Brand Review: MooGoo and Dusty Girls

Little by little, but I'm finally eliminating my wishlist. Some of the products or brands were on it for years (and I mean literally years). One of such brands is an Australian company MooGoo. I'm pretty sure I know the reason why I kept procrastinating to get some of its products as for a long time I preferred something with fragrance, especially something sweet. I still remember how smelling Pangea Organics and Evan Healy products for the first time made me gag... Yet, I love those two brands now, and their scents are amazing! That's how much my nose changed during the years of using natural/organic products.

Anyway, MooGoo products do have a very neutral, almost non-existant smell. At least the products I'm currently using. Since I didn't try all the range, I cannot speak about everything, but reading the ingredient lists, looking at the packaging, and description, that's exactly what I imagine - clean, fragrance-free, non-irritating products.

I was very excited to receive my package, and I was even more excited to see how carefully and beautifully wrapped it was. I should apologize for the messy background, but I opened the box at work and wanted to take pictures before it's too late.

The two items that I got from MooGoo are Fresh Cream Deodorant and Milk Wash. I do not have much to say about body washes in general as I like most of them, but this one is a little different from the rest. The texture is creamy and kinda sticks to the body a little, which is good as it doesn't wash away once the water touches the skin. It's a big bottle, and I've been using this body wash for over a month now, but still have more than half a bottle left, so it's worth the price.

The deodorant is exactly what I expected - fragrance-free and doing its job. I was hesitant to try it in the hot weather as I didn't want to stink at work or while meeting my friends in the city in case it didn't work, but I did try it out for a short period of time, and then felt comfortable to wear it all day. It really feels you odor-free for the whole day even in hot weather, yet, I think it's on the lighter side (I mean that there are stronger natural deodorants). While it proved it worked, I will put aside this deodorant until the weather cools a little, and will use something stronger during this hot and humid summer.

As you can see in the photo, there are two more items in the box, and those are from MooGoo's makeup line Dusty Girls. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure if I want to try a new mineral foundation as I never find anything better than my favorite Everyday Minerals foundation. So, after considering all the options for items to try, I picked a "Night Fall" Natural Mineral Mascara and Natural Mineral Foundation Powder in color "Fair Minerals". 

I probably knew that before getting it, but I'm not crazy about the mascara, because the effect is too natural for me. However, it does not clump the lashes, it covers them nicely and makes them tidy. To get more volume, I use this mascara when layering with some other mascara. The only problem I have is that almost every time I use "Night Fall", I smudge my lid just above the eyelashes, and I do not have this issue with other mascaras.

While I'm just ok with mascara, I love the mineral foundation, and cannot imagine my life without it now. This foundation applies easily, has great coverage, which you can build up, if you need more. It feels very nice and a little "creamy" (it is powder, but not dry one), it does not dry the skin, and it wears fantastic even in hot and humid weather! I picked color "Fair Minerals" as this is the lightest color they have. The price is $26.50 for 10g box, which is a good price for the amount of product (most mineral foundations come in 8g boxes). 

After receiving the item, I wasn't sure if the color matches my skin tone, but after testing it on my hand, I was relieved as it fits fine. I was wrong! I mean the way it swatched, and the way it looks on the skin seem like two different powders, because it is darker on my skin. This photo shows the difference well as it represents true colors. 

However, an interesting thing happened the first time I wore this foundation. I do not use concealers, but I will apply my foundation first to the spots I want to hide, and then to the rest of the face. So, the first time I was using this foundation, I applied it around my nose, etc., and I was shocked that not only it hid what I didn't want to show, but I didn't even need the foundation on the rest of my face as it seemed to blend in with my skin color perfectly. While I do apply foundation all over my face, I usually do it with a fluffy powder brush. 

As for the color, my skin is quite fair, and I didn't have a proper tan for at least 5 years. However, this summer I'm doing a lot of boating, which gave me a really big tan (at least big for me). The first time I used this foundation I didn't have any tan yet, and it did look natural, but, of course, it looks more natural now when I have some color on me. I do use this foundation alone or sometimes mix with my Everyday Minerals foundation to get a lighter shade, but both ways it looks good, and natural, and I haven't heard from anyone that my foundation is too dark. I am very self conscious when it comes to that, so I'm sure it looks good. However, I'm not sure it would look so good during the winter when all the tan is gone.  

So, my only complaint about the foundation is the lack of lighter colors. "Fair Minerals" is the lightest shade the company offers, but it is not fair at all. I'd say it is meant more for light to medium skin tones, so I wouldn't recommend this shade to those who have a truly fair skin. I love this foundation, and I enjoy using it, but once the winter comes, I'll have to take a break from it as I will ont be able to get away with this shade.

Overall, I'm very very satisfied with MooGoo and Dusty Girls, and I do want to try more items from both lines. One thing for sure, I will repurchase the mineral foundation again and again.       

 

Brand review: In Love With Body Care

At least a year ago I came across the brand called In Love With Body Care. Actually, I was looking for a good natural deodorant, and this brand had one with great reviews. I saved it to my wishlist, but only got to try it now. In fact, if not for the company sending me all the goodies, I might still be having my wishlist full (not that it is ever empty).

The products that I was mostly interested, and that were sent to me (including the extras added by the company) are these:
-spray'n'towel hair cleanser
-conditioning hair plumper
-deodorant in "Greece" (I picked this fragrance as I love neroli)
-body lotion in "Lemon Meringue" fragrance
-lip balm in "Coconut Lime".

Spray'n'towel hair cleanser: this is the only product that I didn't like, but that might be because I don't know how to use it. I mean I know what it's supposed to do, and I follow the directions, but I was expecting something else. I was hoping this will be like a dry shampoo, except that it's a spray. The description also mentions refreshed "beach hair". Well, I did try it out on my second day hair, and it seemed to revive my hair, but only for a short period of time as I wasn't happy about my hair at the end of the workday.

Conditioning hair plumper: I enjoyed using the product, and I still have a little bit left. I use it as a spray conditioner on the lower part of my hair. This spray helps to detangle the hair and leaves it soft and moisturized.

Deodorant in "Greece" fragrance: I love Greece, but I love neroli scent more, and this was the only reason why I picked this specific fragrance. Too bad it has a very light scent, so I don't pick out neroli note. I was a little concerned that this deodorant might dry my underarms, yet after using it quite regularly, I must admit it's not drying at all. It leaves me smelling good all day long even in the hot and humid weather, so I don't have to worry about raising my arms in public (e.g. while commuting). I'm not 100% sure yet, but I think it might leave white spots on the clothing. I'm trying to track it to be certain, but it seems like sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. I wonder if that might be due to the amount applied and the salts in the ingredients. However, I do have one thing to complain about. The consistency of this deodorant is to the softer side, and feels kinda creamy. Don't get me wrong, it's a stick deodorant, and it doesn't melt in the hot room, but when applying it to the skin, it becomes soft. This is not a big problem, but it is inconvenient if I'm in the rush as I have to rub it in with my hands. Also, the sides of the tube get messy, so those require wiping as well. While the texture gives some inconvenience, it's not gonna stop me from buying the deodorant again, because it's really one of the greatest that I've ever tried.      

Body lotion in "Lemon Meringue": this lotion has an interesting texture as it's quite thick for the lotion (as you can probably see from the photo below), but it's not greasy or heavy on the skin. It absorbs well and gives plenty of moisture for the skin. The sample size lasted me for a pretty long time I'd say around 2 weeks. The scent is sweet and strong, so if you are sensitive to that, you might not like it. I enjoyed using the sample, but not sure if I wouldn't get tired of this scent when using the full size product.

Lip balm in "Coconut Lime": lime is not something I like in cosmetics, and it didn't sound a good combination with coconut at first, but I love lip balms, and since the company sent this to me, I decided to give it a try. OMG, I love it! I can barely taste any lime, the smell of the lip balm is very light, not overpowering at all. The texture is perfect (not too soft, not too hard), and the oval shape makes it very easy to apply it on the lips. The balm glides like a dream, and gives fantastic softness to the lips! I know I sound very excited, but that's how I feel about this lip balm.


In general, I really enjoyed using In Love With Body Care products, and highly recommend to try out the brand for yourselves. As for myself, I will very likely repurchase the deodorant and lip balm (both in different scents), because these products really wow-ed me. I wasn't thrilled with body lotion's scent, but it does come in "Coconut Lime" as well, which I'm very tempted to check out (if it smells as good as the lip balm, I'll be more than happy).