BEAUTY: October Terra Bella Box

What you apply on your skin matters, beauty-wise, health-wise, and environmental-wise. Natural beauty products grant us assurance that there are no harsh chemicals present that would absorb into our bodies. Additionally, when beauty products wash off they can accumulate in nature, shifting sensitive ecological balances necessary for creatures to live.

For me, 2015 has been a trial period for natural beauty products. I decided that I wanted to become better informed with the function and origin of ingredients in my beauty products so I could know what I was putting on my body.

During my science career I’ve really understood something that is true for many things in life:

small things accumulate over time.

Small doses are okay, usually, because they are not concentrated in the body. Small doses repeated over a long course of time can cause imbalances. Since applying makeup, lotions, sunblock, and bath products are a morning/evening ritual for so many people daily, I wonder: Where do all of these chemicals end up? In our skin? Within our waterways? Either thought is worrying.

A couple months ago I had an idea of how cool it would be if someone created a monthly subscription box hosting all natural products. I did a light search and was so happy to be introduced to Terra Bella Box, a monthly subscription box that has 5-6 products that are made from all-natural ingredients! Most products are handmade, cruelty-free, vegan, and are really great quality! Terra Bella Box even includes a note to remind us that all ingredients in each product are FDA approved and are considered safe according to the cosmetics database of environmental working group at ewg.org.

The ability to try so many types of natural products monthly is a great way to ease into the realm of natural beauty since you can sample so many products at once, and then buy your absolute favorites. The experience of getting a special box each month in the mail and opening it up to surprise products is a joyful thing, too! ✿

I received the October box, and I decided I would try all of these products out for a pampering day of self-care. I started out by using the Batty’s Bath Dead Sea Mud Mask, a cooling, soothing mask, and then applying the Bare Bones Body Care Toner.

I washed my hands with the Soap Cauldron, which smells like fall-heaven, then used the two eyeshadows, Hex Potions on my lid and Blackbird Cosmetics on the inner corners. Both eyeshadows are vegan and cruelty free with a beautiful sheen to them.

I finished it off with a bit of whipped pumpkin-vanilla lip butter by Live Beautifully. None of the products caused redness to my sensitive skin, and it felt pure, so to speak, to apply these products. It feels so great to use products that I know are not causing exponential damage to my health or the environment. 🙂

I was able to talk to Kate, the owner of Terra Bella Box, and she set up a special coupon code, “DAISY”, to receive $3 off the month-to-month subscription price of Terra Bella Box! It does not apply to Terra Bella Box Lite and it can be used at checkout. For sale updates from the source, you can catch Terra Bella Box on Twitter and Instagram. If you’re interested in experimenting with all natural beauty products and introducing new ethical companies into your life, I think Terra Bella Box is a great way to play with eco-friendly products! Xo,