I have been wanting to try the California based 100% Pure product line for a while, and a few weeks back they had a huge promotion on their super fruits collection. Instead of paying ~$250 for 9 full sized products I only paid $125. Not too shabby for natural product pricing, I feel. And now I have the full line to trial! The products are geared towards anti-aging, because of the superfruit antioxidants, which at this stage in my life I’m not too concerned about, but the antioxidants certainly couldn’t hurt. Besides, the products smell lovely for spring and summer. To top it all off, the majority of their products are gluten free and vegan! (naturally they are also cruelty free)
I’ve been trialing these products for about 2 weeks now so I don’t really have a super strong sense of what these products are going to be like for me in the long run, so if my opinions change I will be sure to update this post. However, I have taken into account that each product might be interacting with each other causing breakouts. So, much to the joyous amusement of my boyfriend, I have sectioned off my face to give each product a fair go. Anyway. Here are my initial thoughts.
Starting things off is the Hydrating Body Wash in mangosteen.
This is an excellent body wash. The foaming pump is really nice and gives you the feeling of it being a conventional body wash that lathers. The mangosteen scent is light and has a hint of citrus which I like. Sadly, it really doesn’t leave much of that scent on your skin after you towel off. The only downside I can see at this point is that it, along with all of the other 100% Pure products, expires in six months. Sure, I could definitely go through this container in that time if I was using it exclusively, but I’m not really that kind of girl. This diva likes to mix things up a little.
$19 at http://www.100percentpure.com
Body Scrub in pomegranate
Warning: This product separates like no other. But that is easily remedied by giving it a really good stir with a strong spoon before you hop in the shower. The evaporated cane sugar works great as an all over exfoliating scrub. The texture reminds me very much of the Alba sugar scrubs. The only difference here is that this one is actually 100% pure and chemical free (haha, I’m so witty). The scent is a little sickly sweet for me, but for the once a week I exfoliate I can put up with it. I would repurchase this product again, but most definitely in a different scent. The contained looked massive to begin with, but I think that I’d be able to get through it before it expires even mixing it up with other scrubs.
$32 at http://www.100percentpure.com
Nourishing Body Cream in pomegranate
This is it. I have finally found my holy grail natural body lotion. In my other preview on the natural body lotions I could find, the one that I liked the best texture and hydration wise had a fair number of synthetics and derivatives, so I was never really sold on those. This combination of avocado oil, cocoa butter, grapeseed oil, and candelilla flower wax extract has be 100% sold. It is incredibly hydrating without being greasy, soaks into your skin within minutes and left my skin feeling hydrated and silky for hours! I will definitely be repurchasing this product as soon as possible to try out other scents. Seriously. This is an excellent completely natural cream with a fair number of certified organic ingredients.
$19 at http://www.100percentpure.com
Super Fruits Reparative Cream
One thing I have to say is that 100% really disappointed me in their excess of packaging. Yes, the 100% recycled cardboard tube this little cream bottle comes in is very pretty: but it is 100% not necessary. I’ve been struggling these past two weeks to try and come up with some way that I can re-use them to store something, but I’m coming up blank. If you have an idea, please let me know. That aside, this product is quite nice. The cream is very thick and hydrating which would be great in the winter, but I’m finding it a little heavy for summer. I will probaby drop it to being a night cream exclusively and just stick to the moisturizers in my suncreen. I really appreciated the pump-style of bottle: much cleaner for your face. It smelled a little funky initially, but I think it had just settled in the shipping process and now that I’ve used it for a while it smells way better. I would be interested in trying their other face creams to see if one might be a little lighter, but at $45 for 50mL’s I will have to debate on that one.
As an aside, it’s amazing how I was willing to spend upwards of $80 on a face cream before I started looking at natural products. The face cream market in the drug store, department store, spa and natural world is extremely inflated. Good grief!
Night Balm in super fruits
Anyone out there know of that pink, petroleum jelly style Avon cream? This puts that to shame. The primary ingredients must be the avocado and shae butters because this product is solid. It melts easily onto your finger when you reach in, applies really well and is intensely hydrating. It’s too bad that this expires in 6 months otherwise I’d keep it around for the intensely cold winters we have here. But for me, it is way too heavy and oily. If you have normal, combination or oily skin this might be too much for you. I could only use it for a few nights before my face broke out like crazy and let me know how clogged up my pores were. That being said, I’m definitely not going to let it go to waste. It is treating my rough heels, knees and elbows like a dream! Again, it’s gluten and dairy free.
$41 for 1.2oz at http://www.100percentpure.com
Eye Balm in super fruits
This one is very similar in ingredients and feel as the night balm. This one actually has been working well for me, though. It claims to “[work] drastically to lessen the appearance on lines and wrinkles, increase firmness and soften the eye area”. I haven’t noticed an improvement in any of the above except for the firmness and softening of my under-eye area. By the end of the day my makeup usually settles and makes my skin look crepe-like, but this as a base has never let me down so far. I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to use all off this tiny pot in 6 months because it spreads so well and you really use such a little amount. However, I will definitely be repurchasing this product when it runs out or expires, whichever comes first, because it has worked the best out of all of the eye creams I have tried (including drug store, department stores and spa brands).
$33 for 0.35oz (the semi-standard eye cream size) at http://www.100percentpure.com
Super Fruits Concentrated Serum
I have to admit that I was very hesistant to trry this one. It is primarily made up of oils and that just screams breakout to me. I tried the pomegranatte face cream from Rocky Mountain Soap Company and it went down like a lead ballon: the oils in that cream were just too much. This one, however, hasn’t broken me out yet. My skin is incredibly hydrated, though, and the fine laugh lines that I have developed really do seem reduced to me. I find that if I put this on right away in the morning, eat breakfast, check my email and do my hair first that it has soaked in enough for me to apply my make-up without issue. I use powder foundations generally, but if I were to use a liquid foundation I don’t think that I could use this serum that day.
$45 for 1floz at http://www.100percentpure.com
Alright, that’s skin care done. Now for the makeup.
Healthy Flawless Skin Foundation Powder in Peach Bisque (which is a fair skin colour with olive undertones)
I really wanted to like this foundation, but I have to give it a horrible review. It just sounded so ideal, and it smells amazing with it’s fruit pigments, but the coverage sucks even though it said it was sheer to medium (I tried building it up and it looked super cakey), the staying power is dismal, and within three or four hours it has oxidized into a truly unflattering shade of orange. I will not be repurchasing it, although I think I will save the container for other powder foundations. It was very easy to get the pallate out and I’m sure that I could re-pot a similar sized disc in this container or even some loose powder that I could press myself. The packaging is simple but beautiful with a lovely mirror on the inside.
$33 at http://www.100percentpure.com
100% Natural Juicy Lip Gloss in pomegranate
This lip gloss is lovely. It is not sticky, it is super hydrating, and the pigment lasts for a few hours (though the shine goes away pretty quick). The pomegranate colour, even though it looks super dark and intense in the tube, was the perfect amount when it applied. Not super pigmented but definitely not sheer. This shade is a little step above a neutral leaning towards a blue-red-berry shade. I really like it. I will definitely be looking into other shades from this line. I’m also curious to try their ‘cream sticks’ which are their version of lipstick.
$16 at http://www.100percentpure.com
And finally, the Fruit Pigmented Ultra Lengthening 100% Natural Mascara
Ultra Lengthening? Not so much. However, I really do like this mascara. I usually use the Zuzu mascara, but I really do like the texture of this one. The Zuzu mascara is much more dramatic and this one is much more natural looking, which will probably make it my go-to for everyday wear. The formula is quite nice, and doesn’t clump at all. I have been genetically gifted in the lashes department and I have naturally long and curly eyelashes, so I find this mascara to be a great, subtle enhancement of what I already have. I have read other reviews on this one, though, and it isn’t universally loved. It’s a little heavy, so for those without much of a natural curl you might find that it is too heavy to maintain the shape after your curl your lashes. I find that it has great staying power throughout the day and doesn’t flake and leave that awful black dusting of powder on your cheek bones that some natural mascaras do. Also I really like the packaging. It’s simple and beautiful with etched leaves and vines on a high gloss metal tube. The brush is nothing to write home about, but I prefer the natural bristle brushes to the silicone ones thaat are popular in drug store mascaras.
$23 at http://www.100percentpure.com
Thanks for making your way through that long review! I am impressed with the company overall, and find that their products are rich, natural, contain organic ingredients, and their company does have projects in promotion environmental sustainability throughout the world. However, the amount of packaging their face products come in, and the amount of shipping and styrofoam packing peanuts was disappointing. Really, 100% pure? styrofoam?
Conscious Living: Mind, Body, and Heart 