Are you a fan of delicious-smelling skincare products?  You’re going to love this feature if you do because this company, Bubalina Organics, carries body butters, sugar scrubs, lotions, shower gels, lip balms, and more – all in amazing scents such as:

Acai Berry
Chocolat
Coconut Papaya
Cranberry Brown Sugar
Mandarin Vanilla Spice
Spicy Pumpkin

Don’t they sound wonderful?  That’s just a sampling of the “”flavors” available, too.  I want to try them all!

There’s more, though – it’s not all about the scents at Bubalina.  They put just as much effort into making sure all of the ingredients are organic and pure.  Their base ingredients are essential oils, organic shea butter, and organic aloe vera, all very good for the skin!

Sharing My Thoughts…

Thanks to Bubalina Natural Organics, I was able to try samples of both the Orange Vanilla Body Butter Creme and the Tropical Lime Body Sugar Scrub.  Both of them smell SO SO SO yummy!  Not overpowering but definitely exactly like the scents they’re named after.  I think the Tropical Lime scent is my favorite – I looove lemon and lime scents and this is the ultimate.  It’s so refreshing to apply in the morning and makes my skin really soft!  The body butter does the same and together they make me feel like I’ve been to a spa.  At least, I’m assuming that’s how it feels since I’ve never actually been to a spa… ;-).   All I can say is the products are amazing – I want to try all of the scents now.   And because the products are made with certified organic ingredients, I’m more inclined to buy from them than splurge elsewhere.  :)

Want Some for Yourself?

All of their sugar scrubs and their body butter cremes retail for $24.00 each.

☻ Connect With Bubalina on Facebook!  ☻

Bubalina’s March 2011 SALE

(20% off all of their body sugar scrubs!)

I received samples of the products reviewed above in order that I might give you a thorough review. This post is 100% my own opinion, thoughts, and experiences, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone.  I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products. I was not compensated monetarily for this post.

Have you ever purchased a special makeup brush only to be deeply disappointed in the quality and performance?  I certainly have!  One of my things that annoys me the most is when bristles fall out – it drives me crazy and I just end up throwing the brush away.  I don’t buy cheap brushes anymore for this reason.

That was before I discovered EcoTools.  In my search for a good eyeliner brush about six months ago, I bought the EcoTools Bamboo Angled Eyeliner Brush.  I knew I was taking a risk since it was only about $3.00, but I loved the way it looked and was drawn in by the fact that it is made of all natural, recycled materials.  I ended up being SO happy with my experience with this brush (and my eye makeup results) that I knew I would have to go back for more!

Before I had a chance, though, I was contacted by EcoTools and given the opportunity to review a set of EcoTools makeup brushes!  I received the Bamboo 6-Piece Brush Set seen on the left.  This set retails for $12.99 and includes a blush brush, eyeshadow brush, eyeliner brush, lash and brow groomer, and concealer brush.  Oh, and a reusable brush case made of hemp!

What makes EcoTools Bamboo Brushes so special?

• Bamboo handles have a low impact on the earth’s resources thanks to being made with bamboo, a highly sustainable plant.
• Synthetic Taklon bristles are 100% cruelty-free.
• Sleek ferrule is made from recycled aluminum.
• Cosmetic brush roll is made with natural cotton and hemp.

My Results:

First of all, I want to say that I love the hemp brush case.  It’s so nice to have a way to keep my brushes organized and in one place!  It’s also very travel-friendly.  As for the brush results and quality, I’m just as happy with each of these products as I was with the eyeliner brush I purchased for myself.  No bristles have fallen out, the blush brush is extremely soft, the brushes are well-made, and my results have been great!  And at $12.99 for this entire set, I really think it’s a deal you can’t pass up!

Other EcoTools Bamboo Cosmetic Brushes and Sets…

♥    ♥    ♥    ♥    ♥

Click here for a how-to on using these brushes to create a cat eye, flawless face, and smokey eye!

♥    ♥    ♥    ♥    ♥

Connect With EcoTools Online!

EcoTools on Facebook
EcoInsider – The EcoTools Email Newsletter

I would like to thank EcoTools for sending me the brushes reviewed above in order that I might give you a thorough review. This post is 100% my own opinion, thoughts, and experiences, and was not edited or reviewed by anyone.  I do not feel obligated to write a positive review – I’ll always share my honest thoughts on products. I was not compensated monetarily for this post.

Check out these hair brushes:

They’re from a company called hairfree and they are special in that they are super easy to keep clean and “hair-free” due to a special lever on each brush that pushes the hair up and off of the bristles:

Both brushes with the plates positioned out.

But that’s really just one of their features!  The plates that push out and make cleaning the brushes a cinch are also coated with ceramic which makes them fantastic heat-styling aids!

Testing Them on My Impossible Hair…

Yeah, I’m not exaggerating – I have really difficult hair.  It doesn’t know whether it wants to be curly or straight and so settles for being flat on top and frizzy at the ends.  It is SO frustrating.  In fact, before now the only way I could possibly tame it down was using my flat iron – and believe me, I have to crank that baby up to the max heat level to keep my hair straight all day long.  That heat level?  450 degrees.  Yeah, just think about that for a moment!  My poor hair has had some serious split ends and damage thanks to me.

I was hopeful when I saw the hairfree brushes.  I have tried regular and bristle brushes before but they’ve been abandoned for the flat iron because it’s just faster and much more effective.  But I was totally willing to try hairfree and give it a chance to wow me!

I tried the round brush first.  I thought it might give me more body on the top of my head if I used that brush.  I liked it but wasn’t wowed.  So I switched to the flat brush.  I still wasn’t impressed, but my hair was starting to dry and get too frizzy to be helped.  I was discouraged, but decided the next morning to try the flat brush again, while my hair was wet.  And you know what?  I WAS wowed!  I was able to give my hair a smooth styled look that stayed all day, and I’ve been using the flat brush every day since then.  Can you believe I haven’t gone back to my flat iron?  I LOVE this!

One thing that discouraged me the first day was that I was following the suggested usage… somewhere I read that you can warm up the ceramic-coated plates with the hair dryer first and then style your hair with the brushes, but it doesn’t work for me that way.  Maybe if I had hair that was already pretty straight that would work.  Plus, I didn’t want to sit there for 45 seconds or whatever the recommended time is and wait for the brush to heat up.  That feels like a long time when you’re just standing there.  So how do I do it? I just start styling my hair and use the hairdryer to style and heat up the brush as I go.  It does definitely smooth and straighten my hair as I go!  I also love that I can get right down to the ends and the back of my head.  And it doesn’t take long at all to style!  I know that’s thanks to the ceramic-coated plates.

Other Things I Want to Mention:

• With the brush plates in the mid position the brushes can be used as vent brushes!  I did find that it was hard for me to keep them in that position while I was styling, though.
• The brushes are super light and easy to hold while styling.
• I could never get my hair as straight with hairfree brushes as I can with my flat iron, but I love that I still have a bit of body and wave and the smoothness I want!
• The brushes can be washed by hand with warm water and soap – you’ll never have to deal with a yucky brush again!

Final Thoughts: Well, I threw all my old brushes away and use these every day without fail – what does that tell you?  I love them!  They’re easy to use, make my hair look great, and are easy to keep clean.  They’re more than worth their terrific price of $18.95 for both for the result I get with my hair and the functionality!

Want Them?

You can purchase the set of brushes for $18.95, the round brush alone for $15.95, and the flat brush alone for $9.95.  Visit www.noflatiron.com to purchase!

♥ Click here to watch a video demo! ♥

One winner will receive both the round and flat hairfree brushes!

{Prize} Set of hairfree brushes.
{Eligibility} Open to the United States only.

{Mandatory Main Entry – do this before moving on to extra entries}

Visit hairfree and tell me in a comment something you learned about the brushes!

Optional Extra Entries – Get 1 extra entry for each unless otherwise noted:
(Leave a separate comment for each extra entry!)

• Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit)
• Tweet this giveaway (daily tweets available!) – You can use this tweet:
  I just entered to win a set of self-cleaning ceramic-coated hairstyling brushes from hairfree & @kindred_spirit http://bit.ly/9tQYPD
• “Like” my way cool Kindred Spirit Mommy Facebook Fan Page!
• Add Kindred Spirit Mommy to your Technorati faves!
• Stumble/Digg/Share on Facebook (1 extra each)
• Add my main blog button button to your sidebar
• Follow my blog, Subscribe to my blog by feed reader, and/or Subscribe to my blog by email (1 extra each)
• Blog about this giveaway and include a link to this giveaway and www.kindredspiritmommy.com! (+5 extra)

Giveaway will be closed on November 29, 2010 at midnight PST and winner notified by email.  Winner will then have 48 hours to reply to my email or I will have to re-draw another winner.  Good luck, everyone!

[Product review & giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."]

See full review, giveaway, and disclosure policy here.