May 2017 Natural And Organic Eco Empties

Hi Lovelies,




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

Natural, organic and eco empties

Lemon Essential Oil

I use this in my diffuser, cleaning, to remove sticky labels - that's the little tip for you if you didn't know that already - lemon essential oil is excellent at removing those pesky labels off shoes, jars, etc. I actually used half of it to purify/deodorise house following the fire story in one go, otherwise one bottle lasts me for months.

A repurchase? Not this brand, but I will repurchase lemon EO as long as I will live.

TerraNova multivitamin

Really good multivitamin formula, and I will surely will repurchase come fall and winter. For summer I tend not to take vitamins, only superfoods like baobab powder. With all the fresh fruit & veg available, you kind of don't need to? I know I take breaks in summer from the supplements, but we each are different. I find this brand great, really natural ingredients, and it is one of the very few supplement brands I take. Find it in LoveLula.com I am certainly going th review this in the near future.

Nap In The Meadow

Really gorgeous anti inflammatory serum, containing both turmeric and blue tansy, my two favourite ingredients. Not repurchasing for now, because I have two other serum waiting, Blissoma one and Isun Sapphire and Emerald Sun Hydrosol. But this is on my “to repurchase” list. See review of this and other Earthwise Beauty products here.

Red Apple Lipstick lipstick in Twist ‘N’ Pout

Really sad to let this go, because I really love this colour on me, my perfect nude, not too pale, not too brown. Not repurchasing due to extremely high shipping and custom costs, but if RAL will ever get EU distributor, I will be one of the first to buy it. As for now, their postage costs to EU are 50$ (?!) and if I were to get just this lipstick and one eye shadow, that would set me back 130€. Is it worth it? And I am not even kidding you or making stuff up, see it all listed in screen shots in my review here.

Btw, if you know a natural dupe of this colour that would be available from within EU, please let me know and you will forever have my gratitude!

Nyr Bee Lovely Hand Cream

Even though I am technically a Nyr consultant, I tend to get these hand creams as freebies with magazines. What? It is way cheaper this way, and that is pretty much the only times I buy glossy magazines, so I don't feel bad about it at all! As hand cream it is good, sinks in quickly, so I tend to use it in the daytime and leave my more rich creams like Flying Wild ones for the night time.

Will repurchase for sure. At the moment I have Wild Rose one, but I like the scent of this better, so will come back to it once Wild Rose runs out.

Child Farm Shampoo

One of the very few natural products you can get in Boots, gone way before I could photograph it or write a review. Err, thanks fam? Just joking, as it is a constant purchase in our house, I will get to the review eventually!

Mayan Magic Balm by Lavigneorganics

If you have eczema, or dermatitis, you need this! Truly magical stuff for soothing irritated skin and calming down that insane itching! Really natural ingredients and I am way overdue to review it. It was one of the very few products that helped me when I was battling dermatitis. See post here. I am way overdue for update.

Lotus Wei Inner Peace serum

I am proud of myself for finishing this up,  as I had to be conscious to use this up! I found this wasn't really working for me, I mean serum format, but I do really enjoy Lotus Wei products in other forms, I currently have Infinite Love in anointing oil and mist and Joy Juice in elixir. Find review post here.

ISUN Ormus Myst

It was a sad day in the house when I ran out of this, I even did Insta Story about it. See the review here. And what can I say? Love affair with ISUN continues, I am currently testing more products as we speak. Psst, there might be a giveaway coming up soon! 

Pacifica Coconut Nectar Colour Quench lip tint

This I really enjoyed for a really long time, and I am decluttering it because it is over two years old. No changes in the formula though, it didn't go bad or anything, it is just I am over brown color on my lips. This is nice as a product, it is a tinted lip balm that can be layered to your desired intensity, and I find it stays on. Will get it in the different colour for sure. If you are not a lipstick person but want some colour on your lips, this might be your perfect product? Available from LoveLula.com That's where I got mine from. You can also find some Pacifica products in your local health stores, but I don't think you'd find those, as they tend to focus on sets or more expensive items from the brand. 

Coconut body and face oil by Ann-Marie Gianni

Smells gorgeous, sinks in quickly, gorgeous organic and fair trade ingredients! I am currently testing more products from the line and will review them shortly, so stay tuned!

Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash

I didn't use it, so sadly I can't give you my two cents on it. I gave it to my daughter, as I've too many facial cleansers I am willing to admit to, and higher end too. My teen wasn't super happy with it, and asked to get her another cleanser, so I gave her Laidback Skincare Diy one that just came in May Love Lula Beauty box. Perfect timing.

Living Libations Seabuckthorn Shampoo

This 30ml bottle cost me 8€ and I don't even care, because it is one of the best shampoos I have ever used! I wish it weren't so damn expensive for full size, I would get it on a constant basis. I am currently testing other shampoos including Rahua, but this will stay at the back of my mind for sure.

Living Libations Spirulina Shampoo

Another outrageously expensive sample and another gorgeous shampoo! If I ever will come into money, this is what I will be getting for sure.

Natura Siberica We Love Lithuania Shampoo

Natura Siberica is only half-natural brand in my opinion, but they keep getting one green beauty award after another, and that's why they are intriguing me. If you want my opinion on it, it would be one of my fave shampoos if it didn't had dreaded SLS in it!! It makes your hair look and feel nice, but I am not repurchasing it due to SLS. I planned to do a separate review on it, but I lost the picture along with other pictures when my phone died. Kids, don't repeat my mistakes and back up your photos regularly!

Duru Osun Black African Soap (not pictured)

This is my third bar of it, and I think I am due a review on it, but for some reason it is still in my 70 drafts on my blogger’s dashboard. Yes, really! I am impressed and I think everyone should try it.

Iswari Certified Organic Matcha

I'll have some organic matcha, yes please! Whether in the morning instead of coffee or in the skincare regime as a mask, I love me some matcha. If I were loaded I'd have this on a daily basis, but at this moment in time it is too pricy habit for me to keep, so I rotate this with regular green tea, esp as I find I go through a packet really quickly. But it's a love affair with me and matcha. Don't tell me hubby!

A.Vogel Echinacea Toothpaste

In my search of carageenan and glycerine free toothpaste I tried this, and I hated it with passion. It is rarely I throw things away half used, but this is one of those cases. Tastes like swamp with very strong aftertaste (is that echinacea?) and I didn't find it did a good job of cleaning my teeth either, after one hour or so, my teeth had that nasty coating on them again, so this was a fail on all counts. Not a repurchase. I do understand that "coating" on the teeth has a lot to do with my gut flora but I feel as far as products go, they have to be natural AND work too, and this wasn't working for me at all.

Organic Surge Daily Care Hand And Body Wash

This is EcoCert certified product, price point is brilliant and I enjoyed it indeed. Used primarily as a hand wash, this is something I used time and time again. Not sure if I want to review a hand wash, but I suggest you try this brand if you are looking for natural replacement. Easily accessible and you can get it from LoveLula too.

A few make up brushes

Part of the attempt of decluttering my stash is waving goodbye to the brushes I don't use. These are all used very little if at all, so I will pass them onto my friends. These include Bare Minerals Flawless face brush (I hate the feeling of natural bristles on my face. I was agast to learn these are the real hair bristles after I bought a BM set a good few years ago. I hung onto it in the hopes of using it in some way after all, maybe for dry shampoo or something. Never happened. BM didn't work out for me either, I am passing on it all together). Next is toothbrush looking foundation brush I'd gotten from Penneys, really soft and works nice too, the trouble with this was it was the odd one out, all my other brushes are all Ecotools or Real Techniques, and this one didn't fit in, so despite it working well, I am saying goodbye to it. RT Expert Face Brush works the same, and I've two of those, that is enough for one person. And speaking of RT, I am giving away two of their brushes, despite them being my fave brand, and I never thought I'll say this, or declutter their brushes, but the stippling brush does the total oposite of what I want, as in it gives sheer coverage and I am looking for full coverage if I wear make up. Lots of people use it for cream blushes, but I don't have any, and if I use it for powder blushes, I find it scratches off too much of a product and messes it up. Next is their flat foundation brush - way too small to do a decent job, it feels like I am painting canvas or something, and it leaves streaky finish no matter how much I try to work it in, I have to finish blending with my fingers each and every time. Goodbye then. I was about to declutter flat Ecottols foundation brush too, but I decided to keep it for masking, as it is a bit bigger.

Nude By Nature Mascara

This was an unexpected favourite product from the collaboration I did with Debenhams (see the review here) - I didn't expect much from it as I was looking forward to trying other products, but this blew me away for one simple reason - IT DOES NOT flake! I feel like we should take a moment to let this sink in - IT DOES NOT FLAKE!! I think I will repurchase it and do a separate review on it, I am that impressed. A first for me.

Jack N Jill Toothpaste

This is what my 4yr old uses, and we are on the 10th tube or something. It works great, is flouride free and I plan to use it continuosly in the future. Already repurchased.

Oil of Oregano in capsule form

This is a last minute replacement for liquid Oreganol P73 I always get, I got this because Nourish health food shop were having trouble getting what I want, and because they took 6 weeks, and I was already ill be then, I got what I could find without waiting much further. Oregano extract (of the wild variety) is my not so secret weapon natural antibiotic, and I talk more about it in my Top Three Natural Products post (see it here) where you can see more info on it. Already repurchased. Not this, my regular beloved liquid one. They work the same, but I find I get more bang for my buck with liquid, plus I can also use it externally if needed. 

My own balm DIY
See the recipe for it here. As well as recipe for RMS Master Mixer dupe DIY too.


Phew, this makes me tired! I planned to do this post at 7am before the kids woke up, but guess what? One of them got sick and stayed home, so I was trying to work all day in the contant "mama mama maaamaaaaa" background! At three pm and 2300 words later I am almost finished. The sun isn't cooperating with me either, and it shows in the picture. Sorry about that. It is one of those days, but as I am good at keeping my word, here is my blog post. On Monday, as it should be :) 

Thanks for reading in advance! If you have any questions about any products, please feel free to ask and I'll be happy to answer. 

What have you finished these days?


Lots of Love,
Renata.

Related posts:

Natural, organic and eco empties Spring 2017

Natural, organic and eco empties Winter 2017

Natural, organic and eco empties Autumn 2016

Natural, organic and eco empties Summer 2016

Natural, organic and eco empties Spring 2016

Shop my Neal's Remedies page

(if you want to)

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Natural, Organic And Eco Beauty & Welness Empties - Spring 2017

Hi Lovelies!




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



The blog post name is quite a mouthful, isn't it? Say that three times fast!


And now, without joking around some more, let's see what I've finished in March and April, shall we? As I wrote here, I am well on my way to minimizing and downsizing my collection. I definitely don't like wasting my products, and I want to get down to one open product in each category, with some exceptions in make up.

I've been doing very good with sort of no-buy in the first quarter of the year, until the lid came off at the end of March, and I started shopping around, but I am proud to say I only got what I needed, without any impulse buys, and hopefully it will stay that way. Minimising feels good!

March 2017 Empties

Here is another portion of my natural empties and the stuff I am throwing away, mainly due to expiration reasons. Some of the stuff has been reviewed on my blog, some of it escaped my scrutiny so far. If I have a full review, I will link it.



100%Pure Gemmed Lip Gloss in Peacock Ore

This is my favorite lip gloss in the green beauty universe, as it closely resembles my previously loved Juicy Tubes (check my review on them here). I bought it last May and got some use out of it last summer, but it is time to part ways as it smells really bad now, like really bad. I might repurchase it come summer (fishing for a good deal obviously) but I will make sure to use it a lot more, as this seems like only one centimeter down. My own fault entirely, not a product downfall. I knew about short shelf life and just didn't use it enough.


100%Pure Lysine and herbs lip balm

Really great natural product, Carmex dupe for me (see my post here in the case you missed it) and I might repurchase it come next winter, but it is definitely the time to let this one go, it is more than a year old, and 100%Pure stuff is only good for 6 months. I haven't used it this winter as I only got one cold sore and I remedied it with garlic. One word of warning though, if you are really sensitive like moi, don't put it on the whole lips or it will burn it off, only on the cold sore itself!


Carob and sage oils x2 (not pictured)

Bought a year ago while holidaying in Crete and used maybe twice - big whoops! Time to let them go instead of keeping them sitting on the shelves expired.. Not a repurchase either. I am well on my way to downsizing my collection, and feeling happy about it.


100%Pure mascaras x2

My original review can be found here, but after getting seven of them from this brand I am giving up - four of them came old, reeking of alcohol, not the usual pleasant blueberry scent - and as their EU customer, I already deal with custom fees, so I fee this gamble of will-I-get-a-good-mascara-or-will-it-be-off shouldn't be happening in the first place! If you get a mascara from them and it smells of alcohol, not their usual blueberry (or chocolate) scent, complain to them, and don't let them pull wool over your eyes - I was once told their mascara “has that fermented scent to it” - no it bloody does not, and if yours does, it means it is old! It is a pity, and this decision to not repurchase my favorite mascara is heartbreaking for me - the formula and the ingredients are fantastic, it does not flake (pet peeve of mine) and you can build it to your liking, plus it lasts about six months - if you get a good (fresh) one that is!
P.s. Naturisimo is now stocking this mascara, as well as other 100% Pure make up, so if you are from EU and want to try this minus delivery and custom fees, now you can. Good news for me, but sadly they don't stock my beloved Gemmed lip glosses (as well as anti aging lipsticks). I wrote to them asking to include them in the selection they carry, and hopefully they will listen?


Urban Veda Sandalwood toner for sensitive skin (not pictured)

Technically not an empty, as I decanted it into a spray bottle and binned the original packaging. But I wanted to mention it here in case I will forget to later. I got mine from LoveLula.


Mahalo Bean mask

Review can be found here, it is a gorgeous mask and I highly recommend it if you want to treat yourself, but due to the price and owning a few more masks at the moment, I am not repurchasing for now. Maybe one day when/if I will decide to treat myself.


Earthwise Beauty Marshmallow Suds cleanser

My thoughts on this can be found here. I am sad to say that this went bad on me after about 4 months, even though it is supposed to stay fresh for at least six - it smells awful now, and with my sensitive and dermatitis prone skin I am definitely not trying to use it anymore. Not likely to repurchase either, again, due to the price point (at this point in my life I can't afford 40 or 50€ face wash) and owning a couple more full size items I also need to finish. Sorry Ava!


Green Frog Botanics hand soap

Review can be found here. Really clean ingredients non sudsy soap from LoveLula. Not sure if I am repurchasing any time soon, but that is due to the sheer amount of products I have to go through before I will purchase anything. Bloggers problems much?


Solgar vitamin D 2500iu

Very good vitamin D supplement from a brand I trust, I started taking it when my dermatitis was at it is worst and it is something I will continue to keep taking. Many of us tend to think of vitD as something our bodies make naturally and only babies need to take it. It is very far away from the truth - most of us are quite severely deficient in it and not many of us know that vitD is not only a supplement, but also a hormone needed for 300+ body functions daily.I am not telling you to take this strength, but I highly recommend you do your own research on it and go check your levels. I have another one already.


100% Caffeine Sheet Mask

These are amazing, I love them! I always say they make your skin red carper ready, and that is not a lie - I always reach for them when my skin is freaking out, if I get red patches there, dryness here and some weird breakouts, it takes care of all of them in one use. Review post is here, and make sure to read it because I share my frugal tip on how to make them last three times as long, and no, I don't suggest wearing the same mask over and over!
A repurchase? Yes, I have 8 of them.


Himalayan Salt

I used this pack for a detox bath. The only salt I use for cooking.A repurchase? As long as I will live.


Epsom Salt
 
 Again, a repurchase for life. You will rise from the bath a different person.


Weleda Calendula Toothpaste

Weleda has many great products, this is not one of them. Great clean ingredients, but it tastes like swamp and doesn't clean my teeth properly, after just one hour they have this weird coating on them. 
A repurchase? No thanks.


Vogel Echinacea tincture
 
 I always make sure I have this in winters to boost my immune system and cut down on sickness. This is included into my Natural Arsenal Against Colds And Flu post, which you can check it out here.
A repurchase? For sure.


Hurraw balms x2

I love them so much, great natural ingredients, nice formula, and I forever am upset when I find out I ran out of it. I get mine from LoveLula, but these are widely available. (not here though, health shops in Dublin tend to stock cheaper lip balms, which is why I buy mine online as an add-on to my orders).


Burts Bees lip balm

Got a bunch of them last year in post Christmas sales, because these were one of the first products I switched once I transitioned into green beauty, so it was a sentiments driven purchase, but I am not repurchasing them, partly because Burts Bees is not a cruelty free brand anymore (their parent company isn't cruelty free, which makes Burts Bees not cruelty free in my opinion) and partly to finding firm favourites when it comes to lip balms.
A repurchase? No.


DrBronners

A true classic when it comes to the green beauty - I love the truly clean ingredients! I feel everybody and their mother has or has tried it at this point, so we won't be talking about obvious things here, because who has time for that, right? Let's just say it is a repurchase for life for me, and I wish it weren't twice as much the cost in EU as it is in the US.

April 2017 Empties

Natural, organic and eco empties

Manuka Doctor Manuka plus Tea Tree antiseptic gel UMF18

Acquired for my hubs who is breaking out in weird places, and this really helps. I got it from Holland & Barrett for 8€, but I want to get Living Nature manuka tea tree gel next (they have two sizes, 50ml and 10ml) as it is so much cleaner in terms of ingredients. Trouble is my hubs is going though this at blink-and-you-will-miss-it rate, so that would be kinda pricy habit to get into! Let's hope his skin heals faster sooner than later.
A repurchase? Yes, I have a new one already. Correction - he got it himself.


Zao concealer + lipstick in 464 (not pictured)

Great products on their own, review can be found here. Trouble is I wasn't reaching for them, so when the opportunity came to pass those items on, I did. Better to give them to someone who will use them rather than having them sitting and slowly expiring in my collection. Correction - these are not bad products, I am not using any of my make up in general lately. (apart from mascara and concealer, of course. Umm, I don't want to scare people) And I will be decluttering more soon.
A repurchase? Not this particular ones, but some other products from the brand for sure!


Real Techniques Stippling Brush (again, forgot to picture. Pardon moi)

First brush acquired from RT as soon as they came out with their line of brushes, and that was 7years ago? 5 years? It is still in good shape as I take good care of my brushes, and besides this was used very little. The thing is, this is designed for sheer coverage, and I am looking for completely different finish when I do wear makeup occasionally. Also, this brush handle became sticky for some weird reason - I definitely didn't leave next to the heat source or anything, I didn't use it or store it any differently than my other brushes, but this is the only one to become sticky. I assume it is certain type of plastic was used, and maybe they changed it later on, because all my other RT brushes are not like that, but my hairdryer handle is exactly the same, and it drives me crazy because it attracts dust and hair, and it is impossible to clean off properly. I will ask around if someone wants this, if not, it will be goodbye to it then. RT are really good brushes, and I have many from their line, and I love them all. Apart from this guy.


Burts Bees Shampoo

A firm favourite in Green Life in Dublin household, my hubby enjoys it the most, as his really sensitive scalp is not irritated in the slightest (like with all other shampoos) and his backne also disappeared when he started using it.
A repurchase? Yes, for years. A staple.


Bare Minerals mineral veil SPF25 and mineral concealer

I know, I know, don't judge! I know BM is frowned upon in the green beauty community, and I don't use it anymore too. In my defense, I bought a set years ago, and it wasn't used much if at all. The foundation powder that came with these was gifted to my non natural friend long time ago.
A repurchase? Not at all. I tried to use concealer for a few days and it gave me contact dermatitis due to bismuth oxychloride. So I went on to get Alima Pure mineral concealer, because I really liked the non creasing-ness of a mineral powder concealer. is creasing-ness even a word? Well, now it is :) A little note if you are interested in my two cents on Alima, I am not fully satisfied with it, not enough pigment to cover dark circles, I need to build like 4 layers. But more of it in the upcoming posts.


W3ll People Narcissist Foundation

This expired on me and I am throwing it away. Partly due to my own fault, I stopped using it after being not fully satisfied with it (it didn't last on me) and I simply left it in the make up drawer and started reaching for other products instead. I am on the fence about this product, and not sure if I am repurchasing either - it already had that sort of crayon smell when I bought it, and it was a red flag for me - I feel like I got an old product to begin with, and as that was my first foundation from them, I don't know the difference in smells on how it is supposed to be. It also went really fast when I was using it, so I feel I would have to repurchase it quite frequently. If you will decide to get this, keep in mind that it gives medium coverage (does not build to full) and it tends to break down after 4hrs. At least on me. I might come back to this product in the future, I don't know yet - but only if I will be able to check it out in person before buying. I got mine online and my shade is 3. I will review it eventually, promise!


Orgaid sheet mask

I got this organic mask in a beautiful package from LiveInTheLight.co.uk, you might have seen it in my Instagram. I don't have a firm opinion on it yet, it is very hard to judge something after just one use, isn't it? It felt hydrating and my skin was brighter and plumper after using it, but it went back to a slight redness a few hours later. I need to try a few more of them before giving my thoughts on it. So please bear with me.


Lily Lolo mineral foundation samplers x5

I have bought them a year or so ago, to try it out and find my shade, but I am not satisfied with the foundation itself, it clings to the dry patches, even just one layer of it makes my skin look dry, flaky and matte, (without any coverage) that is the exact opposite of what I want. I also need a million layers of it and it still doesn't give me the coverage I want, so what is the point of keeping using something that is clearly not for me? It is a bit puzzling, because there's no clay in the formula, foundations with clays in it tend to do that for dry skin. Many of you love this foundation, I am aware of it, but after many many attempts I have to throw my hands in the air and part ways with it. Thankfully not all of mineral foundations are created equal, and I enjoy Pure Anada on so much better. Review here if you missed it :)


Beautiful Movements foundation samplers x5

This brand was started by Pussycat Doll Kimberley Wyat with her friend years ago, and that's when I was sent them, but since then the brand changed the name (and possibly hands) at least two or three times, as well as changing the formula for the worse each time, so let's not waste anyone's time and forget about them. Now they are called BeautifulMe and available in Holland and Barrett. I wouldn't get them personally, but it all depends on your purity level, really.


So that is all I finished in two months - whooping 67 product this year so far. It is amazing to what the numbers are adding up if you start keeping track of it.


What have you guys finished lately?



Lots of Love,

Renata.

Related Posts

Natural Empties Winter 2017

Natural Empties Autumn 2016

Natural Empties Summer 2016

Natural Empties Spring 2016

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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