Beauty: Burt's Bees haul

One day during my London commute I was handed a free sample of the Burt's Bees Beeswax lip balm. I had never tried the products before, and loved using the lip balm ever since. It was very handy and small, smelled lovely and genuinely repaired and nourished my lips without them becoming dependent on it like with other products.

All Burt's Bees products are natural and sustainable, smell like nature itself and really nourish your skin. As everyone nowadays, I much prefer knowing where my beauty products come from and what ingredients I am putting on my face, so it makes it easier when companies like Burt's Bees have such a variety of products to choose from.

Even their packaging is cute with lots of lovely colours and drawings of fruit, bees, plants, etc.

I was really excited to receive a few more products from Burt's Bees to review, check out what I tried...

Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes with Cotton Extract (£5.99): These 99.1% natural and dermatologically tested wipes are skin friendly and great if you have trouble with using similar products (some sting my eyes). They remove make-up effectively, and cleanse and tone your skin at the same time. I still use my cleanser and toner just in case, though. The wipes are formulated with cotton extract to soften skin, rice extract to moisturise and aloe to calm.

Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion (£9.99): This big bottle of body lotion suits normal to dry skin and is a fast working moisturiser that dried as soon as I applied it. The combination of milk and honey smelled really nice, and my legs felt soft all day so I didn't have to re-apply. The ingredients also contain coconut and grape seed oils as well as vitamin E.

Orange Essense Facial Cleanser (£10.99): The 100% natural cleanser is formulated with an all natural plant-based cleansing complex, is sulcate-free and works wonders without overdoing the skin. After trying it for a week I already noticed my skin was becoming clearer and make-up came off easily. The zesty fresh orange oil works as a natural exfoliator and left my skin clean and refreshed.

Peppermint Foot Lotion (£12.99): People often forget their feet need as much TLC as the rest of their body, especially now when it's time for sandals. Thisfoot lotion has a hint of peppermint which smells great and slightly has a cooling sensation. The lotion works well on dry feet with the botanical blend of oils and extracts made from witch hazel, tea tree, parsley, rosemary and sodium bicarbonate to help neutralise mild foot odour. Other ingredients include peppermint oil, sunflower, wheat germ, coconut oils and beeswax.

Lemon & Vitamin E Body & Bath Oil (£9.99): The best thing about Burt's Bees products is that you really get your money's worth. The packaging is a generous size, the pricing reasonable for such a great quality product and the benefits last long. This oil is made of concentrated plant-based essentials oils and vitamins like lemon, sweet almond and Vitamin E for intense moisture. It's great that you can also use it in the bath, and the zesty lemon smell is amazing! It doesn't dry as quickly as the lotion if applied directly to the skin, but feels lovely and like I am in a spa :) Great for a little relaxing Sunday eve!

New Finds: April

My exciting Cuba holiday is almost here (yay!!!) so I've been on a little shopping spree...I'm pretty sure this is the norm for girls pre-holiday...lots of beauty treatments, new outfits, sunglasses, bikinis and outfit planning! Or maybe this is the shopaholic in me talking...

(click on image to enlarge)

The first bikini is from Triangl...a brand I came across on Instagram that make scuba-like bikinis. Their famous for their neon colours, check them out, they look killer with a tan!

The second one is from Asos and comes in a few more colours...great for a girls holiday!

The white cotton romper is from an Australian brand called Spell & The Gypsy Collective. Their store is AMAZING and full of lots of boho/hippie kimonos, dresses, accessories and all sorts...their shop looks like my dream home, wish I could pay them a visit! I am yet to receive the romper and try it on so have no idea what it will look like...but am hoping it will be comfy and that I won't have to enhance the size as it is always so tricky buying online. They might be sold out everywhere but they usually get them back in stock so just keep checking their website.

I'll be writing about my holiday beauty essentials next week, too!

Images from the respective brand websites

Style: Homie

Wearing

Noisy May top

Asos heels

H&M skirt

RayBan sunglasses

Zara necklace

Nars lipstick

Bag from Bosnia

Faux fur tail from Japan

(Similar items below)

Photos taken by Miles Blayden Ryall

Beauty: April Birchbox (Good Enough to Eat)

I was really excited to try Birchbox when they contacted me and sent me April's 'Good enough to eat' package. I've heard a lot about these monthly beauty/lifestyle subscription boxes but never tried one myself, as I was always a little sceptical about them. I never really knew what would be inside, and if I would get my money's worth. I also thought that I wouldn't benefit from most of the products as I am personally not a big 'beauty junkie'. Well, I was wrong!

This month, inspiration was taken from local food marked, the kitchen and favourite eateries. April's samples (mini sized versions of the actual full priced products) feature delicious scents and foodie elements...

 

I got my cute little (but decent sized!) box in the post, and as soon as I opened it I got a rather pleasant surprise...

The box was beautifully packaged with all the mini contents inside of a Birchbox branded cloth pouch. I opened the soft pouch and inside was a lovely selection of really cool products!

It contained TheBalm Cosmetics Cheek & Lip Cream, Yes to Cucumber face wipes, Color Club nail varnish, Lord & Berry kohl eye pencil, and (drum roll please...) a Laura Mercier Souffle Body cream!!!! Uhhmm helloooo this stuff is EXPENSIVE...and I couldn't believe it's in this little box of goodies!

Even though the sample is small, it's big enough to last for weeks...

This Birchbox-exclusive candy coloured nail varnish is from a collection of 4, and from a collaboration with fashion blogger Gala Gonzalez - plus it came in one of my favourite summer colours!

I've already tested the eyeliner and it didn't smudge as much as my other ones during the day so I loved it.

The cheek & lip cream came in an adorable little vintage-inspired magnet palette, and was surprisingly strong in colour. Perfect for handbags and girls on-the-go as it's so handy. It was the one product that I wouldn't personally use, but the great thing about Birchbox is that they can personalise your boxes based on your tastes.

The cucumber wipes were great to pop into my bag and use to soothe and cleanse my skin when staying at a friends house or if I needed to re-apply my make-up.

Another really cute sample in the Birchbox was a ProperCorn bag, Sweet Coconut & Vanilla flavoured. Rather strange but yummy taste!! I must say that I wouldn't have bought this in the store but having tried it now I definitely would.

And it doesn't end there...Birchbox pack all the product info in your goody box, as well as fun postcards with things like recipes, beauty tips, events, activity suggestions and a chance for you to win the contents of the box in full size.

Their website is engaging too...with a blog detailing more info about the products, a magazine, and a shop where you can buy them in full size.

I was really pleased and pleasantly surprised with my little box, and I think this is a really great gift for a friend, mum or auntie (or you!). At only £10 a month, anyone could afford it and their friend would get a lovely surprise every month...brilliant idea.

A Birchbox is £10 a month (+£2.95 p&p) and you can subscribe for yourself or a friend on www.birchbox.co.uk for as long or as little as you want (and cancel any time).

New Finds: March

OK we're in April...this one's a wee bit late...check out what I bought last month!

I finally had an eye test done, at new brand KITE's Westfield Stratford store, and got these gorgeous 60's inspired cat eye glasses called Broadway in Marrakesh Diva (RRP £145). Surprisingly, they go with everything! They feel amazing, and look fab.

Pairing my new comfy shoes with Balenciaga, All Saints, Isabel Marant and Topshop (see similar items below)

I love the packaging! KITE optical glasses and sunglasses are available at their Westfield Stratford store or online on www.kitegb.com