Krutika Puntambekar

More Affordable Green Beauty Brands

September 9th, 2021
Hi Fam,

Green Beauty prices sometimes can be astronomical. I’ve always been a proponent that organic food, good quality ingredients, and safe beauty products shouldn’t be only for the privileged. I think it’s really important to acknowledge this, and try and do something about it.

A lot of products and brands that I’ve talked about do come with a high price tag. Even to my own ears, $180 for a balm seems a bit ridiculous when this can buy you atleast 2 weeks worth of groceries (depending on where you go).

Let’s also acknowledge that not every product one uses has to be expensive to see the results! A fair amount of Green Beauty Brands are popping up where they are ingredient conscious and the price tag isn’t as high. I’ve complied a list of brands for skincare/bodycare that are more on the affordable side, as well as a few mid-range brands that are results driven.

I also want to state that everyone’s take on what’s affordable to them is vastly different. Some of the brands that I mention still might be expensive, and that’s something to keep in mind.

Slightly Lower- End Skincare Brands:
1. Follain— This is a Green Beauty Retailer, that has it’s own brand of skincare products. You can find everything from a Vitamin C, eye cream, and a face mask. https://follain.com/collections/our-products-shop-all
2. Detox Mode: This is a brand created by the Green Beauty Retailer called The Detox Market. You can find a variety of cleansers, moisturizers, etc. The body oil is one of my favorites. It has a beautiful cardamom scent to it! https://www.thedetoxmarket.com/pages/detox-mode#
3. Kinship: You can find a great eye cream, ceramide oil, and SPF for good prices. The oil is really hydrating, and the SPF is one that always has great reviews. https://lovekinship.com/
4. Weleda: You cannot go wrong with Weleda at all. This is a Swiss brand that has formulations filled with plant extracts. They have a variety of different lines for different skin types, and they are easily found at your local Whole Foods. https://www.weleda.com/
5. ByBi Beauty: This brand can be found at Credo! They have a variety of different boosters for the skin that can be worn by themselves or mixed into your other products. I’ve tried and loved their oil cleanser before and their Buriti Oil Booster (which they don’t have right now) as well. https://credobeauty.com/collections/bybi-beauty
Mid-Range Skincare Brands:
1. Free+True: This is a company based out of California that makes an incredible body serum and moisturizer, both of which are not too expensive. The brand also carries a variety of other products like a Vitamin C serum, oil, cleanser, etc that are worth checking out. https://freeandtrueskincare.com/
2. Sahajan: This brand harnesses a variety of different Ayurvedic ingredients creating some lovely, luxurious feeling products. Their massage body oil is one of my favorites! https://www.sahajan.com/
3. Earthwise Beauty: I’m including EarthWise in this section as they make travel sizes for pretty much all of their products, and the travel sizes are pretty generous. While some of the products are higher end, most of them are in the $30-$60 range (in the .15mil sizes). This brand is worth trying if you have the budget, as the formulations are all made with plant extracts, and they are complex plant formulations that have a lot of healing properties. Comment on here, and I’ll tell you my favorites! https://earthwisebeauty.com/
4. Live Botanical: This is one of my favorite brands I’ve discovered in 2020. All are plant based products, where the ingredients are harvested locally. The brand is extremely transparent when it comes to changes in formulations, or price increases. It mirrors Laurel Skincare in many ways, but without the price tag. They also carry travel sizes of every product, which makes it easier to try a product out. The brand carries a variety of skincare and body care as well. https://www.laurelskin.com/
Haircare
1. Innersense Beauty: The prices and formulations of this brand mimic what you would find at a place like Sephora but with good quality ingredients! My favorites are from their curl line. https://innersensebeauty.com/clean-beauty/
I’ve included the direct website for most of these brands, as I think it’s always fascinating to read about the stories of how these brands were started and why!

There are a few more brands that I could have mentioned, but the ones I’ve linked are those that I’ve tried and loved.

Lastly, if you are buying directly from a brand’s website, keep in mind that most of these are small business and that you might have to spend a certain amount to receive free shipping. So if that’s something you want to avoid, you can always find the products at retailers like Beauty Heroes, Credo Beauty, Integrity Botanicals, and The Detox Market.

Do let me know if you have any questions or if you end up picking something up from one of the brands I’ve mentioned.

-K
August 2021 Boxwalla Box

September 1st, 2021

Hi Fam,

I received my box from Boxwalla for the month of August last week, and I have to say, I am really impressed. It features the brand called Votary, which is a British brand. I know Boxwalla has partnered with them before, containing a variety of different products.

Because of my eye surgery that I had last week, I haven’t been able to wear any makeup, so I’ve been a bit hyper aware of the skincare that I’ve been using and noticing the impacts even more. I thought this would be a good time to test out the products in this box to see how they would perform.

I originally wasn’t sure about picking up this box, because the serum contains glycolic acid. I haven’t reacted well in the past to chemical exfoliators, and have always found that they can be a bit much. But, physical exfoliation wasn’t cutting it for my skin in some ways. One of the founders of Boxwalla, Lavanya, kindly suggested that I try this serum out, as it was formulated for sensitive skin types as well, and she’s right!

The box contains two products (a mask and a serum), with a retail value of $254, but the box can now be purchased as a limited edition box for $75. Linking the box here: https://www.theboxwalla.com/product/votary-skincare/

The Brightening Hyalauronic Serum

This serum has multiple benefits. It contains hyaluronic acid which helps with hydrating the skin, and then the glycolic acid gently exfoliates the skin to brighten dark spots, help with texture, etc. It is clear in color, and has a runny texture. I have not had any issues with dryness, redness, texture, etc after using this for 5 days for consecutively. Usually harsher acids, have a tendency to react on my skin within 1-2 days easily. This serum also has ingredients like Sugar Maple Extract, Salcylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, a variety of fruit waters, and fruit extracts, which makes the serum even more enjoyable to use. It has a beautiful Neroli smell, which isn’t strong at all. The price of this serum, is $118 if you were to buy it individually, and comes in a 1.70z bottle, which is a generous size. I can’t wait to see what the results of using this serum will long term.

Intense Overnight Mask

I’ve been using this mask as a moisturizer in the evening and so far it’s worked well, and I haven’t experienced my dryness on my skin on areas that usually become dry very vast. This is a more richer product, and doesn’t really have much of. a scent in my opinion. It has ingredients Avacado and Rosehip Oils, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Tomato Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Oat Kernal Flour, etc. So this has some of the same properties as the serum in the sense that it also has brightening ingredients and as well as hydrating properties. But, it contains more hydrating and nourishing oils and butters. It’s supposed to work really well for dull skin, and the idea is that you wake up with rejuvenated skin in the morning. I use this as my last step, and leave it on overnight, and so far so good!

I highly recommend checking this box out and purchasing! Votary is known for some amazing formulations and the boxes that Boxwalla puts together are filled with some great products. This is also a great way to test out products and then decide whether or not you would repurchase.

Let me know if you pick up the box, and how you like the products if you do!

-K
My Almost Empty Products

August 24th, 2021

Hi Fam,

I have a few products that are coming to the end, and thought I’d share how the products worked for me.

1.The Pai Lightwork Rosehip Cleansing Oil

I had tried this cleansing oil before the packaging was updated a few years ago, and thought it worked really well to remove eye makeup, and was a great first cleanse. However, I’m not sure if they changed the formula when the packaging was updated, but this cleansing oil didn’t really do much for me when I tried it again recently. It does what it needs to do in terms of removing makeup, and being a good first cleanse, but I’ve noticed that it has the tendency to make my skin feel dry right after the first cleanse, which is not something I look for. With a first cleanse I look to remove my makeup, massage my skin, and leave it feeling moisturized. This didn’t do that for me, so it’s not one I will be repurchasing. I do have a travel size of this as well, and it’s been good to travel with for a quick cleanse, as I just go in with the same product twice, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

2. May Lindstrom Youth Dew

If you’ve followed me on here for sometime, then you know I’ve talked about the Youth Dew many times. It is one of my favorite facial oils, and I always have one. Now, I had this bottle open for sometime, and something that I’m starting to understand the importance of in clean beauty is really paying attention to the date of expiration. This makes such a big difference. Just like how organic food goes bad quickly as it doesn’t have preservatives, skincare without preservatives also can go bad and cause adverse reactions. It may not be as noticeable as you probably won’t see fungus, etc but you’ll notice the color change, the texture, and you might breakout as well, which was happening when I started using this oil after a few months. I decided to just use it up as a body oil, and opened up a fresh bottle for my face. The freshness of ingredients in relation to buying multiple products is actually a topic I’d like to write about more as it’s an important one to dive into!

3. Lepaar Elemental Day Silk

I talked about this SPF a few months ago, and safe to say it has been my favorite SPF product to use till date. It’s creamy, moisturizing, the smell is gentle, and it works really well with my skin type. I already have another one ready to open. There is something grounding about this product/brand as they focus on sun-infused plant extracts, and harness celestial energy. You can read more about the brand on their website, but everything that I’ve tried from this brand I’ve truly loved. It rubs into the skin well, and very rarely leaves a white cast. I feel like it’s actually worked to improve my overall skin texture, which is amazing as well!

Let me know if you have tried any of these products before, or which ones you’d like to pick up!

-K
Lys Beauty Review

August 17th, 2021

Hi Fam,

Apologies for the inconsistent posts as of the last few weeks! Let’s just say life has become more busier than normal and there’s been many simultaneous things happening. But, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten to shop and test out new products for you all :).

Lys Beauty is a brand that Sephora carries and it’s become quite well-known because of the fact that its a Black-Owned Clean Beauty brand, there’s an extensive shade range, and every product is under $25. Clean beauty prices right now are pretty astronomical and it’s probably just going to get worse. While I focus on ingredient quality, packaging, experience, and formulations, I am also a believer that clean ingredients and formations should be available to everyone and not cost an arm and a leg. Why shouldn’t everyone deserve to put good quality ingredients on their skin? But, coming back to the products and what they are like..

I was really curious to try this brand out for the cream blushes and also because of their price point. I wanted to see if a lower price point meant that quality was compromised or whether a higher price point equals better quality. While I picked up the blush, I also threw in the foundation as I am generally a fan of serum foundations and I’d heard pretty good things about this one.

The blush shade I picked up is called Inspire which is described as a Baked Coral. The packaging is in a triangular shape which there is some significance to, as that’s the symbol the brand uses. The compact is made out of plastic but it has a mirror inside. Now, this blush retails for $16. Being that it’s a lower price point, we can’t expect this to housed in glass packaging or steel. But, the formula is quite wonderful. It’s VERY pigmented, so you need the tiniest amount. It has more of a matte finish on the skin, and stays put for a very long time! The closest product I can compare this to, are the Kjaer Weis blushes, but the KW blushes are more creamier, refillable, the ingredients are a tad better, but they don’t last as long on the skin. If you are on a budget, but want cleaner ingredients, you cannot go wrong. Plus there are 6 shades to choose from, that are pretty varied.

High Standard Satin Matte Cream Blush in Inspire

Now the foundation. It comes in 34 shades at retails at $22. I mean that’s how much drug store foundations cost nowadays. So.. the fact that you can get a clean foundation for this kind of a price is a pretty big deal.

The formulation leans semi-matte, but if you prep your skin with a hydrating oil, I found this foundation to wear as a radiant finish. You have to shake the bottle every time to make sure the pigments mix in together really well, and it applies beautifully. It lasted on my skin better than the Exa foundation. The foundation comes in glass packaging but the lid and the pump are plastic, which is pretty standard. Now, does it look as luxe as a Nars foundation bottle, or Tom Ford? No, but it does the job. I personally, am not a fan of the slightly holographic packaging. I just like everything to be simple and neutral. But the pump works well, and disperses the right amount of product.

I believe this foundation does contain some ingredients at the bottom of the list that aren’t the cleanest. But, Sephora rates this as a clean foundation, and it is much, much cleaner than a lot of other ones. Again, for the price, you cannot go wrong. The one thing I will say is that for drier skin types, you should exfoliate before applying this foundation as the color pigments have a tendency to stick to the skin.

Triple Fix Serum Foundation

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with this brand! The prices are at what the Sephora brand products cost and the ingredients are amazing for what you get.

If you pick this up, then let me know how it works!

-K
July 2021 Makeup/Hair Favorites

August 4th, 2021

Hi Fam,

I know I’m a few days late, but wanted to talk about a few makeup/hair favorites that I’ve used religiously during the month of July.

Anastasia Brow Freeze Styling Wax

This is essentially a brow wax. I believe it was released either in April or May of this year. I’ve actually used this for quite a few months, as I love the look of laminated brows so I had to try it when it was released. I have totally loved using this, as it gives you really fluffy brows. Since it’s clear, it doesn’t leave a white cast. Just make sure you don’t overload the product on the spoolie (and clean it up regularly), so it doesn’t feel heavy and it doesn’t look white. I usually apply a brow pomade first, and run the brow freeze through my brows afterwards.

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo

I picked up this brow powder after learning that a powder will work well with the brow freeze. Needless to say, this powder duo hasn’t disappointed. I have the shade ebony, so I run this through my brows after I use the brow freeze and it looks really natural.

Saie Beauty Sun Melt Natural Cream Bronzer

Cream bronzers become so popular around summer, but I’ve always tried to look for the perfect one. I’ve loved this one from Saie for the last month and I have one deeper shade for the summer as well. The formula is not to dewy and not sticky at all. You can build up the product in layers and it doesn’t look heavy at all. I have the shades Medium Bronze and Deep Bronze. I really like the packaging of this bronzer, and it reminds me of the Chanel bronzer, but this is a clean formula!

Pattern Curl Gel

It’s been such a long time since I’ve come across a good hair gel that I’ve liked. I was in Ulta recently and picked up this curl gel from the brand called Pattern. I remember this line only carrying a handful of products a few years ago, but looks like they have expanded. The texture really reminds me of a curl product that was a part of Alterna’s Bamboo line, but sadly that’s been discontinued. This is the closest that I’ve found. The smell can be a bit strong initially but it dissipates really quickly. Overall, I will not hesitate to purchase the full size.

And that’s it folks!

Let me know if you pick up any of these products.

-K
A little luxury haul

July 22nd, 2021
Hey Fam!

I had a chance to go to Nordstrom last week to shop their Anniversary Sale. My primary goal was to pick up a pair of shades since I have my eye surgery coming up. I had a few pairs that were on my wishlist but after trying on a whole bunch of them, I decided on a pair from Prada. These were part of the Anniversary sale, and the style should be available for the fall.

I love the unique shape of these, and the color of the lenses are perfect. I felt like this shape suited me the best out of all of the ones that I tried (Although I still have my eyes on a pair of Celine’s ;)).

I had also been looking for a new everyday foundation and I wanted to try the Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick. This formula is silicone and fragrance free and from reviews that I’ve read and watched I knew the formula was great for dry skin and had a radiant finish. I bit the bullet and got the shade 7.2. This is an expensive foundation, but that’s what Tom Ford prices are like. All of the makeup that I’ve tried from the brand and a tote that I have, have all been exceptional in terms of quality and experience. I know this is not a clean brand, and more to come on why I chose a non-clean formula.

It’s been a few days since I’ve had a chance to wear this, and it’s AMAZING. I will do a full review of this, but I am wow’d.
That’s it for my little haul!

-K
One Dress, Wear Multiple Ways

July 16th, 2021
One of my favorite pieces of clothing to buy come Spring and Summer are dresses! They can be styled up in so many different ways, and wearing a dress is such an easy way to feel more put together instantly.

I’ve been on a bit of a shopping spree of buying different dresses, but the one below is a dress I picked up right when the weather started to warm up and I’ve already worn it a bunch of times in various ways.
I picked up this dress from Reformation as I fell in love with the print and color immediately. While it was a bit of an impulse, because of the cut of the dress and how easy it is to wear it, I knew I’d get good use out of it.

In the picture on the left, I styled the dress with all black accessories, and kept my hair straight. In the picture on the right, while I still wore black accessories, I swapped the bag out for a tote, and changed the stye of the mules. I also threw on a yellow cardigan in a light, butter yellow color and kept my hair curly.

The subtle changes are such an easy way to alter the stye and feel of an outfit, while keeping the main piece the same! This way, we can minimize the wastage and over consumption of clothes in general.

-K
Skincare Haul

July 9th, 2021
Hi Fam!

I bought a few skincare products (and one hair product) over the last few weeks, and here they are. I’ve tried some of them already, and have yet to try a few of them.
1. Ayuna’s Revitalizing Solid Shampoo: This is a shampoo in a bar form, and I was curious to see how this would perform in comparison to the one by Odacite, hence I wanted to pick it up and try it! I love Ayuna’s products in general, so will keep you posted on how it performs.
2. Ayuna’s Soap Rich: Ayuna has had an artisan soap in their line, but they’ve introduced two more- one for really dry skin, and one for more oilier skin types. I picked up the one for dry skin, as I like to cleanse in the mornings with a more gentle cleaner. Being that it is in a solid form, it’s easier to use as well! It is rich in Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, and Borage Seed Oil. Will keep you updated on this as well!
3. Laurel’s Essential Lipids Delicate Barrier Oil: I’m calling this an oil, as it is one, but it will work as an oil cleanser, moisturizer, and facial oil. This is formulated without essential oils, for the most sensitive of skins with a damaged lipid barrier. Being that it’s Laurel and the price point was not that high, I wanted to try it! Essentially, I was looking for an oil that I could use under makeup, and during the day time as well. I really like this so far. The smell is not as strong as some of her other products, and it leaves a very dewy finish and feels moisturizing as well! It has Calendula, Jojoba, Evening Primrose, Pomegranate Seed Oil, and a lot more skin soothing ingredients.
4. May Lindstrom’s Blue Cocoon and The Youth Dew: Lastly, I needed to replenish a few favorite products of mine, The Blue Cocoon and The Youth Dew. These two (the balm and the oil serum), have been favorites of mine for a long time. The company just had a Summer promotion, so it was the perfect time to buy these two products again! I’ve made blog posts about these products before, so you can go read them for more details!

Let me know if you end up trying any of these!

-K
First Impressions of the Sonia G. Fusion Series

June 24th, 2021
If you’re into Fude style brushes, then you surely know of Sonia G. and her line of brushes that are made in Japan! Till now, all of her sets have consisted of brushes made out of natural haired bristles, mostly meant for powder products. One can use undyed goat hair brushes with creams, but there’s always the chance that your application might be streaky with cream/liquid products, and that the brush will get worn out quickly.

She had come out with a travel set called the Keyaki brush set and introduced her first brush made out of synethic and natural bristles called the mini base brush.

Two days ago, she launched an entire set with brushes specifically meant for the use of cream and liquid products, using the same blend of natural and synthetic bristles. As always, each brush is handmade in Japan and with each brush comes exquisite craftsmanship as well as performance.

I received my set yesterday after I placed my order day before yesterday! These brushes are sold as a set and individually. Sadly, everything sold out within an hour of going live, but the collection will be permanent in her line up, so once the brushes come back in stock on Beautylish, I would go ahead and take a look at them.

I had the chance to use these brushes this morning and wanted to give you all my first impressions!

The brush set has 5 brushes in total.

The Jumbo Base: This is a larger foundation brush, that has a slight angle to it. If you are on the go or in a hurry, and want a brush to do the job in a short amount of time, this is it. I used this brush today with my Exa Liquid Foundation and it was a dream to use. I was able to build up the formula in layers, without any streakiness of any kind. The brush is dense but also has a fair amount of movement to it.
The Classic Base: A larger round brush, that can be used with liquid foundation, cream bronzer/contour, and I would say powder foundation as well. This gives you the flexibility to buff the product into the skin so that you are left with a seamless finish. I used this today with a dense cream bronzer, and it worked really really well. I love the shape of it, and the size.

The Mini Base: This is a smaller sister version of The Classic Base. This is similar in size to the Zoeva Brush, and Ilia Complexion brush. This can work with cream blushes, under eye concealer, contour, cream compact foundations- you name it. I think this is a very versatile brush, and I am tempted to pick up a backup. This worked amazing with cream blush today, but I can see myself using it for the other uses I stated above.

The Jumbo Concealer: This brush is such a good size for concealer. It is a bit more dense than let’s say the Z-5 from Chikuhodo or the Jumbo Blender brush from Sonia G. But, it gives you the ability to pat the product in and also buff at the same time. The shape really reminds me of the Real Techniques Expert Concealer Brush from Real Techniques but a larger and slightly more dense version. I like to use this with liquid concealers and this did a great job with my Dior concealer that I use regularly.
The Soft Concealer: This is a mini version of the Mini Base brush. I’d say this works well with pot concealers and ones that have a more dense formula. It has the ability to stamp the product, as well as buff which works well for thicker formulas. This brush would also work great with cream eyeshadows. I ended up using this brush with my Nars Soft Matte Concealer, and it worked great!

Overall, I am so happy with this set! I’d been waiting for Sonia to come out with foundation and concealer brushes for such a long time. I have spent more money on finding the perfect concealer brush than I can admit, and now I have three perfect ones to choose from. I am really happy with the shapes of the foundation brushes as well. You really need a good buffing brush and a paddle type of brush in your collection for different formulas and those will do the job.

Let me know if you have picked this set up, or if you are excited to do so when it comes back in stock!

-K
Fude Beauty Haul

June 18th, 2021

Hi Fam,

I have a brush haul for you today from a retailer called Fude Beauty! While Beautylish has been my go to place to purchase Japanese brushes, Fude Beauty carries a slightly larger variety of brushes within brands like Koyudo, Chikhudo, and also stocks other brands that you do not find on Beautylish.

I wasn’t necessarily in need of anything, but I found some great reviews of brushes that I had on my list, so I pulled the trigger and bought them. The one thing to note is that these brushes ship from Japan, so if you’re order is less than $300 you will need to pay for international shipping, which in my case I ended up paying $25.

Now onto the brushes! The first two I bought are from a brand called Nakamura Seisakusho.

The one on the top is called the 04 Liquid Foundation Brush. I particularly was looking for a duo fibre brush, and this fit the bill. The brush is made out of natural and synthetic bristles, which is always a good thing so the product doesn’t soak in too quickly. The bristles on this are a bit longer and I would have preferred it if they were a bit shorter. But, I intend to use this for cream blush, or other cream products.

The brush on the bottom is called the 06 Eyeshadow Brush. This also is made out of both synthetic and natural bristles. I LOVE this brush. It is a larger eyeshadow brush, but I bought it to use to set my under-eye concealer with powder, and it works phenomenally. I would definitely buy a backup of this brush!

I would love to try out some other brushes from this line. I really do like the all black look, and the brushes have a good amount of weight to them, which makes the experience of using them really nice.

The next brush I bought is a part of Koyudo’s Makiko Series, called the M-2 Cheek Brush.

The Makiko Series in particular has only synthetic brushes, which is why I wanted to try one of these brushes out. I picked this particular one up to use with cream blushes and other cream base products. So far, I really do like how it picks up and applies cream blush. I tried using this with a cream concealer underneath the eyes, but the bristles are too floppy for that purpose! The price point on these brushes is not as high as natural haired bristles, so I’d definitely recommend checking them out! The wooden handle with the rose gold ferrule is really pretty to look at, but I’d say the brush is overall really light weight!

The last brush I picked up is one of Chikuhodo’s from their FO series called the 04 Cheek/Highlight Brush.

I was looking for an angled cheek brush that would work with more powdery bronzers and this brush seemed good for that! It does apply bronzer well, and doesn’t pick up a load of product. I wish the brush handle was a bit larger or even wider. The brush head itself is a decent size, but would have loved it if it were bit bigger. The bristles are SO SOFT and the quality is exceptional. This brush was the most expensive one I picked up of the 4. You’d definitely be paying for the Silver Fox bristles in this line!

Let me know you’re going to pick up any of these, or if other brushes on the Fude Beauty website call out to you! You can find all of these at http://www.fudebeauty.com!

-K