Unboxing ~ Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box September 2018
I know I'm starting to sound like a stuck record - but Skin Organics Beauty Box delivery day is my absolute FAVOURITE day of the month!
It's arrival this month coincided with me feeling pretty under the weather and quite miserable but I perked up no end after perusing and sniffing all the fab contents.
A monthly subscription costs £21.00 + £3.95 p+p BUY HERE
Bella Aura Skincare - Gentle Purifying Cleanser and Night Cellular Renewal
Size Received 2 x 10ml/RRP £24.00 Bella Aura
Another brand name that has recently shown up on my radar but I hadn't actually seen any of their product range before. Bella Aura is a Canadian clean, luxury skincare brand that blends modern science with ancient spiritual knowledge drawn from Berber, Chinese and Mediterranean herbal medicine traditions. Sounds intriguing, right? I love their concept of ' Powerful Traditions - Proven Science - Pure Glow'.
The Gentle Purifying Cleanser is a very delicate, silky creamy lotion cleanser which aims to energize, purify and replenish your skin. it does this by helping your skin detox from the environmental effects accumulated during the day; cleansing your skin whilst protecting your natural moisture barrier and contains no soap or harsh chemicals; and replenishes the skin with the inclusion of organic botanicals, keeping it soft and smooth.
It certainly is a beautifully gentle cleanser, key ingredients include Argan Oil, Prickly Pear Oil (I think this is hands down, my favourite oil), Neroli (aha! this is why it's smells so good!) and Nigella Sativa.
I'll be honest, when I see a night product, my heart tends to sink a little as this invariably means a product that is uber rich and heavy and can leave my skin feeling overladen and slightly claustrophobic. But the Night Cellular Renewal surprised me in that it has the same creamy runny lotion consistency as the cleanser. It's texture is definitely more of a milky serum type rather than a heavier cream and so this is obviously a good start for me personally. And my god, it's a beauty of a product! With that same beautiful Neroli scent as the cleanser, this is so silky smooth and beautiful to apply but with a real deep intention within. It's only been a few days since I've been using this so any long term results aren't obvious but this feels so good and right! It's presently kind of knocked the last steps of my usual nigh time routine a bit out of kilter. I'd usually end with an oil/and or moisturising cream but after applying the Night Cellular Renewal recently, my skin has told me "That'll do! I think we're good ending it right here!". And we've all got to take more notice of what our skin tells us. Certainly, my skin in the morning, continuing with it's previous conversation, tells me "See? I did say that was all you needed, didn't I?" and I can acknowledge that when I awake feeling smooth, soft and deeply replenished. This is really, really beautiful stuff!
Kathleen Natural - Tranquil Fields Bubble Bath & Shower Gel
Full Size Received/ £18.00 for 150ml BUY HERE
The final item is from a brand who I'd not heard of before. Kathleen Natural is a luxurious and high-performance skin care brand, based in Leamington Spa, using all natural and organic ingredients.
Included in this month's box is 'Tranquil Fields' - a bubble bath and shower gel product. With top notes of Lavender, heart notes of Frankincense and base notes of Vanilla, it smells absolutely beautiful (but would you expect anything less with those ingredients?!).
This turned up just at the same time that our shower decided to break down and our bath is a mammoth Jacuzzi-bath monster which takes about three years to fill (and costs the earth in water and electricity!). But there was no way that I was going to wait to try this out so I cranked up the Jacuzzi-bath monster and looked forward to one of those types of baths you see in the Sunday supplements!
The scent released was just stunning - serene, sensual and had a pleasing spicy warmth too. I also added some of this to a fluffy flannel and used as a body wash. I don't know why I was surprised, but I wasn't quite expecting just how luxe and incredibly creamy the lather was. You certainly don't need too much as it really does lather up a lot and also lasts until you've scrubbed every last bit of your body. I've seen that Kathleen do a matching body oil too - and that would have really topped it off to have used some of this after my bath, to continue drinking in that beautiful scent. May have to get me some of the body oil.
Another fantastic box this month. There wasn't a single product that I didn't really enjoy using and I already feel that all the products in the box will make this month's 'Favourites' chart. In fact, let's make this post a 'September's Favourites' review post while we're at it too, because otherwise I'm only going to be repeating myself again and again and again....
The Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box is a monthly subscription service offering a selection of five full/deluxe sample sized natural beauty, skincare and makeup products.
100% natural, organic, non-toxic, eco-friendly, cruelty free, ethically sourced and often from up and coming British Indie Natural Beauty brands, the products chosen are free from Parabens, Petrochemicals, PEGs (petroleum-based compounds), silicones, Sodium Laureth or Lauryl Sulphate, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol , Synthetic Colours and Fragrances, Triclosan, Formaldehyde, Toulene, Benzophenone/PABA, Petroleum/Mineral oil, Alcohol, Urea, PEG, PG/BG, Dioxin, Aluminium, DEET, Camphor, Talc and Carmine.
A monthly subscription costs £21.00 + £3.95 p+p BUY HERE
The theme of this month's box is 'Serenity'. And once again, the curation of this box encompasses that mood perfectly. I don't think you need me to tell you just how important self-care is to your well-being. I used to not really fully appreciate the oft-repeated advice of "Do something good for yourself - take a long bath, walk through the woods, read a good book etc" (except maybe the walking through the woods part - that's always been my go-to 'feel good' panacea). But now I'm realising that all those off-the-shelf drugstore products that I would use in my body care routines in the past may well have done the job in a utilitarian fashion but they can be pretty soul-less. Artificial scents can be cloying and even sometimes jarring and dissonant with your body. I'm certainly noticing that natural scents from essential oils have much more powerful connection with not only my skin, but my mind also. 'Serenity' is the perfect encapsulation of these products and it also frames the turning of the season from summer into Autumn perfectly too!
Pure Thoughts - Serenity Pulse Point Roll
Full size received/ £8.00 for 9ml BUY HERE
I was instantly drawn to this pulse point oil, even more so when I opened it and applied some to my wrists - the scent of geranium and orange is just perfect. Geranium essential oil has been used for thousands of years for it's skin-healing properties and also for it's ability to improve mental and emotional health. Predominately used as an alleviant of anxiety and stress-related issues, it's also good for hormonal imbalances and is used for menopausal relief. Orange essential oil is another great oil for calming and is a mild sedative. So it's no wonder that these two together can bring such an instant calming effect. I've found myself applying this regularly to my wrists and temples, not only for it's soothing properties but also because the scent makes it a great perfume oil too!
A.S Apothecary Body Elixir #33
Size Received 25ml/ £65 for 200ml BUY HERE
Apparently this was the 'sneek peak' shown on Instagram. I think I may have 'La la la-ed, I'm not listening!' when this was revealed as I didn't want to spoil the anticipation of opening the box when it came. Or I'd forgotten about it. Either way, this still turned out to be a very exciting surprise when I saw the inclusion of this in the box as it's a brand that I've really, really wanted to try and I'm incredibly grateful that I've got the chance!
Body Elixir #33 is a body oil made from a selection of plant oils chosen for their ability to work in perfect harmony with the skin. Jojoba oil mimics our skin's natural sebum; Grapeseed and Peach Kernel Oils are lightweight oils but very moisturising and from A.S Apothecary's own plants - the healing oils of Calendula, Hypericum and Rosehip; Borage and Pumpkin Oils are included for their anti-inflammatory and moisturising properties.
And the scent! The scent is perfume-worthy in it's own right. Sensual, sultry and exotic - it reminds me of the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, and anything that can do that will instantly win my heart! Top, heart and base notes of Rose for its cooling scent; Bergamot for its complex fresh citrus note; Labdanum for its earthy richness; Clary Sage for clarity and Benzoin for a balanced sweetness.
This oil sinks into your skin beautifully, and luckily, a little goes a long way. Luckily for me because I don't ever want this body oil to run out and also because the full price cost of £65 is, unfortunately, out of my reach prise-wise. Another reason why I was so happy to be able to try out this stunning body elixir.
O-Moi Denmark - The All-In-One Balm
Size Received 10ml/£15.00 for 10ml/£56.00 for 50ml BUY HERE
O-Moi is another brand that has only very recently shown up on my radar. The name O-Moi is a contraction of the French "Oh Moi" which is grounded in the philosophy of self care. The All-In-One Balm was the first formulation that the founder of O-Moi, the beautifully-named Kristele Sun, devised. So, I'm very happy to try their core product and always happy to have a multi-purpose balm by my side!
The balm won the Best Multi-Tasking Balm by the British Shortlist Beauty Awards 2017.
It has the unmistakable scent of Neroli and Lavender, and although a fragrance-free version is available, I will always choose the scented version of a product, particularly when the scent is this delicious!
I've been using the balm on one particularly dry and cracked elbow and even within a couple of days, the painful and itchy cracked skin has started to heal already. The balm turns to oil on contact with your warm skin and so there's plenty enough to soothe my gnarly elbow and then use the excess on my cuticles and nails. This balm is also supposed to be great for split ends, so I will definitely be trying it out as this is something that my long, thick, dyed hair really suffers from.
Bella Aura Skincare - Gentle Purifying Cleanser and Night Cellular Renewal
Size Received 2 x 10ml/RRP £24.00 Bella Aura
Another brand name that has recently shown up on my radar but I hadn't actually seen any of their product range before. Bella Aura is a Canadian clean, luxury skincare brand that blends modern science with ancient spiritual knowledge drawn from Berber, Chinese and Mediterranean herbal medicine traditions. Sounds intriguing, right? I love their concept of ' Powerful Traditions - Proven Science - Pure Glow'.
The Gentle Purifying Cleanser is a very delicate, silky creamy lotion cleanser which aims to energize, purify and replenish your skin. it does this by helping your skin detox from the environmental effects accumulated during the day; cleansing your skin whilst protecting your natural moisture barrier and contains no soap or harsh chemicals; and replenishes the skin with the inclusion of organic botanicals, keeping it soft and smooth.
It certainly is a beautifully gentle cleanser, key ingredients include Argan Oil, Prickly Pear Oil (I think this is hands down, my favourite oil), Neroli (aha! this is why it's smells so good!) and Nigella Sativa.
I'll be honest, when I see a night product, my heart tends to sink a little as this invariably means a product that is uber rich and heavy and can leave my skin feeling overladen and slightly claustrophobic. But the Night Cellular Renewal surprised me in that it has the same creamy runny lotion consistency as the cleanser. It's texture is definitely more of a milky serum type rather than a heavier cream and so this is obviously a good start for me personally. And my god, it's a beauty of a product! With that same beautiful Neroli scent as the cleanser, this is so silky smooth and beautiful to apply but with a real deep intention within. It's only been a few days since I've been using this so any long term results aren't obvious but this feels so good and right! It's presently kind of knocked the last steps of my usual nigh time routine a bit out of kilter. I'd usually end with an oil/and or moisturising cream but after applying the Night Cellular Renewal recently, my skin has told me "That'll do! I think we're good ending it right here!". And we've all got to take more notice of what our skin tells us. Certainly, my skin in the morning, continuing with it's previous conversation, tells me "See? I did say that was all you needed, didn't I?" and I can acknowledge that when I awake feeling smooth, soft and deeply replenished. This is really, really beautiful stuff!
Kathleen Natural - Tranquil Fields Bubble Bath & Shower Gel
Full Size Received/ £18.00 for 150ml BUY HERE
The final item is from a brand who I'd not heard of before. Kathleen Natural is a luxurious and high-performance skin care brand, based in Leamington Spa, using all natural and organic ingredients.
Included in this month's box is 'Tranquil Fields' - a bubble bath and shower gel product. With top notes of Lavender, heart notes of Frankincense and base notes of Vanilla, it smells absolutely beautiful (but would you expect anything less with those ingredients?!).
This turned up just at the same time that our shower decided to break down and our bath is a mammoth Jacuzzi-bath monster which takes about three years to fill (and costs the earth in water and electricity!). But there was no way that I was going to wait to try this out so I cranked up the Jacuzzi-bath monster and looked forward to one of those types of baths you see in the Sunday supplements!
The scent released was just stunning - serene, sensual and had a pleasing spicy warmth too. I also added some of this to a fluffy flannel and used as a body wash. I don't know why I was surprised, but I wasn't quite expecting just how luxe and incredibly creamy the lather was. You certainly don't need too much as it really does lather up a lot and also lasts until you've scrubbed every last bit of your body. I've seen that Kathleen do a matching body oil too - and that would have really topped it off to have used some of this after my bath, to continue drinking in that beautiful scent. May have to get me some of the body oil.
Another fantastic box this month. There wasn't a single product that I didn't really enjoy using and I already feel that all the products in the box will make this month's 'Favourites' chart. In fact, let's make this post a 'September's Favourites' review post while we're at it too, because otherwise I'm only going to be repeating myself again and again and again....
Comments
Post a Comment