TAG: Skin Care

The lovely Ana, Ana Goes Green, tagged me to do this...tag. I've always had a love for skin care and, as an aesthetician, I know the importance of finding a good regime. Seeing as I love tags, I was super excited to do this one.

Describe your skin care routine in 5 words.

It's really hard not to copy Ana's answer to this one because it was bang on, but I''ll just add to it.

Simple, gentle, calming, nourishing, and effective. Regardless of skin type, you should always keep your routine fairly simple and always use products that work to maintain your skin's moisture levels without irritating it.

What’s your skin type?

Dehydrated, sensitive, and hormonal (imbalance). When I say hormonal, I don't mean I get breakouts only  during my period. I can get and generally have a bit of acne along my chin, jaw line and neck. It's not extremely horrible and I find it actually clears up when I'm on my period, imagine that.

What’s your favourite skin care product?

I honestly don't have just one, don't make me choose! Fine, toner and facial oils. I love toner year round as a refresher, cleanser (on no makeup days), makeup setter, etc. Facial oils are so nourishing to the skin and they have the ability to heal, correct, and protect.

Top blemish zapper.

Clay & honey mask and/or tamanu & sea buckthorn oil. Both work well alone or in combination with each other.

Face wipes yay or nay?

Ugh *cringe*, nay. If I'm desperate, then I'll use one but I won't enjoy it.

High-end skin care or high-end make-up?

Skin care for sure!! Skin care is a daily thing for me and my true love.

What’s the most unusual skin care product you've tried?

There is no such thing as an unusual skin care product...or maybe there is...I have no clue. Can I say pass?

You’re in a pharmacy and can only pick up one item – what is it?

Aloe vera juice/gel/liquid. It can be used as a cleanser, toner, moisturizer and skin soother all in one.

Tell us your top skin care tips:

Be good to your skin. It's essential that you use gentle products and keep your skin care routine simple. From someone who loves trying out new things, I know that sometimes all the stuff I try/use causes me to breakout, dry out and get blotchy. Why complicate your daily routine with too many products?

Be sure to exfoliate regularly. If you use a very gentle exfoliator or a silicone pad (like Sephora's), you can likely exfoliate daily. If you're using a more abrasive scrub or acid, try only using it 1 to 3 times a week.

Masks, masks, masks. They're great for degunking your skin and/or hydrating your skin.

Facials oils are a must. They're perfect for use at night when your skin is looking to reboot itself after a long day of fighting off free radicals, pollution, weather, etc, all while allowing your skin to breathe still.

These are my three favourite facial oils, powerhouse facial oils. They work wonders at keeping my skin clear because of their ability to fight acne, UV damage & prevent/fade acne scars. 

Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil, Fruit Oil & Tamanu.

ADORE this Sephora Silicone pad for gentle, yet effective, cleansing & exfoliating. I use it morning & night, my skin loves it.

I tag all of you, and make sure you link to it below so that I can read them. I also tag: Marcella (Naturally Marcy), Caitie (Naturally Beauty), Vivi (Eco Beauty Secrets), Jana (Small Bits of Loveliness), Alexis (Green Beauty Bunny), and Sarah (Sugarpuffish).

xo

Green Beauty Collab #1: Products I'd Repurchase!

The lovely Brianna came up with and coordinated a fun Green Bloggers collab. To see a list of who participated and read their post, click here. I absolutely love posts and videos that involve talking about products, whether it be a tag or not, because it allows me to see what others are enjoying and introduces me to brands/products I wouldn't have otherwise tried. For this specific collab, I needed to pick only 10-15 products that I basically couldn't live without. There are several products that I'd repurchase, but only a few that I actually do. After days of deliberating, hair pulling and cursing, I've finally decided on the products that I'd absolutely repurchase without hesitation. For the record, I could have been way more dramatic than that :P.

Body/Hair Care

Coconut Oil - I use coconut oil regularly. I use it to deep condition my hair, remove makeup, cook, hydrate my skin and just sniff because it smells delicious! It is, without a doubt, an oil that I will always have on hand.

Hugo & Debora Naturals Handcrafted Soap - I have raved about these soaps time and time again. I love how hydrating they are, the scents available, ingredient list and how available they are to me. I have tried other soaps and I have yet to find one I like better. I usually always have a couple of bars on hand, right now I have 3.

Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap - This brand is just amazing. I love that they use organic and fair trade ingredients, they're available everywhere, they offer great scents (including unscented), they lather well and can be used for a million and one things. I personally enjoy the citrus, eucalyptus and peppermint scents because of how uplifting and invigorating they are. I use this soap to wash my stinky bits, makeup brushes, bathroom sink and tub, and as a hand wash. I find that it can be a bit drying, so that's why I don't use it as a body wash. I pretty much always have a bottle on hand.

Kiss My Face Whenever Shampoo - This is a new love for me and one of the first shampoos that I have actually repurchased immediately after finishing up it up. It has a citrusy lime scent, lathers nicely, deep cleans and works amazingly well for removing hair oil treatments. As long as I do oil treatments, this will be in my shower.

Weleda Skin Food - Do I even need to explain why I love this? It's a cult favourite. I use it as a hand cream but also apply it to dry areas of my body when they need some TLC.

Skin Care

Pangea Egyptian Calendula & Blood Orange Cleanser (not shown above) - This is the cleanser that I keep going back to. I have repurchased time and time again, and just reordered yesterday. It's the only cleanser that I can use on lazy days to remove my makeup (instead of using an oil first), smells nice, keeps acne at bay, doesn't dry out my skin and lasts a very long time. I absolutely love it.

DeVita Solar SPF 30 for Face - I never thought that I'd find an SPF that doesn't break me out, but I did! It doesn't smell like anything, is so light, hydrating, doesn't leave a white case and works. It's pretty expensive here, around $35 CAN but it's well worth it.

Thayer's Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner - This toner is so affordable, gentle and hydrating. It removes all traces of dirt, oil and cleanser. It's a great pick me up and makeup setting spray. I've gone through several bottles of this stuff and it's always on hand. I actually stopped using it for about a year, probably to try other toners, but I'm so glad that I decided to buy it again.

Weleda Baby Calendula Face Cream - Two Weleda products? Geez. This is a brand new love and one I see myself keeping around. It is so moisturizing but never leaves me greasy. It helps soothe the skin and, I think, control acne as well. The smell does linger but it's not overwhelming. I really like using it on my arms and anywhere that tends to get red or irritated. Love, love, love.

Sea Buckthorn Oil - I don't enjoy the bottle of the New Roots one, so I wouldn't repurchase this particular brand but I love sea buckthorn oil in general. It has a tea, almost rosehip, type smell. It absorbs beautifully into the skin, hydrated, softens and just feels wonderful. I love trying new oils but I think this one will be in my permanent collection for a while.

Tamanu Oil - This is a miracle oil! I'm still on my first bottle of this (and sea buckthorn) but I love the combination of the two on my skin. Tamanu has fantastic healing properties which makes it ideal for using on acne (which I get), as well as cuts and bruises (I'm clumsy). The smell is a bit strong but I've gotten used to it.

Makeup & Misc.

Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm - These lip balms are my absolute faves. I have 3 on the go right now and reach for them all the time. They're so moisturizing, big and affordable.

Pure+Simple Blush in Glow - The most perfect raspberry colour I've ever found. The formula is a little soft, as you can see above, so it's slowly cracking but I LOVE this blush so much. I wear it alone or over top of a cream blush.

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Solid Perfume - I was on the fence about this solid perfume because it doesn't last very long but I've fallen in love. It's a multi use product really. I use it to freshen up, tame brows and tame frizz. I love the entire Indian Coconut Nectar line.

The All Natural Face Cream Blush - These blushes are amazing! They do vary in texture and the colours online are different but if you end up loving the colour you get, these are a total win. They're super affordable, blendable, natural looking, dewy, moisturizing and last a while on the skin.

That's it! Have you tried any of the products mentioned or have any must haves yourself? Let me know!

New Roots Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil Review

I've been hearing about Sea Buckthorn Oil for a little while now. It's a semi-rich oil that's great for calming and healing rosacea, eczema, acne, dry skin, balancing oily skin, anti-aging and much more. My skin is so sensitive and reactive all year round, I've finally come to terms with it. The constant weather change here has made me extremely dry and I just love playing with facial oils, so I thought what the heck! Side note: my journey into making my own facial serums is still going to happen, my first batch wasn't impressive and now I want to see what oils do great things for my skin before mixing another batch.

Description: Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil is an excellent source of both omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in a naturally effective 1:1 ratio, along with being a rich source of omega 9. Sea Buckthorn seed oil fast absorbing, and light in colour and texture yet rich in vitamins E and K, its antioxidant properties rank it among the premium oils for nurturing and protecting skin. Stronger skin cell membranes and better collagen creation will improved the elasticity of skin for a healthy, youthful appearance. 

The Good:

• light fragrance
• moisturizing
• acne reducing/clearing
• calming
• balancing

The Bad:

• worst bottle ever

Verdict: I'm really thrilled to have discovered a new type of oil that works well with my skin. I was using it for about a week, morning and night, and noticed a significant improvement in the hydration level, tone and number of breakouts. I then started playing with a mixture of 1 pump tamanu and 4 drops sea buckthorn and I swear they are a dream team together! I apply it to my face, neck and chest and can honestly say that my skin hasn't looked this good, for this long in a very long time. I still have acne scars and haven't really noticed those fading. There are so many brands of sea buckthorn oil and I will say that I don't recommend New Roots because of the bottle.  The bottle leaks and doesn't close properly. No matter how tight I turn the top, it slides (yes, slides) open and causes such a darn mess. I had to put it into another glass dropper bottle because oil was leaking everywhere. I will definitely repurchase sea buckthorn oil, however, it will be from a different brand.

Retails for approx. $23 CAN for 30ml. Sea Buckthorn Oil is sold at most health food stores.

What are your thoughts on sea buckthorn oil?

Ingredients: sea buckthorn oil