Review: Lulu & Boo Seaweed Purifying Mask & Lavender and Lemon Toner

About a month ago, Lulu & Boo tweeted that they were looking for bloggers to review some of their products and to get in touch with them. 

I'd not long since read a wonderful review with the founder of Lulu & Boo, Claire Edmunds, and Annie from Hello Purple Clouds (do have a read of Claire's story here) so I was really keen to get in contact and start my journey of discovery!

I was kindly sent two full sized products, the Seaweed Purifying Mask* and a Lavender and Lemon Toner*, both from the Oily/Combination skin range. I want to say straight off that I love the packaging. The frosted, heavy glass bottles and jars, along with the labels add something special to the experience of using the products. 

Firstly to the Lavender and Lemon Toner* RRP £14.95 for 100ml. The ingredients in this had me nodding and mhmm-ing with each one I read and I could feel my skin agreeing with me. 

Aloe Vera to soothe, Witch Hazel Extract for its astringent properties, Melissa Water (lemon balm!) with it's anti-inflammatory goodness, Lemon Water to add radiance, Lavender Water to promote rapid healing and Rosemary Water to balance sebum production and tighten pores.

The toner comes with both a screw cap lid and a spray pump, which I think is great as this gives me the option to use it as a mist during the day. It also means I can travel with the screw cap on and not have to worry about leaks.
The toner smells a bit apple-cider-vinegary to me but this quickly fades without leaving any scent on the skin. As for improvements to my skin? I'm not sure if I can pin my clearer skin down on the toner alone, but my skin has been glowing lately. I feel like this toner is certainly helping in my current skin care routine and I think the astringent properties of the toner are working at keeping oiliness at bay. I'll do a full post on what I'm currently using soon.

The Seaweed Purifying Mask* for Promblem and Oily skin RRP £21 for 50ml is the real hero of this post.
I've been using it weekly now for about 5 weeks and I love how it makes my skin look and feel.
With organic Seaweed to oxygenate, tone and revitalise, Papaya & Apple extracts to help loosen and remove dead skin cells, mineral rich Green Clay to stimulate circulation and draw out impurities and Propolis Extract for its natural anti-bacterial, antibiotic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.

I use a flat foundation brush to apply a small amount of clay to my face after cleansing and leave it for around 15 minutes. I find it dries quite quickly so I actually spray the Lavender and Lemon Toner a couple of times to keep it moist.
On removing the mask my skin is brighter, smoother and generally looks healthier.

I'm really thrilled that I've been able to try some things from Lulu & Boo and I'll certainly be making orders for the Seaweed Purifying Mask again when I use this up. As for the toner, I'm sure it's making a difference but I wonder how much straight up ACV would work in comparison. One to try out I suppose!

Have you tried anything from Lulu & Boo before? What do you like the look of?

*These products were kindly sent to me for review. Opinions are my own based on my experience with them.

Review: Freyaluna Try Me Selection Box

The Freyaluna TRY ME Selection Box has been on my wish list for some time but for one reason or another, I never seemed to get around to ordering it.

That was until last week when I read on Twitter that they would be giving away a free soap with every order! How could I refuse?

The creator of Freyaluna, Sami Blackford, is a certified Herbalist and Aromatherapist based in North Wales. She created her skincare line after years of battling with acne with the approach that Mother Nature can help you to achieve beautiful skin. All of her products are natural and handmade, free of preservatives and harsh chemicals.

From reading her bio, you can tell straight away that she is truly passionate about skincare and takes a real holistic approach to clear skin - not only for herself but for those who buy her products. I love the philosophy behind the brand and I've got to say, the packaging is just wonderful!

So, onto my TRY ME Selection Box.

The idea behind this box is that you try before you buy - selecting up to 5 of Freyaluna's products to sample before buying full sized items. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I wish more companies would offer this kind of service! After picking your five samples, Sami then gets in contact with you to talk about your skincare issues and then picks a further 3 samples for you to try out.

You can buy the TRY ME Selection Box here for £13.

The 5 samples I picked were:

Marigold & Bergamot Soap - Bergamot is one of my favourite fragrances. Combined with the Marigold, this helps give the soap an antiseptic and healing quality to the skin

Shine Control Tonic - my skin can get oily in the afternoons so I picked this out as I hope it might help to balance out my oily skin. With cedarwood and lemongrass, I'm sure this will work

Patchouli & Orange Hand Cream - you can never have too many hand creams and I like the idea of this mix of essential oils

Rose Lotion - thick creams often sit too heavily on my skin so a lotion is much better for me. This Rose Lotion is light enough to absorb quickly and leaves my skin soft and smooth

Chamomile & Lavender Lotion - I always apply a cream or lotion to my skin before I go to bed. I think this one, with the blend of chamomile and lavender will help not only my skin but to help me drift off to a good nights sleep!

The 3 samples that Sami picked for me were:

Soothe the Sensitive Facial Tonic which contains rose water, aloe vera gel and gentle essential oils to sooth sensitive skin

Soothe the Sensitive Cleaning Cream which uses chamomile and rose to provide gentle care for the skin

Regain Your Balance Facial Moisturiser which contains grapeseed oil, rosewater and jojoba oil which helps the skin to balance its oil levels naturally

My free, full sized soap was Orange & Sandlewood which is helps to soothe anxiety and reduce stress.

So there we have it, a wonderful sample box full of natural goodies. I have already used up the Rose Lotion and I can't wait to get my hands into the rest of this beautifully presented box.

Sami can be found on Twitter @samiblackford

Have you tried anything from Freyaluna?