September Favourites: Natural Beauty Products & Some Other Faves

I am a “seasons girl”. I love them all, but every time October rolls around, I am reminded how much I absolutely adore the fall… Everything becomes so much more cozy. The sweaters come out of hiding, the wooly socks make their way back onto my feet, the vegetable-based candles get lit, my tea cupboard starts to need replenishing and all of a sudden I am really in the mood for making soups and baking (gluten-free, of course!). But beyond all that, I also start to turn my summer skincare over and move towards different products for the cooler months. I thought now would be a good time to start off with some of my favourite products I used over September, as well as some of my more general favourite things.

LPN’s September Loves

With love from Os, beauties. Hope you enjoy!

Mettā Skincare Face Balm

Handmade in natural-products-mecca Australia, Mettā Skincare is based on the philosophy of the ancient style of meditation of the same name. One that encourages loving-kindness with oneself and the world around. This practice can also be used daily with your skincare, where you practice self-love by treating your skin right. Metta_Face_Balm_Large

I fell in love with Mettā’s face balm this September, not only for it’s ridiculously hydrating properties, but also for it’s purity. This balm is shea butter based, and hosts cold-pressed oils of seabuckthorn, raspberry and macadamia seed oil making it the perfect dry or mature skin saviour. It’s extra hydrating properties are great for “wrinkle-prone” areas (think laugh lines & around the mouth) but also brilliant for those beauties suffering from dry patches.

When using, the warmth of your fingertips will melt the balm into an oil-like texture on your skin. I used mine before bed all over my face. The essential oils of lavender is so calming, so putting on this balm before bed is almost meditative for me. It’s rich, rich, rich and the perfect product to take you into the dry winter months. This one will stick around well into winter…when the snow hits Norway.

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*Note to vegans, this product does contain beeswax.

Where to Buy: 

Shop online at Mettā for $44.55 for 60 g jar.

Laurel Whole Plant Organics Facial Elixir

Laurel Whole Plant Organics  bases their entire line on flowers and herbs. Each product comes with the idea behind it that:

The most effective skin care is raw, organic, farm sourced, handcrafted and made with love. – Laurel

Amen to that!

This September’s fave is their hydrosol-based facial elixir for normal to mature skin. Hydrosols are wonderful raw living bioactive nutrients for our skin which are made (by Laurel) by distilling rain water through fresh plant material, and in turn the water captures the medicinal properties of the plant. These hydrosols, therefore, make each formula that much more effective. Laurel’s hydrosols are certified organic and made by our artisan farmers along the West Coast of the US.

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This nutrient dense elixir features Rose Geranium and Rose hydrosols, said to hold moisture to the skin and help shrink your little fine lines. There is also antioxidant packed Lemon Balm with its anti-inflammatory benefits as well as Witch Hazel for firming and tightening, plus Helichrysum and Calendula for healing damaged skin cells. Last the addition of Frankincense stimulates circulation, great for helping our skin cells turn over.

This mist is beautiful to put on right after cleansing and before adding on your serum. It smells of a lovely blend of essential oils, but my nose picks up the rose. I love rose, and as a result I love this product even more. I use it morning and night and sometimes throughout the day when I just want to feel a little refreshed. If sprayed on over makeup, it lightly sets it and leaves you glowing.

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Where to Buy:

Shop online at LaurelSkin.com for $44 USD for 100 ml. Also find their stocklist here.

Qēt Botanical Beauty Hydra-Rose Eye Serum & Honey Cream Mask

Notice anything common between these three faves? Another boutique brand! I love trying new products, and in doing that, I also take my chance on smaller companies doing great things. Qēt is another one of those companies doing great things with natural skincare.

Qēt’s Hyrda-Rose eye serum was top in my September faves due to its powerful ingredients and my obsession with smile lines. Genetically I have quite exaggerated smile lines (thanks to my pops who is probably one of the people in this world that can make me smile and laugh until my face hurts), so I’m always loving product that are nourishing to the eye area. Rose is known for its anti-aging benefits and its natural Vitamin A content (natural retinol without the flakey skin and sun sensitivity), and this serum contains both cold pressed rosehip and rose essential oil. It’s hyper-nourishing (yes, I said hyper) and you can tell as soon as you put it around your eyes that it’s working.

I use this at one only at night, and only one drop. The free radical fighting antioxidants tones and firms the eye area while you sleep. Talk about beauty sleep ;)

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My love of Manuka Honey is no secret and products that contain it often get extra attention. This honey-based cream mask contains UMF 16+ (unique manuka factor, which is a quality trademark identifying natural unadulterated manuka honey that has a non-peroxide antibacterial activity found only in some strains of manuka honey and anything with a rating of over 16+ has “super activity” levels).

Manuka honey can benefit a variety of skin types and issues, including stressed skin containing blemishes, dermatitis, eczema, rashes, Rosacea, or other irritations. There is a natural hydrogen peroxide that is released when the mask is mixed with water and applied to skin which soothes and heals damaged skin.

This lovely cream mask also contains Kaolin clay, which softens your skin via its calcium, silica, zinc, and magnesium content . These minerals also help to purify, nourish, and soothe your skin while the cold-pressed oils nourish and moisturize.  It’s the perfect mask for all skin types, but I especially liked using it during stressful weeks when my skin was acting up.

Where to Buy:

Shop the eye serum on Qētbotanicals.com for $54 USD for 0.5 oz.

Shop the Manuka Honey Cream Mask for $49 USD for 40 ml

Karmameju Hope Body Oil 01

My last beauty fave on September’s round up is this gorgeous body oil from Karmameju. It’s the perfect pre-winter skin saviour as things start to cool down and skin starts to dry out with our home heaters blasting.  Ylang Ylang lovers (like me) this is your jam. It’s a glorious mix of some of my favourite essential oils including Sandalwood, Jasmine and Mandarin (in addition to the top note of Ylang Ylang).  You’ll smell exotic, woody and sensuous. Yup, you will smell sensuous. On that note, it will also make a great massage oil :)

It’s grapeseed, almond and sesame oil-based, so its perfect for all over the body – any body – and can also be used for a shaving oil (in place of cream, soap or any other products you may be using).

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Where to Buy:

Shop online at Karmameju.com for 299 DK for 200 ml.

For my Norwegian beauties, find it at Gimle Parfymeri on Bygdøy allé 39

Saje Aroma Geni

Around the home, I also have some fall faves and this one is no stranger to the blog. My Saje Aroma Geni has followed me around the world and is my trusted and faithful diffuser of choice. I’ve blogged about it previously here, so I won’t go into details about how awesome, wonderful, fantastic it is, but I will mention that next month I’ll chat with an essential oils specialist about what you should be diffusing to avoid winter flu.

At the momenet, some of my favourites are lavender, eucalyptus and frankincense all from Mountain Rose Herbs.


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Where to Buy:

Shop the Aroma Geni here at Saje.ca for $49.95 CAD

Acne Studios Virgin Wool Scarf

Another favourite this past month is Swedish brand Acne Studios’ Canada Scarves. For those of you in Scandinavia, you’ve been seeing this scarf on everyone for the past couple years, but to my North American readers, this is something you want to get your hands on. It’s a beautiful long, virgin wool scarf that keeps you super warm and stylish as the colder months come in.

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Where to Buy
Online at Acne Studios for  995 NOK (around $170 USD). While a little pricey, you will never feel warmer than under this blanket-like scarf.

 

Well, that’s all from me this rainy, cozy Saturday morning.
Have a great weekend ahead, LPN’ers

X

K