When I was a child, lavender was a scent I associated strongly with my grandmother. She loved, and still loves, flowers and plants and floral scents all around her. Her apartment is literally bursting with flowers and barely looks changed from when I was in elementary school. Violets, roses, gerbera, lilac, lavender, her entire apartment smelled like a greenhouse and to this day I desperately try to learn from her green thumb. Lavender in particular is a smell I strongly associate with her, probably due to all the sachets she would give me growing up to put in my sock drawer or hang in my room.

Fast forward to 2015 and I have the chance to visit a REAL LIFE lavender field in Ontario and it was a beautiful sight. Purple and green, soft and hazy. It was perfect, I recall that visit pretty fondly two years later. Luckily I no longer have to only recall that memory, I can revisit the scent memory with Bleu Lavande and their collection of products made from their lavender fields in Quebec, Canada.

Bleu Lavande is a Quebec owned and operated company that LITERALLY SELL EVERYTHING LAVENDER! Bath bombs, soaps, lotions, oils, cleaning sprays, body butter, fabric softener, diffusers, linen water, bouquets of dried lavender. You want it, they got it. They reached out to me to do a review of two of their gentle skincare alternatives and I knew I had to give it a try. Let's see how they did!

CLEANSING MILK 250ml $20

To start off, I have combination skin that is mildly sensitive from time to time, and occasionally suffer from mild rosacea flare-ups. I can handle most skincare with few issues, but I'm always cautious and test products out before I fully use them on my face (an AWFUL reaction to a Korres product in the past has taught me better!) But cleansing milks and other lightweight moisturizers are always something I have permanently rotating into my skincare routine at any given time, as they are really good at removing makeup and are so gentle that they work well for any time of the year.

The only thing I was concerned with Bleu Lavande's Cleansing Milk was how strong the smell of lavender would be, and if it would be an issue. And I had no reason to worry. This hefty bottle of cleansing milk is absolutely wonderful. It's very airy and frothy, it creates a light foam rather easily and does a great job taking off the remnants of any makeup on my face, and is gentle enough to wash over my eyes if needed. The smell is wonderful, not overwhelmingly so, it's almost spa-like, and I literally can use this every day, no matter how my skin is feeling, with no issues.

Bleu Lavande describes their cleansing milk as follows:

• Gently cleanses the face, eyes and neck
• Has the revitalizing and soothing properties of sea lavender and honey
• Has anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, toning and antioxidant benefits
• This cleansing milk contains no parabens, artificial fragrances, mineral oil and alcohol and is not tested on animals.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL DAY & NIGHT FACE CREAM 30ML $40

Next up? A popular day/night face cream. In the harsh, depths of winter I've been reaching for Dr Roebucks Face moisturizer to help my skin retain some hydration, but I was willing to take a chance on this dual day/night cream to see if it was really gentle enough for daytime use under makeup, and strong enough for nighttime.

During the day, this moisturizer settled nicely to leave a fine canvas for me to put on foundation. I usually use a spray primer like NYX or a Smashbox primer and didn't see much of a difference in consistency with either option. The scent is pleasant but mild, and the moisturizer while slightly thicker than I expected, smooths out quite nicely. The moisturizer is also a fairly good evening cream, although it's not AS hydrating as I've come to want during the really dry days of December to February, but it holds it's own if you prefer dual-use products.

Bleu Lavande describes their face cream as follows:

• The first clinically-proven face cream made with an organic argan oil and sea-lavender base
• Has anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and toning benefits
• Has properties that increase the production of collagen
• No paraben, no artifical fragrance, no mineral oil or alcohol
• Not tested on animals

RESULTS?

Overall I'm super happy with these products! It's hard to do skincare reviews sometimes because a bad stress-related breakout can really make it hard to tell if you're reacting to a product or your own hormones. But Bleu Lavande definitely helped settle my skin during a fairly rough month and I know it's one of those brands that I'll be using and probably buying later, especially the cleansing milk! If you're interested in cruelty-free, paraben-free and Canadian made skincare, you've definitely got to try Bleu Lavande out.

This product was sent for review consideration but all opinions are my own.