Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Best of beauty

I may not be the editor in chief of a beauty magazine like Glow, Fashion or Flare but at 41 years old, I know what works (for me, anyhow).

Over the years I've accumulated a collection of favourites, like Eucerin Intensive Lip Balm (made in Poland!) and Eucerin Aquaphor Ointment, Spectro Cleanser (the fragrance-free one for blemish-prone skin) and Vichy Aqualia Thermal Light Cream. Recently though, I've been seeking out new products to soothe and moisturize my winter-chapped skin and hair as well as try and look a little ... fresher. So far, this is what I've found.

First off, there's Lush's King of Skin, an ultra-buttery moisturizing bar made of banana, avocado, cocoa and shea butter plus a variety of oils, including coconut, jojoba and lavender. It smells delicious and goes on like butter, not to mention the fact that it's literally the most moisturizing body product I've ever used. The Ultrabalm made of plant waxes and jojoba oil isn't far behind.


King of Skin


 Ultrabalm

I ran out of shower gel a couple of weeks ago and decided to pop into Sephora to see if they had anything special in that department. They most certainly did. Meet my new favourite shower gel and body cream: Brazilian 4 Play Moisturizing Shower Cream-Gel and Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, by Sol de Janeiro


Sol de Janeiro kit

Rich in guaraná, cupuaçu butter, açaí and coconut oil, the moisturizing duo smells incredible and helps tighten and smooth the look of skin. Also, the pot of cream looks like a bum cheek. Did I mention the smell? Mmm.

For the hair, I've been loving Phytocyane Serum, designed to promote circulation and new hair growth. According to the website, it also delays the appearance of grey hair. This stuff isn't cheap but it works. The little glass vials are pretty cool too. The ingredients include grape seed procyanidins, ginkgo biloba and tyrosine.


Phytocyane Serum

Last, but not least, there's Vintner's Daughter Active Botanical Serum. Dubbed "the best serum" by Glamour in 2016, the miracle-worker (#truefact) is made of a variety of oils including grape seed, hazelnut, bergamot and avocado, among many, many others. Vintner's Daughter is the first beauty product I've ever bought online (it isn't available in-store in Canada) and I'm so glad I did. The customer service (and packaging) provided by Clementine Fields, the product's sole distributor, was great and the product itself is out of this world.


 Vintner's Daughter packaging and instructions


 









  



6 comments:

  1. I want all these! Thanks for sharing your recommendations!! -Judy

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  2. Nice article. I want the Bum Bum sounds amazing.

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  3. Really have to check out King of Skins. Always need a good moisturizer.

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    1. It really is the best. I've never tried anything like it. TBH I'm so impressed with Lush overall!

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