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

May 2013 Faves!

I skipped out on doing an April faves post because I was finishing up some products and really had nothing exciting or new worth mentioning. This month, however, I have a few honourable mentions.

DIY Clay mask - I do have a post on my mask concoction, however, I've been changing it up a bit. Instead of using toner to mix the clays and honey, I sometimes used (and still use) Raw ACV (apple cider vinegar) and pass on the neem. Either way, I was using this mask at least 3 times a week to help draw out impurities from the heavy, HD and waterproof makeup that we were using in the makeup course I took.

Honey - With all the makeup and washing my face so frequently last month, I loved applying honey every other morning on my face and just leaving it on for 10 - 30 minutes.

Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil - review here - Such a beautiful, beautiful oil! It smells lovely, feels lovely, hydrates lovely, it's just lovely and I've been really enjoying it.

Bee 23 Hotty Body Balm - review here - I stand by my bees knees comment, it's amazing. I was using the Weleda body oil all over, but decided to use it on the bits that need firming and this balm everywhere else. Moisturizes like a dream!

Weleda Skin Food - review here - I carry this in my bag at all times, in case you couldn't tell by how banged up it looks. Wonderful for dry patches on your body and face. A definite love and must have of mine.

Pure+Simple Face Colour in Glow - review here - Shocking right? Love this blush so, so much. If you follow me on Twitter, then you know mine actually shattered. P+S were kind enough to send me a new one but, I've been using my broken one because there's no way I'm tossing that baby out.

Ilia Lip Conditioner in Arabian Knights - review to come - I do have a review coming, promise! This is the most beautiful and perfect berry shade. I reached for it all of May..well..since I got it really!

Gabriel Brow Pencil in Russet - review to come - This is my first natural brow pencil and it's great. My brows are pretty dark but I hate using a dark brown pencil because I don't want them to appear darker, just fuller. This taupe-ish shade is perfect and so natural looking.

Olie Biologique 004 Hydrating Oil - review to come - I got sent this to try out and while it's basically Argan Oil, which I can't use on my face, it has been amazing in my hair. I apply it on dry hair to smooth away any frizz and keep my ends conditioned. Oh and it smells lovely!

What did you love in May?

The Bees Knees! - Bee 23 Hotty Body Balm Review

I am so excited to share this review with you guys. Back in April, I went to the Green Living Show in Toronto. If you haven't already checked out my haul and experience  posts, you can do so by clicking the words. I came across Michelle's booth, early in my walk around the show, and was instantly intrigued by her and her products.

Michelle Rosetta, creator of Bee 23, started this line out of need. She regularly suffered from headaches and realized it was from her (chemical filled) perfume. In recognizing this, she started doing more research and came to the realization that there are many products out there that are filled with chemical nasties which heavily and negatively impact our body and those around us. Michelle began playing around with ingredients and came up several products, one of which is the Hotty Balm. None of the products contain water, which make the shelf life rather long, they're free of all chemicals, not tested on animals, and proudly made in Canada. Right off the bat, Michelle is vivacious, excited, proud, happy, and all around a beautiful person. She's passionate and proud of her products and with good reason.

Description: Mango Mornings soothes and revives your skin gently with jasmine and lavender, while awakening your inner essence with notes of tangerine. There are no synthetic chemical additives in this all natural product. Let the magic of high quality essential oils, herbs and carrier oils in these creamy body balms caress your skin.

After much deliberation and standing at Michelle's booth like weirdo, my boyfriend helped me decide and actually bought the hotty balm for me. I love the reusable tin, how much product you get, how bright the labels are, and how minimal the packaging is. Eco friendly? I think so. The tin closes tightly which is great for when you're travelling. The balm itself is hard in texture, yet soft enough to scoop with your (clean and dry) fingers. It melts beautifully between your hands and on your body. It easily and quickly absorbs into the skin, resulting in grease free skin. I've been using this on my super dry bits, usually after showering, and it's made them SO soft. I'm sure if I was better at reapplying then I wouldn't have dry bits, but what can ya do? Reapply, I know. When I first saw Mango Mornings, I was expecting the sweet scent of mangoes but my nose quickly acknowledged that there is no scent. A little disappointed? I was too until I thought of all the positives to no scent: 1. I can't get sick of a scent that doesn't exist. 2. It can't offend anyone. 3. Those sensitive to scents can use it. 4. I can use it in combination with a more fragrant body oil. 5. That's all I got right now.  Okay, I shouldn't say that there is no scent because there's an ever so slight sweet jasmine aroma. I typically hate the way jasmine smells on me (it smells like ass in case you were wondering) but, like I said, it's practically unscented. I think this body balm is the bees knees and you should definitely try it out. Would I repurchase? Yes! 

Retails for $19.95 CAN for 6.76 fl.oz. You can purchase it through Bee 23 directly and through these retailers.

Have you ever tried any Bee 23 products? Which looks the most appealing to you?

Ingredients: Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower)Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifer (Grape) Seed Oil, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula Oil), Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Lavendula Officinalis (Lavender), Citrus Tangerina (Tangerine) Oil, Jasiminum Officinalis (Jasmine)

Green Living Show Haul!

I did a post on my day at the show, now here's a look at what I picked up. I didn't get much because if I hadn't of shown some restraint, I would have bought something from every single booth.

Skin Care, Body Care & Makeup

Ta-da! Look at all that stuff. Overwhelmed yet? I picked up...

• Ground Soap bars; Backbone which smells like cinnamon goodness and Lemme Bee Your Honey which is pretty lemony. Backbone was given to me by the lovely Angela. I think it was because I kept smelling all of the soaps so many times that she wanted to get rid of me...how embarrassing.

• Bee 23 Hotty Body Balm in Mango Mornings which is fantastic! I've used this the last two days, after showering, and I have absolutely no dry patches. My elbows and knees are soft like a baby's bum!  

• MarieNatie lip gloss in Love Struck which is gorgeous and tastes like cinnamon and sugar..basically dessert. I've blogged about these before and I'm pretty sure they've been in a couple of monthly favourites, they're great.

Then I got two samples; the white container is the Cocoon Apothecary Petal Purity Exfoliating Facial Cleanser which I've only used once and enjoyed, and the bar is Jaydancin facial bar cleanser which I have yet to use. I don't even know which "flavour" it is and they haven't tweeted me back. TSK TSK Jaydancin!

Tea & Food

I nearly had a heart attack when I saw Pukka teas at one of the booths. This is hands down my favourite brand of tea because the blends are great, they taste awesome, they're fair trade and organic. I think I've mentioned before that my boyfriend enjoys plain green and white loose leaf tea. He judges me with his eyes whenever I pull out anything else but, since he was at my place and desperate, he tried their green tea and really liked it. Life story over, I picked up Harmonise and Green Tea (I think this is the same as Three Green).

Then, since there's food everywhere and I cannot not try it, my boyfriend and I fell in food love with Neal Brothers Organic Blue Corn Tortillas and Habanero Salsa. The Habanero salsa is actually hot. Mouth.On.Fire.Hot! I was like, "yah okay most food that's got hot written on it isn't actually hot". We tried it and there was a bit of a kick, so I picked up two. Once you eat a few, you REALLY start to feel it burn. If spicy is your thing, give this a try.

That concludes my Green Living Show haul. I'm really happy with what I picked up and will definitely do full reviews of the soap, body balm and lip gloss.

Anything in my haul tickle your fancy?

Green Living Show Toronto 2013 Pictures

As those who follow me on Twitter may know, I was at the Green Living Show in Toronto over the weekend. It was so much fun! There were so many booths to help you live a green life whether it be food, beauty, fashion, home or pet related. I didn't take too many pictures because I was literally overwhelmed, but I did take some of my favourite booths.

First stop, Giddy Yoyo. How can one resist chocolate at 10 am? I'm not normally a fan of dark chocolate, but this stuff was sooo delicious. They use natural, organic, fair trade ingredients and best of all, it's all raw! My boyfriend ended up picking up two bars (a banana and an orange flavoured), I think they were bars, which I happily helped him eat.

Bee 23 was next and aside from the beautiful owner, Michelle, the packaging totally suckered me in! It's so friggen cute. Michelle's passion for her products blew me away. It didn't sound like a sales pitch at all, it just sounded like she wanted to tell me about her company and how proud she if of it and the products within it. That, in itself, made me want to buy something (and I did).

Michelle

MarieNatie was a small booth, which I almost walked right by, if it wasn't for the beautiful makeup set up. It was really wonderful to meet Marie in person and chat a little. I picked up a gloss, although I wish I had picked up another one, but I had to quickly get out of there before I bought everything that she had on her! The products are so pigmented, great quality and beautiful.

These two beautiful ladies are from Sappho Cosmetics. Sappho is a natural cosmetic line with beautiful products and rave reviews on the liquid foundation. JoAnn Fowler is the creator of the line and a makeup artist herself. She's A-MAZING! Honestly, I had so much fun talking with her and hearing about how exciting her life is (regardless of whether she agrees on the exciting part). The booth was getting pretty busy but I managed to chit chat with the awesome girls there and JoAnne herself. She actually did my makeup. Jealous? You should be!

The lovely JoAnn (left) & (right) Kayla (who is bomb.com as well)

Botany Co. Eyewear is a really cool company that's straight out of Ontario (that's in Canada eh, for all you non Canadians). They make sunglasses out of bamboo wood. What!? You can't get any greener than that! Courtney is the founder and she is also, as you can see from her smile below, super enthusiastic about her product. She has some bad ass shades and she knows it. I'm definitely contemplating picking up a pair!

Courtney

Cocoon Apothecary is one I've reviewed on my blog before. It was nice to chat with Lane and find out more about the products, including how to properly apply the mud mask. Apply it to a wet face ladies and gents! They were giving out samples, I should have picked up more but, I only picked one up.

Lane sent me a better picture of the booth but for some reason it keeps showing up upside down, this one will have to do.

Last, but not least, Ground Soap. I love soap and was totally excited to check out this booth. The bars are massive and smell fantastic, I picked up two. Angela, the creator and owner, is really outgoing and (here's that word again) passionate. My boyfriend and I had fun chatting with her, hearing how she got her start, and smelling all of the bars over..and over..and over again. Her soaps can be used on the body, face and hair which is great for when you're travelling.

I can't remember what kind of bird this was, hawk? eagle?, but my boyfriend thought it was cool. There were also snakes....*squirms*. I swear one of the snakes kept looking at me, I had to walk away and therefore couldn't take any pictures.

There were a few booths that I missed due to all the excitement and overwhelming feelings over seeing so many green brands and products, such as Green Beaver and Health Hut. You can find a full listing of the exhibitors here.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my day at the Green Living Show. Haul to come! xo