Monday 21 January 2013

Dr Organic Royal Jelly skincare products ( a review )

For christmas my boyfriend surprised me with some fabulous presents. Out of many presents he gave me, my favorite present was the Dr Organic's gift set. Dr Organic skin care products are exclusive to Holland and Barrett, this is their very own in-house skin care line. They have a huge range of products available, check out http://www.drorganic.co.uk/range.asp for more information on the ranges. I have products from the Royal Jelly skin care collection.

Before I carry on rambling about how amazing these products are I would like to say that the packaging can be a little misleading. Even though most of the ingredients are natural and some are organic, a lot of the products do contain preservatives. I found sodium benzoate in the body lotion and some other preservatives in the other products. But I would like to focus on sodium benzoate, sodium benzoate is a widely used food preservative, it is NOT a natural ingredient, it is synthesised in a lab. More interestingly there is a natural alternative to this ingredient called Natamax, however it is not widely used because it costs significantly higher than sodium benzoate. Take a moment and think about what a messed up world we live in... companies choose an artificial synthesised product over an all natural ingredient to put in food? Why is this happening? Is it because people are completely unaware of the healthy alternatives. Are we completely conditioned to blindly trust companies? Have we become stupid? Or is this evolution gone wrong...? 

Rant over.

However I would like to say I am still happy to use these products because they are far more healthier than other chemical based high street beauty products. All these products are paraben free, SLS free, uses no artificial colours or fragrances and claims to use no harsh preservatives (this is debatable). They are also vegan and animal friendly. 

With all that said, this is the pretty gift set =) I have been using these products for just under a month and I have to say I have fallen in love with them all!


Inside my gift set: Royal jelly body cream, Royal Jelly night cream, Royal Jelly shampoo, Royal Jelly conditioner, Royal jelly body wash and a Manuka honey foot & heel cream.  Let me tell you a little about the benefits of Royal Jelly. Royal jelly is a hunny bee secretion (ewww I know) which is used to feed the larve and the queen bee. Royal jelly has amazing health benefits such as: aiding fertility, relieving symptoms of PMS, it has anti carcinogenic properties, it also works as an anti inflammatory and heals wounds. But most importantly Royal Jelly has anti ageing properties (yey)!! 



This is my Royal Jelly skin lotion. It is a rich moisturising non sticky body lotion and smells of honeeyyyyyy just like the rest of the range. I would highly recommend this product for the winter months. I alternate between body oil and Dr Organic body lotion when I moisturise. Don't worry I still love my all natural oils =)



I love my Royal Jelly night cream!! I think I will be buying this product again. I put the night cream on at night. In the morning I use my all natural Argan oil to moisturise my face. Check out my post on Argan oil. http://lovenaturalbeautyjunkie.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/winter-all-natural-hair-care-supply.html 



The shampoo and conditioner do what they are supposed to do. Gently cleanses and moisturises my hair. The natural fragrance is really strong, my hair smells of honey after every wash for the rest of the day =)




The body wash has the same lovely honey smell. It cleans and hydrates my body really well. Leaving my skin feeling really nice and fresh. The body wash is almost chemical free, therefore I feel safe to use this all over my body without feeling that the Ph balance in my lady bits could be disrupted.



And finally let's talk about the odd one out of the box. The Manuka honey foot and heal cream. I get really dry heels in the winter and I find it difficult to moisturise my feet with oil because it's just too greasy and it spreads all over the floor and creates a mess. Before using this foot cream my heels were quite hard but ever since using this foot cream I have seen a significant difference in the texture of my foot. It is considerably smoother than before.
So this works eh =)


Overall I am quite happy Dr Organic's skin care collection. None of the products cost more than £10 so it is easy on your pocket. Check out the individual prices here: http://www.drorganic.co.uk/jelly-products.asp

Enjoy =) 






Sunday 6 January 2013

Natural DIY Turmeric and milk face mask

It's early January and we are all feeling the cold. The cold winter weather can be harsh to your skin, leaving it dry and lifeless. So I decided to experiment with home made face masks and came up with the perfect solution for dry and dull skin! I also didn't want to spend any extra money to make a face mask or to buy a new product, so I experimented with what I had in my kitchen. Here is my recipe for the perfect face mask (at least for my skin)


You need: milk, olive oil, flour, honey and turmeric. If you have one or two less ingredients don't worry about it mix what you have.



First you can add the flour, I put in a large tablespoon of flour. Flour helps to thicken the face mask so it isn't too runny when you are applying it to your face. 


Then you can add literally a pinch of turmeric (an indian spice used in most curries), this is probably the most important ingredient. Turmeric gives you a natural  healthy glow and it also has anti septic properties, turmeric can heal skin burns or any other skin irritation. But be very sparing with this ingredient because if you use to much of it, it can actually stain your skin yellow for a day or two. So use very little to give you that perfect glow. 


After the Turmeric add a tablespoon of olive oil. Olive oil is an all natural wonderful moisturiser. The use of olive oil to moisturise and purify your skin has been dated back to the ancient Egyptians. If they have been at it for so long then why shouldn't we give it a go? 



Now add two tablespoons of milk. Milk is one of the most nourishing food you can consume.It is full of nutrients and not only is it beneficial for your health it is also a great nutritional beauty aid.



And the final ingredient Honey. Honey also works as a mild anti septic and reduced free radicals in your skin. Honey is known to promote growth of new skin (this is a great ingredient for ageing skin). 



Finally mix it up well to make the paste. The paste is sightly runny but not runny enough so it drips off your face. If you feel like it is too thin then just add a bit more flour to the paste. This should be enough for 2-3 applications. Make sure you use it within a week otherwise it may go off because all the ingredients are natural so they can rot.



And apply, leave it on for 15-20 minutes and wash it off with luke warm water.


Enjoy =) 


















Wednesday 2 January 2013

Bare Minerals top pick make up set review !

I am very happy to say that I am finally a proud owner of Bare Minerals make up ! I felt like it was about time I gave up any unnatural make up products and make the complete transition to NATURAL make up. I read many blogs and reviews and noticed that people had only positive things to say about Bare Minerals make up. And most importantly a very good friend of mine started using the products sometime last year,  ever since then she has been telling me to buy the foundation but i kept putting it off. But finally I got around to purchasing the Bare Minerals top pick make up set!

 So this post is dedicated to Georgia thank you for introducing me to these wonderful products, every penny was well spent (finally have my own foundation and won't pinch yours next time you are around ;).

Right, so firstly you have to admire the packaging. It comes in a pretty feminine box, a perfect addition to your dressing table or just a good place to keep all your products together in one place, so it doesn't get lost in your make up jungle.



The box contains Bare Minerals foundation, bronzer, 2 eye shadows, a lipstick and a foundation brush. I have to say this is probably the best foundation brush I have ever used, very light and fluffy and most importantly works perfectly with powder basedd make up.



The lady working at the Bare Minerals counter at Debenhams was lovely and helpful. She took her time and did a perfect color match for my skin. My foundation color is medium beige, I applied the foundation and it felt really lovely and light. Like I had no make up on what so ever, and it also gave me full coverage! The bronzer is a lovely warm color but a little too dark to use in the winter months, so I will be saving that for the summer =)



Now let's have a look at the eye shadows, both the color's are very wearable. The light rose pink (whisper) is perfect for day time wear. And the brown shade (twig) is ideal for night time. Both the shadows have a little bit of shimmer added to it. But when applied it is subtle and really emphasises your eyes without looking too over the top. I have to stop here and just say how incredible these products are, remember they are all 100% NATURAL. What more could you ask for!



Now moving on to the lipstick, I think this color (Parfait) practically suits most skin/lip tones. The color is very natural and perfect for daily wear. The lipstick is also very moisturising, I have worn it all day and my lips still very very moisturised and the color has stayed on well throughout the day. 

To conclude I would like to say that I am more than happy with my purchase specially because this kit is on sale at http://www.debenhams.com/beauty/bareminerals for £25 (originally £42).

Remember, these products are natural (mainly made from minerals and essential oils), they are also 100% usable and effective. I could not ask for better make up for my skin! If I am going to paint my face, at least the paint is naturally made and causes minimal damage to my skin.

And finally HAPPY NEW YEAR