliate Links).

Shea Yeleen Shea Body Butter and Shea Body Balm | Review

 Press Sample (Affiliate Links)

The cold weather has caused me to resort to the use of serious moisturizers for my body. Gone are the lightweight moisturizers that have been replaced by emollient rich body oils, body butters, body balms and rich creams. I am a huge proponent of product layering, and I always start by using one of my favorite body oils followed by a heavy cream or body butter.  I also love using body balms on my hands, allows and anywhere else that requires added moisture, or relief from chapping.

My nightstand is covered with moisturizers of every variety as a reminder to apply them each night before going to sleep, and Shea Yeleen Body Butters and Body Balm have had pride of place on my small bedside table since I received them. Their products are truly amazing, but it is founder Rahama Wright's social objective to help over 800 women in Ghana earn a living wage through the production of shea butter that caught my attention.

About Shea Yeleen,

Rahama Wright was introduced to shea butter production in 2002 when she worked as an intern for the Department of State at the American Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. During her assignment, she met and interviewed shea butter producers and discovered the challenges they had in bringing their products to market. Soon after this, she committed to a two year Peace Corps service in Mali, where she helped to create the first shea butter cooperative in her village. As a first generation Ghanaian American, Rahama truly connected to the struggles of many of the women in her village community. She felt that she could assist these women in maximizing their local resources to become entrepreneurs in the global marketplace. When Rahama returned to the US in 2004 she started the process of creating Shea Yeleen International, and in 2005 she officially launched Shea Yeleen International, a 501c3 that helps women in West Africa organize cooperatives, provides training on quality assurance and micro enterprise development, and brings shea butter products to market. In 2012, she created Shea Yeleen Health and Beauty, LLC a for profit sister organization. Shea Yeleen is working to help over 800 women earn a living wage through the production and sale of shea butter.

Rahama’s vision for the organization is to change the shea butter sector so that all women shea producers can be fairly compensated for their labor. Rahama has spoken at various events including the Department of State Speakers Program, Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, Essence Magazine’s Young Womans’ Leadership Conference, BarCamp, the Secretary of State Global Diaspora Forum, and the Congressional Black Caucus Conference. In 2008 the White House Project and O, Oprah Magazine selected Rahama as a national leader.

Top to Bottom (Left to Right): Shea Body Balm in Lavender Honeysuckle, Shea Body Butter in Lavender Honeysuckle and Unscented Shea Body Butter.

Shea Body Balm in Lavender Honeysuckle is a "dense body balm enriched with 95% unrefined shea butter, lavender and honeysuckle essential oils, moisturizes and protects the skin from daily elements leaving your skin healthy, smooth, and beautiful with a hint of fragrance."

This delectably scented fusion of lavender and honeysuckle relaxes the senses as it deeply nourishes and repairs even the most chapped and weather-worn skin. It is instantly moisturizing and leaves skin soft and supple. It works miraculously on dry hands, feet, elbows, and anywhere that you need relief for extremely dry skin. I love to apply it over a body oil to my hand and feet before going to bed, and am continuously amazing by how soft and supple they are when I wake up the following morning. This is an absolutely amazing Shea Butter-based balm.

Directions: "After a warm shower or bath, gently massage into your skin. Use daily."

Ingredients: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Lavender Honeysuckle Essential Oil Blend, Tocopherols.

Do not store above room temperature 68-70 degrees F.

$19.00 for 6 oz. from Shea Yeleen, Amazon and select Whole Foods Markets.

Shea Body Butter in Lavender Honeysuckle is "packed with 20% natural, unrefined shea butter, our ultra-hydrating formula is rich in vitamins and will instantly smooth your skin, leaving it glowing and delicately-fragranced with lavender and honeysuckle essential oils."

This is such a luscious and luxurious rich body butter. The beautiful fragrant lavender and honeysuckle sooth the senses while offering the skin unbelievable moisture and nourishment. Skin is left with a very thin veil of fragrance that dissipates as it melts into the skin. Shea Yeleen is not exaggerating when they claim that this is an ultra-hydrating formula that is vitamin rich. I apply it to my whole body and delight by how soft, smooth and hydrated it leaves my skin. They also are not overstating its effects by proclaiming that skin is left glowing– it is rather amazing that it leaves skin radiant, but it does. This is worth its weight in gold as far as I am concerned, and I will definitely be buying another jar by the end of the winter!

Directions: After a warm shower or bath, gently massage into your skin. Use daily.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycol Stearate, Cetyl Esters, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Matricaria Recuitita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Lavender Honeysuckle Essential Oil Blend, Phenoxyethanol, Xantham Gum, Tocopherols.

$19.00 for 6 oz. from Shea Yeleen, Amazon and select Whole Foods Markets.

Unscented Shea Body Butter is packed with 20% natural, unrefined shea butter, our ultra-hydrating formula is rich in vitamins and will instantly smooth your skin, leaving it glowing.

This has the same amazing formula as the Body Butter in Lavender Honeysuckle, but without any scent at all. This is the perfect choice for those among you who seek a fragrance-free rich moisturizer that is up to the task of protecting and moisturizing even the most dry skin.

Directions: After a warm shower or bath, gently massage into your skin. Use daily.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycol Stearate, Cetyl Esters, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Matricaria Recuitita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Xantham Gum, Tocopherols.

$19.00 for 6 oz. from Shea Yeleen, Amazon and select Whole Foods Markets.

Top to Bottom: Shea Body Butter in Lavender Honeysuckle, Unscented Shea Body Butter and Shea Body Balm in Lavender Honeysuckle.

Overall Assessment: Shea Yeleen makes amazing products are fantastic all year long, but they are absolute perfection when extreme weather conditions render skin dry, lackluster and chapped. See my review of Shea Yeleen Soaps here, and their Lip Balms here.

Press Sample. All views expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © 2014 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Shea Yeleen Shea Butter Soaps in Lavender Ylang Ylang, Lemongrass Peppermint and Unscented Black Soap | Reviews

Press Samples (Unaffiliated Links)

I'm in the midst of a major love affair with Shea Yeleen products right now, and I use their lovely products on a daily basis without fail. Lately their incredible soaps have captured my heart, and from the moment that I first tried them I was smitten. They are filled with high quality natural ingredients, and they are so pleasurable to use. The soft creamy lather moisturizes while thoroughly cleansing the skin, and skin is left silky smooth and ultra hydrated. The creamy lather also makes these soaps perfect for shaving, and I'm able to get a very close shave on my legs without any effort. Furthermore, these lovely soaps are so aromatic that I like to let them dry out on a soap dish in my bathroom with the door closed, and when I open the door the bathroom is a bursting bouquet of commingled scents. I highly recommend trying this-- my master bathroom has become a true aromatherapeutic sanctuary since having started this practice!

According to Shea Yeleen, their Lavender Ylang Ylang Shea Butter Soap is a "wonderful floral, fruity, woodsy blend of lavender and ylang-ylang" that will gently cleanse the skin while leaving you feeling both relaxed and refreshed. This is the most intoxicatingly delicious blend of Lavender and Ylang Ylang, and the scent is so pleasant, soothing and calming that I find myself smelling it every chance that I get!

Directions: Use daily during shower or bath to cleanse your skin. When not in use, store in a dry place.

Ingredients: Saponified Organic Base Oils of Safflower, Sunflower, Palm, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Water, Rosemary Extract, Organic Annatto Seed Powder, Organic Rosemary Leaf Powder, Lavender Essential Oil, Ylang Ylang Essential Oil.

Lemongrass Peppermint Shea Butter Soap is a beautifully refreshing soap that strikes the perfect balance between the scents of Lemongrass and Peppermint without allowing the latter to overpower the former. It awakens and delights the skin and the senses, and is the perfect soap to wake up to in your morning shower.

According to Shea Yeleen, "this exotic citrus scented shea butter soap will awaken your senses and invigorate your skin, leaving it softly fragranced with lemongrass and peppermint."

Directions: Use daily during shower or bath to cleanse your skin. When not in use, store in a dry place.

Ingredients: Saponified Organic Base Oils of Safflower, Sunflower, Palm, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Water, Rosemary Extract, Organic Annatto Seed Powder, Organic Rosemary Leaf Powder, Lemongrass Essential Oil, Peppermint Essential Oil.

Unscented Black Soap is a deeply hydrating and nourishing soap that is very gentle and soothing to the skin. 

According to Shea Yeleen, "for centuries, men and women in Africa have used black soap to cleanse and nourish their skin. Black soap is an all natural, no lye soap used to soothe skin conditions like acne and eczema."

Directions: Use daily during shower or bath to cleanse your skin. When not in use, store in a dry place.

Ingredients: Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Cocoa Pod.

About Shea Yeleen:

Shea Yeleen natural skin care products use pure, unrefined shea butter sourced fairly and ethically from women-owned cooperatives in sub-Saharan Africa. The social enterprise was founded by Rahama Wright, a first generation Ghanaian-American, during her service in the Peace Corps.

Shea Yeleen products feature natural, organic shea butter produced in small batches using traditional methods, which preserve the nourishing properties of the shea seed. Not all shea butter is created equal—most shea butter on the market is chemically- refined, bleached and stripped of nourishing vitamins. By working closely with cooperatives, Shea Yeleen™ ensures a high-quality, consistent product that is free of toxins used in most commercialized, refined shea butter.

Our shea butter is rich in fatty acids, vitamins, cinnamic-acid esters, and triterpene esters, all of which naturally help to rejuvenate, stimulate collagen, restore elasticity, and deeply nourish skin. Shea Yeleen™ blends this unique shea butter with pure essential oils and natural ingredients to create moisturizing, nourishing Body Butters, Soaps, Body Balms, and Lip Balms. Inspired by nature, each product hydrates, protects, and softens normal to dry skin types, helping to soothe minor skin irritations and smooth skin’s texture and complexion.

Shea Yeleen is committed to promoting natural skin care, and to empowering shea butter cooperatives that are democratically-owned and operated by women in rural villages in sub-Saharan Africa. Transform Your Skin, Transform A Community

Overall Assessment: Shea Yeleen Soaps are now a new staple in my household! I just saw that they also make a Jasmine Sandalwood Rose Shea Butter Soap, and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on this soap since it blends some of my very favorite scents! Shea Yeleen makes amazing high quality products that are a joy to use, and their line is well worth your consideration.

$5.50 for a 4 oz. bar. Available from Shea Yeleen (Unaffiliated Links)
Press Samples. All views expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © 2014 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Shea Yeleen Shea Butter Lip Balm in Apple, Coconut Peach and Honey | Review

 Press Samples (Unaffiliated Links)

Shea Yeleen is a company that makes extraordinary products, but that also has a much larger objective than simply supplying consumers with fantastic high quality skincare products.

According to Shea Yeleen,

Shea Yeleen International's mission is to promote sustainable economic development and empower women in rural West Africa through organizing and training women owned cooperatives to produce, market, and sell high quality shea butter; and educate consumers in the U.S. about natural body care products and fair trade.

Shea Yeleen's smooth and ultra moisturizing lip balms are delicious little tubes of happiness for dry and chapped lips. Each of these little treasures, with their distinct and delectable flavors, nourish even the most chapped lips. I have used these balms on very chapped lips, and when my lips are in great shape, and the result is always deeply nourished lips that are hydrated, soft and supple. These lovely balms will get you through a long cold winter, but also serve as the perfect base for your favorite lipsticks (including unforgiving mattes). Choose your favorite flavor, or get all three, but trust me when I say that these are amazing lip balms, and you can't beat the affordable price and healthy ingredients!

Directions: Apply liberally to your lips, as needed.

Coconut Peach Ingredients: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Oryza Sativa (Bran) Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Coconut Peach Flavor Oil, Tocopherols.

Apple Ingredients:  Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Oryza Sativa (Bran) Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Apple Flavor Oil, Tocopherols.

Honey Ingredients: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Oryza Sativa (Bran) Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Honey Flavor Oil, Tocopherols.

Overall Assessment: I am obsessed with high quality lip balms with healthy ingredients, and Shea Yeleen Shea Butter Lip Balms are an amazing discovery. If you love lip balms, then you should add these to your must-try list!

$3.00 each for 0.15 oz. from Shea Yeleen (Unaffiliated Link).
Press Sample. All views expressed are categorically my own.
Copyright © www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.