Treats for your summer feet from Sally Hansen, Sephora, Upper Canada Soap and Broadway Nails!

I don't know about you, but after a winter's worth of hibernation, my toes need some serious prep work before they'll be fit to be seen in sandals! Lucky for me (and you), Dana Caruso, Global Beauty Expert for Sally Hansen has been kind enough to offer up tips for a perfect summer pedicure:

Toe Nail Shape - Start your pedicure, by shaping your nails with a pair of nippers for a clean cut. I like to use the Sally Hansen Clean Clip Classic Nail Clippers - $5.99.

To choose the nail shape that is right for you, take a look at your nail beds. Curved beds look better with rounded tips. Flat nail beds look good with squared edges. And if you’re unsure create a slight oval at the center of your tips, and then softly square the edges of your nails to get what top manicurists call the ‘squoval’

Cuticle Care - To groom your cuticles start by soaking your feet in warm water.

With Summer comes the added attention of your feet. They start to be shown off in fabulous open toed shoes, so after being enclosed in warm environment for so many months I advise women to exfoliate 1-2 times a week to remove callused surfaces. You can find inexpensive foot grooming kits at your local pharmacy such as the Prep Your Pedi Foot Smoother Kit from Sally Hansen - $9.99.

Next use a cuticle remover on fingers and toes to gently push back cuticles with a cuticle pusher to help your nails look longer. It’s best to do this when the cuticles are wet because they are soft, flexible and less likely to tear, which can be painful.

Nail Polish - And now for the fun part! Before you apply any polish always apply a base coat. This will protect your nails and help your pedicure last longer, I like to use the Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Smooth & Strong Base Coat - $7.49. There are so many flirty and fun bright colours this season. My personal favourite are the orange/coral colours in the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - $7.49 - colour range.

Don’t forget to apply a topcoat to seal the nail polish. I love the Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Fast Dry Top Coat - $7.49 - it’s fast drying and long wearing protection so you toes will look perfect for weeks.

Sally Hansen products are available at drug and mass retailers across Canada. 

And some other options for foot self-love (that sounded less dirty in my head):

Sephora Collection Deluxe Manicure Kit - $36 - A seven-piece adorable pink tool set for creating a flawless manicure - includes full sized: small nail clipper, large nail clipper, nail cleaner, precision scissors, cuticle pusher, cuticle nipper and cuticle jaw - and comes wrapped with soft-touch coating for easy use. Comes ready to use in a durable case with a secure closure and black velvet lining for easy travel and storage.

Available at Sephora and sephora.com.

Upper Canada Soap All About Feet Soothing Foot Cream - 120ml - $14 - enriched with sweet almond oil, glycerin and aloe to help soothe, soften and freshen tired, weary feet plus peppermint oil to refresh and invigorate. This is the perfect thing to rub on your tootsies after a hot, sweaty stinky day out and about!

Available at Trade Secrets - www.tradesecrets.ca and www.uppercanadasoap.com

imPRESS Press-On Pedicure by Broadway Nails - $8.99-$10.99 - in 4 colours and 5 patterns: Last Dance, iCandy, Popstar, Spotlight, Up All Night, Party Girl, Mystery Girl, Media Darlin and Screen Queen - they're super easy to apply with no drying time or mess and last up to a week - just peel off, press on and clip and file to desired length.

Available at drugstores and mass retailers across Canada.

- Lisamarie -

I'm in cupcake heaven with Upper Canada Soap!

Upper Canada Soap has a new line of delicious treats that smell and look wonderful and won't cause you to gain a pound! I'm a sucker for bath products that smell sweet and/or fruity and comes in adorable packaging so this new line is right up my alley! Check it out:

Cupcake Bubble Bath - 180ml - $5 - A fun and playful bath experience, lightly fragrances and softens water. Available in Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Frosting, Stawberries & Cream, Raspberry, Honey Lavender & Banana Coconut. 

I love anything strawberry scented although it has to be the right kind of scent - I don't like it when the it smells fake or too chemical and the strawberry scent to this one is perfect - sweet and fruity with tons of bubbles which is especially impressive considering how inexpensive it is!

Sweet Treat Lip Balm - $3 - Lick-able and sweet, these lip balms make hydrating lips a real treat! Available in Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla and Cherry.

Jumbo Cupcake Bath Gels - 150ml - $4 - Custom designed cupcake shapes. Available in Vanilla Frosting, and Strawberries & Cream.

Cupcake Bubble Bath Gift Set - $10 - Includes 1 x 180ml cupcake bubble bath with a soft touch white face cloth all in a bakery store front box.  Available in Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Frosting, and Strawberries & Cream. 

If you're starting to think about end of the year teacher gifts or looking for party favours, I think this would be the cutest thing ever for either one!

Celebrate Cupcakes - 180ml - $6 - Perfect for any occasion. Soft tinted bubble bath in whipped icing topped cupcake bottle each in a bow topped gift box. Available in Vanilla Butter Cream (yellow with white whipped icing top), Strawberry Butter Cream (pink with light pink whipped icing top) & Mixed Berry Butter Cream (purple with soft purple whipped icing top).

Mini Cupcake Bubble Bath - 50ml - $3 -  Cute mini bubble baths with cherry-topped cupcake bottles and a ribbon bow. Available in Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Frosting & Strawberries & Cream.

Cupcake Manicure Set - $9 - 5 “must-have” quality implements for grooming all in a zip cupcake like tote. Available in pink, purple and blue. 

If you ever think your subway trip is kinda boring and want to make some new friends, pull this baby out of your purse (I promise I wasn't clipping my nails on the subway, I just need the file to smooth out a rough bit). Within minutes I was surrounded by 3 high school girls who oohed and aahed over it and insisted on knowing where to get one of their own!

Also available is:

3 Pack Cupcake Nail Files - $3 - Custom designed emery board with a cute cupcake illustration – each set comes with a purple, pink and yellow emery board. 

Cupcake Button Purse Mirror - $4 - A light weight mirror with a custom photo design.

Cupcake Tweezers - $4 - Custom designed tweezer with cupcake end.

Check it out and order at www.uppercanadasoap.com

- Lisamarie -

Be an "Awesome Canadian Woman" with help from Upper Canada Soap! Contest!

It's not easy being awesome and nobody knows that better than Upper Canada Soap! As you can see from the video though, one application of Naturally Signature Collection products will turn any Canadian woman into the "Awesome Canadian Woman"! No really! Don't believe me? Fine be like that - why don't you just come win one of the prize packs and find out for yourself then?!

We've got 3 (yes, I said 3!) gift baskets chock full of  Upper Canada Soap Naturally Signature Collection Golden Maple Sugar products! Will they make you as fabulous as the chick in the video? Damn Skippy they will! Not only that, they are made with natural ingredients right here in Canada and each product contains natural antioxidants that are formulated to moisturize, nourish and protect your skin, especially during the harsh Canadian winter months.

You can check out all the products in detail at www.uppercanadasoap.com

This contest is open to all our Canadian (sorry everyone else but you can't really be an Awesome Canadian Woman without being Canadian now can you!?) followers and it's very easy to enter, just leave a comment letting us know that you follow (if you aren't a follower you can sign up through Google or Facebook - signups are in the right sidebar)

1 entry for following and answering the question - What do you think is the best thing about being Canadian ? Please also leave your e-mail so we can find you if you win!

And for an extra entries:

Visit the Upper Canada Soap Facebook page and "like" them - www.facebook.com/uppercanadasoap
Follow @BeautyCrazedCan on Twitter and tweet the contest.
Follow @UpperCanadaSoap on Twitter and tweet the contest. 
 

If you prefer not to leave your info on a public post, please leave a post saying you want to enter and then e-mail your info to info@beautycrazed.ca, please put "Awesome Canadian Woman Contest" in the subject line.  Remember to leave the post or you name won't actually end up in the draw! Winner to be decided by random drawing and you have until February 17th to enter. Good Luck!

- Lisamarie -

Get your 4 healthy (skin) fruit servings from June Jacobs, mark., Upper Canada Soap and Kiss My Face!

Maybe this isn't exactly what the Canada Food Guide has in mind when it talks about getting enough fruit servings each day but it sure works for me!

June Jacobs Spa Collection Papaya Body Balm - 210ml - $57 - You'll love how it moisturizes the hell out of your skin with shea butter and squalane, sunflower, jojoba and sesame oils - as well, a blend of white, red and green tea extracts combined with hoji berry, pomegranate and grapeseed extracts help to neutralize free radicals, protect the skin from environmental toxins and combat the visible signs of premature aging. You'll even love how it's paraben, sulfates, synthetic dyes and preservative free - but what you'll really love is how amazingly fruity it smells - papaya heaven!

Available at eBeauty.ca

Upper Canada Soap Naturally Hand & Body Lotion Goji Berry Hemp - 325ml - $16 - fights free radicals and dry skin thanks to Goji Berry fruit extract's powerful antioxidants and Hemp Oil which is rich in essential fatty acids. Contains no parabens, mineral oils, synthetic dyes or SLS. I don't know that I've ever seen or smelled an actual goji berry but I'm likening this smell to cranberry - it's a bit sweet and a bit tart all at the same time!

Available at selected The Bay, Sears, Trade Secrets and gift shops as well as online at www.uppercanadasoap.com

mark. Pear Blossom Whipped Up Body Butter - 200ml - $12 - if you aren't a fan of how heavy body butters usually are, you'll like the whipped texture of this one, it leaves your skin super soft without feeling like there is a layer of moisturizer sitting on the top of your skin. Pear isn't usually my favourite fruit scent but this one is very soft and sweet and totally to my taste. If you like to layer, you'll be happy to know that the same scent is also available in a body cleanser and body mist.

Available from your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca

Kiss My Face Peaches & Creme Ultra Moisturizer - 473ml - $13.99 - contains: 4% Alpha Hydroxy Acids to gently help unblock pores and exfoliate; Peach Fruit Extract which is emolient and soothing; and Shea butter to moisturize and help retain skin elasticity. What's most amazing about it is the peachy smell which has me coming back to it again and again!

Finding it seems to have become a little more complicated. You can still find it at various health stores but the last time I purchased something Kiss My Face had a Canadian webstore with all of the prices and shipping in Canadian dollars. When I went back to the site recently, it seems to just be US now. So Americans, get your fix at www.kissmyface.com. Canadians can still buy online at well.ca so no worries!

- Lisamarie -

Holiday contests, deals and steals from Benefit, Trade Secrets, Upper Canada Soap and ASK Cosmetics!

Benefit is all about the giving this holiday season and has a few fun ways for you to win #glamgiveaways!

If you're in Toronto and a fan of a treasure hunt you'll love this one - Benefit teams have been sneaking out today to replenish Benefit’s Glam Bags at locations around downtown Toronto, and they’ll be returning tomorrow and Friday. Every day this week, a few frosty foxes will walk away with a FREE Benefit Glam Bag, but only if they spot them on posters around Toronto, including these intersections:

Ossington & Queen

Queen West & Beverly

Bloor & Avenue

… and dozens more secret locations around the city—so keep your pretty eyes peeled!

Other ways to win #glamgiveaways:  texting Benefit to 89863, by following @BenefitCanada, and by becoming a fan of Benefit Cosmetics Canada at https://www.facebook.com/benefitcosmeticscanada.

Over at Trade Secrets, receive a FREE $25 Glamour Card with a purchase of $125 or more (on regular or promo merchandise; excludes clearance items).

This offer is only valid  December 3 to December 24, 2011.

The Glamour card can only be redeemed in the months of January and February 2012, but there is no additional spend amount. It’s a straight $25 discount. Yay! http://tradesecrets.ca/Specials

No cash value. Not valid with any other offer. While quantities last.

Our friends at Upper Canada Soap have launched a 12 Days of Giveaways Contest on their Facebook page. Beauty Crazed readers got a special heads up that they are more than welcome to enter – only because they’re awesome.Well, duh! Check it out and enter at: Facebook.com/uppercanadasoap

ASK Cosmetics has a Gigantic Festive Giveaway Contest  running until Dec. 22^nd, 2011 - with a prize package is worth $250.00 CAD and includes their entire line of products.  Information about the contest can be found on our Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/askcosmetics  or by going directly to our Events page to read full entry rules and contest guidelines:  https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/events/296179503747232/

Happy winning and deals!

- Lisamarie -

Upper Canada Soap now offers you easy shopping right at your computer! Contest!

I'm a long time fan of Upper Canada Soap products and I'll tell you what the worst thing about them is - trying to find them to buy them! They are carried at various department stores in Toronto but it's difficult trying to hunt down a particular product when I want it, the displays always seem to be hard to find or horribly picked over. 

I'm happy to say it's no longer an issue - Canadian and US fans of the line will be happy to know that Upper Canada Soap as well as Danielle Creation products can now be easily purchased at their brand spanking new online store! Check it out at www.uppercanadasoap.com - the site also offers free shipping on orders over $50, a free gift on orders over $75 and free samples!

And what better way is there to celebrate fabulous news than with a fabulous contest - so how would you like to win Upper Canada Soap's top 11 best sellers from both the Upper Canada Soap and Danielle Creation lines?! 

What's in this bag full of wonderfullness? Check it:

1. Naturally Golden Maple Sugar Bubble Bath - $12 - One of their best selling items and Kathie Lee Gifford’s Favourite Upper Canada Soap product (I don't know if that's a plus or what). Relax and immerse yourself in the most deliciously scented bubble bath around! Nourishing extracts and ingredients: Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and Sugar Maple Extract. The most fun about this product is taunting your husband with it - mine loves maple syrup but I never buy it because it's so expensive - the first time he saw the bubble bath he thought I was being nice and had bought him maple syrup - sucker!

2. Naturally Signature Hand and Body Lotion - $16 - Nourish hands and body with this lightweight lotion formulated with Shea Butter, Ginger and White Tea Extracts containing powerful antioxidants to keep skin soft and healthy.

3. Naturally Lip Balm - $5 - Get addicted to this soft and ultra-moisturizing lip balm that contains rich emollients such as Shea Butter, Beeswax, Cocoa Seed Butter, Vitamin E. Your lips will never stop asking for more!

4. Naturally Honey and Oat Soap Bar - $10 - A triple-milled soap that is specially formulated with tea leaves to gently exfoliate while natural White Tea Extract containing potent antioxidants protects skin from free radicals. The formulation also contains Glycerin to nourish and moisturize skin.

5. Shower Queen Cap - $12 - Upper Canada is adding style to the shower! Featuring trendy, chic, and unique shower caps for fashionistas everywhere. From shiny sequins to colourful patterns, there is a fashion-forward shower cap for everyone. Keep hair dry & fabulous when there is no time to wash your hair!

6. Fruit Frappe Foaming Shower Gel - $12 - Too much fun!  Comes out as gel and transforms into foam in seconds.  Add some water for some super foamy and sudsy action. Enjoy! This is my particular fave product - you know how I love things that are fruity!

7. Fruit Frappe Dry Oil Lotion - $14 - Too beautiful to use … too amazing not to!  This 2-phase dry oil is the perfect super moisturizing nourishment after a hot shower.  Spray all over your body and feel your skin transform into soft silk, as it gets absorbed like a deep moisturizer. With Vitamin E Oil too!

8. Royal Envy Mirror - $10 - This stunning royal inspired compact features 2X magnfication and true image, plus a gorgeous pattern of jewels on the lid. Be the envy of your girlfriends!

9. “My Case” Mobile Phone Case - $12 - This personal mobile phone case can hold your phone, some taxi money and lip gloss, and comes with a touch mirror. The attached wristlet allows you to clip it on and go!

10. Peek-a-Tweeze - $13 - Tweezing emergency? They’ve got you covered! This fabulously discreet & sneaky tweezer set is perfect for on-the-go use. The set includes a precision tip tweezers with LED light and a 3x magnification mirror. Its cute compact case comes on a hook keychain.

11. Mirror Ring - $10 - The ultimate diamond ring … for your purse! Check your make-up wherever you go with 2x magnification and true image. It also stands upright for your convenience!

This contest is open to all our Canadian and US followers and it's very easy to enter, just leave a comment letting us know that you follow (if you aren't a follower you can sign up through Google or Facebook - signups are in the right sidebar)

1 entry for following and answering the question - Which product from the prize are you most excited to get your hands on? Please also leave your e-mail so we can find you if you win!

And for an extra entries:

Visit the Upper Canada Soap Facebook page and "like" them - www.facebook.com/uppercanadasoap
Follow @BeautyCrazedCan on Twitter and tweet the contest.
Follow @UpperCanadaSoap on Twitter and tweet the contest. 
 

If you prefer not to leave your info on a public post, please leave a post saying you want to enter and then e-mail your info to info@beautycrazed.ca, please put "Upper Canada Soap Contest" in the subject line.  Remember to leave the post or you name won't actually end up in the draw! Winner to be decided by random drawing and you have until November 18th to enter. Good Luck!

- Lisamarie -

Upper Canada Soap introduces Eva & Ella - but not as a gift!

Let's get something straight right off the bat, just because I am posting this in December, does not mean that I think this is a good Christmas gift, let me make myself clear because I know there are a few guys out there that come here for gift ideas for their wives/girlfriends - BAD CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA - DO NOT BUY AS GIFT OR YOU WILL BE SLEEPING ON COUCH UNTIL NEW YEARS!

So why am I posting it?  It amuses me, this is the kind of home care line that I imagine someone like Martha Stewart would use (when she's not making her own out of leaves, twist ties and used tea bags), which means this is the kind of thing I will buy at the holidays if I think maybe my mother in law is going to stop by as a way of saying - "I know you think I'm not good enough for your son but look, I have really pretentious dish soap that you cannot buy at the grocery store!"  - I don't have issues at all!
Gift wise, I would also be fine with you giving this as a hostess or housewarming gift but I am drawing the line there...

This non-gift line is available in 4 scents: Cinnamon Orange - which sounds very holiday-ish, Herb Garden, Honey Tea and Chamomile Lavender
and the products available are: Hand Wash - 400ml - $12 - enriched with glycerin, aloe and Vitamin E
Hand Lotion - 400ml - $12 - enriched with shea butter, cocoa see butter, glycerin, aloe, olive oil and Vitamins E, C & A
Counter Spray - 500ml - $9 - contains tea tree and grapeseed extracts for antibacterial and odour eliminating and Dehypound Advanced, a safe non solvent cleaning agent that is environmentally friendly.
Liquid Dish Soap - 500ml - $9
Caddy Gift Set - 2 x 400ml - $25 - hand lotion and hand wash in a ceramic caddy.

Each product comes in a custom-designed ribbed bottle which resembles glass and is made with premium plant-based ingredients without the use of parabens, synthetic dyes, petroleum products or SLS.

You can find it at specialty gift shops and select department stores across North America.  For more info go to www.uppercanadasoap.com.

- Lisamarie (who does not have mother-in-law issues) -

Germaphobes will sleep a little easier tonight thanks to Kleenex and Nougat London!

Every now and then PR companies will send us products that I think are kind of wacky and when the Kleenex hand towels first crossed my desk I wondered why they were killing trees when it's so easy to throw your towels in the washing machine?! Of course I do launder the towels in my own bathroom, but it suddenly occurred to me that I couldn't remember the last time I washed the towels in the guest bathroom - it's been awhile... So if I don't do it often and I have a reasonable level of hygiene, imagine how often the towels in your male friends guest bathrooms get washed?  Horrifying to think about, I know!  It then became very clear to me what an excellent idea these Kleenex things were!  I'm not advocating them for everyday use for yourself, but as something to use in your guest powder room or to throw a couple in your gym bag so you can avoid the sketchy roller towel - I'm all for this!  Kleenex Hand Towels available at major Canadian retailers - $3.49 for a box of 60.

I am by no means a hand sanitizing whore - I don't keep a tiny bottle of it in every pocket and purse or go running to it every time I see a dispenser (you know who you are!) - mostly because I just don't like the smell!  If public hand dispensers start stocking Nougat London I just might change my ways though.  Upper Canada Soap recently became the exclusive distributor of the Nougat London bath and body collections in Canada making this fabulous British line much easier for us to get our hands on!  The products are available in two fragrances:  Tuberose and Jasmine and Fig and Pink Cedar and range in price from $7-$100 - the line really is beautifully presented and saved my ass when I need a hostess gift - I got her the most beautiful soaps that she just loved!  So if you hate the smell of regular hand sanitizer but still want to be less germy, check out the Fig and Pink Cedar - it smells amazing!  Check out www.uppercanadasoap.com for retail information.

- Lisamarie -

Upper Canada Soap, Avon and Bath and Body Works make scents of summer!

When the weather gets hot, I like to lighten up my fragrance routine.  I switch my EDP to an EDT or my EDT to a body spray.  When it's really hot I opt out of fragrance altogether and go with a scented body lotion.

A Canadian line I love, Upper Canada Soap has obliged my love of all things fruity with their Fruit Frappe line! The line contains superfruits - a propriety blend of antioxidant ingredients which contain high health promoting compounds which help boost and beautify the skin's appearance.  The entire line is formulated without the use of parbens, synthetic dyes or mineral oils and it's available in 5 fragrances:

Passion Fruit with Noni - a fresh fruity fragrance with opening notes of passion fruit, orange and tropical fruit accord.
Grapefruit with Gooseberry - fresh pink grapefruit notes are surrounded with crisp citrus zest of orange and lemon supported with dewy gooseberry and cyclamen.
Apricot and Kiwi - an exotic fragrance with notes of juicy apricot, mango and luscious peach, softened by nuances of sweet kiwi, apple and raspberry.
Pear with Mangosteen - fresh, cool slices of pear and mango highlight this fragrance with hints of dragonfruit and simple musk.
Watermelon with Acai Berry - juicy watermelon notes are warpped with crisp citrus and dewy green notes laced with fresh acai berry.

My favourites are the grapefruit with gooseberry which smells wonderfully tart and the apricot and kiwi which smells just like a fruity umbrella drink!  There is also a great choice in products:

Foaming Shower Gel - $10 - comes out as a gel and transforms into a foam in seconds.
Luminescent Hand & Body Cream - $7 - sheerly luminescent with a touch of sparkle for all those exposed body parts.  Contains Shea butter, Avocado oil and Vitamin E.
Dry Body Oil Spray - $13 - super moisturizing and turns your skin to silk.  Contains Vitamin E oil. - I am loving this!  On hot days when I just don't feel like putting on lotion but still want the moisture, this is such a nice, light way of getting it!
Exfoliating Shower Gel - $10 - exfoliates with apricot seeds
Body Gel Spritz - $7 - it's a gel in the bottle but comes out as a body spray - not only is it a cool concept that also did something brilliant so you can carry it in your purse without worrying - they added a little pop up guard to the sprayer so it won't accidentally spray when you don't want it to!
Bath Fizzies - $6 - 2 fruit slice fizzies in a cute little box
Lip Gloss - $5 - a sheer gloss to brighten up and intensify your lips natural colour.  Sweetened with licorice and flavoured with exotic superfruits.

Upper Canada Soap products are available at select department and gift stores. To locate visit www.uppercanadasoap.com

Avon Bali Bliss - an exotic bath and body collection inspired by the island paradise.  Scented with vibrant passion fruit, fresh frangipani flowers and exotic Balinese woods.  You can use products individually for a little scent or layer them to make the scent last longer.  I wear this fragrance and imagine that I live in a little hut on an exotic island somewhere and spend my days wearing a grass skirt and coconut bra - of course I have internet access and a great delivery service there too!  Here's what's available in the line:

Bali Bliss Shower Gel - 200ml - $10

Bali Bliss Body Lotion - 150ml - $10

Bali Bliss Shimmering Body Mist - 150ml - $10

Bali Bliss Eau de Toilette Spray - 50ml - $20

Available through your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca

Bath & Body Works Deep Aqua - ocean drenched flowers inspired by a beautiful world underwater - crisp melon, water blossoms, dewy gardenia and white woods is how B&BW describes it but I find that it smells really green and fresh which I love - I don't smell much floral to it at all.  You can get:


Shower Gel - 295ml - $12

Body Lotion - 236ml - $12

Fragrance Mist - 236ml - $15

Cooling Mist - 134g - $15

Exfoliating Shower Gel - 236ml - $12

Cooling Body Souffle - 177ml - $18

Don't worry about the prices, I don't think I've ever gone to B&BW when there wasn't some sort of deal going on - Buy 1 get 73 for free - which I'm sure is why I always end up buying way too much!

- Lisamarie -

Go au naturel and still keep your clothes on with Jergens, Green Beaver, Upper Canada Soap and Supersmile!

It's becoming easier to go natural if that's your thing - not THAT natural, we still want you to wear clothes, but some of your beauty products are shedding potentially harmful ingredients to bring you something a lot closer to nature.

Jergens Naturals - 400ml - $7.99 - has three new formulations and a new larger size - Ultra Hydrating has 95% natural authentic desert botanicals to alleviate the driest skin within one use, jojoba oil to enhance skin's barrier function and maintain a healthy moisture balance, agave nectar to soothe and maintain healthy looking skin and cactus extract to nourish and enrich skin.  Skin Renewing has a blend of 95% natural potent antioxidants and moisturizers that restore skin's lost elasticity in just two uses, grapeseed oil  to relieve distressed skin and replenish skin's moisture barrier, blueberry and pomegranate extracts to help treat dryness and flakiness. Soothing Soft has an infusion of 96% natural moisturizers and rich emollients that relieve itchiness and sooth dryness in one use, yogurt to soften skin and rebalance natural pH levels, chamomile to help soothe irritated skin, soy extract, a natural oil source with high concentrations of vitamin E to promote healthy looking skin.  Available at your local drug/mass retailer.

Green Beaver - Splendicious Lips - Lip Gloss - $6.99 - Is the very first certified organic lip gloss.  It comes in natural lustrous mineral and fruit pigmented colours and contains Canadian organic cranberry and carrot seed oils to soften and condition lips with a rich long lasting shine.It has an organic berry flavour, is vegan and gluten free.  It's free of chemical dyes, artificial flavours, petrolatum, silicon and synthetic moisturizers, parabens or other chemical preservatives.  Available June in natural health stores across Canada.

Upper Canada Soap - Naturally Body Butter Balm - $14.99 - made with 100% natural ingredients and a blend of moisturizing butters and essential oil extracts.  It's extremely portable, so you can just throw it in your purse ready to do battle against anything that might dry up during the day including:  cracked heels, dry elbows, chapped lips, dry cuticles, parched hands and anything else that might need a moisture boost.  You can even use it to tame hair fly-aways or groom your eyebrows.  You have to appreciate multi-tasking like that!  Available at The Bay and Sears or you can go here to see where to buy online.

Supersmile Toothpaste - 1.75oz - $13 - 4.2oz - $21 -Here's good news if your a veggie or a vegan - Supersmile toothpaste contains no glycerin.  The only glycerin you will find in their products is in the whitening accelerator - and that glycerin is kosher so we are covering all our bases here!  I never thought of toothpaste as needing to be vegan or kosher so this is a real eyeopener for me!  You can buy it online, or go here to find the store nearest you that carries it.

- Lisamarie -

Chocolate with no calories - I swear I'm not lying - it's Upper Canada Soap Body Truffles!

 

I don't know about you but Valentine's Day brings out the chocoholic in me.  I usually just go with it and gain the mandatory holiday pounds but I'm going to rethink that this year.  Upper Canada Soap Body Truffles has introduced three mouth watering chocolate lines that won't add inches to my hips!  Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Strawberry and Cocoa Mango - yum!  There are lots of products to choose from in the various scents including:

Melting Body Bar - $12 - Looks like a chocolate bar but melts with body heat for heavy duty moisture for your really dry bits like your knees and elbows.

Warming Fondue Body Scrub - $12 - A unique sugar scrub that warms your body on contact.  Warmth, exfoliation, chocolate and sugar - can't beat that combo!

Bath Truffle Fizzie - $7 - Packaged like an individual bakery truffle - sweet!

Foaming Bath Powder - $12 - Relaxation in a tin!

Lip Butter - $5 - Tinted and scented.

Bubble Bath - $12 - I have this in the Chocolate Strawberry (you can find the review here) and I love it!

Body Creme - $12 - Contains shea butter, sweet almond oil and cocoa butter.  Smooth and delicious!

Body Souffle - $12 - Whipped and ultra light - dessert for your body!

Romantic Candle - $20 - Made with 100% plant wax.  Topped with a layer of shavings to resemble pieces of chocolate - I've seen them, they are very cute and perfect for a bath for two!

Upper Canada Soap Body Truffles is available at department and specialty stores across Canada.  You can call 1-800-548-4097 to find the one closest you.

Enjoy your calorie free chocolate treats!

- Lisamarie -

Hand it to Nuxe, The Body Shop and Upper Canada Soap

As the weather keeps getting colder I become more and more obsessed with trying hand creams - believe me, I've tried a bunch!  Many are just too light for this kind of cold weather, some smell awful and  there is no way I could stomach them and some are so greasy feeling that I felt like I was leaving slug trails everywhere I touched.  These 3 I liked and better yet are all in the $12 - $20ish range - so they are also very affordable!

Nuxe - Hand and Nail Cream - 75ml - Thanks to the Chilean rose, avocado and almond oils this cream is super moisturizing and thanks to the honey it smells sooooo good.  It absorbed nicely and didn't leave residue behind.  I was also pleased to find out that they have a body cream in the same line which has the same scent!  Available at Shoppers Drug Mart and The Bay.

The Body Shop - Hemp Hand Protector - 100ml - So this cream actually has 2 of the 3 unfavourable qualities that I mentioned above and yet, works so well that I use it anyway.  It smells horrible and leaves greasy marks all over everything!  But it is so freaking moisturizing that I must forgive it!  My solution to its shortcomings is to wear it overnight with cotton gloves on.  Not only does it give you that formal bedtime look that your husband will appreciate (mock), but when you wake up in the morning your hands will be so incredibly soft, you will be amazed!  This is a great trick with any hand cream as well as doing the same for your dry feet with cotton socks.

Upper Canada Soap - all about Hands - Avocado Daily Moisture Hand Lotion - 300ml - the least expensive and the biggest bottle.  I like avocados for their moisturizing effect and this lotion doesn't disappoint!  It soaked in quickly and didn't make slug trails.  Available at selected gift shops, The Bay and Sears.

As always, I will keep on trying out hand creams for your amusement!

- Lisamarie -

Bubble, bubble away your toil and trouble - with the help of Upper Canada Soap, philosophy and Avon

I'm such a bath girl!  I have beautiful new bathroom with a nice deep tub so I like it to be a truly luxurious experience.  With this in mind, I have three important criteria when it comes to my bubble bath: 1)  It must smell amazing. 2) It must bubble extensively 3) The smell and the bubbles must last for the entire bath (about 25 minutes).  I don't think this is asking for a lot but you would be surprised at how many bubble baths just don't measure up.  And because I love you, I have made myself pruney multiple times in order to find you the very best.  It was a hardship but here you go:

Upper Canada Soap body Truffles sinfully Sweet Bubble Bath - Chocolate Strawberry - 240ml $12 Even if the bubble bath sucked I would probably still love it for the smell and just dab it behind my ears every day.  It smells mostly strawberry with just a hint of chocolate, actually it smells just like a strawberry tickleberry (chocolate covered dried strawberries), I actually have to keep myself from drinking my bathwater!  Luckily it doesn't suck!  It bubbles, it lasts, it's awesome!  It's available at specialty gift shops and selected Bay and Sears stores across Canada.

philosophy - the Gingerbread man foaming bubble bath and shower gel- 480ml $21 - Like taking a bath in bubbly ginger ale.  The bubbles could last a touch longer but the smell is so good I'm going to let this one slide.  Available at Sephora.

Avon Bubble Bath - 700ml - The size is huge, the bubbles last forever and best part, it doesn't leave bubble scum in the tub.  The smell lasting factor really depends on the scent.  I have a grapefruit one that is really good and a different citrus one that doesn't stay at all.  I must admit that the ones I have are getting pretty old.  Avon doesn't sell their products online and I no longer know any Avon reps, but if I did, I would order some more, I'm going to run out one day.  I would even order this one - Peppermint Delight sounds delish!  Available from the Avon rep down the street or moonlighting at your office.  Or you can go here to find your local rep.

Go take a bath, you've had a hard week, you deserve it!

- Lisamarie -