Number #1 in the UK

yes, my friend Clive has sent me another MP3 of UK music. This on is from Amy Macdonald and is #1 in the UK. Catchy tune!!

More than Fav Five

I like to share, be it ideas, food, knowlegde, fun, love, where to shop or where to eat, it is part of my nature and the social side of my personality. Which leads to making a list of my fav five, only the list got bigger...and this is only products. I could make a fav list of things I love about BC, Vancouver Island, kayaking, my man, work..etc etc etc...

My Fav Products:

I found Origins is now at the Bay Victoria. A few years ago I purchased a few products while in Vancouver and was so impressed. For my own Christmas treat I purchased a box set of a 3 month supply of products. My skin looks even better than it does!

Moisturizer: Origins A Perfect World
Night Cream: Origins Nigh-A-Mins
Cleanser: Origins Checks & Balances or Never a Dull Moment
Tonic: Origins A Perfect World liquid moisture (for the dry office I work in)
Special treatment: Origins A Perfect World guardian, eye doctor (on my wish list)
Scrubs: Never a Dull Moment (fab stuff) Swept Away (wish list)

Body lotion: Origins Ginger Souffle or the White Tea
Body scrub: Origins Incredible Spreadable Scrub Ginger body smoother

Body wash: Wake up with Silk Roads Energy Body and Hand Wash-this is a new product for Silk Roads and I bought a small one to try. Notes of ginger, vetiver, lemongrass, grapefruit and coriander. Silk Roads has some great products for face too, the moisterizer is jojoba based and is what I use around my eyes although I have Origins on my wish list.

Another body wash I like is Nezza Naturals Spearmint. Nezza Naturals is on the Pandora side of Fan Tan Alley. Sasha and her Dad make all the products here in Victoria and on Galiano Island. Not only body washes, soaps, shampoos and facial products, but household cleaning products are available as well.


Shampoo: ShiKai Colour Reflect for dark hair which I found at Thrifty Foods. Thrifty Foods is carrying more natural products and this is one of the newer lines they've added. Really rich shampoo and cheaper than Aveda's Colour Conserve or Black Malva or Clove my other favorites.

Conditioner: I'm bad for not using conditioner. I previously used Aveda's Sap Moss and would again as a treat. Unless I can find Aveda for less (not likely) it is a bit expensive. I do use Infusium 23 in the summer to protect my colour from sun damage. ShiKai makes a conditioner as well and I will probably give it a try.

Hair product: Cake hair and body refreshing powder. This stuff is fabtastic!! Comes in two types; one for light hair and one for dark hair. Great to use to go a few days after colouring to "set" colour before washing your hair.

Hand cream: still trying to find a fav here. I have tried so many and I'm the type to put it on then wipe it off. Looking for one that won't make my hands greasy.

Nailpolish: SpaEssentials. Expensive and I order from Blossom Lounge in Toronto. On the other hand this polish is completely vegan and well worth the cost of not using a lot of chemicals. I only paint my toes in summer.

My main objective here is to pass along some fun items I've found. Although some items may contain questionable ingredients, I try for the most part to trade off as much as I can with natural, cruelty free products and buying locally or Canadian.

Hot Autumn

I may not be getting my wish to have a very late summer. It has rained a lot. I was preparing for a chilly wet Autumn. And then....October 23, 2007 broke a 40 year old record and we have 20C weather. I wore a coat that was too warm and walked home without it. We seem to be having a spot of sunshine and I hope it lasts a while.

Mr Funky Bunny

I have a warped sense of humour! The name of this stuffed toy pattern is too funny! Then to add to the humour the toy can be made as: Mr Funky Bunny in a dress...

http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/FunkyBunny.html

I don't know why this cracks me up...it just does!

The summer that wasn't...

Here it is August 21, I'm on a week's vacation. One can usually count on August being nice, with warm days, warm sunny days. Next week is the end of August, yikes! I have been asking other Vancouver islanders, and we all agree, this is the summer that wasn't. Here we are heading into Autumn and none of us feel ready, none of us feel we are prepared for back to school. All of us are waiting, waiting, waiting for summer.

Hopefully, it will be a glorious hot Autumn...

Duct Tape

I've come to the realization that duct tape can be used for anything. When I started kayaking it was suggested to carry a roll in the event someone got a hole in their boat. It is a great patching device. Great for wrapping gifts, fixing a tear in a piece of clothing, hemming pants or a skirt...I'm sure someone has created a website of all its uses.

Here's something for those times when you're sitting around with a roll of duct tape wondering what you should do to entertain yourself.

http://www.instructables.com/id/EYOSKQRKE0EVYDW0CQ/

Pure & Radiant Energy

In my continued search for beauty products closer to home, I think I've found something that actually works for my sensitive skin. I've only tried two products so far, the gentle scrub and one of the moisturizers. The scrub is a great addition to my nightly routine and I've noticed the flaky patches on my skin are going away. The moisturizer I purchased in April as a winter/cooler weather cream. Now summer is approaching I would switch to a lighter cream and there are two I am considering.

When I first found the product website I was a bit disappointed that parabens were used in the products. Since then I've done a lot of research on parabens, and must thank Caroline Kolof, one of the founders of PRE (Pure&Radiant Energy) for phoning me from her home to discuss the product ingredients. Caroline, and her husband, Maury use the products themselves and are well aware of the paraben controversy. I truly believe Caroline and Maury wouldn't use products themselves if they thought this was a serious threat to their health. Plus Caroline continues to do research to find an alternative perservative that would replace parabens. I didn't ask her about grapefruit seed extract as we had already discussed that some "natural" perservatives are in fact not natural at all.


I'm looking forward to visiting PRE in Vancouver this month, and hopefully will be able to meet Caroline or Maury, or both of them.

http://www.pureradiantenergy.com/

Avoiding Parabens

The lastest buzz is to avoid parabens in cosmetics. Now what does one do to replace these parabens and why are these being replaced? It has to do with a study based in the UK that parabens were found in breast tumour tissue and cause cancer (2004). I've been researching this whole paraben buzz. First, some companies do use a lot of parabens to have a long shelf life for their cosmetics and others use very little. In place of being paraben free some companies use an alternative that is derived from formeldyhyde...gee I think that is worst than parabens.

Secondly, I checked out both the Canadian Cancer Association http://www.cancer.ca
and the American Cancer Association to discover their comments on parabens and the report made in 2004. Check it out for yourself.

Thirdly, be an informed consumer like myself. Natural products aren't always as good as they seem. The word "natural" can be used by anyone. Vitamin E can be made synethically as well. Plant products can have pesticides and herbicides on them and be used in natural cosmetics. Essential oils can play havoc with skin too.

I have even purchased a natural skin cream, only to have it grow bateria within a few weeks. Bacteria which could have caused my skin and eyes major damage.

I say there will always be something to be removed from cosmetics. Lead, hair dye was an issue a few years back, paba in suntan lotions, the list goes on.

As someone with sensitive skin I've searched and searched for products that do not cause me grief with my skin. Most people find it amazing that I have a problem because my skin is so great. What is my secret??

I use suntan lotion every day--research skin cancer online.
I don't use tanning beds
I drink lots of water, green tea, white tea and only 2-3 cups of coffee
I eat organic and pesticide free produce as much as I can
I exercise indoors in bad weather, outdoors in good weather
I don't wear a lot of makeup and never foundation
I didn't paint my finger or toe nails for years, it just smelled so bad and now only use vegan polish

I've always researched the products I've purchased, used fair trade,certified organic or more natural products all my life. I've asked lots of questions and have purchased from people who develop and use their own products. Think about it, would you create a product and use it yourself knowing it contained ingredients that might cause you to develop cancer? I really don't think any woman is that vain.


We live in a world full of chemicals and it is hard to avoid them. All you can do is try your best to live a healthy life and be an informed consumer.

Ask yourself this...if you use paraben free products, certified organic cosmetics, etc. do you sit outside at the sidewalk cafe and breath in the gas fumes from the traffic??

Eurovision 2007 - Another Entry

Check out Youtube for more of the Eurovision 2007 entries. Clive was correct--the UK entry was appalling...actually, if possible, it was worse than appalling...Here's the entry from Bulgaria. France had, well, ermmm, one really has to see France's entry themselves.

Cocoon Apothecary

This is the third installment to finding a new skincare line. Cocoon Apothecary was the third try, after trying Nadarra www.nadarra.com and Heiko www.heiko.ca. Cocoon Apothecary is the creation of Jessica Burman. All the products are vegan and cruelty free www.cocoonapothecary.com

I ordered and tried the facial wash. I must say this was a very gentle cleanser and one which I think would be good for any skin type. My only disappointment was it is packaged in a plastic bottle. Plastic can be recycled but I think glass could be used instead.

The facial cream was great with rooibos tea added. I didn't like the smell at first but it did grow on me. Packing in a glass container gets a rating of A+.

The packing material used I was able to completly recycle. The box, the bubble wrap and the containers.

Jessica included a sample gift of her Chai lip balm. A fan of chai tea this product I really like.

My only concern with Jessica's products is some of the ingredients may be questionable based on the Environmental Working Group site and Skin Deep. I've been checking all cosmetic ingredients since Julia of Nadarra connected me with the Environmental Working Group/Skin Deep site www.ewg.org/

In keeping with my shopping rules, local first, province wide second and Canada third I would have to purchase these products on a limited basis. It is back to trying to find something closer to home that is natural, not full of essential oils that make me itch, contain no parabens and are cruelty free.

Salt Spring Soap Works

I'd heard that seaweed did wonders for one's skin, as did seamud. Since Salt Spring Soapworks is downtown and I happened to be doing some other errands I purchased the Spa Seamud Mask to try. It contains glacial clay, vegetable glyercine, meythl paraben, propyl paraben (I do try to avoid parabens whenever I can) and spa fragrance blend. The fragrance is so strong upon opening the jar that I was extremely wary of putting this stuff on my face. Since I've opened it I've tried it twice.

Stay away! Don't waste your money. This stuff made my face itch and the fragrance made my eyes water.

I'm hoping to return it once I find the receipt.

Eurovision Entry

Clive, my friend from the UK, has sent me another clip from Eurovision. Unfortunately the UK's entry was appalling, according to him. He did send this to me, this was the entry from Georgia on the Baltic coast. I rather like it!!

May 4

Your Birthdate: May 4

You have an extraordinary character - moral, responsible, and disciplined. Your sincerity and honesty shine through in almost every situation. Driven and focused, you rarely let your emotions get the better of you. You're level headed and rational. People count on your to look at things objectively. Your strength: Your unwavering loyalty and ethics Your weakness: Your rock solid stubbornness Your power color: Navy blue Your power symbol: Shield Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Paddlefest, Ladysmith BC, May 12-13

Five of us went up to Ladysmith from Victoria for the day on Saturday, May 12. We had a great time taking workshops and paddling different boats. I tried two of the Lightspeed boats made here on the island, although I liked both of them I'd have to test them in rougher waters. I really liked the Necky Elisa, the first boat made for a woman. Finally kayak designers are realizing women aren't built like men and we need a tighter cockpit around the waist with more hip room. The Elisa is a great boat, it handled well eventhough it is narrower than my boat and felt a bit tippy this feeling soon passed. Made of plastic means it can be recycled, is easier to fix when/if damaged and isn't that much heavier than my Delta. I didn't try lifting it. I did take out a 17 ft Delta sport. A lot of boat, something that would be great for touring and when I plan on taking a long trip. There are several more kayaks to try. I am hoping to try a Seaward at MEC and Peter at Pacifica Paddle has something in mind for me to try too.

The best part of the day was winning a prize! I won a high quality dry bag that comes with instructions on how to open it. The seal is so strong it took me a few minutes to figure out how to open it from the instructions. Will be perfect for that longer trip. Plus, being my birthday month, it counts as an unexpected birthday present...the best kind!

A new year

Although the year started in January, I really don't feel it has begun until May. It isn't just Spring and feeling renewed, it happens to be my birthday month and my birth date is at the beginning. I feel rejuvneated, I want to try something new, I want to make a change. I feel like a budding leaf, tightly curled up all winter and then unfurling dressed in bright leaf green.

Besides well wishes and gifts from my family and friends, I often am blessed with an unexpected gift. One time it was the upgrading of my job as transcript clerk on the day before my birthday. This year a similar event occurred and my current position was upgraded, the news being delivered to me on the day of my birthday. Actually the day I was told I was the successful candidate for my current postition was in November 2005, on a date that fell in the opposite astrological sign to my own and exactly 6 months (I consider 6 my lucky number) and a few days after my birthday.

The question I pose to myself now is....What do I want to try? I'm taking courses at university and I'm back kayaking every Sunday. I'm thinking of trying a stamping class to add an additional touch to my homemade cards. I've been researching cupcake cookbooks and the thought of taking a cake decorating course (again) has crossed my mind. I'd like to learn some new knitting stitches. The list is endless....

No doubts I will find one thing to try or try them all...the sun is shining and I start a new year..

Heiko Skin Care--Japanese for Balance

In the second phase of testing Canadian natural and/or organic skin care, I have been trying Heiko (www.heiko.ca) a company out of Quebec. Heiko means balance in Japanese--balanced skin care. Heiko offers 4 products; a cleanser, exfoliation product, toner and two creams. I ordered the cleanser and exfoliation first to try. I like both very much and ordered the toner and the lighter cream. Orders over a certain amount have free shipping, I was saving some money by ordering two times. The toner isn't that great, and I wouldn't use it every day for my skin. As a refresher after exercise it works great. The cream is ok, it is light and perfect for summer when my skin doesn't need to be drenched in lotion. The cleanser and exfoliation product are the best items. The two can be mixed together to make a nice scrub/wash, or used separately.

The cost of the products is reasonable. Shipping was not consistent. The first time Purolator was used and I had to pick up the package. On the second order I requested the waybill to track the item. Although the waybill was provided, the package was not sent Purolator but DHL. Purolator didn't leave the package at the door, but DHL did. When I emailed the customer representative regarding the delivery and requested the tracking number on the second package, I was told to request Canada Post next time as they had no control over which courier was used. Not the best customer service.

Packaging was minimal, a small box and plastic bubble wrap which I was able to fully recycle. The products have minimal packaging too. Only the cream came in a box.

Phase Three testing coming soon....

Gratitude

Being Green is Trendy!

Kermit the Frog may have said "it's not easy being green." but recently being green is the new black. Being green is trendy. Those of us who have been green for a long time may be sitting on the sidelines watching celebs and others jump on the bandwagon. Lately Vanity Fair came out with a green issue, and in celebration of April's Earth Day, several magazines are coming out with their own green issues. This month Canadian Living and LouLou have green issues and eco-friendly products listed amongst its pages.

Its the new buzz word!

For years I've watched various campaigns; Don't Litter was one of the main ones during my childhood. It stuck with me.
When I moved to Ontario I was impressed with the recycling program they had, even clothes could be left at the curb. I moved to BC thinking recycling on the island would be better, only it isn't and I think there is a lot to be done to improve that. I'm glad I live in Oak Bay, sure it may be classified as snob ville, but it is now the first municipality to form a committee on reducing emissions.

For those of us who have always tried to be green, keep our consumption down, been responsible consumers and done our bit to help protect the environment, our shining hour is here!

Hopefully this trend will last a long long time and we may leave an earth for future generations.

In celebration of Earth Day in April, Canadian Living is doing a 30 day green challenge. To obtain 30 days worth of green tips, sign up at:

http://www.canadianliving.com/canadianliving/client/en/Health/SpecialDetailNews.asp?idNews=237205&idSm=517&special=1

Lily Allen & a vid from England

Another interesting vid sent to me by my pal Clive in England...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3SRM6V30B4