Category Archives: Skincare

Skincare Saturday: Live Clean Deodorants Review

Live Clean Deodorants
Live Clean Deodorants

I can almost hear your voice in my own head… “A post on deodorant? Who is she kidding? How is this even supposed to be remotely interesting?”

I get it. A post on deodorant is frigging boring. And I wasn’t even going to do a post because it *is* deodorant and most people won’t care. But if you’re one of the few that did click through to read what one can only presume would be a boring post then I’m impressed, and boy, do I ever have something exciting to tell you.

Live Clean Deodorants in Cool & Fresh, Fragrance Free, Sparkling Citrus and Powder Clean
Live Clean Deodorants in Cool & Fresh, Fragrance Free, Sparkling Citrus and Powder Clean

Live Clean‘s deodorants are the *only* natural deodorant that has ever worked on me. I’ve tried some of the usual suspects (like Lavanila) but they’ve all done diddly squat and I’ve always gone back to wearing my antiperspirant on the daily. These though? Holy crap, did they ever work.

I was initially skeptical about switching over because you hear about that “detox” period where your body is getting rid of all of the build up from your antiperspirant, blah blah blah. So I went into this thinking that I was going to smell for a few days because of that. I even told a coworker I was switching to this and told her to tell me if she smelled me AT ALL (cuz heaven knows every office has someone who reeks and I did NOT want to be that person). I will admit that the first day I think I smelled (although my coworker said nothing), but it could’ve been the fabric of my shirt which wasn’t especially conducive to letting my skin breathe. But after that initial day? No problems. Seriously… no problems. I’ve been using this deodorant for two weeks now and I’m absolutely blown away.

Of course, since a deodorant is a more gelatinous substance when compared to a white antiperspirant, I do find that sometimes my pits are a touch damp/slick every now and then, but I think that’s mostly just upon application. I’m sitting here typing up this review after a full work day and a workout at the gym, and my pits are completely dry nor do I smell. I also went for a 13k run this past weekend and didn’t smell nor sweat profusely from my pits during that run either. To say I’m impressed would be an understatement!

So if you’ve been looking to switch away from your antiperspirant but found all the other natural deodorant did nothing for you, then I would STRONGLY suggest you take a look at the Live Clean deodorants. I’ve got a whack of antiperspirants in my cupboard, but once those are used up I’m going to be switching over to Live Clean deodorants for everything except the utmost of physical exertions (like running a race, or hiking, or something where I need to be dry for like 24 hours straight).

For those who are interested in the actual ingredients, there’s corn starch to absorb the moisture, as well as baking soda, aloe and vitamin E. There are no aluminium cholorhydrate, propylene glycol, phthalates, parabens, silicone, phosphates, triclosan, petrolatum, dyes or colouring in the formula. The ingredients are 99% naturally derived!

My favourite scent was the aquatic scented Cool & Fresh, with the Sparkling Citrus as a close runner up. There’s also a Powder Clean scent for those who want to smell like baby powder (gag, not me thanks), as well as an unscented version.

Live Clean deodorants can be purchased on well.ca for $7.79 CAD each.

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.

Skincare Saturday: MaskerAide Sheet Masks (now with new packaging!)

MaskerAide Sheet Masks

It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since I last reviewed MaskerAide sheet masks (see that review from 2014 here!). The brand has gone through different variations of their sheet masks over the years, as well as a more recent packaging update!

MaskerAide Sheet Masks
MaskerAide Sheet Masks

The formula itself remains the same on the newly packaged MaskerAide sheet masks, so if you loved their masks before, you can rest easy knowing that the product is still the same. I have to admit I’m sad to see that their All Nighter sheet mask has gone the way of the dodo – I *loved* that one!

I’ve admitted quite a few times over the years that I’m not a huge sheet mask lover just because they can feel quite slimy and cold on the skin. Thankfully, the MaskerAide sheet masks are one of the better fits for my face and they have more of a cream textured consistency to the product on the inside. If the mask isn’t a biocellulose format (which these aren’t) then I much prefer a creamy serum so that it doesn’t feel quite as slimy. So in that respect, the MaskerAide sheets masks are one of the better options for me.

Plus, with MaskerAide, you get the added bonus of tossing your coin at a Canadian-Korean brand. It always feels good to support local!

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

Skincare Saturday: Thayers Natural Remedies (Toners, Facial Spray & Body Bar)

Thayers Natural Remedies

When I announced that Thayers Natural Remedies products were now going to be widely available in Canada on my Instagram stories so many people lost their shoes (as Hailey would say!). I couldn’t believe the response – I had dozens of people reaching out to ask where specifically they would be available. While I knew Thayers was known for their witch hazel toners, I didn’t realize that they were THAT loved!

So Canadians… get ready to celebrate! Thayers Natural Remedies products are sold in the following retailers:

  • Loblaws
  • London Drugs
  • Rexall
  • Sobeys
  • Walmart
  • Whole Foods

They’re also available on well.ca if you’re more inclined to purchase online like I am.

Thayers Witch Hazel Toners
Thayers Witch Hazel Toners

The biggest thing that Thayers is known for are their witch hazel toners which come in a variety of different scents. These toners have aloe vera in the formula to help cleanse, soothe and revitalize the skin. I found that the toners didn’t tighten my skin and left it feeling supple. No issues applying my serum and moisturizer on top of it either!

Scent-wise, they’re pretty bang on. Almost disconcertingly so. I found the cucumber one slightly awkward to use because the smell is identical to real cucumbers and made me feel like I should be chowing down on a salad or something. For me, the lavender was a clear favourite. Although I hear they’ve got a lemon scented one that I definitely want to get my hands on at some point since citrus makes my heart sing!

Thayers Rose Petal Facial Mist and Body Bar
Thayers Rose Petal Facial Mist and Body Bar

Aside from the toners, I tried out their Rose Petal Facial Mist and Body Bar.

The facial mist seemed more like a “toner on the go” to me. It behaved and performed the same as the toner bottle, just in an easy to spray formula. The rosewater in the formula is full of natural oils and sugars that help restore dehydrated skin (always a plus!) and bring out a glowing complexion.

Funnily enough, while I liked all of the products I’ve featured in this post, the item that I really loved was the Body Bar. I’m not always a body wash kinda woman, and I found myself really just flat out happy to be using this bar of soap. The rose scent was subtle and not cloying like some rosewater products can be. I found the soap was soothing and surprisingly hydrating on my skin in the shower. I know bars of soap don’t really get people excited, but it really was the item that made me smile the most.

Giveaway!

Thayers has generally offered to giveaway one set of all of the products I featured in today’s post!

One lucky person will win:

  • Thayers Witch Hazel Toner in Lavender
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Toner in Rose Petal
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Toner in Cucumber
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Body Bar in Rose Petal
  • Thayers Witch Hazel Facial Mist in Rose Petal

Giveaway Rules

  • This giveaway is open to Canada & USA only. (If you are Canadian, I will need your phone number for delivery in addition to your address – please keep that in mind.)
  • This giveaway starts on March 30, 2019 and runs for two weeks.
  • One winner will receive the prize pack described above.
  • Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
  • Once the winner has been contacted, they will have 48 hours to provide me with their mailing address. If the winner fails to respond within that time frame, I will pick another winner. (And so on.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Prize pack is being provided by the brand.

Skincare Saturday: Live Clean Foaming Body Washes

Live Clean Foaming Body Washes

I always get excited when I see a new Live Clean product has launched… because I really don’t think I’ve ever experienced a dud product in their range!

Live Clean‘s latest? Foaming body washes! I’ve been using their regular range of body washes for several years now (and love them), so I was curious about how I was going to feel about a foaming one. Foaming hand washes make sense to me… but a foaming body wash? Seemed a bit bizarre!

 

Live Clean Foaming Body Washes in Moringa & Matcha, Shea Butter & Murumuru Butter and Mango & Aloe Butter
Live Clean Foaming Body Washes in Moringa & Matcha, Shea Butter & Murumuru Butter and Mango & Aloe Butter

With this launch, Live Clean has put out three different kinda:

  • Moringa & Matcha Butter: The moringa butter is made from a wonderfully luxurious oil (which contains anti-oxidant and rejuvenating properties) from the seeds of the moringa oliefera tree native to the Himalayas. The matcha butter is made from Japanese matcha green tea leaves, and has powerful moisturizing properties.
  • Shea Butter & Murumuru Butter: The shea butter is highly concentrated with fatty acids and vitamins for deep moisture, while  the murumuru butter’s fatty acids help restore elasticity to damaged and aging skin.
  • Mango & Aloe Butter: The mango butter is a rich, soothing moisturizer. Its Vitamin C brightens and rejuvenates. The aloe butter quickly hydrates and moisturizes. This one also contains calming oat kernel oil for sensitive skin and is unscented
Live Clean Foaming Body Wash
Live Clean Foaming Body Wash

I initially thought the foamy texture was going to be a bit too weird for me as a body wash, but in practice it’s really not that different than normal body washes. I love that the bottle has a pump top (more brands needs to do this) and since it already comes out all foamy, you don’t have to rub your body wash together on your poof to make a lather! And, as any body wash should – it get the job done and leaves my skin clean and feeling smooth.

Of the three, the Shea Butter & Murumuru Butter was my favourite. It has a scent that is very similar to their vanilla body wash and for me it’s the most comforting. The Matcha and Moringa was interesting, but not quite up my alley in terms of scents. Oddly, the Mango Butter one is unscented. I wasn’t really expecting that since the mango is so prominent on the front of the container! It’s formulated for more sensitive skin, so I can see why they didn’t add any perfume to it.

As always, Live Clean has delivered a knockout product with their foaming body washes. They can be purchased online at walmart.ca for $4.98 CAD.

The products featured in this post were sent to me consideration. Post contains affiliate links.