May 2014 Empties!

Oh boy have I finished up a good chunk of my stash this month. I apologize now for a couple of the dark pictures, I took them late at night in order to be able to toss this stuff out for garbage day. Anyway, let's get to it!

Alaffia Neem & Shea Butter Scalp Recovery Shampoo - This shampoo worked brilliantly in the colder months. I tend to have seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp, all year round, with dandruff on top of that in the winter. This helped clear up my scalp immediately and then stopped working. Will give it another go next winter.

Shoosha Baby Calm Baby Massage Oil - review here - This was a fantastic cleansing oil (for face) and moisturizing body oil, however, I hated that the bottle cap always leaked. Definitely not travel friendly and just plain annoying. Still, it was lovely and I would repurchase.

Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk - review here - Ignore the fact that the picture shows that this bottle is not completely empty, it is now. Loved and still love this cleanser so much. The scent was beautiful, it made my skin so soft and helped calm any redness that I had going on on my face. My only issue is that the pump stopped working (again!) at about the point displayed in the picture. Will 100% repurchase this cleanser, once I use up some of the others that I have in rotation.

Andalou Naturals Lavender Shea Hand Cream - I purchased this when the contact dermatitis on my hands, now confirmed ezcema, cleared up with hopes that it would keep my hands clear. Sadly, it irritated my eczema and so I ended up using it as a body lotion. It smells beautifully of lavender and moisturizes well but, I will likely not repurchase.

Aubrey Men's Stock Pine Deodorant - review here - Despite the spray apparatus constantly not functioning properly and the bottle randomly leaking, this worked great for me in the stink department. It is strongly fragranced and contains alcohol, however, it also contains calming ingredients like calendula and arnica. Would definitely repurchase.

Living Libations Neem Enamelizer Toothpaste - review here - Holy moly batman, this toothpaste made my teeth glow. Who knew teeth could glow? I guess anyone who's been using this toothpaste. The flavour isn't my favourite, neem *gags*, but it worked incredible well and I noticed a positive change in my teeth. I've picked up a different toothpaste in their range and see myself repurchasing this one again.

Living Libations Sea Buckthorn Shampoo - review here - Sea Buckthorn is one of my favourite oils, so naturally I had high hopes for this shampoo. It left my hair feeling oily and my scalp itchy. The scent was delicious and I enjoyed using it as a body wash though. Will not repurchase.

SBT Seabuckthorn Fruit Oil - review here - Speaking of sea buckthorn oil....This staining and oompa loompa orange oil was used diluted with other facial oils and in smoothies. As a supplement, it was great. As a skin care oil, it was also great but I much prefer the seed oil. Will not repurchase.

Osmia Spot Treatment - This worked as amazingly well as everyone said it would. I loved how little the bottle was, perfect for tossing in my bag, and smelled really nice. Will likely repurchase.

The Body Deli Blueberry Resurfacing Cleanser - review here - Ahh, this cleanser was a lovely weekly treatment for my face. It smelled incredible and worked well to chemically exfoliate my skin. The tiny bottle lasted me about 5 months, money well spent. Haven't decided whether I will repurchase or go for the scrub in the same family.

Tamanu Oil - review here - Love, love, love. Won't rave about it or say too much besides the fact that I will be repurchasing.

Batty's Bath Skin Support Serum - I didn't do a full review of this brand because I didn't find that it actually did anything for my skin. Couldn't think of what to say besides, "it didn't work". Recently, the owner told me that it takes several months for this serum to work because it treats internally instead of externally. Either way, I had hoped to see some sort of positive change. Won't be repurchasing.

*Blissoma Clay Renewal Treatment - review here - Oh sad, sad day. I heard my heart break when I finally scooped up the last bit of this amazing product. What can I say? It worked so well at fighting blackheads, acne, scars, and just keeping my skin suppppper soft. Shipping to Canada is a little high, so hopefully I can pick up another jar during a sale.

Batch Naturals Multipurpose Cream - review here - This cream was well loved by my elbows, knees, and especially feet. Towards the end it did start smelling weird, so I had to toss it. May repurchase once I use up all the other balms and creams that I have.

Province Apothecary Detoxifying + Clarifying Clay Mask (sample) - PA is a very lush Canadian brand with a beautiful collection of products, this mask being one. Aside from the smell of the Canadian Algae, which I couldn't stand, it worked really well at pulling impurities to the surface allowing me to extract them better. Yes, I squeeze my own face sometimes. Won't be purchasing the full size. 100% Pure Burdock & Neem Healthy Scalp Shampoo (sample) - While I'm not looking to stray from my beloved OM shampoo, I need a weekly clarifying treatment that doesn't involve me having to make it. Since it is a small sample, I haven't fully formed an opinion on it. I have a couple more to use, perhaps next empties I'll have more to say about it. Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Lovely (sample) - This shade is very similar to my well loved W3ll People Universalist #7 Creamy Peony, however, the texture is much smoother and leaves a gorgeous sheen on the skin. Now that I know that I love the formula, I may need to pick up Blossoming...or...all of them? W3ll People Universalist #1 Creamy Pink (sample) - This is a total dupe for Nars Orgasm, without the chunky glitter fall out, and is stunning! Not sure I love it enough to pick up the full size but I enjoyed using this sample up. The All Natural Face Diva Stix in Milk - Tossing this out because I never use it.  Phew, done. That's what I've used up this month. Let me know below what you've gone through in May.

Aubrey Men's Stock Natural Dry Deodorant Review

Finding a natural deodorant that works is really hard. Before I went to Jamaica, I had a bad reaction to a baking soda deo and knew I had to pick up something else for my trip. What better time to test it out than in a hot and humid climate right?

Description: Natural herbal extracts keep you fresh-smelling all day without harsh ingredients or preservatives.

I wouldn't say that it keeps me "fresh-smelling all day". I definitely need to reapply, whether in Jamaica or not, because I'm a stinky person. The scent is amazing though! Pine has never been a favourite of mine but, somehow Aubrey makes it work. It's strong, masculine, and lingers throughout the entire day; something to be aware of before you decide to try it. For someone who isn't stinky, like me, this would be a fantastic deodorant. It also doesn't leave any marks or residue on clothing and dries quickly. The ingredients list is short and fantastic. Despite the first ingredient being alcohol denat, it's never irritated my underarms or dried them out. That's probably because all of the other ingredients have soothing and healing properties, like calendula and arnica. My only negative is the sprayer on the bottle, it acts up from time to time. All in all, a stellar product and very likely one I'll continue to repurchase.

Retails for approx. $9.99 CAN for 4 oz. Can be purchased through Aubrey, Whole Foods, and select retailers.

INGREDIENTS INCI: Alcohol denat., hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract, arnica montana (arnica) extract, calamine, tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), calendula officinalis (calendula) oil, pinus sylvestris (pine) oil.

What's in my Travel Bag!?

Some of you may already know, I went to Jamaica for a week. It was the first time in a couple of years that I went away and it was much needed. Most people have a hard time deciding what clothes to take, I had a hard time deciding what products to take! Thought I'd share what I decided on :)

Let's start with the most important, sun care!

If I were to do this post a few years back, you'd probably see a chemical filled SPF followed by a tanning oil. Having learned and finally realized how damaging UVA/UVB rays are, I took my sun care a little seriously this trip. I reapplied my sunscreen several times a day, especially after swimming.

DeVita SPF 30 Solar Body Block, *Graydon SPF 30 Sun Cream, Badger SPF 15 Aloe Sunscreen, *SBT Seabuckthorn Sunburn Salve (sample), and George's Aloe with peppermint essential oil

For skin care I took Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk,*Corpa Flora Beaute Divine, Grenadine and Eclat Citrouille, George's Aloe with chamomile and lavender essential oil, *Odacite Eye Cream (sample), and *SBT Seabuckthorn Tea Cream (depotted).

Since I was going to be spending countless hours in the sun, I knew my face would need a few extra treatments. Took Pangea Organics Matcha Mask and *Odacite Hydrating Mask to help bring my skin back to life after a day baking in the Caribbean sun.

For hair and body care, I really wanted to keep it simple. I used Weleda's Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash as just that and must say that it's awesome as a shampoo. I also took *Delizioso Passion Fruit Body oil, *Lina Hanson Global Body Serum (which I use/used in my hair), Weleda Pomegranate Body Oil, Bee 23 Hotty Body Balm (depotted), and Aubrey Men's Deodorant Spray.

Finished several of the products that I took, which you'll be seeing in my empties post :P. I'm debating on doing a makeup version of this post, let me know if you'd like to see that!

*PR samples