Nudge Boutique Brand Review

Nudge Boutique

 

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* These products were gifted. Links are not affiliated. All views are my own.

 

About Nudge Boutique

 

Nudge Boutique is a luxury, handmade natural skincare brand, based in North Norfolk.

Brand owner and formulator, Jo Klassen, created Nudge Boutique as an age positive brand to " help women re-nourish their skin and reclaim their sense of wellbeing during a time when midlife hormones change the physiology of their skin and challenge their sense of wellbeing".

 

I started to notice Nudge Boutique on Instagram a few months ago and my interest was piqued initially because they are a local brand and also because of the use of Norfolk Saffron in their products. I was very eager to find out more but I kept missing out when the brand was showcasing at local events. I finally got to meet up with Jo in person when she had a stall at an event in central Norwich, where she invited me to come and meet up and try out her products.

It was a pleasure to meet Jo and we sat chatting for a couple of hours. I told that her that my own personal obsession with skincare, and more recently, natural skincare, came about through a need to take some time for myself by indulging in some extra self-care. Interestingly, Jo told me that she had been a Integrative Therapeutic Therapist, Life Coach and Relationship Trainer and that introducing self-care through natural skincare and body care to her clients had been so well received that she eventually turned her hobby into a business, formulating and producing her own natural skincare and body care range.
 

 

Currently, Nudge Boutique offer a range of three products, the Body Butter and Facial Oil Serum are also available in travel sizes.

The benefits of Saffron in skincare

 Saffron has long been used in skincare and healthcare in the Middle and Near East, but due to it's extremely high price, it's not an ingredient that is usually found in western skincare.

The threads of the Crocus Sativus are mostly known for being used as a culinary ingredient. Saffron contains an amazing amount of minerals - Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Selenium and Zinc. It also contains Vitamins A, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3) and Vitamin C. If that's not all, it's also rich in antioxidants. See Nudge Boutique Ingredients page for the complete lowdown on all the skincare benefits that this amazing spice offers. 

But it doesn't stop at the threads.
Usually, the Saffron petals are discarded after harvest, as they seemingly have no intrinsic value as a culinary ingredient. However, Jo decided to rescue them from being composted, to see if she could utilise them in her skincare. Once dried, the petals turn a deep blue and have a lovely scent of their own. They don't mix well with water though - so Jo decided to use the dried petals in her Saffron Glow Cleansing Clay Mask (see below).

Let's take a look at the range:

 

Saffron Glow Facial Oil Serum
£11.25 for 5ml/ £45.00 for 20ml

Starting with my favourite product from the brand and one of my favourite skincare products of 2018 (in fact, of all time!).
The Saffron Glow Facial Oil Serum is one of the most beautiful facial oils I have ever tried (see my skinventory posts - I've tried many!). I'm thinking this is down to the inclusion of Virgin Prickly Pear Oil, Organic Rosehip Seed Oil and Olive Squalane - which have consistently been the saviour oils for skin. All of these oils are deeply nourishing, absorb quickly and leave your skin feeling beautifully soft, hydrated and plump.
The oils are rich in carotenoids which can help with hyperpigmentation caused by sun damage and aging and can brighten skin and even skin tone.
But on top of that, this facial oil serum gives the most remarkable glowing, dewy, radiant natural complexion, which is why I mostly opt to use it in my morning skincare routine. I'm certainly going to make best use of radiant skin as a base before applying makeup! In fact, the glow has been so good, that I've frequently chosen to forego the makeup, so confident have I been with the way this serum makes my skin look.

So what makes this magic happen?

As well as the blend of the best oils, I think it must be down to the Norfolk Saffron Threads. In Ayurvedic skincare, saffron threads are used for skin lightening, so this would account for the amazing brightening qualities of the serum.
I suffer from broken capillaries on my nose, chin and cheeks which can make me look a bit red with uneven skin tone. After using this serum I definitely notice the evening-out of my complexion - enough for me to not necessarily have to cover my skin with concealer and foundation.
 

Just look at that beautiful rich colour!

 

Full ingredients:
 Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Squalane, *Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil, *Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil,* Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, *Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, *Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Crocus Sativus Stigma Extract, **Citral, **Farnesol,** Geraniol,** Limonene, **Linalool
 *Organic
**Found naturally in essential oils

 

 

 

Saffron Glow Cleansing Clay Mask

£39.00 for 40g

 

This is the product which uses the usually discarded saffron petals. It's the saffron petals which give it the gorgeous icy blue colour - like moonlight on snow!

Housed in a beautiful dark Miron glass jar, all of Nudge Boutique's products are presented so beautifully and really add to the opulence of these products.

If you have dry skin and think that clay masks are not suitable for your skin type, the Saffron Glow Cleansing Mask has the addition of Organic Tapioca Starch, which is a brilliant skin softener. Along with the British Kaolin Clay, Zinc Oxide and Saffron Petals, the mask is scented with Sweet Orange Oil and Frangipani. This mask is ideal for deeply purifying and cleansing the skin as well as leaving your skin feel soft.

 

I often have problems mixing clay masks - I tend to go a bit heavy handed with the liquid additions and end up with a runny, lumpy mix which does the job, but doesn't give that same satisfaction as a smooth clay mask application. But even at my most heavy-handed, this mask seems a lot easier to mix than others and so far, I've been rewarded with a rich and creamy clay paste.

I usually mix the clay with rosewater, but feeling a little adventurous, I have tried it with Apple Cider Vinegar too, which gave a more intense masking experience! Just be careful to not go too near your eyes if you're using Apple Cider Vinegar - the fumes alone will make them water!

 

 

I leave the mask on for the recommended ten minutes (generally spritzing just once to keep the mask from drying out too much). After removal, my skin is so much clearer, brighter and softer. Again, I'm thinking it's the inclusion of the Saffron petals which leave my skin glowing and healthy.

Jo recently posted on Instagram showing herself using the clay mask on her neck (and my God, she's got aaamaaazing skin - a fabulous endorsement for her products if ever you needed one!).  I'd never even considered masking my neck before, although I do take it below the chin. So I tried out neck-masking and was really pleased at the results. I have the most pigmentation on my neck and using the mask in this way really brightened that area up no end. It's certainly something I'll be continuing with in the future.

 

Full ingredients:

Kaolin, Tapioca Starch, CI 77947, Crocus Sativus Flower, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Plumeria Acutifolia Flower Extract, Limonene  

 

 

 

Kokum Body Boost Butter

£10 for 20g/£30 for 60g

 

The Kokum Body Boost Butter is made with four types of sumptuous butters - Kokum Butter, Murmuru Butter, Cocoa Butter and Mango Butter. These butters are great for all skin types but were chosen to provide nourishment for age related dry skin, sun damaged skin and extra dry skin. The butters are blended with Olive Squalane, Rosehip Oil and Sea Buckthorn and is fragranced with May Chang and Pink Grapefruit.

 

This is definitely not your run of the mill 'slap it on after a shower' body butter. This is seriously luxurious, sensuous, full-on pampering Spa-at-home body care! This is top-shelf, save-for-best body care! Although you won't actually need to use it infrequently for fear of running out because this body butter really stretches - you only need a tiny amount for your whole body (even me, and I've certainly got a whole lot o' body!!)

 

I don't know where to start first - the scent or texture - as both are just completely heavenly! The butter is quite solid in the jar (particularly in my house in the winter) but it absolutely melts into the most gloriously silky, balmy butter as soon as it touches your skin. Incredibly oppulent and a real joy to use.

And the scent! Ohhh - the May Chang and Pink Grapefruit scent is just exquisite, and it lingers too - not in an overpowering, strident manner but in a blissful, unobtrusive way where you'll keep noticing it gently from time to time throughout the day.

 

I've only been using this throughout the winter so far and it's been ideal for feeding my winter skin. But I'm also looking forward to using it in the summer where I might actually start showing a bit of leg as it's fantastic for making your skin look glowing and healthy.

 
Full ingredients:
Garcinia Indica Seed Butter,
 *Cocos Nucifera Oil, *Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed  Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Squalane,
*Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil, **Isoamyl Laurate, *Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, ***Isoamyl Cocoate, *Tapioca Starch, *Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, *Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool – naturally occurring in essential oils *organic **derived from sugar ***derived from coconut