April Empties

Nourish Refining Toning Mist – A toner to balance oily/combination skin. Worked fairly well unfortunately the combination of apple and pear extracts made it smell like baby food to me so not one that I will be using again.

Yes to Carrots Body Butter – A super rich body cream that uses carrot extract to smooth and soothe dry skin. Worked for me during the Winter but would not be suitable for my skin during the warmer months. Detailed review here.

Collagen Mask Pack x2 – My last two masks! It feels like I've been using these weekly (trying to, anyway!) for about 5 months. I love how refreshed my face feels after, a real boost of hydration.

Dr.Organics Moroccan Argan Oil Restorative Treatment – I've been trying to use this up since August last year. I'm not sure how I feel about the ingredients but I can’t fault how soft and manageable it made my hair. Not one to buy again though.

Avril Mascara – This is my second Avril mascara and I have already got another one ready to take over.  I think this mascara is brilliant. It’s got a great brush and while I don’t get too much length, it is perfect for day time and can be layered for volume for occasions.

Savonnerie French Lavender Body Lotion – I feel like this lotion lasted months as I only needed a small amount. Beautifully scented with French Lavender, Geranium and Bergamot. A winning combination in my books. Would happily use this again. Full review here.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash* – A nice enough body wash but I didn't feel any of the toning benefits. I wouldn't rush to use this again.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Cream* – While I didn't feel that it toned my skin, this was only a small size. I think using a full sized cream though, for longer, it might actually live up to the toning claims. My review of both these Balance Me products can be found here.

Bodhi Rosemary Chi Body Moisturiser - I wasn't really keen on the scent to be honest. I've used it up though and as a moisturiser it worked well. I'm not sure what it was about the scent but it wasn't for me. Sadly not one that I would buy again. 

Bodhi Ylang-Ylang Body Moisturiser – This on the other hand, was lovely to use. I will have to pick up the full size and body wash too as I loved this scent.

Moa The Green Balm – A great little multi-purpose balm that I mainly used for removing eye make-up. I love balms but I have a few to use up before I buy any more.

Urban Veda Facial Polish – I really liked using this facial polish and Urban Veda is a brand I must try more from. This was from the oily/combo skin range (perfect for me) and I am currently using a sample of the day cream, also from the same range. Both were from a SoukSouk box.

REN Day Cream – Another day cream that I wasn't really overwhelmed with. I just don’t think it suited my skin as while using it my face got shinier as the day went on. This didn't happen as much before or after using this product.

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*Products sent for review

Review: Fresh Therapies Eden - A Natural Nail Polish Remover?

I was recently contacted by Tracy from VertPR to see if I would be interested in reviewing Fresh Therapies Eden Nail Polish Remover*.

Fresh Therapies is an Award Winning natural, vegan nail polish remover and in March was published in The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible, scoring the highest mark for a nail polish remover with an amazing 8.69 out of 10. 

The remover is crystal clear and is made from "biodegradable food grade and plant-based ingredients that are non­ toxic and non-carcinogenic, making it safe for children, pregnant women and those undergoing treatment for illness" 

It has a wonderful lime fragrance which is such a pleasant experience after using regular headache inducing ones for years. 

I'll be honest, I have used the sample service from Fresh Therapies before (99p for a sample!) but I made the mistake of trying to remove layer upon layer of red polish in the same way I would with 'normal' remover - up, down, around and around. Well - this didn't work out so well for me. I ended up with stained red fingertips; not a good look!

Please don't be put off by my foolish first experience though!

Since receiving some more of the remover, I've had to re-train myself on how to remove my nail polish.

I've found this remover requires a more gentle touch- soak a cotton pad in the remover and let it rest of the nail for a few moments to allow the product to work through all layers of polish, before slowly working the pad around the nail to make sure all your polish has gone. Considering I'm usually a bit more gung-ho when using a remover, I just had to learn to slow it down!

The remover itself is packaged in a sleek 50ml glass bottle so you can see just how clear it is! I think they look really chic, rather than the conventional plastic bottles that live in the bathroom cabinet. 

Eden Natural Nail Polish Remover works. Sure, it takes longer than the average but think about what your are trading in. Toxic chemical vs a bit of time? For me, it's a no brainer.

You can buy Fresh Therapies Eden Nail Polish Remover for £8.99 directly from their website here , from LoveLula here or Sophia's Choice here.

Have you tried Eden Nail Polish Remover before?

*This product was sent to me for review. All opinions are my own, based on my experience.

Review: Balance Me - Exfoliating Body Polish

One of the things I'm really rubbish at remembering to do is exfoliate. I don't know why this is as I remember to do my face but rarely do I do my body. Now that we are inching closer to the summer months, I want to get my skin in tip-top condition so I'm starting early this year.

I've had my eye on a few different scrubs recently but opted for the Balance Me Exfoliating Body Polish*. At £15 for a 220g tub, I thought this was a good value one to try. 

The first thing I will say about this is that on opening the box, I could smell the spearmint straight off. I didn't even need to open the lid to know that this really was a minty treat!

Now, although the Exfoliating Body Polish can be used on wet and dry skin, I found that my skin needed to be damp to really work for my skin. I suppose the water helped to move the scrub around the skin a bit easier.
 I've been using this in the shower once or twice a week for the last few weeks now. I've found that the scrub is a really good consistency. The sea salt isn't too harsh that you feel you are loosing an inch of skin but equally it isn't underwhelming, leaving you wondering if you had even used a scrub at all.
The sea salt is blended with sweet almond oil, coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter and spearmint oil.
The spearmint oil is so lovely and really filled my bathroom with it's fresh and zingy scent - it even lasts once I've finished in bathroom for about an hour. Great for clearing the head first thing in the morning and invigorating you for the day to come.

This leaves my skin with a lovely finish, smooth and moisturised before I'd even stepped out of the shower! No need to use an additional moisturiser after either, which is a great time saver if I've been a bit rushed.

While I've been enjoying using the Balance Me Body Polish, I haven't really been enjoying cleaning the bath after using it. The Scrub is really rich with oils and while that is great for my skin, I've found that as I'm washing the scrub from my body all those nourishing oils are sticking straight to the bath creating a slippery surface and one that requires not just a wipe after use, but a real clean with a cleaning product. I also worry a little about those oils & butters clogging the drain too.

Cleaning the bath aside though, I'm still really enjoying using this Body Polish from Balance Me and think my skin looks brighter for the added attention, especially around my knees and elbows.
Come on Summer, I'm ready for you!

Have you tried the Balance Me Exfoliating Body Polish? Which exfoliators do you use?

You can buy the Balance Me Exfoliating Body Polish from MyPure.co.uk for £15 and free UK delivery.

*This product was provided for me to review by mypure.co.uk. All opinions are my own.

Who needs three hand creams?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has more than one hand cream on the go at any one point. 

I never used to be a big hand-cream-user but over the last year or so I've notice the skin on my hands drying out more than before so I've taken up hand creams and never looked back!

I've got three on the go at the moment. I keep Nourish Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion at work, Yes To Carrots Nourishing Intense Repair Hand Cream by my bed and Apivita Moisturising Hand Cream with Aloe and Honey in my handbag.

Nourish Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion £12 for 100ml- I received this in a SoukSouk box (September?) last year. Initially I thought it was too light to really work for me at home so I brought it into work where it has stayed, faithfully, by my side ever since. 

This is a light lotion that absorbs really quickly, perfect for applying and then quickly turning back to the keyboard. It has a gorgeous scent, orange and mandarin, that I've found uplifting to my mood.

I'm almost at the end of this now; it's gotten to that spluttering stage as the pump tries to find the last dregs of lotion to dispense! I'd quite happily buy this again. 

Yes To Carrots Nourishing Intense Softening Hand Cream £7.99 for 85g - This was a Christmas pressie from my neice and her husband. I've reviewed the Exfoliating Body Scrub and Body Butter here. This lives on my bedside table and is used as part of my bedtime routine. It's a rich cream that takes longer to absorb but because of this it works at a deeper lever, really nourishing my hands from within rather than just on the surface. I've got quite a lot left of this so I won't be looking for a replacement any time soon.

Apivita Moisturising Hand Cream with Aloe and Honey £7 for 50ml - My handbag cream. It's light, fresh and well, actually kinda runny. It takes a bit of time to soak in and I find it sometimes leaves me with sticky hands. This isn't a problem if I'm sat at the cinema but really is if I'm about to drive or eat! 

I won't be buying this again, even though it smells lush! I've probably got a couple of months of use left in it so once that's gone I'll be moving on.

What hand creams do you use? What would you recommend?

Review - Balance Me Super Spa Duo

I was recently sent this Balance Me Super Spa Duo* from MyPure.co.uk to review.
Balance Me are a well known UK brand that have some fantastic skin and body care products - all made from natural ingredients and all lines are cruelty free. I've tried various skincare products from Balance Me but never anything from their body care range.

I love the packaging on this set; it comes in a red sleave with a grey box tucked away inside it. Inside that grey box (it's a bit like a grown up pass the parcle!) you'll find two beautifully packaged products.
A 100ml Super Toning Body Wash and a 30ml Super Toning Body Cream.

As these are more travel sized items, I put aside what I was currently using and started on these straight away. The Super Toning Body Wash contains ingredients that are 99% in natural origins and has no nasties inside (parabens, SLS etc).
The wash has been designed to "improve skin tone, soften, smooth and encourage good circulation thanks to the unique blend of natural active ingredients found in juniper, bergamot, geranium and lavender.
Use as frequently as desired as the gentle formulation will cleanse without striping the skin of it’s natural oils."
I liked using this body wash. I use it with a sponge and find that a little goes a long way. The scent is beautiful thanks to the juniper, bergamot, geranium and lavender. It's refreshing and almost fruity but not at all overpowering. 
As for the toning claims, I have't really noticed any real difference. However, my skin feels happy, clean and soft.

After my shower, I've been applying the Super Toning Body Cream.
Balance Me say that their "high performance ultra smoothing body cream encourages your skin to bounce back to super slenderness with its unique tone enhancing and circulation boosting ingredients to help keep dimples at bay."
The cream has the same subtle scent as the body wash and although I found it to be quite a thick cream, it absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving any sticky residue behind.
I've been massaging this into my problem areas- thighs, hips, bottom and upper arms daily. As this is only a 30ml size, I can't honestly say that I have noticed that my skin is firmer or more toned. 
I got 5 or 6 days of applications from this so I think in order to get any real benefits, you'd need to be applying daily for a couple of weeks. 

I think this Super Spa Duo would be brilliant as a gift for a birthday present to introduce someone to Balance Me or to buy for the smaller sized items for travelling. At £12 I think this is good value but I'm not particularly over-awed by the set.
 I don't think I would use the body wash again however I would want to give the body cream a longer trial to see if it really does do what it says!

Have you tried either of these products before? How did you get on with them?

You can buy the Balance Me Super Spa Duo from MyPure for £12.

*This set was provided for review from MyPure.co.uk. Opinions are from my own experience.

Favourite Natural Make-up Tag

Favourite Natural Make-up Tag

I've been tagged by the lovely Amber from Amber's Beauty Talk to have a go at this tag.

 The tag was created by (another!) Amber over at All Naturally Beautiful.

What is your favourite foundation?
I don't wear it!

However, I have just started using REN BB Cream. Mostly because of the SPF and I wanted a bit more of an even skin tone.

What type of foundation do you prefer? Mineral, Liquid or Cream?
I suppose I'd prefer a mineral foundation, if any, as it'd help with mattifying my skin.

Have you found a favourite natural mascara?
I really love the Avril mascara that came in a SoukSouk box last summer. I actually had two of these thanks to a blog swap. It's time to start looking for a new one though and to be honest, I think I'll just buy another! 

In your opinion, what company makes the best pigments for eye shadows?
I might be a bit rubbish at this answer too as my eye shadow experience is this :

Neal's Yard Remedies - Nice to use but not very pigmented

Lily Lolo - Much better for pigmentation but I only have a quad and a duo

Urban Decay Naked 2 palette - which I AM THROWING AWAY. It's just too tempting to use otherwise.

I have got some eye shadows winging their way to me from the States from a small company call Shiro Cosmetics so I'll see how they work. I went for some of their Game of Thrones inspired colours!

Have you tried to make any of your own natural make up? If so, how did it turn out?

Bwahahaha, no. Never. While I really like mixing oils and creating balms and creams, the idea of having to make my own make up does not appeal to me!

What make up item was the hardest to switch over to a natural alternative?
I haven't really struggled, apart from my Naked palette, as I don't wear much make up.

Do you have any holy grail natural or non-toxic make up products?

While I don't wear foundation or much eye shadow, I wear mascara and eye liner on a daily basis. 
Still yet to find a good liquid eye liner.
No Holy Grails in this area though.

What is your go-to non-toxic lip product?

Balms, balms, balms. I'm currently using about three - Gwdihw Smoochy Lips, Wellgreen Lewes in Orange and bodhi Lip Treatment.

What is your favourite natural cosmetics brand?

No favourites yet as I like to look around. Lily Lolo always gets brilliant feedback so if I need something new I'd probably look at them first.

I tag:
Katie - Katie Vibes
Annie - Hello Purple Clouds
Jen - RedHead Beauty Diaries (she always looks stunning, I wanna know how!)