Cuticle Care

My 8 year old has a bad habit during the winter--picking at his cuticles.  I admit, I used to do the same as a child.  Many adults have abused cuticles as well.  The weather also affects the condition of our cuticles, so I'd like to tackle cuticle care today.

First of all, it's important to take good care of your cuticles.  They actually serve as protection for the new keratin (hard protein that protects the fingertips) and helps to prevent infection.  When you take care of your cuticles, it will show in the health of your nails.

Daily cuticle care can be achieved in a healthy way with natural skin care products from Nature's Basin.

Acquarella Moisturizer is our go-to natural product for healthy cuticles.  One of the most important amino acids for the skin, Sodium PCA, nourishes the skin and cuticles for healthy, radiant skin.  Aloe vera, antioxidant green tea, and Vitamin C are also present.  Simply apply to the cuticle area and gently massage in before applying a natural hand cream. 


TIP:  This vegan product can also be used on men as a healthy aftershave product!  It is unscented and suitable for all skintypes.

After applying the Acquarella Moisturizer to the cuticle area, seal in that moisture with a rich and healthy hand cream such as Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream.

This is a lovely hand cream and it has been clinically tested to reduce roughness by 9% and increase moisture level by 34% in just four weeks. The main ingredient in this hand lotion, pomegranate seed oil, encourages cell renewal to restore your hands to a softer, more youthful state. It also fights free radical damage along with sesame seed oil, which delivers moisture and mild sun protection. Shea butter is high in the essential fatty acids your skin needs to stay elastic and hydrated.


Are you a do it yourselfer?  You can also make your own cuticle oil.  I like to use a glass roller ball style bottle, but you can use any small bottle.  

Fill the bottle 3/4 full with hemp seed, sunflower, sweet almond, or even olive oil. Add in 10 drops of rosemary essential oil from the health foods store and 3 drops vitamin E oil. Add the roller ball and cap, and you're done!

How to Choose the Right Eye Cream

Did you know that the skin under your eyes is only as thick as an eggshell? In fact, the skin underneath your eye is the thinnest of anywhere on the body. This is why using a product made specifically for the eye cream is so important.


There are some who say that you can apply any moisturizer to the undereye area, but this is not the best advice. Think about it. Does the skin underneath the eye have large pores, get oily, and have tissues you would experience on your cheeks or forehead? No. Using an eye cream is best. At Nature's Basin, we have several lovely natural eye creams in all price ranges for all age groups and types of skin.

In Your 20's

Natural Being Manuka Honey Eye Cream is very affordable, but is a very effective eye cream for those looking to help prevent the early signs of aging underneath the eyes.  I would personally recommend this one for those of you in your 20's.  Not only will Natural Being Manuka Honey Eye Cream keep the skin under the eyes adequately nourished, it will help to promote cell renewal. Antioxidant Vitamin E is also in here to help combat free radicals.

In Your 30's

Weleda Wild Rose Intensive Eye Cream is one of my own personal favorites.  I am almost 37 and find that this is perfect for my particular skin. I have very few fine lines, but I do have dark circles and some puffiness,  especially when my allergies are in full swing. The thin skin underneath my eyes feels soft and smooth.  With organic eyebright extract as an ingredient, I can also attest to the fact that my dark circles are diminished while using this product.  I just look more awake!

In Your 40's

If you're in your 40's, my product recommendation is the Turkish Rose and White Tea Eye Cream by Pangea Organics. Shea butter is in here to help protect the skin, while carrot and ginseng help fight wrinkles and borage and evening primrose oils keep the skin smooth and supple.

I like this cream for those with evident fine lines that look as though they could turn to deep wrinkles in the near future. This contains potent natural ingredients to help prevent and correct.

In Your 50's and Beyond

Suki Organic Eye Repair Balm is my recommendation for most women and men in their 50's.  Highly moisturizing evening primrose oil is rich in essential fatty acids and perfect for the fine lines often evident under the eyes. It will nourish and protect.  Natural beta carotene will help to protect, firm, and brighten as well.  This thick balm feels just right when used at night time for that luxurious skin care ritual. 

Another reason I recommend this balm formulation is because the area underneath the eyes tends to get even drier and appear to have more of a crepey texture to it as we age.  The balm is rich and thick and can help fill in that area.

Is Your Nail Polish Safe?

We talk a great deal about ingredients here on the Nature's Basin blog, and with good reason.  It's estimated that over 60% of the products you apply get absorbed into your bloodstream, so there's been a great wake up call lately about cosmetic ingredients.

At Nature's Basin, we are big advocates of offering the healthiest alternatives and when it comes to natural nail polish, the brands we offer are second to none.

Did you know that of all of the beauty products on the market, nail polish is quite probably the most harmful when it comes to your health? Its ingredients produce some of the most noxious fumes out there and every time you apply a traditional nail polish or use that popular drugstore nail polish remover, you're breathing in those chemicals.

What chemicals am I talking about?

Phthalates--an industrial plasticizing agent. Here is what is on the Cosmetics Database page about phthalates: "More than two decades ago, scientists began building a body of work indicating that phthalates are reproductive and developmental toxicants in laboratory animals, particularly in males. Early studies focused on phthalates' ability to cause testicular atrophy (e.g., Gray and Buttersworth 1980). New studies are confirming these findings in humans (Swan et al. 2005, Main et al. 2005)."

Phthalates have been linked from everything to testicular cancer to liver cancer. They are being removed from many products with good reason.

Toleune--a toxin which has been shown to harm developing babies in the womb.

Formaldehyde--a proven carcinogen

Acetone--a neurotoxin and solvent


While many "natural" nail polishes are what they call "three free", which means they do not contain the above toxins, they still often contain other harmful chemicals.

For example, there is a popular brand of children's "natural"  nail polish which formulates their product with something called Neolone 950.  This is actually a brand name of a harmful ingredient called Methylisothiazolinone.  This is something that I never like to see on any ingredients listing.  Why?  This is a powerful preservative which is on the "Prohibited" or "Restricted" lists in many countries.  An MIT study showed that it can negatively affect nerve cells and cause nerve death or damage. Some of these other "natural" products contain FD & C and Lake colors.


For more information on the harmful effects of those 3 nasty nail polish ingredients, I recommend reading a piece put out by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Do you have to avoid nail polish entirely? No.  Thankfully, there are natural nail polish brands such as Scotch Naturals, Hopscotch Kids, and Acquarella. All three can be found on our website.

All are free of toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, nitrocellulose, butyl and ethyl acetates, acetone, and harmful colorants.


You can use these products with confidence on you and your children--without sacrificing quality or color selection.  Check out the beautiful shades of natural nail polish at Nature's Basin today.

Nature's Basin Current Special!

Save $7 on Inara Organic Bath & Body Oil

Leave skin silky and soft with this 100% organic bath oil. It blends soybean oil and a nourishing oil drawn from the kernels of babassu palms, which are indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon. Harvested by a co-op of native women, this babassu oil is totally fair-trade and has a melting point similar to body temperature, so it delivers moisture quickly without making skin slick or oily. Signature essential oils including rose geranium and grapefruit give this bath oil a delicate scent that will awaken your senses.

The latest from Scotch Naturals!

We have some new shades on the website from Scotch Naturals I'd love to tell you about.  They're so pretty!

I am a huge fan of healthier, more natural nail polish brands available right here at Nature's Basin and I have a current favorite to brighten up frigid winter days like today. It is Scotch Naturals in a shade called Balmoral Punch. I like this shade, as in bright sunlight, it looks like a rich berry red.  At my desk here, it looks like a really lovely deep (but not too bright) fuchsia.

Scotch Naturals is a safe and eco-friendly alternative to conventional solvent-based natural nail polish. This revolutionary water-based nail polish nourishes and conditions nails, delivering long lasting, salon-quality color. The nail polish contains none of the chemicals found in typical nail polish: toluene, dibutyl phthelate, formaldehyde, acetone, and heavy metals.   I thought I'd show you how it appears on the fingers.

Golden Globe Beauty: Red Lips

Photo credit

Red lips were everywhere on the Red Carpet at Sunday night's Golden Globes and I thought I'd show you some natural red lipsticks instead of the chemical-laden alternatives on the market. All are paraben free and made from premium natural ingredients.

Belize from Primitive Natural 

Christopher Drummond Lip Stain in Arouse

NVEY Eco lipstick in #369

Calling all tweezaholics!

I have a confession to make. I am a recovering tweeze-a-holic. I know it's wrong, but I just cannot help myself.  I grew up with thick and unruly brows. When I was much younger, I didn't appreciate the fullness.  There was also a phase when I was in my early 20s with a Twiggy-style pixie and a thinner brow. They never quite grew back the way I wanted them to.

Your eyebrows are important, though. I learned this when I was just starting out as a professional makeup artist back in the 90s. Gloria, a seasoned makeup artist who taught me many tips, explained it simply in terms of comparing eye brows to a picture frame. Think about it like this--imagine a beautiful painting on the wall simply hung with a piece of tape. Now, picture that artwork with professional matting and a gorgeous frame. It looks finished and the frame brings out the beauty of the artwork.

It is the same way with your face. Your eyes, nose, mouth...your entire face is that beautiful piece of artwork. When your eyebrows are shaped and groomed, they provide that frame to make your features stand out. The brows will enhance your beauty.

I am going to let my guard down for a moment and show you my own brow before and after. Look at the difference pre and post grooming. Note that this is without eyeshadow or even mascara before running my boys to school one morning:

I recommend getting a professional shaping from a brow studio.  The upkeep is something you can definitely do on your own with good tools and natural makeup. Here are three simple tools to great brows:

1. Using the Suki Brow and Lash Brush, lightly brush your eyebrows upward and outward to create shape and move hairs into place.

2.  Next, take the Suki Angled Brush and lightly dip it into your eye powder.  Use short strokes to apply the powder to the natural brow line. The brush is 100% cruelty free.

3. I recommend a cream for the brow color. Available at Nature's Basin is the fabulous Christopher Drummond Cream to Powder Eyeliner.  This does double duty as both an eyeliner and brow filler. In fact, it makes for the ideal brow product. I do not really like pencil liners for brows, as the line can look harsh and artificial.  You do not want it to look like your brows were drawn on.

The Christopher Drummond product is perfect for your eyebrows because it contains beeswax and candelilla wax. The brow wax helps set the hairs in place and creates a long-lasting effect. What is unique about this product is that, unlike other brow powders, the wax used is free of harmful petrochemicals.

Do you have any beauty or skin care topics you'd like me to discuss on the Nature's Basin blog? Please email me and I'll be happy to talk about it on the blog. Email me!