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-

Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer Combination/Oily

 

 

    I've wanted to incorporate sunscreen into my routine for years but I felt like I could never find sunscreen that fit my needs. I'm an NW45 woman of colour, I can't be walking around with physical sunscreens because they make my skin look white and ashen. Also I've never seen a day lotion with SPF catered to combo/oily skin so I was very excited for that.

    After using L'Oreal's Ideal Moisture Dry Skin day lotion with SPF 25 (major game changer, not only did it reshydrate my skin but it opened my eyes to the world of moisturizers with SPF), I've come to realize there are a wide variety of sunscreens that look invisible on my skin. This Olay sunscreen was one of them.

   Claims from the packaging: Helps prevents sunburn with Broad Spectrum 15 UVA/UVB sunscreen. Conditions skin surface with vitamins E & B3 to maintain healthy looking skin. Provides 48 hours of moisture for long lasting hydration. Result healthy-looking, beautiful skin.

    This cost me $8.97 at Wal-Mart because it was on sale. Regularly it retails for $9.97.

    So there's the bottle. It's looks so small and cute but it's got a fair sized amount of product in the bottle 120ml of product. It's got a squeeze bottle design which I like - compared to a pump bottle - because I can customize how much lotion I want to squeeze out at a time.

    
     The lotion is incredibly light feeling. It feels like a burst of hydration on my skin. It feels considerably less heavy then the L'Oreal Dry Skin day lotion which is a relief because that lotion was almost too thick for my skin in the winter, much less the summer.

     The lotion smells a lot like Proactiv's products. Every time I smooth the lotion onto my face I'm taken back to the days when I attempted to use Proactiv! It's definitely weird but I can't complain because the scent itself isn't unpleasant.

     The lotion feels very light on my skin and absorbs very easily, it doesn't take a lot of massaging to get all of the product to sink in. And it doesn't make my skin look greasy, it just looks hydrated.

    This product doesn't leave a white cast on my skin at all which just makes me so happy.

    There is a little bit of stinging when the lotion comes into contact with the sensitive skin around my nose but it goes away after about thirty seconds.

     This lotion doesn't make my combination skin any oilier then it is usually. This lotion doesn't claim to control oil, but at least it doesn't exacerbate it.

   Overall I'm very happy with this lotion and I love everything about it aside from the slight burning. This lotion is a great fit for my skin's needs and makes a great summer time moisturizer. I know I'm going to be repurchasing this lotion again and again because it's everything I've wanted in a daily moisturizer.

Likes:

1. The weightless feel on skin
2. The moderate hydration
3. Doesn't make my combo skin oily
4. Afforable price
5. Doesn't leave a white cast
6. Broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection

Dislikes:

1. Slight stinging

A-



Freeman Feeling Beautiful Diamond Mineral Rinse Review

 

 

Freeman has been knocking it out of the park with their fantastic face masks. Totally curious I picked up the Diamond Mineral rinse to see how well it would work for my skin. And I had never experienced a mineral rinse so I was excited to see how that would go as well. The mask claimed it had diamonds in it and true enough diamond powder is listed in the ingredients!

Claims from the website: Dazzling skin is a girl’s best friend! Our delightfully indulgent mask with Sparkleberry Extract helps fight off environmental assaults to enhance skin’s look and feel over time. Dazzling Diamond Dust flecks glisten as you wear this clarifying clay mask…plus, they polish away dullness to reveal multi-faceted radiance! Unique mask rinses clean for a lasting, super-cool finish. Perfect for all skin types.

This mask trial size packet retails $1.99. You can squeeze two to four uses out of this mask if you store it well which makes it a good value. I've only used it once and I believe I have enough for one to two more uses.

This mask is a creamy white. It's a little softer then the usually stiff, paste like Freeman masks and has scrubbing granules in the mask. Going on the mask feels very cooling and minty. It pairs nicely with the scrubbing action. It's got a berry scent with a slightly artificial lean to it but it's not unpleasant.

When the mask was dry I could see the diamond dust specks glittering on my face. After rinsing I noticed that the mask had a good exfoliation, comparable to an actual mask. It's not too rough so it doesn't make my skin red, it just leaves me with soft skin. It's less abrasive then Freeman's charcoal and black sugar mask (which totally obliterated the clogged pores in my nose).

I wouldn't recommend using this mask before going anywhere, unless you like having random specks of diamond dust on your skin. It's not like I turn into a discoball, but when I turn my head the light will catch a piece of glitter and I'll get annoyed.

In short; I like this mask. I like the minty fresh tingle, the exfoliation, how soft it and fresh it leaves my skin feeling. I feel like this mask is the first successful two in one mask from Freeman. With the clay and pumice in this mask, it functions both as a mask and a scrub whereas with the other two in one mask was more suited to one function (In my opinion, the charcoal and black sugar mask was best suited for scrubbing). While this mask doesn't replace a scrub or a clay mask, it's a nice weekly treatment on it's own merits.

Likes:

1. How soft and fresh it leaves my skin
2. Moderate scrubbing action
3. Says it has diamonds in it and it really does
4. Combines the function of a scrub and a clay mask

Dislikes:

1. Diamond specks are difficult to remove

A