World Book Night 2013 - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I first mentioned here that I'd been picked to be a World Book Night giver.  I was so lucky to receive my first choice of book - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. An absolutely amazing book - my book of the year in 2012!  It has 2,240 5* reviews on Amazon.  My mini review is here.

Here's how I've distributed them:-

I gave one to Lucy who collects every Christmas for a homelessness shelter in Dundee - for the last two years I've donated beauty items.  She's going  personally to donate my book.

Two went to friends on Facebook, Lauren and Kim - Lauren reads books but just not this type and Kim starts reading a book but doesn't finish it.  I sent my aunt a copy too.

I gave the rest to random people on my way to work - it felt good to raise a smile or two!  Some people thought I was expecting money for it and two didn't want to take it and said a resounding NO!  Some were really made up and said I'd made their day - which is just so nice!  I also gave three to work colleagues who were pleased to receive them.

I even got a book myself from a fellow giver - this totally made my day!  I got Damage by Josephine Hart.

When I got home from work I distributed a few more locally and raised a few smiles and lots of thanks.

Totally recommend being a World Book Night giver!

See the website here
Follow on Twitter @WorldBookNight 

Birthday Presents - Cowshed & Neom

Jo at Beauty and the Books and Emma at Em's Mixed Bag gave me a beautiful birthday present of Cowshed Gorgeous Cow Blissful Perfume Oil - it is simply beautiful - scented with essential oils of ylang ylang, frangipani and bergamot.  It is sweet and exotic.  I'd had my eye on these too!  Just a perfect size for popping in my handbag.  Thanks girls!

Hubby is very good at choosing gifts I will love (know I'm lucky!).  He gave me two Neom gift sets.  I can never have enough Neom!

He gave me Scent with Love Body Care Gift Set - which includes my favourite Neom Complete Bliss Organic Hand Cream as well as Sensuous Body Wash & Body Lotion and Tranquility Bath Oil - all in travel sizes.

The second set contains a full size bath oil and mini candle in Refresh - with Sicilian Lemon & Fresh Basil.  

I also received some other lovely beauty gifts including Dr Organic's Rose Otto range which I love.  I was truly spoilt!

Have you used any of these products before?

Bloom Remedies

I came across Bloom Remedies on Twitter - a great place for discovering new brands!  It's an Organic Skincare Company based in Cornwall.  Marie Hall is an IFPA Registered Aromatherapist and previously worked with Neal's Yard Remedies.

Products are made in small batches by hand using the finest organic ingredients and are approved by The Soil Association.  No preservatives, artificial fragrances or colours, SLS, parabens, silicones and mineral oils are used.

My parcel arrived after a couple of days and was beautifully packaged and securely wrapped. 

I'm hugely into body oils at the moment.  The one I chose to try is Nourishing Organic Body Oil for Dry Skin (50ml - £7.99). It contains Vitamins, Organic Avocado, Organic Wheatgerm and Organic Evening Primrose Oil.  Scented with Organic Essential Oils of Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender and Neroli. 100% natural and organic.  A simply beautiful body oil which smells amazing and really helps with dry skin areas - I've actually finished this bottle already!  I'll probably pick up the larger size next (100ml - £13.99).

The second product I bought is Sleep-Easy Organic Bath Oil (50ml - £6.99) which is great if you suffer from sleepless nights.  It is also great for relaxation.  With Organic Essential Oils of Sweet Orange, Vetivert, Ylang Ylang, Sweet Marjoram and Lavender.  I've only used this a couple of times so far but it makes for a really relaxing and soothing bath.

Have you used any Bloom Remedies products?  If so, what do you recommend I try next?

You can see the website here

Follow on Twitter @BloomRemedies 

Soaps Naturally

Lena from Soaps Naturally recently got in touch asking if I'd be happy to review a few of her products.  Soaps Naturally is based in Glasgow and you can see the website here.

The soaps are free from Petrochemicals, Parabens, BHT, PEGs, Silicones, EDTA and soaps in the Pure Nature range do not include any synthetic fragrances or colours.

I was sent White Rose Soap*, Cranberry Mix Soap* and Chocolate Kiss Body Balm* to review. The soaps and balm are wrapped in pretty paper with full ingredients on the label on the back of the soap.

White Rose Soap* this soap is from the Pure Nature range - which uses shea butter, sweet almond oil, goat's milk, olive oil, coconut oil and organic herbs.

With 20% sweet almond oil it is made using traditional soap-making methods.  Free from any synthetic enhancers.  The soap has a light scent (I'd probably prefer it to smell more strongly of rose) but it is nice to use and gentle on the skin.  Retails at £3.49 for a 115g bar.

Cranberry Mix Soap* from the Bio Soaps range - made with botanical extracts and natural ingredients which are 70% organic.  With cranberry and aloe extracts, sweet almond oil, cocoa oil and plant glycerine.  This multi-coloured soap is gorgeous! It totally scents out the whole of my bathroom and is lovely to use. Retails at £3.49 for 100g.

The third item I was sent was Chocolate Kiss Body Balm* which contains shea butter, sweet almond oil, grapefruit seed oil, beeswax, cocoa butter and chocolate! A solid hand made highly concentrated balm which is supermoisturising on the skin and sweetly scented.  Suitable for all skin types.  It retails at £3.69 for 80g.  To use break a piece off and massage it into the skin.  

The body balm is wrapped in paper like the soaps.  It had melted quite a bit so I decanted it into a pot.  Rich and delicious - my dry patches of skin and lips loved it!

My favourite from the three was the Cranberry Mix Soap from the BIO Soaps range.

See the website here

Follow on Twitter @SoapsNaturally 

*sent for review

SoukSouk April Box

My April Souksouk beauty box arrived on Wednesday.  SoukSouk offers natural and green beauty products.  Boxes cost £12.00 plus P&P on a month to month basis.  A six month subscription costs £60 plus P&P (one box free) and a twelve month subscription £120 plus P&P (two boxes free and a gift worth £15).  Oh so tempted to sign up for the year!

The box comes with a little green magazine which is really informative and a great read.  You also receive a rolled up paper scroll - this is your product info and it lists what's in the box.

I am super happy with the selection - I will enjoy using everything April's box contains.

Essential Care Lemon & Tea Tree Facial Wash 30ml (£6) - I'm a huge fan of Essential Care products so happy to try this.  Suitable for normal to oily/combination and acne prone skin types.  I haven't found an Essential Care product I don't like yet.

John Masters Organics Blood Orange & Vanilla Body Wash & Body Milk (both 30ml) - I received these in April's Amarya box.  A huge fan of John Masters - these deliciously scented products will be added to my travel bag.

Balm Balm Mandarin EDP 12ml spray (£15) - a simply gorgeous 100% organic single note scent which can be worn alone or mixed with other single notes for a unique perfume blend - see here for more info.  I've got a sample of the ylang ylang single note scent I bought previously which I'm sure will be fab with mandarin.

Bomb Cosmetics Cooler Shaker Bath Creamer 30g (£2.09) - I've not used Bomb Cosmetics before.  Made with shea butter, cranberry & lime fragrance with essential oils of lime and basil.  Smells beautiful and looks really cute.

Did you get this box?  What are your thoughts on the contents?

Boujies London Jasmine & Lily Candle

Boujies is a luxury candle company based in London.  It was launched at London's Old Spitalfields Market in 2009 by husband and wife team, Michelle and Keith Gulliver.

They make four collections - Maison Noir, Maison Blanc, Maison D'Or and Maison Vive.  The candles are made using environmentally friendly natural soya wax scented with the finest essential oils.  They are all hand poured in England.

I was sent a candle* from the Maison Vive collection to review.

The candle is presented in a stylish pot making it a great gift too.  The candle is 300g with 35 hours burn time. (retails at £12).

Scented with jasmine and notes of lily with a sandalwood finish. A light floral which delicately scents the room.  I could even smell the scent the next day throughout the house.  A really beautiful floral scent - I'm a huge jasmine fan and this is gorgeous!

The company ships all over the UK and through direct sales in the USA, Scandinavia, Japan, Canada, South America and Australia.  

Have you used any of these candles before?  If so what are your favourite scents?

See the website here for more details.

Follow on Twitter @Boujies 

*Complimentary - sent for review

John & Ginger - Twitter Competition Win

I won some amazing products via John & Ginger's recent Twitter competition.  Here's what I won.

Two Dermalogica Gift Sets

Decleor mini Candle

Lots of samples - great for travel/try me

Dermalogica Lip Shine

Decleor Supernatural Tote Bag

Decleor Cosmetic Bag

Dermalogica Tote Bag

John & Ginger stock a whole range of beauty products.  These include Dermalogica, Decleor, Aromatherapy Associates, Tisserand, St Tropez, Tigi, Karin Herzog, OPI, Rodial, Neom and Suki to name a few.  See the website here.

You can follow John & Ginger on Twitter @JohnandGinger 

Shopping My Stash #13

These are the products I've been reaching for this week - 

Kai Perfume Oil 3.6ml - which I bought last weekend when Cult Beauty were doing gift with purchase.  A definite splurge but love this gardenia scent.

Anita Grant Organic Vanilla Cocoa Body Butter 15g - simply adore this yummy chocolate scented butter.  I'll be buying full size soon.  See my review here.

Botanicals Mint & Tea Tree Foot Balm - mini sample pot.  This is a lovely foot balm. A review is to follow.

Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial - love this pretty shade.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Covet Waterproof Eyeliner in Noir - this came in the Cult Beauty GWP freebie.  A fab eyeliner which stays put in jet black.

Bloom Remedies Nourishing Organic Body Oil for Dry Skin 50ml - I bought this recently.  It smells lovely with oils of frankincense, geranium, lavender and neroli.  My dry winter skin is loving this oil.

Barry M Lash Vegas Black Mascara* - a really fab mascara, makes the lashes huge! A spiral shaped brush separates, defines and reaches the smallest lashes giving them length and definition.  One of the best mascaras I've ever used. Retails at £6.49.

Have you used any of these products before?

*PR Sample

Latest in Beauty: Editor's Faves Box

When I found out Latest in Beauty had brought out a new box, Editor's Faves I knew I wouldn't be able to resist especially when I found out it contained Neom Hand Cream! I simply love this hand cream - it is the best I've ever used! I normally pick it up in Complete Bliss scent (Moroccan Blush Rose, lime and black pepper).  See my review here.

The box costs £7.95 plus £2.95 P&P - the contents are worth over £60!

Onto the contents -

Neom Organic Hand Cream - Inspiration (Violet, Chamomile & Cedarwood) 50ml - this size is worth £15.  Not tried this scent before but love the hand cream.

Ancienne Ambiance Goddess Argan Hand & Body Wash 50ml - I'm a huge fan of this brand having used their bath salts and soaps before.  See my reviews here and here.  The hand & body wash is enriched with Argan oil and scented with the subtle fragrance of Goddess oil along with vanilla, coconut oil, vanilla and paprika.  Looking forward to trying it.

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil 10ml - already a huge Balance Me fan happy to have a travel size of this beautifully scented and nourishing face oil.

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips 3ml - received this recently in my Cult Beauty GWP.  Can be used as a lip balm, on dry skin patches, cuticles, on nipples during breast feeding and baby's bottoms!  Love a multi-purpose product so happy to try this.

ESPA Super Active Lift and Firm Intensive Eye Serum 3ml & Lift and Firm Moisturiser 7ml - have tried these before in the Advent Calendar.  I found the moisturiser too scented so will pass this onto a friend.  I like the eye serum though.

Yardley Polaire 1ml vial - not a huge Yardley fan and this smells a bit too powdery for my liking.

All in all a great box and such great value.  Did you get the box?  What are your thoughts on the product selection?

Hello Fresh

Hubby mentioned last week that he'd ordered a Hello Fresh box for 2 people for 3 days.  I know a lot of bloggers have already done these posts but to keep him happy I said I'd share what we ate.

The food was delicious and I loved how everything was weighed out for each of the days - even the flour!  We only needed to add salt, pepper and oil.

On day 1, we had Cod with Truffle Mash and Roasted Leeks - this was delicious, a decent size piece of cod with earthy truffled mash.  The leeks were yummy and definitely a vegetable I'd have again.  On day 2, we ate Chicken Yakitori with Crispy Red Onions and Sweet & Sour Noodles - the chicken was marinaded with garlic, rice vinegar and soya sauce.  After being grilled it was meltingly soft and tasty.  I'm not a huge noodle fan and they were tasty enough but I felt they could have done with a bit more chilli heat.

We both really loved Thick Cut Pork Chops with Sage Butter and New Potatoes - nom nom nom!  Such a simple dish but so, so tasty.

I was helping out and put the garlic in the crusher instead of cutting it in half and rubbing on the pork - it still tasted gorgeous regardless of me making an error!  The potatoes tasted like hot potato salad - simply delicious and the pork was so tender.  All the flavours went really well together - it's a dish I'd make again.

3 meals for 2 people costs £39, 5 meals for 2 people costs £49 (at time going to press).  See more information here.

Bee Fruitful Peppermint Lotion Bar

I picked up a few items from Bee Fruitful recently and one of the items was Peppermint Lotion Bar (40g - £2.50).

Bee Fruitful, a Welsh company have been selling their bath & body products, candles and honey for a few years now.  You can see the website here.

I picked up a few items to try - Peppermint Lotion Bar, Rose & Lavender Soap and a wee skep candle.  After a chat on twitter Bee Fruitful also added a few extras for me to review - bath bombs, Intensive Hand Balm (looking forward to using this after a morning in the garden) and a mandarin lip balm (these reviews to follow).  The goodies came beautifully wrapped in a little basket.  You can see the gift selection here.

The peppermint lotion bar looks just like a bar of chocolate!  It comes with warnings "do not eat".  When you unwrap it you find it is wrapped in silver foil and squares are marked out.  Break of a piece or two and rub it over your body.

It smells gorgeous!  Super moisturising on the skin.  I've been using it all over my body.  It is especially good for dry skin areas and feet.  Would make a great gift.

The bar contains: Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis), Coconut Oil (Cocus Nucifera), Beeswax (Cera Alba), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao), Peppermint (Mentha Piperta)

See the website here.

Follow on Twitter @BeeFruitful 

Birthday Presents

I received some amazing birthday goodies from three friends who I initially met on Beauty Box Swaps on Facebook.  Julie and I did a birthday swap and Nardine and Karen sent me birthday goodies (their birthdays are approaching and I'm collecting some pressies for them at the moment).  

With Julie our budget was £20 (but she was really naughty and went way, way over budget).  Here's what she sent -

Oh WOW where do I start!

WIMH The Best of Alpha H - OMG I was lusting after this little set in Week 2 of my Spending Ban!  Absolutely love it.

Korres Rose Collection - 250ml Shower Gel & 150ml Body Butter - love Korres but not tried this scent.

Trilogy set - 2 x 10ml Gentle Face Exfoliant, 3 x 2.5ml Rosehip Anti-Oxidant Oil (love this!), 2 x 2.5ml sachet Trilogy Vital Moisture Cream and 1 x 2.5ml Age Proof CoQ10 Booster Serum.

Lubatti Pure Indulgence Wild Violet Bath Oil 200ml - this smells lovely and not tried anything from this brand.

Beautannia British Heroes 4 x 100ml Bath & Shower Gel - I'd been eyeing this up on the SpaceNK website - so looking forward to trying the 4 different scents - Balfour, Bloomsbury, Brideshead & Brighton.

Stila Merry & Bright Eyeshadow & Lip/Cheek Cream - gorgeous brown shades - looking forward to trying this out.

Aromatherapy Associates Relax Candle - not tried any Aromatherapy Associate candles so looking forward to a long soak in the bath with this burning.  Smells gorgeous.

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist 15ml - my favourite toner.  Simply love this rose scented mist.  I've long since used up the one I reviewed here.

Beau Jardin Hand Cream Collection - Rose & Geranium, Citrus Grove & Lavender & Jasmine.  Not heard of this brand.  Love hand cream so looking forward to using them.

Korres Moisturising Hand Cream with Organic Almond Oil & Calendula - not tried this hand cream. Love Korres so looking forward to using it.

A large bag of my favourite mini eggs :) which are now no longer in the shops!

OSMO Intensive Deep Repair Mask 250ml - a brand I've not heard of before.  Love intensive masks so looking forward to using.

Simply Beautiful Superfruits Body Scrub - another brand I've not heard of.  This smells absolutely delicious - really fruity.

Bloom Mineral Plus Lip Butter - in a reddish shade.  This looks nice.

Dainty Doll Concealer Pen - again looking forward to trying.

Badger Yoga & Meditation Balm - this smells gorgeous. Really citrussy and slightly herbal.  This appeared in my Spending Ban Week 3 wants.

Stila Lip Glaze in shade 81 Kitten - a bronzey shade.  Looking forward to trying this out.

Burt's Bees Hibiscus Tinted Lip Balm - I love Burt's Bees balms.  This will be popped in my handbag.

Dr Bragi Treatment Mask - love sheet masks. I'll use this for pampering.

Lov is Beautiful Tea - love this gorgeous tea.

Jimmy Choo Flash EDP sample & Darphin Microrefining Smoothing Fluid samples.

Thanks again Julie! Love, love, love everything. Reviews to follow.

Nardine at Live.Laugh.Love sent me these gorgeous goodies.  I just about died when I saw she'd sent me macarons from Laduree in Harrods.  These are my favourite sweet treat ever so it was such a treat to get the original ones all the way from London.  Not one box but two - I was surely very spoilt!  They were absolutely delicious the rose ones were to die for! But they were all yummy.

She also sent me:

Jo Malone Lime, Basil & Mandarin Bath Oil - very luxurious! In one of my favourite Jo Malone scents.  I've already used it in my bath and its gorgeous.

Harrods Luxury Soap with Scottish Lavender - love nice soaps.

Harrods tin of Chocolate All Butter Biscuits - nom.

Harrods English Breakfast Tea 

Nespresso Limited Edition Coffee - Napoli & Trieste

I love all the Harrods goodies and the coffee.  Thanks so much Nardine love everything.

Karen, makes beautiful silver fingerprint jewellery as well as hand/foot casts and gorgeous pottery items.  See her website Memories Made in Silver here. Well she sent me two beautiful olive hand painted mugs (I'd previously bought ones like these and clumsy hubby broke them!) so I was absolutely made up when Karen gifted them to me along with a beautiful matching jug.  They match perfectly with our  kitchen table.  She also gave me Lubatti Rose Bath Oil - I love long soaks in the bath so this will be put to good use! Thanks so much Karen!

Really pleased with all my goodies - thanks so much!

Oh! Organics

I was chatting to Michele from Oh! Organics on Twitter and she said she's send me some samples to try.

She sent me skincare items from both the ranges - Rose and Melissa.  They arrived packaged in pretty organza bags.  The products have been developed by Michele Daramat the MD of Oh! Organics who is a fully qualified medical Herbalist.  Products are natural, ethical, affordable and are made in small batches.

I found the Rose range was more suited to my skintype (for age 30+).  

Rose Toner* (50ml - £7.50) - flower waters are mixed with Witch Hazel and Glycerine.  The toner is alcohol free and refreshes the skin.  Simply spritz over the face or apply to a cotton pad before wiping over face and neck.  This is a really nice toner with a light rose scent.

Rose Moisturiser* (full size 60ml - £24) - I was sent two 5ml sample pots - the moisturiser is packed full of organic oils and butters and essential oils.  A rich scented cream which leaves the skin moisturised and soft.

I used the toner from the Melissa range but found the moisturiser didn't really suit my skin type as the range is aimed at teens - twenties.

Melissa Toner* (50ml - £7.50) - with flower waters, lemon balm, geranium, orange flower water, Witch Hazel and Glycerine.  I enjoyed spritzing this over my skin in the morning.

Melissa Moisturiser (60ml - £24 - again I was sent two sample pots) Again the moisturiser is packed full of butters and oils and scented with melissa, geranium, jasmin, lemongrass and neroli.

Other products available include - soaps, lip balm, Rose facial serum, Rose body cream and Melissa body cream.

See the website here.

Follow on Twitter @Ohorganics 

*sent for review

Anita Grant Goodies

I first came across Anita Grant products via Twitter when I saw a Tweet from @bobbi078 from Berry's Beauty Blog - I thought the products sounded amazing and went to look at the site.

Oh WOW what an amazing array of beauty goodies.  Anita makes skin, hair (especially for curly hair but other hair types too) and body care products which smell good enough to eat! Anita suffered a reaction to a supposedly "safe" hair lotion she decided to set about making her own beauty products.  All products are natural, simply packaged and recyclable and freshly hand made to order.  A family run business with excellent customer service and quick postage.

"We source only the finest natural food grade ingredients, no animal testing, free of all the harmful and unnecessary synthetic chemicals found in a lot of skin care and natural hair care products and most of all, affordable. Every ingredient has a purpose to deliver a concentrated dose of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and anti-oxidants – whether to soothe or smooth, it works."

I ordered some samples in order to try out some of the products.  I will definitely be back to buy the full size of some of them!  The samples are of generous size and there is enough product to decide whether a full size is for you or not and there are also a huge variety to choose from.

Here's what I bought:

My favourite product is Organic Vanilla Cocoa Body Butter (15g £2.05) - its simply good enough to eat!  It contains no Mineral Oil, Microcrystalline Wax, No Dimethicone or Artificial Fragrances.  A rich deliciously scented butter which melts upon contact with warm skin.  Great for dry skin.  I'll be picking up the full size soon.

My next favourite is Monoi de Tahiti Tiare (15g £2.05) - A natural floral oil which smells just gorgeous and is rich with the scent of Gardenias.  Can be used as a pre-shampoo treatment (leaves hair shiny, healthy & glossy) to seal split ends, on the body or added to your bath water.  Simply gorgeous!

I also picked up Cucumber Cleansing Oil (15ml £2.95) - which is suitable for normal/combination skin.  Simply removes all make up leaving skin clean and fresh.

My last item was Coconut Rosewood Dry Oil (15ml £2.15) - can be used on body, face and hair - especially on curly hair.  This smells quite spicy - I am getting aniseed notes from it.  It contains a small rosebud.

I'll definitely be doing some more shopping soon! Simply gorgeous and effective products which smell amazing.  See the website here and follow on Twitter here.

Have you used any of these products? Or have you tried other ones in the range you can recommend me?

Shopping My Stash #12

This week these are the products I've been reaching for.

Myroo Starflower & Orange Blossom Skin Boost Facial Serum 12g - a lovely light serum which is easily absorbed.  See my review here.

Milla Maddern Body Cream 100ml - a rich cream with an uplifting scent.  See my review here.

Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Lipstick in shade rose 506 - a pretty really wearable pink shade.  It has featured in favourites posts here and here.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick - love this bright pop of colour.

Lush Ginger Solid Perfume Stick 12g - love this spicy scent.  I also loved the bath bombs in this scent but they discontinued them. Boo!  

Dr Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Hand & Nail Cream 100ml - I won this in a giveaway with lots of other goodies.  See my post here.  This is a lovely rich hand cream which smells divine and a review will follow.

Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliating Marvel Gel 10g - first time I used this it broke me out in spots! I tried again and my skin seems to like it.  Use it on my chin and forehead.  Review to follow.

Are you shopping your stash this week?  Have you used any of these products?