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

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

September 2013 Faves!

It seems lately I've been going through phases. One month I won't have any new faves to share with you and the next I have nothing but new products. This month is no exception! I have a bunch of new products that I've been loving and can't wait to share with you. Reviews to come. Guess this is a bit of a spoiler post though eh? :).

*SBT Seabuckthorn Day Cream - This stuff is fantastic. With the weather changing, my skin has been a little parched and this day cream has really helped restore hydration and help my makeup go on smoother. *Corpa Flora Beauté Divine Camellia Facial Cleansing Oil - I don't normally go for cleansing oils because a bottle of plain oil (coconut, jojoba, apricot kernel, etc) works just as well and costs much less, BUT this stuff is sooooooo good. It removes makeup beautifully, rinses off easily, smells nice, and leaves my skin soft. *Corpa Flora Éclat Citrouille (night serum/oil) - Ahhhh I adore the smell of this product! I apply it after cleansing and toning, at night, and wake up with plump and nourished skin. *Purelygreat Women's Citrus Cream Deodorant - I didn't think this would work and there's definitely things that I don't like about it, but this keeps me stink free virtually all day. AND, and it smells like fruit loops! Will be testing it out on my sun vacation in a couple of weeks, that will be the true test.

*Pure+Simple Organic Bringraj Hair Oil - I've had this bottle for a little while now and with the weather cooling down, I've just started to use it again. It helps with my scalp dermatitis and leaves my hair silky smooth. I've been using it once a week, leaving it on overnight, and washing it out in the AM.

*Delizioso Skincare Organic Body Oil in Passion Fruit - review here - I still don't like the smell of this oil and that's why I only use it from the waist down, but I do love how nourishing the oil itself is. It leaves my skin silky smooth!

Pretty Skin Savior Body Oil -  Love, love, love. This is one of my favourite lines ever and this body oil has no disappointed me. The oil is infused with oatmeal which makes it very soothing for eczema prone and sensitive skin. I've been using it on my upper body and don't have one negative thus far.

*Graydon All Over Soap - This is a soap that can be used on your body and/or hair. I've tried it as a body wash and shampoo, but I love it as a hand soap most of all. Doesn't dry out my hands and smells lovely.

*Pure Anada African Gold - review here - I love this stuff. I apply it to dry patches on my face and body at night and used some in a recent DIY body butter. It's truly a must have for Fall/Winter.

Tassi - This was sent to me by the lovely Alexis, The Green Beauty Bunny, and I have been using it ever since. It's a wide towel-like head band that you use to keep your hair out of your face, brilliant! I use it to wash my face morning and night, and to apply makeup. Seriously, I friggen love it so much! I need to try and find them in Canada so that I can have a backup. Thanks so much Alexis!

What have you been absolutely loving in September?

*Press Samples