June 2015 Empties!

Another month, another pile of empties to share with you. I am so excited for July as it is my birthday month AND there are some exciting things happening at work.
Diving right in..

Kiss My Face Creamy Face Cleanser - Brianna, Iluvjesse444, raves about this cleanser, so I thought I would give it a go. It removed makeup well, but left me feeling a bit dry and the tacky texture wasn't my favourite. Worked fantastically as a shave cream though! Wouldn't repurchase.

HollyBeth Marigold Toner - I picked up this toner from The Truth Beauty Company when I was visiting my brother in Kitchener. What drew me to it was the use of calendula and lavender oils in a base of witch hazel. My thought process was that it would help with acne while soothing the skin. Unfortunately, it was too drying for me. Wouldn't repurchase.

Andalou Naturals Illuminating Toner  - review here - Not much to say here, besides that I am already working my way through another bottle. It is my absolute favourite toner of life.

Saje Konjac Sponge with Yam Extract - I have reviewed konjac sponges before and they don't tend to work well for my skin with the exception of in the summer, as my skin isn't as easily irritated or sensitive. I picked this one up in January, used it a couple of times, it irritated my skin, and so it sat in my skin care drawer until April. In April, I busted it out and have been using it ever since. It gently exfoliates, removes any makeup that has been left behind from my first cleanse, and the yam extract apparently works to brighten the skin. Already repurchased.

*Pure Daily Essentials Revive Hydration Mist *Canadian Brand* - review here - This was an okay mist, it left my skin feeling soft and hydrated but I was not a fan of the scent. Wouldn't purchase the full size.

*Pure Daily Essentials Makeup Remover *Canadian Brand* - review here - Loved this makeup remover! It was so gentle and smelled faintly of lavender, removed all of my makeup and left my skin feeling so soft. Would consider purchasing the full size.

*Zaya Rosewood Eye Oil *Canadian Brand* - review here - As I am lazy and cannot be bothered to use a legit eye product, this was my eye makeup remover (a lush one at that). It was gentle, removed all of my eye makeup, nourished the delicate eye area, smelled gorgeous, and was an absolute treat to use. If you are looking for an eye oil, I would 100% recommend this one without hesitation. Since I only used it to remove makeup, it's not one I'd repurchase.

Honey & Glow Lip Scrub *Canadian Brand* - I found this lip scrub months back at Anise Apothecary and was so excited at the limited ingredients list; honey, brown sugar, and olive oil. That's it. It worked really well at first, despite needing to be massaged between my fingers to separate the sugar granules. Over time though, it became too hard (you know how brown sugar and honey get) to use, so I'm tossing it. Considering the large container and price point ($8), I would recommend if you can use it up quickly enough. I've found a lip scrub that I like better though, so I will not repurchase.

Andalou Naturals Beta Hydroxy Complex Recovery Cream -  This was a major fail product for me, so I am tossing it. I love Andalou products but this one just did not want to work for me. It left my skin red and irritated with continued use, and even broke me out despite it being targeted for acne prone skin. Wouldn't repurchse.

Deep Steep Body Wash - review here - The Deep Steep body washes have been a staple in my shower for over a year. They are moisturizing, lather well with a loofah, smell nice, and are generally affordable. The tangerine melon scent reminded me of an orange freezie, which was alright but definitely not my favourite. I have since discovered Sudsatorium shower gels, which are even more affordable and the brand is Canadian. Would repurchase Deep Steep, but won't for right now.

*Zaya Belly Oil *Canadian Brand* - review here - Another amazing oil by Zaya. This body oil was so beautiful, warm smelling, nourishing, and all over beautiful. It lasted me a good 5 months, making the $50 price tag worth it. I would definitely repurchase.

*Poppy Jane Candle Co. in Sleep Tight - review here - I am SO sad to have used up this candle. It was so beautifully fragranced, comforting, packaged, and filled my room with its beautiful scent. If you live in the states, you must try these. They are worth every penny! Sadly, shipping outside of the USA is insane. Last time I checked it was more than the candles themselves. If they were to become available at a shop in Canada or shipping was more reasonable, I would repurchase.

Meow Meow Tweet Baking Soda Free Deo - review here - This is THE best natural deodorant that I have ever used. I am a stinky person and this gets me through most of the day, a reapplication is required with most natural deos. It smells like oranges, doesn't irritate my pits, and one jar lasts me months. Would loooooveeee different scent options though, wink wink nudge nudge. I've already repurchased.

John Masters Vanilla Orange Body Wash (sample) - review here - Love the smell of this body wash and how it fragrances my skin. Picked this up just to travel with and would definitely pick up another travel size just to have around.

Living Libations Wild Child Healthy Gum Drops *Canadian Brand* - review here - These drops worked to keep sensitivity away and freshen breath. I liked using them in a salt water mouth rinse and directly on my gums. Will be repurchasing.

Alima Pure Mauna Loa Bronzer - review here - Two and a half years later and I have finally used up this bronzer! It was the perfect medium matte bronzer for my skin tone. I loved it to warm up my skin in the winter, as a foundation in the summer (or after a beach vacay), to contour, as a crease colour, etc. Love and will likely be repurchasing.

LoveFresh Eucalyptus Spearmint Deo *Canadian Brand* (sample) - Anise Apothecary gave me this on my last visit, as I was thinking of venturing away from MMT, just to try something new, but this deo left my pits feeling super wet upon application. It smells nice but I can't deal with wet feeling pits.

John Masters Lavender Avocado Conditioner (sample) - Glam Goes Green gave me a sample of this to try. Since my ends are bleached and I am trying to grow out my hair, I figured a conditioner would be handy. Love this stuff! So much so that my boyfriend picked me up a full sized bottle.

*Tata Harper Lip Treatment - I got this from an event that I attended about a year and a half ago. It's a really expensive lip product but it worked really well. I enjoyed the slight reddish tint, packaging, and how soft my lips felt. There are more affordable brands, so I wouldn't repurchase.

FitGlow Mascara *Canadian Brand* - review to come - This was a lovely mascara that didn't smudge, flake, or irritate my sensitive eyes. It was volumizing, lengthening, and the pigmentation was great. Would repurchase.

*Kari Gran Mineral Foundation (samples) - None of the foundation shades match my skin, so I used them all as bronzers which was really nice.

Celebration Herbals Turmeric Ginger Lemon Blend Tea - This tea deserves an honorable mention because it was so damn good! Turmeric has many health benefits, one being that it fights inflammation in the body. Since I don't eat it as often as I should, I thought incorporating a tea would be beneficial. Little did I know that it also contained ginger and lemon, great for detoxifying the system. This tea was warming, comforting, tasty, body loving, and I am absolutely in love with it. I have already repurchased two boxes, one to keep at work and one to keep at home. Highly recommend.
What have you used up this month? *PR SAMPLES

Sniff This: Poppy Jane Candle Co.

Candles have never really been by thing growing up, despite the fact that my mom was (and still is) a candle hoarder. Within the last few years I've gone from not caring about candles, to being obsessed with the candles from Bath and Body Works, to not being able to stand them (BBW candles) anymore. So, began my journey into natural candles; pure essential oil fragranced, beeswax/soy wax, cotton wick, hand poured with love candles. Although I haven't tried many different brands, I can say that the few I've tried did not fragrance a small room, let alone a house. My assumption was that natural candles suck. Plain and simple. That was until Poppy Jane Candle Co. came into my life.

Poppy Jane Candle Co. was launched by Erin Lundeen exactly one year after she and her sister said goodbye to Fig+Sage--the blog that brought them international recognition within the natural products industry.

With a love of all things natural, a DIY attitude and a firm belief that quality is much better than quantity, Erin started making all-natural candles as a hobby that quickly turned into something more in the winter of 2013. She began sourcing, blending, concocting and testing the most natural ingredients she could find into truly pure aromatherapy candles. And thus, Poppy Jane Candle Co. was born. 

Erin is a native Californian, born and raised on the Central Coast. She, her husband and their 3 children {Sören, Anika Jane and Märit Poppy} love spending their days soaking up the sunshine, geocaching, gardening and enjoying the great food & wine culture in the area. Erin and Karl work as a team, working on all design aspects of the business. Erin sources the raw beeswax from a local beekeeper, hand-blends the top-quality essential oils and pours the candles in small batches in their workshop. Every candle that leaves our workshop is a labor of love, made with the best ingredients we could find.

Up until a few months ago, Poppy Jane only shipped within the USA. When they began shipping to Canada, Erin contacted me asking if I wanted to try out their products and provide feedback. I was basically a happy little guinea pig. Erin sent me the *Aromatherapy Candle Travel Tin Gift Pack ($35 USD/3 x 4 oz candles) and it arrived within a week or so. Talk about fast shipping! Aside from the beautiful packaging that it came in, the tins themselves are adorable and great for travelling with, and the candles actually fragrance an entire room but are not at all overwhelming or overpowering.
Description: Here it is! The perfect way to give Poppy Jane as a gift or a sampler to find out which PJ scent is your fave. Includes your choice of three of our 4 oz. travel tins. A better value than buying each candle separately and all packaged up in a kraft box with polka dot tissue paper!

Breathe Deep: This aromatherapeutic Breathe Deep candle is designed to clear your head and energize your mind. We blended refreshing oils like Eucalyptus and Peppermint and added a woodsy touch of Rosemary and Tea Tree with a crisp citrus note to top it all off. The result is a truly pure candle that is sure to wake you up and open up your sinuses while enhancing mental clarity. So go ahead, take a deep breath.

Obsessed! Seriously, this candle smells in-freakin-credible!! The description is spot on, in terms of the scent, and I find that it really does open up my sinuses when I'm stuffy. My favourite time to burn this candle is while I'm doing yoga. After all, in yoga it's all about the breath. Breathe Deep, namaste.

Sleep Tight: This special blend was created to promote calm and relaxation before bedtime. Lavender essential oil promotes relaxation, lemongrass essential oil helps facilitate deep rest and calms the mind while marjoram essential oil can help relieve insomnia. Our favorite ingredient in this candle is Roman Chamomile which does all of the above--it is our all-time favorite essential oil!

Oh yes, how could anyone not have at least one candle loaded with lavender and/or chamomile to burn right before bed? I love lavender, so I had hoped that this would smell more like it than it actually does, however, the blend of all the essential oils is just lovely. Personally, I smell the zest of the lemongrass and the chamomile more than the other oils. It's beautiful before bed and have burned it several times since receiving it to help me sleep.

Gin +Tonic: When it's not apropos to pour yourself a stiff drink (say, during a hectic work day or at noon while you're home with the kids) we have just the solution for you! We've blended juniper berry, lime and other delicious citrus oils together to create an uplifting and refreshing aroma, then added it to our creamy blend of 100% pure soy wax and beeswax. The result is a cocktail in a can, minus the impaired judgement. Cheers!

Cheers is right, my friends! My life (both personal and work) has been a hectic work day for the entire month of March. I've been on the go non-stop and so, to avoid actually drinking, I've been burning this baby. Even though it's called Gin + Tonic, sniffing it makes me want a vodka lime. Actually, just thinking about it makes me want a vodka lime. Vodka lime anyone?? While the lime really stands out here, the marriage of juniper berry and lime is perfect and great for anyone who likes an uplifting citrus scent.

I'm so impressed with these candles. They have exceeded my expectations and raised the bar for natural candles. Thank you Lilly (Genuine Glow) for the introduction and thank you Erin for giving me the opportunity to try them. Sadly, shipping to Canada is absolutely insane. I find that's always the case when a brand begins shipping here, however, that's no fault of theirs as shipping to/from/within Canada is ridiculous. I truly love these candles and if shipping wasn't so crazy, I'd without a doubt pick up a couple of full sizes. If you live in the USA, go buy these right now. Just go.

Get them here: Poppy Jane Candles Co.

*Products provided for review consideration. All opinions are entirely my own.