Koru Naturals - Review

Stick around people that usually try to skip my reviews!  I mean it.  You will want to read this.

I got the chance to try some spectacular beauty and hair products from a company called Koru Naturals.  They are a New Zealand company that has been selling their products in the United States since 2002.




I got to try 3 separate products:

Skin Clear Creme
Manuka Honey and Propolis Soap
Argan Oil and Sandalwood Hair Tonic


I will just tell you about each one separately and then give my overall feelings at the end.

Skin Clear Creme




This product is part of the NZ Fusion Botanicals line.  This part of Koru Naturals stresses the use of natural ingredients and avoiding the use of animal products, artificial colors/scents, and doesn't use "toxic" preservatives and they are packaged in a resuable container.

They are also basically unisex (meaning - to me anyway -  the packaging and smell isn't overly feminine or masculine).

I was going to list the ingredients of this one, but I just noticed that it is all right there on the picture of the container above.

Just to be safe, here is the partial list of warnings to consider before you try this product:

Don't use during pregnancy (not exactly sure why)  and don't use if you know you are allergic to honey, manuka oil or tea tree oil (I understand those).

I LOVED this stuff.  I had originally thought I would share this with my teenagers to see if it would help keep their skin clear....since it is in the name and all....but I am selfish and I don't want to share.

It is thick and creamy.  It smells heavenly. (Honestly, I found myself sniffing my hands after I put this on.  Or sort of resting my fingers near my face, so I could smell them.  Not in a Mary Katherine Gallagher from SNL kind of way though....don't worry...)  It is sort of light and....fruity.....but not citrus-y...if that makes sense.  It feels good on.  It absorbs pretty quickly and isn't greasy.  My skin is softer, for sure.  I actually had this along when we went to Florida and I used it on my skin after my sun burn and, it took out the sting and, I think, reduced the redness more quickly than if I would have just ignored it.

This was definitely a hit with me.


Honey & Propolis Soap




This, first of all, is cute soap.  See the little bee on the front there?  And the bar of soap, itself is shaped like a honey comb.  Adorable.

That said, it is a nice smelling and moisturizing soap.

The ingredients for this one are....wait for it.....honey and propolis.  Am I the only one that has no idea what propolis is?  We will have a little homeschool session today for you!

Propolis - a red or brown resinous substance collected by honeybees from tree buds, used by them to fill crevices and to seal and varnish honeycombs.

It is basically.....bee glue. 

But, you know what....if it can fill some of my crevices and seal and varnish my appearance.....well....I am okay with that!

This was just a nice, lightly scented soap.  And, bonus, the way the soap is shaped helped it stay put in my shower.  I just stood it up on its side and balanced it on one of its flat honeycomb sides and it didn't slip and fall like most of my soaps do.



Argan Oil & Sandalwood Hair Tonic





Saving the best for last here.

This is also part of the NZ Fusion Botanical line that I talked about with the Skin Clear Creme.  So, if you want to know more about that, just scroll back up there and take a look.

The ingredients in this hair tonic include (there is other stuff too that you can see on the website if you are interested):  Grapeseed oil in addition to Argan oil and Australian Sandalwood (not sure what the difference is between regular old sandalwood and Australian sandalwood - but, you know what?  I don't care.  This is magical hair elixer, I tell you.

I will admit when I first read about this one, I was interested because of the Argan Oil, because I have seen some of those fancy YouTube fashion blogger ladies talking about it, but, I was nervous because of the Sandalwood.  To me, Sandalwood is a man's scent.  For some reason, I kept picturing some dude with dreads smelling like patchouli and sandalwood.

But, have no fear....that is not what I smelled like when I starting using this hair tonic.  Honestly, I sort of hate calling it hair tonic - because that brings to mind the 50s for me and John Travolta slicking his hair back in Grease or something.

Anyways, the very first time I used this oil, was a Saturday night.  I washed my hair, like normal, then read the bottle that said use 2 to 3 pumps - rub in around in your hands and then smooth it through your hair.  Well, in case you haven't noticed, I have a LOT of hair, so I figured I would do the full 3 pumps (I may have even snuck in another half a pump just to make sure I had enough)  I smoothed it through - tips to ends and went to bed with my hair still slightly damp.  Normal for me.

I got up the next morning for church, and wore my hair down.  Something that doesn't happen too often because I get really hot.  But, my hair looked good, so it was worth a shot.

I cannot even tell you how many compliments I got on my hair that morning.  People kept telling me that it looked smooth and shiny.

Those are 2 words that are not usually associated with my hair.  I had been afraid that I had actually put in too much oil - because a little really does go a long way - but I was reassured by people I could actually ask that it did not, in fact, look oily...just shiny...and pretty.

With this magical hair elixir - that is what I going to call it from now on - I feel like I have Hollywood hair.  You know what I mean?  You see people on t.v. or in movies and you say to yourself.....their hair looks pretty similar to mine...same thickness....same haircut....same pretty much everything.....except your hair NEVER looks as good as theirs.  I had decided that the only way to actually get hair to look like Hollywood hair was to have a professional stylist on hand at all times of the day or night.  So, yeah....not happening.

But, with this magical hair elixir I have a chance.  My hair doesn't get big and sort of dry/crunchy looking like it used to.  It just seems more smooth and manageable....all the time.  Without making me need to wash my hair more often than I do (which isn't very often)

So, yes....I loved it.  I loved all three of these Koru Naturals products....but the magical hair elixir was my favorite, with the Skin Clear Creme a close second!

(See?  Hollywood hair...now I just need to work towards a bit more of a Hollywood figure...)


The TOS review crew got to try lots of different stuff from Koru Naturals.  So, go snoop around a little and see what were their favorites!

Dunkin Donuts Writing Time

I shared with you a while back about how I have started getting out of the house to have a little writing time that isn't interrupted by my normal family life around here.  I had gone to a little, adorable coffee shop here in my town.

I have tried making the whole getting out of the house to write a regular thing and work around Rainman's work schedule, so I don't feel like I am slacking in my parenting or homeschooling duties either!

But, like I said in my post, while the cute little coffee shop is great and all.....the comfy chairs that actually fit my rear end are few and far between.

So, I have tried something and someplace else.

Even closer to my house than the coffee shop is a gas station.  A gas station that has a Dunkin' Donuts attached to it.  A Dunkin' Donuts that has booth type seating and easy to move tables.  So, I have been going there.


Sometimes I go by myself.  Sometimes, L-girl and/or A-girl come with depending on their school schedules.  They work on homework or talk and I just write.

It has worked out really well.  I have always been able to get this little corner booth section that has electricity and I have been able to shove 2 tables together and spread out.  The girls, if they are with me, just set up a bit down from me.

It is great.

Last week, L-girl and I went.  She brought her school along (beauty of homeschooling).  I worked/wrote.  Every now and then she would say to me, "Hey, there is________". Fill in the blank with someone we knew from church, or baseball, or our neighborhood.  Apparently lots of people frequent this gas station/donut shop.  Honestly, though, I didn't really see any of them.  I was working and my eyes are ...well....old, I guess.  If I am working on stuff right in front of me or reading, it is easier for me to take off my glasses.  So, when I look up at the world, everything is blurry....but everything right in front of me is good.

Anyway, I had been coming to this Dunkin' Donuts about once a week for a few weeks (minus our Disney week).  Last week, I was typing away on my scary writing project and one of the workers who happened to be wiping down tables near me asked, "Do you work from home?"

Well, I am not sure what came over me.  I said, "Yes, but when I really want to get stuff done, I come here.  It is hard to get stuff done with the kids around."

Then she said, "Oh, what do you do?  What is your job?"

As Cathy would say.....


(by Cathy Guisewite)

"Aaaaaaack!"

So, then I sort of stumbled through an explanation,  "I am trying to be a writer....well, I am sort of a writer."  Which elicited the response, "Oh?  What kind of writer are you?   What have you written?"

Now, I stumbled through...."Well, I write a blog, but I am working on this other thing and I....I...."  I just sort of petered off....with one of those sort of fake chuckles at the end.

She sort of wandered away.  I am sure it was a table wiping emergency.   It was awkward.

I told L-girl later, that I didn't even think before I answered her....but I wished I would have.  It reminded me of one of those conversations that you relive over and over in your head wishing that you could go back and change what you said.

I do work from home....sort of.  You know?  It was hard to feel like I had a legitimate answer for her. Then I knew I sounded desperate when I was trying to explain to her about my "writing"....and wished I could suck every word back into my skull.

There is a piece of me that now wants to become wildly successful, like J.K Rowling,  so the Dunkin' Donuts lady and I can both remember that horrible, awkward conversation about me "working" and "writing" and laugh about it during our appearance together on Ellen....or something.

I haven't been back to the Dunkin' Donuts since that conversation.  I promise though it isn't entirely because of that conversation I had with the nice donut lady.  It has just been extra busy around here and really, really hard for  me to sneak away for a few hours.

One day late last week, I was standing in the kitchen cooking dinner, while our normal life whirled around me. Rainman was talking sports with one of the kids, the little kids were twirling (literally twirling) in and out of the kitchen to tell me stuff/ask me stuff.  Pretty sure at least one of the big girls was singing a song.  You know....normal chaos.

D-man came up from the basement and said, "Wow!  It is crazy up here."

"What do you mean?", I asked.

He said, "Well, I was just downstairs and it was all dark and quiet with just my t.v. on, then I come up here and it is like....bam!  Everyone is talking.  Everyone is moving.  Everyone is having a different conversation."

I made some joke about him coming up from his cave to join the real world.

But, then I had an idea....if his cave worked for him....maybe it would work for me too.

So, I have had 2 basement writing days so far.

I have custody of the cave during the wee, small hours of the morning and D-man has custody in the wee small hours of the evening.

And, so far, so good.  The second writing day wasn't quite as successful, because people realized where I was and did pop in to ask a question or visit me.  But, for the  most part, it was dark, peaceful and I got quite a bit done.  Plus, the couch is comfy, I get to have my feet up, the coffee is free, and I don't have to wear a bra or have awkward conversations with people.

All pretty positive things right there!

I am not saying I won't ever go back to Dunkin' Donuts to work, but this is a pretty good alternative, especially if I can figure out a way to have the kids pretend I am gone too and not come to visit me quite so often.  Maybe I need to get a coffee pot for the basement too - then there won't be any evidence of me actually being home - when I come up for refills......hmmmmm.......

The End of Florida

Well, okay, it wasn't the end of Florida....just our time there.

We had one day before we needed to head home and after all our packed full "park" days were done.

Rainman decided that after all that walking during the week, that he should go play 36 holes of golf.  LOL  He was able to talk D-man into that, but A-girl held firm and only went for 18 of those holes!  I am not sure how we was able to manage that, since this is how I looked pretty much every night when we got back to our room....

(Nancy....as you can see....I need some of your Rodan and Fields magic on my skin!)

The other kids and I decided to hang out at the pool and in the activity center, on site, at our timeshare/hotel place.

We all had fun.  The activities center staff was super, duper friendly and a happy bunch of college aged folks.  But, they were not exactly up on ....hmmm.....not quite sure how to explain this......

They weren't especially busy, so they congregated in the activities center and talked/flirted, told loud stories of stuff that they had done lately.  A few not so good words were used, but my kids were soaking in the glory of mom letting them have unlimited access to actual video games....both Wii and Xbox...so I don't think they even noticed!

We did a few of the advertised activities and this is where my issue came in the most with the staff.  They had little ceramic things for you to paint....yet, they had no painting smocks or anything to protect kids clothing.  Okay, no problem, I said.  Then I asked, "Well, can I just get a garbage bag or something so I can cover up their new, super expensive Disney t-shirts their dad just bought them?"  This is where I was greeted with sort of a blank stare and a, "Ummmm....I don't think we have anything like that here."

So, I told the kids to stay put and I drove back across the complex to our room to get a stained t-shirt for them to change into.

My big girls have a tradition at most of our timeshare places to make tie dye t-shirts, so they did the same at this place.  This time the activities people decided to host it pool side, not at the activities center.  So, Rainman (in between golf rounds) took them over to the pool while I stayed at the activities center with the younger ones.

The activity center personnel actually "made" the shirts for the girls...they put on the rubber bands, the put on the die (based on their color selections and all of that jazz).  My girls actually didn't have a problem with that, because they were thinking the shirts may turn out better than if they had made them by themselves.  The problem came when they were done.

The staff took off the rubber bands, handed the girls wet shirts - full of dye and told them to let them dry in the sun for 24 hours.

So, they climbed back into the van, with their shirts sort of held out away from their clothes as best as they could (A-girl got some on her golf skirt) and drove back to the activities center to meet the rest of us.  L-girl decided to ask if she could lay the shirts outside on one of the bushes.  They told her yes.  That is where they stayed until we headed to the pool an hour or so later. (I will pause for some pool cuteness here....)

So, remember, the shirts are still wet and dripping with dye.  Rainman had taken the van to golf, but a good thing about this hotel is that because the complex was so huge, they had golf carts that staff would drive you wherever you wanted to go.  So, we got a golf cart ride back to our building.

A-man and L-girl held onto the shirts, sort of hanging off the side of the golf cart - to get them to dry -  and also trying not to get the dye on their clothes.  We ended up draping them on the patio furniture at our room - even though it wasn't in the sun, because if we put them in the sun outside, we figured somebody would walk off with them.

Just seems to me that the staff should have a plan for things like this, right?

I will show you the finished products when I write the post on how our "souvenir or not to souvenir" plans went on this trip.  (Spoiler alert:  Rainman won)

What was I doing while a lot of this action was going on?  Well, some of the time I was re-reading the Harry Potter books that I brought along.  Sometimes, I was oohing and aahing over Mario Cart moves on the video games, but most of the time, I was sequestered in the movie room (right next door to the video games - so I could still actually supervise the kids).....watching....

Okay, that isn't a very good picture.....

Any better?

How about this one?

I will see what kind of guesses you have, if you can figure it out from these crappy pictures!  It is one of my all time favorite movies that I have not seen in forever.

I was happy.

Before we left the next morning, the kids wanted to try out the things we had seen by the side of the building all week, but had been too busy running around to use.

They had smaller bikes too...

V-girl actually had trouble riding this one because it had training wheels.  She whips around here on a 2 wheeler like there is nothing to it.  but, this was the only bike that fit her legs.

When the troops returned (D-man and I abstained from riding - which is sort of funny, since the actual reason that I cannot ride bikes anymore is because of D-man.....LOL)...anyway, when they came back, there had been a shift in manpower....

Like A-girl's helmet?

I have to put this picture in because I was trying to get a closer picture of these 2, especially A-girl and her side helmet, but D-man - who was oh so anxious to get going and hit the road so he could see J-girl  - walked into the shot to hand everybody their stuff so we could go!

They had a blast.  Lots of giggling while they tried to get started.  Shifting riders to the front or back to see if that worked better.  Lots of stories about what happened on the ride.  It was a great way to end our trip to Florida.

Pretty sure we will be back.

So, how about it....any guesses on what movie I was happily watching whilst the kids killed brain cells with their video gaming?