Soft and Kissable Lips with L'Oreal, Softlips and Thann!

I made the mistake of using a lip balm under the L'Oreal Infaillible Le Rouge Lipcolour the first time I put it on as I thought a long lasting lipstick would make my lips dry. However,  I was pleasantly surprised: this lipstick is quite smooth, long lasting (I can wear it an entire afternoon without touch ups, which is a super long time for me!). Another positive: the pigments are strong enough to really show on my lips. For all the black ladies out there, you know what I'm talking about: many affordable products do not show on our complexion., this one does (I used shade 45).

Probably my favorite lipbalm right now: this Softlips balm is minty, the tube is long and slim and fits everywhere and most of all it has an SPF20 protection, so you can use it all year long!

This lipbalm from Thann moisturizes thanks to rice extract and Aloe, it also contains shea butter for sun protection. While the previous lip balm was flavored, this one is paraben free and fragrance free, so it's ideal if you've got sensitive skin, plus it's not sticky at all!

-Christelle-

Moisturize that body! Vaseline, True Blue Spa, Calgon, Thann, St. Ives, Dial, Kiss My Face, Dove, Soap & Glory and Bath & Body Works!

I've always hated and cursed my dry skin but I never realized that it was such a widespread issue - Vaseline recently conducted a Good Skin Day Survey and I was amazed to see that 76% of the women surveyed have the same problem as I do and say that their dry skin can make them feel physically uncomfortable at least some of the time - including itchiness, tightness and cracking.  Women also say that the physical effects of dry skin can interfere with a range of every day activities including sleeping, getting dressed and working.  It's nice not to be alone in this problem but it's even better to find something to solve it!

Vaseline Intensive Rescue Extra Strength - 325ml - $4.99, 600ml - $7.99, 725ml - $8.99 - is available in fragranced (chamomile scent) and unfragranced. - Accelerates the healing of dry skin by tripling the skin's moisture reserves instantly while still feeling comfortable on your skin - not greasy or sticky.  Dermatologist recommended, restores and protects the skin and delivers 24 hours of hypoallergenic soothing moisture.  For super dry skin they also offer Vaseline Clinical Therapy Lotion - 200ml - $8.49 - which is clinically proven to moisturize for accelerated healing of persistently dry skin without feeling sticky or greasy and is comfortable on skin.  Proven to instantly increase hydration by five times and to lock in moisture for 24 hours.  Instantly softens and relieves extremely dry skin and to restore - through hydration - extremely dry skin in 5 days.

And of course having dry skin means that I try every moisturizer out there so here are some other great choices:

True Blue Spa Lay It On Thick Body Cream - 170g - $17 - fragrance-free with super moisturizing shea butter, macadamia nut oil to nourish and hydrate the skin and Vitamin E to help protect and condition. If you like your moisturizer to be super thick, this is one to try - I enjoy using this one right before bed to give it all night to soak in! Available at Bath & Body Works.

Calgon Nourishing Body Cream - 236ml - $6.99 - with Vitamins E and A as well as aloe to deliver longer-lasting moisturization that will leave your skin feeling soft and silky. Comes in Morning Glory, Hawaiian Ginger, Tahitian Orchid, Cotton Candy, Vanilla Swirl, Marshmallow and Moon Petal Musk. My favourite scent is the Hawaiian Ginger, you just close your eyes and imagine yourself away from winter and on a tropical island!

Thann Body Butter - 100g - $23 - 350g - $47 - with cocoa butter, jojoba oil, licorice and shiso extracts to nourish and protect dry and sensitive skin. The tick yet smooth cream absorbs quickly into the skin for long-lasting and effective moisturizing.  It's 100% paraben-free with no artificial colours or fragrances.  Available online at www.thann.ca, in select stores and spas across Canada and at Thann concept stores in Ottawa.

St. Ives 24 Hour Moisture Advanced Body Moisturizer - 600ml - $6.99 - an innovative formula clinically proven to nourish skin even after 24 hours - replenishes and retains skin for soft-looking, smooth skin all day with 100% natural moisturizers including shea butter. Features a patented moisturizing complex that acts as a barrier to prevent moisture loss without forming a heavy film on the skin.

Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Lotion - 88ml - $2.99 - 354ml - $6.99 - focus on adding essential moisture, vitamins and nutrients for your skin - in four varieties each containg a specific BioNutrient blend: Dry Skin - with aloe and vitamins C, E and F, amino acids, and omega 3; Extra Dry Skin - with shea butter, omega 3 and 6, vitamins A,C,E and F and amino acids; Soothing - with chamomile, beta-glucan, vitamins A,C and E, amino acids and zinc; and Men's - with magnesium, niacinamide, amino acids and vitamins A,C and E.

Kiss My Face Peaches & Creme Ultra Moisturizer - 118ml - $6, 350ml - $12 - with 4% alpha-hydroxy to help speed up exfoliation that allows for new healthy skin cells to emerge from your dry, flaky mess - and the peachy smell - Amazing!  You can find Kiss My Face products in various drug and health food stores - I find the website easier though - they have a Canadian site that prices and gives shipping costs in Canadian $ - www.kissmyfacewebstore.com

If you want super duper softness, start with a moisturizing body wash - my faves right now:

Dove Visible Care Renewing Creme Body Wash - 300ml - $5.99 - for visible skin improvement in just one week and with continued use, skin is more visibly beautiful within 3 weeks. It's designed to nourish and replenish skin with the highest concentration of Nutrium Moisture which contains skin natural moisturizers, the building blocks to help improve skin's look over time. It has a fruity, floral fragrance that I quite like and lathers like nobody's business!

Soap & Glory Clean, Girls Body Wash - 500ml - $9.99 - with a built-in moisturizing matrix and natural vanilla fruit and orchid extracts, it feels great and smells amazing!  It also suds up nicely which is something I find that moisturizing body washes sometimes lack. Available at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Shower Cream - 236ml - $12.50 - with milk proteins, rice bran oil and acai berry.  Part of the Signature Collection, you will find it in lots of different scents - I love Warm Vanilla Sugar and Twilight Woods!

Are you a dry skin sufferer too?  Would love to hear about any great moisturizers that you've tried!

- Lisamarie -

Oil is not a dirty word when it comes to these cleansers - shu uemura pure:nu and Thann!

shu uemura pure:nu 2-in-1 gentle cleansing oil-in-gel - 100ml - $28 - a revolutionary eco-inspired facial cleanser designed to purify skin without stripping valuable moisture.  Incorporating breakthrough 2-in-1 oil cleansing technology with 50% moisturizing agents in a gentle get rich 97% biodegradable oil-in-gel, pure:nu gently removes made-up and impurities for skin that is clarified, soft and supple.  Newly blended phyto-ingredients, including Bamboo Leaf Extract, combine with new wet-hand technology that allows usage with dry and wet hands for visibly renewed and refreshed skin that is smooth and radiant.

The first cleansing oil that I ever tried was a shu one, and I have been in love with their cleansers ever since!  I really appreciate the wet or dry face option with this one, being able to put it on a dry face makes it a super convenient cleanser to use with my Clarisonic - it eliminates the "water dripping into your eyes so you can't see what you're doing" problem!  And just like their original cleansing oil, this oil-in-gel cleanser does an excellent job of removing makeup and cleansing all in one step and despite some gels I have used, I don't have the "too clean" tight feeling after using that I get when a gel has stripped away every bit of moisture that was in my skin, including the natural oils I wanted to keep! This is good stuff, I'm a fan!

Available at Holt Renfrew and www.shuuemura.com

Thann Facial Cleansing Milk - 150ml - $47 - soothes and softens skin while removing makeup and impurities without casing irritation. Contains: Nano Shiso extract which soothes and softens sensitive skin; rice bran oil and organic jojoba seed oil which are rich in Vitamin E and fatty acid, protecting the skin from free radical damage, and slowing down the aging process; and Moringa seed extract which is highly efficient in maintaining moisture, as well as minimizing roughness and wrinkles.

I am more accustomed to using a cleansing milk but I do find that they often don't do a great job of removing all of the makeup.  With the addition of oils though it is so much more effective! The texture of this milk is super light, smells fresh, rinses away cleanly without striping my skin and I really love that it comes in a pump!

Available online at www.thann.ca in select stores and spas across Canada and at Thann concept stores in Ottawa.

How do you feel about cleansers with oil in them - love them, hate them or haven't tried them?

- Lisamarie -

Exfoliate from head to toe with Kevin Murphy, Soap & Glory, THANN and Vichy

Kevin Murphy Maxi.Wash - 250ml - $25 - a detoxifying shampoo that removes unwanted product residue and excess oil that can build up in your hair.  It deep cleaning brightens your limp or dull hair as well as balances sebum production.  Contains a herbal blend of lime, mint and eucalyptus to remove excess oil and tropical fruit acids and anti pollution agents to deeply cleanse your hair, while sage extracts dissolve the fats and oils.  I was told that the first time I used this, not to expect it to lather and that I would probably need to use it a second time and then it would, once all of the buildup was out of my hair and that's exactly what happened - you would not believe how clean my hair felt after using this!  It's not an everyday shampoo, you just use it once or twice a week - I will be investing in a full size of this one!  You can find Kevin Murphy products at various salons across Canada - go here to find the one closest to you.

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In it - 115ml - $12.99 - not only is it an exfoliator, it can also do double duty as a mask!  It contains: diatomaceous earth - a highly refined and purified earth "dirt" that gently lifts dead cells and debris while scrubbing the skin and stimulation circulation; montmorillite clay - a soft, white purified clay that absorbs excess oils; and super fruit acids - to dissolve the glue that makes dead cells stick to the surface of the skin. I'm pretty picky when it comes to face scrubs - don't like apricot ones or the like because they use ground up pieces of apricot or fruit seeds which can have sharp edges and I find that sugar and salt scrubs, although great for the body, too harsh for my face.  Dirt is obviously the perfect solution to this issue because I really like this scrub!  It has the perfect amount of "scrubbiness" without being harsh or irritating.  I also tried using it as a mask on one of my oily breakout days and it did a decent job of de-shining me and making my skin feel nice and smooth.  Soap & Glory is available at Shoppers Drug Mart.

THANN Aromatherapy Salt Scrub - 450g - $49.50 - it comes in several different scents including Aromatic Wood which I tried.  It's a kind of masculine smell, which I didn't mind and if you were looking for a scrub for your guy but he complained that they all smell too girly, you should turn him on to this one.  The scrub contains moisturizing rice bran oil, exfoliating sea salt and plant essential oils: orange oil containing natural AHA clarifies and moisturizes the skin while nutmeg oil stimulates circulation.

If you are one of my hometown girls from Ottawa then you are lucky to have the flagship store right there at 312 Richmond Road - 613-216-2390 - everyone else can find it online at www.thann.ca

Vichy Podexine Kerato-Reducing Scrub - 75ml - $17.95 - the alumina micro-crystals in this scrub are 150x harder than the particles found in traditional scrubs to take care of irregularities, roughness or calluses.  This is a heavy duty scrub suitable for people with super serious foot issues so I figured that it would find my slightly flaky feet a breeze!  The scrub is abrasive but in the good way that you expect from a foot scrub - I wouldn't want to use this on my legs like they do when I have a pedicure at the spa though - it would tear them up!  The only thing I wish it had was the nice minty smell that I like in a foot product, but it really has no smell at all.

- Lisamarie -

Thann Black Rice Grain Soap and Consonant Organic Foaming Face Wash: Not Your Average Soaps!

Everything about this Thann soap ($9) is different: it's black (I mean, darker than Lisamarie's heart), it contains black rice grain and charcoal; and the shape is elongated to fit better in your hand. This soap can be used on your face and body: the rice grain and charcoal provide a light exfoliation which is good if your skin is on the oily side, but it's still gentle so that your skin won't feel dry. Don't expect this soap to feel like an ordinary scrub, it's still smooth like me a soap. To get more info, check Thann's website.

This organic foaming face wash from Consonant ($18) was very intriguing to me. Foam? How could foam clean anything? This liquid soap becomes a light fragrance-free foam and gently cleanses your face. My skin is very sensitive and I can tell you this is definitely as gentle as it gets. It contains tea tree oil as well grapeseed oil to nourish your skin, so your skin feels clean but not "tight". I'm not sure this was meant for very oily skin, because while I loved this face wash, I don't think it helped control the shine over time.

You can test Consonant organic line for yourself with this Discovery Kit for only $10, available on their website. To find where you can purchase Consonant products, check here.