Organic Glow: Dovetail Beauty Connections

Meet Sophie. She’s my Aunt and all around great lady and class act. Recently, she started her own organic beauty company named Dovetail Beauty Connections specializing in beauty and skincare free of preservatives, additives and artificial fragrances.

Working in public health, I have firsthand knowledge of the importance of cutting out harmful chemicals from products we use daily. It is absolutely worth the effort to seek out healthier, more sustainable products which better our lives all around.

When Aunt Sophie sent me a box of her products to test out, I was thrilled and I happily got to testing.

Micellar Pure Water

Now, I’m a diehard fan of Dior’s Instant Cleansing Water with Pure Lily Extract, but I use tons of it while removing makeup and at $48 a pop, that habit was getting expensive. While good, it wasn’t the greatest at removing stubborn eyeliner and mascara.

The Dovetail Micellar Pure Water can only be described as “totally efficient”. I used it every night before bed to wipe off the day’s makeup which includes foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. It worked beautifully and didn’t leave a trace of makeup behind. I found I didn’t need nearly as much of it as I did with the Dior product too. In addition, it left my skin very soft and glowy. Best of all, it removed my Nyx Lip Lingerie matte lipstick which stains my lips. Total bonus.

I found this product to be a tad slick, with a minor soapy quality, which makes sense as this micellar water is made from molecules that form naturally during the soap making process. Of note, this product contains minimal ingredients: witch hazel, vegetable glycerine and fractionated coconut oil (“fractionated” = treated to boost stability and antioxidant and disinfecting qualities).

Be sure to give this micellar water a good shake before using!

Hair Assistance Shampoo

Ok. I LOVE THIS SHAMPOO. Unlike other organic and plant-derived shampoos, this lathered beautifully. I need a shampoo that is soapy. I know that the bubbles don’t matter, but bubbles just make me happy. Hair Assistance Shampoo left my hair feeling very soft and when I stepped out of the shower to towel dry my hair before adding my conditioner, my hair gleamed! It was so shiny!

The shampoo also smells lovely. It has a light lavender/lemongrass/herbal scent that is pretty invigorating. This product is loaded with great ingredients such as Atlantic sea salt, rosehip, lavender and sweet orange oils, along with lemon balm extract, and it’s gluten-free.

My aunt worked hard developing this shampoo as she had to fulfill the needs of several different hair types in her own household. As part of a mixed race family, she had to satisfy the needs of my Uncle’s European hair, her own Caribbean hair (straight in some places, curly in others) and my cousin’s bi-racial wavy hair. Well, she succeeded. They all noticed a reduction in oily scalp, increased moisture and the grey tones in her own hair were lustrous after use.

Hair Assistance Conditioner

Like the shampoo, the Hair Assistance Conditioner smelled lovely with a slightly stronger lavender/geranium scent. I was expecting the conditioner to be on the thinner side, but it’s thick, coated my hair very well (didn’t need a ton of it), and has a wonderful slip which is very conducive to effective detangling. Nuff said…but I’ll go on…

This conditioner made my hair really, really soft. No tangles during rinsing and no tangles after I dried my hair too. My hair felt really moisturized and healthy, and I could run my fingers through my dried hair really easily.

This product can also be used as a deep conditioner, it is that moisturizing. This conditioner is also available in an 8 fl.oz. size which is great for ladies and gents with tons of hair.

Australian Mint and Bonsai Soaps

Not only are these soaps beautiful, they are highly effective! Both rinse really cleanly, similar to body wash. I really hate soap residue that leaves your skin looking greyish, tight and dull, and there is none of that here.

I reach for the Australian Mint Soap on those days where it seems impossible to wake up as it’s so invigorating. This scent is a blend of eucalyptus, peppermint, cajuput (member of the tea tree family), wintergreen, clove and juniper essential oils and smells heavenly.

This soap is super bubbly, gives the perfect lather and is highly moisturizing due to the high amount of coconut, palm and safflower oils along with a healthy dose of shea butter. Most will find that moisturizer is unnecessary after using this soap.

The Bonsai Soap smells like a great-looking man!  That is exactly what I thought when I opened the packaging. With its blend of pine oils, tropical fruit, citrus and wood notes, Bonsai Soap truly delights the senses. Like the Australian Mint Soap, Bonsai Soap is loaded with oils to keep skin highly moisturized.

These soaps are all natural (YES – NATURAL) and handmade, and due to this, each soap has its own unique look.

Marula Oil

For thousands of years, the people of South Africa used marula oil as a cleanser due to the scarcity of water. Known for its highly moisturizing properties, this workhorse of a beauty product is used for moisturizing skin and hair, as a serum, makeup primer, beard oil and makeup remover, and is very effective at reducing redness and blotchiness after waxing.

I have been using it for the past couple of weeks as a facial moisturizer and my skin is glowing. I also have yet to have a breakout since I started using it (oh God – I hope I didn’t just jinx myself). Try adding a little marula oil to your beauty blender before blending out your foundation. You’ll be left with a natural glow, especially in the fall and winter months.

So, needless to say I’m thrilled at this line my Aunt and her family have developed! I only review beauty products on my blog that I truly believe in and Dovetail Beauty Connections delivers. Please treat yourself to some of these stellar products by ordering from the Dovetail Beauty Connnections Etsy Shop and be sure to follow the Dovetail Facebook page!