Beauty Obsession: Sweet Leaf Bath

I’m a big fan of exfoliation—in moderation—and since I regularly do battle with cystic acne, I’m a big fan of gentle exfoliation in particular. Through trial and error I have proven the rule that too much exfoliation (or exfoliation that’s too harsh) is not a good thing for my skin. I also look to my skin to dictate whether or not to reach for a scrub or my Clarisonic. Lately I’ve been opting for a gentle exfoliation treatment 2-3 times a week, including a great weekend facial mask treatment.

I’m a new fan of the affordable, generously-portioned products from Sweet Leaf Bath, a Canadian company from founders Rose Creamer and Stacey Guymer that makes its products in small batches—with extremely clean ingredients.

What I tried: Adzuki Bean & Rice Bran Face Polish, $16.95*

First impressions: As per usual, I went straight for the ingredients list, and liked what I saw. Here it is in all of its glory: Organic Adzuki Powder, Organic Rice Bran, Cucumber Seed Extract, Custard Apple Fruit Extract, Ginkgo Biloba. Simple, clean, easy. The adzuki  bean powder and rice bran make for an extremely gentle and soothing exfoliant…after my very first use my skin felt smooth, but not dried out or irritated in the slightest.

What caught me by surprise: This is going to sound weird, I know, but this product smells like fresh green beans to me. (Not in an unpleasant way!) Just sort of fresh, earthy, and like veggies at the farmers market. The instructions on the jar say to scoop out a little bit, mix with water, and scrub. I also tried tapping a little out into the ceramic jar that I got with this facial mask, mixed it up, and applied that way. Either tactic works well, but I find mixing it in a bowl helps me with portion control.

Bonus: Sweet Leaf’s products are made with pure, organic, and fair trade-certified ingredients. (They’re licensed by FairTrade Canada.)

*This product was sent to me for review, but I only write about cosmetics I think are truly worthy of being shared with you. View my full disclosure here, and my review policy here.

(Image via Sweet Leaf Bath)

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This post was shared June 19, 2013 under Skin, tagged , , , and has no comments

Link Love Friday

This image has nothing to do with today's post—but it made me smile.

The last few weeks have been busy/challenging/amazing/sad/happy/frustrating and many other adjectives…I could go on. But life is starting to settle back into a (somewhat) normal routine. I’m looking forward to spending more time here with all of you (!!), but in the meantime, I’ve pulled together some great links from other places for today’s Link Love post. Enjoy, and happy Father’s Day weekend! —Aleigh

A look at how argan oil is made and processed.

On multitasking (and why it’s not always a good idea).

Hair dressing (a DIY hair conditioner good enough to eat), from the Whole Foods blog); I’m definitely testing this out tomorrow!

More on phenoxyethanol from Pai Skincare. (I do my best to avoid this ingredient, and I’ve noticed it has been used with less frequency by many otherwise natural companies.)

(Image via szeke cc)

This post was shared June 14, 2013 under Uncategorized, tagged , , and has no comments

Link Love: A Little Lift

Colourful Cranes
It’s been a rough week for my family, and I’ve been getting a little bogged down with worry and sadness. But feeling sorry for myself just won’t do right now (or ever, really!), so this week I’ve pulled together a list of uplifting and inspiring links for you. I needed them. Here’s hoping for happy news, good times, and lots of sunshine this weekend! —Aleigh

(Image via blentley)

This post was shared May 31, 2013 under Uncategorized, tagged , , , , and has 1 comment

I Tried It: Dry Brushing (My Teeth!)

A few weeks ago, I spotted this nugget on the Prevention Facebook page:

Fact: Dry-brushing your teeth for 30 seconds before regular brushing can cut tartar by 60% and cut gum-bleeding risk in half.

I decided to try it out, and so far, I’m a convert.

Now, I brush my teeth with a (very soft) dry brush for about 30 seconds, then follow with wet brush/toothpaste. I’ve been using a Sonicare toothbrush for years (on my dentist’s recommendation). I could definitely tell a difference in the health of my gums when I started using the Sonicare (I tend to brush too hard when I use a regular toothbrush!)—and with this new routine, I’m noticing other changes. My teeth feel smoother and my gums are less irritated. It’s a small change, sure, but it’s an easy one to make—I’ll be interested to see if my dentist notices any difference at my next appointment!

Do you dry brush your teeth? Would you try it? —Aleigh

(Image via JP)

This post was shared May 24, 2013 under Body, tagged , , and has 2 comments

Link Love Friday: Peony Season!

It’s that glorious time of year when the farmers markets are starting to burst with fresh fruits and veggies, my favorite flower is blooming (see above!), and I can pretend the full heat of summer is still a ways off. I’m soaking it all in—and I’ve scoured the internet to come up with some great links to share this week. —Aleigh

On No More Dirty Looks, there’s an ongoing discussion about perioral dematitis happening right now, and reminded me that Sarah Villafranco of Osmia Organics has a lot to say on this topic! If you’ve struggled with this skin condition, these links might be insightful.

NASA released a list of the best air-filtering houseplants. I have exactly one of these in my house. Time to add a few more…

I love this list of 6 weird things that make you happy, from Prevention. (Tear-jerker movies for the win!)

I can’t wait to try this double duty beauty parfait from the Whole Foods blog.

What have you been reading + enjoying this week?

(Image via buttersweet)

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This post was shared May 17, 2013 under Body, Skin, tagged , , , , , , and has no comments