Meet Mallory. She's an Educator from Newmarket, Ontario. Mallory tried out a smattering of Sola goods and was bursting to share her thoughts.
Make up and skin care products (and anything "beauty regime" related), have always been a big part of my upbringing. I grew up living with a cosmetologist mother who always had serums, creams and lipstick tubes hanging around. As a girl I'd stand in front of the mirror and lather the potions onto my face, but it wasn't until the last decade or so that I started to flip those products around and read the ingredients on the label. Phthalates? Lead? Formaldehyde? Oh my! Not to mention parabens, fragrance and other substances that not only am I unable to pronounce, but have no idea what they are?! Scary...
My first big jump into using all natural products was my skin care items. I noticed my combination skin was really uneven and blotchy, dry and red, and looked stressed out. The face washes I was using made my skin so dry. Discovering Sola Skincare was a tiny miracle for me, and since I've started using the products, my face radiates health. The Happy Face Kit and the All Better Balm are really lifesavers, and here's why...
Using the Calendula & Rose Cleansing Grains to wash my face is an experience all in its own... the smooth, (naturally) fragrant grains start off as a tiny pile of loveliness in my palm, only to be mixed up with the smallest amount of water into a paste I sometimes have to stop myself from eating (hey, who doesn't like goat's milk and oats for breakfast!!) It smells SO GOOD! Lathering it on my face makes me feel clean, refreshed and really darn good about my cleansing routine. No harsh chemicals or drying agents, just an earthy mix of goodness. The grains exfoliate and rinse clean so nicely, leaving my skin feeling super soft before I've even applied anything else. You can even re-use the original container, which makes me happy! My only complaint is that there isn't a jumbo sized bottle, I love it that much.
After the shower or after I've washed my face, my dry cheeks really require some lovin'. Time for the Balancing Face Oil! At first I was skeptical of purchasing anything with the word "oil", because as I mentioned earlier I have combination skin. My t-zone gets oily when I'm working hard or sweating, so the last thing I want is extra oils on my face. WRONG. When it comes to the BFO, I want ALL THE OILS! So fabulous. Applied by itself (or with the help of the Rose Hydrosol) my skin literally drinks it up. Squeezing 2-3 drops of oil into my palm and applying to my cheeks, under my eyes, nose, forehead and finally blending it all in together ("don't forget your neck!" a wise woman once told me) is one of my favourite routines of the day. The oil smells fantastic and really gives off an earthy vibe (I know I was totally born in the wrong era...). It's something I look forward to each and every day. Within minutes my skin has absorbed the oil, and sometimes I go for small seconds to apply to areas that need a little extra loving (those dry cheeks!) Since I've started using the Balancing Face Oil, my dryness and redness has disappeared and my skin looks totally rejuvenated; my face feels soft and ready to face the day.
The sweet smelling, Rose Hydrosol is fantastic as a toner alone, or underneath the Balancing Face Oil. A few pumps of the mist leaves my whole face feeling refreshed and primed for my face oil or make up, and even works well for oil control in the middle of the day. Thanks to Sola's blog and the wonders of YouTube, I've recently started mixing my Rose Hydrosol in the palm of my hand with the Balancing Oil to make my oil stretch a little longer. Seeing the contents of my bottle rest near the bottom is giving me a small panic... time for more! The soothing Rose spray also feels lovely on a sun kissed (or sunburned, ooops) face. A product I'm so happy to add to my skin regime!
Once I've applied what I need to prep my face for my quick and easy make up routine (recently switched all my products over to an all natural brand called Elate Cosmetics and I love it!) I move to the All Better Balm. This product is so versatile, I use it for everything. Cuticles, dry skin patches, healing tattoos, whatever. I apply it each morning to my lips, as well as my dry cracked knuckles. Working with my young students, I find myself washing my hands many times throughout the day, so my hands get dry and cracked quickly. The All Better Balm is ultra soothing and transformed my extremely red, cracked knuckles back to normal.
I've struggled to find the perfect lip balm for many years, and it's certainly a staple in my beauty routine. If I had to choose two products (ok, three) it would be lip balm, foundation and mascara. Sola's lip balm is UNREAL. The Sweet Orange and the Vanilla Lemon scents are so refreshing and tasty, (yet another item I have to force myself not to eat..) and really maintain the moisture on my lips. When you read the ingredients in other chapsticks and lipbalms, one of the ingredients is alcohol. Hello? I'll take my alcohol with my Mojito, not on my face, drying out my skin! Sneaky, counterproductive ingredient, if you ask me. A product that promotes MOISTURE yet DRIES your lips and requires CONSTANT reapplication? No thank you. Sola's lip balms smoke even Burt's Bees natural products, and I've been using those for years! I've yet to try the Peppermint, but that's for next months order...
One of my favourite components to my new found Sola regime is the packaging. Never any wasteful, unnecessary materials when I receive my order, and the tins are so versatile and handy to slip in my purse or make-up bag. They are even manly enough for the man to leave in his truck, and he feels great applying the balms onto his fresh tattoos. I love that I can refill my container for the Cleansing Grains and love the equally cute package the refill comes in. Perfection.
These are products I recommend to anyone who will listen, and I have nothing but nice things to say about Christine, Sola and her whole clean earth, clean product motives. I'm glad to have discovered this lovely hand made, "every folk" kinda company.
Cheers to all the hard work and effort that go into sustaining a local business. I commend you and you have my support!
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