My Little Barefoot Venus Haul

   Barefoot Venus caught my eye because of their adorable vintage pin-up girl packaging and the hydrating claims their bath goodies promise. I've been scoping out the brand for a year and after much consideration I ended up ordering a few things from Well.ca. My goodies arrived today and I just wanted to share them with you guys.
    

 

    This beautiful tin houses Barefoot Venus' Bath Soak in the scent Ginger Snap. Smelling it dry it smells more of cinnamon and ginger with a bit of sweetness. I hope the egg nog notes come out when I'm actually taking a bath. I've included a picture here of the actual product itself which is a white powder. The opening does get messy easily but it's not a substantial amount of product and only occurs when I open it (as opposed to leaking all the time) so I'm not too bothered.

    This bath soak has some pretty nice claims and some impressive looking ingredients. For seductively soft sweet-scented skin, just add your little indulgence to steamy running water. Slip in and let the cocoa butter filled water tickle your fancy and velvetize your skin. This bath soak is filled with cocoa butter, shea butter, sweet almond oil and Vitamin E. Sounds hydrating! I know my skin gets extra chapped come winter, so anything that can hydrate my skin sounds heavenly to me!

 

     Now when it comes to these Bath Bliss' I could never find a picture of how these products actually looked! All I ended up seeing were snapshots of the packaging! I didn't know if the bath bliss was a solid object like Lush's bath bombs or if it was powdery like the bath soak. But now I know.

 

    There's the Vanilla Shake bath bliss right there. It's a powder packaged in a little bag. I haven't smelled it yet but I'm looking forward to trying it. Claims? Everything is sweeter when creamy mango butter melts into a sinfully scented bath, leaving  your skin totally irresistible. Being naked has never felt so Good! These are made with mango butter and sweet almond oil which also sounds seriously hydrating.

    Ginger snap is described as "a blend of rich, smooth eggnog and warming ginger are swirled together for the ultimate holiday fragrance". From what I've smelt it smells more like ginger and cinnamon. This season 10% of proceeds from the Barefoot Venus Ginger Snap line will be donated in support of Autism Awareness.

      I haven't yet smelled the Vanilla Shake bath bliss but it's described as "warm Madagascar vanilla growing in berry patch strawberries". I love vanilla scents so I'm looking forward to using this bath bliss.

     Maple Blondie is the newest scent from Barefoot Venus and I think it's a nice homage to Barefoot Venus' proudly Canadian Heritage. Barefoot Venus says Maple Blondie is "Autumn maple, perfectly paired with buttery vanilla and a hint of dark espresso." Sounds delicious! I'm not sure if this scent is limited edition or permanent but I'm guessing it's not because there is no mention of it being limited edition.

     All of these products are very affordable with the Bath Bliss' being $5.50CDN and the large Bath Soak tin being $12.99CDN. I'm always excited to try Canadian bath and body products, especially when they've got such great ingredients. So I'll be back with a review once I've tried them!



Thayer's Unscented Alcohol-Free Unscented Witch Hazel Toner

 

 

 

I have a weird experience with toners. One of the first toners I used was the Proactiv toner which I burned through in about three weeks. I was new to this mystical world of toners and my combination skin loved the moisture and the way it would reduce the oil on my face.

 

 My last experience was with a Clean and Clear toner for sensitive skin that burned my face so amazingly I stopped using toners all together.

 

Then I stumbled upon the Thayer's Rose Petal toner online and ordered it, but then I happened upon the Unscented variety at a local health food store and picked it up. I was looking for a gentle toner that would give my combination skin some hydration without stinging. The alcohol free Thayer's sounded like it would fit that bill.

 

Claims from the Thayer's website: You Won't Smell It, But You'll Surely Feel It.

THAYERS® Alcohol-Free Unscented Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera Formula Toner has all the replenishing, revitalizing magic of our scented varieties, but is undetectable by the nose.

 

I found this toner online for $14.79 at Well.ca but currently at the time of writing this post all of the toners and astringents are on sale for about two dollars less. I found this Unscented Toner at a local health food store for $11.39.

 

I love how much product comes in this bottle which makes it so cost effective. The label is nice and gives the bottle this lovely old fashioned apothecary feel. The nozzle that dispenses this product isn't very good and a lot of toner ends up splashing out. I fitted this bottle with a spray nozzle so I'm not too heart broken.

 

The product does have a smell (just the natural smell of the product because there's no added fragrance) but it's not incredibly offensive or very lasting. It smells exactly like Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB cream. Literally the exact same. So if you've got a bottle of that BB cream and you don't like that smell and find it intolerable, then you probably won't be able to deal with this. If I were to attempt to describe it I would say it's a sharp sort of warm, slightly tart scent.

 

The feel of the toner itself is very nice. It doesn't feel hydrating at first, it feels a lot like water but once it dries I noticed my skin didn't feel tight but comfortable. My skin had this beautiful, dewy glow to it and felt hydrated to the touch. My skin felt incredibly soft and slightly sticky. My pores were also less emphasized.

 

If I get the toner on the lines of my lips, my lips feel sort of tingly and numb so I try my hardest to avoid getting the product on my lips. That's along with the smell is one of the only downsides to this toner.

 

I use it as a spray and it's a very refreshing and hydrating mist. When left to dry on the skin, my skin is left with this soft hydration. With too much spritzing my skin looks rather shiny but that's after multiple sessions of all over my face.

 

Likes:

 

1. Hydrating, glowing effect it gives the skin

2. Doesn't sting

3. Large bottle

4. Affordable price

5. All natural, simple, small ingredient list

 

Neither like nor dislike:

 

1. Smell

 

Dislikes:

 

1. The tingly feeling it gives my lips

 

A-

Kiss My Face Pure Coconut Milk Soap Review

So my foray into the world of bar soaps that aren't from Dove continues! This time I spotted a delectable sounding bar soap from Kiss My Face which is the pure coconut milk soap. I love coconuts and the nourishing properties of coconut milk so I couldn't wait to lather up with this soap!

Claims from the packaging: Cleanse and indulge your skin with 86% pure Coconut Milk soap known for its hydrating benefits. Perfect for all skin types!

I bought this bar soap online at Well.ca for $4.49. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it so I just purchased one bar for reviewing purposes.

Here's the ingredients list and sure enough there is a lot of coconut in this soap! Coconut oil, glycerin from coconuts and of course coconut milk. I was intrigued at the fact that sea salt was in there as well as fragrance.

It doesn't smell like coconuts. It actually smells a lot more like lime with a hint of creamy softness. The smell is very soft, not at all overwhelming. It's not very strong which is what I expected from a naturally sourced fragrance. I like it!

Here's the bar in my hand so you can see how large it is. It's pretty big! A lot bigger then the largest of my Dove soaps.

It lathers really well. You're left with big, fluffy, creamy clouds of lather. It feels incredible on my skin. Creamy and hydrating and very nourishing. The sad part comes once I wash it off. It gives my skin that same feeling of squeaky tightness! I know that might not be a deal breaker for some, but it's important to me. I like my bar soaps to be like solid slabs of body wash, I expect them to leave my skin with that same feeling of creaminess after I rinse myself clean.

Likes:

1. It's a large bar!
2. It smells really nice!
3. It's full of coconut milk and coconut oil
4. Affordable

Dislikes:

1. The feeling of squeaky tightness it leaves my skin with!

C

Lush Melting Marshmallow Moment Bath Melt Review

I absolutely adore these cute little cupcakes!

Claims from the Lush Canada website: MMM melts into a pink, fluffy waterbed of marshmallow and moisturizing cocoa butter to satisfy cravings for all things sweet and delicious. Each pink, cupcake-shaped bath melt is made with real marshmallow herb, which produces a sweet, skin-soothing mucilage and marigold, which is equally lovely and calming for your skin. Part bath melt and part Bath Bomb – it’s the fluffiest, pinkest bath melt we’ve ever created. Mixing it with the Bath Bomb mixture means that Melting Marshmallow Moment goes the distance. It fizzes and melts slowly, releasing the softening, skin soothing cocoa butter and almond oil into the water.

I bought this bath melt for $7.95 at Lush. This bath melt smells like heart jujubes which is my absolute favourite candy! It's a delicious sugary smell that just smells like the colour pink! Usually the bath melt has a purple topping but there is some variance in the appearance as these bath products are handmade.The bath melt is rather crumbly but it just fizzes away in the bathtub.

To use this bath melt I cut it in half because these are pricey and I couldn't live with myself if I dropped the entire thing into bath water! Also my bath tub isn't very big so half a bath melt is enough to give full results.
The bath melt tints the water a gorgeous pink and fills the bathtub with the sweet bubblegum-esque smell! And the water is so moisturizing and slick. You can tell it has cocoa butter and almond oil in because your skin feels so hydrated. When I get into the tub I simply don't want to get out!

I do have eczema so I was a little apprehensive about using this bath melt but it proved to be incredibly beneficial for my eczema. Honestly, it soothed my skin and my eczema has gone into hiding since I've started to use these bath melts. I'd repurchase this bath melt a thousand times over because of the delicious scent, the relaxation it provides me and the way it soothes my skin.

A+

Lush Sultana of Soap Review

Recently I've gotten into Lush products. The sound of fresh, handmade cosmetics just sounded too good to be true. And I've passed the little shop countless times in Square One and decided to really see what the place was all about.

I decided to try some soaps because I wanted something to use when I was showering, not when I was bathing (as much as I love baths they aren't too good for the environment). I picked up Sultana of Soap, Rock Star and Honey I Washed the kids.

Claims from the Lush Canada Website: Revel in Sultana’s majesty, and have a wash with the royalty of soaps. It looks like a fancy Italian dessert; a giant nougat cake topped with succulent currants and apricots. Smooth a slice of our soft decadent soap all over your body for a creamy lather and the most dazzling bergamot and olibanum scent. Your skin will be delighted and you’ll be left softer and smelling like a fancy candy shop with a touch of fruity sweetness. If you weren’t invited to the wedding, at least you can brush shoulders with royalty in the shower.

I got this from Lush for $6.40 for 100g. This soap smells a lot like what I imagine to be a very Lush smell. It's sweet, a little fruity and there's some muskiness courtsey of the olibanum. It's soft and complex without being overwhelming. I find it nice and I'm a person who usually only likes gourmand scents.

Now the saleslady in Lush told me this soap was very moisturizing on the skin so I went into the shower with very high expectations. She told me the same thing about Honey I Washed The Kids which dried my skin out a lot and left me with that tight, squeaky feeling regular soaps often give the skin. So I deliberately sought out a soap that would be more moisturizing and I thought the Sultana of Soap would meet that criteria.

Unfortunately the Sultana made my skin feel that exact same way; tight and squeaky. No matter how gorgeous the smell, I can't put my skin through this sort of dryness. I do use it at a hand soap (no way I'm letting a soap this expensive go to waste) and I like the way the scent lingers on my hands. If (If and only if!) this soap was more moisturizing - like my all time favourite Dove beauty bars - I'd be in absolute heaven.

Likes:

1. The intriguing scent
2. How creamy it makes my skin feel while the lather is on my skin

Dislikes:

1. I feel like it's drying my skin out

 C+

GOOD TO GO The Body Shop Honeymania Bar Soap Review

I received this soap bar as a christmas gift and I was really looking forward to trying it. I love honey in my bath and body products (it makes me feel so luxurious!) So I had high hopes for this bar soap.

Claims from The Body Shops website: This honeycomb-shaped soap has a cute bee at its centre. It has a rich, floral scent and contains Community Fair Trade honey made from the nectar of over 1,000 wildflowers. Lather up for skin that feels silky soft.

Isn't that bee shape adorable? I just love it. It cost $4.00 for 100g. The honeymania soap is also shaped differently then the other Body Shop bar soaps and I think that it was a smart choice that makes the product stand out.

This soap doesn't smell like honey at all, it's got a light floral scent. I feel like I would have preferred it to have a more sweet, gourmand scent but the floral smell has grown on me. It doesn't linger on the skin afterwards unfortunately.

The soap lathers up easily and feels so silky and smooth on my skin. When I rinse, I encounter problems. My skin gets this squeaky, dry feeling afterward. I can't deal with that. Sure you're supposed to moisturize after a shower but I shouldn't feel as though the soap I'm using is drying out my skin. While I like the scent and the presentation, I'm not going to use this soap on my body. Like all failed soaps I buy, it's going to become a hand soap.

Likes:

1. The floral scent is light and pretty
2. The presentation of the soap is superb
3. The soap does a good job of actually getting me clean

Dislikes:
1. It makes my skin feel so dry!

 C+