December 2014 & January 2015 Empties!

Since I somehow forgot to do my December empties, I'm combining December and January (as the title suggests). I do have quite a bit, although definitely not as much as I expected. Trash talk time!

*Acure Balancing Rose+ Red Tea Toner - review here - I stand by my initial review, it was a bit too drying for my skin and would be ideal in the summer months or for oily skin types. Will likely not repurchase.

Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner - review here - Best toner of life, seriously. I can't seem to find any other toner (high end or not) that works as well as this one does for my skin. It's hydrating, gives an instant boost of radiance, smells lovely, and is affordable. Already working through another bottle and have a backup.

Heritage Store Rose Water - I really enjoyed using this when my skin was super irritated and to set my makeup. I currently have a small bottle in my purse to mist when I'm feeling dry.

*Weleda Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion - review here - This cleansing lotion was as lovely as I remember. It didn't remove makeup very well, but was gentle enough to use as a second and/or morning cleanse. Only issue is that I go through it extremely quickly. Would likely repurchase again.

*Wild Honey Apothecary Moringa Honey Mud - I won this little bottle from a contest that Anise Apothecary was having on Facebook, and wasn't all that impressed. I just find that regular honey doesn't work as well for my skin as manuka. It did leave my skin soft, but I wouldn't repurchase.

Andalou Naturals Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub - review here - This scrub smelled so weird. I couldn't stand using it on my face, so I used it on my body. Wouldn't repurchase.

*Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Facial Mask - I have mixed feelings about this mask. It has incredible ingredients, like oats and calendula, but never left me wowed. Wouldn't repurchase.

Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea Facial Mask - review here - I loved this mask, although I think I prefer it in the warmer months as it can be drying. It evened out my skin tone, brightened, and helped with any acne. Would totally repurchase.

*Gemstone Organic Ruby Creme - review here - This creme was amazing! When I first received a sample from the company, I couldn't stop raving about it. When I finished the sample jar, the company was kind enough to send me a full one. Not sure what happened but half was through the new jar, it started to smell funny and separate. I tried using it up on my body but the smell just kept getting worse. Not sure if I would repurchase.

The Body Del Radiance Enzyme Peel (sample) - I picked up this (one time use) sample from Husk and really enjoyed it! It contains manuka honey, probiotics, and a bunch of other raw delicious ingredients. It left my skin glowing and radiant! I'm considering splurging on the full size.

*Tres Pure Mini Face Cleanse (sample) - This came in the Petit Vour Limited Luxury FW14 box, from September, and was sooo nice. I mixed it with my cleanser, daily, as a gentle exfoliant and found my skin less congested and much softer. As we got into the colder months, it was a bit much for my sensitive skin. Since it's not easily available in Canada, I wouldn't purchase the full size.

Pelle Beauty Stellar Multitasking Face Oil (sample) - A blog reader came into the spa that I worked at and was kind enough to bring me a bunch of goodies, this was one of them. While it is a nice oil, it's too light for my skin and I don't enjoy the scent of neroli. Wouldn't purchase the full size.

*Province Apothecary Regenerating+Hydrating Face Serum (sample) - review here -  Still not sold on this face serum. It worked so well some days, and other days I felt as though it just sat on my skin. Wouldn't purchase the full size.

*Me & The Girls Moon Serum (sample) - review here - Great oil serum! Absorbed well and left my skin nourished and moisturized. I don't love it more than my Corpa Flora though, so I won't be purchasing the full size.

Myra Aso 100% Marula Oil - review here - Love, love, love! This oil worked so well in my hair and on my face. Already have another bottle on the go and a backup.

Tamanu Oil (in the Corpa bottle) - I had to transfer the oil into the Corpa Flora bottle because the original bottle kept leaking. How annoying! I don't find tamanu is working as well for my skin as it used to. I still highly recommend and will likely repurchase at some point.

*Odylique Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie - review here - This hand cream was a pleasure to use, despite not being fond of the lemongrass scent. It moisturized, without feeling greasy, and helped soothe eczema patches. Since the Andalou Sea Buckthorn hand cream works just as well, is less expensive, and easier to find in stores, I won't be repurchasing this one.

*Me & The Girls Moon Night Moisturizer (sample) - review here - I have to admit, I didn't use this on my face because it contains coconut oil, however, I did use it on my feet! It worked great to keep my feet supa dupa soft. Wouldn't repurchase though.

*Me & The Girls Moon Body Scrub & Foot Scrub (sample) - review here - Both of these scrubs were lovely. I enjoyed the fresh peppermint scent of the foot scrub over the lemony scent of the body scrub, but they had the exact same texture. Scrubs are one thing I never commit to, since I only ever end up using them on my hands, so I wouldn't purchase the full size of either. They are really nice though.

John Masters Blood Orange & Vanilla Body Wash - review here - oh-my-gosh, this body wash smelled so friggen good. I literally wanted to eat it! It lathered well and never left my skin feeling dry. Deep Steep is much more affordable, however, I certainly would repurchase this one just to switch it up.

Clean Well Antibacterial Soap in Spearmint Lime - Love that this hand soap contained no triclosan or other nasty bacteria killing crap. It also never dried out my hands, which is a bonus when you have eczema or are prone to it on your hands. Sadly, Clean Well is no longer available in Canada. Luckily, I still have 2 more bottles in my bathroom (lavender and orange vanilla).

Dr. Bronners Castile Soap in Peppermint - review here - This gigantic bottle took forever to use up. I use Dr. Bronners to clean my bathroom and alternate between peppermint and eucalyptus. Will be repurchasing soon.

*Zuzu Luxe Mascara in Onyx - review here - This was a fantastic mascara, but I found it got super clumpy too quickly. It's really expensive in Canada, so I won't be repurchasing right now.
*Pure Anada Pressed Foundation in Very Fair - review here - Great pressed foundation. Covered well and didn't really cling to dry patches, but it did smell a bit off (that's just the ingredients), the shade range is limited, and it constantly formed a crust on the top. While I love Pure Anada and their pressed shadows are my absolute favourites, the Zuzu Powder is much better and offers a wider shade selection (it's also more expensive though). Wouldn't repurchase.
What did you finish up this month?

*PR SAMPLE

Brand Focus: Odylique (Welcome to North America!)

I've heard so much about Odylique, over the past year, from several of my favourite UK bloggers (mostly Sugarpuffish) and was extremely excited to find out that they would now be available in North America. I had the opportunity to try out the *Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie, *Repair Lotion, and *Gentle Herbal Shampoo. 

Margaret, Essential Care’s founder, created our organic skincare from only the finest natural and organic ingredients and no irritant synthetic chemicals. She originally set out to make face skin care for her own very dry, sensitive skin. Over the years she has added organic face products to suit all sensitive skin types from oily to dry. 

‘Odyl’ means a ‘power of nature’, so Odylique is a very fitting name for what we create: truly effective high-performance skin care that reflects ‘the genius of nature’. 

Through helping so many of you with skin problems over the last decade we understand the importance of selecting the best bits of nature, providing a truly hypoallergenic range that is free from common allergen tree nut oils, soy, wheat or dairy (as well as parabens, petrochemical and sulphates). 

Read more here.

I love me a good hand cream, especially in the winter time when my hands get insanely dry from the cold and constant washing, and this *Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie ($25/2 fl. oz.) is absolutely lovely. It contains a bunch of skin loving ingredients, such as cocoa butter, avocado oil, coconut oil and sea buckthorn. It has a very fluid texture, almost like a milk, but is extremely nourishing and moisturizing without feeling greasy. I keep this baby on my nightstand to use before bed and find my hands feel so good whenever I apply it. I'm not fond of the scent, smells more like lemongrass than fresh lemons, but it's grown on me and dissipates quickly.

Of the three products, the *Repair Lotion ($23/2 fl. oz. or  $38 for 6.8 fl. oz.) is my favourite! It has the same fluid texture as the hand smoothie but feels slightly more moisturizing. It works especially well on my face, without causing irritations or breakouts, and has virtually no scent. When my skin is super, super dry, it's not enough, but on good days it definitely is. I usually apply an oil first, then this lotion, or sometimes I'll mix the two. I've been using it morning and night, for several months, and it's maaaaybe about half way through. Like the hand smoothie, it contains beautiful skin loving ingredients such as, raw shea butter, calendula, and aloe. I would highly recommend this lotion.

I was most excited to try the *Gentle Herb Shampoo ($20/6.8 fl. oz.), mainly because Sarah (Sugarpuffish) and I have similar hair and hair needs, but it fell short for me. As I've mentioned many times before, I have fine (but lots of), straight hair with seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp (since I was a baby). This shampoo did not work for me at all. It has an impressive list of ingredients and virtually no scent, but left my hair feeling weighed down, greasy, and my scalp super itchy. That being said, given how many people like this shampoo and my scalp situation, I'd recommend trying it for yourself.

Odylique has definitely left me wanting to try more of their products. I love that the packaging is easy to travel with, their ingredients list is minimal, and there are no overwhelming fragrances. Whether you have allergies, sensitive skin, or are just looking to try something new, Odylique is worth giving a go.

Find it here: odylique.com

*Products provided for review consideration. All opinions are entirely my own.
Hand Smoothie Ingredients: Aqua, Cocos nucifera oil*, Theobroma cacao seed butter*, Persea gratissima oil*, Helianthus annuus seed oil*, Glycerine**, Cetearyl alcohol, Hippophae rhamnoides fruit extract*, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder*, Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract*, Cetearyl glucoside, Citrus limon peel oil*, Cymbopogon citratus oil*, Pelargonium graveolens oil*, Vanilla planifolia bean extract*, Lactic acid, Sodium anisate, Sodium lauroyl lactylate, Sodium levulinate, Xanthan gum, citral*, geraniol*, limonene* & linalool* (in the essential oils)
*Organically grown & produced (total 93% of product) **Organic origin
Repair Lotion Ingredients: Aqua, Olea europaea fruit oil*, Stellaria media extract*, Butyrospermum parkii butter*, Chamomilla recutita flower extract*, Calendula officinalis flower extract*, Cetearyl alcohol, Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract*, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder*, Hypericum perforatum flower extract, Cetearyl glucoside, Glyceryl caprylate, Phenethyl alcohol, Xanthan gum
*Organically grown/produced (min. 95% of product)
Gentle Herb Shampoo Ingredients: Aqua, Coco glucoside, Cocos nucifera oil*, Sodium lauroyl lactylate, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder*, Chamomilla recutita flower extract*, Equisetum arvense extract*, Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract*, Urtica dioica extract*, Glycerine**, Lecithin*, Alcohol*, Levulinic acid, P-anisic acid, Sodium levulinate, Xanthan gum.
*Organically grown & produced, **Organic origin (70%)