Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light Review

I've tried argan oil in the past and have always found it to be too rich for my sensitive-acne prone skin. I also didn't like how heavy it was on my hair. I was particularly excited when I found out that Josie Maran produced an ultralight version of argan oil. Fortunately, I was able to use my Sephora points in order to get a good sized sample (5ml). Usually the 5ml trial bottle costs around $20.

This oil is everything that I thought it would be and more. It is fast-absorbing, ultra hydrating, without it being too heavy or "greasy". The best part is that my skin doesn't react to this. I've been using this product for about 3 weeks daily, with more of a focus on where I have fine lines. On the areas where I have fine lines I gently massage the oil for a good full minute in order to increase blood circulation to that area. I have found that with repeated use (twice daily) it has minimized the appearance of my fine lines. This is definitely a product that I will be repurchasing, and just because I know how effective it is, I will be purchasing the full sized bottle 1.7oz for $58.

Have you tried argan oil before? What are your thoughts? 

What Am I Wearing Today? - Makeup Edition #2

I'm testing out some new products, so before I write reviews for them individually I thought I'd share a new makeup look that I am trying out. Unfortunately, I kind of took this picture randomly in order to take advantage of the sun! Thus, my eye makeup wasn't really "camera ready" and doesn't show much here in this photo. 

Primer: Pur Mineral Color Correcting Primer 

Foundation: Sappho Organic Cosmetics Liquid Foundation

Concealer: Stilia Perfecting Concealer (for blemishes) and Jane Iredale Corrective Colors in Peach (for under-eye circles)

Brows: Tarte Brow Architect

Highlight & Shadow: Lorac Mint Edition Palette

Contour: Tarte Amazonian Clay  Matte Waterproof Bronzer 

Eyeliner: Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Black 

Mascara: Perfekt Lash Prefection Gel
Lips: BITE BEAUTY lipstick in Palmino


So far I am LOVING the Sappho Organic Liquid Foundation, it gives a good amount of coverage while making your skin look dwey and fresh. I can see this becoming a staple in my everyday routine. I will have a review up for this in the next little bit. 

I also included the Lorac Mint Edition Palette here (even though you can't see the colors on camera all that well) because I am hoping that I will soon be able to find a natural dupe for you guys. 

The BITE BEAUTY lipstick is Canadian made and is sold exclusively at Sephora and features organic & natural ingredients. Although their products do contain dyes, but I am okay with that! I am so far loving the color and the creaminess of this lipstick!

March Empties: Featuring 100% Pure, Lulu Organics + More!

Love & Toast Dew Blossom Lotion: I lucked out and was able to find this product at Winners (of course! I went through a phase when I was there all the time). I had heard lots of good things about this brand so I wanted to check it out. This is a very nice lotion if you are not into natural products. One of my big problems about this product was that it advertised itself as "natural". It even had a "I am natural" sticker at the top of the bottle. Overall the ingredients were pretty good except that it included fragrance. The fragrance didn't smell like essential oils either. That being said, I did like the smell. Another problem that I had with this product was the packaging, although it was aesthetically pleasing it didn't function too well. Almost from the very beginning I always had to keep the bottle upside down. The rectangular package made it difficult to squeeze out more product. Aside from this product having fragrance, it doesn't include parabens,  phthalates, petrolatum, mineral oil, propylene glycol, retinol, sulfates, or synthetic color. It is also not tested on animals, nor does it contain animal ingredients. There are lots of positives to this lotion, I just wish that it didn't contain fragrance. 

Acne Medication: Benzoyl Peroxide (5%): Although this is by far not a natural product, I have been using this to effectively treat my acne. Sometime last year I came across a website that was highly rated on its information to treat acne. If you've been following my blog, you'll know by now that I do suffer from acne. As a teenager (as early as 12) I suffered from severe acne. I went on Accutane by the age of 13 and stayed on it for about 8-12 months. Of course, Accutane reduced my acne by about 90-95%. The experience itself wasn't pleasant. I became depressed and had unbearable dry skin(my skin is now permanently dry in some areas). This is not something that I would ever put myself through again. About two years ago the acne came back, not to the full amount but some days its probably at 50% of what it used to be. I do plan on getting allergy tests done to see if that could be effecting any breakouts. For now, I use benzyl peroxide at night all over my face, not as a spot treatment. This helps my skin from breaking out a lot. Although breakouts still do occur. If you wan't more information on this, visit www.acne.org.

Lulu Organics Hair Powder: Around Christmas I purchased a little trial size of this dry shampoo. With washing my hair less and still exercising I needed something that would help get rid of the oil in my hair and also keep my hair looking fresh. At first I thought that this product was so expensive. It's $10 for the travel size and $30 for the full size. However, this tiny bottle (1 oz.) lasted me 3 months! I also used this 3-4 times a week. This hair powder is awesome, it does exactly what it claims to do, smells great, and a little goes a long way. Once I ran out of this product I lived without it for a week and it was dreadful. I immediately had to buy some more!

The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Mask: I have a dilemma when it comes to shopping at The Body Shop. You can read more about that here. Fortunately, The Body Shop does have a line that features organic & natural ingredients. I decided to try out their smoothing mask because they were having one of their sales buy 2 get the 3rd item free. This product wasn't my favorite. I have tried better smoothing masks. Maybe I have too high of standards now because I am used to higher end masks such as Eminence. This mask felt like a standard clay mask, it didn't really have any smell (except for the clay)  and it really didn't do much for me. The only thing it did was make my skin feel slightly more soft after use. The good thing about this product is that a little goes a long way. I could have easily made this product last a year if I wanted to. |

Yes to Cucumbers On-The-Go Facial Wipes: I love the "Yes To" line because it uses natural ingredients, is easily accessible (available at most drugstores in my area), and is affordable. I picked these up when I was suffering from a break out and needed to use something soothing to remove makeup. I got 10 towelettes for $2.99, which is a fantastic price. I liked that these were extremely soothing  and seemed to calm down the irritation on my skin. Unfortunately, these didn't remove my makeup as well as other brands such as the juicy bamboo cleansing cloths. 

100% Pure Carrot Facial Scrub: 100% Pure is a brand that caught my attention ever since I started "going natural". The ingredients that they use are phenomenal and they have a wide selection of products. The Carrot Facial Scrub is one of the skincare items that I actually enjoyed using. It offers a gentle exfoliant that's gentle enough the use everyday. It also smells fantastic (like oranges) and is extremely brightening. Unfortunately, I tried other skincare items from 100% Pure that didn't really impress me. However, I'm still looking forward to trying some of their makeup. All of their makeup is fruit pigmented - doesn't that sound fantastic?! 

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts?

PS. Blogger seems to be messing up with the coloring of my font - some of it shows black while others show grey. Anyone else experiencing problems like this?

Liebster Award Part 2!

I was nominated by Beth from Beth and the Beauty for the Liebster Award! This will be my second time receiving this award. I'm always happy to receive this or any award because it shows that people are interested in my blog. It really encourages me to keep going! This award is for up and comers with less than 200 followers. Here are the rules:

1. Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you and display the award.
2. Answer eleven questions that the blogger gives you.
3. Give eleven random facts about yourself – they can be anything!
4. Nominate eleven blogs that you think are deserving of the award (but they must have less than 200 followers.) (Couple of mine did have  a little more than 200 followers, but after researching the guidelines this amount used to be less than 1000 followers and I believe they really deserved to be nominated)
5. Let the bloggers know you nominated them.
6.  Give them eleven questions to answer.

So this one was a little different from the previous Liebster Award that I had received and I may have broken the rules...just a little bit! 

Here are the answers to Beth's questions: 

1. What made you start a blog?I started my blog because I wanted to educate friends and family about the dangerous ingredients used in cosmetics. Everything ranging from foundation to soap. I wanted to show them that switching to products with safer ingredients was easy and affordable.

2. What is your favorite beauty tip?Right now my favorite beauty tip would have to be to switch to natural shampoo. I have been using natural shampoo and conditioner for 6 months. A few weeks ago I felt annoyed and decided to try regular shampoo. I felt annoyed because I wanted something that would lather and something that would smell nice. Immediately after washing my hair, my hair looked amazing and I thought "why don't I use this stuff again?" It wasn't until the next day that my hair was already extremely oily at the scalp and felt brittle on the ends. I usually only need to wash my hair 2 times a week with using natural shampoo. What regular shampoo does is it drys out your hair, and thus your scalp over compensates for this by producing more oil. Seriously girls, you don't need to wash your hair everyday. If you switch to natural shampoo and go through a month or two of "training your scalp" you will have beautiful, healthy, hair and you won't have to waste time by washing your every single day!

3. Heels or Flats? Why?Tough, I don't know. I want to say heels because heels can make any outfit look good but sometimes flats just make more sense. If I could, I would wear heels all day everyday. 

4. Favorite High End makeup brand?Before paying attention to ingredients, I used to be a MAC junkie. Now that I have ventured off into the world of natural & safe cosmetics I haven't been able to try everything out there. Right now I'll say that my favorite "high end" makeup brand is Tarte. Although, I kind of consider Tarte to be more of a mid-high end brand. Oh! I should also say ILIA Beauty- amazing products, great ingredients. Right now the line only has lipsticks, mascara, and a finishing powder but I expect more to come in the near future!

5. Do you own more high end or drugstore makeup?I don't really own any drugstore makeup. I did try lower end natural makeup brands like The All Natural Face. I think those products work well for those who are just getting into makeup or are a little low on cash. I would use them regularly if I couldn't afford anything else. It's a much better alternative than buying makeup at Walmart (the ingredients in those products are usually really bad). Do higher end products work better - of course. 

6. Where do you see your blog in 5 years?In 5 years I hope that I will have expanded my blog into a youtube channel and possibly have started my own online store featuring natural cosmetics!

7. Where is the one dream place you want to travel to?Hmm dream place... maybe Germany so that I could visit the Neuschwanstein Castle or Spain so that I could see some architecture by Antoni Gaudi!

8. If someone gave you $200 for makeup, where would you go and what would you buy?I would wish that I could go and spend the money in my city but most of my purchases would have to be made online. I would probably shop online at Spirit Beauty Lounge and get Kjaer Weis products. Knowing me I would also probably have to get some Tata Harper products. Omg...i'd only be able to get like 2-3 products with $200. Why must I pick everything that so expensive! 

9. Would you rather travel by car or fly?Depends where I am going!

10. What do you feel is your best strength?My willingness to grow, learn, and always improve myself

11. What is your most expensive makeup product?Hmm, right now it is the liquid foundation from Sappho Cosmetics. It costs about $52 - expect a review in the near future!

11 Random Facts About Myself:

1. I have a certificate of Makeup Artistry, certificate in Design Studies, and an Architectural Technician Diploma. 
2. I just turned 23 - Today is my Birthday!
3. I have traveled to Manhattan, Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungry, Mayan Riviera + more. While in Poland I had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz - truly heartbreaking and eye opening experience.
5.I love yoga! I appreciate a good, intense yoga class. But yin is my favorite style of yoga.
6. I love watching Ancient Aliens! haha
7. I am a true homebody.
8. I used to be a competitive swimmer when I was younger and gave it up. I have regretted it ever since.
9. I like reading biographies - I'm just starting to read "Prisoner of Tehran" by Marina Nemat
10. Most of my ancestry lies within Scandinavia.
11. Although I live in Canada I hate the cold and want to move immediately! 

Here are my questions for the Nominees: 

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. What is your favorite blog post that you have created?
3. What is your favorite blog post created by someone else?
4. What is your dream vacation?
5. How would you spend your perfect day (I asked myself this question and actually made it happen, it is worth thinking about!) 

6. Who is your favorite blogger or youtuber? 

7. Coffee or tea?
8. What is one thing that you cannot leave the house without? 

9. What in life makes you the most happy? 

10. What advice would you give your younger self? 

11. If you could relive any day, what would it be? 

and...here are the nominees! 

Alina from AnthroFashions

Kimberley from Healthy Roots 
Mary and Lindsey from Laylon. A dairy of beauty by two sisters. 
Ru from Short, small, & sweet 
Jana - Small Bits of Loveliness 
Audrey - Mademoiselle Nature 
Lana - Delicate Lavender 
Victoria - Alf & Emilio 

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation Review + A possible giveaway in the near future!

I was so excited to try this foundation from Tarte because of its unique packaging. Instead of tapping out the product into the lid, it has a mesh where you push your kabuki brush into in order to release the "perfect amount of product"(see below for picture). This is great for travelling or for messy people like me! By pressing the kabuki brush into the mesh it released enough powder for half of my face. I like this method because you don't waste a lot of product. 

Overall, I like this foundation. It was definitely full coverage. Even more so than my favorite mineral foundation from Geisha Ink. I found this product to last long even without a finishing powder. I also liked that it worked well with my dry/combination skin, this product really does work well for all types of skin. Now that it is starting to warm up a bit I am getting oily in the t-zone and still dry everywhere else. I like carrying around this product because I know that it isn't going to make a mess everywhere after its been thrown into my purse. For those of you who wear mineral foundation, you know this can be a bit annoying because as soon as you open the lid, product goes everywhere. My only complaint about this product is the packaging. Although it is innovative and has positives, the negative is that you won't know when you're running out of product. I hope that in the future Tarte makes the container clear so that you can see how much product you have left. 

I am happy with this products performance as it is full coverage and gives an even, natural look. This is my go to product if I am suffering from an extreme break out (my skin is so up and down, one week it's good, the other week its a nightmare!).

PS. A local company has asked me if I wanted to participate in a promotional giveaway. Their products are not related to beauty at all! The company is a survival company who specializes in emergency preparedness gear. They are wanting to do a giveaway for one of their survival bags. The details haven't been worked out yet but I am thinking that a car emergency kit would be good! Although this is not related to beauty or natural cosmetics I think that this might be something interesting to do. Not a lot of us think about what would happen if we were stranded. All I can think of is myself wearing heels and my car breaking down in the middle of winter! Sometimes here during a snowstorm, car accidents are so common that AMA cannot reach you for 24 hours. It really is something to think about. These are also good to have when camping or hiking. What do you guys think? Would you be interested in this giveaway? 

Kaia Naturals Juicy Bamboo Cleansing Cloths Review

Kaia Naturals is a Canadian-based company that creates all natural products using certified organic ingredients. I have to admit, I was never a huge fan of using cleansing cloths until I tried this one. In the past, cleansing cloths did do a good job at removing makeup, however my skin never felt clean. I always needed to re-wash my face. 

The cleansing cloths by Kaia Naturals act as a 3 in 1 substitute for a facial cleanser, toner, and eye makeup remover.  The ultra-soft bamboo cleansing cloth is soaked in honey and vitamins B12, C, and E. The honey acts as a great moisturizer and not only leaves your skin feeling clean but also soft and hydrated. In fact, I used the cleansing cloth only 20 minutes ago and I still haven't used my nighttime moisturizer because my skin already feels extremely moisturized. Not only are these cloths made with natural and organic ingredients, but they are also cruelty free and biodegradable. 

Without much effort, I was able to remove all of my makeup. I was left with clean and moisturized skin. I love using cleansing cloths when my skin is suffering from break outs. I find these are so gentle and don't irritate my acne. Cleansing cloths are also perfect for when travelling or are at the gym. 

Ingredients: aqua, miel, sorbitan laurate, helianthus annuus (sunflower seed oil), hydrolyzed jojoba esters, glycerin, decyl glucoside, polyglyceryl-4 laurate, dilauryl cirtate,xanthan gum, cirtic acid, dehydroacetic acid, benzyl alcohol, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate  

These sell for $15.50 CDN at Nuciya. I find this a reasonable price because it acts as a makeup remover, cleanser and toner all in one! This makes it perfect for travelling or camping during the summer months. 

Have you tried cleansing cloths? What are your thoughts on them?

Favorite Natural Makeup Tag!

I love tags! I think that they are a great way to bring together a certain community and allow viewers to know more about their favorite blogger/vlogger. I was inspired to make this tag by a recent post from Sarah at Sugarpuffish. Sarah interviewed a few different bloggers in order to find out what their holy grail products are. I thought it would be a great idea for us in the green beauty community to learn about what all of our favorite makeup products are!

What is your favorite foundation?
My favorite foundation is the mineral foundation by Geisha Ink.

What type of foundation to you prefer - mineral, liquid, or cream?
I used to be a liquid foundation only kind of girl, which was only until I tried the Geisha Ink mineral foundation. Now I am converted and mineral is my favorite type of foundation!

Have you found a favorite natural mascara?
Unfortunately I haven’t had any luck finding a natural or non-toxic mascara that I like. I find that they dry out way to quickly and become very flaky. I do have high hopes for the RMS Beauty mascara though!

In your opinion, what company makes the best pigments for eye shadow?
By far Alima Pure, every time I venture onto their website I want to buy every single eye shadow that I see! Plus Alima Pure is sold at Anthropologie, you know that it must be good if Anthro sells some of their products!

Have you tried to make any of your own natural makeup? If so, how did it turn out?
I haven’t yet. Although there are a few classes in my city that teach how to make mineral makeup. I plan on taking those classes in the near future.

What makeup item was the hardest to switch over to a natural alternative?
By far mascara! As from my previous answers, I am still having a difficult time with it.

Do you have any holy grail natural or non-toxic makeup products?
I just started using the Pur Mineral Color Correcting Primer in green and I love it! It makes such a difference of the overall appearance of my skin.

What is your go to non-toxic lip product?
ILIA for sure! Not only are their colors gorgeous but I find that the performance of ILIA lipsticks surpass well-known brands such as Mac. I remember one day when I was wearing a bright colored ILIA lipstick, I drank a whole cup of coffee and there was no lipstick mark left on the glass!

What is your favorite natural cosmetics brand?
Surprisingly I actually don’t have an answer for this. I don’t think that I’ve tried enough from each brand to pick my favorite. A favorite to me would be a company that I like mostly everything from them. I’ll have to answer this question in the future… maybe I’ll need to go try some more RMS Beauty products!

This is my first attempt at a tag, I hope you guys liked it!


I tag:
Carrie from What I Love Today
Rachel from All Natural Aspirations
Sarah from Sugarpuffish
Ru from Short, Small, & Sweet
Jana from Small Bits of Loveliness
Audrey from Mademoiselle Nature
Jess from Ecoholic Beauty

Have fun!

March Wishlist

There really isn`t enough money in the world to buy me all the things that I wish for!

RMS Beauty Mascara $28: When RMS Beauty announced that they would be launching a mascara, the green beauty community went crazy! I heard of girls buying this as soon as it went up on their online store. Most of you know that RMS Beauty products are among the best, so I do have high hopes for this mascara!

ILIA Beauty Fade Into You Finishing Powder $34: How exciting is it that ILIA Beauty (another popular luxury makeup brand) has come out with a finishing powder? I cant wait to see what they're going to come up with next! I've been living without a finishing powder for a while so I may have to get this sooner than later! 

Estelle & Thild Rose Otto Facial Cleansing Milk $34: I've heard great things about this brand from Carrie at What I Love Today. Her most recent post reminded me of this brand. This cleanser looks fabulous as it combines two of my favorite things in a cleanser - cleansing milk & rose. 

Alima Pure Gaia Collection $36: Alima products always have such wonderful pigments. I'm already eyeing the In Bloom collection. What more can I say, just look at those colors! Hopefully I can get my hands on some of these soon! I`m really wanting to do a makeup look for you guys featuring these shadows.

ILIA Beauty Lipstick Crayon in Come Undone $24: I love ILIA lipsticks and haven't yet tried their lipstick crayons. I will soon be saying goodbye to my MAC Honeylove Lipstick and am in need of a good nude color. I think this may be the one!

Kure Bazaar Nail Lacquer Corso 22 $16: I haven't had the chance to try Kure nail lacquers and am in need of a good neutral color. I've heard overall good reviews from this brand.

ilike apple & Lemon gel mask $52: I've featured this brand on one of my previous wishlists and haven't got around to trying any of their products. It`s hard to choose just one product by them because they all sound delicious! I chose this mask to feature because of a recent conversation that I had with Sabrina at Chickweed and Blush about acne scarring and hyper pigmentation!

Red Flower Plum Blossom Silk Cream $53.95: I don't really know too much about this brand so I am curious about their products! I am also in need of a new body moisturizer. This one sounds extremely luxurious because it contains plum, apricot, jasmine, rose blossoms, sea algae, concentrated silk extracts and plum wine serum. Doesn't that sound heavenly!?

ilike Paprika Spot Treatment $53: Since I am so intrigued by ilike products I couldn't help but add one more thing by them on my wishlist. I am currently looking for a good spot treatment and I like how paprika treated my skin in some eminence products. 


What are some things that youre wishing for this month? Does it ever feel like the wishlist never ends!?

Comparison: Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer & Pur Minerals Correcting Primer

As some of you may know, I suffer from acne and acne scarring. This has left my skin tone red and uneven. Color-correcting makeup is supposed to cancel out discoloration such as redness, yellow tones, or even darkness from sunspots, veins or under the eyes. At first the thought of putting something green on my face scared me. I couldn't see as to how this would possibly work. However, I've found that with quality products, color correctors can be amazing!

Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer ($41 CAD): 
The Tarte CC Primer comes in 5 different colors (fair, light, medium, tan, and deep). It's a unique product because it not only has a light coverage, but also contains purple and green clay for color correcting. I think that this is a great product for those who have minor imperfects. The beauty of this product is that because it contains a light coverage, you can use less foundation or none at all. After first applying this product I noticed that my skin felt silky smooth. Because I have a lot of discoloration this didn't cancel out most of the redness on my skin. I also noticed that after wearing this all day my t-zone area became oily. This is particularly odd for me because I have dry skin and the weather is below 0 degrees Celsius. Despite this product not working out too well for me, I still think that this is a good product and can see it working well for those with minor discoloration.

Pur Minerals Correcting Primer ($36 CAD): 
Pur Minerals is a brand that slipped passed my radar for so long. I thought that their products weren't as good as they seemed (ingredient wise). It wasn't until I saw this product on Cosmetic Database and noticed that it only had a toxicity score of 1! This primer is pure green but it does a great job at reducing 90% of my redness. When using this product I end up using less concealer and less foundation. It really is fantastic. This is not a product that you can use alone, it is strictly meant for underneath foundation. Using this alone will result in you looking "sickish". However, this goes away as soon as you use foundation. For best results Pur Minerals suggests using a mineral foundation with this product. This product works as a great base and is really perfect for reducing redness caused by acne or acne scarring.

Both of these products are effective but work best towards how much color correcting you need. Since I have both, I use them together. I use the Pur Minerals product first and then use a little bit of the Tarte Primer to add more color and extra coverage.

Do you use color correctors? If so, what is your favorite one?

What Am I Wearing Today? - Makeup Edition

This is my everyday makeup look and the sun was finally out so I could take a half decent picture! Right now I am only able to take pictures with my camera phone so sometimes it's hard to get a good quality photo (especially without natural sunlight!)

Here is what I am wearing today: 

Primer: Pur Mineral Color Correcting Primer 
Foundation: Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation 
Concealer: Jane Iredale Corrective Colors 
Brows: Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse 
Highlight: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
Contour: Tarte Amazonian Clay  Matte Waterproof Bronzer 
Eyeliner: Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Black 
Mascara: Perfekt Lash Prefection Gel
Cheeks: Estee Lauder Blush in Peach Passion
Lips: Mac Honeylove Lipstick 

I just did a massive Tarte haul so that is why majority of the products that I used are Tarte. I will be doing reviews soon for all of the new products that I purchased. Also some of these products are older (such as Mac and Estee Lauder). I haven't yet switched them out to products with better ingredients. If you are looking for a great dupe for the Mac Honeylove lipstick try the ILIA Beauty Humble Me Lipstick. 

What are some of your favorite makeup products that you use everyday? 

New Brand Alert: Mekar Bioactive Skincare Review

Mekar is a Canadian skincare company that popped onto my radar a few months ago when they were having a sale on Beyond the Rack. I jumped on the opportunity to test out a new natural and organic skincare line. Their products are color coded for four different categories based on your skincare needs. Since I have sensitive skin, I chose to test out the correct and purify products.

Correct - Acne, redness, oily skin
Hydrate - Dry, mature skin
Purify - Cleanse, tone, and exfoliate
Revive - All skin types

Velvet Cleanser - 120 ml 

The Velvet Cleanser is extremely gentle as it is enriched with aloe vera and lavender. This cleanser has a milk like consistency that will sooth your skin. I found this cleanser to be hydrating and of course soothing. It really works well for keeping your skin supple during the dry winter months. I love that this cleanser also has a great ingredient list, my only complaint is that water is the first ingredient: 

Aqua, Propanediol (from corn, EcoCert approved), Glyceryl Stearate SE, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract*, Glycerin, Cetyl Betaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate (and) Glyceryl Undecylenate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Allantoin, Glycolic Acid, Panthenol, Limnanthes alba (Meadow foam) Seed Oil, Moringa Oil (and)Hydrogenated Moringa Oil Esters, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Orange) Leaf Oil*, Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) Fruit Oil*, Citric Acid

* Certified organic ingredient

I preferably liked using this cleanser in the morning because it left my skin feeling vibrant. Unfortunately, it didn't do a good enough job at helping to remove my makeup (this is something that I look for in a nighttime cleanser). I've been using this product for over a month and a little goes a long way. This is definitely a product that I may repurchase to use as a morning cleanser.  

Cleansing Tonic Water - 120 ml

The Cleansing Tonic Water happens to be one of my favorite products by Mekar. The use of essential oils reminds me of the Yon-ka toner. This toner just happens to be at a much better price. It is gentle, soothing, and does a great job at taking off excess makeup. Here is the ingredient list:

Aqua, Propanediol (from corn, EcoCert approved), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract*, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Flower Water, Manganese Gluconate, Pentylene Glycol (from sugar cane, EcoCert approved), Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glyceryl Caprylate (and) Glyceryl Undecylenate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Orange) Leaf Oil*, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Phytate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil* Citric Acid

* Certified organic ingredient

This product is definitely something that I will repurchase again. 

 Corrective Balancing Serum - 15 ml

The Corrective Balancing Serum is a gel-like serum that is supposed to reduce redness and blemishes. It is also used to control oil. Unfortunately this serum didn`t do much for my acne. I am going to continue using it to see if anything changes. I like that this serum doesn`t dry out my skin and still has the same soothing qualities of the velvet cleanser and toner.  Here are the full list of ingredients for the serum: 

Aqua, Propanediol (from corn, EcoCert approved), Helichrysum Italicum Flower Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract*, Pentylene Glycol (from sugar cane, EcoCert approved), Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Beta-Glucan, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glyceryl Caprylate (and) Glyceryl Undecylenate, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Dehydroxantam Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Undecylenoyl Glycine, Capryloyl Glycine, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Orange) Leaf Oil*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil*, Sodium Phytate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid

* Certified organic ingredient

Have you heard of Mekar? What are your thoughts on this new skincare brand? 

Indie Lee Blemish Lotion Review

The Indie Lee Blemish Lotion has been on my radar for a few months. I had heard nothing but rave reviews on this product. I was intrigued by its unique application method - letting the product (clay) sink to the bottom and dip a q-tip into the bottle. After using this product for a couple of weeks and I can see its appeal. I think that this product works wonders on those nasty stubborn blemishes that seem to pop up out of nowhere. However, I don't just suffer from the occasional pimple. Majority if my acne is underneath the skin. I also have extremely dry skin (especially during the winter) that aggravates my acne. I found that because there is Isopropyl Alcohol in this product, it only aggravated my dry skin, thus not doing much for my acne.  Because I cannot just get away with putting this on one spot, I have to use it on many pimples, I wake up to dry flaky skin. Unfortunately as an everyday acne treatment this doesn't do much for me. I do think that this is great for the occasional "above the surface" pimple. You know those ones that have a clearly defined "head" or "opening". Because of its ability to clear that type of acne fast,  I will keep this in my medicine cabinet. I am also interested to see how my skin will react to this during the summer when my skin is less dry. What I like about the Indie Lee Blemish Lotion is that it is fairly inexpensive. I say that because this will last a long time. Even though I felt like I used so much of it, I barely made a dent in it. For $26 USD your money will be well spent. You won't have to go running out for another bottle in a months time. 

Have you tried the Indie Lee Blemish Lotion? What are your favorite products for clearing up blemishes? 

UPDATE: Now that it's summer, my skin reacts to this so much better! I find that if I don't over use this product, this is a fantastic topical treatment for hard to get rid of blemishes! It's only when I'm using this every single night that it dries out my skin.