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 =) 

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 =) 

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.

Here is the link to their official website http://www.bareminerals.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-BareEscentualsUK-Site/default/Home-Show

And finally HAPPY NEW YEAR 

Beer rinse for your hair

I hope everyone has had a very merry christmas. I certainly did, I spent most of my time cooking and eating and enjoying every second of it with my wonderful family.

 My boyfriend enjoys an occasional beer now and then, so this christmas he bought a couple of beer and managed to get through half a can of beer (his alcohol tolerance is ridiculously low) and I followed suit and also drank half a can. We left both the cans out on the dining table overnight and forgot about it until the next morning. In the morning I woke up to a very messy kitchen and got my cleaning hat on and started a big clean up.

Amongst all the mess I found the half empty cans of beers and instantly I thought that I didn't want to waste what was left over (I just hate wasting food/drink anything really) and didn't want to drink them either because flat beer tastes worse than flat coke (I rest my case). So I remembered something my mother used to do when I was little. Once a month she used to buy a can of beer to rinse her hair with it!!. So I thought I will give it a go and use the left over beer to rinse my hair.

I got into my shower made sure my hair was wet and literrally poured the beer into my hair and slowly worked it through my hair. After applying the beer I simply rinsed my hair with warm water (do this thoroughly it helps to get rid of the smell) and waited for my hair to dry out naturally. Once my hair was dried, it looked super healthy and super glossy and even my wavy locks were tamed!

Apparently the proteins from the malt and hops found in beer coat, rebuilds and repairs damaged hair. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a quick boost to the quality of their hair. If you want to have bouncy shiny hair before a special occasion or if you generally want to pamper yourself. This is a cheap and a natural way to make your hair look fantastic for any occasion.

Cheers <3

Natural deep recovery hair mask coconut oil + curry leaves for long hair!

Firstly I would like to apologise for being MIA. Had a really hectic past couple of weeks, but I finally found some chill time to write ! So, let's talk about something I experimented with recently. In conversation with an old friend of mine who also happens to have wonderfully long shiny hair.  I told her about my problems with hair loss and she suggested a deep recovery hair mask. A mixture of coconut oil and curry leaves! Who would have thought that you could put curry leaves in your hair? well apparently it's something Indian women have been doing for centuries. It helps the hair to grow much faster and even prevents grey hair!

Pour 2-4 tablespoons (depending on the length of your hair) of coconut oil into a little pan and add 5-6 fresh curry leaves ( I found mine in my local farmers market!) let it fry until the leaves are slightly brown. Take it off the pan and pour the mixture into a small glass bowl and massage it thoroughly into your hair. Keep it on for 2-3 hours and do this twice a week. Apparently it should make your hair grow faster, I will continue doing this and report back in 3 months time, to let you all know if it actually worked or not...

This is what the end product looked like before I put it on my hair. Notice how the leaves are slightly brown but not completely burnt. 

Enjoy and indulge =) 

All natural winter hair care supply !

I have been trying to eliminate chemicals from my life, mainly by using beauty products that has very low chemical contents or none at all. I also try to eat healthy and incorporate as many herbal vitamins as I can into my diet. And finally I try not to take any allopathic medicines (only when I really have to), because I don't agree with popping pain killers for a mild head ache at any given chance. Which is why I try to tackle the root of the problem by eating healthy and taking my herbal vitamins.

So long story short, I bought a supply of natural hair products today. A shampoo, a conditioner, a hair serum and an oil. And none of these products are tested on animals so that's a big bonus!

The first two products I would like to talk about are the Naked Rescue intensive care shampoo and Naked Rescue intensive care conditioner. These two products are 97% chemical free, they contain no sulphates, parabens or petrochemicals. Most of the ingredients are naturally derived, and the two main ingredients from this range are shea butter and olive oil. I personally need something that nourishes and adds more moisture to my hair, because my hair gets really dry/frizzy in the winter time.

After using these products I can tell you that they are incredibly efficient. They cleaned and moisturised my hair really well. I would suggest it to anyone with dry or damaged hair. And I would also like to add, that you should try to switch from your normal shampoo to a more natural shampoo, believe me it will do wonders to your hair and it STOP it from excessively falling out.

I bought the Naked Rescue intensive care conditioner 250ml for £3.98 and the Naked Rescue intensive care shampoo 250ml for £3.98, both from Boots. This is a very small price to pay for gorgeous healthy locks ;). I would buy this product over and over again.

If you want to know more about these products check out their website.
http://www.nakedbodycare.co.uk/all-products

I also bought a hair serum from Body Shop, the Grapeseed glossing serum and it is: alcohol, paraben, SLS and colorant free! This product contains hardly any chemicals and it does a great job at giving my hair a nice natural shine. I wont say this is the best product I have used but it does the job but it is nothing to revel about. 

I bought this Grapeseed glossing serum 75ml for £7 (it was a bit costly)

You can buy it here : http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/bath-body-care/haircare/grapeseed-glossing-serum.aspx

And I saved the best for the last! I bought my very first bottle of Moroccan Argan oil I wanted to see what was all the hype about and I can assure you this will not be my last bottle! This product has to be the best thing I have used since I discovered coconut oil.Argan oil is incredibly light, it does not leave any sticky residue like other oils, which is why I am going to use it as a hair serum after washing my hair. It also penetrates the hair very quickly leaving you with wonderful shiny healthy hair. Argan oil is 100% natural and has no chemicals that can cause any side effects. It is a multi purpose natural beauty product, you can use it on your skin as well as your hair. It eliminates: lines and wrinkles, acne, age spots, scars, psoriasis and eczema, stretch marks and dry frizzy hair! 

So without any further delay I would like to present my favorite new natural beauty product!! Ta-da!!

I bought it from Holland and Barrett for £6.79 it was on sale, so grab is before the offer ends ( I am thinking of stocking up). 

You can buy it here: http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=3722&prodid=4287

And FINALLY I decorated my mini christmas tree. Feeling rather festive =) 

Spirulina face mask (The Green Monster) !

I try to eat healthy, well at least I pretend to. A few months back I bought a packet of Spirulina (type of algae plant) powder, I tried it out and absolutely hated the taste of it. I know it works for a lot of people but I found it really unpleasant and therefore inedible. I didn't want to waste the powder so started looking up other uses for it. The best use I found apart from eating it (which I cannot digest) was to use it as a face mask! So I thought I would give it a go.

Before I tell you how to make the face mask I would like to point out the benefits of Spirulina for your skin. Spirulina is the best source of anti-oxidants you can find for your skin. It contains almost all known anti oxidants: C, B1, B5 and B6, the minerals Zinc, manganese, copper, amino acid methionine, beta-carotene and vitamin E. It also contains gamma-linoleic which is a rare acid found in breast milk and primrose oil. Gamma-linoleic protects the integrity of skinn cells and muscles and forms new cell membranes!!

This face mask is the perfect mask to prevent and combat ageing skin. Who needs twenty different chemically based beauty creams when you can add this to your beauty regime twice a week. I assure you it works wonders. My skin always feels great after applying this mask and it also has a lovely earthy smell to it!

                                         To make the mask

All you need is one and half tablespoons of Spirulina powder and two tablespoons of olive oil

Mix it really well ! So the consistency is quite thick like a face mask. 

And finally slap it on and keep it on for 15-20 minutes and then wash it off with luke warm water!

     I call it the Green Monster because...

                                                  And you are done!

You can buy Spirulina powder here for £11.99 for 200g : http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=3970&prodid=4337&cid=142

Enjoy <3