S.W. Basics of Brooklyn – Truly All-Natural Sustainable Skincare, Part 2 in business since 2009 under the name “Sprout Wellness” and the current brand name since November 2012
For part 1 of my review of this company and products click on this link:
Company Review: S.W. Basics of Brooklyn – Truly All-Natural Sustainable Skincare, Part 1
I was thrilled to hear from MacKenzie, the media gal, a couple of months ago via this blog to do another product review and also offer you an exclusive sale that expires on Wednesday night 11/20/2013, so make sure to read this post to the bottom of the page.
This company has taken a strong stance in what ingredients they use in their products and refuse to ever use any synthetic chemicals, toxic fragrances or cheap fillers. If you eat the best organic foods, you ought to most definitely do the same for your skin! The skin absorbs whatever you put on it immediately with no barrier directly/express into the bloodstream. Then if the body recognizes it as an “invader” or foreign substance, that is when the immune system kicks in, in an accelerated fashion and the “army” of antibodies has to come in to destroy what it does not like.
There is no logical explanation to keep taxing the immune system and is better to keep it calm and balanced/equilibrium. The immune system ought to be reserved for when it is absolutely necessary, why add “fuel to the fire!” It is like when you see a sign that says, “Danger! Do not enter! Minefield!” Are you going to be a “hotshot” and think that I know how to get around them and will be ok? Why put yourself in harm’s way for no reason, when you have already been warned of the likelihood to be injured? Now, you ought to understand what I mean!
Make it your New Year’s Resolution to change what you put on your skin and do the research to find the best and cleanest products. Since I have had the opportunity to reviews products and companies with high integrity and purity, you can feel confident that I am not out to sell you “a bill of goods.” I would not ever even consider reviewing a product before I research it and make sure it meets my incessant hardcore standards. This company. S.W. Basics of Brooklyn is without a doubt, one of those companies!
Here are the products I review for this post.
Eco Cotton Rounds
What an awesome idea for a product! There are enough cotton balls and rounds being sold, even though there are certified organic ones, too, they still get disposed of in the trash (they are no compostable or biodegradable ones that I am aware of). This company found a mother-daughter team that made these organic, unbleached reusable cotton rounds. They are nice and thick and very absorbent. I use it to apply toner and can also be for applying cleanser, makeup remover, etc. After use, put them in the washing machine in the little laundry bag that comes with the product. Now you will save time and money (because you do not have to drive to the store and keep buying new cotton balls/rounds) and also do something wonderful for the environment (less being disposed into the landfill). They also feel very soft against the skin (maybe next, the company will think about some other new product(s) using that same organic cotton, like a hand towel or wash cloth because it is such great quality and the best natural material).
Cream
Before I try any product on my skin, I always like to smell it. First, I read the contents, of course and with this company, there is no doubt about the purity of the ingredients (I would say that if S.W. Basic of Brooklyn, sent me a new product that had no label on it to try out before it goes to market I would not need to ask what is in it because I see their track record with all their products, so far – that is a bold statement to make and I will stand by it and take the dare/challenge, if the company want me to prove that they are truly natural by doing a “blind” product testing, I’m game! I will also record a video while doing it and try to figure out what are the ingredients – don’t forget everything is not more then 5 ingredients, so chances are I may figure some/all of them out).
This cream smelled very yummy, like coconut butter. It has only 3 ingredients: shea butter, coconut oil and olive oil. Since it does not use any water it can penetrate deep into the skin and stays there without evaporating. The shea butter is wild harvested from a Fair Trade women’s cooperative in Ghana.
When I applied it to my face, it was very thick, rich and concentrated, so I did not need to use much. These ingredients are very pure and do not clog your pores, like other commercially prepared products that “claim” they are natural and put it on their label (What a joke! Usually they have a list of ingredients a mile long and you can not pronounce them and maybe there is a drop of something that is quasi-natural because it actually is chemically derived).
Body Oil scented with lemongrass essential oil
I mentioned above that I like to smell products (one of my 5 senses, I like to use) and I also am very visual (using my sense of sight). I say this about the body oil because when I looked at the bottle it has such a beautiful vibrant and lively color. It is a deep rich yellow with a slight greenish undertone. Before I even opened the bottle, I felt nourished simply by the sight of it. Then when I took a whiff of it, the aroma was invigorating. It is also aromatherapeutic (free added bonus!) when you inhale the natural essential oils through your nasal passages.
I know they have a few different versions of the body oil that are scented and they must have known telepathically (ok, maybe I am “pushing the envelope” here, so play along and humor me!) that the scent of lemongrass takes me to an other world. A world that is filled with clean oxygen-rich air, sunshine, happiness, peace, serenity, rolling hills/mountains with fresh natural spring water free-flowing, fragrant flowers and herbs growing wild, tall grasses that I can run through and an abundance of organic wild berries that I can pick and eat to my hearts delight (I hope you enjoyed this visual escape/experience/journey I took you on simply from smelling this product).
Now, lets get back to the product. This body oil is great when you come out of the shower and best to put on your skin when it is still wet to lock in the moisture. It is made with sesame oil, grapeseed oil and avocado oil (also scented versions with either clove, peppermint or lemongrass). I loved how light it is going on, absorbed into my skin and made it feel soft and smooth.
Thanks to Adina, Adam and MacKenzie for the opportunity to do another review and I hope to do more in near future!
Please check out their website http://www.swbasicsofbk.com for more information about all the skincare products and their fantastic story. You can also Scroll down this page and on right-hand side you will find the link there, under the column titled Blogroll.
The company is offering an exclusive sale on their website to my blog viewers so don’t delay, especially if you have some holiday gifts in mind. Anything you buy from this company is a good investment for the health of you skin and your body (as the skin is the largest organ and whatever we put on the surface gets absorbed into the body immediately!). The code below is for 15% off products and will be good for ONLY 3 days, until Wednesday, November 20th 2013 at 11:59pm EST on the button.
Code: RAWSOME15
I also did a video review on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/TheRawsomeVeganGal
Subscribe to my youtube channel if you have a Gmail, Google+, Picasa, YouTube, Orkut or Google Chrome account and then you can also leave a comment and like my videos.
Disclaimer: I was not sponsored to write this, but I did receive a sample of the product(s). These are strictly my opinions. I only review products that I, myself would use and purchase.
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