From opting for plastic-free packaging to taking your own reusable bag when shopping, we have all become conscious of waste and the effect it has on our world. That being said I think we could all do with being a little less wasteful when it comes to everyday products we use beyond food packaging.
From re-purposing items, and restoring them where possible to clever ways to extend the shelf-life of products! So I thought I would start by sharing a few tricks and tips on how I recycle my own beauty products and try to help the zero-waste cause!
As some of you may know since I started Makeup Savvy I have been slowly getting into organic products and I have also become more aware of different ingredients that I avoid even down to the deodorant I use!
But as I now use so many natural/organic products that when I come to using normal every day products i.e normal hand soap when I am out, conditioner, hair spray, candles. They just seem to be either too strong in scent or they just don't feel that great. So for that reason I have decided to slowly incorporate more organic products into my routine so that hopefully by the end of 2012 I will only be using organic products minus makeup as I really cannot imagine sacrificing all my lovely makeup and there just isn't the range or quality with organic cosmetics yet. So I can been recently trying out more natural/organic products from brands such as Green People, Neom Organics, Yes To, Korres and Balance Me.
So every week I have decided I am going to review/mention organic products I am been trying & buying and so I thought I would start that off by talking about some Neom products as I really do truly love the brand.
Also Neom kindly offered to provide me with an exclusive code for Makeup Savvy readers so if you are planning on spending over £40 at Neom you receive a FREE Rebalance Travel Candle worth £13 free!
Code: makeupsavvy
Discount: Free Rebalance Travel Candle with orders of £40 or more
Expires:19th February
Firstly if you want a bit of an explanation as to why I prefer organic candles/recommend them you can read this post here. As I really think it matters and may explain why organic candles are worth the money. But on to this travel candle (the one above) which if you use the discount code will be free OR at the moment it has been reduced to only £8 (here) which I think is pretty damn good seeing as this candle does last quite some time and is just lovely!
The Rebalance candle is quite an uplifting candle that apparently works as an anti-depressant (not sure on that one!) and is also good for using if you have a cold or are generally just under the weather. I actually used this last week whilst having a bath as I had a really bad headache and normally any smells when I have a headache just annoy me/make it worse. But this was actually quite soothing especially when I blew the candle out and the scent became stronger - did actually surprise me how much better it made me feel.
But I also find this just a nice candle to have on at night when I am blogging or reading a magazine as it's slightly spicy, warm and relaxing.
As for bath and shower products I just have so many natural/organic/SLS-free ones! But in the last few months I have been trying all different alternative products such as natural bath bombs, bath salts and shower/bath oils to mix things up a bit. So it has been really nice trying out all the different bath/shower oils that Neom offer.
The little set contains 5 x 5ml bottles with each bottle having a different purposes. The only down side is you don't get much usage out of each bottle as they are quite small - I found one would do a single bath or if using as a shower oil (which you apply to the skin pre-shower) I could get two uses from it which I prefer to do.
So far I have only used 2 and a bit bottles but my favourite has been 'Restore' for first thing in the morning which I use in the shower or 'Tranquillity' for at night time which I have used up now. But I used half of it in a bath and the rest I actually dabbed onto my neck before bed a few times and it definitely helped me to relax a bit, which I also found to be an nice alternative way of using it and of course it makes the oils last a lot longer.
So far I have only used 2 and a bit bottles but my favourite has been 'Restore' for first thing in the morning which I use in the shower or 'Tranquillity' for at night time which I have used up now. But I used half of it in a bath and the rest I actually dabbed onto my neck before bed a few times and it definitely helped me to relax a bit, which I also found to be an nice alternative way of using it and of course it makes the oils last a lot longer.
Sadly the Bath Oil set is out of stock at the moment on the Neom website but you can find it at Look Fantastic for £15.00 -here.
As I love Neom so much I am already planning my next purchase which is going to be the the Tranquillity: Perfect Sleep Kit (here) which contains a 5oml organic pillow mist and my beloved Organic Multi-balm for only £10! I already have the Neom multi balm which I use almost daily for all sorts (cuticles, dry skin, lips, eyebrows even!) so I definitely need another one. Plus I am hoping the pillow mist will help me sleep a bit better. So this is going to be a little Valentine's Day present to myself. I really do recommend the multi-balm though if you can find it as part of a set as they sadly don't sell it on there own.
So if you are planning on spending a bit on the Neom website make sure you use my code before 19th Feb!
Also if any of you can recommend me good organic brands that would be great as I really want to start buying more and more organic body products to see what I like and don't like.
Fee xo.
(Click to enlarge)Just thought I'd give you a quick preview of the ASOS Africa line that should be live on Asos right now.
I have to say from looking at the preview shots, I'm impressed. It's bright, bold and ideal for summer, especially them wedges! I'm also looking forward to the man-made African jewelery and the whole new section focused on organic and Eco-friendly beauty products.
Images - From Asos.com(Behind the scenes of the new Africa Collection photoshoot)
So my sources tell me Asos are to unveil there new ethical site area this Friday(26th Feb) which is a week befind schedule, but oh well, a girl can't have everything.
The new section of the site seems quite large by the sounds of it, which is aiming to bring the customer closer to the people that are behind the products.
The area of The Green Room that I am most excited about is Asos's Africa Brand that will bring more work to the people of Africa and Tanzania. Each garment that you purchase will arrive in it's own envelope - So that the trainee tailors have something to work on while they improve there skills.
The new site will also contain of social & environmentally aware brands such as Swedish Hasbeens and the hotly awaited collaboration of Emma Watson for the People Tree range.
There will also be a Beauty section which is already partly up on the main site that includes Young & Pure, Neal's Yard, Green & Spring and many more. All of the products on the new site will be environmentally friendly which I'm sure will make a lot of people happy.
Overall this is such a positive and exciting thing for Asos and it's customers, which I'm sure will go from strength to strength over the course of 2010.
Images - Taken by myself(L-R; Blusher brush, Eye shading brush, Concealer brush, Angled Eyeliner brush, Lash & Brow groomer)
I have to admit I don't own that many makeup brushes - I tend to use my fingers mostly. However my fingers unfortunately cannot apply blusher or eyeliner. So I thought it was time to invest in some key makeup brushes and the Eco Tools set caught my eye for two reasons. Mainly it was the price, at £12.80 I thought it was quite reasonable. The other reason I made a bee-line for these were the bamboo handles and there whole Eco philosophy, however I can't really say I'm that much of a happy Eco hippie.
Blusher brush - This brush has to be the softest brush in the set and really dense. I've mainly used this for applying blusher and bronzer and my only criticism would be you have to use it with a light hand and build up the colour rather than just applying it quickly as the brush doesn't seem to blend all that well. 
Eye Shading brush - To me this brush is very similar is size and shape to the concealer brush in the set. The only difference being it is slimmer and more stubby. I've tried to get use to this brush but for me personally the tip isn't soft enough for shading/blending and doesn't pick up very well.A bit of a thumbs down for me.
Concealer brush - I really do like this brush, which I have been mainly using to pat out under eye concealer, as the sides of the brush are soft and don't lift any of the product up of the skin.
Eyeliner brush - This is my favourite brush of the set, really cannot fault it. The tip of the brush is firm but not overly so which seems to make it a breeze to apply gel eyeliner. I have also been using this to smudge out pencil liner on my upper lid to give a more smokey finish. All I can say is perfect,perfect,perfect!
Lash & Brow groomer - The brow brush seems quite stiff compared to others I have used in the past. However maybe that's because I'm use to using a mascara spool to tidy my brows at the moment. Having said that it does it's job and there isn't much to fault other than that.The lash comb again does it's job and seems like it will last along time.
Summary - The whole set comes in a brush wrap that is made from hemp and cotton, to me it seems a bit too stiff and starchy, but I suppose its only an added extra.
Overall I'm really happy with the brushes, so far I have washed them twice in mild shampoo and there has been no fallout and they have all kept there shape.
My only true criticism with the product is the shading and concealer brushes being very alike, I really would of preferred to see a foundation brush instead of the concealer brush.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)