Kosmea Australia Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil

Kosmea Australia was founded by Marie Jenkins, who discovered the benefits of rose hip while experimenting with it in a home made face mask. Kosmea uses only wild grown, ethically sourced, hand picked, and 100% certified organic rose hips. They use the fruit, skin, and seed, and extract the oil without the use of heat or solvents, making their *Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil pure greatness for your skin.

"When I started Kosmea, I wanted to change the way people cared for their skin by bringing innovative, natural products within everyone's reach. It gives me so much satisfaction to hear from customers who have used Kosmea and have experienced the benefits of healthier, balanced skin — it's the best part of my job!"  -Marie Jenkins, Company Founder

Read more about Marie and Kosmea here.

Rose Hip Oil is a beautiful, bright golden orange colour, that's rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants. It aids in skin regeneration to improve the look of scars, acne, wrinkles, sun damage, and so much more. While it's said that this oil is ideal for all skin types, I personally find it too heavy and slightly irritating for my sensitive, combo/dry, hormonal facial skin. Instead, I like to use it mixed with a hand or body cream to provide extra moisture, and still reap all of the benefits. Where this product really shines for me though, is on eczema patches. Specifically the patch on my leg. I had a lapse in judgement one day, came out of the shower and used the friction of the towel on my skin to create a serious burn. My eczema was itchy, the towel felt good, I rubbed too hard, and the rest is history. Can't believe I just shared that with you guys. So embarrassing. The skin was raw and itchy, and the only sense of relief came from applying Kosmea's rose hip oil several times a day. It healed it incredibly quickly and kept it from scarring as badly as it should have. That being said, I do have a bit of scarring still and continue to use this oil to help reduce its appearance. If you are able to tolerate rose hip oil on your facial skin, I highly recommend trying it out as it truly is an exceptional oil. Otherwise, you can still reap the benefits by using it on your body like I do.

Retails for $15.99 cad/10 ml, $27.99 cad/20 ml, and $49.99 cad/42 ml.

Find it here: Well.ca and Kosmea.

*Product provided by well.ca for review consideration. All opinions are entirely my own.

Alima Pure Natural Definition Mascara

Alima Pure is a fantastic brand that I wish was more accessible in Canada. Sure I can order it online, but I'd love to be able to physically touch and swatch their products. I absolutely adore their bronzer, as well as their foundation, and when a reader offered to give me the Natural Definition Mascara to try, I couldn't say no. She had purchased one and received one for free, I believe, and wasn't keen on the brush or formula. 

This mascara is as described, a "natural definition mascara". It adds length and separates the lashes, but certainly doesn't thicken or provide any volume. The brush is synthetic and I find it pokes (and hurts) when trying to get close to the lash line. Anyone else have that problem with synthetic brushes? A natural bristle brush would have been much preferred. The formula is on the wet side and can be layered without clumping, and actually makes an awesome bottom lash mascara because of that. I really enjoy layering it with Zuzu for a falsies effect. One lengthens (Alima), the other thickens (Zuzu). Surprisingly, this mascara doesn't transfer, smudge, flake, or irritate my eyes at all. If you're looking for a quick, easy to apply, lengthening mascara that looks incredibly natural, this is the one for you. If you prefer volume and fullness, I'd say skip it.

Retails for $22 USD/$26 CAD for 8g. Available in Black and Brown.

Find it here: Alima Pure, Eco Diva Beauty, and any of these retailers. 

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Hydrolyzed Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Esters, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Sodium Carboxyethylsilanetriol, Stearic Acid (Plant derived), Cera Alba (Beeswax), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candililla) Wax, Zea Mays (Corn) Propanediol, Acrylates/Octylacrymide Copolymer, Sodium Hydroxide (mineral derived), Cetyl Alcohol (plant derived), Lanolin Oil, Glycerin (plant derived), DL Panthenol (Provitamin B5), Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Ozokerite Wax (mineral derived), Glyceryl Caprylate (plant derived), Glyceryl Undecylenate (plant derived), Copernicia Cerifera (Carnuaba) Wax. [+/-: (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)].