November: Lately I've been Loving

Where has November gone! It's just raced through. Here's what I've been loving (if it's marked * I kindly received it complimentary):

Kiss the Moon's sumptuous gift sets*, some of which I reviewed HERE. I absolutely adore their Bedtime Bath Salts. So good.

We had a gorgeous night away in beautiful Perthshire at newly reopened Killiecrankie House, a restaurant with five exquisite bedrooms with large rolltop baths. The food was incredible and the drinks pairings spot on! The bottom picture is part of the sweeties course - Black Pudding Madelines! Delicious they were.

I first tried Fair Squared's eco friendly, zero waste Olive Hand Cream* as a Beauty Shortlist Judge and fell head-over-heels for it's rich and nourishing feel. I'm so enjoying the pot Fair Squared generously sent me and a review is forthcoming.

Christmas Wax Melt scents from Olfactory Candles plus a few others (the Limited Edition Parma Violets is so strong!)

We dog sat one of my boss's dogs again. Wee Astro. He's adorable.

Attending the Authors & Bloggers Christmas Lunch was such fun and so nice to receive the above books* from Sandstone Press which I'm looking forward to reading. The books below I received in the Secret Santa which also look interesting!

What have you been loving in November?

September Empties

Here's what I've been using up in September. If a product is marked * I was kindly given it for review:

*Florena Fermented Skincare 24H Hydrating Face Mask 8ml - this creamy mask was lovely to use. See my review HERE. I've got quite a few masks to use up but I'd likely buy it in future.

Fair Squared Olive Hand Cream 50ml - a really lovely hand cream which absorbs instantly. I was sorry to use it up. Will buy again.

Lucky Cloud Orange & Ylang Ylang Soap - a gorgeous natural soap with easily recyclable packaging. Sure to pick it up again.

Noble Isle Bath & Shower Gel minis (30ml each) - huge fan of this brand and loved all of the scents - Rhubarb Rhubarb!, Scots Pine & Tea Rose). Likely to pick these again in bigger sizes.

Nudge Boutique's sublime Saffron Glow Neroli & Vanilla Dry Body Oil 30ml - simply stunning. I've since stocked up. 

I used up two Raven Botanicals products at the same time! Both have been repurchased! I adore their Spellbind CBD, Bakuchiol & Yarrow serum 10ml (review to come) and the wonderful Solstice Facial Oil 30ml Review.

It was nice to revisit LJ Natural's divine Organic Purity Rose Body Oil mini. Adds to wishlist to buy when I use up more stuff! 

Sad to use up Dafna's Active Mist 100ml - gorgeous stuff. See my review HERE.

I used up the last of my Schmidt's deos. Geranium Flower was nice and effective. I love nknaturals seasonal skincare and enjoyed their Summer Copper Distilled Botanical Mist 50ml all summer long. See my review HERE.

Huge love for Bodhi & Birch's Sicilian Rose Body Oil 100ml which I picked up for a song in a recent online shop closing down sale. See my review HERE. Will definitely splash out on this again! 

I loved Africology's sublime Skin Conditioning Body Oil 50ml* which is scented with neroli. See my review HERE.

Madara's Moonflower Tinting Fluid Rose Beige 50ml is a staple in my stash. I've given up wearing foundation since the pandemic. I find this evens my skin and gives it a soft glow.

My final use-up this month is Kerastase's fantastic Nutritive Lait Vital conditioner 75ml which my hair loves. Sure to pick it up again at some point.

What have you been using up in September?

May Empties

I think this must be the smallest amount of empties yet. But included are some definite re-purchases.

Bee Good Honey & Crambe Daily Hand Cream 50ml* - really lovely to use and I'd buy it once the hand cream stash reduces a bit.

Beatitude Joy Body Oil 100ml* - I love this luxe citrus scented oil. See my review HERE. Just cracked open a new bottle (I'm going to wash out this bottle and use it as a reed diffuser).

Botanicals Indulgence Aromatic Body Oil 50ml - lovely to use and a real luxe treat. Again, when my body oils stash reduces a bit I'll pick it up.

L'Occitane Roses et Reines Hand & Nail Cream 10ml - a rich cream scented with roses. Would buy again.

Fair Squared Vanilla Shower Gel 10ml* - this is a great little try me size/for weekends away. See my review HERE. It's one I'd pick up full size.

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist 15ml - again one of these products I buy periodically. See my review HERE.

Isle of Harris Distillery Rose & Honeysuckle Hand Cream by Amanda Saurin Apothecary 30g* - absolutely loved this and will buy once my hand cream stash reduces a bit. See my review HERE.

Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Bath & Shower Oil 7.5ml - this is my favourite Aromatherapy Associates scent. See my review HERE.

Clarins Booster samples (0.8ml) in Repair, Detox and Energy - liked Detox and Energy so would maybe buy.

John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor 10ml - used this loads of times before. Makes the hair shiny and healthy looking. Will no doubt buy again.

Corinne Taylor Recharge Himalayan Bath Salts with Sweet Orange, Grapefruit and Ylang Ylang to uplift and Revive 70g single use sachet - these were gorgeous. I'll definitely buy these again. See the products available HERE.

Skyn Iceland Pure cloud Cream 1.7g sample - absolutely loved this lightweight nourishing cream. Will definitely think about buying full size at some point.

RMS Beauty The Ultimate Make Up Remover Wipe - This oily wipe is great for removing make up (although maybe a tiny bit small). Will still buy at some point as they'd be great for holidays.

MAULI Rituals Himalayan Healing Salts 60g - these are made for MAULI by Michelle Roques O'Neill of Therapie. Love these.

Kneipp Pure Bliss Mineral Bath Salts 60g single use sachet - lovely. Will buy full size soon.

Green People Quinoa & Artichoke Shampoo sachet - nice to use would maybe buy.

Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Body Creme 7ml - loved this beautifully scented rich cream. One for the wishlist!

Neom Daily De-Stress Burst Capsule single use - lovely and would consider buying.

Bjork & Berries Dark Rain Body Lotion 5ml sachet - gorgeous! Will definitely look closer at this lovely range which is available to buy at Cult Beauty.

What have you been using up this month?

*PR samples

Fair Squared Care Set

This little travel set* from Fair Squared is honestly the cutest thing! What you get in the set are 4 x 10ml products (£8.95) which are great for a weekend away or for try me. The products are free from parabens, phthalates, SLS and PEGs.

Inside each bottle is enough product for 3-4 days use. I've previously tried their Lip Balms and Almond Hand Soap*.

Olive Hand Soap 10ml* a nourishing and gentle hand wash which is made using Fair Trade Olive oil.

Vanilla shower Gel 10ml* this is my favourite. It has a lovely vanilla scent and gentle cleanses the skin.

Green Tea Body Lotion 10ml* which gently nourishes and hydrates the skin. The addition of Green Tea helps to rejuvenate and heal.

Apricot Shampoo 10ml* cleanses the hair leaving it shiny and healthy looking.

You can pick up your Fair Squared products at Big Green Smile online. See the list of other stockists here.

*PR sample

Fair Squared: Almond Hand Soap

I've been testing out Fair Squared's latest launch Almond Hand Soap (£7.95 - 250ml)*. I'm also a fan of the company's lush lip balms - see my review HERE.

Packaging is simple, functionable and recyclable. The products are Vegan, Fairtrade, Natrue Certified and contains no parabens, phthalates, SLS or PEGs.

The soap is made with Fairtrade Almond Oil from Pakistan and Fairtrade Olive Oil from Palestine.

It gently cleanses the hands leaving them clean and refreshed. New products in the pipeline include candles and body oils.

I was also sent some samples (always welcome) which I haven't actually tried yet but I'll update you as to my thoughts in a samples post.

*PR samples

Shopping my Stash #65

I've been loving raiding my stash again on the spending ban and have found some great products! Here's what I've been reaching for lately:-

Fair Squared Lip Balm in Spearmint - a lush and supermoisturising balm. See my review HERE.

Shay & Blue Blood Oranges - a super sweet and juicy scent which captures ripe and fresh oranges perfectly. Brings a bit of summertime to autumn days.

Blue Labelle Hand Oil - which is a deeply nourishing oil for dry hands. See my review HERE.

Olivine Love+Peace Sparking Pink Bath Bath Salts (pick yours up at a beautiful world). I picked these up just before my spending ban kicked in. They are perfect to use before bed to calm and relax. The salts contain Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, Organic Cocoa and Shea Butters, Epsom salts and an essential oil blend of Lavender (quite heavy on the lavender), Ylang Ylang, Rose and Orris Root.  

Nourish Golden Glow Illuminating Face Shimmer - one of my favourite Nourish products. I use it before foundation (or add it to foundation) to add a glow. See my review HERE.

Nourish Protect Hydrating Moisturiser - I'm finding as the days are getting colder I'm needing something more nourishing to protect my skin.  This rich cream nourishes and hydrates (and is lovely!)

Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Body Lotion 100ml - this was free with Instyle mag this month. I loved the hand cream in this fragrance previously. This body moisturiser absorbs quickly and leaves the skin nourished with an orange-y scent. Love it! 

What have you been reaching for this week?

Fair Squared Lip Balms

These Fair Squared Lip Balms came in December's Love Lula Beauty Box. I hadn't heard of the brand before (one of the reasons I loved beauty boxes for trying new to me brands).

Founders Oliver and Salvatore chatted on the phone in London and Cologne and Fair Squared, an alternative trading company and pioneering Fair Trade brand was born. Social engagement, protection of the environment and animals are core values as well as quality ingredients and the feel good factor. Products are made with fairly traded organic ingredients and are Vegan and Vegan Society registered and they use producers in some of the world's poorest countries.

I initially thought oh just another lip balm in quite plain packaging...how wrong I was this lip balm is fantastic! Super moisturising and really lovely to use. My favourite is the Pomegranate Lip Balm which is super fruity and great for dry and flakey winter lips.

The lip balms are made with almond, apricot kernal and coconut oils along with cocoa butter, Vitamin E and natural flavourings. There are no parabens, petroleum or sulphates in the balm.

At a very reasonable £2.99 each I know I'll pick these up again and again. Buy them here. Other flavours available are Spearmint, Citrus and Vanilla. You can pick up a set containing all 4 flavours costing £10 here.

Have you tried these lip balms?

Love Lula Beauty Box - December

I picked up my December Love Lula box from the Post Office on Saturday and must say I am pleased with the contents this month - the box is stuffed full!

Inside is:

Dr Bronner's Lavender Magic Soap (£5.99) - I'm a huge fan of the Peppermint scent and this brand. This is multi-use use for hair, body, to clean make up brushes, cleaning, laundry...the list is endless!

Salcura Hand Hydrator (£11.99) - I can never have enough hand creams and this one seems fab.  It absorbs quickly and smells nice. Looking forward to testing it out.

Fair Squared Vegan Lip Balms x 2 (£2.99 each) - I love lip balms. These are scented with Pomegranate and Spearmint.  Super nourishing the balms are great for dry winter lips. Love!

JOIK Citrus Bath Truffle single use - know I'll love this as I love their White Chocolate Bath Truffles. See my review of these here.

There are also two JOIK sachet samples - Silky Facial Serum with Cranberry & Wheatgerm Oils and Shimmering Raspberry Body Lotion.

A great value box at £12.50 each month. Sign up here. Did you get this month's box?  What are your thoughts?