Body Wash = Good

Alright, I have another brand-spankin' new review for all of you, and it's a good one. Yippee! Also, just to shake things up a bit, we're looking at a bath/beauty product. It's been awhile, no? I think we've tended to have bad (or ugly) luck with these, but luckily the Nature's Gate Pomegranate Sunflower Body Wash is awesome.

The backstory to my purchase: A few weeks ago, my sister and I decided to make a little trip across the border with the intention of buying a caseload of those wiiiiiicked veggie corn dogs I reviewed awhile ago (what, you thought I was joking?! I have been dreaming about those bad boys ever since then. I TOLD you they were fantastic). So we hit up the nearest Target and booted it to the frozen goods section. But, woe betide me, they were sold out. Sold out! Was it one of my readers, acting upon a hungry impulse brought about by my enthusiastic review? Is there someone out there slumped in their computer chair, tummy swollen and eyes glazed, surrounded by dozens of empty Morningstar Farms boxes, cackling to him-or-herself at my misfortune?! Arrrrrrrgh - Vengeance will be miiiine!

Uhhh... Sorry about that. Moving on. Needless to say, I was disappointed not to have found the corn dogs, but I consoled myself by checking out the other veg*n products available in-store. And to my surprise, there were plenty! I actually needed to pick up some shampoo, conditioner, and soap, and out of curiosity decided to pick up Nature's Gate's stuff.

The body wash was $6-ish US (though their website lists it at $7.49) for a 532 mL bottle, which pretty much fit into my (almost non-existent) budget. The scent was really nice, and the bottle said that the product contains no animal byproducts and involved no animal testing - Wooo! After taking it home and testing it out, I can say with all sincerity that I will be buying this again. It lathers well, still smells great (fruity and zesty but not overpoweringly so), and leaves my skin clean but well-moisturized.

The company's website info indicates that their products are indeed certified vegan and cruelty-free, which we can all feel happy about! It looks like they also have a tonnnnn of other products that I'd love to try - And you should too! Just save me a box or bottle or two this time, okay?

Product info: http://www.natures-gate.com/shop/showitem.asp?ProductId=43100005&menuId=223&withLinks=1

Facial Cleanser = Bad

Good morning all! Today we are going to talk about skin care. I don't know if any of you are anything like me, but sometimes I think my skin just hates me. No, I never really suffered the wrath of excessive acne or eczema or anything like that, but I still get breakouts and patches of dry skin and redness - often in the same damn place. How does that even happen? Ack. I've been told that my skin is actually sensitive and that's why I sometimes encounter a combination of issues. And going along with my whole veg*n lifestyle, I have been searching for a product that will address my "sensitive" needs and leave animals out of it.

So say hello to JĀSÖN (I don't know why they opted for the diacritics)'s Fragrance-Free Twice Daily Facial Cleanser. I went into this purchase with a very positive attitude. It wasn't tootoo expensive (about $11 Canadian), is free of animal products, and is not tested on animals. It also says it is soap-free (is soap a problem?), will be gentle on your skin, and will reduce redness, etc. That all sounds great, right?

It wasn't. Number one: This stuff is NOT fragrance-free. Well, let me revise that... It does seem to be perfume-free, but it still smells. I would have taken any kind of flowery aroma over the odour it has as an apparent result of its fragrance-free-ness. It smells a little musty or something. Number two: Maybe this was the inherent nature of it being "soap-free", but it didn't even seem like this was a cleanser. No matter how vigorously I rubbed it, it never had any sort of lather to it. It seemed like I was just rubbing a creamy lotion on my face during my shower. I was actually worried that I had accidentally purchased a bottle of their moisturizer rather than their cleanser. But the label did indeed say "cleanser", and on the sly I compared it to the contents of other bottles at the drug store, and they all seemed to contain the same thing.

And I am now seeing the effects of that creamy lotiony business. I am breaking out and my skin just doesn't feel all that clean, you know? I think I'm going to have to try yet another product. I was totally pumped about this being animal-friendly and fitting into my budget, but it was mostly a disappointment. Maybe I need to try one of their cleansers for a different skin type? I don't know... I'm not expecting much other than stink. Diacritics be damned!

Product info: http://www.jasoncosmetics.com/jason-fragrance-free-facial-products.html

Shampoo = Good

It can be difficult enough to find food and clothes that are animal-friendly. But holy poop, things start to get really dicey when you try to find makeup and hygiene products that fit in with your veggie lifestyle. Despite being a vegetarian for several years, I still struggle with this. Many familiar brands do offer vegetarian (and even vegan) items, but you have to do a little research to make sure. Sometimes it feels like you need a PhD in chemistry (which, regrettably, I don't have) to even understand all of the ingredients listed on the package! That's one of the reasons why I love companies who proudly market themselves as veg*n, and who make it clear on their packaging that no animals are harmed in the making of their products. One of these wonderful companies is Alba Botanica. They have an extensive line of hair and skin and bath and lip care items, all of which are vegetarian and most of which are vegan.

The first of their products that I purchased was the Mango Moisturizing Hair Wash. Yes, they call it hair wash but it's just shampoo. They have others that they call shampoo and I don't know what the difference is. And they translate both into "shampooing" en français. Annnnyhoo - this stuff smells delicious. It smells like the Mango Tango bubble gum that I used to love when I was 13 and can never find anymore. It serves its clean-y purpose. It is vegan. The bottle is really cute. I was able to find it at my local drugstore and at many grocery stores (not to mention online). There are apparently no harsh chemicals in it. And it is so very nice to wash my hair with something that I know doesn't contain animals and was never tested on them.

My issue: it is expensive (roughly $9 US for a 350 mL bottle). If you are on a budget at all, it may be too expensive for you. I certainly would not have been able to afford it when I was a poor undergrad living on rice and a dream. At that time, $9 was just about my monthly grocery budget (shut up). Having at least a liiiittle more disposable income now, I am willing to pay extra for things that are in keeping with my beliefs, especially since this is a really nice shampoo. And maybe if we buy more of this stuff, eventually the price will come down? Well, I can wish anyway. Overall, a thumbs-up! Now I'm off to see if I can find out what happened to that mango gum.

Product info: http://www.albabotanica.com/?id=60&pid=563