I’m often amazed with the wonderful things my talented friends do/create, and Montreal pal Stefanie Anderson is no exception. In 2014 Stef began studying Holistic Aromatherapy and from that was born her all-natural (and cruelty-free) essential oil based product line, Notre Dame Apothecary. My interest in skincare has really increased recently, so when Stef handed me her Balancing Facial Serum to try I was like a kid in a candy shop. I genuinely love this product, and I’m not saying that because Stef is a friend. Containing selected oils such as rosehips, jojoba, neroli, frankincense, geranium and roman chamomile, this product is liquid magic (imo).

While my skin is fairly blemish free most of the time, I do get zits right before my period and they tend to linger for much longer than I’d like. I had recently bought Mario Badescu Drying Lotion to help with the break outs, but honestly, I don’t love it as much as everyone else does, it’s okay, but it’s not amazing (everyones skin is different though). Stef gave me this right during the time when I was having a breakout, so that evening I applied the oil on it’s own – no drying lotion – and went to sleep. I awoke to a face that felt smooth, the redness of the zits had gone and they amazingly seemed less inflamed (ie., not painful). I now apply morning and night in place of a moisturizer and I think it works just as well, if not better, at keeping my face hydrated throughout the day. I was always weary of facial oils – I mean, it seems weird to put oil on your face – while my face does get fairly dry, I worried that oil would make it greasy and cause insane breakouts, but that is just not the case, at least for me. When I use this product I really feel like I am caring for my skin, and that gives me a real sense of gratification. Needless to say, it will be staying in my daily skincare routine, forevermore.

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