Category Archives: Weleda

Roses in Beauty Products = My Kinda Valentine’s Day

| 16 Responses

I don’t normally celebrate Valentine’s day, except maybe for the half-price chocolates on February 15. :) Last year, Mr. Geeks and I just got takeout Chinese food. However, I do enjoy theme-y posts very much so I thought I’d do a round up of favourite rose/pink/red products for Valentine’s Day.

Valentines Roses 1

Does anyone use a perfumed talc? Yardley London Perfumed Talc in English Rose ($16 at Shoppers Drug Mart) feels so silky and smells like sweet roses on the skin. I love to sprinkle it on my skin before changing into pj’s at bedtime.

Looking for something natural? Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Eye Cream ($28.50 for 10 ml at Weleda, Well.ca, Whole Foods and health food stores) and Body Oil (US $26 for 100 ml; my sample is from the body oil set) have more of a green floral scent. The eye cream contains my newest awesome skincare ingredient discovery — organic rosehip seed oil — which is super effective in getting rid of flaky skin and combating tired, puffy eyes.

One of my all-time favourite skincare products ever is Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner (around $12 at Well.ca and health food stores). It smells wonderful, you guys. I don’t use a toner now in the winter, but this one gets used all over my body in the summer as a cooling mist-slash-light fragrance. It calms the skin beautifully and is so damn cheap!

Valentines Roses 2

From the store’s first fragrance collection Voyage Collection, The Body Shop Eau de Toilette in Atlas Mountain Rose ($25 for 50 ml at The Body Shop) is a beautiful floral with combined notes of amber, musk, citrus, along with exotic spices and mountain rose extracts from Morocco. It’s also available in a Perfume Oil ($16).

Demeter makes such great simple fragrances that are exactly like the real thing. Demeter Cologne Spray in Bulgarian Rose (US $20.00 at demeterfragrance.com) is another soft rose fragrance, with notes of Bulgarian rose oil. If you feel like something different, why not have a cocktail or dessert without the calories? Redhead In Bed smells just like a sweet cocktail of gin, lemon, strawberries, and syrup. I’m not sure why anyone would ever wanna smell like a syrup-y cocktail though. :P  Chocolate Covered Cherries just makes this chocolate lover go absolutely bananas. This means I can indulge in sweet stuff without getting dagger eyes from my boot camp instructor. ;)

Valentines Roses 3

What is Valentine’s day without the mention of pink and red products? You need these two in your life:

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink ($6.99) is a metallic light pink that instantly brightens the eyes. If you haven’t yet tried Color Tattoos, you are really missing out. They really stay on all day without slip and sliding. A quick swipe of Inked in Pink all over the lids with a small flick of eyeliner creates a pretty, romantic look for Valentine’s day.

Bite Beauty’s new Pastille Matte  Crème Lipstick in Pastille Rosebud ($24 at Sephora) is a pretty, bright blue based red. These are insanely pigmented and have a creme finish. I’ll talk about them more in an upcoming review!

Valentines Roses 4

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? I am going to have a steamy, sweaty time tomorrow night… at Booty Camp. :P

Summer Primpin’: Rise Above Common Summer Beauty Problems With These Hot Weather Essentials!

| 18 Responses


My neighbour’s cat relaxing in the shade on a hot day

The dog days… er, cat days of summer are here!  You know, summer is a pretty rough season for the beauty-obsessed.  Not only does our makeup melt due to humidity giving us permanent raccoon eyes, but the hot weather leads to less clothing, meaning actual skin exposure.  Ohmygod.

Lucky for us, I know just the right products to keep us looking cute and fresh even though it is eleventy thousand degrees outside.  Here are my answers to common (first world) beauty problems that your pretty vain selves have to face this summer.  Yes, I’ve tried all of these and love them.  I know, I’ve been busy. :)

Problem #1: Your greasy sunscreen is cramping your style, big time.


Mary Kay Sun Care SPF 30 Sunscreen, Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50, Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration SPF 50

Great news!  Some companies really know what they’re doing on the sunscreen front.  First of all, for your face, Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50 ($39 at various locations in Canada) is a gorgeous velvety mineral sunscreen with a slight tint that suits fair-to-medium skin tones.  While sunscreens alone will not protect against IRA, adding an antioxidant like SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($152) has been clinically proven to prevent IRA damage.  This means you’ll be protected against bad IRA, UVA and UVB rays!

For the rest of your body, Mary Kay Sun Care SPF 30 Sunscreen ($20) and Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 ($10.99) provide UVA and UVB protection as well as doubles as a body lotion with their silky smooth texture.  Great for you lazy gals out there! ;)

Problem #2: You are blinding the world with your paper-white legs in your short shorts and mini-skirts.


Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs, Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil, Mary Kay Sun Care Subtle Tanning Lotion, Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Oil-free Sunscreen SPF 30

For the entire world’s sake, bronze up those legs — and while you’re at it, your entire body, too.  Great for bronzing newbies is Mary Kay Sun Care Subtle Tanning Lotion ($20), because it provides results so subtle that you can’t screw it up.  Still an all-time favourite of mine is Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil ($28, review here) for gleaming golden legs.  Don’t sacrifice SPF for your leg bronzer; get both — plus the yummy signature coconut scent — with Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Oil-free Sunscreen SPF 30 ($10.99).  If you want to cover some imperfections, Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs ($15.99) is your best friend.  Do it in the tub (it’s messy!) and make sure you spray evenly.

Problem #3: Your flip flops are exposing your — let’s face it — not-so-cute feet.


Sally Hansen Soften Your Step Tool, Sally Hansen Moisturizing Foot Creme in Lavender

Whether you’re a spa pedicure or a DIY kinda girl, there’s no excuse for dirty flaky feet this season. To go the DIY route, scrub off the dry skin with Sally Hansen Soften Your Step Tool ($7.99).  Sally Hansen Moisturizing Foot Creme in Lavender ($7.99) is a welcome alternative to the usual minty foot creams.


YSL 1 Rouge Pop Art, Sally Hansen 560 Kook-A-Mango, Misa Sandals, Flip Flops & Hip Hop


Wearing Misa Sandals, Flip Flops & Hip Hop and Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs


Clockwise from top-right: Maybelline 160 Chiffon Chic, Sally Hansen 430 Grass Slipper, Maybelline 330 Tenacious Teal, YSL 16 Bleu Majorelle

So many cute colour options, ladies!  For summer, you can’t go wrong with any vibrant colour under the rainbow!  The best part: nail polishes come vibrant at all price points.  Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer ($2.96 – $3.99), Sally Hansen Complete Complete Salon Manicure ($7.49), Misa Nail Lacquer ($7.95, ON SPECIAL NOW at Trade Secrets!), YSL La Laque Couture ($27).


YSL 1 Rouge Pop Art, Sally Hansen 560 Kook-A-Mango, Misa Sandals, Flip Flops & Hip Hop
Maybelline 160 Chiffon Chic, Sally Hansen 430 Grass Slipper, Maybelline 330 Tenacious Teal, YSL 16 Bleu Majorelle

Problem #4: You’re too embarrassed of your dark under arms to even sport a tank top in public.


Schick Hydro Silk Razor, Dove  ClearTone Anti-Perspirant

Okay so this pretty close to TMI territory, but here’s the thing: I was using this natural deodorant that shockingly darkened the skin in my under arms. I was so appalled that I had to switch right away. I’m not kidding you, but Dove ClearTone Anti-Perspirant ($3.99-$4.99) has helped my under arms’ skin tone tremendously since I’ve used it for a few weeks.  Despite regular shaving and sweating, this anti-perspirant keeps me smelling fresh and moisturizes quite well, too!  This one’s a keeper.  And speaking of shaving, which is my hair removal method of choice for my underarms, the new Schick Hydro Silk Razor ($13.99) is pretty awesome.  With five blades and a water-activated moisturizing serum, you can even ditch your shaving cream!

Whew!  That was a long post!  What are your favourite summer rescue products?  Any favourites of yours on my list?

I’m Not Lazy, I’m Efficient: Weleda One-Step Cleanser and Toner Review

| 33 Responses

Here’s the thing: my skincare regimen takes too long. Cleanser. Toner. Serum. Moisturizer. Oil. Sunscreen. When you’re running late in the morning, that adds up.

When I end up sleeping in because of a late night Sherlock marathon, I really need to streamline my skincare routine.  Recently, I have been loving how easy and quick Weleda One-Step Cleanser & Toner ($24) takes care of cleansing and prepping my skin for my daily lotions and potions.

As the newest member of the gentle cleansing line, the 2-in-1 formula is what you get if the Gentle Cleansing Milk and the Gentle Refining Toner had a baby. At night, after taking off my eye makeup, I moisten a cotton pad with it and run that all over my face. It’s not recommended for the eye area, but I quickly do it anyway (live on the edge, babe!) with my eyes closed. Then I rinse that off with water.

You don’t get any sudsing action with this cleanser. It looks and feels watery like milk. But it is effective. On heavy makeup days, I use it as my second cleanser and it doesn’t dry out my skin. On normal makeup days this has become my cleanser of choice. It leaves my skin clean and hydrated, and takes off the last bits of eye makeup left behind by makeup remover. This is a great cleanser for those with normal to combination skin.

Weleda One-Step Cleanser & Toner is available online; Whole Foods Market; natural independent health food stores; Planet Organic Market; Nature’s Fare; Noah’s Natural Foods and Rexall Pharma Plus stores.

Now that you’ve heard what I think, would you like to try it for yourself?

Giveaway (Canada Only)

You have a chance to win a huge prize pack containing a 1-year supply of the Weleda One-Step Cleanser & Toner PLUS a Weleda facial care collection best suited to your skin-care needs.  You can pick one of the following:

  • Almond Soothing Facial Care: for sensitive skin
  • Iris Hydrating Facial Care: for moisturizing and balancing very dry to normal to combination skins
  • Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Care: for skin that’s experiencing its first lines
  • Pomegranate Firming Facial Care: for mature skin

All you have to do is answer the following questions in a comment:

What do you do to save time in your busy day? And what do you do with that free time?

Don’t forget to mention your chosen Weleda skincare line in your comment.  After you have commented, for additional entries, you can tweet about the contest once daily.

Contest ends on Saturday, April 21 at 12:01 AM Eastern Time.

Continue reading →