Today is going to be a quick post on what natural and organic products I took to Rome for a mini getaway to treat Mom for her birthday. For those of you who might not know, my mom had a breast cancer about a year and a half ago. She won, which pleases me to no end, but being aware of the limited time we had left, I got this idea in my head to whisk my mom away for her ultimate Birthday this year and I didn’t rest until I made that happen.
I got request to see what exactly I took with me, so this post is for you guys – here is the breakdown of the products. Continue reading “Natural & Organic Products For A Weekend Away”
How are all of You, I hope You are well? Today I am coming at you with a post on natural and organic products that won’t break the bank – all available at one place, no less! Please step forward Love Lula! I have been meaning to do this post for a while now and I got requested to do so via Love Lula Natural Beauty Club on Facebook, so this post is for you, my lovely readers. Shall we get started?
Clean and natural beauty is the place to be, there’s no question on that, but at the same time it might be overwhelming place, and with so many new brands focusing on “luxe natural” (read = more expensive) products these days, one might make a quick assumption that green beauty is all expensive and out of reach for those of us on a budget. I certainly remember feeling this way at the start of my switch over a decade ago, when there were no online stores to order from (hard to believe, I know – even Love Lula didn’t exist back then) and the only organic face balm cleanser I could find had a price tag of more than 50€. Thankfully we all came a long way since, and I am here to help you find all the best natural stuff – without the hefty price tags! I have had a good long thinking session about it and here are my picks in all areas. Trust me, natural products can be done well even on a budget.
Bloomtown is a brand I discovered when I tested/judged for The Beauty Shortlist Awards last year and it was so good I had to come back and blog about it (here). Practically all the items in the range are well under 10£ and that price point pleases me so much. No palm oil and scents sooo good you just want to use this stuff over anything else you own. Contains perfume though, so it depends on your level of purity. I have a very sensitive skin and I’ve experienced no problems.
Another great budget brand to come to Love Lula recently(ish) is Ayumi – I wanted to know more as soon as I saw the products & I wrote my thoughts here and here. Not everything is at purist level natural, so I skipped skincare and went mainly for products that I can wash off – shampoos, scrubs, which the whole family enjoyed and have repurchased or oils, which are clean. And good. I will continue to use the line and trying new products, want to try Sandalwood body oil next.
Alteya Organics is a brand that hails from Thracian Kings Valley in Bulgaria, they grow their own roses and produce not only essential oils but also natural products infused with them. I loved what I have tried so far and I can definitely recommend. As this is a post on a budget products, I would go for their certified organic floral waters, my favourite are rose and chamomile ones (reviewed here) but there’s more to choose from and also their rosehip or jojoba face oils, again, certified organic – but without hefty price tag! Both really really good.
There was the time that I was absolutely dying to try Natura Siberica because I knew they used extracts of wildcrafted plants, so I was hoping they were budget ISUN skincare, but they are not. Most of the stuff is way too fragranced for me to handle, so now I only go for shampoos, washes and body scrubs, but if you have no issues with fragrance, please feel free to sample the whole range, practically everything is budget priced, with some exceptions of targeted skincare.
Neals Yard Remedies is a brand that has my respect for years, I have been a customer for the last five years if not more. Really good quality products with highly organic percentages, and the company does everything right in my mind. Anything that can be sustainable, is, anything that can be organic, is, anything that can be carbon free, is. I could go on, they were one of the firsts in the field, looong before it was trendy to care for the plants or the earth. While most of the products are not budget at all, I will admit to that, but may I bring your attention to their baby range, which is affordable and pure? And grab their hand cream while you are at it, I find them really good for the day time.
They do lots of different pure and organic single ingredient oils, hydrosols, butters and some ready made products too. All Ecocert certified, no less. Perfect if you are a purist – a lot of their products are under 10£, just pick and choose what you want or need. Another brand you might want to check out is Balm Balm?
Organii was launched as a personal care brand by Pravera, one of the UK’s leading distributors in the natural and organic skincare & cosmetics sector. The brand has a collection of 30+ products now including cream soaps, liquid soaps, shower gels, plasters, mouthwash, sun care, hand care, skin care and health care! Each product within the range is certified natural and organic; all the soaps and shower gels are ECOCERT1 certified, whilst the plasters carry the ICEA² logo. All products other than the plasters are also Certified Vegan. See full review here.
These seem to be the most cost effective ranges from Love Lula. I think that you can do a nice make up look with cheap cosmetics, taking care of the skin is way more important – so I would skimp on make up and spend on skincare. While I am yet to try loads from Benecos myself, my blogger friend Evelyn from We Were Raised By Wolves just reviewed their make up, see it here. I have a review on Lavera make up – see it here. My own personal make up is a right mix of higher end and budget products. Higher price does not necessarily mean good product, so pick from all price ranges and stick with what works. I am yet to trade my Alverde brow products for something more pricy, because it works and why would I pay more, right? Same with lip liners, but I am yet to find cheapie mascara that would work for me, I keep trying but I can’t win on this front for some strange reason.
Here’s what I would choose if I had to repurchase my stash all over again on a budget:
Face cream – choose according to your skin type please. My own skin is uber sensitive and dermatitis prone, so understandably I am too afraid to switch my skincare, especially knowing from experience I react to 95% of other products when I do. It takes weeks weeks to heal an outbreak, so please excuse me if I won’t embark on this journey much further. Heard good things about Laidbare though?
*A few thoughts after posting – You can also collect points to get ££ off your next purchase, so make sure to create an account with them if you haven’t already. Also, watch the deals like a hawk (I know I do, it pays to follow me, lol!) as well as checking out their sale section frequently. They often have good sales on more expensive beauty products, but once they are gone, they are gone, so grab something you fancy fast. Another thing I would recommend you do is keeping an eye on this section here – you can get past beauty boxes for far much cheaper than the products are worth individually (with an added bonus of seeing what actually comes in the box), but once again, they go fast. Also remember Love Lula ships for free worldwide for all orders 15£ plus – so easily done!
And last, but least of my tips – maybe, just maybe you might want to subscribe to Love Lula Beauty Box? It is perfect if you love surprises and want to try lots of clean products at a fraction of the cost! I have been getting the boxes for the last two years and I can vouch for it, amazing value guaranteed on a consistent basis – July’s box is worth whopping 101£ – no kidding! The lowest I have seen is 49.95£ and they are working hard at making the selection the best possible, you can expect everything from skincare, body care, hair care, less frequently make up. You know those flimsy one use sachet samples? Not here! Well, very rarely – you are almost guaranteed 3-4 full size products every month. Want a sneak preview on many boxes to date? Check my posts on All Things Love Lula here 🙂
That’s it for today, thanks for reading! Please like and share my posts on social media, it really helps to get the green beauty word out – and you will forever have my gratitude!
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How are all of You, I hope You are great? Today is the day I will share my early summer 2019 favourites in collaboration with the ever fabulous fellow green beauty blogger Laura Bruj. You should go and check her out (I will leave all the links at the end of this post) and you will be glad you did – she is US green beauty blogger who is making waves into the right direction, she focuses on all things plastic free, sustainable, natural and as much waste free as possible, and is not afraid to call out greenwashing brands. You just got to love her for it. But wait, there is more – she is also a Youtuber (again, find the link at the end of this post) and she is so good with make up that she is making me all jel – a green beauty chameleon for sure. You just have to scroll her IG page to see for herself.
Let’s see my current favourites now and go see Laura’s favourites straight after? Done deal 🙂
Have you ever thought about what lipstick Audrey Hepburn wore? And if yes, do you want a natural alternative to it? I must admit that thought never crossed my mind until I watched Lisa Eldridge’s video about her putting Audrey’s DNA on her lips (go see her Youtube video about it) – Lisa is the last non natural Youtuber I watch, simply because I adore her personality, looks she creates and techniques she uses – and in fact she does use some natural and organic products. So while I watched the video, the lightbulb moment hit me – I knew in an instant what the natural alternative is, so instead of keeping it to myself, why I don’t blog about it to let people know? Maybe there’s a soul out there wanting the exact same thing, the Audrey Hepburn look sans the harmful chemicals that comes with it. I mean everybody knows about the lead in the conventional lipsticks many many times above the allowed limit (why is there lead in the lipstick to begin with?). If this post will help at least one person, I will be a happy (cruelty free) bunny 🙂 Continue reading “Audrey Hepburn lipstick natural dupe”
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How are all of you, I hope life is treating you well? I’ve been thinking about my favourite products lately and which ones are long standing ones, and I have came up with a blog post on the spot – let’s see my ride or die favourites from 2018 still used daily today?
How are all of you, I hope you are well? I myself am still shaken to the core – I witnessed a car crash unfolding right before my very own eyes yesterday & still can’t shake it the day after.
I am due loads of reviews by the end of this month, but please allow me to take the easy route with empties post right now.
As I mentioned in (rather colossal) last empties post here, I will be splitting my empties into three categories right now with pretty much self explanatory titles, so I won’t have to go into too much details of why I am repurchasing or not repurchasing some product or the other.
My love for them is infinite, the best green beauty has to offer, full stop. See full review here. I never want to be without them!
*Update on why I no longer stand by this brand, even though I still think their products are fantastic here, scroll down to the very end.
Elsa’s Organic Skinfoods x2
I find they work great and keep me stink free, when sooooo many other natural deodorants failed at that. Baking soda free too! See this post to know my thoughts – they are a fave for a reason!
DrHauschka Rose Day Cream x2
I don’t know what’s with me and running out of things in twos, but yeah, that happened. Another fave for a good reason – my dry and dermatitis prone skin just loooves it! See full review here – I swore by this before I discovered Bella Aura, even though I found it a bit too greasy for summers. A must in winters though, that’s why I had two – I like stocking up 🙂
A staple for the last four years or so. See here to learn why it is my favourite. As you can see, already repurchased.
Terra Nova Cordyceps
Fabulous stuff for boosting immune system, I now swear by it!
KIKI Health Body Biotics For Children 650mg Chewable Tablets
A must for my 6yr old princess. Took care of her tummy and toilet troubles (sorry for the TMI) and I don’t want to switch to any other brand. They taste like sweets, so kids will definitely love them.
Neals Yard Remedies Vitamin C
Repurchasing come next fall. I also really love their elderberry syrup & thyme and honey syrup, brilliant for persistent coughs.
Solgar vitamin D
One of my weapons against dermatitis, I take 2500iu daily. Your ideal level might be different, check with your doctor first. But one tip though – research optimal vitamins and mineral levels versus RDA, your life will be changed forever. And you can thank me later 🙂
NYR Thyme & Honey Syrup
Just like I said, amazing for coughs. I am stocking up every winter.
Manuka Honey
One more thing I can’t live without! I use it as a medicine and also for masking, see my 12 DIY manuka masks with super simple ingredients you already have in your kitchen here.
Great natural items I won’t get for now due to the size of my stash
Fat & The Moon All Cream
Very natural and minimalistic, I simply don’t need so many creams I have right now. Came from Live In The Light, see this review of the online shop if you want?
Meadows Lip Balm
Great natural Irish brand I’d reviewed here. Not repurchasing for now, have eight or so lip balms and one more came in the Love Lula box 🙂
Inner Senses Frankincense Essential Oil
A big fan and now ambassador of the brand. Adore their body oils, esp Awakening (review here) & Quiet Earth mask (review here)
By the way, if you are like me and find yourself with lots of products nearing their expiration date, see my blogger friend Bryanna from The Eco Logical post where she list all sorts of creative ways of using up your products.
Madara Peel
Passed to my friend due to having too much of the exfoliating products. Might get again once I will reduce my stash, who knows?
Phb New Gentle Moisturiser
As you can see, I finished the whole lot, but as a hand cream, it wasn’t really suitable for my face.
Green Beauty Items I a not repurchasing ‘cos they weren’t suitable for my needs/ didn’t work for me
Madara Plant Stem Cell Age Defying Sunscreen SPF30
Got this in the hopes that it will be my W3LL People Bio Tint replacement, which I adore but am running out of – fast! Sadly this didn’t work out for me for a few reasons, was too orange and dark (and I chose light shade!), way too scented & it broke me out. Tried ten times and had to give up. My friend who got this loves it to bits however.
Benecos Lip Pencil
The dark raspberry colour didn’t suit me, nothing wrong with the formula.
Leahlani Meli Glow
Good product, but it irritated my dermatitis patch, so that’s the reason I am not repurchasing.
Lots of Love,
Renata.
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Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
How are you keeping? I hope you are all well?
If you follow me for any amount of time, you would know that Love Lula (sadly no more) is one of my absolutely favourite online shops – and for a good reason! Thousands and thousands of clean beauty products to choose from, natural skincare, hair care, body care, tools, make up – they have everything! I have been a satisfied customer for years and years before being accepted into their blogger family, and I am so happy to report that my experiences as customer Renata and blogger Renata are equally good! I always got what I ordered without a single mistake ever, all my queries were answered promptly and clearly, happy to say they have the best customer service ever and they treat everyone with respect. Continue reading “Love Lula Picks & Reviews – Hurraw, Alteya Organics, Kimberly Sayer, Natura Siberica, Organii [April 2019]”
Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
How are all of you, I hope you are well?
Today I will do a bit of a different post, a Clean Beauty tag one. I was watching Andie’s The Green Queen Clean Beauty Tag video (here) and it turns out the tag was created by the Conscious Bee (see her video here) whom I just discovered in a series of serendipitous moments. Loving what I saw, I self tagged into it, because that’s how I roll 🙂 Both ladies did Youtube videos, Get Ready With Me style, but since I am a blogger, not a Youtuber, I will improvise a bit – I will answer questions first and will link to some of the make up post after, pretending I was sort of doing make up all along. There are quite a few I’ve done lately, what can I say, I have rediscovered my love for make up 🙂
See my Natural Beauty interview with adorable Andie here and let’s get into the tag, shall we?
CLEAN BEAUTY TAG:
1. When did u switch to green beauty and why?
That was around a decade ago, after accidentally discovering Janey Lee Grace’s book Imperfectly Natural Woman – I was looking for some light read for the weekend and that book changed my life! Many years later I managed to get Natural Beauty interview with Janey Lee Grace, see that post here. Funny story with that book, I had to buy it not one, not two, but four times, because after reading it I started lending the book to everyone around me and I didn’t get it back a couple of times. So I had to buy it for myself again and again, and it was the exact same book I did my very first Instagram giveaway with 🙂 Before that I was naively assuming that all the products on the shelves go through rigorous testing for safety and ingredients aren’t harmful for humans in any way shape or form- oh boy, how wrong I was! I was sick to my stomach to find out how many harmful ingredients are in our skincare (formaldehyde in babies products for God’s sake, don’t get me started on this!!) and I started switching out my products there and then. But the trouble was, clean beauty products were soooo hard to find back then – most people (millennials) will have a hard time believing this, but there were NO online shops back then, so I was having the hardest time switching my products. Yes, you read that right, no Detox Markets, no Love Lula or anything. In fact, I can credit Janey Lee Grace for my blog too – I was having the worst time finding not only my best natural products, but any natural products around me at all, so I remember thinking to myself “this is nuts, what if someone is going through the same transformation and does not know where to start or where to go, I better blog about this to let people know”. So that’s how my blog started, out of desire to help out fellow green beauty sisters – and that’s still a driving force behind my blog to this day! I was here before it became popular and way before PR and marketing was happening. Up until two years or so ago I was purchasing all the products myself, so if that doesn’t prove I am not in it for the money, then I don’t know what will. Fortunately the green beauty scene exploded since – and that makes me very happy! I kind of made it my mission to help all the ladies (and gents) to switch to natural and organic products. Clean beauty world has an answer to any conventional product out there, and it is a proven fact the products work – and they work even better! Just check my post on more than 20 natural dupes for Nars Orgasm here for example – I worked really hard on that post 🙂
2. Do you remember your first green makeup product? Did it work well for you?
Yes I do – it was a Dr Hauschka mascara and for then-unemployed me it cost me eye wateringly amount of money, I remember wincing when parting with my cash – and to make matters worse, it didn’t do anything apart from making my lashes black and it started crumbling in the first week. I remember thinking “oh no, what if all the natural products are so expensive and work so bad?”. Fortunately I was able to find a Holy Grail product in every single category since, you can see them here. I sifted through a ton of products to find good ones that work amazingly well. And they are at all price points too – you don’t need to spend a ton of money in every single category. I choose to splurge on skincare (I am five minutes to forty after all, I kind of need to) and am quite happy to save on body care for example. No money? No problem, use coconut oil as your body moisturizer! Make up? I have it at all price points starting from just 2.50€ going to up to 50€ for a palette. I think that is quite reasonable, no?
3. Have you noticed a change in your skin/overall health since the switch?
Yes! My skin was a disaster before the switch – dry, super sensitive, reactive to every single product I have tried and more and more adult acne as the time went by – and amazingly I never attributed my skin’s conditions are caused directly by the products I was using. I guess I was blindly falling for the “I am worth it” marketing hype – oh the naivety of me! Insert face palm emoji here 🙂 I see history repeating itself with my elder daughter, who’s is convinced she needs certain ingredients and products for her skin to look good. She buys her own products (oftentimes conventional, resistance to parents, sigh) but she reacts to them more often than not, so I am strategically suggesting natural alternatives and am doing a happy little dance every time she does not reject something. I have to say she and I started on the wrong foot with all things natural – I gave her my own DIY deodorant and it burned her pits – turns out she is allergic to baking soda! not only in deodorants but in toothpastes and dry shampoos, everything 🙁 She rejected all natural products for a couple of years since then, and I can’t say I blame her. Slowly but surely she is coming to our side, but we have a long way to go. I do not push her in any way shape or form, I am not one of those green beauty bullies with scare mongering tactics, you might notice that in a way I blog too – I simply let people know about amazing natural stuff and let people think and choose for themselves.
Whoops, Renata, get back to the question, will you? Yes, my skin balanced itself in a month when I switched to natural products and the acne never came back – amazing or what?
4. Is there anything you wish was different about the green beauty space?
Yes, a few things come to mind. Price points for one (a whole topic on it’s own, for another time maybe, there are few things worth their price point, but not all) limited shade ranges when it comes to make up; scare mongering tactics needs to go, as well as greenwashing.
5. What is the nr 1 ingredient you avoid in cosmetics?
Fragrance, parabens, bismuth oxychloride, phenoxyethanol – although the latter is increasingly hard to avoid, it is everywhere!
6. What are your favorite 3 make up products you discovered thus far?
Well, if we are talking about make up only, my first love would be Peachy Keen by Inika – it is a natural and more gorgeous version of Nars Orgasm, even though it does not look like much in most of online shop photos. Trust me, it will get you all heart eyed once you will get it and put it on. Very concentrated, so the jar will last you for years, I promise! Nars Orgasm was the last product I switched, but having found Peachy Keen, I haven’t looked back.
Next would be my trusty workhorse for many many years, a product used and appreciated daily; I have stuck with it going through branding and packaging changes – please step forward Hynt Beauty Duet Perfecting Concealer! By far the most full coverage concealer in the green beauty or not green beauty and it is something I keep coming back to no matter how many other products I have tried. I have not one but two reviews of it on my old blog (see here and here) so I won’t be going into too many details here. So well worth the money, I have my last jar for well over the year and I am yet to hit pan or see a change in the formula (as in going bad) when my newer concealers are starting to smell a bit off after six months. I can’t praise it enough, really. Just one teeny tiny thing, dear Hynt Beauty, if you are reading this, please introduce a shade in between of Light and Medium – those two shades need to have a love child, pronto! You have introduced a shade in between for the darker shades, now please do so for the lighter ones too, pretty please? As you can guess, I happen to be in between the shades and would love to be able to buy just one jar instead of two at a time. The formula is very impressive, so that’s why I keep buying two shades, but I have heard many and many ladies say the same thing. Once again, Hynt Beauty, pretty please?
Do you guys know how hard this question is?? I have to say both moisturizers and Antioxidant Booster by Bella Aura Skincare (review) – I can’t live without them!
*Update on why I no longer stand by this brand, even though I still think their products are fantastic here, scroll down to the very end.
8. What brands do you really want to try but still haven’t?
My wishlist is probably two miles long, haha! The first brands that come to mind are Okoko Cosmetiques, Lovinah, Osea, Live Botanicals, Blue Beautifly, De Mamiel, Odacite, Mayia Chia, Aether Beauty, Laurel, Antonym, Amly – do I need to go on? 🙂
9. What type of product do you buy the most of?
Toothpaste, rinse, body wash (mostly soap, Black African soap preferably). Body Oils. Shampoo. From beauty products, mascara. Same like a regular person, really.
10. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you keep a certain routine?
A bit of both really. My uber sensitive and dermatitis prone skin does not allow me much room for wriggle, I am most likely to react to any product, even to the ones everyone is raving about. Having found my perfect skincare in Bella Aura, I kind of don’t want to test or try anything else, plus having put my skin through a marathon (and burning it more than once!) for the sake of judging in the green beauty awards (see more on my IG), I don’t really want to try anything else for the time being. But still there comes a product from time to time that calls my name organically and I get that magical experience – I am talking about May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon as an example, see more in my recent Favourites post here.
11. If you could only buy from one brand, which one would you choose? Pick one for makeup and one for skincare.
Skincare, easy – Bella Aura! Make up, it would have to be between Inika (amazing blushes and mascara) and Hynt Beauty (concealer and lipstick Holy Grails), but W3LL People are also very high up there – oh, what to do??
12. What do you love about makeup? What about skincare?
I love that make up lets me create the best version of myself – isn’t that amazing how much more confident you feel when you look great? Skincare is my everyday treat to myself, my “me time”, my self care. What’s not to love, am I right or am I right?
13. Name your favorite thing about the Green Beauty community?
The support! I am so so grateful to green beauty community for welcoming me with open arms. Up until then I was kind of not belonging or should I say not feeling welcome anywhere really, and this is where I feel at home and feeling like I am contributing to a great cause. Andie’s comment about other women struck a chord with me, all the backstabbing in my life came from other women, even close friends, so I was kind of floating around in life not feeling that love, support, girl or sister power, up until I discovered the green beauty community. Huge thanks each and every one of you!
(ps. catty behaviour still happens in the green beauty world, this is an industry like any other industry. Fact of life)
Now that all of the questions are answered, let’s pretend I was doing make up at the same time 🙂 I will link three of my last make up posts, so check out the one which look you like the most – I didn’t mention any make up in my recent Favourites post, but any product from those posts below is still a strong favourite to date. Or skip them all together. Your call. Thanks for reading anyway!
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Umm, yeah, this happened 🙂 I used to be on top of my empties posts, every month or a quarter at least. You guys know my style, my posts are usually very long because I try to cover every single base I can think of, from company itself, to ingredients, to user experience, whether I liked it or not and why, plus linking everything, products, reviews; you know the drill. Couple that with other projects I’ve had, reviews, judging for a few clean beauty awards and the constant upkeep with the social media and you would understand why these posts became the pain-in-th-you-know-what to do. However I think it is important for me to do empties posts so you guys could see that the products I am using and the reviewing are the same products, plus you guys want me to keep these posts up – so there you go, this is for you lovelies. Something’s gotta give though, this blog is a passion project of mine, not a paid gig, so I don’t want to spend all of my time away from my family, blogging at all hours of the day. So no more links, instead of elaborate opinions and explanations of why I think something is great (or not), I will group them in categories of “Repurchasing” “Not Repurchasing” and if you have any questions, ask. Most of the products will have either reviews or mentions in some posts or the other, so be sure to hit that search box. Thanks for reading in advance!