Kosmea Australia Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil

Kosmea Australia was founded by Marie Jenkins, who discovered the benefits of rose hip while experimenting with it in a home made face mask. Kosmea uses only wild grown, ethically sourced, hand picked, and 100% certified organic rose hips. They use the fruit, skin, and seed, and extract the oil without the use of heat or solvents, making their *Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil pure greatness for your skin.

"When I started Kosmea, I wanted to change the way people cared for their skin by bringing innovative, natural products within everyone's reach. It gives me so much satisfaction to hear from customers who have used Kosmea and have experienced the benefits of healthier, balanced skin — it's the best part of my job!"  -Marie Jenkins, Company Founder

Read more about Marie and Kosmea here.

Rose Hip Oil is a beautiful, bright golden orange colour, that's rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants. It aids in skin regeneration to improve the look of scars, acne, wrinkles, sun damage, and so much more. While it's said that this oil is ideal for all skin types, I personally find it too heavy and slightly irritating for my sensitive, combo/dry, hormonal facial skin. Instead, I like to use it mixed with a hand or body cream to provide extra moisture, and still reap all of the benefits. Where this product really shines for me though, is on eczema patches. Specifically the patch on my leg. I had a lapse in judgement one day, came out of the shower and used the friction of the towel on my skin to create a serious burn. My eczema was itchy, the towel felt good, I rubbed too hard, and the rest is history. Can't believe I just shared that with you guys. So embarrassing. The skin was raw and itchy, and the only sense of relief came from applying Kosmea's rose hip oil several times a day. It healed it incredibly quickly and kept it from scarring as badly as it should have. That being said, I do have a bit of scarring still and continue to use this oil to help reduce its appearance. If you are able to tolerate rose hip oil on your facial skin, I highly recommend trying it out as it truly is an exceptional oil. Otherwise, you can still reap the benefits by using it on your body like I do.

Retails for $15.99 cad/10 ml, $27.99 cad/20 ml, and $49.99 cad/42 ml.

Find it here: Well.ca and Kosmea.

*Product provided by well.ca for review consideration. All opinions are entirely my own.

Alima Pure Natural Definition Mascara

Alima Pure is a fantastic brand that I wish was more accessible in Canada. Sure I can order it online, but I'd love to be able to physically touch and swatch their products. I absolutely adore their bronzer, as well as their foundation, and when a reader offered to give me the Natural Definition Mascara to try, I couldn't say no. She had purchased one and received one for free, I believe, and wasn't keen on the brush or formula. 

This mascara is as described, a "natural definition mascara". It adds length and separates the lashes, but certainly doesn't thicken or provide any volume. The brush is synthetic and I find it pokes (and hurts) when trying to get close to the lash line. Anyone else have that problem with synthetic brushes? A natural bristle brush would have been much preferred. The formula is on the wet side and can be layered without clumping, and actually makes an awesome bottom lash mascara because of that. I really enjoy layering it with Zuzu for a falsies effect. One lengthens (Alima), the other thickens (Zuzu). Surprisingly, this mascara doesn't transfer, smudge, flake, or irritate my eyes at all. If you're looking for a quick, easy to apply, lengthening mascara that looks incredibly natural, this is the one for you. If you prefer volume and fullness, I'd say skip it.

Retails for $22 USD/$26 CAD for 8g. Available in Black and Brown.

Find it here: Alima Pure, Eco Diva Beauty, and any of these retailers. 

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Hydrolyzed Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Esters, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Sodium Carboxyethylsilanetriol, Stearic Acid (Plant derived), Cera Alba (Beeswax), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candililla) Wax, Zea Mays (Corn) Propanediol, Acrylates/Octylacrymide Copolymer, Sodium Hydroxide (mineral derived), Cetyl Alcohol (plant derived), Lanolin Oil, Glycerin (plant derived), DL Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Ozokerite Wax (mineral derived), Glyceryl Caprylate (plant derived), Glyceryl Undecylenate (plant derived), Copernicia Cerifera (Carnuaba) Wax. [+/-: (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)].

December 2014 & January 2015 Empties!

Since I somehow forgot to do my December empties, I'm combining December and January (as the title suggests). I do have quite a bit, although definitely not as much as I expected. Trash talk time!

*Acure Balancing Rose+ Red Tea Toner - review here - I stand by my initial review, it was a bit too drying for my skin and would be ideal in the summer months or for oily skin types. Will likely not repurchase.

Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner - review here - Best toner of life, seriously. I can't seem to find any other toner (high end or not) that works as well as this one does for my skin. It's hydrating, gives an instant boost of radiance, smells lovely, and is affordable. Already working through another bottle and have a backup.

Heritage Store Rose Water - I really enjoyed using this when my skin was super irritated and to set my makeup. I currently have a small bottle in my purse to mist when I'm feeling dry.

*Weleda Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion - review here - This cleansing lotion was as lovely as I remember. It didn't remove makeup very well, but was gentle enough to use as a second and/or morning cleanse. Only issue is that I go through it extremely quickly. Would likely repurchase again.

*Wild Honey Apothecary Moringa Honey Mud - I won this little bottle from a contest that Anise Apothecary was having on Facebook, and wasn't all that impressed. I just find that regular honey doesn't work as well for my skin as manuka. It did leave my skin soft, but I wouldn't repurchase.

Andalou Naturals Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub - review here - This scrub smelled so weird. I couldn't stand using it on my face, so I used it on my body. Wouldn't repurchase.

*Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Facial Mask - I have mixed feelings about this mask. It has incredible ingredients, like oats and calendula, but never left me wowed. Wouldn't repurchase.

Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea Facial Mask - review here - I loved this mask, although I think I prefer it in the warmer months as it can be drying. It evened out my skin tone, brightened, and helped with any acne. Would totally repurchase.

*Gemstone Organic Ruby Creme - review here - This creme was amazing! When I first received a sample from the company, I couldn't stop raving about it. When I finished the sample jar, the company was kind enough to send me a full one. Not sure what happened but half was through the new jar, it started to smell funny and separate. I tried using it up on my body but the smell just kept getting worse. Not sure if I would repurchase.

The Body Del Radiance Enzyme Peel (sample) - I picked up this (one time use) sample from Husk and really enjoyed it! It contains manuka honey, probiotics, and a bunch of other raw delicious ingredients. It left my skin glowing and radiant! I'm considering splurging on the full size.

*Tres Pure Mini Face Cleanse (sample) - This came in the Petit Vour Limited Luxury FW14 box, from September, and was sooo nice. I mixed it with my cleanser, daily, as a gentle exfoliant and found my skin less congested and much softer. As we got into the colder months, it was a bit much for my sensitive skin. Since it's not easily available in Canada, I wouldn't purchase the full size.

Pelle Beauty Stellar Multitasking Face Oil (sample) - A blog reader came into the spa that I worked at and was kind enough to bring me a bunch of goodies, this was one of them. While it is a nice oil, it's too light for my skin and I don't enjoy the scent of neroli. Wouldn't purchase the full size.

*Province Apothecary Regenerating+Hydrating Face Serum (sample) - review here -  Still not sold on this face serum. It worked so well some days, and other days I felt as though it just sat on my skin. Wouldn't purchase the full size.

*Me & The Girls Moon Serum (sample) - review here - Great oil serum! Absorbed well and left my skin nourished and moisturized. I don't love it more than my Corpa Flora though, so I won't be purchasing the full size.

Myra Aso 100% Marula Oil - review here - Love, love, love! This oil worked so well in my hair and on my face. Already have another bottle on the go and a backup.

Tamanu Oil (in the Corpa bottle) - I had to transfer the oil into the Corpa Flora bottle because the original bottle kept leaking. How annoying! I don't find tamanu is working as well for my skin as it used to. I still highly recommend and will likely repurchase at some point.

*Odylique Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie - review here - This hand cream was a pleasure to use, despite not being fond of the lemongrass scent. It moisturized, without feeling greasy, and helped soothe eczema patches. Since the Andalou Sea Buckthorn hand cream works just as well, is less expensive, and easier to find in stores, I won't be repurchasing this one.

*Me & The Girls Moon Night Moisturizer (sample) - review here - I have to admit, I didn't use this on my face because it contains coconut oil, however, I did use it on my feet! It worked great to keep my feet supa dupa soft. Wouldn't repurchase though.

*Me & The Girls Moon Body Scrub & Foot Scrub (sample) - review here - Both of these scrubs were lovely. I enjoyed the fresh peppermint scent of the foot scrub over the lemony scent of the body scrub, but they had the exact same texture. Scrubs are one thing I never commit to, since I only ever end up using them on my hands, so I wouldn't purchase the full size of either. They are really nice though.

John Masters Blood Orange & Vanilla Body Wash - review here - oh-my-gosh, this body wash smelled so friggen good. I literally wanted to eat it! It lathered well and never left my skin feeling dry. Deep Steep is much more affordable, however, I certainly would repurchase this one just to switch it up.

Clean Well Antibacterial Soap in Spearmint Lime - Love that this hand soap contained no triclosan or other nasty bacteria killing crap. It also never dried out my hands, which is a bonus when you have eczema or are prone to it on your hands. Sadly, Clean Well is no longer available in Canada. Luckily, I still have 2 more bottles in my bathroom (lavender and orange vanilla).

Dr. Bronners Castile Soap in Peppermint - review here - This gigantic bottle took forever to use up. I use Dr. Bronners to clean my bathroom and alternate between peppermint and eucalyptus. Will be repurchasing soon.

*Zuzu Luxe Mascara in Onyx - review here - This was a fantastic mascara, but I found it got super clumpy too quickly. It's really expensive in Canada, so I won't be repurchasing right now.
*Pure Anada Pressed Foundation in Very Fair - review here - Great pressed foundation. Covered well and didn't really cling to dry patches, but it did smell a bit off (that's just the ingredients), the shade range is limited, and it constantly formed a crust on the top. While I love Pure Anada and their pressed shadows are my absolute favourites, the Zuzu Powder is much better and offers a wider shade selection (it's also more expensive though). Wouldn't repurchase.
What did you finish up this month?

*PR SAMPLE