Two things I love

First, the Green Beaver Winter Lip Balm:



I know, its not winter anymore, but lets face it, sometimes your lips get dry even in summer, especially if you spend most of your time in air-conditioned buildings.

I love lipbalms in this squeeze tube format because not only are they more sanitary than pot balms, they are also more emollient and moisturizing than stickbalms. This lipbalm has surpassed my previous favourite, Nivea Q10 Lip Care. The GB Winter Lip Balm shares all the pros I loved about the Nivea product AND is made of natural ingredients such as beeswax, sunflower oil, and various plant extracts.



If there was something to improve on this product, it would be the lack of SPF. The only balms I've seen with SPF are either in pots (eg MAC TLCs), or stick form (Blistex, Banana Boat, etc.). I want one in a squeeze tube format!


Pros
- sanitary squeeze tube instead of a pot
- tube format allows for a more emollient formula
- scent-free
- natural ingredients, no petrolatum

Cons
- needs an SPF version for daytime


Next, the Green Beaver Grapefruit Gel Facial Cleanser:

It comes in a sturdy cardboard box made from recycled packaging:



Inside is an easy squeeze tube of the best smelling facial wash ever:



The product is a clear, slightly orange gel that smells of grapefruit. It is a foaming wash, but does not strip my face of moisture. Instead it cleanses just the right amount, and leaves my skin feeling refreshed.

What I liked most about the Green Beaver products was this fact from their site:

"Our facial products contain an air-dried 200X aloe concentrate. Air-drying does not denature the skin soothing ingredients found in the aloe. Each 120 ml product contains the equivalent of 1.0 Litre aloe gel actives! Ideal for sensitive or troubled skin."

Sounds pretty good for me since I've had sensitive, reactive skin for a while now. I've been using this face wash at night since the beginning of April, and my skin is quite happy, so it looks like this is a keeper!

The only minor thing I could complain about is the tube opening. It is a little wide, so a bit of it does leak out of the opening into the cap area if stored upright on the cap side. It doesn't actually leak out of the cap area but is still a bit more wasteful than necessary.


Ingredient list

Aqua, Coco Glucoside, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Xantham Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Camellia Senensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid
* CERTIFIED ORGANIC OR ECOLOGICALLY WILD CRAFTED

On the box itself it even says that it does not contain harsh detergents or sodium lauryl sulfate which is pretty awesome. I've always had difficulty finding a foaming face wash without harsh detergents or SLS, so this is pretty awesome for me :D




Pros
- gel based (feels more refreshing than cream/milk cleansers)
- free from SLS or harsh detergents that strip moisture
- smells awesome
- contains many soothing ingredients for sensitive skin

Cons
- tube opening is a little wide, leading to slight wastage


[Edited 6/7/10]
Where to buy

- Whole Foods in Yorkville, Toronto sells Green Beaver products. The facial wash is $12.99.
- Well.ca sells Green Beaver products. The facial wash is $13.99 but they offer free shipping to anywhere in Canada, with any purchase.
- Also call your local natural health store to check availability.

I hope this helps!

Green Beaver Lip Shimmer

If you are looking for a Canadian alternative to Burt's Bees, look no further than Green Beaver. The Canadian company prides itself on using natural ingredients that are organic and vegan as well. I was fortunate enough to be contacted about testing their products, and one of my favourites thus far is their Lip Shimmer:



Like the Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer, this has a twist up mechanism that cannot be retracted so be careful how much you push up! Closeup of the product:



What I like most is how the ingredients are mostly natural:



Swatch:

The colour I received was Lustre - a sheer, very fine beige shimmer. I find that the colour is ideal for slightly lightening your natural lip colour.



It also comes in 5 other colours as seen on Well.ca.

The product is quite moisturizing and goes on comfortably. In fact I wore it during my long 22+ hour flight (not including stopovers!) and it kept my lips well moisturized. If you look at the top picture you can see that the cap is attachable to a key ring, which makes it quite convenient for travel.

There is no perceivable taste to the product, just a faint apple-ish scent that fades very quickly. In fact the product is marketed as being mint-free, perhaps to appeal to people who don't like the tingly feel of mint on the lips. (A different direction from Burt's which has mint.)

Overall, I think the lip shimmers would make an excellent addition to any girl's purse. Not only is the product made of natural ingredients it moisturizes well without any greasy or waxy feel unlike other balms.