Ava Anderson Non Toxic: Face Basics Set

Ava Anderson Non Toxic is a wonderful company dedicated to producing safe and healthy products for you! They do this by ensuring all of their ingredients are independently rated by the EWG as non-toxic, unlike most companies that simply decide on their own whether a product is safe or not without third party input. This month we had the pleasure of testing out their basic face care line of products, consisting of cleanser, exfoliator, toner, and moisturizer. 

The first thing you'll notice is that you can actually read and understand all of the ingredients! In fact, this company is a huge advocate of checking the back (ingredient list) on everything you put on or in your body.

Secondly, you'll notice the beautiful scent of the products - not because they are fragranced with cheap oils and perfumes, but naturally smell of delicious ingredients grown right out of the ground (not produced in some mad-scientist's lab).

Third, and perhaps the best, their products show you positive results within a few days! The most impressive result was when it cleared up one mama's postpartum acne outbreak, which is no easy task. Did we mention that it leaves you with a healthy, rosy glow to your skin?

A few notes we'd like to share: the exfoliator is coarsely textured and should only be gently massaged in circles on your face and neck. The cleanser is absolutely divine and removes all oil and grime from your face ~ you can actually feel the clean! The toner is by far our new MUST HAVE product!!! It works effectively as an underarm deodorant, to clear up acne, makeup remover, and as a general refresher for your face. Honestly, if you want to try just one item, go for the toner! And last, but certainly not least, the moisturizer is a creamy texture that absorbs well into the skin. However, I must say that with normal skin, we noticed that the moisturizer was only needed every few days as the product line does not dry your skin like many other brands do. All containers are made of 1, 2, or 4 BPA-free recyclable plastics.

The following is reposed from the Ava Anderson Non Toxic website as a guide to their basic skin care set:

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  STEP 1 | cleanser

  Our antioxidant and enriching cleanser leaves the skin clean and refreshed, with natural scent and sudsing. 3.4 oz, $19.95US

  
  

  
  

  

  STEP 2 | exfoliator

  Fine apricot kernels and skin-softening ingredients gently buff away dry skin, dirt and imperfections, leaving your skin fresh and radiant. Improves skin tone and texture. 2.7 oz, $21.95US

  
  

  
  

  

  STEP 3 | toner

  Spritz your face with our non-drying, non-stinging toner, as the first step in the moisturizing process. Yucca is a natural antiseptic, and witch hazel open pores and removes impurities. 3.4 oz, $19.95US

  
  

  
  

  

  STEP 4 | moisturizer

  Enriched with antioxidants, conditioners, emollients, nourishing oils and vitamins, to achieve radiant, youthful looking skin with improved elasticity. 2 oz, $20.95US

SHOP AVA ANDERSON NON TOXIC

Many thanks to Diane Possemato, a founding consultant, for supplying us with samples for testing and review!

Body: Cleansease by White Witch

The easiest 15-minute facial ever...and more!

Description: Cleansease Balancing and refining masks with rhassoul clay and melissa and neem. Suitable for oily and acne-prone skin types. Made in Ireland. 5-pack.

Ingredients: Oatmeal, rhassoul clay, organic melissa powder, neem leaf powder

EWG RATING:  SAFE/GREEN (0-1)  Click here to read EWG report

Price: $20 approx. US

This 5-pack of facials are very similar to tea bags, you simply wet them with warm water and rub on your face and neck. Then go turn on some slow music and lay down to relax for 15-20 minutes. You will feel them tightening, shrinking pores, rejuvenating your skin. Once washed clean with warm water, your skin is left feeling moisturized and fresh.


White Witch offers many pure herbal products, including: milk baths, foot baths, eye compresses, and hair repair rinses. They carry absolutely everything you need to entirely pamper yourself with a spa night at home, the natural way.


Start your evening off with an almond milk bath, to moisturize your entire body. Place the eye compresses on your tired baby blues to refresh them. Use the hair rinse to repair your hair while adding highlights naturally. For a pedicure, soften your tootsies with a steamy tea bath of Footsease. Follow this with an allover body indulgence with the chocolate orange lotion bar - it melts on your skin!


These products are perfect for travel because they are all non-liquid; there is no restriction when carrying them on an airplane within the USA so you can pamper yourself when you reach your destination, without being limited to 4oz or less.  They honestly look like tea bags, but they're for your body! Just add a bit of warm water and you have yourself an effective relaxation package to go! Excellent gift basket idea or for an anniversary.

SHOP WHITE WITCH

Face: Go Tropical with Bubble and Bee

Bubble and Bee Organic Lime Coconut Lip Balm

Ingredients: organic sunflower oil, organic cocoa butter, organic beeswax, organic coconut flavor, organic lime flavor, organic lime essential oil, stevia

Description: Flavored with certified organic extracts and essential oils, not synthetic flavors, this delicious organic lip balm is super sweet and mouth-watering. With a stronger lime flavor and a hint of coconut, our testers say it tastes just like key lime pie.

Bubble and Bee Organic Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser

Ingredients: Organic coconut oil saponified, organic olive oil saponified, organic jojoba oil saponified, organic pineapple extract, organic tropical enzyme blend (pineapple, papaya, green papaya), vegetable glycerin, organic guar gum, organic aloe vera juice, rosemary extract

Description: The enzymes freshly extracted from organic pineapple and organic papaya help clear away dead skin cells and buildup, leaving complexion revitalized and clear. This gentle castile formula doesn't clog pores and is free from synthetic detergents, preservatives, fragrance and fillers that commonly irritate skin. It smells so fresh and good you'll want to use it again and again!

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As the seasons turn, I just can't help but miss the tropical bliss of summer. Bubble and Bee has absolutely mastered the skill of transporting you through scent! The pineapple cleanser cleans my face so well, it doesn't dry it out or leave it oily, it is really a perfect mixture of moisture and feeling clean. And the scent that fills the bathroom when I use it remind

s me of laying on a tropical beach sipping a pina colada! So yummy and relaxing.

When I hop out of the shower, there is my Bubble and Bee coconut lime lip balm that helps keep my mind in paradise! This lip balm in a tube is thick, so put it on your lips for a second to allow it to warm up a bit to help it glide on smoothly. It is actually one of the few lip balms I can put on before bed at night and wake up with it still on in the morning, it just stays put and moisturizes all night long. Although the manufacturer's description says it tastes like key lime pie, I think it a perfect match for a pina colada with lime! But then again, after sniffing up all that lovely pineapple scent in the shower, maybe my nose is tricking me.

If you're looking for a great gift set for a teenager, I think this would be the one I'd choose! It's fruity and tropical, and it makes me happy just using it (not to mention, it works brilliantly)!

Visit Bubble and Bee's Shop

Face: Kiss My Face Shea Soy Facial Cleansing Bar

Description: This creamy, fragrance free bar contains organic oils, shea butter and aloe to moisturize while you cleanse. Your skin will feel fresh, smooth and hydrated.


Ingredients: 
Sodium Palmate,* Sodium Cocoate,* Aqua, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butte), Glycine, Glycine Soja (Soybean Oil), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Leaf Extract)


EWG Safety Rating: Green/Low Hazard (1)


Price: $13 US

Many moons ago, when my friend and I first started writing our review blog, she had just finished reviewing a few products and gave me some of her leftover supply - a jar of hand cream (which worked wonders on my chapped winter hands) and this bar of facial cleansing soap from Kiss My Face.


It sat neglected in my bathroom cabinet for, seriously, years. I used mostly liquid facial cleansers and despite being unhappy with everything I’d tried I wasn’t too keen to give this bar a try because, well, it was a bar soap. Bar soaps leave your skin feeling dry and neglected - plus, don’t you use bar soaps at the bathroom sink? I like to wash my face in the shower and I was worried the bar soap would get ruined somehow in the shower, with water constantly running over it.


So I just sort of kept it around like, “Maybe sometime if I run out of whatever I’m using, I’ll give this a try.” I thought about keeping it on my counter in case I ever wanted to wash my face when I wasn’t showering. That never really happened either.


Then one day I was pinching pennies and needed facial soap. I looked into the cabinets to see if I had anything lying around and spotted the Kiss My Face box. I almost put it on the bathroom counter, but then I glanced in the shower. My husband used bar soap - it was right there in the shower, totally fine. I’d also recently reviewed a bar soap that I surprisingly loved (it’s by Caress and not an eco-friendly brand, but it ex-foliated wonderfully and did not leave my skin feeling dry) so I was feeling a little warmer about bar soaps in general and decided to give it a try.


Holy cow, guys. Seriously. This is good stuff. I ran the bar under the shower water in my hands, rubbing some of the soap into my palms. Then I just sort of rubbed the soap on my hands onto my face and it lathered just a bit. I rinsed it off after a bit and my skin felt fantastic. It just felt so natural and normal, like “isn’t this how soap is supposed to feel?”


I’ve been using this bar of soap for about 6 months now and that same bar is still going strong. So although you might consider a $13 bar of soap a bit expensive, I really feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. The thing has lasted forever, works great and smells nice - and it’s totally eco-friendly, containing no animal ingredients, artificial colors, or unnecessary chemicals and it wasn’t tested on animals. So you can feel really good while you're washing up with this bar soap!


I also loved that the scent was so innocuous. It doesn’t smell floral or girly which means my husband could use it if he ever wanted to. It just smells clean, you know? And I just found out yesterday that he has in fact been using this soap for awhile now - which means, holy moley this stuff lasts forever!


My husband wants to add that not only does he love using this soap and likes the scent and blah blah blah, it’s also the best facial cleanser he’s used in awhile for his acne. Granted, he’s not a teenager anymore, but he swears this stuff works as well as any of the expensive treatments his mother bought him growing up.


So - great for your skin, good smelling, eco-friendly, lasts forever - what are you waiting for guys? You’ve gotta try this stuff!

Kiss My Face Website

This review was written by Jen, a.k.a  mommablogsalot, an ecoSAFE guest tester and founding member of Momma's Review.