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Friday, February 24, 2012

Review: Andalou Naturals Meyer Lemon Creamy Cleanser and Moisture Rich Sweet Orange & Argan Styling Cream

One of the best things about being a beauty blogger is that I sometimes get the opportunity to try out products from brands that I have had either no, or very limited, exposure to otherwise. And every once in a while, I hit the jackpot and REALLY fall in love with a new-to-me brand. Such is the case with Andalou Naturals, so today I'd like to share my thoughts about a few of their products, and tell you why they're currently at the top of my  beauty obsession list.


 In case you're new to this brand, let's start with a little background info:

Andalou Naturals' founders are both heavy-hitters in the natural skincare industry. Combined, they've worked for lots of natural skincare brands that I'm sure you've heard of before, including Avalon Organics, Alba Hawaiian, Alba Botanica and Sonoma Soap Company.

Andalou Naturals is not only based in California (Novato, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area) but their products are also MADE in California (yay for supporting my home state's economy!). But don't fret if you're not in California (or in the US for that matter) because their products are available at Whole Foods and also all over the globe. You can click here to see where they're sold in your area.

Speaking of their products, let's talk about their ingredients:

(from the Andalou website)
Andalou Naturals meet a minimum 70% Certified Organic ingredient content in all our formulations, utilizing exceptional organic, natural origin, fair trade and biologically active ingredients at effective levels to ensure beautiful results.

We Champion Certified Organic, Natural Origin, BioActive, and Fair-Trade Certified Ingredients, Pure Essential Oils, Vegetarian, Eco-Friendly, and Cruelty-Free Standards.

We Reject Sulfates, Petrochemicals, Phthalates, Synthetic Colors and Dyes, Artificial Fragrances, Triclosan, GMO, PEG, MEA, TEA, DEA, Synthetic Preservatives and Parabens.

So to sum it up, their products are made in the USA, cruelty-free, vegetarian and contain organic and fair-trade certified ingredients. Their products are also free of just about every controversial ingredient under the sun.

An aside:

I'm totally obsessed with Andalou's packaging, but it's their name that really gets me. You can read about the origins of their company name here, but whenever I see "Andalou" my mind goes to "Andalusia" which then makes me sing the song Debaser from the legendary band, Pixies. And that makes me very happy!

So let's start with the Styling Cream:

 Andalou Naturals Moisture Rich Styling Cream with Sweet Orange & Argan
(retail: $9.95, 6.8 oz)




 This product has a nice, thick consistency yet it's easy to rub it between your hands and apply to wet hair. Looking at the pic below, this is what a pea-sized amount looks like, which is actually all I require for my long hair (my hair goes to the middle of my back). Since my hair is fine in texture and naturally wavy, I'm always looking for a good styling cream that can tame my frizzies yet also enhance my curls without weighing them down. That can be tricky business, and although there was a learning curve to this product, I finally found my sweet spot. At first I used too much and my hair looked a bit crunchy (keyword: LOOKED. It did not feel crunchy). But when I tried again with just a pea-sized amount, I felt like I reached "hair nirvana". My waves separated into beautiful, soft ringlets as my hair air-dried, and no frizz. This product also managed to keep my hair looking good all day and night, keeping the form of my curls in check.

And did I mention the SMELL? Holy moly (did I really just say "holy moly"?) this stuff smells divine. I get the sweet orange, but there are also so many other beautiful, botanical notes floating around in the background. It's difficult for me to explain it, but if you love natural, citrusy, creamy, floral, and green scents, you will probably adore the scent of this product.


Next up, the facial cleanser:

 
 Andalou Naturals Meyer Lemon Creamy Cleanser for Combination Skin
(retail: $12.95, 6 oz)

If you've ever lived in Northern California, you've probably heard of the company Body Time. Well, Body Time used to make a creamy lemon facial cleanser many years ago that I loved, and ever since they stopped making it, I've been looking for a replacement. Well, I've found it and, in my opinion, it's even better than my memories of the Body Time product. You have no idea how happy this makes me!






This product has a milky, gel-like consistency with tiny exfoliating particles (see pic below). To be honest, the exfoliating particles aren't dense enough to do any real physical exfoliating on my face, but that doesn't matter to me because I absolutely LOVE the way this product cleanses my skin. It easily removes all of my face makeup and grime of the day (you might need to use a separate eye makeup remover beforehand for your eye makeup though) without leaving my face feeling dry or tight. The best part for me is that, after I pat my skin dry, my face just feels so soft. I mean, ridiculously soft. I've also noticed that, since I've been using this product, my skin looks clearer and a touch brighter as well. 

And if that isn't enough, THE FRAGRANCE! It does smell  a teeny bit similar to the Styling Cream, but BETTER, if that's possible. First you're hit with the sweet, tart Meyer Lemon note, but then, the honey kicks in. These two notes meld beautifully together, and the honey actually takes on more of a honeysuckle-type of fragrance which is just beautiful. Can't even put it into words.

The fact that lemon and honey are the predominant fragrance notes comes as no surprise, given that Manuka Honey is the 5th ingredient in this product and Meyer Lemon Extract is the 8th ingredient. I love it when you can smell the actual, natural ingredients in a product, rather than the ubiquitous "fragrance" that's often listed as the last ingredient on a product list.


Enough gushing for one day. Let me just wrap this up by saying that I haven't been this excited about a skincare/bodycare/haircare brand in quite some time. I'm pretty sure I've conveyed that excitement to you in this review, so if you're interested in trying some of these products for yourself, you can purchase them online here. If you order online, you get two free samples with every order and they currently have a web special where if you buy 1 body butter, you get 1 FREE (place two body butters in your cart, then enter code ExtraBB at checkout). You can also find Andalou Naturals at Whole Foods and other retailers across the globe. Click here for a store locator.

Have you seen or tried any products from Andalou Naturals? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.
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16 comments

  1. I've used the Daily Defense Facial Lotion with SPF 18 and love it! Just don't get it in your eyes because the SPF burns! Haha! I am looking to get the whole facial anti aging line from them after I run out of my old crumy stuff! I love the lotion because it's just the right moisture to go under my make-up.

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    1. I'm so happy to hear you like the moisturizer! I've been eyeing that product! :)

      And I know what you mean about lotions with spf getting in your eyes. Ouch! I've done that far too many times. Lol

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  2. I could just imagine the fragrances as you described them! I will have to check these out at Whole Foods. The Creamy Cleanser would be one for me to try out. I like cream types since they give back moisture that my skin so needs.

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    1. Omg, they really do smell divine! And I would love to know what you think if you try it, love. :)

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  3. Great review! How ironic I just picked up the Cleansing Gel at Whole Foods b/c of the sale going on! I usually use Avalon Organics Vitamin C cleansing gel, my HG cleanser. The Andalou is a good alternative, but not as much product for the price, since I buy the Av. Org at Walmart for around $9, and the Andalou was regularly priced at $12.99, on sale for $9.99 but 2.5 fl oz less. I probably won't buy again unless it's on sale, but I'd be up to try the creamy cleanser instead now that you've enticed me with the scent-sationalness of it! ;-)

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    1. I'd love to know what you think of the lemon cleanser, if you try it. And I'd also love to hear how you think it compares to the cleansing gel. What's the fragrance of the cleansing gel like? Thanks!

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  4. I love their products. Their packaging is amazing.My mom runs a natural foods coop and I found Andalou Naturals in the catalogue. I've tried: the Sweet Orange and Argan styling cream (I actually just put it on my hair!) love the smell, reminds me of candy; Healthy Shine Sunflower and Citrus shampoo and conditioner, which I (again) love the smell of, it's very orangey. I would almost compare is to freshly squeezed orange juice, which I suppose is a little weird, but really, it smells great; Citrus Kombacha face cleanser (for oily skin) I love the fact that it cleans, but doesn't make my face feel tight; and, last but not least, my favorite: Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub. It smells amazing, scrubs but doesn't leave my skin feeling like I rubbed sandpaper all over it, and I feel really works.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. How cool that your mom runs a co-op!

      Thank you SO much for the run-down on all of the products that you've tried. That is so helpful!

      I'm so happy to hear that you love the styling cream too. And I totally get what you mean about it smelling like candy. It's so yummy!

      Now you've got me obsessing over that shampoo and conditioner. Orange juice? I neeeeed to try them now. Lol! AND the lemon sugar scrub. Lemon sugar is my weakness! :)

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  5. Looks like a great product - I think I might give a try to the cleanser. Great review.

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    1. Thank you! I'd love to know what you think if you try it! :)

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  6. I've never heard or seen this brand before! After checking out their site, I'm eyeing some of the masks, peels, and scrubs. These are priced right, too!

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  7. Thank you so much for this post! I am a newbie to the whole "Curly Girl" method and letting my wavy hair air dry. I purchased the syling cream based on this post and am LOVING it. You know what it smells like to me? Buttercream frosting. Makes my hair smell like a bakery cupcake. Ha! Love it!

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  8. Thanks for the great review. I was really looking for such stuff about Andalou Naturals beauty products.

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  9. Found the Andalou line at Grocery Outlet just recently, so I had to go and pick up the styling cream. (Smells so yummy!) And it is only $3.99 there. Score.

    They had the cleansers, moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, and masks there, too. A great deal for anyone that happens to live near a Grocery Outlet (I am in N. Cal)

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  10. I was in Whole Foods and tried the anti-aging kit. I thought all the products worked great, they smell great and my skin is very soft!

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  11. I started using their rose1000 line love it but I wonder though if they are truly natural in comparison to dr hauschka it does not feel so natural but then again dr h is super pricey

    ReplyDelete

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