As I sit here typing this, another storm is rolling in! We're supposed to get anywhere from 6 inches to a foot of snow here in New Jersey. It's been quite a season so far, and my skin is definitely noticing! I actually really enjoy the winter and don't mind the cold/snow at all, as long as I don't have to drive in it! But for the first time in a while, I'm dealing with flaky skin, dry hair, and itchiness. Not a fan!!!
This is where one of my favorite Organic Beauty brands comes in. I've been using Shea Terra Organics for over 5 years now (I've mentioned them here and here) and the products are amazing! They are really my top "go-to" organic brand as far as versatility, and pretty much being able to use the whole range. I especially love the products for the colder months, though they are spring/summer friendly as well!
Recently I had the opportunity to try out a couple of the more recent releases and I was not disappointed!
Shea Terra so generously sent me samples of both the Coffee Bean-illa Lip Butter and the Dark Chocolate Shea/Malawi Sugar Scrub to try out. I really enjoyed both, especially the scents! I won't use any products that contain any synthetic fragrance at all, so I really appreciate when a product I use has a truly amazing (and natural!) smell. The lip butter is not necessarily something I would use as my everyday lip balm because of it's slightly thicker texture, like under gloss or a stick, but it's an AMAZING lip treatment! I've been slathering it on several times a day and love layering it on at night before I go to sleep. I also really love it as a cuticle butter, and because it's a bigger size than your average balm, I could see using it as a frizz tamer on my hair as well. It smells slightly minty to me for some reason, though there's no mint present, but in a really good way. I love the scent and who doesn't want their lips to smell yummy?! This also comes in several other scents as well. I've heard great things about Bananas & Baobabs!!
I generally stay away from scrubs because they typically contain a lot of oil and that's not really my preference, but this Shea Sugar Scrub is absolutely lovely!!! I was super excited to try it, as I knew that it has a solid texture. It did not disappoint! I love that it doesn't drip all over the place in the shower. Anytime I have used the more oily scrubs in the past, my shower floor ends up using more of it than me! So I was already a fan of the texture. This scrub was unlike anything I've used before. Kind of like a body butter mixed with a sugar scrub. And my skin felt so so soft after using it, which is a huge benefit of the shea base vs the oil. My most fav way to multi-task with this scrub, is on my hands. It gets rid of those scraggly cuticles and makes my hands look younger! Great for my reg home manicures. And the smell...... Well this one smells like you're slathering yourself with chocolate brownie batter. So so SO good!!!! So I was very much a fan of both products and would highly recommend them!
Some of my other favorites that I've personally purchased over the years include:
1. Moroccan Lava Clay : this clay comes in chip form, so I love that I can take the amount I need. I do find that grinding with my mortar & pestle works best, so you might want to take that into account if you purchase. I also love that I can mix this powder with different things according to my skins needs!
2. Pink Guava Body Nectar Shea Spray Oil: this smells fruity and is amazing for stretch marks
3. Menthe African Black Soap Body Wash: I used this on both my face & body. I have a thing for mint shower products. They just make me feel fresh. It can be a bit drying for the face, but it's great for anyone that struggles with clogged pores and/or acne prone skin
4. Desert Date Oil: this did not work for my face at all, but I ADORE it for my hair and use it as both a smoothing serum and hair treatment
5. Pink Guava Pomegranate Double Shea Butter Smooth-EE: this smells so fruity! It's a bit solid, so it would work great for hands, elbows, and any other chapped areas.
There's also a slew of products I really really want to try right now, that based on the ingredients, are not only fantastic in general, but would be AMAZING during these colder months ahead! The Moroccan Lava & Camel's Milk Softening Nomad's Secret Facial Masque sounds fantastic. I think it would do wonders for my dry and slightly acne-prone skin. I've also been looking for a great facial spray that I could use year-round. I think the Cape Chamomile Hydrating Facial Spritz would be calming and cooling and great when I want my moisturizer to soak in. And last, but not least.... The Shea Butter Intensive lotion just sounds delicious in pretty much any scent! I'm thinking the Coffee Bean-illa would even offer some possible firming effects due to the caffeine in the coffee extract. And I've heard that Bananas & Baobabs smells like banana pudding! Yum!!! I think I'll be placing another order soon for sure!
I honestly can't say enough about Shea Terra. They are my longest reigning organic beauty crush and a staple in my regimen. I love that the line is fair-trade and Tammie is always coming out with new products! In addition, if you sign up for the newsletter, she regularly sends out very generous discounts. In fact, there's currently a code that can save you a HUGE discount of 30% off, good until 1/31. I def suggest you take advantage if you want to try Shea Terra! This is a great deal! Just use code JAN2014 at checkout (I'm not compensated for this in any way, I'm just passing along my own newsletter savings code)
If you end up trying Shea Terra, make sure to stop back and tell me what you think! I truly hope you love the line as much as I do!!!
xoxo
DISCLAIMER: Lip Butter & Scrub samples were generously provided to me for review. All other products mentioned are from personal purchases. All opinions are my own. No compensation was given for this post.
