The Good Fill Review

I found The Good Fill on Instagram and have been eyeing them for awhile, but since I still had a lot of Plaine Products left in my stash I decided to hold off. But now that I finally finished up some bottles, I decided to let myself try them out. But first, if you’re not familiar with The Good Fill, they are a zero-waste bulk/refill store based in Nashville (by the way I looove Nashville and would totally live there if not for my whole social support system being out on the West Coast lol). They’re relatively new to the scene but what I love about them is that they will ship products in either glass containers (which of course you pay a little more for) or if you already have containers, they will ship their products in refillable plastic pouches that you ship back via their fully compostable mailer (the first time I’ve ever seen one and really all companies should be using this). They request that you ship the plastic pouches back within 3 weeks time (maybe so that the pouches can be cleaned promptly) so I put my extra liquid in a mason jar to store for the time being.

As you can see I ordered two conditioners, the dish soap, their all purpose cleaner and their lotion. So how were their products? The conditioners were alright and nothing fancy. It’s a lot like the Plaine Products one, not super thick or luxurious but gets the job done (probably not best for thick hair that needs a lot of conditioning). The lotion is also pretty standard and not super thick. It’s a great overall moisturizer but I do need some extra lotion for my eczema areas. I ordered the sweetpea scent but I’m not a fan (it smells very Bath and Bodyworks to me) so I’ll probably go with unscented next time. The all purpose cleaner is very vinegary smelling and not favored by my husband. I’ll probably make my own formula after I use this up. And the dish soap was great and just as good as anything off the shelf in your grocery store. So to sum it all up, I would say that their products are great standard products but aren’t “extra” in any way.

Some other things I liked about their system:
-all shipping materials were paper-based, even the tape used for the box

-squeeze pouch makes it super easy to refill even skinny neck bottles like the one above.

-the glass bottles and plastic accessories are all high-quality and work well. They should last for years and years.

Anyway I very much look forward to trying their other products as I slowly convert my lifestyle to a zero waste one. Ideally of course I would have a local zero waste store to refill my products instead of wasting carbon and energy with the back and forth shipping. But until that happens (or maybe until I build one? lol just kidding) I’m happy to support a small business in Nashville trying to further the zero waste movement!

P.S. A tornado hit Nashville last week and they were luckily spared, but they have instrumental in helping their community rebuild. If you’d like to help them, please support them with your purchases (and no this isn’t a sponsored or gifted post—I purchased everything with my own moneys).

Luxe Refill Review

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After I wrote about my zero waste shower routine here, I was contacted by a new-to-me zero waste bath and body products brand called Luxe Refill. They kindly gifted me the set pictured above (all in the Luxe Lavendar scent) in exchange for a review, but of course all opinions here are my own.

Just like some other zero waste bath product companies their bottles are all aluminum and are returnable to the company when you order a refill. They do offer plastic pumps for the aluminum bottles, but they are only sent with your first shipment and are meant to be reused. And if your bottle is too banged up to be reused, they are recyclable just like an aluminum can.

So let’s start with my faaavorite of the bunch: the after shower oil. I’ve tried several different kinds of body oils in the past and I find oils perfect for these super dry winter months. I love their after shower oil because it’s moisturizing without being greasy and it absorbs easily into the skin. The scent is not overpowering. And this oil has been great for my sensitive skin (some oils give me red bumps, even on my body, but not this one). This would also work great as a massage oil if you’re lucky enough to know an amateur masseuse/masseur.

I also really liked the shea butter lotion, which was less scented and a much lighter moisturizer. It also absorbed quickly into the skin and didn’t give me any irritation. My only complaint is that it was a tad too thick for the small pump bottle it came in so I had to dispense the lotion old-school-ketchup-bottle style. This lotion might dispense better in the bigger sizes though.

The daily shampoo and conditioner were great and got the job done. The conditioner though wasn’t super thick and moisturizing but that’s probably what their deep conditioning cream is for. The only product that I wasn’t a huge fan of was their gentle body wash, but that’s because I prefer more gel-like body washes that foam up easily while theirs was more of a milky-type body wash.

But I love that all their products are 100% natural and plant based without any parabens, artificial colors or synthetic fragrances. Also all of these products that I tried are vegan. So if you’re looking for some great zero waste bath products I definitely recommend giving Luxe Refill a try (and you can use the code HW20 to get 20% off your first purchase).

A Fairly Curated Holiday Gift Guide

I’ve been in the blogging game for about 5 years now and have never put out a holiday gift guide before because I disliked the idea of feeding into the consumer frenzy around the holidays. So I’ve boycotted gift guides in the past. But this year I felt that instead of being all Scroogey about it, I should embrace the fact that many of us like to give gifts during the holidays. And since I try a lot of products during the year and do a lot of reviews for this blog, it’s worth mentioning some of my favorite items that I think would make great gifts. Also since this is my first gift guide, I’m not sure the best way to organize this but I’ve decided to go from least expensive to most.

Marley’s Monsters Cotton Facial Rounds ($18): I first reviewed them here a year ago and love them are still going strong. They’ve held up really well (both the bamboo and cotton versions). I prefer the cotton rounds because they’re softer and absorb more toner even though they pill a bit more with multiple washings. This zero waste gift is perfect for that beauty addict in your life!

Safety Razor ($29): This is a life-changer guys and it’s great for the environment. The receiver of this gift might be a little intimidated by it, so just send them a link to my blog post about it here lol :)

Everlane ReNew Catch-All Case ($30): Ok so this is the only item on this list that I haven’t personally purchased or tried out myself…yet. I’m very tempted to get this all purpose small bag because I can’t get enough small bags. Also I love that Everlane is working hard to make this case from 100% recycled materials. {Update: Actually I just purchased this to give as gifts and will let you know what I think of it when I get it!}

Salt Farm Truffle Salt ($40): I’ve been buying this salt for three years now and I still use it almost every morning on my eggs. Outside of Italy, this is the best truffle salt I’ve ever found (even better than those at Williams Sonoma or other cooking shops/markets). And a bottle of this lasts me all year.

Top Fill Humidifier ($45): I love this large top filling humidifier from Amazon. It’s so easy to add water (I really hate those humidifiers where you have to screw a top and then flip over to load into the base). I purchased one for myself and one for my mom for her birthday. It’s especially needed during these uber dry winter months.

Le Labo Lotion ($69): I love love love my Le Labo lotion in Jasmine. It’s the little bit of luxury that has replaced my perfume and it’s also great for my skin. The Jasmine scent is perfectly subtle and dreamy.

Renpho Air Purifier ($120): For those who read my air purifier review here you know this is my favorite of the bunch. What’s a better gift than that of clean air?

Augustinus Bader Rich Cream ($170): If you really love someone, then I would highly recommend getting the AB Rich Cream. It’s a dream present and I believe it can change the texture of anyone’s skin for the better. You can read my review of it here. Oh I just noticed they also have a new $85 (15ml) version of it here.

Everlane Form Mini Bag ($190): I love my Everlane mini form bag (reviewed here). It fits all the essentials, and the leather is beautiful yet durable. For those who need to carry a laptop with them, the regular form bag ($235) is also super useful and gorgeous!

Something from The RealReal or Fashionphile (what budget?): Lol, these are my two favorite online consignment sites and I’ve talked about them a lot and purchased many items from both. For purses, especially high-end ones, I always go with Fashionphile because 1) they have a better authentication process IMO and 2) they allow returns. The RealReal is better for more reasonably prices designer clothes and accessories. I know buying used things is not really a thing yet for most people when gift giving but I say why not? The items are still useful and valuable!

And lastly, I just wanted to mention that some of the best gifts are not things (but of course you know this). Some of the gifts I’ve enjoyed the most in the past are experiences (a special dinner out or a special dinner made at home) or quality time with someone. As for my husband and I, we are in dire need of a new dishwasher so that will be the present we give each other (especially since neither of us like to wash dishes lol).

What are some of your favorite gifts to give to your friends and family?

My Zero-Waste Shower Routine

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I don’t know how it is for you, but getting to any kind of consistent zero-waste routine has been quite a struggle for me. So now that I’ve got my shower routine down to zero waste I couldn’t be prouder. Granted, this stuff is pretty low hanging fruit. But still it’s progress, right? So here are the ways my shower routine is now zero waste:

1) Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash from Plaine Products

Yep, reviewed this back in 2017 and I’m still going strong. However, shipping back the aluminum cans can be kind of a pain so I’m looking into ordering from The Good Fill next (they ship their products in reusable plastic pouches that you ship back and you use your own containers—I’ll be reusing the Plaine Product containers of course).

2) Organic Cotton Washcloths from Muji

I’ve never blogged about these before but I love my organic cotton Muji washcloths. They’re thin enough that when they’re full of soap and water they don’t get super weighed down. And they’re just enough gentle exfoliation for my sensitive skin. I’ve been using them for years and they’ve held up like a champ.

3) Safety Razor

And the new zero waste love of my life is my safety razor, which I reviewed here. No cuts or nicks yet—you just have to use the very slightest of pressure. Also I use the Plaine Products conditioner as a shaving cream. But if you’re prone to cuts with a safety razor I recently found this other zero waste razor that is more like traditional razors.

Okay so yes that was a pretty short list. But really that’s all it takes to be zero waste in the shower. For my face wash, I use these small microfiber wash cloths to remove make-up and these cotton rounds for toner. Unfortunately my favorite face wash for acne-prone skin and toner don’t yet come in a zero-waste option. But my beauty routine is one of the next things I want to tackle to make zero waste. Anyone have tips for zero waste beauty?