Celebrating Earth Day with Reverie Farms Bath and Body Products – Never Say Die Beauty

Read article : Celebrating Earth Day with Reverie Farms Bath and Body Products – Never Say Die Beauty

Saturday April 22 is Earth Day, and it’s more important than ever to do things to help protect the environment and to advance science to that end. I actually remember the first Earth Day oh so long ago. It was a very big deal because so little was being done at that time to protect our air, water and earth. Many years later, some things have improved but others not so much.

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Using earth and body-friendly products is a small way to do something to help our planet and ourselves, hopefully while doing other more impactful things to protect Mother Earth.

Today, I’d like to talk about a new-to-me brand, Reverie Farms & Soaps.

Reverie Farms and Soaps

I discovered Reverie Farms and Soaps very recently. A few weeks ago, in fact.

Reverie Farms is an actual family farm located in Argyle Texas, not too far from Dallas-Fort Worth. I have a friend who lives in nearby Denton TX, so I hope someday I’ll have a chance to visit the farm myself. They have tours!

In addition to making natural and organic soaps, other bath and body products and laundry soap, they sell their own farm fresh eggs, Nigerian Dwarf Goats and Anatolian Shepherd dogs. How cool is that?!

credit: Reverie Farms

credit: Reverie Farms

Reverie Farms has a nicely edited list of products that they sell:

• bar soaps in unscented as well as in a range of natural scents
• foaming hand soap
• soap savers (at the best price I’ve seen!)
• body scrub
• liquid laundry soap.

I’m a bespoke soap fiend so I was thrilled to get a chance to try out their bar soap and their foaming hand soap.

foaming hand soap and bar soap, neversaydiebeauty.com" width="908" height="1024" />

Natural Bar Soap

The Reverie Farms natural organic based bar soap is biodegradable, vegan friendly, and made with organic oils of sunflower and/or safflower, coconut, and sustainably sourced palm, essential oils, and rosemary extract. The sunflower, safflower, coconut, and palm oils are certified organic ingredients.

Importantly, the bar soap is NOT made with artificial ingredients like synthetic fragrances, dyes or preservatives. Reverie Farms uses organically grown products whenever possible. The soaps are scented only with essential oils, and they are colored with organic herbs and plant extracts. The soap base recipe is made from 100% certified organic oils.

Their are 10 different scents to choose from:

• Citrus Fusion
• Lavender
• Citrus Lavender
• Cleansing Lemon Twist
• Sage Lemongrass
• Walk In The Forest
• Peppermint
• Sensitive Shea
• Herb Garden
• Unscented.

Reverie Farms Citrus Fusion bar soap, neversaydiebeauty.com" width="807" height="1024" />

I am currently using Citrus Fusion. It has a mild citrus scent that that is gender neutral. It makes just the right amount of lather, and though it is hydrating, it isn’t greasy. Unlike some of the other hydrating bar soaps that I use that make the bottom of my tub really slippery, Reverie Farms Citrus Fusion does not.

The 4 oz. bar soap priced at $6 is a large bar that is going to last me a long time. Some bar soap seems to melt away in the shower, but this one doesn’t. Plus it fits perfectly on my soap saver. Frankly, I wish I had purchased my soap saver from Reverie Farms because theirs is more affordably priced at $3.50.

credit: Reverie Farms

Natural Foaming Hand Soap

I like to keep liquid soap on my bathroom vanity and at the kitchen sink. Lately I’ve been getting into foaming soaps because they’re ready to go when you pump. I was happy to get to try Reverie Farms Natural Foaming Hand Soap. Importantly, the pump itself is wide which makes it easy to pump. The soap comes out in a rich but delicate foam.

Like the bar soap, it is a biodegradable, natural organic-based soap that is biodegradable, vegan friendly, and made with organic oils of sunflower* and/or safflower*, and coconut*, vegetable glycerin*, rosemary extract and essential oils (the * means certified organic ingredient). Formulated for sensitive skin. It feels smooth and moisturizing, though with my dry hands I always follow up with hand cream after I wash my hands.  It has  no synthetic detergents or preservatives, parabens, and it is Non-GMO.

The foaming hand soap is available in several scents:

• Lavender
• Peppermint
• Sandalwood
• Lemongrass
• Rosemary
• Unscented.

I am using Sandalwood. Like the bar soap, it is a mild, gender neutral scent. The Natural Foaming Hand Soap plastic pump bottle contains 8 oz. and is priced at $6.25.

Other Products

As I mentioned, Reverie Farms also sells Body Scrub in 4 oz. jars in about 6 different scents for $6.25 as well as Natural Liquid Laundry Soap in 32 oz. bottles for $9.00. I’d like to try them both next. I really could use the Natural Liquid Laundry Soap because it’s good for sensitive skin, and it is perfect for delicates like my new silk pillowcase.

credit: Reverie Farms

credit: Reverie Farms

So visit the Reverie Farms website if you can’t make it out to Argyle Texas to visit the farm itself. With both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day coming up, I think the bar soaps, foaming soaps, and body scrubs would make for a really wonderful pampering basket of cleansers that are effective but gentle on skin as well as gentle on the earth. Plus you can get 10% off on your first purchase with the discount code for Never Say Die Beauty readers: NSDB417 (the code doesn’t expire but it can be used only once)  😛

Happy Earth Day!

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Copyright 2017 Never Say Die Beauty

Best DIY All Purpose Kitchen and Bathroom Spray, Tub Scrub and Window Cleaner Recipes

Read article : Best DIY All Purpose Kitchen and Bathroom Spray, Tub Scrub and Window Cleaner Recipes

Over the past two years, I have begun weeding out more and more of my expensive and toxic household cleaners and replacing them with homemade substitutes that work as well, or even better.  You’ve all probably seen my homemade laundry detergent recipe (20.4¢ for homemade vs. $12-$14 retail) and I’ve recently added a homemade “shout” laundry stain remover recipe (now tested successfully on both colors and whites, by the way.)  Even our liquid hand soap has been replaced by my homemade foaming soap version.  Why would I go to the time and trouble of making these products at home?  Cold hard cash!  They can all be made for pennies on the dollar, when compared to what you are spending to buy them at the store.  Plus, they don’t actually take that long to make — some only a few minutes!

Beyond that, homemade cleaners, made with natural products, are better for the environment and exponentially better for your family’s safety and health.  The chemicals and ingredients (and their fumes) in typical household cleaners can be terribly dangerous and many build up in our systems over decades of use.  Even liquid hand soap, many shower gels, lotions, face soaps and dish soaps, sadly, even many toothpastes, now contain the “antibacterial” ingredient, triclosan.   In my opinion, you wouldn’t need to read more than one or two articles about this pesticide, before you would refuse to expose your home and family to it, but that’s a post for another day.  🙂 With homemade cleaners, you can be confident you are providing the safest and most economical options for your family because you know exactly what you’ve put in them.  It makes sense for your health, your budget and the environment.

I needed to make a quick Walmart run to restock a few ingredients to make my favorite DIY cleaning products.  The most critical need was for vinegar.  I was completely out.  You are welcome to check out my whole shopping trip in this Google+ album.

My local grocery store offers a great variety of vinegars for all my cooking needs, plus the white vinegar I like to use in my homemade cleaning supplies.

One of the most commonly used ingredients in making your own household cleaners and even personal care products is vinegar.  Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar has some incredible health benefits, that we can discuss at another time, but today, I want to talk about white vinegar.  White vinegar is readily available and very inexpensive, usually around $2.50 a gallon, in our area.  I was excited to see that Heinz is marketing a cleaning strength white vinegar, now, with a slightly higher acidity (6% as opposed to 5%) than standard white vinegars.  This little boost in acidity, adds extra oomph and effectiveness to my homemade cleaning products without a noticeable increase in cost.  Score!

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Only $2.98 for a whole gallon. That will make tons of “just for pennies” cleaning supplies!

If you haven’t cleaned with vinegar, before, you’re missing out on a very effective multi-purpose cleaner or cleaning ingredient.  For those just getting started with natural cleaning supplies, the biggest objection to vinegar is usually that they are afraid their home will smell like vinegar.  Honestly, you don’t notice the smell unless you are using it straight, and even then, that vinegar fragrance dissipates pretty quickly.  But, you can try this great tip I found over at Frugal Freebies for scenting your vinegar and then you won’t have to worry about it at all!

There are literally hundreds of uses for vinegar, some pretty well known, others may be new to you. For instance, did you know that not only is vinegar good for taking the itch out of bug bites, if you put it in a spray bottle and spritz it on your skin, the smell will go away in a few minutes, but you will be protected from bug bites for the rest of the evening?  Nothing could smell worse or be worse for you than the commercial bug repellents being sold, now.  I’m so excited to try this, next summer!   Along the same vein, pouring vinegar around the outside of your kids’ backyard pool will keep flies and pests away and if you do the same around the children’s sandbox, not only will it repel bugs, but it will keep neighborhood cats from using it as a litterbox.  I hate that!  This is such a good idea.

Of course, vinegar is one of the most commonly used natural cleaners for glass, mirrors and windows.  My problem has always been that I still ended up with streaks when using it straight.  Then I read Andrea’s post, over at Simple Organized Living.  Her glass cleaner still utilizes the acidity of vinegar for super cleaning and degreasing, but with the addition of a couple other ingredients, leaves glass sparkling and streak-free!  

Window & Glass Cleaner

Ingredients

• 2 c. water
• ¼ cup vinegar
• ¼ cup rubbing alcohol
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. 
2. Mix all ingredients by pouring them into a spray bottle, replacing the lid and then shaking. You definitely need to shake this, again, before each use, because the cornstarch will settle to the bottom, but you will have sparkling clean, streak-free windows for pennies!
3. Here's my mirror before cleaning with my homemade window cleaner. I had no idea how hard it is to take a picture of a mirror and have the schmutz actually show up, but it's there -- all the smudges and spots there in the center.
   
4. And here's the after, with fingerprints, smudges and spots cleared away and the mirror completely streak-free!
   

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Did you know that using a cotton ball to blot vinegar on cold sores will help dry them up?  Mix one part vinegar with 10 parts water and apply it in the same way, to help clear up acne.  Apparently, even warts can be treated by dotting a small drop of vinegar onto the pad of a bandage and then applying directly to the wart.  Replace the bandage each evening, for 7 days, and the wart should be gone.

When it comes to cleaning your house, there are even more practical uses for vinegar:

1. Use in the laundry to soften clothes and reduce static cling.  Just pour it into the fabric softener dispenser in your machine.  The vinegar smell has never been in our clean clothes, afterward.
2. I use white vinegar to clean the tub of my washing machine, by adding vinegar to the fill line in my soap dispenser and then running the cleaning cycle.
3. Vinegar is food safe, so there are many ways to use it in the kitchen, like cleaning the inside walls, shelves and drawers of your refrigerator.  You can also use a solution of 1 part vinegar, to 1 part water, to safely clean the residue from fruits and vegetables.
4. Use white vinegar in your dishwasher, in place of Jet Dry, to eliminate water spots and help rinse away soap residue.
5. Use vinegar as one of the ingredients to make your own bathroom cleaners.  These are my two most favorite recipes for cleaners that disinfect and clean like crazy in the bathroom.  Love them!

All-Purpose Kitchen and Bathroom Spray Cleaner

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Borax
• 1 teaspoon finely grated Fels Naptha
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon castile soap
• 18 drops lavender essential oil
• 5 drops tea tree oil
  

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I found this next recipe over at Cajun Joie De Vivre  and it is definitely a keeper!  I have changed very little, but the recipe below is how I make it.  I use it for tough lime, soap scum build up and other stains in the bathroom; and I actually use it on my kitchen sink, too!  It works better than any commercial bathroom cleanser I have ever tried and its so inexpensive to make, requiring only small amounts of ingredients that I always have on hand, because I use them in many other cleaning supply recipes, as well.  This is another staple, that will make cleaning your bathroom so much easier!

…

Tub and Shower Scrub

Ingredients

• 1 cup baking soda
• ⅓ cup white vinegar
• ½ cup Castile soap
• ¼ cup washing soda
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 10 drops Germ Fighter essential oil
  

Instructions

1. Mix baking soda, salt and washing soda.
   
2. Stir in the vinegar and allow it to foam up and then settle back down.
3. Add coconut oil, castile soap and essential oils.
   
4. Mix until all ingredients are combined. The mixture will be moist, but crumbly. Pack into a container with a tight-fitting lid.
   
5. To use, spritz the affected area with the spray bathroom cleaner, from the recipe above, or with water. Let it set for a couple of minutes and then sprinkle a small amount of this scrub on a damp cloth to clean built-up soap scum, hard water or lime deposits and other tough stains.
6. The power of this inexpensive, all-natural cleaner is evident in the picture, below. The left side has already been scrubbed and the right is about to be. When I first discovered this formula, the author wrote that I would be scrubbing off build-up that previous cleaners left behind and I didn't even know was there, until I started scrubbing with this one. She understated the issue!
   

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For the purposes of economical, ecologically sound and effective DIY household cleaners, white vinegar will be a must in your cleaning arsenal.  I think Heinz Cleaning Vinegar provides the best value and cleaning power for the money spent and it will be a staple under my kitchen cabinet.

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I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and HEINZ.   #CBias #SocialFabric #HeinzVinegar

The Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection

Read article : The Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection

WHAT IS IT?

Senses Christmas Collection 2013 DECOR.jpg" alt="Chanel No 5 The Bath The Body The Senses Christmas Collection 2013 DECOR" width="640" height="380" />

The Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013, consists of The Foaming Bath, 200ml ($75), The Cleansing Cream, 200ml ($75), The Bath Soap, 150g ($43, not reviewed here), The Body Lotion, 200ml ($93), The Deodorant, 100ml ($60) and The Hair Mist, 40ml ($59).

The Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013 of bath and body products is scented with Chanel’s first and most iconic No. 5 fragrance, created in 1921 by Gabrielle Chanel.

Besides being named for Coco Chanel’s lucky number, this abstract scent, made up of over 80 ingredients such as ylang ylang and Grasse jasmine and May rose, harbours no specific top note. The Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013 claims to not only scent you from top to toe, but to also moisturise, comfort and relax your body.

WHAT WE THINK ABOUT ...

THE PACKAGING

Senses Christmas Collection 2013 DECOR PRODUCTS 1.jpg" alt="Chanel No 5 The Bath The Body The Senses Christmas Collection 2013 DECOR PRODUCTS 1" width="640" height="380" />Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013: The Foaming Bath, The Cleansing Cream and The Body Lotion

The packaging of the Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013, is classic Coco Chanel – timeless, luxurious, and on the right side of fashion-forward, even in its simple shapes, with san serif fonts and neutral white-black-gold hues.

In keeping with the luxe designer positioning of this 104-year-old French brand, The Foaming Bath, The Cleansing Cream and The Body Lotion have screw caps in heavy acrylic – a bit unwieldy in the shower stall but hey, luxury doesn’t come cheap. The Deodorant comes in a lightweight canister, very post-modern, and slim-enough for any gym bag. So too The Hair Mist, which is even niftier at just 40ml.

THE PRODUCTS

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Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013: The Deodorant
& The Hair Mist

The Chanel No. 5 Cleansing Cream foams lightly – two 20-cent-coin-size squirts are enough for the entire body – and rinses off easily, leaving the skin silken and scented. The Chanel No. 5 Foam Bath is great for soaking hands and feet pre manicure and pedicure. This also rinses off easily and leaves a subtle just-right bouquet.

I’m not a fan of body lotions as I find most hard to rub in and to have overpowering scents. The Chanel No. 5 Body Lotion however is light yet creamy and absorbed into my skin in double-quick time, leaving me feeling pampered and perfumed.

The Chanel No. 5 Deodorant works like a fragrance for active days and the Chanel No. 5 Hair Mist is addictive and more-ish – hair smells so lovely after each spritz you just want to keep adding more. I applied a halo of it onto my tresses before bedtime and I swear it helped put me to slumber – relaxing indeed. I loved how I smelt the next morning – like a million bucks.

THE RESULTS
When layered over one another, the Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013 bath and body products have a light yet lasting fragrance power. They’re great essentials to have in the shower, prettify the bathroom, and aren’t too heavy to cart with you on a relaxing vacation. Such luxury is worth every dollar, and with Christmas around the corner, it is just the thing to pamper yourself with. One does feel and smell like fashion royalty after each layering session. All that’s missing from this collection is a purse-size hand cream. I’m sure Marilyn would agree.

Total score: 22/25

The Chanel No. 5 The Bath, The Body, The Senses Christmas Collection 2013 is available from the Chanel Fragrance and Beauty Boutiques located at #B2-43 ION Orchard,  #B1-134 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and Chanel Beauty counters. For more information about Chanel, go to www.chanel.com. Follow Chanel on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chanel; on Twitter at @CHANEL and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/CHANEL.

Susanah is a self-professed fragrance junkie who's always on the lookout for the next cool artisanal scent. She also eats red lipstick for breakfast. Email her at susanahc@sph.com.sg to leave her a comment.