Left to Right: Karen Murrell True Miracle Balm, Karen Murrell Cordovan Lipstick, Karen Murrell Aqua River
Buy Karen Murrell online at Netpharmacy.co.nz
About the Karen Murrell range
Karen Murrell certified organic skincare and natural lipsticks use only the finest of organic, natural and proven safe chemical ingredients. All Karen Murrell ingredients are certified organic where possible. All Karen Murrell products are free of animal products, with the exception of cruelty-free honey and beeswax, and are not tested on animals.Karen Murrell products are free of paraben preservatives, artificial colourants, artificial fragrances, petrochemicals, harsh detergents, talc, TEA and toxic ingredients.
I recently had the pleasure of testing some of the products from this new line. The first thing I noticed was the packaging done by the incredibly talented Andrew Archer. Each box has its own illustration and concept. The concept for the miracle balm is "Unconditional respect; treat your body with love and care". The outer box comes in two parts, the bottom is a matte slate grey which holds the product. The top half overlaps the bottom and shows the illustration. This alone makes the product worth buying - the boxes are now proudly displayed on my desk as pieces of artwork. The inner tube is a simple black with application instructions. This balm is 99% organic and is certified by EcoCert. Everything can be buried in the back yard and it will bio degrade in 100 days.
Now onto the actual balm itself. I am always somewhat sceptical of new products, each one claiming to be the best thing since sliced bread. Sliced bread truly is great as anybody who has tried the unsliced version will attest - so could this product really live up to its claims? The product was originally developed for Karen's grandmother who had problem dermatitis. Nothing else was working and in desperation she asked Karen to develop something that would help beat the problem once and for all. It worked wonders and the Miracle Balm became the first item in the KM range.
The balm is incredibly thick and in cold temperatures it can take a little bit of warming to get it out of the tube. Because it is aimed at combating damaged skin it has no fragrance (this is great for me as I have a perfume allergy), The key ingredients are Bees Wax, Honey and Cocoa Butter. The smell reminds me of castor oil which may divide some users, I personally really like it but there are some who are not too fond of unscented products.
Enough of that, does the product actually work? I have been trying to find something that will help my fingernailsand the skin around my nails (a post about my quest will follow soon). I'm a nail biter and have been trying to fix the damage for years. The nails are quite weak and snap off easily. I put a dab of the balm onto each nail and let the heat from my hands melt the balm. I then rubbed it into each nail and let it absorb for 2 minutes. Usually I dread shower time, dish washing time and general cleaning as the water just destroys my nails. That is now a thing of the past. It has made my nails stronger - cured all the flaky skin around the side of the nails and softened the cuticles. After my hands have been in water I now apply this and don't have to worry about all the damage. I highly recommend this product.
Karen Murrell Cordovan Lipstick
I'm not much of a lipstick person. I know that's not the best way to start a review but that's just the way it is. I avoid lipstick for two main reasons. The first is that most lipstick is tinted in shades that are far too obvious for my tastes. The second is that I have a tendancy to always lick and bite my lips which results in the lipstick becoming uneven or gunky. This lipstick differs to Lipstick Queen in that it's more of a traditional (tending towards sheer) coating as opposed to pigmenting the lips. Pigment is great when you need something to last all day, throughout eating and so on. However it can be quite drying on the lips.
This lipstick feels very very smooth and silky to apply. It applies incredibly evenly and even a complete lipstick amateur like myself can put it on without ending up looking like Pennywise. It is sweetened with stevia so that even lip chewers like myself won't feel violently ill after accidentally ingesting it (take note, Mac) and has a delicate cinnamon fragrance.
This colour is quite soft and is designed to enhance the natural colour of your lip. I have quite deep pink lips and it softened the colour to a more peachy tone.
My only complaint is that this lipstick doesn't survive a food binge very well. Perhaps I eat like a maniac and not like normal civilized people, however it had gone by the time I was finished. Having said that, I applied lipstick this morning at 7:30am, at 11:15 it was still there with no trace of disappearing.
The packaging on this product is really stunning. I was shocked that the price was so low, for such a great product it's really worth every cent.
This lipstick feels very very smooth and silky to apply. It applies incredibly evenly and even a complete lipstick amateur like myself can put it on without ending up looking like Pennywise. It is sweetened with stevia so that even lip chewers like myself won't feel violently ill after accidentally ingesting it (take note, Mac) and has a delicate cinnamon fragrance.
This colour is quite soft and is designed to enhance the natural colour of your lip. I have quite deep pink lips and it softened the colour to a more peachy tone.
My only complaint is that this lipstick doesn't survive a food binge very well. Perhaps I eat like a maniac and not like normal civilized people, however it had gone by the time I was finished. Having said that, I applied lipstick this morning at 7:30am, at 11:15 it was still there with no trace of disappearing.
The packaging on this product is really stunning. I was shocked that the price was so low, for such a great product it's really worth every cent.
Karen Murrell Aqua River for Men
I have been trying to get my partner to wear moisturiser for about 4 years now. Each attempt has failed. Either it smelled musty and stale, or it smelled too strongly of chemicals. So as his skin got more and more dry I needed to find a moisturiser that he would want to put on (as opposed to me shoving it onto his face while he flails about like a headless chicken while I'm yelling "It's only moisturiser not POISON!").
So I bought a bottle of the aqua river for him. Success! First of all, it smells really really nice. It smells a tiny bit like christmas cake but also quite 'fresh' (in otherwords, not overpowering, not 'girly'). It's tinted blue so that guys can feel more macho or something. It's not greasy at all and absorbs into the skin quite quickly. If you're quite a thrifty person then just share as it's really a unisex product ( I tried it and liked it )
The sign of success was when he shouted at me panicked through the bathroom door 'WHERE IS MY MOISTURISER?'. I feel like a genius. Even though I didn't really do anything except for spend some money. Money very, very well spent.
So I bought a bottle of the aqua river for him. Success! First of all, it smells really really nice. It smells a tiny bit like christmas cake but also quite 'fresh' (in otherwords, not overpowering, not 'girly'). It's tinted blue so that guys can feel more macho or something. It's not greasy at all and absorbs into the skin quite quickly. If you're quite a thrifty person then just share as it's really a unisex product ( I tried it and liked it )
The sign of success was when he shouted at me panicked through the bathroom door 'WHERE IS MY MOISTURISER?'. I feel like a genius. Even though I didn't really do anything except for spend some money. Money very, very well spent.
Karen Murrell Pure Honesty Cleansing and Toning Gel
I don't use face cleansers. I'm too afraid after one incident where the cleanser caused a massive pimple outbreak. However recently I have had a bit of a problem with blackheads and wanted to find something that was gentle and wouldn't screw up my face. As stated this is a medium thickness gel with the key ingredients Geranium, Tamanu Oil and Carageenan (a substance well known to vegans). It glides onto the face effortlessly. At first the gel remains clear but as it warms up on the face it lathers up into a creamy paste. It washes off easily and leaves the skin feeling very soft. I would almost say my face glowed afterwards. I wish that the packaging was in a pump and not in a squeeze tube however it is only a minor detail which cannot dimish how lovely this product is. The smell is great too.
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