LoveLula January 2017 Beauty Box

The LoveLula January Beauty Box arrived today (just in time for January) and as always, I'm really excited to share what's inside! Whilst I've recently started to live and promote a more minimal lifestyle, I still believe that switching over to and using natural/chemical free products is SO important. Therefore I will continue to post about new natural beauty products and promote them as it's something that I truly believe in. 

This months box total value is £37 which is incredible when the box costs only £12.50 a month! You can sign up here for February's box. There are 5 products in total, including 2 full sized products and 3 travel size ones. 

John Masters Organics Travel Size Evening Primrose Shampoo for Dry Hair - £5.50

I'm really excited to try this out as my hair has been particularly dry recently. I'm planning on doing a full blog post on this soon, so keep an eye out for that! If I like it then I'll definitely purchase this for my holiday in august. 

 Laidbare Pack Your Bags Lighten & Tighten Eye Cream - £7.99

I've used this product before and it actually dried my eyelids out and irritated them, so I'm slightly skeptical about trying it out again. If I do give it a go then I'll just put it underneath my eyes and not on the lids. 

Balm Balm Fragrance Free Organic Face Balm - £8.95

I have both the other Balm Balm faces balms so I know I will love this one! It's fragrance free so is suitable for the most sensitive of skin and can be used all over the body. My nails are very damaged at the moment after (stupidly) getting acrylics nails in December, so I'll be using this to try and bring them back to life. 

REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream - sample

This is 'formulated to leave sensitive, reactive skin optimally hydrated, calmed, soothed and protected' which is exactly what my skin needs at the moment. I will start trying this out tomorrow and can do a full review later on if anyone's interested! 

Apple & Bears Mini Bergamot & Green Tea Luxury Body Silk - £6.00

This product is exclusive to LoveLula and claims to energise and improve the overall appearance of your skin. I'll start using this product tonight as my skin definitely needs some TLC at the moment. 

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Lime Crime Venus 2 Palette | Swatches

I got this palette from Urban Outfitters way back in August when I was in NYC. I know there's been a lot of controversy with Lime Crime, but there's no denying how unique this palette is and the quality of these shadows. 

Whilst it's not your typical 'every day nude' palette, the shades in this palette are very versatile and could create a whole variety of different looks. I don't own anything like this palette and it's a great choice if you wanted to step out of your comfort zone. 

The shadows themselves are very pigmented and blend beautifully. There can be some fall out with the darker shades but I think that's generally to be expected with really dark shadows. The only two shades that I don't reach for as much are Filter and Boot, but they would look great if you wanted a pop of colour or doing a dark smoky eye!

Jumping on the Minimalism Train

Do you ever get the feeling that something is just not right in your life? Because same. For some time now I've been buying things to try and make me feel happy, and I do for a short period of time, but it's never long lasting. For example, I have a ridiculous amount of make up just sitting in my drawers not getting used because I got SO much of it in order to try and feel 'happy'. But in reality, it just didn't bring anything positive to my life. 

Now you've probably heard of this whole minimalism thing. So many bloggers are decluttering their homes and making a lifestyle change to something more simple, which I personally think is great. I actually tried to start living a more minimal lifestyle back in June of last year, and while I've definitely reduced the amount of crap I buy, I'm still holding onto a lot of stuff and feel it's time to make some bigger changes. Go big or go home right?! 

There are different definitions of minimalism out there, and whilst it's not all just about decluttering, for me that's a good start. We live in a society where we're sold this fake idea that buying a new phone or the latest eyeshadow palette will make us happy, but in reality, those feelings will always be temporary. Happiness has to come from within and not from materialistic things. My goal is to find happiness that doesn't rely on buying things or from someone else. So it's time to stop buying 'unnecessary stuff' and declutter all the 'unnecessary stuff' that's already in my life. 

I hope to document the journey on my blog and hopefully inspire others to make the change! 

Crystal Collection

I've been trying to live a more minimal lifestyle recently, but there's one thing I will never stop collecting or declutter, and that is crystals! I'm not going to name each individual crystal, but if you do have any specific questions then please just comment below. I have purchased these from all over the place, from Vancouver Island to NYC to a local crystal shop and online sites such as etsy. I use my crystals for decoration and healing purposes. I also cleanse them under the full moon once a month, although it's not always possible to put them outside when the weather's particularly bad. I'm definitely not a crystal expert and am still learning! But anyway, here's my collection...  

Natural Skincare Favourites

PHB Ethical Beauty not only do some brilliant natural and vegan skincare products, they also donate 20% of their profit to charity, so you're helping yourself and others by purchasing their products. I've also noticed that they try and limit the amount of plastic in their packaging as well, which is another reason why I love this brand and their products so much!

Three of their products that I have been loving recently in particular include a face scrub, toner and eye cream...

PHB Ethical Beauty Balancing Facial Tonic with Tea Tree

My skin has been very temperamental recently and I've had quite a few break outs which has been very annoying. I decided to switch over to a toner specifically for oily skin that would target blemishes. I've definitely noticed that my skin's calmed down since using this toner and gets less oily throughout the day! 

PHB Ethical Beauty Balancing Jojoba Bead Exfoliator with Geranium & Lavender

Again I got this product with the view to it reducing blemishes and unclogging pores. I've been using it twice a week and my skin feels so clean and refreshed afterwards. Unlike many exfoliators, it's not harsh on the skin and doesn't contain nasty plastic micro-beads, which are harmful to our health and the environment. I'm also a sucker for anything lavender, so I was always going to love this product! The combination of using this and the toner has definitely helped clear my skin. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Brightening Eye Gel with Organic Eyebright & Neroli 

I'm always skeptical about eye products that claim to reduce dark circles etc, but I have genuinely noticed a difference since using this product! First of all, I really like how it's a gel and how little you have to put on. I've been using morning and night, and the area around my eyes definitely appears brighter and less puffy! It also dries really quickly and has a lovely texture to it. 

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Alchemy Grapefruit Hair Oil | Review

If you didn't already know, I made the decision to switch over to more natural and chemical-free beauty products some time ago. To 'condition' my hair I normally use coconut oil or argan oil; I haven't used an actual conditioner for a while now. So, when I was asked if I wanted to review the Alchemy Grapefruit Hair Remedy, I of course jumped at the chance! 

To start with, this product contains 5 oils; Coconut, Avocado, Almond, Castor and Grapefruit oil. And that's it. There are no harsh chemicals, parabens or sulfates, compared to what you might find in your usual hair treatment or conditioner. 

I've been using this hair oil for about a week now and I honestly love it so much! First of all, I absolutely adore the packaging and I know I'll make use of the bottle when I finish it up, so win win. I've been washing my hair every other day, and I'll run this oil through dry hair and then leave it for about half an hour whilst I have a bath. I then rinse it out and shampoo my hair like normal. I probably will go down to using it once a week now as it's such a nourishing product, and I don't want to use it up too quickly. 

I've definitely noticed a change in my hair since using this oil, and it's only been a week! My hair feels very smooth, hydrated and just healthier. Usually when I brush my hair it's very tangled, but after using this it brushes a lot easier! Also the scent is very up-lifting and summery, which I love as the weather is so doom and gloom at the moment... 

Zoeva Caramel Melange Palette | Swatches

I was lucky enough to get this palette for Christmas, and wanted to share just how amazing it is!

I believe it's only £18 and is available in the UK on BeautyBay, which also offers free delivery. The packaging is absolutely stunning and of course the shades themselves make the ultimate perfect warm toned eyeshadow palette. This palette is also free from parabens and mineral oil which is quite rare from a 'normal brand'. Whilst this palette isn't vegan, Zoeva are a cruelty free brand and are certified by Logical Harmony. 

I feel that the swatches speak for themselves. They have to be the most pigmented eyeshadows that I own. They're buttery, blend amazing and I haven't had any issues with fall out. What's not to love?! 

EMPTIES

The start of a new year can only mean one thing; it's time to declutter! Now I love a good tidy out, and recently came across my box of empty products. I haven't done an empties post in two months so yup, that's two months of empty bottles cluttering up my room. I'm not going to go into detail about every product otherwise I'll be here all day, but here's an over view of what I will repurchase and what I won't! 

Products I wouldn't repurchase 

I'm not going to go into all the items here, if you have any questions about a specific product comment below! 

But anyway, these are all the products that I personally wouldn't buy again. The Too Faced Hangover Primer did absolutely nothing for my skin or make up, luckily it's only a small sized bottle! The shampoo bar didn't work at all with my hair and I just couldn't deal with my hair looking dirty all the time. The Faith in Nature Deodorant just wouldn't work (no further explanation needed). The Body Shop spray and Vera Wang perfume were nice scents but I prefer something more natural now. As for the other products, there's nothing bad about them, I just personally don't feel the need to buy them again. 

Products I would repurchase - bath items 

Products I would repurchase - skincare and make up