.:: CybeleSays ::.

Honey, Honey Part IV

Alas, we come to the end of our four-part feature on great products that contain HONEY as an ingredient. Did you know that dark-colored honey, like buckwheat honey (didn’t even know there were different varieties), has higher levels of antioxidants than the lighter-colored varieties? Think of it as white bread vs. wheat bread. Check out some of these other posts from this on-going feature to see even more benefits of honey. Amazing!

1. JUARA Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner ($27/4.75oz @ dermstore.com)
2. INANNA Foaming Oat & Honey Facial Cleanser ($14.50/1.2oz @ inannaherbs.com)
3. BEAUTiFUL KiDS NATURAL PRODUCTS Sassy Gentle Shower Gel ($8.70/8oz @ sassysfantasyworld.com)
4. KATHLEEN LEWiS Organic Lip Balm ($11/.5oz @ beautyexclusive.com)
5. BOOTS 'Mediterranean' Orange Chamomile & Honey Body Wash ($6.99/6.6oz @ target.com)

In closing, here’s an interesting fact about honey: One common misconception about honey is that when it gets cloudy and crystallizes, it has gone bad. This is not true--in fact, all honey will crystallize over time. The rate of crystallization is determined by the makeup of the nectar. Some honeys will crystallize in just a few days, while others will remain liquid for years. If honey begins to crystallize, it can be liquefied by placing the container in hot water for about 15 minutes.

Crystallization occurs faster at low temperatures, so it's better to store honey at room temperature rather than to refrigerate it. It should be tightly capped to keep the honey from absorbing moisture in the air--if too much moisture is absorbed, yeasts can begin to grow. Source

Go On Vacation With Caress

CARESS Brazilian Exotic Oil Infusions Body Wash ($5.19/15oz @ drugstore.com) is one of those luxe vacation-in-a-bottle products that won’t break the bank. For me, body washes are pretty much the same and it’s usually the scent that makes it or breaks it. For the most part that is. This one blends Passion Flower Cream and the Acai Fruit oil so the formula is pretty thick. The added oils seem to hydrate well as my arms don’t feel so in need of lotion after I get out of the shower. Nice one.

Give The Gift of Soap & Paper Factory

We’re quite happy to introduce you to a new line, well, actually, if is a new line from a company we have featured on Cybelesays before. SOAP & PAPER FACTORY is the founders of Brickhouse Soap joining forces with Dewey Howards Paper. You can see each one’s specialty in the line: Beeswax Candles ($36), Scented Drawer Papers ($28) and Scented Stationary ($48) to Body Scrubs ($44), Soap Bars ($14) and Fizzing Bath Powders ($36).

Each product is thankfully hand crafted in their factory in New York and steers clear of parabens, phthalates, and petroleum. Recycled materials are also used when it comes to packaging.
The products come in six scents: Verbena, Cinnamon Clove, Fig, Orange Blossom, Rosewood and Green Tea. There are only a few lines I would consider using as gifts and I’m adding this one to the short list. Check out their easy to navigate site @ soapandpaperfactory.com

Honey, Honey Part II

HONEY facts:

• In order to produce 1 pound of honey, 2 million flowers must be visited.
• Honey is fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free.
• Not only is it quite soothing on minor burns, but can help combat infection and minimize scarring.

So using HONEY in beauty products seems like a natural fit, right? Here are some we love that love us right back in Part II of our on-going feature on products that exploit HONEY.

1. TOCCA Body Wash in Cleopatra ($19/8oz @ tocca.com)
2. AROMA M Geisha Blanche Eau de Parfum ($80/1.7oz @ luckyscent.com)
3. JUNE JACOBS Pore Refining Oatmeal Scrub ($38/3.7oz @ junejacobs.com)
4. THE BODY DELI Oatmeal and Honey Masque ($24/2oz @ thebodydeli.com)
5. LUSH Bath Bomb in Honey Bee ($6.15/6.3oz @ lush.com)

Surfin' You-Know-Where With Philosophy

Today is the first official day of summer and for me that means, my birthday. Growing up, it wasn't good to have it during this season because everyone seemed to be away on vacation. So get to thinking about who in your life has a birthday this summer. How about picking up this PHiLOSOPHY Surfer Girl Set ($35 only @ sephora.com) for her? Inside are three products with tropical scents to surely delight her and each are a nice size (no small samples here) so the wallet is happy too.

• Exfoliating Shower Gel (4oz), Shimmer Lotion (4oz), Lip Shine (.5oz)

Getting Royal With Kings & Queens

Here’s a new line to Cybelesays and it wins a lot of points when it comes to the packaging. It’s no secret that we love containers, squeeze tubes, and the like when it comes to beauty products. And this KiNGS & QUEENS line, which storms our shores from Europe, takes it to that level where each looks like a piece of pop art sitting in your bath. The line is comprised of Shower Gels, Body Butters, Body Milks (shimmering or non-shimmering), and the products themselves are based on ingredients the Royals and Nobles used to use to beautify themselves. Pomegranate, Blue Egyptian Lotus and Malachite Extracts are included in each product to uniquely nourish your skin. And the scents? That’s the best part - Caspar Myrrh, Jasmine, Nefertiti Honey, which we featured recently and Nordstrom has some in Lime and Cinnamon Orange. $9 to $15 @ asos.com

The line also has products for men so hopefully those will be available stateside soon.

Honey, Honey

I have been a long time fan of HONEY. It never spoils, it’s sweeter than sugar, and it’s packed with vitamins and antioxidants. According the wikipedia, it’s the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water. Amazing! I really think this ingredient is highly overlooked when it comes to using it in beauty products as it proven to be able to attract and absorb moisture. So here’s out first of a four-part series on HONEY and beauty products that get it:

1. KiNGS & QUEENS Nefertiti Honey ShowerGel ($10.82/10.14oz @ asos.com)
2. LE COUVENT DES MiNiMES Honey Nutritive Lip Balm ($10/.5oz @ dillards.com)
3. LUSH Honey I Washed The Kids Soap ($7.95/3.5zo @ lush.com)
4. VERiKiRA NATURALS Honey Bath Body Polish ($38/16.64oz @ verikira.com)

Flowers-A-Bloomin’

What girl doesn’t love flowers? Here are a few products that exploit some of my favorite scents ever.

• Violet - BLUE Q Violet + Quince Body Wash ($11.99/8.5oz @ blueq.com) from the Cute As Hell line.
• Passion Flower – BOOTS Passion Flower & Cupuacu Hand & Nail Cream ($9.99/8.4oz @ Target stores nationwide) from the new Amazon Forest collection.
• Jasmine – KORRES Body Butter in new Jasmine ($21/5.07oz @ sephora.com)
• Orchid – BATH & BODYWORKS Body Splash in Enchanted Orchid ($5/8oz @ bathandbodyworks.com)

Quick Pick Body - St. Ives

This one should have been filed under Heavenly Scents feature as the scent is just that, oh so nose pleasing. This oatmeal in ST. IVES Oatmeal & Shea Butter Moisturizing Body Wash ($4.55/18oz @ amazon.com) is known for soothing dry itchy skin and the Shea inside is to moisturize. Yes, this one contains the super lather agent, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, as most drugstore brands do, which I am not a big fan of but if you don’t care, this is nicely priced and does the job well.

Heavenly Nose Part … Four

What do you think when you smell a pleasing beauty product? I seem to assume that if it smells nice, it must work, right? Wrong! There are a lot of them out there that yes, they smell nice, but belong in the trash. Here’s our last installment of products that not only perform up to par but also smell heavenly.

1. C.O. BiGELOW new Body Wash in Wild Berry ($12/10oz @ cobigelow.com) from the Village Perfumer Body Care Collection
2. NOAH’S NATURALS Rosemary Mint Conditioner ($10.99/10oz @ noahsnaturals.com) from the Organic line
3. AROMAFLORiA Teakwood Foaming Body Wash ($20/8oz @ aromafloria.com)
4. BOOTH’S Shea Butter Cream Bath ($6.99/16oz @ drugstore.com)
5. LiNDEN LEAVES Ginseng and Orange Blossom Crème de la Crème Body Butter ($25.95/7oz @ lindenleaves.com)