Because I love supporting Canadian indie brands, I was really excited when I got the chance to try out some skin care products from Raspberry Mint. Raspberry Mint products are formulated without artificial colours, fragrances or preservatives, are cruelty free and are made in Canada. Sounds pretty good, right? I decided that the three products that I really wanted to try were the Cruelty Free Makeup Remover*, the Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask*, and the Anti-Aging Protective Face Serum*.

If you're interested in finding out how these three products worked for me, keep reading!

I'm definitely a cleansing oil kind of a girl, so I was really excited to try this one out. The base of this makeup remover is organic olive oil, so it's quite a bit thicker than what I tend to be used to and I don't find that it emulsifies to a milky consistency when you add water. That said, I really don't mind that at all because I actually hate the feeling of emulsified cleansing oil and I always just remove my cleansing oil with a warm face cloth. With this one, I find that it's best that I do two passes with the cloth and follow with a second cleanse. What makes this perfect as the first step in a double cleanse is that I feel like the oil clings a little bit to the skin and helps to keep your second cleanser from leaving your skin feeling dry after cleansing. 

One thing that I want to stress is that I think you need to be gentle when using this to remove your eye makeup, because I found that if I rubbed too hard I felt some irritation at the base of my lashes after washing my face. It was actually really strange and it only happened the first few times I used this product, but it bore mentioning. Another thing that I think needs mentioning is that this product has a very strong raspberry smell. While I like the scent of it, I definitely think that it could be make or break based on your tastes. I'm not sure this product is going to be for everyone, but once I got use to it I found that I really enjoy using it and my skin really, really seems to be reacting well to it. I think the added hydration this brings to my routine is really working well for my winter skin.  

Raspberry Mint Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask*

I've always been a big fan of a mud mask, so I was really eager to try this and it definitely didn't disappoint. I like to apply masks with a flat paddle brush and even apply them over the skin. This is a very thick mask and I did have to mix it a little bit before applying it, but I was easily able to brush it over the skin and get an even layer of product over the skin. Once the mask is applied, I go about my business until it's dry, which takes about 10 minutes, and then I apply warm water and massage the mask into my skin as I remove it. There's a fine grit to this mask that I think does a nice job of gently exfoliating the skin without feeling like it's too much. If you don't want that exfoliation, I would recommend removing this with a warm wash cloth. I like to use this in the evening and follow with my regular night time skin care routine, but I actually do think that this mask is gentle enough to use in the morning or before an event to give your skin a really good canvas for makeup.

One thing that I'm always leery about is whether this type of mask is going to dry my skin out and one thing that really impressed me about using this mask is that not only did it not dry my skin out but it really left it feeling hydrated once I washed the mask off. My skin felt really clean, but not the least bit stripped, and ended up looking really healthy and luminous the following day. I think this is actually my favorite of these three products and one that I'll continue to reach for.

Raspberry Mint Anti-Aging Protective Face Serum*

Recently, I've been getting really into consistently using a facial oil daily to really help keep my skin hydrated and I think this one is quite good. This is a really rich oil and I think it's best if you apply it and give it some time to sink into the skin before applying anything else over it. I usually try to leave it on for about 20-30 minutes and then go in with my night cream or overnight mask and I think that's enough time to get rid of the slick feeling on the skin so that it just feels hydrated. I feel like overnight this really maintains that hydration in the skin and in the morning I wake up with skin tha feels really supple and soft. Because olive oil is the main oil in this blend, which also includes coconut oil, hemp seed oil, argan oil, and lavender essential oil, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for acne prone skin but I haven't personally had any breakouts since I've been using this. 

One thing that I'm surprised to find that I like about this is the scent, which is pretty heavily lavender. I didn't used to like the smell of lavender at all, but recently I've found that it actually really helps to relax me, making this a perfect product to use while you're getting ready for bed. I wouldn't necessarily say that this is my favorite oil that I've ever used, but I really do think it's quite good and that a lot of people who are really into natural skin care - particularly those with dry or very dry skin - will really enjoy this product.

Overall, I'm really happy that I got a chance to try out these products and really excited to share them with you guys. I think these products are really good quality and that a lot of people who are really into natural skin care are really going to love these products. For me, the biggest winner of the three is the Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask, which I absolutely love and will continue both using and recommending to other people. Honestly, though, I do think that if these products appeal to what you're looking for in skin care products, they're all really worth a try!

Head over to their website to check out their full range of products - including some upcoming releases that look really, really interesting - and use the code GRAND50 to get 50% off your order in celebration of their Grand Opening!

Thanks for reading!