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.

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.

February empties - L'Occitane, Weleda, Neal's Yard Remedies, Origins, Naked Bodycare

Take Care Naked Sensitive Skin Bodycare Orange Blossom 250ml body wash – I have a ton of these. This has always been my favourite frangrance of all the Naked body washes, it has not “parfum” or artificial fragrance, just the natural fragrance of neroli essential oil which is one of the most uplifting fragrances and has long been a favourite for both men and women. I guess means that they’ll probably pop up each month in my empties for the rest of the year. And maybe the next…

Weleda Rosemary and Ginger conditioner 250ml– I really liked this, a good silicone free conditioner which I'd buy again but I think Weleda have reformulated and no longer make this.

Phytorelax Lavander Body Lotion 500ml – I picked this up at the TKMaxx clearance shelf for £1. It’s not the most natural product (you can’t see the ingredients on the back label as they’ve been rubbed off with oily hands) but at least it doesn’t have any silicone. I really liked using this at night time as the lavender helps lull me to sleep.

Naked Bodycare Star Flower 250ml body wash – I don’t like it as much as the Orange Blossom, but this is still a good sulphate free body wash which doesn’t dry me out. Plus, I have the body butter to match. I think it’s the patchouli essential oil in here which I’m not a fan of. I have a couple more in the stash as I pick these up whenever they go on offer at Boots and I want to use up my points.

Neal’s Yard Remedies Almond Moisturiser 50ml – this was a good basic day cream, a silicone-free basic moisturiser This is one of NYR’s least expensive creams at £18.75 for 50ml.

Naked Bodycare Star Flower body butter 300ml– found this in one of those bargain beauty shops you can find in shopping centres, it was £1 so I bought three. Not my favourite scent, but satisfyingly thick and just what my dry husk of a body needs in winter.

Origins Checks and Balances face wash – this is a GWP 30ml sample.  Already repurchased as I’ve bought the full size.

Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight mask – another GWP 30ml sample from Origins. Already repurchased. Twice. They had a great GWP offer that week. Don’t judge.

L’Occitane Almond shower oil 2 x 35ml. Love this, but don't love the ingredients. I've purchased the full size 250ml bottle as well as the 500ml refill. I had a voucher. Again, don't judge.

Weleda Rosemary and Ginger conditioner review

Weleda Rosemary and Ginger conditioner - Weleda is available at Boots and through online retailers. I really liked this silicone free conditioner. I’d previously tried the other two fragrances in this range (orange blossom/calendula?) but hadn’t liked them at all. This was easily my favourite of the three but it looks like Weleda have reformulated and no longer offer this one. 

This 250ml plastic bottle has a pop up lid. This worked well when used after my Chagrin Valley lavender and rosemary shampoo bar. 

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Alcohol, Rosemarius Officinalis Leaf Oil, Glycerin, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Rosmarius Officinalis Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinalis Root Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Augustifolia Oil, Lavandula Hydrida Oil, Zingiber Officinalis Root Oil, Citral, Limonene, Linalool.

January empties - Neal's Yard Remedies, Naked Bodycare, Korres, 4711 and Unique Nature

Unique organic shampoo and conditioner from the TK Maxx clearance shelf. Herbal scent, easy to rinse out the conditioner. Good for someone who wants all organic, all natural hair products. Would repurchase if I see them again.

The Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose beauty balm is expensive at £37 for 50g but this is one of Neal's Yard's star products, often spoken about in magazines and beauty blogs. This is an oil based cleanser which can be used in multiple ways, as a facial cleanser, as a body balm on elbows or feet etc, left on as a mask, or my favourite which is as a pre-shave massage treatment. I thought I’d never get through the tub within the recommended three months, but I used it in as many ways as Neal's Yard suggests and just about managed to get there. Would repurchase, but pricey! Recommended.

Neal's Yard Remedies Aromatic Foaming Soak – I wasn’t a fan of this, the scent of pelargonium often overpowers other scents for me and this bath oil was no exception. I wouldn’t repurchase.

Soft Touch Naked Bodycare Starflower body wash 250ml - one of my favourite body washes, already repurchased. Recommended.

4711 50ml – the only way I could love this any more is if it lasted more than twenty minutes on my skin. It’s inexpensive sure, but having to reapply throughout the day means you get through a bottle quickly. I splash it on my hair and around the neck of my t-shirt to help the fragrance last. I used to only wear this in the summer, but this year I’ve been using it in the cooler weather too and it’s equally as gorgeous. Definite repurchase.

Korres yoghurt face cream 50ml – I suppose it shouldn’t have bought this as it’s intended for oily or combination skin, but I thought it might make a suitably light day cream. It was only alright though. My dry husk of a face requires more hydration than this can deliver, but this could be ideal for an oilier complexion. One bonus was that this light cream leaves a natural looking matt finish. I wouldn’t repurchase, but simply because of my skin type.

Unique Nature Organic Shampoo and Conditioner review

You can’t rely on TKMaxx having your favourite brands, but they usually have an eclectic mix of salon brands and organic natural brands that's well worth having a root around. Unique Nature is a BUAV approved Danish company and I picked up these huge bottles of sulphate free shampoo and silicone free conditioner. These 1 litre bottles have a pump dispenser and herbal scent. 

Being SLS and SLES free (although there is Sodium Coco-Sulfate in there), the shampoo doesn't lather up too much, but I don't mind that, as long as it gets my hair clean without stripping it and irritating my scalp. Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Whey, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium PCA, Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract, Alcohol, Sodium Beznoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Citral, Limonene.

I like the conditioner as it's effective and silicione free, plus I find it easy to rinse out and it doesn't leave that familiar sticky silicone residue. Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Whey, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ceterayl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocoglycerides, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Glycerin, Octyldodecanol, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water, Helianthus Annus, Taraxacum Officinalis Leaf Extract, Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Benzoate, Perfume, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Tocopherol, Citral, Limonene.

These are good for someone who wants to try a more natural hair product and I would repurchase if I ever see them again.