Month: October 2017

Nature’s Gate Aloe Vera Body Wash Review

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I have a review for the Nature’s Gate Body Wash in the Aloe Vera scent. I purchased this product from the online store Vitacost, which I love for finding a wide variety of vegan products. I had never tried any products from Nature’s Gate before, but I liked that I got a big, 18oz bottle of body wash for around $5.00. Let me share with you more about this product, and my experience using it.

The Nature’s Gate Body Wash comes in a large pump bottle. In addition to being vegan, the product is also made with wholistic beauty in mind. I decided to purchase the Aloe Vera scent, as I figured it wouldn’t be a heavy fragrance. I really like that Nature’s Gate does not add any synthetic fragrances to its products. I also hoped that the Aloe Vera variety would be on the moisturizing side, since the plant is naturally hydrating.

Overall, this is a nice body wash. I use about 2-3 pumps on a loofa and it produces a lot of lather. The scent of this product reminds me of the Flintstones vitamins I used to take as a child! While that is a bit odd, it definitely does not bother me. The scent also does not linger on the skin once you get out of the shower.

My biggest surprise with this body wash is that it is quite drying. I expected it to be more hydrating than other body washes I’ve tried since it is made with aloe vera, but my skin is quite dried out when I get out of the shower. I make sure to apply a body lotion after washing to combat the dryness. Thus, while I will use this whole bottle of body wash, I do not see myself repurchasing it. I love that it is affordable and convenient to use with the pump dispenser, but I will be trying something more hydrating in the future.

What is your favorite body wash? Let me know in the comments!

Save $10 on your first Vitacost purchase when you use my referral link HERE.

 

Vegan Recipes I’ve Tried and Loved | Fall Dinner Ideas

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Food Friday! Today I am excited to continue on with my series where I share with you vegan recipes I’ve tried and loved. It can be really time consuming to search for the perfect recipe online. In fact, I comb through dozens of recipes before I find one that I hope will work for me! Today I’m saving you some time and sharing four fall dinner recipes I highly recommend. Each of these recipes is simple to make, but absolutely delicious. I still consider myself to be a beginner cook, so if I find these recipes manageable, there is a very good change you will, too. Let me share these vegan recipes that are perfect for fall with you!

Easy, Healthy Vegetarian Lentil Soup Recipe [LINK]

I haven’t always been a big fan on lentils, but I definitely want to find new ways to enjoy them since they are an amazing source of plant-based protein and other vitamins and minerals. I began with this super easy soup from The Spruce. If you are new to making soup, this is a great place to start. There are less than ten ingredients, and the recipe is easy to customize as well. I found this lentil soup to be very tasty!

 

Curried Potato & Lentil Soup (1-Pot!) Recipe [LINK]

I then kicked my lentil game up a notch by trying this amazing soup from Minimalist Baker. This curry-flavored soup is still quite simple to make, but it is so flavorful and packed with amazing fall foods. I left out the ginger and coconut sugar, and used sweet potatoes and green kale. I cannot stress how delicious this soup is! I highly recommend trying this if you are looking for a unique soup that is a bit on the spicier side.

Easy Chickpea Curry Recipe [LINK]

Another curry dish that I’m loving lately is from the website Say Yes. My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me, and it is an easy dinner to whip together in a short amount of time. As per my sister-in-law’s suggestion, I add about one cup of coconut milk to the curry recipe. I did use dried ginger the first time I made this, but I’m going to skip that step in the future. I’m not a huge fan of ginger, and this dish can easily go without it and still be very flavorful. I served the curry over Indian style rice (my favorite is Kasmati from RiceSelect). I really love this dinner, and it also heats up really well for leftovers. Throw in some different veggies each night to keep it interesting!

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce Recipe [LINK]

Last but not least is this amazing spaghetti squash dish from the blog Lean Green Nutrition Fiend. I love anything pumpkin based in the fall, and this was a fun new way to eat it! I would describe this dish as a plant-based macaroni and cheese. I, of course, made the recipe using Nutritional Yeast instead of cow’s cheese, and I left out the red pepper flakes. This isn’t a recipe I would make all the time since it has a very distinctive flavor, but I will definitely be making it again at some point. If you’re looking for a festive autumn dish, this is perfect!

That wraps up my four vegan dinner recommendations for the fall season. I hope you discovered a new yummy meal to make! I will have another blog post very soon featuring all of the sweet treats I’ve tried lately, so make sure to follow my blog to see when that goes live. As always, if you try one of these recipes, please tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter so I can see your creation!

What is your favorite fall food? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Makeup Remover Review

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Wednesday! Today I’m excited to share a review of The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Makeup Remover with you. I purchased this product a few months ago when I was having a difficult time removing my mascara (see my full haul HERE). Since I’ve decided not to purchase makeup remover wipes for a while, a dedicated eye makeup remover was definitely needed. The Body Shop offers many vegan products, so it is one of my favorite places to buy skincare products at an affordable price. Let me share a bit more about this product with you, and let you know my experience with it.

The Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Makeup Remover is formulated to remove all traces of makeup quickly and gently. This product is fragrance free and suitable for sensitive skin, which I really love. To use, shake the product thoroughly and apply to a cotton round. I use this regularly for removing eye makeup, but haven’t tested it much for removing lip products. Thus, my experience is based on eye makeup only.

Overall, I think this is a good eye makeup remover. I really appreciate that it is gentle and fragrance free. However, I do find that it doesn’t take off all of my mascara. Whenever I use this product, I can still see traces of mascara on my lashes. I do try to get it all off by gently massaging the cotton round on my lashes, but I avoid rubbing the eye area too vigorously. Nonetheless, I’m able to get off the majority of mascara with this product, and I also sweep the cotton round through my eyebrows quickly to dissolve my brow gel.

In the end, I do recommend The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Makeup Remover if you have sensitive skin. It does a good job at removing the majority of my eye makeup, but it does not remove all traces of mascara. I would consider repurchasing this in the future, but I hope to try at least one other eye makeup remover to see how it compares. This product retails for $18.00 at The Body Shop, but make sure to shop during one of the store’s many coupon events for big savings. You can also buy this product at Ulta HERE for $15.00.

What is your favorite eye makeup remover? Let me know in the comments!

This post includes an Ulta affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Busy Beauty Showerless Shave Gel Review

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Monday! Today I have a review of the Busy Beauty Showerless Shave Gel. The brand sent me this product to try, and I was so excited to receive it! I love the idea of a product that lets you shave without using any water. Not only does it make shaving more convenient, but it is better for the environment as well. Let me tell you more about the Showerless Shave Gel, and share my experience using this product with all of you.

The Busy Beauty Showerless Shave Gel is a shave gel and moisturizer in one. To use, simply spread the gel over the area you would live to shave, and shave as usual. Once you are done shaving, smooth the excess gel into the skin as you would any other lotion. I love that the shave gel is vegan, and it is great that the packaging is designed with travel in mind. The full size is 3.4 oz, and is thus TSA approved for your 3-1-1 bag! Busy Beauty also states that this product is safe for sensitive skin.

The Showerless Shave Gel is a clear gel that applies easily. I love that I cannot detect any added fragrance in this product. As for the shaving experience, the razor glided smoothly over the gel, and I didn’t have any issues with bumps, nicks, or burn. I was also pleasantly surprised with how nicely the gel dries down as a moisturizer – it isn’t at all sticky!

I am, however, extremely disappointed that water is needed even when shaving with this Showerless Shave Gel. As you can see on the product’s packaging, “No Water Needed,” is a big claim made by Busy Beauty. Unfortunately, my razor got clogged with shave gel and hair quite quickly, and in order to get it out I needed to rinse it in water. Depending on how much you are shaving, you will need to rinse your razor a few times during the shaving process. Thus, while no water is needed for the shaving, it is needed in the overall process.

Overall, I am happy with the Busy Beauty Showerless Shave Gel even though I am disappointed that some water is needed. I think this is the ideal product for touch-ups, or those moments when you really want to shave, but don’t have time to shower. I still shave in the shower on a regular basis, but will definitely use this product on occasion, especially when traveling. You can learn more about Busy Beauty on the brand’s website HERE. The Showerless Shave Gel retails for $14.99, but is on sale for $11.24 on Amazon HERE as I write this post.

I want to hear from you in the comments – do you shave in the shower or outside of it?!

Let me know what you think of this Showerless Shave Gel!

The product in this post was provided for my unbiased review. This post includes an Amazon affiliate link. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.