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. 

My Canadian Shopping Experience: BeautyLish

BeautyLish is a company based out of San Francisco, California, USA. They carry several high-end brands, as well as offer some brands that are harder to find - especially for those of us in Canada who don't have access to certain brands or products in brick and mortar stores. 

The package came with a BeautyLish advertisement

The major concern I have when ordering internationally is duties/taxes upon arrival. For those that don't know, if I (a Canadian) order anything over $20CDN from another country, I am subjected to my provincial taxes (13%) as well as a flat $10 "shipping and handling fee" by Canada Post. No matter how much or how little I purchase. I was happy to see that BeautyLish charges the required taxes and covers any duties up front, so there is no surprise fees upon delivery. I also got free shipping.

A stamp on the box says who packed the order - a cute touch!

I'd been on the hunt for some The Ordinary (Deciem) products for a while, but the Deciem site was always sold out of the items I wanted to purchase. Luckily, Beautylish was fully stocked for their black Friday sale and I managed to scoop up some items I'd been wanting to try. I filled my cart with my top picks and completed my purchase with Paypal. 

Upon opening the box I was greeted with a "Beautylish Ft The Ordinary" sticker, and wrapping paper

My package reached me in just under 2 weeks, with everything intact. The packaging was very sleek and featured multiple layers of protection. The top layer was lined wrapping paper with a BeautyLish ft. The Ordinary sticker, under which was tissue paper, and then brown paper wrapped in twine.  The Ordinary products come in glass bottles so I was pleased to see nothing had broken or spilled during transit. 

Brown paper wrapped with striped twine

Something unexpected that came with my package was a sticker sheet with numbers, AM/PM and reminders of how often to use the product (per day or per week). I found these to be incredibly useful and a really nice touch above and beyond my expectations. 

The sticker sheet, along with some informational pamphlets

Along with the sticker sheet came some informational pamphlets for a couple of the products I had purchased (but not all of them), another really great touch that made me feel like I'd made the right decision to purchase through BeautyLish. The pamphlets are created by BeautyLish and only come with purchases made through them. They include information such as the product description, how and when to use the product and what other products would go well with it to create a skincare regimen for a specific skin concern. The harder to pronounce items also come with a pronunciation guide. 

The informational pamphlet as well as the stickers

Overall I was very impressed with my experience with BeautyLish. Their website was incredibly easy to navigate, their stock was good and I didn't find myself struggling to meet the free shipping minimum. They also keep the in-site advertising to a minimum so I wasn't tempted by a series of impulse purchases during my transaction. They accept Paypal which is incredibly useful for those without credit cards. 

My order from BeautyLish

I would recommend BeautyLish to any Canadian who feels uneasy about international purchases. They are very straightforward and easily addressed any concerns I had about additional fees, long shipping times, etc. The extra touches they put in my order was a step above anything I expected and made me feel like a valued customer. 5 Stars for BeautyLish!

Product Review Life Brand Deep Cleansing Facial Sheet Mask Rose Oil & Cherry Blossom

Right off the bat I want to say I do NOT recommend this product, in fact I think it should be discontinued entirely. My reaction to it was so adverse I will be contacting the company because despite a patch test that didn’t show any adverse effects, the next 24 hours were awful.

Photo from Pharmaprix.ca

I’ve never used a sheet mask before so I had no idea what to expect, but since I got this one

for free on Christmas I decided I’d give it a shot. The first thing I noticed is the packaging was

absolutely awful. The “Tear to open” tab wouldn’t pull clean across, and tore just the plastic

layer while totally bypassing the foil packaging.

After finally getting the packet open, I was hit with the most potent rose scent. The

stereotypical artificial rose fragrance you often find in candles or perfume. I wasn’t sure if I

would be able to tolerate this scent right against my face for 15-20 minutes but after doing a

quick patch test on my wrist with no noticeable adverse effects I decided it would be fine.

The sheet mask was very large (I’ve attached a photo so you can see how much it hung over

my face and slumped down in awkward places). But I was able to maintain contact with the

majority of my face. The mask was also very saturated with product and it dripped onto my

clothes, my floor, basically everywhere.

This mask was SUPER large (Bonus kitty photobomb)

In an effort to not waste any of the product I proceeded to smooth the serum across my arms,

shoulders, chest, legs, etc. I would come to regret that decision. At first everything was fine,

when the 20 minutes was up I took the mask off and disposed of it in the trash. My face felt

and looked like an oil slick so I blotted with a paper towel to remove the excess (despite the

instructions telling me to gently massage in any excess).

I couldn’t smell anything other than rose for the next 24 hours, and I wish I was exaggerating.

My skin remained sticky, my pores became incredibly clogged and  I developed a rash and

redness almost everywhere I put the serum (see attached photo below). The smell had

permeated the clothing I was wearing, the sheets on my bed, everything in my bedroom

smelled like I had rubbed rose petals onto them.

I developed an acne breakout, blocked pores, raised bumps and redness

Overall, this was a disaster of a product. I had to shower and scrub my face and body multiple

times to remove the rose scented residue, my skin is still in recovery after 48 hours since

application. I have put all the fabrics from my bedroom into the laundry and have done a

thorough deep cleaning of my floors to remove any trace of the rose scent.

Side note; if they could figure out how to make perfumes last as long as the scent from this

product that'd be fantastic.

Hershey's Cookie Layer Crunch Caramel with Shortbread Cookie Bits Review

Photo Credit: Chickadvisor.com

The first thing I noticed was how thick these chocolate bars are. They're about a full centimeter tall. Next I noticed the classic Hershey's milk chocolate flavor, mixed with a light caramel filling that isn't too sweet. Finally I got the crunch of the shortbread cookies. I found the cookie pieces to be fairly substantial and they definitely hold their own
without getting lost in the chocolate flavor too much.

I would say the ratio is about 60% chocolate, 10% caramel and 30% cookie pieces. No one flavour is too overwhelming and they all seem to blend together nicely.

It is a fairly filling chocolate bar, and while I only got a sample size (about 3 "squares" or the size of a "fun size" bar) I was satisfied. If I bought the full size I would end up cutting it into pieces and eating them over the course of several days, which I plan to do because I really enjoyed this chocolate bar!

Freeman Beauty Sweet Tea + Lemon Peel-Away Clay Mask Review

Photo from FreemanBeauty.Co.Uk

I think face masks are a wonderful little treat to do once or twice a week, but the big-name brand ones can get expensive quickly! So as an avid lover of Freeman masks, due to their affordability and wide product range I was so excited to see a brand new product to try and scooped it up immediately. While the peel-off masks haven't been my favorite in the past, I'm always willing to give them a go when I see a new one.

Unfortunately, this product isn't worth buying. I applied it onto my hand to do a test patch and after 20 minutes it still hadn't dried down. Assuming I had just put too thick of a layer I proceeded to apply a thin layer onto my face... HUGE mistake. Within a few seconds my eyes were burning and tearing up due to the potent sweetly-chemical smell. I once again ran into the same problem of the mask refusing to dry down and become peel-able.

After about 30 minutes of waiting and not seeing any results I decided to just go ahead and wash the mask off, which was another problem in itself. The mask hadn't dried, but had become quite tacky (like half-dried glue) so it wouldn't rinse off easily and involved a lot of scrubbing on my skin to remove all traces of the product. At the end of all of that my skin was dried out, red and stinging, likely from the scrubbing and not the product itself but it wasn't coming off any other way.

All in all, this mask is a huge pass from me. I'll stick to some of their better options such as the Strawberry-Chocolate or the Dead Sea Minerals.