November Empties

How on earth have we got to the end of November already!!

I've been working through my stash and not buying anything new so a lot of my empties are samples. I'll do a list of everything I have used and comment on those that really stood out for me.

Full Size:

Neal's Yard Remedies - Frankincense & Mandarin Body Polish

Neal's Yard Remedies - Geranium & Orange Shower Gel

Neal's Yard Remedies - Purifying Palmarosa Mattifier - The tube may be small but it lasted months. Not sure it actually did anything though, I've not noticed a difference not using it

Neal's Yard Remedies - Wild Rose Beauty Balm - Noooooooooooooooooooo! Totally gutted to be at the end of this magical balm. I feel like I have parted with a best friend and don't know when we will reunite. I'm going to hold off buying this until I have worked through my stash but I WILL be repurchasing. Full review here

bubb & DIMPLES - Nourishing Organic Body Balm - Another multi-purpose balm. See my full review here

Weleda - Rasiercreme - For some unknown reason, Amazon sent me a German shaving cream. Still it doesn't matter that I couldn't read the instructions - its shaving cream! I really liked this but at £7.15 for 75mls it was expensive, especially as it only lasted me about 5 weeks.

Weleda - Citrus Deodorant - Full review here

Lavera Basis Sensitiv Shampoo - Full review here

Naked Shine - Shampoo & Conditioner - I know, I know. These aren't great but the really work for my hair! 

Samples & Minis

The Organic Pharmacy - Antioxidant Face Serum & Antioxidant Face Gel - Yuk. Both smelt of bitter orange and did absolutely nothing for me

Alva - Handcream

No7 - Beautiful Skin Day Cream - Finally used up from Christmas last year. Not one I will buy again

bubb & DIMPLES - Shea Butter - See my full review here

Marble & Milkweed - Nourishing Body Oil - Delicious body oil, shame it wasn't bigger! Full review here

bodhi - Mint Thé Bath & Shower Therapy - Mmmmm, the best shower gel. Full review here

Peppy Galore - Nurse Peppy Hand Cream - This hand cream was perfect for me, just the right amount of moisture. Full review here

Glow Skincare - Rose & Macadamia Face Cream - To heavy for my skin

What have you used up this month?

Some of my favourite minis from this month

Over the last month, I have been working my way through my trail and sample stash that all of a sudden went from manageable to out of control. I've not bought anything new and I'm trying to use up what I have rather than saving things up. 

It's been great going through and discovering new products and these have been some of my favourites.

Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Shampoo & Conditioner - I have been loving using these two. The shampoo lathers really well and leaves my hair squeaky clean and the conditioner is thick enough to, well, condition my ends! The scent is incredible, a mix of spearmint, peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon and cardamom oils. I have really fallen in love with this duo.

VMV Hypoallergenics Know-It-Oil 100% Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - I have used the super oil for everything - from post-shave moisturiser to face balm and to help combat the dark skin under my arms. I have used coconut oil before but I have never had the same results (not even close) than I have with this brand. I will be buying a full size as soon as I have scooped out every last bit!

001 Precious Finds Pure Active Peel - I had to break this bad boy open after reading review after review of this; I'm so glad I did! The mixture is a little strange to apply, being more grainy than anything I have used before. Once lightly massaged across the skin though, it stays put. I have used this a few times now and my skin has never looked better. I've followed it each time with....

Indie Lee - 100% Squaline Oil - Another item that I had to open. I have loved using this wonderfully light oil after my face peel. I am sure they work fantastically on their own but together my skin has cleared up and my fine forehead wrinkles (shhhh, don't tell anyone) have noticeably reduced. 

Gwdihw Hand Balm - A deeply moisturising balm that has been a night-time saviour. Coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, calendula and lemon essential oil make this a really zesty treat. I have been applying this before bed and wake up with soft hands and nourished nails. 

What minis have you been using lately?

Review: Neal's Yard Remedies Ginger & Vanilla Body Lotion

Mmmm... Ginger & Vanilla. 

It's no secret that I love Neal's Yard Remedies. For many years I shopped almost exclusively with them and some of my all time favourites are NYR products. I go to and host NYR events fairly regularly and in September I received the Ginger & Vanilla Body Lotion as a host gift. 

Soya and apricot oils add omega 3, 6 & 9 along with vitamin A to really deliver on a deeply moisturising and softening  lotion. This is a perfect morning moisturiser for me; it is light and early absorbed but also really nourishing. I love the warm, earthy, spicy scent of the ginger and cardamom with the deliciously sweet vanilla adding a lasting fragrance to the skin. 

My skin has certainly enjoyed the benefits!

You can get the Ginger & Vanilla Body Lotion as a host gift for a NYROrganic party or as part of a Ginger & Vanilla Organic Body Collection for £18.50 from the website here. This includes a 200ml shower gel and a 100ml lotion. I have added it to my Christmas list already!

Review: Eden Organic Care Avocado Oil

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a Eden Organic Care Avocado Oil as part of a giveaway hosted by the talented Beauty from the Fjord. 

The day I found out I had won, Eden Organic Care had been on twitter to say they were doing half price oils so I had almost bought one anyway. What good timing for me!

This is 100% organic oil, certified by both the Soil Association and COSMOS. It is pure, cold pressed avocado oil- no other ingredients at all! The oil is jam packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, proteins and fatty acids which all work in harmony with the skin and hair to heal, regenerate and moisturise. The product description on the website also says that avocado oil contains properties which help support the production of collagen in the skin and in therefore an excellent treatment for lines and wrinkles.

Now it might not look very appealing, being such a vivid green, but the oil absorbs quickly and doesn't leave any colour behind. Being 100% avocado oil also means that it comes with a pleasant nutty scent but again, this doesn't linger. I actually found the scent to be really lovely, especially when using it as a treatment for my hair.

The oil is truly versatile - you can use it on your hair, face, body, nails and hands. 

I have been using it primarily as a hair treatment. When I'm rushed I apply the oil, a couple of pumps at a time, to my scalp and give it a good massage through, right down to the ends. I try to leave it on for as long as I can before washing it out. When I'm not rushed, I leave it on overnight as an intensive treatment. I have unruly hair but I have noticed a difference to the shine after blow drying.

You can buy Eden Organic Care Avocado Oil here for just £14.99 for 100ml.

I'm still here...!

I have been really quite on the blogging front over the last couple of weeks and just wanted to say that I am still here!

I'm still reading and commenting on blogs (sneakily on my phone at lunch!) so I haven't completely vanished but a combination of a pretty rough cold, workload, house decorating and some family time has left me with little leisure time to be able to write. I am itching to get writing again and I will be back with a post very soon.

Take care 

Jen x

Review: bodhi Cacao Cocoon Lip Treatment Balm

A couple of weeks ago I placed an order for bodhi's Mint Thé Temple Balm and Elijah, the founder of bodhi, was very kind and sent me through a Cacao Cocoon Lip Treatment Balm. 

I wanted to give the Lip Treatment a couple of weeks use to be able to give an informed review on how I found it, which is why this has come a little later than my Mint Thé Temple Balm review.

My first impressions were that this was a lip balm like no other. If you have read other reviews on this then you will know that it is free from beeswax and instead packed with butters and oils to give it a luxuriously smooth balm.  The balm is made up of Cacao Butter, Murumuru Butter, Illipe Butter, Red Raspberry Seed Oil, Sea Buckthorn Oil and Blackcurrent Seed Oil - all chosen for their nourishing and protecting properties.

 It is packaged in a really chic black glass pot and it full to bursting (there was product around the rim and in the lid too!) with a beautiful deep orange balm . Scent is really important to me so the first thing I did was take a good old sniff of the contents and I was not disappointed. The Cacao Butter and Cacao Absolute give the balm a spicy dark chocolate fragrance but deeper than that I could pick out Vanilla and Spearmint. It is quite a subtle scent and certainly not something that you can taste once applied.

Next to the texture - as I said this is free from beeswax and it is not something I have come across before. Never fear though, bodhi know what they are doing! The balm is so smooth and light to use, very easily absorbed into the skin and leaves no sense of heavy butter or oiliness behind. Although this is a Lip Treatment Balm, you can use it on patches of dry skin as a protective and nourishing balm. 

The Cacao Cocoon Lip Treatment Balm is a firm favourite of mine and lives on my bed side table. I have been using it at night and first thing in the morning for the last few weeks. It has been especially hard working during the last week as I have been so poorly and my lips have suffered from cracking, splitting and peeling. It really works on a deeper level and has been healing my skin from within. 

bodhi was a brand that I hadn't really encountered before I started to read blogs. I have only been using their products for a couple of months and yet with each product I try I fall a little bit more in love with them. My wish list for bodhi started out with the Temple Balm and the Mint Thé Therapy but now has gradually grown to encompass their whole range! Next on my hit list though is the Rosemary Chi Himalayan Detox Salt Scrub.

You can buy the Cacao Cocoon Lip Treatment Balm from the bodhi website here for £15 for 15g. 

Read my review on bodhi's Mint Thé Temple Balm here.

What I've Been Using This Week - The Poorly Edition!

I've been really poorly this week with a cold and bronchitis so I have been keeping my skincare routine to a minimum as I just haven't had the energy to do much more!

I decided that a bit of pampering would be in order yesterday and this is what I used:

bodhi Mint Thé Temple Balm - I have been using this over the week as a chest rub and also steam inhalation to help clear my head and it certainly does provide release from these symptoms. I don't like to use painkillers so I have been turning to this instead. See my full review here.

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm - This balm is my multi-purpose saviour. When I'm poorly my skin really suffers - breakouts, dry and flaky, that horrible leathery skin around the nose (you know what I mean!). I have used this morning and evening to cleanser, double in the evening and as a mask twice this week. I have also used it daily as a barrier for the skin around my nose.  See my full review here.

bodhi Mint Thé Refreshing Bath and Shower Therapy - I poured this into running water for a bath and it really did help to clear some of the fog in my head and work to soothe my aching muscles. I have been holding out buying the full size due to the cost and managing on samples sachets, but I will be purchasing the full size after this.

bubb & DIMPLES English Garden Nourishing Body Oil Candle - During my soak in the tub, I had this candle lit. The scent is so beautifully floral and uplifting and watching the flame dance around was really relaxing. See my full review here.

Marble & Milkweed Nourishing Body Oil - I had this sample in the abw A/W '13 Sampler Box and had been waiting for a good excuse to use it. Although the sample is small (3.7ml) and I'm a big girl, I still only used about half the bottle for an all over treatment. I loved the sandlewood, cardamon and rose scent and it absorbed really easily into the skin without leaving a greasy feeling behind. My skin felt soft and pampered for hours after application.

What are your go-to products to use when you aren't feeling at your best?

October Empties

My list of full and sample sized empties that have been used up during October.

bubb & DIMPLES Luxury Hand & Body Wash in Rose 100ml - Good lather and left my skin feeling squeaky clean. See my full review here

bubb & DIMPLES Luxury Hand & Body Wash in English Garden 200ml - See my review here

bubb & DIMPLES Rose Sugar & Salt Spa Body Scrub 100ml - I loved using this scrub, it had a really good amount of 'grit' to polish my skin and was really moisturising. One to buy again. See my full review here

bubb & DIMPLES Cocoa Butter Cream with Vitamin E 100ml - A very rich and luxurious body butter, sadly too thick for my skin. See my review here

Trilogy Clean + Balance Conditioner 250ml - Didn't have enough ooomph for my thick hair. See my review here

Freyaluna Marigold & Bergamot Soap - sample size - Part of the Freyaluna Try Me box, see here. Lovely scented soap and so beautifully packaged

Freyaluna Rose Lotion - sample size. Delicious lotion, just the right consistency for me.

Freyaluna Chamomile & Lavender Lotion - sample size. Again, a wonderfully scented lotion and a good consistency

Freyaluna Patchouli and Orange Hand Cream - sample size. Another lovely product. I used this at night time as it was a bit rich for me to use during the day.

Peppy Galore Herbs de Provence Body Mousse - sample. I bloody loved this sample and have to get the full size ASAP. Such a great fragrance and really worked with my skin.

Neal's Yard Remedies Melissa Hand Cream 30ml. I really love this hand cream, the refreshing lemon balm really gives my skin added zing

Neal's Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Facial Polish - sample size. I have loads of these stashed but always forget to use them, I don't know why because they really make my skin glow!

Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Busy Bee Balm 15g - A lovely scented, multi-purpose balm. I really liked this but probably wont buy again for some time.

Neal's Yard Remedies Beauty Sleep Body Butter 200g. Got this as I LOVE the Concentrate but the butter is too thick for me. I applied it at night and could still feel it on my skin in the morning. Not for me

Neal's Yard Remedies Eye Make-Up Remover 100ml - A staple for me for the last few years. I wont be re-buying just yet though as I will be giving REN's 3-in-1 Cleansing Water a try

Dr Alkaitis Night Cream - sample size. This came with my SoukSouk box in August. Not sure if my skin got any benefits from this sample.

Dr Organic - Aloe Vera Deodorant 50ml - Holland & Barrett has this as a buy one get one half price, no tea tree ones so I ended up with two Aloe Vera ones. Wont be buying again.

Bathing Beauty - POP Fabulous Effervescent Foot Reviving Tablet - single use. I used this after a long, long day on my feet in heels. I got home and popped my feet in for a soak with this and they felt so much better! Part of my swap with Sandra from Beauty Balm See what I got for her here, see what she got for me

Suti Fabulous Foot Balm - sample size. Another item from my swap with Sandra. This was such a lovely minty balm. I got a few uses out of it and it make my feet so soft.

Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence- sample. One more from Sandra! This smells really refreshing, I love facial mists and this one was just lovely.

REN Mayblossom T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel 5ml - This didn't really do anything for me, I felt no benefit from using it although I did get a good few uses out of it.

Neom Travel Candle in Harmonise 75g. (pine, ceaderwood and eucalyptus) I picked this up with the idea that I would trial it and see if I liked it enough to buy a full sized one for Christmas. I don't think I will be parting with £40 for a full size, it didn't fully impress me.