Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin with SPF 6

I couldn’t love this moisturizer more and I’m very sad to say I’m nearly halfway through it. Oh well, at least I still have half left! It’s fresh and rosy, with a cool, watery texture that sinks into your skin fast but leaves behind an amazing, greaseless sheen. I do wish this had a higher SPF than 6, but the scent, feel and performance are great. Really – and this is coming from the woman who has tried it all, from Clinique to Estee Lauder to La Mer – eww, mineral oil – to Origins to Burt’s Bees. That’s a long-winded way of saying I’ll be buying this for a long time to come. Because of the low SPF, if you’re fair like me you will still need something with more protection if you’re going to be gardening, hiking or hanging out with your clinician friend, Carrie.

Silicon-Free Face Primer

This. Is. Awesome. I was glad to finally get rid of my old Smashbox makeup primer, which I almost never used (partly because I don’t wear face makeup and partly because Smashbox’s primer is not good for your skin or the planet). Most days I don’t wear much on my skin, but this is perfect under powder or concealer if you don’t wear foundation. A little goes a very long way – just the tiniest nib of a dab of a dot will do ya. The tube is generously sized and a pea-sized amount would slick on for miles, so I fully expect to wake up a decade from now with this still in my makeup drawer. I should probably check out the expiration date with the Korres folks.

Pro-Vitamin B5 and Rice Bran Lash-Strengthening Mascara

I was excited to try out an organic mascara; this one disappoints. I’m lucky to have naturally thick lashes, but this formula is so thin and the color is such a dull brown, I felt like I actually looked worse after application. To be fair, I’m very picky about my mascara, and I like a rich, thick formula because I refuse to apply more than one coat. The really bad thing about this product is the strong smell. I don’t know if it’s the rice bran, but it was very medicinal – like crushed aspirin. Sorry, Korres!

Lip Butter Lip and Cheek Tint

Back to the yummy stuff. I love the lip butter. It’s silky, light, tastes and smells delicious, and somehow manages not to be thick or sticky while also staying on my lips for several hours. And it makes a great eye and cheek tint, too! It feels the way I think a lip gloss should feel – creamy and healing, without being goopy or shiny. It doesn’t have the congealed texture of something like chapstick or Carmex and it’s also not drying like a lot of so-called lip treatments are (you know the ones, where you have to reapply every five minutes or run the risk of chapped lips).

And there you have it; 3 out of 4 ain’t bad. In addition to the luscious textures and pleasant scents, the packaging is great – matte, minimal and substantial.

Now, just for you: Korres is providing readers of EcoSalon a discount of 30% all products purchased online at korresusa.com until September 30th, 2009! Just use promo code ECOSALON when ordering and you’ll get this amazing discount. Enjoy!

Editor’s note: If you want more beauty product reviews and recommendations, be sure to check out articles from our resident beauty expert, Katherine Butler.

The post Korres Review: the Good, the Bad, and the Rosy (Discount Inside!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

So Memorial Day came and went, and we were left looking over our skin to see if we got any color over the weekend”¦despite six different organic sunscreens we continually slathered on our bods”¦between hiding under an umbrella and dodging into the sunlight like a crazy person. Wait, you didn’t do that? Well, I did, and allow me to share the fruits of my sunscreen obsession.

First, we brought you the world of organic face sunscreens. Now let’s take a look at the best protection for our bodies!

Total Body Plumeria SPF 30 by Coola

My favorite of the bunch, this product gets high props for three reasons. First, it smells fantastic with a sweet, floral scent. Second, it goes on smooth and doesn’t leave you feeling greased out or chalky. And finally, it works like Brad Pitt juggling babies! (That means well!) I wore one application for an entire afternoon and didn’t get burned, despite hopping in and out of the water. It is a certified organic product with a UVA/UVB broad spectrum. And it is hypoallergenic, water resistant and paba/paraben free.

Sun Lotion SPF 30+ by Jurlique

This product out of Australia is so light (not to mention delicately packaged in a glass bottle) that I’ve been using it for both my face and my body. It looks, smells and feels like a regular moisturizer. It also has an interesting, tangy scent. (Can scents be tangy? This one is.)  Jurlique specializes in their “living energy blend, which is a custom blend of our biodynamically and organically-grown herbs and flowers, that when combined in our formulas, re-balances skin, naturally.” They also source from biodynamic or organic farms.

Complete Sunblock Spray SPF 26 by Jason

This spray was the most classic of the bunch, as it reminded me the sunscreen you used as a kid. It has a beachy smell, (like something between coconut and pineapple) and it is intensely moisturizing. It also gets props for being easy to apply (yay spray). It offers full UV protection and contains certified organic ingredients. It is also paraben-free. Best of all? Only $7.

Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 by John Masters Organics

If you want the visuals that your product is working, then this is the sunscreen for you. It goes on so white that you will need to work it in. And it will leave you as shimmery as a Twilight vampire. (This is not the worst thing when you’re worried if your sunscreen is still there”¦.)  There is a light, nondescript vitamin-y scent. This product contains certified organic extracts of green tea, shea butter and jojoba oil hydrate.

High Protection Sunscreen Emulsion for Children SPF 30 by Korres

This product is probably the thickest of the lot. It goes on white, but it doesn’t leave you chalky. (You know that feeling when your skin feels like a chalkboard and you feel like you want to go dip your entire body in oil? Yeah, that feeling.) It does have a nice, floral scent.  It contains a natural filter of titanium dioxide plus shea butter for broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sun protection and moisture.

Sun SPF 30 by Alba Botanica

If you want the heavy-duty experience, this is a good product for it. It goes on thick and you can feel it sitting on your skin. The smell is pleasant – I sampled the lavender – but it does leave you with that chalky feeling. This product contains an infusion of certified organic lavender, aloe vera, chamomile, ginkgo biloba and green tea. Retailing for around $10, it offers UVA/UVB protection and does the job well.

The post Best Eco Sunscreens for Your Beachy Body appeared first on EcoSalon.