Alice & White BOTANIKA Eco-Chic Subsciption Box November 2015

Winter is coming. 21st of December to be precise. For that very reason, Alice & White have decided to prepare us and our sensitive skins for the darker, colder, harsher months ahead. As the second instalment of what I anticipate to be an outstanding monthly delivery of green and eco-luxe skincare, the November BOTANIKA Box has delivered a wonderful collection of Winter month saviours.

The Alice & White BOTANIKA Eco-Chic Subsciption Box November 2015 contains:

• Balance Me Collagen Boost Restore & Replenish Cream Cleanser 
• Bodhi & Birch Neroli Lucé Revitalising Face Oil
• Ekologist Krämdeo Grapefrukt Deodorant Balm
• True All You Need Is Me
• Odacité Ca+R Wild Carrot Facial Serum Concentrate Vital Glow
• Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream

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Balance Me Collagen Boost Restore & Replenish Cream Cleanser

The Balance Me Collagen Boost Restore & Replenish Cream Cleanser is a very addictive and very creamy, cream cleanser. The white cloud-like cleanser is wonderfully soft and gentle, providing a perfect alternative for when skin is feeling a little delicate.

Helping to nourish and replenish the skin, this cleanser offers the most delicate cleanse, leaving skin feeling hydrated and protected. Oddly smells like playdough, this isn't the first time I've encountered a kooky scented Balance Me product. A totally gentle and effective cleanser, one that feels just luscious on skin.

Balance Me Collagen Boost Restore & Replenish Cream Cleanser can be purchased from Alice & White for 249 SEK / 125ML.

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Bodhi & Birch Neroli Lucé Revitalising Face Oil

Said to be catered for oily and blemish-prone skins, the Bodhi & Birch Neroli Lucé Revitalising Face Oil is a very rich facial oil, that is every bit nourishing. Absolutely packed with vitamin-fuelled ingredients, my skin really does feel fresh and revitalised after use.

While lightweight, I did find this oil to be a little on the greasy side of things. It struggled to absorb and left a thin film on the skin. It's blood-orange in colour, which helps to illuminate my dull and pale skin. While the absorption qualities are minimal at best, the oil feels really lovely and nourishing, something I will continue to use.

Bodhi & Birch Neroli Lucé Revitalising Face Oil  can be purchased from Alice & White for 429 SEK / 15ML.

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Ekologist Krämdeo Grapefrukt Deodorant Balm

Oddly, this wasn't listed on the Alice & White store, which is a real shame because I will definitely be buying the Ekologist Krämdeo Grapefrukt. It's an all-natural, all-organic deodorant balm. It's far creamier than any other balm I've used making it a dream to apply and it sinks straight in.

I received the grapefruit scented balm, which smells utterly scrumptious. It's a very fresh, complimentary fragrance which lasts all day long. I'm still smelling clean and fruity by the end of the day. 

I found Ekologist Krämdeo Grapefrukt available on their webiste for 139 KR / 60ML. 

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True All You Need Is Me

As an all-purpose balm, the possible uses are endless with True All You Need Is Me. This highly luxurious translucent cream balm is superbly rich and protective. The tiniest of portions will go a very long way as this silky balm melts into a warm oil on skin.

It has a fantastic shine, making it perfect for application on lips. I also dabbed a little on my psoriasis and found it to skin straight in. As a very nourishing, very hydrating eco-luxe balm, this is definitely something I'll be investing in.

True All You Need Is Me is available from Alice & White for 249 SEK / 50ML. 

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Odacité Ca+R Wild Carrot Facial Serum Concentrate Vital Glow

Odacité are very, very expensive. Let's not shy away from it. The sample I received of the Odacité Ca+R Wild Carrot Facial Serum Concentrate Vital Glow is available from Cult Beauty for £45.00 for 5ML. Yes. FIVE ML.

These are very rich and supper concentrated facial oils and the Ca+R Wild Carrot Facial Serum Concentrate Vital Glow is specifically for anti-ageing, restoring and nourishing the face. Something to be added alongside a moisturiser, or standalone as part of a one-month treatment (if you can stretch 5ML that far).

Odacité Ca+R Wild Carrot Facial Serum Concentrate Vital Glow is available from Alice & White for 499 SEK / 5ML. 

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Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream

I am just the wrong skin type for the Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream. Ideally catered for drier skin, this ultra-hydrating moisturiser is just too powerful for the likes of my oily skin. It also contains shea butter as the second highest ingredient, known to block pores and causes blemishes, for me this ingredient just leaves me very, very greasy.

But, not all is lost! Fragranced with the ever-delicious vanilla, I just can't get enough of the scent. I use this instead on my neck and décolletage, finding the rich formula very soothing and nourishing and it's just close enough to my nose that I can continue to smell it through the day.

Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream is available from Alice & White for 375 SEK / 60ML.

You can subscribe to the Alice & White BOTANIKA Box here from 199 SEK a month, plus 100 SEK international shipping (that's a total of around £22.86).

You can see the contents of the first Alice & White BOTANIKA Box (October) in my review here.

All Beauty, No Beast: Rosalena Oils Beauty & The Beast Facial Oil

Rosalena do only all-natural, clean, botanical beauty, and boy, they do it so well. Their blends of naturally occurring oils are a divine mix of luxurious ingredients with powerful results. Rosalena's truly indulgent range of oils offers the ultimate way to moisturise, delivering long-lasting hydration in only a few golden drops.

Beauty & The Beast is a vitamin-loaded facial oil catering for both the Beauty & The Beast of the house. Believe me when I say, I couldn't let my partner anywhere near this oil, I wanted every last scrumptious drop for myself. While that could paint me in a selfish light, he certainly admired my wonderfully rejuvenated skin, so really, win-win!

Oils are, hands down, my favourite way to moisturise, and the Beauty & The Beast keeps me exceptionally hydrated. This sunglow yellow oil is hydrating, toning and rejuvenating, helping to keep my skin fresh, moisturised and looking stellar. All I need is just 2-3 drops to cover the whole face and jawline, applying a little pressure and massaging in circular motions, this lightweight oil absorbs right in and gets straight to work.

As someone who suffers with redness and inflammation, Beauty & The Beast surprisingly manages to balance and calm my skin, resulting in an equilibrium for both skin tone and oil production. An all-round skin balancer. This nourishing oil provides an even complexion and optimum hydration, keeping my skin balanced and oil-free throughout the day.

The ultimate oil for hydration and rejuvenation, loaded with antioxidants and skin beneficial ingredients, the Beauty & The Beast really is all beauty, no beast. Just a few luxurious drops of this magical oil is enough to provide healthier skin. With a lovely sweet, fruity, almost citrus-like fragrance, Beauty & The Beast really is rejuvenation for both the skin and the senses. Being ultra-hydrating and readily absorbed, this darling little oil makes for the perfect complement to my oily, inflamed skin.

Rosalena very graciously included a generous sample of each of the other three oils they offer, and I must admit, after trailing them all, I'll be investing in The Rosalena Collection this week. All four of these divine oils provide everything my skin needs for an unmatched hydrated, balanced, radiant complexion.

Beauty & The Beast can be purchased from Rosalena for £38.00 / 15ML.

Disclaimer: I purchased Beauty & The Beast myself, and I'm very much of the opinion that that's money well spent! 

Easy As Pai: A 1-2-3 Step Routine to Create That Perfect Balance

Minimal skincare routines really can be something of a luxury, especially when there's a range of simple, clean and super efficient products at your fingertips. Pai Skincare are formulated specifically with sensitive, intolerant and allergy-prone skin in mind. This means gentle and caring, but that does in no way means Pai skimp on their effectiveness. 

With a clean list of organic and naturally derived ingredients approved by The Soil Association and a conscientious cruelty-free Leaping Bunny certification to boot, alongside a wealth of sustainable ingredients and recyclable packaging, Pai Skincare really do put the conscience into beauty. 

The Pai Perfect Balance Range has been formulated for us combination, oily and blemish-prone lot. Intended to rebalance oil production, clear and calm skin, the Pai Perfect Balance Range is for those of us who are frequented with blackheads, congestion, shine and oversize pores, all while considering those sensitive skin types.

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Step 01. Camellia & Rose Hydrating Cleanser

A calming and replenishing cleanser is the perfect way to kickstart any cleansing routine, and the Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser does it so masterfully. The almost cream-cum-lotion type cleanser manages to be rich and creamy while also lightweight and easily spreadable. 

This silky smooth cleanser positively glides across skin, leaving nothing but a smoother and softer complexion in its wake. Pai really meant what they said about looking out for sensitive skins, as this highly gentle cleanser is in no way harsh or stripping.

This nourishing little cleanser takes away any impurities, smooths the complexion, all while replenishing the skin. After clearing the skin, removing any make-up or dirt, skin is left fresh, clean and hydrated. The cleanser also comes with an Organic Muslin Face Cloth (2 pieces / £6.00), which adds a little bit of exfoliation to the routine, encourage circulation while helping to fully remove the product; this muslin cloth makes for the perfect complement.

Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser can be purchased from Pai for £28.00 / 100ML and includes a muslin cloth.

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Step 02. Rice Plant & Rosemary Bioaffinity Tonic

Once cleansed and cleared, an instant hydration booster is the next port of call. The Rice Plant & Rosemary Bioaffinity Tonic is a spritz-based toner, which graciously sprays out of a pump-dispenser and delicately falls onto skin. There's an instantaneous surge of moisture which is readily absorbed.

This lightweight tonic is very soft, effortlessly falling onto skin. The effects are super refreshing, skin is revived and boosted. Helping to balance the skin at the optimum pH balance, this tonic managed to calm any disrupted skin, making for a healthier complexion.

This refreshing pick-me-up is the perfect way to deliver instant hydration that balances, calms and helps to control oil, capable of absorbing and moisturising instantly. While making for the perfect tonic for a simple routine, it can also double-up as a top-up toner to be used throughout the day.

Rice Plant & Rosemary Bioaffinity Tonic can be purchased from Pai for £30.00 / 50ML.

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Step 03. Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream

My all time favourite step: moisturising. The ultimate way to finish off any routine and help provide long lasting hydration, the Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream manages to deliver hydration, calm redness and control oil. It really is the whole package.

This extremely light moisturiser absorbs straight in with little-to-no effort. My skin just feeds off this day cream, delivering a truly replenished sensation. Instantly, my skin is calmed. Any redness or irritation is reduced and balanced, I'm soothed and I'm clarified.
The Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream creates almost the perfect canvas. The lightweight moisturiser just glides over skin and the absorption rate makes skin instantly mattified. There is no residue, no grease, no oil, no shine, only a perfectly flat and clear canvas making it far easier to follow up with any primers, foundations or powder.

Skin is fresh, matte, breathable and balanced. This moisturiser, really does deliver a controlled complexion alongside long-term hydration.

Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream can be purchased from Pai for £34.00 / 50ML. 

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This simple routine really is easy as Pai. All three products have a superb texture, silky, lightweight and absorbent. Followed with a delicate fresh scent - very much garden in spring bloom. 

Three easy steps that really do lead to calmer, balanced and controlled skin and it's all positively hassle-free. This minimal routine really is one to make my skin flourish.

I purchased all products featured here. The Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream was free as part of a spend over £50.00 promotion. Keep your eyes peeled, as Pai very often host these promotions. 

Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask With Rose Clay Really Does Retexture Skin To Its Original Smooth And Flawless Condition

What a concept! To retexture skin to its original flawless texture. For someone with congested skin, oversized pores, blemishes and irregularities, it's the kind of thing I'd roll my eyes at and ask to pull the other one. So can you imagine the spit take when I discover a mask that delivers smoother, supplier and retextured skin? The Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask With Rose Clay manages to be both a face mask and an exfoliatior; an expert resurfacing combination that really does achieve that flawless skin.

Origins' latest mask is a gorgeous pink little number contains active rose clay, Canadian willowherb and jojoba seeds to help provide that flawless look. Rose clay is a gentle way to extract impurities. This soft, sticky clay barely hardens, it remains gorgeously wet and hydrating when left for the 10-20 minute treatment. A little unusual for your typical clay mask, this mask manages to draw out impurities through its sticky texture, as opposed to the hardening and drying of clay. As a bonus, I use a cleaning cloth to remove (as I said, this mask can be a bit of a tough cookie), as a little boost to the exfoliation factor.

The added (and plentiful at that) jojoba beads helps to aid exfoliation on, ensuring that pores are unclogged, skin texture is resurfaced and any impurities are removed. The delicate jojoba beads are soft and natural circular seeds that gently move along the skin's surface aiding renewal. Everything about this mask is delicate and nurturing, transforming even my sensitive skin into a healthy complexion.

Original Skin is perfectly descriptive of what this mask achieves. Offering that youthful skin texture, skin is smoother, supple and healthy. Impurities are removed, skin is decongested and pores are emptied, creating a true silky smooth surface. My skin is left clearer, clarified, balanced, calmed and flawless. 

The floral scent of the rose clay is subtly sweet. It's a fragrance that endures, so for the 10-20 minutes during the treatment I can continue to experience this relaxing and calming scent. The clay is cool and wet when first applied, then begins to warm - in quite a comforting way - without any of the tingling that comes with a typical clay mask.

Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask With Rose Clay has been an expert skin treatment to keep my skin soft and supple. Whenever I feel congested, Original Skin is what I reach for, whenever my pores are clogged, Original Skin is my first port of call, whenever I what clearer, more clarified and balanced skin, Original Skin is always there in my hour of need. This mask really has become my saving grace, providing me with such well-conditioned skin that I never imagined my face could attain.

Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask With Rose Clay can be purchased from Origins for £23.00 / 100ML.

Beauty Heroes November 2015: Josh Rosebrook Hair

A recent subscription service for me, Beauty Heroes Expert Selection Subscription offers some of the finest non-toxic, clean, green beauty from the US. Spotting a new eco-luxe brand each month, featuring at least one full size hero alongside a full/mini sidekick, the Beauty Heroes Expert Selection Subscription provides a phenomenal way to experience a minimal and effective green routine.

The November Beauty Heroes Expert Selection Subscription champions the wholly organic, artisan, luxury Josh Rosebrook from within his truly divine hair collection. A superhero duo and their sidekick feature in the November Box. Kuh-pow!

• Josh Rosebrook Balance Shampoo ($30.00 / 240ML)
• Josh Rosebrook Balance Conditioner ($30.00 / 240ML)
• Josh Rosebrook Firm Hold Hair Spray ($22.00 / 118ML)

Every single one of these luxurious haircare products is outstanding. It's not very often that I am given any answers when it comes to haircare haircare, like most of us, I have fussy, unpredictable hair, but this trio manages to condition, tame and balance my once uncontrollable locks. 

The subtly sweet and subtly citrus-esque fragrance of the Balance Shampoo and Balance Conditioner is truly welcome. I strongly detect notes of aloe and grape, a natural scent that expertly refreshes and awakens. Never foaming, since there are no nasty foaming agents in here thank you very much, the Balance Shampoo manages to both cleanse and moisturise, effectively reviving and balancing my hair and scalp. Followed up with the Balance Conditioner, this little number is very, very moisturising. While intended for normal-oily hair types, my dry ends find this to be surprisingly hydrating. My frizzy locks are managed and tamed without being weighed down.

 

While only given the sidelined role of sidekick, the Josh Rosebrook Firm Hold Hair Spray has to take gold for me. A little unconventional - it's a pump-spray hairspray, instead of an aerosol - this extremely lightweight lacquer expertly holds hair into position, without being sticky, hardening or heavy. This completely transparent spray just falls neatly only to hair and provides that long-last hold without leaving a trace.

Josh Rosebrook offers some absolutely sensational haircare, that really does help to achieve great balance and firm hold. Powerful, simple and revitalising, this superhero trio is definitely my hair saviour.

Beauty Heroes Expert Selection Subscription is available here from $39.00 a month (plus $12.95 international shipping and are subject to customs fees).

Josh Rosebrook Balance Shampoo ($30.00 / 240ML), Josh Rosebrook Balance Conditioner ($30.00 /240ML) and Josh Rosebrook Firm Hold Hair Spray ($22.00 / 118ML) are also available from the Beauty Heroes online shop here.