the buddha beauty company apple, avocado & aloe clay mask

In today's post I shall be reviewing the Buddha Beauty Company Apple, Avocado & Aloe Clay Mask.

The Claims 
' Our organic face mask has a wonderful smooth consistency! We have taken two of the best clays out there and blended them to create this unique mask; Bentonite and kaolin clay have been chosen for their abilities to absorb toxins from the skin and these with the antioxidant properties of the Apple, Aloe and Avocado make this a great treat for the skin'

The Reality 
What immediately attracted me to this apple avocado and aloe clay mask was the scent. I think it's the apples that make this mask smell absolutely delicious!

Being a clay mask the mask dries and tightens on your skin, I do like masks that tighten as then I feel like it's doing something to my skin...hopefully sucking out impurities!

After washing off the mask my skin feels tighter and softer. I want to say more brighter also but this tends to be straight after I wash the mask off, the feeling doesn't seem to last. The mask doesn't perform miracles and makes spots vanish however I do find that it helps to dry up spots.

I do like the principles of the Buddha Beauty Company, the company is cruelty-free and carries the leaping bunny logo, it is suitable for vegans and the products are free from parabens and SLS.

However looking through the ingredients list, and building my own product report on the EWG Skindeep website, which scored 5 (moderately hazardous), personally I would prefer something that is rated less hazardous so I won't be repurchasing.

The Ingredients 

Aqua, Kaolin, Bentonit, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol ,Glycerin ,Persea Gratissima Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Propylene Glycol, Alcohol denat, Diazolidinyl Urea, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Magnesium Nitrate, Magnesium Chloride, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Parfum, CI 77288

The Packaging 

I like that the mask comes in the a tub making it easy for you to get the amount of product you require. 

The Price 

The Buddha Beauty Company: £12 for 100ml 

The Ultimate Question: Would I repurchase? 

No 

The Overall Score: 3/5 

Have you tried this face mask? What were your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by myself, all views expressed are my own. Product claims are taken from the company website. 

sukin natural deodorant review

In this post I shall be reviewing the Sukin Natural Deodorant. I bought this product at the Bristol VegFest and have been using it for just under a month now. 

The Claims

This aluminium free and paraben free deodorant eliminates the bacteria that causes odour without using harsh ingredients. A delicate blend of tangerine, mandarin and lavender oils, combined with vanilla extract will leave you smelling and feeling fresh and clean.

The Ingredients
Aqua, Aloe Barbadenis Leaf Juice, Alcohol, Sinc Phenosulphate, Ceteareth-20, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Articum Lappa (Burdock) Extract, Euisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Citrue Tangerina (Tangerin) Peel Oil, Ctrus Nobolis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavendar) Oil, Vanillin, Vanilla Planifolia Extract, Linalool*, Limonene*
*Natural component of essential oils. 

The Reality

Deodorant was the one thing that I was rather apprehensive about when making the transition to cruelty-free, vegan and natural cosmetics.The Sukin Natural Deodorant has quickly dismissed my concerns.

I've never said this about a deodorant before but this deodorant smells just gorgeous. The blend blend of tangerine, mandarin, vanilla and lavender is so fresh, without being overpowering. Furthermore it keeps me odour free. On a cold day I can get away with just one application in the morning, on a warmer day I do need to reapply at least once if not twice dependent on my activities.

At first I wasn't sure how much to apply, so going with the logical more is better approach sprayed about ten sprays only to find that the liquid was rolling down my underarms. So just a heads up a few sprays is enough!

After application you do need to wait for a few minutes for the product to dry and absorb into your skin, as initially it can feel a bit sticky.

I had no issues with the Sukin natural deodorant transferring onto my clothes..No white marks!

The deodorant does not irritate my skin at all, even after shaving. As a side note this product does contain essential oils which can irritate or cause a reaction on some people, so I would avoid this product if this happens to you. Another precaution is if you are pregnant then some essential oils are best avoided so seek advice on this before using this product.

It has to be said, the price is rather on the high side. For someone that usually pay's £1.50 for a deodorant you can see how £8.12 can be considered a bit steep!

I did input all the info for this deodorant into the EWG skin deep report builder, and the product scores a 4. This is a moderate hazard rating. I'm personally okay with this as compared to my previous toxin filled deodorant this is much better.

Although just out of curiosity I would like to try out other products and see what's out there...who knows I may find something better! If not then I will definitely repurchase the Sukin Natural Deodorant.

The Packaging
I like that this deodorant comes in a spray bottle because I do prefer spray deodorants to roll ons.

The Price
Cress UK: £8.12

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
Yes

The Overall Score: 4/5 

Have you tried the Sukin Natural Deodorant? What are your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo

cruelty-free beauty review: soap & glory pulp friction foamy fruity body scrub

The Claims
Get fresher, smoother and softer skin with fig powder, pumice, peppermint oil. lemonade tree liquid, orange waterjuice™ and vitaminballs™ (A,C,E). Scented with our new Fruitigo™ fragrance. 

The Reality

I'm just going to be honest and come out and say I really don't like the Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Foamy Fruity Scrub. The reasons being I don't like the foamy texture. If you like an exfoliator that foams up then this may be the product for you but for me I prefer a scrub to be a scrub and I don't need it to foam up.

In terms of the ex-foliating abilities pulp friction does an okay job. However I prefer a scrub that's moisturising and leaves that oil residue on your skin, which this one does not do and it's not particularly moisturising either.

In addition I'm not a fan of the scent of this product. I do like the original Soap & Glory scent but this scrub has the "fruitigo" fragrance. I find scents hard to describe but to me it smells like figs and yoghurt mixed together, which I don't like.

Furthermore the ingredients list of the pulp friction scrub scares me! There are just too many chemical names that I don't understand. I have been actively paying more attention to the ingredients of the products I'm buying and seeing big ingredients lists filled with chemical names that I don't understand reinforces my decision to move towards natural products. 

Ingredients aside, the product doesn't work for me and that's not to say it won't work for you, personally I won't be repurchasing. 

The Packaging
I love Soap & Glory's fun bright pink packaging. I like that the scrub comes in a squeezy tube, so I don't have to dip my hands into the product. The packaging is the only thing I like about this product. 

The Price
Boots: £8/250ml 

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
No

The Overall Score: 1/5

Have you tried the Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Foamy Fruity Body Scrub? What are your thoughts?

Sita xoxo

benefit boiing concealer: review

I picked up the Benefit Boiing concealer a while back and in today's post I shall be revieing the product. 

The Claims

This award-winning concealer camouflages dark circles, shadows and discoloration without creasing or fading. Even better…the industrial-strength formula is now available in FIVE shades, with a full range from light to deep. Now all gals can be imperfection-free

The Reality

This concealer is very heavy duty, it covers under eye circles and blemishes. Only a small amount of product needs to be applied to get good coverage. 

The concealer is available in 5 shades and I was colour matched at a benefit counter as shade 3 but I think this shade is a little too yellow for my skin tone, however the best match from the shades available and it does blend nicely. 

The main downsides to this concealer and the reasons why I won't be repurchasing it is because it looks cakey and it creases after a few hours when I use it under my eyes. 

The concealer is a more hard/solid type concealer and I think i prefer more creamy/liquidy concealers as they seem to work better for me. 

The Price
Benefit: £17.50/3.0g

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
No

The Overall Score: 3/5

Have you tried the Benefit Boiing Concealer ? What are your opinions about it?

Sita xoxo

aromatherapy associates rose hydrating face mask: review

In this post I shall be reviewing the Aromatherapy Associates Rose Hydrating Face Mask. I received this face mask as a free gift with purchase in a magazine. 

The Claims

A deeply hydrating mask to restore vital moisture to dry skin. Aloe vera and Sodium Hyalauronate, renowned for their hydrating properties, are combined with damask rose water, distilled from Bulgarian roses, in a cooling, transparent mask to bring radiance and vitality to dry complexions.

Key Benefits:

• Intense hydration for dehydrated skins

• Tones the skin

• Refreshing

• Moisturising

The Reality

The face mask is gel like in consistency. Once applied it completely just sinks into my skin and I don't even feel it as all on my face. I don't feel at all like I'm applying a face mask, I feel like I'm applying a serum to my face. 

I have tried using this mask in various ways, I have left it on my face for ten minutes and I have left the mask on overnight before washing it off. Howver either which way after washing the mask off I don't feel any difference nor see any difference. I don't know if i'm using the mask incorrectly, although how many ways are there to apply a face mask! 

On a plus note the mask was non-irritating and did not break me out. The face mask also smelt lovely. 

Unfortunately this mask does nothing for me and I will not be repurchasing it. 

The Price
Aromatherapy Associates: £36/100ml

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
No

The Overall Score: 2/5

Have you tried the Aromatherapy Associates Rose Hydrating Face Mask? What are your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo

benefit lemon aid: review

The Claims

"Our soft, lemon yellow cream helps to hide redness and discolouration on your eyelids. In a snap, eyes look refreshed, frisky, and ready for fun. Can be worn with or without eye makeup. Compact includes mirror for freshening up on-the-go. One shade blends to perfection on every complexion!"

The Reality

I bought this product after visiting the benefit counter at a department store to reduce the appearance of redness on my face. Although the product is advertised for eyelids, the technician said it could be used on the face. She applied it on my face mixing with some cream as I have dry skin then applying foundation on top. I thought it looked good so bought it.

Since purchasing it I have used it for almost a year but find it dificult to apply and found it a little cakey. I think it could work well as an eyelid corrector but wouldn't buy it as a concealer.

The Price
Benefit: £16.50/2.7g

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
No

The Overall Score: 2/5

Have you tried Benefit Lemon Aid? What are your opinions about it?

Radha xoxo

the body shop shea body butter: review

The Claims

This super-rich and creamy Body Butter is a feast for the skin. It melts straight in to leave skin feeling soft and smooth. It contains Community Fair Trade shea butter and has a delicious nutty scent.

• 24-hour hydration
• Great for very dry skin
• Delicious nutty scent

The Reality
The Shea Body Butter is a very thick and rich body butter. However it absorbs into the skin easily without feeling greasy or heavy. A little goes a long way and you only need to use a small amount of product. 

The body butter has a lovely light nutty scent, which is not overpowering. 

This is a great product for any skin type but for dry skin in particular. The Body Shop do a number of different flavours of body butters and the shea butter is one of our favourites. 

The Price 
The Body Shop: £13/200ml 

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
Yes

The Overall Score: 4.5/5

Have you tried The Body Shop Shea Body Butter? Or any of the other Body Butters? What's your favourite scent? 

Sita & Radha xoxo

the body shop shea shower cream

The Claims

This soap-free, moisture-rich shower cream contains real shea butter. It has a subtle nutty scent

• Soap-free
• Lather-rich
• Subtle nutty scent

The Reality
The Shea Shower Cream has a lovely creamy texture. It feels so rich and luxurious to use. I always feel like I'm using a high end product.

The shower cream is super moisturising and does not dry my skin out at all, my skin is left feeling soft and smooth.

It is nice and gentle and does not irritate or make my skin itch. The shower gel smells great and has a light nutty smell which is not at all overpowering unlike the Sweet Lemon Shower Gel which I've reviewed before.

From my experience with The Body Shop Shower Gels, the citrus/floral scents are more foamy and lather a lot more whereas the nutty scents are more creamy and moisturising.

The Price 
The Body Shop: £4/250ml

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
Yes

The Overall Score: 4.5/5

Have you tried The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream? What are your thoughts? 

Sita & Radha xoxo

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no7 beautiful skin radiance exfoliator: review

Today I'm reviewing the No7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator.

The Claims
Created to help your dry skin behave like normal skin and provide tailored skin nutrition for healthy looking, bright, beautiful skin. Sweep away dead skin cells and impurities, to reveal brighter, more beautiful skin. With a special blend of exfoliating particles, this gentle exfoliator helps remove dead skin cells and refines pores, leaving skin soft, smooth and glowing with health.

The Reality
I like that this exfoliator is a creamy consistency with small pink exfoliating beads. This helps to prevent my skin from feeling dry after I have used it which I have experienced with other face exfoliators. 

I'm not sure what the pink beads within the exfoliator are, but they have a knack to get everywhere so I would definitely recommended washing your face thoroughly post usage. 

The product is non-irritating and did not break me out nor leave any redness on my skin after usage. 

I have used the St Ives scrub in the past and found that too harsh and drying for my skin type, this scrub I find is more gentle and works better for me. However it is still grainy enough to remove dead skin cells and leaves my skin leaving soft and smooth. 

I usually use the exfoliator once or twice a week. Any more than that I think would be too harsh. 

I hauled this exfoliator back in March and used my £5 off No7 voucher to purchase the product, which always seem to be flying around, So for £3 I think it is a great price, I'm not sure I would be willing to pay the full £8 for it though. However you only need to use a small pea sized each time, so I'm sure this one tube will last me the rest of the year! 

The Packaging

I like the squeezy tube packaging. I always prefer packaging that you don't have to dip your fingers into as I think it is more hygienic.

The Price 

Boots: £8/75ml

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?

Yes

The Overall Score: 3.5/5

Have you tried any of the No7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator? What are your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo

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mac paint pot in indianwood and constructivist: review + swatches

Today we're reviewing the MAC Paint points in Indianwood and Constructivist. Both these Paint Pots are part of MAC's permanent range so available all year round. 

The Claims
A highly pigmented eye colour that goes on creamy but dries to an intense, vibrant finish. The next generation of a popular MAC formula, Paint Pots maintains all the intense traits of its inspiration. Long. wearing, colourfast. Creates seamless coverage without weight or caking. Blends smoothly over lids. Cream-based, can be mixed with MAC shadows and liners. Available in satin, cream, frost and pearl formulas. 

The Reality
We love the MAC Paint Pots. They are versatile in that they can be used as an eye shadow base or even on there own swept over the eyelids for a quick and simple look.

The Indianwood Paint Pot is a lovely metallic golden-bronzy colour. The Constructivist Paint Pot  is a warm brown shade with a slight shimmer. Both these colours work well for warm, medium to dark skin tones. However in total there are nine shades in the permanent Paint Pot range, so there are plenty of options to choose from and something that will suit every skin tone and eye colour.

Both Paint Pots have great colour pay off and apply onto the eyelid easily either with a flat shader brush or with your fingers. They are easy to work with and blend nicely, although you do need to be relatively quick as they do dry fast.

The colours last all day without fading or creasing on our eyelids. However if you have oily eyelids then creasing could be a problem for you and you may want to consider a primer underneath.

A little goes a long way and the small tub lasts a long time! As the Paint Pot is a cream product it will dry out so it can work out expensive if it's not a product your going to use often.

The Packaging

The product comes packaged in cute little glass tub with a black plastic lid.

The Price 

MAC Cosmetics: £14.50/5g

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?

Yes

The Overall Score: 4.5/5

Have you tried any of the MAC Paint Pots? What are your thoughts? 

Sita & Radha xoxo

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nivea daily essentials light moisturising day cream for normal & combination skin: review

The Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream for Normal & Combination Skin is a face cream that I have been using for the past ten years on and off. It's a cream I always go back to and have used up many tubes.

The Claims

NIVEA® Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream enriched with Vitamin E, Lotus Extract & Hydra IQ:

• Provides intensive moisture.
• Helps to protect the skin from sunlight induced environmental influences and premature ageing with SPF 15.
• Refreshes the skin.
• The formulation with Vitamin E, gives your skin the intensive moisture it needs to support its natural balance.

The Reality
This Nivea face cream is medium in consistency however absorbs into the skin easily. It is non-oily and non-greasy. It has a lovely light fresh scent which isn't too strong overpowering. 

The face cream moisturises my skin leaving it feeling soft and hydrated all day long. The cream does not irritate my skin and does not break me out. 

Furthermore the cream has SPF 15 so protects my skin from the sun. 

ASDA and Tesco usually have the cream on promotion for £2 quite frequently which in my opinion is an absolute bargain and when I stock up. 

What more can I say I have no complaints. 

The Price 

Boots: £3.99/50ml
Superdrug: £4.05/50ml

The Packaging

The face cream comes in a squeezy tube which I really like. I prefer any packaging where I don't have to dip my fingers into the product as I feel as though it is more hygienic. 

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?

Yes

The Overall Score: 4.5/5

Have you tried the Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream? What are your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo

mac fix plus: review

I will be reviewing the MAC Fix+ in this post.

The Claims
An aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up! 

The Reality

I use the MAC fix+ as a finishing spray after I've applied my makeup. The spray instantly lifts my makeup and gives me a smooth and dewy finish. I think it works particularly well when using powder foundation to make your face look fresh and dewy rather then matt and powdery.  

I like to spray fix+ over my face to freshen up and hydrate my face throughout the day, especially on hot days.  

The product also works well as a toner. It absorbs well into the skin, it does not dry my skin out and also smells lovely too.

I love the versatility of this product and also occasional use it with eyeshadow, I just spray a little bit on the brush and then use the shadow as a liner or to foil eyeshadow. 

I will point out that what this spray does not do is to make makeup last longer, this is by no means a setting spray, and it doesn't claim to be either. 

It is a bit on the expensive side in terms of price. I've never tried any similar products just stuck to the fix+ as I've liked it, so if anyone does have any cheaper alternatives please suggest them in the comments below.

The Price 
MAC Cosmetics: £13.50/100ml

The Packaging 
I do like the packaging and that I can easily spray it on my face. I like that you can lock the spray so that you don't get any accidents when its in your bag. 

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?
Yes 

The Overall Score: 4.5/5

Have you tried the MAC fix+? What are your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo

the body shop sweet lemon body scrub: review

In today's post I shall be reviewing the Sweet Lemon Body Scrub from The Body Shop. I have already reviewed in full the shower gel, body butter and lip butter from the sweet lemon range if you would like to see what I thought of those.

The Claims
This exfoliating body scrub contains real lemon seed oil and peel. It lifts away dead skin cells and has a zesty citrus scent.

• Removes dead skin cells
• Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth
• Stimulates skin microcirculation
• Zesty citrus scent

The Reality

Finally I have found a product from the sweet lemon range that I actually like. The biggest problem I had with this range was that I disliked the scent and when I don't like the scent of a product I don't particularly like using it. I'm not in love with the scent of the body scrub to me it smells like a lemon and honey cough syrup, however I do not hate it either.

The body scrub itself I actually do like as it left my skin feeling soft and smooth.The scrub has the right level of grittiness to remove all those dead skin cells and leave my skin feeling polish. However my skin did not feel dried out after using it. I'm assuming its the oils in the scrub that leave a light protective layer on your skin to keep the skin moisturised.

I have to say I do really like the body scrubs from The Body Shop.

The Price 

The Body Shop: £12.50/200ml

The Packaging

The scrub comes in a plastic tub which does the job, and makes it easy to use up every last bit of the product. 

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?

Yes

The Overall Score: 4/5

Have you tried The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Scrub? What are your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo

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the body shop sweet lemon body butter: review

Yesterday I reviewed The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Shower Gel and to use in conjunction with it I also bought The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Butter. In today's post I shall be reviewing the Body Butter.

The Claims

This rich and creamy Body Butter is a feast for the skin. It melts straight in to leave skin feeling soft and smooth. It contains Community Fair Trade shea butter and smells of fresh lemon.

• 24-hour hydration
• Great for normal to dry skin
• Fresh lemon scent

The Reality
I can't seem to stand the scent of the sweet lemon range of products from The Body Shop. The smell of this body butter it's way too strong and using the sweet lemon shower gel in conjunction with this body butter makes me feel like I've just bathed in artificially flavoured lemon juice. The scent reminds me of washing up liquid or bathroom cleaning products. 

The body butter is thick and creamy in consistency and does take a little while to absorb into the skin and does leaves the skin a bit greasy for a few minutes whilst it is absorbing.

The body butter is moisturising and leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated after use.

At £13 it is a little on the expensive side however The Boy Shop are always having promotions so I would highly recommend taking advantage of special promotion codes when buying any product from The Body Shop. 

The Price 

The Body Shop: £13/200ml

The Ultimate Question: Would I Repurchase?

No. Although I do love other flavours of The Body Shop body butters and will be continuing to purchase those. 

The Overall Score: 3/5

Have you tried The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Butter? What are your thoughts? 

Sita xoxo