Cruelty free and sensitive skin-friendly: MooGoo Skincare

This is not a vintage post, mostly because all my vintage-related posts are waiting for confirmations and publications before I can share too much So, in the interests of not disappearing from here and getting back into the swing of blogging, I’m going to continue along the lines of my cruelty free writing from last year.

The reason I want to talk to you about MooGoo is because I have terrible skin. It’s sensitive and unpredictable; one day I might be fine with a certain moisturiser, the next I might come out in a burny hot rash all over my face. As a kid, I had eczema and then in high school I had some itchy, revolting dermatitis on my legs that was so bad, I once got called to the principal’s office and asked if everything was okay at home.

I've suffered on and off with skin problems all my life, the current worst problem being dermatitis on my fingers, but it wasn't until someone recommended MooGoo that I started to actually see my skin improve, not just partially heal and then get infected again. It also allowed me some relief from the itching without having to drown myself in cortisone (and all those associated risks).

I started out using their eczema and psoriasis cream which I found mild, took away a lot of the itching and when used as an alternative to cortisone, pretty effective. It was then decided by a doctor I saw in Sydney that my dermatitis got worse due to how dry my skin was (she blamed handwashing, I blamed dishwashing detergent and the never-ending pile of dishes I had because I cooked and baked all the time when I lived in Sydney).

The big problem getting moisture into my hands was that my dermy skin was cracked and open, so all moisturisers, no matter how mild, stung painfully. And they all soaked in so fast, and did nothing, that it ended up being a waste of time. Just when I thought I’d have to live with cracked and bleeding fingers for the rest of my life, MooGoo made a post on their Facebook looking for people with extremely dry hands and feet to test a new whipped shea butter. I sent in pictures of my gross hands, and a couple of days later had a little pot of cream to try out.

I saw an improvement within days. It still stung a little going on because my hands were completely raw, but overall, I ended up with basically no rash. No itching and no redness.

It was a long wait for the product to be released after the testing period was over, but I find now that generally, I can treat my dermatitis along with any other rashes that come as a result of dry skin with a few uses of their Fluffy Shea Butter (which is now called Shea Sorbet Balm and looks slightly different). Ironically, today I can't show you a picture of my hands 'clear' because the hot Queensland weather has bought along a mild breakout on one hand. But I am using my Shea Butter everyday.

After this, I've now moved my daily moisturiser over to their Skin Milk Udder cream (which is a light moisturiser, not a breast cream, based off of the cream that farmers use to help heal cow’s cracked nipples). I also use their soap, body wash, lip balm and cream deodorant.

But here’s the other good news; MooGoo does NOT test on animals, and they’re completely transparent about what they put in their products, meaning that while they’re legally obligated to list the scientific names for their ingredients, they also list the real names of everything so you know exactly what you’re putting on your skin. Their range is expanding all the time and my itchy dog, Jack likes the relief he gets from their range for pets called Dr Zoo,  And I notice they now have another brand called, Dusty Girls, which is a makeup range that I can’t wait to try out.

I’ve been told a few times lately that I have nice skin (and that’s without makeup). I definitely credit the change in my skincare back to more natural, gentle ingredients for this, and I’m doubly happy that there’s no animal testing involved too.

Disclaimer: While I do have affiliate links on this blog, I have not been paid for this post and I will not earn commission on any purchases made via links from this post. 

Cruelty free pinup: e.l.f cosmetics

Hello! Yes, it’s me, the long lost blogger.

Somehow, I haven’t quite managed to hit on the magical “I have something to post once or twice a week” posting schedule that some of my favourites manage to maintain. I’d love to get into doing more outfit of the day posts, but it’s hard at the moment as I don’t have a decent camera (soon though, I promise) and when I have someone take photos for me, I have to wait until they have time to process them before I can use! So for now, you get erratic posts with iPhone pictures. Woo! Really selling myself here.

Okay, so now that’s said, moving on to the important stuff; makeup.

One of my most popular posts has been about my decision to only buy cruelty free products, so I want to extend on that and tell you a little bit about a makeup brand I discovered earlier this year; e.l.f. Cosmetics.
I’m a regular XOVain reader and somewhere, either in a post or the comments, someone said something about e.l.f. that piqued my interest. I did some research, found their Australian arm and subscribed to their mailing list.

On top of being cruelty free (and both PETA and CCF certified), E.L.F. is cheap. Like, wicked cheap. Once upon a time, I’d walk up to my favourite cosmetic counter and drop $200 on maybe three or four products. These days, I log onto www.elfcosmetics.com.au and drop $42 and get all this:

That's a full size foundation, set of eyebrow stencils, a lipstick brush, a blush, package of eye makeup removers, a pressed powder compact and a mascara. For $42.

Now I know, cheap doesn't always mean good. But the thing is, e.l.f is. It’s really, really gosh-darn good. The last time I had their foundation, it lasted twice as long as my old Benefit one did; gives, in my opinion, a much better coverage while at the same time feeling a lot lighter. It’s $12. Seriously. I could buy four for what I paid for foundation previously!

This Essential Clarifying Pressed Powder, sells for $3 and while I love it as a product, is one of the only things I’ve bought from e.l.f. that doesn’t last as long as a premium product. That being said, it's been going strong for quite a while. But really, at that price, I could buy 16 packets of it for what I paid for a more expensive brand, which only lasted a couple of months more than the cheaper one anyway.

One of my desert island products is their lip exfoliator which has made a noticeable difference to the condition of my lips and the way that lipstick lasts. You just rub it over your lips for a few seconds — I usually do mine before I do my sunscreen, so by the time I get to my foundation, most of the sugary grains have dissolved and I just run a wet washer over my lips. Oh, and it tastes divine!

There’s a lot of talk about how their prices are a lot higher than they are in the US, but they’re still a lot lower than most brands here. I’ve found that as I’ve been running out of products at home, e.l.f. has had a comparable, cheaper and in many ways, better one to replace it.

The only negative is that their shipping is a little on the steep side, with you needing to spend $100 to get it for free. Spending $100 is actually hard work with prices this low! But if you sign up to their mailing list, the offer enough free or reduced shipping deals that I’ve never actually paid full price.

They’re now stocked in Kmart Australia with the same prices as online, but I’ve found their range to be seriously reduced in-store and products like foundation are never available (and they sell out really quickly too).

Even if you’re not going cruelty free, I’d say saving prices provides another bonus and would encourage all you pinups to give e.l.f a try. And if you’ve got any questions, would like to hear a bit more about some other products, and actually see my face in some of them, let me know.

*This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own.