Hair, Lips, and Cheeks.

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I've always thought of the idea of using "eco-friendly" beauty products in the same way I think of vegetarianism: it's nice and we'd all like to do it, but we're not always ready or willing to give up foods, products, etc. that we love, despite knowing all the "trouble" it took to get made and/or the side effects it could have on our bodies.

For example, when a friend in elementary school told me that Pantene used furniture wax (I have no idea where that came from) in their products, I turned the other ear because I loved Pantene. Their shampoos and conditioners gave me the softest, detangliest (yes, I just typed that) hair ever, and that's all I wanted and cared about when it came to hair products. To this day, I still use Pantene and I don't care who knows! ;)

I'm always willing to try new things, though...

Madre Labs Moisturizing Shampoo in Strawberry Oasis

Madre Labs Moisturizing Conditioner in Strawberry Oasis

Aussie 3-Minute Miracle

CHI Iron Guard

Moroccan Oil

I was sent a few Madre Labs products from iHerb.com and have been slowly testing a few products out at a time. They're all "No, No, No's" products, which means they do not contain any sulfates, parabens, dyes, animal ingredients, or involve animal testing. They also come in eco-friendly packaging and contain biodegradable ingredients. Like I said before, these were never things I'd go out of my way to look for in a shampoo or conditioner before, but since I was offered the opportunity to test out the products, what did I have to lose, right?

Both the Madre Labs shampoo and conditioner smell amazing - like strawberry fruit roll-ups :) The scent doesn't tend to linger long after, though, so I always try to enjoy it while I can while I'm in the shower. 

I find shampoos to be a difficult product to review. I mean, how much is there to say really? With the Moisturizing Shampoo, my hair feels clean afterwards but not parched, and my only qualm would be that it takes more shampoo than usual to achieve the same amount of lather. I can't complain too much, though, as I've heard that most other sulfate-free shampoos don't lather at all, and I'm a girl who loves her lather!

The Moisturizing Conditioner is super thick and really moisturizing. I would definitely say that it is more moisturizing than pretty much all of the drugstore conditioners I've tried (I only ever use drugstore shampoos and conditioner, by the way)! Both the shampoo and conditioner are currently on sale for between $8-11, so they're a bit pricier than drugstore products but definitely still affordable.

Madre Labs products are only available at iHerb.com, in case you're interested. I have a few more products to test out, and I'll review those in separate posts, so keep your eyes peeled!

The other 3 hair products in there are just ones that I've been loving at the moment:

:: Aussie 3-Minute Miracle :: I use this in place of conditioner every other time I wash my hair, and I couldn't imagine life without it. It's one of the most amazing hair deep treatments ever, and the coconut smell lingers forever!

:: CHI Iron Guard :: I spray this onto dry hair and comb through to distribute evenly, and once it's dry, I go to town with hair straighteners and curling irons! I kid, I kid...but not really. I try to use heat on my hair in moderation, but when I do, I always try to use heat protectant first. This one also has an odd, manly cologne smell to it that I love :)

:: Moroccan Oil :: I slather about a dime/nickel sized amount of this to the bottom half of my hair when it's still damp. My hair dries significantly faster (whether air dried or blow dried) with it on, and it leaves my hair feeling silky soft afterwards.

In other news, I may or may not have gone a little lip balm crazy while experiencing an annoying bout of dry lips:

C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Night Balm

C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Strawberry Tinted Lip Balm

C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Ginger Tinted Lip Balm

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in Natural Mint & Shea Butter

My super-quick-and-not-very-thorough-at-all first thoughts:

:: My Favorite Night Balm :: Smells slightly vanilla-ish, tastes delicious (don't ask me why I know), and has a really nice, moisturizing, thick consistency that stays on all through the night...in other words, AMAZING!

:: Lemon & Strawberry and Lemon & Ginger :: Both are really moisturizing, although they don't stay on very long, and the pink and "life nude" (as opposed to "lifeless nude" aka corpse lips) tints, respectively, are super effortless, easy, and flattering. They also smell (and taste) fab!

:: Jack Black :: It's smells nice and minty and provides good moisturization, but is it amazing enough to warrant all the raves? I'm not so sure yet.

And last but not least, it's not new but I've re-fallen in love with it this week and figured it deserved a mention on the good ol' blog:

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy 

(see swatch here)

See? I'm not dead! Just busy...hence the lack-o-brows. I'm wearing Tipsy blush and the Lemon & Ginger tinted lip balm, by the way :)

Disclaimer: The shampoo and conditioner were sent to me free of charge for review purposes only. I am not affiliated with either companies, nor am I getting paid for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are honest and based solely on my own experience with the products.

What are some of your hair care staples? What about a few lip balm favorites?