Showing posts with label Bellapiere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bellapiere. Show all posts

Thursday, June 14, 2018

What I Bought in May - Natural & Organic Beauty



Hello Lovelies!



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



green life in dublin
100%Pure haul - make up

green life in dublin
100%Pure haul - masks


*Before we start, I am obliged to let You know that Google collects data while You are browsing my blog. If You are not OK with it, please feel free to exit right now, no hard feelings, promise!

Ok, in this post I will share with You what I've bought in May - I've been planning this post for a while now, at first I thought it was going to be one of those minimalistic no-buy type of post, so I've been snapping food and lifestyle pictures all May, but... And that's a big BUT - in the last two days of May I've managed to spend nearly 200€ on green beauty! Umm, my finger slipped 😄
So I will scrape the food/ lifestyle haul pictures and focus on green beauty instead. They weren't that exciting, honestly, and I will list the stuff anyway. Isn't natural beauty products everybody's favourite thing? I think so!

So, in no particular order, here's what I bought in May and my initial impressions of everything:


green life in dublin
Hynt Beauty Pinkibelle Lipstick - say hello to my new signature lipstick!


💕 Hynt Beauty Pinkibelle Lipstick 

Haven't stop reaching for this lipstick for the second month straight - hello, new obsession! And my signature lipstick too - see it in my IG feed. Second Holy Grail item from the same brand, not bad at all, huh? If You follow me for any length of the time, you will know that their Duet Perfecting Concealer is my fave for years and years! I have not one, but two reviews on it, please see them here and here. Coming back to the lipstick, I have to say it is love from the first swipe, and it is definitely going straight to my Summer Faves!
(See the brand in GlowOrganicBrighton too) 30€


green life in dublin
Deep Steep Argan Oil Hand Wash
💕 Deep Steep Argan Oil Hand Wash

 Natural and a bargain at 6 or 7euros, what more could you want? Sometimes found at TKMaxx, so be sure to check my post out about TKMaxx beauty section here - it is one of my worst kept secrets to where to find clean products in Ireland & Dublin - and I worked hard on that post! 80+ photos prove it :)



💕 TheraNeem Neem Mouthwash & Toothpowder

Mouthwash is a repeat purchase, and toothpaste I think I have tried before too? Mouthwash cost over 15€ and the toothpowder around 7€, but I am taking my dental hygiene very seriously, so I am swallowing the costs. And I am oil pulling with sesame oil by Fushi while I type this too! I am about to order some Living Libations dental care too, as I really miss what I had from them - they work amazingly well. See my holistic dental routine post here. Need to save up a bit first, mind You.


💕 Organic Neem Oil

Bought to treat a persistent rash, and it worked amazingly well! I think I will use the rest up in my weekly scalp masks, it is amazing for hair, as well as being good all rounder too. Just the smell issue! Some brands are better than the others. 


💕 A.Vogel Pollinosan Nasal Spray

This I bought in the hopes to manage seasonal allergies too - I really loved the look of the natural ingredients, but I have to say I struggle with it - the packaging is so bad imo, my 5yr old is refusing to use it point blank, so I am left on my own here. It is housed in a plastic bottle with a manual spray pump, but it does not disperse fine mist into your nose - think more of a garden hose. You are left with pools of liquid up your nose, and of course you have to blow your nose asap, and then you are left with no product. Packaging fail if You ask me, and I don't think I will repurchase it because of it. If You happen to know a better nasal spray product, please let me know! I am looking for one with herbal extracts, not simple saline solution, just wanted to be clear.

Around 10 or 12€. All of this was purchased in The Health Store in Dublin. As well as my regular supply of Rice Dream organic rice milk (love the taste, minimal ingredients with no added sugar or carageenan and reasonable price), Koko margarine (love the yogurts, but not this spread) - again, if You happen to know dairy free butter alternative that would taste nice, or close to real butter, please do me a favour and comment below! Most of them taste horrible, and the only one I liked was discontinued like a month later, I was ready to cry! It was rapeseed and coconut spread from Aldi, fleeting visit around a few months ago - and like I said, it was discontinued just a few weeks later. It was in orange packaging and cost around 1€ only - I am so mad at myself for not taking photograph of it or even remembering the brand name! Insert every sad fave emoji you can think of here. And I wasn't able to find it ever since. I also bought a bunch of yummy healthy Japanese food after discovering our new fave restaurant Yamamori and Asian Market nearby!


💕 Rosewood massager thingy

I find it soothing and relaxing, and I haven't put it down since :) 


💕 "Oud"
Umm, I guess I should have done a research (aka guick Google) before buying it off the stall holder in George's Arcade - the oud turned out to be fake. She had frankincense resin with jasmine and other things I was eyeing to buy next, but I ain't coming back now. The loss was a mere fiver.


💕 Frankincense resin, charcoal tablets, matrioshka doll, Palo Santo sticks, soy candle and Nag Champa incense sticks. The haul came over at just over 30€ at Pagoda in Ilac Shopping Center. I also buy my soap nuts there.


Umm, so this is where my post (and the haul) was supposed to end in my head, buuuut I managed to drop nearly two hundred quid in the last two days, and I can't wing my way out if it :) In my defense, both were pretty awesome deals and I am glad I bought them. I am sure I will be singing a different song when my credit card bill hits next month though!

So, my first haul was from 100%Pure - and it was discovered by pure accident. I was browsing the IG one day (as you do) and I saw the awesome GWP or gift with purchase in other words on Ashley's aaquino22 page, and it pulled a massive trigger in me I dropped whatever I was doing and I was browsing 100%Pure page immediately! I;ve kind of been ignoring the brand for the last year or year and a half due to them increasing the shipping to EU to 25€ instead of previous 7, and free shipping limit to 125€ instead of previous 45. As you can imagine, I was not happy with them! A few things from them hold a Holy Grail status for me (I am looking at you Peacock Ore Lip gloss, Caffeine Masks and Maracuja oil mascara) but the other things didn't quite work out for me, namely skincare, so I never ordered from them since the increase in shipping.. until now. 
I must also say that Naturisimo and Ecco Verde also carry the brand, but they never have deals on them. I never knew Ecco Verde carry my beloved Gemmed Lipgloss - why has no one told me that before?! I've been crying crocodile tears ever since I ran out of it a year ago! These are perfect natural dupe for Juicy Tubes, and I have a whole post dedicated to it here.
Oh, Renata, will you ever list the damn products without massive de-tours?
Here's what I got and my first impressions of things:



💕 Gemmed Lip Gloss in Peacock Ore

One of my Holy Grails from the brand, and one thing I will be repurchasing as long as they will make it. I hope that never happens, because 100%Pure are known for discontinuing things at random, like Dandelion lipstick I wanted to get. Perfect natural Juicy Tubes by Lancome dupe if you ask me, and see my post on them here.


💕 Maracuja Oil Mascara

Another hit, it is amazing imo, just one thing to let you know - I find they are very inconsistent with the freshness of them. If your mascara smells in any way of alcohol and not the fresh blueberries/ chocolate it is supposed to smell off, complain and ask for replacement. If you get a fresh one, it lasts for ages, well over 6months with daily use (I know I should be parroting the 3months rule as a blogger, but let's be real here), if it smells of alcohol, it is already off and it is time to chuck it. See my full review and comparison to their original mascara here.


💕 Lipstick in Peach Bellini

The one in silver sleek bullet, my favourite formula from them all. Sadly this does not show up on me one bit! I have had one of these like 3-4yrs ago and it was lovely, I remember using that with pleasure, when I am normally not even a lipstick person. Sadly in a hurry I didn't check what shade I had, and just chose the one I like the look of. Oh well, I guess I will layer it up with some other products, I tend to do that a lot. 


💕 Caffeine Masks x5 pack

These masks are amazing, even for my uber sensitive skin! I try to save them for special occasions as they are not that cheap and I am not happy with the plastic waste I create using them, but they take care of everything I need to take care of - brightness, skin evenness, my skin is left hydrated, plump and even dermatitis is temporarily gone. I have a full review of it here. I have had a love-hate relationship with the brand, all these reviews are from the love period. Don't forget to check out my post on how to make these masks (or any sheet mask) go further, I am revealing the trick that will save you so much money, you will be glad you read my post! And no, I am not suggesting you reuse the same mask over and over again, honey! Find the post here.


💕 Eye Hydrogel masks x5 pack

These are a cult favourite in the green beauty community, thus influencing me to get them. Well, I tried it once, and I have to say the first impressions aren't great - after 5 mins or so, my under eyes get very hot and itchy, how odd! I had no visible irritation once I removed them, so not too sure if that's how they work or what, but I had the same reaction once I reused them two days later. Not too sure what I will do with the rest of the pack. I should have gone for one pair, not bulk pack.


💕 Collagen Sheet Mask

I wish I have gotten five of these instead, this was amazing! I really hope these will reach EU distributors sooner rather than later!

💕 And now for the gift with purchase that came with my order. It all came in gorgeous cork baggie, which I immediately repurposed as my work bag - let me know if you would love to see a post on my desktop essentials? I tend to use 100%Pure baggies, as unlike many others, these tend to have a zip and not drawstring, so I find uses for them around the house.


💕 Water foundation in Sand

I haven't had luck with their foundations, and the last time I ordered one was before they even had Sand as a shade, ages ago. So I was very nervous about getting this. First impressions after one use - it collected into my pores within minutes, the coverage is more on the medium rather on the full side, and it lasted about half a day only without setting. Also, be sure to blend quickly or you will be left with streaky face. The shade is too dark and very orange on me, so I am not even sure if I will be able to wear it or not. See, no luck with their foundations. Powder products (blushes and shadows, not face powders) I find good though.


💕 Multiple in Pink Grapefruit

I have had that before and it wasn't my fave product, I found it too natural on my cheeks (also quite wrong in shade for me, I can't wear anything with the blue undertone) and quite-ok-but-not-moisturising on the lips, so I planned to put this aside for a giveaway or something like that, but it took all of 0.25 seconds for 5yr old to unwrap it, the plastic seals and all! So I guess I either have a multiple for the summer, or I'll swap it? (it's not used, just opened)


💕 Flat top kabuki style foundation brush

Funny thing is, I was thinking of getting one of these brushes only a day or two ago - I was looking at all of these mini-bukis I've collected over the years, and thinking I'd like to have one like that, just with a proper handle. There you go, now I have one!


💕 Cassia Lipstick

Two words - matte. brown. Two more words - passing on!

All in all this was a good haul, and in a way I am glad I made this order, as you get value for your money with deals like this. Otherwise the brand is super expensive, at least for me. After years of being a stay at home mom, I finally started working, but on the weekends only (childcare system in Ireland is atrocious, way more expensive than anything else, including mortgage, long story, not for this post) so my play money is still next to nothing, which is why I have to make it stretch as far as I can. Green beauty is not exactly cheap - and this order was a steep one for one person. Thankfully I found a shopping buddy for the next time, just the question is, will the brand give us two goodie bags if we will make one order to split the costs?




green life in dublin
Naturisimo Healing Beauty Discover Box - May 18


💕 Naturisimo Discovery Box

I usually skip those, but I went for this one as it contained all the items I wanted to try. It cost 17.95€ if I remember correctly, and it contained nine items, one full size mascara and then samples. They value the box at 70£, which I think is kind of laughable, but still, it was more than the price I paid for, and I am hoping I will discover some future favourites from this haul.


💕  Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strengthen Mineral Mascara

This is the one full sized product in this box, and the one I was most excited to try. At first I was going to put this aside, as I use Fitglow Beauty Good Lash mascara at the moment, plus I just acquired 100%Pure one I was excited to use, but the blogger in me took over, and I opened it by now. The brush is massive, and it looks like it should deliver volume and length, but it produces results that are not as dramatic as I'd hoped, just OK lashes, nothing special. Plus I find it comes off really easily, I have to remember not to touch my lashes at all during the day. I usually don't have this problem. We will see.


💕 RMS Beauty Translucent 'Un' Powder, 0.44g

A mini of iconic RMS powder I'd always wanted to try. This is pure silica, which I know shouldn't work for me (I've read/watched enough reviews to know it is not suitable for dry skin) and I don't have a formed opinion on it yet. I only used it once, to set my under eye concealer. I haven't noticed any difference, but please bear in mind it was only one use.


💕 Bellapierre Mineral Blush Powder in Autumn Glow, 4g

I think this is full size of it. Didn't like it as a blush, too orange/muddy/sheer - I like my blushes way more pigmented and in different colour. I also have acquired their Desert Rose blush in a set I'd bought in TKMaxx just last month, and I am not a fan of that either. I will try them some more, as well as on the eyes, but I see both of them exiting my collection in the near future.


💕 REN Flash Defence Anti-Pollution Mist, 9ml

This was one of the main reasons I'd bought this discovery box, as this product is in my wishlist for ages and I keep going back and forth about it. I love the idea of protection from blue computer rays, but I only had to use it twice to know I won't be repurchasing this in full size. The smell is gross, and it is very drying to my skin. If You happen to know another mist that protects from the urban pollution, please let me now? All natural of course :)


💕 Dr Hauschka Lip Gloss (Raspberry), 3ml

Lovely shade, I always wanted to try DrHauschka lip glosses. This has good ingredients, but lasted like the whole five minutes on my lips - and I wasn't even eating or drinking! So probably a no from me?
Hey, I said probably :) I am interested in trying their make up.

The box also contained Odacite Black Mint cleanser and Inika lip tint in Candy, and both of these went straight to my daughter - minty! I can't handle any mint anywhere on my body. Glad I tried Inika tint via this box, and not in the full size, as I've been thinking of ordering it. Hate when the mintiness in not mentioned in the description of lip products. 
The box also had Estelle & Thild foundation and tinted moisturiser sachet samples, and I have to be honest I am not even sure when or if I will use these. Up until this year I was very diligent about using every single sample in order to try and know about as much products as possible, but the truth is my skin is protesting wildly if I do so, and you can't form a fully rounded opinion after one or two uses anyway? Plus if I am not after a full size of the product, what's the point, right? 

P.s. sorry for the late post, I fell down the Ecco Verde rabbit hole and have been compiling wishlist well into four digits by now :) Plus I am making lots of changes in my life behind the scenes. 

So that's my haul for May, what did You guys get? More or less finger slips than moi? I want to know, so please leave a comment below or on any of my social media pages?


I hope You enjoyed this post and found it helpful? Then please make my day and share this or any of my blog posts on social media - it helps to get the green beauty word out and for that I Thank You!




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Lots of Love,
Renata.

green life in dublin
Enjoy my content? I would appreciate any  tip into my PayPal Tip Jar - any donation will get You my eternal gratitude and more awesome green beauty reviews Your way. I weed out all the greenwashing products so You won't have to.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Love Lula Bauty Box May 2018



Hello Lovelies,


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

green life in dublin
Love Lula Beauty Box May 2018



It is that time of the month, and it came a bit earlier than I expected. No, not that time of the month, silly! Love Lula Beauty Box time, where you get beauty box full of surprises each month! It's a year I am getting those, and I have come to really love them. First of all, who does not want a present each month? This surely feels like a present to me, and I love discovering the new beauty goodies each and every time - all natural, no less! Some boxes are better than the others, but of course you can't be all things to all people, and I really appreciate all that hard work that goes on behind the scenes - each box takes months to put together. So let's see what's in it this month, shall we?

green life in dublin
Bellapierre Lava swatch


Bellapierre Shimmer Powder In Shade Lava

Any beauty box containing make up is my instant favourite, and this is no exception. I find this gorgeous! You can see the swatch of it above, and as soon as I will get my paws on Fitglow Good Lash mascara I am after, You will probably see some selfies on my Instagram feed. Don't say you haven't been warned :) You get full size of 2.35g, which retails for £12.99 or €14.8

Ingredients:
Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron oxides. May contain: Carmine. 


Alteya Organics Certified Organic Rosewater

Another item I am super delighted to see in this box - I was super happy to see this brand appear in Love Lula and ordered some items straight away - I currently have their chamomile water and tinted SPF lip balm and I adore both of them. I hope to get some more products soon and work on the brand review in the near future. And this rose water is lovely! Again, you get full size of 100ml, which retails at 7.20£ or 8.20€ - super reasonable for organic product. Love the fact that Alteya Organic products come straight from the heart of Bulgaria.

Ingredients:
100% pure organic steam-distilled Rosa Damascena floral water. Steam-distilled from fresh hand picked Bulgarian Rosa Damascena rose petals. 


Lyonsleaf Calendula & Marshmallow Balm

This is meant to soften and repair skin all over, as well as being suitable for everyone, even babies. Well, healing balms are always welcome in my casa, so I will happily test this product and report back to you. Lyonsleaf is a brand I also plan to review in my own good time. Let me know your favourite products so I could pick these up?
Oh, and this also comes in full size and retails for 8.99£ or just a bit over ten euros.

Ingredients (in plain English):
Organic Sunflower Oil, Babassu Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Avocado Oil, Cold Pressed Borage Oil, Cold Pressed Rosehip Oil, Calendula Extract, Marsh Mallow Extract, Natural Vitamin E Oil. 
Ingredients (INCI): Helianthus Annuus, Orbignya Oleifera, Cera Alba, Persea Gratissima, Borago Officinalis, Rosa Canina, Calendula Officinalis, Althaea Officinalis, Tocopherol. 


Phb Anti-aging Eye Gel 

Another full sized item (yay or what? This box is a box that keeps on giving full sizes), this retails at £16.95 or a bit over 19€ for 15ml. PHB is a brand that is frequently found in Love Lula Beauty box, and we have had their brightening eye gel before. Both of them seem to be this light gel consistency. I am looking forward to take two of trying this product - the other one we had came in late autumn or winter box, and I found it too light then, but it might work so much better now it is summer, who knows?

Ingredients:
Aqua, Aloe barbadensis (Organic aloe vera**), Vegetable glycerine, Fucus vescilosis (Bladderwack) extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Coco-caprylate, Sclerotium Gum, Propandiol & Salix alba, Hippophae rhamnoides (Organic Sea Buckthorn**), Argania spinosa (Organic Argan**), Citrus dulcis (Orange), Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium), Lavendula angustifolia (Lavender), Cymbopogon martinii (Palmarosa), Benzyl alcohol, Cistus ladaniferus (Rock Rose), Ferula galbaniflua (Galbanum). *Limonene * Linalool *Citral *Geraniol *Citronellol *Farnesol *Occurs naturally in essential oils, **Organically grown ingredients. Certified Cruelty Free, Vegan & Halal. Handmade in the UK.  


Sachet sample of Botanico Vida Omega Oil

Well, that's the end of sample sizes, haha! It would too good to be true if all the products came in all the sizes, wouldn't it? I was really happy to see this sample, as I am eyeing this product from Love Lula - the description of it sounds amazing! So fingers crossed! Sandra from Beauty Balm is coming out with a review of this soon, so I am so looking forward to seeing her thoughts on it - that woman knows what she is talking about! 

Ingredients:
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Tocopherol, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Citral, Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene.



green life in dublin
Love Lula Beauty Box -  a gift that keeps on giving

                                   You can subscribe to Love Lula box here. 

 
                                    Or shop LoveLula website here.


 
Are You subscribed to Love Lula Beauty Box too? What is your favourite product from Love Lula? Please share with me, I would love to know! 


(you can see mine here by the way 😊)

See All Things Love Lula here


P.s. Please make my day and subscribe & share this or any of my blog posts on social media - it helps to get the green beauty word out - and for that I Thank You!
Follow me on my new blog Greenlifeindublin.com, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube.



Lots of Love,
Renata.


Enjoy my content? I would appreciate any  tip into my PayPal Tip Jar - any donation will get You my eternal gratitude and more awesome green beauty reviews Your way. I weed out all the greenwashing products so You won't have to.

The box came via LLABP programme, and I am affiliate with Love Lula. If you will decide to use my links, thanks from the bottom of my heart :)


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Monday, June 12, 2017

Love Lula Beauty Box June 2017



Hi Lovelies,



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


Love Lula Beauty Box June 2107

This month's Love Lula beauty box just popped into my mail box, and I am so excited to dive into it! Let's see what's in in, shall we?


Bellapiere Kiss Proof Lip Crème in Antique Pink

This is what I gravitated towards first when I opened the box! Worth more than the cost of the box alone, this is a deep brownish/purplish shade with a pink undetone and when I swatched it on my hand, I couldn't get it off! So I think it would definitely live up to it's "Kiss Proof" claims. It dries matte. However, it does have dimethicone and D&C dyes, which I tend to avoid. I can't pull this color off unfortunately, so I think I will be passing it on, although I will peek at the Love Lula website to see if they have more shades suited for my palate :) See it swatched on my hand below, and it will be a little while I will post a selfie with it on, because I've glutened myself and I need to heal my face first. (I think I should explain that gluten and dairy allergies come in a form of dermatitis).
Ingredients:
Isododecane, Beeswax, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol. May contain +/- {D&C Red No. 6 & 7, D&C Blue No. 1, Iron Oxides (CI 77491:2, CI 77491:9, CI 77492, CI 77499)}.


Bellapierre Kiss Proof Lip Creme in Antique Pink

Balm Balm Hibiscus Face Mask (sample) & Cloth

Delighted with both of these, I wanted to buy these with my last order, and now I won't have to! Organic face cloths are always welcome in my house, and the sample pot of the mask is perfect size to try and see if it is for me. Beautiful simple (and 100% organic!) ingredients, I hope it will suit me. Fingers crossed!
Ingredients:
Oryza Sativa Powder, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Powder, Pelagonium Graveolens.


Balm Balm Organic Face Cloth and Hibiscus Mask


John Masters Soap

Lavender, Roe Geranium & Ylang Ylang scented soap. Again, something I wanted to buy, so looking forward to trying this. Will be coming up with John Masters Organic first impressions review soon, as I am trying their shampoo and detangler behind the scenes.
ingredients:
Made with 7 certified-organic ingredients Sodium palmate,** sodium cocoate,** aqua (water), glycerin,** olea europaea (olive) fruit oil,* sodium citrate, lavandula hybrida (lavandin) oil,* linalool,† cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, pelargonium graveolens (rose geranium) flower oil,* theobroma grandiflorum (cupuacu) seed butter,* citral,† farnesol,† limonene†* Certified Organic ** Made from the saponification of certified organic palm & coconut oils † A natural component of essential oils.


Madara Ultra-Rich Balm

Another full sized product in the box. Balms are always very welcome in my house, and this is something I am putting to use straight away. I haven't tried Madara much, but I am eyeying their Time Miracle Cellular Repair Mist (I am on the face mists kick at the moment, having ignored them for the last century) and I have a peel mask still in the box. So, Madara won't know what hit them pretty soon! Review to follow :)
Ingredients:
Aqua, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit*, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Decyl Cocoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin***, Hydrogenated Macadamia Integrifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil, Lanolin, Behenyl Alcohol, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea-buckthorn) Fruit Extract*, Rubus chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Fruit oil Extract*, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Aroma, Rubus chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Fruit Extract, Stearic Acid, Palmitic acid, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Sodium Phytate, CI 77492 (Iron oxide)****, Limonene**, Linalool**, Citral** * Ingredients from Organic Farming ** Natural essential oils *** Made using organic ingredients **** Pure mineral pigments 100% of the total ingredients are from natural origin 20% of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming.


So, I am really happy to start my week playing with the new goodies. Err, testing, I mean testing! They ship worldwide, and the price is 13.95£ monthly recurring for UK and for us international gals there are two options of three months (52.50£) or a year (210£) including post and packaging. Green beauty boxes are a great way to discover new items you might have missed otherwise, and I love that anything coming from LoveLula is cruelty free and guaranteed not to have any toxic ingredients - they have very strict criteria for any product they accept, and that is taking the guesswork off your shoulders.


You can subscribe to Love Lula box here.

Or shop LoveLula website here.

What beauty boxes are you guys subscribed to? What is your favourite products discovered this way? Please share, I really want to know. Have a great week everybody!

Lots of Love,
Renata.
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green life in dublin

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Happy New Year and Bare Minerals and Bellapierre reviews




Happy New Year and Happy New Purchases

Hello, how it is going everybody? Hope you all are having a great 2015 so far! What are your new year resolutions? And have you abandoned them already? :) I didn't make any this year because I never keep them, but one thing I want to do is to transition my family to more vegetarian/vegan diet, just wish I wouldn't be met with so much resistance.. My hubby always tells me the meat is the best vegetable :( Having watched a few movies about food which force you to think, I feel we would all benefit eating no or meat and dairy, because the way these are farmed is horrendous and gives you so many diseases, including cancer. This is one of my favourite topics and I can talk about it for hours, but don't want to start my new year's post on such a heavy notes, so all I will say please watch "Fork over knives" and "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead".

On the lighter and more fun note, let's talk shopping! Mineral make up shopping to be exact, so if you are interested in natural make up, read on :) From the pictures above you can see my purchases, Bare Minerals and Bellapierre sets, both came from TKMaxx.It's beauty section is my new favourite shopping spot, and I would recommend it to anyone! The prices are so much cheaper than in the shops, the products are good, not expired or anything, I don't know how TKMaxx does it, but so glad they do it. All my favourite purchases came from them in the lat year as well, Melvita organic facial serum, Korres serum, Sibu sea buckthorn oil and mask, pur minerals lip gloss and blush, the list goes on! (there are a few cons, the colour palette isn't great, you get what you can find at that time and you're never guaranteed to find the same thing again). I am extremely pleased with these sets, and let me tell you more in detail about each product.

Bare Minerals set came with full size foundation, veil powder, concealer and all over face shimmer, plus two brushes, the concealer brush and flawless face brush. Concealer brush is rather good, packs just the right amount of products and it's easy to blend. The flawless face brush, not so much. it is itchy and scratchy, not good for anything in my mind, it is not dense enough to give you full coverage, and the shape is odd too, l much prefer kabuki brushes or Real Techniques expert face brush if l am after full coverage. I am sure some of you will love this brush, but having find out it is made of goats hair (wtf, BareMinerals? you promote natural and mineral make up, and some of your brushes are made from animal hair?) and the fact it is scratchy and sheds like crazy after two uses, it's a no-go.
The foundation is lovely, gives a good coverage if you use a dense brush, or light coverage if you use kabuki, covers redness, broken capillaries, dark circles and most of the blemishes. Concealer is my first mineral concealer, so I've nothing to compare it to yet, but I do sort of like it, just it does not fully cover my dark under eye circles.. lasts good amount of time though, and covers small imperfections on the face rather beautifully. I didn't see much of a point of a veil until I tried it, my thinking was - why cover powder with a powder? but it really does work, minimising pores and giving you that glow that everybody is after :) So glad it came in this set, because I would have never picked up otherwise. Oh, and the set was 27€!! Crazy, right? Foundation alone costs €42 in their outlets. What can I say? Go stalk your local TKMaxx now! :)

Bellapierre sets I was seeing in TKMaxx for a good while now, almost picked up once or twice, but told myself to research ingredients and reviews first (I always do that now, long gone are the days I bought something without researching it like crazy woman). What helped to make my mind up was finding these products on lovelula.com website (I love that website, and I know they do research company & products extensively before accepting them, and their standards are high!), so I thought to myself if it's good for them, it's good for me too :) I am on lookout for more products from them, can never find it now that I want it now, sod's law.. Anyways, back to the product - the set contains full size mineral blush, mini bronzer and a cream product for lips and cheeks, plus a kabuki brush. Very good value at €17, you wouldn't even get a brush in other shop for that amount of money, right? Speaking of a brush, this kabuki is beautiful, applies product sheer, so I use it for a bronzer or blush. Of course you can use it for a face too, but for my foundations I like dense brush to get more coverage. The lip and cheek stain is nice shade, works on so many skin tones, I love it for my cheeks, not so much for my lips though, as it is not creamy enough for my chapped lips, but if you happen to have beautiful soft pout, be my guest. Last all day, which is a good thing.
Blush has shimmer in it, and it is a gorgeous bronzy shade, which is perfect for me right now, as this effect I am after right now. for my pale skin it can be a bronzer too, I used it this way a couple of times. The actual bronzer in this set is far too light and shimmery to be taken seriously, so I use it as a highlighter or an eyeshadow. It is lighter in shade than a blush, how can it be a bronzer for god's sake? l had to have a double look as I was convinced it's a mix up. Anyways, all of these products are amazing nice minimal ingredients, nice colours, last all day, what more could you want? It's a yes from me :)

I really hope you found these reviews helpful, and I encourage you to try mineral make up if you haven't already, it is so much better for you. Tell me below if you own and love any products mentioned, I would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading and have a lovely day.

Best wishes,
Renata.