Review: bubb & DIMPLES Rose Sugar & Salt Scrub and Cocoa Butter Cream

Today I'll be reviewing two more bubb & DIMPLES products, a Cocoa Butter Cream with Vitamin E and a Rose Sugar & Salt Spa Body Scrub.

I knew I was going to love using the Cocoa Butter Cream with Vitamin E as soon as I opened the jar. I was greeted with such a comforting smell, warm shea and cocoa butters along with a slightly sweet scent from the vitamin E. The cream is thick and rich but not greasy; it is beautifully soft once worked into the hands for application. Sadly, it is too rich for me to use for a day time moisturiser so instead I've been using the cream all over as an intensive night cream for the last couple of weeks. I can honestly say my skin has never felt so soft and nourished!

Next up is the absolutely wonderful Rose Sugar & Salt Spa Body Scrub. My oh my! bubb & DIMPLES use a delightful blend of essential oils and the resulting scent of this scrub is heavenly - rose, neroli and sweet orange to name a few. I've used it a few times since I received it - both on dry and damp skin and it worked just as well in both conditions. The scrub is gentle enough that it doesn't leave the skin red after but scrubby enough to really polish the skin to leave it glowing and soft. I've really enjoyed using this scrub and will be buying it again.

You can buy both the Cocoa Butter Cream with Vitamin E and the Rose Sugar & Salt Spa Body Scrub here.

Review: bubb & DIMPLES Luxury Hand & Body Wash

After seeing a review of the bubb & DIMPLES Nourishing Body Oil Candle on Beauty Balm's blog here, I went to their website and picked one up!
Stupidly I didn't include my address with the order so received an email from She at bubb & DIMPLES and we gots-to-chatting.

 

bubb & DIMPLES is a British company and everything is handmade in the UK using natural and, where possible, certified organic ingredients - no parabens or SLS in sight. The company name has a wonderful little story behind it. "It all began with the birth of my friends beautiful baby girl who is a true bubb and two little dwarf bunnies."

 

Needless to say I made a few more orders (what spending ban?) and She very kindly sent me some samples along with it.
I'm going to break my haul down into a few posts, starting with their Luxury Hand & Body Wash.

 

 

I picked up the Hand & Body Wash  in English Garden with Orange and Jasmine  (£12.50 for 200ml) and was sent the travel sized wash (100ml for £6.50) in Rose* to try out.

 

I have been using these all week and I love them! I use the wash with a shower puf and found that I didn't have to use a lot in order to get a good, clean lather. Sometimes I find that SLS free products can be a little reluctant to lather but this worked a treat. The smell of rose is with you from opening the bottle and it beautifully scents the skin after use.

I feel really clean post shower - that feeling I would usually associate with using a bar of soap.

 

You can buy the Luxury Hand & Body Wash from the bubb & DIMPLES shop here. Just remember to include your address!

 

 

*PR sample

Review: Neal's Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Concentrate

Last night I used the last of my Neal's Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Concentrate and was genuinely gutted! 

I first bought this on a whim way back in January and I am so glad I did! From the first night, I knew it would be one of my staple beauty products. The smell (ooohhh), the texture (ahhh) and how it made my skin feel (woooo!). 

I'll try not to go on and on but if I say that EVERYONE SHOULD BUY IT RIGHT NOW, that should pretty much sum it up!

The Beauty Sleep Concentrate is a true luxury to use. It is a very lightweight lotion, verging on the texture of serum, that you use nightly. It supports the skin's night time recovery, helps prevent skin ageing and increases the skin's moisture levels by 98% over 12 hours. 

I use 2-3 pumps after cleaning and toning at night on my face and neck, it soaks in straight away and doesn't make my skin feel heavy or clogged up. In fact, it makes it feel like a dream! I can feel the lotion working straight away and I wake up with fresh and rejuvenated skin that looks soft and feels really cared for. The blend of essential oils (ylang ylang, orange, patchouli, cypress, clary sage)  is perfect for night time use as they are deeply relaxing and help me to get a good nights sleep. 

Not only does it feel fantastic, is also made with 90% organic ingredients, is Soil Association certified and is vegan.

You can buy Neal's Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Concentrate from the NYR website here for £31.50. 

Considering that I have only just finished a 30ml bottle in 9 months, I think it is fantastic value for money too.

Look what I got through the mail! bubb & DIMPLES

My doorbell rang at 0850 on Saturday morning with a big, fat box of goodies for me!

Enter bubb & DIMPLES!

I had been in contact with She from bubb & DIMPLES for a couple of weeks after buying one of their delightful Nourishing Body Oil Candles in English Garden.

I'll do a full post on everything that I received and a little more about the company over the next week or so but I just wanted to show you how beautifully everything was wrapped! The box was full of brightly coloured tissue paper and each item is in its own special clear and silver packet.

Looks good, huh?

After a colossal unpacking and recycling session, this is a photo of what I've picked up.

Deluxe Face & Body Cream

Nourishing Face & Body Balm

English Garden/Rose Body Oil Candle

New Rose Sugar and Salt Scrub/Polish with Essential Oils

English Garden with Orange and Jasmine Organic Wash

She was kind enough to send me some other items to sample:

Organic Luxury Hand and Body Wash in Rose *

Shea Body Butter in "Chillax" which is Vanilla Pod, Honey and Oats *

Face, Lips and Body Balm in Vanilla pod and Rose *

Face, Lips and Body Balm in Lavender *

I've given everything a go over the last few days and I have to say I'm excited!

Look out for my full post, coming soon!

Review: Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Serum

I like to have a potter around Holland & Barrett every now and then. I usually go into to pick up deodorant and on my visit in August, H&B were doing one of their Buy One Get One Half Price promotions. I didn't really need anything in particular but I saw the Dr Organic- Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Treatment Serum (what a mouthful!) and thought I would give it a go.

The serum comes in a 100ml frosted glass tube with quite a cleaver lid. It had a cut up the side which traps the pump, I guess so that when travelling it doesn't accidentally get... well... pumped!

My hair is quite long and very thick (frizzy curls and dry too) so I have been using three pumps and applying to the ends of my hair after washing and towelling dry.  The serum feels light and after warming up in my hands, goes on smoothly and leaves the hair feeling silky and shiny. I don't think it smells particularly nice, considering all the fruit and plant oils that it has in it (I think it smells quite spicy, not something I want my hair to smell like!), but it does seem to condition my dry ends. 

Now, the back of the tube shows its ingredients list. Bioactive, natural and organic ingredients it states and then lists Organic Argan Oil, Orange Fruit Extract, Clove Oil, Geranium Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Patchouli Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Rosewood Oil, Wild Mint Oil, Mandarin Peel Oil, Vanilla Fruit Extract, Spearmint Oil, Kukui Seed Oil, Moringa Seed Oil, Sacha Inchi Seed Oil.

Looks pretty good, right? Still, with all of the additional ingredients I don't know how they can label this as a "Moroccan Argan Oil" treatment but that isn't where this is going.

I went onto the Dr Organic website to find some more information about the ingredients but they don't have any listing at all; next step, the Holland & Barrett website and here I find my full listing.

Ready?

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Alcohol denat, Argania spinosa (Argan) oil, Citrus aurantium dulcis, Eugenia caryophyllus (Clove) leaf oil, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) oil, Citrus limon peel oil, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) oil, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinnamon) leaf oil, Aniba rosaeodora (Rosewood) oil, Mentha arvensis herb oil, Citrus nobilis (Mandarin) peel oil, Vanilla planifolia (Vanilla) fruit extract, Mentha spicata herb oil, Plukenetia volubilis seed oil, Moringa oleifera seed oil, Aleurites moluccana seed oil, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Citral, Benzyl benzoate.

The main ingredient here is Cyclopentasiloxane. Cyclopentasiloxane is a silicone and when applied to skin/hair, holds in moisutre to keep it from drying out - basically by forming an artificial barrier. It is also an irritant to eyes and skin. Dimethiconol is a silicone and works in the same way.

Dr Organic, while having "organic" in the brand name, are not actually formally accredited - no Soil Association or EcoCert logo in sight. Their statement says that they source accredited and certified ingredients but sourcing organic materials and being brand certified are very different.

I won't be buying this treatment again. I don't feel good about using something that is forming a silicone barrier to my beautiful hair! 

Which hair serums do you use? 

Review: Pai Organic Kukui & Jojoba Exfoliator

Quite simply, my skin can be a right pain sometimes! During its cycle I get varying degrees of oily, dry, spotty and sensitive skin. Mostly I stick to the same routine but when I suffer with dull looking skin I like to break out the wonderful Pai Organic Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening Exfoliator.

I'd had my eye on this for a while and have to admit I HAD to buy it when Pai had an offer on which meant that I got the Pai Trial Pack for free. Hurray for freebies!

The gel's star ingredients are kukui nut oil and jojoba beads. 

Kukui oil is full of Omega 3 & 6 which works to nourish and protect the skin and the jojoba beads create a really gentle buffing which lifts away dead skin cells without causing irritation. The beads are perfectly cylindrical so are able to roll across the skin easily.

What I love most about this product is that when you massage it onto dry skin it feels like a gel however when you add a few drops of water to your face, the gel transforms into a beautifully light milk! I love the feeling of this milk, it makes my skin feel delightfully soft and really pampered. 

I can really smell the sunflower seed oil and while I might not have liked the smell of it in other skincare products, I really like it in this. It must be the combination with the kukui, sweet almond and apricot oils!

I was drawn to Pai because they are a Soil Association approved company and this is something that is really important to me. I like to know what is in my products and where they are from. This exfoliant is also vegan. I have yet to use any of the trial pack but I am really looking forward trying out more from Pai.

Pai Organic Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening Exfoliator costs £20 and can be purchased from the Pai Skincare website.

Do you use any Pai Skincare products? What is your favourite?

Updated Blog

I've only been using Blogger for a few weeks but after what seems like hours playing around, I just couldn't get my template to look any good. I'm not very savvy when it comes to HTML and coding and even after looking through on-line templates, I just couldn't find anything that I was happy with. 

That's when I saw a tweet from Becca from Vanilla Bunting  asking if anyone wanted a new blog design.

YES, said I, Yes I do!

I knew I wanted something simple, clean and fresh and Becca was able to make that happen. She responded very quickly to emails (38 in total!) and was able to come up with this new layout. 

I'm really happy with how it has turned out and I'd like to say a big thank you to Becca for her time! 

Please do visit Vanilla Bunting and have a look at her work; she does everything from signatures, blog buttons and headers to full blog designs.

September Wishlist

Well, we are only 4 days into September but I have already had to put myself on a spending ban!

Still, this doesn't stop me from window shopping and making a wishlist of items to buy in October.

1. Bodhi - Mint The Temple Balm. £15. I have read so much about this little pot of wonder and I am really keen to have this in my arsenal. 

2. Bentley Organic - Hand Sanitiser. £3 (ish). I use a lot of hand sanitiser due to my work but just can't bring myself to use the alcohol ones anymore. I've been on the look out for something to replace mine and I think this one will do the trick!

3. Terre d'Oc - Liquid Eyeliner in Kobe. £17.95. I have been using pencil eyeliners over the last few months but I can't help but prefer a liquid line for definition. Finding one without nasties however is a struggle.

4. Savonnerie London - French Lavender Body Lotion. £13.95. Although I was never a fan of lavender when I was younger, I love it now. I can't help but want this beautiful lotion from Savonnerie!

5. Kadria Skincare - Balancing Face Oil. £24. The skin on my face can suffer from breakouts so I have to change my routine to cover this every now and then. From looking at reviews, I think this will work at regenerating the skin.

6. BalmBalm - Tea Tree Face Balm. £6.99. As I have grown to love my NYR Wild Rose Beauty Balm (review here) I am very keen to try out others. This tea tree face balm will also help with the occasional breakout.

Have you used any of these products before? How did you get on with them?

Review: Lush - Helping Hands

Today I will be reviewing a hand cream from Lush - Helping Hands. 

Lush was one of the first companies that I went over to on my quest for cleaner skincare and used them throughout my teens. Although I very rarely buy their products anymore due to their use of parabens, I did have a Helping Hands given to me for my birthday earlier in the year. 

This cream was developed for nurses and people who have to wash their hands a lot and consequently have really dry skin.

The main ingredients listed in this cream are almond oil, shea butter, coconut butter and chamomile water. Other ingredients include linseed mucilage (to keep the skin soft and minimise cracking), honey (moisturising and soothing on cuts), lavender oil and African marigold oil. 

The cream itself is very pleasant to smell, thanks to the lavender, honey, almond and coconut butter, and is pale pink in colour. I found the cream to be light to use however it simply does not suit my skin. I don't have dry hands and after a few goes found that the cream just sat on the surface of my skin. I would leave sticky fingerprints in my wake like a crumb trail in a fairytale. 

I have, however, been using it as nightly moisture for my feet! I don't know about anyone else but this lovely summer has meant wearing sandals and going bare foot which equals for me dry heels. Even though the skin is dryer on my feet, I still only needed to use an almond size amount for each foot to sufficiently cover the areas that most needed moisture. My feet have felt better since using the cream and can see that it would really help those with over-washed hands.

Helping Hands can be bought from the Lush website here for £7.50 for a 100g pot.

Overall I wouldn't use this product again (although I will finish the pot!). While I appreciate and support Lush's values regarding recycling (take back any 5 empty full sized pots and get a face mask free) animal cruelty, use of palm oil and their current media campaign to support gay rights, I still don't understand why they use parabens as a preservative.

Have you tried Helping Hands? What do you think about Lush and their use of parabens?

Review: Neal's Yard Remedies - Wild Rose Beauty Balm

I thought I would start off by reviewing some of my most used and loved products, so where better to begin than with Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm.

This is one of Neal's Yard Remedies' top selling products, winning all sorts of awards over the years since its launch. As you can see from the second photo, the balm is very bright yellow in colour! The first time I used it I was a little put off but that certainly didn't last!

As detailed on the NYR website, the Wild Rose Beauty Balm can be used as a rich cleanser, gentle exfoliant or deeply nourishing balm to quench areas of dry or dehydrated skin. This balm contains Wild Rosehip oil which is a potent antioxidant proven to help repair, firm and smooth the skin. Other ingredients include geranium, starflower, hemp and rosemary seed oil. Together these help to decongest and enrich the skin, giving you a lovely glow.

You can use this product in three ways; as a cleanser with warm water, as an exfoliate using a damp muslin cloth to wipe away the balm in a gentle, circular movement and as a nourishing balm on clean, dry skin.

I have been using this balm each evening over the last couple of months and it has made a real difference to my skin. I cleanse and exfloliate at the end of the day and once or twice a week will, after cleansing, apply another layer onto dry skin and leave it on as a mask overnight. I find this is particularly helpful if I am suffering from a breakout.

I love love love the smell of this balm, it has a wonderful earthy fragrance which is highlighted with the floral notes of the wild rose. The balm melts easily between your fingers into a rich oil and although the balm is such a vivid colour, this does not transfer when massaging into the skin. Personally, I have oily/combination skin and I wasn't sure if adding additional oils to my skin would benefit me. Well, my eyes have been opened to the world of beauty balms! I wouldn't be without this product now.

Wild Rose Beauty Balm costs £37.00 from the NYR website. I agree that this does seem expensive, however I have been using this one jar for three months and am only halfway through. I usually wait for the 20% off days to buy,these happen a few times a year.

I had never used a balm before this one and I am keen to know how others get on with them.

Contact Me

If you would like me to sample, review or test any of your products then please feel free to contact me. 

I will mark PR samples with an (*) in order to keep the integrity of my blog.

 I am more than happy to review products providing they suit the genre and feel of my blog, natural and organic skincare, and I feel that it will be of benefit to my readers.

All of my reviews will be honest and of my own opinion.

Please contact me on jensgreenskincare@gmail.com.

You can also find me on twitter @jenmorriss

All of the opinions on my blog are my own and all of the pictures are taken by myself unless otherwise stated below a picture.