8 Uses for Vaseline.

Hello lovely readers! 

Just got back from camping in France for two weeks and have had a wonderful time. The only Beauty product I ended up picking up was a hand cream by Biopha, which i'm excited to use and review at some point!

Today's blog post is based on using up old beauty products. As I have made the transition to natural/organic products, things get left behind. And in my case, I have had quite a few things that have been sitting around. I hate to waste money and think it makes more sense to use up your old products rather than throwing a whole product away. Therefore I try to find other uses for some things I want to finish, and then it means I can find a natural alternative!!

So Vaseline is obviously petroleum, something that isn't good for you. But nearly everybody probably has a tin/tub lying around. I took some on holiday with me, and found 8 great uses for it, which means the tin is almost empty now!

1. Lips- This is the first and most obvious one and the reason people probably own Vaseline. It is a good  balm that nourishes your lips.  I have to say though, I don't think it is the worlds best lip balm. There are definitely better ones out there!

2. Rough Patches- Simply massage it into rough parts of your body! Elbows, knees etc etc. It will sink in nicely and leave the dry parts much softer!

3. Eyelashes- Rub a tiny bit in to your eyelashes before bed, and your eyelashes will become more soft, fluttery and conditioned!

4. Foot Balm- Cover your feet in Vaseline and put some soft socks on before you go to sleep. Your feet will feel much smoother and soft when you wake up!

5. Highlighter- Use on your face as a highlighter. Put on your cheekbones, brow bone, cupids bow and nose to create a natural glow! (Just don't put too much on!)

6. Nails- Massage into your hands and around the nail beds to strengthen and condition the nails to make them strong and healthy!

7. Sun Burn- Rub a little into sunburn to give the dry flakiness some intense moisture. Put lots on before bed and the skin will look better in the morning! I did this a lot when I was on holiday!

8. Shaving- Apply to legs and using a disposable razor, shave. I suggest a disposable razor simply because the razor can get clogged with the Vaseline (nice, i know!) But its a great one if you can't do a wet shave. Massage the remaining Vaseline into your skin and your will have soft smooth legs! I wouldn't suggest this to people with very sensitive legs though. 

I hope these have inspired you to find alternative uses for your old beauty products. Its surprising how quickly you can get things used up! 

Thanks for reading. I can't wait to get some more blog posts up soon!

My Holiday Items

This weekend i'm going on holiday so as I was packing, I thought it might be nice to show you all what natural and organic products i'm taking with me. I'm going camping in France for two weeks, so as you can imagine, it gets tricky trying to decide what to take. I would love to roll up to the campsite with just a toothbrush and flannel, but unfortunately, my hair and face does not agree with that idea! We will be in a tent, won't have much access to electricity and will be using campsite showers and so I have tried to think carefully about exactly what I will want and need with me! 

I have divided the products in to three categories: Hair, Make up and Skin care.

MAKE UP

I have been using a lot of Lily Lolo Make up over the last 8 months or so, and really been liking it(review to come). I have chosen to take the foundation, blush, and two concealers.(one green and one normal). Brush wise, I have chosen my Lily Lolo kabuki brush, and a blush brush, concealer brush, eyebrow/eyelash groomer and eye shadow brush which are all by Ecotools. The only non natural and organic make up I am taking are eye shadow and mascara and possibly a bronzer as I have not managed to find any alternatives which do as good a job so far. BUT I am really hoping to try some French natural and organic make up, so if you have any recommendations, let me know! 

HAIR

Can you tell which brand i'm using a lot of at the moment?! TK MAXX are currently selling the TIGI Love Peace and The Planet range at great prices, so I have been collecting up a little army of products. I am taking the Shampoo, Conditioner, Volumiser & Thickener, and Body & Waves Styling Mist with me. Plus the Naked style Frizz Fighter. The Frizz Fighter, Volumiser & Thickener and Body & Waves Styling Mist should be enough to control my hair so it can air-dry naturally but still look nice! The only other hair items I am taking are dry shampoo and hair accessories and a brush. Reviews will be coming of all the products i'm currently trying out at the moment!

SKIN CARE

As i'm prone to breakouts, I didn't want to substitute any of my skin care as my skin is being really good at the moment. Therefore i'm taking the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser with the 2 muslin cloths, White Rose Soaps Rose Water, and the Skinfood New Zealand Cleans All Cleanser and Nourishing Moisturiser. I will decant the Rose Water into something easier to travel with as its in a glass bottle! The Skinfood cleanser can be used with cotton wool and I plan on using that on the evenings where i'm feeling lazy! Like said before, there will be reviews on all the products mentioned!

So that's what i'm taking with me. I will also be using the lovely soap by White Rose Soaps to wash with. I'm not sure if it will seem a lot to you or not much considering I will be camping and won't be using hot tools to style my hair and so on! I have managed to make a big transition to natural and organic products, and am using very little that isn't natural nowadays which is great. 

So I will be back to blogging in just over two weeks so stay tuned for more reviews and blog posts. I hope this post was interesting and that you enjoyed reading it! 

Au revoir! 

x

Une Natural Beauty Overview & Mini Products Reviews

This year, I have been testing out Une Natural Beauty Cosmetics. I have collected up a  few of their products over the last few months, so I am going to do a brand overview and mini reviews of the products I have tried.

Une are a natural beauty brand created by the same company as Bourjois. Their ingredients are about 98%-100% organic and natural. The prices range from about £4.99 - £11.99. They are of course free from parabens, sillicones, pthalates and petrochemicals. So of course I was happy to see the products are available in both Boots and Superdrug, (instore and online!)  

The products I have tried are:

Skin-Glow Foundation in G02

Skin-Echo Concealer in E01

All in One Mascara in A01(BLACK)

Sfumato Eyes Shadow in S02

Casual Matt Colour in M06

The packaging is simple and white. With the colour of the products clearly visible and all the closures are secure and won't fall of in your make up bag. Some products, such as the eye shadows, have mirrors on the front which is a good useful feature, even if mine is always dirty! I do have to admit that I sometimes pick up my old boots Natural Collection mascara by accident thinking its the same as the Une Mascara, I think the Natural Collection packaging looks cheap, so I think Une need to be careful not to make there's too similar!

So what are the products like?

SKIN-GLOW FOUNDATION

I chose the colour G02 as it was winter so I was paler. I have mixed feelings about this foundation. Firstly, it's a very light coverage. This is great for people with naturally great skin, but for me, it doesn't cover up scarring and breakouts at all. The foundation does give me a glow, which is nice as my other foundation is matt. Because it doesn't have silicones in, the foundation can be difficult to get used too. You have to work with it quickly, and I find the best way to apply it is with the hands, doing sections of the face one of the time. I think you also need a really good moisturiser to give it a good base to apply onto. It doesn't sit very well on spots either. So as said before, I think people with clearer skin would like this foundation a lot more. You can also feel the foundation sitting on your skin, even if you use a tiny amount, but this is simply due to the fact that it's not full of chemicals to give you that second skin feeling.

I do like the foundation when I'm having a 'good skin day' and want a glow but it is not a foundation I would use on a daily basis. It gives me a lovely healthy glow which I do really like. I probably wouldn't repurchase this product but would try out Une's other foundations.

Rating: 6.5/10

SKIN-ECHO CONCEALER

Next up, the Skin-Echo concealer (shade E01). Probably my least favourite product out of the lot. This concealer, doesn't really conceal. It just slides off any breakouts. I have found its best use is under the eyes.  Like the foundation, you have to work quickly and build it up in small amounts. There is not much else to really say about the product. It didn't really impress me but I have been able to find another use for it as an under eye concealer.

Rating: 4/10

ALL IN ONE MASCARA

As you know from previous posts, I haven't had much luck finding a great natural mascara. I have used this All in One Mascara quite a lot, and it has been a very good everyday mascara. All in One would suggest Volume, Length and Curl. I don't really think it does all three. I think it adds a nice length but doesn't hold the curl. It also adds a bit of thickness to my eyelashes which is good, but I wouldn't rely on this mascara for an evening look. I actually really like the mascara wand and application. The mascara lasts well and doesn't really smudge around my eyes. A pretty good everyday mascara but not a 'wow product'.

Rating: 7/10

SFUMATO EYES SHADOW

The product I have used the most is the powder eye shadow in S02. As the photo below shows, I have pretty much used every bit of it up. The eye shadow colour was chosen for an everyday base colour for my eyes. I use with a brush to sweep over my eyelids to give a even natural colour on my eyes. As the swatch shows, it is not very pigmented, so I had to use much more product to get the effect I wanted. I did like the eye shadow but think I need to try a different darker shade to really see how the colour looks and lasts on the eyes, as this colour is so natural, it's hard to give a really reliable review. 

So I would repurchase this eye shadow, and think they should bring out some trio palettes for the perfect neutral everyday eye shadow look.

Rating: 7/10

CASUAL MATT COLOUR

I don't wear many lipsticks/tints/glosses as I have a quite naturally pigmented colour lip. So it's been nice trying out this lip product. The name describes it quite well. A casual matt colour added to your lips. The product is described as a light veil of colour which I think is true. Its not like a normal lipstick and I like to dab it on with my finger tips for a natural finish. The colour seems to stay on my lips for about 30-45 mins, and truthfully I don't know if that is a short amount of time for a lip product, as I'm much more of a lip balm kind of girl! I think you do need a good lip balm under this product as when the colour fades, the colour starts to stick to the dry bits of your lips, not a nice look! I really like the colour of this product though and would like to try some of the other shades. So with moisturised lips, this product is pretty good and one of my favourite products that I have tried from Une.

Rating: 8/10

IN CONCLUSION

I think there are some good products from Une, and like many other brands, some products that I think are disappointing. I would still like to try some of their other range, such as the blush, mineral foundation, lip-toned products and some other eye-shadow shades. Their brushes also look good, so it would interesting to try those too! 

I don't love the brand, but I like it. Its affordable, accessible and has a great range of products in good shades.

My overall rating for Une Natural Beauty Cosmetics: 7/10

 Have any of you tried Une Products, and if so what did you think?

Burt's Bees Colour Keeper Shampoo Review

I have another shampoo review for you today, and this one is the Burt's Bees Colour Keeper Green Tea & Fennel Seed Shampoo. 

When I finished my Naked Shampoo, I decided to purchase a different brand to see what else is out there. I went for Burt's Bees, as it is another brand found on the high street and is accessible to lots of people. This shampoo is £9.99, which is over double what I payed for the Naked shampoo. So I was hoping that paying more means your hair is softer and shinier and just lovely!

I have already talked about the company and what Burt's Bees offer in my Honey Lip Balm Review, so I'm going to get straight on with reviewing the shampoo!

The Verdict

I have to say, I really like this product. It smelt gorgeous, really refreshing when you have just woken up. If you like the sweet strawberry type smells in your shampoo then you might not be as keen but I found it a very pleasant smell!

The bottle contains 350ml which is quite a good amount of product. I did find I needed more shampoo than usual, even compared to other natural shampoos. This meant the product went down a bit quicker then I would have liked. However it still lasted ages. I bought it in Easter time and only finished it in June. I only need  to wash my hair about twice a week so the shampoo lasted well! 

This shampoo made my hair very silky smooth and always left my hair feeling really clean. I would be interested to see how my hair felt using Burt's Bees conditioner with it too. I just used one of my other Natural conditioners as I couldn't bring myself to spend about £20 on shampoo and conditioner. 

On the bottle it says it will keep your hair vibrant and shiny. I dye my hair with semi-permanent dye, and the colour has been fading anyway, but I think the shampoo helped keep it a nice colour. The ingredients include Jewelweed Extract which is supposed to help lock the colour in, and the Green Tea helps protect the hair from the sun rays. My hair also looked shiny and healthy, so the product does what it says on the bottle!

So, I have really liked this shampoo and it gave great results. The only negative is the price. £9.99 might not seem to much, but I wouldn't want to get into a regular habit of paying that plus more for conditioner. I think there are others on the market which are cheaper and produce great results too. As I am going to university in September, I will be even more eager to find affordable but excellent natural and organic beauty products! 

I would repurchase this product as a treat to myself and think it is a wonderful shampoo.

My overall rating for Burt's Bees Colour Keeper Shampoo: 9/10

Can you recommend any good natural/organic hair care brands that I can get in the UK? 

Neal's Yard Remedies Eye Liner Review

Hello! Hope you are all well and hi to my new followers :)

Eye Liner is next on my list of make up items that are an easy switch from high street to natural and organic. I received the Neal's Yard Remedies Eye Liner free with Elle Magazine a couple months back and have been testing it out since. The colour is black but the website only sells their 3 colours; Slate, Oak and Midnight. The colour of my eye liner was an exclusive for Elle UK readers! I was very happy to receive this eye liner because I have been aware of Neal's Yard Remedies for a while but have not had a chance to test out their products. 

They are an English brand who have been creating and selling organic products for 30 years. Their website says:

At Neal's Yard Remedies, we're driven by the passionate belief that health and beauty should be more natural, less synthetic. This passion, and our firm belief that it's down to all of us to protect our precious planet, is at the heart of everything we do.

As expected, nothing is tested on animals and they are CarbonNeutral®. They have won countless awards and really are one of the leading organic health and beauty brands in the UK.

The eye liners are 37% organic and certified by the Soil Association. NYR say the eye liner is ultra smooth and glides on with the antioxidant and organic rich blends. It will gently moisturise  and protect delicate skin without dragging and pulling. The packaging is lovely with a navy paper like finish and silver writing.  

As this picture shows I have drawn two lines on my hand using the eye liner. The first one is how it applies normally, the second when it has been smudged. 

How do I like it?

 I think the eye liner does apply very nicely, I have never been the neatest when it comes to applying my eye liner, I always get the line wonky, but I do find that this eye liner is very easy to work with! It doesn't smudge very easily when it is applied which is great however I think it is not very long lasting. It seems to fade quite quickly. I also find that you have to apply 2 layers of liner to get the colour to be more opaque. But one layer is fine for me because I like the more natural look anyway! It is smooth without being to soft which is really good and the pencil doesn't break every time I try to sharpen it!

I have been happy with the eye liner and think it is reasonably priced at £9.50 considering the brand you are buying and the quality of the product. I would consider purchasing another one of their eye liners(in the colour  Oak) and would definitely recommend this product and brand to anybody else looking for an organic eye liner. 

My overall rating for Neal's Yard Remedies Eye Liner: 7/10

Lavera Volume Mascara Review

Today's blog post is looking into natural mascaras, and in particular Lavera Volume Mascara. 

I feel like I never have much luck with mascara. My natural eyelashes and rather straight and short, and the main things I choose to look for in a mascara is curl and volume. Finding that perfect mascara can sometimes be difficult, plus I'm looking for one that is natural or organic too! 

I personally don't think there is too much being offered with natural/organic mascaras in the UK which are affordable and easy to buy. I generally don't want to spend much more than £10 on my mascara.

Naturisimo is a great website because it has a vast range of brands and products with free UK delivery. I had heard some good things about the brand Lavera so decided to give their mascara a go! 

I bought the Volume Mascara for £10.90 for Naturisimo in the colour Black. The packaging says 'For natural, full-looking eyelashes' so I expected to have a subtle volume for everyday use. Naturismo also gave a description of the mascara on their website:

'Lavera Volume mascara with a shaping brush adds lasting volume and length to lashes for beautiful, bright eyes. Easy to use and with precision application, the brush glides through lashes for a bewitchingly silky finish. Carefully selected oils, such as organic sea-buckthorn oil, and organic jojoba wax nourish the lashes, while adding structure and shine. Dermatologically and ophthalmologically tested, suitable for contact lens wearers.'

So what's the verdict?

Unfortunately, I have not been very impressed with this mascara. It has a great wand for applying the product to your eyelashes, and it has a good application. However, after applying a couple coats onto my eyelashes, I could not really tell I was wearing any mascara. It did not give any volume or length, the only thing it did was made my eyelashes slightly darker, something which I guess would be good for somebody who didn't want to look like they had any make up on. One thing I did like was that you could easily reapply the mascara, as it was not clumpy or dry on my eyelashes, and it didn't appear to flake onto my under-eye area either (something which is useful for contact lens wearers). Another negative point was that the mascara smells like gin to me, which is not something I want to be smelling when I have just woken up in the morning!

Overall I would not re-purchase the mascara and can't see myself using the rest of my current one up. Although it was a nice application, and gave me smooth eyelashes, it didn't add any volume or length to my lashes, which for me defeats the purpose of using mascara. I would only recommend it to people who possibly have very light coloured eyelashes and don't want to look like they are wearing any make-up.

 I hope to find the perfect natural/organic mascara soon, has anybody got any recommendations?

My overall rating for Lavera Volume Mascara: 4/10

Dead Sea Spa Magik Rich Moisturiser Review

Finding a good moisturiser is a hard job! You want something that is perfect for your skin type, glides on smoothly, sinks in quickly, creates a good base for your make up, and most importantly moisturisers your skin!! On top of all that, I am on the lookout for a natural/organic moisturiser which will tick all these boxes.

So how does Dead Sea Spa Magik's Rich Moisturiser do on the test?

I bought this from Holland And Barrett for £7.29. You get 75ml of product, which I don't think is too bad for the price. It is certified organic and has minerals such as Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium in it. There were a few ingredients on the list that I was unsure about, but searching on cosmetic databases have shown that that they come under the category of little to no hazard to you. 

Features of this moisturiser include:

*Light, non greasy

*Good for dry skin

*Corrects moisture balance

*Good make up base

*Contains UVA & UVB Protection

Feel Unique describes it as 'A nourishing moisturiser to re-hydrate and protect, leaving your skin remarkably supple and radiant.'

So how did I like the product?

Firstly the packaging looks like something you might buy in a spa, they have made the products look more expensive than they actually are. When using the moisturiser, I used about a pea sized amount, I have found you really don't need too much!

The moisturiser is white and creamy. It smells lovely and fresh but I can't put my finger on the scent. It glides onto my skin really smoothly and sinks in very quickly. I think this really great because sometimes you have to wait 5 mins for your moisturiser to sink in before getting your make up on! My skin does feel soft and even after using this moisturiser which then means it is a good base for my make up. It hasn't made my skin break out which is a big thumbs up, but I don't think it makes my skin radiant like it claims too! Another positive is that I like that it has UVA & UVB protection in it. 

So in conclusion I think this is a very good moisturiser and I am interested in trying some of their other products. There is very little that I can say is bad about this product, however I am still interested in trying more moisturisers! I would definitely recommend this anybody interested in organic skincare who has normal to dry skin. It is affordable and a really good moisturiser!

My overall rating for Dead Sea Spa Magik Rich Moisturiser: 9/10