Organic Beauty Week

Hello everyone!

If you didn't know, September is Organic Month. This basically means I have given myself every justification for buying the lovely expensive organic produce from my local Tesco....but also has been refreshing my memory of all of the wonderful organic beauty products that I have tried previously and that are still on offer.

In particular there is an Organic Beauty Week which is next week, the 19th to the 25th of September.

I think it is great to bring organic produce to more people's attention, especially beauty products. They are a lot more available than they ever used to be before, and I have tried a few in the past that were really good.

So in light of this I thought I would talk about two of my favourite organic beauty products that I have tried, and hopefully you can give me some recommendations too!

My first favourite product is the Antipodes Divine Face Oil*. 

Antipodes is a brand I came across a few years, remember that exclusive Selfridge's beauty box that was released when they opened up their Beauty Department? (there's a post here if you need a reminder but the giveaway is obviously over now!)

This was my first organic product and also the first oil I put on my face, and in true blogger style I have not forgotten it. I have in fact repurchased it a number of times but due to buying a house last year my budget has been restricted....Antipodes were kind enough to send me another recently to refresh my memory. 

It is still absolutely my favourite facial oil that I have ever tried. I remember this was when the realisation of 'I can put oil onto my oily skin and it won't break me out?!' days. This was a revolutionary product for me and I'm so happy to have it back in my life, so is my skin as it has definitely shown in the last few days of usage.

I'd recommend it for any skin type as wen my skin was oily it never broke out when I used this, plus now that my skin is drier it works like a charm at hydrating it so I think it works for all skin types.

Why should you try it?

The Divine Oil contains premium avocado oil as the main ingredient along with rosehip oil, jojoba oil, jasmine oil plus pure plant fragrances such as Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang.

The organic avocado oil however is the star of the show, it is high in essential fatty acids (EFAs) including Omega 3 and 9 to help with regeneration, restructuring, moisturising and film forming. It also has lutein which helps to protect against the sun with its natural UVA sun-screening properties and antioxidants to help against the damage that free radicals can cause to the skin resulting in ageing.

So the promise is there...and the science backs it up. After some studies Antipodes have found the it stimulates collagen in human skin cells by up to 51%.,,,, Can we bathe in it?!

The Divine Face Oil costs £19.99 for 30ml and can be purchased directly from the Antipodes website but also Look Fantastic, Beauty Expert, Naturisimo and Feel Unique.

My second favourite organic product that I've tried is from Neal's Yard Remedies.

We attended an event from them two years ago now when they released their infamous Wild Rose Beauty Balm* in the beautiful new packaging to celebrate 10 years of the product.

Isn't it beautiful???

This is a wonder product, and my original post on this product (click here) lists the ideas other users have come up with but my favourite use is as a deep cleansing mask, hydrating mask, lip balm and general salve for any burns, sun burn etc that my skin has. 

It comes with a muslin cloth that I use to remove the product and this also helps with exfoliation. 

This balm also contains rosehip oil along with starflower, patchouli and geranium so it smells wonderful as well as providing a whole host of benefits for hydration, smoothing and soothing.

This one even has the Soil Association rating of 99% organic which is obviously really hard to achieve and hard to prove. It's impressive that this rating can be achieved but proves it is possible, i think more brands should aim to achieve these badges of honour!

The Wild rose Beauty  Balm can be purchased for £38 for 50g, and can be purchased from the many individual stores and their website, as well as John Lewis and Waitrose.

As the Soil Association is a UK registered charity this is probably why Antipodes don't have the same rating (they come from New Zealand). It would be great if they were more easily compared in terms of organic ratings but to be perfectly honest this isn't something that would stop me from buying a product from either reputable brand.

Have you tried either of my favourites? Do you think Organic Beauty Week is a good idea?

What's your favourite organic beauty product or brand?

L xxx

*Both products in this post were given to me for review by the respective brands directly, however this has not affected my opinion of either product. This post is not sponsored by the Soil Association either, I just think it's a great idea :)

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

Good morning!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend, we had a wedding yesterday so we're recovering from lots of themed cocktails and copious wine!

Today's review is of the Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm. Not only is this a fabulous product in itself, but it's celebrating its 10th Anniversary and so has limited edition print courtesy of British artist Alice Shields, how gorgeous is it??

Having never used this before I was intrigued as a beauty balm that has been around for 10 years is sure to have a  huge list of uses and therefore a big following.
The key ingredients are:

Rosehip Seed oil: Antioxidant and vitamin rich oil that helps to improve skin elasticity
Borage (starflower): Anti-inflammatory properties and helps to restore the moisture barrier
Patchouli: Stimulates and strengthens skin to help with dry and damaged skin
Geranium: Balances, strengthens and smoothes making it perfect for any skin type.

The design from Alice Shields incorporates all of these key ingredients into the packaging which is a really nice touch and the colours go so well together.



The balms ability to smooth skin and restore its natural radiance is well loved by NYR's customers and the multiple uses they have found for it. These include:

1) Cleanser
2) Moisturiser
3) Mask
4) Lip balm
5) Make up primer/highlighter
6) Cuticle oil
7) Foot cream
8) Flight Repair
9) Eyebrow tamer
10) Sunburn relief

There are many more uses that I'm sure other people will know about, I wonder if it is any good to use on hair? I haven't got that far in my usage of it yet but it would be interesting to know.

This product has won so many awards and it's not surprising, after using it for a few short weeks I am blown away by how moisturising it is. I've been using it mostly as a moisturiser, mask and lip balm but have used it to help with pesky bits of dry skin on my elbows and for my cuticles too.

It really is a wonder product! My skin has felt so much more hydrated and smooth after using it and as my skin has been so dry recently its great to have finally found something that has helped to combat it. I've also not broken out at all which was something I was worried about with my temperamental oily t-zone and penchant for getting spots on my chin. 

The balm comes with its own muslin cloth which is a nice touch and helps you to use it in its many ways. I haven't yet used it as a cleanser as I've been trying to use up other cleansing products but i have no doubt that it will be hydrating and exfoliating,  

I love that they detail all of the ingredients found in the balm and it has been certified as 99% organic by the Soil Association. I don't think you can go wrong with buying a product from a company that boasts countless awards for its products and numerous 'eco-principles'.

Just a few are listed below:

UK's first certified organic health and beauty company

World's First health and beauty company to achieve 100% for ethics in an independent audit

World's first company to produce Soil Association certified cosmetics

World's First Carbon Neutral high street retailer

I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed using this product, its perfect for downsizing as you won't need multiple products if you have one with multiple uses. The results from using the balm are brilliant and my skin has thanked me for it, the packaging is also gorgeous and would look great in any bathroom or vanity unit. This is my first NYR product and I'm really impressed with it, there's so much I'd love to try from their range and the Frankincense products were amazing when we tried them at the event.

The beauty balm comes in at £37 for 50g which sounds a lot but just imagine how much use you will get out of it, and how ethical it is. Almost worth buying for the good world brownie points right??

I'm certainly a fan and will be researching into some more NYR products to try in the near future!

Have you tried the Wild Rose Beauty Balm? Do you like multiple use products? What's your favourite NYR product?

L xxx

Hey All

As L said yesterday we were at a wedding so so far today has been spent in bed or on the sofa. I absolutely exhausted today!

When the balm was rose scented I was concered I wouldn't like it as heavy floral scents aren't something I go especially rose as it always makes me think it's quite an old fashioned scent. This is quite refreshing though and not overly floral or powerful.

So far I've loved it. I've been mainly using it as a overnight mask. My skin just soaks it up. I wake up with the softest skin and it doesn't feel greasy. Even though I have oily skin it has been loving using this balm.

Like L I've also been using it for dry skin on my elbows and it's really helped so far.

This is my first NYR product but my wishlist is massive already. I can't wait to try more. They have some amazing scents I especially can't wait to try the frankinscense range more.

I'm off to smother my face in the balm as I slept in make up last night and my skin now needs a pick me up!

Love M xxx

Neal's Yard Remedies Organic Pamper Party

Good afternoon!

Our last post for the 'event weekend' is from Neal's Yard Remedies. We were very excited to be invited to the pamper party happening in Bristol this week, and after a bit of a delay getting completely lost (oops!) we eventually arrived at the apartment where the party had already started.

The lovely Sue was giving a demonstration facial which was really interesting as we could pick up on tips and tricks and see the products in action.

One of the new products on the scene with NYR is the Frankincense Intense Concentrate, which is basically a concentrated version of the Frankincense Intense cream and is a best seller for its effects already. The concentrate is a serum type product which promises to deliver even more of a punch than it's original product. The concentrate will retail at £65 for 30ml compared to the original cream which is £55 for 50ml.

It was lovely to be hands on with the products as they were being used and we had the most moisturised and best smelling hands in the whole of the UK after we'd finished testing everything!

They had the whole range there including cleansers, toners, mists, serums and creams galore. We also tried out some of their other products including roller balls with essential oils and body butters.

We were very lucky to leave with a goodie bag with a full size pot of the Wild Rose Beauty Balm. As you can see from the gift bag and packaging of the balm itself, it's currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary and so has a special design by Alice Shields. I absolutely love that they've done this and the packaging is gorgeous, although it's still NYR with its blue glass pot it has a gorgeous flowery label covered in bright colours.

After playing with all the products i have been making an extensive wishlist for future purchases. Having recently been to an interview where it turns out I'd be involved in animal testing I have been looking at things a little differently. We love products that are 'free from' and NYR definitely have that covered by the endless list of awards and accolades that you can find on their website here, it is seriously impressive.

They also as a rule never test on animals, so not only are they free from all the chemical nasties they also don't partake in unnecessary actions to develop their products which is great. I can definitely see my skincare shifting towards NYR a lot faster than expected!

It surprised me how many products NYR have in their books; not only the skincare and other products of the same kind, but also a make up range, superfood and tea range, and remedies and therapies section too.

We had a lovely evening and would like to thank Sue and Jessica for a fun and informative evening!

We even grabbed a few cans of Pimms to drink on the train back to Cardiff to finish off our night!

What's your favourite products form Neal's Yard Remedies? Have you tried the Wild Rose Beauty Balm?
Have you made the shift to cruelty free products?

L & M xxx