Empties July 2015

July seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, as did our family holiday. Another month where I don't seem to have used up very much. 

Bodhi & Birch Bath and Shower Therapy is always a pleasure to use. I still have quite a few bottles that I have bought in sales before the rebrand. Ylang Ylang Insensa is definitely one of my favourites. I find it very calming. I will definitely repurchase this in the future.

 

John Masters Organics Orange & Ginseng Exfoliating Bar was lovely to use. Surprisingly the kids really liked this too and it was used much quicker than I would have liked. I want to try the lavender and rose geranium next.

 

I loved my sample of Aromatherapy Associates Renewing Rose Body Wash but it is more than I want to pay. I am hoping that this will be in one of the Christmas sets as it is definitely a wish list product.

Pinks Boutique Organic Rose Crystal Bath Soak obviously the sample was only enough for one bath, but nevertheless I enjoyed it. I have quite a few bath products to use, but want to try more from Pinks Boutique.

 

Living Nature Balancing Conditioner I am afraid this did nothing for my hair and I ended up using it to shave my legs with. I wont be buying the full size.

 

Inner Soul Organics Romance Me Skin Oil I absolutely loved this. It left my skin baby soft and smells divine. I have another sample in my stash, so don't need to repurchase just yet.

 

Kneipp's Herbal Baths are a pleasure to use. I bought the set to try more from the range. Annoyingly the kids also really liked these too. I will be buying a full size in the near future. 

 

Skin & Tonic Gentle Scrub. This has lasted me ages, I enjoyed using it as both a scrub and as a face mask. It always makes my skin look brighter and leaves it nice and soft. Skin & Tonic have fast become one of my favourite brands. I have already bought the full size.

Love Lula Beauty Box August 2015

I wasn't really expecting my Love Lula Beauty Box to come until next week, so was pleasantly surprised to receive it earlier than they have been arriving. All the product from the box can be purchased on the Love Lula website. 

Although I am familiar with Lovea, I don't think I have ever tried any of their products.  The Purifying Mask (full size) contains pink clay and is suitable for sensitive skin. I am looking forward to trying this out. 

We received a sample of the John Masters Organics geranium & grapefruit body wash in last months box, so it will be nice to try the matching body milk alongside it. This does smell lovely, and John Masters products are always such good quality. The Lip Calm is lovely too, it has a gorgeous citrus fragrance. However I have a stockpile of lip balms , and quite a number of these have come from Love Lula.

The third full sized product is BalmBalm's Frankincense Light Facial Oil. This is the third month running I have received a BalmBalm product. Having said that, I am actually really looking forward to trying this. I love the cleanser from the Frankincense range and have had my eye on the facial oil for quite some time. Much as I love the brand, (I used my discount last month to stock up on the floral water and All Over Balm) I think 3 months running is a bit much.

The final sample is Ren's Instant Firming Beauty Choice. I have to say I am still disappointed that Ren has been bought by Unilever. I haven't tried this before, but I am sure this has been in a previous box when I have had a break from unsubscribing.

 

Overall I think this is a really good value for money box, and I will get a lot of use from the products. However, as I said last month, I would like to see some other brands rather than the same ones time and time. At this point I am unsure whether I will continue with my subscription.

The Body Deli Solar Day Cream.

Protection from sun damage is something I take very seriously. I find a lot of sun creams to be heavy and greasy and tend to break me out. The other thing I really struggle with is finding something I can use before I run which doesn't make me feel like I am over heating.

 

 One of the samples I was most excited to receive in my S/S sampler box from abeautifulworld was the Solar Day Cream by The Body Deli, which has an equivalent to SPF 15.  This promises to offer the perfect solution.

 

Solar Day Cream is a light facial moisturiser which uses micronized titanium and zinc oxides as it's base for sun protection. It contains Sunflower, Jojoba and Virgin Coconut oil, as well as Squalane, Aloe Vera and antioxidants. It has a lovely warm fragrance thanks to the essential oils of Roman Chamomile, Blood Orange, Ylang Ylang and Rosemary.

 

My first observation of the product is that it doesn't tell you how much product is needed to be applied to ensure appropriate protection. If I am being really picky I would question the need for the Blood Orange in a product for sun protection due to citrus oils having a photosensitive effect. Whilst the essential oils are one of the last ingredients and assuming that they are of a low concentration, I would still be wary of this. You can find the full ingredients list here

 

In terms of application, it has a light formula. It definitely feels more like a facial moisturiser rather than a sunscreen. My sample in the pot feels a little too fluid, and it is easy to spill if I am not being careful. The full size is a bottle with an airless pump, which I think is much better. It absorbs well and doesn't leave any chalky cast that is associated with a sun protection product. I find that I can run after wearing it without that horrible feeling of over heating, but it still breaks me out. I have given it several attempts and each time I have introduced it again, I have the same problem.

 

This obviously won't be a repurchase for me, but it is something I can tick off my to try list. The search for my perfect sun protection continues....

 

 

Balm Balm Little Miracle Rosehip Serum

Balm Balm are one of my favourite brands. I think they produce really high quality products, with great ingredients at a very affordable price point. I have been using their Little Miracle Rosehip Serum for a couple of months and thought it time to share my thoughts.

 

For me, a serum is an essential part of my skin care regime. I am a big fan of products that are Rosehip based, as my skin tends to respond positively to them. I wanted something a little lighter for Summer, and this fits the bill perfectly.

 

Little Miracle Rosehip Serum, has a fairly simple ingredient list. In fact this is true of all the Balm Balm products. The serum is made with Rosehip, Jojoba and Borage oils, giving it a lovely light texture. For my dry skin this is great for Summer, but would work well for oilier skin types over Winter. It also contains Frankincense, Juniper, Palm Rosa, Rose Geranium and Mandarin, giving it a lovely, almost exotic fragrance.

 

I find that a little goes a long way, and that the serum absorbs really easily. I have been enjoying using this in the mornings. I also find it really good as a cuticle oil and a little works wonders as a hair serum. I think this is such good value for money, especially as I can use it for several purposes.

Love Lula Beauty Box July 2015

 I have had July's Love Lula box for a good few days and not had chance to review this month's contents. I think July's box is particularly good value for money as it contains three full sized products. All the products are very well suited to Summer, and feature well known brands to Love Lula subscribers.

 Madara Micellar Water this is the newest addition to the Madara range. It is a very effective and gentle make up remover. It feels wonderfully cooling and refreshing on the eyes. I love this. 

This month's Balm Balm product is a lip balm. In June's box there was a full size Face Balm. Whilst I like the product I would have preferred to have tried something different from Balm Balm. This feels a little too similar to last month's product, maybe one of the perfume samples or hydrosols would have been a better choice.

 Yes To Coconuts Hand & Cuticle Cream. This smells gorgeous and makes me instantly think of Summer. I am very impressed with this hand cream.

John Masters Organics Geranium & Grapefruit Body Wash. This smells absolutely gorgeous. I am saving this for my travel bag, but am really looking forward to trying it.

The final item is a sachet of Jason Soothing 84% Aloe Vera Moisturizing Cream. This came in very handy over the weekend when I caught a little more sun than I realised. It's quite a thick cream, I liked the smell, and I definitely found it soothing.

 

Although I really like all the products I have received, they are all from brands that regularly appear in Love Lula boxes. I think this is a shame as the Love Lula website has a huge range of brands. I can't help but feel that they could use the beauty boxes to show case the website. I would love to see the beauty boxes including more of the newer brands. 

 

 

AS.AP Little Box of Indulgence

I first tried a sample of AS.AP's cleansing oil last year and was very impressed with it. I have had my eye on the Little Box of Indulgence for quite some time. AS.AP was founded by Amanda Saurin. The small bespoke range is very much a labour of love, where ingredients are grown, distilled and produced. They even go as far as to give each product it's own Batch Report Card. Full ingredients lists for all products can be found on the website. AS.AP is undoubtedly a very luxurious brand, but we all have times when we want to use something special.

Cleansing Oil #5 is a very gentle and effective cleansing oil and would suit all skin types. I find it to have the most subtle fragrance of all the products, it is somewhere between a floral and a herby fragrance. It has a very nourishing base of borage, calendula and rosehip oils, but also include jojoba oil to regulate sebum production and castor oil to get a really good deep cleanse. A few drops is really all that is needed to cleanse the face. The Little Box of Indulgence also includes a mini cleansing cloth which is hand crocheted by a friend. I think this is such a lovely touch, and really embodies the values of AS.AP. I have to confess I couldn't bear to use, my daughter had no reservations and stole it as soon as she could. 

Face Cream #3 is a rich facial cream, with a sweeter muskier fragrance. I loved the combination of rose, cedarwood, citrus and benzoin. This is ideal for dry or mature skin. For those with oiler or younger skins it perhaps wouldn't be quite the right product, but my skin loved it. Only a small amount of product is needed. It absorbs well. I obviously can't comment on the long term benefits on the skin, but I was very happy with my skin when using this.

Lip Balm #6 has a lovely subtle fragrance that is a little like a chocolate orange. The balance is just right as it is not sickly in the slightest. It contains Cocoa butter, beeswax, honey and avocado oil, so obviously not suitable for vegans. This is a firm balm, that holds it's texture in the pot. Some of my lip balms have not faired so well in the heat, but this hasn't melted on me. The texture is beautiful, it glides onto the lips. It feels very light, but banishes any dry spots

Body Butter #6 is more like a balm than a butter. It's base of shea butter, coconut oil and almond oil make it a very nourishing without being heavy. It melts very easily on contact with the skin. It's super concentrated formula allows a little to go a long way. The fragrance is initially lavender based, but I find that it settles into something a little more woody after a while. The Body Butter is gorgeous, and has left my skin so soft afterwards. I am rationing this as I really don't want to finish it.

This is a truly luxurious taster set, I have enjoyed using all the products. If pushed, I would say that the face cream and the body moisturiser have been my absolute favourites. Next on my to try list are the Aromatic Waters.

Empties June 2015

Here is my round up of all the products I have finished off. I am still working on reducing my sample stash, and am trying hard not to make any repurchases until I have my stash under better control. With warmer weather I have been reaching for some of my lighter products.

     Tisserand Sweet Dreams Bath Oil is a lovely oil. It lives up to it's name in that it is very calming especially before bed. It left my skin feeling very moisturised and it is also reasonably priced.

 

Saach Mint & Rosemary Shower Gel I really enjoyed using this. Very gentle on the skin. Loved the soft mint fragrance, this is very refreshing and perfect for summer time.

 

Bentley Organics Frequent Use Shampoo. I was really looking forward to using this, as it smells gorgeous and is very affordably priced. I found it much too drying for my hair and left lots of knots and tangles in my hair. Sadly, this isn't the product for me.

 

Bentley Organics Conditioner For All Hair Types. Again my high hopes were dashed as this just wasn't moisturising enough for my hair.

Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser. I have mixed feeling about this. I loved the brightening effect it had on my skin, but found it a little drying. I wouldn't be able to get away with using this in Winter. I liked the strawberry fragrance in the tube, but once on my skin I found it a little cloying. There is just no pleasing some people.

 

Green People Age Defy+ 24 Hour Brightening this light weight moisturiser is perfect for my skin in Summer. It gave my skin a lovely glow. Would love to purchase the full size, but have other that need using first.

 

One Love Organics Easy Does It This is another Summer time product. I really enjoyed using something a little lighter than my usual cleansing balms. A little goes a long way and it is surprisingly gentle.

 

Bodhi & birch Desert Rose Rejuvenating Face Oil This is quite simply one of my favourite facial oils. I love it and have a couple more sample sizes stashed away.

 

Odylique Creamy Coconut Cleanser I have obviously had this stashed away for quite a while as Essential Care rebranded as Odylique ages ago. This is a very good cleanser indeed, lighter in texture than I was expecting, but very good nevertheless.