MAKEUP | Caliray Freedreaming Skin Wellness Diffusing Tint with Before and After Photos

Purchased by me

Even though there are no longer mandatory mask mandates, all of us at work still wear them because it's just easier. We don't need to wear them if a client is NOT wearing one, but our policy then goes on to say that if the interaction is going to be fairly long, we then need wear a mask. In our business, most of the interactions we have are going to be at least 15 minutes of continuous conversation so at this point, we are all so used to wearing masks that it is just easier to wear one! I have said previously that though I haven't been wearing foundation at work, I have been wearing a lot of tinted sunscreens or moisturizers. I was on the prowl a few months ago for products that gave my skin a bit of a boost without feeling heavy and are quick to apply in the morning. This led me to the very attractive-looking Caliray Freedreaming Skin Wellness Diffusing Tint!

HAIR | Oils for Shine, Hydration and Protection

I didn't understand who would ever need a hair oil until I became a blonde. Not only do hair oils make my hair look healthier, but it also helps protect it from heat styling and UV damage. They are almost like a liquid helmet and once I realized how necessary they were to my haircare routine, I went from high-maintenance to hair-maintenance achievement level SUPREME! 

Some PR samples featured

SKINCARE | Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream #EarthMonth

It's April which means more of a focus on Earth-friendly and clean beauty products! You will have to forgive the order of my skincare reviews as you all know that I take a loooong time to review things, but starting with what I started using over the Winter season, I reviewed quite a number of different things some of which I featured over on Instagram stories. I don't often care much about moisturizers because my skincare focus tends to be more on serums and treatments with moisturizers acting more like a "cap" for my illustrious routine, but I wanted to give a big, beefy blog shoutout to the Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream!

PR sample

SKINCARE | Volition Snow Mushroom Water Serum

The first thing I noticed when I started looking at Volition products was how each product seemed extremely appealing. The Snow Mushroom Water Serum immediately caught my eye because I adore mushrooms (raw and cooked) and serums are my favourite part of my skincare routine other than sheet masking. If anything, I find that these two loves of mine go hand in hand.What makes Volition different from other skincare brands is the creation of their products because YOU get to create products "of your own volition". You get to be an inventor and submit your idea through the Volition website or vote on ideas that you would love to see become a reality. Instead of a brand telling you what the next big thing should be, Volition has decided to let you come up with the idea and they will then take it to the lab to test out. Oh, and Volition products also have the Clean Beauty stamp of approval at Sephora and after looking at the ingredients of this serum and most of their other products, I am liking the ingredient choices!

PR sample

HAIR | Playa Clean Hair Care from California

I honestly thought I had been chatting waaaay too much about haircare last year, but when I look back at blog posts from 2018 there really weren't that many in comparison to skincare or makeup! I use so many different hair products and even though I still have an overwhelming amount of haircare to share with you, much of what I use depends on the current colour of my hair. When I have blue or purple hair, I tend to stick with just colour-preserving shampoos in comparison to when I am blonde-ish and need to go back to purple shampoo. I will be sticking with dark blue for now until probably the Spring and because I haven't had to bleach my hair since last May it actually feels like relatively normal hair again. 

PR samples

HAIR | Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Invigorating Shampoo and Conditioner

In the blink of an eye, it is now December. One last month of 2018 and we are officially done! For me, I was quite excited about 2018 and need to go through my "Accomplishment Jar" to see what has happened this year because though I remember some notable things, the rest seems like a bit of a blur so I always like to go back and reflect on what I got up to throughout the year both in work, life and blogging just so I feel like I have accomplished SOMETHING. I have found the accomplishment jar to be a MUCH better strategy than the New Year's resolution one from a mental standpoint. Anyway, once again I have digressed and need to stop rambling so that we can get to my newest favourite haircare duo from new-to-my-hair brand - Giovanni!  

PR samples

SKINCARE | Dr. Roebuck's Tama Healing Mask

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kim and Zoe Roebuck in a one-on-one session and you would never know that these twin sisters were in charge of a cult clean beauty brand.  Talk about Aussie down-to-earthness, these girls know exactly what is going on with their products and I felt confident that Dr. Roebuck's products were going to be a good addition to my skincare routine. Now, you know that I am super slow with my skincare reviews and I only got the chance to use their eye cream until this year when Dr. Roebuck's completely re-branded and came out with Instagram-worthy product packaging! 

PR sample

SKINCARE | TULA Limited Edition INSTA BRIGHT Energizing and Brightening Sheet Mask

I wanted my 100th sheet mask to be EPIC which meant that it was most certainly going to be holographic and though I had been looking at a couple of different brands, when Shayna from A Pop of Colour alerted me to the new INSTA BRIGHT Energizing and Brightening Sheet Mask from probiotic skincare line TULA, I knew I had found my 100th mask. After using TULA products over the last couple of months (a review of their Pro Glycolic Resurfacing 10% pH Resurfacing Gel Toner is coming!) with positive results, I knew that good things were about to happen with this probiotic blend of Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, fermented birch water, hyaluronic acid and lemon extract. I was ready to experience THE GLOW!

PR samples

BEAUTY | Cleaning My Makeup Brushes Naturally with Ativo Skincare

I think we all have a love-hate relationship with cleaning our makeup brushes and I swear sometimes that's why I have so many as to avoid washing them everyday! I am not the best at keeping to even a weekly schedule for cleaning my brushes, but three years ago I decided to try Sephora's Solid Brush Cleaner as a less expensive option for the Beauty Blender version and was so impressed that it has been the only brush cleaner I have used since. Then something happened last week. The Ativo Skincare Brush Cleaner arrived at my door and after using it I pretty much LOVE IT and will use it forever. 

PR sample

GIVEAWAY | Live Clean Fresh Water Collection

This month is Cosmetic Proof's 7th birthday and I look back at how I started, my photos and content and I am relatively content with my progress. I see evolution which is always promising, but the only thing I have always been hesitant to change is my blog template. This is mainly because I cannot stand designing ANYTHING and in the interest of keeping this space looking less like a magazine and more like a wholesome beauty journal, I have always kept things really simple. Part of the evolution process has included creating brand relationships with some brands having been with me for a long time and Live Clean is one of them! I know you all love their products as much as I do so here's to another year of blogging with this giveaway featuring the Fresh Water Collection! 

PR samples

MAKEUP | Green and Vegan Beauty with Clove + Hallow

Back in June, I got a closer look at beauty brand Clove + Hallow and I was excited because not only was this brand a green beauty brand, but it had also taken home awards for performance and innovation rivaling their non-green counterparts! While I haven't sworn off non-green products in their entirety, I'm sure I'm not the only one who is always open to including cleaner products in their beauty routine. After seeing a few Toronto beauty blog reviews on Clove + Hallow, I knew that I would eventually have to try it while hoping and praying that it would eventually be sold by a store in Vancouver (it is currently sold at The Detox Market now). Hopefully that will be happening sometime soon?

PR samples

HAIR | Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter and Rose Collection #EarthMonth

When I was selected by Chickadvisor to try out the brand Love Beauty and Planet, I thought they were just going to be like any other hair and body products, but I was delightfully surprised! Since this month is also about celebrating Earth Day, I realized that I NEED to tell you guys about this affordable, drugstore and earth-friendly brand! All Love Beauty and Planet products are vegan, cruelty-free, sulfate-free and housed in 100% recycled plastic bottles. This company's commitment to the planet doesn't stop there as their goal is to reduce their carbon footprint by 20% by 2020! They even contribute $40/carbon ton to a Carbon Tax Fund which supports programs that reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste. I mean, that's pretty cool right?!

PR samples