This is the second Project Natural Glow Product Review I am doing. You can find the last one here!
I got this Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap at my Loblaws grocery store in the natural food section. It cost me about $3.95 CAD for this very large block of soap. I figured that it would be worth the cost seeing as it will probably last me a very long time!
I spent a while reading the various soaps and I was sold on this one because it had the shortest ingredient list and no perfume added to it. Much like my food, I like ingredients lists that are short and that I can pronounce! :) It contains no animal ingredients, has not been tested on animals, and has no artificial colours.
Here’s the massive block:
It’s huge!
Because of the soap’s size, it was difficult to hold. I popped it into our soap holder and it was so much better.
Not the actual holder, but you get the idea:
And then I use an exfoliating glove on my hand, and I rub the wet soap with the glove (or I also use my shower puff too). This way I am not trying to hold the large soap block and have it fall all over the place.
What I thought of the soap:
- Right away I noticed how moisturizing this soap was. Which I guess is not a huge surprise given that it is made from olive oil! It was like no other soap I have used. I guess I was used to the cheapie soaps my dad used to buy. ;) This soap felt great going on and lathered quite a bit. The only downside is that it gets quite gooey when wet, and I noticed a bit of buildup on the shower. So I have to be extra careful to rinse the shower after each use. The first time I used it, I didn’t put any moisturizer on (coconut oil) because I wanted to test to see how my skin would feel with just the olive oil soap.
- To my surprise my skin felt so smooth and soft after my shower. It wasn’t dry or tight feeling unlike my skin using other bar soaps.
- While I don’t like how gooey this soap gets, it is a factor I am willing to overlook because I honestly feel so great using this all natural product. It is very similar to my coconut oil as a moisturizer, because I know exactly what I am putting on my body.
- This bar will probably last me a very long time…and I mean for under $4 bucks CAD I would say it is definitely worth it. The large sized bar also cuts down on packaging too. I like that the company doesn’t put the soap bar in a box, which contributes to further waste.
- I also used the olive oil soap on my face for about 4-5 days in a row to see how it was. It made my face very soft, but I think it may have caused a few small pimples on my forehead. I really don’t know for sure though, I mean it could have been from anything, right? Maybe the oil clogged my pores or something. I guess I will stick to using it on my body for now.
So there you have it, my first experience with a Kiss My Face product. :)
It is funny, I have only been doing this challenge for a week now, and I already feel so much better about what I am putting on my skin. It makes me happy each time I use a natural product because I know that I am not harming myself or any animals in the process. :)
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A reader named Natalie also sent me this very helpful email about ingredients in our common cosmetic products:
“This link might help explain the confusing list of ingredients you see on bottles of shampoo, body wash, conditioner, body lotion etc.
http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/list
I keep a card in my wallet that came with a Burt’s Bees purchase which indicates which ingredients to avoid such as:
cleansers: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium myreth sulfate
petrochemicals: petrolatum, mineral oil, parrafin
preservatives: parabens (all of them), DMDM hydantoin
chemical sunscreens: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octinoxate
moisturizers: propylene glycol, butylene glycol, polyisbutene
I hope this was helpful!”
Thanks Natalie! I printed the pocket guide and have it in my purse for easy reference when buying future products.
My next big all natural purchase is probably going to be FOUNDATION! I love foundation and I am not willing to give it up. I have a feeling it is going to be a difficult process to find a good natural one though. Any suggestions?
Do you really need foundation or can you use a mineral powder?
I couldn’t agree more! Many commercial products contain chemical additives which are actually harmful to us. If you can’t pronounce the names of the ingredients – leave them on the shelf. Natural soaps and lotions are the way to go.
As for foundation, have you ever tried bare minerals? I’m not really sure if it would qualify as natural. According to the website, its foundation has only five ingredients –
Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Mica, Iron Oxide, and Bismuth Oxychloride.
I think it does a nice job, but it depends on your style. My impression is that people who like a lighter, more natural look tend to really like it. For me, I actually like my liquid foundation and feel somewhat naked with bare minerals. But it’s nice when I don’t really feel like wearing a lot of makeup.
i’ve seen this brand before, but never tried it. I’ll have to look around.
I just ordered the sheer cover (like bare minerals but cheaper) and am excited to try it! all natural, nothing like liquid or cream foundation. it should get in this week!
I love my liquid foundation and don’t think I can give it up!
hey ange!
I have to pipe in here as I consider myself a bit of a makeup junkie…mineral makeup is about as simple as you can get, ingredients-wise.
I tried Bare Minerals and absolutely LOVED the look- so airbrushed-looking, yet light-feeling. It was the best my skin has looked. Seriously, flawless in a gorgeous,natural way.
HOWEVER, 4 days in, I woke up with an oatmeal-like rash alll over, even on my neck and ears, and INTENSE burning and itching that didn’t go away for 10 days. I have sensitive skin but I have never had such a severe reaction to anything before.
I’ve read up a lot on minerals since and it looks as though the Bismuth Oxychloride (apparently a by-product in metal refining…) is an intense irritant, especially when you work out, sweat, get hot or do anything to make your pores open and allow those particles in.
There are many brands that don’t include it (try Everyday Minerals or smaller, independent brands). I’d give one of these a try! For now, I use Clinique- not the most natural but the least irritating so it’ll have to do me until I’m brave enough for something new…
Good luck!!
Lisa
Bare Minerals is my favorite makeup line ever. It’s the best match I’ve ever found color wise and it really really looks great on me. I don’t wear it daily, I just don’t like wearing makeup everyday, but whenever I do break it out, I get massive compliments.
I’ve seen this brand but haven’t tried it yet – I’ve always been intrigued by it though because it’s usually pretty reasonably priced. Thanks for the review!
great review and i love the email you were sent’s info! Great!
As far as foundation, bare minerals!!!! It is the BEST.
-muffy
Kiss My Face prodcuts are great, I have a scub I bought from them and absolutely love it. The great thing is that they’re a lot more natural than other brands and are much cheaper than a lot of other organic or all natural items. I’ll have to search for this soap, it sounds like a great addition to my never ending shower supply!
We use Kiss My Face soap too for washing our hands. But after a while, it got so gooey (the same gooeyness I think you’re talking about) that we had to go back to regular soap. Our drains started getting clogged and it was just such a mess.
We find that handmade soaps using the old lye method work well, are natural, and don’t get overlly gooey like Kiss My face. Just our opinion.
Make up – I use bare minerals. or at least i think that’s what it’s called. all mineral. good luck in your trials!
Hey Angela! I’ve been using almost ALL natural products on my skin/hair for about a year now. I use Aveda hair, origins facial stuff and burts bees for body lotion/soap/chapstick etc.
If you have an origins store up there you should go check out their products and makeup. I love their cleansers and moisturizers and even though I don’t use foundation it might be worth a shot. I do use Neutrogena mineral powder (sort of like bare minerals) on my face for ‘cover up’ though, not sure if it’s natural or not.
Oh and I also use the Body Shop body wash as well sometimes, I’m pretty sure that is all natural as well.
I use Origins Nude and Improved, it is the best that I have every tried. It is quite sheer — almost more of a tinted moisturizer — and has SPF 15. I don’t know what all of the ingredients are, but I think that Origins uses a lot of natural ingredients.
What a great review Angela! This is such a great project to follow along with. I really enjoy hearing how all of the natural products work compared to the other products out there. I always aim to use water-based makeup and more natural cleansers, however I usually just use whatever ends up working and feeling best for me!
xxoo
Heather
Hi there! I’m from all the way down under in New Zealand, I recently discovered your blog and absolutely love it.
In regards to foundation, I love the brand Elysambre (they also have a sub-brand called Coleur Caramel). Most of their products are 100% natural, organic and very environmentally friendly. They have liquid foundations as well as cream foundations which are 99.1% natural and certified organic!
Good luck!
Angela,
I’ve tried this soap too, and love it. The chamomile one is great too. If you have any health food stores near you, you can actually get the soap for $2.99 CAD, which is pretty amazing. The soap does dissolve quickly, but the bar lasts a long time.
Thanks for reviewing it!
I love Kiss my face products! I just received a bunch of samples of South of France natural soaps from Good Health Natural Products. I will let you know when I try and review them!
Hi Angela
Since there is no STANDARD for NATURAL as far as Canadian Government regulations go . . . you just have to decide what natural means for you.
Check out these liquid foundation options
Tarte
Korres
Josie Maran
Hiya!
I would check out an Aveda store for all-natural foundation. I am not a foundation gal so I haven’t tried anything, but I am guessing like the rest of their makeup – any foundation they offer probably rocks! They also have recycled paper packaging and I think their tubes, bottles etc. are all recycleable.
I love going to their stores because they usually offer you free tea or a “relaxation ritual” which could be a hand / arm massage, scalp massage, etc. Let me know if you check it out!
Check out www.safecosmetics.org. Foundation feels too heavy on me but my mineral powder just wasn’t giving enough coverage. Tinted moisturizers are the best thing for me. My skin is very sensitive but I love the Suki and Dermalogica brand products. As far as mineral powder, Jane Iredale’s is number Uno!!
Thanks for the review! I recently bought my dad some KMF shave lotion (he’s in a hospital ward where you can’t have aerosols) and he seems to be happy with it. I’ve heard good things in general about this brand so I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the soap the next time we’re at the all-natural store :) Lather up!