Natural & Organic Empties October 2017

Hi Lovelies,


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

Natural & Organic Empties October 2017

How are you all doing? Hope you are enjoying this gorgeous autumn and no one is getting sick yet? Well not quite the case in my casa I am afraid, since my 5yr old started school this year, it's been sickness season non stop so far. Hence you will see more health & wellness related empties, than beauty ones. Shall we start? In no particular order here are the products I'd finished and my honest thoughts on them. Good to be known for honesty.

Natural and Organic Empties

Greenfrog Botanic Soapberry Wash

This came in Love Lula October Beauty Box that I enjoyed so much I doubled it. And by that I mean I had an order since then which qualified me to a free box, so naturally I took it. I intend to keep this wash, eye shadow brush and the frankincense hydrosol for myself, as these were the hits in the box, for me personally anyway, and everything else I will gift to my mom, who is coming over for Christmas. You can read my thoughts on the Greenfrog Botanic products here. In short, these are really natural body and hand washes made from soapberries and organic aloe vera gel, I really feel comfortable using it on my kids, it's just the texture takes a bit of time to get used to.


Organii Strawberry Shower Gel

I have review on nearly everything in the line here, and I have another version of it in my shower already, but to be honest I am leaning towards to using soaps in the shower to minimise plastic waste, so after finishing this and the brand mentioned above, I won't be getting them for quite some. At lest that is the plan in my head. My family protest wildly against soaps in the shower, and are quick to buy non-natural product (I know, shock horror!) if they see no shower gels in the bathroom. I am facing an uphill struggle and I can't believe it. Have I taught them nothing over the years?!


DrOrganic Manuka Honey Conditioner 

I've said this time and time again, and now it is out officially - DrOrganic is a greenwashing brand, pretending to be more natural than it is, and it is certainly not organic. This Manuka Honey conditioner used to be the only product I seemed to like from them, but the last two times I tried it after a long hiatus, I couldn't believe how limp and blah my hair looked - and I can't believe I used to like it! Has it gone bad on me or they changed the formula, I don't know, but it is a goodbye kiss from me. I am back to hair oils, which work so much better for me.


Simply Bee Honey Hand and Body Wash

This I got from Love Lula after reading ingredient list and deciding it is for me. It has great ingredients, honey and turmeric among others. But with all the due respect I have to say I won't be repurchasing it due to the reasons I talked above, plus it seemed to dry out my hands more than usual, and it ran out pretty quickly.


Skin & Tonic Calm Clean Balm

I have a good few products from this brand, and yet I am failing at getting the review out! I don't know if I will repurchase this cleansing balm, it is good at what it is supposed to do, it's just I don't enjoy the smell of it. I have far too many cleansers at the moment, plus I am dying to try Mahalo Unveil - can you believe I am yet to try that product, despite it being released like a year ago? 


Ila Toning Body Wash 

This 50ml I got as a freebie when I purchased DrAlkaitis Organic Soothing Gel in the summer time, but I couldn't even finish it. After initially not liking the product, or should I say the smell of it, I left it in the shower for the family to finish. When that didn't happen either, I poured it into the Simply Bee hand and body wash, and that instantly killed the nice smell of the product, but I will use it up regardless, but won't be repurchasing. I am not in the market for uber expensive shower gels, I am sorry. Can't comment on the firming action either, didn't see any difference in the few times I used it.

 

Natural Health & Wellness Empties

Wild Oregano Oil by Solgar

Wild Oregano oil is one of my Holy Grail products when it comes to all the things natural - it is a natural antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal product that also is antioxidant at the same time! I always get it in the liquid form to get more bang for my bucks, but after experiencing heartburn, I finally got soft gels. See my Top Three Natural Products post if you want to know more.
A repurchase? Heck yes! I haven't had antibiotics since discovering this, and I never want to be without it! 


Sambucol for kids

Elderberry syrup for boosting kids immune system - another product in the heavy rotation in the fall and winter in my house. A constant repurchase. 


Manuka Doctor Manuka Honey 12+

Despite being more expensive than regular honey, I always get manuka, and two jars at the same time if I can afford it, one for treating colds and coughs, and one for masking - see my Manuka Honey Masking post where I give you 12+ natural options for masking, all with the ingredients already found in your kitchen cabinet, as well as listing the benefits of all the ingredients - I worked really hard on that post! 


Neals Yard Remedies Organic Honey & Thyme Syrup

This is the reason I am still keeping my consultant status with NYR (I should also mention I am my own one and only customer) - don't get me wrong, I enjoy their products too, but this cough syrup deserves Holy Grail status if you ask me! I find it brilliant at treating coughs when nothing else works, and the fact that it's organic is just music to my ears. I got three bottles thinking I am set for the whole winter time, but reality is we finished two of them by the end of October.. Umm, when it's the next NYR sale?? I need to stock up! Brilliant formula in my eyes, not only it does make any type of cough go away in a matter of days, but it is gentle and pleasant tasting enough for my youngster to take. I sooo wish this was available locally to me!
I will leave a link to my NYR shop if you want to have a look or purchase it down below? In my eyes it is a brilliant product, and I certainly will be touching on it in my upcoming  Natural Medicine Cabinet blog post, so keep an eye open for it, not sure it will be called that way though. 


Terra Nova Cordyceps Rhodiola & Ginseng 

This I got from Amazon, and it was my first ever cordyceps product. I am really impressed, it really boosted my immune system, and the effects were immediate. Terra Nova is great really clean vitamin and minerals company, I have had their multivitamins last year, and now I also own their antioxidants, all of them I would get again. The only thing to say is that I will look into getting this formula in the capsule form, as the powder tasted really bad. And I am used to taking bad tasting stuff, msm, oreganolP73, maca, anyone? This tops them all.


Aduna Baobab Powder 

This I take for a natural vitamin C, as baobab is the the highest source for it. You get loads for a tenner, but being a powder it is a bit hard to take, and am yet to persuade my kids to take it on it's own (tastes pleasantly tart) but I sneak it in the smoothies, and they are no wiser. Definitely getting it again! So glad this superfood made it's way from Africa here. The only fruit to dry on the tree naturally before it is harvested thus retaining all the vitamins and nutrients intact - yes, I will take it, thank you very much!

So that is all for now, see you here very shortly! what have you finished lately and whether or not you will be repurchasing it?

Shop LoveLula website here.

(for Greenfrog Botanic, Simply bee, Terra Nova and so much more!)

Shop my NYR page here. 

(for the best cough syrup & other wellness products, books, essential oils and natural beauty products, they have so much to offer)

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Ta ta for now!

Lots of Love

Renata.

  Enjoy my content? Any contribution to my PayPal Tip Jar -  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 :)

5 Natural & Organic Autumn Skincare Must Haves

Hello Lovelies,



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

Natural & Organic Skincare Must Haves

How are you all doing? Are you enjoying Autumn or is it not your season? I love summer most of all, and Autumn is not my favourite, as it leads to Winter and often turns into one long Cold & Flu season if I am not careful to have good natural products to boost and protect my family's immune system (yep, you guessed it right, there's a blog post in the works!) but let's leave it that aside for now, as in this post I wanted to share my top five beauty and skincare products.

So if you are interested in what I use when the seasons change, please keep on reading.

DrHauschka Rose Day Cream

💕 Rich Face Cream - e.g DrHauschka Rose Day Cream

This rich face cream is exactly what my skin laps up and loves! I just published a review of it here should you fancy reading it (here), but I have to say, so far so good! When I ran out, it tried some other creams in between, but nothing measured up and I ran to the health shop to stock up. Not only it keeps my skin happy and supple, but I noticed my dermatitis flare up were down to the absolute minimum when I used it. A must have and a strong contender for The Holy Grail category. You need to upgrade your moisturiser to a more rich version at this time of the year, and this works perfectly for my dry and sensitive skin. Tell me your favourite rich creams if you also have sensitive skin, I would love to know!



💕 Hurraw or Flying Wild Lip Balms

A lip balm is an absolute must for me at all times, and especially when the temperatures drop. I love a rich consistency balm that stays on the lips, and from the vast majority I've tried, Hurraw and Flying Wild are my absolute favourites. Now, I never reviewed Hurraw despite using them for more than five years, but I've reviewed Flying Wild here - it comes from an Irish company and it quickly made its way into my heart. They have a few different ones, and rosemary and honey is the one I like the most. The minty variety is a different formula.



💕 Facial Mists

To avoid dehydrating my skin I upped my misting/toning game and I suggest all of you do the same. By the way, am I the only one with the heating on? I have a blog post on my toners and mists from a couple of months back, but at the moment I am using Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator, Wabi Sabi Botanicals Amida Illuminating Floral Essence (not working for me for everyday use, due to witch hazel in it) but I think I will move on to either Esse Toner or Living Nature Sensitive Hydrating Toner. I really want Madara Time Miracle Cellular Nutrients Toning Mist, but it is out of stock in Love Lula, and it has been for the last couple of weeks. I know, I checked! What intrigues me about it is that it has birch water as a base, and that really appeals to me. Turbliss Bioactive Peat Toner (and mask) is calling my name too.
Either those or I want my ISUN Ormus Myst back :)

See, I want ALL the mists! I could go on too :)

Either way, make sure to have some form of mist of hydrating toner with you! If you are on the budget, plain rosewater or neroli water work well too, and they cost less than 3€ in the Asian shops.


💕 Facial Oils

Another thing that is back into my routine is facial oils, I didn't use them since spring, but now my skin is crying for more moisture, they are back with a vengeance! I have quite a collection going on now, and not sure how I am going to use them up without them expiring on me, but I will do my best! The two I have lined up to use first are the ISUN Skincare Sapphire & Ooh! Oils Of Heaven. If your skin is really sensitive, I would recommend Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil - it is gorgeous and does wonderful things for the skin - I ran out a long time ago, and despite having an array of gorgeous other oils, I dream of having it back. I use to think of facial oils as expensive products, but now I see it as investment. Besides one 30ml bottle will last you a year, so it is well worth the money. Speaking of investment, if budgeting is not your concern, I would recommend Mahalo Vitality Elixir - another gorgeous facial oil I finished a long time ago, but still remember how good it it! One to repurchase one day for sure. Living Libations Best Skin Ever are really fab too. I hope Santa is listening!

Oh, one little tip if you are using facial oils as a moisturiser - don't forget to spritz your face with toner or some kind of mist beforehand, as that makes the oil to absorb better. Then apply a few drops of facial oil to your fingertips and rub them together to warm up the oil and then pat it into the skin. This way you will get the most benefits of it, and if you will follow that up with a facial massage, so much better! If you apply oil straight up, cold, on unprepped skin, I am afraid it might not do much. You don't want to invest in a good facial oil and not get much benefits from it, right? 


And just because I can't stop at five, one more:

Natural and organic balms

💕 Balms

I am a late convert to balms (see post here) and now I can't imagine my life without it! There are so many to choose from, and you can choose one according to your needs and skin type. If I had to choose just one, I would single out Mahalo Rare Indigo balm - sorry for mentioning so many expensive products in this post, it's just I know how amazing it is for my dermatitis prone skin - it is one of the first products I reach when I have an outbreak. I treat it like it's made of gold and savor every bit of it. I dread the day I will have to repurchase it, but it is one of the very few products worth it's price in my opinion. Try to get a sample if you can, as they too last for ages, you only need a pea size amount for the whole face and the back of your hands. This can replace your night cream and an eye cream too, one of a couple of reasons I deem it worth luxury price point. I often use it at nigh, all over the face. Yes, I go to bed with greasy looking, but I wake up with an amazing skin. And I notice a sizeable difference when I don't use it.
If your skin isn't super sensitive and blemish free, you don't have to invest so much in a balm, Egyptian Magic Balm is great - and you get a giant tub of it that will last you ages. I love how versatile balms are, you can use it for so many thing, and it can replace a multitude of products - great if you are aspiring minimalist or are on a budget. 



So I think that's it for today. What are your must haves for the moment? Please share, I would love to know!

Please subscribe and share any of my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out - and you will forever have my gratitude! 

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Lots of Love,

Renata.

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

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Enjoy my content? Any contribution to my PayPal Tip Jar -  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 :)