GIVEAWAY | Jayne's Live Clean Favourites!

It's all about being eco-friendly this month so in honor of Earth Day, Live Clean and I have partnered up to give one reader EIGHT of my favourite Live Clean products PLUS their new Mineral Clay Rebalancing Shampoo and Conditioner! Yayyyy! Live Clean is quite the staple in my household with their hand soaps, body wash and hair products filling my bathroom and I only hope I can help someone else do the same! Live Clean is one of my favourite green beauty brands and who would have thought that this vegan Canadian brand has been around for 10 years now? 

BODY | Mary Kay Satin Body White Tea and Citrus Collection

With Mother's Day coming up, I am always on the prowl for things my mom would enjoy and growing up, she was always a big fan of body lotions, potions and floral smelling things. I remember getting her a rose Lush bath bomb as a kid and I am pretty sure she never used it, but kept it unused like a sack of potpourri. The new Mary Kay Satin Body Collection is definitely one that made me think of my mom because not only does it quench your thirst for floral, but it perks up the senses too!

PR samples

BODY | Tata Harper Smoothing Body Scrub

This is one of those posts where I am super unhappy with the photos. I have been trying to experiment with different product layouts, but I took a whackload of photos last year because I was trying to be productive and have the photos "just in case". Now, I have decided to focus on my flatlay game which has always been a challenge for me so thank you to those of you who have left encouraging comments on my IG photos! This also means that I mentally cannot "curate" more than three or four flatlays because I just find it so exhausting even though I have all of the "common" pieces that flatlays should have.

Mini rant aside, let's focus on more splurgeworthy products and add to this glorious CBB "Worth the Splurge" linky of products that has been MOST entertaining for my wallet. It has been a hot minute since I have chatted about Tata Harper here on Cosmetic Proof, but many of you know that I am a huge fan. I rebuy her products all the time despite the price tag because they really are effective and have worked for both myself and my husband, who grudgingly hates the face that the Tata Harper Repairative Moisturizer seems to keep his skin from breaking out. Obviously Tata is fantastic at skincare, but she also has some great body products so when she released her Smoothing Body Scrub (150mL/$95.00 CDN), the exfoliation fiend in me had to have it!

Affiliate links

HOLIDAY | Fresh Body and Skincare Sets (That You Can Colour!)

How many of you just ADORE all things Fresh? Remember when those glorious Sugar Lip Treatments were the ONLY lip balm you needed especially in the shade Rose? I honestly cannot believe how much the brand has grown since I first started using it in 2011 and I am so pleased that the products have only gotten better and more innovative. Fresh has a multitude of value gift sets available for the holiday season featuring their Sugar Lip Tints and most popular skincare so let's dive into what I had my eye on!

BATH & BODY | My Green Beauty Shower Routine ft. Simply Scrub

I am not at all a morning person so I tend to have quite the shower routine at night when I have hours all to myself! I never used to be one with a routine, but it was my boyfriend/now husband who told me I needed to moisturize once I got out of the shower because my skin was so dry. This was the beginning of my shower gel and body lotion obsession. I had to buy one of those huge Rubbermaid tubs to store everything in and TO THIS DAY still have one in the office. Every time I dive into it, I feel excited like when Mr. Dressup would reach into his treasure chest of costumes (Canadian childhood much?).

Though I cycle out what I use in the shower based on season and what I am currently reviewing, I have noticed a shift towards the more green beauty side of things so here are some of my current natural favourites that I hope you all enjoy!

BATH & BODY | Lili Aromatherapy Body Scrubs + Giveaway!

Body scrubs have always been a must-have in my shower and I go through about 200g a month. Yes, I have calculated. My skin gets so congested if I don't exfoliate at least every other day so body scrubs are probably one of the few products I am easily able to finish, but I do have very specific preferences for what I look for in a body scrub. The second thing that is now a daily ritual in my shower routine is adding 6-7 drops of pure lavender or peppermint oil underneath running water so that when I step in, I get an aromatherapeutic blast of relaxation and clear-headedness. In the last two weeks, I have been getting a 2 for 1 experience with Lili Aromatherapy Body Scrubs which are 100% vegan, natural and cruelty-free. They are infused with my favourite essential oils and I have to restrain myself from standing there sniffing handfuls of scrub in the shower! They all just smell so good!

AT HOME | Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash and Geranium Leaf Body Scrub

Back in the Spring of this year, Aesop and Nordstrom had a fun little pop-up shop that I had the pleasure of visiting (here) as well as the opportunity to try out a couple of products. I also picked up a few things at the pop-up which I will also be sharing probably not until early next year since I still have some crazy skin research to do! Seeing as how it's Sunday and rainy here in Vancouver, I just want to take it easy before the surge of holiday energy REALLY begins. We just started playing our Christmas music at work (we kept changing the channel until this past Thursday) and holiday dinners are already getting planned. This week will already be December which is ridiculous! I can already feel the twitching of craziness in my brain which is why I try to include as much aromatherapy in my life from now until the end of the year. 

BATH & BODY | Nova Scotia Fisherman Skincare Review

Seeing as how it is the Canada Day long weekend, I thought it would be fitting to share a new-to-me as well as Canadian brand that I have been enjoying called Nova Scotia Fisherman! Can you tell which province this company is from?! I often romanticize the Maritimes and they are still on my list of places to visit before I die so whenever I get a chance to get just a little bit closer to them, I welcome it with open arms! Started by Uncles Perly and his nephew Les, Nova Scotia Fisherman makes use of one key ingredient - Nova Scotia sea kelp which is rich in vitamins and a whackload of minerals. The company itself is also one that prides itself on creating jobs for those in rural Nova Scotia as well as giving back by having a portion of EVERY sale go towards The Nature Conservancy of Canada.

MOTHER'S DAY | Spoil Mom with a Spa Experience from BVSpa by Bon Vital!

I have WAY too many bath and body products so it was slightly amusing when my mom came over for dinner the other day and asked if I had any bath products that I thought she would like. Right there was the newly arrived package of BVSpa just sitting there on the dining table (yes, now I have resorted to using the dining table as a place of beauty instead of partaking in meals)!

New to Canada and available now at Shoppers Drug Mart locations across Canada, BVSpa is a curated luxury spa experience create by Bon Vital, a company in Ohio specializing in massage and aromatherapy products for the skin for almost 30 years. Though I have not heard of the brand, Shoppers tends to have a number of brands that are almost unsung heroes and over the years I have made some wonderful personal discoveries. The BVSpa collection includes everything you will need for a total at home spa treatment such as moisturizing body scrubs, lotions, butters all free of parabens, sulfates and phthlates. Did I mention that everything in the line is $11.99? That's right!

BATH & BODY | Lush Love Fall 2015 with New Shower Jellies and Scrubs!

I think no matter how old I get, I will always be excited whenever new products from Lush get released. The sight of those black jars makes me want to hop into the shower or rediscover the joys of taking a bath. As Lush is our CBB Brand of the Month and I have yet to talk about Lush this month, even though I have been devouring their products like a madwoman, here are a couple of products I have been loving!

BATH & BODY | The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Collection

I am SO SORRY for being away for so long! In my packing haste for vacation, I forgot to pack my power cord for my laptop so although I had pre-taken my photos there was no salvaging the situation. Yes, I was worried I might lose some of you, but hopefully I kept you entertained with my Montreal and Toronto travels through Instagram! I have some massive catch-up to do as there are a number of Fall collections that will be making their debut on the blog over the next few weeks, but while it does not feel like summer anymore here in Vancouver, it most certainly was the case out East with close to 30 degree weather and humidity that did a number on my hair and skin (think leper-like).

Though this collection is limited edition, The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Collection is still available as it isn’t officially Fall yet, but please make sure that you get your hands on something from this collection as this is one of my favourite Body Shop scents to date! With fresh mint and a juicy squeeze of lime, this collection will have you running to a patio to sit down with the actual drink!

BATH & BODY | c.Booth Skincare by Freeman Beauty Labs – A Whole New Way to Look at Body Care!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to be sharing an all new bath and body line that I have been using this month! Even before I started blogging, I had a weakness for body lotions and scrubs and as of June, Walmart Canada has just started carrying what I see as a skincare style approach to bath and body care. As part of the well-known Freeman Beauty Labs (I love their masks!), c.Booth is an incredibly comprehensive, body line influenced by botanically-based ingredients such as sea salt, oatmeal, walnut shells and sunflower and sesame oils. All c.Booth products are of course free from parabens, sulfates, mineral oil and petrolatum. You can see how large the bottles are with the body lotion at almost 1L! Oh, and the other awesome thing? Not a single product featured here is more than $10!

BATH & BODY | L’Occitane Shea Ultra Rich Body Scrub Review

 I have mentioned on many occasions throughout this blog how much I love the L’Occitane Shea Butter collection both for its scent and moisturizing properties. This scent has been in my life since a L’Occitane store opened up close to my old work in 2011 and from there it was all over for me and my wallet. I started with the hand cream, moved on to the face and now, the BODY. I am an exfoliant fiend when it comes to my skin and on average I go through about one body scrub/month! I knew I would love the L’Occitane Shea Ultra Rich Body Scrub* ($48.00 CDN/200mL) just from the description and once I had scooped it out into my trembling hands I was sure I would love it!

Using walnut shell powder and shea butter, this is a very creamy scrub. The walnut bits are fairly dispersed so while this isn’t an overly gritty scrub like others I have used from other brands, it does keep skin feeling smooth and free of blemishes (Yes, body blemishes!). This is a scrub intended for very dry skin so having a gritty scrub probably isn’t ideal anyway and the smell is of course just HEAVENLY.

Final Verdict: I felt like I was putting on moisturizer in the shower when using this scrub. I forget to do this a lot, but this scrub really worked best for me when applied to dry skin. Sometimes applying a a gritty scrub to dry skin can feel a little uncomfortable, but because this is shea butter-based, it feels positively luxurious! I still had to use moisturizer after my shower, but was able to skip less dry areas like my arms and torso and moisturize just my legs. You also do not need very much as this is so creamy, it just glides across your skin allowing for maximum surface area coverage. Efficiency. I love it. I have had this for over a month and I haven’t even gotten to the halfway point in the jar which is HUGE. Usually I power through 200mL like nobody’s business!

The Shea Ultra Rich Body Scrub can be found at all L’Occitane boutiques and online stores.

The Body Shop | Early Harvest Raspberry Body Lotion, Body Scrub and Body Butter Review

I am truly grateful for the ability to smell when a collection like the Early Harvest Raspberry collection from The Body Shop comes out. I am generally not a fan of the raspberry scent normally, but when done right is utterly olfactory-gripping. This whole collection smells just like raspberry jam. I kept having to remind myself that I wasn’t in my kitchen, but in my bathroom whenever I was around these products! This is definitely a time where I wish Smell-O-Vision were invented!

Blancreme | Strawberry Body Scrub and Strawberry Pomegranate Soufflé Body Cream

I was first introduced to the bath and body company Blancreme last month when I had the pleasure of meeting with the individuals responsible for bringing this delectable family-run company from France all the way to Vancouver. Blancreme is already fairly well-known in Europe and is just making its way into the Canadian market. The very first thing I noticed about each product in the line is the use of colour, scent and food-like packaging that IMMEDIATELY made me want to use/eat everything! It actually says on some of the bottles to not ingest because that’s how much like food these products resemble! Blancreme products are also paraben-free.

 

 

Today we will start with one of my favourite scents – Strawberry!

Lush | Rock Your Body Kit

Over the summer, Lush released the Rock Your Body Kit that immediately caught my eye because inside were four full-sized items that when purchased separately would have cost around $38. Instead, this little kit was $25.95 and gave me a chance to try some Lush products that I had yet to treat myself to! Yes, I know it’s October and this kit came out in the summer. I still decided to post this as the products are all very much staples in the Lush inventory and if any of you are curious about them, they are readily available for cosmetic consumption!

Review-Villainess Dulces En Fuego White Sugar and Spiced Chocolate Warming Body Scrub

If chocolate was just as good of an exfoliating agent as it is a treat, then the Villainess Dulces En Fuego Body Scrub comes pretty damn close! I received a sample of the Dulces En Fuego Whipped Body Creme back in my September 2012 Glymm Bag and loved every last drop! I ended up buying the full sized version from the Glymm store which was on sale with the complementary body scrub. I decided to try the body scrub first as I has just run out of my current one.

June 2012 Empties

My first empties post! I love reading empties posts so I thought I’d try it out myself and it’s so much fun seeing what products you’ve tried and used up for the month!

1. Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst-Qunching Serum Sample – worst sample packaging ever! 3 uses was about what I got out of it so good job Glymm on the guesstimate! I actually did like the product, but it wasn’t good enough to surpass my current Clarins skincare routine.

2. Caudalie Moisturizing Sorbet Sample – same as above and as much as I liked it, I still think I love my Clarins skin routine more.

3. Clarins Gel Marula Cleanser Sample – Love it. Already purchased the full size and it was one of my June Luvs!

4. The Body Shop Satsuma Body Polish – Love the scent and jelly texture! Will definitely repurchase during the next promotion!

5. Olay Professional Pro-X Eye Cream Sample – I received this in my October Luxe Box. I liked the texture of this eye cream and I would repurchase in the future.

6. Ola Tropical Organics Paradise Plumeria Creme Lotion – I’m not normally a plum scent person, but this lotion actually smelled quite nice. I also enjoyed the consistency of the product and certainly hope to repurchase soon!

7. Lush BB Seaweed Fresh Face Mask – You can see my review where I pretty decided that I didn’t like seaweed chunks on my face even though my skin did feel quite nice after application. Unfortunately, I will not repurchase.

8. Anderson Soap Company Soap in a Jar in Satsuma – This is made my Dennis Anderson who can be found on etsy and I have purchased many many soaps from him. He is a fabulous seller and makes such fun soaps! This one is a whipped soap that you just use on a loofah or in your hands and off you go! This smells wonderful too. I have already repurchased this three times over! My fiance and I cannot get enough! 

9. Mario Badescu Hydro Moisturizer with Vitamin C Sample – I didn’t really like this all that much…some days I found that it just wasn’t moisturizing enough. I will not be purchasing in the future.

10. Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel Sample – I really liked the scent! It’s sort of hard to describe…like fresh and sweet-smelling at the same time? I would repurchase, but not through the Mario Badescu site as shipping is pretty expensive. I’d probably do it through Yesstyle.

11. Goldwell Rich Repair Shampoo and Conditioner Samples – I didn’t notice any significant changes with the amount in these sample packs. I’m working on the second set of samples packs I was sent in my May Luxe Box so maybe I will see some changes then. Unsure about repurchasing at the moment…

12. Fekkai Advanced Salon Technician Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner Samples (2 packs of each) – I actually liked these! I would repurchase the day I finally run out of shampoo and conditioner samples!

13. Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner Samples – I received this in my November 2011 Glymm Box and I’m finally getting to it now! Apparently, Gwenyth Paltrow uses Rahua and we know how nice her hair looks . I found the smell to be very earthy which was ok, but I guess I have an idea in my head of how my shampoos should smell. I don’t think I’d repurchase this based on the fact that it’s expensive and didn’t really make a difference to my hair.

14. Korres Cleansing Makeup Removing Wipes for Face and Eyes with Milk Proteins – I found these cleansing cloths to be softer than the Simple ones I tried out earlier through Topbox. They are also paraben-free and worked well to remove my eye makeup as well. Definitely will repurchase!

15. Organx Brazilian Keratin Complex Shampoo and Conditioner Samples – I received these in the mail and didn’t think much of them so I was amazed when after one shower my hair felt silky and soft! I loved it! I would definitely get the full size!

16. LUSH Charity Pot Sample – Smells better on than in the pot! Will get the full size!

17. LUSH Creme Anglais Sample – Smells better in the pot than on! It smelled so good until I put it on my skin…will not get the full size.

18. skoah Aha Mask Sample – I love this guy because it’s a peppermint infused mask that makes your skin tingle! It applies nicely because it’s a gel and just perks up your skin when you need it! I have already purchased the full-sized product!

19. Elizabeth Arden Prevage Day Cream Sample – I believe we all received this in our first inaugural Glossybox and I found it to be a little too thick for my liking. I do have dry skin, but I felt like when I applied it to my skin, it just sort of sat there on the surface and wasn’t absorbed. I will not repurchase.

20. Cake It’s A Slice Scrub – I don’t have the bottle because my fiance threw it out while I was at work…It’s discontinued so I can’t repurchase even I wanted to! I got tired of the scent though. It’s VERY sweet.

I managed to get through quite a number of samples this month and got a chance to try a number of different products so I’m pleased with my very first month of doing empties!

Review-LUSH Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub

Hi Everyone!

Some of you know that I went on a little bit of a LUSH shopping spree a little while ago and now that I’ve had some time to try different products out I guess it’s time to share my experience!

Ocean Salt was one of the LUSH products that I was dying to get and I’m so glad I did! It is a face and body scrub, great for all skin types, that is a lovely shade of blue and its feature ingredients are a mixture of sea salt, lime, coconut, grapefruit mixed in a fruity vodka base! I thought that was so cool! Like many Asians, I don’t have enough alcohol dehydrogenase (enzyme that breaks down alcohol!) so liquor always makes me feel sick almost right away, but at least in scrub form I can enjoy a bit of a “drink”!

Packaging: I’ve always liked pots for scrubs because you can really get at the sides and use up every last bit! When things are in a squeeze tube you always lose out on product that gets stuck on the sides. I know squeeze tubes are more convenient, but I’d rather get the most out of my product!

Formula: Ah, my favourite part! I love the coarse grains of salt and the whipped texture. You really feel like you’re scrubbin’! Due to the coarse salt grains, the scrub is a bit on the harsh side so I wouldn’t use this every day as your skin will probably be quite upset with you. The other thing I’ve noticed while using Ocean Scrub is that my skin feels HOT while I’m scrubbing! The first time I used it, I was convinced I was having some sort of allergic reaction, but then once I washed it off, my skin felt so refreshed! I started thinking about why my skin would get hot which made me go back to Grade 12 Chemistry…geeky I know. Anyone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it’s because of the large sea salt grains. When salt dissolves in water, the reaction releases heat (exothermic) leading to my hot face!

Scent: Boy does this smell good! Lime is mostly what I smell and smells absolutely refreshing. I always feel like I need an ice cold lemonade whenever I smell it!

Final Verdict: Love, love, love it. I don’t even let my fiance near it. I want it all for me! I will definitely re-purchase once I run out!