Souk Souk Beauty Box | May 2013

This month I signed up to trial a new beauty box. It’s called the Little Green Beauty Box and it’s from a company called Souk Souk. I first read about the Souk Souk box on the lovely Ana’s blog.

I love the idea of beauty boxes and am always excited to see that my Amarya beauty box has arrived, however it’s difficult to find a box which meets my standards as far as being cruelty free is concerned.

Souk Souk drew me in with this:

“We support any skincare or cosmetic brand which is trying to do the right thing in terms of reducing its impact on the environment; reducing its reliance on synthetic chemicals and preservatives to formulate products; and refusing to use ingredients that have been tested on animals. Some of the brands we support have gone several extra miles and have committed to using as close to 100% organic or natural ingredients as possible and have certification to prove it. We will always include information in our boxes about each of the brand’s ethics, policies and any certification they may possess.”

I signed up for a 3 month trial which cost £36 plus p+p just to get a little taste of what Souk Souk has to offer. I didn’t want to commit myself too much before I’m sure that the brands Souk Souk send are as cruelty free as I aim for.

I received my first box this month.

I’m delighted that all of the products I received are from cruelty free brands, and two of them are BUAV approved. Souk Souk send you a little info sheet with your box which tells you any certifications the products have, such as BUAV, Vegan and Soil Association.

You also get a little magazine, and I was really pleased to see an article in the magazine on the recent EU ban on animal testing, what it means, and the pitfalls we still need to look out for when choosing which brands to buy from.

Trial Size Green People Moisturising Shower Gel 30ml, Full Size RRP £10.95

Trial Size Green People Nurture Body Lotion 30ml, Full Size RRP £18.95

You’ll never hear me complain about receiving Green People products. They’ve been at the forefront of the green/natural/organic movement from the beginning.

The shower gel contains orange blossom, yucca and marshmallow and it smells divine. i love me some orange blossom! It’s so fresh and revitalising.

The body lotion contains perilla, evening primrose, shea butter and bergamot. It’s a heavier, more calming scent which will ideal for lathering on at bedtime. 

Trial Size Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap in Rose 59ml, Full Size RRP £5.48

Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap is a cult classic. It’s known as the 18-in-1 soap because of it’s many uses, although you could definitely find more than 18 uses for it! I love rose scented products and this one is no exception. It’s concentrated so a little goes a long way. I plan on using mine to wash my makeup brushes, which I’ve heard it’s amazing for!

Full Size Balm Balm Tea Tree Lip Balm 7ml, RRP £3.50

Again, Balm Balm is a bit of cult classic in the green beauty world. I love organic lip balms and I think anyone who is still using petroleum based balms such as Vaseline and Carmex are mental!

I’m pleased I received the tea tree version because it can also be used on blemishes, cold sores and cuts due to it’s antibacterial and antiviral properties.

I gave this product a little test as soon as I opened it and, so far...so amazing! 

Full Size Inika Brow Liner in 02 Brunette Beauty 1.2g, RRP £13.50

Souk Souk read my mind with this one! I’m currently using Benefit’s brow Zings to fill in my brows which isn’t cruelty free. I’ve been looking for an alternative and with summer (supposedly) on the way I’ve been thinking a brow pencil would be lighter and more subtle for the warmer weather.

The Brunette Beauty colour looks perfect for me, and i like that this pencil comes with a sharpener on the end.

All in all i’m thrilled with my first Souk Souk beauty box. It contained some lovely brands, all of which are cruelty free and the value for money is wonderful.

What do you think of this Souk Souk box?

Lisa x

Beauty Review | Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask

As a cruelty free blogger I had heard of BUAV approved brand Amie, but I had always thought of them as a brand for teenagers. Because of this I’d never given any of their products a try despite appreciating the brand’s ethos of no animal testing, parabens, mineral oils, sulphates, or petrochemicals, and being vegan friendly.

When I was offered the opportunity to try a couple of products from Amie I jumped at the chance. I wanted to be proven wrong about the brand and it’s ability to help with my oily, spot prone, but adult skin.

The first product I tried was the Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask*.

The first thing I noticed about this clay mask was how thick it was. A little goes a long, long way. The second thing, was the smell. It has the delicious, fresh and zingy scent of lime butter which gives the mask an uplifting, reviving feel rather than a relaxing feel.

When I applied this mask to my face it started to tingle like crazy with minty freshness from the peppermint in this product, and that feeling lasted long after I'd washed the product off. It gives the impression that this mask is getting deep down into your pores.

When I washed this mask off I saw a vast improvement in my skin. It’s texture was smoother and more even. There was a significant bettering of my discolouration. Spots were much less red and angry, and I felt like I could get away with wearing less foundation on days I used this mask.

Overall I’m really impressed with this product from Amie, and I’m looking forward to trying more products from them. I would definitely recommend Amie for anyone of any age with oily, spot prone skin.

Have you tried any products from Amie?

Lisa x

Amarya Beauty Box | May 2013

Today the postman brought something other than bills, yaaaaay!

I love getting a full sized product along with some trial sizes in my Amarya beauty boxes. I think it always feels as if your getting a bargain since the whole box is only £10.

Madara Mild Plum Nourishing Soap 250ml, RRP £9.00

This is the first Madara product I’ve received and it is full sized. ‘Nourishing soap’ essentially means shower gel in this case as this product is designed to be used all over the body. This product has a strong, sweet smell to it which is obviously plum in it. To me it smells exactly like marzipan though.

Madara Tinting Fluid 1.5ml, Full Size RRP £23.00

I received two sachets of this product in the two available colours, gold beige and rose beige. Being Scottish I’m thinking rose beige is going to be the best match for me! it’s great that I have both shades to try though. Madara has called this a ‘tinting fluid’ but I’m guessing that basically means tinted moisturiser! I wish brands would just call a spade a spade! I’ve been looking for a tinted moisturiser from a cruelty free, natural brand to replace my foundation throughout summer so I’m looking forward to giving this a try.

Madara Time Miracle Day Cream 1.5ml, Full Size RRP £34.00

I’m not quite ready to start using anti aging products yet as I’m still battling with oily, spot prone skin carried over from my teenage years, so this sample is a little wasted on me. I usually make use of products like these as a night cream though, as they tend to be quite rich.

Cowshed Slender Cow Extra Firming Body Butter 50ml, RRP £10 for 50ml, £28 for 200ml

Cellulite is the bane of my life! Even when I was a teeny size 6 (a long time ago), I still had cellulite all over my thighs. I did get rid of it temporarily when I took up kickboxing a few years ago, but as soon as I stopped it worked it’s way back on my thighs again!

This body butter from Cowshed contains essential oils of sweet orange, grapefruit, ylang ylang and mandarin to stimulate and tone the skin, as well as carrot seed oil to help break down toxins. It’s deliciously thick so I think the massaging motion required to rub this in alone would be good for cellulite. I don’t really smell any of the fruit oils in this body lotion. The main scent is the floriental ylang ylang. I’m looking forward to giving this a go.

What does everyone think of this months box? Did anyone get anything different from me?

Lisa x