Unboxing - Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box October 2018
And just like that, my favourite day of the month rolls around 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
This month's theme is 'Unwind'. And again, the theme and the products from the box fit perfectly with this time of the year.
October is a brilliant and beautiful month! It's a time when everyone is starting to feel ready to withdraw a little bit further and get a little hygge with it. Evenings start to get darker and the air starts to get colder but this contrasts with those bright and sunny autumnal days where the full and rich colours of the natural world fill you up with enough awe and wonder to see you through the approaching winter.
It's all about lighting scented candles. Surrounding yourself with cosy throws and warm drinks after a bracing walk in the woods or by the sea. Looking up pumpkin recipes. Having a long bath brimming with spicy scents. Really wanting a mustard coloured jumper (and if you're me, realising every year that just because you like mustard and orange colours, it doesn't mean they're going to like me!) All the stuff of a lifestyle blogger's dreams!
Enough scene-setting already! Let's take a magical look into this month's box...
Ooooohhhhhhh!
Vee Beauty LDN - Hair & Scalp Treatment Oil
Size received 30ml. £18.95 for 100ml BUY HERE
This was this month's 'sneak peak' reveal and I was really happy about that as it was actually on my wish list!
Vee Beauty LDN is a brand that I'm very familiar with having tried (and loved) several of her products previously. Vee is an absolute beauty of a woman both inside and out. She's extremely helpful and knowledgeable and always has time for her customers. I'd actually discussed with her earlier this year about using this hair and scalp treatment oil and had decided at the time that it might not be a product that I needed. However, in recent months I couldn't help noticing the amount of hair that would be left on the comb or brush when brushing my hair out after shampooing - honestly, it was enough to make a nest for a tiny bird each time. I've got long, incredibly thick hair and lots of it, so this amount of hair loss hasn't been noticeable, but I'm sure it's not right! So I started to think back on all the great reviews that Vee was getting for this oil where people mentioned hair strengthening and less hair loss and so it was something I was planning to buy in the near future.
This hair oil is made with an astounding 12 different oils, all known for their hair boosting properties - Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Cold Pressed Castor Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Black Seed Oil, Baobab Oil, Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil, Rosemary Oil, Cedarwood Oil and Peppermint Oil.
Vee recommends to use up to three times a week and if possible to leave on overnight. Drop the oil onto your scalp directly from the pipette and massage in with slow, deep circular movements and then massage the oil to the ends of your hair.
I used this for the first time on an evening when I knew that I would be swimming early the next morning. It was very pleasurable massaging this into my scalp as I watched the TV and my family commented on the gorgeous scent. I had to use a fair bit to get through my thick hair, but I was surprised that my hair didn't look or feel excessively oily - I'm guessing that the dry ends really drank it up! I wasn't worried about making my pillow oily either, it just wasn't that sort of oiliness. The next day in the shower after swimming, I shampooed my hair as I usually would. I did think that I might need to shampoo twice but after the first shampoo, I couldn't feel any oily residue so I just went ahead with my conditioner. I let my hair dry naturally (as I usually do) which can take a few hours to really dry in this way, and I kept an eye to see if my hair was behaving any differently to how it usually does after my regular routine. Even after first use I noticed an instant difference when my hair was fully dry - it wasn't as puffy and fluffy (I don't usually use any styling or taming products) but neither was it lank. It just looked a whole lot healthier than usual and certainly less dry on the ends. I'm looking forward to see what this can do after longer-term use.
No Secrets - Number 4 Sensual & Calming Shower Cream
Size received 30ml - £25.00 for 250ml BUY HERE
And finally, another brand that I hadn't heard of before. No Secrets is a British brand who make 100% vegan and natural products. I love how they are completely transparent with their ingredients (follow the link above to see the full ingredients and explanations for the Number 4 Shower Cream) and it's actually a very informative and interesting read to see how a product can be successfully made from naturally occurring ingredients.
I am always in awe of how people manage to mix essentials oils together to create an absolutely unique scent and the scent of number 4, blending Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Neroli, Patchouli and Lavender is a really beautiful and unique scent.
So far, I've just been taking deep joyful inhalations of this product straight from the bottle! But I'm looking forward to showering with this soon.
Another fantastic box, with three out of the five products that were from brands I'd not heard of before. Paula never fails to amaze me just how brilliantly she 'reads' the months and seasons and curates the boxes so that the products fit so perfectly into the themes. What will she do for November? I can't wait to find out...
Size received 30ml. £18.95 for 100ml BUY HERE
This was this month's 'sneak peak' reveal and I was really happy about that as it was actually on my wish list!
Vee Beauty LDN is a brand that I'm very familiar with having tried (and loved) several of her products previously. Vee is an absolute beauty of a woman both inside and out. She's extremely helpful and knowledgeable and always has time for her customers. I'd actually discussed with her earlier this year about using this hair and scalp treatment oil and had decided at the time that it might not be a product that I needed. However, in recent months I couldn't help noticing the amount of hair that would be left on the comb or brush when brushing my hair out after shampooing - honestly, it was enough to make a nest for a tiny bird each time. I've got long, incredibly thick hair and lots of it, so this amount of hair loss hasn't been noticeable, but I'm sure it's not right! So I started to think back on all the great reviews that Vee was getting for this oil where people mentioned hair strengthening and less hair loss and so it was something I was planning to buy in the near future.
This hair oil is made with an astounding 12 different oils, all known for their hair boosting properties - Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Cold Pressed Castor Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Black Seed Oil, Baobab Oil, Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil, Rosemary Oil, Cedarwood Oil and Peppermint Oil.
Vee recommends to use up to three times a week and if possible to leave on overnight. Drop the oil onto your scalp directly from the pipette and massage in with slow, deep circular movements and then massage the oil to the ends of your hair.
I used this for the first time on an evening when I knew that I would be swimming early the next morning. It was very pleasurable massaging this into my scalp as I watched the TV and my family commented on the gorgeous scent. I had to use a fair bit to get through my thick hair, but I was surprised that my hair didn't look or feel excessively oily - I'm guessing that the dry ends really drank it up! I wasn't worried about making my pillow oily either, it just wasn't that sort of oiliness. The next day in the shower after swimming, I shampooed my hair as I usually would. I did think that I might need to shampoo twice but after the first shampoo, I couldn't feel any oily residue so I just went ahead with my conditioner. I let my hair dry naturally (as I usually do) which can take a few hours to really dry in this way, and I kept an eye to see if my hair was behaving any differently to how it usually does after my regular routine. Even after first use I noticed an instant difference when my hair was fully dry - it wasn't as puffy and fluffy (I don't usually use any styling or taming products) but neither was it lank. It just looked a whole lot healthier than usual and certainly less dry on the ends. I'm looking forward to see what this can do after longer-term use.
Butter Bar Soapery - Soothe Bath Salts
Size Received 40g (RRP £5.00) £14.00 for 300g BUY HERE
So happy to see an inclusion of a Butter Bar Soapery product after declaring the Butter Bar Soapery Revive Body Polish (from the Skin Organics August box) to be my most favourite body product and scent EVER!!
These bath salts contain Lavender, Pink Clay, Rosehip Oil & Coconut Milk so you can pretty much guarantee a luxurious bathing event lies ahead! We're going away for a short break in a couple of weeks, so I'm saving the bath salts for then.
Ethically Organic - Anti-Aging Facial Oil
Size Received 15ml -£14.00 for 15ml/£28 for 30ml BUY HERE
I've not heard of Ethically Organic as a brand before so I'm always happy to get the chance to try out new-to-me British brands. And always happy to try out another facial oil too!
This one is an anti-aging facial oil which contains omega 3,6 and 9 and Vitamins A,D and E combined with Beta Carotene - all free radical fighting antioxidants. Also includes Frankincense which has properties to tackle fine lines and wrinkles.
I've tried this out just once so far but I'm really, really liking what I've experienced already! This is a really light and dry oil which sinks in beautifully without leaving any residue. I woke up the next morning to beautifully soft and nourished skin. I'd usually use a facial oil at night, but actually, this could well be light enough to use in the day, under makeup. I'm going to try it in my next morning routine.
It has a very faint scent, and although I'm usually all about the loud scents, this is actually rather clever as a subtle scent. There is no one discernible scent that comes through but it somehow smells like a woodland walk! It's very strange but really very evocative and I'm not sure I can fully explain it. But because it's fungi season, we've been spending a lot of time at floor level in the woods amongst fallen leaves when fungi-spotting and this oil's scent is really evocative of a forest floor! So it absolutely captures the essence of the season for me.
EDIT* I had previously mentioned that the writing on the label was too small for me to read, but having been in contact with Ethically Organic, I now feel it's only fair to retract that moan! Ethically Organic are committed to reducing packaging and waste, therefore they don't have any outer packaging to print their ingredients and information on to. Manufacturing guidelines (and good ethical practice) mean that transparency is essential, so the information has to all fit onto the bottle label (and don't forget this is the smaller size bottle - hence writing has to be smaller to fit!).
The Wild Mix - Blue Camo Cooling Mask
£26.00 for 120g BUY HERE
Another brand I haven't heard of before so I checked out their website. The Wild Mix was founded by Becky Stanley, who was a holistic massage practitioner before turning her hand to making natural skincare from pure native ingredients. I was instantly drawn to her thoughts on minimal skincare - "You won't find a long list of ingredients in these products. Nature provides an abundance of potent minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and plant actives in a single ingredient; there is no need to add more to create skin care that is effective, luxurious and contributes to your natural beauty and well-being."
YES! I love this!
This is an exclusive sized Blue Camo Cooling Mask made especially for the Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box.
The mask contains wild Cornish Kaolin for radiance and revitialising; Coconut milk powder which is moisturising and rich in lauric acid and vitamins B, C & E; French Lavender for the treatment of acne, reducing scarring and boosting cell renewal whilst also promoting relaxation; Blue Camomile, which is perfect for sensitive skin and Cucumber Glycerol extract which soothes and cools under eye bags and can help reduce dark circles.
I've tried this once so far but am quite irritated with myself as I added far too much liquid (I used rosewater rather than plain water) and I didn't get a good mask consistency - too runny in places with little balls of product that I couldn't get to mix!
However, despite my lame mixing skills I could tell that this was a great mask - I absolutely loved how soft the coconut milk powder left my skin feeling and it was an incredibly soothing masking experience. Just hoping that I get it right next time!
Size received 30ml - £25.00 for 250ml BUY HERE
And finally, another brand that I hadn't heard of before. No Secrets is a British brand who make 100% vegan and natural products. I love how they are completely transparent with their ingredients (follow the link above to see the full ingredients and explanations for the Number 4 Shower Cream) and it's actually a very informative and interesting read to see how a product can be successfully made from naturally occurring ingredients.
I am always in awe of how people manage to mix essentials oils together to create an absolutely unique scent and the scent of number 4, blending Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Neroli, Patchouli and Lavender is a really beautiful and unique scent.
So far, I've just been taking deep joyful inhalations of this product straight from the bottle! But I'm looking forward to showering with this soon.
Another fantastic box, with three out of the five products that were from brands I'd not heard of before. Paula never fails to amaze me just how brilliantly she 'reads' the months and seasons and curates the boxes so that the products fit so perfectly into the themes. What will she do for November? I can't wait to find out...
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