100% Pure: Top 10 Must Haves

It's been a little while since I have posted... bad me.  I thought it was time to share my list of my TOP 10 favorites from the 100% Pure line.  I have been a consultant for alex+von for over a year- and LOVE IT!  It's my passion- educating people about the importance of not only what goes IN our bodies but ON our bodies as well.  

Having been a fan of 100% Pure for many years, it was a natural fit for me to join the alex+von team of consultants to enable me to share this (and other amazing lines) with my family & friends.  Not only is this line VERY reasonably priced, it is CLEAN, and since our skin absorbs all that we put onto it, therefore entering our bloodstream- well, that is HUGE! 

100% Pure truly is a wonderful company, for many reasons.  But I wanted to share something that came from a recent email they sent out to their customers this week. This will give you an idea of what it means to be "clean" & what their testing process entails:
1- each ingredient is tested for purity= any chemical pesticides, chemicals or contamination?
2- cohesive testing= do all of the ingredients work well together?
3- package testing= tested for toxins like BPA + pthalates
4- formula in packaging= some ingredients/formulas degrade the packaging
5- stability= rigorous testing to ensure the natural preservatives prevent bacterial mold growth
6- effectiveness testing= test to make sure each product does what it claims
7- scratch testing= formulas applied to human test subjects to ensure formulas are gentle & non-irritating
8- cruelty free= against animal testing & more formulas are vegan

Now for my list of Top 10 MUST HAVES:
1- Body Scrub in Vanilla Bean- having never really used scrubs before, I now see why they are so popular.  This "flavor" smells like fresh baked cookies.  If you are in a hurry, it's so emollient that you don't need lotion, as it keeps your skin super hydrated.  
2- Cruelty Free Kabuki Brush- when 100% Pure says cruelty-free, they mean it.  I got rid of ALL of my old brushes after getting a few of theirs.  The idea of brushing my face with animal hair didn't sit well with me.  Do you know what your current brushes are made of? If not, I suggest you find out and/or give these a try.  I didn't realize how soft a make up brush could be, until I got mine.  Another bonus, the fibers are anti-bacterial.
3- Facial Scrub + Mask Super Fruits- This 2-in-1 product is great!  Super creamy, and not too rough on your the delicate skin on your face.  Smells wonderful as well.  I keep this in my shower and use a few times a week.  
4- Fruit Pigmented Pot Rouge in Blush- Creamy & so natural looking, I never knew what I was missing until I started using this "type" of blush.  Just a tiny dab on the apples of you cheeks adds a nice dewy glow.
5- Fruit Pigmented Lip Butter in Cherry- Not only do I love all things cherry, but this color is perfect.  It makes your lips stay super hydrated & moist, added a perfect "just bitten" look.  This is one product I can't live without and will use always.  I even keep one in my car.  
6- Fruit Pigmented Lip Gloss Tube- I'm a lip gloss girl 100%.  And since we pretty much eat whatever we put on our lips, might as well make sure you recognize all of the ingredients & have it taste subtly fruity.  The colors are super natural looking, not too goopy & I've loved every color I have gotten so far.  My 2 faves are Popsicle (super sheer & glittery) and Sugar Plum Sheer (plummy).  
7- Fruit Pigmented Mascara- I have pretty much tried every "natural" mascara out there, and haven't been happy with any, to be honest.  That is until I tried the mascara by 100% Pure.  Black was my first purchase, but Blackberry quick became my favorite- dark purple! I had to get the blueberry, just to revisit the good old 80's and dark brown completed my set.  I alternate between the 4 daily, as mascara is the one make up item I always wear. The best part is the SMELL!  Every time I put on the blueberry & get in the car with my husband, he asks if I just ate some berries.  Without fail.  It's hilarious.  And the dark chocolate, smells like chocolate & coffee- the 2 very items that give it the warm brown hue.  MUST HAVE FOR SURE.
8- Fruit Pigmented Tinted Moisturizer- This is probably a product I wouldn't have tried on my own.  But it came in my starter kit, and I'm so thrilled it did!  I'm not a huge foundation fan, never have been.  It just doesn't look right on me, nor did it ever feel right.  This, however, is a perfect mix of a light moisturizer & light coverage.  It's great when you want a dewy look, and don't want the matte look of powder.  Again, one product I will continue to use always.  Oh yeah, and it's SPF 20.
9- Healthy Flawless Skin Foundation Powder- For days when I want more coverage, and not look so dewy- I love this powder!  In the past, when I used bare minerals, I wanted to wash my face as soon as I put that product on.  I felt like my skin couldn't breathe & was all itchy.  Not with this powder- it's super light feeling & also has SPF 20.  Another score!
10- Hydrating Body Wash in coconut- want to feel like you are instantly transported to a tropical island?  Then this product is for you.   These huge bottles last forever.  3 pumps of this foamy goodness, and you are covered from head to toe, literally.  
11- Lip & Cheek Tint- Ooops it seems I couldn't stop at my top 10.  I have 3 different colors of these.  Again, may not have been something I normally would have purchased & the strawberry came in my started kit.  I have since purchased shimmery cocoa berry & sugar plum sheer.  One word - LOVE.  Sheer & shimmery & moist- and for both lips & cheeks, can't beat this one.  Definitely a product I use on a very regular basis.
12- Nourishing Body Cream in Cabernet Grape- Remember grape Bubble Yum from when you were a kid?  That's what this smells like.  At first, I thought it was a it odd- but now I LOVE IT.  It smells super grapey- but the reason I really like this cream is the consistency.  It's perfect, really.  Not too watery, not too thick - it's just right.  

So there you have it- I could have added a few more BUT I think 12 is a good place to stop.  

Which one sounds good to you?? 

RIGHT NOW, via my alex+von site, the ENTIRE 100% Pure line is 20% off through Tuesday 7/23/13 just visit www.alexandvon.com/JodyBarton & select me as your consultant at check out.

skin = largest organ

One thing that I did learn in massage school that blew my mind, and has stuck with me ever since, is that our skin is our largest organ. Never knew this before. Did you?

That being said, I knew that the bubble baths, and shampoos & soaps that I was using on my baby twins had to also be clean & healthy (in addition to the food they were eating).

Never once was a Johnson & Johnson product used in our home- although for many (even me), we associate the "no more tears" with something ALL babies should use, right? I mean, why should a product used to bathe our precious little babies sting their eyes?

Guess what people? That "no more tears" garbage, is just that. Garbage. The "thing" that makes it not cause tears is CHEMICALS! In case you weren't aware of the fact that J&J were supposedly going to remove these harmful chemicals in their baby shampoo, you can read about it here . And even scarier, the chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because they're contaminants, not ingredients, and therefore are exempt from labeling laws.

I started using California Baby regularly. The shampoo & body wash was awesome & clean! The sunblock the only one I used on them for many years, and the sun stick too! Then I started thinking about what I put on ME! From make-up (not that I wear it too often), to lotion, to shampoo. Anything we put ON our bodies, ends up IN our bodies. Period.

I recall when Bath & Body Works (don't even want to mention that store, but I have to for the purposes of this post. When I walk past that store, I get an INSTANT headache, and FEAR for the employees long-term health woes, from breathing that junk in day in & out. Literally, breaks my heart.) carried non-B&BW products in the front of the store, one of them being a line called 100% Pure. Smelling the samples of the body lotions was incredible- lotions that truly smell like the name on the label (back then, the packaging was in a bottle with a pump, they are now sold in tubes). I'm a huge citrus fan, so I was immediately hooked on the Blood Orange, but also couldn't get enough of the Vanilla or Coconut. They even had make-up! I had to try a lip gloss, since I'm a huge "lip-gloss-girl". Low and behold, it tasted like FRUIT! You know why??  Because all of 100% Pure's make-up is colored with fruit & vegetable pigments, and flavored with the real deal!! Best of all- they had bubble bath & shampoo/bodywash for the kids in fun & yummy flavors! SCORE!

For reasons still unknown to me, I stopped using 100% Pure for a few years. I think either B&BW stopped carrying it, or I just stopped going to the mall regularly.

Flash forward to 2012. I'm 6 months pregnant, with love child on the way. And my super awesome fellow-massage-therapist friend, Meldi invited me to her home for ... are you ready? A freakin' 100% Pure party (as an alex+von consulant). Wait! What?? STOP IT RIGHT NOW!  You mean the same 100% Pure I know and love and couldn't get enough of???  COUNT ME IN!  I am there.  So, I grab Dylan and take her with me. Perched atop Meldi's table were the yummy scrumptious products I had missed so much. Then, here is the kicker! Not only can I go to my friends house to BUY this stuff, I can sell it too!!!

I have ALWAYS been a person who LOVES LOVES LOVES nothing more than sharing amazing finds with my friends and family. I have been doing it for years and years, and have seemed to become a go-to person of sorts, for all things "natural". Can you say, perfect fit?? I can!

alex+von is simply awesome! They hand pick brands for consultants, like me, to represent. Just a little background and why I love them so!

Our Story
At alex+von we're taking a fresh approach to working from home. We give women the opportunity to earn income selling products from amazing boutique brands. We connect these brands with women sellers who are truly passionate about their products. Women recommend and sell products in-person, via home parties, or online. They can represent one or more brands. We enable each woman to decide what works best for her.
We have a passion for well-crafted products and socially-responsible companies. With every purchase you make, you support a woman in your community and help small businesses in the U.S. succeed. You help us make a difference every day.

Now this one is a biggie:
Our ingredient promise
We guarantee that our products are free of the following ingredients which have been identified as endocrine disruptors, possible causes of cancer and generally harmful to environment*:
1. BHA and BHT
2. Coal tar dyes
3. DEA
4. Dibutyl phthalate
5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
6. Parabens
7. Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance)
8. PEG compounds
9. Petrolatum
10. Siloxanes
11. Sodium laureth sulfate
12. Triclosan

If you are interested in reading more, here is the direct link to the website page where this information came from. PROUD to be a part of a company like THIS, when there are so many others that aren't so great & do NOT have full disclosure of their ingredients, or if they do they include ingredients that will HARM & not HELP you & your family.

But wait, there's more!  Yes. 100% Pure was the main reason I joined up with alex+von immediately, if not sooner. HA!  However, since then, there have been 3 others brands I have become a consultant for (meaning, I specialize in these brands & know a little more about them than the others we carry).  And they are... Original Moxie FABULOUS salon-quality haircare, EO Products bath, body, pets, kids, men, & home ALL "scented" with essential oils & Grateful Body Skincare which is WHOLE-istic as it gets!  Super pure & super clean, and a little goes a LONG way. So now I get to host parties at my home, or the homes of others, and SHARE THE LOVE for these truly amazing products (something I have always done anyway), getting people more aware & healthy and wow... I'm so very lucky!  alex+von is so dynamic, it's so smart- they keep bringing on more lines for us to represent & they truly only get better.  

BOTTOM LINE- Just because companies use buzz words, like 'all-natural', doesn't mean that it truly is!  Read those ingredient labels on your products just like you would read ingredients labels on your food.  It's THAT important.


*All I want to do is share. I'm not here to judge or say you are wrong and I am right. That is never my intention. Perhaps by learning something new, I have helped you in some way, shape or form.