March empties - Neal's Yard Remedies, Renu, i Coloniali, L'Occitane, La Roche-Posay Serozinc, Naked Bodycare, Duchy Collection

  

Duchy Bergamot Lime conditioner – I picked this up at TKMaxx in clearance for £1! I enjoyed using this and the fragrance was stunning. I’d repurchase again but I’m not sure this is still produced or where you’d buy it as I haven’t seen it since. 

I Coloniali shower gel – I wouldn’t purchase again unless it was reformulated, but the signature i Coloniali fragrance they have in their soaps and body products keeps pulling me back. I wish they bottled it and sold it as an EDT, I’d wear nothing else.

Neals Yard Remedies Rose daily moisturiser – I always like to see a bottle cut in two so you can scrape out every last blob. Love Neal's Yard's moisturisers. Would repurchase, but in a different scent.

Neals Yard Remedies Rose facial cleanser 50ml – Product worked well as a cleanser but would not buy again only because prefer cream or oil cleanser.

Neals Yard Remedies eye gel – my favourite eye gel ever.I’ve already repurchased and intend to keep on repurchasing until a better one comes along. Highly recommended.

L’Occitane rose hand cream – I didn’t like this shimmery hand cream at all and this was regulated to night time use only and I burned through it as quickly as I could. Would not repurchase and I must remember to read labels in future!

Naked Bodycare Take Care Orange Blossom body wash 250ml - this sulfate-free body wash is one of my favourites, plenty more left in the stash!

Renu face mask – bought on the cheap from the TKMaxx clearance shelf, around £5 or so. It felt pleasant to use, but I didn't see amazing results and I would not repurchase at full price as this retails for £32!

La Roche Posay Serozinc – a product I suspect was introducted to most people through Caroline Hirons’ wonderful blog This is a definite repurchase and I’d recommend to anyone who suffers with razor burn to at least try this product.

La Roche-Posay Serozinc toner review

La Roche-Posay Serozinc – I first read about this on Caroline Hirons’ blog and didn’t pay any attention to it at first as it was described about being a toner for oily or spotty skin which I don’t have. I’m dry as a husk so generally avoid anything like this. However, months later, I was browsing the La Roche-Posay french website just having a general look at the lists of ingredients for their products. When I clicked on Serozinc I noticed that it’s also marketed as being suitable for inflamed skin or to calm down razor burn. Now, I get razor burn all the time, no matter how careful I am. I’m lucky in that my beard is quite fair so I don’t have to shave every day but when I do, I often suffer afterwards and usually shave in the evenings to give my beard area enough time to calm down by the next day.

This product isn’t available her in the UK for now, so I ordered it from France through LeGuideSante as that was the cheapest at the time (I added some sulphate free Caudalie shower gels and masks to the order to make the delivery charge more worthwhile). I’ve been using this as an aftershave product, straight after shaving and rinsing off my cream or soap and it’s working well. There has been little or no razor burn, the mist has an immediate cooling and calming effect. This is a definite repurchase and I’d recommend to anyone who suffers with razor burn to try this product at least  once.

There are just three ingredients:
Water, Sodium Chloride and Zinc Sulfate.

RENU Relaxing Face Mask | Renu Flash Relax Mask review

RENUS relaxing flash relax face mask 100ml – I bought this mask on the cheap from the TKMaxx clearance shelf, around £5 or so. The box was a bit bashed, but luckily the tube inside hadn't been "tested" (thank you, TKMaxx shoppers who like to open up all the skincare products and stick your finger in to "test" then put them back). I was unfamiliar with the brand but the ingredients looked solid so worth a try. 

It felt good to use, I usually like anything with Aloe Vera as a main ingredient and the scent was very fresh and clean. I didn’t notice any benefit the first few times I used it so I applied more product to use it up and started to notice a result. Maybe this needs to be applied thickly to truly see any benefit. I would not repurchase at full price however, this retails for £32!

Description from RENU:

• This gel mask smoothes fine lines and helps firm facial contours for an instant face-lift effect.
• Ginseng and Magnesium gently relax fine muscles to smooth and lift the skin.
• Sodium Hyaluronate plumps the skin.
• Polysaccharides prevent dryness and maintain elasticity.
• Vitamin C enhance natural radiance.
• Vitamin B5 helps promotes moisture balance.
• Aloe Vera to soothe.
• Paraben free formulation

Here's a list of the ingredients:

L'Occitane Rose des Neiges hand cream review

L’Occitane Rose des Neiges 30ml hand cream – I didn’t like this at all. This must’ve been a gift with purchase as L'Occitane are often giving away their famous hand creams so I doubt I bought it. Let me explain, the thing I didn’t like was that this has a glittery shimmer. Like, I'd dipped my hand in glittery silicone. I couldn’t believe it, I put it on and my hands looked all sparkly like an emo vampire in the sunshine. Not the effect I’m looking for! 

Anyway, this was regulated to night time use only and I burned through it as quickly as I could. Glittery hand cream, what earth…? Someone please explain. I thought I was a man of the world, but I’m clearly unsophisticated in these matters.

Here's the list of ingredients:

Neal's Yard White Tea Toning Eye Gel review

Neals Yard Remedies White Tea Toning Eye Gel – I reckon that I've tried just about every eye gel ever made over the years and this is easily my pick for favourite eye gel. I first purchased this up a couple of years ago in their sale but didn’t use it until I’d started using an eye roll-on from Aldi that everyone raved about but gave me an ugly allergy all around my eye sockets. I turned to this in an effort to soothe my burning eyes and it worked brilliantly. 

It’s different from a lot of eye products in that it’s a runny gel, not a cream. It has a pump dispenser which can be fiddly to control and get the right amount of product. I use it morning and evening and it’s been the best eye product I’ve tried so far. My eyes have always been dry and you know when you close your eyes and your eyes sting a bit? Yes, that. This eye gel soothes and I really noticed the difference when I ran out and stopped using it. 

At £23.75 for 10ml, this is pretty pricey, but I don't mind paying when a product actually works so I’ve already repurchased and intend to keep on repurchasing until a better one comes along. Highly recommended.

"Cooling, soothing and refreshing, this is toning and firming for the delicate skin around the eye, while visibly reducing puffiness and minimising the appearance of dark circles. With antioxidant, anti-ageing white tea; suitable for both men and women's skin."

Here's the list of ingredients:

Hamamelis virginiana (Witch hazel) extract, Alcohol denat., Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Rosa centifolia (Rose) flower extract, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) leaf juice powder*, Euphrasia officinalis (Eyebright) extract*, Sodium hyaluronate, Camellia sinensis (White tea) leaf extract.

Neal's Yard Remedies Rose Facial Wash cleanser review

Neal's Yard Remedies Rose facial wash cleanser – I bought this travel size 50ml bottle with a flip lid when Neal's Yard had an offer of five travel sized products for £15. This cleanser has a gel consistency which I found a bit drying. This worked fine as a cleanser but I would probably not buy again because these days I prefer a cream or oil cleanser.

"Refreshes and cleanses normal or sensitive skin. Gently foaming with anti-oxidant aloe vera combined with precious rose otto and soothing pink rose petals."

Here's the list of ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Glycerin*, Lauryl glucoside, Sucrose laurate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) leaf juice powder*, Rosa damascena (Rose) flower oil*, Rosa centifolia (Rose) flower extract*, Potassium sorbate, Citric acid, Levulinic acid, Alcohol denat., Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Neals Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisturiser review

Neals Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisturiser – this 50ml plastic tube was a magazine freebie I picked up just to get the NYR product. I'm getting towards the end of this so I've cut the tube open to scrape out the last blobs.

I always like to see a bottle cut in two so you can scrape out every last bit. It’s always a good indication that you’ve enjoyed using a product. Or that you’re tight fisted. I once read a blog where there was a photo of that month’s empties and every single bottle had been cut open, it was very impressive.

"Softens and replenishes NORMAL and DEHYDRATED skin.

Hydrating 'Hundred petalled' rose extract and damask rose oil soften, smooth and help restore skin's natural radiance in a light, easily absorbed, antioxidant-rich lotion. 

Proven in clinical trials to moisture for up to 12 hours."

I like the texture and efficacy of this product, but I don't really care for the scent. I'm not a sweet roses kind of guy. This 50ml tube has a screw cap and the product is squeezed out. I like the touch of embossing an expiration date on the top of the tube. 

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Glycine soja (Soya) oil*, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil*, Calendula officinalis (Marigold) flower extract*, Cetyl alcohol, Borago officinalis (Borage) seed oil*, Cetearyl glucoside, Rosa centifolia (Rose) flower extract, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) leaf juice powder*, Rosa damascena (Rose) flower oil*, Citrus limonum (Lemon) peel oil expressed*, Cananga odorata (Ylang ylang) flower oil*, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) flower oil*, Tocopherol, Sodium hyaluronate, Cetearyl olivate, Sorbitan olivate, Alcohol denat., Glycerin, Levulinic acid, Potassium sorbate, Xanthan gum, Benzyl alcohol, Benzyl benzoate, Benzyl salicylate, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool.

i Coloniali Refreshing Shower Gel of Japanese Yuzu review

i Coloniali Refreshing Shower Gel of Japanese Yuzu – Oh, i Coloniali, you put me in such a quandary. On the one hand, you have some of the most indulgent and exotically fragranced products I’ve ever used, on the other hand, you put glycols, parabens and sometimes a dash of mineral oil in your products and that puts me right off. My favourite products from i Coloniali are the solid soap bars and the mango soft shaving soap. 

This 150ml shower gel was a gift with purchase from Marks & Spencer when I bought some of the soap and I’d ignored it because of the ingredients, but thought I’d use it up this month just to be done with it - by the end of the year I aim to be using more natural products. It has the usual intoxicating i Coloniali fragrance that you’ll recognise immediately if you’ve ever tried anything from their body line, but with an extra kick of menthol to give you a morning jolt in the shower. 

Overall, I ignored the ingredients list and ended up enjoying using this and have to admit that I didn’t totally dry out with the SLES. I wouldn’t purchase again unless it was reformulated, but that signature i Coloniali scent keeps pulling me back. I wish they bottled it and sold it as an EDT, I’d wear nothing else.

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Parfum, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate, Citric Acid, Limonene, Methylparaben, Sodium Salicylate, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Menthol, Benzyl Salicylate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citrus Junos Peel Oil, Menthyl Lactate, Sodium Hydroxide, BHT, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Butheth-26.

Yikes!

Duchy Collection Bergamot and Lime Conditioner review

Duchy Collection Bergamot and Lime hair conditioner – I picked this up at TKMaxx in clearance for £1. It smells glorious, an authentic lime which made me swoon. Yes, swoon! 

It has some dimethicone listed (see ingredients below), but at least it’s not the main ingredient. Overall, I enjoyed using this and the fragrance was stunning. I’d repurchase again but I’m not sure this is still produced or where you’d buy it as I haven’t seen it since. A garden centre maybe?

Here are the ingredients: 

Aqua, Ceteraryl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Dimethicone Copolyol, Sorbic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Tocopherol, Yucca Vera, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia, Citrus Aurantifolia Extract, Limonene, Linalol, Citral.