Ailsa Jane

House of Balm originally started life in Amsterdam as an online and offline retailer of other eco-conscious brands. When founder Kina Slot felt there was a missing market for haircare products she launched the House of Balm product line, currently consisting of Tousled Natural Dry Shampoo and Luscious Natural Hair Oil. With a plan to add more later in the year. Kina's focus is a non-toxic, affordable, environmentally sustainable beauty line presented in attractive packaging, making you happy every time you use one of the products. All of the products are created without: Petrolatum/mineral oils Synthetic fragrances Animal Derivates Artificial colour Harsh Detergents Propylene glycol MEA/DEA/TEA Phthalates Triclosan Sulphates Parabens Silicons EDTA  House of Balm Luscious Natural Hair Oil * (30ml £14.95) is presented in a white outer box, and a glass bottle with dropper style applicator. The hair oil contains jojoba oil which is the only oil whos...

Last month I tested out New Zealand brand Antipodes and their Aura Manuka Honey Mask ( review ) so this month I decided to try more from the brand. Juliet Skin-Brightening Gel Cleanser * (200ml £24.99) is an every day cleanser suitable for normal/oily skin types. The cleanser is said to brighten the complexion and reveal clean, clear and blemish free skin. Ingredients such as New Zealand kiwifruit and hibiscus flower act as exfoliants, whilst antibacterial Manuka Honey and antioxidant rich Vinanza Grape work together to help reduce and balance oil production, giving your skin a radiant glow. The first thing I noticed when using this product was the smell. The cleanser is lightly scented with green apple and cardamom, and honestly it smells like heaven....so nice! Unless you don't like apple of course! A lot of cleansers I've used in the past left my skin dry and tight feeling. This gel cleanser is NOT one of them. My skin was left feeling thoroughly cleansed and refreshed...

This months box arrived two weeks ago on 11th july...which meant one thing to me...I get my box sent to work and Thursday 11th was my day off work....So what's a girl to do? Go into work to collect my box of course! The contents of the box this month come to over £90! Amazing value! Let's take a look...please excuse the bad light in the photo! Madara Plum Plum Lip Balm (15ml £10) Some people may be disappointed to see another lip balm as there has been a few in recent boxes. I however like to try balm from different companies as it gives me a chance to try different formulas and textures. This lip balm contains moisturising jojoba oil, shea butter, and repairing plum oil and tastes of plum and red berries with light hints of vanilla, almond and marzipan. Kathleen Natural Cleansing Lotion (150ml £29.50) I love Kathleen products! So much so that I had asked for this exact product for my birthday back in May (thanks Mum!) The bottle is lasting a fairly l...

I'm loving the great weather we've been having so far this week....has summer finally arrived!? With temperatures up to 30 degrees in Scotland and soaring up to 38 in parts of England by Thursday, sun protection is a MUST if you are planning to leave your house even if all you do is sit in your garden. Really you should be using an SPF product daily regardless of the weather...yes even if its raining! As an outdoor worker (postwoman) a good SPF is top of my list all year round but especially at this time of year! Alteya Organics Whole Body Sunscreen * (£13.40 for 90ml) is enriched with emollient botanical butters and oils to hydrate the skin and protect against damaging UVA and UVB sun rays which cause sunburn and premature aging. So what is SPF and why do we need it? SPF or sun protection factor measures the level of protection a product will give you and how much longer it will take your skin to burn when wearing sunscreen vs not wearing sunscreen. Alteya's Whole...

The Cruelty Beauty Box has been through some changes as of late with 5 new boxes available to choose from (see below) all of which will be double value of what is paid. Inside the eco friendly boxes you will find the products nestled in amongst shredded paper and an info card made of seed paper! Will be interesting to see what wildflowers grow once this paper is planted. Ethical Glow -  6-10 makeup products £49.95 every 3 months Ethical Rouge - 5-8 mens grooming products £29.95 every 3 months Mini Beauty - 3-6 plastic free products £22.95 every 2 months Original Beauty - 5-8 products £29.95 every 2 months Deluxe - 7-12 products including lifestyle and snacks £39.95 every 2 months For June I decided to go all out and try the Deluxe Edition. The box contains 7 beauty products, 1 lifestyle product and 2 snacks. Lets take a look inside... Bumi Face Polish 'Juniperberry, Sage, Hemp & Volcanic Ash' (15ml £9) This is the second of this product I have...