SKINCARE | Selfless by Hyram Mandelic Acid and Rice Bran Gentle Exfoliating Serum

What's this? Yet, ANOTHER beauty influencer with their own cosmetic line? While I understand why these partnerships are done, I honestly roll my eyes with each one of these influencer launches especially when it comes to skincare as a lot of the time, I don't truly believe that these people understand what they are promoting and historically speaking, tend to promote whichever brand gives the nicest brand trips, prettiest press packages or pays the most for sponsored content. When it came to Selfless by Hyram, I hesitated. I did watch Hyram quite a bit before his brand launch as he was fairly critical of supposed holy grail products and brands that all of the other influencers seemed to love. Overall, I do find him to be a fairly educated consumer who has not fallen victim to the "clean" or "green" movement and tends to avoid using those terms as well. The name of the brand made me cringe a little bit having the word "selfless" in there kind of seems to say the opposite like when someone says they themselves are generous. It just doesn't sit well. Nevertheless, because of the decent price point and the ingredients in Hyram's products, I decided to dip a toe in (I have been very good about not buying much skincare over the last two years) and purchase my favourite part of a skincare routine - a chemical exfoliant in the form of the Mandelic Acid and Rice Bran Gentle Exfoliating Serum.

Purchased by me

SKINCARE | Kora Organics: The Brightening Routine

We have all been bombarded with the "natural" products craze the last five years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Honestly, I love the beauty of plant-based products interwoven with synthetic ingredients so I will always be a fan of combining the two, but I have grown wary of jumping on board too quickly when a new "organic" or plant-centric brand emerges let alone one created by a celebrity or influencer. I've just become a bit jaded with all of these fast-growing Instagram brands with people blindly buying into the "natural" marketing jargon. Initially, this is how I felt about KORA Organics. 

Press samples

SKINCARE | Derma E Vitamin C Instant Radiance Citrus Facial Peel

I thought that my first run-in with Derma E was when London Drugs started carrying it, but as it turns out, it was actually in an Ipsy Glam Bag six years ago with their Microderm Abrasion Scrub, which is one of their bestsellers! While Derma E is in the "realm of clean beauty", I have grown to like them for their plant-based approach to skincare while still focusing on efficacy. I have mentioned before that while most natural products seem nice and simple, as we hit our 20s and beyond, our skin needs actives and ingredients that peel, stimulate and target real skin issues beyond just hydration. In addition to ingredients, Derma E also has a number of environmental initiatives including making sure the ingredients used in sunscreens are coral reef safe and being aware of their carbon footprint as a company. I use so much skincare that sometimes it's hard for me to talk about it all, but for the last two weeks my skin has been craving clarity, but I didn't want to be too aggressive so I turned to a couple of products from Derma E and fell for the Vitamin C Instant Radiance Facial Peel! 

 PR gifted

SKINCARE | LASPA Intensive Anti-Aging Glycolic Peel from Day 1 to Day 7

A couple of weeks ago, I embarked on a journey that when it comes to skincare, required great discipline. I like having a fairly intensive routine at night and for seven days last month, my routine went from eight steps to just two. TWO! It was all for a good reason though and that was to try the brand new LASPA Anti-Aging Glycolic Peel! We've all seen and tried a lot of AHAs, peels and treatments emerge, but what caught my attention with this particular product was the very brief and succinct list of just eight ingredients, the 10% glycolic acid strength and most importantly that the source of the glycolic acid comes from a patent pending two-step fermentation process using sugarcane. I've read a lot of information where people just say "use sugarcane juice for similar effects", but there is a difference in acid strength if you extract the acid which is what has been done here! This post is probably going to be pretty intense and wordy, but I found this peel quite unique so I feel like it needs its own narrative for anyone who would like to know why this particular peel is so special!

PR gifted

SKINCARE | Taking Care of Winter Skin with Caudalie

This post is sponsored by Beautysense.ca

Winter isn't just coming anymore, it is here and so is some of the driest skin I have ever experienced in a long time. Maybe it's getting older and partially the weather, but all I know is that I have had to step up my skincare game in order to keep skin moisture levels and radiance at their peak! I was first introduced to French brand Caudalie more than eight years through the Glymm subscription box and over the years, I have gotten the chance to experience their products in some amazing ways and discovered absolute must-have products like their refreshing Beauty Elixir, Grape Water and Vinoperfect Radiance Serum! They were also one of the first luxury plant-based brands I knew of who were eco-conscious and focused on anti-aging concerns using plant-based anti-oxidant rich polyphenols.

HAIR | Kristin Ess Bubble Mask and Scalp Scrub

I exfoliate my skin like crazy, but I never thought about "detoxifying my scalp" since isn't shampoo supposed to do that? After watching a few Asian hair spa videos where part of the treatments actually include scalp scrubbings, I started looking into hair exfoliation products as it wasn't until I started colouring my hair and using dry shampoo more that I noticed my scalp felt itchy at times. I thought at first that my scalp was too dry, but then I realized it was more than that - it needed a good scrub! Then during a sale on Kristin Ess products on Well.ca, I saw two products that spoke to me: the Scalp Detoxifying Bubble Mask and the Instant Exfoliating Scalp Scrub! I mean, how GOOD do those sound?!

Purchased by me

SKINCARE | Exfoliating the Crap Away with Pixi Peel & Polish

This month's CBB brand of the month is none other than cult favourite British brand, Pixi Beauty! I have been all about Pixi's Skintreats over the last year or so and one of my most regularly used and loved products is the dual exfoliator Peel & Polish*! This is a "radiance revealing" enzyme peel that uses fruit enzymes to exfoliate and polish the skin while having a 6% lactic acid concentration! I so rarely see the actual percentages of AHA shown on the packaging and lemme tell ya, 6% is generous! This is legit chemical exfoliation!

PR samples

KOREAN BEAUTY | Wish Formula C450 Bubble Peeling Pad (The Chemical Peel for the BODY!)

I love a good chemical peel for the face and have always toyed with the idea of using peels for my body. I used to use the Philosophy Microdelivery Triple Acid Peel Pads for my face as well as my hands, elbows and knees. Basically the rougher areas of my body, but because these peel pads were so expensive (I believe they are close to $100), I didn't keep up beyond the one pack. Every week or so, I go down the rabbit hole of Korean beauty and about a year ago, I came across a company called Wish Formula that had some veeerrry "skin"-teresting products! I was especially interested in their peels and decided to place an order with Rose Rose Shop for the Body Bubble Peeling Pad as this was kind of a weird product which meant I had to buy it!  

SKINCARE | Omorovicza Midnight Radiance Mask First Impressions + GIVEAWAY!

Oooh, have I got a treat for you guys today! Earlier this year, I was given the opportunity to learn all about and meet  Margaret de Heinrich de Omorovicza, one half of the founding duo of, Omorovicza. Based in Budapest, all products are made with the healing thermal waters from the family owned Omorovicza spas in Hungary. When Margaret was in Vancouver, she did a wonderful job of explaining the science of why Omorovicza's products work, but in such a luxurious way that I wasn't bored at all. Historically, the Hungarian thermal waters were found to have healing properties due to the mineral content of the waters themselves as the Earth's crust is slightly thinner in this area of the world, allowing more minerals into the water. Everyone at the table was just riveted with hearing the story of the brand and the love story that started it all that I cannot do it justice in just this one post! Luckily I have many more products to share with you, but today I will start off with a brand new product - the Midnight Radiance Mask* ($155 CDN/50mL)!

EXPERIENCE | Miraj Hammam Spa by Caudalie The Cocoon Body Wrap

Cocoon body wrap was complimentary in exchange for my honest review.

I never would have thought to find myself back in Toronto after my last visit in August of last year because it really is quite a journey from Vancouver though we all talk about the trek like it's just a trip to the grocery store. Many of you know that I was in #The6ix for GenBeauty and lemme tell ya, I booked that flight so fast and spontaneously that I felt like a crazy person. I DON'T like to fly, but the thought of meeting so many of my favourite Toronto bloggers and PR peeps was enough for me to haul my Vancouver ass out there!

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!

SKINCARE | Juice Beauty Green Apple Age Defy Solutions Kit Review

Ever since I was introduced to Trade Secrets as an ambassador last year, I have been perusing their online selection for their fairly extensive collection of natural skincare options. Juice Beauty is a California-based natural skincare company with a large number of their ingredients being certified organic. While there are still synthetic ingredients present in their products, there are of course no parabens, propylene or butylene glycol, petroleum, sulphates, PEGs, phthalates, TEA, DEA, GMOs, silicones (YES!), artificial dyes or fragrance. Out of all the Juice Beauty products, the Green Apple line was the one that suited by current skincare concerns, but I wasn't sure what to purchase. Thankfully there was a trial Green Apply Age Defy* ($51.40 CDN) kit that gave me the opportunity to dip my toe (face?) into the best of the Green Apple line.

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.

Simon & Tom | Soft Peeling Gel (The Peeling Part is Oddly Fun)

Exfoliation. I love it mostly in scrub form, but I can never say no to knowing that dead skin cells are being sloughed away all thanks to my rigorous skincare routine (*pat on the back*). Exfoliating is an incredibly important part of skincare for ALL skin types because it encourages cell turnover and brings forth fresh epithelial cells. It is especially important in the dry winter season when skin starts to look dull and not so hot. For those interested in a different kind of exfoliation, look to Simon & Tom’s Soft Peeling Gel ($49.00 USD)*. For you skincare junkies or for those who just love experimenting, this is a great product to try and I’m gonna tell you why!