Shopping My Stash #3 (November 2017)

Hi Lovelies,



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

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 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! 

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.

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.

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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Things I am loving Fall 2017

Hello Lovelies,

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

I have to be honest here and say this post almost didn't happen. Some of you might be aware I went through some terrible times recently, for the second time this year (seriously, I can't wait for this year to be over!) so I I feel down in the dumps, fighting really had not to spiral down the depression route and going through the whole spectrum of emotions. Needles to say I didn't think I am enjoying ANYTHING at the moment, but having looked around I saw there are some things that bring me joy, so I thought I'd share it with you. FIY, this post isn't product heavy, so if you want, you can exit it now, no hard feelings, promise.

In no particular order, here are a few of the things I enjoyed recently. And there will be one thing I didn't enjoy, to put it mildly, but I will leave it to the end. It takes a lot for me to bitch, most of the time I let things wash over me, but I have to say something here.

Being By The Sea

I don't know how to explain it, but it brings me healing and the peace of mind like nothing else. So I am drawn to it like a moth to the flame, and I am sure I am not alone. I once read sea vibrates at the same frequency as a human in a deeply relaxed state, so there is something behind it. It just brings peace and calmness to my soul, and I really wish I could live by the sea, that is my ultimate dream.

Mandalas

These have drawn me in big time, I can't even explain why. I have a lot saved in my Pinterest board, as well as my Instagram, and what can I say, all the adult colouring books with mandalas, come this way please!

Reading 

This is a all the time favourite activity, and although I am falling way behind 10-books-a-month habit, the best book I've read recently is Self Heal by Jill Rosemarie Davies. Unfortunately it is out of print for some time, so I am searching high and low to buy it second hand. The one I've read came from the library. It is a complete home guide to natural healing, herbs and nutrition. All the things I am interested in!

Vegan foods

Let's just say the eating/food situation is kinda difficult in our house - I often find myself cooking four different dinners! You see, I spoilt my family too much by cooking everything from scratch for years, and with four different eating plans, it takes it's toll sometimes. My husband is meat-is-the-best-vegetable kind of guy, my elder daughter is vegetarian who won't eat fish either, I myself have to be GF (gluten free) DF (dairy free) and sugar free as much as possible to stay dermatitis free; and my youngest is the fussiest eater you can find. So in order to simplify my life I now cook vegan meals most of the time, and let my hubby add meat to it should he fancy it, but I am pleased to say we buy less and less meat, which I am thrilled about. I am yet to make my hubs to watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives or any other similar movie - he refuses full stop. I asked nicely, left loaded movies on his laptop, sent him links and so on an forth, all I have left is bully option; but then again, if he chooses to buy next to no meat, maybe I don't have to?

Love Lula Natural Beauty Club (Facebook Group)

It is a forum on Facebook, where users of natural beauty products can get advice from knowledgeable writers, from their peers and from the brand owners and formulators. More and more of you joining in the conversations, as well as the founders such as Kimberly Sayer, Dee Stein from ESSE and Ben Lyons from Lyonsleaf to the club, to name just a few. I am certainly enjoying every minute of it! Not just giving advice or sharing my reviews, but also seeing what other people (not necessarily bloggers) are buying, using and enjoying. I've been chosen the most helpful member twice, once by Love Lula, and then by members of the group, the one time they were given the chance to vote. That has definitely warmed up my heart I have to say!

Lip Balms That Would Stay On The Lips

One of them is Hurraw Moon Balm, aka their night balm. I should class this is really an All The Time Fave, and it deserves a place in the Holy Grail Products category! It's replaced before it runs out, and l freak out if I can't find it. Different texture than the rest of the Hurraw balms, with slight vanilla scent. Surely a sign of love? 
Then there's also a lip balm from my favourite Irish company that is Bees Flying Wild, their Rosemary and Honey lip balm is my saviour in winter. Must stock up soon, because I am running out of them. 
And then there's my newest discovery, Fruu balms. Not as good as the first two imo, but they stay on pretty well too.

Crocheting

As soon as the temperatures drop, I get the urge to knit or crochet something, aka create things with my hands. I love creating full stop, and this time I am continuing to make these cupcakes crocheted decorations for the Christmas tree. I will show them later on. Don't hate me for dropping C word :) 

Wool slippers

I got them for incredibly cheap last year in Lithuania in second hand store (see my thrift haul post here if you want to). 1.5€ for brand new felted wool slippers, you can't beat that, can you? Long story short, I started wearing them just now, and can't be happier about it! So warm and cosy, and who does not like feeling warm and cosy? 

Elderberry 

I managed to forage quite a bit of it this fall,  so I made tinctures and syrup. Feeling prepared for sickness season!

Hempture products

A little correction - my mum, who is battling breast cancer, enjoyed the products, not me. Hempture is an Irish company who do hemp extracts and so much more - and I am really glad about it. The more I research about cancer and the enforcement of highly expensive but very ineffective treatments of chemo and radiation when there are natural and much more effective treatments available makes my blood boil. I won't go into the details of heartbreaking journey we had this far, but I want to include this product and Irish company who do this in order to spread the message of natural cures, because a lot of people are simply not aware of it. I thought of doing a review post on Hempture, but as I am not a doctor and don't have a training in the medical field whatsoever, I don't feel I have a leg to stand on to talk about it. I am simply someone who did a bit of digging and found natural cancer treatments available and wanted to give my mom what’s best. Please visit Hempture.ie to find out more about hemp products and uses. And no, this isn't weed, it won't make you high, and it is legal within EU! 


Tea

If I had my way, I could drink it non stop, at least five cups a day! Unfortunately life gets in a way, so I make sure to drink at least one cup of green tea in the morning, and some herbals teas in the afternoon. As I am really sensitive to caffeine, I make sure to drink caffeine free versions post 2pm. One of my favourites is still the rooibos tea with turmeric, ginger and honey, aka the Drink That Helps Me Stay Well In Winter (post here) and I keep trying to add new dimensions to it all the time too, like adding some cinnamon for speeding up metabolism and adding that festive touch to it. Hey, it is my tea, and there are no rules! Another tea I love of late is camomile tea with a bit of saffron, I read some reports on it being a natural anti-depressant, so of course I have to try it! I will keep you posted on whether it works or not. 

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And for the one thing I am NOT loving, is.. Is.. the greed of one Youtuber and blogger. I have followed her for a couple of years now, and at first I loved her - she invited me to check out her channel via comment on someone else's page, and I watched all 15 videos she had at a time in one go. Everything she was talking about resonated with me, so I sort of had a fan girl moment, leaving gushing comments on her videos. Fast forward a couple of years ago, I couldn't ignore her arrogance anymore that was grating on me for some time - and the last straw that broke the deal for me was when I found out she does skincare consultations at 50$ a pop despite having no qualifications in the field whatsoever. I unsubscribed there and then. Fast forward a couple of years to bring us back to speed - last month bored out of my mind I wandered to her Youtube channel and clicked on her favourites video - and what do I hear? She has set up Patreon account so her followers could support her! Now, let's see - she works full time and thus is well able to buy her own products. Plus she is an ambassador to a well known subscription box, meaning she gets free boxes, has a endless supply of PR samples, has affiliate links all over her YT channel and website, meaning she is making extra money on the side, AND she sets up a Patreon account ON  TOP OF ALL THIS? You might know her as the "one who loves music". Correct me if I am wrong, but when enough is enough?

P.s. I am the least bitchy person, and all my friends would confirm it, so it is isn't a moan out of jealousy or something. It takes me a lot to bitch, and I simply couldn't leave this unsaid. 

So that is it for today. What are you loving this fall? Pumpkin spice lattes? Crisp fall weather? Leave a comment down below.

Kind Regards,

Renata.

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What Natural Products Does Mr. Green Life In Dublin Use?

Hi Lovelies,


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

What Mr Green Life In Dublin uses

Today I wanted to share with you what Mr. Anti Social Media Green Life In Dublin uses in his daily life. A little preview: he is such a macho man that wouldn't use ANY product at all, and when I transitioned to the "green side" many years ago, I was met with a strong resistance for many years. After a few disagreements we resorted to having "his" and "hers" products of every kind, but now I am doing happy dance, because I see that vast majority of the toxic products have vanished from the house.  I gave up arguing and trying to prove my point many years ago and just let him to come to his own conclusions, and he finally saw that "mine" natural products work just as good as their toxic counterparts, and in many cases even better! In the last two years he even started showing interest into natural products, much to my surprise, because up until that point all he used was soap, shampoo and a toothpaste. Yes, not even a moisturiser or shaving cream, nuffing! Even to this day he still does not have the two, and if I want to employ him as a (very unwilling) human test bunny, I have to chase him down to the ground and slap a cream or any other product on some body part. After some grunting and puffing he finally admits that the product was "fine", so I quietly add it to his slowly growing stash. "Fine" is usually what I get for a feedback, and if some product gets "nice", that means I can safely get a product five stars out of five! As you can guess, he is a man of a few words. Heck, he even started reading ingredients on products in the shops, and sourced one rather impressive natural medical cream on his own, so I am rather impressed! I always tell people that they don't have to get chemist degree and try to decripter every single ingredient in products - switching to natural products does not have to be super confusing and daunting task it seems at the beginning, nor you have to carry a list of bad ingredients to avoid - make it simple for yourself and look for ingredients you CAN understand (and pronounce!) and you are on the right track! And the less ingredients the product has, the better in my opinion. So I guess all that has rubbed onto him somehow. And when I once glanced at his chest of drawers and saw a nice little collection growing, I thought to myself it's probably the time to post about it. 

Shall we begin?



Burt's Bees Almond & Milk Hand Cream

This was acquired in a Holland & Barret post Christmas sale, where he took initiative to buy us a few discounted sets of Burt's Bees and DrOrganic products. Nothing of them worked apart this hand cream, so it remains to this day, although I would like him to move on from Burt's Bees - after the company sold to Clorox, it is no longer cruelty free in my mind. (no company is cruelty free if their parent isn't if you ask me). But one thing at a time, and patience is the key here.

Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo

Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash

This product was the tipping point in him switching to the green side, because this was an exact product that erased his "backne" in a matter of week, whereas it was a persistent problem for years! He wouldn't listed to me when I was telling him the root cause is SLS in his "regular" shampoo, and he was on forever search for the next pill, cream or liquid that would help. Problem sorted itself out when he found himself with no shampoo and had to use whatever was on hand, aka this Burt's Bees one, and lo behold his backne was reduced in half after using it once, and totally gone after second or third use! That quickly made him a convert, and I quietly congratulated myself on winning first battle while doing a happy dance :)



Nyr Men Purifying Face Wash

A newest addition in my husband's arsenal, I got this in my last Nyr order, and hopefully he will like enough to ask for a full size. 



Flying Wild Organic Foot Balm

A product by my favourite Irish company, I have a full review on the products here, but it seems to be discontinued now. I sent an email to the company to ask about it, about a week later still no reply. I will keep you posted on this. My husband and I enjoyed their wonderful hand balm as well (note to myself, get more soon!)



Om Botanical Eczema Relief

This is great for eczema or any kind of skin inflammation - my husband is breaking out in weird places like a back of his head, so he asked if I would have any products that would help with this. One of the things I gave him was this, and he liked it the most. He said it is great in a way that it helps the breakouts heal by reducing inflammation in the area. We are sad to see it coming to an end and he even asked how much the product costs and was sad to learn it came from US, meaning he would get those damned custom charges if he went on to re-purchase it. Wish those pesky charges went away, they drive me crazy! (they more than double the price of the product for the consumer, and the money don't go to the maker of the products either, so the only "winner" in this situation is the middlemen, not brands or people. I talk (rant) more about it here.)



Theraneem Naturals Neem Leaf & Aloe Gel 


This was bought with the intention to replace the product above, but it is no match, nor it helped much with the breakouts. Despite this, I want to try a few more products from the brand. I have my eye on the shampoo and the tooth powder I spied with my little eye. My husband stopped using this product for a while, but now that I see it can be used post shaving, I will move this product to the bathroom to be used up.




Manuka Doctor Manuka & Tea Tree Antiseptic Gel with Propolis


I first discovered the beauty of manuka and tea tree oil gel when I got a sample of it from Living Nature, it worked like magic on blemishes. That product is really wonderful and natural, but also hella expensive, so we compromised on Manuka Doctor, which is only half natural, but also costs a fraction of the price. (Me, I tend to treat those kind of products like they are worth their weight of gold and administer only when needed; my hubby can go through a tube at a blink-and-you-will miss it rate, so it makes sense to go cheaper)




Human & Kind Hand + Elbow + Foot Cream


I received this and a couple of more H&K products for a review and found them too strongly scented for me, so this product found home in my husband's stash. If he decided to repurchase it, it is easily available here, it is by Irish brand after all. 



Puressentiel Articulations & Muscles Massage Gel

This was the product my husband sourced on his own, and I have to say I am proud of him for doing so! I should mention that his is physical job involving a lot of heavy lifting, so his joints are suffering as a result. He has tried almost anything there is to try when it comes to joint products, and his verdict was that this helps far better than any conventional gel on the market. This consists of 14 essential oils in a base of turpentine, which is derived from tree resin. We are onto a second or third jar of it - I feel it will be a repurchase for life here in Casa Green Life In Dublin :)


and one more product that didn't make the cut to the main picture purely because it didn't pass the "aesthetically pleasing" test, but it is a very good product nonetheless, is:


100%Pure Organic Neem Oil

 

Organic neem oil

I am so so glad this really natural oil is available locally via some health shops - it works wonders on all kinds of skin "boo boos" - it was the only thing that helped with my daughter's diaper rash when she was little (sorry for TMI) and now it is very helpful for Mr. Green Life In Dublin breakouts, so we also constantly have it in the house. This is great for hair too, but one thing to warn you, this smells horrible! Like marinated man's socks or something. Not for everyone. We don't mind the smell because we know how good this stuff is, but if it's your first time using, you might think it is gone off - don't worry, it is supposed to be that way. Give it some time to work it's magic and you will be a convert too.

I guess I should also mention a couple more products that I notice my man steals from me, aka he likes the products, but they are technically mine - that would be Mahalo Balm or Mahalo Rare Indigo Balm, Walden Perfume in A Different Drummer and he uses whatever toothpaste or shower gel I leave in the bathroom, although the only positive comment I got from him was about Dudu-Osun Black Soap - he said he liked the versatility of it and the fact it lathers well. 
 


So that is all the news I have to report from the dark side! Let me know if you found this post interesting and if you would like to see posts like this in the future?

What is the situation in your house? Do your husbands / boyfriends like using natural products? And if you a man reading this, how natural are you with your routine? Please share with me, I would love to know.


That is all for now,
Lots of Love 💕
Renata.
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Disclaimer: this post features a mix of items bought with our own money, as well as PR products. I am very clear about it in my reviews. No affiliate links here.
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Disclaimer II: You can't use my photos or my blog text without my permission. 
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Disclaimer III: I hope  the background does not offend anyone. Decided to do something different than pretty picture with flowers in it :)

Natural Empties Winter 2017

Hello Lovelies!


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

Natural empties, Trash talk, Green Blogger's Trash, Used Up Products

Natural, organic and eco empties, green beauty empties

 Third blog post in a week, I am happy to be on the roll! First of all, congratulations to all of you on a first day of Spring! We made it! I can't express myself how happy I am the winter is over, like so so happy! And speaking of winter, let me introduce my Winter 2017 Empties post to all of you :)
You see two pictures, because there's two parts to it, the second picture you see are the empties from December, and I have to say I threw these bottles away before Christmas Eve, as not to spend Holidays with any unnecesary trash in the house. And seeing the vast amount of empties I manage to go through each season I am now starting to think I will do them monthly or bi-monthtly, as it is getting a bit ridiculous to hoard that much rubbish, plus it makes for two-miles blog post, which very few people enjoy! I mean I looove long posts and Youtube videos myself, but there are minority of us like that, most people don't have the attention span for anything longer than four minutes, let's face it, the by-product of these technology times. So in order to keep you happy and entertained, I will do shorter posts a bit more frequently. Shall we get into it?

Brands you will see in this post:
Nyr or Neal's Yard Remedies
Oreganol
100%Pure
Weleda
Andalou Naturals
Jane Iredale
Alverde
Pai
Flying Wild
Deep Steep
Urban Veda
Greenfrog Botanic
Hurraw 
and more..

Oreganol
NYR Organic Thyme and Honey Cough Syrup

100%Pure Lip Butter in Peach
Well, I am falling out of love with 100%Pure because of their extremely short shelf life - only 6 months - and the fact they don’t disclose it to people, I wish I knew that before building quite a collection! Long story short, I will only buy what I can be sure to use it within six months from them, as it is very sad to see the stuff I own expiring before my very own eyes. In fact I should toss everything I own from them at this point, but I don’t want to admit to this fact and will cling to some other products for a little while longer, sanitising them from time to time of course. Tossing a palette after only six months, barely touched? Unthinkable for me, I wasn’t raised to waste money or products, coming from a hardship beginnings, this boggles my mind.

Alverde Maximum Volume Lashes mascara
This is a German brand with very cheap prices, and this mascara was sent to me in a green beauty swap. My all the time favourite mascara is by 100%Pure (as much as I am miffing about their short shelf life, I cannot also deny the fact that some of their products are very good indeed) and this Alverde one didn’t measure to it, so as cheap as it is, I won’t be switching to it. The ingredients aren’t as good obviously, but the real deal breaker for me is the flaking, I can’t stand it at all! It started flaking very soon after the opening, and I left it for a couple of weeks because of this, and when I came back to it to test some more, it seems to be dried up and gone off, which is often the case with cheap mascaras. It also does not give me that volume and length that I love and need, this is more of an “everyday” mascara. Read = not for me.

Jane Iredale liquid eyeshadows in Brown Silk and Champagne Silk (samples)
Gorgeous colours, and these are definitely the ones I’d get if I got the full size of them, as well as Peach Silk, I love the look of it. But these dried out on me in a matter of couple days, so not sure if the product in the original packaging would be the same?

Himalayan salt x2
Used for detox bath with some camomile and/or frankincense essential oils.

100%Pure sheet mask in Caffeine x2
Love this so much, makes your skin red carpet ready! Find the review here. And I suggest you check it out, because not only I review the masks, I have a tip for you on how to make these masks to last three times longer! And I don't mean wearing the same mask over and over again :)

NYR moisturiser - Purifying Palmarosa
My current almost Holy Grail moisturiser, or one of the Holy Grails - review here.

Lotus Wei Infinite Love mist (mini)
This came as a part of mini set and was my fave from the bunch - I went on and repurchased it in anointing oil form, but that didn't work out for me - in a way that the oil is way too strong and I get headaches from it, meaning I can only use it on the lower part on the body and I can't smell its gorgeous aroma. After much talk with myself, I got a full size of the mist.

100%Pure lip butter in Peach.
I am retiring it as it is around a year old, more info on it here. Not repurchasing either, as as a lip butter it is not moisturising at all, and I found not reaching for it at all. For a while I use it for a lip and cheek stain (even though it is not designed that way, I just always test a product 37 different ways, haha. 

100%Pure Lip Caramel in Truffle
This came as a part of gift wirh purchase they did a while ago, and I just can't pull this colour off! Time to pass it up before it expires.

100%Pure BB Cream in 20
Wrong shade for me and not my ideal product, so time to pass it on to somebody who might enjoy it. I’ve enough products left, and I need to downsize a bit more if I am honest.

Magnesium spray
Amazing stuff! Most of us are deficient in it,and the only time I tried to be constant with it I saw tremendous results, I  am much less anxious, even am able to sleep for the first time in months! Everyone needs to research it. I will try to DIY it as I have magnesium flakes as it is really easy to do. If you don't want to DIY, you can get it from LoveLula, love their free worldwide shipping!

Andalou Naturals BB Cream from Brightening Line
Didn’t suit me, made my skin really itchy. Pity as this is finally avail in Ireland. So the search continues.

Pai face cream (deluxe sample)
I really wanted to love this as I adore Pai rosehip seed oil and it is one of the brands I can easily get locally. Unfortunately it broke me out every time I used it.

Pai Rosehip Oil
I really loved and raved about it at the time when I was using it, but now I found something I love even more, and that is Mahalo Vitality Elixir! It is a few times more expensive too, so I am really torn now. Pai Rosehip oil is really amazing, and what it does to the skin is amazeballs. I am sure I will repurchase it at some point, just not now, as somehow I managed to acquire more than six facial oils,way too much for one person’s needs, but I will make my best shot at trying to use them all! Accumulating all these other oils was the reason Pai oil expired on me, I sort of left for a few months, and when I came back to it, it smelled like stale fish oil or something! Definitely a sign I need to let it go.

100%Pure Lenghtening Mascara
This came in recent GWP but it already smelled of alcohol when I got it, so I have to replace it after a few short weeks. This and their Maracuja Oil mascara are my holy grail mascaras, but there is one fly in the ointment, from around 6-7 times I repurchased it, three times it came already smelling off and spoiled soon after! If your mascara smells of alcohol and not chocolate or fruits, contact them immediately asking for replacement. And don't be fooled if they will try to feed you “our mascaras have that fermented smell” line, no it bloody doesn't! And that makes me uneasy now every time I have to order a new mascara, this gamble of will-it-be-fresh-or-will-it-be-off shouldn't be happening in the first place! Why they can't be consistent with it? *Update: I decided not to repurchase it for the very same reasons. It is very sad for me, but I can't deal with this anymore. I don't have the money to constantly throw at it and I am sure I am already blacklisted as a customer since I already complained a number of times.
I reviewed it here and I am very sad to let it go since it was my favourite green mascara to date.

Pure Raspberry Seed Oil
I bought it prior to summer from a small local maker that I get my pure shea butter with. Mainly I was interested in it’s natural SPF30-50 properties, but as a face oil slash sunscreen it did not work, it is definitely an oily oil, not only it slid around my face not really sinking in, but it also made me look like an oil slick, not ideal for summer at all! I managed to make it work by mixing it with Kimberley Sayer SPF30 cream, I got it in a green beauty swap around the start of the summer too, and it worked brilliantly! Might do the same come next summer. Now it smells very badly and is cloudy, so it is time to part ways. It is one of those things where I am yet to review it, whoops!

Burt’s Bees Baby Shampoo
My hubs has taken upon himself to get this, as this is pretty much the only shampoo that works for his sensitive scalp, but he goes though it like nobody's business, a bottle per week! Since Burts Bees new-ish parent company isn't cruelty free, I am not repurchasing any new products once I am running out, but I am conflicted about this shampoo situation. You see, it took me “only” five or six years to convince him to go natural with his products (stubborn as hell, I would throw out his toxic products and replace with natural versions only to find the same done in reverse order) so imagine my happy dance when he finally went natural, until the Burts Bees sold out! Just like myself, his super sensitive scalp tolerates very few products, and this is the only shampoo that works for him. Oh, what to do, what to do? 

Almond oil.
Plain almond oil, can be used for so many different things, my main use for it is for taking my eye make up off. I often infuse it with camomile or marigold flowers too.

Dublin Herbalists Deep Sleep Baby Oil
Gorgeous smelling oil with clean ingredients, possible purchase. A review of Dublin Herbalists products is to come.

Isun Skincare Ametyst Oil (body oil)
Review of this and a couple of more products is to come. This sample was well enjoyed as it smells gorgeous and sensual,I can't even describe the scent!

Cacay oils x2
These two went into a green beauty swap and I hope the new owner will enjoy them much more than I did. I have way too much facial oils. Cacay oil is incredibly rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E and essential fatty acids. It contains more Vitamin E than Argan Oil and more Retinol (a form of Vitamin A) than Rosehip Oil. If you fancy it, LoveLula carries it (and ships for free worldwide)

Jason GF and Apricot conditioners
Again, I amassed like eight conditioners, so it is time to pass some of them on, as I wouldn't be able to use them up before they expire on me.

Cecily's body cream
Could not handle the smell to get unto it properly. It smells like toasted peanuts in toffee or caramel, so not the thing I want to smell like. On the plus side, it sank in quickly. I passed it to my friend and will wait to see what she has to say.

Clove oil. 
Mainly kept in the house for toothache reasons, but since I discovered it helps to fight flus and colds too, it was converted into a roll on and went quite quickly, but it helped a lot too! It sorted my kids persistent cough too. A definite repurchase. A staple from now on I should say.

Natracare cleansing make up wipes
Stung my skin, not a repurchase. Make up removal wipes aren't part of my routine I have to say.

Green Frog Botanic Handwash
Review here if you are interested, but not sure if I am repurchasing - I always have far to much stuff to test out.

Deep Steep Mango Papaya Argan Oil Body Lotion + Butter
Nice affordable body lotion I picked up in TKMaxx. 236ml or 8oz - it takes me ages to finish it on my own, as none of my family members use any lotions or butters. I liked both of them and will likely to repurchase them. €7 for a piece can't beat it, right? I also like the Sugar Plum for winters.

Deep Steep Argan Oil Sugar Scrub in Snowflake
Now, this I hated! And I don't usualy throw this word around easily. This might be the worst scrub I used, and it made me miss 100%Pure sugar scrub - I can't believe I am saying this, as this company isn't in my good books right now due to the shortest expiration dates and the mascara thing. 
So, back the the Deep Steep scrub, the best part of it is the smell, apart from it I don't have much positive things to say - it has too little of the scrubby bits, so it is not doing anything at all. Plus the formula is weird, it feels like shea butter, so it is kinda hard to spread and hard to wash of. Shea butter with a few scrubby bits in it, that is the best description for it. Not a repurchase for sure! Deep Steep, if you are reading this, I love you, but you need to work on this in a major way!

Flying Wild Hand, Foot and Body Balms
All finished and were enjoyed tremendously. Review here - and it is safe to say it is my fave Irish brand to date. All products I tried, I loved, and their lip balm (the green tube) with rosemary might be my fave lip balm too. The formulas are perfection and I looove the minimal ingredients the owner uses. It really proves it is possible to make safe, natural and effective products!

Flying Wild Frankincense Raw Honey May Chang Body Butter.
Again, love at first use and will definitely be a repurchase!  Review here. I know Arno came out with body butter sans any essential oils, just pure natural oils and butters with raw honey. I might want to try that first? 

Manuka Honey
Mostly used for masking - I am working on my Manuka Masks DIY post, promise! 

 Matcha x2
As with manuka, this is where my food and skincare cross over, I drank it as well as masked with it, and it will be included in the Manuka DIY Masks post.

100%Pure Honey and Virgin Coconut Restorative Shampoo
Again, I need to review this, it was one of the products I finished the whole lot before getting a chance to get the review out, Whoops!
A repurchase? Possibly yes, but not quite right away, I have around 5 new shampoos lined up.

100%Pure Aqua Boost Hydrating Mask (mini)
This came as a gift with my last order, and surprisingly they say 8ml of product is 15$ value. Didn't impress me enough to purchase the full size of it, I have many masks that work harder and give more results than this. Pass. 

Urban Veda Soothing Hydrating Toner
This was nice and I have their Brightening line toner too. Not sure if it's doing anything to my skin, as I see no visible changes since introducing it into my routine, but I like that toners bring your skin's PH where it is supposed to be, and I might keep using it.

Urban Veda Turmeric Daily Radiance Facial Wash
Bought this in LoveLula for my daughter, but after a few tries she abandoned it, and as I have have my own washes, I am passing it to my friend.

Jane Iredale D2O Hydration Spray
Really proud of myself for finishing this, for a while it looked that it will never end - and that's after months of multiple daily uses! This suited my skin better than Pommist spray in a red bottle. Review here if you want to have a look? The spray nozzle is perfect, and I might keep the bottle for that reason alone, all the sprays in the glass bottles I have seems like a garden hoses compared to this! I used to think these were overpriced, but I  changed my mind on them, they last for months and are definitely worth the money.

NYR Calendula Cleanser for dry and sensitive skin
This is the first cleanser ever to not dry out my skin, hallelujah or what? Again, I need to hurry up with the review. Definitely a repurchase when I am due my annual order. 

NYR Geranium and Orange shower gel and foaming bath
Really impressed with both products performance wise, but repurchasing them in a different scent, this does not do anything for me.

NYR Wild Rose Beauty Balm
Really enjoyed while it lasted, but the bugger expired on me before I was able to finish it off. Not repurchasing due to the spike in price since I bought it, and discovering more amazing balms.

Terra Nova Full Spectrum Multivitamin Complex
Really impressed with quality, getting them again for sure. I get mine from LoveLula, can you tell how much I love that online store? Practically everything I get is from there, and I can't recommend them enough!

Weleda Skin Food
Review here. Great natural product, repurchasing someday, but for now I have too many similar products. Once again, available at LoveLula.

Weleda Ratanhia Mouthwash concentrate. Review in the same link above, and I haven't repurchased it yet. Apart from staining my rinsing cup dark brown I am not sure what else it did? Or maybe I needed to use it for longer to see the results?

Hurraw Lip Balms - Vanilla and Moon Balms
One of the best out there, definitely a repurchase for life. Guess where I am getting mine from? Yep, you guessed right - LoveLula! I am yet to come across the one I don't like. Should I review them? Let me know :)

DrOrganic Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Treatment Serum
Bought in a discounted set post Christmas, and not used at all due to the smell - it stinks! Going to a friend for sure. Hope she likes it?


So that is all for now,
Lots of Love,
Renata.
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