My Canadian Shopping Experience: CountOnUs

My order came with a business card, along with a coupon code on the back for my next purchase

As a Canadian, it can be hard to find companies that not only ship to Canada for a reasonable price, but also won't incur duties and additional fees upon delivery. By chance I stumbled across a Reddit thread about an online company called "CountOnUs", questioning if it was legitimate or not. A quick google search revealed nothing positive or negative... But their website states they are based in Canada. That coupled with a 40% off OFRA cosmetics sale won me over, and I placed an order.

My order arrived in a bubble mailer, filled with seemingly endless amounts of bubble wrap

My order totaled $81, so I got free shipping. I assumed this meant regular shipping (3 - 7 business days), as I had the option of upgrading to expedited shipping (1-3 business days) for an additional $3.99. I wasn't in a rush so I went with the free option, but my order took less than 2 days to get to me. I placed my order on a Monday night and had it in my mailbox by Wednesday afternoon.

My order, wrapped in layer upon layer of bubble wrap

Everything I ordered made it to me intact, but I felt like the amount of packaging was borderline excessive. My OFRA highlighters came with 5 layers of bubble wrap around them, which was almost an inch thick! Things that had a very low chance of breaking such as a facial cleanser also came wrapped in bubble wrap, although only 2 layers. While I appreciate how much effort went into ensuring my order reached me intact, I couldn't help but think about how bad this amount of bubble wrap was for the environment.

Free Sample of Elizabeth Arden Superstar Probiotic Cleanser

Free Gift With Purchase - OFRA Peptide Brightening Mask (In PINK limited edition)

I received a free sample of an Elizabeth Arden facial cleanser, along with a free gift with purchase. The free gift was a 3oz OFRA face mask, the full size is 6.8oz and has a retail value of $59USD according to the OFRA website.


My order consisted of 1 OFRA liquid lipstick in the shade Pasedena, 2 OFRA Highlighters, one in the shade Pillow Talk and one in Glazed Donut and 1 OFRA Vitamin C cleanser.  As far as I can tell all the products are authentic.

OFRA Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Pasedena

OFRA Highlighters in Pillow Talk and Glazed Donut

OFRA Vitamin C Cleanser

Overall I was very impressed with CountOnUs! The package label said they ship out of Mississauga, ON, which is important as a Canadian consumer. Their prices were reasonable (especially with the sales) and the free gift with purchase was a pleasant surprise. CountOnUs has a range of product lines that can be hard to find (if not impossible) for Canadians, such as OFRA and TheBalm among others. I'm very excited to have found another Canadian company I can purchase from and I highly recommend them!

If you'd like to place an order with CountOnUs, you can do so here: https://countonusstore.ca/
(Not an affiliate link)

Product Review of Le Petit Marseillais - Mandarin & Lime Extra Gentle Body Wash

Summary: When they say "Extra Gentle" body wash, they mean it.

The personalized card was a great touch!! 

In the name of full disclosure, I received a sample of this product for free through Influenster.ca. However this will not affect my review, which is always 100% honest and unbiased. All opinions and language are my own and in no way do they reflect either company.

The only grievance I have to air is how misled I felt by Influenster. In all the promotional material it appeared I would be receiving a full sized product to try. However when my samples arrived it was just 2 small (10ml) foil packets of product along with a coupon for $2 off if I decided to purchase the product myself. Luckily the foil packet was enough for 3 showers (when used sparingly) so I was able to give a proper review.

The free samples I got were tiny foil packets, vaguely misleading since Influenster's photos were of the full-sized product.

The first thing I noticed was the packaging, it is incredibly plain and straightforward. I personally appreciate the simplicity, as it makes the brand feel more approachable and user-friendly as opposed to more chaotic in your face packaging. The price is also pretty average, running between four and six dollars for 400ml depending on local sales.

The next thing I noticed was the scent, while I do not get either a mandarin or lime scent from this product, I do get a very distinct nostalgic smell. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly that scent was until I went through the car wash... Yup, this product smells like the  rainbow car wash soap. This scent could be unisex, as there was nothing overly feminine about it. The scent is very light and doesn't remain past rinsing in the shower which could be a pro or a con depending on your personal preference. Personally I wish it had longer lasting power - or that there was a body lotion in a matching fragrance.

When used with a shower pouf,  the shower gel will lather up slightly. If you prefer a thicker lather, this isn't the product for you. It is a very subtle and gentle type of clean, which lends itself well to those with sensitive skin. I was able to use this product over a sunburn without any issues. I didn't find the product to be very moisturizing, but it also didn't strip my skin of moisture.

Overall, I appreciate the effort the company goes through to make sure they stay true to their small-town roots in France. Their selection of products feels well thought out and authentic. However, this specific product didn't quite meet my needs. I would recommend it for anyone who wants a no-fuss, no frills type of wash they can feel confident about their whole family using.

Side Note; Upon reviewing the ingredient list I am a little dismayed. The company portrays themselves as a "natural is best" eco-friendly company, yet they are using synthetic colours in their products.

Additional Info; The company website says they are cruelty free, but in Canada they are owned by conglomerate Johnson & Johnson, which does test on animals. The containers are recyclable, which helps reduce waste.

The company description of this product is as follows:

LE PETIT MARSEILLAIS® Mandarin & Lime Body Wash gently cleans your skin. Its light and easy to rinse foam releases a zesty and citrus fragrance. Skin is left feeling soft, moisturized and refreshed.

The extra gentle pH neutral formula makes this body wash suitable for everyday use.

The Ingredient List: 

Water (Eau), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Fragrance (Parfum), Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Fruit Extract, Yellow 5, Blue 1

Company Review: ChickAdvisor

ChickAdvisor is a Canadian company based out of Toronto, ON. The focus of the website is user-generated product reviews. The website is free to join, although they do host paid-ticket events a few times a year. ChickAdvisor runs a product review club which is also free to join, however it is suggested you become an active member before applying to join the club.

ChickAdvisor has a rewards points system that gives you points for active participation, such as posting a review, adding a new product to the database, commenting on a forum post, etc. There are also badges you can earn for specific actions such as a certain amount of reviews within a product category (Cosmetics, Skincare, Food, etc.) or posting product images.

Posting product reviews is easy, just search the product you're looking to review, give it a star rating, write a quick (or detailed) review and post away!

The major issue I have with ChickAdvisor lies within their product database. The database is overloaded with multiple entries for the same products, products being named slightly different things while still being the same product (eg, Revlon Colourstay Foundation vs. Revlon Colourstay Face Makeup). There is no option to "Report" or "flag" a duplicate entry, so they tend to run rampant and it's hard to decide which entry to put your review under.  I wish they would add this feature in the future to help declutter the database. Another issue is there is no quality standard for the reviews, so you occasionally will see spam-esque reviews.

As far as the Product Review club, I have received a few items such as a Vichy facial care duo, a 6-pack of Zevia soda and a SoftLips cube lip balm. ChickAdvisor sends out full-sized items, or coupon vouchers for the full sized item if it is too cost-prohibitive to ship. Their only expectation is that you post an honest and unbiased review of the product on their website.

I have been a member of ChickAdvisor since 2014 and it is my main source of product reviews, since I trust the users on that site to be unbiased more than any alternatives. It is a great resource for people interested in giving and getting product reviews, but it is not the best source for receiving products to review.

Company Review: BzzAgent

BzzAgent is a USA based influencing company, but they have branches in both Canada and the UK. When you register for an account, be prepared to fill out a bunch of surveys (there are A LOT, so be prepared to set aside a good chunk of time. Or you can do a few here and there over smaller periods of time).  There are specific surveys that help them determine if you are suitable for a campaign, and those are specifically listed as "Campaign qualifiers". Also be prepared to connect your social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. 

Much like Influenster, BzzAgent will randomly select a group of people to try out a product, and if you are chosen you will get a survey invitation and an E-mail. The thing that I like is that once you accept the invitation and complete the survey you are automatically accepted into the campaign, unlike Influenster that says you are now eligible but might not be in.

A typical BzzCampaign box will have a full sized item (unless stated otherwise), 3-5 coupons for the item you received (either to use yourself or ideally give out to friends/family when you talk about the product!) and a card with the information about the product.

There are multiple ways you can participate in a BzzCampaign, such as posting photos to your Instagram/Facebook, tweeting about the product(s), writing product reviews on brand websites or your personal blog, chatting about the product(s) with your friends/family among other options. There are many options so you're likely to find something that works for you!

The BzzAgent policy is 100% honesty, so even if you end up not liking the product, they want you to share your experiences and be upfront with the people you share with, including your social media. No negative reviews will be held against you/your account standing.

The best way to qualify for campaigns is to frequently update your profile, stay up to date on surveys (you will get the same survey multiple times, it's just to make sure your situation hasn't changed!) and log in every so often to keep your account active. Inactive accounts will not qualify for campaigns and are subject to deletion after a set amount of time. BzzAgent will notify you by Email if your account is becoming inactive.

They recently set up a "Bite-sized Bzz" section which is just a social community of BzzAgent members. I think regular participation helps boost your "score" (liklihood of getting into a campaign) but I'm not sure.

I've been a member of BzzAgent since 2014, I have participated in a few BzzAgent Campaigns, including the Herbal Essences Naked Shampoo/Conditioner, Katy Kat Lipstick/Mascara, Vidal Sassoon Hair Dye, and a few others! I fully support this company and I reccommend them for anyone interested in becoming a product influencer. They are one of my favorite companies for product testing/reviews.