Innisfree’s 2015 Green Christmas Collection: the Perfumed Hand Cream Gift Set and the Jeju Camellia Body Butter

Well the holidays are over and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We finally got some snow, a heaping 30cm in one day, it was lovely and it’s helping stay in the holiday spirit for a bit longer. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you some lovely products from Innisfree’s 2015 Green Christmas Collection: the Perfumed Hand Cream Gift Set and the Jeju Camellia Body Butter.

The Perfumed Hand Cream Gift Set comes with 3 full size hand creams in Warm Woods, Sweet Holiday and Snowy Tree. The set comes in a gorgeous red box that is very festive and each hand cream is decorated with its own cute design. I love the metallic packaging and I just think they look very luxurious and Instagram worthy. The actual hand creams are as good as the regular ones, super moisturizing and non-greasy. Innisfree actually makes my favorite hand creams and I love all 3 scents in this set. They all smell good but are not overpowering or too Christmassy.

The JejuCamellia Body Butter comes in this super cute little box decorated with little biscuits and candy canes and the design is also on the lid. I love how sweet this look without being too Christmassy so it won’t look out of place in a month or two. As for the body butter itself, it is super creamy and rich feeling, but it melts into the skin instantly leaving it super soft and smooth. I was actually really impressed by this, it is the perfect product to keep your skin hydrated this winter.

Innisfree really knocked it out of the park this year with their Holiday Collection and all the body care items are perfect for the cold months ahead. The collection also includes makeup items like cushions and lip balms which you can view here. The entire Innisfree 2015 Green Christmas Collection is available on their website and they also have great promotions going on for the New Year.

I hope you’ll have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and that 2016 will be filled with love, joy and happiness. See you all in the new year! 

Last Minute Christmas Gifts with Saavy Naturals

I like getting all my Christmas shopping done early to avoid the crowds, but sometimes you have to do some last minute shopping. Whether it’s because you didn’t have time before or are simply looking to add to your existing gift, I found little things from Saavy Naturals that should please everyone.

I discovered the brand a few weeks ago and I love their natural and organic body care products. They have a wide range of scents to choose from and everything I have tried so far has been great. Everything is fragrance-free but they use essential oils to create rich and deep scents for their products that make the experience super luxurious. Also everything is beautifully packaged and looks expensive even though this is in fact an affordable natural brand.

The first thing I would recommend is their Jasmine Natural Coconut Oil Candle. This candle made with organic wax has the most amazing jasmine scent: floral with a hint of sweetness for lush combination. It comes in a chic glass jar and it burns really smoothly. I was also surprised by how powerful it is, you don’t need to burn it long for a room to smell lovely. Saavy Naturals also offers their candles in three other scents, you can see the whole selection here. 

Next is their Natural and Organic Bar Soap Tahitian Vanilla and Kukui, I have not tried mine yet but I think it looks so pretty. This would make a great stocking stuffer or a nice addition to a set you can put together. Based on the ingredients, I think it will be hydrating and you can’t go wrong with a delicious vanilla scent. 

I think the candle and soap make the perfect pair for a relaxing evening. The beautiful packaging is also something anyone could appreciate because it adds a little something special to the products. The body washes and body creams are also great if you want a more substantial gift. 

You can get Saavy Naturals products from their website, though with Christmas being so close I would recommend going to a store that carries the brand (locate one here). I found mine in Avril, but I have seen them in other health food stores in Canada. 

Getting in the Holiday Spirit with The Secret World of Santa

I cannot believe Christmas is only four days away! December has been going by so quickly and the weather is most definitely not Christmassy. It’s actually been quite warm here in Canada and we’ve barely had any snow… All this to say I have been having a hard time getting in the Holiday spirit, but a little Netflix discovery might be the solution to it all. Say hello to The Secret World of Santa.

                                                                                                                              Source 

This is a French animated series that came out when I was little and I used to watch it every year without fail. It would air every morning in December with a marathon of all the episodes airing on Christmas day. It’s the most amazing and festive show ever! If you speak French then you might recognise it as Le Monde Secret du Père Noël. Every episode follows Santa and his three elves as they get ready for Christmas. The whole series is lovely with cute and funny stories and festive music.    

It honestly brings back so many happy memories and while I think it still airs on TV, I love that I can easily watch it on Netflix this year. If you have kids, are still a kid at heart or are simply looking to get a bit more in the Holiday spirit you have to watch it. As I said, you can catch it on Netflix and I’m assuming it’s available in different countries. You can also get it on DVD from Amazon and it is available on iTunes. Also, if you speak or understand French I highly recommend watching the French version, I just think the voices are much better and it’s a bit more magical that way.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Holiday season. Let me know in the comments below if you have any TV shows or movies you love to watch at this time of the year. 

The Green Beaver Company Cranberry Body Lotion

Back in October, I mentioned in this haul a new body lotion that I fell in love with. Well I am super happy to finally introduce you all to it: The Green Beaver Company Cranberry Body Lotion. I could not be prouder to introduce a great Canadian brand to the blog.

The Green Beaver Company is an amazing brand I recently discovered, they create natural and Ecocert certified organic skincare products. They make everything in Canada and source their organic ingredients from Canadian farms, I think these are such a great and sustainable practices. Using organic body products is very important to me and I love how it has great effects on my skin and is also really good for the environment. The body lotion was actually just relaunched in a new super cute bottle with a pump and it now contains a whopping 86% organic ingredients. I think many people believe this kind of products are very expensive, so I love that The Green Beaver Company products are super affordable so the decision to change my routine was easy. 

Now for the lotion, it contains nourishing organic cranberry seed oil along with willow herb and sweet fern to make your skin super soft. I was surprised by how smooth and hydrated my skin felt after using it because it is quite a light lotion. There is no greasy feeling, it absorbs very quickly though (like most natural lotions) it can look a bit white when you first put it on, but it disappears as the lotion skins in.

The Cranberry Body Lotion is fragrance-free but the cranberry seed oil gives it a very light and pleasant cranberry scent that does not linger for too long. There is also a coconut and a lavender version if you prefer those scents.

I really cannot recommend this lotion enough! I am so impressed and in love with it because I can actually see a difference in my skin, it doesn’t just give you hydration it truly makes your skin smoother and it’s made with ingredients that are good for you.

The GreenBeaver Company Cranberry Body Lotion is available in many stores across Canada (locate the nearest one to you here) and you can also get it on their website, they ship to Canada and the USA. 

Innisfree Canola Honey Hydro Gel Mask

I mentioned the Innisfree Canola Honey Hydro Gel Mask earlier this week and I thought I could go into more details about it today. I had actually never used a hydro gel mask, I was just really happy with regular sheet masks and didn’t see a point in spending more money on a mask. Well I was wrong because this is such a nice skin treat.

The entire canola honey range is made to help nourish your skin deep down to give you smooth and hydrated skin. By using a gel to deliver the essence to the skin, you get a mask that adheres better to your face and fits more tightly so the essence does not drip down your face. It really stays put for 30 minutes easily so it would be great to use while traveling/flying. Also, because it comes in two separate parts (top and bottom) it is super easy to adjust it to make it fit your face shape.

Now does it really work? Yes it does! The essence absorbed a lot better than with a regular sheet mask, your skin isn’t wet or sticky afterwards. It really is nourishing and moisturizing, I even skip my moisturizer that evening and woke up with soft and hydrated skin. Also there is something very soothing about the gel, it cools down your face and feels lovely. It is not heavy at all and the experience in itself is actually very relaxing. It is definitely more luxurious than your average sheet mask and while they are a bit more expensive (about 4$), I found out I could use them twice so it’s all good in the end. I can’t wait to try more, especially the green tea and berry ones.

You can get the Innisfree Canola Honey Hydro Gel Mask from their website.    

How to Get your Skin Winter Ready

With the weather getting colder (still no real snow here, only freezing rain…) I thought I could share with you my favorite products to get my skin winter ready and survive the change in temperature. All the products focus on hydration and give super soft skin. Aside from using moisturizer there are many other ways to boost hydration in your skincare routine.

1. Kora Organics Age-Defying AHA Facial Exfoliator: a beautiful exfoliator that uses fruit acids and natural granules to remove dead skin cells and leave you with baby-soft skin. 

2. Laneige Water Bank Eye Gel: this light-weight gel deeply moisturizes your under eye area and it makes your concealer go on super smoothly. I love how it provides non-greasy hydration. 

3. Caudalie Lip Conditioner: a great lip balm that protects your lips and helps seal in moisture while adding a bit of hydration. It also makes a great base for other lip products. 

4. Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Shea Butter: more of a light cream cleanser, this little gem make your skin feel super soft and hydrated instead of tight and dry. It also smells amazing!

5. Innisfree Canola Honey Hydro Gel Mask: a super nourishing gel sheet mask that works quickly and really allows the essence to penetrate deeply into your skin. 

 6. Laneige Water Sleeping Mask: one of my all-time favorite, this mask will add loads of moisture to your skin and make it super soft come morning. This is also an inflight essential for me. 

I hope you enjoyed this little list and find it useful to keep your skin in top condition this winter. Do let me know your favorites in the comments below and you can expect detailed reviews on all the products I have not reviewed yet soon. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Grand Cru T08

My love for red lips is well documented on the blog, nothing can brighten your face and make you look as put together as red lipstick or a beautiful stain. Even with the most basic makeup (or no makeup at all) a red lip does it all, just have a look at Miranda Kerr if you don’t believe me. During the colder seasons, I like to amp it up and go for a darker and richer color and finding the perfect formula is crucial to make this look low-maintenance. For me, the perfect product has come in the form of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Grand Cru T08.

Basically this is a super long-lasting liquid lipstick that sets to a gorgeous velvet matte finish. The lasting-power on this is just amazing! You can eat and drink with it on and it still looks perfect hours later. This is so great especially if you are going for a darker color like Grand Cru which you would normally assume is very high-maintenance, but it’s actually the most low-maintenance red I own.

Now for the finish, the Rouge Edition Velvet has a true velvety finish, it is matte but there is a luminosity to it that prevent it from being flat or making your lips look smaller. I don’t find it drying at all, something quite rare for a matte lip product. The lightweight cream applies like a dream and it is so pigmented you only need a thin layer to get full impact. As for the color, it is gorgeous and super chic! A dark rich burgundy color that instantly makes your skin look brighter and it works well on different skin tones. The swatches really don’t do it justice (the color is a lot richer) because it applies much better on the lips than on your hands. If I can only recommend one lip product for this holiday season, the Grand Cru Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick is it. Bourjois does offer 11 shades in this range if you prefer something more natural or a nice pink. In my opinion this is one of the best and most affordable lip products available on the market. 

You can get the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Grand Cru T08 from Feelunique and any stores that sell Bourjois. 

Tea Tuesday: Stash Green Tea Pomegranate Raspberry with Matcha

It’s the holiday season and along with gingerbread cookies, tea becomes an everyday staple for me. This is why I’m bringing back Tea Tuesday, my collection has grown quite a bit in recent weeks and I want to share the love with you all. I see a lot of green tea and herbal teas in the future for this blog. Let’s start with the Stash Green Tea Pomegranate Raspberry with Matcha.

I rely on fruity green teas a lot because I want to get those antioxidants, but I’m not a fan of plain green tea. This Stash one is the perfect solution for my problem and I love that it contains matcha because it is even better for you than regular green tea. It has a great balance of sweetness and tartness so it is not too fruity, but it completely masks the taste of green tea. It leans more towards raspberry than pomegranate which is what I prefer because I don’t need to add any honey to balance it.

I love Stash’s herbal teas in general, they have flavours that are different from other brands, but I think this is a very unique concept. I feel like this is such an easy way to add a healthy boost of antioxidants to your diet, why not do it if it tastes delicious!

You can find the Stash Green Tea Pomegranate Raspberry with Matcha in most grocery and health food stores as well as on the Stash website. 

Innisfree Canola Honey Jelly Mist

First let me start off by saying I am really sorry for the lack of posts in the past few weeks. The main reason is that I broke my laptop a few months ago and it wasn’t very convenient to use at all. Also I’ll admit I was not very inspired, which seems to have been a common thing amongst bloggers recently. However fear not, I finally got myself a new computer (I’m really happy about it) and I can already feel my motivation coming back. To get me started, I thought I could talk to you about a new favorite of mine: the Innisfree Canola Honey Jelly Mist.

I love face mists all year round, but I particularly enjoy them during the colder months to help ease any dryness and make my face feel more comfortable. This honey one from Innisfree is actually a bit different from your typical flower/water mists, honey extract is the first ingredient on the list and it also has gel in it, making it thicker than normal. It really feels more nourishing and moisturizing than other mists and you can tell the gel helps create a protective barrier on your skin. It feels really lovely when you feel dehydrated. Also honey is just a great overall ingredient for the skin and I love incorporating in my routine.

Personally I prefer to use it on bare skin to absorb all the great ingredients better, but it does not disturb my makeup and adds a bit of a glow if you want to use it throughout the day. Because it is thicker I like to give it a shake before use and you should know the mist is not as fine as the Olive Real Oil Mist. Lastly, it smells amazing! The entire Canola honey range has this great flowery honey scent that is not too sweet. This is the perfect product to carry around to fight the effects of cold weather on your skin.

You can get the Innisfree Canola Honey Jelly Mist on their website here. 

The French Beauty Solution by Mathilde Thomas

Today has turned out to be pretty gloomy outside (where’s the snow!), which makes it a perfect day to stay inside and curl up with a good book. There could not be a better time to introduce you to one of my favorite books of the years: Mathilde Thomas’ The French Beauty Solution. Be prepared to be inspired and soak up loads of beauty knowledge.

I love Mathilde Thomas’ way of writing, it feels like you’re chatting with a friend and everything feels effortless making it a super pleasant read. The book contains loads of skincare, beauty and health knowledge to approach beauty the French way. Now I read a lot about the subject and I have French roots so most of the information was not new to me, but the way it was presented made it feel fresh and fun. It actually inspires and motivates you to really take care of yourself and your skin. I also love how it really focuses on skincare to make you look your best instead of relying on loads of makeup. The tips are all about common sense, so you don’t have to be scared of crazy routine or applying weird things on your face, it’s all sensible.

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading The French Beauty Solution and I think most would enjoy the way it is written. It is actually more about a lifestyle than skincare and I believe it might provide you with the little boost of motivation you need to start taking better care of yourself. After all, we all want to be healthy and having beautiful skin is a pretty great bonus. You can easily peruse the book for specific information or simply settle down and enjoy it cover to cover.

You can find Mathilde Thomas’ The French Beauty Solution in most bookstores, iBooks and Amazon. You can also read more about it here.