Skin & Body Care Supplies from Naturally Thinking

A while back when I wanted to purchase Jojoba oil and some empty bottles to decant skin and body products into, I came across Naturally Thinking, an essential oil, aromatherapy and spa bodycare product site that stocks a wide range of oils, cosmetic bases, packaging and ready-made skin and body products. There is a lot of information on the site, as well as thorough details on the product pages of base components, origins etc so it's a great place if you're looking to concoct your own creations.

What I love about this site is that many of the oils and base products come in different size options and at reasonable prices so it works out quite cost effective, especially if you are buying the large sizes.  Here's what I purchased:

Rose Pure Organic Floral Water

I adore rose products so I bought this to mix with powder based masks and to use as an all round toner and refresher. Naturally Thinking source the roses from the Bulgarian Valley of the Roses, and is 100% pure with no preservatives or alcohol added.  This is the 1 litre size which was £10, which I think is a bargain.

SLS Free Shower Gel

This is one of the bodycare bases and is a simple mild shower gel that you can add your own essential oils to suit your mood. Again this is the 1 litre size and was £10.

Naturally Thinking also have a huge array of packaging, from glass, aluminium and plastic bottles and jars to foamer bottles and different closures from only a few pence. It's worth noting that you have to purchase the lids/caps/atomisers separately as there are different options for each bottle/jar. 

I bought a little plastic atomiser spray bottle to decant the rose water for spritzing on the go and a larger aluminium one to keep around the house.

There's no minimum order but there is a postage charge for delivery which is £3.95 for mainland UK (free over £80) although if you're local you can collect for free from their stores. They offer shipping to outside of the UK as well.

I've purchased a couple of times from them now and I've been very happy with the service and quality of the products (their Organic golden, cold-pressed Jojoba oil is gorgeous!) so I'd definitely recommend checking them out.

www.naturallythinking.com

Welcome Relief for Hands - La Roche Posay Cicaplast Mains

La Roche Posay is one of those no nonsense French pharmacy brands that seems to do exactly what they say on the pack. One of their newer product offerings, the Cicaplast Mains cream is no exception and my forever dry hands could not be more grateful! I've encountered some quite lovely, fragrant hand creams that are generally okay but many do not seem to hold up well and require frequent reapplication. LRP truly functions as a does-all saviour as it's light, non-greasy, and has no discernible fragrance.

As you can see it's a kind of clear-ish balmy cream texture that sinks in quickly without a trace.

The formula is hardworking as this has 30% concentration of glycerine to give a more lasting soothing effect. It also includes 4% Niacinamide which provides an antihistamine effect and helps to reduce inflammation and cracking.

Ingredients:
Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Glycol, Niacinamide, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Shea Butter, Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Sodium Polyacrylate, Caprylyl Glycol.

Overall super effective and a snip at £6.50 for 50ml as only a little is needed due to the concentrated formula.

I bought this from Escentual where they currently have up to a third off French pharmacy brands throughout March.

www.escentual.com

Shower Time Selection

When it comes to shower and bath products, I'm all about the scent and tend to go for products that are uplifting and refreshing for everyday use, with lovely textures so thought I'd share my current selection.

Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Body Wash

I love Intelligent Nutrients, ever since I first used their Harmonic shampoo I was completely taken by them, so when they recently brought out the matching body wash, I did not hesitate to give it a whirl.

This has the same light, creamy texture as the shampoo and also the same beautifully refreshing scent from the peppermint, spearmint, rosemary and menthol.

Cleans well without stripping the skin of moisture. Wonderful stuff!

Ingredients:

Madara Fresh Mint Soap

This is my first foray into Madara and so far I am liking this lovely and gentle soap. Madara is a Latvian natural skincare brand, that uses ingredients from the Baltic region in it's products and is free from synthetic ingredients, perfumes and preservatives.

This one has a slightly lighter texture, sort a gel like soap but again it doesn't strip the skin and effectively cleans with a fresh mint scent. I don't think its as complex or aromatic as the Intelligent Nutrients, but it's honest in it's simplicity and does a good job. I use this one as a hand soap as well.

Ingredients:

Nourish Uplifting Shower Gel

When I saw this on online, I was taken by the cheery yellow packaging and by the 'uplifting' in the name, and this certainly lives up to that. This contains high omega shea butter to nourish the skin yet it doesn't overwhelm and washes cleanly. A good consistent gel texture with a wonderful sweet citrus scent, this just makes me happy when I use it, what more could I ask for?

What I'm liking about the Nourish range is that the price points are rather reasonable for the quality of the products with many of the formulas containing over 90% organic ingredients. For body products I have mostly converted to natural brands, but I probably don't venture as high price-wise as I would with my skincare so it's nice to have a brand that is a bit more purse-friendly.

Ingredients

Life NK Jump Start Sugar Scrub

This was a bit of an impulse buy from Space NK as I was taken in by their bold typographic packaging and the zingy grapefruit scent.

A lovely simple scrub which a good gel-like consistency that feels refreshing and rinses away easily without any greasiness.

The only gripe I have is with the packaging - the texture of the scrub is quite thick and the hole in the tube small so you have to really squeeze it - I'm taking the scissors to this as I find it a bit annoying!

Ingredients

*All products purchased by me*

Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand and Body Lotion Review

With this changeable weather we are having at the moment - one minute it's freezing then suddenly it's milder, my skin doesn't know where it's at so it can get rather dry. My skin is on the drier side anyway (especially my hands!) so I am always on the look out for products that will keep it nourished so the Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand and Body Lotion seemed ideal to tackle these issues.

This body moisturiser is a lovely smooth lotion, it feels quite creamy for a lotion texture, but regardless of this, it is easily absorbed without being greasy, which is something I definitely prefer, especially with hand products.

It contains concentrated Milk Protein and Camellia, Macadamia and Jojoba oils to nourish the skin and this does a good job of alleviating dryness with the added base of Shea Butter and Sesame Seed oil, leaving my limbs feeling softer as well.  It has a soft floral, slightly nutty scent that I love which lingers a little after application.

I also like the fact that it comes in a pump bottle, it's much more convenient and I do end up using it more because of this.

Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Butrospermu Parkii (Shea butter), Cetearyl Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Glycerin, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Myristyl Myristate, Sodium Lactate, Phenoxyethanol, Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Polyacrylate,  Benzoic Acid, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexane Carboxaldehyde, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone.

*PR sample*

Naturally Soft Hands: Lanolips Rose Balm Everyday

I've recently whittled down all my hand creams to just one, and it's a good'un.

Lanolips Rose Balm Everyday is a lovely light pink cream that really leaves the skin feeling very natural, kind of like if you haven't applied anything but your hands are more softer and nourished then before.

This is absorbed very quickly and goes invisible on the skin, with no residue or greasy feel at all. Sometimes with other hand creams if you apply too much and you rub your skin the cream kind of balls up/flakes off but this doesn't have any of that nonsense, it really is brilliant. There is an intense version which would be great for applying at night or if you need extra nourishment as the Everyday has a light consistency that gives enough hydration for regular day use.

Quite a generous 120ml size which is a little big for my handbag, but I can easily transfer some into a smaller tube for travel.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Lanolin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetearth-20, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Acetic Acid, Rosa Damascena (Rose Otto) Flower Oil, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellol, Hydroxymethylpentylcyclohexenecarboxaldehyde (out of curiosity I looked this up and it's a type of synthetic fragrance), Linalool, CI 16255.

A Yummy Body Butter: Brown Earth Mango Butter with Shea & Cocoa Butter

Ok, so I haven't eaten any of this, but I kind of wish it was edible as it smells delicious with it's gorgeous tropical Mango butter scent which is perfect for that summer feel. I typically do not like slathering on body lotions/creams (that doesn't stop me from buying them though!), but this body butter is one I do like using as it is a buttery, velvety creamy quality rather then a hard, waxy feel so it is easy to apply and doesn't require too much rubbing to absorb into the skin.

The skin on my body is dry, so the Cocoa and Shea butter base is very nourishing and moisturising on my skin and the scent lasts well throughout the day so you don't really need to wear a fragrance with this on.

What I like a lot about Brown Earth is that considering the high quality of their butters, they are reasonably priced (this one is £10.95 for 120ml from their website). They are also Vegetarian Society approved.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Benzyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Tocopherol Acetate, Parfum, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Citral, Limonene, Citronellol.

Brown Earth products are available directly through their website www.brownearth.co.uk or www.lovelula.com

*Purchased by me*

Les Fleurs De Bach - Vivacite(s) de Bach Energising Shower Gel Review

A while back when reading the monthly Victoria Health newsletter they mentioned Les Fleurs de Bach products and they sounded rather appealing as they use Bach Flower essences to create products that bring 'well-being to body, mind and soul' (words on pamphlet). I love brands that harness the power of natural extracts and use them for therapeutic benefits but at the price of £16.50 for a shower gel, I thought it was slightly much but ASOS recently had the range on sale so I bought the shower gel from the Vivacite(s) de Bach which is the energising range as well as a few other bits.

The bottle for this is an amber coloured plastic and has lovely styling inspired by old apothecary style bottles. The texture of the liquid is a standard clear gel, not too thick but not thin either and lathers well and leaves the skin feeling clean and soft but it's not really anything special compared to other shower gels on the market.

The scent is one thing that does stand out and makes this a bit different - it is a mild peppery, slightly mustard sort of scent that is not overpowering but a more elegant concoction that has a slight uplifting and peppy quality. There is nothing feminine about the scent so I think this would be a good one for the guys, but I like it as it's a bit more unusual from the standard fruits or florals (which I love also). 

Personally I really like the scent in bath/shower products to linger as I like the whole idea of feeling like you are escaping to somewhere else through scent, and I find this a bit mild for my liking and it disappears a bit too quickly after washing off so it doesn't feel as indulgent as I would like it to.

Also it would be nice for the information on the little pamphlet inside to be a bit more in depth in terms of the extracts used as it doesn't give much information in this regard just more of the general benefits.

Ingredients:

 

Overall it is a good shower gel but at the price I was expecting something a little more special.

Saponaqua Mineral Therapy Body Butter and Balm

I had never heard of Saponaqua before, that was until I came across the brand at the Vitality Show earlier this year. Saponaqua is a natural, hand-made range that contains the key ingredient Zander - a nutrient-rich mineral extracted from freshwater lakes in Northern Europe, and the products of which have shown to be beneficial to dry and problem skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. The range contains 3 products - the Mineral Therapy Body Butter, the Mineral Therapy Balm, and the Natural Therapy Bar. 

Mineral Therapy Body Butter:

Mineral Therapy Body Butter

This is a thick, creamy butter that melts with the warmth of the skin into a slightly oily texture. It is rubbed in fairly easily and sinks in well without feeling particularly greasy. 

Melting very nicely into skin

I have drier skin on the body and this immediately feels very softening and moisturising on the skin. This is a 250ml size pot which I think should last a while as not much is needed.

All the products have the same slightly refreshing, herbal, tea-tree scent which I rather like, as it feels quite therapeutic and soothing.

Ingredients: shea butter, watermelon oil, tea tree essential oil, Zander (butyrospermum parkii, citrullus vulgaris, melaleuca alternifolia Zander-FAMM, methyl 2-octynoate.

Mineral Therapy Balm

Mineral Therapy Balm

This has a slightly more thinner, waxy balm texture then the body butter, but it similarly melts into the skin. Both the butter and balm can be used to soothe and moisturise dry, cracked and chapped skin but I think the balm is a bit more concentrated so you only need a very small amount. I particularly like this on my hands before bed as I have very dry hands and this really helps to soothe the dryness. It think this will fare well in the winter when my hands get so dry that the skin is prone to cracking. This is a 50ml size.

Ingredients: shea butter, watermelon oil, tea tree essential oil, Zander (butyrospermum parkii, citrullus vulgaris, melaleuca alternifolia Zander-FAMM, methyl 2-octynoate. 

I also bought the bar as well but want to put that through its paces a bit more before reviewing.

The body butter is £16.99 and the balm is £9.99 and are available from www.saponaqua.com (not an affiliate link).

Disclaimer: Purchased by me

Lilac Sunday

Lilac seems to be a recurring theme in my product purchases these past few weeks so I thought I'd do an overview on my thoughts for each.

Evolve Skin Cocoon Moisture Wash and Radiance Boost Smoothing Cream

I have wanted to try some Evolve products since their launch but it wasn't until the recent ASOS sale that I actually bought anything. These have some great eco credentials as they are certified organic by Ecocert and the lovely distinct packaging is made from recycled milk bottles. They are also not tested on animals and contain organic food based ingredients with no nasties.

The Skin Cocoon Moisture Wash has moisturising almond peptides and organic aloe vera to soothe. It is a runny clear gel liquid that has a slight lather and feels very gentle on the skin. There is a mild aloe vera type scent to this which is inoffensive, but if you like a bit more of a fragrance to your bath products like me then this smells too mild for my tastes. It does make the skin feel quite soft and not dry but I found it a rather meh type product and would not repurchase this.

Now the Radiance Boost Smoothing Cream I really like as it smells gorgeous with a slightly sweet, nutty type scent. It is quite a light, cream texture that you only need a small amount as when I first used it, I took too much and it took a while for it to be absorbed, otherwise it usually doesn't require too much rubbing. It leaves the skin non-greasy, smooth and moisturised without feeling like you've applied any cream. I am not sure how this would fair in the winter when my skin is drier but using this during the summer has been pleasant as it feels virtually invisible.

The info on the back says it has Brazilian acerola fruit which is a high source of vitamin C that boosts radiance and moisturises, and this also contains argan oil, rich in omega 6 and vitamin E to help maintain cell elasticity and protect against free radicals. It also contains natural fruit acids to smooth and soften the skin. It does help with dullness in the skin but I haven't used it long enough to notice any benefits with elasticity.

Zoya Remove +

Usually I use Superdrug's Acetone free nail polish remover but that still feels drying on my nails so I decided to try this instead as I've heard good things about it. At £9.95 for 237ml it is expensive for a nail polish remover which is what put me off purchasing before, but now I think it's worth it. This is a mild acetone based formula and since I've been using this my nails don't feel dry when I remove polish, instead they feel smooth and moisturised. I like the packaging as it's a handy salon style push pump which you can twist to lock. It doesn't have the traditional strong smelly remover scent either, it actually smells quite nice with a soft linen/floral sort of scent.

As to it's removing capabilities they are good with most polishes coming off easily, the glitters/shimmers needing a little more work but still remove better then what I was using previously.

Models Own Lilac Fantasy

This is a lilac pearl with faint pink shimmer in a very sheer (almost clear) lilacy-grey base. It looks very pretty in the bottle but it took 4 coats to achieve that colour as it is so sheer. It is not the fastest drying either considering how sheer it is. If it is wasn't for the lovely colour and finish I would have been disappointed. I got this shade from River Island for £4.99 as I don't think they stock this particular colour in Boots.

Here with 4 coats:



Estee Lauder Surreal Violet Nail Polish

This shade is from the Blue Dahlia Colour Collection for autumn 2010 that has recently hit counters. It looks a bit more of an unusual shade then some other grey/lilac colours I've seen as it has fine copper shimmer in it which gives it a lovely warmth, very autumny.

Here with 2 coats:



Application was easy with full opacity in 2 coats. It's a beautiful shade, but the colour kind of blends in too much with my own skin colour so I think it would suit skin tones which contrast more with the shade. This was £12 for 9ml.

Disclaimer: All products purchased by me