Grocery Store Beauty Products: All Natural Toners

A few months ago I made a wonderful discovery.  I had been struggling for a few months to find an affordable toner at the drugstore that still made my skin feel great. My oily-combination skin really needs something soothing and balancing - not too drying, and with anti-aging benefits too.

I had tried Burts Bee's Radiance Toner with Royal Jelly and I really liked it, but I found it hard to find and it was more than $20 a bottle, so I began searching for something cheaper.  I tried a few common drugstore brands but I found it nearly impossible to find anything that was paraben and sulphate free, as well as being alcohol free.  Any toner that contained alcohol (pretty much all of them) left my skin dry and patchy in some places and extra oily in my t-zone because my skin was overcompensating for the drying quality of the alcohol.

Then I discovered Rose Water and Orange Blossom water.  I have to give credit to Youtuber Lisa Pullano as it was watching her videos that inspired me to try using these products as toners.  I have kept these two items in my pantry for years as ingredients I used occasionally in recipes (try stirring a bit of rosewater and honey into some yogurt and drizzling over roasted figs, YUM!).  These two products smell so amazing and are less than $5 a bottle at the grocery store!! (check the international items aisle).  The only ingredients are rose petals/oranges and water.

I noticed a difference in my skin immediately.  Using orange blossom water in the morning and rose water in the evening, the dry patches on my face disappeared and the oiliness of my t-zone decreased dramatically.  I have since even learned that flower waters (aka hydrosols) have anti-aging benefits such as being packed with anti-oxidants that make them anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial as well as antiseptic. They also contains small amounts of hydrating essential oils. They are said to help with acne and redness and to prevent and even reduce the appearance of wrinkles.  They are gentle enough to use even around the delicate eye area.  Best of all, they smell amazing.  I find the rose water very soothing which makes it perfect for before bed.  The orange blossom water is the perfect natural, subtle and exotic perfume.  It is even said that the scent can reduce stress and anxiety, which makes it a perfect start to the day.  Since I began using these products, I have received so many compliments to the beauty of my skin and I believe these are the products that have made the difference.

A few other things you can do with these products:

• put a few drops into cake batter or frosting to give a subtle aroma
• Pour a few teaspoons into your bath water for a soothing soak
• Put it into a spray bottle to use as a makeup setting spray or hydrating spray throughout the day
• Pour a few teaspoons into a pot of simmering water to create a natural air freshener

June favourites!

Here are my favourite things from the month of June!

Beauty:

My number one favourite new product this month is my Loreal Majic Nude Foundation.  I had been putting off buying it because it is quite expensive ($19-$20 Canadian) for a drugstore foundation, and I just didn't need a new one.  When London Drugs had all Loreal foundations for $11.99 I took advantage and picked this up.  I loved it instantly.  It is a very thin consistency so it blends out really quickly and easily, but it also provides a really good medium coverage that looks really natural.  It tranforms into a powder finish when it sets so it gives a really beautiful finish to the skin.  It gives the coverage of a liquid with the lightweight feel and look of a powder.  Perfect for spring and summer!  I only wish it had SPF protection (that would make it worth the almost $20 price tag!)

My other beauty favourites have all been lipsticks, so watch for a post all about my most loved and hated lip products soon!

Parenting:

This month I have to write about something that has been one of my favourite parenting, beauty, and food products for quite a while, but I use it so often and in so many different ways that I always forget about it!  This miracle multi-purpose product is Cold-pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  I get mine in a huge tub from costco which stays in my kitchen.  Then I scoop some of it into containers that I keep in my own room and in P's room.  I use this stuff numerous times a day.  I'll stick to its parenting purposes for today, but it also has so many health benefits when used in cooking or as a beauty product.  Google it people!!

P sucks her thumb as she falls asleep, so she often gets sores on her lips and thumbs from this habit.  I apply coconut oil to her lips and thumbs a few times a day and the sores clear right up.  This stuff is perfect because it doesn't matter  if she ends up ingesting it .  For that reason I cant use polysporin or anything like that as it is being applied to spots that will inevitably end up in her mouth.

Once I started using coconut oil for that specific purpose and seeing how well it worked, I started trying it for other things as well.  Low and behold, it works great on cuts and scrapes before you put on a band-aid because of its anti-bacterial and anti-fingal properties. It is great for bug bites for the same reason, and it even soothes and heals diaper rash!  It is perfect as an all-over moisturizer for dry skin (which D suffers from terrribly).

I also use it a ton in baking and cooking because of its health benefits, but I'll write more about that in a future post.  If you don't already have some of this miracle oil in your house, you should consider getting some as soon as possible.  I just keep on discovering its wonderful qualities and uses!  

Cooking and Food:

Cooking: This month I have been inspired by a tall stack of cookbooks that I picked up at my local library.  I love food reading, and I am always interested in cookbooks written by celebrity chefs or cookbooks all about a certain country I am interested in at any given time.  My local library has a ton of cookbooks, and I bet yours does too.  For free!!  Check it out if you're a frugal food lover like me.

Food: This month I stopped drinking coffee to see if it would help me feel better, since I had been ill.  It didn't :( but I did find that I started sleeping better and those terrible headaches I'd been getting went away (the ones that used to start a few hours after I forgot to drink my coffee...).  So, I didn't start up again.  Instead I started making a cup of herbal tea in the morning, and my favourite is the Presidents Choice brand Chocolatey Chai herbal tea.  It smells so good, and with a little splash of milk it satisfies my craving for something hot in the morning.  Also satisfies my craving for something dessert-ish in the evening. Ok, the stuff is delicious any time of day. Its cheap too. Bonus!

Random Stuff:

I have, of course, been watching TV and reading books this month.  I have not, unfortunately, come across anything so wonderful that I feel the need to recommend it here today.  If I'm gonna call it a favourite, it has to be pretty great. 

Waterproof Makeup: the swimming lesson test

A few weeks ago, P and D began their yearly spring swimming lessons.  Normally, I would not make a point of wearing makeup to a toddler swimming lesson, but on this particular Wednesday afternoon I did want to wear makeup, and I didn't want to have to take it off before the lesson.  To avoid ending up looking like I was in a horror movie, I took that into consideration when I put my makeup on, thinking it would be a great test of some makeup that claims to be waterproof and/or long wearing. Since the twins are just two, we still actually have to get into the pool with them.  I do try to keep my head out of the water because I don't like to get my hair wet, but I do participate in some very spirited games of Chop, Chop, Timber which result in quite a lot of splashing on my face. I retested a few items the following week, and here's what I found...

What I wore and what I thought:

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation: thumbs up
This foundation claims "lasting power of primer, coverage of a concealer, and blendability of a foundation in one. Shine free" (that is straight off the bottle).  I used this all over my face to even out my skin tone and I also used it as a concealer by building it up on spots where I need a little more coverage, like under my eyes and on blemishes.
I like this foundation a lot, but I do have to use it sparingly or it will get pretty cakey.  I love that it works (for me) as a concealer as well, and it does last a long time.  After I got out of the pool, my skin tone still looked evened out, but the foundation had definitely worn down on the spots I had build up as concealer.  It did still have a matte finish once I patted my face dry.  Pretty amazing.  I highly recommend it, especially since it also has SPF 20 so its great for being by the outdoor pool or on the beach. 

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder: thumbs up 

This product's catch phrase is: "for those movie star brows" (again, straight from the package).  This is my go-to eyebrow product.  I wear it literally every day and I love it.  I am brunette, but I use the colour 06 Blonde.  I had put it on as I always do, not really expecting anything to remain after getting out of the pool, as it doesn't even advertise being waterproof.  However, my brows looked exactly as they had before the lesson.  What a fantastic product!

The Balm Instain Blush: thumbs up

This blush claims to be "long wearing staining powder blush". This is another product that I use often, and already really liked.  I have the colour Lace.  It is extremely pigmented so I use it sparingly.  When I got out of the pool, it was still firmly in place on my cheeks. Score!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain: thumbs up

I wear this stuff all the time and love it because I can just apply it in the morning and then add clear lip balm as the day goes on and the colour remains on my lips. I usually only have to reapply after 4-5 hours, even if I eat (unless it's something super messy).  No surprise, this stuff didn't budge in the pool.  I wore the colour Honey, but I also have Smitten and Adore.  All gorgeous girls!

Maybelline Colour Tatoo by Eyestudio Eyeshadows: thumbs up

This cream eyeshadow claims to last 24 hours.  Another of my favourite products, this stuff lasts all day and NEVER creases.  I used Bad to the Bronze on my lid, and blended a little into my crease, then I used Barely Branded (from the Metal collection) on my brow bone and inner corner of my eye.  These are quite a bit too shimmery for me on their own, but I applied some ivory matte eyeshadow into my crease and up to my brow bone, and that worked for me.  My eyeshadow looked exactly the same when I got out of the pool, it even held onto the powder shadow I applied as liner.  I don't know about 24 hours, but this stuff survived swimming lessons for sure!

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Mascara, Waterproof formula: thumbs up
This is a really great mascara.  It gives me volume and length and it doesn't clump, even if I apply numerous coats.  It didn't budge at swimming lessons, and when I wore it on vacation in January it did really well both in the ocean and in the pool with the kids.  My only complaint is that it is very difficult to remove, but I use coconut oil and it comes off with a little gentle rubbing.  

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner: Mixed Review

I use this eyeliner on my waterline or when I want a smudged look. I don't love it because if I'm wearing it on my upper lash line, it transfers a little to my lower lash line.  If I apply it to my waterline, it is gone in a few hours.  It is fairly long wearing, but after a long day it doesn't look that great.  For swimming lessons, I wore 001 Black on my upper lash line, smudged out.  The results were no different than any other day.  I could see it on my lower lash line when I got out of the pool.  Not a terrible result, but not a great one either.

Before swimming lesson

Before swimming lesson

After swimming lesson

Lots of this makeup would be great for a vacation if you plan on spending a lot of time on the beach or in the pool.  It think it would also be perfect for working out (not that I EVER do that, lol).  Hope this was helpful! Let me know if there's anything else Saskatchemom can review for you!