A gorgeous new natural brand to try - soapNskin Part 2

I recently wrote about the wonderful, luxury brand soapNskin here when I was sent a gorgeous selection box full of their products*. My first impressions were definitely positive but I wanted a little time to put these products to use to give you a full review! After two weeks of putting these products to the test, would they be as good as I was initially hoping? Read on to find out!

Neroli & Patchouli with Jojoba Oil Body Wash £6.00

As I mentioned in my first post, this was my least favourite scent of all the products. It has quite an intense patchouli scent which isn't entirely to my taste but a lot of people will absolutely love it! The formula itself is sulfate-free and packed with jojoba oil which makes it really gentle on the skin. Removing the sulfates means that it has quite a light lather but that certainly doesn't impact how well the product works. My skin felt squeaky clean after using it but there was no tight feeling. I'd definitely like to try the body wash in a different scent!

Rosemary & Peppermint with Argan Oil Shampoo £7.00

I've said it before and I will say it again, I am completely in love with the scent of this shampoo! Rosemary isn't usually a scent that I love but combining it with peppermint makes it absolutely glorious and quite unique. Similar to the body wash, this product has quite a light formula and lather but it is most definitely effective. Due to this, it's tempting to use heaps of it in one go but trust me, it works perfectly well with normal if not smaller amounts. The peppermint stimulates the scalp and creates a delightful tingling feeling that made me feel fresh and clean. Not to mention the fact that my hair seemed fuller and shinier than it had done in a long time. It felt like my hair had been fully cleansed, removing any product build up and leaving it bouncier than ever!

Honey & Oat with Manuka Essential Oil Hand & Body Soap £3.50

Not that I want to sound filthy, but usually I hate soap. I'm not saying I don't wash, but bars of soap are generally a no go. I usually always opt for a moisturising hand wash or an antibacterial gel rather than standard soap so was expecting not to like this to be honest. Off I went to give it a try though like the good little blogger I am! The soap has a delicate scent which I'm sure pretty much everyone will like. The light lather gently cleansed my hands and I then awaited the dreaded tight, sore feeling that I usually get. But it didn't come! My hands were left feeling clean but not stripped, in fact they remained perfectly happy! I know this might not sound wildly exciting to you but I was genuinely really impressed with how gentle this product was on my rather wimpy hands.

 
Rose & Sandalwood with Neem Oil Body Butter £6.00

Meet my favourite product. This fantastic body butter has had such a great effect on my skin after a couple of weeks of use. Not really surprising considering the huge list of wonder ingredients it includes. Rosehip and Almond oils as well as Shea, Cocoa and Mango butters have been used to create these little pots of magic and they certainly work well. There is no sticky or heavy feeling, it just glides on and results in much happier, healthier skin. If you are going to try any of the products, I think this would be my top choice. I'd love to try this in the Rosemary and Peppermint scent, I imagine it would be amazing.

After having a little longer to try out my selection of soapNskin goodies, I am even more impressed than I was initially. To create products that are natural yet still so effective is quite a feat and has certainly taken time and dedication. Give these products a try, you won't be disappointed!

If you'd like to buy some of these stunning goodies, head to www.soapnskin.com! For a limited time, you can even get 20% off of your first order with the discount code LAUNCH20.

*This post features a PR sample, however the post is entirely my own opinion. For more information, please read my full Disclaimer  here

A day in the country for your skin - Dusty Girls Makeup

"Have you ever noticed how after a day in the country your skin always looks great? It might be a bit dusty, but the colour and tone is always better than after a day in the office."

This is the exact reason why Dusty Girls was created. If you haven't yet discovered them, they are a gorgeous Australian brand created by skincare range MooGoo that use clays and minerals to create their products. As they have recently been launched in the UK, they are currently only available online at www.dustygirls.co.uk and in all honesty, they are some of the best products I have ever used.

The lovely Dusty Girls team very kindly sent me their mineral foundation*, multi-tasking Earth Cream* and mineral blusher* to try and I have absolutely fallen in love with them.

First off, due to the fact that they base their makeup on natural minerals with just a few extras to make the products work as well as possible, they are very skin friendly. If you are like me and have always felt a little bit guilty for using makeup to cover up imperfections when you know full well it would be far better to let it breath sometimes, this makeup is the answer to your prayers. While silicone based products can make application a doddle, it does have the tendency to clog up pores which in itself can cause trouble for skin. This can lead to breakouts which then results in higher makeup use to hide it and hey presto, hello vicious cycle...

So, while I'm not saying I'm going to give up all silicone based products because...well that would be a lie...the three products that I'm going to talk about in this post have become part of my daily routine for the last couple of weeks and they are fabulous.

First up I'm going to talk about their Earth Cream. This beauty is a multi-tasking bottle of gloriousness. It comes in two shades, light and medium and has a neutral base to suit a huge range of skin tones. I am of the rather pale skinned variety so I opted for the light shade. It looked a little dark upon first applying and I wasn't entirely convinced but it blends out and matches my skin perfectly. I'd imagine if you have a particularly dark skin tone then the medium shade would not be dark enough however so hopefully in time they will bring out a larger shade range because frankly everyone should be able to use this! 

Take a look at the difference it made in the pictures below. On the left is my naked skin in all its patchy glory and on the right it looks visibly smoother and far less blotchy. Thank. God.

At only £11, the product is priced incredibly reasonably and is marketed as not only a replacement for your foundation, but also your primer, moisturiser and sunscreen! Considering it doesn't advise what factor of sunscreen is included, I would probably still choose to use a separate product just to be on  the safe side but it certainly reduces if not entirely negates the need for primers and moisturisers. I found it really evened out my skin tone but without any heaviness at all. My skin can still breath while wearing this even on humid days so I think it would be perfect holiday makeup! 

I tried using brushes but found that it works best if you use your fingers to work it in and gives a light to medium coverage. It does build up quite nicely though if you needed a little extra. Not only does this product give great results, it's loaded with ingredients that sooth and repair such as Manuka Tree Leaf Oil for it's antibacterial properties, Magnolia Acuminata Extract for soothing and Chaulmoogra Tree Seed Oil for skin repair. The only tiny downside I found with this product was that it did have a slightly odd smell but that disappears pretty quickly so it's certainly not something that would put me off.

If you fancy a little more coverage, Dusty Girls has a lovely mineral foundation (£17.50) that you can use either in combination with Earth Cream or on it's own. Similar to the Earth Cream, it contains no nasties that can cause irritation so it's great for those with sensitive skin. I used this with and without Earth cream as a base and found it so easy to use. If you aren't a fan of liquid foundations, this would be a perfect option. There is a pretty good range of shades covering cool, warm and neutral undertones so it also might be a little easier to find a shade match with this foundation if you are struggling with the Earth Cream.

Pink Ladies Blusher swatch on the left and blended out on the right

Last but not least is their mineral blush (£15). Dusty Girls have two equally gorgeous shades, Golden Delicious and Pink Ladies. I opted to try Pink Ladies and couldn't be happier. It's a subtle, dusky pink with a light shimmer that's perfect to sweep across the cheeks for a touch of colour. It has great pigmentation without being overpowering so no clown faces here, just a lovely rosy glow.

Since these products seemed like the perfect combination to create a soft, natural look, I gave them all a try and was very happy with the results!

Thanks to the wonders of oily skin, I am usually used to looking in the mirror and being greeted by a shiny mess by about 11am but this combo held strong all day. Not only that, but it actually seemed to look better as the day went on! Suffice to say I am in love with this makeup and it has replaced my previous foundation / powder combo that I was using. Sorry Benefit and Nars, Dusty Girls has stolen my heart. Now, please excuse me while I go and purchase the rest of the Dusty Girls range...

*This post features a PR sample, however the post is entirely my own opinion. For more information, please read my full Disclaimer  here

A gorgeous new natural brand to try - soapNskin

It is always a rather nice feeling when you find a new brand that you enjoy, but even better than that is finding products that are not only amazing but also free of any chemical nasties. Add to that a lovely back story of two determined friends and a charming personal touch and you truly have something special. That's exactly what I have found to be the case with soapNskin.

soapNskin came about when two best friends became tired of struggling with various skin conditions and the chemical laden products that were currently on the market. After a fair few years of experimenting, a beautiful selection of shampoos, body butters and soaps were created! The owners, Samar & Rabia, decided that they wanted to share their creations at road shows and markets and after a really positive reaction, have taken the next step by launching their website.

I really love to try out natural products and so I was a very happy girl when I was very kindly sent the gorgeous "Try Me" Selection Box* by soapNskin. Admittedly, while I love natural products I am sometimes wary that I will be met with overly strong, obnoxious scents and a lack of any actual effect, but that's certainly not the case here!

Inside the selection box was a variety of the goodies that soapNskin make including the following:

Rose & Sandalwood with Neem Oil Body Butter £6.00
Full of Shea, Cocoa and Mango butters for some serious hydration as well as Rosehip and Almond oils to soften and tone, this immediately grabbed my attention. I opened it straight away to have a little test and was met with a gorgeous smell of rose with a slight smokey undertone of sandalwood. The body butter itself sank in quickly without any greasiness and left my skin feeling really soft. I think the results of long term use of this will definitely be great!

Neroli & Patchouli with Jojoba Oil Body Wash £6.00

This was probably my least favourite out of the selection on first impressions as it wasn't the kind of scent I particularly like, however I'm sure big fans of Patchouli will love it!

Honey & Oat with Manuka Essential Oil Hand & Body Soap £3.50

I'm really interested to try this as my hands tend to be extremely sensitive to soaps and often get sore and dry (delightful!). Considering one of the main reasons behind this brand being created was to use chemical free solutions that are gentler for skin, I'm hoping this soap will be just what I need!

Rosemary & Peppermint with Argan Oil Shampoo £7.00

I fell in love with the smell of this the second I opened the bottle. The peppermint smells so refreshing and it has that lovely tingle on the scalp. It will take a little getting used to as it is thinner in comparison to normal shampoos (due to not adding any chemical laden thickeners). However, I'd much prefer a lighter shampoo that is better for my hair and skin in the long run so can certainly work with it!

Along with the products there was also a handwritten note and a little booklet to give a little bit more of an insight into the brand. As well as a description of each product, it also lets you know that everything is handcrafted in England in micro-batches to keep that personal touch. It was these little aspects that make soapNskin something so unique. Personally I was in awe of how much time and thought is quite obviously put in to the brand, it is a labour of love that's to be sure!

What I think is particularly refreshing about this brand is that despite the obvious luxury side to the products, there isn't the usual intimidating price tag to go with it. In fact, this is something they have purposely chosen to be the case as they believe natural, luxury products should be available for everyone and who isn't at least a little bit charmed by that?

I was so excited about soapNskin that I wanted to let you all know about them as soon as possible but will be putting together a follow up review after I've had the chance to use the products for a little longer! My first impression though is that if you have a love for gorgeous smelling, natural products, you really need to check out soapNskin!!

You can buy these stunning goodies at www.soapnskin.com and for a limited time, you can get 20% off of your first order with the discount code LAUNCH20

So what do you all think? Are you dying to try them out for yourselves? Which scent would you love to try? Let me know in the comments!

 *This post features a PR sample, however the post is entirely my own opinion. For more information, please read my full Disclaimer  here