Monday, November 27, 2017

Shopping My Stash #3 (November 2017)



Hi Lovelies,



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

green life in dublin
Shopping my green beauty stash #3


So, these series of posts where I tend to use what I have versus shopping for new products, aka shop my own stash, has proven to be one of the most viewed posts, so I think it struck a chord with you too. The idea is simple, pick products from your own stash and try to use as much as you can during the month, with a goal to finish some of them off. This is not necessarily a repeat of favourites posts, as some items are used to be used and won't be repurchased. I am always clear about that and the reasons why, and I hope you appreciate that.



Green Life In Dublin
Green Beauty Samples

Samples

I posted this post on my IG a little while ago in a bid to publicly shame myself into using them up or doing something about them! This photo you see right here is about 1/10th of the samples I have to go through, and it is proving to be difficult to use them up - in our busy day to day life I tend to grab trusty favourites versus wanting to try anything new, and I find myself not wearing make up most of the time. I need to try harder. But these sneaky thingies are making babies when I am not looking, I swear! 


Green Life In Dublin
Amazing green beauty balms

Mahalo Balms

I was a lucky duck to win one of those rare Mahalo giveaways a year ago, and I had the pleasure to use three products from the range. While two of them are long gone (and in my "to repurchase" list in my head) I still have the original Mahalo Balm which is nearing a year and technically past the use-by date (don't try this at home, kids!), so I am very aware it might spoil very soon. So I need to go through this pretty soon. I also acquired a full size of Rare Indigo balm that was half full via green beauty swap with Italian blogger, and I only have about half a teaspoon left. I treat it like it is made of gold or something, it is so so precious to me, as it is amazing for my dermatitis prone skin! I will cry tears of a crocodile when it is gone, when both of them will be gone I should say. Between the two of them I will only repurchase one, and even that at a stretch - they are wildly out of my price range. All Mahalo range will be a permanent fixture in my stash once I will come into money. That is one brand worth splashing out for.



Green Life In Dublin
Pacifica Dreamlit brightener and Transdecent concealer


Pacifica Under Eye Brightener in Dreamlit and Concealer in Light

These I got via LLABP as I was so curious to try them for the longest time ever. I hit major pan or Ere Perez concealer I loved many months previously, and I fancied a change. Yes, I read countless reviews on these Pacifica products and knew these are probably not the fullest coverage and that they crease. And guess what? They are light coverage and they do crease. Now it is your moment to say "I told you so!" I guess I should have paid the attention to the reviews and just re-order the trusty fave. But all is not lost, the concealer went to my daughter who doesn't have as much of under eye darkness as I do, so she will probably use it up. And I will keep the Dreamlit as the colour match is actually pretty good for me - it is a bit more salmon-y in colour and that works well for canceling the blue. One swipe does not cover all I want to cover, and two layers tend to crease pretty quickly, so what I started doing with this, I put one layer or Dreamlit on and then I put  Alima Pure powdered concealer on top, which didn't impress me either, but as a combo, this seems to be working well. The powder concealer sets the liquidy Dreamlit as well as giving some extra coverage I need. If you don't have bad undereye darkness like I do, please be my guest, these might be your best products? Link here.




Lotus Wei Infinite Love

This too I treated like a liquid gold - it smells amazing and for me, this flower remedy works like magic - I really feel the difference when I use Lotus Wei products versus when I don't. And they somewhat helped me heal my emotional traumas I endured this year. I have a full review on these wonderful flower remedies on my blog, but as it is an old post, hit the search box for it. I am very sad to say I will no longer buy these - I can't afford to. We are one income family, so my play budget in next to non existent, so to splash out of flower remedies is an ultimate extravagance that only few people get. Lotus Wei products prices went up twice since my review came out, and now they are definitely out of my reach. I can only afford a couple of luxury products per year, and obviously I will choose Mahalo Rare Indigo versus this. I am very sad to let Lotus Wei go, and I will definitely resume them once I will come into money.



Nyr Hand Cream


This is the hand cream I am using exclusively for the last two years. Wonderful company, the cream works great, but at the same time I am after something new. Besides I started using excess of facial oils on my hands, so after finishing it up, I will put this particular hand cream on hold for a little while, but I can say I recommend it if you are looking for good hand cream, you can get it from my NYR page.




Balm Balm Frankincense Hydrosol & Lip Balm


Both of these came via Love Lula beauty boxes, and despite the stinky smell of Frankincense hydrosol, I loved it enough to get the second bottle of it. I find it amazing for my dermatitis prone skin & calming inflammation. The first time I got it, I mixed it with the remains of Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator I had at a time, I found it too sweet on it's own, so they balanced each other perfectly, this time around I am embracing it on it's own. (link to buy it here) The lip balm is 100% organic, which I always appreciate. I didn't find it amazing as a lip balm, as it does not stay on as long as I would like it to, but I really liked it as a lip mask, you know, piling it on and letting it stay on for an hour or so. Get it here.


green life in dublin
Natural and nourishing lip balms that stay on the lips - Flying Wild, Hurraw, Fruu


Nourishing Lips Balms That Stay On The Lips, aka my Current Holy Grail Lip Balms 

That would be three of them - Rosemary and Honey one by Bees Flying Wild, Moon Balm by Hurraw (get it in Love Lula) - those two are tried and trusty favourites, used for years and repurchased over and over. Newer addition is Fruu, but it seems to be holding up very well too, and I am excited for this. My lips really suffer in harsh conditions, and I need something that stays on for hours. All of them are budget options, which makes me happy. What are your favourite lip balms for winter? Please share them below or join the discussion on my IG page here


So that is it for today. Don't forget to enter mine and Bloom Ocean giveaway, you still have three days to go. My followers also can enjoy discount with them with a code "greenlife" valid until the end of the year! And if you want to, you can also shop at Love Lula and get 15% off until 2nd December. I am about to make second order later today. I decided I need to get cordyceps supplement to boost my immune system. 

What are you using these days? And what did you guys get during Black Friday madness? I shopped small (and local where possible) and I am currently deciding on whether to make a blog post out of it or not - the thing is, I stocked up only on the things needed, so it would make a rather boring blog post compared to some of others. I think. We shall see.


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Lots of Love,
Renata.

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*Contains affiliate links. Thank You for using them, it is at no additional cost to you.
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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Green Beauty Black Friday Deals - EU & UK



Hi Lovelies,


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


green life in dublin
Black Friday EU & UK Green Beauty Deals


I asked the EU and UK brands and web shops what discounts they will be doing on Black Friday if any, and here's my round up for you my lovely readers! I hope you will be able to treat yourself and save a little too!

In no particular order here is the list, grouped by destination:

Ireland:

Down To Earth Dublin
10% of selected specials like DrBronners, Solgar, Bragg's, Jason, etc

Jo Browne Ireland 
20% off for the weekend, code black20

VClaire Natural Cosmetics
20% off Couleur Caramel and 20% off 3 steps Cleanse Tone Exfoliate at phytsireland.ie

Warrior Botanicals
15% off for the day and donating a portion to charity

Nourish Dublin
25% off Pai skincare and 10% off Pai gift sets

Bloom Ocean 
Buy 3 or more and get one product free, plus free delivery to Ireland for 24hrs only. My readers also get 5% off until the end of the year! Code "green life" Don't forget about my and Bloom Ocean giveaway on IG, open until the end of November 2017.


Voya 
15% off on their website

Gallaghers On The Green
offering free delivery within Ireland


Kinvara 
20% off online for entire weekend

LifeCleanse
Discounts on various products on their website


Meadows
24hrs sale on selected products

Bees Flying Wild
No specific BF sales, but I still wanted to include this brand, as it is my favourite Irish brand - and you can't beat the prices with a stick - 500ml body butter for only 18.50€! All natural and with organic ingredients where possible. 

Little Green Shop
15% off with a twist, email them to get your code.




UK:

Love Lula
15% off everything with the code FRIDAY. Valid till 2nd December and don't forget to check my my picks post here.

Neal's Yard Remedies
20% off gift sets - shop my NYR page here.

ISUN Skincare UK
Special offers via their newsletter

Inner Senses Organics 
3 for 2 sale on the website, cheapest being free

Glow Organic Brighton 
Instead of sale, they are donating 10% for WWF charity for sales throughout the weekend

Super Natural UK 
50% off on Skin & Tonic, Soapwalla and Sister & Co

Eco Beauty Crew 
15% of everything excluding sale items, code BLACKFRIDAY 

Ecovida Gifts 
20% off just for my readers running all weekend - code BFGLID207 https://ecovidagifts.com/discount/BFGLID20

Ezape Naturals
25% off every full size product and a free sample with a code BLACK25

Apothaka
In celebration of their 1st Bday they are running a sale until 30th November, no code needed, the products are already discounted on the website.

Mono Natural Oils
Offering 20% off for their "Giving Back Is The Black" campaign where they will plant a tree and give £3 for "Breakfast In The Bag" which will sponsor a breakfast for a homeless person.

Lily Lolo
15% off with a code BLACK17 - ends 24.11.17

Inner Senses Organics
3 for 2 sale on the website, cheapest being free

Content Beauty
£30+ orders get 15% off with a code HOLIDAY15
£100+ get 20% off, code HOLIDAY20

Kathy Sue-Anns
30% off for Black Friday - code KSA30 

Naturisimo
15% off all orders with a code Green15
20% off orders above 100£, code Green20

Inika.co.uk
Four days of offers starting now. Free shipping on all orders for the duration.




Willow Organic
25% off and free delivery above £40

  EU:

Dafna Skincare (Spain)
15% off and free shipping for orders above 100€

So Natural Beauty (Belgium)
20% off on Black Friday, 10% off for the following weekend and Cyber Monday. Code BLACK.

Eminessences (Belgium)
15% off code HAPPYBF15 

Curantus.de (Germany)
25% off most Pai products and 10% off Pai gift sets

Living Libations Store (Netherlands)
10% off selected products

Reina organics (Netherlands)
no specific BF sales but I would advise you to follow this lady throughout the year, she constantly does deals that are better than BF sales, like giving away Pele mask refill or Rahua full size product with orders above 200€, or full size of Well People product for orders above 100€. Plus she supports children charities all year round!

Divine Green Beauty (France)
10% one day sale with a code BLACK

Amazingy (Germany)
Up to 50% off selected products and they are planting not 1 but 2 trees for every BF order

Beautywiseshop.be (Belgium)
20% off everything and extra free gift with purchase for Thank You Farmer product(s)

My Green Brands (France)
20% off Evolve, Kahina, Trilogy and 30% off Madara

Green Soul Cosmetics (Italy)
15% off with a code "Green" 



Rest of the world:

I didn't plan on gathering info on US Black Friday sales, as I feel it is best to leave this to the bloggers who are actually based in the US! Check out my girl's Janny Organically & Gurl Gone Green posts if you are visiting from US. Jana from Smallbitsofloveliness also has some great deals that aren't necessarily EU based, so you might check it out if you are curious. Also, don't forget Danielle's, aka Crueltyfreeveganbeauty has an extensive Youtube video on that matter, with a great recommendations. Go watch it for sure, but prepare yourself for lusting after many products, haha!


That is all I could gather this year, if I missed anything, let me know! Enjoy sales and please try to support small businesses and local brands if you can xo
 
Green Life In dublin
Remember, it is not a good deal if you don't need it in the first place. Save cash today, but save the planet too!


That is all for now,

Lots of Love,
Renata. 
Green Life In Dublin
 Disclaimer: I worked hard for this post! The only affiliate links here is to Love Lula website and my NYR page - and I thank you if you will use it. It is at no additional cost to you xo

Black Friday Love Lula Picks



Hello Lovelies,



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


Green Life In Dublin
Love Lula product recommendations by Green Life In Dublin

Some of you might know I am working on Black Friday post rounding up the best deals in EU and UK, to be published very soon. So let this be a little preview of it, because guess what? Love Lula have already started their 15% off sale and it runs until December 2nd! Fabulous or what?

So I thought it would be helpful if I made a list of my favourite products and my wishlist too. I have a dermatitis prone and sensitive skin, and my scalp is more or less the same, so these products are tried and tested. I have reviews on most of the things I am recommending, and I will link them at the end of this post in the case you want to read my thoughts on them in great detail. 

Recommendations:

Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream

I've never had repurchased a cream more times! I am on my 4th or 5th tube, I don't even know, and I know for sure this is what I am definitely buying as a replacement as my BF treat to myself. Greasy looking, yes, but I never had a face cream suit my sensitive skin so well. Never any issues or major dermatitis outbreaks when I use this, in fact, the opposite it true - soothed, nourished skin anyone? I know for sure this is a repurchase for life and definitely this year's Favourite Face Cream. I freak out when I am halfway through, and order next one straight away, as I never want to be without it. What's better, this comes with two mini side kicks in Love Lula's Christmas shop, so you are getting even more stuff for your money.


 My favourite shampoo for the last half a year, and I still have about 2 cm left which I assume will give me another 6 to 8 weeks out of it. I have known about this shampoo for years but I finally splurged on it, and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed having good hair days for a change, as so many other shampoos don't work for me and give me all kinds of issues - dandruff, itchy scalp, tangly mess for the hair - this is none of those things. I didn't realise until I was about to post the review that I hadn't had any scalp issues for months! So now it is a good time to get it.




I should get my stuff together and post that Inika review! So many great products I am really enjoying this line lately. I have this for about 2yrs and I am far from done! You need a pin prick amount, and what I love the most about it, it's that it lasts all day - it is there until you are ready to take it off. Great universally flattering shade too, not too pink, not too golden. Definitely getting it again, but at the moment it seems to be out of stock - whoopsie! Keep your eyes peeled - if you love Modern Minerals Moonstone highlighter, this is very similar, but better :) 




Really enjoying this nude/ brown shade, that came in the November Love Lula Beauty Box. I am not someone who switches to dark or berry lips for autumn and winter, so I am sure I will get loads of wear out of it. You can see swatches and how it looks on in the picture. 

Inika Naked Kiss Lipstick swatch




This is really impressive mascara - it gives you length, volume (not too much though) and you can build it up nicely, all of which I like. It also doesn't flake, and I have it since August. Definitely a contender for repurchasing and I will talk more about it in the upcoming Inika review. 




Really great full coverage moisturising concealer. Sticky, yes, but it does not crease and I really enjoyed it for the last few months. See the review in the link down below. Great if you need to hide tiredness in a pinch.




It is one of the Nars Orgasm natural dupes I am enjoying at the moment. I will link that post down below as well - I worked very hard on that post to find you natural dupes, and I list more than twenty! 




Really recommend it for everyone, and especially for my sensitive skin gals - very gentle and natural way to wash your face and exfoliate. A must. 




I am yet to review this despite using the product for over two years. This I use as my face SPF, but bear in mind it is not a specific sunblock product, it is a moisturiser with SPF. Good for city, but I wouldn't rely on it for sun holidays.The only face SPF product not to break me out or have a white cast, and that's why I continue to use it.




Another product I am using for well over two years and don't have a review on! This is different in texture than regular Hurraw balms, I find it stays on better, and I love lovely vanilla scent too. Definitely recommend if you haven't tried it. I use it all year round as my nightly lip balm, but when autumn and winter rolls around, I use it for day too - for the reason mentioned above, it stays in your lips when so many other lip balms fail. 




This I recommend purely because it is one of my top three natural Perfumes - so deep and sensual with Tobacco, Amber, Vanilla and Sandalwood notes. Exactly how I like my Perfumes to be. I do realize Perfumes are highly personal, so I am suggesting you try a sample first. You might be interested in a sample kit?




Great very natural and very affordable product that is very well loved and used in our house. Lasts a long time, has only paper box for packaging - great product if you are keen to move into less waste lifestyle. Can replace shaving product and I heard a ton of great reviews using this as a face wash for acne prone skin too. 



Green Life In Dublin
Love Lula Wishlist

Wishlist:



Living Nature Manuka Honey Gel

I have had a few samples of this and I am finally ready to commit to a full size of it! Really amazing at healing all kinds of skin boo boos from scrapes to zits, and I really like the clean ingredients too. Just like with Rahua shampoo, I will probably have to hide it from my hubs, who uses stuff at a blink-and-you-will-miss-it rate. Shh, don't tell.

  

Well, since it is a wishlist, I am allowed to go all out with my wishes, am I? Probiotic skincare intrigues me to no end, and I am very keen to explore this line soon. Uber pricy, but this is my fantasy wish list, and 15% would bring significant savings in this case. Other products are less expensive, but serum is one of the two areas I would splurge on, so that is why I am including this. 




I am not sure how I feel about using peat on my face, but the pull is greater than push, so expect me to get (and review) these products soon. 





Baobab is one of the things that is calling my name, and what can I say, all things baobab, come this way please 💕 starting with this shampoo. I have my eye on this shampoo (and others from this range too) for a little while now, but I want to finish my Rahua before getting anything else. Trying not to have too many open products at once.




As someone with face dermatitis I am naturally keen to try this product. The only thing that is stopping me is high price point, even though it has a myriad of glowing reviews. We shall see. 




This line started calling my name recently, I checked the ingredients of everything and was very impressed - very natural. Price point is affordable, so I am intrigued to see if the products are good. I am waiting to finish some of the products I currently own, and these will be next.



Despite this brand being available on our side of the pond for months now, I am yet to try it. All down to not wanting of overflow of products at any given time. But let me say this - Acure, I have my eye on you baby! When the time is right, I will start with shampoo, conditioner and this intriguing sounding overnight mask called fluff. I am coming for ya!


Ren anti redness serum & mask 

Ren is the brand I sort of boycotted for a while because of the phenoxyethanol in every single product, but let me tell you this, it is increasingly hard to find a product that is NOT using this preservative novadays, so I had to throw my hands in the air. Besides samples I had worked wonders on the redness and my dermatitis patch, I need to have both products in my life. 


RMS Lipstick. Or Two

Enough said.


So that is it, my post for today. I hope it will be helpful to you to choose products from the vast majority Love Lula carries. 



On Your Marks! Ready, Steady, Go Shop Now!!


Love Lula Black Friday Sale


Tata for now! Let me know what will you be getting?

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Lots Of Love,
Renata.
Green Life In Dublin
 Disclaimer: This post features my honest recommendations, real wishlist and affiliate link. Thank You for using it.


 

Monday, November 20, 2017

Green Life In Dublin & Ocean Bloom giveaway!



Hello Lovelies,


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

Green Life In Dublin & Ocean Bloom Giveaway
  
I am really excited to present you with a GIVEAWAY!!

I am partnering with Ocean Bloom, an Irish brand from Cork for a giveaway. One of you will win a set of organic skincare, which consists of Oil No9 (fabulous ingredients!) and Seaweed & Whipped Shea Hand & Body Butter.
The giveaway will be run on my IG page here, so make sure to hop over there. The rules are really simple:

✅ Follow me and Ocean Bloom on Instagram

✅ Tag three friends in the comments


That's it for mandatory entry, but you can earn extra entries by doing one or all of the following:

✅ Following me and the brand on other social media platforms, aka Facebook, Twitter, etc. Mine can be found at the end of this post, and visit Ocean Bloom website to find the links to theirs. Make sure to let us know about it!

✅ Tagging more friends after mandatory three. One extra entry for one friend tagged, all in separate comments please.

✅ Reposting the giveaway picture on your own page will give you 10 extra entries. Please add hashtag #greenlifeindublinoceanbloomgiveaway and have your account public on 30th of November, which is the day the giveaway ends.

The winner is announced the following day, 1st of December 2017.


Now for boring, but necessary bits - please read the rules carefully in order to be qualified to enter, I had loads of people tagging friends without tagging mandatory three in the first place, and those entries won't count I am afraid. So remember to tag three friends first, and then go to town :) Please don't follow and immediately unfollow after the giveaway is over, those accounts will be banned from my future giveaways.

The giveaway is open to residents of Ireland and Northern Ireland from 20th to 30th November 2017 as per brand's wishes. If you are younger than 18yr, please have your parents permission to enter. This giveaway is not associated with IG in any shape or form.  

Can't wait, won't wait? Shop at OceanBloom.ie and get 5% off with my code "greenlife", valid until the end of this year.

Ocean Bloom is a natural Irish brand who uses seaweed in their skincare, and that is what exactly drew me to try the brand. Review to come in the following weeks, I will be very happy to expand my Irish Series of the blog.

P.s. Please make my day and subscribe and share this or any of my blog posts on social media. Thank You! It really helps to get the green beauty word out.
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube
The best of luck to everyone entering! 
Tata for now,
Lots of Love,
Renata.

Disclaimer, so we are in the clear. I am not paid to do this, nor I get anything from the code. It is all for you guys, because I love my followers.