December 2013 Empties - Beauty Edition + A Love Note

As this will be the last post of the year, I thought I'd get a little sentimental and sappy. Thank you so much for all of your love and support this year. The comments left on my blog, love notes through email, and interactions on social media encourages and motivates me to continue blogging and strive to make this blog better. With that said, I wish you a very Happy New Year filled with love, laughter, health and wealth.
Sap time over.
Ah, I love ending off the year having finished so many full sized beauty products. This will be my last post until the new year and what better way to end 2013 than with an empties beauty edition post?!
Jumping right in!

Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk - review here - What a fantastic cleanser. I don't think I realized how much I enjoyed it until I finished it up. It smelled great, cleansed well (after already removing makeup), and was very affordable. My only beef is that the pump stopped working when there was about 1/4 of the product left. Was super fun trying to use up the rest...it wasn't fun at all, that was sarcasm. Would repurchase though. Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner - review here - Love! Already repurchased. Pretty Triple Rose Floral Water - review here - These are my favourite floral waters ever. I didn't love the rose scent, since I'm not a rose fan but it worked well as a morning "cleanse". Repurchased in Chamomile.

George's Aloe - no review - This product has been a favourite of many green bloggers for months. I didn't do a full review because there's no point. I used it in masks and as I would a toner or floral water. It was nice and the price point was fantastic, but it won't be a repurchase.

Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash - review here - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. This was the ultimate multitasking product for me. It worked as a shampoo, body wash and AMAZING hand wash. I will repurchase for sure!

REN Glycol Lactice Radiance Renewal Mask - review here - My heart broke a little when I finished this baby up. It was such a beautiful mask that produced results and even though it contains phenoxyethanol, I would repurchased if the price was right. 

*Odacite Hydration Masque Sample - review here - I tried and wanted to love this mask, however, it just didn't do what I expected it to do...like hydrate.

*Delizioso Skin Care Dead Sea Mud Mask - review here - This actually dried out before I could finish it, so I added a little bit of water and used what I could before it grew a furry family. There are other mud/clay masks that I prefer though. Won't repurchase.

Badger Balm Cocoa Butter Lip Balm in Mint - review here - One of my fave lip balms. I hate how cocoa butter lip balms change texture in extreme weather, which is what happened with this one. I've already used up 2 and have another left. Will likely repurchase at some point.

Ladybug Jane Sweet Strawberry Lip Balm - review here - Ugh, the taste of this balm is delicious and it's vegan! Will definitely repurchase.

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Solid Perfume - review here - I've had this for months and months, it's lovely! Worked as a perfume, brow wax, etc. Will repurchase at some point.

*aroma M Camellia Body/Bath Oil - review here - This body oil is lovely, except for the scent. It's a little too floral and mature for my liking but, the oil itself absorbs and moisturizes beautifully. Won't purchase the full size.

Deep Steep Hand Wash in Honeydew Spearmint - review here - Great scent, great ingredients, not great for my dry hands in the cold months. Would repurchase in the Summer.

*Corpa Flora Beaute Divine Cleansing Oil - review here - Gorgeous cleansing oil that lasted me a very long time. Removed makeup without irritating or breaking out my skin. I'm using something else now and will likely purchase the full size in the future.

Konjac Sponge Company - no review - I tried so hard to write a review on this sponge but, whenever I sat down I just couldn't type anything. It's a lovely sponge that works to remove makeup and cleanse the skin with or without cleanser. I still prefer my Sephora pad though. Won't be repurchasing.

That's it for my last post of the year! Are you ending off 2013 with a lighter bathroom? Let me know what you finished off this month.

*PR SAMPLES

Green Beauty Collab #1: Products I'd Repurchase!

The lovely Brianna came up with and coordinated a fun Green Bloggers collab. To see a list of who participated and read their post, click here. I absolutely love posts and videos that involve talking about products, whether it be a tag or not, because it allows me to see what others are enjoying and introduces me to brands/products I wouldn't have otherwise tried. For this specific collab, I needed to pick only 10-15 products that I basically couldn't live without. There are several products that I'd repurchase, but only a few that I actually do. After days of deliberating, hair pulling and cursing, I've finally decided on the products that I'd absolutely repurchase without hesitation. For the record, I could have been way more dramatic than that :P.

Body/Hair Care

Coconut Oil - I use coconut oil regularly. I use it to deep condition my hair, remove makeup, cook, hydrate my skin and just sniff because it smells delicious! It is, without a doubt, an oil that I will always have on hand.

Hugo & Debora Naturals Handcrafted Soap - I have raved about these soaps time and time again. I love how hydrating they are, the scents available, ingredient list and how available they are to me. I have tried other soaps and I have yet to find one I like better. I usually always have a couple of bars on hand, right now I have 3.

Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap - This brand is just amazing. I love that they use organic and fair trade ingredients, they're available everywhere, they offer great scents (including unscented), they lather well and can be used for a million and one things. I personally enjoy the citrus, eucalyptus and peppermint scents because of how uplifting and invigorating they are. I use this soap to wash my stinky bits, makeup brushes, bathroom sink and tub, and as a hand wash. I find that it can be a bit drying, so that's why I don't use it as a body wash. I pretty much always have a bottle on hand.

Kiss My Face Whenever Shampoo - This is a new love for me and one of the first shampoos that I have actually repurchased immediately after finishing up it up. It has a citrusy lime scent, lathers nicely, deep cleans and works amazingly well for removing hair oil treatments. As long as I do oil treatments, this will be in my shower.

Weleda Skin Food - Do I even need to explain why I love this? It's a cult favourite. I use it as a hand cream but also apply it to dry areas of my body when they need some TLC.

Skin Care

Pangea Egyptian Calendula & Blood Orange Cleanser (not shown above) - This is the cleanser that I keep going back to. I have repurchased time and time again, and just reordered yesterday. It's the only cleanser that I can use on lazy days to remove my makeup (instead of using an oil first), smells nice, keeps acne at bay, doesn't dry out my skin and lasts a very long time. I absolutely love it.

DeVita Solar SPF 30 for Face - I never thought that I'd find an SPF that doesn't break me out, but I did! It doesn't smell like anything, is so light, hydrating, doesn't leave a white case and works. It's pretty expensive here, around $35 CAN but it's well worth it.

Thayer's Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner - This toner is so affordable, gentle and hydrating. It removes all traces of dirt, oil and cleanser. It's a great pick me up and makeup setting spray. I've gone through several bottles of this stuff and it's always on hand. I actually stopped using it for about a year, probably to try other toners, but I'm so glad that I decided to buy it again.

Weleda Baby Calendula Face Cream - Two Weleda products? Geez. This is a brand new love and one I see myself keeping around. It is so moisturizing but never leaves me greasy. It helps soothe the skin and, I think, control acne as well. The smell does linger but it's not overwhelming. I really like using it on my arms and anywhere that tends to get red or irritated. Love, love, love.

Sea Buckthorn Oil - I don't enjoy the bottle of the New Roots one, so I wouldn't repurchase this particular brand but I love sea buckthorn oil in general. It has a tea, almost rosehip, type smell. It absorbs beautifully into the skin, hydrated, softens and just feels wonderful. I love trying new oils but I think this one will be in my permanent collection for a while.

Tamanu Oil - This is a miracle oil! I'm still on my first bottle of this (and sea buckthorn) but I love the combination of the two on my skin. Tamanu has fantastic healing properties which makes it ideal for using on acne (which I get), as well as cuts and bruises (I'm clumsy). The smell is a bit strong but I've gotten used to it.

Makeup & Misc.

Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm - These lip balms are my absolute faves. I have 3 on the go right now and reach for them all the time. They're so moisturizing, big and affordable.

Pure+Simple Blush in Glow - The most perfect raspberry colour I've ever found. The formula is a little soft, as you can see above, so it's slowly cracking but I LOVE this blush so much. I wear it alone or over top of a cream blush.

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Solid Perfume - I was on the fence about this solid perfume because it doesn't last very long but I've fallen in love. It's a multi use product really. I use it to freshen up, tame brows and tame frizz. I love the entire Indian Coconut Nectar line.

The All Natural Face Cream Blush - These blushes are amazing! They do vary in texture and the colours online are different but if you end up loving the colour you get, these are a total win. They're super affordable, blendable, natural looking, dewy, moisturizing and last a while on the skin.

That's it! Have you tried any of the products mentioned or have any must haves yourself? Let me know!

Pacifica Island Coconut Nectar Solid Perfume

I really love having some sort of fragrance with me so that I can freshen up on the go.  I originally had purchased the Pacifica Roll On in the same scent but dropped it and it shattered.  It shattered after falling on hardwood floor, what? I had no idea it was that delicate, geez.  Anyway, I played with the idea of repurchasing but, I was so upset because it was brand new, that I didn't.  I came across the solid perfume at The Big Carrot and couldn't help myself from buying it.

Description: Pacifica’s Indian Coconut Nectar is a sensuous and delicious blend inspired by travels to faraway destinations. This warm, sultry blend of coconut and delicate creamy vanilla is pure ambrosia. A modern take on the most ancient form of fragrance, Pacifica's dazzling new Solid Perfumes are made with organic soy and coconut wax and Pacifica's signature perfume blends with essential and natural oils. A warm blend of sultry fresh coconut and delicate, creamy vanilla.

The scent is so friggen delicious I could eat it!! I won't of course, that would be weird and probably make me feel a little sick but YUM, I adore this scent.  Sadly, the solid perfume doesn't last more than a few minutes.  I'm not sure if it's a bad batch or just the way it is but how disappointing.  This is my first solid perfume ever, so please let me know if all solids are like this or if there's something I can do to extend the wear time (besides layering, I know that :P).  It's great for on the go, the tin packaging is very cute and I like the scent.  I have also used this on my hair at times to smooth out some frizz on a rainy day or just to tame the mane on a bad hair day. It melts pretty quickly when I rub my finger in the tin but feels a big tacky.  I don't mind that though.  I'm not sure if I would repurchase due to the fact that it doesn't last long but I will purchase the roller ball again at some point.

Retails for approx. $8.99 CAN, check out http://www.pacificaperfume.com/ for more info.  It can be purchased at most health food stores.

How do you feel about solid perfumes?

Ingredients: organic cocos nucifera wax (coconut wax), organic glycine soja wax (soy wax), parfum (Pacifica’s own perfume blend with natural and essential oils), prunus armeniaca wax (apricot wax), caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut source). No parabens, animal testing, animal ingredients or artificial colors. 100% vegan and gluten-free.