Hello all! Happy Thursday!

I hope your week is going well so far. For some reason, I was totally not feeling the WIAW yesterday; I actually started the post, but became bored with myself and stopped writing it. Hah. We all have those days, I suppose.

Anyway, for this week’s Thursday Thoughts, I thought it might be fun to do some product reviews. A massive part of my blog schtick (actually, the reason I even started blogging) is allergies. Typically people think of allergies as being related to food, when really, so many things can trigger a reaction. For me, skin care is a huge category in which I often get stuck. Recently, I’ve branched out and tried some products that I find really great, so I wanted to share them with you, too! Hopefully, if you’re like me and feeling stumped, these reviews will help you find some new skin care products to try. 🙂

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Yes To Carrots

A few weeks ago, I purchased a LivingSocial deal that gave me $30 worth of merchandise from Yes To for half the price. I’d been wanting to try natural skin products for a while, so I figured I’d go for it. Here’s what I bought:

Lip balm (in melon, mint, berry, and pomegranate)

Can be found here: http://bit.ly/15GyeHX

I’ve mentioned before that for the past decade or so, I’ve been physically addicted to a certain type of Blistex. (It’s kind of embarrassing.) While I’m not having any negative reactions to it, I decided that it might be good to begin using a lip balm that doesn’t have so many freaky ingredients in it. I’ve been highly satisfied with all of these Yes To lip balms so far. They all smell so nice, and I’ve noticed the pomegranate gives my lips a nice sheen – kind of like a gloss.

That said, I’m not sure I would go out of my way to buy these balms again. My lips dry out relatively quickly (as compared to the Blistex I use) and they don’t contain SPF, which is a bummer. I am very glad I gave them a try, though, and overall am very satisfied.

Grapefruit body scrub

Can be found here: http://bit.ly/1bxfwZ5

I love this stuff. I use it in the shower on my legs and arms and it makes my skin so soft. The smell is really great, too. It’s borderline perfume-y, but fresh and natural. Normally I can’t get near perfume without it hurting my chest and making my nose go crazy, but I have no problem with this product. I haven’t used it on my face (my most sensitive skin) for fear of a negative reaction, but maybe I will someday!

Cucumber cleanser

Can be found here: http://bit.ly/17qDCSl

Unlike the grapefruit scrub, I’ve only used this product on my face. It took a lot of guts for me to try that, because like I said, my face is suuuuper sensitive. This cleanser has a really light feel to it, it lathers well, and it leaves my face feeling so fresh and clean. The smell is like the grapefruit scrub, in that it smells luxurious but still natural. I haven’t gone crazy with the scrubbing (instead, I’ve squirted it onto a washcloth and applied it that way) just because I’m afraid I might react negatively. However, I feel pretty confident using it frequently – my skin usually lets me know immediately if it’s unhappy!

Kiss My Face

Can be found here: http://bit.ly/14zLf5S

Now this product is a bit different. I purchased it initially because I wanted a natural lotion to use on my face. Before I’d been using Eucerin, which was great for my sensitivity, but contains alcohol, parabens, etc. that I knew couldn’t be good for my skin in the long run. So, when I got this Kiss My Face moisturizer, I used it on my face after a shower. My skin started tingling and burning, and while that subsided after a little bit, that’s not a good sign. I now only use this product on my legs and arms. It works great, keeps my skin feeling soft and moisturized, and smells very clean. I just wish I could use it on my face!

Everyone Lotion (EO Products)

Orange + Mint

Can be found here: http://bit.ly/16M3DLQ

First off, I love the smell of this lotion. It smells fresh and clean, and (this is weird) kind of like Froot Loops. Which I think is a huge perk. 😉 I’ve been using it on my arms every night for the past few months, and have noticed a definite change in my skin: it looks more radiant and healthy than it ever has. While I can’t find a fault with this lotion, I will say that my mom (who is ten times more sensitive to perfume, if you can imagine that) can’t take the smell. I would say that, on average, though, people with sensitivities to smells would probably be ok with this lotion.

Sea Salt Scrub (Norwex)

I couldn’t access the product online, but here is the site for Norwex: http://bit.ly/16QKkTs

I actually got this product last night – perfect timing for being in this review! That said, I’ve only used it once, but I’m a big fan. It smells wonderful (it has citrus essential oils), only has five ingredients (!), and made my skin feel sooo soft. The sea salt was quite rough, so I’d only use this once or twice a week.

Coconut Oil

Can be found here: http://bit.ly/18w4Mbw

This might sound pretty boring, especially in comparison to these other products, but bear with me. Ever since I started wearing make-up (so, summer before 9th grade), I’ve gone through six different types of make-up removers, including wipes, oil-free washes, and facial cleansers. After using each of these for two years or so, my skin freaks out, swells and/or dries up, and basically tells me it’s time to switch…again. I got so fed up with this that I’ve begun using coconut oil. I place a dollop on my fingers, allow it to melt, and then rub it on my eyes to get the makeup off. I wash my face, and then use petroleum jelly to finish the job. This combo works great, and bonus!, it smells like a tropical beach. Yum. 🙂

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I obviously have so much to say about each of these products. Thankfully, it’s pretty much all positive! Now, I need some advice from all of you.

When we were on vacation a few weeks ago, I learned that I have extreme sensitivities to sunscreen. I noticed this a bit last summer, but while on vacation, I developed an awful rash on my upper arms, chest, and neck. It itched and burned like ca-RAZY, and it got to the point where I chose not to go out into the sun at all. (By the way, that’s not a fun way to spend a beach vacation.) Do any of you have a hypo-allergenic sunscreen you like?

Thanks for reading! I hope you found some of this information helpful.

Have a great day!

*Edited to add: I have not been compensated for these product reviews. I simply wanted to share my thoughts with you all!