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Top 5 Green Beauty Discoveries of 2014

General blogging practice would mean compiling a list of 14 products for 2014, but I decided to buck convention and stick to just my top five.  I was lucky enough to try out a whole bunch of fantastic products in 2014, but for the sake of this post, I want to focus on just the ones that really rose to the top and stood out to me over the last year.  The ones that, since trying them, I - cue the melodramatic music - would not want to be without.  


Dr. Alkaitis Organic Soothing Gel
Dr. Alkaitis's Soothing Gel got rave reviews across the green beauty community this past year, so I knew I wanted to try it, but none of the bloggers that I'd seen review it had similar-sounding skin to me, so my expectation weren't actually all that high.  For me, this is a spot treatment product, not something I use all over - it's a little too drying for that - but I'm blown away by just how well it works.  If I put this on a blemish or pimple before bed, it's pretty much gone by the time I wake up.  I've been delaying purchasing the full size bottle, but I've nearly finished my first sample and I've already got another en route to me, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I succumb to the larger size.

 Pacifica Eye Liner Pencils
I wear pencil liner most days, but it's sometimes a struggle finding a good natural one.  You know, something that's pigmented and glides on easily, but doesn't smudge too much or slip down your face throughout the day.  I have two of the four Pacifica pencils - Jet and Bare - and I expect I'll give in and buy the other two at some point soon too.  These are lovely and creamy liners, but but they also stay put once they're on.  The one exception is that they aren't completely budge-proof in the waterline, but I've yet to find anything that is, so I'm okay with that.

 Hazelnut Oil
About midway through the year, I realized that many of my favorite oil blends were made with hazelnut oil and made it a mission to track it down individually.  It can be a hard one to find in its unrefined state - hazelnut oil for cooking is easier to locate, but tends to be roasted and/or refined - but it was completely worth the effort!  Hazelnut oil is moisturizing, but it's also very lightweight and has some astringent properties, making it great for balancing oil production and perfect for people like me that are prone to enlarged and clogged pores.  My skin just loves it.  I tend to mix a couple drops in with every other face oil I use now.

 Beautiful Curls Shea Butter Curl Reviving Tonic
I don't even know how many times I've written about this product, so I'm sure its inclusion here will surprise exactly no one.  I first bought this back in February, and I'm on my third or fourth bottle now.  I like using the tonic on second-day hair, since it does exactly what the name says - revives and refreshes your curls.  If you have curly or wavy hair, you really need to give this a try.  I usually buy mine off iherb or Vitacost (where it's an affordable $9 or less) but I recently spotted it at Whole Foods for only a few dollars more.

 Blush
Not a specific product, I know, but the broader category seemed appropriate, since this past year was fully the first time I really embraced wearing blush.  I'm very fair so clown cheeks are always a real concern, but I've finally realized what the right blush can do for your face and I can't imagine doing my makeup without it now.  My top blush picks?  Silk Naturals Abstract and Lovelace, The All Natural Face Tequila Sunrise and Desert Sand, and Lucy Minerals Juicy Peach.

Have you used any of these? What were your top natural product discoveries of 2014?
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21 comments

  1. Unknown7 January 2015 at 19:54

    I so wish I could use the Pacifica liners because I love their shadows so much, but I don't think my eyes would like the shea in them :( I have the cream tequila sunrise and desert sand is pretty much the best neutral blush of all time. really want to try the Lucy juicy peach soon... but I already have too much makeup... haha. Definitely intrigued about the hazelnut oil, my bathroom kind of looks like a kitchen with all the cooking oils but I never thought to try hazelnut!

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    1. Caitie9 January 2015 at 16:34

      Ahh yeah, if shea is a problem, you probably don't want these near your eyes! I can totally relate to an abundance of makeup :) I ran out of Juicy Peach a few months ago and I still need to pick up another. It's not like I don't have other peachy blushes, but there's just something about that particular shade.

      I definitely have more oils in with my beauty stuff than I have in my kitchen! Haha :)

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  2. Anonymous7 January 2015 at 20:07

    I love the Dr. Alkaitis Soothing Gel and hope to try Pacifica. Lovely finds!

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  3. birkinbagbeauty8 January 2015 at 03:40

    I really like Silknaturals for both their dupes & their originals. I've been using numerous samples of Dr. Alkatis soothing gel on holidays: perhaps the most perfect antidote against sunburn when I forgot to reapply sunblock religiously :)

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    1. Caitie9 January 2015 at 16:35

      I keep hearing how good the Soothing Gel is on sunburns! I'm sure I'll have the chance to test it out that way for myself come summer :)

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  4. Rachel Reviews And Muse8 January 2015 at 04:49

    Great post... you are such a rebel ;-) I didn't do '14 of 14' either!
    I have ever tried any of these items you mentioned apart fro, obviously, blush. I love TANF and Slik Naturals for their selection but a UK company called Honeypie Minerals offer some really affordable and pretty options to us British girls.
    Rach xx
    AllNaturalAspirations

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    1. Caitie9 January 2015 at 16:49

      Thanks Rachel! I've seen you UK ladies mention Honeypie Minerals before and their stuff always sounds great. We have a few nice Canadian mineral makeup lines too, but the price point always ends up higher than something like Silk Naturals or the ANF, so I don't tend to buy as much from them, much as I love to support Canadian companies.

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  5. Beauty by Arielle8 January 2015 at 06:47

    Gosh, I wish Pacifica were more widely available in my area. I'm needing a new black eye liner...I may just have to order online!

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    1. Caitie9 January 2015 at 16:53

      Pacifica's is by far the best natural black liner I've found. (And I have a bit of a reject pile going on to compare it to!) Pacifica tend to almost double in price as soon as they cross the border into Canada, so I generally order mine online as well. The liners are on a lot of discount sites like Vitacost and iherb :)

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  6. Anonymous8 January 2015 at 12:29

    Some great stuff here! Definitely want to check out hazelnut oil now...

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    1. Caitie9 January 2015 at 16:54

      Thanks! Let me know how it works for you if you try it out :)

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  7. Unknown8 January 2015 at 13:21

    I'm still on the fence about the Soothing Gel. The mini sample tube lasted surprisingly long, but maybe coz I use a very small amount on problem areas only. I still have another sample bottle from Julie's swap, and I'll continue with that before I decide whether or not to shell out for the full size bottle.

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    1. Caitie9 January 2015 at 16:56

      It's funny because I totally expected to feel that way about the Soothing Gel, but it's really surprised me. I don't get a ton of bad breakouts - thankfully! - but ever time I've gotten any kind of bump or blemish and have used the Soothing Gel, it pretty well disappears within a day or so. Which is why I'm so impressed :)

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  8. j0najum10 January 2015 at 00:53

    All of these beauty products seems so lovely.. gotta have all of these for this year also!
    xx
    jona
    https://twitter.com/lifecellaus

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    1. Caitie12 January 2015 at 09:52

      Thanks! Let me know if you end up trying any of them :)

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  9. NHABpirate10 January 2015 at 17:44

    Where did you order your hazelnut oil? I can't find unrefined organic hazelnut oil for the life of me. Thanks!

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    1. Caitie12 January 2015 at 09:51

      I don't know why it's such a difficult oil to track down! I got mine from Karooch. It wasn't organic and they seem to have stopped carrying it since then anyways. The one in the photo is from Laboratoire du Haut-Segala, which says it's unrefined, organic, and cold-pressed. The only other unrefined organic I've seen is from Fushi. I haven't personally tried either, but I expect I'll be ordering one or the other in the near future!

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    2. NHABpirate22 January 2015 at 22:36

      Let me know if you have luck ordering any. I haven't been able to track down either of those brands.

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    3. Caitie23 January 2015 at 18:18

      Will do!

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  10. Jana11 January 2015 at 16:18

    The Soothing gel is really great, I have a sample of it and I've been loving it! :) xx

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    1. Caitie12 January 2015 at 09:53

      I've been so impressed with it. Glad it's working well for you too! :)

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