Fresh Beauty Limited-Edition Zodiac Sugar Lip Treatment | Holiday 2018

When the temperature drops many people flee to warm destinations but I love Canadian winters! As a child I spent hours outside building snowmen, skating and having snowball fights with my sister. These days my life is somewhat more refined. I enjoy romantic weekends at Mont Tremblant’s Ski Resort and cozy bonfires at the Fairmont. The holiday season can be magical (no matter how old you are) but cold weather is harsh on the skin.

Fresh Beauty is well known for their replenishing face masks, awesome cleansers and refreshing toners but the Sugar Lip Balms are bestsellers for a reason. The formula is loaded with sea fennel, orange extract, jojoba, grape seed oil, avocado oil, meadowfoam seed, black currant, sunflower oil and rose water to smooth fine lines, diminish wrinkles and deeply nourish.

Personalized gifts are always popular so this Christmas why not surprise friends and family with their very own zodiac sign lip balm ($32.00 ea). Each tube features a hand painted design and the same ultra hydrating formula Fresh is known for (without parabens, sulfates or phthalates). It might be a good idea to open the box and check the tube before purchasing because I noticed a printing error on the Leo cap.

When lips feel dry and flaky, exfoliate gently and apply generous layers of balm as an overnight treatment. The creamy finish melts in without greasiness to soften, smooth, improve elasticity and retexturize.

The suppleness of these balms lasts for hours and on long flights they protect skin from dehydration and peeling. I always keep one in my purse, travel bag and office to prep my pout for lipstick and fortify against icy wind.

Fresh Beauty is available at Sephora and online at sephora.ca

Fresh Beauty Hydrating Skincare | Toner, Essence and Glow Water

Technically it is still autumn but the weather has been unseasonably cold, rainy and downright dreary. Many households in Toronto have already turned on their indoor heating which can cause dry flaky skin. This winter I'm keeping my beauty routine simple. Instead of slathering on layers of thick cream I'm using healing sprays infused with soothing ingredients and hydrating properties.

During long busy weeks that sap your energy and dull your complexion, the Fresh Rose Toner ($49.00) is a miracle worker. The lightweight liquid is alcohol free and made from nourishing rose water to clarify, remove impurities and hydrate for 24 hours. I love the natural scent and the supple texture preps skin for serums and cream. Use it to set makeup or refresh your face throughout the day. The gentle mist softens, cleanses and calms with no stickiness and the bottle is quite large so you can transfer some into a purse-size spray bottle for use on-the-go.

I usually buy Kombucha in drinkable form because it is now considered a “super food.”  The fermented black tea is rich in probiotics and antioxidants with antibacterial properties that help detoxify, improve digestion and boost the immune system. The Fresh Beauty Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence ($85.00) is a highly concentrated anti-aging complex that moisturizes and protects from pollution. The fortifying formula also softens fine lines, enhances resiliency, refines skin texture, minimizes pores, improves elasticity and boosts luminosity for youthful vitality.

The Fresh Vitamin Nectar Antioxidant Glow Water ($54.00) is a must this winter! Fruit extracts, emollients and antioxidants refresh and rejuvenate parched skin with a dewy finish. Keep it at your desk to revitalize your complexion during a stressful day or use it after the gym to energize and hydrate. It feels wonderful when spritzed onto bare legs after shaving or waxing and the cool mist sets makeup quickly.

Fresh Beauty is available at Sephora and online at sephora.ca

Must-Have Holiday Gift Sets from Fresh Beauty & Burt’s Bees

Every year I start my holiday shopping early and gift wrapping sessions begin on a positive note with pretty paper, flashy ribbon and cute tags. After an hour or so things take a turn for the worst. I lose patience, the tape mysteriously goes missing (for the millionth time) and the last few boxes look like they were hit by a train. Thankfully Santa thought of everything this year and delivered some beautiful gift sets from Fresh and Burt’s Bees that don’t require fancy wrapping. In fact, the Fresh Holiday Collection is covered in whimsical illustrations that you can color and customize with pencil crayons included (how cool is that!).

Lip Balm is a necessity, especially in the winter but when you add a pretty pop of color lips look totally luscious. The Fresh Sugar Treatments have been a cult favorite for years (I have one in my purse all the time) and the Beauty Box ($54.00) will make someone on your list very happy. The reusable tin comes with 6 nourishing shades from deep pink, neutral and berry to compliment all complexions.

Infused with a nourishing blend of meadowfoam, black currant, olive oil, jojoba, grape seed, avocado, sunflower and apricot oil, the treatments soften, smooth, hydrate, heal and protect. They also counteract dullness and loss of firmness for a more youthful pout plus the formula is free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

The Best of Beauty Bundle ($90.00) pampers the complexion to combat the season’s worst blizzards and indoor heating. It features a full skincare ritual packaged in a box that you can color and targets dryness, dark spots, uneven skin tone and wrinkles. The Soy Face Cleanser is suitable for all skin types and removes impurities, makeup, dirt and excess oil without stripping away essential moisture.

The star of this set (and my personal favorite) is the Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask loaded with natural fruit extracts and antioxidants. It looks like orange jam, smells delicious and makes skin appear bright, healthy and refreshed.

You also get the Advanced Therapy Sugar Lip Treatment, Black Tea Age-Delay Concentrate (to firm the eye area) and the Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream featuring a potent blend of botanicals and extracts that moisturize and minimize signs of aging.

When stuffing the stockings don’t forget to pick up some Fresh Hand Creams ($18.00). These pretty, purse-size tubes soften dry hands, heal brittle nails and moisturize rough cuticles with a reviving dose of Vitamin E and shea butter. Honeysuckle and Citron makes hands smell amazing and the fast absorbing formula is non-greasy.

Fresh Beauty is available at Sephora.

Another great stocking stuffer is Burt’s Bees Mixed Fruit Gift Set ($12.99). The balms are packaged in a beautiful little gift box with delicious flavors like Wild Cherry, Pink Grapefruit, Coconut Pear and Strawberry. Formulated with natural ingredients, these creamy, mouth-watering treatments drench lips in soothing hydration to shield and protect against harsh weather, peeling and chapping.

The Face Essentials Kit ($22.99) is always one of my top picks for the holiday season. It comes with a lip balm, Deep Cleansing Cream, Deep Pore Scrub and Cleansing Cloths so after a long day you can remove pore clogging makeup and rejuvenate your skin with gentle ingredients. Burt’s Bees is available at drugstores nationwide.

Happy Shopping!

Fresh 2016 Holiday Collection and Gift Sets: Sugar Lip Seduction Review

When the Fresh holiday sets hit Sephora it’s the perfect time to stock up on your favorite items and gifts. Every year the women in my family receive a luscious Sugar Lip Balm in their beauty baskets, stockings or pull-crackers and they absolutely love them!

The Lip Seduction Set offers a beautiful range of tinted balms in trendy hues like Berry, Poppy, Ruby and Fig plus a few soft neutrals and cult faves. They come packaged in a beautiful festive box that retails for $70.00.

What makes these treatments so popular is the ultra moisturizing, conditioning formula infused with castor seed, jojoba, olive oil, grape seed oil, avocado, black currant, rose, meadowfoam, sunflower and raw sugar. These rich, nourishing oils and fruit extracts are high in antioxidants, nourishing fatty acids and vitamins to protect, heal, smooth and fight free-radicals. They also provide anti-aging benefits without any sulfates, phthalates or parabens.

I love the mild sugary scent and the light, comfortable formula provides layers of glistening shine. The creamy texture glides on effortlessly for up to 6 hours of dryness relief, hydration and softness. I also notice that prolonged use retexturizes and minimizes the reoccurrence of rough, chapped skin for healthier looking lips.

These radiant tints compliment all complexions with a sheer wash of juicy color - perfect for the days you don’t feel like wearing full-coverage lipstick. I like to keep a couple shades in my purse, at my desk and by my bed for night repair.

You can find Fresh Beauty and their incredible holiday collection at Sephora and sephora.ca.

Fresh 2016 Holiday Collection: Mini Spa Mask Gift Set Review

Tis the season for giving and there is no better gift than beautiful skin! Each year Fresh releases an amazing variety of gift sets that help us pamper and care for our complexions as we battle icy winds and blizzards. These collections are a great way to give loved ones some of the brand’s most popular skin nourishing products while saving money!

My first line of defense against dry winter skin is a good face mask and with the Mini Mask Spa Set you get four treatments plus an awesome face polish that will keep you supple all season!

Let’s start with one of my favorites – the Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask which also seems to be my husband’s favorite since he finished my first jar. This rich, super hydrating cream is infused with hyaluronic acid and works with your skin’s natural night time recovery process. It provides layers of rich moisture with a complex blend of black tea extract, blackberry and lychee. Aside from making skin feel amazing, it also works like a corset by firming, improving elasticity and reducing sagging.

The Face Polish with brown sugar and real strawberry seeds buffs away dry, rough skin to smooth, soften and refresh. Vitamin C helps brighten while plum and grape seed oils hydrate. I like how fine the granules are and I use the excess to gently exfoliate my lips and hands. When I want vigorous resurfacing, I use the polish on clean, dry skin and for a lighter scrub I dampen my skin and leave the mask on for 20 mins.

The Mattifying Mask is formulated for normal to oily skin and contains mineral rich Umbrian Clay which neutralizes acidity, absorbs oil, refines pores and purifies for a balanced complexion. I use this mask when I want to deep cleanse, revitalize and defend against harmful environmental elements or pore clogging makeup. It makes my face feel clean, fresh, smooth and better equipped to absorb moisturizers and serums.

Rose has a calming, soothing effect on the skin and it also helps reduce inflammation, redness and irritation with regenerating vitamins. The Rose Face Mask also contains algae, aloe and green tea to moisturize brighten and protect plus the formula has a nice, natural scent. After a long day facing winter’s wrath this mask is the perfect way to undo damage and unwind.

The Black Tea Instant Perfect Mask with advanced antioxidants is just what dehydrated skin needs. The velvety, whipped texture seems to alleviate on contact and enhance luster. Along with anti-aging benefits and fighting harmful free-radicals it deeply nourishes to replenish and soften.

This amazing set is valued at $132.00 but retails for $115.00. Fresh is available at Sephora.

Holiday Gifts and Great Deals From Fresh Beauty

By now most of you are familiar with the SUGAR products from Fresh Beauty as many have become cult favorites. This year you can pick up some of their fabulous gift packages which include an assortment of popular skincare products to help you and all the people on your list battle the drying winter weather and look fabulous at your holiday events.

Some of my top picks this year include the Mask Must-Haves Collection which is pre-packed in a beautiful box that can also double as storage. It comes with 4 popular face masks for $80.00 which is a great value considering that some of the full-size jars retail for $108.00 each and you get a fabulous variety.

The Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask is loaded with potent antioxidants that enhance the overnight recovery process so that skin looks healthy, firm and beautiful in the morning. The formula is also infused with rich tea extract, blackberry and lychee extract to fight damaging free radicals, improve elasticity, sooth and rebalance. Hyaluronic acid and peptides deeply moisturize, refresh and enhance suppleness to firm and fight the signs of aging.

The SUGAR Face Polish has a refreshing citrus scent and looks like sweet brown sugar (which is exactly what it is made of) plus a sweet blend of real strawberry seeds to exfoliate and hydrate the skin. Infused with antioxidants the scrub works by gently dissolving dead cells to instantly reveal smoother, softer skin that looks polished and replenished for a glowing complexion.

The Rose Face Mask is a hydrating, toning gel infused with two-and-a-half real rose petals per jar, 50% rose water, cucumber, aloe and green tea so it has a garden fresh aroma. The mask revives parched skin with a boost of moisture to restore radiance, brighten and reduce inflammation.

For those who suffer from oily skin the Umbrian Clay Mattifying Mask deeply cleanses to minimize pores and imperfections while mattifying the skin and protecting against free radicals without drying out the complexion. This may also be a great treatment for those suffering from acne due to excessive oil production.

If you love the Fresh SUGAR lip treatments this year they have more great gift packages and cute duos including this gloss and balm set for $23.00. This is still one of my favorite products for fighting dry chapped lips and I usually gift one to everyone on my list or drop one in each stocking!

You can find Fresh at Sephora and Sephora.ca