natural skin care

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

Biotherm Skin Ergetic - a new product line that is paraben free and contains ingredients that are 99% of natural origin - the tag line sums it up - "So signs of fatigue don't turn into signs of aging" Sign me up!
Energy Up Complex Signs of Fatigue Repairing Concentrate - 50ml - $58 - contains broccoli, soy apple, lemon and sugar cane - the most interesting part of this product is the fresh cosmetics technology that makes it possible to optimize the effectiveness of the active ingredients via last-minute activation - the broccoli extract in this product is one of the best ingredients for fighting skin fatigue but is unstable when added to a skincare formula.  To solve the problem, Biotherm decided to isolate this ingredient in a capsule so that it could be activated at the last minute, immediately before the first application.  You release the powder into the rest of the concentrate and it will retain optimum stability for three months - so don't forget to use it every day!
Anti-Ox Complex Non-Stop Anti-Fatigue Moisturizer - 50ml - $49 - in a rich creme for dry skin or cream gel for combination skin - contains tomato, apple, bitter orange, grape and pomegranate - the cream gel smells amazing, this one is on my shopping list!
D-Tox Complex Overnight High-Recovery Moisturizer Night - 50ml - $51 - contains buckwheat, tea, ruscus, soy and cranberry
Lise Watier Eye Quartet - $31 - if you are already a fan of her quads you will be pleased to know they now come in 4 new gorgeous colour combos:  Les Violets, Les Bleus, Les Verts and Les Rosés.
Elizabeth Arden Petty Hot - 50ml EDP - $63 - with top notes of red currant, fresh mandarin, blood orange, red apple and freesia; heart notes of Queen of the Night, peony, pimento blossom as well as Petelia and Georgywood molecules; and a base of amber, white patchouli, tonka bean, sandalwood and musky Cosmone molecule.  I gave it a sniff and I like it when I first spray it because of all of the fruity top notes, but once it dries down it turns very floral on me so I'm not such a fan.
Vichy NeoVadiol Gf Eye and Lip Contours - 15ml - $39.50 - with a cooling eye and lip contour applicator for menopausal skin it is said to have a crease-smoothing effect and will make eye and lip contours appear defined.
Ed Hardy Born Wild for Women - 50ml EDP - $62- with top notes of blackberry and black currant buds; heart notes of magnolia and peach blossom; and base notes of lily of the valley, sandalwood and musk.
Ed Hardy Born Wild for Men - 50ml EDT - $62 - with top notes of cara cara orange, spicy cardamom, ambrette seed and papple,; middle notes of jasmine, neroli, ozone and pink perppercorn; and base notes of California Palo Verde and sandalwood.

Ed Hardy reminds me of the Rock of Love episode where Bret takes the skank de jour to the Ed Hardy store and gets her slutted out - since then I haven't been able to take the brand seriously - but I'm sure there are lots of Ed Hardy fans out there that are thrilled by these new fragrances!

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Natural Beauty Products by Sally W. Trew with Zonella B. Gould - $21 - ISBN: 9781615640232 - with over 250 recipes for everything from moisturizer to lip gloss this book is perfect for anyone concerned about the ingredients in commercially made beauty products.

What I like about the book is that there are recipes that anyone could conquer, from beginner to expert and that it gives you very specific measurements and directions on how to make each product.  This would make a great gift for the tree-hugger in your life or for yourself if you have been interested in the world of natural products.  There is even a chapter for making men's products, so you can share it with the boy.

I am a lousy cook so I wasn't too sure how successful I would be but I even manged to make a sugar scrub on my first go: with oil, sugar, finely ground oatmeal and fragrance oil.  They also call for preservative but I didn't have any in the house so I skipped it, this just means I need to use it all fast, it's not going to keep.  I didn't realize that you actually cooked these products but you do but in about 20 minutes I had my very first batch of homemade scrub which actually smelled good enough to eat!  I don't know that I'll ever work my way up to makeup but there are some bath bomb recipes that intrigue me...

What about you?  Ever made your own beauty products?  Any tips you can share?