Current Favorite Summer Make-Up Essentials!

Hey loves! I don't know about you, but I'm super excited it's Summer! Even though my favorite season will always be Autumn, I still look forward to this time of year!

One of the things I really look forward to about the warm weather months, besides finally being able to break out my sundresses, shorts and sandals (and also not having to wear a coat or jacket everyday), and all the delish recipes this time of year inspires, is wearing lighter and sometimes brighter make-up colors. It all depends on my mood and of course how my skin is behaving at the time (don't want to be dealing with clogged pores and nasty break outs!).

Today, I want to share some of my current favorites - some I have used for years (Jane Iredale) and some I have only used for a very short while (Badger, 100% Pure), but I love them all the same! And so far, no skin issues from using any of these! :-D

Photo by The Brunette Ecoholic

1) Gabriel Cosmetics "Bungalow Lip Gloss" - The perfect bright pink lip gloss! Highly pigmented so a little goes a very long way! I usually add a shimmery gloss over this as it is more of a matte texture.

2) Badger Tinted Sunscreen in SPF 30 - I've only used this a few times, but so far my skin has not had any issues. Full review to come soon.

3) Jane Iredale Pressed Base -  Jane Iredale was the first natural make-up I used when I switched over to green beauty 8 years ago . I love the clean ingredients, the coverage (this covers everything for me!), the color match (Amber is my perfect shade) and the fact that it lasts forever and doesn't ever break me out!

4) Zuzu Luxe Color Correcting Primer (Anti-Redness) - I love to use this on days when my skin is looking particularly red and blotchy. A little bit blended out with a beauty blender and no more red! This also smooths out the skin and of course, the ingredients are clean and don't break me out!

5) Delizioso Tara Adorned Blushing Mousse - This lovely pink blush can be used on lips as well as cheeks, is made with nourishing and healthy ingredients, like Prickly Pear Seed Oil, Watermelon Seed Oil and Argan Oil to name a few and the vanilla scent is beyond delish!

6) Ecobrow in "Penelope" - If you're looking for a cleaner, more eco-friendly dupe of Anastasia Beverly Hills "Dipbrow", this is your product! Paraben free, 100% natural, mineral based color that lasts all day! For someone like me whose brows are not only sparse and thin, but uneven as well, this has been my eyebrow saving grace!

7) Dermaviduals Cover & Conceal - This is a product I use even on days when I don't wear any other make-up. It contains mineral pigments and a slew of ingredients perfect for healing acne, such as Bisabolol (an anti-inflammatory) and zinc oxide (which is antiseptic) as well as Jojoba Oil. The olive green shade neutralizes any redness perfectly.

8) Gabriel Cosmetics Mascara in "Jet Black" - I never thought I would find a mascara that I like better than my beloved Organic Wear, but this one is my new go-to. My lashes have never looked longer, there is no caking or flaking and the mascara lasts without streaking down my face by the end of the day! I've also noticed that my lashes don't fall out like they used to...not sure if this mascara has helped with that or something in my diet..but hey, not complaining!

9) Delizioso Tara California Bronzing Mousse - This lovely creme bronzer smells like vanilla cake batter, is a gorgeous, highly pigmented golden bronze color, blends beautifully and can be used on cheeks, lips and eyes. This is one of my favorite multi-tasking products!

10) Dermaviduals Tinted Day Cream - My absolute favorite tinted moisturizer..ever! There's soooo much to say about this product, and I plan on doing a full review of this brand in the future, but for now, let me just say that this offers the best coverage of any product I've yet tried, matches my skin so well it's hard to tell I am even wearing make-up and contains lots of wonderful ingredients like Castor Seed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Ceramides and even Peptides for some anti-aging benefits and lasts all day, even in the worst humidity! Love, love, love this! :-) <3

11) 100% Pure Healthy Skin Foundation in "White Peach" - This is my first foray into using their make-up and so far I am pretty impressed! I love that this foundation not only delivers a matte finish, but the color matches my skin extremely well (something that has proven time and again to be a challenge). I've only used this a few times, so I can't really say yet how my skin likes it, but so far so good!

12) Kari Gran Tinted Lip Whip - I love this for days when I just want a touch of  color. See full review here.

13) Coola Suncare SPF 30 Unscented Matte Tint - I love to use this as my primer with spf. It doesn't provide a lot of coverage so I still need to wear a liquid or powder foundation over it. See full review here.

What are your current Summer make-up essentials? Anything on this list catching your eye? Let me know below!

Peace & Love,

Sabrina xo



*Post contains affiliate links

Brand Obsession: Kari Gran Skincare

Kari Gran Skincare, a.k.a. "The Little Black Dress of Eco-Skincare" is a brand that provides simple, yet elegant natural products that work for any skin type or age.

Their hand-poured products are made using only the purest natural, organic, wild-crafted and non-GMO ingredients and are completely free of parabens and toxins. And to guarantee freshness, each bottle is marked with a hand written expiration date.

I was fortunate enough to try their Starter Kit , as well as two of their Lip Whips and today I want to share my thoughts with you.

PR samples. Photo by Chickweed & Blush

What's included:

• Essential Serum, 10 ml
• Lavender or Rose Hydrating Tonic, 15 ml ( I received the Rose Tonic)
• Cleansing Oil, 15 ml

Price for kit - $35

Total testing time - 3 weeks

1) Cleansing Oil -  Designed for night time cleansing, this beautiful, rich oil removes every trace of make up, dirt and impurities from the skin. It's light Lavender scent is relaxing, while the blend of Sunflower, Castor and Avocado oils are nourishing and hydrating. I honestly looked forward to cleansing my face at night while testing this. Following the ritual Kari Gran suggested, my skin felt so soft and clean afterwards! This is probably my new favorite oil cleanser ever! 

Ingredients: Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Organic Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Organic Lavandula Hybrida (Lavender) Oil, Tocopherol (non-GMO vitamin E from Sunflower)

The Kari Gran Ritual: 

• Apply 8-10 pumps of Cleansing Oil into your dry palm.
• Liberally massage onto dry face and neck.
• Apply a hot (not scalding) washcloth to face and let cool. Rinse and repeat.
• Gently wipe face and neck with the washcloth to remove excess oil while providing a light exfoliation.

2) Hydrating Tonic - I was sent the Rose Tonic and it was love at first spritz! I am a fan of anything rose scented and of the ingredient in general so I was really happy to receive this. As the name of the product implies, this toner is incredibly hydrating as well as refreshing, which came in handy recently when the weather reached the high 80's where I live! 

Ingredients: 100% fractionally distilled Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera Leaf), Organic Glycerin (Vegetable Glycerin), Organic Rose Damascena (Rose) Oil

The Kari Gran Ritual:

• Mist 3-4 pumps on cleansed face—damp skin will improve the absorption of our essential serum.
• To make fresh moisturizer: mist 3-4 pumps into the palm and add one or more pumps of serum, rub together and apply to dry skin.
• The tonic also sets makeup and is a lovely pick-me-up when your skin is feeling parched.

3) Essential Serum -  This gorgeous serum is truly the creme de la creme of face oils, in my humble opinion, and here's why - it's a glorious blend of 15 of the most nourishing and skin beautifying plant oils around, it's a multi-tasker (use it day or evening, as your  face, neck and eye serum, and also can be mixed with your mineral make-up to create a tinted moisturizer). But most of all, it works. It calms down "hyperactive" skin and causes redness and irritation to greatly reduce. It absorbs deeply into the skin, without leaving an oily feel. It smells amazing and it just feels good to use it. It's a total win for your skin! :-)

Ingredients: Organic Camellia Oleifera (Camellia Seed) Oil, Organic Rosa Canina Fruit (Rosehip Seed) Oil, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil

Organic Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Organic Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Organic Olea Europaea (Olive), Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) & Organic Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Oil, Organic Olea Europaea (Olive) & Organic Arnica Montana (Arnica) Oil, Organic Lavandula Hybrida (Lavender) Oil, Wildharvested Boswellia Sacra (Frankincense) Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Oil, Jasminum Sambac (Jasmine) Oil, Organic Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn Seed) Oil, Organic Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Oil, Tocopherol (Non-GMO Vitamin E from Sunflower)

The Kari Gran Ritual: 

• Start with one pump for day use, add more if you like more moisture.
• Double the amount used during the day for your nightly treatment.
• Treat your neck and décolleté area as an extension of your face.
• Apply extra around the eye area in place of an additional eye cream.
• To create a custom moisturizer mist 3-4 pumps of tonic in the palm of your hand and add one to two pumps of Essential Serum, rub together and….voila! A batch of fresh moisturizer has just been made without a preservative in sight.
• Gently apply to cleansed skin. 

Lip Whips:
What do you get a bona fide lip product junkie? Well, if you really want to make them happy, you'd give them one (or all) of these delectable and highly moisturizing Lip Whips that's what! I was generously gifted with two (cue happy dance) of these gorgeous lip treats and they very quickly became two of  my favorite things ever! 
*If you are vegan or look for vegan products, it should be noted that the Lip Whips do contain Beeswax and Carmine. 

1) Naked - A clear balm that tastes like cinnamon and leaves your lips baby soft and slightly glossy. This is the one I reach for as a daily lip moisturizer or under my lipstick for a little extra moisturizing. 

2) Tinted - A soft pink blush tone that enhances your lips natural color and tastes delightfully minty. I love to use this one when I don't want to wear a lot of color on my lips, but I still want a slight tint. 

Price: $15
Ingredients: Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Camellia Oleifera (Camellia Seed) Oil, Organic Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Organic Olea Europaea (Olive), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) & Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Oil, Tocopherol (Non GMO Vitamin E from Sunflower), Wildharvested Pimenta Racemosa (Pimenta Berry) Oil, Organic Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon Bark) Oil or Organic Mentha X Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
*Tinted Lip Whip contains Carmine

My overall thoughts: My experience with using the Kari Gran System was an extremely positive one. My skin had no issues with any of the products, which with the way my skin has been behaving lately is a real plus! I love their philosophy as well as their approach to skincare and skin health. I also love Kari Gran's attitude about aging, that she puts aside all the popular anti-aging stereotypes, and believes that true beauty comes not from how young or old one is, but by being kind to yourself and your skin. And we all know that nourished, healthy skin is beautiful, regardless of age. :-)


Have you tried Kari Gran Skincare? What is your favorite product? Let me know below!



Peace & Love,
Sabrina xx

*Products were generously sent to me for review, however, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own