BODY | Loopha Chalk Hand and Body Powder Wash

Purchased by me

Leave it up to Deciem to come up with some strange packaging to house a strange product! I was on my lunch break one day at the Deciem store (it's next door to my work) and saw one of Deciem's many brands that I had not seen before - Loopha! Loopha focuses on fragrance by "activating atmospheres by scenting areas of daily life and filling them with function".  

SUNSCREEN | The Ordinary Suncare Mineral UV Filters SPF 30 with Antioxidants #SunscreenSunday

Who else is literally drowning in sunscreen at this time of the year?! While I am still on the search for a physical sunscreen that is light enough to make me feel like I am wearing a chemical one, I have been alternating between the two types depending on my mood. Sunscreen has always been that thing that I prefer having merged into another product like my primer, moisturizer or even setting spray!

The Deciem social media pages were abuzz with excitement when it was announced there would be a mineral sunscreen coming out under The Ordinary brand and when it finally came, I had to snap it up and give it a try!

LIPS | DECIEM Abnomaly Petrowhat? Lip and Skin Ointment #CanadianBeautyMonth

Deciem is one of those companies that both scares and excites me because of its focus on innovation. There are constantly new products coming out as well as new formulations of existing products. I also get scared that products I have come to love will be swapped out for newer ones, but so far my heart hasn't been broken yet. While I am fully aware of the social media situation that has been happening with Brandon and Deciem, that is not what this post is about. I think their products are unique and refreshing so I will continue to use and feature them for anyone who is interested!

FAVOURITES | My Current Top 7 Lip Balms

I have forgotten how much fun it is to do round-ups! They are quite liberating and let's face it guys, do you REALLY want to read a WHOLE post about one little lip balm? Unless the lip balm is glittery, bubbles or changes colour, I dunno if I'd even be that interested in writing the damn post! Originally, I had just five lip balms to share with you, but I couldn't decide on just five. Since the beauty world likes odd numbers for favourites (hello numbers 1, 5, 11 or 13!) I have upped the number of favourite lip balms to lucky number seven!

Some PR samples featured

SKINCARE | Eliminate those Puffy Peepers with The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

I rarely feature eye creams for review even though I use them all the time mainly because I don't often see a huge difference between them that is worth writing an entire blog post about. I have also become oddly sensitive in the eye area with many eye creams making my eyes water upon initial application and tend to develop milia. I have a feeling this has all been due to getting older as my skin goes through its estrogen-depleting changes, but that being said I have found that keeping my eye care routine as simple as possible has been the ticket. Enter my first review of The Ordinary! I have been using Ordinary products on and off since the beauty world rocking launch in the summer of 2016 and after going through a couple of different products, I am finally ready to start talking about my favourites starting with the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG (30mL/$6.70 CDN)!

SKINCARE | Deciem Hylamide High Efficiency Face Cleaner Review

It's about time I talk about Deciem again! Skincare reviews are both my favourite and most hated posts as even something as basic as a cleanser needs a bit more research than a coloured cosmetic product like a lipstick or eyeshadow. There is also something about what you apply to your skin that gives us all cause to have a look at the ingredients. We know that in the short time that Canadian company Deciem has been in our lives, they have changed, evolved and reinvented the way we look at the skincare industry and ingredients. They are doing things that no other company has done and I believe will continue to surprise us with pricing that is crazy (The Ordinary!) and uncommon ingredients. 

BODY | Deciem Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Concentrate for Hands and Body Review

As much as I have raved about DECIEM on social media, it has actually been a long time since I have talked about them and the brands under their umbrella for awhile even though I use their products constantly! In keeping with my promise to only feature brands I love and that I *hope* you will love. My first review of 2016 for my beloved DECIEM will be for the incredibly unique Hand Chemistry Hyaluronic Concentrate for Hands and Body* (240mL/$30.00 CDN). Made with a hyaluronic concentrate containing 99.5% pure hyaluronic acid which is mind-boggling considering HA can hold up to 1000x its weight in water so I am imagining what this must mean for my skin!

FATHER’S DAY | AB Crew Tools for Fitness – Amazonian Shampoo & Body Wash

Father’s Day is just around the corner and while I find it difficult to shop for men in general, I know that my husband enjoys a good shampoo and body wash when given the option. I secretly think that once men partner up with a woman, they let their “inner high maintenance princess” personas out. I have been given plenty of “feedback” on what my guy prefers for moisturizers, shampoos and soaps and have had to switch stuff out for HIS sake! Men definitely don’t get to have even half the fun we woman have with bath and body products and one thing I was told by a male hair care line was that men apparently respond very well to colour and even as a woman, when I saw the bright yellow packaging for the AB Crew bath and body products I was interested. AB Crew marries the idea of fitness and grooming carrying an array of products from protein powder to moisturizer to shaving products. In collaboration with ambassador, fitness trainer, nutrition coach, you name it, Lazar Angelov, AB Crew promises to be the most effective range of products for achieving and maintain ideal fitness.

SKINCARE | NIOD Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex First Impressions Review

When it comes to skincare, hyaluronic acid is an ingredient we hear a lot about, but can be somewhat misunderstood. I once had a client tell me that he was actually allergic to hyalronic acid (HA) even though it is a naturally found in connective, epithelial and neural tissue throughout the body. Just by looking at this bottle of NIOD (Non Invasive Options in Dermal Science) Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex*($60.00 CDN/30mL), I am feeling a little intimidated at how I’m going to talk about this product because it just LOOKS “sciencey” and complicated, but really what sets this product apart from other HA skincare products is its multidimensional approach to topical HA delivery. The MMHC is a serum that “combines 12 forms of hyaluronic compounds in a peptide-charged delivery system” to give skin lasting hydration and plumpness.

Hand Chemistry | Intense Youth Complex Hand Cream

With how often I paint my nails and the number of macro shots you guys see of my claws, hand care is something I take VERY seriously so let me introduce you to my new best friend: Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex (100mL/$19.99 CDN or 30mL/$6.99 CDN). Already available in the UK since last year, British beauty bloggers have been raving about this product and now it has graced the skincare aisles of Shopper Drug Mart in Canada. Hand Chemistry targets 8 signs of aging and claims results in just 11 days or less. Wait, what?!