Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist

The vitamin E face mist by The Body Shop is one of the products that I use daily. I really wanted to share my thoughts in an article, because this is one for everybody.

I use the face mist every morning after I put on my make up. The big advantage of this spray is that my make up looks more natural instead of a mask (well, you get the idea). It also fixes your make up, so it stays on better during the day. Two great things that make me love this product so much.

The face mist is slightly perfumed, a soft fragrance with a hint of roses that isn't too present (another plus). And all of this comes in an easy to use spray bottle. Oh and when it's really hot I sometimes use the face mist during the day, because it feels very refreshing. This is a keeper!

Do you guys use something to fix your make up?

Love,

Imelda

Review: Dr. Organic Nightcare

For the past few weeks I've been using some new products in my evening ritual. These products are the Organic Rose Otto Facial Serum, Organic Rose Otto Eye Serum and the Organic Rose Otto Night Cream. 

All products are by Dr. Organic. More information about the Organic Rose Otto line can be found here (my first Dr. Organic review).

After I wash my face and put on some toner I start with the Rose Otto Facial Serum. This actually is a restoring oil that renews the elasticity of the skin and leaves you with a hydrated and soft skin.

The bottle is made out of glass and has a very easy to use pump. It looks very fancy if you ask me. 

I only use the serum on my cheeks, so I have enough product with one pump. During winter I always use my Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Oil, but it's a bit too rich during the other seasons. This serum is lighter and so it's perfect for the other seasons.

After the Facial Serum I'm applying a little bit of Rose Otto Eye Serum. It stimulates the regeneration of cells and makes your eyes look youthfull.

The tube makes it very easy to use and I only need a little drop of this serum. The serum is very light and gets absorb very quickly (the way I like it).

I've never had any problems with the skin around my eyes, so I'm not really the one to write huge review about this product. But in the end I'm very happy with the level of hydration by the Rose Otto Eye Serum. 

It wouldn't be an evening ritual if I didn't end up applying some Rose Otto Night Cream. This hydrating and nourishing cream promisses to leave your skin bursting with cell regenerated health.

This whipped night cream smells deliciously of roses (one of my favorite fragrances). I have to be carefull not to use too much of the product, because than it can get messy ;) 

After using this nightcream my skin feels incredibly soft, I'm talking baby skin soft. I'm a huge fan, if there is one product I would recommend to all of you it's this night cream.

What are your thoughts on these products? Have you tried anything from Dr. Organic yourself?

Love,

Imelda

Source: Dr. Organic

Honey Bronze By The Body Shop

I've always been a fan of limited edition collections that get launched by beautybrands, simply because they have such a huge WANT factor. That's no different for the newest summer collection by The Body Shop, Honey Bronze.

The Honey Bronze Make-Up collection consists of bronzing products for face and body. Enriched with community fair trade honey and bees-wax these moisturizing products give the skin a smooth, even, bronzed result.

With this collection The Body Shop also wants to focus on another environmental issue. The declining bee population is something we should all care about, because they're simply too important for us humans. At The Body Shop they totally understand that and they're doing whatever they can to help these animals. Hives at the international head quarters in the UK, donating money to the University of Sussex for further investigation about bee populations in the cities, these are just 2 great initiatives by The Body Shop that I can only applaud.

The Honey Bronze Lip Nectar is available in 2 colors, Honey Bunch and Honey Beige. I have the Honey Beige one and as you can see it's beautiful. This Lip Nectar gives your lips a sublte golden sheen because of the mini glitters in it. It is a little bit sticky, but I don't really mind that in a lipgloss.

I have to say that I'm a real fan of the packaging of this collection. Everything looks so chique and expensive because of the gold and brown.

I'm really happy this lipgloss comes in a tube, I prefer tubes over brushes because it's easier to use when you're on the road (simply my opinion).

This Lip Nectar fits the rest of the collection perfectly and is one of the best shades of lipgloss to have for the summer.

The other products that are available in this collection are Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil (On top of my wishlist!!!), Honey Bronze Brilliance Powder, Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel and Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder.

What do you think of this collection? Did you already buy something from the Honey Bronze collection?

Love,

Imelda

Review: Dirty By Lush

Dirty by Lush is a complete new line of Gorilla Perfumes. These products are created for men who love to look good, but don't want to spend too much time in the bathroom in the morning. The idea behind the Dirty range is the concept of layers. Every product has a different frangrance and if you use all the products together you get the real Dirty fragrance.

I got the Dirty Springwash Shower Gel and Dirty Shaving Cream to test and try. I know it's a line for men, but according to Lush women will love it too (and they're right about that).

When I open the bottle of body and hair shower gel I definitely smell bubblegum. Not very surprising if you know that mint is the key ingredient. So in the shower you're all minty and fresh, but afterwards I do notice some sweetness in the perfume aswell. This shower gel is very refreshing and that's why I can imagine it being great to use on a hot summer day.

I did pass this bottle on to the boyfriend, because in the end the fragrance is a little bit too masculin for me (but that's only my personal taste).

                            

The shaving cream is one of my new found favorite products, I love it! A very creamy and soft substance that smells deliciously of lavander. My legs feels soft and hydrated after I use the dirty shaving cream, which is a big plus because my legs are rather sensitive and dry. 

Another positive fact that I really have to share is the packaging. This black jar is made out of 100% recycled materials and is much better for the environment than the usual shaving cream packagings. That's why I love this shaving cream even more!

The boyfriend likes this one too, so we made a compromise to share this pot.

Also available in this collection are the Toothy Tabs (can't wait to try these out!), Hair Styling Cream, Dirty Body Spray and the Dirty Perfume.

All the Dirty products are suited for vegans.

What do you guys think about this collection? Have you tried anything yourself?

Love,

Imelda

Review: Less Is More Shampoo & Conditioner

A while ago I wrote a little article about the Less Is More products I received and after a long time of testing it's time for my first review.

The shampoo and conditioner I tried are part of the Gloss line, intented for all hairtypes.

The shampoo contains Evening Primrose Oil and Virgin Coconut Oil to nourish your hair and make it supersoft. Pure Cajeput Oil is added to this formula to strengthen your hair. It's a very mild shampoo (you can use it everyday if you like) and it really does what is promised. The frangrance is a little hard to discribe for me, it's a little bit pharmaceutical, very clean and fresh.

I always use the shampoo in combination with the conditioner (glossing treatment). It contains the same Evening Primrose oil and Virgin Coconut oil as the shampoo to moisture the hair and keep it from drying out. If you leave the conditioner in a little bit longer it has the same effect as a mask, so no need to buy an extra product. My hair is easy to comb through afterwards and it's not as frizzy as usual. The conditioner smells a little like orangettes, but that's because of the Oil of Sicilian Sweet Oranges that's in the product.

After using these products for quite some time my hair looks very healthy and shiny. It hasn't looked so good in ages and it feels so soft, I mean it.

The bottles are easy to use and because of the cap you never use too much of the product at once. And last but not least, they look good in my bathroom (looks are very important, even for shampoo bottles). 

The shampoo on the left and the conditioner on the right.

Both products are 25 euros for a bottle of 200ml and they are available in the Less Is More webshop.

I really hope I made you guys curious about these products!

Love,

Imelda

Source: Less Is More

Review: Lush Easter Bath Ballistics

I already gave you guys some information about the great goodies Lush had in store for us to celebrate Easter. I didn't mention 2 products, because I had them myself and wanted to test and try them before I wrote something about these 2.

I'm talking about the Fluffy Egg Bath Ballistic and the Hippy Chick Bath Ballistic. Both very cute (almost too cute to use), like we're used from Lush products. 

Fluffy Egg Bath Ballistic: A bright pink Easter egg decorated with some little flowers, suitable for all candy lovers. The smell is very sweet and I like it, just like the Snow Fairy Shower Gel (Christmas product). The waters turns out bright pink, can my water have this color all the time? 

Hippy Chick Bath Ballistic: This sweet little chicken stole my heart the first time I saw him, just too cute.  The frangrance is very refreshing, I smell lemons (not surprising if you know that Lush discribes the scent of this cutie as grapefruit). In the end my skin feels soft and gently perfumed, although I'm a little bit sad that this fella is gone.

All these products are limited edition, but if you're lucky you can still find them in your Lush shop.

Did you try out some of the Lush Easter goodies or are you going to?

Love,

Imelda

Have An Eggsellent Easter With Lush!

When there is a holiday on the calender you can be sure Lush will spoil us with another limited edition holiday collection. That's no different for Easter this year, so today I'll be sharing some of the new goodies Lush has designed to Easter up your bathroom.

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Donkey Oaty Bath Ballistic: A cute and sunny ballistic with the fragrance of Lush's Charity Pot. A bright coloured donkey filled with rice paper ribbons, that looks like a pinata. While he's bubbling up you can dream away and enjoy the colorsensation in the water.

Happy Easter Gift: This gift contains a hollow bath ballistic egg- one side with the sweet Candy Fluff perfume and the other side with the refreshing Avobath mix. Inside the egg you'll find a small Hippy Chick Bath Ballistic, ready to be born. All of this is wrapped in a Knot-Wrap scarf.

Bunny Knot Wrap: specially designed for Easter, these Bunny scarves are perfect to wrap Lush goodies you want to give to anyone. A great ecological alternative to avoid paper (that gets thrown away).


In this collection you can also find the Hippy Chick (a cute ballistic in the shape of a chick) and the Candy Fluff Egg (a bright pink ballistic in the shape of an easter egg). I'll be reviewing these 2 products in another post, so stay tuned for more Lush news.

What do you guys think of this collection? Have you tried anything yourself?

Love,

Imelda

Source: Lush

Review: My Hand Ritual

I'm one of those girls who's always suffering from very dry hands and that's something that can really drive me crazy. I really hate the feeling of dry hands, so you can already guess that I'm a hand cream addict.

A few weeks ago I've found the perfect solution to make my hands soft and hydrated and I found it at Rituals. 

I fell for the Hand Therapy Hand Scrub and Ginko's Secret Hand Balm. I thought it would be nice to write a little article about my new hand ritual and maybe get you guys addicted too.

I start with applying the Hand Therapy Hand Scrub on my dry hands and scrub them gently for a minute. This is something very relaxing for me, after the first time I was hooked. After that I rince of the scrub and my hands feel super soft, it's perfect to get of rid of some rougher spots.

The scrub already hydrates my hands (it leaves an oily layer), but I end the ritual with a little drop of Ginko's Secret Hand Balm. Just because I feel that the combination of these two products give the best result.

Both products smell very good. I can't really discribe it in words, so if I made you curious with this article you should really check out these products at your nearest Rituals store. I'm sure you'll love them too.

Did you already try any of these Rituals products?

Love,

Imelda

Dr. Organic

"Dr. Organic is committed to creating unique, natural products which are functional by design and formulated to capture the key active properties within each of the ingredients used."

Dr. Organic is an English brand specialised in natural beauty products. They only use the finest natural and organic raw materials to create products that are truly functional (due to the retaining of active compounds).

* Dr. Organic strives to only use organically grown ingredients. When that's not possible, they use sustainable natural alternatives.

* Only certified bioactive extracts are used to ensure that each product is truly functional by nature.

* All formulations contain natural ingredients.

* No harsh chemicals are used. Dr. Organic never uses parabens, SLS, ...

* All products are suitable for vegetarians and many of the products are also suitable for vegans.

* The products are tested on human volunteers and not on animals.

* None of the products contain mineral oils.

* All genetically modified organisms are avoided to make sure everything is as natural as possible.

* Preservatives are only used where they're absolutely necessary.

Those of you who read my blog regularly already know that this brand is really something for me. You can believe how happy I was when I received a whole bunch of products to test and review for this blog.

Dr. Organic has 9 different product lines, with different organic key ingredients. I picked out the Organic Rose Otto line, simply because I really like the smell of roses. Here you can find out more about the characteristics of each line.

"Organic Rose Otto is a rich, moisturising essential oil renowned for its skin toning and anti-aging properties. Heralded as the most exclusive and expensive of essential oils. Best for rejuvenating the skin, anti-aging and toning."

On the back of each product you can find the key ingredients and a complete list of the ingredients. You get some information about what the product actually does, personally written by Dr. O himself ;) Everything you need to know can be found on the product itself, which is a plus.

I'm ending this post with a review, but you can expect more Dr. Organic reviews on this blog in the next couple of weeks/months.

I couldn't wait trying out the Rose Otto Hand & Nail Cream when I opened my delivery. I have really dry hands, so I'm always on a search to find creams that make my hands soft and hydrated.

The cream itself is a rather thick white substance. You only need a little drop because you easily have too much of the product. While applying it on my hands I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a rose garden, smells good! 

I hate the feeling of dry hands and this cream does what is promised, my hands are hydrated and don't feel dry anymore. The only downside is that this hand cream is a little bit greasy and it takes a while before it's totally absorbed. I only use it in the evening, so I can get full benefit of the intensive 12 hour rescue this hand cream promises.

So if you're looking for good moisturising hand cream for in the evening (or if you don't mind that greasy feeling) I would really recommend this one by Dr. Organic.

All Dr. Organic products are available in the Holland&Barret webshop and at De Tuinen(online and in shops).

Did you guys already know this brand? Are you curious to read the rest of my reviews and find out more about Dr. Organic?

Love,

Imelda

Source: Dr. Organic

Review: Rituals Sakura Scrub

Washing away impurities is good for body and mind. In the traditional Japanese bathhouses an intense bodyscrub is an important part of the purification ritual. Rituals got inspired by this old practice while creating the Sakura Body Scrub. The unique combination of Organic Sugar and soothing oils makes your skin sheeny new and incredibly soft.

Well, if a discription like this doens't make you curious to try this body scrub, I'm sure the frangrance will do the trick.

I already mentioned before that I like scrubs that are a bit firmer, I like to feel that I'm scrubbing. So I was curious to try this one. This scrub is a sugar scrub and they tend to be a little to soft for me, but I'm pretty satisfied with the Sakura Scrub. I can feel the scrub particles do the job and my skin feels very soft afterwards. My skin doesn't even feel that dry in comparison to when I scrub myself with other scrubs, but I still used some bodylotion afterwards (old habbits...).

This scrub smells like heaven in jar to me. I'm a fan of cherry blossom frangrances, so I just had to buy this one. When I'm using this scrub the entire bathroom smells so good and afterwards I can still smell the scrub on my skin. You can also buy the Magic Touch Body Lotion, to get full benefit of this great perfume (already on my wishlist).

Did you already try this scrub? What's your favorite body scrub?

Love,

Imelda

Source: Rituals.com

Review: Greenland

Since I made the decision to only buy beauty products that are as natural as possible and that aren't tested on animals, I'm on a constant search for great brands who share this vision. One of those brands is Greenland. 

Greenland is a company based in the Netherlands, founded in 1990. It's totally dedicated to developing bath and body care products based on natural ingredients. The brand has developed into a well known and innovative brand of body care products with it's main speciality being the collections based on 100% natural raw materials.

Greenland sells 6 different lines of products: Pure & White, Less=More, Balm and Butter, Milky, Fruit Emotions and Fruit Extracts. Just click on the lines you want to know more about and you'll be redirected to the webpage with more information.

I tested 2 products from the Pure & White line, the Bulgarian Rose & Patchouli Body Scrub and Body Lotion. Don't you just love the artwork on the bottles? They just look so good in my bathroom.

All Pure & White products are organic (ECOCERT) and contain nothing but vegetable-based substances. No mineral oils, artificial colorants or synthetic frangrances, but wellchosen ingredients extracted from plants that are cultivated naturally, without the use of pesticides or chemical furtilizers. They contain great organic ingredients, such as: Aloe Vera, Glycerine, Shea Butter, Sunflower Oil and Vitamin E.

The Bulgarian Rose & Patchouli Body Scrub contains Jojoba Kernels and Aloe Vera. The bottle has an easy dispensing system (so a plus for hygiene). The scrub itself is a yellowish sheer substance, which gets a little foamy once you start scrubbing. I smell a little hint of rose & patchouli, not too much because it's a natural product. In my opinion this is a great scrub. I love scrubs where I can really feel the scrub particles, just gives me the idea that I'm actually using a scrub. Afterwards my skin feels soft, clean and gently perfumed.

The Bulgarian Rose & Patchouli Body Lotion contains all 5 organic ingredients mentioned above. It's a simple white substance (just like many other body lotions) and this bottle also comes with an easy dispensing system. The lotion is hydrating, is easy to rub in, absorbs quickly and makes my skin very soft. The body lotion is more perfumed than the body scrub, which is good because of course you want to smell the lotion you put on. It's a delicate mix of bulgarian rose en patchouli, I think everybody will like this fragrance. I smelled so good the entire day and even in the evening I still smelled the body lotion.

Swatches

The Body Scrub on the left and the Body Lotion on the right.

In the end I'm very pleased with these products and I'll be using Greenland products regularly from now on. I already have a huge wishlist!

All Greenland products are available in their webshop, where you can also read reviews from other customers. With every order you receive a free sachet with a great Greenland product to test.

Did you guys already try something from Greenland? What are your opinions about this brand?

Love,

Imelda

Testing 1, 2, Lush

That I'm a beauty addict is no secret, but did you already know that I'm thinking of going to rehab? To make sure that doesn't happen I decided to stop buying beautyproducts untill my stash has an acceptable size again. Don't worry, I still have lots of stuff to review and I even have some new products to show you guys. So there's still a place for beauty on this blog.

Today I'll be reviewing 2 Lush products that I've recently tested: American Cream Conditioner and Dream Cream Body Cream.

American Cream Conditioner: "A fruity and creamy conditioner, that makes your hair soft. The scent of honey, vanilla, strawberries and orange is very sexy and sweet. If your hair gets a bit messed up, American Cream makes it easy to brush through and smooth out again. Fresh strawberries are rich in vitamin C and have cleansing properties. Vanilla helps skin and hair to retain moisture."

I think I'm in love. The smell of this conditioner is heavenly, I just can't stop smelling my hair after I use this. This conditioner does exactly what Lush promises, my hair feels soft and is easy to comb through. I'm buying myself a big bottle (of course, after I've used up all my other conditioners).

Dream Cream Body Cream: "Incredibly soothing body lotion for troubled skin. Dream Cream is Lush's best-selling product because it makes sore skin feel good again. Chamomile and lavender calm irritations, reduce redness and banich blotches. Oat milk, which has traditionally been used on troubled skin for centuries, calms the skin. Rose and lavender essential oils are calming for irritated, suffering skin. Dream Cream contains everything nature makes for soothing your skin."

I was very curious to try this body cream. The cream itself is rather thick and takes a while to absorb, I don't really mind that. My skin's very hydrated and soft, so the Dream Cream does what he's supposed to do. But I'm a little bit disappointed, because the frangrance isn't really my cup of tea. I smell lavender (which I really like) mixed with a herbal scent (which I'm not so fond of). I wouldn't buy this cream, because I'm very sensitive when it comes to frangrances. If you like the smell of this cream I really don't see why you wouldn't buy it.

Do you guys use any of these products?

Love,

Imelda

Review: Lush Valentine's Day

Last thurday I already wrote about the limited edition products Lush has in stores right now for Valentine's Day. Today I'll be sharing my opinion with you guys about a few products that I've tested.

Love Birds Soap: This is a great soap, like all other soaps from Lush. The soap smelled different than I expected, I don't smell any vanilla and only a little hint of jasmin. I would discribe it more as the typical soap-scent we all know, but nonetheless a great smell. I'm keeping my soap in a soapdish and everytime I enter my bathroom I get welcomed by the delicious scent (love that)! And I must say that the smell of jasmin is getting stronger everything I use the soap.

I've only tried it to wash my hands, because I don't like the feeling I get when I wash my body with soapbars. The Love Birds Soap leaves my hands hydrated and smelling really good!

The Frog Prince Bath Ballistic: At first I was feeling a bit skeptical about my frog prince. The fragrance of jasmin, neroli and rosewood was very overpowering when I took the bath ballistic out of his packaging. But everything to give my opinion on this blog, so I bravely took it to the bathroom. 

When I placed him in the water the smell became less powerfull and pleasant. And my skin was feeling so soft, so I would really recommend this bath ballistic if you enjoy relaxing in your tub and love soft skin.

Here you can see my frog bubbling in the water. The water in the tub turned out bright green, very funny. Don't you just feel like kissing those red lips? In the left you can also see my prince charming turning up, it was prince Brahim.

That's something I really like about these Lush products. They're not the typical Valentine's Day products but have more funny approach. I guess we all love things that make us smile!

It's Raining Men Shower Gel: If there is anything that everybody should buy from this collection, it's this shower gel. I'm in love (so I guess that's why this shower gel is in the Valentine's Day collection)!

I've only used a little drop on my bath lily and the shower gel became very foamy. The scent of tropical flowers and honey fills your bathroom and leaves you smelling so good (I really couldn't stop smelling). Unfortunately I have very dry skin, so I had to use a bodylotion after my shower. Too bad they don't have a similar bodylotion in the collection.

Did you guys already try some of these products? What are your favorites?

Love,

Imelda

My Favorite Beauty Brands: Lush

I really hope you guys aren't getting tired of me posting about my favorite beauty brands, because I have another brand that I want to talk about today: Lush.

I have a feeling that this brand is already known by all of you. And I'm sure it's so popular because it's a very eco-conscious company with lovely products.

The first Lush shop opened the doors in 1994, but the team behind it was already working together since the 1970s. Today they have more than 500 shops around the world.

Why I love this company so much:

 * Lush doesn't use many machines to make the products, they prefer to let people do the job (to save energy).

 * Lush tries to use as less packaging as possible, so lot's of Lush products have no packaging at all. And the products that do need packaging are placed in packaging that is for 90% recycled.

 * The products are delivered to the shops directly from the factory. So there's no need for huge stocks and lot's of driving around.

 * Lush is a vegetarian company and more than 70% of the products are suited for vegans.

 * Of course Lush doesn't test their products or the ingredients on animals.

 * You can see who made your product (stickers with employees) and when. And of course there's an expiration date on the product.

 * When you buy the Charity Pot, 100% of the profit (except VAT) is donated to a charity concerning animal welfare.

I strongly advise you to check out the Lush website if you want to know more about this company. I've only picked out a few important things this company does, because I simply cannot copy the complete website on my blog (although, I wish I could).

Picking favorites is again out of the question, but I will say that I really like my Bubblegum Lipscrub, the Shampoobars and the Snow Fairy Showergel. Oh and expect some more news from Lush on this blog very soon.

Do you like Lush? What are your favorite products?

Love, Imelda

Source: Lush

My Favorite Beauty Brands: Rituals

Yet another brand to add to my list of favorites, my list just keeps on getter bigger.

I must admit that Rituals is one of my newest loves in beauty and honestly I really don't know why I've waited so long to buy some products by Rituals. Everytime I'm at a Rituals shop I have to make sure I don't leave with the entire store in my shoppingbag, because I really want everything they sell (and that's the truth).

"Rituals was founded in 2000 and they develop high quality products for body and soul. The Rituals philosophy is simple: happiness can be found in the smallest of things. It is our passion to transform your everyday routines into meaningful rituals.

All products are inspired by authentic Eastern rituals. Inspired by nature Rituals is designed for discerning customers who have high standards when it comes to personal care, and who also take a caring attitude towards others and the environment. At Rituals we only use natural, renewable and organic ingredients for our products; we use safe alternatives for anything nature cannot provide.

Rituals supports "Proefdiervrij", the Dutch Society for Replacement of Animal Testing. Our products are not tested on animals but instead are tested by enthusiastic human volunteers. Our full product line is suitable for vegetarians."

I'm not even going to try to pick my favorites, because I know this list would be endless. I can already tell you guys that I've done some sale shopping at the Rituals store here in Leuven. I'm not telling you guys anything just yet, but I'll post my buys later.

Oh and I'm very curious to try the Awareness line for facial care, I can't wait to try it out.

Do you guys like Rituals? What are your favorite Rituals products?

Love, Imelda

Source: Rituals