Ireland's first Natural & Organic Subscription Box Review

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Natural Skincare Emporium Beauty Box

How are you today? I can't believe it is the middle of November already! I know everyone keep saying that, but the Autumn seems to be gone in a blur. 

Today I am coming at you with a review of Ireland's first natural and organic subscription box. It is about time, isn't it? It is from Natural Skincare Emporium, Irish owned online shop for all things natural and organic - they carry loads of brands and you can get everything you want from skincare to supplements, baby care, cosmetics, you name it! Let's just say I perused their website and my wishlist is well over four figures 😉

A few months back they started doing their own subscription box, with all products natural and organic of course, and that's exactly what we will be looking into today. It retails for less than twenty euro a month, and that includes registered post delivery, which is music to my ears, as I am always afraid of losing my packages in the mail. Each box includes four or five items (some full size) not including sachet samples. I received November's box for the review purposes, so let's look into it, shall we?


Benecos Body Peel, Apricot and Elderflower

Ingredients INCI:
Aqua, Coco-Glucoside, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Prunus Armeniaca Seed Powder, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Shell Powder, Xanthan Gum, Tiliayphyllos Flower Water*, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Parfum**, Citric Acid, Benzyl Alcohol°, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glycerin*, Arctium Lappa Fruit Extract*, Tilia Cordata Flower Extract*, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract*, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract*, Hypericum Perforatum Flower Extract*, Urtica Dioica Root Extract*, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract*, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Dehydroacetic Acid°, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil*, Potassium Sorbate°, Sodium Benzoate°
° preserved with * certified organic ** natural fragrance

This is a full size item. It uses apricot kernels to remove the build up of dead skin cells. Darker in colour and smells amazing, but for me personally it lacks scrubby bits, I am one of those people who like to scrub their body skin raw. If you like gentle body scrubs, this might be a perfect product for you? Bargain too!


Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream

Ingredients: glycerin, olea europaea (olive fruit oil), avena sativa (oat kernel flour), lanolin, parfum (fragrance), cocos nucifera (coconut oil), quillaja saponaria (quillaja bark extract), avena sativa (oat kernel oil), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary leaf extract), canola oil, tocopherol, glycine soja (soybean) oil, butylphenyl methylpropional, coumarin, limonene, linalool. 

I was pleasantly surprised by it, it left my feet soft and nourished, but not slippy. Some foot creams use too much oils or butters, and while that is good for the skin, they can make your feet slip around in your shoes. This does not do that. My hubs loves and uses the shampoo and hand cream from this brand and likes them a lot. You get generous 20g deluxe sample size in this box.


Dr. Hauschka Facial Toner

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua), Anthyllis Vulneraria Extract, Alcohol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Bark/Leaf Extract, Fragrance (Parfum), Linalool*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*, Limonene* *Component of natural essential oils

I love love love Dr.Hauschka Rose Day Cream (look for review in the search box if you want to) and I repurchased it multiple times. So after having such success with it I am keen to expand my horizons with this brand, aka try more products! This facial toner is a second sample size I own, I got one just a couple of days prior this box arrived, so I can only give you first impressions on it, but I can say so far, so good! It has witch hazel and alcohol in it, two ingredients I am always afraid to use because of my sensitive skin, but in this combo they don't give me any hassle, my skin isn't tight or reacting in any way. Which is good, so I will continue to use what I have. If you aren't using a toner, please look into it, as it regulates your skin's ph after washing it.


Ren Evercalm Rescue Mask

Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Olus Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Butyrospermum, Parkii (Shea) Butter, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Propanediol, Algae Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Lactobacillus, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Parfum* (Fragrance), Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Panthenol, Carbomer, Vaccinium Vitas-Idaea (Lingonberry) Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Cocus Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta- Glucan, Malachite Extract, Albatrellus Ovinus Extract, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Glucose, Phenoxyethanol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leat Extract, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool).
*100% Natural Fragrance 

What can I say, I want a full size of this, like asap! From small sachet I can already tell it is amazing for your skin - and I wish I have taken before and after photos, the difference is dramatic. I was sporting a dermatitis patch on my face due to accidentally glutening myself and it took care of it like no one's business - the redness was down and my skin soothed. This mask is specially developed to combat over sensitivity, which it does beautifully. Beta glucan will strengthen the protective barrier, and arnica will soothe any inflammation. Ren is definitely the brand I will dive into in the few upcoming months, starting with this mask. Calming serum is next on my radar.


Weleda Skin Food

Ingredients:
Water (Aqua), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Lanolin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Alcohol, Beeswax (Cera Flava), Glyceryl Linoleate, Hydrolyzed Beeswax, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Viola Tricolor Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cholesterol, Limonene*, Linalool*, Geraniol*, Citral*, Coumarin*. * from natural essential oils.

Another sachet sample of great product, I have used it before, and have a review on my blog too, so all I can say is that you need this product in your life. Multi-use, but I mostly used it on my hands to protect them from harsh winter, and this product did that beautifully. A favourite with stars like Victoria Beckham. Apparently it sells out so much it even has a waiting list! Not for my vegan friends, sorry - it has lanolin in it.



Neal's Yard Remedies Frankincense Hydrating Cream

Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil*, Glycerin, Cetearyl alcohol, Glyceryl stearate, Polysorbate 60, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) oil*, Triticum vulgare (Wheat) germ oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Almond) oil*+, Prunus armeniaca (Apricot) kernel oil*+, Boswelia carterii (Frankincense) oil, Commiphora myrrha (Myrrh) oil, Sorbitan stearate, Tocopheryl acetate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Limonene.
*Organically produced ingredient. +Nut/seed based ingredient. Natural constituent of essential oils listed. Made with 41% organic ingredients. This is a vegan product. 

Deluxe sample of a product I am well familiar with - I had a full size of it a couple of years ago. NYR get much of my respect as a brand, and they do such a wide range of products, which I appreciate and keep coming back to. Despite saying this, I am sad to report this particular cream didn't suit me uber sensitive skin, probably due to too much of essential oils for my skin to handle. If you don't react to every single ingredient like I do, be my guest, the ingredient list is fabulous, and I certainly wish I could use it. This will be either used as a hand cream or passed down to someone who will be able to enjoy it.



Caudalie Cleansing Oil

Ingredients:
Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil*, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate*, Caprylic/Capric Tryglyceride*, Ricinus Communis (Castor) seed oil*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil*, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) seed oil*, Tocopherol*, Parfum (Fragrance)*.
* Plant origin. 

You get very generous 30ml of product in this box, and that will certainly allow you to get the proper feel of the product, and you will be able to decide whether it is for you or not. It has a very faint natural smell to it. I have to be honest I haven't tried this product yet as I haven't worn any make up last week, and I am very conscious of not testing too many products at once. I will let you know once I will. Ingredients list is nice and minimal, it is suitable for sensitive skin, which gives me confidence I will get on with this product. Fingers crossed. 


So all in all, I enjoyed being test bunny and reviewing this Natural Skincare Emporium beauty box! It has a good mix of products, you can use them all to get your skin party season ready. And if you love natural and organic skincare and love testing new products like I do, this is definitely the box for you. I love the fact that it all comes in the recycled packaging, I am all about reusing things too, and quite frankly, who needs all these fancy boxes when no one tends to keep them anyway? 

As I mentioned, this box ships free in Ireland, and if you are outside Ireland but want to order it, you can contact them at info@naturalskincare.ie and they will do your best to accommodate you.


That is all for now, see you here shortly!

Lots of Love,
Renata.

 

Winter 2016 Natural Empties

Hello Lovelies :)

Today I am coming at you with my recent empties, and it is a mixed bag this time, beauty, skincare and supplements. Some Holy Grail items and a fair share of flops. So in no particular order here are my empties:

Aurelia Cell Repair Night Oil (sample size):
I received this as a part of a surprise giveaway via Youtube - I was contacted by the brand saying I won their secret new subscribers giveaway. I had a chance to choose any product from their brand, so I chose their Rose Mask (more on this later) and I got this and their Revitalise And Glow Serum mini as well. Sadly none of their products suited my skin, and by that I mean that they reacted with my dermatitis by making it worse, and the latter broke me out too, so I ditched it first, and held high hopes for the night oil and the mask. I waited for a couple of months, and when my dermatitis got better, I started trying those again. While Cell Repair Night Oil is a fabulous product on it's own, it didn't suit me, what I meant to say it reacted with my dermatitis again, so I am letting this product go.
It has a fabulous ingredients and I really wanted to like it, but sadly it is not for me, at least not now. I might purchase/try it again once my skin will be completely healed.

Aurelia Cell Revitalise Rose Mask:
This has fabulous ingredients and I was intrigued by probiotic mask (esp as I have read a couple reviews claiming it should help dermatitis) but sadly this did not help, but it made it much worse. However, the face part that is not affected my dermatitis felt fabulous after this mask, it was much brighter and happier, it took away all the redness and the skin felt plumped up and hydrated. I thought I liked this mask until I burned my skin with it by keeping it 5 mins longer than recommended (don't do this at home, kids!) I kept it for 15 mins instead of recommended 5-10 because I was watching YouTube video, and my skin felt like scalded with boiling water, it was that red and raw! It took me a few days of intense healing to get it back to normal and the mask immediately went to my friend, with the strict instructions not to keep it for too long!
A Purchase? Not likely. Maybe in the future once the skin will be healed fully.

Lavera Mango Milk Shampoo:
This is about two years old - having zero time to shop I ran into the health shop and asked to give me good natural shampoo, so this is what I ended up with,  but it didn't work for me, giving me dandruff and badly looking dull hair, my hair never looked good while I was using it, plus it does not work on it's own, so my hair not only did not look good, but it became a tangly mess as well. I quickly abandoned it on the bathroom shelf, hoping that my family members would use it, but their feedback was similar to mine, and they soon stopped using it too. So it was abandoned for many months, until I used it up last week washing random household items.
A Repurchase? No way.

Vapour Organic Beauty Soft Focus Foundation Sample in 115:
This was my first try at Vapour Organic products, I purchased a sample of it from Naturisimo (I really appreciate their sample program!). Despite having great ingredients and my hopes that it will be my holy grail foundation (the quest for the last year or so) it didn't give me any coverage whatsoever, which is the main thing I am looking for in a foundation, so I won't be investing in the full size. Even with the great ingredients, it wouldn't make sense to use it as a first base, because I am looking to minimizing my make up routine, not adding to it. But if you have flawless skin and looking for a light coverage foundation, please be my guest.

Oreganol P73 - this is wonderful stuff, magic in a bottle if you will, and I think I owe to do a blog post about it, as it is truly amazing thing - it is an extract of wild oregano (not all oils of oregano are created equal, so look for wild oregano, also for P73 on the bottle). I have touched a little bit on it here. It is a natures antibiotic that is also one of the most powerful antioxidant, which has so much more to it. I discovered it two years ago and never went without it since. Can be used internally and externally too. I won't go into too much details here because this post would be two miles long as it needs to be explained properly, so look out for my post about it in the near future. 
A repurchase? Always!

Malavit toothpaste - this was a gift from Moscow, so I am not even sure if it's avail in Ireland (probably not). A good while go I came across Malavit - this bio active liquid comes from Altai and has strong antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties to it. (I do own Malavit itself too, but it is not finished yet, and I am still playing around with it, that's why I never mentioned it yet). Back to the toothpaste - I was super excited when I got it, but I am not repurchasing, because a) I don't get a feeling that my teeth are clean after using it b) weirdly enough it dries out my mouth mid-cleaning, and that never ever happened to me before c) my teeth get that "furry" coating on them, which to me only confirms that it not cleans well. I started using another toothpaste in the morning instead of this, combining the two, but it is not good enough on it's own. I also has some ingredients that I didn't like.
Repurchase?: No.

Caudalie Divine Oil - this I bought in after Christmas sales a year ago, and I immediately regretted not getting a sample first - I hated the smell! that's why you see two almost full bottles here - they sat on my bathroom cabinet for a year, just collecting dust. I did try it multiple times, once as a full body oil post shower, a few times as a hair oil, but even now, typing this I am wrinkling my nose - I hated the smell so much! My daughter didn't like it either, and my hubby won't go near any pampering products, so I had to give it away. And Caudalie is not cruelty free company anymore, so I won't be getting any more products from them either.
A repurchase? No.

Lily Lolo mascara - this is the stuff that a lot of beauty bloggers and youtubers rave about, so naturally I had to see what the fuss is all about. At first I was really happy with it - it has great ingredients, it gives volume, length, everything you want in a mascara - and it is waaay better than most of the green mascaras out there. But.. only a few weeks into using it started flaking really badly, also falling into my eyes and irritating them! Panda eyes and irritated eyes? no thanks! to make matters worse, it started smelling really funky after just two months of use, so I obviously stopped using it, but it is really disappointing that it didn't even pass the standard 3 months mark. I don't know, maybe I got a bad batch or something, but the flaking and the irritation are a deal breakers for me.
A repurchase? Probably no.

100% Pure Caffeine Sheet mask - this is first impressions only, but this mask is AMAZING!! It made my tired winter skin glow again, all the pigmentation and the red patches went away and the skin was plumped up and dewy. I used it on Sunday and on Monday my skin was looking so fabulous that I was able to go sans make up, and that never happens! I still have four of them to go, so we will see if they will deliver the same results, but if they will, I will want this stuff for the rest of my life, and I even told my husband so :)
A repurchase? YES!

Himalayan salt - this I used for my spa day bath, I used food grade one that cost me 0.75€ per 350gr pack, and I added some essential oils to it and let me tell you it was pure bliss! I also added a couple of capsules of activated charcoal for detox purposes. I don't think I could ever spend 20€ for a fancy packaged (and highly overpriced) pack of bath salts to be honest. For me it's either this, or Epsom salts. 
A repurchase? Always.

Skin Revivals Organic Facial Cleansing oil - the label says avocado and rosehip oils, so this coupled with "organic" was what drew me to this product, but it didn't work out for me, it broke me out every single time I used it! I had no problems with other facial cleansing oils, so I am still not sure why it didn't work for me - and I did give it a fair shot, testing it for 6 to 8 weeks, using daily at first and then using just once a week, every time the same stuff happened, unwanted pimples on my face. I checked ingredients online and turns out it's sunflower oil based, so the front label is somewhat misleading, which was a bit disappointing for me to find it it is diluted, I assumed it will be pure avocado and rosehip oils there. See, a lesson for you to take away - Never Assume, Always Check! Not wanting to waste a good product (it wasn't the cheapest either) I finished it up for eye make up removal, it worked brilliantly for that, and I am a bit sad to let it go, but I won't be repurchasing it either. It does not work for what it was meant to, and I can remove my eye make up with plain old coconut oil.
A repurchase? No.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Medium (Spf 15). This is almost full, I am giving it away, because of bismuth oxychloride, I no longer will be using this ingredient, and I found myself not using the powder in the last year at all, which to me means one thing only - KonMari it, thank for the service and let it go!
A repurchase? No.

Solgar Balance Rhodiola Complex - rhodiola is an amazing herb that really helped lift my winter blues, I really tend to get depressed in winters (for more than a decade) and in the last two winters that I used this, my mood and overall well-being was dramatically improved. I think I will always use this in winters from now on. Solgal is a great brand that does quality products and this is no exception, great ingredients!
A repurchase? Yes!

Tabitha James Kraan Golden Citrus Hair Cleanser - oh man, where do I start with this? Disappointment of the decade, how about that? It didn't work for me at all full stop, and I gave it a fair shot using it for four weeks (I don't know why did i bother for so long, I like giving products a chance, but this didn't work out at all). Let's rewind - this promised to "cleanse, nourish, restore health and protect your hair whilst delivering incredible shine and body". It did none of those things, no matter if I used 15 recommended pumps or triple that amount, I was left with with ratty unwashed looking hair with zero shine, and it upset me a great deal. I tried it on it's own, with matching conditioner and the results were the same. (that is how I test new shampoos to see if they hold up on it's own without any help of a conditioner. While I do understand this is not a shampoo, but a cleanser and it is supposed to work differently, the fact is it did not work for me at all, leaving my hair dull, flat and stringy - like 5th day unwashed hair basically). When I mentioned my experience on someone's Instagram page, the brand called me out for "using it all wrong and way too much of it"! Err, thanks guys?! I do understand the need to defend/sell/promote your brand on social media, but that was ridiculous. How about making better products at that hugely inflated price point?
A repurchase? No way.

100% Pure Honey Gingerade Cream Wash
I had two samples of it and I used them both for a single wash, as it is very thin body wash. It has great ingredients as all 100% Pure products, but I won't be purchasing full size of it, and here's my reason - this product ships from US and I risk those damned customs charges every time I make an order from outside EU, so I better order something more worthy than this, right? It is just a body wash, and plenty of those are avail to me locally. But if I had 100% Pure store near me, I sure would go for it. Hope I am making myself clear :) Make up or skincare items I am dying to try out and that are not avail to me locally = worth paying extra custom charges. Body wash = no.

100% Pure Vanilla Bean Nourishing Body Cream 
I accumulated four samples of it, but i used them all in a single application. It smells amazing and I liked it more than their body butter, but I am not sure if I will get the full size of it, see the reasons above. Plus I wish it did not have japanese honeysuckle in it, even though it is from a natural source, it still behaves like a paraben in the body, and that might create problems disrupting endocrine system.

NYR Bee Lovely Body Lotion
This has certified organic ingredients (although the bottle does not specify the percentage of it, even though it is very clear on other products). I bought this because I was intrigued by honey in this product, but you can't feel it, and you can't smell it either, which was somewhat disappointing. It does smell lovely, but it smells of orange essential oil, not honey. It is one of those types of lotions that are white and you really have to rub it in. It did leave my skin very soft, and I liked it. I really like NYR and their products, plus the company's ethos are amazing. Will I repurchase this product? it is likely, but not straight away, as I've another body lotion at the moment.
Dr. Bronner's Hemp Almond Castille soap
This is a classic. Always repurchase in my house. I've written about this a lot already, please feel free to root around :) For those of you, who are not familiar with this soap, I've this to say to you - it rates zero on a toxicity level. Go get it now!
A repurchase? Always.



So that is all for now. What products are you using and enjoying at the moment? What products from these mentioned above did you try and how did you like them? Please share with me :) Also come say hi on my Instagram, I love chatting about beauty products with you there :)


Lot's of love,
Renata.