Canadian companies

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

Things in life that make me happy: black jelly beans, watching clowns trip and fall (for real, not as part of their act), waking up thinking it's a workday and then realizing it's Saturday and new ways to acquire beauty products! As all of my Canadian friends know, sometimes it's not so easy to get our hands on the things we want. Sephora has made it a bit easier but they do annoying things like discontinue lines and restrict certain products from being sent to Canada so it's not perfect by any means!  Enter eBeauty.ca - they have an amazing selection of cosmetics, skincare, bath & body, hair, fragrance, tools, men's products and gifts - from both new and beloved brands, offer free shipping on orders over $75 (below that regular shipping is $7.95), easy returns and no annoying customs charges!  I need to dive deep and put together a list of all the things I MUST have but here are a few that struck me right off as needing to find a home with me!


3 Custom Color Specialists Lip and Cheek Stain in Lollipop - $28 - I have long admired this line on American blogs!

Butter London Jelly Sheer Colour in Stroppy - $17 - because I just love the word stroppy!
 Paul & Joe Beaute Face Powder in Transparent - $46.20 - haven't been able to find this line in ages!
Pop Beauty Petal Jam - $15.40 - I've been eying this since last summer but hadn't been able to get my hands on it - problem solved!
Demeter Pick-Me-Up Spray in Vanilla Ice Cream - 30ml - $20.90 - yuuuuuuuuuuuuum!
And here's an exclusive offer they have going on right now - $180 worth of products for $45!  Includes:


What do you think of the site - any brands in there that you have been itching to get your hands on?

February's collection explores the secrets of the desert.  Tribal, bold prints or neutral tones to create the distinctly urban style. Navy was very prominent this season and is a chic alternative to the traditional black. The key hues are a desert palette of sand, grey and ivory, infused with a pop of chili and the fabrics are triacetate, printed cotton, chic linen, lace overlay, denim, printed silk and classic wool-silk suiting.  Here are my favourite pieces:
Beautiful collection and as I expect to be starting a new job soon, I will actually have an excuse to go shopping!

Remember that the Teenflo boutiques are changing their name to Judith & Charles - same great clothes, just a new name for the boutique.  You can find Teenflo/Judith & Charles boutiques: Montreal Rockland Centre, Toronto First Canadian Place, Toronto Bayview Village, Calgary Chinook Centre, Calgary The Core, Vancouvr Pacific Centre and Vancouver Oakridge Centre.  And you don't need to be sad if you don't have a store near you - shop online at:  www.teenflo.com - and yes, they will ship to the United States!

Check back at the beginning of March to check out what you will be finding in the boutiques that month!

Spring isn't even close to being here of course - but spring clothes are!  Here's what you can find in the stores this month from Teenflo.  The collection is full of bright colours, abstract prints and neutral undertones for a balance between hard and soft.  The key hues are cobalt, grey, black, off-white and cocoa and the fabrics are pique double knit, silk, mesh, stretch cotton and viscose jersey.  It embraces the less structured late sixties theme and their inspiration for their novel tonal print pieces were trends from Gucci and Pada's spring collections.  My favourite pieces are:

If I didn't love Teenflo for their beautiful and versatile clothes I would still have to love them for their commitment to Canadian manufacturing - but luckily I can love them for both!

Also note that the Teenflo boutiques are changing their name to Judith & Charles - same great clothes, just a new name for the boutique.  You can find Teenflo/Judith & Charles boutiques: Montreal Rockland Centre, Toronto First Canadian Place, Toronto Bayview Village, Calgary Chinook Centre, Calgary The Core, Vancouvr Pacific Centre and Vancouver Oakridge Centre.  And you don't need to be sad if you don't have a store near you - shop online at:  www.teenflo.com - and yes, they will ship to the United States!

Check back at the beginning of February to check out what you will be finding in the boutiques that month!

I love discovering new lines, especially when they're local!  As is Toronto's very own Demo Soap at 171 East Liberty Street, Suite 123.  But don't worry if you don't live nearby - you can go to www.demosoap.com and have your order shipped to you!  You don't find a lot of places anymore where the products are 100% natural, handmade and so totally cute!

If you are looking for gifts or stocking stuffers, you will also appreciate the incredibly reasonable prices!

I particularly love the Fortune Cookies - $2 each or a bag of 6 - $12 - what is really fun about these almond scented soaps is that they can be customized with a  special original message inside each cookie!




Ginger Bread Man - $7 - glycerin soap with a gingerbread man trapped inside!  There is also a Christmas tree one!
Cupcake Soaps - $7 - in various colours/scents: Green - lime, Orange - orange, Pink - raspberry, Multi-Colour - vanilla, Purple - berry - perfect for the girlfriend who is always complaining about her weight, no calories!
Starsicle - $7 - fruit scented popsicle soap
Loofahbars - $7 - Come in Purple - lavender, Green - aloe vera and Yellow - lemongrass

My only issue would be using these soaps first thing in the morning, they smell so realistic that being half-asleep, I might try and take a bite!

Soaps are their specialty but there are other products as well: bath bombs, shower gel, body cream and butter so be sure and check everything out at www.demosoap.com

I really like the collections that Annabelle has been coming out with lately - great colours at even better prices makes it easy to stay on trend without breaking the bank!
Dome Face Powder - $12.99 - Nox - a nice brightener without glitter, just a bit of shimmer
Multi Dome Shadow - $14.99 - Midnight - bright blue, black, sliver, light blue, Insomnia - gold, green, lavender, purple, Disturbia - burgundy, teal, rust, brown - the pictures do NOT do the colours justice - especially Midnight, which I absolutely love! These would also make great stocking stuffers for your makeup obsessed teen!

Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner - $9.99 - Dark Angel - black glitter, Night Light - white glitter - wear it alone if you want a subtle look or layer it over your eyeliner for more drama!
Rouge Velours - $7.99 - Hypnotic - a great nude colour if you like to do a dramatic eye with a pale mouth.

Marcelle continues to impress me with their seasonal collections - the packaging is so cool and  they really seem to have their finger on the pulse of current trends and can deliver it at such a great price point that everyone can participate!  I love blues and purples so I'm all about this one!
Graphic Face Pressed Powder - $14.95 - Prismatic Neutrals - four harmonized hues to give your winter blah skin some glow.  As a pale faced person, I was pleased to see this one give me a bit of colour to go with the glow - and I especially like that it really is glow and not sparkle!
Graphic Eye Shadow Quad - $11.95 - Dimensional Blue and Dimensional Mauve - four harmonized versatile hues to create lots of different looks!  I love the look of these compacts and as someone who has never used up an eyeshadow in her life, the design is fine for me - but keep in mind if you are the sort of person who does use one up, because there are no barriers between the colours, as you use up the compact the colours will eventually crumble together!  But because of the price and the good quality of Marcelle shadows, I am still calling this one a good buy!
Rouge Xpression Lipstick - $11.95 - from the new lipstick line comes two new colours available only in this collection - Delightful - dark rose with blue undertones - I love cool based colours and this one looks great on me, swatch to come soon; or Curious - creamy earth-tone - if you like nudes, you will probably like this one - I don't really do nude so I can't give any sort of useful feedback for it.