Two New Skin Care Treats

Hi, everyone! As I write this I'm sitting at home with yet another bad cold and cough. Ugh, #immunesystemfail. But I'm trying to keep positive and use this sick day to catch up on blog work, including responding to all of your lovely comments. They are always so very much appreciated! I also plan to watch the movie Labyrinth tonight, which I also think will be soothing for my soul :)

Also good for the soul? Brunch with buddies and a bit of shopping. And luckily last Saturday brought just those things! A few fellow bloggers and I grabbed a meal at Cluny (which was utterly delicious and in the cutest French bistro atmosphere) and afterwards I wandered just a few doors down to Jacob & Sebastian's Distillery District shop. Jacob & Sebastian's original Queen and Bathurst boutique is one of my biggest beauty loves in the city and stopping in their Distillery location is always a treat- it's a beautiful space! I walked in for an innocent wander, then I realized that both my current makeup remover and cleanser were 95% empty. It was time to buy replacements, and what better store to help me do that?!

One of the reasons I love Jacob & Sebastian so much is that they feature several hard-to-find brands, many of which are stars in the green beauty world. In my perusal of these offerings, I was drawn to S.W. Basics, a Brooklyn-based brand that focuses on using the fewest ingredients possible while producing maximum results. All of the ingredients are organic and the packaging is minimal and functional (and definitely cool!). While my oily skin prefers cleansing oils that emulsify and rinse clean, the formula of S.W. Basics' Makeup Remover sold me. It has the rich colour of olive oil, the intoxicating scent of sweet almond, and the hydrating, yet lightweight consistency of jojoba oil. This stuff really melts makeup like a dream and, though it takes more elbow grease to remove than emulsifying oils, it has not broken me out one bit! Plus, I totally love the tag line on the bottle- "Mascara, you ain't the boss of me". Too good! The second product I chose was from Indie Lee, another top green beauty brand created by the line's namesake after overcoming a life-threatening brain tumor. Indie Lee only includes the safest of ingredients but also aims to create products that are luxurious and pleasing to the senses. The Brightening Cleanser aims to thoroughly, yet gently cleanse combination skin types with a mix of proteins and antioxidants. First off, it smells like strawberries (so sweet and refreshing!) thanks to strawberry oil that also brightens the skin. It includes coconut oil to lightly hydrate and lycopene to protect the skin. It foams gently, but never leaves my skin feeling stripped and my face really looks bright and clean afterwards. It's great stuff! 

Overall, I am super happy with both of these items and am excited to have them as continued stars in my skin care lineup. Thumbs up to both! 

I also wanted to give a shout-out to my lovely reader Samantha who was sweet enough to introduce herself in Jacob & Sebastian that day (along with her hubby and adorable baby)- it was such a surreal and fun experience to chat with a reader of the blog in person! Thanks for making my day, Samantha! :)

Have you tried anything from S.W. Basics or Indie Lee? What makeup removers and cleansers are you using at the moment?

Have a wonderful day! xo

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