Naturalla Beauty

Transformative Cleansing Oil

I'll be the first to admit that products like hand cream often fall by the wayside here during the warmer months, but as soon as temperatures drop, you better believe I start slathering them on again like nobody's business!  My most recent pick?  Rocky Mountain Soap's Apricot Hand Cream ($11 for 50 ml/1.69 oz).


The formula and overall feel of the cream is lovely.  It has a silky, creamy consistency that feels rich and hydrating, but it also doesn't take long to absorb.  I wouldn't say reach for a touchscreen immediately after using the cream, but you're good to go within two to three minutes.  

The hand cream is loaded with nourishing ingredients like sunflower, olive, jojoba and apricot kernel oils and mango and shea butters, and I've found it very effective at keeping dry, papery hands at bay this fall/winter.  It also contains date palm extract, a powerhouse antioxidant with proven anti-aging benefits, and honey extract, a gentle humectant that helps the skin absorb and hold onto moisture.  

I'm not crazy in love with the apricot scent, but there's nothing wrong with it per say.  Smelling the cream straight out of the tube, it's very fresh and fruity and I love it, but once it touches my skin, my nose also picks up a kind of milky note that I'm not as crazy about.  It's not an offensive scent by any means, just not a favorite for me either.  

The Bottom Line
Rocky Mountain Soap Co. is a great Canadian company and I'm really happy with how well the hand cream works.  It's rich and moisturizing but doesn't leave you with greasy hands or unable to touch anything for a prolonged period.  I'd likely opt for a different scent next time, but it's a product I can definitely see myself buying again!

This month, I really focused on using up products that were nearly finished or that had been hanging around for a while, so this latest batch of empties is even more satisfying than usual.  Here's what's headed for the bin:



Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Wash
I've talked about Nourish's body washes many times before, so I'll keep it brief.  The Coconut & Argan line isn't available online anymore, but if you can find it in stores, I'd recommend it.  The body wash has more of a tropical/floral scent than a coconut one and was one of my favorites from Nourish.  Any of the company's body washes are great though.  They're very creamy and hydrating, but also produce a decent lather.
Repurchase?  Eventually, yes.  I've got a few other bottles that I picked up on Black Friday to use first.

Leap Organics Eucalyptus, Mint & Anise Body Wash   [Review]
I enjoyed this, but it is intensely minty.  It's great during the summer or after a sweaty workout, but in the colder months, it sometimes left me feeling chilled.  I didn't notice any eucalyptus or anise in the scent, just a whole lot of peppermint.
Repurchase? Yes, but I want to try a different scent next.

Sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Moisturizing Body Cream*   [Review]
This falls kind of mid-way between a lotion and a body butter.  It's a thicker, richer cream that provides a good boost of moisture to the skin, while still sinking in and absorbing really easily.  The cream has a triple dose of sea buckthorn from the seed oil, fruit oil, and fruit pulp and I really liked having that extra nourishment in a body product.  I also used this as a hand cream and it worked great for that as well. 
Repurchase? Yes.  I have other lotions/creams I want to work through first, but I would buy it again in the future.

Weleda Skin Food
I've been using this same tube of Skin Food for two or three years now and I noticed a couple months ago that it was expiring in April.  If ever there was a product I was proud of using up, it's this right here.  I made a concentrated effort to use it nearly every day and went through the last third of the tube just in the past month or so.  I like Skin Food, but mostly in small doses like on my elbows, so it's just not something I go through very quickly.
Repurchase? I'm not sure.  I think I've found other products I like slightly more, but I do have another (thankfully smaller) tube to use before I have to decide.

Rocky Mountain Soap Co. Vanilla Candy Cane Body Butter   [Review]
I've never been a huge fan of lotion bars or solid body butters before, but I was really impressed with this one from Rocky Mountain Soap.  I loved the Vanilla Candy Cane scent and the bar itself was creamier and less waxy than other similar products I've used, so it melted into the skin really easily.  The flip side of that is that the bar melted away pretty quickly and I didn't feel like I got a ton of use out of it.  This was just a mini size though - I  imagine a full size would last a good bit longer.  
Repurchase? Yes, I think so.

Ella's Botanicals Skin Soother Bar
Ella's Skin Soother is a soap I always go back to and one that's especially great in the winter.  I pulled this out after my hands had been completely dried out by another bar soap and its gentle blend of olive oil, hemp oil, and oatmeal helped turn things around in no time.
Repurchase? Yes, definitely.

Crazy Rumors Plum & Peppermint Lip Balm
I find myself a little hot and cold on Crazy Rumors lip balms, mainly dependent on the individual scents.  Plum & Peppermint was very fruity with just a touch of mint and I loved it.  I used the entire tube - start to finish - in about three weeks, which is sort of crazy.
Repurchase? Yes, I've already picked up a couple different scents to try.

F. Miller Skincare Body Oil (sample)
I quite enjoyed this oil.  It had a light feel and absorbed quickly, but really left my skin feeling nourished. The scent was nice enough too, although not necessarily a standout for me - a mix of earthy and citrus notes from neroli, bergamot, grapefruit, frankincense, and palmarosa essential oils.    
Repurchase? Probably not, just because of how pricey it is.  I'm not really one to spend a lot on body oils.

Earthbody Dream Body Oil* (sample)
Another body oil hit, this one courtesy of a Petit Vour box several months back.  Dream is a little thicker and richer, compared to the F. Miller one, but I enjoyed it as well.  Earthbody's skincare is inspired by Ayurvedic principals and I love that the body oils are made not only with carrier and essential oils, but also infused with herbs.  
Repurchase? Yes.  I'm curious to try a couple other scents too.

Green People Intensive Repair Conditioner (sample)
I've used multiple samples of this conditioner and there are things I really like about it.  It has a moderately thin consistency, making it very easy to work through the hair and it leaves my hair feeling very silky and soft.  It also does a good job minimizing frizz and leaves my curls looking nicely defined.  I'm not crazy about the rose geranium scent though, which is what has always stopped me from purchasing a full size.
Repurchase? Probably not.

Suki Transformative Cleansing Clay (sample)
I loved this as a mask when I was first introduced to it a couple years ago, but this time around, I wasn't as impressed.  I'm not sure if my skin has changed or if I've just found other masks that work better for me, but I wasn't wow-ed.  
Repurchase? I doubt it.

And that's it!  I'm glad I decided to keep count this year as I'm really enjoying keeping an eye on the numbers and being able to see what products I consistently get through.  (Apparently I use a lot of lip balm!)  It's also nice to know I'm making progress on my samples, even when it may not seem like it to look at how many still remain.   

March
Skincare: 1 (Lip Balms: 1)
Body/Hair:  5
Makeup: 0
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 5
Makeup Samples: 0

2015 Total
Skincare: 11 (Lip Balms: 4)
Body/Hair: 14
Makeup: 5
Skin/Body/Hair Samples: 24  (I realized I hadn't been counting items from my Sample Stash posts, 
                                                                       which is why this number jumped so much this month.)
Makeup Samples: 2

What products have you finished recently?  If you've done one recently, feel free to link to your empties post in the comments too - I love reading these!  

Mid-February isn't too late to write about holiday gift sets, is it?  I actually got this set on my birthday, at the end of January, without any plans to blog about it, but it ended up being too lovely not to.  Rocky Mountain Soap Co. is a Canadian bath and body company founded on the principle that nature provides everything we need for beautiful and healthy skin.  The company believes that body care should be beneficial to our health and psychological well-being and has even launched an entire Toxin-Free Movement to help spread information about ingredients and how to shop clean.

I've checked out Rocky Mountain Soap's website numerous times in the past and even tweeted with them on Twitter, but with stores only in the Western provinces, my birthday was the first time I came across their products in person.  I wasn't sure where to start until I spotted a lone Vanilla Candy Cane Mini Tray in the store's sale section.  Vanilla and mint scents are some of my favorites, so finding this - and on sale to boot - made it an easy decision.  The Mini Tray came with mini sizes of the Vanilla Candy Cane Body Butter and Bar Soap and a full size Vanilla Candy Cane Lip Butter.  It also included a card redeemable for a free bar of soap in one of their stores, which I will certainly be hanging onto until I - or someone I know - can make it to one of the ten Rocky Mountain Soap stores in person.




Vanilla Candy Cane Bar Soap
I'm always excited to discover new palm-oil free soap options, so this was probably the item I was most eager to try in the kit.  It didn't disappoint.  The Vanilla Candy Cane scent is the mildest in the soap, and while I wouldn't object to it being a little stronger, it's still there and quite delicious.  The soap creates a good, rich lather that feels soft and non-drying on the skin and it's also lasted a good bit longer in my soap dish than expected, considering its compact size.  

Vanilla Candy Cane Body Butter
Solid body butters can be tricky, but Rocky Mountain Soap has really nailed the perfect lotion bar consistency here.  It's solid without being waxy, so it smoothes onto the skin easily without dragging or feeling sticky.  It's also not overly oily and sinks in beautifully.  My favorite thing to do with this has been to use it as a hand butter, since the tube packaging makes it so easy to smear on the backs of your hands and quickly rub in.  The product absorbs nicely, so you don't end up with greasy hands or needing to wait more than a minute before you can touch anything.  The Vanilla Candy Cane scent is a gorgeous mix of cool peppermint and sweet vanilla that I can smell on my skin for a few hours after application, and the body butter leaves anything it touches super soft and hydrated.  The smaller, mini size is also perfect for carrying around with you and using on the go.  

Vanilla Candy Cane Lip Butter
The lip butter feels very similar in consistency to the body butter and is beautifully rich and buttery.  I notice a slight peppermint tingle on my lips, but nothing over the top.  We've had -25° temperatures here the last several days and while admittedly I haven't been spending a lot of time outside, the lip butter has done a great job protecting my lips when I have ventured outdoors.  

The Bottom Line
I've been impressed with all three products, so I'm pretty confident this won't be my last experience with Rocky Mountain Soap.  The Vanilla Candy Cane scent - which is phenomenal - was a limited release for the holidays and isn't currently available, but all three of these products - and the Mini Trays - are sold year-round in other scents. With a large assortment of products and many varied scent choices, I sort of envision Rocky Mountain Soap Co. as a healthy alternative falling somewhere between Bath & Body Works and Lush.  I'd love to visit one of their stores one day, but in the meantime, I will content myself with their website, plus the products stocked at The Big Carrot here in Toronto.