Fresh Faced Sample Haul Review

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered some samples from Fresh Faced. I've pretty much finished most of the skin and hair ones, and figured it's about time that I give you my impressions on each of them. In no particular order....

One Love Organics Vitamin E Eye Balm: I was hoping that this balm would hydrate my dry under eyes, but instead I found it didn't do much. It felt as though it just sat on my skin, never sinking in. Won't be purchasing the full size.

One Love Organics Vitamin B Active Moisture Cleansing Oil & Makeup Remover: I only had enough to use 2, maybe 3, times and fell in love. It smells like pineapple, first of all. Aside from the tropical scent, it removes makeup like a dream! I don't need to double cleanse or even use a wash cloth. My boyfriend bought me the full size for Christmas. Will do a full review in the new year.

S.W. Basics Cream: AH-mazing! I was worried it would clog my pores and break me out, but it hasn't. I only apply it on dry patches, like under my eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead, and it's worked wonders at eliminating them. I've already purchased the full size.

Rahua Voluminous Shampoo: This was a disappointing sample, I didn't even have enough for one wash. It smells nice, that's all I got for you.

MVO Everyday Coverage in Light (left) & Medium (right)

MVO Everyday Coverage in Light (left) & Medium (right)

MVO Everyday Coverage in Light & Medium: Another disappointing sample, mainly because the product leaked all over the inside of the lid making it very difficult to get enough product out to actually use. From what I have tried, it provides light coverage and evens the tone fairly well. With Mary's suggestion, I mixed whatever I could with my Sappho foundation and really loved the combo. Light seems to be a better match for me, however, I like the glow that medium gives. Once I use up the sunscreens that I currently have, I might pick up this one.

#8 Creamy Dusty Rose (top) & #3 Berry Aubergine (bottom)

W3LL People Universality Multi-Use Colour Stick in #3 Berry Aubergine (luminous) and #8 Creamy Dusty Rose (matte): I've already fallen in love with #7 Creamy Peony and the formula of this product, and wanted to try more. When I first saw the shades in person, I thought I would end up loving #8..I don't. It's a beautiful pink, on the melon side, but I just don't like how it looks on me. #3, on the other hand, is surprisingly beautiful on! It's definitely an aubergine shade that can be sheered out or built up. I even like using it on my lids, although it does crease. Both wear well, all day, on the cheeks. Will likely purchase the full size of #7 at some point.

L to R: Ilia Lipstick in Femme Fatale and Lip Conditioner in Crimson & Clover

Ilia Lipstick in Femme Fatale and Lip Conditioner in Crimson & Clover: I love Ilia and my all time fave is the lip conditioner in Arabian Knights. Femme Fatale is a beautiful true red that can be sheered out for daily wear or intensified if you're going out at night or feeling cheeky during the day. I won't lie, I wish I had picked it up instead of Bang Bang. Crimson & Clover is a super bright, pigmented orangey red. I think it's more on the red side than orange when compared to Wild Child, correct me if I'm wrong. It's absolutely beautiful, but it's not a shade I feel comfortable wearing often. It's definitely the most pigmented and long wearing lip conditioner, of Ilia's that I've tried, because it acts like a stain. Will pick up Femme Fatale once I use up Bang Bang.

There are more swatches below, should you want to take a look. I think it's great that Fresh Faced offers samples but, be cautious of which samples you choose because some of them are totally not worth it (for example shampoo).

L to R: Light, medium, #3, and #8

L to R: Light, medium, #3, and #8 

L to R: Ilia Lipstick in Femme Fatale and Lip Conditioner in Crimson & Clover

Fresh Faced Sample Haul!

Fresh Faced recently started a sample program, which is genius. I love being able to pick up samples of expensive products before committing to full size, makes sense no? Samples are limited to 10 only and shipping still applies if your order is under $75. Since Caitie, from Naturalla Beauty, recently hauled her samples, I thought I'd do the same.

I picked up:

Ilia Femme Fatale and Crimson & Clover

Marie Veronique Organics Everyday Coverage in Light & Medium

W3LL People Universalist Stick in #3 & #8

One Love Organics Vit. E Eye Balm & Cleansing Oil

Rahua Voluminious Shampoo

S.W. Basics Cream

W3LL People Shadow in Holiday (kindly thrown in by Sally, not shown)

Tried any on my list? Let me know what you think of them!

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?

Collective Haul + First Impressions!

Running out of everything all at the same time really sucks. Mostly because I have to spend so much money in one shot and I hate saying goodbye to money :(. Some of the items that I picked up were repurchases and others are brand spankin new!

Lets see the goodies that I picked up over the last month and a half...

Weleda Skin Food - Repurchase! It's in my bag as we speak and making my skin softer one use at a time.

Adama ClayDry Deodorant - This is a new purchase that I'm actually returning because it makes my underarms so damn dry and itchy that I literally scratched them till they bled. Sexy? I think so. It smells so fruity and delicious though, hurts my heart to part ways.

Oneka Balancing Shampoo - Also a new purchase. It's a Canadian company, Vegan and smells like citrus. I have been enjoying it so far.

Kiss My Face Whenever Shampoo - Repurchase! I love the smell and feel of this shampoo. It gives my hair a deep clean and works like a dream to remove oil treatments from my hair.

Camocare Organics Instant Radiance AHA Lifing Peel - This is a new purchase for me. I actually had the Devita glycolic blend in my hand and got intrigued by the price and promise of this "peel". So far it's alright. I only use it a couple of times a week, any more than that and my skin starts flaking like flaky pastry.

Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner - repurchase! Love this stuff. Good value for money and works so well.

Castor Oil - I purchased this to add to my makeup removing oil, which I made myself. I heard it's great for acne and figured it couldn't hurt to try out. No thoughts on it yet.

Yes to Cucumber Makeup Removing Wipes - I hate wipes but I bought these because I really desperately wanted to remove my makeup at my boyfriend's house. The thought process behind this purchase was that I can keep it in my purse for future desperate situations. It does a good job of removing my makeup but it burns a little.

Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm in Poetic Pomegranate - I'm obsessed! It's sort of sweet and looks pretty on my bed side table. Not much else I can say.

Real Techniques Core Collection Set - I had just washed my brushes and honestly didn't want to put them back in the box, sorry *slaps hand*. I nearly jumped for joy when I saw that my Walmart (in Canada) now carries some of these brushes. I'm loving these! I should really do a review about them.

Pukka Green Tea and Chamomile & Vanilla Tea - I friggen love Pukka tea, it has replaced my love for Yogi. It just tastes so delicious and it better for how expensive it is. Oh! And my boyfriend, who only drinks special loose leaf tea and never wants to try any of my teas because he's so fancy or something, even likes their green tea! He's a tea diva, don't ask.

No more hauls for another few months, hopefully you enjoyed this one. Also, if you've ever tried any of the above products let me know. I'm super curious about whether or not anyone has specifically tried or heard of Camocare Organics.

xo!

Saffron Rouge Haul + First Impressions!

I was going to put this into my collective haul post, that will be up after this one, but there was just too much to show and say. I've seen Saffron Rouge before, browsed their site, saw their prices, and clicked the X on the top right corner. Then I did that all over again, like a million times. Since I've finished virtually all of my skin care, I thought I'd splurge a little and try some higher end products that I've never used before.

I ordered the Mini Firming Flax Eye Cream from The Body Deli ($20 CAN for 5ml) and a travel kit from Dr. Alkaitis ($51.95 CAN for a 30ml Purifying Cleanser, 30ml Herbal Toner, 30ml Soothing Gel, 30ml Nourishing Treatment oil, 7ml Day Creme, 7ml Night Creme, 3.5ml Eye Creme and a little bag with a powdered mask). I've only tried The Body Deli eye cream, once, and it feels really nice. Only the tiniest amount is needed for each eye, so I think this sample is going to last me a long time.

Then I got to pick 5 samples, fun! I picked the Primavera Hand & Nail Cream, ilike St. John's Wort Eye Contour Cream, Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, Suki Transformative Cleansing Clay and Erbaviva SPF 30. I've tried the Suki exfoliating cleanser before and really enjoyed it, everything else will be like opening a present! You know when you open something for the first time and you're really excited to try it or use it? That's how I feel about new skin care.

Speaking of opening a present, there was one in the box! I honestly had no idea what the heck this was but I was dying to rip it open. It took every bit of restraint to wait until I took a picture before tearing into it like a kid on Christmas.

In it were MORE samples!!!!!!!!!! Who doesn't like samples!? I will say, I saw Dr. Hauschka and cringed, until I saw that it was the cleansing cream (insert happy dance). They also sent me a Primavera Rose Pomegranate Intensive Renewing Cream, Inika Liquid Mineral Foundation in Beige, Living Nature Vitalizing Cleanser, Tallulah Jane Aiyana Perfume and John Masters Evening Primrose Shampoo. There was also a little card with 10% off my next purchase. I'm not sure if this little package is something that they send with first time orders or all orders, but it was such a wonderful and lovely surprise.

My first impressions is more on my Saffron Rouge experience than the products themselves. The website is user friendly, customer service is fantastic, checkout is easy and quick, and my package arrived within days. I love that you get to pick your samples with every order. It allows the customer to pick based on their specific needs and provides a customizable experience that sets them apart from other etailers. I absolutely loved the additional samples and 10% coupon code! My only issue is my total at check out didn't match up to my charged total. I emailed Saffron Rouge right away (it was a Saturday) and received a response from Kim first thing Monday morning explaining that the taxes are defaulted until your province and all that jazz is put in. I guess that means once you hit "place my order" because it only showed me my actual total after the fact. She kindly asked if I wanted to proceed or cancel my order, I obviously proceeded. They should definitely change their checkout total update as soon as the province/state is inputted so that customers know exactly what is being charged prior to completing the order. Just a friendly suggestion :). Aside from that, I am 100% pleased with my first order and experience with Saffron Rouge and will be purchasing from them again.

Have you ever ordered from Saffron Rouge or tried any of the products above?

The All Natural Face Haul #2 + First Impressions + Mini Reviews

The wonderful Caitie, from Naturalla Beauty, had posted on her Facebook page about a fab deal for The All Natural Face from yourbestdeals.com. The deal was $19 for $50 worth of product. Luckily she did because otherwise I would have missed out! Thanks Caitie!

My first ANF haul was pretty exciting. Imagine how much more exciting this haul was for me since I got to try more products! Soooo exciting...until...I received my order. The colours of what I received were just such a let down and you're about to see what I mean.

I'm going to start with the lipstick sampler which comes with five shades of choice, one clear and a lip scrub. I opted out of the scrub because it contains salicylic acid which doesn't react well with my skin. The five shades that I selected were Deep Wine, Sweet Wine, Juicy Plum, Sweetheart Pink and Cherries Jubilee. I ended up receiving two samples of Deep Wine and none of Sweet Wine. Mistakes happen. I was more disappointed to discover that they weren't what I expected in terms of shade, two look the same and one looks more like a gloss (and I'm not talking about the clear sample). They feel more like a gloss than a lipstick and have an odd plastic taste. I tried applying them with a brush and my finger, and they applied better with my finger which is how they were applied with in the pictures below. I doubt I'll be using these samples or purchasing full sizes because the taste honestly makes me gag a little and the shades aren't flattering on me except the Sweetheart Pink.

L TO R: Deep Wine, Sweetheart Pink, Cherries Jubilee & Juicy Plum. Notice how Deep Wine & Cherries Jubilee look the same?



Juicy Plum - not pigmented on the lips at all. Felt like oil being rubbed on my lips.

Deep Wine

Cherries Jubilee



Sweetheart Pink

I then picked up the Diva Eye Stix in Milk and Fawn. Bri, from iluvjesse444, has raved about the stix in Milk for highlighting the inner corners of the eyes and brow bone. How could I not pick it up if she loves it so much!? I really enjoy it! It's creamy and creates a very nice brightening effect, however, be careful with how much you apply. My skin is a bit dry and it clinged to the dry patches on my brow bone the first time that I used it. The second time I used less and it was beautiful. Lesson learnt lol. Fawn on the other hand, isn't nearly as creamy and I found I have to warm it up on the back of my hand before applying it otherwise it tugs at the delicate eye area. All in all, I'm pleased.

Top to Bottom: Milk & Fawn. Better swatch will be below.

Bri also raved about the Magic Vegan Eye Shadow Primer. I originally picked up the Oily Lid Primer which was so disappointing and creased horribly. The Magic Primer is amazing! I've only used is a couple of times but it didn't crease and helped my shadows last. I wouldn't say it lasts ALL day, like Urban Decay's Primer Potion, but it's fantastic for being a natural and vegan primer.

I love lip gloss and thought I might as well try one from the ANF. After spending a very long time going through all of the pictures and descriptions of each gloss to pick a colour that I thought would be great, I decided on Sassy Cherry. Huge mistake. When I think Cherry, I think a beautiful berry shade. Imagine my disappointment when I opened up this gloss and saw how brown it was and to make matters worse, it has the same plastic taste as the lipsticks. The smell/taste doesn't go away, it lingers and that a problem for me because I honestly can't handle it. It looks like a chocolate shade and just looks awful on me. I will not be using this gloss and I won't be trying other shades due to the scent. Perhaps of a little peppermint was added, I would give a different shade a try.

Better swatch will be below.

Here is a swatch of Sassy Cherry Lip Glss (top left corner) and the Diva Stix in Milk & Fawn

My last haul, I picked up the pot cream foundation in True Beige which was too dark for me. This haul, I picked up the same foundation but in Light Beige Warm which matches me much better. I haven't really played with this much so I don't have much to say about it. It's creamy, that's all I got :P

Last but not least, I picked up three cream blushes because they are beyond amazing! It was hard selecting shades, because again, they appear different than what's on the site. I decided on Dusky Rose, Barbie & Touch of Rose. I knew what to expect with Dusky Rose and Barbie because there's a picture of them on TANF cream blush section, however, Touch of Rose was disappointing. It's lighter than what I expected seeing the powdered version. I find it to be more of a bronzey, pink highlight. I'm not thrilled with it, that's for sure. Barbie is really pretty, not as pigmented as the other cream blushes but definitely buildable. Dusky rose is really pretty as well, it blends out to give you a nice "touch of rose" look or you can build it to get a darker rose appearance.

Sorry they're dirty, I swatched them the second I got them and they're hard to clean.
L to R: Dusky Rose, Barbie & Touch of Rose

L to R: Touch of Rose, Barbie & Dusky Rose

I lied, cream blushes weren't last. I got three eye shadow samples in Smolder, Raw Steel and Creme Brulee. I was disappointed with Smolder, it's not as pigmented as I expected. Raw Steel is really pretty, thought it would be darker but it's not bad. Creme Brulee is my favouriteeee! So shimmery and just a great neutral champagne type shade for everyday wear.

This was so much longer than I expected but it's great to see swatches to help you decide what to order, should you choose to order from The All Natural Face. Their products, for the most part, are wonderful and their pricing can't be beat but they need to get up pictures of all of their cream product shades and better pictures/swatches of their lip shades.

What are you most excited to order from The All Natural Face?

The All Natural Face Review

I did a haul and first impressions last month and have played around with every item for a good period of time to come to a conclusion. This is going to be short and sweet; basically a description, verdict and ingredients. To see actual swatches, just click on the link above. Also, I have placed another order since this once and received it but I'm waiting to hear back from Crystal on a few issues I had before putting up another haul.

Here we go!



Description Pot Foundation/Concealer in True Beige: With the new formula you won't lose any of the coverage but the application is much creamier and feels just wonderful! The foundation can be used as a concealer or as a foundation. You get fantastic coverage with this formula!

Verdict: The formula is definitely creamy but the colour doesn't match me at all. I thought maybe I could mix it with the Oily Lid Primer to make my own shade but that was too much effort and didn't work well. Regardless, it didn't seem to cover much or last long but that could be because the colour is off. It is darker than I expected after seeing the powdered version. I did order a new one in my shade and will review that soon.

Ingredients: organic jojoba oil, organic argan oil,candelillia wax, mica, oxides, tuitanium dioxide and zinc oxide(sunscreens). $6.50 USD for 10g.



L to R: Cotton Candy & Peachy Rose

Description Cream Blush: They are sooo smooth on the lips and the color payoff is phenomenal! Our customers ohh and ahhh at the blend ability on the cheeks...but once on the lips...they yell GIMMIE!

Verdict: I am obsessed with these! They blend so easily, are creamy, pigmented and look great on my cheeks and lips! They hold up pretty well throughout the day. My biggest issue with these is that the shades don't translate to the shades you see in the powdered versions online. I was definitely thrown off when I received these, luckily I ended up loving them.

Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Candelilia Wax, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Boron Nitride, Oxides. $5.75 USD.

Vegan Oily Lid Primer in Buff: It stays on forever! I developed this exclusively for oily eyelids but you dont have to have oily lids for this to work if you just want to use it for the buff color. It is not made with drying ingredients so it will not dry out your lids.

Verdict: Save your money, it creases. I tried applying this over Tarte's eye primer and it creased. I have a mini Tarte eye primer which I use if I'm going out because it makes my shadow last all day, but didn't work with this. I tried applying it over an oil absorbing powder, it creased. I applied a little and I applied more, it creased. No matter how much, little or way it was applied, it creased! Such a shame because it works great for neutralizing the lids. I attempted to use this as a concealer on my face, and thought it was a good match at first, but it's a tad light.

Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Candelilia Wax, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Boron Nitride, Oxides. $3.45 USD for 5g.

I love how affordable and natural all of these products are. The cream blushes are so worth picking up but I warn you now, be careful with colour selection when looking at the powdered blushes.

What are you loving from The All Natural Face?

The All Natural Face Haul + First Impressions!

I first heard of The All Natural Face from Bri (iluvjesse444) on YouTube. She has raved about all of the products that she has tried and I have visited their site regularly, eyeing what I'd like to buy first. I love that everything is so clean, natural, VEGAN and affordable. For those Canadian gals out there, shipping was under $4! How amazing is that!? Nothing turns me off more than paying a ridiculously high shipping fee. Crystal, from TANF, actually makes the products and stands by them 100%. She is incredibly sweet, eager to help and loves to ensure that her customer's are fully happy with their products. Aside from colour selection, I had no hesitation placing my first order.

Here's what I picked up!

L to R: Pot Foundation/concealer in True Beige,
Cream Blush in Cotton Candy and Peachy Rose,
and the Vegan Oily Lid Primer in Buff

Pot Foundation/Concealer in True Beige: This is a creamy and medium coverage concealer. I actually applied it under my eyes to see how much it would cover and how much it would crease, it worked pretty well. It definitely needs to be set with a powder but it didn't crease much. Sadly, the colour is too dark for me but at $6.50 USD for 10g, I'm not going to cry about it. I will be ordering another shade and possibly a pink shade for use under my eyes.

Cream Blush in Cotton Candy: Bri didn't lie, their cream blushes are fantastic! The colour of this one shocked me a bit because it has a strong purple tone to it but looks beautiful on. It's creamy, pigmented and long lasting.

Cream Blush in Peachy Rose: Beautiful colour and I love it as much as Cotton Candy. It's definitely peachy!  Both colours can be sheered out for a wash of colour or built up for more intensity. These are $5.75 USD each and I will be buying more for sure!

Vegan Oily Lid Primer in Buff: This shade is a good match for my skin. It sadly creases on me no matter how much or little I use. I have deep set eyes though, that's probably why I'm more prone to creasing. I'm still playing with it but I think I may end up just using it as a concealer. It was only $3.45 USD.

Crystal also included a mini sample of an eyeshadow and a sampler of all the foundation and concealers shades available. I thought that was fantastic because it now allows me to pick my actual shade and easily order what I need.

L to R: Cream Blush in Cotton Candy,
Cream Blush in Peachy Rose,
Pot Foundation/concealer in True Beige,
and Primer in Buff

L to R: Cream Blush in Cotton Candy,
Cream Blush in Peachy Rose,
Pot Foundation/concealer in True Beige,
and Primer in Buff

What's your favourite product from The All Natural Face? If you haven't tried them yet, what's on your wish list?

Hugo Naturals Soap Mini Haul

I friggen ADORE Hugo's soaps so much.  I reviewed them last year in May and can honestly say that no soap even comes close to how amazing these are. They lather nicely, are creamy and hydrating, and come in so many delicious scents.  I picked up a few bars in the last couple of months because, well, I needed them. Honest! Why I needed this many, I don't know.

I currently only have these four bars on hand and one of them is now in my shower.

 Vanilla Peppermint and Sweet Eucalyptus were holiday scents and damn are they ever good! Their name describes exactly how they smell.  I haven't actually used either of them yet but I have no doubt they will be fantastic.

The one below, on the left, is White Chocolate Raspberry...what? YUM! Nom nom nom. Guys, it smells absolutely delicious. It's clearly the one that I put in my shower, after taking these pictures, and my entire bathroom smells of it. The scent lingers on the skin for a bit and it's as wonderful as the handcrafted soaps. I believe this is their Artisan soap and you purchase it by weight.  That chunk was just under $4 CAN and worth every damn penny! Then I have my Shea Butter & Oatmeal bar which is one of my faves because it's so hydrating and has the oatmeal for gentle exfoliation.

Have you tried these amazing soaps yet? If so, what's your favourite? If not, why the heck not!?!