Vegan Beauty Review: Kazam - straight from Mother Nature

A lil' about me...

My name is Sunny Subramanian and I've been vegan since 2000. I owe it all to my furry felines at home: Towane, Spirulina, Kaduki and Conan. The reason I'm vegan is because I love animals and would never want to contribute to the pain and suffering of any living being. I'm a member of the LA based animal rights group The Vegan Vixens.
I'm trying to help break the stereotype that all vegans are stinky, hairy earth babies. I want the world to know that you can be vegan and still be uber girlie and relish new and exciting beauty products that are vegan, cruelty-free and free of nasty chemicals and preservatives.
If you would like to have your vegan product reviewed on www.veganbeautyreview.com, please e-mail me at sunbundelicious@yahoo.com

A few good reasons to go vegan:

• You'll save lives
• You'll live a lot longer
• You'll have more energy
• You'll reduce your risk of cancer
• You'll reduce your risk of heart disease
• You'll have lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• You'll get better nutrition
• You'll lower your chances of getting food poisoning
• You won't be ingesting growth hormones and antibiotics
• You'll get sick less often
• You'll fit into your old jeans
• You'll give your body a spring cleaning
• You'll have healthier skin
• You'll make a strong political statement
• You'll reduce waste and air pollution
• You'll earn good karma points
• You'll save money
• You'll help save the planet

Famous Animal Friendly Quotes

"Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends."

~George Bernard Shaw

"You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car."

~Harvey Diamond

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

~Immanuel Kant

"I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."

~Abraham Lincoln

"To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana."

~Buddha

"To consider yourself an environmentalist and still eat meat is like saying you're a philanthropist who doesn't give to charity"

~Howard Lyman

Recipe for Vegan Lip Balm

Lip balm is surprisingly easy to make using the easiest/quickest/laziest way possible that involves all common household tools.

What you'll need:

-lip balm base or waxes+oils+extras

-essential or flavor oil(s)

-pipettes (one for each flavor)

-microwave or double-boiler

-glass measuring cup with pouring spout

-spoons or spatulas

-lip balm tube holder

-lip balm tubes, jars, pots, lids, bottle caps, etc.---any container that you would like to use for your lip balm

-shrink bands for sealing containers

-newspaper or craft paper to cover your counters

-towels for cleaning up

The Fastest Way

Step 1: Preparation

(a) Buy your supplies.

(b) Set up all the supplies you'll need on a counter top covered in newsprint or craft paper. You'll be glad you did this because lip balm can be hard to clean up if you make a mess. It's recommended to work in the kitchen as close to the microwave as possible, since you'll be using it a lot, if you're following this method. Be sure you have all your supplies ready, including the containers you'll be pouring into. Once the mixture is melted, you'll need to work quickly, but steadily, so the mixture doesn't harden before it has been poured.

(c) Put on your favorite apron/lab coat, if you feel so inclined.

Step 2: Scooping

Scoop out your base into a glass measuring cup that has a spout.

Step 3: Melting

Melt the base in the microwave. Take out every 30-45 seconds and stir, so that the base is heated evenly.

Step 4: Flavoring

After the base has melted completely and has cooled very slightly, use a pipette to drop in the appropriate amount of flavor or essential oils. Use a different pipette for each flavor/scent that you use, so as not to cross-contaminate. 2-4% is a good rule-of-thumb for flavor. Essential oils need less, about 0.3-1.5%. The oils you choose may recommend different proportions, so check before you get started. Stir just until mixed.

It is important that you add your flavor/essential oil after you melt the base. If you add the flavor before you melt the base, it will lose its potentcy in the heating process.

Step 5: Pouring

Using the very same measuring cup that you melted the base in, pour your mixed and melted concoction into your tubes or jars or what have you. That's why the spout is so handy. If you're using tubes, fill only to the top of the inside screw. Once the mixture has cooled, finish filling the tube. Pour almost all the way to the top, for that professional and rounded look. This process avoids the risk of cracking that can occur when filling the tube in one go. If you're using jars or lids, just pour all the way to the top in one pour.

Don't be discouraged if you make a mess when you first start pouring. After a few tries, you'll be a pro. It's all in the wrist.

Step 6: Labeling

Make some sweet labels.

Below are some examples of recycled containers for lip balm.

Step 7: Sell your lovely lip balm or give it to all your friends!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Kazam - straight from Mother Nature

Kazam Natural Body Care is a family based business that manufactures natural, organic, handmade health and beauty products like lotions, soaps, natural perfumes, shampoos, conditioners, as well as products for men and babies.
Marjorie Moutari, the founder and CEO of Kazam Natural Body Care not only has a knack for making amazing beauty products but she also has a giving nature and a kind heart. She has conducted workshops and seminars to train African women to make their own beauty products which enable them to gain independence and generate income for their families. Moutari is a also a supporter of the American Cancer Society.

Products I highly recommend:

Beautiful Hair Conditioner ($14): This conditioner couldn't be more perfect for my hair type. My hair is over-processed, dry and frizzy which calls for intense conditioning. This conditioner is not only vegan and mineral oil and petroleum free, but it smells aromatherapeutically beautiful! It's packed with plant oils and extracts which moisturize and nourish the hair and scalp. I've been using this conditioner every day for a week and I've fallen in love with how manageable and smooth my hair is when I use it.

Ingredients: Water, aloe, sopropyl palmitate, cocoa and shea butters, Vitamin E, fennel, sage, yarrow, jojoba, bergamot, geranium, rosewood, ylang ylang and rich moisturizing oils.

I love essential oil perfumes - they don't contain any synthetics, petrochemicals, parabens, alcohols or chemicals.
Kazam has quite an array of essential oil perfumes to choose from: Aphrodisiac, Angelic Presence, Sweet Dreams, Prosperity, Exotic Pleasure, Sweet Romance and Lavender.

Prosperity Essential Oil Perfume ($18): As much as I wanted to try the Sweet Romance perfume, I figured I could use a lil' help in the prosperity department (seeing I'm all set with the romance *wink*). When I got this perfume in the mail, it came in a super duper cute ruffley, green organza baggie. The specific essential oils for this perfume were not listed on the bottle or on their website and I made a conscious decision not to inquire about the ingredients because a) it's probably a secret "prosperity" formula and I know that if I had come up with it, I wouldn't want to share that info and b) I wanted it to simply be a prosperity perfume for prosperity's sake. I didn't want to dissect the formula and spoil the magic. In these rough economic times I'm sure we're all seeking a little extra prosperity. I've been wearing this perfume for about a week and I love it! It smells exactly like my Tinkerbell Perfume from when I was a little girl (how did they do that?) . You know how powerful sense memory can be... It makes me feel young when I'm wearing it and it has a feminine, girlie smell to it. To top everything off, how cool is it to tell my peeps that I'm rcokin' Prosperity Perfume? It's cool. :) As far as beckoning prosperity with my perfumey potion, I believe a week is too soon to tell, so I'll have to keep you all posted.

For more info: Kazam Body Care

Kazam Natural Body Care Boutique
239 Broadway (between 9th and 10th Streets)
Bayonne, NJ 07002

A lil' about me...