Saaf Skincare Ultimate Moisture Face Serum review

Saaf Skincare Ultimate Moisture Face Serum – I love a facial oil and I've been using more and more this year. This 30ml facial oil serum has a recommended six month use by date once opened and comes in a glass bottle with a pump dispenser. As you can see, the box is a bit bashed from where I pulled off the price label.

My face is dry, always has been, and needs hydrating throughout the year. I can use this in summer in the evenings instead of a night moisturiser or use it underneath face creams in cool weather to add extra hydration instead of relying on thicker creams. I've enjoyed using this oil and I've already repurchased. Saaf is a UK based company.

Ultimate Moisture Face Serum is extremely nourishing and healing and helps boost normal to dry or mature skin. 

This ultra-rich serum is extremely nourishing and healing. It’s light and satisfying to use, leaving skin feeling fresh and velvety smooth. The unique blend combines ultra-effective natural ingredients to promote skin regeneration and help boost levels of collagen and elastin, making the skin appear smoother and firmer, while balancing impurities and soothing any irritations. Used frequently, Ultimate Moisture Face Serum will help restore skin suppleness and even out skin tone.

Ideal for:

• Use day or night as a skin rejuvenation treatment
• Dry skin
• Prematurely ageing, mature or sagging skin
• Sun damaged skin
• Rosacea (redness or uneven skin tone) and hyper pigmentation

Here's the list of ingredients:

Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Carthamus Tinctorious Seed OIl, Tocopherol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Cironellol, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool.

The Body Shop Sensual Massage Oil review

The Body Shop Sensual Massage oil 150ml £10 – I've been looking for an oil to use at the gym after showering instead of carrying around a body butter. This one looked promising, but it smells too much of ginger. Frankly, that’s all I can detect. It might as well be called Ginger massage oil.

This massage oil blend is inspired by traditional Polynesian massage rituals. It has a warm and sensual aroma.

• Suitable for all skin types
• Conditioning
• Ideal for couples

The oil has a flip lid which prevents any oil from spilling out when stored in a bag. It works alright as a hydrating oil, but the scent is too one note for me and dominated with the ginger. I wouldn't repurchase this one but The Body Shop has other oils to try.

Here's the list of ingredients:

Glycine Soja Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Zea Mays Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Olea Europaea Oil, Limonene, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Aleurites moluccana, Sclerocarya birrea, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Cananga Odorata Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum Oil, Linalool, Canarium commune, Pelargonium odoratissimum, Vetiveria Zizanoides Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Extract, Zingiber Officinale Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Amyris Balsamifera Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Oil, Citrus reticulata, Geraniol, Tocopherol, Myroxylon pereirae, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Acacia Decurrens Extract, Cymbopogon Nardus Oil, Illicium verum, Farnesol, Benzyl Cinnamate, Elettaria cardamomum, Eugenol, Isoeugenol, Rosa damascena, Santalum Album Oil.

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Neal’s Yard Remedies Almond Moisturiser review

Neal’s Yard Remedies Almond Moisturiser – "protects and nourishes sensitive skin.
Vitamin rich almond and evening primrose oils are combined with geranium and lemon to prevent moisture loss and tone the skin."

This is a good, simple day cream. It offers a silicone-free basic moisturiser which can also be used as a night cream with some facial oil underneath for extra hydration if you’re extra dry like me. Sometimes, there’s simply no need to any fancy bells and whistles. This is one of Neal's Yard's least expensive creams at £18.75 for 50ml.

Here are the ingredients: 

Aqua (Water), Prunus amygdalus dulcis oil*, Cocos nucifera oil*, Glycerin, Cetyl alcohol, Cetearyl glucoside, Cetearyl olivate, Cera alba*, Helianthus annuus seed oil*, Calendula officinalis flower extract*, Sorbitan olivate, Lecithin, Simmondsia chinensis seed oil*, Oenothera biennis oil*, Chamomilla recutita flower extract*, Lavandula officinalis extract*, Pelargonium graveolens flower oil*, Citrus limon peel oil*, Xanthan gum, Tocopherol, Levulinic acid, Sodium levulinate, Potassium sorbate, Sodium dehydroacetate, Alcohol denat.*, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

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.

Neal's Yard Remedies Aromatic Foaming Soak review

Neal's Yard Remedies aromatic foaming soak. I'm usually a fan of Neal's Yard's products but unfortunately I'm not a fan of this. You see, it's the scent of pelargonium here which I find often overpowers other scents for me and this bath oil was no exception. I don't smell any lavender or marjoram, just a lot of pelargonium. 

That said, it is hydrating and calming but don't expect masses of bubbles from this sulphate free bath oil. Available from Neal's Yard Remedies for £15 for 200ml.

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Lauryl glucoside, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Polysorbate 20, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) extract*, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) oil*, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) oil*, Thymus mastichina (Marjoram) oil*, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool. 

Soft Touch Naked Starflower body wash review

I've been using the Vegetarian and vegan friendly Soft Touch Naked Bodycare Starflower body wash for several years, along with the other fragrances from Naked Bodycare. I get these from Boots whenever they go on offer and use up my Advantage points. These are probably the best value sulphate free body wash available here in the UK.

The 250ml plastic bottle retails for around £3.99 and has a lid which is seperated in two so you press down one side and the other side pops up to release the gel. The scent is very aromatic and herbal with a definite note of patchouli. I prefer the Orange Blossom or Coco de Mer scents, but the Starflower is good for the cooler months. I'm currently going through the body butter as well. 

"Starflower is full of Gamma Linolenic Acid (an essential fatty acid) known to improve the skin's protective barrier and help prevent signs of ageing. This is also why Starflower extract, known as Borage oil, has long been used as a nutritional supplement to help counter "irritability" and general "women's problems"!"

Well, I can't vouch for that, though my colleagues at work might have a thing to say about that.

Here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Sodium cocoamphoacetate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, Lauryl glucoside, Glycerin, Coco glucoside, Glyceryl oleate, Capryl/capryl glucoside, Borago officinalis (starflower) seed oil, Lavandula hybrida grosso (lavandin) herb oil, Pelargonium graveolens (geranium) leaf oil, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) leaf oil, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Citric acid.

 

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm review

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose beauty balm is a favourite of beauty bloggers and magazines. At £37 for 50g it's expensive and not being chock full of preservatives, it's recommended that it’s used up within three months of opening which could cause an issue if you like to rotate your products. The dominant scents here are rose and patchouli, it's very herbal and smells good for you.

This is an oil based cleanser which I'm mainly using as a pre-shave cleanser to massage my face and neck, leaving the oily balm on the skin before applying shaving soap or cream. The Wild Rose balm can be used in multiple ways, simply as a facial cleanser, as a body balm on elbows or feet etc, left on as a mask, an overnight treatment or even as a hair mask. 


Here are the ingredients:

Rosa canina (Wild rose) seed oil*, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil*, Cera alba (Beeswax)*, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter)*, Cannabis sativa (Hemp) seed oil*, Borago officinalis (Starflower) seed oil*, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) flower oil*, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) leaf oil*, Boswellia carterii (Frankincense) oil, Cymbopogon martini (Palmarosa) herb oil*, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) leaf oil*, Ascorbyl palmitate, Tocopherol, Citral, Citronellol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Recommended.