Naturalla Beauty

I first reviewed Ellovi back in 2016, and I've been a big fan of their butters ever since.  Ellovi embodies simple elegance -- beautifully packaged, sophisticated formulas handmade from just six ethically-sourced natural ingredients.  The company recently did some rejigging of both the butter formulas and their packaging, and sent me a few of the new versions to try out.

Spoiler: they're just as luscious, moisturizing, and creamy as the originals.  Keep reading for all the details!

December marked two full years of colouring my hair with henna.  Henna, if you aren't already familiar with it, is a flowering plant that's been used for millenia and is basically the only completely chemical-free way to dye your hair.  Henna, by itself, generally yields an orangey-red colour, but there are different plant additives that can be mixed in to achieve different hair colours on the warm/red/auburn spectrum.

Before using henna, I'd never dyed my own hair, so it's been a wild ride: different brands, varied successes, and lots of lessons learned along the way.  Today, I want to focus on five specific things that you may not know about using henna.  I haven't seen these talked about much, but I believe they're very relevant to anyone considering using henna in their hair.




If you're interested in more practical, hands-on tips, I do have an older blog post from four months into my henna journey, or if you have specific questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or catch me on Instagram!

I've been experimenting with vitamin C products recently and have found it to be an ingredient that my skin really loves.  And, it's pretty clear why -- vitamin C offers a multitude of amazing skin benefits. 

Vitamin C....
- stimulates collagen production and increases cell turnover
- has antioxidant benefits that fight free radicals and treat UV photodamage
- evens out skin tone and uneven texture
- lightens hyperpigmentation
- brightens dull skin
- reduces surface inflammation and puffiness
- helps skin defend itself from external stressors like pollution
- improves skin hydration
- offers acne benefits (certain types of vitamin C only)

It's a bit of a skin superstar!  Today I'm sharing four affordable products that I've been testing out over the last several months.


Today's lineup feature three different forms of vitamin C:

L-Ascorbic Acid: the most researched form of vitamin C.  Proven to be effective, but can cause surface skin irritation.  It also has stability issues and can oxidize both in water formulas and on the skin.

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate: a stable water-soluble form of vitamin C that converts to ascorbic acid after absorption.  SAP is gentler and does not cause the same irritation as ascorbic acid, and has also been researched and shown to have acne benefits.

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate: a stable fat-soluble form of vitamin C.  Because it's lipid-soluble, tetrahyxyldecyl ascorbate is able to penetrate deeper into the skin's dermis, where it can have more of an effect on collagen production.

Happy New Year!  I hope 2019 is a happy, healthy, and all-around incredible year for us all.  I'm not big on New Years resolutions, but I'm looking forward to a year of growth -- both personal and professional -- with lots of fun and opportunities, and, of course, more time for blogging. 

Photo Credit

You may have noticed that things look a little different around here.  New year, new website design -- that's the saying, right?  In all seriousness, I was way overdue for a blog overhaul and finally had the time to do it properly over the holidays.  I wanted something clean looking this time, and I'm really happy with how it came out.  I have plans to tweak a few minor things over the next few weeks, but it's mostly finished.  I'd love to know what you think!

Thanks, as always, for visiting and supporting my small space on the internet.  Stay tuned: I have lots of products and posts I'm excited to share.  Cheers to a great 2019!