Close

REVIEW: Province Apothecary Products

I’m sure you’ve seen products from Province Apothecary float around my Instagram at some point, and I thought it’s about damn time I write up a post! If you haven’t noticed already, I’ve been reviewing more Canadian products lately, so be sure to check them out and click the category here –> “Canadian” to get a list of select blog posts! I’ll also link down below a few posts I have written up as of recent.


ABOUT THE BRAND

Province Apothecary began with the mission to produce the best skincare products using only high quality, certified organic ingredients sourced from each Canadian provinces. Julie expertly formulates, blends, and packages all products by hand in small batches, ensuring the highest quality skincare for you. She is blending the wilds of Canada into nourishing and balancing skincare.”

+Hand-blended in small batches to ensure highest quality
+Products for even the most sensitive complexion
+Ingredients sourced from small local farms in different Canadian provinces:
+Organic seaweed – Nova Scotia
+Maple syrup – Quebec
+Organic sunflower oil – Ontario
+Organic beeswax – Alberta
+Organic lentil flour – Manitoba
+Organic raspberry oil + glacial clay – British Columbia

Within good time, since this line is a bit esspenssive (as KathleenLights would put it), I invested in:
The Invigorating + Balancing Toner ($42 CAD/120ml)
Protecting + Restoring Face Balm ($76 CAD/30ml)
Full Brow Serum ($36 CAD/30ml)


Invigorating + Balancing Toner

IMG_20170728_155555-1
A couple of sprays at a launch event at the Detox Market and I was HOOKED. It REALLY is invigorating, and I am obsessed with the tingling sensation I get upon every spritz. If you read my post Summer Essentials 2017 : Skincare, Makeup, Misc., and Many Mists!, you’ll have seen this product in the Mist section. It is filled with amazing ingredients to keep inflammation at bay (colloidal silver, rose flower water, lavender flower water, to name a few) and promotes a healthy skin environment by including a probiotic to the ingredients list. However, the reason I do not use it specifically as a toner is because it is quite drying for my skin type. It is meant for oily/combo skin, so I think it would be more successful as a toner in that area. For me, I just enjoy the smell and sensation it brings my skin. I give myself a quick spritz in the morning after my routine for dry and acne prone skin is said and done.

 

INGREDIENTS

Water, Rose Flower Water*, Lavender Flower Water*, Colloidal Silver, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Lactobacillis Ferment, Geranium Oil, Clary Sage Oil, Patchouli Oil*, Frankincense Oil*, Sea Salt. *Certified organic ingredient

 


Protecting + Restoring Face Balm

I am shocked that this performs so well. Truthfully, I was taken aback by the size, especially with the hefty price tag of $75. However, a little really does go a long way to cover my face and moisturize. It doesn’t just sit on top of the skin, it actually works underneath to give me a hydrated feel. When I’m feeling for simple days or need to touch up on certain areas with a moisturizer, I typically use just plain shea butter. However, this little guy proves to be more effective with a more minimal amount, and is blended with more potent ingredients (tons of Omega-3s from the apricot kernel oil, rosehip seed oil, pumpkin oil, camellia oil) to prove itself as effective as any other big jar on the market. Although it says it’s meant for Dry/Normal/Sensitive Skin, I would still tap this if I was still an oily skinned gal. Very little is already needed, so using this at night with an even less amount should be no problem.

 

INGREDIENTS

Camellia oil*, Apricot kernel oil*, Pumpkin Seed oil*, Avocado oil*, Beeswax*, Broccoli oil*, Pomegranate oil*, Raspberry seed oil*, Rose hip oil*, Borage oil*, Calendula infused in Sunflower oil*, Carrot Root extract*, Sea Buckthorn oil*, GMO-Free Vitamin E. *Certified organic ingredient

 


Full Brow Serum


This is the one product I am on the fence about. It has castor seed oil as the carrier, something I’ve just used in the past on its own. What I’m hoping for with this product is that the blend of ingredients will prove to be more potent than the average castor seed oil. I may have mentioned in the past, if not I’ll mention again, I got some sparse-looking brows. If I had to leave the house and wear just ONE product, it would be something for my brows. So back to the serum: I’ve been using it consistently for over a month now and as you can see by the photo, it’s helped grow out a lot of recurring unwanted hairs, and some thicker hairs that I plucked away when I was younger and wanted a more arched brow (2). How I know it’s the serum? Those guys take almost a year to grow – I pretty much pluck my brows once, maybe twice a year (yeah, they’re that stubborn). I’m not plucking them because aside from more visible brows, I just want more hair to work with to shape my brows and try to make them look fuller. Right now, I got a random bald spot – balder than usual I should say, it was pretty bald before, on my right brow. I started concentrating the serum in that area by massing (gently) for a longer period of time, and I’m noticing some sprouts popping up (1). Right now the most “visible” change in my brows is that they seem darker, and I’ve been braving the world by not filling them in as of late. Is it a placebo effect? Perhaps, but I’ll go with it.

INGREDIENTS

Castor Seed Oil*, Argan Kernel Oil*, Jojoba Seed Oil* [infused with Coffee*, Burdock Root*, Calendula flower*, Horsetail*], Broccoli Seed Oil, Black Cumin Seed Oil, Vitamin E, Rosemary Leaf Extract + Oil*, Lavender*, Geranium Oil*, Bay Oil. *certified Organic/certifié Biologique

 


IMG_2666 (2)

Overall, I think Province Apothecary is an excellent brand to look into if you’re interested in supporting an effective, all natural Canadian brand, so far the 3 items I have tried have not disappointed and the ingredients are different from what I’ve seen in generic green brands. I’ll continue purchasing products from this line, and I hope I peaked your interest in some Canadian brands!

xo, M


*CLICK* on the name of the product to be directed to the Detox Market if you’d like to make an online purchase. They are affiliate links, which means if you use them to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. If you are uncomfortable with this, by all means, open a new tab and Google and new link.

If you’re wondering why I am affiliated with the Detox Market, visit the “About Me” section of my website.


RELATED ARTICLES

REVIEW: Consonant “One For All” Kit
[REVIEW] NUDESTIX: Concealer Pencil (Light 3), Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil (Kiss, Pixi, Belle, & Purity), Lash Lengthening MascaraFIRST IMPRESSIONS: Boo Bamboo Bamboo Fiber Charcoal Sheet Mask (Hydrating)

Just to link a few 🙂

5 thoughts on “REVIEW: Province Apothecary Products

  1. Did you see any progress for that gap that you were trying to grow out after all? I have the same issue and I’m having trouble deciding whether I should buy the brow serum or not ?

    1. It never really left my eyebrows full because I am not someone with a lot of hair to begin with. I found that it helped regrow the hairs that I used to over pluck back in high school, and make the current hair a tad thicker (by my standards, they were more visibly in a photo lol)

      If you have a lot of brow hair it may be more noticeable on you!

  2. Funny you ask, because I just started noticing how much less of a pain it is to fill in my brows! The hairs are there and visible even without filling my brows, so I’m pretty happy about their existence. I tried the rapidbrow before this and found barely any results (their rapidlash is better imo). Thought I’d mention that brand if you were thinking about that as another option! There’s also Fusion Beauty at select Shoppers that has a brow serum as well, but I haven’t tried that yet.

    1. Hello! How long did it take to start noticing fuller brows? I’ve been using for a week and I feel like my brows are MORE sparse!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *