Odacite Mood Cleansing Ayurvedic Bath Soak

As soon as I saw Odacite's latest launch over at Content Beauty & Wellbeing a little while ago, I knew I had to have them! I picked them up when there was a 10% off deal on (normal price £22- 227g). Apart from it being a type of product I adore, the slightly blue hue drew me in (which comes from macerated Turmeric, Holy Basil, Neem, Grapefruit & Aloe Vera).

The salts help to relive stress as well as uplift the mind, body and spirit. Detoxifying Himalayan Salt and uplifting oils relieve stress, tension as well as eliminating impurities. Almond and Jojoba oils moisturise while Grapefruit & Lemongrass essential oils uplift and invigorate the mood and spirit. 

To use: add a handful to the bath and relax for 20 minutes letting them "work their magic".

What are your favourite bath salts?

The Organic Pharmacy Rose Balm

I received this gorgeous The Organic Pharmacy Rose Balm in my Content Beauty x Psychologies Real Beauty & Wellbeing Box A. See my thoughts on the set HERE. This balm is worth £28 (10ml) and is the perfect size to pop in your bag for rosy scented nourishment on the go! There are currently still a few boxes left in the sale at a bargainous £65 for 14 full size item/luxury trial size and 2 x teabags. It really is an amazing set.

Rose Balm is multi-use (one of my favourite kinds of products) and it will repair and nourish. Use it on dry skin patches, lips, elbows, knees, feet, nails and flyaways. 

Formulated with seven super plant oils including Argan, Pomegranate Seed, Rosehip and Calendula. 

To use: using the fingertips apply where needed for rosy nourishment. I simply love it as it's nice to use, hydrating, uplifting and has a glorious rosy scent.

What's your favourite product from The Organic Pharmacy?

Valentines Day Treats: RMS Beauty, Flaya Perfumes & The Rose Tree, Gin Galore & Content Beauty & Wellbeing

Here's some of my top picks for Valentines Day (products marked with * I've kindly been gifted):

These chocolate hearts (come in a box with dark & milk varieties £5) from Cocoa Et Co available from Sainsbury's and are delicious (as well as pretty!)

From new to me Scottish perfume brand which is founded by a mum and her two daughters - Flaya Rose Perfume which is gorgeous! Prices start from £12 for 10ml. This is the perfect romantic rose scent and is exquisite! (expect a full review + giveaway soon!) I picked up my bottle in Jan de Vries, in Edinburgh's West End but you can also buy online.

Staying on the rose theme from The Rose Tree I'm currently trying their stunning Rollerball in Rose & Ylang Ylang* (£13.50 for 10ml) which is simply divine.  The scent is truly exquisite, uplifting and calming too. Roll onto your pulse points or a small amount to your palms and breathe in the beautiful aromatherapy scent. A full review will follow.

From RMS Beauty their gorgeous Wild with Desire Mini Lipstick Set (£33 for 5 mini lipsticks*). This set is simply stunning. With highly pigmented long lasting moisturising shades in an array of colours that any beauty lover would be very pleased to be gifted. Again, a review will follow.

Gin Galore by Sean Murphy* is the perfect informative gift for any gin lover. It's a great read and I've thoroughly enjoyed dipping into it and have added a few new gins to my wishlist. Another thoughtful gift alongside would be a bottle of one of the gins featured in the book or the promise of selecting one after the book is read! Again, a review will follow in my book round-up.

A Content Beauty & Wellbeing Gift Card for the pleasure of choosing some skincare/beauty bits at leisure. 

Are any of these on your Valentines Day wishlist? Or do you wish for them?

*gifted. My post contains one affiliate link

Christmas Stocking Gift Ideas

Here's some Christmas gift ideas (there's just so many amazing gifts out there this year!) These ones are ideal for stocking fillers or Secret Santa gifts and are £15 or under.

Kure Bazaar Nail Polish in Glitter Pigalle (isn't it beautiful!) 10ml (£15). The polish is clear with flecks of red glitter making it perfect for Christmas parties! This Limited Edition polish is formulated with 85% natural ingredients making it the eco-friendly polish of choice.

I had the pleasure of trying beatitude's gorgeous Christmas Crackers last year which are £10 each and include a 10ml size of one of the three bath oils - Joy (my fav), Patience or Peace. See my review HERE.

I love all the Christmassy crackers and this Hand Care Cracker from Cowshed (£12) contains Cowshed Cow Herb Restoring Hand Cream 50ml and Cowshed Apricot Nourishing Cuticle Oil 11ml which will help restore and groom the hands and nails.

AA Skincare Vitamin Boost Face Kit (£12.60) contains 100ml Sandalwood & Palmarosa Cleansing Face Gel and 100ml Sandalwood & Palmarosa Moisturising Face Lotion. This is such a great value set! (and would make an excellent Christmas gift as well as a stocking filler!)

This is a great value Apricot & Elderflower Gift Set from Benecos (£10.95) which contains mini sizes of Apricot & Elderflower Shower Gel, Body Lotion and Hand Cream.

Content Beauty & Wellbeing have some lovely small gifts including this cutely packaged Therapi Honey Lip Nectar (£9.50 - 5ml). I'd love to find this in my Christmas stocking!

Yellow Gorse have some beautiful products which would make excellent stocking fillers. I reviewed a few of their items recently - see HERE (the ones I chose were in the £3.50 - £6.80 price range and are perfect).

Do any of these make it onto your Christmas wishlist?

BYBI Beauty: Babe Balm

Formula Botanica Graduates, Elsie & Dominika, of Clean Beauty Co have formulated a gorgeous range of Certified Vegan & Cruelty Free skincare products made with 100% natural ingredients which can be bought DIRECT or where I picked up mine at Content Beauty & Wellbeing. You can also buy their fabulous book Clean Beauty Book which is packed full of recipes to make your own natural beauty products at home.

The gloriously scented babe balm (£18 - 30ml) is the perfect multi-tasker - use it as a highlighter, moisturiser, dry skin saviour, cleanser, on brows, cuticles, lips, elbows, knees, hands, feet and flyaways! It really is a girl's best friend. It's the one you must pack for your summer holidays as it really is invaluable.

It's said to "look like peach sorbet" and is made with pink sweet potato extract, monoi, Brazillian Pequi oil, pink and white clays and tropical butters. The scent is incredible exotic, tropical and heady. Packaging is in a simple squeezy tube (two sizes), the smaller one being perfect for your handbag or hand luggage!

See the full range HERE. Have you used any BYBI Beauty products? If so, what are your favourites?

Ingredients: Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Seed Butter, Rhus Verniciflua Peel (Berry) Cera, Squalane (Olive), Camellia Oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Caryocar (Pequi) Coriaceum Oil, Calendula Officinalis (Flower) Extract, Gardenia Taitensis (Monoi) Flower Extract, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Seed Oil, Kaolinite (Rose Clay), Kaolinite (White Clay), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Ubiquitone 50 (Coenzyme Q10), Distarch Phosphate, Anthocyanins, Citric Acid

April: Lately I've been Loving

So many April loves..

I'm thoroughly enjoying Sara Sheridan's fabulous Mirabelle Bevan Mysteries. I read the 1st and 2nd books in the series last month (link) and can't wait to read about what Mirabelle gets up to next!  Pick yours up at Amazon.

I'm currently testing out bodhi & birch's latest launch - a new blend of their fabulous Desert Rose Facial Oil*. I'll be reviewing it soon! Pick yours up HERE (psst...it's gorgeous!)

I recently reviewed Earth Mother Soul Sister's Perfume Collection 1** which is available to buy at Love Lula. I absolutely loved the collection of perfumes. My absolute favourite is Violet Rose which I will buy soon. See my musings HERE.

And, in a true case of the blogger made me buy it....guilty as charged Lynda! 

Lynda has a drool worthy Instagram Feed and I can honestly say she's to blame! I must admit I was in beauty heaven when the Kjaer Weis Lip Tint arrived (passionate). The packaging is just WOW, really weighty and luxurious and of course, the shade fabulous. It won't be my last buy, that's for sure.

I've had the real pleasure of trying out A Little Star-Dust EdP* and Two Eternities EdP* by Walden which is an exciting new perfume launch at Love Lula. Both are gorgeous. Again, expect review soon!

As you'll know I love anything rose and this Rose Oud Soy Wax Candle* by [M] Botanicals is just exquisite. The candles are hand poured with love and have a burn time of 20-25 hours. Again, another product I'll be reviewing soon!

For my birthday, earlier this month I received Shay & Blue's latest launch - Dandelion Fig which is a simply stunning scent. It has top notes of Dandelion leaf, fresh greens and lemongrass, a heart of tomato vine and juniper with a fig base note. It's absolutely incredible and one of my favourites from the range.

Birthday fizz at Harvey Nichols.

I also picked up at Amazon - Clean Beauty - Recipes to manage your beauty routine naturally by Clean Beauty Co. Elsie and Dominika are also part of Clean Cult - fabulous sounding wellbeing events held in London (I really want to go to one sometime). The book is fantastic and I'm looking forward to trying some of the skincare recipes.

Another candle! Grapefruit+Sage by Wax+Wick which I adore! Love the wine bottle container (and it's ruggedness), the use of soy wax, beautiful scents and of course the clever use of repurposed glass - wine bottles from the pubs in Primrose Hill! Again, a fuller review will follow. I just LOVE!

What have you been loving this month?

*complimentary
**sent to me as part of the Love Lula Accredited Blogger Program

Dafna's Personal Skincare Review

I've recently had the real pleasure of testing two products from Dafna's Personal Skin Care. Aromatherapist and Naturopath Dafna lives and works in Madrid. Her skincare line is made in collaboration with scientists and the range is anti-ageing, made using Ayurvedic philosophy, natural and bioactive ingredients and advanced biotechnology.

The products are an absolute delight. The packaging is designed to protect the essential oils contained within the products and the brand is certified EcoCert, SOIL and NATRUE. The two products I've tried are super luxe the range is free from parabens, mineral oils, paraffin, vaseline, petroleum, SLS and silicones. You can buy at Content Beauty & Wellbeing.

Nutrition Night Treatment (£75 - 50ml)* is an aromatherapeutic cream made with essential oils and botanical extracts. Advanced biotechnology helps to repair and slow the ageing process. The cream contains 21 active ingredients of the highest quality and feels very luxurious. It contains ingredients like gingseng, green tea, propolis, reishi and rosewood which regenerate and protect the skin.

Suitable for dry and mature skin types and of the dosha Vata or Pitta. To use: apply to face, neck and decolletage.

Eye Care (£50 - 20ml)*  this gel textured eye cream absorbs instantly and uplifts the delicate eye area. It also brightens, and helps with puffiness and reducing dark circles. Made with 16 potent actives and advanced biotechnology. To use: pat a small amount around the eye area AM and PM using your ring finger.

This product is suitable for all skin types and both recently received a Beauty Shortlist Editors Choice Winners award this year.

I've really been enjoying using this luxe range which is a real treat for the skin and senses. Pick yours up HERE.

*complimentary

Skin & Tonic: The Lip Kit

As soon as I heard Skin & Tonic had brought out a new Rose scented lip balm I knew I had to have it! I picked up The Lip Kit (4 x 4.3g) at Content Beauty & Wellbeing (£15). This little kit would make a great small present.

The balms are made with coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter and an essential oil - Lemon Peel, Peppermint or Rose Centifolia. The naked one is just that - it has no scent.

I adore the rosey one - it's just perfection and is in my handbag. The lemon one is beside my chair in the living room...so you see I'll find a place for all of them!

What's your favourite Skin & Tonic product? (I also adore their Steam Clean).

The Nature of Beauty by Imelda Burke

I pre-ordered a copy of Imelda's (founder of the amazing little Marylebone green beauty shop Content Beauty & Wellbeing). Pre-orders came with a lovely sample pack.  

I've only had a flip through the book so far but I'll review it in a monthly book post. I do love a signed copy also.. and if you are in London you must go and visit the shop.

pic taken September 2014

A great sample pack! I was very excited to see a pot of May Lindstrom's The Blue Cocoon (I've been wanting to try it like forever!) and Aurelia Probiotic Skincare's newish Botanical Cream Deodorant.

The rest are great picks too however: 

RMS The Ultimate Make Up Remover Wipe (these are fab)

Weleda Calendula Nappy Cream (will pass to a pal)

Yoni Tampon (made from organic cotton)

Vapour Stratus Soft Focus Skin Perfecting Primer (excited to try)

Dr Alkaitis Organic Ageless Facial Elixir (not tried much from this brand before and this is a new product)

Dafna's Beyond Skin Deep Moisture (I'm currently testing a couple of products from Dafna's gorgeous range)

Weleda Skin Food (love this)

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Booster Serum (looking forward to trying as not tried much from this brand - keen to try their make up soon!)

Skin & Tonic Calm Balm (huge fan of this brand and the product)

And yet more goodies:

John Masters Organics Rose & Apricot Hair Milk (I love this - see my review HERE) and their 100% Argan Oil (which is a new try).

The final item was a cute little notebook and pencil.

Did you pick up a book with the very generous free sample set?

Shopping my Stash #81

Here's what I've been reaching for lately:

Revlon's Ultra HD Matt Lipcolor in Devotion is just such a pretty shade. I love it's matt texture and long lasting colour too.

Mevita Youthful Day Cream 10ml which was a Latest in Beauty Build your own Box pick.  It firms, smoothes out fine lines, smells lovely and deeply nourishes the skin. Love!

Aesop Rind Concentrate Body Balm 50ml which I first tried when Galina at A Curious Russian in London sent me a sample. A truly uplifting rich body balm which has a citrus scent. It will cool and revive the skin and is perfect to use all year round. This is the body product which will chase away the winter blues!

Balm Balm Rose Floral Water 30ml* I received this in September's Love Lula Beauty Box*. I absolutely love it and am almost half way through it! Great to use as a toner or as a refreshing pick-me-up throughout the day. It's one I'll definitely be replenishing.

4160Tuesdays Buddhawood Box EdP with woody spicy notes and a creamy lighter note which is perfect coming into Autumn.

Less is More Rose Serum 30ml which I reviewed HERE. A beautiful product which makes the hair look shiny, smooth and healthy.

What have you been reaching for lately?

*samples from Love Lula Accredited Blogger Program

Content Beauty & Wellbeing: British Beauty GWP & Purchases

I couldn't resist the latest Content Beauty & Wellbeing GWP which is now sold out. Worth £95 and free with a 100 quid spend.

My parcel arrived on Wednesday and I couldn't wait to open it.

I'd been wanting to try A.S Apothecary First Aid Kit #12 (30ml - £18) for ages. It restores calm in anxious situations. Expect a full review soon.

Skin & Tonic's STEAM CLEAN with cloth (50g - £27) is a staple for me - I've always got this in my stash.

New to me is LIHA Beauty Idan Beauty Oil (30ml - £16) which I'm also looking forward to trying. It smells divine and is made from cold pressed coconut oil and tuberose flowers. It's solid at room temperature so you need to warm the bottle a little before using.

Another item which has been on the wishlist for ages is Less is More's Rose Serum (30ml - £26) One word. Gorgeous! Again, review will follow.

I also bought something for a forthcoming swap (so it's not in the photo).

Onto the gift (reviews will be forthcoming)

Supernatural Beauty Redemption Face Oil 10ml (lushest oil ever)

pai Skincare Lotus & Orange Blossom BioAffinity Toner 12ml

Skin & Tonic Gentle Scrub 50g Full size

AS.Apoth Lip Balm #7 Full Size

Therapi Orange Honey Moisturiser 15ml (mini review)

LIHA Shea Butter 15ml

Nourish Revital-Eyes Kale Biomimetic Anti-Ageing Eye Cream 5ml

Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Miracle Cleanser 30ml + bamboo cloth (review)

Included in my parcel was a surprise Trial Set of sachets from Madara (new design) which are great for try me/holidays.

What do you think of my purchases? Did you pick up the GWP too?

Content Beauty & Wellbeing: Beauty Wishlist #1

I'm always seeing beauty products I want so I've decided to start a new series. Here's some of my current wishlist items all from Content Beauty & Wellbeing which is situated in Marylebone, London (and one of my favourite shops to visit).

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Less is More Rose Serum (30ml - £26) - I've had my eye on this for a while. A serum which repairs and moisturises the hair, is great for dry, brittle and frizzy hair and treats scalp problems. It sounds like it would smell gorgeous! With Rose Damascea and Sicilian Tangerine.

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de Mamiel Salvation Body Oil (200ml - £75) - I have had the pleasure of trying this lovely body oil before as a 30ml sample size. I'd just like a full size bottle in my stash! Rich and luxe it's scented with Ylang Ylang, Rosewood and Jasmine and deeply nourishes the skin while relaxing and calming the mind.

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Kypris Beauty Elixir I 1000 Roses (47ml - £189) - again, I've tried a sample of this (link) and it's a must have for any rose lover. Simply lush.

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Sweet Virtues Chocolate Nut Butter (170g - £5.95) - having just found out I love Sweet Virtues chocolates I'm kind of sure I'd love this! Rich in vitamins and super food ingredients it contains raw cacao, chia seeds, coconut nectar, ginseng and almonds.

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Skin & Tonic COCO MASK (50g - £22) - I'm a huge fan of the minty STEAM CLEAN cleansing balm (and everything else I've tried from the brand). This powdered mask can be mixed with water, raw honey and yoghurt for a hydrating mask.

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Lina Hanson Satori Perfume Oil (8ml - £75) - a scent which awakens the senses. It contains vanilla, sandalwood, Japanese yuzu and ginger. Sounds so lush!

What's on your wishlist?

More Christmas Gift Ideas

I showed you some Christmas gift ideas HERE. Today I've got some more top picks:

Birch & Brook candles are just gorgeous (review of Library* HERE and Festival* HERE). I was recently sent a travel size of the beautiful Limited Edition scent in for Christmas - Evergreen* - a lush, crisp green which is "reminiscent of a winter walk". 

The candle is made of natural waxes and scented with fir balsam, pine, cedar, musk and amber. It's perfect if you are not a fan of cinnamon scents. I'm a fan of both but this is well worth having in your Christmas collection.

Minvita Baobab Body Oil (100ml - £35)* this luxe oil is 100% natural and organic and is made from cold pressed seeds of the African Baobab Superfruit. Best suited for dry and ageing skin as it contains Vitamins A, D, E, F, B1, B2, Phosphorus and Iron. 

It absorbs instantly and has a slightly nutty-fruity scent. The oil improves elasticity, helps to regenerate skin cells and deeply nourishes the skin. It's a really lovely oil and I'm so enjoying using it.

I'm a huge fan of kai fragrance oil and am now on my 3rd little roll on bottle. I normally pick these up when Cult Beauty have a GWP as they are an indulgent treat. I've mentioned this lovely brand numerous times on the blog. I was recently sent this gorgeous little gift set* (the nearest thing I can find is on Cult Beauty - but it doesn't include the fine linen wash see HERE)

Inside are 2oz bottles of: 

Shampoo: which contains mild surfactants which remove dirt and build up without stripping the hair.  Conditioner: enriched with vitamins, shea butter, plant oils and extracts the conditioner nourishes the hair leaving it delicately scented with the kai fragrance and silky smooth. 

Body Wash: which cleans and refreshes the body. Follow up with Body Lotion: which is made of nourishing safflower seed oil, shea butter, apricot kernal oil, cucumber fruit extracts and kai fragrance. The skin is left moisturised and smelling of kai.

Fine Linen Wash: this is the most recent addition to the range. It cleans linens and delicate fabrics leaving them scented with the signature kai scent and I think is the perfect addition to a travel bag.

Vial of perfume oil: this beautiful original scent was created by Gaye Straza who spent her youth holidaying in the tropics. Years later she created her signature scent with rich notes of gardenia, tuberose and lily with touches of green notes.

I love this story "the first time Straza wore kai, she was stopped mid stride by a beauty editor on Madison Avenue, NYC asking where she could buy the scent".

Products are free from parabens, sulphates, phthalates, phosphate and vegan and gluten free.

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I never grow tired of John Masters Organics and this little Limited Edition Holiday Kit from John Masters Organics would make a perfect gift (£27). Inside is: 2oz Lavender Rosemary Shampoo for Normal Hair, 2oz Citrus & Neroli Detangler, 1oz Rose & Apricot Hair Milk, 0.1oz 100% Argan Oil, a Bamboo Comb and Pouch.

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I just love this Oskia Cracker available at Cult Beauty (£18) which contains a 40ml size of Renaissance Cleansing Gel (review). I'd love to find this hanging on the tree or as a luxe table present.

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I'm intrigued by Strange Invisible Organic Perfumes and I'd pick the star sign of the friend I was buying for an unusual and unique gift (14ml - £59). I chose my sign - Aries Zodiac Eaux de Parfum - The Innovator - Element - Fire which is a blend of hydro-distilled essences of cinnamon, rose and angelica which "fuel a vibrant imagination". Frankincense, benzoin, lavender and sandalwood "cool fiery impulses, encouraging the composure needed to realize visionary plans". Sounds fantastic. One for the wishlist for sure!

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The Nordic Collection Gift Set from Inner-Soul Organics (£24.50) is a lovely pampering treat and would be ideal for your friends or mum. The kit contains Scandinavian Decadence Bath and Body Salt Scrub 60ml (mini review), Scandinavian Decadence Shower Serum 30ml and Nordic Berry Bliss Hand & Body Salve 60ml (mini review). 

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YTTP The Set £95 - which includes Cleanser, Serum and Cream. I've got an upcoming review of the Cleanser and Serum both of which are fabulous. This is a great set. Get 10% off with code YOUTH10.

Are any of these on your Christmas wishlist?

*PR samples