Review: Lunaroma Blemish Healing Blend

There are dozens of topical acne treatments on the market, but a much smaller variety of natural alternatives. The vast majority use tea tree oil, and this one is no exception. However, Lunaroma's Blemish Healing Blend is also a treat for the nose with its lovely herbal scent.

Pros:

• Easy roll-on applicator
• Pleasant herbal scent
• Gentle ingredients
• Helps treat blemishes
• A little goes a long way

Review: Mama Mio Lucky Legs

When I was first sent a sample of Mama Mio's Lucky Legs, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The front claims "rapid relief for heavy legs and feet," so my first thought was of tireless nurses, retail clerks, and others who are on their feet all day. My daily schedule is hardly demanding, but I recently found a wonderful opportunity to test this when I started to really wear out my legs with some new dance classes.

Pros:

• Provides a gentle cooling effect to legs
• Absorbs quickly
• Shimmer effect is subtle
• Easy to apply
• Soothing to tired legs
  

Review: Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick

I used to use traditional drugstore acne creams as a teenager, but when I learned about animal testing, I started looking for alternatives. One of the first cruelty-free products I tried was this Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick, which I still occasionally use today. The packaging may have changed, but the product offers the same great performance that made me fall in love with it so many years ago.

Pros:

• Gentle ingredients
• Non-drying
• Can be used under make-up
• Wide retail availability
• Effectively reduces blemishes
  

Cons:

• Requires frequent application

Summary:
Tea tree oil has long been used as a natural acne treatment for its antiseptic properties. However, this blemish touch stick is a convenient way to apply it, and packs in a few other gentle ingredients. Although the directions recommend applying six times a day, I find that 2-3 is plenty to see a difference. Without a targeted treatment like this one, my blemishes get much worse. This product is fairly gentle, rating a low 3 on EWG's Skin Deep database.

My only real complaint about this product is that the roller applicator sometimes doesn't travel well on airplanes. Otherwise, it's a great natural blemish treatment, and one I've stuck with for years because it is both effective and readily available. If you're looking for a little extra help with your skin care routine, this is a great ally.

Also available on Amazon.com.

Product Ratings (out of 5)

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Performance
Presentation
Purity
Value

Disclosure notice: This product was purchased by the reviewer. No compensation was accepted and the opinions are my own. Please verify any claims with the manufacturer, especially if you have any allergies or concerns.

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Review: Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment

Most of the natural blemish treatments use tea tree oil, and the Burt's Bees line is no exception. However, one of their targeted treatments also incorporates salicylic acid, which is found in many conventional acne treatments. This product is called the Natural Acne Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment.

Pros:

• Similar to tea tree oil
• Can help heal blemishes
• Relatively gentle formula
• Retail availability
• Relatively inexpensive

Review: Theraneem Organix Facial Complexion Neem Therape Cleansing Bar

When many of us think of facial cleansers, we think of liquids. However, there are many more options out there, especially when you consider bar soaps. Theraneem Organix offers an extremely gentle facial cleanser that is suitable even for sensitive skin.

Pros:

• Non-drying
• Gentle formula suitable for sensitive skin
• Mild scent
• Made with organic oils
• Bar lasts longer than most
  

Review: Pristine Beauty Hooray for Brallywood Butta

Many companies try to sell you a "miracle in a bottle," and Blaire, founder of Pristine Beauty, knows this all too well. In a video on her website, she explains how she once worked extra shifts to be able to afford the famous moisturizer Creme de la Mer. She created her own, gentler moisturizer based on many of the same "magical" ingredients. What's this secret potion called? Hooray for Brallywood Butta.

Pros:

• Smells wonderful
• Easily Absorbed
• Light enough to wear under makeup
• Gentle formula
• Lovely packaging (vintage feel great for gifts)
• Many organic ingredients

Review: Earth Mama Angel Baby C-Mama Healing Salve

Whether or not you've had a child, most of us have collected a scar or two over the years. Unless you think of them as "battle scars" to wear with pride, you might wish to reduce the appearance of your scars. There are many scar healing creams on the market, but very few are as safe as Earth Mama Angel Baby's C-Mama Healing Salve.

Pros:

• Helps reduce the appearance of scars
• Works on old scars as well as more recent scars
• A little goes a long way
• Made with very natural, mostly organic ingredients
• Safe but effective

Review: Madara Anti-Cellulite Cream

I used to think it was funny how the media sensationalizes cellulite. I was in college at the time and thought it was a problem that only affected older women, so it seemed like a way to get 30-somethings to buy products they didn't need. Little did I know that just a few years later, still in my twenties, I would find cellulite on my own body. What is a girl to do?

I was doing well on my resolution to get in shape, but my cellulite was still there after a few months. It was time to bring in the big guns: I would try a cellulite cream — but not just any cellulite cream. I wanted something natural, so I turned to Madara's Anti-Cellulite Cream.

Pros:

• Pleasant citrus scent
• Helps improve skin texture over time
• Nice, creamy lotion texture
• Easy to apply (pump bottle)
• Contains many organic ingredients

Review and Giveaway: The Name Is Product

I've always been a fan of simplicity and minimalism. I like to take one basic black sweater on a trip and keep one all-purpose lip color in my purse. If you also like simplicity, particularly in the form of an uncluttered bathroom counter, a product called Product may be worth a try.

Pros:

• Multi-tasking product that can also be used as an eye or lip balm
• Great texture
• Easy to use
• Pleasant citrus fragrance
• Contains just five simple, natural ingredients
  

Review: Frownies Immune Shield Skin Serum

My arms have taken in a lot of sun lately in the hot Texas summer, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test out a product that would help "repair and protect" my skin against sun damage. Frownies makes an Immune Shield Skin Serum that is supposed to nourish and protect the skin. The box claims that it can lighten skin as well, but I was skeptical at first.

Pros:

• Seems to gradually lighten and even out skin tone
• Helps skin recover from sun and environmental damage
• Absorbs quickly
• Mild scent
• Moisturizing
• Leaves skin feeling silky

Review: Mama Mio See-No-Scar Solution

Scars can be seen as a mark of "character," but sometimes it's not the character we'd like to portray. Scar creams can help to reduce the appearance of scars but many have preservatives, harsh fragrances, or undesirable chemicals. However, there are some gentler remedies that can also be effective, such as Mama Mio's See-No-Scar Solution.

Pros:

• Actually reduces the appearance of scars
• A little goes a long way
• No discernible fragrance
• Safe for sensitive skin