LoveLula March 2017 Beauty Box

This months LoveLula Beauty Box is worth £40 which is of course great value when the box only costs £12.50! There are four full sized products and one sample which unfortunately I didn't get in my box for some reason. This was slightly disappointing but at least it was only a sample! You can sign up here for next months box.

Seascape Island Apothecary Unwind Body Wash 300ml - £16

I don't normally use shower gel so this will be a treat! It contains no parabens or sls which are two ingredients I like to avoid using on my skin. I also think it might be vegan friendly although I'm not 100% sure (it doesn't say). The packaging is stunning as well and feels very luxurious!

Laidbare For Richer For Porer 'Miracle' Mask 50ml - £7.99

'Mask imperfections and reduce pores with our cleansing and hydrating facial masque. Kaolin Clay draws out impurities and toxins, Japanese Seaweed Extract detoxifies and smoothes the skin. Shea Butter gives hydration and conditions skin, whilst Liquorice helps minimise inflammation and Rose Water soothes irritation.' 

This face mask sounds perfect for what I need right now and I've recently used up all my face masks. Again it doesn't say whether it's vegan or not, I'm guessing it's not as brands usually advertise this. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Brightening Hand Cream with Neroli & Ylang Ylang 50ml - £10.95 (vegan)

'Key benefits: • With Ylang Ylang, Neroli & Sea Buckthorn oils for even skin tone • Rich, nourishing formula for softer and more supple skin • Soothes hard working hands • Protects against environmental factors • No greasiness or residue • Mild and Gentle • Free From Parabens, Artificial Fragrance & Colours, Petrochemicals, Formaldehyde, Mineral Oils, Palm Oil & Phenoxyethanol • Cruelty free, Vegan and Halal Certified • Handmade in the UK'

PHB Ethical Beauty are one of my favourite brands so I was really happy to see this hand cream! I am confident that I'll love this product and once I've used it properly I'll post a full review.

Hurraw Papaya Pineapple Lip Balm 4.3g - £4.99 (vegan)

It's been so long since I've used a Hurraw lip balm and I can't wait to try this out properly! This smells incredible and it's actually new from Hurraw which is very exciting!

Another great box from LoveLula! 

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DIY Toothpaste | Zero Waste

First of all, I would just like to stress that I am NOT a dental expert and this may not work for everyone. I personally was fed up with spending a fortune on 'natural' toothpastes so thought I might as well give it a go and make my own. 

I've been using this for a month now and so far so good. My teeth actually look slightly whiter but they do feel a tiny bit sensitive with cold drinks etc, but I can live with that and it's not an issue.

You will need:

1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

10 drops of peppermint oil

Mix it all up until creamy and smooth and there you go! I store mine in a glass container that had a face mask in it which I can continue to reuse. 

Let me know if you try this out! 

What's In My Bag? | Rice Love Bags

Before I jump into the actual post about what's in my bag, I thought I'd share a bit about the bag that I'm currently using from Rice Love Bags. I'm so happy to be part of their rep program (you can get 20% off with the code 'CHARWBEAUTY'). I know a lot of people get annoyed by bloggers going on about affiliate codes and all that, but this is such a good cause and I will definitely be spreading the word as much as possible. And no, I wasn't sent the bag for free or anything like that, and would still be promoting this company even if I didn't have an affiliate code. 

First of all, the actual design is very unique and quirky, and is handmade from used jute rice bags which would otherwise have gone into landfill. It cost $36 and shipping to the UK was around $20, and amazingly it arrived in 5 days and I had no custom charges. It's available to buy here. 

More importantly, purchasing a bag provides 1 kilo of rice to a family in India AND provides women with jobs, which is absolutely incredible. When I received my bag I was given a unique code that actually showed the family that purchasing my bag had helped (see below). I think it's wonderful that you can actually see the people that you're helping as the whole process becomes so much more personal. 

So, what's actually in my bag? 

First of all I have this make up bag/pouch from Urban Outfitters that I keep personal bits in and just random crap that I don't want loose in my bag. 

I then have my phone which is a Samsung S6 and the case is from Etsy. My keys have random key rings that I've collected from Virginia, Washington DC and Vancouver. I also have a reusable shopping bag because plastic bags are BAD. 

Next I have my purse which (obviously) came from Whistler, Canada. It's made from vegan materials and I just adore the design. Lastly I have some hand gel because I'm a germs freak and a packet of tissues. 

So overall pretty simple! I tend to avoid receipts when I can and like to carry around only the bare essentials.

Everyday Make Up

Today's post is all about the make up products I use everyday and which products I'm trying to use up/pan. 

For my face I first of all prime with the Milani Prime Shield which I absolutely love. For foundation I of course use the Barry M Flawless Matte Finish Foundation, which I've very nearly used up. I already repurchased this a while ago but unfortunately won't be again as it contains parabens... boo!! Anyway, for concealer I use the NYX Wand and then set my face with the B. Pressed Powder. 

To warm my face up I use a Stila Foundation Refillable (not sure of the shade), which I'm actually trying to use up. For bronzer I use Nars Laguna and for blush I use Nars Deep Throat. These two are also part of the 'project pan' gang as I've had them for nearly three years now and don't want them to go off. Next for highlight I switch between this random Stila Single Eyeshadow and of course The Balm's Mary Lou. Finally to contour I use the NYX Contour Kit or just use Nars Laguna. 

Moving onto eyes, I use the UD Eyeshadow Primer samples which I'm trying to use up as they've been hanging around for ages. For eyeshadow my everyday palette is the original Naked Palette which I've already started to pan. This is coming up to three years old so again I want to use it before it goes off completely. For eyeliner I use the B. Kohl Liner which is a chocolate brown colour and for mascara I use both Too Faced's Better Than Sex and Barry M's Showgirl. Finally for brows I use the Milani Eyebrow Gel and set them with NYX Control Freak Eyebrow Gel. 

Make Up Declutter

My make up collection is slowly starting to shrink thanks to my recent rather brutal declutter. 

As you can see from the pictures below, there is rather a lot that I've decided to let go off. Some of it I simply threw away/recycled because it was old and well past is. All of the nail polishes went to my cousin and the rest will either go to her or I will donate them. I actually decided to keep the NudeTude palette and hopefully pan most of the shades, which I'll post pictures of on Instagram as I make progress. 

I wasn't really using any of these so I'm not sad to see them go, plus the majority contain parabens and goodness knows what else. Most of it was also from the drugstore so fairly inexpensive. This whole process has definitely taught me to put more thought into what I buy and to not be as wasteful!