March & April 2015 Empties!

Well, hello there. It has been far too long since I've sat down at my computer to blog..or just sat down at my computer at all. Work and life events have kept me insanely busy, as is usually the case when I'm away for this long. In any event, May marks my 3 year blogging anniversary and I do have an exciting giveaway planned. Keep a close eye for that ;).
On to the trash!

Rahua Voluminous Shampoo (sample) - Lilly, from Genuine Glow, was kind enough to send me a care package around Christmas that included this sample. It lathered well and left my hair feeling clean, but I didn't find it miraculous.

Organic Matter Shampoo Level 1 - review here - This is one of my favourite shampoos out there. It's made in Canada, doesn't irritate my crazy scalp, cleans and conditions my hair, lathers well, lasts forever, and is reasonably priced. It has been my go-to for over a year now.

Deep Steep Body Butter in Passion Fruit Guava - This body butter was really nice during the colder months. I liked mixing it with an oil, for extra moisture, after a shower. The scent wasn't my favourite because of how sweet and fruity it was. While it did linger, I actually liked how it smelled after about an hour. The butter itself took a little working in and always left my skin super soft.

Deep Steep Body Wash in Honeydew Spearmint - review here - I love this body wash! This particular scent is my favourite of all the scents available. It lathers well, smells delicious, leaves my skin clean and soft, is affordable, and I find that a little goes a long way. Have already repurchased in a different scent.

*North Hill Soap Company Soap in Sex on the Beach & Blackbeard's Booty - review here - These soaps were absolutely lovely! Sex on the Beach was just the right amount of fruity and worked well for my skin. Blackbeard's Booty was my absolute favourite though. I loved the poppy seeds that gently exfoliated, and the bay rum and nutmeg essential oil gave this soap a delicious spicy kick that I just couldn't wait to be intoxicated by.

*Ella's Magic Balm in My Clementine Darling - review here - This balm came in handy during the polar vortex weather that we experienced a few months ago. My skin was crying for help and this lovely balm came to the rescue! It nourished, moisturized, protected, repaired, and loved my skin.

Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Cream in Lavender - review here - I forgot how much I loved this deodorant. The texture was whipped, creamy, perfection that easily rubbed into my pits and kept me stink free almost all day. Oddly enough, it didn't irritate my pits this time around. Not sure if it was because the weather was colder and I wasn't shaving as much or what, but I'm glad I got to use up this jar as it wasn't cheap.

Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk - review here - As I've already raved about this cleanser many times before, I'll just say that I still love this cleanser. It works really well for my sensitive skin and I've already repurchased.

Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator - This toner is a cult favourite and for good reason. Josh blends gorgeous skin loving ingredients, like green tea, coconut oil, aloe water, neem, vitamins A, C, E and B2, and tops it off with the intoxicating scents of vanilla bean and ylang ylang. While the scent wasn't my favourite at first, I loved it within a week of using it. It was light and didn't linger. This worked to nourish and calm my skin before applying my oils/creams, and worked beautifully to set my makeup. My only complaint is the packaging. Sure it's travel friendly but it looks a bit cheap considering the price and packaging of the other products within Josh's skin care range.

*Mont Echo Nature Divine Creme Divine - review here - Loveeeeed the scent of this cream. As I mentioned in my review, the scent reminds me of something my mom put on her face when I was growing up. As a moisturizer, it was really nice, although using it morning and night for a few days did cause little red bumps on my skin. The pump also stopped working towards the end, making it difficult to get out the remainder of the cream. My favourite way to use this moisturizer was as a hand cream in the P.M. and under makeup in the A.M. 

*Odylique Repair Lotion - review here - Of the three Odylique products that I had the opportunity to try, this one was my favourite. It worked on my face, hands, and body to reduce dry skin, itching, and redness.

Lush's Angel on Bare Skin  - review here - Despite what some people within the green beauty community think about Lush, I love that they support and promote various causes. While they aren't the most natural, they do have a handful of clean products. Angels on Bare Skin is incredible and lives up to my green standards. This gem of a cleanser is gentle enough to use in the colder months on (my) dry and sensitive skin. I find that my skin is less flaky, I have fewer breakouts, and a more even tone and texture when I'm using this cleanser.

Corpa Flora Eclat Citrouille - review here - This incredible smelling oil has been a staple in my skin care routine for a long while. It's just an amazing, amazing oil and I'm sure you're all sick of hearing me talk about it.

*SBT Seabuckthorn Oil - review here - LOVE. That's all.

*DeVita Italian Tomato Leaf Mud Masque (sample) - Meh. This mask was less than impressive. It didn't burn but left my skin red as a tomato, as the name suggests. My skin didn't look or feel any different, besides the redness.

Living Libations Healthy Gums Clay Toothpaste - review here - Of the three toothpastes from Living Libations, that come in a jar, this is the best tasting one. It's fresh and worked really well to keep my teeth clean and gums happy. My hygienist even asked what I was using! The only downside is that it's expensive and not as easily available as I would like. For reference, a jar lasts about two months with only me using it.

Clean Well Hand Sanitizer - This stuff is soooo good! When I was doing aesthetics, I would get eczema on my hands and this sanitizer did not irritate it at all. It does smell like thyme but doesn't linger for too long. Sadly, Clean Well is no longer available in Canada.
*Zuzu Luxe Dual Powder Foundation in D-10 - review here - This was a fantastic foundation. It offered great coverage and never looked cakey on my dry skin. The shade range isn't too bad either, they offer shades for light to dark skins, of course there always room for more shades though. The thing that irritates me the most about this foundation is that refills are not available in Canada. Why!? Isn't that the point of offering a refillable compact? Because of that, I have not repurchased.
Sante Brown Pencil in No. 2. - I can't believe that I haven't reviewed this pencil yet. It is perfection. It is the perfect shade of brown for someone who doesn't lean red or warm, it's just brown. It lasts almost all day, but can wipe off if your face is oily or sweating. Already working through another one and have a backup.
Benecos Lip Gloss - This gloss is being tossed after discovering that one of the first ingredients is talc. Talc? Really?? Ridiculous. It also contains carmine and lanolin, if you're wondering. Since the ingredients are not on the packaging, I trusted the brand and picked up this gloss. After using it a handful of times, I decided to look up the ingredients. What a let down.
*Sappho Foundation Brush - This brush fell apart on me, the ferrell came loose and fell off. Despite that, this was a fantastic foundation brush. Sappho has since come out with new brushes.
*PR SAMPLES

Lush Fresh Faced Masks: Oatifix Review

Booya! This is the last Fresh Faced Mask review that I will be doing in my one day mini series. As in my previous two reviews of these masks, they are not 100% clean.

Description: Few things are more soothing than a big bowl of banana porridge, all sweet and squishy. Did you know the same is true for your skin? Sensitive, dry or irritated faces love Oatifix for its calming oats, softening mashed banana and ground almonds to slough away flaky skin. Keep in mind that dry skin doesn’t just occur in the winter! The sun can be equally harsh, as UV rays penetrate the dermis and heat can leave you feeling tight and dry. Treat your face to our most moisturizing mask all year round, and follow up with a spritz of Breath of Fresh Air toner for seriously soothed skin.

Let me start off by saying that this mask smells like delicious banana muffin/bread batter, I want to friggen eat it! Now, most of the ingredients in this mask sound like they'd be fantastic for your skin. I'd totally make a mask with bananas and oats to soothe and moisturize, however, this mask burns my face! For a mask that's targeted towards sensitive skin, I did not expect to feel the burn. Silver lining? It left my face soft and hydrated. If you're extremely sensitive, steer clear because you will not be happy. If you can handle a little burn and want moisturized skin, go for it.

Retails for $6.95 CAN for 2.1 oz and can only be purchased at a Lush store.

Have you ever tried this "sensitive skin" mask?

Image from Lush.ca

Ingredients: Glycerine , Fine Oatmeal (Avena sativa) , Fresh Organic Bananas (Musa paradisica) , Water (Aqua) , Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Illipe Butter (Shorea stenoptera) , Kaolin , Talc , Vanilla Pod (Vanilla planifolia) , Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia) ,Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austro-caledonicum vieill) , Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre) , *Coumarin , *Benzyl Cinnamate , *Linalool , Perfume , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides)

Green ingredients = Natural ingredients
Black ingredients = Safe synthetics

Lush Fresh Faced Masks: Catastrophe Cosmetic Review

I'm doing a Lush Fresh Faced Masks review bonanza! I started with Brazened Honey and now I will be discussing my favourite, Catastrophe Cosmetic! Again, Lush is not the cleanest of brands and I fully know that.

Description: Still learning about proper skin care? No need to be embarrassed. After all, every face has different needs! We recommend starting here. Prevent disasters by taking regular care with our deep cleaning blueberry mask, Catastrophe Cosmetic. The little blue bulbs are packed with vitamins, with a gentle calamine base to cleanse the skin without stripping it of its natural oils. Use this one weekly as a deep cleansing treatment to kick off your regular skin care routine.

This mask is my favourite of all their masks because it leaves my skin soft, clean, radiant, and completely calms down any redness on my face. I also enjoy the way it smells, like fresh blueberries, even though it's perfumed. It doesn't irritate my skin or cause any negative reaction whatsoever. As with the Brazened Honey mask, it needs to be kept in the fridge and has a fridge life (get it? cute huh?) of 2 - 3 weeks. I would recommend this for all skin types. While I wouldn't repurchase, I wouldn't throw it out if someone gave it to me. It's probably one of the only masks of theirs that I would gladly use if I was in absolute need.

Retails for $6.95 CAN for 2.1 oz and can only be purchased at a Lush store.

What's your favourite Lush mask?

Image from Lush.ca

Ingredients: Calamine Powder , Talc , Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus) , Fresh Blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) , Glycerine , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) , Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena) ,Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria Chamomilla) , Sweet Wild Orange Oil (Citrus Dulcis) , *Limonene , Methyl Ionone , Perfume

Green ingredients = Natural ingredients
Black ingredients = Safe synthetics

Lush Fresh Faced Masks: Brazened Honey Review

As some of you may know, I worked at Lush over the holiday season and got to try a few (and avoid many) of their products. They are by no means a clean brand but I do love that they support so many different causes. Their Fresh Faced Masks, which must be kept in the fridge and expire within 3 weeks, are top sellers world wide. A few people have asked for reviews and so I will be reviewing a few of them, starting with Brazened Honey.

Description: Brazened Honey was inspired by traditional Indian ayurvedic principles, which put emphasis on balance as the foundation to health. Helen combined fresh free-range eggs and honey to soften, with astringent lime oil, antiseptic rosemary and exfoliating ground almonds. Kaolin reaches deep down into pores to pull out dirt and impurities, leaving your skin noticeably brighter and fresher. Our deepest cleansing mask, Brazened Honey is the perfect way to revive sluggish or congested skin.

This mask is nice and is best suited for dull complexions. I apply it, let it sit for 10 minutes, wet my fingers and then massage it in to get the benefits of the ground almonds before washing it off completely. It definitely leaves skin noticeably brighter and softer but, also a little red (if you're sensitive). I actually like that it's kept in the fridge because it's very cooling when first applied. Is it my fave Lush mask? No. I say, mix up a similar concoction at home suited to your skin's needs and conditions. Kaolin clay + honey = BAM! If you're not a stickler about ingredients, then I recommend this mask because it does deliver. Would I repurchase? No because I prefer my clay mask mixtures.

Retails for $6.95 CAN for 2.1 oz and can only be purchased at a Lush store.

Have you ever tried this mask?
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Image from Lush.ca

Ingredients: Kaolin , Talc , Fresh Organic Lime Juice (Citrus aurantifolia) ,Sage (Salvia officinalis) Infusion , Rosemary and Juniperberry Infusion (Salvia officinalis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Juniperus communis) , Fresh Free Range Eggs , Honey (Mel) , Glycerine ,Fresh Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) , Ground Almond Shells (Prunus dulcis) , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) , Bentonite Gel ,Fresh Ginger Root (Zingiber officinalis) , Fresh Parsley (Carum petroselinum) , Fresh Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) , Ground Turmeric (Curcuma longa) , Ground Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) , Clove Bud Oil (Eugenia caryophyllus) , Ginger Oil (Zingiber officinale) , Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides) ,Juniperberry Oil (Juniperus communis) , *Benzyl Salicylate ,*Eugenol , *Geraniol , *Benzyl Benzoate , *Linalool , Perfume
Green ingredients = Natural ingredients
Black ingredients = Safe synthetics

Edible & Effective: Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub Review

Lush is a world wide recognized brand that basically sells itself. While I'm not keen on all of their products and ingredient choices, I do like a few items. One of which is their Popcorn Lip Scrub, so delicious.

Description: Indulge in the sweet-and-salty taste of this delectable lip scrub. Sugar and fine sea salt exfoliate away dry skin while jojoba and coconut oils restore essential hydration to the lips for a smooth, softened pout. Use Popcorn on its own for a luxurious (and delicious!) lip treatment, or before applying your favorite lip color for perfectly soft, kissable lips. Just try not to eat it straight from the pot!

It tastes sooooo good. It really is sweet-and-salty which I'm such a sucker for! I love the little glass jar, which can be reused and is still light enough to carry in your purse/travel bag. Popcorn was a holiday flavour/scent that became so loved and demanded, that they made it part of their permanent collection. The sugar and salt help gently exfoliate dry chapped lips, while jojoba and coconut oil help moisturize. For $9.95 CAN, I find this little jar is well worth the price because it lasts a long time (I've had it for about 6 months and it's not even finished). I plan on attempting my own lip scrub once I completely finish this jar, but if you'd would rather just buy one that's already made, then I highly recommend trying out the Lush lip scrubs.

Retails for $9.95 CAN for .8oz/25g, can only be purchased through Lush.

What's your favourite lip scrub of all time?

Lush's Mange Too Massage Bar Review

Over the Christmas season, I worked at Lush. I've mentioned it before but in case you're new to my blog, Lush is not as natural as they claim to be and if you're familiar with ingredients, then you'll already know that. I did happen to find a few products that I didn't mind using. This delicious massage bar was one of them.

Description: The sweet scent of chocolate and honey combined with skin-softening bananas and the melt-y abilities of Shea and cocoa butter equals one downright delicious massage. Glide all over your partner (or do some self-pleasuring and rub into your arms and legs), and find out how soft and smooth it gets the skin. We won’t blame you if you take a lick (and maybe a nibble, if it’s consensual); this one tastes almost as good as it smells.

The Good:

• super moisturizing
• lickable!
• delicious ingredients (with the exception of perfume)
• perfect as a solid moisturizer
• great for travelling
• looks like a honeycomb!

The Bad:

• overwhelming scent
• contains perfume
• expensive

Verdict: I picked this up for myself and Marcella because I liked the idea of using it as a solid body butter and I liked the way it smelled. I guess my sense of smell was shot while working there because the scent is so strong. Sickening strong. It works fantastic as a body butter though. It is extremely moisturizing, my legs haven't been dry or itchy since using it. It melts into your skin with ease and not much is needed for each body part. I also love that I can take it when I travel and don't have to worry about it spilling everywhere. Don't judge me on this next part since it technically is lickable but....I licked it! Yes, it's true, I licked it. Just once! It was delicious but the idea of licking a body butter kind of made me sick lol. Aside from the scent, I'm not keen on perfume as an ingredient. Lush claims that most of it is from essential oils but I'm not entirely sold. Was it a big enough issue to keep me from trying it anyway? No. Would I repurchase? Maybe if I was going on a long trip or backpacking across the world.

Retails for $10.95 CAN for 100g. Can be purchased at Lush only.

Have you tried any of the massage bars before? What's your favourite?

Ingredients: Fair Trade Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao) , Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) , Perfume , Mango Butter (Mangifera indica) , White Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Fat, Dry Whole Milk, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla) , Fresh Bananas (Musa paradisiaca) , Honey (Mel) , Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita) , Vanilla Absolute (Vanilla planifolia) , Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus dulcis) , *Limonene

Green ingredients = Natural ingredients
Black ingredients = Safe synthetics

Get Angelic Skin with Lush's Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser

Lush has long tried to call itself a natural brand, while I mostly disagree, I can't argue that their clay cleansers are absolutely fantastic. Over the Christmas holiday, I was lucky enough to work at a Lush store and experience the energetic atmosphere and hype over the brand. While Lush basically sells itself, I had to try as many products as possible in order to demo and sell them myself. Several of their products contain sodium lauryl sulfate which was pretty disappointing, being "natural" and all, but I was able to find a couple of products with fairly clean ingredients. One of which is the Angels on Bare Skin facial cleanser.

Description: For heavenly soft and balanced skin, take a smidgen of Angels on Bare Skin, mix with a little water and massage in. The kaolin clay base deep cleanses while ground almonds gently exfoliate the dead skin away. Rose and lavender are added to soothe and help balance out combination skin. It's our best selling preservative-free and packaging-free daily cleanser for all skin types, so if you don't know which cleanser to choose and it's heavenly skin you're after, start with Angels.

The Good:

• smells great
• gently exfoliates
• leaves skin soft and hydrated
• tiny bit goes a long way
• gets rid of acne
• can be used on body
• sold by weight

The Bad:

• can be messy
• must keep container free of any water
• only fresh for 3 months
• doesn't remove makeup

Verdict: I LOVE this cleanser. I tried a few samples of it before actually investing in it. Once I finished up my samples, and wasn't using it for a couple of weeks, I noticed what a difference using it daily really made. This cleanser helps keep my acne at bay, brighten my complexion, soften my skin and reduce dry patches. For starters, it has ground almonds which gently exfoliates the skin and eliminates dry patches like no other. It also containers kaolin clay, which I love because it's ideal for sensitive skin and draws out impurities. It smells like calming lavender, but is never overwhelming. I use it in the morning and even use it on my chest, shoulders and back to help reduce acne and smooth out my skin. It doesn't remove makeup and I wouldn't recommend using it around your eyes. You probably could, but I don't like the idea of ground almonds getting into my eyes! Ouch! It can be a little messy and it took me a few washes to figure out how to best apply and use it. At first, I was using way too much and getting it all over my bathroom counter. You only need a tiny amount (see below) and water and you're good to go. It's great that it's sold by weight because you can get as little or as much as you'd like. While they;'ll likely try to sell you a large quantity at once, it does expire within 3 months and given that you don't need much for each wash, you should just buy enough to last you 2 to 3 months. Being clay based, you need to make sure that water doesn't get into the container or it will make it slimy. For those of you like me, who wet their face first, keeping water out will be tricky. This cleanser can be pricey, but remember that a little is all you need. It is a new staple in my skin care routine and I will repurchase!

Retails for $13.95 CAN per 100g. Can only be purchased at Lush stores or online.

I used a thin layer of this product, prior to taking photos. This chunk is about $20 CAN

Ingredients: Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Glycerine , Kaolin , Water (Aqua) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula hybrida) , Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia) , Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria Chamomilla) , Tagetes Oil (Tagetes minuta) , Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax tonkinensis pierre) , Lavender Flowers (Lavendula hybrida) , *Limonene , *Linalool

Lush Yuzu and Cocoa Bubbleroon Review

If you've read the What's In My Toiletries and Makeup Bag post, you'll see that I bought and took a Lush Bubbleroon with me on my one night getawat.  I thought that since I had never tried any of Lush's bath stuff, I would take this opportunity to test it out.  I instantly fell in love with the scent of this Bubbleroon, omg delicious, and got it!

Description: Inspired by the unusual Japanese fruit the yuzu (kind of like a Satsuma orange), this Bubbleroon has a delectable orange chocolate fragrance, with exotic tropical undertones and an uplifting grapefruit top note. It makes mountains of fluffy white bubbles and the most sublimely soft bath water you’ve ever had. With Extra Virgin coconut oil and Fair Trade Shea Butter (like all of our Bubbleroons) Yuzo and Cocoa is the crème de la crème of chocolatey, moisturizing, and soothing baths.

I don't like orange chocolate scents, or chocolate scents to begin with, but this smells divine.  It's a sweet citrus scent and I don't really pick up on the chocolate aroma.  I followed the directions and crumbled it under running water, I used the whole thing since it was a big tub but I found the bubbles were lacking.  I like me some big bubbles with curves and all!  Like when you're a kid and the tub is all foamy and wonderful, that's what I wanted.  There weren't as many bubbles as I had hoped and they disappeared rather quickly.  Perhaps I didn't use it correctly or the tub was too big, I dunno but that was a huge disappointment for me.  It left the water a murky orange brown colour, which isn't a big deal to me but thought I'd share. I did, however, love the way it left my skin feeling and smelling.  It was hydrating without leaving a weird film and the scent lingered. Y'all know how I love scents!  If I were going to be taking another bath, which is not likely to happen anytime soon, I would try a different Lush Bubble Bar just because it's fun to experiment.  If you are at Lush and fall in love with the scent of this one, try it out and let me know your thoughts!

Retails for $6.25 CAN and can be bought at Lush.

What's your favourite Lush Bubble Bar?

Click for ingredients