Butterfly Weed Herbals - Green Wisdom All-Heal Salve

Hey there,

I've been using this for a few months now on my eczema, any rashes, cuts, dry itchy skin...
I love the idea of this, since the alternative that works is steroid creams which isn't too good for the skin in the long run.
I picked this up at Rocky Mountain Soap for about $16/CAD. Product was all made Canada, which is a nice change.
I love the smell of tea tree.. most people hate it. But that medicine smell of tea tree and eucalyptus... its comforting as odd as that sounds. The scent on this balm is very faint!

Overall its a decent product. It is moisturizing and does help the healing process!
The only thing is that it the Chickweed Herb works for anti-itching.. that part I didn't find work...
Little goes a long way.

I could see myself repurchasing this. I was looking at other products they offer, may pick up a few of those too!

Update March 2014 (Nine months of use); Would honestly not repurchase.. sometimes i find myself itching even more....
Update July 2 2014 : Have finished the whole product, recently my eczema has been flaring up pretty bad and i used up this trying in order to stop myself from using my steroid cream... it hasn't had much effect on my skin. Like i've mentioned before, I do find myself still being itchy in some areas or even at times, even more itchier. Won't be repurchasing this for the lack of performance it has shown in the long run...

http://grassrootsblog.ca/2011/09/butterfly-weed-a-herbalists-story/

Winners finds

I found these goodies at my local winners!

Weren't hugely discounted but enough to make  a difference then buying regular price at sephora. Depending on the product its usually 5-10 off regular price.
I usually never find anything at my local winners but these caught my eyes when i was blowing time there.
There was other popular brands there, from philosphy to stila!
For the eyeshadows and blushes, none of the colors suited me though.

The only thing that sucks is that alot of people open products that aren't cased up like the nars ones to swatch it or to try it out. So basically many of the products are used or have been touched.
They do sell elf there but its marked up vs online (can't remember the prices on the top of my head but it was usually 3-4 dollars more)

I'll have to stop by there more often!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Eye Shadow in Antique Gold

Hi Hi,

I love cream eye shadows, I just find them easy to blend and easy application! Perfect for any fast looks!
I picked up Estee Lauder's Double wear cream eye shadow in Antique Gold.
The color is very neutral, good for a day to day look.

Its a more bronzey gold, with a bit of shimmer in it. Depending on my day, if its just an office work or class day it will last about 5/6 hours fading and creasing minimal but existing. With a primer it does last about 9 hours before any creasing or fading!

If i'm working in a restaurant, wearing it without a primer, the eyeshadow tends to start creasing and/or fading before the five hours which is still pretty good with all the sweating and heat from the kitchens.

Overall it lasts pretty good for a cream eye shadow, color pay off is excellent. Not too much shimmer. Classy packaging.
Can be a good base for other eyeshadows as well! I actually accidentally left the lid open one time when I aw was in a hurry and didn't notice it til the next morning. So 24 hours without the lid on during a winter day in Canada (Heater on the house going on constantly) it surprisingly didn't dry out. You can see in the photos the edges are a little dry but the product still was and is creamy! Impressed.

I bought it for around $20 CAD (I can't find it on the site anymore... guessing it got discontinued? Havent been to a counter in a while so not entirely sure! For the amount of product, I feel like its a decent deal and would purchase it again.

I haven't had a paint pot from MAC before but I'm guessing since Estee Lauder does own MAC. the formulas have to be some what similar...

Thanks for reading!

Menthol Lip Balms and Glosses

Hello! :)
You know what I love in Lip Balms and Glosses? Menthol. 

I quite enjoy that cooling feeling on the lips, and usually menthol is paired with a minty flavor which is an additional benefit! And with eczema, I sometimes have an allergy reaction on my lips, making them really itchy! Any one of these products does help that feeling!
When I see a product that boasts cooling or medical properties, I end up buying it and end up loving it!
Here a list of products that contain menthol:

EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint 
$3-4 CAD / 7g

Most product for its price, extremely moisturizing. Nice mint flavor.

Blistex Lip Medex
$3-4 CAD/ 7 or 3g

Alot of product for its price as well. Comes also in a Cherry flavor in a tube (10g)
I found that if I kept using this product consistently my lips became really dry whereas with other menthol based products that did not happen. But this really did heal my chapped and split lips faster then other products.

Burt's Bees Original and Medicated

$4-5 CAD
The medicated uses eucalyptus oil instead. I quite enjoy both of these products, the medicated one only comes in a tube form which can be very expensive, around $4.50 CAD. But i have found this product at dollar tree for only a $1.50 which is a great steal. 

And the original one uses peppermint oil for the cooling feeling.

Both are great products but pricey.

C.O. Bigelow's Lip Gloss Mentha's.
$8.00 for .05 oz
Lasts a while, never actually finished a tube. I do perfer lip balms vs glosses but these are very nice. Most cooling/refreshing out of all of them and the feeling does last a bit longer. Leaves a nice shine...
Its been a while since I've bought one but they did come out with tinted lip glosses in the same line.

There are usually Buy 2 Get 1 free which is a decent deal, $16 for three lip glosses.
I like using them when I am going out and want a cooling lip gloss. 

And thats all I have discovered so far! If you have any favorites, please let me know I would love to give them a try! Can't go wrong with a cooling, breath freshening lip balm/gloss! 

Estee Lauder - Double Wear Gel Eyeliner

Hihi.

This is the review do the Estee Lauder - double wear eyeliner. 

Its very creamy, doesn't dry. I love the packaging, very classy. Sadly, this bad boy smudges on me no matter what I do. Put on a good eye shadow primer, smudge. Set it with powder, ends up smudging at the end of the day. The only thing that keeps it from moving is with liquid liner on top... But that defeats the purpose. Might as well wear liquid by itself.

And I also feel like I need a lot more product vs other cream eye liners I have tried in order to keep it black. I find myself dipping back into the product more then twice per eye, its not a dry product but the pigmentation is a bit weak.
I I purchased this for around $25 CAD for 1 oz.
Because it smudges, it is why I would not repurchase this product.

I've been wearing the eyeliner for a couple hours here..

Til next time :)

St. Ives : Oatmeal and Shea Butter body lotion

Hey there!
Bought this a few weeks ago the St. Ives : Oatmeal and Shea Butter body lotion! Was on sale for around $4 at shoppers. You'll be able to find this around for a decent affordable value.
I love st Ives products, esp their infamous apricot face scrub, which I always have on hand! Thought I might as well try their body lotion that says it is naturally soothing and relieveing!
Sadly, I didn't fall in love with this product as much as I fell for the apricot face scrub.
It's not greasy but it is not moisturizing. It sinks into the skin easily, but disappears easily. Has the pleasent oatmeal scent, not irritating at all.
But the biggest problem a body lotion that isn't moisturizing in the tiny bit.
Lot of product for the bang, but I will not repurchase and will stick to the face scrubs!

Clinique - Blended Face Powder

Hello! Hello!
Back at it with a review on the Clinique Blended Face Powder, described on the site as a

" signature blended powder. Loose, lightweight texture is right for every type of skin. Sets and perfects makeup, makes pores seem to disappear. Airy, skin-hugging formula delivers a reliably flawless finish. "
I bought #04 in Transparency, its a tan translucent powder. It does come in another colors. I was looking for a loose finishing powder.
Its light weight and provided a great matte finish. My make up did lock in longer with a great powder finish.
It can get a bit messy as well, which is expected with any loose powder and the brush that came with it is deemed useless like any other brush included product!

But sadly, I broke out to this product... not sure what ingredient made my break out :( but it did! Overall its a decent (MUFE HD is still the HG) matte finishing powder with a pretty good lasting power... a lot of product is included as well for the $27 CAD price tag. Too bad it broke me out!

i  k

Body Shop - Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion

Been using this for a few weeks now as a daily moisturizer($13 CAD for 1.69 fl. oz)... Very light and moisturizing!
Has a slight hint of Tea Tree oil which I do like! It hasn't helped my redness at all,  in the ingredients the percentage of actual tea tree oil is pretty low which is why I don't think this helped my blemishes.

Love the tingly refreshing feeling you get when you put it on! It dries matte, it doesn't go on greasy and is very lightweight! 

Its a great moisturizer but it doesn't do what its "suppose" to which is clear my blemishes...
Wouldn't repurchase just because of the high price and lack of performance.
If you're looking for something to clear your blemishes - i'd skip this product.
** I do love the face mask - will do a review soon!

Clinique Lash Building Primer

This is a review for Clinique's Lash Building Primer! I got this a few months ago and finally figured I used it enough to give an honest opinion. First off I LOVE the packaging. Its so sleek and different, not like all the other mascara primers out there. The packing is thinner so there is less product... 4.8 g vs Mac Prep and Prime - 10 g. It has the regular mascara wand, white product...

Without mascara!Scary right?

My left eye, with NO primer! And I'm using L'oreal's Extra Volume Collagen Mascara!
There is no big difference to the eye with or without primer. But by the end of the day, the non primed eye had mascara smudges @ the bottom of my eye while the primed eye stayed exactly the same was in the morning!
Sooooo the primer helps keep the mascara on, prevents smudging and holds the curl! I like the product and I like the packaging but not so much the amount of product given. It does its job!

Lush Mask : Oatifix

Hello Hello! This review is for Lush's Oatfix Mask!

"Use Oatifix to clean and soften dry and sensitive skin. Oats are calming, ground almonds give you an exfoliating scrub, bananas are softning and illipe butter reduces redness. "

- Lush


I have sensitive, and dry skin so I thought 'Hey, could this be my new HG mask?'
No. It wasn't. This mask has a thick consistency a faint oatmeal smell, it wasn't too overpowering. I didn't notice any almond bits inside. Honestly this didn't do anything!


It didn't help my complexion, my skin didn't feel moisturized or refreshed the mask actually left kind of a slimy residue behind that I had to scrub off. And the mask itself did not exfoliate my face at all..

The expiry date does not help this product either, it expires 1 week from the day I purchased and it was the longest one I could find in store. This cost me around $6-7 CAD.
I will not repurchase this, this was kind of ... useless.

The Body Shop - Golden Pink

The Body Shop Cheek Color In Golden Pink. I love this color, its a deep pink with subtle golden shimmer. It goes on sheer but you can definitely build up the color.

I love wearing this on top of creme brushes, it doesn't change the color but adds a subtle shimmer to it. But I do like wearing it by itself. Its $15.50 CAD, and I will definitely repurchase this when I run out. I love how sheer it is, i love how subtle the gold is. Its
one of those colors that can look good on any skin tone!

Eyeko Fat Balm!

I've discovered Eyeko, (use ambassador code : E12638 for a free gift) a brand from London with cute packaging! AND FREE EXPRESS INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING if over 55. And let me tell you its not that difficult to get a cart full of that much! :)
I'll post a picture of my haul later, right now I want to show you the FAT BALM. I thought the name was weird but when i saw that it was a multiuse item I instantly wanted it.
I'm a sucker for items you can use in many ways, this one can be a lip product or a cheek blush. They have many different colors, I got mine in mint. Ive read reviews saying that it tasted like mint and the color was very universal! I dont really have a light pink blush or lip product so I decided to get it!

I've used it on my lips, I was excepting a minty taste since its called mint. But it tasted like spf-- which I hate! Its kind of hard to put on your lips since its pretty big. It has a really smooth consistency which is good but can be bad when you get a big goop of spf tasting stuff on your lip.
It applies very sheer on your cheeks but you can always build it up. I usually top it off with a powder blush. You can see it on my hand its at the top of it. The shimmery sheer part, its very hard to see. Sorry!
Overall hate the taste, not very pigmented, not long lasting. I don't think I'd buy any of the Fat Balms again.

LUSH: Fresh Farmacy

Theres alot of rave on Lush's products, on how their organic, or vegan, all natural, not chemicals, good for your skin. So when there was a "_" day, where they give you a free goodie bag and if you spend x amount of money you get a free item, i went shopping. I got a whole bunch of goodies which i will review later but i got Fresh Farmacy, the lush person said that this is a really gentle cleanser and is good for sensitive skin annnnnnnddddd is suppose to calm redness is skin which was the main reason I bought it. The piece I bought was around $ 7 CAD and it was pretty huge, i cut off a small chunk for my first time used and barely dented it.

My review on this is that it is not worth it. It is a gentle cleanser and a little goes along way but it dries the hell out of my face. No moisturizer, aveeno to clinique, could get rid of the dry patches on my face. It wasn't dry 5 minutes before i washed my face but right after BAM. It has a nice smell, nice texture and got rid of all my make up but it just was too drying. The dryness led to its downfall. Repurchase? No way, i even returned this product. The girl said that maybe Aqua Marina would be better for me but i have my doubts.

Clinique Deep Comfort Moisturizer

Clinique is known for its hypoallergenic items, or at least for me. I have eczema, not too bad since i'm growing out of it but it's still not good. So I have naturally pretty dry skin, easily irradiated and rashy :(
I gotta admit the name got to me, Deep Comfort, oh how i wish i had that.
But the name and product are lies, all lies! :(
Cost : $ 26 CAD
I find that pretty splurgy for a moisturizer! To me it felt like any other moisturizer you can buy in the drugstore for less than half that price but i thought it'd do a great job and I was mistaken.
And the smell was pretty gross at first, it smelt like industrial glue and took a while to get use to.
Not much else to it, not worth the price, not worth the scent, not much moisturizing going on with this product. Repurchase : Never.
I heard the body butter is way better ... but people said this was too.