Actz: Sugar Scrubs & Sudzy Fun

I recently received a Blogger Box from Actz Cosmetics. In the box, I received one full size product, one trial size product and three sample packets of various products. As far as blogger boxes go, this was an interesting combination. Typically, companies provide full size samples so that we are able to provide a thorough and detailed review of the quality of the product, which for me, I use my products that I review for a minimum of a week to be able to give that level of detailed information. So, please bear with me if this post is not as detailed as I typically provide. 

About Actz Cosmetics: They are a Woman and Family owned company, developed a few years ago by a licensed Esthetician and Cosmetologist practicing over 44 years. The "Master Soap Maker" learned to make her first soap and candle at 9 years of age.

"The Founder of ACTZ Cosmetics found her passion for soap when she was only 9 years old. Her mother, ACTZ Cosmetics Master Soap Maker was a Candle Maker; showed her to make her first soap and candle at this young age and it was an instant love affair. Her mother was born with severe eczema under eyes. She had under gone a rare radiation treatment that tragically left her with little to no eyelashes and eyebrows. As a daughter, seeing your mother in pain is terrifying and heartbreaking. She wished nothing more than to give back to her mother, to find something anything to help, to soothe, and to make her feel better. Then the Founder gave birth to her first and only Daughter, and she was born with eczema. Now she is giving as a Mother & Daughter products that will not further irritate their eczema, and give comfort when it is needed most. ACTZ Cosmetics does fully understand and respects that eczema is a medical condition which needs to be treated by a medical physician. What we offer is a product that is natural, and free from chemicals. Which we hope will help not irritate any current conditions you may have. We cannot promise to heal or cure any skin conditions. We always urge you to speak with your physician about any natural products you want to use for the first time."

The Items I received are the following:
Full Size: Pineapple Cupcake Handmade Glycerin Soap
2oz Trial: Size Blueberries CupCake Crumbles Sugar Scrub
Sample Packet: Nude Face Polish
Sample Packet: Tangerine Calendula Face Wash
Sample Packet: “Monkey Burps” Banana Scented Avocado and Shea Body Butter


Pineapple Cupcake Handmade Glycerin Soap:


What they say: All of Actz Soaps are Paraben Free and only made with Fragrances that are Phthalate-Free & Nitro Musk Free. Their glycerin soaps are all handmade, and safe for baby’s skin, using no chemicals or drying agents. They are topped with a “whipped soap frosting” with the glycerin soap on the bottom. Packaged just like a cupcake from a specialty cupcake shop.  They pour our glycerin soaps daily, so your soap comes to you fresh. One HUGE thing for me is that they utilize absolutely No animal products, and they’re cruelty free.

What I say: What I really liked about this soap is that it’s adorable and smells SO good. I actually replaced my “fancy” bar soap in my guest bathroom with it. Even better, it gives a great lather and could totally be used for shaving. It wasn’t overpowering like some “sweet” soaps, and rinsed easily without that slimy feeling some soaps leave you with. This is definitely a “go-to” cute gift item you would want to stock up for, for those last minute hostess gifts, last minute birthday gifts, and even teacher gifts. And, seriously, they even have a Hello Kitty cupcake version. These are definitely something I will most definitely be ordering for the “gift closet”.


Solid Cocoa Butter Scrub Cupcake Crumbles with Fluffy Sugar Scrub Icing

What they say: Paraben, Propylene Glycol & Phthalate-Free & Nitro Musk Free. This is a Sugar Scrub you can't Live without! A mixture of solid cocoa butter scrub mixed with a fluffy sugar icing is a Sugar Scrub Experience you have never had until you try Cupcake Crumbles. The solid brown sugar scrub cupcake bottom has cocoa butter, peach kernel oil and Sal Butter, which helps provide tons of moisture to dry skin. They also have alpha-hydroxy which helps your skin to glow. The top, thick, rich cupcake “icing” foams with a silky exfoliating lather.  Actz recommends that you scoop more of the bottom for a “deeper scrub”, and scoop only the top layer for a mild scrub. Sugar scrubs are used not only for skin exfoliation, but also for cleansing.

What I say: Oh, and no, you don't get a picture of my leg scrubbing, just sayin'! Something I find interesting is that this product is that they are non-comedogenic. Using this scrub I liked how I could determine the level of exfoliation you want. Most scrubs come with one option- scrubby. One thing about this sugar scrub that I liked is that if I wanted to try shaving after scrubbing, I could just shave with the scrub still on because of the level of lather. You can see in the picture how it gives you lather, but can see the little speckles of scrubbiness that does its’ job. After perusing their site, I would definitely love to try out the Cupcake Crumbs Push-Pop, as it has the two layers kind of intertwined and seems like it would make shower application much easier thank digging from a jar. It appears to be the exact same product, just packaged differently for different application.

Nude Face Polish

What they say: Paraben & Phthalate-Free,  Nitro Musk Free, no preservatives, dye free, and fragrance free. This face polish is full of SO many great things: Vitamin F omega 3/omega 6 essential fatty acids, Honey, Kaolin Clay, Mallow, Geranium oil, Sea Salt and Dead Sea Salt, Magnesium, Bromide, Iodine, Sulfur, Potassium, Calcium, Sodium, Zinc. All of these minerals play huge roles in our health and are important for so many different bodily and skin functions. See the link for details on exactly which does what. When you put all these important things together, you create a SUPER combination. It also has Biosil EFA contains 2 Essential Fatty Acids which are essential in every cell, and they keep beneficial substances locked in cells while blocking harmful ones out.

What I say: This was probably my favorite product in the entire “Blogger Box”. I love how you can tell it’s pulling the icky dead skin off and cleaning at the same time. It comes out of the package a bit like dry salt that is sorta clumped together by humidity. It definitely has the smell of an essential oil, but the ingredients list doesn’t list which one (thank God I’m not one of those over-sensitive people allergic to everything). It smelled to me like a little bit of tea tree, melaleuca and a teeny hint of calendula. I really hate when ALL the ingredients aren’t listed in a product (natural, organic, whatever), so it would be nice to know WHICH essential oils are in the product. You definitely want to go easy on this when scrubbing, but it’s a nice, gentle scrub. The instructions say you might have a little pink hue afterwards (with is likely from increased bloodflow to the area), but I wasn’t any more pink than if I had used a microdermabrasion scrub (which is similarly textured). However, any microdermabrasion scrubs aren’t natural like this product.

Tangerine Calendula Face Wash
 
What they say: Body Creams are Paraben Free and made with Fragrances that are Phthalate-Free & Nitro Musk Free. Creamy face wash with a refreshing aroma of Tangerine and Calendula, designed to soothe inflamed, sensitive and irritated skin. It’s high in natural Vitamin C and E, it’s an antiseptic toner for oily skin, but still great for all skin types.  It’s also a Paraben Free Formula.
This one has all the ingredients listed: Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sorbitol, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Capric Triglycerides, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Essential Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Calendula Flower.

What I say: This face wash is super thick, reminds me of the consistency of slightly softened butter or hardened coconut oil at room temp. I definitely liked the consistency of it because a little will definitely go a long way. They recommend using about a dime sized amount, but I found I needed a little more than that. I liked the thickness of the wash, it was super creamy and smelled SO good. You definitely smell more tangerine than calendula, which is definitely a plus. I love the smell of calendula, but sometimes it can be a bit overpowering in some products- not this one. I wasn’t left with that overly dry feeling that most facial cleansers leave.

“Monkey Burps” Banana Scented Avocado & Shea Body Butter Cream

What they say: Avocado & Shea Butter Lotion's hand-made formula is designed to penetrate the skin and moisturize deep within leaving your skin feeling moist and beautiful. It has Distilled Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil (yay for all ingredients listed). This one is pretty simple to use, you just massage into skin, paying close attention to dry patches.

What I say: This one is probably my second favorite item in the box. At first I couldn’t figure out the scent, I just could tell it was sweet and fruity. Then I found the sticker on the back “monkey burps”- not so much better than another brand that calls their banana scent “monkey farts”, but at least better haha! It was a definitely a cream instead of a lotion, nice and thick, leaving my arms and legs feeling nice and smooth. One great thing about this product was that it didn’t give my hands that super “oily” feeling you get with some lotions and creams. You know the kind I’m talking about, when you have to wash off half the crap off your hands because they feel slimy. I would definitely buy this, but most likely in another scent, something a little more my style. 

For the most part, each of the products smelled nice and are made of a decent quality. Like I said above, I'll be buying some of those cupcake soaps for my go-to gift closet. I may purchase the face polish and the body cream in a flavor that I would be more likely to use more frequently and enjoy a little more.

Check back soon and we'll be hosting an awesome giveaway for you from Actz cosmetics!

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in consideration for this review via Tomoson.com. No additional compensation was received for this posting. The Nurse Mommy blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. We will only recommend products or services that we feel are of benefit to our readers. Links enclosed may contain affiliate links. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle from The Nurse Mommy at babagrlshell {at} gmail {dot} com