Gentle Canadian cleansers and moisturizers from Marcelle and Cliniderm and Diane Lai!

Marcelle Essentials Purity Soothing Cleansing Water - 200ml - $14.25 - cleanses and tones the skin while removing eye makeup - I have never actually used a cleansing water before, it never occurred to me that a water could do a good job cleansing, never mind removing eye makeup - but it does!  You use it like you would a toner by applying it to a cotton pad - I found it most effective to use one side of the pad to do a quick swipe over my face, remove my eye makeup and then use the clean side of the pad to go over my entire face again to remove any leftovers.  There is something strangely satisfying that you get from this cleanser that you don't get from wash off cleansers, you get to see all the gunk on the pad that was removed from your face!  If you like seeing your blackheads on Biore strips you will probably also enjoy this!

This would also be a great cleanser if you have hard water at home!


Cliniderm Gentle Cleanser - 150ml - $16 - contains no parbens, dyes, perfume, lanolin, formaldehyde or protein. Specialized care for sensitive, allergic, reactive or dry skin.  Soap free gel cleanser that you can actually even use as a body wash if you are looking for one with no scent!  I liked the texture of this one a lot, it's a thin gel that rises off easily and made my skin feel very clean - it's not meant to take off eye makeup, and it doesn't so you will need your makeup remover for that but it did remove my face makeup.

If you are looking for a moisturizer to follow your sensitive skin cleanser, Diane Lai has a new collection of all-natural skincare products.  It's suitable for highly sensitive skin, dry skin, eczema and inflammation and can also be used on children.  Diane Lai was inspired to create the line because of her own child's sensitive skin and one of her objectives is to educate the public about the harmful toxins that many commercial skin products contain.  The first launches from the collection are:

Rejuvenate - 100ml - $45 - a daily moisturizing lotion to maintain soft and healthy skin and can be used anywhere that you have skin that is dry, tight and/or itchy - face, body, hands and feet.

Soothe - 30ml - $34 - to help comfort skin irritations and contains natural oils and anti-itch remedies to prevent further scratching and inflammation.  Also good for insect bites and mild sunburn.

Both contain organic shea butter, kernel oil which is rich in natural vitamins A,B,D,E, proteins and lecithin, cold-presses organic grape seed oil which is a natural moisturizer that is rich in antioxidants.  Even better is what they don't contain: parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, artificial fragrance, artificial colourants, retinols, sulfates, petro chemicals or oxybenzone.

If you are in Toronto, you can find Diane Lai products at Blossom Bath & Body - 157 Main Street, Unionville or at Moms to be and more - 1642/44 Bayview Avenue, Toronto as well as online at www.dianelai.com