I’m constantly trying out new beauty and hair products so I thought I would start sharing all of my finds here with a short review every month. All products listed here were purchased by me but I will definitely let you guys know in future posts if it is a gifted product or contains an affiliate link. Also, if you have any suggestions for new products I should check out please let me know!

HAIR

Let’s start with hair. I had been noticing this year that I kept breaking out around my hair line while also dealing with a dry itchy scaly; being a Celiac I figured that my shampoos and hair products had gluten in them. After doing some research I decided to switch everything to the completely gluten-free product lineup from VERB. In June, I tried three of their products: verb dry shampoo and verb hydrating shampoo + conditioner   . The powdered dry shampoo was so fantastic that I immediately got rid of any of the other dry shampoos I had collected (especially since none of them said whether they were GF or not). I have pretty dark brown hair so I had to really work the powder into my hair so it wasn’t visible but it didn’t bother me. I picked up their dark hair spray dry shampoo which I will include in my July reviews. The shampoo and conditioner feels so luxurious and beautiful - the scent is super mild and the formula is really hydrating. I bought them in the extra large size pump bottles; Jack and I have barely made a dent in them yet - a little bit goes a long way.

I also had recently picked up the Herbivore sea mist in coconut + sea salt from my friend’s shop here in Calgary, Dept. It is supposed to give you that whole surfer-girl-beachy-waves thing and I can report that it works. I use it on Jack’s hair a lot - it detangles his hair perfectly and the scent is heavenly. In fact, I actually mist it on as a light fragrance pretty regularly - it smells so good! The bottle is only 1/4 empty so I’m quite pleased how far it is going - especially being used on two people daily.

SKIN

Okay, skin care o’clock. I didn’t really try too much *new* this month as I am trying to keep things stable for a bit so I can make sure it is actually working. I did switch up my daily moisturizer and started using schaf facial moisturizer from Toronto. I prefer my facial moisturizers to be fragrance-free and lightweight - especially in the summer. Overall, I really like the formula - my only complaint is that sometimes my skin looks really shiny in the summer heat. Otherwise, it feels great and moisturized. It is also gluten-free. Also, love the pump style of this product - and of course, their branding is to die for.

I also wanted to deal with the breakouts I’ve been experiencing lately (still trying to figure if out if I’m coming in contact with gluten somehow) so I picked up the Saje zap oil for acne prone skin. I don’t have acne prone skin which is why these zits are really annoying so I thought I would give it a shot. It did dry out and get the zits to go away a lot quicker than any of my other methods. The scent is quite strong (tea tree oil, I believe) so it takes a bit of time to get used to it.

MAKEUP

I’m always up for trying new mascaras and when I discovered that a booth at the Calgary Farmers Market was carrying the vegan Pacifica lineup, I had to try one of their mascaras. I ended up choosing the Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara in Supernova (black). Overall, I really love this mascara  - it is a great pure black, the formula is smooth and lightweight (no globs). The brush is long, fat and fluffy - which IMHO is fantastic for getting thick blink-worthy lashes. The only downside is that its not really waterproof so if you’ve got seasonal allergies like I do, you might need to do a makeup touchup every so often. But the fact that it is a vegan formula makes me happy.

I was so stoked to find out about The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation. I had been switching up my foundations when the seasons begun to change but I always find it hard to find the perfect formula for my dry skin. The Ordinary has such a lightweight formula - it doesn’t sit on my skin like so many other foundations - likely because it is serum-based. I’ve been using Colour 1.1 N Fair Neutral.

I purchased a box set of mini Benefit Cosmetics Blushes as I wanted to try a bunch of different colours without buying the full size. It doesn’t look like the kit is available any more but my favourites out of the box are GALifornia, Gold Rush Blush and Dandelion. I’ll definitely be picking those up in full size once I’m done with the minis.

FRAGRANCE

I’ve been using the Saje floral crystal fresh deodorant for about a year now and I absolutely love it. It is perfect for freshening up mid-day or layering with another natural deodorant. I’ve also used it as a light fragrance or to spritz my pillow with.

I picked up this pharmacia rose perfume from Anthropologie and I’ve already gone through an entire bottle of it and started on a second. I can’t find too much information about - I’m assuming it is an Anthro house brand - but for about $28 you really can’t beat it. It captures everything I love about roses - such a delicate scent. The first time I sniffed the bottle, I just about swooned from the nostalgic vibes wafting from it.