Naturalla Beauty

January 13th is pushing the limit for a best of 2020 post, but, in my defense, my new year started with a computer that wouldn’t boot up on the 1st, which put a major damper on any blogging plans.  Combine that with the lack of motivation I’ve felt in recent weeks watching both the pandemic spiral in Ontario and the disturbing political events of our US neighbours, and here we are on the 13th.  But, I figure better late than never!  

While there are lots of skincare products, both new and old, that I enjoyed last year, these are specifically my very top standout discoveries -- things that I tried for the first time in 2020.  As it turns out, this lineup makes up an entire basic skincare routine, which is also fun!

Happy almost 2021!  I can’t think of a better way to round out this blogging year than by moving some trash out with my latest batch of empties.  Here's a look at everything I've used up over the last several months...

I have very mixed feelings about Canada Day this year and won't be doing anything to celebrate, but, what with it being Wednesday, it does seem like the perfect time to feature some Indigenous-owned green beauty brands and products that have caught my eye recently.  These aren't all Canadian, but they are all self-identified Indigenous, Aboriginal, Native, and/or First Nations products.

Happy Canada Day!  Grounded Sage (formerly Batty's Bath) is one of my favourite Canadian skincare brands, so today is the perfect day to share their Floral Aura Skin Assessment.  I've also teamed up with Grounded Sage for a giveaway over on Instagram, so make sure you check that out too!



In case you've missed my many previous raves, Grounded Sage, based in South-Western Ontario, features an extensive handcrafted product line that includes skincare, body care, and makeup.  The brand is constantly innovating with exciting new launches (like the dreamy-sounding Cucumber Refresh Facial Moisturizer they released just last week!) and always provides a ton of educational content in addition to their excellent products.  

It's no surprise, if you've read much of my blog, that I'm a big fan of iHerb.  I made my first order in October of 2011, and I'd estimate I've placed between two and six orders every year since!  iHerb is a great source for all kinds of healthy products at a discount -- I most often purchase cosmetics and personal care products, but they also carry a good selection of food, supplements, and household, baby, and cleaning products. 

I've had this post on my blog to-do list for a couple months, but with some extra promotions running this weekend, it seemed like a great time to finally fit it in!  Right now, most makeup on the website is currently discounted an extra 10%.  If you've never ordered before, you can also save $10 off your first order of $15 or more (up from a usual 5-10%!).  Both offers are running until the end of the month (April 30).  You can also get an extra 2.5% cashback on your purchases by shopping through Rakuten/Ebates.  



I am an iHerb affiliate, but whether you choose to shop through my links or not, I think they're a great source for affordable brands and products, especially for those of us outside the US or with more limited local access to products.  For fellow Canadians, I suggest shipping with one of the duties & taxes included options to avoid any surprise charges at the door.  I like DHL since it's often discounted for purchases over $40 and almost always arrives within 2-3 days.  

Let's get to the goodies!  I've explored a lot of iHerb's catalogue over the years, but these are the items I continue to purchase time and time again.

If ever I was overdue to talk about a product or company, it's this duo from Flower and Spice.  I started doing some (non-blogging) work for Flower and Spice last summer and Karmen,the company's founder and formulator, kindly sent me a Discovery Set to try out at that time.  The Discovery Set retails for €69.00 and includes smaller sizes of Flower and Spice's two best-selling products: the Midnight Beauty Rich Revitalizing Serum and the Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer.  

Flower and Spice was created when Karmen decided to leave the stressful world of fashion, video production, and marketing in lieu of applying her longtime passions for green living, cooking, and flowers, herbs, and spices to creating a natural skincare line.  Karmen studied organic skincare science at Formula Botanica and Flower and Spice was born! 

Flower and Spice's products were formulated by Karmen in the Netherlands, but are currently produced in a leading natural skincare lab in Switzerland.  The entire line is 100% natural and all products are free of nasty ingredients, animal testing, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology.  



Before jumping into things further, I do want to stress that I've mulled over how to best approach this review -- or even to do it at all -- since I have an extra connection to the company, but after using the products on and off for several months, I really do want to share my thoughts on them.  I was not asked to write this and, as always, all opinions are honest and my own.  

My biggest issue with blogging these days is that there's just never enough time to write about everything I want to share.  I've been more active over on Instagram the last couple months, but I know not everyone follows me on there, so I always want to keep current here on the blog too.

With that in mind, today seemed like the perfect time to talk about some recent favourites.  These 6 standouts are products that I've been loving and consistently reaching for over the last few months.  We've had some crazy cold temperatures here in Toronto, so, not surprisingly, these all ended up being products that excel in the moisture department.

I've always felt strongly about accessible green beauty, but my idea of what fits that label has changed a bit over the years. Initially, I saw it as almost exclusively based on price, but I think physical availability is an important factor to consider too. Not everyone can order online -- or necessarily wants to -- so with my new website reboot, I want to start a series featuring brands with wider in-store availability. Due to logistics, these are often products from larger companies, with perhaps a slightly less clean ingredient deck, but they're still a massive step up from conventional products!

Today I want to talk about REN Clean Skincare, and specifically the Evercalm line. I'd never tried REN before, but I've been testing out the Stop Being So Sensitive Kit, which includes small sizes of three Evercalm products. I picked this up a couple months ago at Winners, but the current incarnation (which comes with one additional product!) is available at Sephora.



The Evercalm line is intended for sensitive and reactive skin, so it's made up of gentle products without many actives. Keep reading for my thoughts on three of the bestselling products in the line.

I first reviewed Ellovi back in 2016, and I've been a big fan of their butters ever since.  Ellovi embodies simple elegance -- beautifully packaged, sophisticated formulas handmade from just six ethically-sourced natural ingredients.  The company recently did some rejigging of both the butter formulas and their packaging, and sent me a few of the new versions to try out.

Spoiler: they're just as luscious, moisturizing, and creamy as the originals.  Keep reading for all the details!

I've been experimenting with vitamin C products recently and have found it to be an ingredient that my skin really loves.  And, it's pretty clear why -- vitamin C offers a multitude of amazing skin benefits. 

Vitamin C....
- stimulates collagen production and increases cell turnover
- has antioxidant benefits that fight free radicals and treat UV photodamage
- evens out skin tone and uneven texture
- lightens hyperpigmentation
- brightens dull skin
- reduces surface inflammation and puffiness
- helps skin defend itself from external stressors like pollution
- improves skin hydration
- offers acne benefits (certain types of vitamin C only)

It's a bit of a skin superstar!  Today I'm sharing four affordable products that I've been testing out over the last several months.


Today's lineup feature three different forms of vitamin C:

L-Ascorbic Acid: the most researched form of vitamin C.  Proven to be effective, but can cause surface skin irritation.  It also has stability issues and can oxidize both in water formulas and on the skin.

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate: a stable water-soluble form of vitamin C that converts to ascorbic acid after absorption.  SAP is gentler and does not cause the same irritation as ascorbic acid, and has also been researched and shown to have acne benefits.

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate: a stable fat-soluble form of vitamin C.  Because it's lipid-soluble, tetrahyxyldecyl ascorbate is able to penetrate deeper into the skin's dermis, where it can have more of an effect on collagen production.