Late to the Party

When the May box was announced and the theme of 'Spring' was revealed, I was (as ever) really looking forward to this box arriving. And the contents are even better than I could have hoped for! The Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box is a Bi-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 Bi-monthly subscription costs £25.00   BUY HERE This month's box contains five pr...

My favourite part of my skincare routine is double-cleansing. And although I like to try and keep my routines consistent, I do have quite a lot of products in this category so I like to have a few on the go each month. This month's choices are a mixture of favourites, a new seasonal product I've just received and some that have been open for a while and need using up! First Cleansers Lime & Lilac - Passionflower Cleansing Oil* (PR Sample) My all-time favourite cleansing oil. Whilst I feel some urgency to finish off other products that have been open for far too long, I would feel a bit bereft in I didn't get to use this a few times a week. This cleansing oil is more than just a cleanser, it's a full-on sensory experience. From the gorgeous slick of applying and massaging the oil to either dry or slightly damp skin; the glorious emulsifying action that turns the oil into a silky, milky lotion, to the way that it clears up every last scrap of makeup, daily ...

I've been making a concerted effort to get through some of the products which have been in my stash for the longest. Slowly and steadily!   WR - Will repurchase or have already repurchased. MR - May repurchase at a later date when other products have been used up first. WNR - Will not repurchase. Didn't like or didn't work for me. Or too expensive!   * Andalou Naturals - 1000 Roses Floral Toner MR This was a T.K Maxx find and I really enjoyed using this as a morning cleanser. I did have to decant it into another bottle though as the spray was far too fierce on this. Would repurchase in the future if I saw it at a lower price again.   * CosRX - Low PH Good Morning Gel Cleanser WNR Although this is an iconic cleanser for many, it was just kind of okay for me. It would have been perfect for my teenage son and I would buy him another, if only he'd actually use it!   * Naturally Thinking - Manuka Floral Water WR I actually finished thi...

Oh T.K Maxx - you've been KILLING IT recently with your offerings!   Not sure if Friday is a new delivery day, but the shelves were absolutely teeming with Dr Jart products. Seriously, my antennae were twitching as I came down the escalators into the Norwich store! Dr Jart + - Ceramidin Liquid £14.99 (rrp £33.00) Limited funds meant that I couldn't go all 'Supermarket Sweep' and pick up multiples of everything - but there was no way that I wasn't coming away empty handed. I picked up a back-up of the Ceramidin Liquid (I'm currently almost finished with a deluxe mini size of this). Also available was the Ceramidin Gel Cream (£14.99) the Ceramidin Oil Balm (£9.99 - which my mum picked up for me from another store!), the Help Me! Ceramidin Trial Kit, some Dr Jart sheet masks (only £2.99) and the Dermaclear Micro Milk Peel (£12.99).  Patyka - Cornflower Water Micellar Gel Cleanser (£4.00 RRP £24.70) and Spearmint Purifying Foaming Gel (£5.99 RRP £24.70) ...

The Look Fantastic Beauty Box is £15 per month (free P+P) Subscribe HERE   I love that this box comes so early in the month! The money gets taken from your bank account on the 1st and it's usually here by the 4th!   This month's edit is called 'Golden Goddess'.   And this box colour is my most favourite yet!   Box Design Score: 5/5   A gorgeous matte gold lid with black titling and a matte black box base. The tissue paper and shredded packaging are all black - it looks very luxe and 'sophisticated summer' rather than the usual funky neon 'young summer'.     The Reveal!      Excitement Score: 4.5/5 I recognise all the brands but have not tried them all.     * Filorga - UV Bronze After Sun Excitement Score: 4.5/5 Filorga is a brand, who I feel, always delivers. I wasn't actually aware that they had a summer range of products. This is a triple action gel-to-oil formula that calms t...

Every six months on Instagram, there is a monthly challenge where you photograph your entire skincare stash (a day for each category). And I have been partaking, because it's a great way to account for what you actually have to use up and helps to put the brakes on unnecessary spending and (hopefully) impulse buys!   Since doing the first challenge of the year back in January, I've definitely been a lot more conscious about what I'm buying and have only replaced items rather than bought extras. Obviously, I've been no angel and there have been a couple of impulse buys (plus all the items from Beauty Boxes and review items). But generally, I've been quite pleased with my progress in using up my stash first before buying more.   One major thing it has taught me is that I'm now having to pay for all those impulse buys that I made in the past couple of years as my skincare routine often includes items that I'm not particularly fond of and just need to u...

Browsing when bored - it can be a dangerous thing financially! My resistance levels are down when I'm bored and I'm less likely to have good judgement (or remember my mountainous skincare stash back at home that I need to use up first!) in what I choose or what I think I need!   This was definitely one of those spend-too-much-when-bored weeks for me. I shopped online, I walked round all the beauty halls and make up counters in town, I bid on too many things on eBay! And most of the things I bought weren't even on my wish list!   Cerave - Foaming Cleanser - £9.00 for 236ml - Buy at Boots   This actually was one of the items that had been on my wish list as soon as I heard that it would finally be available in the UK (Boots now stock this range as from earlier this month). So many people on Instagram chose this as one of their all-time favourite cleansers. This was something I listened to, because usually when people pick their holy grail items online, th...

It's been a couple of months since there have been enough products to tempt me into ordering a Latest in Beauty Box. But recently there was a run of Jurlique products on offer and my interest was well and truly piqued!   I opted for the Beauty Enthusiast Box - which is six items for £15.00 (inclusive of P+P) BUY HERE.     No extra surprises this time and just one sample ( a tea bag!).   Jurlique Nutri-Define Refining Foaming Cleanser This applies as a lovely rich cream, which has tiny exfoliating polishing beads and then as you add a bit of water it lathers up into an intensely luxe foam. Some foams can leave your skin feeling tight and dry but this one left my skin feeling clean but moisturised too.   Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist I'd previously tried out a small sample of this mist and loved it. Although this was a couple of years ago and at the time I didn't get the gist of the mist! Back then I thought it was a make up se...