November Haul and First Impressions!

I've been running/using up so many products lately that I thought it was time to pick up things that I needed and maybe one or two that I just plain wanted.  The Holiday season is approaching and what's better than a few gifts for yourself? Nothing!  I picked these products up in November and am late in posting, I know, but hauls are always fun and all of these products are new to me so maybe I'll even get some feedback from you guys!

For the first time ever, I've used up all of my body wash.  I still have soap but like to switch it up between soap and body wash because I enjoy both. Since I love Hugo Naturals bar soap, I thought why the heck not try their body wash?! I got it in Sweet Orange & Vanilla Body Wash because it smells delicious, like John Masters Blood Orange & Vanilla but a little lighter, half the price and more product.  JM is 8 fl oz and Hugo is 12 fl oz, just for reference. I really am loving this body wash thus far because it lathers so beautifully with my shower puff thing (don't know the technical term), smells divine and leaves my skin soft.  I want to try the Shea Butter & Oatmeal as it's probably more hydrating for Winter and if I see it on sale, it's mine!

I picked up the Evanhealy Blue Face Care kit which comes with Blue Lavender Cleansing Milk (loving so far), Lavender Facial Tonic Hydrosol (also loving), Rosehip Treatment Facial Serum -Blue (meh), Green Tea Clay (haven't tried) and Blue Chamomile Day Moisturizer (meh). Heard great things about this brand and had to try it out.

I needed toner to use in the am and to set makeup, this Pure Potent Wow Aromatherapy Mister looked interesting.  I really like how refreshing it is, wakes me and my skin right up!  I would love and am likely going to try it out in a few other scents, I got it in "Chill". Chill has essential oils of spearmint, lavender, blue chamomile as well as witch hazel, rose hydrosol and aloe.

I'm running out of my Pretty Clay Mask and thought I'd try some other sort of clay mask for fun.  I picked up Cocoon Apothecary Ancient Mud Facial Mask.  This stuff is very strong and makes my skin a little red.  I'm on the fence about it right now.

Lastly, I picked up some carrier and essential oils to play with.  I like using oil to remove makeup, at night as a serum, under moisturizer during the day and on my body and hair.  I wanted to try some new oils out and maybe do a few DIY serums and body oils.  I got jojoba and apricot kernal oil as my base oils and lavender and chamomile as my essential oils.  Both essential oils are calming and soothing which is great for my skin in the colder months but lavender is also a great sebum balancer.

That concludes my haul!

Did you spoil yourself a bit in November?  What have you picked up?

Thayers Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner Review

I love toners, they have so many functions.  They're great to remove any excess cleanser, refresh skin, restore PH balance, set mineral makeup, cleanse skin in the AM or on a day when you're not wearing makeup, allow oils/serums/creams apply better, etc, etc.  After finishing my Pangea toner (sad face) last month, I decided to pick this one up since I've used it before and already know my skin enjoys it. Witch hazel is a natural astringent which is great for acne and other skin conditions, however, it's not as harsh as alcohol based toners.

Description: Stay Cool as a Cucumber, Whatever the Weather. THAYERS® Alcohol-Free Cucumber Witch Hazel with Organic Aloe Vera Formula Toner cooling essence has a deliciously serene effect on the body. Experience our formula for serenity now! • Fragrance-Free • Paraben-Free • Naturally Preserved • Hypoallergenic. 

Review: I love how soothing and non-drying this toner is.  I like to mix it with my Pretty clay mask for its astringent properties to help with any acne that I have.  The toner comes in a plastic bottle, however, the cap is not travel friendly.  It can easily open and/or leak causing a mess in your bag.  It happened to me, I'm just warning you.  It smells like fresh cucumbers, which I like because it's not a strong scent and doesn't linger but I've added a few drops of lavender essential oil to give it extra oomph!  I enjoy using it after I work out or during the day, as a cleanser, when I have no makeup on but feel my skin needs to be cleansed. I also use it nightly to remove excess makeup and cleanser, it works like a dream.  It doesn't strip my skin and leave it feeling dry, just soft and refreshed.  This toner also lasts a really long time and it super affordable for the size.

The alcohol free toners come in Cucumber, Unscented, Rose Petal, and Lavender.  Thayers also has toners with alcohol that comes in Original, Lemon, Peach, and Medicated. I have personally tried Cucumber (obviously), Rose Petal, Lavender and Peach.  Cucumber is by far my favourite because the scent is very light.  I find the other to be seriously obnoxious, they're just too strong smelling and Peach has alcohol which is drying and irritating to my skin.

Retails between approx. $9 and $13 CAN for 355ml.  I purchased mine at Healthy Planet, however, you can find it at just about any health food store or online retailer such as Well.ca.  Check out Thayers for more info.

Which Thayers toner have you or would like to try most?

Ingredients: Purified Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf (Certified Organic Filet Of Aloe Vera), Glycerin (Vegetable), Hamamelis Virginiana (THAYERS® proprietary un-distilled Witch Hazel) Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) Acetate.