SKINCARE | Birch + Beauty Renew Daily Anti-Aging CBD Moisturizer and Lavender CBD Soap Bar

 

Press samples

It has been no secret that CBD has become a big part of my life as it has helped me with sleeping more soundly at night and be less of a grump during the work day. While I am generally a CBD gummy and tincture gal, I have tried a couple of topical CBD products including bath bombs, pain balms and moisturizers through local CBD retailers in Vancouver, but the one I have shopped the most with is Birch + Fog! In addition to carrying a ton of brands and products (both THC and CBD), they also have their own house brand of products with Birch + Beauty being the latest addition to their CBD product line up! 

BODY | Veilment Hemp Seed Oil Collection

 

Press samples

Here I am takin' care of my body once again! I don't know what prompted my sudden interest in body products. Perhaps it has been my ongoing beauty clean out (it has been 4 consecutive Sundays in a row now!) or the fact that I am determined to get rid of my strawberry legs (does anyone else have those?)! The latest bodycare I have been using is from the brand Veilment from Fruits & Passion which I'm sure more of you are familiar with. I primarily use their Cucina products in the kitchen so Veilment was completely new to me and is now carried through Avon.

BATH | Lush Easter Collection

I will preface this by saying that it feels strange to be celebratory of anything lately and while I would normally start this post by saying "OMG it's the Lush Easter collection", I do want to acknowledge that whether you still wish to support this brand is up to you based on the recent lay-off that has happened with Lush and many other companies. I am part of the group of people that have been now temporarily laid off and though I hope I will have my job back in a few weeks, I know that it's hard for companies to make guarantees on ANYTHING right now. Promising to take care of people for 2 weeks is very different than 4 weeks and beyond and we are all going to be hurting financially for awhile before things go back to normal or if they even do. I can't say that I'm not scared and full of doubt over the coming weeks and there is only so much self-care I can do until the fear of uncertainty creeps back into my brain. The way I look at my self-care experience now, whether I am masking or using a bath bomb, is that I am trying to fill my day with as many positive thoughts and memories as I can in the hopes that I can look back on this time with a sense of growth and optimism. Now, let's look at some really cute Easter stuff and may each bath bomb be a blast of good energy!

 Both PR gifted and purchased by me. PR gifted is denoted with a "*"

BATH TIME | Gettin' Sexy with the Lush Valentine's Day Collection

The eggplant and the cheeky peach are back in this year's Lush Valentine's Day collection with some new and old classics! I almost picked up the entire collection, but I reminded myself that I am trying to cull my beauty collection this year and STILL have not purchased a single thing from Sephora since December so I held back! 

PR samples

BATH | Just a Fraction of the Lush Christmas Collection

It's a shame I didn't make it to the Lush store before I shot these photos because what started out as a fraction of products sent by PR has become a more "well-rounded" collection via "Jayne going to the mall on her lunch break" as of yesterday afternoon! I just couldn't resist and I don't think I am alone when I say that the Lush Christmas Collection is always a tough one to resist whether it's for yourself or for gifts! This year did not disappoint so let's dive right into bath bomb bubbly goodness!

 PR samples featured

GIVEAWAY | Aromatherapy with Scentuals Natural and Organic Skincare

Aromatherapy was a necessary part of my life long before it became trendy as I try to avoid alcohol or prescription medications if I can as I have always been that 1% that gets that random unpleasant side effect in the fine print. I have a phobia of vomiting and nausea so the minute I know I can potentially feel sick from something, there is no stopping me so as hippie as aromatherapy used to be, it became a part of my life as soon as I realized I was prone to daily headaches, motion sickness or just having a hormonal day. I even get headaches from high air pressure so surrounding myself with scents that feel like they are opening up blood vessels in my brain and alleviating pain can take me from zero to hero so when I saw that Canadian brand Scentuals had specific headache products, my interest was piqued!

PR samples

BATH | The Lush Halloween Collection

It's tiiiiiime for Lush Halloweeeeeeen! I got to this year's collection a little late as Inventory at work pushed my schedule for everything way back, but as always there are some old favourites (I'll link them here) and new goodies that have positively bewitched me!

PR samples

BATH | Lush Mother's Day 2018 Collection

How is it coming up to the middle of May? Once it hits June, it will be the summer and then half a year would have gone by! I STILL have stuff from December that I want to blog about that feels recent...tell me I'm not the only that is still trying to get organized! While I was fumbling my way through filing my taxes last month (filed on April 29th!), I realized that there was something special about May and that was Mother's Day! Lush has again blown it out of the water when it comes to new and sweet-smelling things so let's dive in!

PR samples

BATH & BODY | The Lush Valentine's Day Collection

I said on Twitter that I would focus less on Valentine's Day posts and more on Asian brands with the exception of Lush. I cannot say no to their seasonal collections and I feel like this year there are so many new things that even those who are boycotting Valentine's would have to pick up just for the sake of cuteness!

HALLOWEEN | New Lush Goodies!

I actually tried really hard to get more of the Lush Halloween Collection, but certain things were sold out everytime I went in which just goes to show how popular certain items were! The new Jelly Bombs were sold out and I managed to get the Snow Fairy one for the holidays, but sadly not the Halloween ones. This year, the classics are back (reviews here), but I've also got some new items to share!

FATHER'S DAY | Lush Treats for Dads, Hubs and Bros

I will be honest that I did not realize it was Father's Day this weekend until Friday night. I had taken these photos 3 weeks ago thinking I had oodles of time to talk about them and then bam, this week I worked four 10 hour days in a row and I found myself falling asleep the minute I came home! Thankfully, both my husband and I have been testing out these Lush Father's Day treats the last couple of weeks because let's face it, what's mine is his and what's his is mine!  

Lush | Halloween 2016 Collection aka That "Other" Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I don't know about you guys, but as a grown woman in her 30s I cannot WAIT for Lush's Halloween and Christmas collections to come out. Certain products, like the Sparkly Pumpkin and Snow Fairy Shower Gel are becoming a tradition where it just doesn't feel like the holidays until they hit my bathroom. Since Lush comes out with new products every year, I won't share the ones I have already reviewed - just the ones that are new for this year or items that I (you) have to have! 

BATH & BODY | Pearl & Daisy Natural Soap Company Introduction and Review #Take12

Ever since the TV show Anne of Green Gables, I have always wanted to visit the Maritimes. I am pretty sure I only started playing the violin because of Ashley MacIsaac and the Rankin Family and have always been convinced that as a small, Chinese girl, I would RIGHT IN to this part of the world. For now, I will have to settle for just a glimpse into Maritimes with the Pearl & Daisy Natural Soap Company hailing from Nova Scotia! Inspired by the nature of the East Coast, founder Rebecca Taylor, started to experiment with essential oils distilled from the plants around her creating the first collection of handcrafted soaps. Not only is Pearl & Daisy a source of 100% handcrafted soaps, there is also skincare, delectably scented bath bombs and many other ways to relax and pamper yourself.

BATH & BODY | Celebrating Valentine's Day with a Bit of a #LushCrush!

A couple of lovely Lush products showed up on my doorstep about 2 weeks ago and like most Lushies (can I call myself that now?) I had to open and smell/slather everything on right away! As always, there are a few new additions to Lush's limited edition Valentine's Day collection as well as some old classics.

BATH & BODY | Lush #GayIsOK Love Soap Review

Something pretty momentous happened on June 26th, 2015. The United States became the 21st and largest country to legalize gay marriage. In this day and age, you would think that this decision would have been a no-brainer, but can you believe that there are still 76 countries where being gay is illegal? Coming from both a Christian AND Asian family, this train of thought isn’t exactly foreign. Growing up Christian meant that everyone who was gay “chose that lifestyle” and it went against God’s plan. I had one fairly close friend in high school who was afraid to tell me he was gay and even though I loved him anyway, it made me realize how much I had hurt him with my closed-minded “Christian” beliefs throughout elementary school. After doing some growing up and realizing that loving relationships aren’t just the hetero kind, I can truly say that #GayIsOK. It’s more than OK, it’s something that shouldn’t even BE something. Shouldn’t we just be happy that two complete strangers managed to find their way to each other on this crazy, f’ed up planet and want to be together?

This is when Lush asks everyone “What if your love was illegal?” From now until July 4th, Lush stores will be running the #GayIsOk Campaign with profits from all purchases of Love Soap* (120g/$5.95 CDN) going to support grassroots LGBT equality groups all over the world. Love Soap is made with spicy smelling cinnamon, ylang ylang and coconut oils and dazzles like CRAZY! 

The glitter is all on the surface though so as you make your way through this deliciously scented soap (like apple pie!), you will be left with a swirly yellow gold goodness. The glitter is actually slightly exfoliating so for the first couple of uses, I was using it for tougher areas like my legs and feet.

Show your support by using the hashtag #GayIsOk and grabbing a bar or two of this new soap!

FATHER’S DAY | Burt’s Bees Natural Skin Care Aftershave and Bar Soap

Still searching for what to get dad for Father’s Day? No doubt you have already decided on what to do with dad or your partner, but there is always a great time to show appreciation for the men in our lives. Women get “just because” gifts all the time so why not the men? I never knew that Burt’s Bees had a line of products specific to men, but at the same time, why wouldn’t they?! They have pretty much everything else and it’s all done with nature’s best interests at heart from the ingredients and packaging to more importantly the planet. The men’s line isn’t huge at just five products, but is enough for a good shave, shower and splash of cologne. 

Holiday Gifts for Mom from Calgon and Yardley London

I constantly get my mom bath products for any occasion. She doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, wears minimal jewellery (other than wedding rings) and is fairly LESS beauty product crazy than her daughter. Bath products can be slightly frivolous, but are always items people can use which is probably why I keep buying them for her. I know I can’t go wrong!

I have always found it incredibly convenient to have hand lotion right next to hand soap because I never remember to moisturize my hands again after washing them. I go pee like every hour at home so I rarely remember to do it and just go about my day with dry hands (sorry, was that TMI?). I have reviewed the Calgon Hawaiian Ginger scent before (review) and I have to say that I prefer it MUCH more in the Calgon Hand Duo*.