Brand Focus: ZAYA Oils (+Giveaway: CLOSED)

If I haven't said the following enough, I'll say it again, I love finding local brands! Canadians make some incredible products and many of my favourite skin care and makeup items are made right here, eh. I was thrilled with Anna, one of the beauties behind the brand, reached out asking if I wanted to try out some products. They are based out of Toronto and handcraft each of their beautiful oils using only wild-harvested and organic ingredients. I had the pleasure of meeting Anna at the Green Living Show earlier this year and wow, what a friggen beauty! Her skin was flawless, along with the other two ladies (whose names I forgot because I'm a horrible person).

Anna offered to send whichever oils appealed to me, and based on the ingredients and scents, I picked the *Eye Oil ($69.90 CAD/30 ml), *Face Oil ($59.90 CAD/50 ml), *Belly Oil ($49.90 CAD/100 ml), and *Body Oil ($43.90 CAD/100 ml). All of them came housed in dark glass bottles with pumps, for freshness and easy dispensing, and gorgeously packaged inside of a chic cardboard box with their corresponding characters. While I don't leave the boxes on my dresser, because I like to keep it minimal, these boxes have worked well to store larger pieces of jewelry that are kept in my dresser. I absolutely adore the packaging and appreciate the effort to create an artistic piece that can be re-purposed.

Our strong belief in natural skin care is blended with our passion for elegant beauty. We create them in desire to remind women that their beauty has countless number of faces. To inspire them to bring out their natural beauty, to be different, but irresistibly charming and elegant every day! 

All our products are created in Canada (Toronto) in our own facility using only natural, wild-harvested and organic ingredients. The product compositions are thoroughly developed by the team of PhD chemists who have 15 years of experience on the natural skincare market. No synthetic ingredients ever cross the doorway of our manufacturing site. Our manufacturing is cruelty free and not harmful for the environment.

Like many responsible businesses nowadays we are trying our best to use only recyclable and environmentally friendly materials to package our products. The carton boxes we use are made of 100% recycled paper [and can be used as a jewelry box]. Our bottles are made from beautiful high quality dark violet glass that offers optimal protection against the ageing processes that are released by visible light. So, you can make sure that the potency of our blends will not decrease over a long time period.

Read more about ZAYA Oils here.

*Eye Oil Rosewood "The Magestic One": This oil blend was specially created to nurture and restore the delicate areas around your eyes. When applied in the morning, it hydrates the skin, helping your eyes look fresh throughout the day. When used in the evening, it gently removes makeup, while revitalizing and nourishing the skin. 

Since I've started incorporating more oils into my skin care regime, I've found that my eyes don't get nearly as dry as they used to. That means that I no longer use creams or oils specifically designed for the eye area. Still, I decided to try out this oil for its intended purpose. By day 2, I had already forgotten to apply it. Now, I use one to two pumps to breakdown and remove eye makeup at night. The combination of sweet almond, rice bran, and macadamia nut oil leave my lashes and eyes well moisturized, even after removing with a cloth, but never feels greasy or heavy. The sweet and floral scent of rosewood is gorgeous and subtle. If you're into eye products, this is definitely one to try.

 

*Face Oil Rosewood "The Stunning One": This oil blend was specially created to delicately moisturize the skin without leaving the greasy feeling on your face. Carefully selected combination of oils deeply moisturizes your skin giving you a radiant glow

Ohhh how I love this face oil. It is loaded with sesame, evening primrose, grapeseed, and sweet almond oil, yet never feels greasy or heavy on my skin and absorbs quickly. The scent of rosewood is beautiful and I rarely get whiffs of geranium, which is a scent that normally bothers me. I apply one pump, in the P.M., to love my skin while I sleep. When I wake up, my skin is plump and well nourished. In the morning, I mix half a pump with a dime sized amount of moisturizer to create the perfect base for makeup. It hasn't irritated or broken out my sensitive, hormonal skin. Instead, it's helped calm redness, reduce dry patches, and even out my skin tone. Gorgeous, gorgeous oil and definitely my favourite of the four.

*Belly Oil Vanilla & Petitgrain "The Loving One": Specially created for Mothers-to-Be this oil blend nourishes your skin and maintains its natural elasticity. So comforting to the skin, it relaxes your body and soothes your mind. Pamper yourself and your little bean!

Before anyone asks, I'm not nor was I pregnant. I selected this belly oil based on the scent alone and I'm glad so that I did! The warm, smokey, and slightly spicy blend of vanilla and petitgrain make this oil a delight in the colder months and before bed. A little goes a long way, it absorbs into the skin with ease, and leaves the skin well moisturized. It contains sweet almond, rice bran, apricot, and macadamia nut oils, plus a few others, which I find to be rich enough to moisturize but light enough to properly absorb. Apricot kernal oil is actually one of my favourites!

*Body Oil "The Alluring One": Specially selected combination of oils keeps your skin hydrated and balanced. Giving your body a boost of nutritive energy this blend promotes the firm and smooth appearance of your skin.

This body oil is slightly thicker, due to the avocado and castor oils, but still absorbs really well. I absolutely love the combination of rosemary and grapefruit, it's fruity but still fresh and herbal. I have only been using it for about a week, but think it'll definitely be a love of mine through the warmer months, mainly because of the uplifting scent.

Get them here: ZAYA Oils, and these retailers.


GIVEAWAY TIME! - CONGRATS SHELBY!

• Follow ZAYA Oils on at least two of the following: Twitter, Instagram, and/or Facebook.
• Follow Live It, Love It, Green it on Twitter and/or Instagram.
• Comment below telling us how your incorporate oils into your daily skin care routine, as well the names associated with the social media outlets in which you followed us on.
• Open to residents of the the USA and Canada only.
• Must be legal age of majority or have permission from your parent(s)/guardian(s).
• Winner will get to choose any two products of their choice, which can be view here.
• Winner will be chosen by ZAYA Oils and announced on social media.
• Contest will start on Tuesday, May 12th and end at 11:59 P.M. EST on Wednesday, May 27th, 2015.

Good luck!

P.S. If you like patchouli, the hair oil smells delicious. I was worried it would smell too much like ylang ylang, but was pleasantly surprised when I sniffed it at the Green Living Show.

*Products provided for review consideration. ZAYA Oils was kind enough to offer one of my readers the opportunity to try out two of their products. All opinions are entirely my own.

Eye Oil Ingredients: Prunus Dulcis (sweet almond) oil*, Oryza Sativa (rice) bran oil, Macadamia Ternifolia (macadamia nut) seed oil*, Punicagranatum (pomegranate) seed oil, Triticum Vulgare (wheat) germ oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) seed oil*, Aniba Rosaeodora wood (rosewood) essential oil. 

Face Oil Ingredients: Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) seed oil*, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) oil*, Vitis vinifera (Grape) seed oil, Prunus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil*, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) germ oil, Camellia oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil*, Aniba Rosaeodora wood (Rosewood) essential oil, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) essential oil*.

Belly Oil Ingredients: Prunus Dulcis (sweet almond) oil*, Oryza Sativa (rice) bran oil, Prunus Armeniaca (apricot) kernel oil*, Macadamia Ternifolia (macadamia nut) seed oil, Sesamum Indicum (sesame) seed oil*, Triticum Vulgare (wheat) germ oil, Vanilla Planifolia (vanilla) CO2extract*, Citrus Aurantium (petitgrain) essential oil*

Body Oil Ingredients: Prunus Dulcis (sweet almond) oil*, Oryza Sativa (rice) bran oil, Macadamia Ternifolia (macadamia nut) seed oil, Triticum Vulgare (wheat) germ oil, Persea Gratissima (avocado) oil, Ricinus Communis (castor) seed oil*, Citrus Paradisi peel (pink grapefruit) essential oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (rosemary) essential oil*

*Organic

LOVE: The Body Deli Living Hair Shampoo

There isn't one thing about The Body Deli that I don't like. Sure they're a bit pricey, but you get products that are full of gorgeous fresh, raw, and organic ingredients. These ingredients literally feed your hair, scalp, and skin. I have wanted to try the shampoo for-freakin-ever, but the fact that my scalp hates most products and it's expensive, held me back from taking the plunge. It wasn't until I read rave reviews from NatuRia and Ana Goes Green that I just knew I had to give it a go. Worst case scenario, I end up with a really expensive shave cream, right?

THE BODY DELI is the pioneer for fresh, raw, organic skin and hair care. Our master “Cosmetic Chefs” lovingly handcraft premium quality products in small batches daily. Our products deliver real results because we use the purest and most potent raw and organic superfoods available. Experience a higher level of nourishing your body.

The key to our superfood face and hair care products’ effectiveness is the potent “raw” living state of the products’ phytonutrients. Clinically tested actives are combined with fresh organic living botanical superfoods that synergistically provide unparalleled dermal regenerating results. Bio-active cells of high potency, organically grown superfoods are isolated to deliver superior cellular nutrition, which builds stronger, healthier cells and accelerates cellular turnover.

Read more about The Body Deli here.

Living Hair Sprouted Mineral Greens Shampoo: Made with potent Sprouted Mineral Greens and is formulated to rejuvenate hair follicles to encourage rapid hair rejuvenation and regrowth. The raw, living, sprouted greens and fresh botanical juices feed the hair shaft with vital proteins, minerals, and enzymes to bring the life back to dull, lifeless hair. Living Hair's micro-nutrients make hair flourish, increase shine, impart incredible volume, and enhance the hair's natural highlights. Our formulation is for all hair types and is safe for color treated hair. $25 cdn/8 oz.

I'm obsessed! I adore the minty scent of this shampoo, it's invigorating and leaves my hair smelling fresh. It has yet to irritate my dermatitis and, in fact, I find it has lessened the symptoms (flakes, smell, etc). The bottle is perfect for travelling with because it is a dark coloured plastic, that protects the fresh ingredients, and has a lockable pump. The actual shampoo is green and full of incredible ingredients, like wheat grass juice, kelp, comfrey, maca, yarrow, and the list goes on and on. For some, this shampoo may not make the cut as it doesn't lather much, but damn does it work well. The best way that I have found to use it, is to apply two pumps onto wet hair, work that in, and then apply another two pumps to get a really good lather. Then I just let it sit and work its magic while I wash my body, and rinse out at the end. End result? Super soft, healthy, manageable, voluminous hair. The only thing that I haven't noticed is rapid hair growth, which isn't that big of a deal.

I highly recommend trying a sample of this shampoo, you won't be disappointed. For reference, I have lots of hair but it's fine, straight, and oily.

Get it here: Husk, The Body Deli, and these retailers.

Ingredients: *Aloe Vera Juice, Antioxidant Micro-Clustered Water, Decyl Polyglucose (Corn Sugar Derived Surfactant), Sea Salt, *Shea Butter, Pro-Vitamin B5, Vegetable Glycerin, *Barley Grass Juice, *Oat Grass Juice, *Wheat Grass Juice, *Dandelion Leaf Juice, *Kale Juice, *Spinach Juice, *Carob Pod, *Maca Root, Spirulina, Kelp, Chlorella, Icelandic Kelp, Dulse, Nori, Bladderwrack, Papain, Bromelain, *Chamomile, *Calendula, *Yarrow, *Horsetail, *Comfrey, *Yucca, *Melissa, *Oat Protein, *Carrot Seed Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, *Lecithin, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Essential Oils of *Rosemary, *Peppermint, *Spearmint, Lemon Verbena, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate (Natural Preserative System) (* Denotes Organically Grown Ingredients)

Glam Goes Green in Bolton

Hello lovelies! Today I am super excited to share with you my visit to Glam Goes Green in Bolton, Ontario (Canada). Some of you may already know Lisa, she's pretty active on social media and a serious advocate for natural products. With 9 women in her life being diagnosed with breast cancer, she knew it was time to change her diet and overall lifestyle. She opened up a green spa, Serenity on the Humber, a couple of years ago but realized that her passion was educating. Educating people on the Obscene 13, how it impacts their body and skin, and providing natural alternatives to replace their beauty and lifestyle products. She quickly put the spa on hold when the opportunity to open up a store presented itself, and I could not be happier for her. Lisa's store is small, cozy, product packed, and absolutely beautiful. She carries a variety of products from hair care to skin care, tea to chocolate, and first aid remedies. With brands like Corpa Flora, Pure Anada, Honeybee Gardens, Real Techniques, Red Apple Lipstick, Chocosol, 100% Pure, and many more, you're bound to find something for you.

Flowers, entrance, beautiful!

TEA! COFFEE! CLEARANCE!

UMMM..HEAVEN? To the left we got body moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and more. To the right we there's skin care, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc.

Okay but who else loves that damn little table? It is so cute! 

Chocolate and makeup, how can you go wrong? You can't!

Drool.

Is there such a thing as too much lipstick? Nope.

Action of the grand opening. Celine, from Corpa Flora doing demos (left), Lisa educating customers (middle), people shopping (middle), and more makeup (right)!

Lisa, owner of Glam Goes Green, and Celine, Founder and Creator of Corpa Flora.

Celine, Lisa, and moi! Excuse my entire self, I had been up since 7, went to work at the spa, then helped out (kinda) at GGG, and this was taken late at night.

Cute shop eh? If you can't make it to the shop, although I highly suggest you try if you're in the GTA or going to be near it, you can also shop online. Might I suggest the sale section?  Since the grand opening, Lisa has moved stuff within the shop around. She's also brought in Acure, which isn't available anywhere else in Canada, and it's selling like hot cakes! Keep your eyes peeled for a giveaway happening soon, on here, with Glam Goes Green. In the meantime, check out the website and let me know what you're dying to try most.  

Goodness Me! Online Grand Opening!

                      
Goodness Me! has been working hard on their online store and want to celebrate its official launch with you. From November 26th to December 1st, 2014, you can:

• Enter to win $100 gift card to the online store by signing up for their newsletter

• Sign up for a FREE Webinar with Janet Jacks (Founder of GM) to learn about "The Hidden Signs of Stress & What to do About Them". This Webinar is only offered on November 26th from 7-8 p.m. EST. You can sign up here.

• Enter to win a swag bag worth over $100 by using the hashtag #GMonlinestore on Twitter. Swag bag contains a box of Stash Tea, Theo chocolate bar, shaker cup, Imagine Organic tomato basil soup, Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts, St. Francis butter ghee, Deep Immune and Mineral Matrix, plus a copy of Discover the Power of Food by Janet Jacks.

You can read more about the grand opening, as well as all of the fun stuff they will have going on by heading over to their blog.

Shop at Goodnessme.ca. 

*I am a Goodness Me! Brand Ambassador, however, I do not receive any sort of monetary compensation. I may received free product(s) from time to time. I'm sharing this post not because I am a BA, but because it's a great opportunity for you to receive discounts, win free stuff, and learn more about GM. I shopped at Goodness Me! stores before being asked to be a Brand Ambassador.

Anise Apothecary in Burlington

Anise Apothecary is an adorable little shop located in downtown Burlington. I have been following them on Twitter for a little while now and wanting to visit them every since. Finally, my schedule allowed me to make my way to Burlington and meet Monique (owner). I can't even tell you how excited I was to a. be in Burlington (love this city), b. meet Monique (so sweet, beautiful, and knowledgeable), and c. see the shop (cutest shop ever!). The front entrance immediately invited me in and the homey feel, plus everything else inside, made me never want to leave. They carry all sorts of brands like Graydon, Olie Biologique, One Love Organics, Zoe Organics, Rahua, Antipodes, PurelyGreat, Nyl, Sappho, On a Branch Soaps, and the list goes on and on. They also carry local raw honey, vitamins, chocolate, herbs, olive oil, tea, and much more. Considering the variety of products carried, it was really well organized and laid out. 
I thought it would be fun to share some pictures from my "trip" to Anise Apothecary, enjoy :)

In love yet? No? You will be..

Look at all that tea!! Monique had some Rooibos Vanilla ready to sip on, it was delicious.

Seriously, look at this place! If you're not in love yet, then something is wrong with you!

Delicious, raw, local honey! Nom, nom, nom!

I actually missed the stand that had Antipodes, Rahua, Organic Matter and some other stuff on it..damn..sorry guys. Anise Apothecary carries so many different local and worldwide brands, at so many different price points, that you're bound to find something for yourself and others. Whether you live in the area or not, it's a shop worth visiting. WARNING: You'll feel like a kid in a candy store and want to buy one of everything!

A special thank you to Monique for taking time out of her day to share information about the shop, products, and herself with both my boyfriend and I. 

Serenity on the Humber Day Spa

A few months back, I was emailed by the owner (Lisa) of Serenity on the Humber Day Spa.  She so sweetly let me know that she loves my blog and sells many of the items that I have reviewed.  In order to help her clients and friends make informative decisions on products to purchase, she wanted to know if she could link my reviews on her Facebook page. Obviously I said yes!

It was love at first email, honestly. We both share such a passion for natural/organic products and it showed in each email we wrote. We also discovered that we went to the same beauty school! How cool is that?! Maybe not so cool for everyone else, but it was cool to us. I had the honor of meeting her back in November (or December, can't remember now. Old age is hitting my memory) and we spent countless hours looking at all of the brands that we've both tried, she showed me makeup lines and we talked about anything and everything natural/organic. It was so wonderful to meet her. She is funny, honest, passionate and has such a positive outlook on life.  In that time, we discovered another love we share.  Adria Vasil, Author and Writer of the Ecoholic books, who just happened to be at her spa opening in September 2012. Lisa listens and follows Adria's rules for green beauty very closely and implements that into her spa.

Lisa's spa is in her home, in Bolton, located on the Humber River. It is in such a beautiful location and with the renovations and ideas that she has, it's going to grow like no other.  What I love most about at home spas is that you get one-on-one attention. She doesn't have to rush to attend to another client or worry about the phone ringing every second. When you're with her, YOU are all that matters. She offers a variety of services from her most requested Pedi in a Bed, to organic facials, body treatments and microdermabrasion. She also offers a variety of products such as Pure Anada, John Masters, 100% Pure, Devita, Pure+Simple and many others.

I highly recommend checking out her website and liking her Facebook page to get word of any promotions she's having. If you're in or around Bolton, even if you're not, why not make an appointment to pamper yourself and enjoy the surrounding natural beauty?

 

*I'm not receiving anything for writing this post. I love to support local businesses and believe in Lisa's spa.