REVIEW: Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask

The words "Instant" and "anti-aging" used together always make me wary about the product in question. Because I know nothing works instantly, there must be a cocktail of silicones at the very top of the ingredient list. Silicones (like the stuff found in primers) bend the light to create an illusion of perfection. But when you wash the silicone-laden offender off your face, guess what?!? Your wrinkles are still there!

Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was NOT A DROP of silicones in this treatment mask. Imagine my jaw hitting the ground when I felt the silky, sumptuous, thick-yet-lightweight, almost-silicone-like texture of this mask...and had to read the ingredient list one more time to make sure.

There are no silicones in this mask.

Right near the very top of the list you will find Sake, followed closely by Black Tea extract, Litchi extract, plant extracts, and Hyaluronic Acid, among other goodies. When you put this mask on, you will instantly feel a cool and refreshing tingle. The texture is hard to describe. It is light as air with a whipped solid texture, not creamy or greasy, but almost a semi-dense soufflé feel. I put a thin layer of this on and relax for 10 minutes. You have to resist the urge to keep rubbing it in! The texture is just so unique you will want to keep massaging!

As soon as you rinse it off you feel the difference in the texture of your skin. It feel plumped, soothed, and smooth. I have noticed I need a little less of my moisturizer after using this mask, if I overdo it I definitely look shiny! It definitely moisturizer and it definitely perfects!

This mask is about $100 for a 3.3oz (100mL) jar, which will last you at least 3 months if you are doing 2 or 3 masks a week.

A FANTASTIC treatment for those prone to dryness, dehydration or dullness

REVIEW: Burt's Bees Radiance Night Cream with Royal Jelly

After my pretty awesome experience with the Burt's Bees Cream Cleanser I thought I might try one of their creams to help battle my suddenly-dry skin. I know I haven't been drinking as much water as I should, and I know it's cold out and hot inside...but REALLY! My skin is pretty crazy dry.

I spent a considerable amount of time in-store reading the boxes for the various Burt's Bees moisturizers and decided to try the Radiance Night Cream with Royal Jelly.

The good folks at Burt's Bees claim that Royal Jelly is "very nourishing, royal jelly is made of nectar, pollen, flower parts, vitamins, minerals, bee hormones and other natural ingredients". To be honest, I just learned about the "bee hormones" part, which kind of gave me the giggles.

As a minor health fanatic, I have heard lots about the health benefit of Royal Jelly. If you do some research, you will learn that it does some amazing things for bees. Royal Jelly is what is fed to the Queen Bee, it is what makes her so much bigger than the other bees, and it is what makes her fertile (all other female bees are infertile). Royal Jelly is loaded with amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins B5 & B6, as well as the same anti-bacterial properties renowned in honey!

In the end, I figured since I'm the Queen Bee of my household I should try this moisturizer.

And it hasn't disappointed!

Despite a heavy load of oils in the Ingredient List (Sweet Almond Oil is second from the top, and further down you'll find Sunflower and Vegetable oils), this cream feels closer in texture to a lotion. Royal Jelly is the 9th ingredient from the top, and is followed by other awesome natural goodness, like Lemon Peel extract, Horsetail Extract, Rosemary and Pine Tree extracts, hops, etc.

The texture was very light, and even slightly sticky. The sticky feeling disappeared pretty quickly and wasn't off-putting, it just felt a little unusual at first.

The cream absorbed right in and did not feel heavy at all! My skin felt nourished, it looked beautiful and didn't feel dry! My skin has actually been so dry, that I was using this cream either (and sometimes, both) day or night!

This cream's ONLY downfall was its fragrance... it was the EIGHTH (!!!) ingredient from the top...meaning there was more perfume than Royal Jelly in this product. The smell was lovely, dont get me wrong, but surely it can't stink enough to warrant *that* much fragrance, right?

Hopefully that is something the good people over at Burt's Bees can fix sometime soon!

Also, at over $30 a jar, this product is WAY too expensive to not have tester jars out. There are Vichy, La Roche Posay, NeoStrata, etc creams at that same price range... and THEY have testers. **cough cough, are you listening Burt?**

This cream was lovely and nourishing that it actually encouraged me to buy the matching eye cream as well!!! I will review that another time...

In the meantime... TRY THIS STUFF!

REVIEW: Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

Do you ever read the instructions on any personal or hygiene product and it always states the oh-so-obvious "Keep away from Eyes" warning? And you think to yourself "Well, duuuuhhhh". The folks at Burt's Bees weren't joking! This cleanser has a minty-tingle-factor, which is irritating to the eye area. I'm talking tears-running-down-your-face-oh-my-god-why-do-my-eyeballs-feel-like-they're-freezing kind of irritation. So if you are looking for a cleanser that also takes off your makeup, then keep on looking!

If you are okay with (or prefer) using an eye-make up remover before you wash your face, and want something more natural in your skin care routine, then you are going to LOVE this cleanser.

Minty-warning aside...this cleanser is AMAZING!!!!

It is a non-foaming cream cleanser that deep cleans without stripping your skin, but never feels heavy, greasy or filmy. I have always preferred foaming cleansers because I had such a hard time finding a milky or creamy cleanser that didn't leave an oil slick behind!

All of my make-up (except my eye make-up) dissolved beautifully, and the cleanser felt so refreshing! It rinsed off beautifully, and sometimes I even use a washcloth to massage and exfoliate. Once its all rinsed off, and you've patted your skin dry you will not feel that tight and dry oh-gawd-where's-my-moisturizer feeling.

Even though the words "Deep Cleansing" are on the label, the product is completely non-drying! Most people associate "Deep Cleansing" with drying and stripping, but that is definitely not the case with this cleanser!

I originally bought this cleanser because I have been experiencing record dryness on my face this winter! The ingredient list starts off with water and is followed by a variety of oils, such as Sunflower Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, and Soybean Oil. Glycerin is in there, along with loads of plant extracts, like soap bark extract, chamomile, witch hazel, aloe; and essential oils like Rosemary, Lavender, Lemon, etc.

The high oil concentration and lack of chemical surfactants have made an amazing difference to my skin. I don't feel as dry as I did before I started using this cleanser, and my skin looks more supple and bright!

I have read other reviews about folks with acne or very oily skin who also loved this product! Sounds like a winner for most skin types!

For someone looking for a gentler and more natural cleanser for your skin, I would highly recommend this cleanser! It's about $15 for a 6 ounce tube (170g) and it should last forever because you need so little!

Have you ever used this cleanser? What did you think of it?

Biotherm SkinErgetic Anti-Fatigue Serum

Biotherm recently launched this all-new, almost all-natural serum to fight signs of fatigue. Their target audience are women 30-45 years old (woo hoo... thats ME!!!) and their tag line is "So signs of fatigue dont turn into signs of aging".

Sounds good, right?

This serum is made with 99% natural origin ingredients, is free of petro-chemicals, mineral oils, silicones, parabens, and the such. This is GREAT news for me!

It is loaded with sulforaphane from Broccoli, Apple Extract, soy protein, and AHAs from sugar and lemon. It is a light serum, that rapidly absorbs, so that you can apply your favorite moisturizer right over top. These plant ingredients work together to fight 5 major signs of fatigue, such as loss of radiance, uneven complexion, visible pores, a grainy skin appearance, and roughness).

I was lucky enough to get a full-sized bottle right when it launched and have really liked using it! For starters, it smells FANTASTIC! The fragrance is natural and smells fruity and fresh! Secondly, you get to "activate" the serum yourself, which is SO COOL! It comes with a special lid that you place on top of your bottle, then *click* to release the broccoli sulfuraphane. You take off the empty lid (I think its recycleable), then you replace it with the dropper, and shake shake shake to release the potency of the fresh ingredient throughout the serum. Pretty fun!

There is a small label that allows you to record the date, because the good folks at Biotherm want you to remember that it is at its maxium efficiency for THREE MONTHS from the date you activated it.

My skin is combination dry, and throughout the winter months I have been LOVING loading thick and rich creams on my face. This serum went on beautifully under my moisturizers! I discovered that the AHAs in this serum dried me out ever so slightly, so I had to use the thickest and richest cream in my arsenal to counteract that! I bet I wouldnt have this problem once spring and summer hit, but because my skin is experiencing record dryness this winter, it felt a bit too taut without a rich moisturizer piled over my SkinErgetic serum.

Did I notice a difference in my skin?

After using the serum for just under a week, I can tell you that my complexion GLOWS. I absolutely adore that it is almost entirely natural and that there are no mineral oils or silicones in it!

If you work hard and its starting to show in your skin, I think you oughta try this serum! It is only $58, and should last you 3 months if you are using it twice a day!

I loved it, and I will be trying the Skin*Ergetic Rich Day Cream next...

Have you tried this serum, or any of the other Skin*Ergetic products from Biotherm yet? How did you like them?

REVIEW: Yes to Carrots! Shampoo & Conditioner

I finally decided to give YES TO CARROTS Shampoo and Conditioner a try, after it had been staring me down for MONTHS as I walked down the hair care aisle.

What first got me was its lack of SLS, that it was loaded with plant extracts and Dead Sea Mud and that it was missing Dimethicone, a silicone that gives the illusion of shine and health. It also looked like a really good value...what with that huge bottle going for $10 or less.

From the very first shampoo I have been IN LOVE!

The instructions indicate to leave the shampoo on your scalp after lathering. I thought it was weird, but figured, what the heck. So I left the shampoo on for a minute before rinsing it off. For a second I was dumbstruck... had I just shampooed my hair? Or was that conditioner? I was pretty sure it was shampoo....

Yes. My hair was THAT soft. So I placed a tiny bit of conditioner in the ends of my hair and massaged it up. I didnt leave it on...just rinsed it.

My hair was amazingly soft and shiny, right from the very first use!

Those with very fine hair might even skip the conditioner, Im not even joking!!!

If you havent tried this brand of shampoo and conditioner yet, I beg you to give it a try! This stuff is AMAZING, an awesome value for the size, and has far far far fewer chemicals than many of its counterparts in the hair care aisle where you buy your shampoo!

REVIEW: Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant

I haven't worn anti-perspirant in YEARS. Even though "they" tell you that there's no direct link between anti-perspirants and breast cancer, I still think that "they" have a vested interest to tell us that. Our sweat glands are just far too close to our lymph nodes, to our breasts...and besides, we're MEANT to sweat. It's how our body regulates its internal temperature.

Oh, and a daily shower does WONDERS for preventing body odour. All that being said, that damp feeling when you start to sweat is a little bit unnerving. You can feel it, and then you start to wonder "Can you see it through my clothes?", "Do I smell?", "Will I smell?" and your imagination runs away with you.

Chances are, that you don't smell and you won't smell for at least a few hours. ;o) But I like to have a deodorant with a pretty smell handy in my purse in case I start to worry. One of the all-natural deodorants that I already own (and love) is the one from The Body Shop and this is the other one... LaVanila's The Healthy Deodorant. It comes in a few really lovely scents including Coconut Vanilla, Grapefruit Vanilla, and.... Pure Vanilla; my personal favorite!

It goes on with a creamy feeling, refreshing, and instantly drying. It's loaded with plant extracts and a really lovely all-natural scent. It's a bit pricey at $18USD, but well worth it! It takes quite some time to go through one, and it's free of Parabens, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Aluminum Salts, Phthalates, Silicones, Petrochemicals, etc.

I've only ever been able to find it at Sephora, but if you know of a different place to find it, please do let me know!

http://www.MadeYouLookCosmetics.etsy.com

All Natural Skincare SALE!

If you're a lover of all things natural, or are looking for some alternatives in fun and flirty fragrances to chemical-laden store-bought goodies, head on over to ETSY to participate in an awesome, never been done before, BUY TWO GET ONE FREE SALE!

You can find MadeYouLook Natural Skincare at http://www.madeyoulookcosmetics.etsy.com/

For every 2 items you purchase, you may pick one (of an equal or lesser value) FOR FREE! Just include a note in the check-out process indicating which item you want for free. Do not "buy" the free item.

MadeYouLook Natural Skincare

Treat yourself, or start stocking up for Christmas (yes, I said it... CHRISTMAS)!!!

REVIEW: The Body Shop's new deodorants DeoDry

The other day I walked into The Body Shop to kill some time, so I started to pick up their product, one-by-one and reading their ingredients. Some of it was bad; Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the chief lathering agent in most of their cleansers, body washes, and shampoos (and SLS has been linked to Whale infertility), Dimethicone in their "anti-aging" skincare products (Dimethicone is an optical softener, blurring fine lines and making it look like the anti-aging skincare has an immediate effect...when, in fact, it does not), etc.

And then I happened upon their deodorants.

I stopped using Anti-Perspirant the year I got pregnant with my little one. It's been about 4 years now. I don't care what *they* say, but to me there's a link between anti-perspirant use and breast cancer.

Over the years I've used "The Rock", which is a crystal that prevents you from smelling... you wipe it on wet skin after you come out of the shower. It has anti-bacterial properties that prevent growth of the bacteria that can cause body odour. I've also used the lovely deodorants from LaVanila - they are amazing, but at $22 a bottle it's really really pricey.

And then I found this one from The Body Shop! They're liquids that roll-on (they also have stick versions), but the ingredient list on this one was SO NATURAL!!!! There's loads of essential oils, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Alcohol, and an ingredient called Perlite which is a natural "stone" that's ground super fine and absorbs moisture.

I've been using this one for about a week now and I gotta say, it's AMAZING! I didn't smell AT ALL! I didn't feel a ton of moisture (I'm not a big sweat-er anyway, unless I'm excercising), and the essential oils had a wicked "cooling" sensation upon application!

And at only $8 per package, it's an amazing value considering how natural it is! Also, they sell REFILLS at $6, and you're minimizing what goes into the recycling.

If you've been thinking about giving up anti-perspirant and making the switch to a deodorant that lets you sweat but doesn't make you feel like a caveman...then this is it! I highly recommend it!

WIN IT!!! Leave a comment here before Friday October 1st at midnight (EST) and I will randomly pick a winner to receive their choice of DeoDry deodorant from The Body Shop!!!

Thinking of going All Natural?

So I've been thinking... I love my skincare routine. I use a gazillion different products every day, I vary the routine from day-to-day (partly because I have so much crap and partly because...I am Aries? - IDK...but somethings gotta get the blame) and I obviously vary it from night to day.

But sometimes when I over-do it, I get these thumb sized patches of dry spots just outside of my nose between my mouth and my nose - for those in the know it's called the Nasolabial fold. Dry skin = aging. And the lines in my nasolabial fold have been really starting to show up. I blame the dry skin. which comes from abusing my skincare...

Anyway... I've been thinking. I make natural skin-care. (http://www.madeyoulookcosmetics.etsy.com/) I also buy natural skincare. I'm obsessed with skincare and I'm a junkie for trying new stuff out all the time! Thankfully I have an amazing manager at my pt job who loves to play the role of my crack-dealer and she sends me home with new stuff to try all the time.

I'm not talking about drugs people... SKINCARE! Stay with me...

Anyway, I'm wondering how I can incorporate completely natural skincare into my day-to-day (and day-to-night) routine. I'm talking COMPLETELY natural. Hand-made. No chemicals...

This can be difficult to do where moisturizers are concerned. After all, a heavier oily based product wouldn't work very well under make-up.

So I started last night... I came up with the idea AFTER I had washed my face with my NeoStrata face wash (which has 4% glycolic acid AND SLS - sigh). See ya in a little while NeoStrata!

I moisturized my eye area with a Shea Butter/Argan Oil cream by Druide that is rich, and thick, and creamy...and to DIE FOR. Those are literally the only two ingredients. You can buy a tiny 5mL size for $5, or a huge container of it for not much more.

You can find the product here: http://www.druide.ca/Product.aspx?ProductID=49008&Langue=En

To tone my skin I used my own "Oily Skin Toner" that's all natural. It has witch hazel, aloe vera gel, sage, lavender, and Calendule. You can find the product here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/55464096/oily-skin-toner-sage-aloe-witch-hazel

For my face I used a tiny bit of coconut oil and just massaged it in very well. At first it didn't have that "plumping" effect that you get with products that have water in them. You know that "aaaahhhh" cold-water-feeling of moisture being pushed into your skin? But after an hour or so, my skin felt rehydrated again, even though I hadn't actually added any more water...

I woke up with morning with beautiful skin! The lines around my eyes have disappeared (the Druide cream is THICK - and soooo refreshing, despite it's shocking lack of water) and my skin doesn't look congested after only using oil to moisturize.

I washed my face this morning with an amazing Honey & Glycerin cleanser I bought from another seller on Etsy. Her name is Gwendolyn and this cleanser and mask are AMAZING!!! The link for it is here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/34338193/honey-glycerin-cleanser-and-mask-4-oz?ref=v1_other_2

The small 4oz size lasts forever! You can use it as a cleanser or as a mask. Both the honey and the glycerin are natural humectants so you're increasing your skin's ability to hold water everytime you wash with it. It's also been infused with a bunch of wonderful organic herbs that she grows herself on her gazillion-acre-farm. It doesn't lather, but it's amazing. Honey is also a natural anti-bacterial (nurses used it in WW2 to clean out and heal wounds of all types). You'll have soft, glowing skin from the very very first time you use it! At $12 for the small bottle, it's WELL worth the investment!

Again, I moisturized with the Druide Shea & Argan Cream (I'll report back on how my mascara holds up, later) and I used a dab of coconut oil to moisturize. Except this time I sprayed my face with Avene's Thermal Water (just like the Evian stuff) before I put on the oil... my skin DID feel more "hydrated" because the oil sealed in the water.

Have any of you ever used an all-natural-routine? How did it work out for you?

Home Made Face Mask

This is a mask that is good for EVERYONE, no matter what your skin type.

STRAWBERRY HONEY MASK

5 or 6 strawberries, greens removed
2 tbspns honey
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Lemon Juice

Mash the Strawberries with a fork and add the honey and olive oil. Drizzle in freshly squeezed Lemon Juice. The oilier your skin, the more lemon juice you can add (up to 1 tablespoon). If you have very dry skin add 1 tablespoon of oatmeal to the mix and let it sit for about a minute or two before applying it to your skin.

Wash your skin thoroughly and gently pat it dry. Apply the mask all over, avoiding your eye area. Let it sit for up to 20 minutes, then rinse off.

The Strawberries are rich in Alpha Hydroxy Acids which helps eliminate dead skin cells and gives you a nice rosey glow.
Honey is a mild anti-microbial AND is a humectant - so it actually increases your skin's water content as it pulls moisture out of the air and into your skin.
Olive oil is a wonderful moisturizer and because it's natural it will not clog your pores.
Lemon juice is loaded with Vitamin C and acids that brighten your skin.
This mask is chock-full of anti-free-radicals as well, so it's a wonderful natural anti-aging mask.

Whenever possible, try to use organic ingredients, but if it's too expensive for you it's still better than the store-brought stuff that's loaded with chemicals.

Try this mask today and give me your feedback!!!

Benefits of Natural Skincare?!?

I may ruffle a lot of feathers by saying this, but I honestly don't believe the sun causes skin cancer. How is it possible that the one thing that gives life, that causes plants to grow big and strong, can give us humans skin cancer?

How is it possible that elephants baking in the hot Indian Sun, zebras running wild across the Serengeti, or monkeys swinging under the hot African sun do not get skin cancer?

What is it that seperates us from these animals (some monkeys being as close to 98% the same genetic make-up as us humans) and gives US skin cancer?

1) Our poor diet/lifestyle
2) The chemicals we put on our skin.

I'm going to address the second issue here, our skin care. Go to where you keep your skincare and bring back your facewash, toner, and moisturizer... Read the ingredients. Any google search can tell you what the ingredients in your skincare do. Let me address some of the obvious ingredients.

Propylene Glycol - is used in cosmetics as a binding agent and to create a "rich" feel. In other uses, it is an AIRCRAFT ANTI-FREEZE, used to TRAP, KILL and PRESERVE bugs, etc. It is known to dry out your skin, but the manufacturers try to cover this up by adding other ingredients that fake the feeling that your skin is hydrated, while deep down inside it is actually dry and dehydrated.

Mineral Oil - aka Paraffinum Liquidum, Paraffin, is used a "moisturizing" ingredient in skincare, even though it is NOT absorbeable by your skin. It is extremely comedogenic...making your skin break out. In Industrial uses, Mineral Oil is used to coat metalics to prevent rusting/oxidization. Imagine what this means for your skin; it coats your skin, preventing it from breathing, preventing it from absorbing atmospheric moisture, preventing it from releasing toxins from your body (Your skin releases almost as much waste from your body as your COLON does).

Go ahead and google the rest of your skincare ingredients...

Skin cancer is a fairly new phenomenon in human history. I think it is directly related with the Industrial Revolution, and the nasty chemicals that came along with it.

You often have many of the ingredients for natural skin care/ body care already at home in your possession. They are not expensive to acquire, and often have a fairly long shelf life. The products that do "expire" fairly quickly are the ones that you would probably eat before they go bad, such as yoghurt.