Faves Friday!

Hello lovelies! As my stash gets smaller and smaller, I feel like I have less to show you on Faves Friday. I'm not trying too many new products nor am I adventurous with makeup, so I've decided to do these posts twice a month only. Hopefully nobody minds! For the last two weeks, I have been loving...

Ilia Lip Conditioner in Arabian Knights - review here - I've been obsessed with this berry shade since the day I got it. It's beautiful and goes with just about any makeup look, or lack there of. This has been my daily go-to lip colour.

OhSudz Concealer in Warm - There have been a lot of great reviews on this concealer. I contacted Gail, asking for which shade has a salmon/pink tone to it without being too salmon/pink. She was kind enough to send me samples of three shades and warm has worked the best. It is creamy without being too thick, helps conceal the blue veins under my eyes, and brighten the inner corners. I do need to set it with a powder though and think it applies best with fingers (rather than brushes). 

Keys Luminos Hydrating Moisturizer & Solar Rx Moisturizer - These were sent to me by the beautiful Cori, at Well Beauty Blog. They are AMAZING! Luminos leaves my skin dry patch free, glowing, and works as an amazing primer for makeup. Solar Rx doesn't give me quite as nice of a finish but doesn't ball up like some natural sunscreens. Both help my makeup last all day long. Obsessed!

Shamanuti Face Oil - review here - This has been my eye cream for weeks. It works so well at moisturizing my under eyes and helps my concealer apply much better. I just put the tiniest amount on my fingers and pat it in all around my eyes. Love.

S.W. Basics Cream - review here - This bad boy has helped keep my skin super soft and moisturized during this crazy cold weather.
What have you been loving? See any faves of yours here?

The Going Green Tag

Image courtesy of Mary, Makeup by Mary B

You know how much I love tags, so of course I was excited when the lovely Sarah, from Sugarpuffish, tagged me to do the "Going Green Tag". This tag was created by the equally lovely Rachel, from All Natural Aspirations, out of her interest for discovering how/why others went green.

What started it all off for you? 

One of my best friends actually got me into the world of natural products. We were roaming the streets of Toronto together and she took me to a natural/organic market that she frequents. As we looked around the skin care aisles, we got talking about ingredients and how they can be harmful. I did a little research and was shocked at what I discovered. That was the day I began changing over my products.

What was the first thing to go? (Ingredient or product)

SLS in toothpaste. I actually use to get canker sores all the time and once I switched to SLS free toothpaste, they went away. True story.

What are you/did you struggle to let go of?

I struggled with letting go of shampoo. The Aveeno and Pantene ranges worked really well for me and they were my go-to, it was hard to begin experimenting with shampoos again. While I'm constantly trying out new shampoos now, I absolutely hate it and wish I could find one that worked for me all the time. Damn you dermatitis!

What has been your best find or change? (i.e a green product or a tip that you're really glad you've found/learnt)

Clays! Mixing my own clay masks based on my skin's needs has been amazing. What a damn life skin changer! I just love how simple they are to make and how many options are available in terms of customizations.

What has been the worst thing about going green? What has been the hardest to transition or find an adequate green replacement of?

The worst thing about going green has been the endless articles on ingredients to avoid. It never ends and it's so annoying. My journey began as a learning process, one I was excited about, but quickly became cumbersome.

I've had the hardest time finding an adequate green replacement of the Origins Quick, Hide Concealer. It just worked so well for circles and blemishes, and I'd usually just use that with a bit of powder for a flawless finish. I've been trying natural alternatives and just can't seem to find anything that I like better. Well, I kinda found something that's been working well but am still testing it out. Also, perfume because they're such a personal thing. I haven't fallen head over heels in love with any natural fragrances that I've tried/smelled. They're all way too floral for me.

Anything else to add? Any tips or tricks to pass on?

Have fun with it. Try different products and learn about ingredients as you go along. There will always be things to avoid and conflicting reports but, you can't stop living your life or let it consume you :)

I tag:
Heather of Eco Diva Blog
Jen of Dear Diary, Love Jen
and whoever else hasn't already been tagged.

Leave me a link to your blog or YouTube video once you've done the tag :)