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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Review: S.W. Basics of Brooklyn

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Adina Grigore started S.W. Basics of Brooklyn because she had sensitive skin. She needed products that had very little ingredients and were pure. Although she wasn’t sure if anyone else would like her products, she gave them out to friends and family. But people loved them! It turns out that others needed the same thing. Her products are made once a week, in small batches and in glass jars with products that support sustainable farms.

I have to say this, after looking around her website, this woman has a great sense of humor. If you go to her FAQ page, read around for a while and you will get a good laugh. Most business woman don’t talk like she does!

 

Cleanser 1 oz. $12.00/ 4 oz. $24.00

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The S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Cleanser is about as simple as it gets. It has 3 ingredients in it. It is made of organic rosewater, organic glycerin and organic tea tree oil. Completely gentle, non-drying to the skin and has no alcohol in it. It smells amazing too! The directions say to shake well, apply with cotton and rinse off with water. I am a person who wears a full face of makeup. On days when I am wearing a lot of makeup this is not the cleanser that I need to be using. It cleanses okay but I felt I needed another cleanser first to get my makeup off (I didn’t get to try the makeup remover). I did love this in the morning when I didn’t have any makeup on. It works well for those who don’t have a lot of acne. If someone has a lot of acne he/she will need more cleansing than this can provide, the tea tree oil is good for bacteria but severe blemishes need a keratolytic agent, such as salicylic acid. I think this cleanser is a moderately good cleanser for normal, dry, oily and sensitive skins without any problems. If you do wear a lot of makeup then you need to use the S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Makeup Remover which comes in 1 oz. for $10.00 or 2 oz. for $14.00.

Toner 1oz. $12.00/ 4oz. $24.00

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Toner is usually thought of as something that is a non-essential part of a skincare regimen. I happen to like toner when the ingredients are good. Toner CAN be great. S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Toner is one of those toners! Made of only 5 ingredients, it neutralizes the pH level in the skin, helps to keep skin less dry and less oily. It is made of water, organic raw apple cider vinegar, witch hazel from Wild Crops Farm, Mo, essential oils of sandalwood and clary sage. This toner is great for acne as sandalwood has been shown to help kill acne bacteria. I definitely think this toner is wonderful for night use, to help skin recover from cleansing (which can strip the skin of essential oils and alter the pH level). Directions say to shake well, apply to a cotton pad and the to face after cleansing. Cloudiness in the product is normal and nothing to be worried about. Even though it has the vinegar odor, I love this product!

 

Cream 1 oz. $12.00/ 3.75 oz. $32.00

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I have to be honest. I wasn’t sure this could be a good cream for me at first. It is unlike any other cream you will ever find. Made with wildcrafted unrefined shea butter (Fair Trade), extra-virgin coconut oil and extra-virgin olive oil. The last two ingredients are organic. Because there is no water as a base, your skin shouldn’t feel dry after the cream has been absorbed. This cream will sink into the skin and stay on top of the epidermis where it needs to be, keeping the skin moisturized. It does take some warming up, as it is a solid consistency. For me I think this would be a great cream for those with normal, dry and very dry skin. Especially those with dry to very dry skin would be okay with it. Oilier skins might not like it as much. It takes getting used to because it is a little bit different, but if you are interested in very organic creams with little ingredients, this is right up your alley.

Organic Lip Balm $4.00-$15.00

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In the blogging game I get to sample a large number of lip balms. Which is good, since my lips seem to be eternally parched. My new favorite lip balm is S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Cocoa Lip Balm. It has 3 ingredients. This one is made only with cocoa butter, coconut oil and beeswax. It is certified organic. I love it because it goes on smoothly and stays on for a long time. It keeps my lips moisturized because coconut oil acts as a humectant. There are different variations on this balm: citrus, cinnamon and peppermint. Personally, I would love the citrus. I am a lemon freak!

They also have a tin of all four “flavors”, called the Certified Organic Lip Balm Flight!

To sum up, I am happy with the items I was able to try from S.W. Basics of Brooklyn. It was a “this is something I need to try and learn about” kind of thing. This line is not your “normal” skincare line but I think if you are looking for something different and if you ARE having issues with products because of preservatives, dyes, fragrances, etc. then it might be worthwhile to take a look and see what they have to offer. There is a large number of other products here that I did not go into, mainly one that I did get to try a sample of and also love (Exfoliant) when I reviewed another website. This line is carried on a number of natural websites that specialize in natural skincare. Please go and take a look at S.W.Basics of Brooklyn at www.swbasicsofbk.com. Follow them on Twitter at @SWBasicsofBK and find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swbasics.

(products were sent for consideration)

3 comments:

  1. The Lip Balm sounds lovely, I'm a massive Cinnamon fan so I'd love to try that one! Great review :)

    Jess xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I like the plain one a lot. It is a nice lip balm. It is amazing what they can put together with just a couple of ingredients!

      Delete

  2. Thank you so much! That did the trick, you saved me more endless hours of searching for a fix.

    Makeup Removing Cleanser

    ReplyDelete

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