Project Pan Them All | June/July Empties

I could never get enough of the Cake Be Delectable Triple Moisture Body Lotion - this beautiful blend of coconut oil, shea butter and aloe vera leaves my skin soft, smooth and moisturized all day long, and it also works great on my suburns! It has a nice light consistency that is spread easily and absorbed super quickly. Oh, and that decadent strawberry and cream fragrance...

I always try to favour alcohol-free toners for my dry and sensitive skin, and I enjoyed using Lara Beauty Revitalizing Daily Toner for Sensitive Skin it in the morning to quickly refresh my face when I was in a rush before work, instead of a face cleanser.

Both versions of Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser were included in the Essential Discovery Collection I had the chance to try a few months ago, and I enjoyed using the Normal/Combination version in the morning since it is lighter and is absorbed faster than the Dry/Sensitive version, which is a nice welcomed treat at night - it also works really well as a face mask (apply in thick layers without massaging it in, and remove the ecxess after ten or fifteen minutes).

Peptalash is claimed to naturally improve the appearance of lash length, darkness and volume to make eyelashes appear longer, thicker and fuller in just two weeks, but I have been using it for months without noticing even the slightest improvement. Disappointing.

There is never much to say about a toothpaste, and Crest Clinical Plaque Control Toothpaste is nothing special honestly, although it claims to not only reduce plaque but also help keep it from coming back, while also whitening teeth and freshening breath.

I am not really fancy when it comes to anti-perspirants/deodorants, but I try to buy cruelty-free alternatives as much as I can, and I was pretty pleased with Mitchum Power Gel Shower Fresh Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant, until it started to burn my underarms real bad when it was almost empty...?!

I know, I know, I just can't stop raving about this miraculous product that is Get Creamed Body The Balm! I am really glad I took it with me to Europe because it is such a wonderful multi-tasking product - it was literally all I needed! Made of coca butter and shea butter, this is absolutely wonderful on my dry patches of eczema, and I could not believe I ran out of it so soon! It's easy and mess-free to apply but also to carry around while travelling thanks to its packaging similar to a deodorant stick.

I can't remember where or when I got this sample of Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen SPF 50 with Helioplex*, but it is not really "dry touch" to me since it is really greasy when I apply it and it seems to take forever to get absorbed into the skin!

Julep The Best Pedi Créme Ever! is probably the best foot cream I have ever tried! In only a matter of days, I was amazed at the difference this cream made for my feet - they were soooooo soft and smooth! For $22, I wish the tube was bigger, but even though the cream is light, you don't need a lot of product to cover both feet. The cream smells absolutely delicious and fresh - juicy cucumbers, yum!

I never thought I would fall in love with eos Lip Balm Smooth Sphere in Strawberry Sorbet like so many before me, but I did! The lip balm coats my lips perfectly in a single swipe, and I did struggle a bit once the top started to flatten, but it was worth it! The consistency is perfect and I can actually feel the product on my lips, which is great since I know they are being properly protected. I don't feel the need to constantly re-apply this lip balm, even though it sure does not last all day and it is probably not the most moisturizing lip balm I have tried, but it does work well.

I am usually a big fan of Montagne Jeunesse face masks, but I was a bit disappointed by their Dead Sea Mud Spa Face Mask, which claims to intensely invigorate and revitalise skin with Dead Sea Minerals, but all it did was make my whole face tingle, and it left it even drier...

*Please note that these products are NOT cruelty-free

What Did I Bring With Me In Europe?

Hello ladies, it has been a while and I hope you are all well! In my last post, about almost two months ago, I mentionned I was travelling in Europe without a return date in mind. After visiting Ireland, England, France and Spain, I got back to Montreal on July 19 and things have been crazy busy for me since then - dinners with friends and family, camping, parties, etc. Yesterday was the first day I could relax at home, unpacking my stuff and treating myself to a much needed pampering session.

I was wondering what was an interesting way to give you ladies a glimpse of my travel and I figured out it could be nice to share with you what I brought in my backpack, beauty-wise. Since this was not a glamourous holiday but more of an adventurous sleep-in-the-woods one (youth hostels are still amazing though!), I did not bring any makeup or really interesting things, and to save space in my bag, I kept it very basic. Can you believe I still brought too much stuff?

I have been very curious about Dr. Bronner's Magic "All-One" Bar Soaps that are completely biodegradable and vegetable-based, and  that have tons of uses such as hair and body wash, laundry wash, shaving cream, deodorant, etc., but I almost gave up since I could not find it anywhere in stores - not even online - at an acceptable price. To my great surprise, I found a rack full of Dr. Bronner's products at my local La Moisson by pure coincidence - this store is right next to where I live and I still can't believe I never stepped foot inside before! As if this was not enough, Dr. Bronner's Soap Bars were reduced by half, so I paid around $2.50 for the Baby Mild one.

Another multi-tasking product I knew I had to take with me was Get Creamed Body The Balm. Made of coca butter and shea butter, this is absolutely wonderful on my dry patches of eczema, and I could not believe I ran out of it so soon! It's easy and mess-free to apply but also to carry around while travelling thanks to its packaging similar to a deodorant stick.

Since my first destination was Ireland and I had not planned my trip for warmer countries, I did not bring sunscreen with me - I know, I know! After getting badly sunburned despite the cloudy sky of Normandy and heading to Spain soon, I knew I had to find some sun protection, and I decided to give
Lovea Dry Oil SPF 30 with Tahitian Monoi a try when I walked by a Carrefour. I was a bit reluctant to buy just another sunscreen since I already have so many at home, but I have never tried a dry oil before, and how could I say no to a product that protects from the sun while nourishing the skin and giving it a better tan?

I was hesitant to include Degree Anti-Perspirant Invisible Sheer Powder* in this post, especially since it is not cruelty-free (made by Unilever), but I won't lie - it was the only one left I had at home, it works great for me and its scent is just heavenly, especially since I did not bring any perfume.

I never seem to be able to completely use up those conditioners that come with box hair dyes, and I usually end up giving them away, but I figured out Clairol Perfect 10 ColorSeal Intensive Conditioning Cream* was a nice size for travelling. I did not really use it that much though, due to pure lazyness.

I planned to use Dr. Bronner's Magic Bar Soap mainly as body wash and no 'poo "shampoo", and altough it lathers amazingly well and is not too rough on my dry and sensitive skin (I did not feel the urge to apply moisturizer after showering), it left weird greasy/waxy residues on my hair - it was a total mess! It just felt weird and to me, it looked dirty. I did not give up imediately, but after a few weeks, I could not stand it anymore, so when I walked by a Monoprix in Étretat, I searched for a no 'poo or low 'poo alternative, and I chose Lovea Organic Nourishing Shampoo with Shea butter from Burkina. I wanted something that did not contain SLS, and although this product contains Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, it does not seem to mess up my "no-poo" regimen that much - I can go almost a week without washing my hair! This shampoo also leaves my hair amazingly soft, silky and shiny.

Before leaving for Europe, I found EthicBioskin Nourishing and Regenerating Lip Care in my stash and I absolutely fell in love with it! Made of raw cocoa and shea butter, and also organic and vegetarian, this is my current favorite lip balm - it works like nothing else I have tried before! Providing intense moisturization, this product deeply nourishes lips. I also love how it is non-greasy or waxy.

I had not tried Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Treatment before since receiving it in the February 2013 Canadian GLOSSYBOX, but I figured out it was a nice size for travelling and so, the perfect time to try it! As for the Clairol conditioner, I did not end up using it much too, but I love how it is not greasy and how I need only the smallest quantity for smooth, shiny hair. Oh, and the smell - hmmmmm!

*Please note that these products are NOT cruelty-free

Project Pan Them All | February Empties

I bought Lush Magic Mushroom last February during my trip to Toronto and I am glad I finally remembered to use it just in time for Valentine's Day! It is insanely cute, smells of creamy vanilla strawberry, makes mountains of bubbles, and it leaves my skin sooooo soft and smooth. Its is just perfect and I would definitely recommend it!

I was disappointed by Lush MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment since it did not really do anything in the water - it did not fizz, it did not make bubble, it barely smell anything and it did not really left my skin moisturized. Next please!

Marcelle Essentials Purity Soothing Cleansing Water is my HG makeup remover since it just melts everything away effortlessly, and I am always sad when I use up a bottle but it's OK since one lasts me about a year, and I must have two backups somewhere in my stash anyway.

John Frieda Precision Foam Color Conditioner was nothing special and it did not really protect my color or anything, but it did leave my hair soft.

I had two unique application samples of La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Intense Soothing Care* laying around so I figured out I might just use them up and I actually quite liked my experience. It does soothe my itchy eczema-prone skin quickly and it keeps it moisturized all day.

I was extremely disappointed by AHAVA Deadsea Water Mineral Body Lotion since it simply burned my skin where I have patched of eczema, which is really weird for a supposedly gentle lotion that costs $24!

I had a 30mL sample of NIVEA Smooth Replenishing Lotion which worked OK, but nothing special. I am no especially keen on NIVEA products for some reasons - I find them a bit pricey for what they are.

I received a sample of LUSH No Drought Dry Shampoo with some purchases but I don't think I can review it properly since I had not enough product to really test it. I just felt like I needed a lot of product for it to properly absorb the oil in my hair, but at least it did not leave a white cast.

I really enjoyed Burt's Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub which smells delicious enough to eat, since it is really abrasive just like I like my body scrubs to be, but on the other hand, it is a bit of a mess to use since it is so oily that most of it will fall in the shower and go down the drain. I liked how it seemed to coat my skin with an oily residue, so that it felt moisturized when I stepped out of the shower.

I am not sure why so many bloggers seem to be absolutely in love with Simple products since I only have had bad experiences so far - I especially hated Simple Eye Make-Up Remover since it claims to be "kind to eyes" but it stings so much and it barely removes anything!

I am not 100% sold on LUSH Bonbon Lip Scrub (I think it was a limited-edition from two or three Christmas ago) since I feel like I need tons of product to properly exfoliate my lips, and even then, I often have to do it at night and in the morning to ensure that my lips are smooth all day, which is annoying! I would rather make my own lip scrub with brown sugar and coconut oil that works just as well than pay $10 for something that is basically made with sugar and oil!

I think Get Creamed Coconut Cream Pie 100% Natural Whipped Body Cream is my absolute favorite body butter - I instantly fell in love with its extremely rich and silky texture, and I was amazed at how quickly it eased the itchiness caused by eczema. This body butter truly provides all-day soothing moisturization without greasy residue, with an absolutely delicious all-natural beachy coconut scent that does last a while on the skin.

I was really disappointed by Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer in Medium since it was my first experience with a Stila product and it barely moisturized my dry skin but it did cling to dry bits, and it turned me orange. No thanks.

I had a small sample of Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask that I decided to use it one time as a treatment on my dry hair, and while it did smell really nice, I can't say it really improved the condition of my hair in only one use.

*Please note that La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Intense Soothing Care is NOT cruelty-free

Get Creamed Body - Behold The Beauty Of Natural Indulgence

Get Creamed is an all-Canadian, Vancouver-based company and all of their products are made fresh on a regular basis in Vancouver to provide their customers with the freshest and highest quality products available. Get Creamed was created to provide a natural, healthy and luxury alternative to the chemical-laden formulas currently found on most store shelves.

Get Creamed respects the environment and do their best to reduce their carbon footprint and contributions to landfills and global warming. Of course, they do not test on animals - all of their products have been extensively tested on humans and in animal-free laboratories. 

The first product I tried was the Macha Grapefruit Green Tea and Grapefruit Body Scrub ($26.00), which is a moisturizing and detoxifying body scrub and bath soak with Dead Sea salt and antioxidants created to soothe tired muscles and slough off old skin to reveal shiny smooth skin. This turned up out to be everything I am looking for in a scrub - abrasive enough to deeply exfoliate my dry skin without leaving it even more parched, a nice consistency that does not simply vanish after 30 seconds of use, and a pleasant smell. 

I love how I can really feel my skin being smoother and refreshed after each use, thanks to the natural oils in it. The only problem for me is that the salt in this scrub burns my skin where I have patches of eczema, so I have to be careful when using it, but otherwise, it is absolutely perfect! These skin-smoothing body scrubs that double as soothing bath soaks are available in three fantastic scents.

The Get Creamed product I was the most excited to try is their Coconut Cream Pie Premium Whipped Body Cream ($28.00) because from its description - 'a decadent whipped all-natural body moisturizer with a kiss of delicious scent.' - it sounded like the perfect product to soothe my dry and eczema-prone skin, not to mention that this is their signature product - the one that started it all! 

I was not disappointed - I instantly fell in love with its extremely rich and silky texture, and I was amazed at how quickly it eased the itchiness caused by eczema. This body butter truly provides all-day soothing moisturization, with an absolutely delicious all-natural beachy coconut scent that does last a while on the skin. There is even a mini spatula included to keep product as fresh and clean as possible! These premium quality, sinfully rich and creamy formulas are available in five all-natural scents.

I had never used something similar to This is The Balm (Body and Hair balm) ($22.00) before so I was really curious. This multi-functional solid moisturizing balm, made from the best natural skincare butters in the world - coca butter and shea butter - makes it fantastic for use on skin as well as hair. I have found it to be particularly useful on my dry patches of eczema but also on extremely dry skin areas such as heels or elbows. It's easy and mess-free to apply thanks to its packaging similar to a deodorant stick, but it tends to be a bit greasy and to take some time to be properly absorbed into the skin, but these are only minor things to me because this balm works oh so well!

Although I have not used it anywhere else than on my body, This is The Balm can be used in many ways - excellent for use after shaving legs to calm and prevent razor burn, helps treat eczema, helps prevent blisters from shoes or shoe straps, can also be used as a hair balm to control flyway hair and lock out humidity to smooth locks and prevent "frizzies". 

Kiwi quite enjoys the scent of the scrub!

In addition to their online store, Get Creamed body products can be found at various retailers - click here for  retail locations.

Disclaimer: One or more products were sent to me for consideration to review. I am not affiliated with this company and the fact that the products were free absolutely does not influence my opinion.

Mail of the Week (January 30 - February 10)

Instead of showing you what I got in the mail last week, I chose to show you what I brought to Toronto for my VIP week-end courtesy of Ubisoft and Just Dance 3, so here is what I received last week and this week.

LASHEM products I have been given the opportunity to try some samples from this eyecare brand which carries beauty innovations that give you glowing and tantalizing eyes. I have started seeing some reviews on these products on blogs and most were positive so I thought, why not? I was sent the Measurable Difference Lash Gel (I can't say no to products that are claimed to make my short, sparse and invisible lashes grow fuller and thicker!) and the Double Trouble Mascara (volume wand on a side and length wand on the other).

Get Creamy Body products Get Creamed is an all-Canadian, Vancouver-based company and all of their products are made fresh on a regular basis to provide customers with the freshest and highest quality products available. Get Creamed Body products are a truly all-natural alternative to the chemical-laden formulas currently found on most store shelves. I was sent a great selection of some of their products:

• Coconut Cream Pie 100% Natural Whipped Body Cream
• Macha Grapefruit Moisturizing & Detoxifying Spa Body Scrub 
• The Balm Extra Creamy Moisturizing Balm For Dry Skin And Hair

I can already tell you that I am absolutely in love with The Balm after around 5 days of use because it immediately soothes my dry and irritated skin and it calms down any eczema flare-up in an instant! The Whipped Body Cream as a perfect texture, it could be called a butter easily as it's so thick and smooth, and it's rteally moisturizing. I like to use The Balm on extremely dry areas of my body and then apply the body cream on the rest of my body. As for the scrub, the sea salt makes my skin burn ):

Schick Hydro Silk gift basket I was invited to participate in Schick Hydro Silk razor review program, where I can offer free samples of the new razor to my readers for review (stay tuned, more details to come!).  I was sent a Schick Hydro Silk gift basket, including a new Schick Hydro Silk razor (launching February 2012) and many more goodies I was not expecting!

• Upper Canada Soap Lavender & White Tea Diffuser Kit
• purple spa wrap
• purple spa slippers
• pedicure file
• toe separators
• nail brush
• cuticle sticks

Roots Only hair color applicator comb Roots Only is a one-of-a-kind hair color applicator tool that makes the home hair coloring process a breeze. With Roots Only, solution is applied directly to the scalp and roots trough hollow teeth. It's also great for applying medicated shampoos, conditioning growth oils, hair conditioners, lice medication and other hair treatments solutions needed to get down to the scalp and roots. This is perfect for me as I always dye my hair the darkest brown available so there's no need to apply the hair all over my hair again.

February Canadian GLOSSYBOX I know, I might be the only one who is still not convinced of the amazingness of those beauty boxes, but I still think it's great that more of them are coming to Canada, starting with the renowned GLOSSYBOX. No, I'm not showing you what I got just yet =P

Coffee USB warmer I bought this on a whim on eBay after seeing someone rave about it on Twitter - I never knew such a thing existed and as a coffee addict, I knew I needed this! It cost me only $3.72 with free shipping and I received it almost a month later, which usually happens when I purchase something that ships from Hong Kong.

March 2012 issue of Cosmopolitan Is it wrong to have a crush on Selena Gomez? I think she is sooooo gorgeous and her voice, wow! Anyway, I think this will be my last issue because I have chose to not renew my subscription for the only reason that I prefer reading blogs (:

♫ We Found Love - Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris