Badger Seabuckthorn Face Cleansing Oil* [Review]
This is a great cleansing oil, although because it contains menthol, I didn't find it comfortable to use around the eyes. The oil easily removed every speck of makeup, and I liked the fresh feeling the menthol left on the rest of my face. I've read reviews from people who has no issues, so depending how sensitive you are, it might be fine around the eyes.
Repurchase? Maybe. I'd probably opt for one of the menthol-free varieties before buying this particular one again.
Nonie of Beverly Hills AHA! Skin Tonic* [Review]
The Skin Tonic ended up being my favorite product from Nonie of Beverly Hills. Contrary to the name, it's not an exfoliating toner with AHA's, but rather a gentle witch hazel-based tonic. My skin does well with witch hazel and I noticed my pores looked smaller and more refined while I was using this. Even the scent - which I described in my original review as lemon/celery - grew on me by the end of the bottle.
Repurchase? I'm definitely considering it.
Honest Co. Shampoo & Body Wash [Review]
The Honest Co.'s Sweet Orange Vanilla scent is common across several products in the line, but it smells slightly different in each one and the Shampoo & Body Wash is by far my favorite. It's a perfect, fruity, juicy creamsicle scent. The product itself is great too, but what keeps me coming back is the scent. I don't generally use it as a shampoo, but it works in a pinch.
Repurchase? Yes! I still have one more bottle, but I could see myself buying more after I finish that one.
Nourish Organic Lemon Thyme Moisturizing Cream Body Wash
Nourish's Body Washes are some of my favorites, but I didn't much care for this particular scent. It smelled very herbal and almost medicinal. I ended up going a little heavy handed in the shower in order to get through it quicker.
Repurchase? Yes, but not this particular scent.
Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream
I think this would be a good eye cream for someone without a lot of problems in the eye area, but I need something that targets both dark circles and puffiness and it didn't cut it. It moisturizes well and makes a good, lightweight base for makeup, but I didn't notice any real difference beyond that.
Repurchase? Very unlikely.
Andalou Naturals Chia + Omega Radiant Skin Polish
I love scrubs, but usually as soon as I finish one up, I'm ready to move on to something new. Not at all the case with this one! It has the perfect amount of grit to effectively slough off dead skin, housed in a gentle, creamy base. It's part of Andalou's Brightening line, and I really did notice my skin looked extra bright and healthy on days when I used this product. It also never left my skin red or irritated and it smelled like peach pie! I can see myself coming back to this scrub again and again.
Repurchase? Definitely! I have a couple other scrubs I'd like to use up first, but I'm already missing this one!
Curelle Build-Up Remover
Customers used to rave about this product when I worked at the health food store, but it made zero difference on my hair. The directions say to work it into wet hair, add your regular shampoo, and then rinse both out together. Maybe it works better on chlorine or mineral build up - which is what it was originally designed for - but it does nothing for product build up or even regular scalp oils. It did, however, still manage to dry out the lengths of my hair.
Repurchase? No.
Balanced Guru Scrub Me (sample)
I pretty much love everything I've tried from Balanced Guru and this scrub was no exception. Made with a mix of coffee and raw sugar, it gives a thorough exfoliation, but doesn't feel harsh on the skin. The texture was a lot drier than most other scrubs I've used, so it washes away cleaner and doesn't leave much of a moisturizing film behind on the skin. I always moisturize post-shower anyways, so that was fine, and I loved that it didn't muck up the bathtub like a lot of oilier scrubs. The scent is also lovely: a mix of fresh coffee and spearmint.
Repurchase? I make my own scrubs most of the time, but maybe one day.
Meow Meow Tweet Lavender Deodorant Cream
As long as you aren't overly sensitive to baking soda, this is a great deodorant. With a softer consistency than many other cream deodorants, it's easy to apply and I found the odor protection lasted all day long. The baking soda did cause some irritation if I used it too many days in a row, but nowhere near as bad as I've experienced from other deodorants.
Repurchase? Probably not. Since finishing this, I've found another baking soda deodorant I like more (more on that soon!) and I'm still curious to try Meow Meow Tweet's Baking Soda Free version too.
Sante Nail Polish Remover [Review]
This was a never-ending bottle of nail polish remover! I bought it over two years ago and aside from a brief dalliance with Priti NYC's remover wipes, this is all I've used in that time. It works well on cream formulas, but any amount of glitter - or sometimes even a metallic finish - will have you scrubbing your nails for ages to get the polish off. Aside from its efficacy, my main issue was with how the remover smelled. Sante advertises an orange scent, but all I smelled was a mix of chemicals and sour milk. Which wouldn't be so terrible if it didn't linger. I had to store the bottle triple-bagged just so I wouldn't smell it in the room and any cotton balls I used had to immediately be taken out to the trash.
Repurchase? No! I bought Priti's remover way back in November - when I first thought this was going to run out - and I'm happy to finally move on to that.
Urban Minerals Light Mode & Real Vitality Mineral Foundation* (samples) [Review]
I really like the Urban Minerals foundation, which is made locally here in Toronto. It has great coverage, wears well throughout the day, and comes in a good range of shades. The price point is a little higher than some other mineral foundations, but with ingredients like nettle, aloe, chamomile, calendula, marshmallow, sea buckthorn, and white willow bark, it also offers some potential skincare benefits. Missus Multicultural - which I used up a long time ago - was the best color for my skin, but Light Mode and Real Vitality were both okay matches as well.
Repurchase? Maybe. I'm trying to work through all my foundation samples before buying anything new.
Crazy Rumors Leaping Bunny Plum Apricot Lip Balm
Crazy Rumors are one of my favorite lip balm formulas, but I do find the tubes don't last as long as other lip balms. All Crazy Rumors balms are vegan, cruelty-free, and Leaping Bunny approved and proceeds from this particular flavor go to the Leaping Bunny Program. It bugs me a little that Crazy Rumors charges $0.50 more to account for the charity donation rather than just donating their own, regular profits, but the Plum Apricot is nice and fruity and I enjoyed using it.
Repurchase? Yes!
The All Natural Face Wedding Day Glow (sample)
I used this as a setting powder but I wasn't crazy about it. I didn't notice much of a glow and it didn't do much to blur fine lines or imperfections, which is what I mainly look for in a product like this.
Repurchase? No.
Young Living Sacred Frankincense Essential Oil
So expensive, but so good! Frankincense has a multitude of uses and can be helpful for skin issues, pain, endocrine and hormone balancing, and mood boosting.
Repurchase? Yes! I'm currently using regular frankincense, but I would buy this one again in the future.
Physician's Formula 100% Natural Origin Lash Boosting Mascara
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this mascara. When I first opened it, I hated it. It smeared all over my glasses and never seemed to set, but once the tube dried out a little, it worked much better. Then, when it got even drier towards the end of the tube, it started smearing again. It never irritated my eyes and I really liked how it performed in the middle period, but I only got about a month of decent wear.
Repurchase? Maybe. I only paid $3 at Winners and if I found it again at that price point, I would give it another try. I probably wouldn't pay much more.
Logona Natural Look Mascara
I won this in an Instagram giveaway, otherwise it's not a product I think I ever would have been drawn to. One of the biggest failings of natural mascaras is that they look too natural, so I'm kind of baffled that anyone would purposely set out to design a product like this, which is the most subtle mascara I've ever used. It tints the lashes, but doesn't add anything in terms of length or volume. It also has a strong floral/rose scent that I'd notice on application and removal, as well as periodically throughout the day.
Repurchase? No.
Moisturizer Samples
Kind of a mixed bag. My favorite of the bunch was the Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer, although I wasn't crazy about how grassy it smelled. The Lavera Calendula and Ginger Mattifying Balancing Cream, on the other end of the spectrum, had a sweet and delicious marshmallow scent, but the cream itself was unimpressive. I've used samples of the Suki Balancing Day Lotion before and while I imagine it would be a nice product for oilier skin, it's just too light for my needs. I didn't like the Melvita Nectar Bright Brightening Cream, which just never seemed to absorb fully - to the point that I could see white cream coming off when I washed my face the next morning. The AromaCrystal Morning Dew Moisturizer and Lavera Mint and Burdock Pore Refining Moisturizing Fluid were both okay, but not anything I would go out of my way to use again.
Repurchase? The Juice Beauty, maybe. Probably not any of the others.
Total Products Used Up in May
Skincare: 5 (Lip Balms: 1 )
Bodycare: 5
Haircare: 1
Makeup: 2
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 7
Makeup Samples: 3
Total Products Used Up in 2015
Skincare: 18 (Lip Balms: 6)
Bodycare: 20
Haircare: 5
Makeup: 9
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 36
Makeup Samples: 11
*Press sample
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