SKINCARE | Lip Care with Three Ships Beauty

Last year, I made it a point to purchase skincare more wisely and purchase Canadian if I could. I made a list of brands I wanted to try and instead of buying everything at once I wanted to pace myself and use up what I had so that products wouldn't be sitting around unused (and unloved). One Toronto-based brand that caught my eye was thanks to an episode of Dragon's Den for Three Ships Beauty. Founded by two women, Laura and Connie sought to create 100% natural skincare that was results-driven, effective and at an affordable price point. Now, over the years the word "natural" has meant less and less to me, but "results" still perk my interest. Three Ships also has a fairly comprehensive glossary of the ingredients they use and why which I very much appreciate! Though today's review is just for their newest lip products, I did purchase a couple of cleansers and toners so I will review those later on!   

Press samples

In case you were wondering about the name, Three Ships refers to the legend of the search for the Fountain of Youth which was conducted with a fleet of just three ships meaning that amazing discoveries can be made even with bare bones resources. I tell you, these two ladies had one of the best pitches I have seen on Dragon's Den! With just the two of them, they managed to secure a contract with Target through a cold call. They explained this on the episode and I was like WOW and the Dragons were too! 

Lip Treatment Kit*

This lip treatment duo is one of the two newest additions to Three Ships this year and contains the new Buttercream Hydrating Lip Mask and Vanilla Lip Exfoliator. You save $2 when you get the set as opposed to buying both products separately so I would definitely go this route if you wanted a complete lip care routine with an exfoliator.

Pina Colada Lip Exfoliator*

I had the chance to try the Pina Colada Lip Exfoliator as well, but know that texture of this and the Vanilla are identical and it just comes down to what scent you are in the mood for. Pina Colada was great in the summer as it truly did smell like a tropical drink and Vanilla is just an all round pleasant scent. Neither of the scents smelled artificial because there are NO artificial scents! 

The lip exfoliators use a combination of sugar to get rid of flaky skin and hydrators like shea butter and avocado, jojoba and coconut oils to helps lips feel soft, supple and moisturized after use. It actually does feel like I applied a bit of lip balm after I wash off this scrub so it's nice that this product is a bit of a 2 in 1! 

Buttercream Hydrating Lip Mask*

I think when it comes to lip masks, we have all been spoiled by the entire range of Laneige lip masks. Yes, I like Laneige, BUT I like this Buttercream one too because it's not thick and sticky like the Laneige one is because it hydrates with sunflower, coconut and grapeseed oil and shea butter and does not contain any waxes or silicones. I tend not to sleep with the Laneige lip masks because I constantly get fur stuck to my lips so I use it more short term like when I am having a bath. The thing is, I wouldn't really call the Buttercream Mask a mask at all as it feels like many of my more oil-based lip balms. When I think of a mask, I think of a product with a thicker more protective consistency and the Buttercream Mask needed even a coat or two of reapplication for me on my drier lip days. All that being said, I do enjoy sleeping with this mask on as I feel it does soften my lips by the time I wake up in the morning so I think it just depends what you prefer in a texture for a lip mask. 

Final verdict: While these two products aren't particularly novel in the realm of skincare, I did enjoy using them and continue to do so even though I started using these products in the summer. I found the scents very pleasing and everything from glass packaging to the actual results of the products enjoyable. I also feel good supporting a Canadian-owned and Canadian made product so when it comes to possibly restocking, I would definitely want to try more scents of the Lip Exfoliator as there is a Cherry one too! 

You can find Three Ships Beauty at www.threeshipsbeauty.ca and at these retailers.