Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Lavera Organic Liquid Foundation Review

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It’s not uncommon for me to get questions from readers about how to go green when it comes to makeup. My typical response has been to try mineral makeup. I have used a powder-based foundation from a well-known company off and on for  years, and I always notice that my skin looks and feels great whenever I use it. Plus, it has far fewer chemicals than most other foundations.

But, I do find it to lack the overall coverage that I can get from most liquid foundations, and sometimes I really want that coverage. In those cases, I haven’t personally known about a quality “green” liquid foundation.

lavera review for liquid foundation

Until now! There’s a fantastic natural beauty company called Lavera that I’m excited to share with you. They are based in Germany, and in 2008 and 2009 they ranked as the #1 green beauty brand based on testing of product ingredients, beating out over 33 other brands. They are certified by BDIH, which is the toughest certification process in the entire world for making sure products are green. So let there be no doubt, the products on the Lavera site are really and truly eco-friendly!

I was pretty blown away by their vast selection of green beauty products, but what really caught my attention was their organic liquid foundation.  From their site, “This hydrating foundation blends easily and hides imperfections, creating a porcelain-smooth canvas. Free-radical fighting argan oil, organic blossom butter and vitamins A, C and E protect, rejuvenate and nourish skin.”

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when something sounds too good to be true in the makeup department, I worry that it won’t really work. I was genuinely nervous about this foundation before it arrived. I feared it would have the coverage of a tinted moisturizer at best, or that it would lack the staying power of a more typical liquid foundation.

I’m so pleased to report that these things are untrue for Lavera liquid foundation! This stuff has held its own beautifully against my other liquid foundations. It lasts just as long as everything else and provides the level of coverage I want.

I have the porcelain shade, which is slightly pale for me right now, but will be perfect in a few months for winter. I would like to see Lavera come out with more shades than they currently offer, as I think their selection is a bit limited (it is currently offered in 5 shades). I do think that if Lavera wants to become as popular in the United States as it is in Europe, more shades are a must!
But as far as the quality goes, I’m very impressed. The liquid foundation is available for $22.50, which puts it in a similar category as department store brands. And you can be assured that this foundation leaves the chemicals you don’t want or need off your face. Lavera offers a 30 day “love it” guarantee, so if you try the makeup and don’t feel the same way I do about it, you can return it for a refund. I love when companies have policies like this, because it is a pretty good indication that dissatisfaction is a rare occurrence!

Win it!: Here’s your chance to win your very own organic liquid foundation from Lavera!
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Luxury Skincare at Drugstore Prices

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Picnic Basket Crafts is a business after my own heart. Tiffany Norton produces quality luxury skincare products, while striving to tread very lightly on both the environment and your wallet! What’s not to love about that?! Tiffany has a background in the sciences as a biology and chemistry teacher. Her potion making skills have helped her to create an incredible line of natural skincare products. Tiffany says of her small price tags, “I’ve pared down my recipes to just the essentials, and then use the highest quality oils I can get. Nothing fancy!” So basically she skips all the unnecessary stuff and passes along the savings to you. Awesome.

I received several samples of her products to try out for myself. Everything was beautifully yet sensibly packaged in a pretty stitched brown paper envelope. I spent several days trying out each sample, and really had fun doing so.

First I’d like to tell you about her handmade oatmeal & cocoa butter soap. This soap is absolutely ideal for brand new parents, and I’ll tell you why: it doesn’t have a scent! Still confused? Well, the most highly developed sense that babies have at birth, and for the first 6 weeks or so of life, is the sense of smell. Primary caregivers should avoid perfumed products during that period of time, as it could confuse or frustrate your baby when s/he is trying to memorize (and enjoy!) your scent, which smells absolutely heavenly to your baby. I also found the soap to lather quite well. And please note the price for a thick piece of this soap…$3.00! Score!

Next up is the night time eye serum. I used this eye serum for several nights in a row.The serum is something that needs to go on at night, because it takes it a long while to fully soak in, and you only need the tiniest amount, so a bottle will last forever. Tiffany says of the ingredients, “Each component of the formula is carefully chosen for it’s mildness, safety, and reputation for providing healing and therapeutic benefits to dry, aging, and sensitive skin. Included in this list of wonder oils is my very own brew of calendula-infused olive oil, along with carrot seed essential oil, rice bran oil, vitamin E, pomegranate essential oil, and jojoba oil, and other great gifts from nature.” She also noted that this serum can also help with other skin problems, such as stretch marks, scars, rashes, scrapes and burns. I really love a product that can multi-task. And once again, let me just point out the price tag for a small vial of this wonder elixir: $3.75! Unbelievable!

The third product I tried was the healing facial creme for seriously sensitive skin. The first thing I noticed when I opened the package was a light avocado smell. Avocado oil is actually one of the ingredients in this cream, and Tiffany says that it is “one of the most moisturizing of oils, and gentle enough to use in infant products.” There are also other amazing ingredients in this cream such as calendula infused olive oil, apricot kernel oil, chamomile essential oil and cucumber extract, which is actually the reason that the creme has a greenish tint! The price also can’t be beat: $12.00 for 2 ounces. I shudder to think about what I have forked over in the past for lotions that were full of synthetic junk and didn’t work half as well as this product.

Tiffany had two products geared towards babies for me to try out on Darah. The first product I tried was the oatmeal and calendula baby bath bag. Tiffany says, “This special formula is made for sensitive, damaged, or irritated skin of all ages. Whether you have a baby with diaper rash, a toddler with eczema, or a teenager with poison oak, this super gentle bath soak will ease symptoms, moisturize skin, and promote healing.” While Darah isn’t experiencing any skin problems at the moment, I thought I’d still try this out in her bath. It is made from such wonderful products that it is sure to be good and soothe her skin, regardless! The bath bag had a very light oatmeal scent. She ended up sitting on the bag in her baby bath, which is probably why it broke apart about 7 minutes into her bath. But it honestly wasn’t a big deal, as the stuff inside the bag was very fine. No residual bits were still on her skin when we pulled her out of the bath. She didn’t have any reaction to the ingredients. I have one more package that I’m going to save for her first diaper rash breakout. I’m confident that it will help her feel better. Tiffany offers 5 tea bags for $6.00. This is another great deal, and an excellent product to have on hand for breakouts.

I also tried the baby and boo boo balm. This is another multi-tasking product. It is great to help prevent and treat diaper rash, but is also handy to help with rashes, chapped cheeks, nipples and noses, burns, scrapes, bruises, bumps and other skin problems. The smell is light, and the product works just as well as other diaper rash creams I have used. One ounce is only $5.00, and this is another product that doesn’t need to be slathered on to get the effect you seek.

Finally, I got to try out Tiffany’s newest product, the therapeutic facial scrub. So as I was applying this scrub in the bath, some definitely got in my mouth. Oops! But I’m pleased to say that it didn’t taste gross and awful like other face care products do (What? You’ve never accidentally eaten your face cream like I have?) Actually, it tasted rather sweet, and that’s probably because it is made with organic cane sugar. This scrub was not messing around in terms of its exfoliating power. I was really impressed with that. I did get a little nervous when I started to rinse it off, because I quickly noticed that my skin felt like it had a whole lot of oil on it. I decided to just calm down and follow the directions, which were to rinse my face and then pat it dry. I’m so glad I didn’t freak out and try to wipe off the residue, because after I patted dry, my face felt seriously supple. I kept touching my face every 2 minutes for the next hour. Twelve hours later, when I got out of bed to start the next day, I felt my skin. Still soft! Wow!

Buy It!
Picnic Basket Crafts offers truly luxurious natural products for drugstore prices. Such a combo is extremely hard to find! Check out all the awesome products she makes! For the duration of this contest, Tiffany is offering Stuff Parents Need readers 10% off their purchase price (less shipping). The prices were already a bargain, but this makes them a steal!

Win It!
One lucky reader is going to win a $10 gift certificate from Picnic Basket Crafts. I am sooo jealous! The contest will run until Sunday, November 15th at 7:59pm CST, when the winner will be chosen at random and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be selected. You must include your email address in your comment or make sure it is listed in your profile! You must complete the mandatory entry in order for any subsequent entries to be counted. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:
Mandatory entry: Go check out Picnic Basket Crafts. Come back here and tell me what product you covet the most (it will be hard to choose!)

Additional Entries:
1. Share this post via any of the venues at the bottom of this post (digg, stumbleupon, twitter etc.). Leave one comment with a link for each way that you shared or your username on these sites!
2. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS. Leave a comment with your email address for the subscription (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
3. Make a purchase at Picnic Basket Crafts (5 entries, so leave 5 comments!)

Disclosure: I received samples of the reviewed items for the purpose of writing the review. No additional compensation was received for this post.