Newest Additions to my Beauty Arsenal

One of the things Fran of Hey Fran Hey and The Friend Zone Podcast is known for is recommending great products to her social media following, and we all appreciate her for it because she's well-respected on this internet streets. I would have never heard of Kuumba Made , or have been interested in buying it, if it weren't for her.

Based out of Tucson, Arizona, Kuumba Made has been creating all natural products using herbs grown on organic farms or wild harvested, for over 25 years. Their fragrance oils are very concentrated, so the smell lingers for hours. Since Fran spoke so highly of the brand, I didn't mind driving waaay on the other side of town to buy a couple bottles of them. You can pick them up at Whole Foods, but since the Whole Foods near my apartment didn't have them, I drove to the next closest location, which technically isn't all that close. But, it was totally worth it. They have a variety of scents, so I plan to pick a couple more up in the near future! You can definitely wear these fragrance oils in place of those expensive bottles of perfume. Look, the goal is to smell delicious, right? Who cares how you achieve that smell?

Andalou Naturals is a brand that I previously tried one day on a whim. I purchased their Meyer Lemon Creamy Cleanser about a month ago while window shopping, and I really love the smell of this product. And I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but when I first saw this product sitting on the shelf, I wanted to buy it because I loved the pretty green packaging. But it's more than just wanting a product wrapped in lovely packaging; the product needs to live up to the hype, and I kind of dig this one. And if you didn't know, I'm always interested in trying out a skincare product when Vitamin C is included in the formula.

I managed to snag a jar of their renewal cream for $9.99 (regularly priced at $24.95). This stuff feels great on my skin, and the smell is pleasant as well. Andalou is fairly inexpensive, gluten free (if that's your thing), vegetarian and cruelty free, and gentle on the skin. I like to use mild products because my skin can be quite moody at times.

Both products are a thumbs up in my book, and won't break the bank. Score.

The sage! How could I forget to mention the sage? I finally picked up a white sage smudge stick recently (as you can see in the photos). I recently discovered this adorable hippy dippy store right around the corner that sells everything from incense, to buddhas, to money tree plants, to salt lamps, to crystals, and everything else under the sun. Amazing, this store's been right under my nose the whole time, and I've never thought to go in there until the young lady at the plant nursery that I frequent told me about it. It was a pleasant surprise when I initially walked into the store. Lots of cool items. I haven't burned the smudge stick yet, but soon. Very soon.