Organic Essentials Cotton Rounds

By Rachel Longo-Tosoian

I am always up for trying new things so I decided to give my regular, no-name brand cotton cosmetic pads a break and try something different. After a trip to the Wal-Mart cosmetic section, I found Organic Essentials Cotton Rounds amongst the other no-name brands. “Organic,” I thought, “this will be great!”

The company states that their product has the softest premium cotton, is certified organic, made from virgin staple fiber, uses the most absorbent cotton, and is whitened with hydrogen peroxide. All of this sounded appealing to me, until I got the product home and started using it.

My main use for the cotton pads was to remove makeup and apply toner to my face. I went through the entire package of 80 cosmetic pads and found that each time, because the pads were so soft and absorbent, they would literally break apart and tear while I was using them.

I found that separating each of the pads while taking them out of the packaging was also a bit of a nightmare. Once again, because the product is so soft, the fibers stuck to one another, and I would often get half a pad or even two or three attached to the first one. This became rather irritating trying to fiddle with the cotton pads and attempt to separate. About half way through the pack, I just gave up trying and grabbed whatever I could.

The fibers were coming off on my face while I was cleaning it, so having to pick off cotton from my face is not part of my daily routine.

Overall, I was not impressed with this product. I liked the idea of buying an organic product, and doing my part to attempt to be Green in terms of cosmetics, but the hassle of this product was not worth it. Cotton pads should not irritate you, or be difficult to use. Sure, they were soft and fluffy, but they did not work for me.

Has anybody else tried this product and liked or disliked it? Leave a comment and tell me why/why not.

Naturally Organic

If you regularly shop at natural food or beauty stores, there's a good chance that you've already heard about Kosmea and the wonders of rosehip oil. I myself was recently introduced to the brand and met the woman behind Kosmea. She heard that rosehip oil was a wonder cure-all for many kinds of skin conditions and decided to purchase and export the oil herself!

That was years ago, and since Kosmea has grown into a world phenomenon and though based in Australia, is now sold all over the world. The beauty of rosehip oil is that it's naturally organic. The rose hips are picked in Africa where they grow wild and since that's the case, there's no need to raise more of them with greenhouses and fertilizers and all that other stuff.

The newest addition to Kosmea is the Skin Clinic line of products that are richer and contain rose hip butter!

The Rescue Balm is a rich thick waxy butter that melts in your hand is perfect for feet, elbows, and very dry knees. A little bit goes a long way just like most body butters.

The Skin Clinic cream, on the other hand, is lighter but still has the same benefits of the balm. I use it on my hands and it keeps the dry cuticles at bay!

The wondrous thing about both these products is that they absorb every so quickly despite being so thick and rich to the touch! I find that within minutes I'm able to go about writing or handling papers without smudging everything in sight.

If you haven't yet tried Kosmea products you really should, and though I hardly ever enter health food stores, just knowing about this product suggests to me that perhaps they are worth checking out. There's no chemicals in any of the Kosmea products and their original Rose Hip oil has been a wonder treatment for reducing Eczema and making your skin look ever so young.

Kosmea is a cult hit all over the world, and it's finally catching on here too. Check out the Kosmea website to find out how to purchase Kosmea for yourself or just head over to your local health food store (though some Shoppers Drug Marts carry it also) and get a bottle for yourself.

Origins Organics Hydrating Body Lotion

Have you heard about Origins new line of products called Origins Organics?



The line is made up of products that have organic ingredients in them. And how is Origins judging the organic nature of its products?

Well, the ingredients are judged using the same guidelines used for food. Origins knows that not 100% of its products are going to be organic, so each product shows what percentage of it is actually organic.

Take Origins Organics Hydrating Body Lotion.



Is is made up of 87% organic ingredients. Besides that, the lotion is light and absorbs quickly but packs a powerful punch when it comes to moisturizing.

I love the wonderful earthy smell of the lotion and it's not overwhelming at all.

Not only can you purchase Origins products online, but Canadians can also find them easily at The Bay. Definitely check out this line - the concept is intriguing and the products are worth exploring.

Blogger Brunch

So today's Toronto Fashion Blogger Brunch was quite small at just 6 people but there was an interesting topic of discussion and that was the whole green fashion movement.

What I got from the discussion was that most of us support the making and wearing of green items but we're not yet ready to convert our whole lives to the green movement. We'll buy your green fashionable clothing, but please don't sell us any b.s. about how it might be better for our skin or make us look younger. We'll get it just for the sake of doing something good for the environment while being able to look good doing it.

In any case, I've reviewed organic products and for the most part they have impressed me, so don't be scared to buy them if that's the change that you're going to make to your lifestyle.

The Body Care Deli

I've been using products from The Body Care Deli for a little while and I've been really impressed. All their products are made from organic ingredients and are only available online. If you have dry skin, I'd really encourage you to try one this line. The moisturizers are so rich and leave your skin soft and smooth once they've been absorbed.

My favourite product is the Sweet Fennel Eye Cream. A little bit goes a long way, and just a smidge provides a cooling and refreshing feeling to the eye area. The cream is moisturizing but the texture is almost gel-like. I dab this on at the end of my day and as I inhale the lovely fennel scent, I doze off to sleep.

All the products, from the face sprays to the face creams, come in substantial glass bottles and jars that look lovely together. The creams are dense and smooth and a pleasure to use. You must also try the cleansers - they are a must for the winter for they leave your skin soft and supple because they clean without drying.

Check out The Body Care Deli website to order the products!

Desert Essence Organics Hand and Body Lotion

It's time for another organic cosmetic review. Is it bad that I'm always surprised at how good these products are? I guess that whenever I read that a product is made of organic materials, I assume that they were focussed on the organic part and ignored the quality part of making the product. In any case, time now for a review of Desert Essence Organics Hand and Body Lotion. Super moisturizing and quick absorbing, this lotion is a treat to use. I found the coconut scent a little sweet for my tastes, but that's a very minor complaint. This was a great lotion and the fact that it's made of certified organic materials is a bonus. It's also 100% vegan, so if you're looking for something in that area, this is for you.

You can find this line at health food stores.

Alba Lip Balm

The Alba Botanica line of products is a mainstay in most health food stores - you can find their creams and lotions easily, and you might want to turn to this line if you're interested in organic cosmetics. There are a myriad of products in the line, but I've snapped up a few of their lip care products and have been using them.

The Clear Lip Gloss and Lip Balm (2 leftmost) come in a variety of flavours and they all taste yummy. The Clear Lip Gloss in particular is made of 70% Certified Organic Ingredients which is interesting. Any company can say that they use organic products, but certified organic means that the material has been looked at and evaluated by a third party who has deemed it "organic". What this means is that if a product says "certified organic" on it, it is likely the real deal.
The gloss isn't as moisturizing as the balm, but it adds a nice sheen to my lips, and I like knowing that it's made out of natural ingredients.

If you don't normally go into health food stores in your neighborhood I hope this tempts you to try some of the products found therein, and in particular the Alba Botanica line.

Canadian Beauty News: September 14, 2007

Gosh, it's been a very busy week for me, and this week for Canadian Beauty News, we're going to hold off talking about products for just a minute - instead there are some thoughts and tips that have been percolating in my head for a while so I'm going to share them with you folks.

Still with me?

Good, here's your reward: I'm having a contest on Monday and this one is going to be best EVER. EVER!!!

Also: Emmy's on Sunday! Usually I skip the shows, but the Office is nominated and I love the cast so I'll be watching for sure.

In other news: I'm still using Lancome's Courbe Virtuose and I still love it! Really, it's a nice mascara that doesn't smudge or flake and the curl it provides holds all day. Also, I notice that it comes off so easily with just water. You rub your fingers over your lashes a little and you can just smooth it off. It comes off looking like wet plastic or rubber. Pretty cool and oh so easy. Anywho, the mascara is now available everywhere and you can also get it at Lancome's website.

Other things: they say that blush is one of those things that is universal and that any colour blush will go with every colour eye makeup and lipgloss. Well, not true, my friends. I have found that a coral blush looks so off with a cool-toned lipstick so keep that in mind.

Hmm, what else?

Oh yes, in the coming weeks you'll notice more posts about organic makeup and skincare products!! Yes, The Canadian Beauty Blog is going green... well greenish. Obviously, I'm never going to go full-out organic, but I've discovered some amazing organic products recently that I was very impressed with!

And that's it for this week. More deets about the contest tomorrow and of course on Monday.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!