Beauty Treasure Chest: The All Natural Face's Face Food Fruit Facial Washes

Another awesome product from The All Natural Face!  The ingredients are simple but delicious!  The fruit flavors only have two ingredients a piece--dried coconut milk and whichever fruit you choose (Sorry, I got some water on the label)!

I love these Face Food Fruit Facial Washes--they're like a daily mask, but without the dry tight feeling masks sometimes give you.  And since it's more like a mask, there's no sudsing or foaming to strip your face of its natural moisture.  But my face still feels clean, fresh, and soft--these are great gentle exfoliators (no scratching or irritation!) for daily use.  The All Natural Face suggests using one small scoop (see picture below of included scoop) and two scoops of water that you mix and then apply to your face.

I happen to be lazy (the fewer steps the better), so I just splash some warm water on my face, shake about a 1/2 teaspoon (probably more than you need) in my left hand, and just pick up the powder with the wet fingers (fingers must be moist/wet to grab the dry powder) of my other hand and rub it in circular motions on my (wet) face.  I have to dip my fingers in the powder a few times to pick it all up and cover my face, but it's easier than measuring  and mixing.  Since I "mix" and apply this one treatment at a time, I've had fun adding other ingredients to the recipe depending on my skin's mood.  I've added some clay from a dry clay mask powder I have (The All Natural Face sells a selection of Clay Masks here) and some Tamanu oil.  I  just rub these additions on after the Face Food Fruit Wash is already on.  Or I've even rubbed in a little African Black Honey (I'll probably do a post about this soon, it's my new beauty secret!) from Skinfolk on Etsy.  Then I let the mask sit while I brush my teeth, etc.  If I apply the face food before showering, I usually leave it on to soak in while in the shower and then wipe it off with a wet wash cloth.  It's usually good to splash a little more water on your face to get any remaining facial food off.  Now for some details on the flavors I've tried!

Here's a sound bite from The All Natural Face on the benefits of cherries in their Cherries and Cream Face Food Fruit Facial Wash:

Cherries are great antioxidants! The red pigment is where this lies. It also helps with reducing inflammation and pain. Cherries also minimize the look of fine lines and veins in the face.  Good for all skin types.  Brightens and smoothes skin. Suitable for even the driest, most sensitive skin.  Cherries are great for those with acne as well. Their acidic properties also dissolve dead skin and keep it clear.

I like Cherries and Cream and it worked well.  I especially like that you can use it on dry skin but it's good for blemishes too!  Anyone else experience this in the winter?  The cherry pieces are a little chunky, especially when applied, compared to the mango and lemon flavors.  This didn't bother me at all, just an FYI.  You can kind of see the difference between the mango (left) and cherry (right) below.

Here's a blurb on the Mangoes and Cream Face Food (pictured to the right):

Mango helps in clearing clogged pores that causes acne. Mango is good at getting rid of the blemishes and scars. The beta-carotene in mangoes encourage skin regeneration and wrinkle softening.

And Lemon (I used this up before taking pictures):

Lemon is an astringent, so it dries up the excess oils. Lemon will make your skin glow, reduces hyper pigmentation, reduces acne lesions, reduces acne outbreaks, and naturally lightens the skin. Your skin will be smoother and brighter. Caution - if the juice is on your face (even dried) and you go in the sun, it will burn you! Do be careful about sun exposure immediately after applying. Rinse thoroughly

If you look at each individual listing, there's a blurb about each fruit's specific skin benefits.  So browse around and see which would be a good fit for your skin.  I just ordered the Strawberry and am excited to try the Orange or Pomegranate next (Vitamin C and antioxidants are so popular in skin care products right now--why not get them straight from the fruit!).  Here's a blurb from the Strawberries and Cream listing:

Strawberries are useful for oily skin but are suitable for all skin types. Strawberries contain salicylic acid, which rids the skin of dead cells, allowing it to absorb moisture more efficiently. Strawberries also have a mild bleaching effect on the skin and will help heal blemishes.

Not sure what flavor to try?  The All Natural Face offers three sizes-- 1 ounce for $7.50, 2 ounces for $15, and 4 ounces for $25 (just select your size choice from the drop down menu on each listing).

Here's a list of all the flavors (I included links to the flavors I've tried at the bottom of the post):
Aloe and Avocado
Avocado and Cucumber
Aloe and Cucumber
Cherries and Cream
Pineapples and Cream
Bananas and Cream
Strawberries Bananas and Cream
Peaches and Cream
Lemons and Cream
Oranges and Cream
Pomegranates and Cream
Papayas and Cream
Mangoes and Cream
Strawberries and Cream

And here's some COUPON CODES (good through 12/31/11) for The All Natural Face website (Crystal always seems to have a great sale running!):

Spend $30.00 before shipping and get 15% OFF!  Code: 15OFF
Spend $75.00 before shipping and get 20% OFF!  Code: 20OFF
Spend $100.00 before shipping and get 25% OFF!  Code: 25OFF
Spend $150.00 before shipping and get a Free Eye Shadow gift pack to give or to keep:)  Code: FREEGIFT

The All Natural Face homepage 
All the Face Food Flavors!
Lemons and Cream Face Food Fruit Facial Wash
Mangoes and Cream Face Food Fruit Facial Wash
Cherries and Cream Face Food Fruit Facial Wash

Beauty Treasure Chest: Etta + Billie Exfoliating Scrub Bar

This is one of my shower favorites!  I don't have time to do this every day, but at least once a week, I like to exfoliate my legs before shaving.  Exfoliating sloughs off dead skin and lets you get a much closer shave.  I've used tons of salt scrubs and sugar scrubs.  I've even made my own with jojoba oil and sugar.  One problem--they're messy and gloppy and goopy and sloppy.  The Etta + Billie Natural Exfoliating Scrub Bar is the perfect solution.  At first you may need to wet the bar with warm water to get to the salty part before you can start scrubbing.  Don't use this on open cuts (it stings) or your face (not for sensitive areas).  But it's perfection for your legs, arms... I even use it on my hips/sides to try and keep my stretch marks moisturized (and hopefully prevent more from showing up).  Well, that was embarrassing, but true... This is not soap.  It doesn't lather.  It's a like a salt scrub in convenient soap bar form (although, Etta + Billie does sell soaps!).  Just wet it a little and rub in circular motions.  I like to follow with exfoliating mitts to get an extra close scrub. The Etsy listing says the bar lasts 5-8 showers.  But since I only use it once or twice a week, I usually get a month and half to two months out of a bar... longer in the winter when I'm lazy about shaving my legs. Aren't I full of embarrassing admissions tonight...  It's $7.95 for a 3.5 ounce bar.

So anyhow... What else is great about Etta + Billie?  Check out the ingredients in this Scrub Bar.  Good quality natural ingredients.

Ingredients: Sea Salt, Organic Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) seed butter, Fair Trade Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) fruit butter^, Organic Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) essential oil, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) essential oil^, Rosemary Extract, Tocopheral (Vitamin E)  

^grown w/o pesticides/herbicides 

The Shea Butter in this product is wild harvested and processed by a women's collective in West Africa.        

I'm currently using a Coriander and Ylang Ylang scented scrub bar.  I believe I got a couple of these as a gift (which I requested) after having purchased one myself in the past.  Sorry for the weird used product picture.  My bar only has a few more shower and shaves left in it.  I best get over to the Etta + Billie Etsy site and stock up.

The exfoliating scrub bars also come in a few other scents:  Lavender, Peppermint and Cocoa, Grapefruit and Cardamom (I'm excited to try this one!), and Geranium  Patchouli.  Etta + Billie carries other natural goodies too--soaps, lotions, butters, and bath salts--just to name a few.  From perusing the shop's Esty listings, I can tell you the ingredients are good quality oils and butters that are nourishing and moisturizing for your skin.  Lots of organic ingredients.  My guess is when organic is unavailable, Fair trade or wild harvested are used.  No creepy chemical preservatives you can't pronounce (Yay for natural preservatives Rosemary extract and Vitamin E).  Another sign that a company takes being all natural seriously--no synthetic fragrances.  I saw a Sweet Orange and Ylang Ylang solid lotion bar.  I'm citrus obsessed and Sweet Orange essential oil is my favorite (smells just like a fresh peeled orange-yum!).  She also has a Cinnamon and Oatmeal soap scented with--you guessed it--cinnamon and oatmeal!  Sounds like breakfast... or a cookie!

Etta and Billie is currently working on becoming a San Francisco Certified Green Business.  I glanced at the retail checklist to become certified and wow... talk about reducing your carbon footprint.  Now I'm not sure what standards an independent business would be held to to attain green certification, but I think it's a moral business choice to respect the Earth and our posterity.  Nobody is perfect, but each little thing helps (I admit it, I'm not even close to being perfectly green, but it's good to try).  Go green!  Okay, off my soapbox.

I was wondering about the name of this brand... guessing it had something to do with singers Etta James and Billie Holiday, but I was wrong.  Here's the lovely true story from Etta + Billie's Etsy profile:

I decided to name my business Etta + Billie after my grandmothers. I spent a lot of time with each of them growing up and they have always been a huge part of my life. Etta + Billie seemed like the perfect way to honor their selflessness, tenacity, support and courage. 

My Grandma Etta passed away before my business ever really started but my Grandma Billie loves my products and has made me promise to give her a million once I make my first two ;).

Check out Etta + Billie on Etsy.
You can sign up for the Etta and Billie newsletter on her facebook page.
Or check out the owner on twitter.
Or on her blog.