Mindful Momma Giveaway: miessence Certified Organic Skin Care

Back about 15 years ago I used to be a buyer for a natural bath & body care company here in the Twin Cities.  This was in the hey-day of the 'natural' body care boom...when companies like The Body Shop and Bath & Body Works were opening stores faster than mold grows on cheese. 

Many, many skin care products passed over my desk during the 5+ years I held that job and I let me tell you...there was a lot of crap (disguised as natural) mixed in with the quality products.  I didn't know much about the beauty industry when I started but I learned a TON about product ingredients in that job!  One of the most surprising things to me was that if you want to have a truly natural product...one without synthetic preservatives or artificial fragrances...it is going to have a limited shelf life.   

And unless you move a LOT of product, a shelf life can pose a problem for a retail store.  I remember turning away some product lines because we could not risk buying product that might not sell fast enough before it went bad.  Natural preservatives found in plants, herbs and essential oils do help to keep products fresh but most skin care lines contain some type of synthetically processed ingredients (even if they are derived from plants) as preservatives.

Well that's a long-winded segue into what I'm really here to tell you about today:  miessence certified organic skin care.  miessence is what I would consider to be the Cadillac of natural skin care lines.  It is truly natural and YES, it does have a shelf life (of about 6 months after opening).  That's also the reason why you won't find miessence in many retail stores. The products are typically sold online so that they can be shipped fresh as customers need them.  Besides the fresh-factor, here are some more reasons to love miessence:

• Certified organic by Australia's leading certifying body - Australian Certified Organic (ACO).  It's an independent, third-party guarantee of quality and purity of ingredients.
• Products contain ACTIVE levels of botanical ingredients that are directly beneficial to your skin.
• Cold formulation assures that heat has not reduced the potency of the ingredients in any way.
• Concentrated, rich formulas means a little product goes a long way.
• Pump containers dispense just the right amount (so you don't use more than you need) and protects the product from contamination.

A couple other things to keep in mind:

• Cost- No doubt you will notice that miessence is more expensive than some other natural brands.  Just remember - you are paying for high quality botanicals and certified organic ingredients.  The concentrated formulas last a lot longer than most conventional products!
• Location- miessence products are made in Australia which means they are far from being local.  That's a trade-off that you will have to make for yourself but I would argue that your skin is worth it!

Erin Ely of Ely Organics is an independent miessence representative based in Eugene, OR and she was kind enough to send me a skin care travel set (at no charge) to sample.  I chose the rejuvenating line for my 'mature' skin. :)  The set includes a cleanser, a skin conditioner (like a supercharged, botanical toner) and a moisturizer.  And here is my completely  unbiased opinion.....the products are lovely!!  All three have a wonderful herbal scents that I love.  They are very natural scents based on essential oils and botanicals of course (no icky phthalates here!)

The cleanser is my favorite product...soothing and creamy and not at all drying.  It's harder to tell what's happening with the skin conditioner because it is a liquid, but a peek at the ingredient list tells me that my skin is being nourished with organic rose and chamomile to rejuvenate and firm...and I can't complain about that!  You can tell the moisturizer is super high-quality because it is light and rich at the same time...without being the least bit greasy.  That's a hard formula to create!  My only problem with the moisturizer is that it is not quite rich enough to handle my super-dry, Minnesota-winter skin.  Erin suggested that I try a few drops of the rejuvenessence serum on top of the moisturizer.  I'm planning to order it and check it out...but wanted to hurry up and get this giveaway going first!

Speaking of the giveaway...let's get to it!!  Erin has offered up a $50 miessence gift certificate to one Mindful Momma reader!! Whoa - wouldn't that be fun to spend??  For a chance to win, please check out Erin's Ely Organics website and let us know what miessence products you would be interested in trying!  Also please consider joining the Erin's Facebook page to keep up with all the latest sales, giveaways and new product information.  Or follow her on Twitter @erinely.  The giveaway will run through Monday, March 1st at midnight, central time and the winner will be chosen using my trusty random number generator.

P.S. In case you're interested: miessence organic perfumes are 20% off through the end of February!

The lucky winner is:  Maura who said she would like to try the firming eye and neck serum!!!  Congratulations Maura!!

Comments

[Emma]

I would love to try the Baby Barrier Balm! I know a baby with a very sensitive bottom! :-)

[Shanna]

Oh wow! I would love to try the nourishing hand cream or intensive body cream. My skin is always SO dry and flaky - to the point that my knuckles crack and bleed in the winter!

[Kate]

I think the Probiotic Skin Brightener is for me. I love your explanation of why this particular line costs more. I've always been wary of expensive skin care, but your explanation makes a lot of sense. Thanks for blogging about great products!

[Keri]

I'm definitely interested in the Garnet Exfoliant because I haven't found one that really works for my skin. I hope I win so I can try the exfoliant! =)

[Genevieve]

I would love to try the Purifying Blemish Gel. My skin has been so horrible since having my daughter and nothing seems to help:(

[Vanessa]

How exciting! I recently looked at this line of products, but am currently trying Kiss My Face due to cost. I would definitely get something from the purifying line to try to banish the blemishes I have been battling since having kids.

[Rebecca]

ooh, I would love to try their baby products for my son and for upcoming baby #2! Particularly the baby lotion. For me, I'd try the Breast and Belly Balm. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

[keaesq@yahoo.com]

I would love to have good stuff for my kids. Especially, the sun lotion, lip balm, and body wash. If I could pick only one, I'd probably go for the sun lotion since we need that nearly year-round where we live (sunny Southern California).

[katie]

I would love to win something for my little boy. The baby bottom mist sounds nice and soothing!

[Laura]

I would love the breast and belly balm or the mother baby range pack.

[Cindi]

What delightful organic body products. I like to use
organic cosmetics. The Lip Creme in Nutmeg and the
Mineral Blush Powder in Ginger Blossom are lovely!
I follow their site on Facebook and Twitter.
Many thanks, Cindi

[Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship]

I'd go with the mineral makeup or the baby balm. Thanks!

[Julie]

A commenter over at the Huffington Post Green page left a link to this site. Now that I found it, I have to ask about the moisturizer: if the miessence moisturizer isn't quite rich enough, can anybody suggest a better organic moisturizer? I'm pregnant for the first time and my face has become terribly dry. I'm using an Aveda moisturizer currently, but not ten minutes after I put it on, my face is dry again.

[Angela]

What a lovely site Ely has! I would love to try any of the childrens products...especially the mint toothpaste!

[Micaela]

Hi Julie - I tried to email you directly with a moisturizer suggestion but the email did not go through. Do you have a different email address that I could use?

[Jordan]

How fun! I've heard a lot about this line and i've been dying to try it. The serum sounds wonderful--i could use it during the NY winter for sure. But i've heard great things about their deodorant too, and I've been wanting to try that. Too many choices!

[Kim]

I'd love: Purifying Cleanser (oily/problem skin)

[Amy]

This sounds fantastic. Thanks for the excellent background information. How does Dr. Hauschka rate in the scheme of things? Do you like the Lush product line? I would love to try the rejuvenating moisturizer for sensitive skin.

[Sara b.]

I'd like to try the Blemish Gel.
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com

[Maura]

I'd love to try the firming eye and neck serum, thanks!

[Mary Preston]

I would love to try the Purifying Mineral Mask .

[thecrunchywife@gmail.com]

Hi! I'd love to try the Probiotic Skin Brightener :)

[Sara]

Hi,
I'd love to try the essential oil kit, with all the little oils and a case for them.

[helen]

Wonderful giveaway I love the wild oriental botanical perfume.Thanks fingers crossed.helen

[Elena]

I would love to try the deodorants, especially the Tahitian Breeze!
elenaamble at yahoo dot com