COOLA Matte Tint Facial Mineral Sunscreen SPF30 (Review)

It's been awhile so I have quite a few products to share. I decided that Coola's Matte Tint Facial Sunscreen would be a great starting place. Everyone needs a good daily sunscreen, right?

First thing's first, I must admit that I never wore sunscreen.... unless I planned on standing under the sun in July, literally barbecuing my skin all day. Being the pale face that I am this was a REALLY bad habit I knew I had to break unless I wanted to look like a leather handbag by the age of 30 (I don't).

The reason I didn't wear sunscreen wasn't because I was lazy, or didn't care about my skin. I HATED the way sunscreen felt on my face. The way it looked/felt under makeup. That it often left my skin irritated (burned) and/or caused breakouts. Not to mention the utterly horrifying ingredients list. On top of all that, I usually STILL experienced a sunburn! Not cool, Neutrogena....

If you have the same issues with sunscreen that I did, let me introduce you to your new best friend.... or your skin's new best friend: COOLA Matte Tint Facial Mineral Sunscreen SPF30

Why I Love It:

*It feel great on the skin! Summer/Winter, rain/shine, it's all smooth sailing with this stuff! The texture is really interesting (in a good way). It is matte, but it doesn't feel gritty or drying at all. It feels like a really expensive moisturizer from a department store. You know, the stuff that you just WANT to slather all over your face (just me?). I would describe the texture as 'satin' even though the finish is definitely matte.

*It's an ideal makeup primer! Because of the matte texture it makes applying makeup over it a BREEZE! I usually give it a couple of minutes to set before using any powder. It has a hint of tint to it so I actually find myself applying less makeup (and most days, only a swipe of mascara). The tint is really subtle, but it does help to even out any redness. Don't expect the coverage you would get from a foundation! The reason for the tint is to balance out the natural sunscreens (3.2% Titanium Dioxide and 1.8% Zinc Oxide) which have a white cast (the source of pigment in white paint). The tint also prevents the sunscreen from having a white cast in photographs, too. The tint should only be a concern to those who have EXTREMELY pale skin or very dark complexions.

*It doesn't irritate my skin! That's saying a lot for my SUPER sensitive skin. I have countless allergens/irritants that I have to watch out for and none of COOLA's products have caused any irritation. I've been using it every day for about 9 months now and it hasn't caused me any trouble with breakouts. My skin type is sensitive and a little dry but I'm very prone to breakouts (thanks, dad!). If you have sensitive skin and are having trouble finding a good sunscreen/BB cream I'd definitely recommend giving this a try. It's honestly the only sunscreen that doesn't burn my skin and I actually forget I'm wearing it. I can even apply it to *gasp* my eyelids! I know....

*The ingredients list isn't scary! Boasting many organic ingredients. It is Vegan-friendly, paraben and preservative-free. It does contain silicone but it's never caused any problems for me. If it's going to break anyone out, it would be me! ;) I'm including the ingredients list as of today but I urge you to check the list on their website before buying, just in case! 

Active IngredientsTitanium Dioxide (Sunscreen) 3.2%
Zinc Oxide (Sunscreen) 1.8%

Inactive Ingredients

Aluminum Hydroxide, Butyrospermum Parkii (ORGANIC Shea Butter), Cucumis Sativus (ORGANIC Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glycerin (ORGANIC), Hydrogen Dimethicone, Iron Oxides, Isopropyl Myristate, Isopropyl Titianium Triisostearate, Linum Usitatissimum (ORGANIC Linseed) Seed Oil, Mica, Oenothera Biennis (ORGANIC Evening Primrose) Oil, Plankton Extract, Polyamide-5, Polysilicone-11, Propylene Carbonate, Rosa Canina (ORGANIC) Fruit Oil, Silica Silylate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Synthetic Wax

Organic IngredientsCucumber Fruit Extract
Evening Primrose Oil
Glycerin
Linseed Seed Oil
Rose Hip Oil
Shea Butter

*NO MO' SUNBURN! I haven't experienced a sunburn since I started using COOLA's products. Making this past summer the first in my life that I haven't experienced a single sunburn. A MASSIVE deal.

My Tips For Use:

I wash my face with my everyday cleanser (Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleasner) and then apply a small amount of my daytime moisturizer (Cetaphil Ultra-Hydrating Lotion) and immediately apply the COOLA Matte Tint Facial Sunscreen. I then wait a few minutes (usually brushing my teeth) before applying any makeup. This seems to give the best overall results in my experience.

As you can see in the above photo, it is a squeeze tube. It used to be a pump which was a complete mess to use. In order to get the most out of the tube (when I can't get any more product to squeeze out of the tube) I cut the tube in half, use up what's left in the top half of the tube and then slide the top half into the lower half. This allows you to get all of the product out AND preserves the product until you can use it all up. Each tube costs around $36 so getting the most out of your investment is key. It sounds pricey for the amount you get, however, each tube lasts a lot longer than you might expect. Each tube lasts me about two months and I apply it every single day. 

Final Thoughts

I would absolutely recommend trying this sunscreen! The only downsides for me is the price and amount of product. I would prefer cleaner ingredients but I'm just very happy to have found a sunscreen that works within the demands of my very high-maintenance skin. 

I have also used several of COOLA's spray sunscreens (which I will review later) with great success! If you have tried this or any of their other products let me know what you think! We're in this battle together my friends.... ;) 

****COOLA is available at Ulta stores and I have purchased it from Dermstore and Amazon. Ulta and Dermstore are both authorized, I'm not sure if Amazon is or not. I would recommend purchasing from Ulta or Dermstore first OR an online retailer from this list first to make sure you are getting an authentic product. 

I hope this review was helpful! 

Plant-Based Whole Food Awesomeness

As it is a new year and everyone with a gym membership knows that with each new year comes resolutions of losing weight, getting fit, and eating better. While my own resolution has nothing to do with any of these things I thought that someone might be interested in knowing what an active person on a plant-based whole food diet eats... or rather, how THIS person on a plant-based whole food diet eats on a daily basis.

Breakfast:

I ALWAYS start my day with a product called Vega (currently known as Vega One). Vega is a 100% plant-based whole food supplement that has 100% of all recommended daily intake values of vitamins and minerals including protein. It's important to note that it's virtually impossible to be protein deficient without also being malnourished; but if you're concerned about that sort of thing... Vega's got ya covered.

*Supplement Facts from the Vega website.
I take two scoops so the true daily intake is twice as much as what is shown. Two scoops was the old serving size of Vega One's predecessor, the Whole Food Health Optimizer. 

*Photo from www.Sambazon.com

I prefer to have the Natural (unflavoured) Vega One with Sambazon Acai juice. It's an organic, fair-trade acai source that has acai and some cane juice in it but nowhere near as much as any other acai juice I've tried. Sambazon is thicker than any other acai juice as well. Lately, I fill up my Blender Bottle with Sambazon and add two scoops of Vega One shake it (Like a polaroid picture) and drink it up... down in one go. Breakfast every single morning. It's filling, energizing, and keeps me feeling full for several hours.

Sometimes, if I'm feeling really hungry or am going to workout like a mofo I'll have a small bowl of a shredded wheat cereal with unsweetened Almond Milk.  USUALLY a Kashi shredded wheat but sometimes I prefer an Arrowhead Mills cereal as the Kashi is actually pretty sweet. I don't have this every day as I like to limit my gluten intake, but it's a really nice "second breakfast."

At around 10am I have my Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer in the acai berry flavour. I love this stuff so much that in the summer I like to mix this up and freeze it and eat them as little "popsicle" treats (as long as it's before 3pm). When I first tried it I wasn't expecting it to do anything apart from taste good so I was impressed when it really did give me a ton of energy but NOT the jittery, "I just had an energy drink" kind of energy, but more of a focused motivation and desire to run, dance, workout, kick that microbio exam's butt kind of energy. It's a little pricey but worth every penny in my book! I usually buy the tubs but they were backordered from the shop I usually order from so I ordered several single serving/sample sizes which are really handy if you go to a gym or travel.

*Supplement Facts from the Vega Sport website.

I drink the Pre-Workout Energizer about a half an hour before I plan on working out and then I usually have a half of a banana during the workout as I usually workout for an hour to two or three hours and the sugars and carbohydrates in the banana help maintain my energy level.

After my workout I ALWAYS drink Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator in the Apple Berry flavour. It is my FAVOURITE thing EVER! It tastes amazing and I'm never sore after my workout no matter how intense it is and never have trouble sleeping. Did I mention that it tastes amazing???

*Supplement Facts from the Vega Sport Website

I drink the recovery accelerator almost immediately after I've finished my workout but no later than 20-30 minutes post-workout. Worth the expense, I promise!

For dinner I usually go for some steamed organic broccoli florets. Any brand'll do but I tend to stick with this one or the Meijer organics line. Make sure the ingredients list only has broccoli... no added salt, butter, or anything. 

As a girl who lives in a city where there are literally cornfields IN the middle of the city I like some sweet corn with my broccoli. It's important to go organic with corn as it's one of the most common GMO's. This stuff is my absolute favourite! I go nuts for it and have to pace myself. 

And some brown rice! 

I like to mix it up with the veggies but ALWAYS more veggies than rice. 

*Snacks could be anything from raw almonds to fresh mangoes. Dried fruits are good, too but make sure there's no added sugar. Fruit is sweet enough on it's own... it doesn't need any help.

It's important to eat when you're hungry. I graze all day long. Don't restrict yourself, fuel yourself.

Acure Organics (Hair Care Holy Grails)

So... my dad complimented my hair today. Now, my dad is a Superintendent for a major construction company in  town and is not the type to compliment (in a serious tone) on appearance. I feel like that is necessary information for reference. Anyway, I told him that I had stopped using a shampoo and conditioner that was full of silicones and other interesting things that only camouflaged the problems and caused breakage. The new shampoo and conditioner was full of beneficial ingredients like organic Argan oil, Blackberry, Acai, Pomegranate, Rosehips, and Rooibos. The shine and softness are from actual moisture and condition and not just from the silicones. Silicones coat the cuticle of the hair, they just sit on top of the hair and build up over time causing the hair to feel sticky and weighed down. My dad didn't bust my non-existent balls after that so I think it's safe to assume that he thought it made sense.

After I went vegan (about 2 years ago) I tried a brand called JĀSÖN. I used their Aloe Vera Shampoo and Conditioner as I have sensitive skin and baby fine hair. I liked it at first and used it for several months when I started to experience severe scalp irritation. I assumed it was dandruff so used Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Special Shampoo and Conditioner. It soothed my scalp a bit but was very harsh on my baby fine hair and caused hella breakage. I then tried Organix's TeaTree Mint Shampoo and their Moroccan Argan Oil conditioner. I loved them for about as long as I loved the JĀSÖN products as they made my hair feel soft, had a lovely scent, and were fairly inexpensive and easy to find. However, back in October I started to have unbelievably itchy and irritated scalp and at about the same time I realised that I was losing more and more hair in the shower, styling, and literally anytime I touched my hair. Now, I'm not talking one or two strands, every time I washed my hair I was pulling chunks of strands out of my hair. As a girl who has fine hair in the first place this is very noticeable and distressing. So I stopped using it and searched for a product that was natural and didn't have tons of chemicals in it and ended up going with California Baby's Supersensitive Shampoo and Bodywash as well, I have baby fine hair, sensitive skin, and allergies to several essential oils. This calmed my scalp down and I immediately stopped losing insane amounts of hair. However, it was really difficult to work into my scalp as I have a lot more hair than an actual baby and I started to suffer with severe breakage again. --I still use this but as a bodywash. I was using Cetaphil which is not vegan but a first bought of eczema was triggered by a different vegan soap. I highly recommend California Baby's Supersensitive Shampoo and Bodywash for this purpose. It's just as gentle as the Cetaphil cleanser was and is cruelty free and economically priced.--

Finally, whilst browsing on Amazon one afternoon I came across a brand called Acure. I was put off by the $14 price tag but as the ingredients weren't listed on Amazon I looked them up on the company's website where I discovered that they were only $10 if you ordered from them. I ended up doing some research and found that VitaCost was selling them for about $9 with free shipping (a deal at the time but shipping is always free over $49) and decided to give them a try. The problem was that I couldn't decide which line to go for (the curse of being a Gemini is that I literally cannot make a decision without flipping a coin) so settled on two. The Pure Mint + Echinacea Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner (the blue bottles) that are meant for normal to fine hair and the Lemongrass + Argan Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner (the green bottles) that are meant for all hair types. The Blue ones smell like SeaBreeze astringent... I strangely like the scent, probably because I remember my dad using it all the time whilst I was growing up. The Green ones smell like green tea with lemon, not my favourite scent in the world but pleasant. It's what most people would describe as an "herbal" or "medicinal" scent. At first I couldn't tell a major difference between the two but then definitely preferred the Green ones. They were more moisturizing. Neither weighed my baby fine hair down at all and both left my hair and scalp feeling calmed and normalized AND didn't make my hair fall out in protest.

I then decided to buy the Moroccan Argan Oil + Argan Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner (the Red bottles) that are meant for dry or curly hair after watching this review. I figured that even if it is a bit heavy for my hair I could at least use it as a weekly treatment. Turns out, it is PERFECT for my hair. It left my hair and scalp sooo moisturized that I literally could run a brush straight through my hair from roots to ends with NO breakage. It also did not weigh my hair down at all! The scent is very sweet and reminds me of cherries. It's supposed to smell of sweet almond extract and it definitely does. Again, it's not my favourite kind of scent but I think it'll grow on me. I'm not sure how it's great from someone who has curly or dry hair simply because it worked for my baby fine hair. (For curly or dry hair they recommend adding a dropper full of pure argan oil to the conditioner.)

Which brings me to my last holy grail product from Acure, their Certified Organic Argan Oil. I originally bought is to use on the ends of my hair at night but noticed after a couple of days that it made my dry hands impossibly soft and then decided to try it on my face. I have sensitive skin that is prone to breakouts (cystic acne) and VERY dry and easily irritated (I can only Cetaphil face wash) so when I say I was hesitant to put this on my face I truly mean it. It didn't make my face greasy AND actually decreased the number of blackheads around my nose... those bad boys have been around since I was 16 (8 years) and let me tell you I was not sad to see them go. After the great results I had seen using the oil on my face I recently decided to try applying it directly to my scalp, as I still had some irritation left. The next morning after I washed and conditioned my hair with the Red Acure Shampoo and Conditioner and dried my hair my scalp felt so soothed and rejuvenated like I cannot explain. My scalp hasn't felt that good in so long that I honestly cannot recall a time when it felt remotely as nice as it did then. I now use it on my scalp every other night and my scalp has only improved AND I've noticed increased hair growth which is always a plus. 

I only have positive things to say about Acure and their products (still haven't tried one I don't like). They're cruelty-free, mostly organic (clearly labeled which ingredients are and aren't organic) and fair trade AND $1 of every bottle of the Argan oil that is purchased goes to Bright Pink, a non-profit breast cancer organisation. They also donate 5% to mammograms for at risk women. For more information visit Acure for a cure. 

*All of these products were purchased by me. Acure products were purchased through VitaCost. I highly recommend giving them a try.

Favourites Of 2012 (Thou shalt not forget Feist)

I just realised that I forgot to include Feist's album Metals in my Favourite New Releases Of 2012... naughty. To make up for it, I thought I'd share my favourite live performance of hers which is of her performing The Bad In Each Other on Later... with Jools Holland.

Though, my favourite song on the album is actually Cicadas and Gulls. I have some seriously horrific (and oddly hilarious) memories of cicadas so it might have the tiniest pull because of that. It's a truly stunning song. The entire album is honestly one of the most beautiful and interesting albums I've listened to. I lost my album to someone I'd rather not see again, is probably why it escaped my mind last night. Nae worries, I'm ordering a new copy. One of few albums that I'd pay money for twice... and I'm cheap, so that's really saying something.

I feel like I should also mention a few more artists who I have come across in 2012. The first being the lovely Gabrielle Aplin. Her voice is achingly beautiful and her songs are ethereal webs spun of cotton candy, innocence, and vulnerability. They have an uplifting quality to them that makes them as contagious as a yawn in a boring lecture hall. Odd analogy, but fairly accurate. I strongly suggest having a wee listen to any of her tunes but my personal favourite is Please Don't Say You Love Me. 

The next notable artist who I have had the pleasure of stumbling upon in 2012 is the force of nature that is Orla Gartland. Orla is a singer from Ireland who started off uploading videos of herself performing covers of songs on YouTube. The first one I heard was her cover of Jar Of Hearts. And then that led to finding this gem... Lose Yourself (cover). 

And THEN... my favourite Bon Iver song, Skinny Love. 

I can't decide if Devil On My Shoulder or Jealous is my favourite original so I'll share both. 

The cover that makes the original song completely impossible to listen to is Good Time. Admittedly, I hadn't actually heard the song before I heard Orla's cover and had no idea what she was covering until I heard on the radio about a week later. Yep, I'm that up on the times... lol

On the subject of covers that make the original song impossible to listen to... Ben Howard's cover of Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe. Ben's cheeky grin through the entire song only adds to the perfection. I mean, they took something that was completely lacking in depth or any emotion into something that is undeniably beautiful. THAT is a true artist.

Whew! I feel better now!

Favourites Of 2012

As it is about 7pm local time on the 31st of December, I figured I'd share some of my favourite things of 2012 with you.

Favourite Videos:

My favourite random video of 2012 is definitely one from BriBryontour. BriBry is a singer who hails from the fair isle of Ireland and makes a variety of amusing YouTube videos that he generously shares with the world. While I've enjoyed many of his videos one definitely stands out from the rest. IRISH BOYS DO A RAP You may be asking yourself why watching two pale dudes raping about being Irish is worthy of a mention in my 2012 favourites and the only answer I have for that is that... I... have... none. It's a damn fine video that ought put a smile on your face regardless, which is all you can really ask of an Irish man.

Next up, my favourite live festival performance which is Bombay Bicycle Club's "Beg" at T In The Park 2012. Why is this my favourite? Erm, it's Beg... and Jack Steadman rocked out pretty hard on those drums. No other explanation should be necessary.

My favourite acoustic performance of a song yet to be released (looking forward to 2013) is from the lovely Lucy Rose Parton. She is an exciting songstress from Warwickshire, England who is featured on two of (acoustic Flaws, and electric A Different Kind Of Fix) Bombay Bicycle club's three albums and has since released her own debut album Like I Used To and is very much an artist to watch in 2013. The song is called The Fire.

Favourite New Releases (Albums):

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die, Cat Power - Sun, Lucy Rose - Like I Used To, Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon, Alt-J - An Awesome Wave. (Not sure where I've misplaced my Jake Bugg album.)

Favourite Albums (New Or Old):

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave, Ben Howard - Every Kingdom, Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix, Lucy Rose - Like I Used To.

Favourite Purchases:

Topshop Geo Stud Holdall

Bombay Bicycle Club Sweatshirt (You would not believe the crazy looks I get in this bad boy.)

***AND my iPhone4s I bought back in May... I can't really take a photo of her (her name is Aphrodite) with her soooo. 

Favourite World Events:

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee 

Summer Olympics London 2012

Queen Elizabeth II and James Bond in the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. 

That one time when Clint Eastwood had a conversation with a chair on national TV during the RNC.

When Barack Obama and Jimmy Fallon "Slow Jammed the News."

The entire 1 hour and 31 minutes of the Vice Presidential Debate but most notably the moment where Joe Biden said Paul Ryan was full of "malarkey."

When this happened. I will never doubt Nate Silver again.

I cried when this happened... 

And then I smiled like this... for a very long time. 

I hope everyone has had a lovely 2012 and I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy 2013! I expect it to be a year full of good music, good friends, good times... and a lot of learning how to be a better me. Oh, and hopefully some serious travelling to quench my severe wanderlust. No more waiting around in 2013.