Hello and happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

In addition to my standard lazing about the house and adventure to the Ferry Building for coffee and doughnuts, I spent some time trying out the vegan beauty products sent out in the August Beauty Box.

To try to give you some idea of how much I like/dislike each product, I’m going to rate each product on a scale from 1 to 10.

• 1 being something I really, really dislike
• 5 being something that I don’t hate, but don’t really see myself using
• 10 being something I would definately buy in the future.
• All other ratings being somewhere in between.

So let’s take a look at everything in detail…

Lip Glosserie Green Tea & Cucumber body cream

I love this.

No, really, I LOVE this.

Because I spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking, cleaning, and generally getting full of gunk, I end up washing my hands about 30 times a day. So when I finally sit down to write or read things on the internet, I realize how dry and uncomfortable my hands are. The Lip Glosserie body cream has become my desk lotion. It’s sitting on my desk next to my pencil cup and tape dispenser ready for when I need it.

I’m a sucker for handmade, vegan cosmetics from small companies, so this product is totally my style. It’s a very thick lotion, and it absorbs into my skin really well. It feels really great on my skin. It does feel a tad greasy, even after a few minutes to let it absorb, but this is actually something I like in a lotion. It feels like it’s going to keep my hands moisturized longer. The fragrance is very light, which is good because too many lotions are overwhelmingly scented. And maybe I’m crazy, but even though the fragrance is Green Tea & Cucumber, I swear it smells a bit citrusy.

Anyway, overall, I give this lotion 8 out of 10. I would certainly think about buying a full size bottle of it once I use it all up.

The Fanciful Fox Vegan Lip Tint in Peach

IT SMELLS LIKE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!! Which is really all I need to be happy.

So, I doubt I’m the only person who does this, but I tend to carry a lot of stuff to put on my lips. In my purse there are two plain lip balms, three kinds of lipstick, lip gloss (there might be two in there), one red lip tint, and now one peach tinted lip tint from Fanciful Fox. Yeah… I kind of… overpack lip makeup.

I like this one because it feels like it protects my lips. I have lipstick that sort of dries out on my lips, and I’m not too keen on that. This one, however, feels just like a really good lip balm with the added bonus of a hint of color. Also, when you open it up it smells like chocolate. I think it’s safe for me to assume that this is because it’s made primarily with cocoa butter. My one complaint with this is that the Peach tint is too light. If I were picking out colors, I would have gone for either a brighter pink or a deeper red.

I give it 9 out of 10. I would buy this, but not in this color.

ncLA Self Adhesive Designer Nail Wraps in Fairy Floss

Hooray! I got the Fairy Floss ones! If you couldn’t tell from the photo at the beginning of this article, I’m super happy with these.

So. I have short nails. I always have. It’s because I bite them. However, I still like it when they’re pretty colors, so I paint them now and then and I have a small collection of nail polishes. I’ve never been good at the whole nail art thing, as I’m clumsy and impatient. Which is why I have to say, I am in love with these. It’s a fresh, striking, new look for me.

There is a bit of a learning curve to applying them, and I’m really, really glad the package came with more than one full application of nail wraps. If you look closely at the lip tint photo above, you’ll notice that my nail wraps are sort of off center and a little too far back on my cuticle. I do not blame the product for this, so don’t judge the nail wraps on that photo. I just suck at putting them on. The important part is that when you do it right, they look pretty, freakin’ fantastic. They are way faster than doing a full nail polish manicure, too. It’s just clearcoat, nail wraps, clearcoat. And best of all, THEY DON’T SMUDGE! As I already said, I’m impatient. So when I paint my nails I always try to do something else while they’re drying and end up ruining at least one of them. It’s inevitable. But not with these babies.

I’m gushing. I’ll stop now. 10 out of 10, they’re my favorite thing in the box. I’ve already gone to their website to plan which set I’m going to buy next.

Relogy Targeted Acne Spot Treatment

Thanks in part to hormonal birth control and also being in my late twenties, I don’t really have problems with acne. So, this isn’t really the most exciting product for me.

I do have a few, small pimples on my forehead. So, to give this stuff a fair shot, I used it on those for a couple days after washing my face in the morning and before bed. And, even though they were tiny zits, this stuff didn’t seem to do much of anything. They weren’t dried out or dead or even smaller. Given this, the price point of $14.95 is outrageous to me.

I do like the rollerball applicator, and the fact that it’s completely cruelty free. But… it didn’t work for me. So I have to go with 2 out of 10.

Perennial Soaps Peppermint Tea Tree Facial Bar

I already integrated this into my facial soap rotation in the shower, so I didn’t really have a chance to get a good photo of it. Anyway… This stuff is amazing. I love the smell, and it leaves my face feeling tingly and refreshed. What’s great about this is that the soap isn’t overly drying.

My test for facial soaps is how my face feels about an hour after washing it. A lot of the face soaps I’ve used leave my skin dried out and in need of a serious moisturizer. And then other face washes feel like they never rinse clean, and just keep feeling greasy. The Perennial Soaps Facial Bar is this beautiful balance. After I rinsed it off, my face felt really clean. And an hour later, I didn’t feel like I needed to run back into the bathroom and slather moisturizer all over my face.

This is really, really great soap.

I give it a solid 9 out of 10.

Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant in Bergamot + Lime

“It smells like margaritas.” I said it in my unboxing video and I standby this statement. It’s this sweet, summery scent that just makes you happy. Happy and thirsty.

What I like about this stuff, in addition to the fragrance, is the way it melts as you apply it. It comes out of the container sort of waxy, but as you rub it into your underarms, it melts and absorbs, and just feels really nice. Summer in San Francisco isn’t terribly hot, so I haven’t been sweating a ton, however, I haven’t noticed any “pit stains” since I’ve been using the Schmidt’s. So, I guess it really does absorb moisture quite well.

Just like every natural deodorant I’ve used, it doesn’t last as long as “drugstore” brands. So, if I put it on in the morning after I shower, I do feel like I have to reapply before I go out in the evening. But, I think that’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make in order to keep my pits aluminum, paraben, and phthalate-free. In addition, it is probably the best natural brand of deodorant I’ve used.

I’m going to go with 8 out of 10, in addition to giving it a solid recommendation for this product if you’re in the market for a new natural deodorant.

Confession time…

I didn’t get a chance to try out the Sunology Sunscreen this weekend.

Ok… that’s a lie… I did get a chance but I forgot.

My boyfriend, being a pale-skinned transplant to San Francisco from Seattle, keeps himself well informed on sunscreen technology. He assures me that the active ingredients of Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are the best things to have in sunscreen. So, I think that’s a technical recommendation. But I will let you know how well it works in the future.

Overall…

I am really happy with my August Beauty Box. It’s a great value and I really like finding out about new vegan beauty products. Here’s a quick summary of my findings…

Favorite Product: ncLA Nail Wraps

Least favorite Product: Relogy Targeted Acne Spot Treatment

Product I recommend the most: Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant

I am really looking forward to September’s box. I hope it’s just as good as August’s! You can go to http://vegancuts.com/beautybox if you would like to sign up for your own subscription. You can also check out http://vegancuts.com/beauty to purchase full size products featured in Vegan Cuts beauty boxes.