I am on the lookout for natural products with as little ingredients as possible, to replace my current regimen.

So, on the hunt for a day-time moisturizer that will not:

• smell like sunscreen (BF feels ill when he smells it, because it makes him nauseous)
• sit on my skin like a mask
• not feel oily

..and a moisturizer that will:

• absorb into my skin properly, when I put a teaspoonful on my face (as you should)
• smell great, but not too strong
• work well under a primer like Smashbox’s Primer, or possibly Tarte’s Clean Slate
• make my skin feel soft and moisturized

Enter: Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturizer SPF 6

I picked up a sample at Sephora, and have been experimenting with it.

First, by just applying it without washing my face — Bad idea.

Second, by applying it after washing my face — Much better.

And trying different types of primers over it to see how the product pairs up:

• Korres Vitamin E Cream Primer
• Tarte Clean Slate that feels like a Smashbox Primer, is more natural & is cheaper

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMO
- Triclosan

And their supposedly “active” ingredients:

(Which I don’t care too much about (or believe), I just wanted something more natural and moisturizing but I couldn’t care less if it had that stuff below in it)

-Regenerative Oak Extract: Firms and plumps aging skin, radically boosting collagen and elastin production.
-Quercetin Active: Delivers the most active, well-established polyphenol for maximum antioxidant protection; catalyzes proteasome activity in skin cells, dramatically improving cellular function, and creating more youthful, healthy, elastic skin.
-Mourera Fluviatilis: Constantly regulates the optimum hydration of the cells, maintaining their health and improving their quality.
-Myrtle Active Extract: Enhances intercellular communication, visibly increasing skin density, protecting collagen fibers, and significantly boosting elasticity.

All the Good Things

• It smells heavenly, like a light scent of roses
• It doesn’t make BF gag
• It has SPF 6 in it
• It seems to absorb a teaspoon quite nicely

All the Bad Things

• It isn’t SPF 15, but for its lack of oiliness (which is usually the SPF), I’m compromising
• It costs $35 for 1.4 oz (ouch!)
• You MUST wash your face in the morning before using it, or else face the risk of looking like you dipped your whole face into a bowl of mineral oil

Other than that, highly recommended.

I mean, the SPF is half what it should be, but for everything else I am getting, like the non-gag factor from BF, I am thrilled.

Since I am on the hunt for a natural primer, I also checked out Tarte’s Clean Slate.

I really enjoy the feel of silicone-based primers. They just seem to work, slide on better, and do the job.

Being a fan of Smashbox’s Primer for a while now, I figured it was the closest match.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates

The Good Things:

• Feels JUST like a Smashbox Primer going on (same slippery feel)
• Cheaper than Smashbox by $9 and you get 0.17oz more to boot
• My skin looked instantly dewy and soft, rather than shiny and oily

The Bad Things:

• Umm…….? It has silicones in it?

Tarte versus Smashbox

For the most part, it looks like the Tarte Clean Slate has more oils from fruits and flowers than Smashbox.

The two major ingredients that cannot be removed are Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone Crosspolymer — those are the silicones that give that great, slippery feel to the primer and make them work so well.

Tarte is also paraben-free, which is a plus.

The In-Depth Verdict:

I covered my face half with Tarte’s Clean Slate on the right, and Korres Vitamin E Cream Primer on the left.

It feels much less oily than the Korres side, I also don’t feel it being as heavy on my skin.

When I move my face, I can almost feel the Korres side pulling with the weight of the product on there, but the Tarte side feels light and free.

The real test came when I put on the Bare Escentuals.

Both sides looked perfectly dewy with the Bare Escentuals on.

In fact, Tarte Clean Slate seemed to do slightly worse, but maybe it’s just because that side of my face is not as smooth and poreless as the other.

So far, after 4 hours, both look fine.

No makeup has melted off, and both sides of my face look a little shiny, probably from the SPF moisturizer I have underneath.

I did notice that the Tarte side seemed to have hold on the blush just a tad better, but it might be just be as a result of my amateur makeup application skills.

The first application of the Tarte Clean Slate, made my skin feel and look less shiny, but now when I look in the mirror, both sides of my face look exactly the same.

When I rub my cheeks, the left side with the Korres is slightly oilier which I am not a fan of.

No makeup has melted off, and both sides of my face look a little shiny, probably from the SPF moisturizer I have underneath.

I think Tarte is great if you want something that is…

• slightly cheaper as a natural primer, in comparison with Korres
• significantly cheaper than Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer
• going to feel exactly like Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer (silicone to fill in the lines)
• won’t make your skin feel oily to the touch after application
• want something that is not a cream that will absorb into your skin

I think Tarte is not to hot if you…

• are uncomfortable with silicones
• want something with vitamin E, jojoba oil and all this other great-for-skin stuff
• don’t moisturize beforehand (moot point for me, I need SPF on my skin at all times)

Enjoy!

(I ended up buying the Tarte Clean Slate primer)

What happens if you want a laptop but with a desktop feel?

You buy a laptop stand and a keyboard, that’s what!

Why would you ever want a laptop to feel like a desktop?

• Screen is raised to a comfortable height so your eyes look forward not down
• Stops the laptop from overheating (allows air to circulate at the back of the base)
• Able to use a full-sized keyboard with it rather than using the cramped keys

Why don’t you just buy a desktop?

It’s too big and heavy to travel with: console, keyboard, mouse & monitor!

This laptop stand & keyboard combination for my laptop, means everything is truly portable.

I can also use it with any laptop, if the client lends me on, or if I decide I want to work on another one.

What I purchased:

• Logitech Alto Laptop Stand
• Logitech Illuminated WIRED USB Keyboard

LOGITECH ALTO LAPTOP STAND

(comes with a wireless keyboard)

Price originally asked: $150 CAD at Future Shop

Price I paid: $49.99 CAD at Canada Computers (almost all sold out)

Price BF paid: ~$80 at Staples before they discontinued it (yes, we own the same things)

This is what it looks like when it’s all propped up and ready to go.

You have to push a latch to pull up the panel and then snap it in.

I don’t use the USB ports or any fancy controls on the laptop stand. I just wanted the stand.

I also scrapped the keyboard because wireless keyboards:

• make me annoyed with their slow response time
• take AA or AAA batteries, which takes almost no time at all to be used up
• take up a USB port anyway
• may die without warning, and leave you with a dead keyboard if you forgot extra batteries

Here’s the side shot of your laptop being propped up.

It may seem odd to have a screen so high, but if you put your laptop on the table, and then sit up straight against your chair, you will see that your eyes don’t go forward, but look down at the screen.

This causes involuntary hunching and slouching to see the screen.

Verdict: I love this laptop stand! 5/5

I wouldn’t suggest you pay more than $50 – $60 for this laptop stand, and if you can get it for that price, jump on it. Even $80 may be worth it to you.

I can already feel myself sitting up straighter as a result.

LOGITECH ILLUMINATED WIRED USB KEYBOARD

Price originally asked: $99 CAD at Future Shop (Web Only)

Price paid: $86.99 CAD at Canada Computers

It’s a bit more expensive than a standard $20 keyboard, but I was looking for:

• Portability (slim and sleek so it can fit into my carry-on when I travel to a client)
• Fast-response keys
• Nothing fancy (no gaming keyboards or strange controls I don’t use)

Why did you buy a wired keyboard? The stand came with a wireless keyboard already!

Not a fan.

As I’ve said above, wireless keyboards…

• make me annoyed with their slow response time
• take AA or AAA batteries, which takes almost no time at all to be used up
• take up a USB port anyway
• may die without warning, and leave you with a dead keyboard if you forgot extra batteries

5 Key Features about the Keyboard:

1. Illuminated keys with adjustable light settings! Once you use it, you’re a fan for life
2. Ultra slim, sleek design — very portable and easy to carry or travel with
3. Keys are spaced out nicely — number pad available, controls at the top
4. Has a palm rest — It’s a grippy one, so your palms can rest comfortably to type
5. Very fast response time on the keys — I am not struggling with them

Compared to the Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 Monster for around $70 CAD:

I also bought this keyboard and tried it out, but hated it with a passion.

I originally wanted it because it felt more curved to my hands and typing style, and it seemed pretty good & got a lot of great reviews.

The keys were so slow it was painful.

I felt like my pinky and thumb were getting the workout of their lives (I hit the shift button and the space bar a lot).

The response time was AWFUL. I was typing at half my normal speed, and struggling to go faster.

Verdict: Love this Logitech Illuminated keyboard! 5/5

Logitech, you make gooooood accessories.

It is all it promised and more.

I wouldn’t say I am typing faster on here than I am on my laptop keyboard, but I am typing just as fast, I’d say.

$75 USD at Sephora

The hype I don’t believe: “OXYGEN INFUSION”

• You have to stabilize oxygen in products, and in doing so, might destroy its properties
• Oxygen has free radicals in it & getting more oxygen is not a good thing

Either way, I don’t care.

This was the only natural night cream that worked from all the samples I snagged.

I also tried Korres Honey & Thyme, but that stuff just sat on my face like a heavy masque.

I had to wash the Korres Honey & Thyme off my face and apply the Skyn cream instead.

I think the marketing is cute too. Check it out:

Pros:

• The “slip” is nice — meaning it feels good when you rub it on
• It absorbs really nicely into your skin
• Just a little bit goes a long way — a small dab covers my whole face
• Cured my dry, bumpy, eczema-like spots at the top of my forehead
• Doesn’t feel super greasy or like a masque has been applied
• It’s pretty natural for the most part, and the only one I like out of all the naturals
• Doesn’t fight or curdle with any  serums you put on underneath or over the lotion

Cons:

• It’s EXPENSIVE
• Some say it burns or stings — I only felt a warm tingle, and then it was gone
• Has a heavy, cologne-like fragrance that might bother some people — I don’t mind
• It’s EXPENSIVE
• It might need a little more application in certain areas because my skin has felt tight
• The packaging is annoying — I hate dipping my finger into tubs for ANYTHING
• It’s EXPENSIVE

So that’s it.

Even with all of the cons, I love it.

I’m in the market for some argan oil.

This “liquid gold” has had high praises sung about it.

Even the goats are wild about this stuff:

This is a real photo by they way. The goats have learned how to climb trees.

Reviews range from:

• Made my skin look younger
• Helps provide sustainable income for the women in Morocco
• Repaired acne and stopped skin from acting up
• Cured my eczema
• Smoothed and helped the texture of my skin
• Moisturized without feeling heavy
• Made me see unicorns and they led me to a pot of gold after

With reviews of that, how could I NOT look into it?

So I snagged a free sample of this French cosmetic’s company brand:

Galenic, costing $56 for 30mL which is approximately around 1 fl. oz. (Link here)

OUCH.

But hey, no problem, I know the tree is an endangered species that only grows in Morrocco so I am willing to pretend that I’d pay around that ballpark for some high quality “liquid gold” that will repair and maintain my skin while being natural.

Plus it helps the Moroccan women make money in a sustainable, fair trade fashion.

And a free sample = always good right?

THEIR HYPE DESCRIPTION

This lightweight, dry oil is formulated with nourishing ingredients to revitalize dry, dull skin.

Argan oil provides nutrients to regenerate skin, argan peptides stimulate cell activity and a rich blend of oils comfort the complexion with a non-greasy, pampering texture.

The skin is instantly comfortable, smooth and radiant.

Sounds good right?

I feel my skin getting better just reading about it.

All this talk about Argan oil peptides like little skin-repairing fairies running into your skin cells and making your skin look and feel like a newborn’s butt is very enticing,

THE FACE TEST

I tested a little of it last night, and the overwhelming perfume knocked my sense back.

Smells like women’s perfume.

Not bitter or horrible, more soapy and …. well, perfume-y.

I definitely needed more than just a couple of drops to feel moisturized.

In fact, my skin still felt a bit dry but still oily/greasy under the touch after applying it.

BUT WHAT’S IN IT?

At any rate, I still like to know what I am putting on my skin, even if they call the company “ground-breaking in its use of natural ingredients”.

So I thought I’d do a little search on what’s in this argan oil.

I expected to see ONE ingredient: 100% Argan Oil.

Instead, I saw this list and painstakingly entered each one into the EWG’s The Cosmetic Database to check it’s level of toxicity (the lower the # the better)

Ingredient List:

• Ethylhexyl Palmitate
• Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
• Cyclomethicone
• Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
• Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum)
• Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil (Argania Spinosa)
• Alpha-Isomethylionone
• Amyl Cinnamal
• Benzyl Salicylate – Rating of 4
• BHT – Rating of 7-9
  
• Butylphenyl Methylpropional Rating 4-5
• Citronellol
• Fragrance (Parfum) – Rating of 8
• Hexyl Cinnamal
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
• Limonene — Rating of 6
• Linalool – Rating of 5
  
• PEG-40 Sorbitan Peroleate – Rating of 4-6
• Retinyl Palmitate – Rating of 5
  
• Tocopheryl Aetate — Not found

THEY SUBSTITUTED MINERAL OIL FOR ARGAN OIL!!

Mineral Oil is the FIFTH ingredient in the list, and the actual Argan oil is the SIXTH.

Anyone who reads ingredient labels, will tell you that the first 3-5 ingredients are what the product is actually made out of.

Instead of putting mostly Argan Oil in the product to justify the super high pricetag, they’ve included MINERAL OIL instead.

Nice.

Let’s just play off the well-known fact of how rare and endangered this Argan oil is, and charge you a premium for what is essentially horribly perfumed baby oil.

THEY HAVE TOO MANY INGREDIENTS ANYWAY

They have too many ingredients for what they are toting as “Argan Oil”.

Not only that, a LOT of the ingredients have a rating of 4 or higher on EWG’s The Cosmetic Database which means this little innocent looking, smelly oil is a wolf wrapped in a Parisian-made cashmere pashmina.

Back to the hunting board.

And yes I washed it ALL off after 20 minutes, mostly because the smell was making me nauseous.

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE

I am not so mad about the list of ingredients — they are near the bottom of the label, and quite frankly I didn’t expect it to be anything less.

What I didn’t expect was SO many ingredients and what is essentially mineral oil for the price they’re asking for, and the product people think they’re getting.

I hear the real argan oil actually sells for $14 an ounce on average.

Much better than $56 an ounce.

SO YEAH, ALWAYS READ THE LABELS

I do this for everything I buy to eat (except candy bars, I sometimes turn a blind eye to the awful, nasty stuff in there), and especially on what I am shelling out cash for to put on my skin.

Reading the labels means you know what you’re putting on your skin.

The fewer the ingredients, the better.

If anything, it makes it a lot easier to vet on EWG’s The Cosmetic Database to make sure the toxicity levels are in the 0-3 range.

SIDE NOTE: BAD SKIN FROM ALL THE MAKEUP PERHAPS?

The very sweet, and friendly girl who gave me the sample in the makeup section had really awful skin.

Kind of like Amy Winehouse’s:

Not that I’m judging.

I know what it’s like to have nasty skin and just be told “don’t wear any makeup, and let your skin breathe”, when you have these HUGE BUMPS flashing like Rudolph’s nose all over your face.

You just want to cover it and pretend you have perfect skin.

It’s something I’m sort of noticing, even in Sephora.

These girls are covering up their bumpy, acne-ridden faces with a masque of makeup, but it isn’t doing any help.

In fact, it looks worse.

Much worse. And it doesn’t let your skin breathe.

Anyway, I just found it kind of funny (or not?) that they’re working in a health & beauty section trying to sell beauty, and their skin is anything but.

She did have some awesome looking eyeshadow on….