Beauty

The Body Shop Mini Haul

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As some of you may know, my skin is hypersensitive and I’ve struggled with eczema since I was a kid. Eventually, the worst of it passed and I grew out of it but every once in a while it would come back with a vengeance. If you have eczema as well, you know it is something you live with and you need to find ways to keep it under control. A couple of years ago my eczema flared up a lot around my face and neck, eventually realizing that I could no longer use a lot of the makeup and skincare products that I owned. I went for an allergy test and the only thing that I had a big reaction to was nickel. There are still many other things that I know I’m sensitive to but this was definitely something I needed to pay attention to. It was tough to let go of a lot of beautiful products but it was important for me to take care of my health.

When it comes to makeup I use eyeshadow every day so I tested many natural eyeshadows but nothing seemed to stop the irritation until I gave The Body Shop a try. It was much more affordable in comparison to other products and the irritation around my eyes started to go away. I’ve been using their “Down to Earth” eyeshadow palette for about a year now and I really like it! Recently, I noticed that The Body Shop was discontinuing them so this past weekend I went on the site to get the only 2 refills that were left. They also came out with a new palette so I give that a try too. The application is smooth and very easy to blend. So far I’ve only been using the neutral shades but I’ll give the bolder colours a try during the holiday season!

Eyeshadow Palette Refills in Essaouria Bronze and Amazonia Earth ($7 – on sale for $4)

Own Your Naturals Eye Shadow Palette ($28 – on sale for $16.80)

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One of the initial natural makeup brands that I moved to was Mineral Fusion. I loved their blush in “Pale”, it gave a natural glow to my fair skin tone. Unfortunately, after a few months, a reaction developed on my cheeks so I had to stop using it. I completely stopped using blush for a year just to let the irritations calm down. When I was about to check out and pay for The Body Shop eyeshadows, I decided to take a look at their other makeup. Their All-in-one Powder Blush in “Amber” caught my eye because it looked a lot like the Mineral Fusion blush colour in the pictures. The product is on sale right now but this specific colour is the only one that’s on some crazy sale for $2?! I’m not even going to ask questions as to why it’s only $2 but I’m going to stock up and get a few more! The colour is so similar to the Mineral Fusion one, except with a bit more shimmer. I thought I wouldn’t like it but you can’t tell once it’s applied. So far so good with no reaction!

While I was at it, I also picked up the Contour Kit because why not? The darkest bronzer is a little too dark for me but the lighter one works great! This one also comes with a blush and although it’s much darker than the “Amber”, it’s perfect when you want a little more drama. I’m super happy with all of their makeup and glad to know that it’s 100% vegan and not tested on animals.

All-in-one Powder Blush in “Amber” ($18 – on sale for $2)

Contour Kit ($22 – on sale for $8)

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Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear about some of the brands that you’ve tried that worked for you or if you end up trying The Body Shop makeup products.

MyBlancCanvas

Natural Deodorant with Kaia Naturals

Hi everyone! Hope you’ve been having a great weekend while enjoying the warmer weather in Toronto.

Sometime last year I began looking for a natural deodorant because I felt that I was ready for the transition. I’ve always struggled with eczema and hypersensitive skin that lead me to developing different allergies and sensitivities over the years. As I got older, I began paying more attention to my health and how my skin reacted to different products. Although I didn’t get a visible allergic reaction to the previous deodorants that I used, I started to learn more about the health implications of parabens, aluminum and other harmful ingredients contained in personal care products. When I began researching for natural deodorants, most of them came with a heavy price tag but I took the plunge and found one that had great reviews to try. I’m not going to lie, it took a bit of time for my body to get used to it at first. It went through a “detox” period that was not pretty. But after giving it a few months, my underarm pores felt like they were unclogging. If you’re looking for one to try, this is a great one! There are more and more natural deodorants out in the market now but this one got my attention because of the dark grey colour from the bamboo charcoal. It’s an ingredient that pulls out all of the toxins but the colour doesn’t transfer so no need to worry about that! I love the two different scents that I tried. The lime mint smells fresh, great for day-to-day and when I’m working out while the cold-pressed rose has a light floral scent that also compliments the perfume that I use when going out.

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MV Organic Skincare Review

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Hi lovelies!

I want to share with you a skincare product that has improved my life. Literally. Growing up, I’ve always had a lot of challenges with my skin and anyone who deals with any sort of skin troubles know that there are no easy fixes.

My skin struggled with eczema ever since I was young and I still struggle with it now and then as an adult. I don’t want to get too in depth about what eczema is (there’s Google for that) but my skin gets red, irritated, inflamed, itchy and super duper dry. So as you can imagine, I’ve tried a lot of different medicated and non-medicated creams and products in hopes to find different ways to soothe my skin. I know that there isn’t going to be a product that will work miracles but even looking for a product that doesn’t irritate or cause a reaction on my skin is difficult.

On a side note, I’m generally a pretty healthy person – I exercise and eat well but I’m going to kick it up a few notches and be a health nut. This will definitely help improve my overall health but most importantly, my skin. I bought a juicer and will start blogging about my journey to an even healthier lifestyle – stay tuned!

Now, back to MV Organics Skincare! One of my besties who also has hyper sensitive skin told me about this brand about a year ago. She raved about it as one of her favourite Youtubers, Estée Lalonde, highlighted this product in her 2015 Beauty Favorites! Best of the Best! video. Even though these products come with a STEEP price tag, I decided to give it a try! I made my way downtown to visit The Detox Market to check it out.

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MV Organic Skincare Rose Plus Skin Booster ($130)

How I use this product: I mostly use this during dry winter months to give an extra boost to my skin. It’s gentle and gives extra moisture to my super dry skin. I like mixing this with the below moisturizer or use it directly on my skin when needed. I only put one or two drops as it is quite expensive for such a tiny little thing.

Pros: Calms my skin from skin irritations and gives my skin extra hydration.

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bareMinerals Preview

Hi lovelies!

Happy Weekend! I’m winding down from a busy week and just recuperating from a wedding on Friday. I wish I could stay up late and still feel the same way as I did back in my early 20’s but that’s just not the case anymore. Who am I kidding!? Anyways – let’s not get carried away! But as I age, I do hope that I age gracefully (and slowly haha) and that means taking care of myself and putting my health first above everything else.

A few weeks ago I got invited to the bareMinerals preview and had the opportunity to try out some of their newest cosmetics and skincare products that will be coming to the Canadian market. Before arriving at the preview presentation, I stopped by ODIN HUS (check out more photos here!) to grab some caffeine and a bite to eat. Ever since I discovered that cafe, I like to hang out there once in a while when I’m in the area. The architecture of the interior is beautifully designed and the openness of the space makes it comfortable to stay there and relax.

Above Photo credit: ODIN HUS

To give you a slight background on my skin, it’s really hypersensitive and quite dry for the most part. I’ve struggled with eczema ever since I was a child and developed sensitivity to different things as I got older so I’m always very careful about putting new products on my face, whether it is skincare or makeup. I did a little swatch test of this bareMinerals Skinlongevity Vital Power Infusion ($60 – available at Sephora in stores and online) on my face before applying it all over. It’s already half the battle if I don’t get a reaction so when I got the green light, I applied it thoroughly all over my face and have been using it day and night over the past couple weeks. What I like about it is the smell – usually anything with fragrance or a strong smell will give me a rash but this one didn’t! It smells very citrusy and the formula is very light-weight which makes it great for summer. The 3 key ingredients are Life Long Herb, California Poppy and Lampuyang Ginger – to help awaken the skin and maintain a healthy complexion. After using this for a while, I noticed my skin looking brighter and more awake. My skin has been really taking a hard hit from the lack of sleep and stress from adult-life but this has definitely helped! Let me know in the comments below if you’ve been using this and what your thoughts are.

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My Blanc Canvas Adventures: Demo Soap Workshop

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Happy Sunday!

I LOVE workshops and DIY projects- it is always super reward for me when I make something on my own. In my 2016 Action Plan post last month, I mentioned some actions that I will take this year to bring more balance into my life and one of them was to take on more DIY projects and workshops so that it gets my creative juices going!

For years, My sister and I both use vegan soaps from Demo Soap, locally produced and based in Toronto Liberty Village. This past Christmas holiday we decided that we would take their Soap Making Workshop together and gift the soaps we make to our friends. It was such a creative experience and we had a ton of fun throughout the whole process! I have provided their contact information below if you would like to take up a workshop with them. It makes a cute date night, fun to do it with friends and family or even plan a small party there. The whole process took about 2 hours long and afterwards you wait about an hour or so to pick up the soaps. During that time, I would recommend going around Liberty Village to visit other stores or grab a bite at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen or School!