Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts

Let me start off by saying, my skin and I are not friends. Much like my relationship with my hair, my skin and I have had a long battle of who is in control, and I must say that my skin puts up a hell of a fight.

My skin is dry most of the time, and decides to break out whenever it feels like it - though mostly with hormonal changes and stress. I'm sorry to all the teens who thought zits would be a thing of the past; they sadly don't ever really stop being a thing.

A friend of mine recently read a few of the blog reviews and wondered if I would be interested in reviewing some products from Arbonne ( a company she's recently become a rep for). She let me sample a few of their products (thank you!) so I could get a good idea about what the company, and products are like.

The Brand

For those of you who are not familiar with Arbonne, they are based in California and first started in 1980, with offices in Canada, the UK and Australia. Unlike most cosmetic brands you can't buy them in stores. Similar to Avon, Arbonne uses consultants to sell directly to the consumer.

Also unlike most cosmetic brands, Arbonne prides itself in being naturally based, vegan & PETA certified, allergy tested, pH correct, compliant with Canadian, European, Australian and American standards, and good for your body and the environment (phew...that's a lot of stuff). I've started a naughty list for my makeup and beauty products and luckily Arbonne doesn't have any of the bad stuff I like to stay away from.

According to Arbonne all of their products are formulated without:
  • Animal products.by-products
  • Parabens
  • Formaldehyde
  • PABA
  • Synthetic dyes
  • Triclosan
  • Hydroquinone
  • Gluten
  • petroleum based products
They have a HUGE range of products in everything to do with health and beauty. Ok so, with all that information it's pretty clear that Arbonne has a huge leg up on most of their competitors for the all natural stuff, but how well do they work? 

The Products

I tested out the RE9 series of skin care products which comes with:
  1. Cleanser
  2. Toner
  3. Serum
  4. Eye Cream
  5. Day Moisturizer
  6. Night Moisturizer

The Cleanser

You only need a tiny bit, but it sure does foam up! Now, I'm not normally a foamy cleanser kind of person. Foamy cleansers have historically always left my skin feeling dry,red, and tight; it's never a pretty sight. Not to mention extra foam almost always means extra chemicals. I was somewhat surprised to find that despite the incredible foam, my skin felt clean, but also nourished.


The Toner

The best thing about the toner in this set is that it is a spray. I hate fussing with cotton pads and all that and wiping stuff all over my face. The spray toner is a winner in my books!





The Serum

It gets a bit tingly which I'm not entirely sure I like, but it seems to do the trick so I think I can overlook it. There is very little scent ( there is a hint of citrus, but nothing crazy) and it actually seems to penetrate your skin rather than sit on top which is nice.




The Eye Cream

I can't really speak to how good this eye cream is. Not because it isn't as good as the other products, but because I've never actually been an eye cream person. To me a good moisturizer should be able to do it all as far as I've always been concerned. I didn't test this out as long as I would like, but I would be willing to give this whole eye cream thing a shot.


The Day/Night Moisturizer

With an SPF of 20 in the day moisturizer I was sold as soon as I saw it. I'm on the pale side and as most people know sun exposure is the number one cause of skin damage. With the higher, SPF the day moisturizer is a bit heavy, but I wore thinned out with a bit of liquid foundation for some light coverage. The night moisturizer isn't too heavy which is unusual for a night cream and sets you up for a lovely night to regenerate and rejuvenate your skin!



With that whole whack of skincare products it seems like quite the chore to apply them all twice a day, but I have to say it was actually a pleasure. I found myself getting a bit excited to wash my face in the morning, and couldn't wait to spray on my toner at night too. The whole kit and kaboodle will set you back $395 for all of these products which is a serious commitment to skin care. This is however much less expensive than buying all of these products separately from a similar or comparable brand like Clarins, Estee Lauder, or Clinique.

Conclusion

 I have to say I am very impressed with the RE9 set of skincare products. I haven't felt this confident to go makeup free in a very long time and my skin really does feel firmer, and glowing. With all the good stuff in the products and knowing everything is botanically based it makes me feel good about putting this stuff all over my skin (and therefor in my body). I only have a single issue with Arbonne, and it certainly is not their amazing products.

When trying to live ethically, you try to buy natural products, and ensure that your environmental impact is low, sure. But there are other sides to this too. The human side is also important. Arbonne sadly refuses to work with fair-trade products, and will not release any of their ingredient sourcing information, or information on the working conditions on those who harvest their ingredients.

 It's great to see a company that is so committed to great ingredients and what seems like a more natural approach to the beauty industry. But paying people fair wages and encouraging safe working conditions shouldn't be "proprietary" information, if it is in fact something they support. They should be yelling it from the rooftops and encouraging other companies to do the same.

The Brand

Be.Better is Rexall's house brand of more natural and "better-for-you" products ranging anywhere from snacks, to shampoo. Rexall's website states "[the] exclusive Be.better brand offers over 270 products designed to help Canadians live, feel and be better."

 I'll be looking specifically at their Coconut Oil Body Wash  (385 ml) and also the matching Coconut Oil Hand & Body Lotion. Each are about $6.00 CAD.

The Products

Let's start with the Coconut Oil Body Wash. Like with other "healthy" beauty products what you are looking for is what is NOT in the product as much as what is. This body wash is paraben and phthalate free, free of artificial colour and dye free, and also SLS and SLES free.



Since there is no SLS or SLES in this it does struggle a little bit with the foaming, but not enough to put me off at all.

This product smells wonderful and definitely has that sweet coconutty scent that you would expect. The down side is that  this body wash is thick. Like really goopy thick. With the pump dispenser it makes getting the product out of the container a real battle, especially when you are in the shower and everything is rather slippery. I'd highly suggest transferring this into another container, or just not using the pump.

Next up is the Coconut Oil Hand & Body Lotion. After jumping out of the shower applying moisturizer is normally the first thing I do. Unlike the shower gel, the pump dispenser for this works wonderfully and doesn't cause any problems.

The consistency isn't that thick and very similar to some other large brand moisturizers like Vaseline or Aveeno. This goes on smoothly and rubs in nicely. The scent is somewhat coconutty, but a bit floral as well? I don't hate it, but it isn't what I want when I buy a coconut oil moisturizer.

All in all, these products are both just ok. They are pretty good for the price, however they fail to wow. They are worth a try if you are on a budget, but I likely wouldn't buy them again.

The Company


Trilogy is a New Zealand brand. Originally founded by two sisters, it prides itself on creating natural skin products that delivers great skin care results. Amazing things about their company include:

  • First carbon-neutral skin care company in New Zealand
  • Cruelty free
  • Certified as only using natural ingredients
  • Only use the term 'organic' for certified organic ingredients (no false advertising!)
  • Website contains a list of ALL ingredients in their lines, why its included and what products contain it

The Skin

So when you are reading anyone's skin care reviews, my first thought is what is their skin like. I find my skin a bit confusing. If I go to a beauty counter, I'm frequently told I have larger pores and out come the oil control products and deep cleansing product. I have learned the hard and acne-ridden way, that what keeps my skin looking good is actually lots and lots of hydration. So now, I keep deep cleansing to once or twice a week masks, and focus my daily skin care on getting moisture and brightening my skin tone after years of acne scaring. 

But can you really improve your skin tone with an all-natural product? I introduced these products one at a time, to really see what difference they could make.

The Products


I started using just this product first. All I need is 2-3 drops a night, which when you have a 30 ml bottle means a lot of bang for your buck. I think its a total dupe for the Aesop facial oil and half the price. I think this is real source of clearing up my skin tone. Everything from the sun exposure last year to bad scaring from those annoying under the skin zits is fading. At first, I woke up feeling like my skin was a bit oily, but a gentle cleanser in the morning left me with all the results, without an oily finish. 
I was never really sold on all those hydrating mis, but I wanted something light to replace by Caudalie SOS Thirst Quenching Serum. Especially when I first started using the facial oil at night, I felt like all I needed in the morning was a little bit of moisture. Now, I layer it with a daily moisturizer for an extra dose hydration. I also like to sprintz my face when I come home from work as a pick-me up. I swear you spray this on your face and your skin gives a sigh of relief.

After about two weeks of using the facial oils, I realized that my skin could also handle a night time moisturizer. In fact, it wanted even more moisture (greedy thing that it is). I just use a little bit of the thick cream at night over top of the oil. This is the other thing I credit with evening out my skin tone. I think its really increased the results over the last couple weeks.


Rosapene Lip-Gloss
There are a lot of moisturizing lip gloss/balm/stains out there these days and I have tried many of them. But I have never used anything like this one. It very much feels and looks like a red tinted lip gloss on, but you can feel it working as a moisturizer the way you would with a balm. I'm very sad to discover they don't make it as a separate product! Its sold with their Rosehip Oil. I would honestly go out an spend money on this. Need to lobby to get it added to the product line!

The Proof It Works

So the final test, isn't what I say but the results! Here is my skin, make-up free, unfiltered and in natural light. Kaila will back me up on this. This is amazingly clear for me! 

I've even switched to using a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation. But its not only look. When I run my fingers over my skin, I have very few little bumps of congestion. You wouldn't think that it would be facial oil and moisturizer that would reduce skin congestion, but just goes to show you, that hydration works wonders! 

If you have breakouts or you have scars from breakouts, get your hands on some naturally-based rosehip oil by Trilogy. My skin absolutely loves it!

The Company

Live Clean is an amazing company that prides itself in being eco-friendly. Their planet friendly philosophy means all their products are:
  • Natural and plant based
  • SLS/Sulfate Free/DEA Free
  • Paraben/Phthalate/Phosphate Free
  • Pure Vegan and Vegetarian / Cruelty Free
  • Enriched with Certified Organic Botanical Extracts
  • And use Biodegradable Ingredients, Recyclable Packages and Local Sourcing
So what does this really mean? It mostly means that you can be sure that the products you are using on your body are not bad for the environment or you (a major plus when buying beauty products). The big question is, does the natural stuff really compare to that super foamy chemical shampoo and conditioner you are used to?

The Hair

Before I get started I need to make a confession. I have a lot of hair. I spent most of my life wishing I had lovely straight and smooth hair just like Adrienne (only to later find out that this type of hair comes with its own difficulties). 

Over the past 7 years I have worked with an amazing hair stylist who has helped me work with my hair and learn to embrace the giant puffball that sometimes resides on my head. I could not do a post about hair without thanking the very talented Jenn from In'I Hair Design. Now, I know what you're all thinking. "How much hair can one person really have?" Well, let me explain.


My hair checks all the boxes for "problem" hair. Curly?... Check!... Frizzy?... Oh yeah!... Thick?... Check!... Long?... Mmhm... Colour treated?... Yup! Because of this I most undoubtedly need some heavy duty hair care products to keep my frizzball in line. 

The Products

I've used quite a few of the Live Clean products, but I always go back to the Exotic Nectar - Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner duo. Curly and frizzy hair has a tendency to be really dry and so moisture is the name of the game. Argan oil helps moisturize and leaves hair feeling smooth and definitely tames that frizz.

Along with adding a ton of moisture this Live Clean duo smells pretty good as well. I'm not a huge fan of overly scented products so the subtlety of this stuff is pretty nice, though a bit hard to pin exactly what it is.

As far as foam goes, many all natural products fall a bit flat. For all you who really need some significant suds, the shampoo of this duo can get a  pretty good lather going.

The only slight down side to both the shampoo and conditioner as that I find you do need to use a decent amount of product. Combined with the fact that the bottle only contains 350 ml of product, I find that I can go through these pretty quickly. Now, that being said, because of my hair I tend to wash it very infrequently (I try to go about 10 days or so). While this isn't a huge problem for me, others may take issue with having to purchase their products more frequently.

So, what about the results? Using Live Clean I find that my hair certainly keeps a it's curl much better than with other products that tend to dry out my ends. When you have really problem hair, there are so many things that contribute to having a good hair day and you have to start with your basics. By using Live Clean Exotic Nectar shampoo and conditioner I really feel like I set myself up for better styling later on.

In the end I really can't recommend this brand enough. If you have thick and curly hair, the argan oil infused products are the way to go. They also have a whole range of other things for various other hair types. The best part about Live Clean though, is that you can really feel good about the products you are using and feel confident that you are not harming the environment in any way. The fact that they are great for hair, really does seem to be a bonus. Don't worry Adrienne! I'll send some your way in a care package soon!
Two months ago, when I made the investment to replace all my bath and body products I also bought shampoo and conditioner. I've held off writing this review because I've had mixed feeling about the product and I wanedt to be sure of how I felt before I wrote. But I'm almost finished both of them so I think I can say I've given it a fair run.

In Canada, my go-to budget ethical shampoo is the Live Clean (Kaila's post on them going up on Sunday!). I've tried a lot of their different lines and I've always had good results with them. But no Live Clean in the UK.... Booo! However, I was so happy with the Naked body products, I decided why not try the shampoo and conditioner too (And it was on offer at Boots!).


Everything about my hair-care routines centres around getting more body and volume. It influences how I cut my hair, my products and my styling techniques. While I don't find that volumizing shampoo/conditioner always make a huge difference, I don't want to weigh down my hair with moisture heavy products so they are often a good choice for me.

At the same time, the smell of shampoo or conditioner can linger in your hair. If you don't like it, its really annoying. After weighing the different scent options of all the Naked Hair care formulas (and there are a lot, picture my friend and I sniffing bottles for a good 20 minutes), I figured why not go with the volumizing set.

In reviewing these, I want to start off by saying I think I made the wrong call formula-wise. Over the past year I've switched to washing my hair less often and I've let it go pretty long. I may need a bit more moisture and cleaning power than I use to. Please read the review in this light.

Naked Volume Body Building Shampoo with chicory & wheat protein

The smell of this isn't to die for but its neutral which can be a bonus I think. What I find with this product is that I have to use a lot of it to make sure it gets really worked through my hair. Its a bit weird because it gets foamy (which I've tried to photograph) but then the foam is hard to work down to my roots, partly because my hair gets matted together as I work it in. I've had a lot of those occasions when I'm drying my hair and find a place that hasn't really gotten clean. I have two thoughts on this. One, I think the line would be better suited for shorter hair. Second, and I can't prove this but I have a lingering suspicion its interacting with the products I use in my hair and that is causing the matted effect. But if you have limp and really fine hair that is shoulder or chin length, this is probably a good system for you.


Naked Volume Weightless Conditioner with passionflower & grape

This product is exactly what it advertises. If you are looking for a really light weight conditioner, go for this one. You can kind of see from the photo how its almost gel-like. It actually smells really nice too. I'm officially a sucker for passionflower. But for me personally this doesn't provide enough conditioning power, especially after the matting caused by the shampoo. I guess as my hair gets longer it needs more moisture (I know I shouldn't be surprised at this but its been ages since my hair was this long).

I think the sum up is that there isn't anything wrong with this product, its just really not for me and my hair right now. These guys really put together a combo for fine and limp hair and that doesn't meet all my hair issues right now. Not a stellar recommendation but just like positive reviews, any review is personal.

I wanted to balance this by sharing a positive review by Moral Fibres who I love for her recommendations and has great things to say about the leave-in conditioner and the silky line of the shampoo and conditioner. Think I need to try a different range and maybe I'll have better luck.
 If you follow the trends of beauty vloggers (I blame @AliaK_ for my current addiction), balm cleansers will be on your radar. For anyone else, the concept is exactly as it sounds. It is an oil-based balm you use as your cleanser. Why is this appealing, do you ask? Well a) oil is actually the best way to remove make-up so its great for making sure you get a good cleanse and b) if you don't remove oil from your skin, you don't produce as much oil, and thus it actually helps with oily/combination skin. Since my breakouts always go hand in hand with dry skin, I thought this was worth a go.

There are a lot of beauty balms out there and many of them aren't cheap. I looked through the reviews of vloggers to find one that had positive reviews, good price point and included an all natural ingredient list. In the reviews of Fleur de Force, I found the Balance Me Cleansing Balm, which met all the requirements.

I've been using this cleanser every night for the past month. It takes off my make-up. It leaves my skin clean without being either greasy or dry. It has a bit of exfoliation from the oatmeal which is an extra bonus. And I don't know if this is entirely down to the cleanser, but I've also see an end of those annoying deep under the skin spots, which I've been fighting on and off for a couple months. I'm sold!

My only tip with this product (and they say this about all cleansing balms) is to make sure you keep your face-cloth really clean too and change it out regularly.

If a cleansing balm still sounds too scary, I've also been using a sample of their foam face wash in the morning and I've also been really happy with that.

If anyone else has recommendations for other brands of cleansing balms to try, let me know!



























Having ditched all my heavy bottles of moisturizer and body wash (luggage priority went to more important things like fabric and giraffe statues), I needed to replace most of my bath/body products. Also being in the process of setting up house, I need to replace things on a budget. There are a lot of ethical body wash and lotions but I was interested in what options I could find in my standard drug store. This is what I managed to dig up.


 24 Hour Coco de Mer Body Butter and Ooh La La Body Wash by Naked

I bought the body butter first and I loved the scent so much I bought the body wash too. It's a mix of coconut, shea butter and passion flower. The body wash is creamy but it lathers well enough. Though if you like a really frothy body wash you might be disappointed. When I opened the body butter it seemed unusually solid and I was worried. But I find that it melts really well into your skin. They're both available at Boots, the Naked company has a strong ethical standpoint, and their only £4.99 each. They qualify as triple threat beauty products!


The Salt'n Sea Body Lotion and Sugar Scrub by Love & Toast

This product also smells delicious, a bit like lemonade but not too sweet. I like the scrub a lot, it reminds me of the Soap and Glory crush scrubs but a more ethical option (yay for good dupes!). The body lotion is nice, but it does this weird thing when you work it into your skin, sort of like it doesn't seem to absorb properly? I also find the packaging frustrating. I know that sounds weird but it's hard to work things out of their tubes. I purchased these at TKMaxx however, this scent collection isn't available anymore and looking on the website some of the packaging has been changed. So while I give these products mixed reviews I would be open to try other products by this brand. I'm especially intrigued by their perfumes and lip balms because the scents are so yummy.

 So some really good finds and some mixed results. It goes to show that you can find some great products while keeping quality and ethics in mind (and not break the bank)! 
Not going to lie, its hard to keep all the issues in mind when buying ethically. So I try to simplify it as checking three things "Good for the planet, Good for its people, Good for me." That could look a little different depending what I buy. Here's whats on my list so far for checking body, skins and hair products. 


Good for the Planet
There's a lot under this umbrella from sustainability issues and environmental impact. Some of these you have to dig into company ethics but here are some things to flag for yourself and check your labels

SLS/Sulfate Free/DEA Free – The only reason they are added is to make your products foamy and lather better and they require fossil fuels. Skip them, they also dry out your skin anyways.

Paraben/Phthalate/Phosphate Free – will irritate both you and the lakes and rivers. Suppose help increase your products shelf life but just don't buy too far ahead and you'll be fine.

Cruelty Free- testing on animals is bad... enough said

Bio-degradeable/Recycled packaging – reduce, reuse and recycle still holds true

Organic/Sustainable – no harmful practices thank you!

Good for its People

Decent work – We like either locally made (where there are labour laws) or fair-trade/community-trade/direct-trade which ensures people are fairly treated. Check your labels see where things are produced (though this sometimes leaves out other parts of the production chain).  

Checking out company's websites and whether they mention their workers isn't a bad way to check either.


 Good for Me

Just because something is an ethical product doesn't mean its a good one. Naturally derived products can still be duds. I've had natural ingredients irritate my skin (no lilac for me!). I don't like shampoo that leaves residue in my hair or weirdly filmy body lotion. I'm also not always a fan of some of the 'natural' fragrances. How it works, how it smells, how it lasts are all still important questions.

 There is always new information coming out about what is 'ethical' in a product and ratings can change all the time but here's to doing my best!