Spring/Summer Green Beauty Swap with Annmarie from The Small but Mighty Ramblings of a Redhead

My swap partner this time was Annmarie from The Small but Mighty Ramblings of a Redhead. 

This was the first time Annmarie has done a swap and she's out-done herself! I was excited to be paired with her because she's just starting her Green Journey and it meant I had a pretty clean slate on what I could buy her. It also meant that I was keen to make sure she tried lots of different products and included some of my favourites and one particular thing that I hope Annmarie will really love. You can read all about what I sent Annmarie here.

But onto what I received. Annmarie had taken the time to write cute messages on tags for each of the items which I loved reading! My Postman arrived Thursday morning with not one, but two boxes full of treats and this is what was inside...

Box 1!

Salt of the Earth Deodorant Spray scented with Lavender & Vanilla - 

"I'm natural, soothing & effective plus I smell great too! Spray me"

I love my Salt of the Earth deodorant and while I've seen it sold in a spray, I've never see it scented before. I'm so happy with this as Lavender and Vanilla are two of my favourites.

Burt's Bees Citrus Facial Scrub - 

"I'm a wee busy bee scrubbing away! Apply Me"

This smells like Christmas Pudding haha. Another great pick as I've not used this before and sometimes, I just need to have a good old scrub. I have keratosis pilaris on my upper arms and think this scrub would be great to use for this too.

MooGoo Tail-Swat Body Spray -

"I'm moogood for keeping midges & flies away! Spray Me"

I've never heard of MooGoo before and now I have three items from them! I'm looking forward to find out more about the company. As for this Tail-Swat Body Spray, MooGoo say that the noticed that people are less attractive to mossies when using the spray. Here's hoping for some warmer weather to put this to the test.

MooGoo Strawberry Tinted Lip Balm - 

"I'm moolicious on the lips (and totally bug free!). Pout & Eat away"

This cute lip balm comes in cardboard packaging that looks like a pint of milk! I love little details like this. The packaging says "Made from edible ingredients because what goes on the lips gets eaten." So true and I'm glad it says this because the balm smells lush so I'll be licking my lips get get a taste haha.

MooGoo Cover-Up Buttercup Natural Moisturiser with SPF 15 - 

"I'm an extra treat from an udderly goo-d company. Moo-chus grass-ias"

This is a really good sized sample so I'll be able to get a good amount of use from it. Cover-Up Buttercup is an all natural SPF 15 mouisturiser using just natural Zinc.

Jane Iredale Facial Blotting Papers - 

"I'm a wee oil buster! Use me"

So pleased to have this as I always have blotting tissues with me, just in case, and these Jane Iredale come in a sleek case that'll look great in my bag.

Balm Balm Lip Balm -

"I'm balm balm not pebbles! Pucker up"

One of my favourites and one that I always give to friends and family to stop them using Vaselline! I picked this for Annmarie's box too :)

Lastly in this box, a good old bar of Go*Do organic dark chocolate 60% in espresso coffee. "I'm a wee sweet treat just for you. Enjoy me" Oh I will, Annmarie, I will!

Now onto Box 2 - Annmarie works for A.Vogel and was so generous as to send another box with some brilliant A.Vogel products in. I had said to Annmarie that I suffer with Hayfever so sent sent me some goodies to help with that too!

This was inside...

Molkosan Vitality - instant whey drink.

Echinaforce Echinacea Drops - for the symptomatic relief of colds & flu

Pollinosan Hayfever Tablets - to relieve the symptoms of hayfever

And to top it all off, a fantastic book called The Nature Doctor by Alfred Vogel. 

I love that I've got a whole box of things I've not tired before AND a whole box of things that will help me feel good from the inside too! I can't wait to find out more about MooGoo and I'm really really looking forward to getting my teeth into The Nature Doctor.

Thank you Annmarie for all your thoughtful pickings!

Annmarie can be found over on her blog The Small but Mighty Ramblings of a Redhead or on Twitter @smallmightyred1

March Empties

Lets get to it then...

S.W Basics Cocoa Lip Balm - Ahhh, such a beautiful creamy lip balm. Such simple ingredients, such brilliant results. Love this.

Balm Balm Ylang Ylang Eau de Parfum sample - I found this a bit much for every day as it is quite a heady scent. Great for big nights out though!

Abahna Mandarin & Sicilian Bergamot Eau de Parum - I really liked this scent. I kept it in my handbag for freshening up during the day. Everyone said how lovely it was. I'd buy this again.

Peppy Galore Dive Cleansing Oil - My first dip into the world of oil cleansing and I love it. Used this at night time and it was so gentle on my skin. The vanilla scent was a treat too.

Kris D'Amour Balancing Facial Oil sample - This was a good sized sample but it didn't come close to the bodhi facial oils for balancing my skin.

Faith in Nature Seaweed & Citrus Conditioner - This had a runny formula and wasn't thick enough to really condition my thick hair. Review here.

Savonnerie French lavender Body Wash* - Loved this shower gel, left my skin feeling clean and soft. Lavender is one of my favourites. Full review here.

Biona Coconut Oil - I picked this up in December and have used it every day since. Such a great multi-purpose oil; I love it! 

Salcura Hand Hydrator - I liked using this hand cream, it was great for hydrating my hands over the dry, cold Winter. Full review here.

What have you been using this month?

September Empties

I love reading other bloggers 'empties' posts. It just gives that quick overview of what they have used and would buy again; great to compile a wishlist to. Hopefully your'll enjoy my mine!
I will forewarn you, it is very Neal's Yard Remedies heavy as they have been my go-to brand for the last couple of years. I am branching out though, so stick with me!

Neal's Yard Remedies - Beauty Sleep Concentrate 30ml - The best, really and truly, product that I use. See my full review here

Neal's Yard Remedies - White Tea Face Mist 45ml - A total skin saver during the hot summer months! Mist onto the face for an instant pick-me-up. I used this bottle every day and even kept it in the fridge to use on those hot hot hot days. Will buy again next summer.

Neal's Yard Remedies - Orange Flower Facial Oil 30ml - Well now, I hear such good things about facial oils that I through I would give one a go. Lovely scent but I'm not sure if it worked for me!

Neal's Yard Remedies - Organic Shea Nut and Rosehip Lip Formula 4.5g - This lip balm is my absolute favourite, so much so that I haven't used any other for the last 18 months! When this finished, I stopped myself from buying another so that I could venture out and give Herbfarmacy a go. 

Neal's Yard Remedies - Lemon and Coriander Deodorant 100ml - I'm still on the search for a deodorant that lives up to Dove's roll on. This spray had a really lovely scent but didn't cut it for me. I wont be buying again.

Neal's Yard Remedies - Revitalising Orange Flower Shampoo 200ml - Since going green, have found shampoo really difficult to find. I have really thick, long hair and washing it is a real chore. With this shampoo I found I had to lather, rinse, repeat about 3 times in order to get through the dense mass of hair. It did leave my hair feeling light and really clean but it was a lot of hard work to use. Wont buy again.

Neal's Yard Remedies - English Lavender Bath and Shower Gel 200ml - I really love lavender scented ANYTHING and this shower gel is just delicious. Will buy again.

Dr Organic - Aloe Vera Deodorant 50ml - I usually go for the Tea Tree Oil deodorant but Holland & Barrett didn't have it in stock. I didn't think this one worked as well so will not buy again.

Bodhi - Mint The Shower Gel sample - I picked this up as a sample with a LoveLula order. I managed to get three uses out of this. I love the scent but not sure I would shell out £23 for the full sized product. 

Weleda - Citrus Body Wash sample - Again, I loved this sample! The citrus scent got me going in the morning and the creamy wash left my skin feeling fresh.

Essential Care - Rose Moisturiser sample - Again, this came with a LoveLula order. A very delicately fragranced facial moisturiser, light and easy to use. 

Natural Empathy - Hand and Body Lotion sample - I really loved using this sample sized lotion. It smelt great, it was light enough to use all over and left my skin feeling so soft. Full size is on my wishlist!

Caudalie - Purifying Mask sample - This was a 1 application sample so I can't say how well it worked long term. Still, it was easy to use.

Elemental Herbology - Facial Detox Purifying Mask sample - I think I got 4 applications from this sample. Was lovely to use and left my skin feeling soft and looking radiant.

Neom - Happiness Travel Candle 75g - This was my first Neom candle and I thought it was just brilliant! I can smell the candle even when it isn't lit - a fresh, floral scent. I keep it by my bed and it helps me to relax. Will buy again.

Boots - No7 Beautifull Skin Eye Make-Up Remover - I got this as part of a set at Christmas. While the size is great for travelling (its been to Riyah and Bruges in the last year!) and it worked really well, I wont be buying again as its full of nasties.

Lush - Fair Trade Foot Lotion sample - YUCK! This lotion is bright pink! When I looked at the ingredient list they use a synthetic colour (Colour 17200 to be exact). Won't be going near this again, even if it is Fair Trade.

Lush - Helping Hands 100g pot - See my review here. I won't be using this again.

Balm Balm - Mini Set of Seven Single Note Eau de Parfum - I've used them all up over the last couple of months. I got on really well with the lavender but the spearmint caused a reaction - I came up bright red and blotchy. Not convinced of their staying power but it was fun to mix and match.

REN - Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel 25ml - This lasted for ages! Such a light gel, a real pleaser to use and thoroughly cleaned the skin. Would like to buy the full size.

REN - Vita-Mineral Day Cream 15ml - Again, for a sample size this lasted a long time. Easy to use and kept my skin feeling and looking good all day.

REN- Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream 15ml - Lovely consistency and feel, frankincense is a favourite of mine so this was a winner.

What have you used up this month?