My name is Jody Robbins and I’m a skincare junkie. It’s taken me years to get my skin under control. Adding Vitamin A and avoiding dairy have been game changers, but still I struggle. A woman in her 40s still shouldn’t be getting pimples. I think I’ve nailed my cleanser, but I flip through masks, moisturizers and serums like nobody’s business. I’m looking for local (Canadian) natural or organic skincare products. Recently, a Toronto friend tipped me off to Consonant Skincare.
I’d never heard of Consonant before, but I was willing to give it a whirl. A few things had me immediately intrigued.
- It’s a Canadian.
- Many of their products are 100% natural. You won’t find parabens, sulphates or phthalates in their products.
- They’ve won some major awards.
DHE Mask
I started with Consonant’s mask, as that seemed most fun. Most masks are focused on either providing a moisture surge, exfoliation or detoxification. The DHE Mask delivers all three. It uses Manicougan clay (that’s extracted from a 215 million year old asteroid crash in Quebec!) to declog pores. Then it adds Alpha Hydroxy Acids to brighten skin and give those dead skin cells the heave-ho. The icing on the cake is HydrExtreme, their award winning serum which delivers a powerful plumping action by replenishing your skin’s natural oils.
The results: I was thrilled to discover the DHE Mask could be used as a spot treatment. I was too lazy to use the mask just then, so I spread it over my whitehead prone nose and a newly discovered pimple by my brows. Note to self: It wouldn’t kill you to occasionally disinfect your tweezers and washout your eyebrow brushes. In the morning, the angry red bump by my eyebrow had majorly been minimized. It didn’t disappear completely, but it had improved. Just for fun, I spread a little on a mosquito bite that I had gotten on my stomach. The next day the bite was smaller, had lost its redness and stopped itching a few minutes after applying the mask.
Then I used the mask for real like you’re supposed to after cleansing your skin. It has this awesome peppermint aroma and it went on easily. Some masks are so thick it can be hard to work them across the skin, but not this one. It felt tingly at first, but not for long. The cool thing is that the mask almost completely absorbs into your skin. You don’t get that tightness and cracking like with a lot of other mud masks. I forgot it was on until I went back into the bathroom to brush my teeth. The next morning I woke up with refreshed looking skin and like the results so much I use the DHE Mask four times in two weeks. It’s a keeper.
Test driving HydrExtreme serum
Expectations were set high for HydrExtreme. It was the grand prize winner at the Canadian Beauty Innovation Awards. Words like “revolutionary” and “guaranteed to make your skin look younger and healthier after your very first use,” are thrown around on their marketing materials.
Apparently 90% of users saw dry spots eliminated after a week. Fine lines and wrinkles are also said to be minimized after a week’s use. You can also spot treat fine lines and dry ares. And users are encouraged to to add a few drops do your daily moisturizer.
The results: I need all the help I can get in the anti-aging department, so I enthusiastically massaged a few drops onto my face before applying my nightly moisturizer. My forehead has been dry and flaky all summer. After diligently applying at night and during the day with my regular moisturizer, my dryness has definitely improved. I don’t have forehead flakes anymore. Naturally I did try to spot treat my fine lines, but sadly, they didn’t go anywhere.
Where to buy Consonant Skincare
Consonant Skincare has two flagship stores in Toronto and is also sold in specialty stores – boutiques, pharmacies and health food shops across Canada. There’s three physical stores you can buy from in Calgary like Cambrian Nutrition. You may find it more convenient, however, to buy direct from their site.
Note: I’ve not been paid by Consonant. I just thought a few of their products were pretty rad and wanted to share.
Do you use any natural skincare products? What are your favourites?
