Beauty Vixen: canadian

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A few weeks back I got the privilege to attend an event at Pure + Simple, in their Yorkville location. In addition to having their own fantastic Canadian made and natural house brand, Pure + Simple sells a full line up of other Canadian Natural brands in their spas.

Not only did I get to learn about the brands, I got to meet the owners and reps from the brands and try out lots of great products.

Healing Haus

Healing Haus' line of products are 100% Canadian (headquartered out of Guelph, Ontario) and are formulated for their maximum potency and effectiveness by Cheryl Karthaus, who not only is the brands founder but also a Naturopath.

With seven formulas the line it features some pretty impressive lotions for the body that feature minimal ingredients for maximum impact. If you have eczema the Skin Soother is probably meant for you, Skin 101 is formulated for those who are reactive to even the lightest of essential oils, while Rest and Repair is for those with cracked and raw skin. If you have have skin there is a formula that you will probably like. I am in love with Refresh which is a Citrus and Bergamot lotion. Meant to sooth the mind and the body this lotion smells fantastic and is quite the stress relief in a jar.

Skin Essence Organics

Skin Essence Organics is a brand that makes products that are organic with freshly sourced extracts and is eco friendly. What makes this line so unique is that there is no water in the products so that they are at their most potent and without fillers. The Facial in a Jar is a powder that you mix to create a potent face mask that delivers in its results.

FitGlow Beauty

FitGlow Beauty is a line of skin care and beauty line that is packed full of active vitamins, humectants and plant sterols. Ingredents like Kojc Acid, wildcrafted Ginseng, Willow Bark and MSN are in their Renew Serum and provide a lot goodness to your skin. Their lip glosses contain Organic Coconut oil, Shea Butter and Jojoba while being 90% certified organic.

World

World is a hair care line that Brian Phillips came up with after developing a sever case of contact dermatitis on his hands. He was advised by a client who happened to be a naturopath told him it was a reaction to something he used regularly. Soon it was revealed to be products he used in his salon were the culprit to his skin ailment. Brian was inspired to create products he could use daily on his clients that wouldn't cause either of them damage.

World is a line of skin and hair care products that contain no parabens, phthalates, sulphates, fragrances or colours while being fully biodegradable and vegan (two products do contain beeswax though).

As someone who bathes dogs on a daily bases, I can fully understand and relate to both Brian's story and the line of products. I also have highly reative skin to fragrances when my skin gets chapped (which is often) so this line really impresses me. I mean Protect is a hair and body moisturizer, what a great idea.

Da lish

Da lish is a cosmetics line that Toronto native Melanie Cruickshank started when she decided she had to know the ingredients in her makeup. Her friends started wanting it, and complements started rolling in, and Dalish was born. Loaded with anti-oxidants, Shea Butter, Sunflower seed oil and Rosemary leaf extract this makeup line is good for you and looks fantastic.

NuVsio

NuVsio was created by Dr. Brei, who was looking for more effective and natural skin care products. Their focus is on purity though nature and efficiency through science. Pure organic ingredients that do their jobs well and no chemicals, this line is as scientific as a natural brand can be. Their formulas are based on minerals, their science and skin therapy based them.

Sattva Pure

Sattva is a line of natural skin care that only uses the finest quality ingredients and is manufactured in Aurora, Ontario. Natural oils, botanicals, and vitamins are the stars of this product line that is focused on helping skin be at its best without irritation on even the most sensitive of skin. It is also 100% vegan, free of parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sls, sles, synthetic colours and synthetic fragrances. It also happens to use organic and fair-trade ingredients in many of its formulations.

Healthy Crunch

Healthy Crunch was also there, they make delicious Kale snack with whole leaf kale, not just little bits and crumbs like other brands. They also make some pretty fantastic flavour options, like Say Cheese! a zesty cheese option that uses nutritional yeast instead of dairy. They also make sprinkles (they call them Krumps), which you can use to top just about anything you like (soup, salad, you name it). Yum-yum. I'd like to note my mother-in-law gobbled these down so fast, she has a health condition which requires lots of vitamin k, kale is super high in vitamin k...so they went fast.

These Canadian Natural brands can all be found at Pure + Simple locations.

I look forward to trying a few products from some of these brands out in the next little while.

Have you tried any of these brands? What do you love about them?

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I'm always on the lookout for a good Canadian made brand and Caprina fits that bill just perfectly. Baised in Quebec, all their products are goats milk based and simply fantastic.

I was lucky enough to be send a few products from the brand, but had already been using it for years, their Goat's Milk Bubble Bath is an absolute staple in my house (I was once told by a naturopath to have a milk bath once a day, I soon learned that a pint of milk a day gets expensive and switched to Caprina and never looked back). Also the Fresh Goat's Milk Soap is by far my favourite brush cleaner of all time, yes my makeup brushes (they will be more on this below).

Fresh Goat's Milk Body Wash with Orchid Oil

This is a creamy body wash, it smells good (light and floral but not anything that I quite find too strong or to recognizable), lathers well and leaves my skin feeling pretty darn hydrated for a body wash.

I find I don't need too much to create a rich lather on my shower poof and that it does a really good job of cleansing the skin without stripping it of moisture. I am definitely a fan of any creamy body wash, but often find they lack in the cleansing department. The strange thing is this does a good job of cleaning and not drying out my skin. I feel it could be because it isn't a full out cream constancy like others, more of a hybrid. Anyways I am loving it. I even ran out and bought the Shea Butter formula, and like it just as much.

Fresh Coat's Milk Soap in Original Formula

This was the brands first product and apparently also their best selling, and I can see why. I love this soap, and I do not like bars of soap. It is true, both Mr. Fox and I hate to use bars of soap, but neither of us dislike this one, not one bit. I do find this odd, I can only equate it to the fact it is so moisturizing.

My favourite thing to use this bar for though is to clean my makeup brushes. I learned long ago that I perfer a solid to clean my brushes with, and while there are expensive versions out there meant just for your makeup brushes (some even with goat's milk in them) I love this simple and cheap (I usually can find it for under $2) bar to do the task for me. It does the job of cleaning ridiculously well while not stripping your brushes or frying them. It kind of cleans and conditions in one go. Plus it is cheaper and easier to find then the versions meant just for your brushes. I truly love the results and have been recommending it to my makeup artist, blogger and addict friends for years....it just works so well.

Body Lotion with Shea Butter

I feel this lotion was meant for me. I don't know how else to say it. I love to use it on my dry and chapped arms and I always love how it smells and feels when I do. Lightly scented, super hydrating, fast absorbing and not sticky at all. Sometimes lotions are just too runny and watery for me and I end up using heavy body butters, but come the summer I just can't take the heaviness anymore, which is why I love that this formal is a bit thicker then most lotions but still ultra absorbable. Mr. Fox even has been commenting on how soft my skin is lately, which is a major bonus.

Caprina can be found at most drug stores, grocery stores (I buy mine at my Metro), mass retailers and sometimes if you're lucky a dollarama.

All of these products come in three scents/formulas listed as well as Olive Oil and the bar also comes in unscented, which is really great. I love the Shea Butter the best, and it is really all about the scent (but I do like them all).

Have you ever tried Caprina products before? Do like to use products with goat's milk in it?

*products were sent to me for review purposes. All opinions and views are my own.