SKINCARE | FirstBase Skincare Double Dose Vitamin C Serum

Press sample

I know that single product reviews are kind of old school, but what if something was so fantastic that it deserved to be placed on a pedestal all by itself? Founded in the midst of the craziness of 2020 by friends April Ferguson and Beth Hunt, Canadian brand FirstBase Skincare launched its first and only product last year and it is incredible. The world of skincare is a saturated one and the fact that the only product FirstBase has is a vitamin C serum MUST mean it is REALLY something and I am here to tell you that it is and WHY!

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

SHEET MASKS | MaskerAide Signature Line #CanadaEh

I posted my first review of MaskerAide six years ago and it was of one of my favourite and now discontinued sheet masks The All Nighter.  It has been loved by many including Kim Kardashian and though I was sad to see it discontinued, I have enough of a supply for the next year or so, but I don't know how I will react after that so I will have to cross that bridge when it's time! Along with changing up their product lineup, MaskerAide has also revamped their packaging giving it a facelift from the original 2012 designs, BUT thankfully nothing else about the formula or actual sheet masks has changed! I love all their masks, but since I have only really featured The All Nighter on the blog, I figure it's time I talk about the other fantastic masks in the Signature Line collection!

PR samples

MASK | Nannette de Gaspe Vitality Revealed Decollete Dry Masque #AnywhereButTheFace

For this month's #AnywhereButTheFace masking challenge, I initially looked to Nannette de Gaspe because not only did they pioneer the dry sheet mask technology, but they have masks for EVERY part of the body! While this is certainly a luxury brand, I have to say that everything about their masks fascinates me from the technology down to the application and in the world of skincare this is difficult to do! I was strolling through Holt Renfrew one day and I noticed that there were some new masks that had been released in addition to the Youth Revealed line knows as Vitality Revealed which rolled in a slightly higher price point and from what I can see from the ingredient list, have additional peptides delivered over a 5 day "mesotherapy ritual". There are currently three masks in this collection: Face, Neck and what I will showcase the Decollete!

Purchased by me

SKINCARE | Plant Powered Graydon Skincare #CanadianBeautyMonth

I like detailed skincare routines because I like trying new things in addition to the basic skincare ABCs of: cleaner, toner, serum and moisturizer, but there is something refreshing about no nonsense skincare where the ingredients are minimal, clean and effective. Graydon was one of those sexy, minimalist green skincare brands that had been on my radar to try last year, but skincare is now one of those things that I am careful about purchasing because I don't want it to go bad before I have gotten to it! Especially with green beauty, preservatives are at a low so they are really best used fresh. When Graydon reached out to me a few months ago to let me try a few things, I was for one, thrilled and two, selective about what I chose as I wanted the items to be things that I could build an actual routine around. After 7 weeks of use, I am not surprised that the brand and products lived up to my expectations and have gotten me interested in trying MUCH more!

PR samples