Sustainable Fashion (All Available in Canada!)

One of the harshest environmental impacts we as humans have is actually from our clothing. Many of our clothes are made from plastics (such as polyester) which don’t biodegrade. Cotton though biodegradable, is hard on the planet due to the vast amounts of water it requires to grow, and the large amount of pesticides used to increase crop yields.

 

Now I’m not saying that everyone needs to go out and buy sustainable clothing. I realize it’s not feasible and heck it’s difficult to know where to even start. But you may have noticed that I’m a big believer in making small changes. You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to try. Every little bit counts, especially when it comes to being environmentally friendly. So, my recommendation is still get that dress you love in the window. Just maybe try and limit to only purchasing the dress and not another pair of shorts you don’t need, and to look for a more sustainable option to replace your old sweater. 

 

In an attempt to make this easier, I’ve brought together three brands that I’ve actually purchased from and researched that focus on sustainable fashion. All three are available here in Canada but they also ship to other countries too. They also tell you how many resources you’ve saved by purchasing from for each individual item when compared to mainstream fashion, which I think is really cool. If you're interested in more sustainable plant material used for fabrics one of the three companies listed below has a great starting information page that you can check out here!

Logo image taken from the Ten Tree Website

First up is the brand that opened my eyes to sustainable fashion. Ten Tree at first sounds like just something to draw you in- they plant 10 trees for every item you purchase. But it totally isn’t. They have amazing tree planting initiatives across the world (they plant in ten different countries!) and they often work with local communities to really make a difference. Haiti for example they plant primarily orange trees so that the local farmers can grow food for themselves to eat and sell which allows them to reforest and re-establish the vastly degraded ecosystem as well as take care of themselves. If you’re interested in learning more about what they do check out their page -> Here! and just scroll to the bottom of the page and then click on the country you want to learn more about.

 

My favourite Ten Tree t-shirt

In addition to all the good this company does, they also have some awesome clothes for both men and women. I LOVE my tree-line print t-shirt- it’s my favourite colour and it’s super soft. The quality of all their products I’ve found to be top notch. They are so well made and feel like new even a couple years later. These aren’t cheaply made clothes that are going to fall apart in one season. 

I recommend their mystery bag if you’re new to the company. These are bags of five items in either men’s or women’s and they include clothing in your indicated size and/or some of the ten tree accessories such as their hats or towels. The best thing about the mystery bags is that you get the five things at a much-discounted rate and it’s a great way to try multiple things from the brand. The mystery bag can include discontinued products, new products, and products that didn’t make it to larger production even. 

Wonderful organic cotton sweater from Ten Tree

I own quite a bit of ten tree products including a tree-line sweater, a tree-line t-shirt, an aurora borealis t-shirt, an organic cotton dress sweater, a ¾ arm t-shirt, a purple Ten Tree logo t-shirt, a pair of really lovely cushy socks, and a tank top. The photos above of the rumpled (but clean!) clothes are mine from Ten Tree.

Adorable picture of Ten Tree's Little Sapling shirt. Image taken from Ten Tree Website.

They also recently introduced some adorable outfits for children including t-shirts that say “little sapling” and “future planter” on them. They go perfect with the adult options with “mother nature” and “plant for the future”. 

 

I really love the nature theme of this company and the laid-back feel. Ten Tree has free shipping over $85 CND and when you sign-up for their newsletter you’ll get a discount code to use.

 

Logo image taken from Greening Australia

Next up is my newest find, Boody. Boody (or Boody Wear) was originally founded in Australia but is now available in Canada and the USA as well. Boody focuses on basics like underwear (for both men, women and babies) but their stuff is wonderful. The main fabric they use is organic bamboo. Because of this bamboo based fibre all of the stuff I’ve gotten from them is so soft! I picked up a four-pack of their midi-brief underwear and they had a promotion on for a free pair of socks and all five items have really lived up to the hype about them. The socks are cushy and thick; the underwear, super soft and almost silky feeling and best of all they don’t ride up. I have a major problem finding underwear that doesn’t ride up and these don’t. They are just the right tightness around the legs that the fabric stays in place but doesn't feel tight or uncomfortable. They are so comfortable to wear at times it’s like wearing nothing at all. Very light weight, breathable and stretchy. I will be purchasing more from them in the future.

Boody Midi-brief Underwear (Image from their website)

                                                   

One of the neat things that Boody does is that they actually make the underwear in tubes from the bamboo fabric. I’m not sure how the process works exactly but this makes the whole garmet making process have significantly less fabric waste. They also have taken great lengths to ensure that their company pays employees fairly, and that they work in safe conditions. You can see all they’ve done on their website where it explains their certifications in detail and what those certifications mean.

Image from the Boody Wear (USA) Instagram. I couldn't pass this image up, she's so beautiful!

The newest thing Boody has done is put out their underwear styles in nude shades that fit more skin-tones rather than just the single traditional shade. There are the traditional beige but then there are three more darker shades. Unfortunately, they haven't released these shades to the Canadian site yet, nor have they opened them up to all of their underwear styles. Initially this made me really happy that there were four nude tones available, as it shows an inclusivity that is often missing in many mainstream brands let alone in more sustainable niche ones. However, I do think they should have released them across their entire line and to all of their websites (not just the US one). You can do it Boody, there are people of colour all throughout the world, please continue the good work you've started.

Boody has free shipping over $49 CND, and you can get a newsletter sign-up code for your first purchase. They often have deals as well so you can see what might work best for you.

Logo image taken from their website.

Finally, and probably my favourite for their edgy fashion style alone, is Nomads Hemp Wear. This Canadian based company has clothing for men and women and it is so interesting the little details that they put into their clothes. They often use organic cotton, bamboo and/or hemp fabric in their clothes which are all better choices environmentally but also create super soft and lovely clothing. Most interesting is that they've been at it for over 20 years!

Images of the Oasis Tank taken from the Nomads Hemp Wear website

I have two things from them so far, their Prizm Tunic which is super stretchy and cool with the neat zig-zagging fabric across the body, as well as their Oasis Tank, perfect for summer in how light-weight and breathable with bonus tassel on the back (that surprisingly is not annoying).

Prizm Tunic from Nomads Hemp Wear

                                 

Albacore Capri image from their website

I’ve been eyeing up their Albacore Capris too. Their stuff is like unique designer fashion with a sustainable backbone. They are also certified fair trade. In addition to clothes they have some jewellery and shoes available too.

Another great thing about Nomads Hemp Wear is that they too plant trees when you purchase from them. For every individual item purchased they plant one tree through a program called One Tree Planted. It's very cool and you can read a bit more about it Here. Like Ten Tree knowing you've helped with reforestation when you buy something just creates such a great feel-good effect.

Nomads Hemp Wear has free shipping over $100 CND, and they have a sign-up code via e-mail subscription sign-up. 

So that's it for now, I hope you have a better idea about some sustainable clothing you can purchase here in Canada. Do you have any favourite sustainable clothing brands? Please let me know in the comments, I really want to explore other brands.

Quick Disclaimer: I am a Ten Tree ambassador, but through the program I have not received anything financially other than a one-time coupon code. Ten Tree does not know that I've included them in this post and none of the links included for any of the companies are affiliate links. 

Silk Naturals Blush in Lady: Review and Swatches

Wearing Lady by Silk Naturals in their powder blush formula

My skin as you may already know, is very reactive. The smallest amount of certain ingredients will set it off into acne breakouts that seemingly never end (they do end eventually but it can take a long time). So due to this, for many years I skipped blush all together. I love the look of cream blushes, but I have yet to find one without ingredients that will cause havoc and powder blushes are pretty thin on the ground too. However, I lately really wanted to give blush another try as it can really add to a make-up look, so I was searching for an option. 

Finally, I remembered Silk Naturals- a small cruelty-free and clean/natural company that only uses the best of ingredients. They are located in Trumansburg, New York and they package everything by hand. They don’t use talc, bismuth oxychloride, petroleum products, etc.  Upon looking over the formulas I decided to give them a try for my blush mission, as there are no ingredients listed that will stress-out my skin. A rare quality in a company. 

Here’s a list of the ingredients in their Lady Blush:

Mica, Silk Powder, Silica, Iron Oxides, FD&C Colors

Silk Naturals' picture of Lady blush (image from their website)

Today I’m reviewing the Lady blush from Silk Naturals. Lady is supposed to be a dupe of Mac Dame, though I have never seen the original. Lady is a beautiful (though slightly intimidating) matte medium depth, slightly cool toned rose-pink shade. Silk Naturals gives each of their products a rating out of five for a couple of categories so you really get an idea on how the product will perform before you buy it. Lady has a 0 on the shimmer scale (so it’s completely matte), and a 3 on the pigmentation scale (which means you can both build it up and sheer it out as desired). I chose this blush as I was looking for something brighter than the safe blush shades I tended to stick to in the past, but was also layer-able, so I could build it to the intensity I desired. I wanted something to make it as though my cheeks were naturally rosy. Or as one of my favourite YouTube guru’s Kackie describes it “Nordic child running through the fjords”. I wanted that look and feel, and I truly think Lady manages to tick that elusive box.

However unlike Kackie, I’m very light handed with my blush, so I only used a very tiny amount of Lady in the pictures on my cheeks, but I love the effect. Lady is pigmented but not so pigmented it was too intense from the get-go. Lady blends well and layers well too. 

 

Lady Blush swatched in natural light

Lady Blush swatched in full sunlight (any shimmer you see is not from the blush but an eyeshadow that flew everywhere when I was swatching it)

Silk Naturals’ Lady retails for only $6.50 USD (which is phenomenal) for 7 ml in a 10-gram jar. You can also get sample sizes of the blushes from Silk Naturals for only $1.50. The sample sizes are 1/8^th of a teaspoon in a 5-gram jar. The sample size is more than enough for at least three uses (more if you use a light hand like me). Also keep an eye out for coupon codes! Right now I know Silk Naturals is running a 10% off code: retailtherapy. I don’t know when this promotion is ending though so order sooner rather than later if something has caught your eye.

The formula on Lady is great, the ingredients stellar and the colour perfect. It lasts throughout the day well too surviving through a mid-day nap and being outside most of the day. It did fade some but with my oily skin and pretty much disappeared into the late afternoon and evening but every blush I have ever owned does. Plus, because I use such a light-hand I am pleased to have even a hint of it left 5 hours later.

I do think that this colour blush because of the buildability of it would look lovely on pale up to medium skin tones. I am unsure if it would be pigmented enough for anyone with deeper skin-tones. If you’ve tried this blush and you have a deeper skin-tone I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

If Lady isn’t to your taste Silk Naturals has a huge selection of blush shades in different intensities and shimmer variants. There is something for everyone and I love how inclusive it is. It truly doesn't matter your skin tone because they cater to all of them.

From T-B: Petal, Lady, Desert Plum

When I purchased Lady, I also purchased Petal and Desert Plum. I’m not doing a full review on these two at this time (unless someone specifically requests I do so) mainly because Petal is very light and subtle (which was the point) and Desert Plum is too mauve to go on my skin without looking like a bruise which merely makes it the wrong colour for me, not that there is something wrong with the shade (which is why I got a sample). 

Sprite Rating: 9/10 

I do wish it lasted a touch longer, but I may need to build it up some more and work with application a little to increase wear time (maybe the Silk Naturals oil control powder primer? Never tried it but it could be the answer). I will be purchasing the full size when I run out as it does last better than some blushes I’ve used in the past, the colour is lovely on my skin and for the ingredients and price you can’t go wrong! 

Beekman 1802 Facial Wipes- Review and Eco-friendly Option

Beekman 1802 is a company I discovered late last year. I was in a little boutique and saw that they had a mineral facial sunscreen (their sunscreen review to come). As I'm always on the hunt for sunscreen that won't completely ruin my skin, I looked into this brand some more. Beekman 1802 is a cruelty-free brand that is all about their star ingredient- goat's milk which they include in just about everything they sell. Goat’s milk is high in lactic acid which is both exfoliating and moisturizing for skin. 

The 1802 part of the name is from the year 1802, that the farm that the goats currently reside in was originally built. Beekman is after the original owners of the farm. However, what attracted me to Beekman 1802 is that on further research I found out how well formulated their products are and the quality of their ingredients.  They also really focus on the treating everyone as if they are one of their neighbours which I like the idea of. A little kindness and respect go a long way.

One of the items I picked up from Beekman 1802 is their facial wipes. I can already hear some of you screaming- facial wipes aren't eco-friendly! For the most part I agree with you, but Beekman 1802 has gone above and beyond in my opinion and created an eco-friendly option for facial wipes. 

These facial wipes are biodegradable and come in a recyclable package. Which makes me very happy as these would be hard to give up.

I tend to only use facial wipes in either desperate straits and/or to remove my makeup before I wash my face for the night. It makes it so that I actually sort of double cleanse my skin. They aren't an everyday thing, but I do use them. I know they aren't the best environmentally speaking but these at least are making a lesser impact. I figure it’s every little bit that counts. These are great after a long day at school or work and you just want to remove your make-up quickly but not do your whole face routine. They are lovely as they remove make-up well but are gentle enough to use even around the eyes.

Not only do these work, they also smell AMAZING. I've tried two of their scents in the wipes the Honeyed Grapefruit and the Vanilla Absolute and they are both so wonderful. I often just close my eyes and breathe in the smell of them before or after I use the wipe. 

Honeyed Grapefruit is my favourite of the two, to me it exactly embodies grapefruit that has been broiled in the oven with honey drizzled on top (if you've never tried it, I highly recommend that as a snack, so yum). Juicy and sweet and just wonderful. Vanilla Absolute is lovely too with an excellent not overly sweet vanilla scent with a light grounding note. The next scent I'd like to try is their Sweet Grass scent, but they have others if none of these strike your fancy. One thing to keep in mind is that although there are scent notes given for description of the scents, I find that the scent name tends to be a better description of the fragrance. For example, Honeyed Grapefruit scent notes include Jasmine and I dislike Jasmine and can’t smell even a hint of it in Honeyed Grapefruit. For those out there sensitive to fragrance they also have a Pure option that is scent-free.

 

View of a wipe so you can see the texture.

These are also exceptional for face wipes in that they are alcohol-free and actually have moisturizing and skin care ingredients in them. They are ever-so-slightly textured in a honey-comb-like pattern and are white in colouration.

Here's a list of the ingredients for the Honeyed Grapefruit Wipes:
Water (Aqua), Decyl Glucoside, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Extract, Caprae Lac (Goat Milk), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Citric Acid, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Polysorbate 20, EDTA Disodium, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance (Parfum).

In addition to the packaging being recyclable they somehow managed to make it so that the sticker-flap actually seals in the moisture for these wipes. I hated when in the past I’ve used face wipes and the last few in the package are dry because the top didn’t seal properly. Such a waste. I’m now almost through my first package and a good way through my second package and I’ve not had any dry-down in the wipes at all. They are still as wet as when I first opened them. 

Image from the HSN website

These wipes retail for $7 USD for 6 oz or 30 wipes. So, these aren’t cheap, but I feel like the quality of these is so much nicer than other facial wipes I’ve tried. Which I honestly didn’t think I’d say- I mean I was of the idea one face wipe is the same as all the rest. You can purchase them on the Beekman 1802 website, but they are also available through the Home Shopping Network (often you can score deals on bundles), or The Shopping Channel if you’re in Canada. They sometimes have retailers in small boutiques as well, such as Pedlar’s Quay in Tillsonburg, Ontario, where I purchased my first package. 

I would say that the only issue I have with these is that it says on the package that they only have a two-month shelf-life. I’ve kept and am still using them after this point and not noticed any issues but something to keep in mind.

Sprite Rating: 9.5/10

I will for sure be purchasing these again. They work so well, smell and feel luxurious and are biodegradable. Beekman 1802 did a great job on these!

Live Botanical Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir: Review

Live Botanical Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir Mini

Live Botanical is a brand that is pretty new to me and popped up as I was looking into clean/green/natural skincare brands to try. Two main things struck me about the brand, firstly that it was fairly priced without being crazy expensive and secondly that they grow many of the herbs and plants used in their products themselves or try to source them regionally if possible. 

I love the beautiful card that came with my order!

The majority of their products come in glass containers to cut down on plastic and the boxes are paper without plastic wrapping. The only plastic I could find was in the pump tops which are difficult if not impossible to make without plastic. Another excellent aspect of the company is that they have trial/mini sizes of many of their products (I purchased this Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir in the trial size), which are generously sized to really give you a feel for the product, but aren’t full sized so you can tell whether you like the product for your skin before committing fully.

Run by a lovely woman Carolyn McRory (who was very helpful and patient when I reached out with a couple product ingredient questions), she has background education in herbalism and makes the products herself too! She also grows many of the ingredients for the products right there in Portland Oregon and makes the products in small batches. They often use fresh herbs instead of dried if possible, and really focus on the quality of the ingredients- such as using the herbs at peak freshness and choosing unrefined oils for full benefits. All the ingredients are biodegradable and cruelty-free. The only animal-based ingredients are some from local bees. 

 

Close-up of the lovely artwork on the label

They also use dark glass bottles to help conserve the ingredients longer. Not only does this make the products last longer it gives the whole brand an awesome specialty apothecary vibe. I love their line art on the boxes and the labels- so simple and pretty! 

Live Botanical really focuses on being environmentally conscious and they give back to Indigenous People and Environmental Stewardship groups, which is awesome. All in all, I feel that Live Botanical is a great little gem of a company. I feel they really live up to the slogan I found on their website: Beautiful. Fresh. Responsible. Simple.

 

Full-size bottle of the Clarifying Elixir (image from the Live Botanical website)

The first things I tried from the company were their organic bamboo/organic hemp face cloth (upcoming review), their Illuminating Exfoliating Serum (I’m still testing this one so it will also be in an upcoming review) and the star of this post, their Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir.

I’m going to start this by being completely honest in that I rarely use facial mists. I find them to mostly be disappointing and/or useless. I purchased the Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir on a whim with the hopes it would maybe help add moisture to my skin right before I put a mask on, thus trapping the liquid in. So, this product had those pre-conceived notions to overcome.

Trial-size of the Clarifying Elixir (Image from Live Botanical website)

I was really pleasantly surprised by the Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir. It smells firstly of spearmint then a touch of ginger and sweet herbs. The scent isn’t too strong, and it dissipates quickly after spraying. I’m not a huge fan of spearmint but I enjoy this. Important to note is that there is no added fragrance to this- all of the scent comes from the ingredients which all have a purpose for your skin. 

What I liked the most about this mist is that it’s slightly mattifying on the skin. This is wonderful for late afternoon and I’ve begun to get oily or if it’s warm, a little sweaty. I love spraying this on and it is very refreshing, and it takes the oily/sticky feeling on the skin down significantly. Now the oiliness doesn’t disappear, but the feeling of oiliness on the skin reduces. The mist itself is fine too which helps a lot as it feels more soothing somehow.

On the skin this is not tacky (slightly matte) to the touch and sinks in quickly. It doesn’t stain clothes and if accidently breathed in closely after spraying (as I have done- try not to do this) it is only sweetly herbal in taste. Make sure you close your eyes before you spray too!

The only thing I’m not sure about would be the clarifying aspect of this. Mainly this is due to the fact that my skin is very rarely clear from acne and congestion. I really like that this product has clarifying ingredients in it though as my skin can use all the help it can get.

The ingredients in this are wonderful, and for the Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir 92% regionally sourced! I recommend reading the product pages on Live Botanical to get more of an understanding for what certain ingredients are for and why they are included in the formula of the products. Carolyn explains them all really clearly. Here’s the full ingredients list:

aloe barbadensis juice*^, mentha spicata (spearmint) hydrosol*^, zingiber officinale (ginger) hydrosol*^, distilled water (and) palm-free vegetable glycerin* (and) spiraea ulmaria (meadowsweet) extract*^ (and) glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root extract*^ (and) arctium lappa (burdock) root extract*^, populus tremuloides (aspen) extract* and lactobacillus ferment 

*organic   |   ^regionally sourced

I honestly didn’t think this would be as lovely as it has turned out to be. I am loving it for the current sporadic warm weather and look forward to using it even more during the hot summer to come. This is great when you want to take the icky feeling away from the skin but don’t want to disturb the underlying skincare, sunscreen and/or makeup yet as it isn’t the end of the day. I also like to add it into my routine in the morning right after I wash my face as it helps my serum glide on my skin a little more easily. It’s also lovely smelling so it adds a bit of pizazz to my routine. One thing to remember is that this should be shaken first before use. 

You can find Live Botanical through their website (check for coupon codes they often have them, plus they have a flat rate $15 USD shipping rate for Canadians), Integrity Botanicals, and if you’re in Canada, The Green Jungle Beauty Shop. The Fresh Complexion Clarifying Elixir retails for $38 USD or $52 CND for their full 100 ml size and $14 USD (not available on the Canadian retailer) for the 15 ml trial/mini size. This product has a 6-month freshness guarantee and the best before date is labelled on the paper box that it comes in (which I appreciate, I can never remember when I purchased things).

Sprite Rating: 8.5/10

I really like this addition to my routine, and I am highly tempted to get the larger size of this for the coming summer! I will be purchasing it again when I can swing it. I’m looking to try some of their other products too.