The Natural Beauty Box March 2017
16:51
The month has flown so quickly and I am already unpacking another box from the Natural Beauty Box. The theme of this month is English Garden. To my mind springs fields of flowers and intoxicating aroma. Vivid colours and whispering wind. (My English teacher would be so proud of the demonstrated alliteration).
PHB Ethical Beauty Balancing Jojoba Bead Exfoliator with Geranium and Lavender RRP £14.50 for 100ml
You should never use scrubs with microbeads because it is damaging to the marine life and the environment. However, not all exfoliate from the natural origin are equally good for the skin. So far my favourite exfoliant medium are jojoba beads because they are very gentle on the skin. I was very pleasantly surprised to find out this scrub incorporated jojoba beads! The lavender helps to clear and repair the skin, geranium helps to rebalanced and tamanu and kukui oils help to nourish the skin. I found this scrub to be much gentler than Pai Skincare Kukui and Jojoba Bead Brightening Exfoliator to the point I was wondering if I will actually get any exfoliation. As a result, I have spent longer massaging it into my skin and due to the pleasant texture, I have left the scrub on for a couple of minutes as a quick mask. To be honest, I was very pleased with the first result - dry flaky patches were buffed away and my skin felt very smooth. The long term use should determine if this exfoliator can help to rebalance my oily skin.
Ingredients: Aqua, Helianthus annuus (Organic sunflower**), Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe**), Jojoba esters (Hydrogenated Jojoba oil), Veg Glycerin, Stearic acid, Cetearyl alcohol, Cocos nucifera (Organic Coconut) nut oil, Cetyl alcohol, Phenethyl alcohol, Caprylyl glycol, Argania spinosa (Organic Argan), Aleurites moluccana (Kukui), Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu), Coco glucoside, Lavendula angustifolia (Lavender), Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea tree), Xanthan gum, Tocopherol, Pelagonium graveolens (Geranium), Phytic acid, Benzyl alcohol, Sodium bicarbonate. **Organically grown ingredients
Vegan, organic, UK brand
Contains coconut oil
Contains coconut oil
Gerlinde Naturals Avocado Hand Therapy Cream RRP £8 for 30ml
Being a hand cream addict this is a very welcome product in this box. I have hand eczema so I am always caught in the cycle of moisturising my hands. I have some unidentified sensitivity because conventional hand creams have given me nasty itchy rashes (that is before I converted to green skincare). I love trying new hand creams yet always hope there will not be a bad reaction afterwards. This is my second product from Gerlinde Naturals. The jar is quite pocket sized so it potentially can be carried in a handbag. I like to have creams in squeezy tubes on the go with me due to hygienic reasons hence I have decided to keep this jar with me at home. When you first open the jar you can smell the fantastic blend of jasmine and lemongrass. Taking a scoop of the product, the texture feels like a whipped body cream however when applied, the consistency becomes much lighter and melts into the skin due to nourishing avocado, safflower and jojoba oils. My hands feel very soft, the finish is non-greasy and no bad reaction is seen. By the way, on the official website, all of the reviews for this hand cream is 5 stars!
Ingredients: Aqua, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Cera (Wax), Cetyl Alcohol & Sucrose Stearate (Emulsifier), Vegetable Glycerine, Phenoxyethanol & Ethylhexylglycerin, Styrax Benzoin Resin Oil, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmin) Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E),Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Oil, *Citral, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Linalool, *Limonene, *Benzyl Cinnamate, *Benzyl Benzoate (*occurs naturally in Essential Oils).
Vegan, UK brand
Contains phenoxyethanol
Contains phenoxyethanol
Bloomtown Botanicals Mini Nourishing Soap Bars in Rose Garden and Hedgerow RRP £1.40 each for 12g
Brand from Cornwall which donates some of their profits to animal rescue sanctuaries and handcrafts their products without palm oil, and presents their products in lovely floral packaging has been all over my IG. Naturally, it got me curious. But then my common sense kicked in and reminded me I already have a stash of things to go through. To my pleasure, these 2 mini soaps appeared in the box! Whoop whoop! The Rose Garden wins my heart with the interesting twist to the classic rose, making the aroma fun and appealing. The Hedgerow is also a very nice bar with blackberry and honeysuckle smell. The small size means this pair is perfect for travel and that is what I will keep them for!
Rose Garden Ingredients: aqua, naturally saponified plant oils and butters, parfum, sodium lactate, natural pink clay (hematite, gibbsite, CI 77492), kaolin clay, vitamin e, rosa centifolia (rose) petalpowder, benzyl alcohol, benzyl salicylate, hydroxycitronellal, limonene, linalool, alpha-isomethyl ionone. Hedgerow Ingredients: aqua, naturally saponified plant oils and butters, parfum, natural red clay (hematite, gibbsite, CI 77492), sodium lactate, kaolin clay, vitamin e, natural colourants (CI 77019, CI 77891, CI 77742, CI 77861), benzyl benzoate, lilial, hexyl cinnamal, limonene, linalool
Vegan, UK brand
Contains synthetic fragrance
UPDATE
I have emailed Bloomtown Botanicals enquiring about the source of fragrance in their products and this is their reply:
Contains synthetic fragrance
UPDATE
I have emailed Bloomtown Botanicals enquiring about the source of fragrance in their products and this is their reply:
"Hi, Thank you for your message. Most of our scents are a blend of natural essential oils and synthetic aroma molecules; we use synthetics that are paraben-free and phthalate-free and 100% skin safe as well as environmentally friendly. Often synthetic aroma molecules are better for the health, the environment and/or have fewer potential allergens than their natural counterparts, and as an eco-friendly company, so we take this into serious consideration when developing our scents, rather than simply following marketing trends that sound good on paper but in reality do not have facts to back them up.
If you're looking for 100% natural scents, check out The Meadow range, which is a blend of natural lavender, rose geranium and chamomile. We also have an unscented range called "The Spring."
I hope this answers your question!
Warm Regards,
Preyanka Clark Prakash
Creative Director"
I appreciate the honesty of the answer, however, I do not want to use products with synthetic fragrance. If you share similar views, The Meadows range is a good alternative.
Benecos Shimmery Eyeshadow in Rose Quartz RRP £3.95 for 2g
This eyeshadow features macadamia and sunflower oils to moisturise the skin. Benecos is a German makeup brand which provides natural-based make up for pocket-friendly prices.
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| Swatch in natural light, no flash |
The finish is very subtle shimmer, making this eye shadow a great option for inner corner highlight. I have also used it on my cheekbones to get a cool rosy subtle hint of highlight.
Ingredients: TALC, MICA, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, MAGNESIUM STEARATE, MACADAMIA TERNIFOLIA SEED OIL, RICINUS COMMUNIS SEED OIL*, KAOLIN, P-ANISIC ACID, TOCOPHEROL, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN) TIN OXIDE, CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77499( IRON OXIDES), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77007 (ULTRAMARINES), CI 77510 (FERRIC FERROCYANIDE), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET), CI 77492 (IRON OXIDES)].
Vegan
Contains talc
Contains talc
Soothe Me Yum Yum Beauty Balm in Rose and Geranium RRP £10 for 15ml
Another brand I have been wanting to try for a while. I have seen a hand cream from this brand in a different subscription box and was very intrigued to try it, however, it did not work out. I was pretty excited to find this lip balm featured in this box! The balm comes in a tin with the screw on lid. The smell is of sophisticated rose and geranium (not that old dusty smell) with a hint of plum. The balm melts very easily with body heat and gives a very rich layer of nourishing oil to the lips. Since this balm is quite rich, this would be great for before bed application or when you are caught out in the extremes of weather. Personally, I do not like having my lip balms in tins when I am on the go, so I will keep it at home. This balm features SPF 10 so I think I will save it for summertime when I will be outside for much longer and my lips would appreciate the sun protection. Even though it is primarily advertised as a lip balm, this guy is a multi-tasker. Rub into dry matches, heels, elbows, hands.
The only part I do not like about this balm is the texture - I am not sure if you can see from the photo but there are some circles of more solid product dispersed throughout the product. I am not sure if this is just my batch, but I remember back in the old days, when I used to make my own lippies, my first batches came out very grainy feeling because I was not mixing the balm as it was cooling. I prefer very smooth balms (likewise of MuLondon). This does not impact the application though.
Ingredients: Fairtrade Organic Cocobutter, Olive Wax, Organic Plum Kernel Oil. Organic Essential oils: Geranium, Rose de mai , Titanium Dioxide (natural SPF 10SPF)
Vegan, handmade, UK brand, fair trade, organic.
The Herb Garden Relaxing Massage Candle RRP £10 for 100ml
A candle that is also a body moisturiser. I have a small obsession with candles and I was thinking of trying this kind of candle for a while - first, you light the candle and let it melt. Then blow out the flame and use the melted candle as your body moisturiser. The most surprising about this candle was the colour - baby blue (probably due to blue chamomile). And yes, the products were revealed beforehand on IG. And yes, I did not notice it. I have a selective set of observational skills!
My favourite part about this candle is the smell - I am not a fan of Lavender at all but this candle nails the blend so well I want to stick my nose in and smell it forever! The candle melts at about the same rate as a normal candle so bear in mind to light the candle in advance. When the flame is blown off, the melted oils are safe to touch straight away, they feel about body temperature so you will not get burned. Now, the tricky bit is to pour the melted oil from the glass top into your hand. This is trickier than it sounds if you are as clumsy as I am! The smell is very subtle but the oil spreads nicely and evenly on the skin, does not feel greasy and gives nice nourishment. This moisturising candle is a great finishing touch for anyone looking to have a relaxing time session and "I deserve a treat" mood.
Ingredients: soy wax; shea butter; almond oil; Vitamin E oil; chamomile oil; english lavender oil.
Vegan, handmade, UK brand
The total price of the box is £49.25 with subscribers getting the deal of £24.95 with free P+P. I have very enjoyed this box, with a few things I have been wanting to try for a while and some surprising discoveries. There was also a very good range of products and I am very happy for PHB Ethical beauty to be featured again (I feel like it is becoming one of my favourite brands!). The only critique would be is this box is centred around rose/geranium and I know quite a few people have a love/hate relationship with it. I am looking forward to the next box and the new discoveries it will bring to me!
Disclaimer - products are bought by me with my own money. Please check the official website for up to date information regarding every product. All information presented in this article is the opinion of the author and cannot be taken as a fact.
Agave Bun x
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