Shopping My Stash #1

Hello Lovelies,



Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

Green beauty things I am loving Fall/Autumn 2017

With your permission I will start a new monthly segment in my blog called “Shopping My Stash” where I will list five to seven natural beauty products I am reaching for everyday. This isn't just another version of Favourites post, as the items won't necessarily be faves, some of them I will be using to use it up, and I will always be clear about it. So it will be a mixture of new things, trusty faves and things I want to use up for some reason or another. I don't know about you, but new things are always My Favourite Things, especially when it comes to make up or fashion items, and I tend to either wear them to death or fall out of love with them after some time, hence they don't always make it into my Faves, which I post quarterly. No? Just me then 😊

OK, let's start, shall we? Let's see what I'm reaching for in September.

DrHauschka Rose Day Cream 

Amazing moisturiser for my uber sensitive and dermatitis prone skin. I’ve resisted for ages but now that I have it, I am so loving it! Review to come soon, and I feel this will be a repurchase for life. Wish it would be slightly cheaper though. It's £30.50 for 30ml in Love Lula, link.
*Update a few weeks later. Review can be found here and I am so impressed with this cream, it was repurchased at least five times in this year alone. And it made into 2017 Best Products, no less! 

Ere Perez Arnica Concealer in Light 

I have a review on this if you want to see, link here. Stocked in Love Lula, it's £16 for whopping 10gr. I was told this duo is being discontinued and is replaced by single colour pots, but at this moment I can still see it for sale in Love Lula. I love this concealer - sticky, yes, but it gives me much needed full coverage for under eyes, and the darker color in the duo is what I’ve used the most. I hit pan on it about two months ago and am well on the way of finishing it, but one eagle eyed lady informed me that the new single pots contain propylene carbonate, I checked the ingredient on EWG and it rates at 1, but I am yet to research it further and see if I am OK with it or not. My second option is to go back to Hynt Beauty Duo Perfecting Concealer, which is also full coverage concealer I am in love with, but it tends to crease a bit more. I am torn. Help please! 

Glossworks Nail and Cuticle Oil

This came in Love Lula August Beauty Box - while everyone else got Glossworks nail polish and 3in1 top coat, they couldn't ship it to me due to health and safety reasons (how frustrating!) so I got this nail and cuticle oil instead. At first I didn't think I'd get much use or pleasure using it, but I find reaching it for it every single evening! Which is surprising to me, because for one, I don't paint my nails on a regular basis, nor I purchase separate product for cuticles - so far I used to use any random oil I happened to have on hand at a time. Now I have a proper product. It's £12 for 9ml in Love Lula.


Rahua Voluminous Shampoo 

Post Living Libations True Blue Spirulina shampoo, this I am trying next to see how they will compare and if I will like it as much. I haven't had much look with budget green beauty shampoos, so I am hoping and not so hoping I will like it. Hoping because I want to find great shampoos to recommend you guys, and I am also apprehensive because it is priced at a luxury price point - so it would be an expensive habit to keep up. (It's £28 for 275ml link here) At the moment I am hiding it from my family - way to go mama! What? I give them everything, can I just keep one thing for myself? 😁
*Update a few weeks later. I have reviewed this shampoo in detail since, and you can find it here. I have tried a couple of other natural shampoos since, but this remains a firm favourite that also made it into my 2017 Best Products post.



Madara Daily Defence Ultra Rich Balm For Skin Protection From Dryness And Extreme Weather Conditions

First of all, can you believe that's the name? Say that three times fast! Joking aside, it is a good balm I can constantly using as a hand cream now I have the heating cranked up. Anyone else with the heating on? I feel Mother Nature is going crazy.. I love this balm, and I bought one more for my mom, and she raves about it too. It's £15 for 60ml, link here. It is Eco Cert certified, good ingredients, and now I want to try more from the brand! Tell me what I should try next? 


So that is all for this post, ta ta for now and see you here shortly. New posts every Monday and extra posts every week too!




           You can shop LoveLula website here.


           Or subscribe to Love Lula box here. 

           
 P.s. Please make my day and like and share this or any of my blog posts on social media. Thank You!
Follow me on my new blog Greenlifeindublin.com, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. (someday I will start making YouTube videos, promise!)

see 250+ more posts & reviews here.

Lots of Love,
Renata.

 Want to check out my skincare reviews? Click here. Interested in make up reviews? Click here. All my body care and hair care reviews live in this post. Diy inclined? Even if not, you might enjoy my super-simple-minimal-ingredients-DIYs here. You are welcome.

Disclaimer: You can't use any of my content (photos or text) without my permission first. 

I Can't Keep Calm, I Have TWO Giveaways!!

I Can't Keep Calm, I Have TWO Giveaways!! by green-life-in-dublin

Hi Lovelies!

Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

   

Who's excited for TWO giveaways? I know I am! I love my followers and I love a good giveaway. Happy to give you guys a chance to win items I truly love myself, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Hurry up because you have only three days left for ISUN Skincare UK Ormus Myst giveaway - this is open to EU residents as per brand's wishes. The review will take you to the review post, so you can see what I think of the product as well. Spoiler alert - it was love at a first spritz 💕

Second we have Luk Beautifood giveaway open worldwide, and we will have not one, but TWO winners who will get to choose their desired shade of lipstick made from real food. How exciting, right? Open until 11th October 2017. You can also see my review and the interview with the founder here.

So, we will have THREE winners in total, and I couldn't be happier about it!

The best of luck to all of you 🍀

See you here again shortly!
Want to check out my skincare reviews? Click here. Interested in make up reviews? Click here. All my body care and hair care reviews live in this post. Diy inclined? Even if not, you might enjoy my super-simple-minimal-ingredients-DIYs here. You are welcome.

Please like and share my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude! Follow me on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. (someday I will start making YouTube videos, promise!) 

Lots of Love,

Renata.

 

 

 

Wordwide Giveaway!!

Wordwide Giveaway!! by green-life-in-dublin

Hello Lovelies!

Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome  💕💕💕

Who's up for worldwide giveaway? And we will have not one, but two winners! Exciting or what?

Now, some of you might know that I reviewed these gorgeous natural lipsticks from Lukbeautifood on my blog here. Make sure to check it out, I have an interview with the founder Cindy Luken too!


And now for the fun part, the giveaway! There will be two winners who will get to select their favourite shade of lipstick. The giveaway will be open worldwide from 27 Oct to 11th Nov 2017. The giveaway will be run on my Instagram, so make sure to hop over there, I will include the link for you here.
 

The rules are really simple:

 
✅ Follow me and the brand of Instagram
✅ Tag three friends in the comments, and also tell me what country you are from.

That's it!
.
If You want to earn additional entries, you might do so by doing on of the following:

✅ Following me and the brand on any social media, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. One extra entry for this.
(make sure to let us know about it)
 ✅ Tagging more friends after mandatory three, each in separate comment please. Each extra friend tagged will give you extra entry.✅ Reposting the giveaway post on your page for 10 extra entries. Tag me and the brand in the photo, not in the comment, as that is the only way I will see it. Add #greenlifeindublinlukbeautifoodgiveaway
.
That's it. Check out my blog post to see what I think of them, and get tagging. Good luck lovelies 💕
Oh, make sure your account is public on the announcement day. Also don't follow and immediately unfollow after the giveaway - that is just not cool, and such accounts will be banned from the future giveaways.

 Please like and share my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude! Follow me on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. (someday I will start making YouTube videos, promise!) 


See you here again shortly. Ta ta for now :)

Want to check out my skincare reviews? Click here. Interested in make up reviews? Click here. All my body care and hair care reviews live in this post. Diy inclined? Even if not, you might enjoy my super-simple-minimal-ingredients-DIYs here. You are welcome.

Lots of Love

Renata.

 

Only Three Days Left To Enter The Giveaway!

Only Three Days Left To Enter The Giveaway! by green-life-in-dublin 

Hi Lovelies!

Welcome back! Just a quick reminder that you have three days to enter mine and Isun Skincare UK giveaway. All the deets here. This link will take you to my Instagram page, which is where I am running the giveaway. You can also check the matching review blog post here.

Good luck and have a lovely day 💕 

Please subscribe and share my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude! Follow me on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. (someday I will start making YouTube videos, promise!) 


See you here again shortly. Ta ta for now :)

Want to check out my skincare reviews? Click here. Interested in make up reviews? Click here. All my body care and hair care reviews live in this post. Diy inclined? Even if not, you might enjoy my super-simple-minimal-ingredients-DIYs here. You are welcome.

Lots of Love

Renata.

  

Review of Luk Beautifood Lipsticks and Interview With The Founder Cindy Luken

Hi Lovelies,


Welcome back, and if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

Luk Beautifood lipsticks

Today I wanted to review something I touched on in my Summer 2017 Favourites post, beautiful lipsticks made from real food, aka Luk Beautifood. They came all the way from Australia, and I received Peach Melon, which is gorgeous Peach, and Chai Shimmer, which is equally lovely shimmery gold. You will see them swatched below, as well as my honest thoughts on them. All that, and the interview with the founder, Cindy Luken - I am so happy to present it to you!

But first let's look at LukBeautifood brand, shall we? 

This ethical, holistic & cruelty free brand makes their products in Australia with ethical buying in mind, as well as using recyclable materials. Their mission is to give every woman the opportunity to cultivate her natural beauty without compromising her health and wellbeing with outdated chemically formulated cosmetics and time consuming beauty practices.
The products are made with a potent mix of active foods that feed your skin with nutrients, hydration and protective antioxidants + anti-inflammatories while actively contributing to your health and wellbeing.
TOXIN FREE: They don’t use toxic ingredients that are known endocrine disruptors, carcinogenic or linked to cancer* including preservatives, phthalates, petrochemicals, synthetic colours and fragrance.
100% NATURAL – they don’t use synthetic ingredients. At lük beautifood they make every effort we can to ensure our products leave the smallest footprint possible. Products are not tested on animals and are proudly made in Australia following the guidelines for COLIPA & TQM systems.
lük products are modern, multi-purpose and multisensory to create a super-nourishing, guilt-free and joyful experience every time.
* Evidence based research by EWG / Skin Deep, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

As I already mentioned, the products are made from food grade ingredients, meaning organic cold pressed oils, minerals, essential oils and so on. The lipsticks are gluten free, which gives more choice to those who have to avoid it (hooray or what?) and certainly do not contain any toxic ingredients in form of anything synthetic or petrochemical derived. They even come wrapped in a beautiful cloth which is meant to be recycled as a cleaning cloth. I find it too pretty to be using it that way, but I am not sure what I will do with it either, so for now they are sitting there waiting for my inspiration. And did I mention the lipsticks come in twelve shades? And that they've been featured in InStyle magazine?

LukBeautifood lipsticks

Shall we look at the ingredients?
Although they don't list ingredients for every single lipstick on their website, I poked around their blog and found a list of what they are made of, and here it is: beeswax (sorry my vegan readers), mineral, fruit and vegetable pigments, coconut, avocado, sesame seed oils and cocoa butter, as well as castor seed oil (no wonder they feel so moisturising), rosemary and some other essential oils and vitamin E. 

Swatches of LukBeautifood lipsticks Peach Melon and Chai Shimmer

  
What are my thoughts on them? Well, I must tell you that they don't resemble lipstick as we know it per se, they are more like lipstick-lip balm hybrid, meaning that if you want your lipstick to have that POW colour, then these might not be for you. They are very natural looking, and you have to layer them on to build up the colour, but then that's exactly why I love them - for the naturalness of them! Both in terms of nourishing natural ingredients, to how natural they look on the lips! I've mentioned this in my Summer 2017 Favourites post already, but I chose these two lipsticks over a ton of bright one I took away with me. You will feel nourishment from just one swipe. You will love those if you don't like traditional lipsticks and want your lips to look natural (hello, me!) Heck, you don't even need a mirror when applying these!






And now for the interview portion with the founder Cindy Luken. Enjoy!



💄 How did you become interested in natural and sustainable products?

That’s a great question as looking back, I’ve always lived a pretty simple and outdoorsy life and eaten healthy, nourishing foods. Interestingly. I’m drawn to well-designed items and make careful and thoughtful purchases to invest in and support the ‘maker’. My husband and I have been together for 25 years and discovering unique, beautifully designed products that are made with care and respect has taken us on an amazing journey of discovery.

I’ve never been a glossy magazine, mainstream media consumer influenced by what everyone else is doing. I have just lived from the heart - I have always found that mother nature is the most inspiring creator so let her beauty shine. From ingredients to form and function.



💄 What challenges have you faced in finding natural and eco friendly hair and skin products? I am guessing this led you to create your own line of products and opening an online shop, am I correct?

Like many others, I’ve had loads of challenges sourcing natural and eco friendly hair and skin products until now – there’s now so much choice! I’ve been lucky though, as in the late nineties I discovered the Darphin brand of skincare. It was fairly expensive then, and is still, but the simplicity and beauty of their aromatherapy philosophy has captivated me for nearly 20 years.

The products I use has changed slightly over the years as anything with water, such as moisturiser and cleanser, has chemical preservatives so I changed to Eminence Organics Jasmine & Tangerine moisturiser five years ago. Finding a replacement for the moisturiser took me a year of trialing 20 different products. After all these years, I still use the pure oils never morning – chamomile or tangerine and the purifying balm at night – I am addicted to it!

It’s a product that defines me, it’s my signature scent but better than this I am now a living case of what happens to your skin if you use clean beauty products, and eat healthy, for a long time! I turned 50 earlier this year.

Did the lead me to create my own line of products, well yes and no. I was actually looking for the ideal product to create my next business. My criteria included – must be ideal for selling online, be small so it can be shipped with free post (ie go via letter not parcel post), have a low cost of goods , have a potentially large customer base, be low risk (health wise) and, if possible tap into my skills of being a foodie/food scientist/ healthy lifestyle as I wholeheartedly believe that if you can apply your skills and passion to a product/ business then everything becomes easy to do.

By chance it was at the same time that I saw how lipstick was made whilst doing due diligence for a girlfriend looking at buying a beauty brand. It clicked that this could be ‘the product’. I looked up lipstick formulations and went ….hmm, I am a scientist and I can’t read or understand what the ingredient statement was saying. I deciphered it….and ah, waxes, oils, colours and flavours. Why on earth then are we not making lipstick from food using ingredients we can trust? It was 2006!



 
💄 What is the biggest challenge of starting and running your own company?

First is funding, working out what funds you need and where it will come from. Next is the challenge of having too many ideas and also too much to do when all of the business functions come from ‘you’ – IT, sales and marketing, financial, production, shipping and customer service. Getting your message into market is a universal challenge and what can take up the lion’s share of your time in the beginning. These challenges though bring the greatest rewards you can experience. The small wins feel like you’ve moved mountains! The big wins are incredibly satisfying.


 
💄 Have you always been eco conscious?

YES! As a kid I still remember going to a mud brick making lesson with my step-father and then building our own mud brick compost bin… that was more than 40 years ago! We put solar power in our house 25 years ago.


 
💄 What’s you long term vision for you and your brand?

For lük it’s to be seen as the brand that redefines what beauty means. For woman to embrace that natural beauty – the woman who lights up a room when she enters comes from being her true self. I want to show women that the recipe to natural beauty begins with nourishing your body and mind with healthy whole/clean food. Eating well and having a simple beauty routine is your skins best foundation and when you look good (glowing clear skin, healthy weight and vitality) you feel good.

For our product, it’s to make more makeup with food. The plan is to rollout to other categories, such as body and skincare and then go inside your body! Our products will continue to be loved and grow as a cult global beauty brand that has helped shape and redefine what beauty means by giving women confidence and choice.


 
💄 What does living a life of wellness mean to you?

1. Living in balance – work and play, family and me time, healthy whole food and morsels of deliciousness like a glass of wine with dinner every night.
2. Being conscious – of people, places and things.
3. Protecting precious resources - caring for our earth.
4. Nourishing & nurturing our bodies inside and out with natural, organic, clean, whole products.
5. Simplicity.
6. Exploration and discovery – feeding our minds.


 
💄 What makes you stand out in a sea of brands?

A fabulous product - lipstick made from food. A fresh perspective on an ancient concept. A team who believes and shares in the philosophy of natural beauty and most importantly, our community of Natural Beauties who embrace similar philosophies and who I learn so much from and share so much with in return.


 
💄 What are your top 3 favorite ingredients to work with?

Oh there are honestly are so many – but the ones I love and use daily are tangerine, camomile, to inhale and ingest, and oil (avocado and olive) to cleanse and feed my skin.


 
💄 What does your daily skin care regimen look like? What is your ideal "beauty wellbeing"?

As I was sharing earlier, in the late nineties when Jo Horgan commenced MECCA I discovered Daphin purifying balm aromatic. I also religiously use their camomile, tangerine and rose depending in the season and skin needs as well as Eminence Organics Jasmine & Tangerine moisturiser.

I use oil for pretty much everything else. I use avocado oil daily in the shower to cleanse, hydrate and soften my skin, it’s also a hero ingredient in my Lip Nourish base for the exact properties and benefits for lips. I also us olive oil to remove my 100% Pure black tea mascara.


 
💄 What changes and trends have you seen in the healthy beauty movement over the last few years?

The biggest is the sheer number of new brands. With the digital era, entry barriers to business have dropped. Now you can hang up your ‘for sale’ sign up on social media and start sharing and selling. Online courses and data rich sites help you create products, suppliers are a click away.

The healthy beauty movement is feeding off the healthy eating movement – we are at the tip of the iceberg in the beauty industry.

As for product, DIY is now a growing obsession as women pare back beauty. Anything that cleanses you inside and out is big news. The look – a healthy glow and clean smooth skin - epitomises natural beauty and living a healthy life. It shouts. I care for me.


 
💄 How can we be more conscious consumers to affect change in the beauty industry?

Two changes need to become ‘the norm’ for the conscious consumer to affect change in the beauty industry. Like all industries, it starts with challenging our consumer mind sets to ultimately change damaging consumerist practices. In response, the manufacturing practices will be challenged, eventually supplying in line with the demands of the conscious consumer.

The key all conscious consumers have is that they deeply understand the cheapest price is rarely the fairest price – on the ‘maker’ / producers or the environment. When on the journey, you can be easily overwhelmed with just how big the ‘change’ needs to be worldwide. Just know, the changes you make be it small or grand, all make a difference. At the least, if we all take self-responsibility and do what we can as we grow more conscious, that will continue to help this vital movement snowball.

www.lukbeautifood.com

Have you tried Luk lipsticks? What is your favourite? If not, what shade is calling your name? Please share with me, I would love to know.

So that is all for now, see you here again shortly. Please like and share my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude! Follow me on my new blog Greenlifeindublin.com, Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. (someday I will start making YouTube videos, promise!)

Check out 250+ more reviews & posts here.

Lots of Love,
Renata. 

 

Living Nature Thickening Mascara Review

Hi Lovelies,



Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕
 

Living Nature Thickening Mascara

How are all of you? Hope life is treating you well?

I am coming at you with another review, and we will keep it short and sweet this time, promise! As I've written about Living Nature as a brand before, it means I can skip intro to the brand portion and we can chat serious business here, aka product talk! After all that is why you are all here, isn't it? 

Joking aside, Living Nature is the brand I have a lot of respect for, and you can find me talking more about them in my Living Nature Soft Lights Illuminating Foundation review, and I still love that foundation I have to say, although I call it BB cream for light coverage.

Living Nature Thickening Mascara Review

So, let's peruse their mascara this time, shall we? It was sent to me for a review, and as I was in the market for a new fabulous natural mascara, I accepted. Did it live up to my expectations? We shall find out :)

This mascara is a Gold Award Winner of Best Mascara with Green Parent Magazine – Healthy mascara for stunning, not-to-miss eyes. Halloysite clay thickens lashes for impact without clumps or chemicals. FRAGRANCE FREE and suitable for sensitive skin and eyes, to minimise any irritation from fragrance.

Ingredients:
Aqua (water), Iron oxide (CI 77499), Ricinus communis oil (castor oil), Cellulose, Kaolin (halloysite clay), Cetearyl wheatstraw glycosides (&) cetearyl alcohol (wheat straw extract), Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, Copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax, Iron oxides (CI 77491, 77492), Jojoba esters, Cera alba (beeswax), Mel (manuka honey), Citrus grandis seed extract (grapefruit seed extract), Sclerotium gum, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Leptospermum scoparium oil (manuka oil).


As you can see, it has really natural ingredients - ever heard of manuka honey AND manuka oil in your mascara?? - and it is preserved with grapefruit seed extract instead of dreaded phenoxyethanol. Because of this it gets my vote instantly, but then again all the ingredients the company uses are really natural from what I looked around. The volumising or the thickening part is supposed to come from clay, but I have to be honest I didn't see it, no matter how many coats I applied. Sorry, just being honest. The mascara made my lashes long and separated, and it also didn't flake or smudge on me, but I didn't see any volume for all six weeks I had it. 

So for this reason I am not sure if I am getting it again - you see, my natural lashes are short and sort of invisible, so my expectations for mascara are high. On top of being all natural it has to do many things, give me length, much needed volume, do not flake, do not smudge (big pet peeves of mine), last all day, do not irritate my eyes - I could go on! In short, I want it to be like any conventional mascara, but be totally natural - the bar isn't too high, no? 
Again, joking aside, this mascara is all of those things without one detail - as I said, it does not give me volume, and I desperately need it. If your natural lashes are better than mine, or if you are not looking do-it-all mascara, or you are not looking for volume in your mascara, this could be your perfect product. And as I said, I am really impressed with the ingredients - manuka honey in your mascara, hello! 
Having said all that, as I was typing all this, I just remembered one thing that would help this no-volume problem. So I might get it again after all - I just remembered I intend to purchase Jane Iredale Lash Extender & Conditioner - I had a mini sample of it and it made any mascara (I've tested with three different ones) PHWOAR level amazing, so the combo of the two might be a winning one?

So that is my post for today. Have you tried this mascara or anything else from Living Nature? What is your favourite product? What would you suggest I try next from them?

Get it on Amazon

see 260+ posts here!

Please like and share my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude! Follow me on my new blog Greenlifeindublin.com, Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. (someday I will start making YouTube videos, promise!) 


See you here again shortly. Ta ta for now :)


 
Lots of Love,
Renata.

 Disclaimer: You can't use any of my content (pictures and text) without obtaining my permission first.

Want to check out my skincare reviews? Click here. Interested in make up reviews? Click here. All my body care and hair care reviews live in this post. Diy inclined? Even if not, you might enjoy my super-simple-minimal-ingredients-DIYs here. You are welcome.

P.s. This is a PR sample, and I am not sure if it's missing label or what is the deal with it - it looks like it has greasy finger prints on it, but I swear it came this way, the pictures were taken as soon as it came out of the box. Hopefully not all of them are like this?