Dr. Hauschka Daily Face Care Kit

A few months ago I decided to buy Dr. Hauschka Daily Face Care Kit for Oily Skin when my face seemed to be more oily than fried aubergine saturated in oil, it was as if an oil rig had decided to move in!!! I think it was the after-effect of having adult chicken pox.

Originally I only wanted to get the Rejuvenating Mask but didn't want to splurge on the full size without trying it first - in case my skin reacted to it. I was also interested to have a little try of everything, thus buying the this "deep cleansing kit" seemed to be the perfect solution. In no order of importance, here's what I think about them.

Cleansing Cream - I really wanted this to work as I like the pressing and rolling movements that are supposed to be used with it. Sadly my skin became congested everytime I used it.

Clarifying Toner - Although it contains alcohol, it didn't irritate my skin like other "alcoholic" toner do (Clinique, I'm talking about you!). It's this toner that helped to tone down the oiliness without drying my skin.

Normalizing Day Oil - I still can't make up my mind about it. Firstly, I'm not so keen on the smell. Secondly, I've read about cocoa butter being acnegenic, so I'm a bit suspicious of products that has it in the ingredients list. I've used it a few times with mixed result: first few times my skin seemed to have no problem with it, on other occasions my skin developed some acnes after using the oil. IMO it's probably better suited for people who don't have acne-prone skin like me.

Facial Steam Bath - As the name suggests, it's to be mixed with water for facial steaming. I love the gorgeous scent. Apart from that, I'm not sure whether it actually did anything for my skin.

Rejuvenating Mask - I like the fact that I can put this mask on before sleep to wake up with a smoother/plumper skin. It hasn't really had any effect on my flat red marks/scarring like it claimed to be, so I only use it for treat when my combination skin feels in need of an extra moisturising boost. I really love the scent.

Cleansing Clay Mask - once it's mixed with water (plus a sprinkle of Facial Steam Bath), it has smoother consistency to other clay masks I've used. I love the herby smell. I found it troublesome to follow the instruction to keep my face "damp at all times" in the 10 minutes of using it. Not surprising, really, since I'm a girl who likes slap-it-and-leave-it approach when it comes to face masks.

Verdict: I would probably re-purchase the Clarifying Toner, Rejuvenating Mask, and Cleansing Clay Mask again. Especially if they're priced better. :)

Around The World in Body Washes

Often other things in life gets in the way of blogging, thus my recent absence. I thank God for small mercies and the little things in life that bring smiles to my face. Amongst those: basking in the morning sunshine, enjoying fresh (and cold) autumn weather, watching cute cows in the field, finishing a good book, munching chocolate wafers while reading the said book, wearing my favourite parfume even when I'm just staying at home, and having a lovely shower gel to wash the cares away at the end of the day. :)

I especially value my "Me Time" in the showers. It's like a no-caffeine coffee boost to me, I can't function without it. That's why I'm quite fussy with shower products. Firstly, they have to smell good. Secondly, I like them to be gentle and not drying my skin, even when I take long showers. Thirdly, I like them to foam well. Most importantly, they shouldn't irritate my sensitive skin.

Amongst the best I've found so far:
1. Sanctuary Spa 12-hour Moisturising Shower Cream from UK -read my review here.
2. Refreshing Body Wash from Living Nature, a New Zealand brand I found when living in Auckland some years ago.
3. Pure Innosense Chamomile and Feijoa Shower Gel - another NZ brand I found when living in Australia.

Since then I haven't really found anything else I like. Until recently.

Yesterday I finished a 225ml bottle of A'kin Sandalwood Body Wash, received courtesy of A'kin, an Australian company. The blurb on the bottle: "A'kin body washes use the finest essential oils known for their aromatherapy benefits, combined with the purest non-drying cleansers which are sulfate & paraben free, to leave your skin thoroughly cleansed & silky soft... Also ideal as a bubble bath, in the spa, washing delicates or at the hand basin. Pure & gentle for babies, children, the elderly, and those with sensitive or fragile skin."

It foams well, doesn't dry nor irritate my skin. The light sandalwood scent reminds me of my trips to Bali. I haven't tried it as a bubble bath and I don't have spa, so I can't verify the claim. I did try it to wash my delicates - cleansed them well, leaving them smelling freshly "sandalwood-ed". :)

If you're a regular reader you'd know that I'm always on the prowl for multi-purpose products that work well as I travel quite a bit. This product fits the description. The fact that it's a "natural" product makes me feel even more virtuous.

Verdict: a gentle body wash that has earned it's place in my "shower hall of fame".

So there you go, my around the world in body washes: from UK to New Zealand to Australia, I've done them all! Hehehe... How about you my dear reader, what's your favourite shower products?

Ingredients: Aqua (purified Australian water), cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine (from coconut), sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (from palm), disodium cocoamphodiacetate (from coconut), sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (from palm), lauryl glucoside (from coconut, palm & glucose), glyceryl laurate (botanical source), glycerin (botanical source), sorbitol (from GMO free maize), sodium gluconate (from GMO free corn), sodium citrate (botanical source), citric acid (botanical source), fusanus spicatus wood (West Australian sandalwood) oil, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, pogostemon cablin oil, syzygium aromaticum (clove) flower oil, farnesol (from sandalwood oil).

A'kin Pure Emergency Gel

I love multi-purpose products as in my travels I can't take too many products with me. Why take many different products if I can carry one that works the same? Based on this principle, I was delighted when I received A'kin Pure Emergency Gel from the lovely people at A'kin.

The blurb: "With aloe, d panthenol (proVitamin B5) and chamomile this oil free formula helps to cool, calm and soothe fragile skin. Also great as a light everyday moisturiser on sensitive, fragile or oily skins, and as an after shave or waxing balm."

I've been using it for about 3 weeks (the time that skin takes to renew itself) and I can say that I wish I had found this product earlier. Before I continue, I'd like to say that I'm not being paid to write this. Rest assured that yours truly hasn't turned into a sold-out blogger (read my other comments here). Free or not free product, I always do my best to write an honest review. Enough said. :)

Back to the Emergency Gel. To start with, lovely trip as it was, pigging out on clotted cream and fudge in Devon and Cornwall wrecked a havoc on my skin. Some angry pimples came out on my cheeks plus one big hormonal pimples on my chin. My skin felt sore and red. Dr. Alkaitis serum that's supposed to tackle inflammation didn't help either.

In my desperation I started slapping A'kin Emergency gel on my skin. I didn't even do a patch test first, which was unusual for me, as I always approach new product with caution. Thankfully it worked! When I woke up the next morning my skin was noticeably less red and less bumpy, the size of my two biggest pimples were much reduced. My skin felt soothed and smoother. I've been applying it every night ever since.

For those who like scented product, don't expect other scent apart from aloe vera smell as this gel is "unscented". The transparent gel feels a little sticky on application, though it doesn't take long for it to disappear into my skin. As a day moisturiser it doesn't grab my mineral foundation, as long as I leave it to dry first before applying makeup. I still prefer to use it in the evenings as I could slather as much gel as I like. Also, I've just started using another A'kin product in the mornings - watch the space for the review.

Is it a miracle product? Not if you're expecting this gel to vacuum the house, do the dishes, and cook for you. :) I think it does what it says: reduces skin redness, soothes and calms my skin, providing the right amount of moisture for my current skin condition. It's also a great gel to use after plucking my eyebrows.

One word of warning: expect a very slight stinging sensation if applied to broken skin. I had tiny "ouch moments" when I tried applying the gel on the cuts from the bicycle incident. Yeah, I'm a chicken...

Verdict: my wonder gel of the moment has made a new A'kin convert out of me.

Ingredients: Aqua (purified Australian water), aloe barbadensis leaf juice (20%), panthenol (pro Vit B5) (5%), sorbitol (from GMO free maize), glycerin (botanical source), sclerotium gum, mannitol (and) ammonium glycyrrhizate (and) caffeine (and) zinc gluconate (and) aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) extract, sodium ethylhexylglycerin, sodium gluconate (from GMO free corn), chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract.

I've Found My HG Hair Conditioner!

I know I'm on to a very good thing when I managed to finish up a 500ml bottle of product AND used it consistently for 9 months straight without switching to other brand. It's an impressive feat for a product because I normally like to try different products to make sure I'm not missing out on anything out there. :)

It's even more impressive because it's a "natural" product that's "vegan, using certified organic ingredients where possible, 100% natural botanical aromatherapy and formulated without animal ingredients or animal testing."

So here it is: my long hair is loving Al'chemy Macadamia & Wheat Protein Treatment Conditioner. It's supposed to be for "damaged hair & split ends or intensive care". My hair is fairly normal with only a tiny bit of split ends, I use the conditioner every time I wash my hair (2-3 times/week) - I suppose it counts as intensive care in that matter.

Personally I find that this conditioner does everything it says on this blurb: "The ultimate deeply repairing hair treatment combining cold pressed Australian macadamia oil to nourish the scalp and hair. The conditioner contains 2% wheat protein to help repair hair follicles and eliminate tangles. Your hair retains moisture, is revitalized and silky smooth."

I love the practical pump bottle as I don't like fiddling around with bottle tops in the shower. The yummy cardamom smell enhances my hair washing experience immensely.

Overall I'm very pleased with this beautiful find from my previous life in OZ. Thankfully it's also available in UK (as A'kin, not Al'chemy - not sure why) so I don't need to have withdrawal symptoms. :)

Verdict: I think I've found my Holy Grail hair conditioner! Enough said.

Ingredients: Aqua (purified Australian water), glycerin (botanical source), behentrimonium methosulfate (from GMO free rapeseed) (and) cetearyl alcohol (botanical source), hydrolyzed wheat protein (GMO free), macadamia ternifolia seed oil (cold pressed Australian grown), simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil (cold pressed Australian grown), soy lecithin (GMO free), glyceryl laurate (botanical source), sodium gluconate (from GMO free corn), potassium sorbate, citric acid (botanical source), fusanus spicatus wood (West Australian sandalwood) oil, cedrus atlantica (cedarwood) bark oil, lecithin (and) tocopherol (and) ascorbyl palmitate (and) hydrogenated palm glycerides citrate, elettaria cardamomum seed oil, syzygium atomaticum (clove) flower oil.

GROWN Damask Rose, Black Pepper & Sage Shampoo

GROWN Damask Rose, Black Pepper & Sage Shampoo is another fabulous buy from my OZ stint. I've been using it for about 8 months now.

I almost gave this shampoo away as the first few times of using it I didn't like it, I couldn't get the shampoo to foam properly. I'm glad I decided to keep it. After trials and errors, I discovered that applying it on very wet hair produces plenty of foam.

Here's how I would normally use it: use 2 pumps to begin with, gently massaging it into the hair and scalp, rinse well, then repeat with another 2 pumps before rinsing everything away. My hair feel much softer and lighter when I do it this way.

I also use it to wash my makeup brushes to keep the natural hair soft. I have to remember not to use too much shampoo, otherwise my brushes feel too soft! :)

The gorgeous geranium scent reminds me of it's "sister" from the same brand: Geranium leaf, Bergamot and Rose-bud facial cleanser. The chic pump bottle is recyclable - LOVE!

Verdict: a good organic shampoo that keeps my hair soft, making my hair (and the bathroom) smelling gorgeous afterwards.

Ingredients: Aqua (Purified Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract (and) Matricaria Recutita (Camomile) Flower Extract (and) Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract (and) Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract (and) Solanum Centrale (Bush Tomato) Fruit Extract (and) Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Vegetable), Hydrolysed Wheat Protein, Rosa Damascena (Rose Absolute) Flower Oil, Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Oil, Polysorbate 20 (Vegetable), Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil, Salvi Sclrea (Clary Sage) Oil, Phenoxyethanol Citral (Vegetable), Geraniol (Vegetable), Citronellol (Vegetble), Linlool, Limonene (Vegetable), Sodium Hydroxymethyglycinate (Vegetable), Caramel (Vegetable).

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

I've been using Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream on and off in the past year. Sometimes I forget to use it and only run to it when my cuticles starting to look "thirsty". This non-greasy cream works wonders for my cuticles, it even softens and moisturises the thick and dry cuticles on my feet!

The cute tin is handy, perfect for handbag or on the (already crowded) bedside table. The instruction says to "massage into and around nails nightly". Personally I use it anytime I like, doesn't have to be before bed time.

I love the strong lemon scent, the moisturising property, and the fact that Burt's Bees products state how many percent of the ingredients are naturally derived. It's also Natural Products Association Certified. Needless to say I included a tin of this cuticle cream in a gift parcel I sent to my sister on her last birthday.

The only thing I don't love: the cream makes my toes itched whenever I use too much of it. To avoid this problem, I find that the key is to use it sparingly. If I just run my index finger over the balm, this amount is enough to cover 5 fingers (or 5 toes) in a go.

Verdict: a trusty cuticle cream.

Ingredients: Sweet almond oil, beeswax, lemon oil, cocoa butter, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), candelilla wax, sunflower oil, rosemary leaf extract, tocopherol (vitamin E), beta carotene, vegetable oil.

* I'm not sure why the ingredients list on my tin is different from the one on their webpage here.

Badger Balm Sore Muscle Rub

It must have been an inspired moment when I bought Badger Balm Sore Muscle Rub (Original Blend) before I contracted Swine Flu.

I've never used this particular muscle rub before, so I was a little disappointed when I didn't feel a strong heat on my skin right after I apply it. The warmth came out slower as a comforting heat that doesn't give stinging sensations on my skin. Despite my initial reservations, I'm happy to say that it has been working well to soothe my sore muscles.

I love the exotic scent of this balm, reminds me of my travels in the Far East. I have to confess that the particular smell of cardamom and lemongrass made me feel a bit hungry at times. :)

I love the fact it's USDA Certified Organic. The cute graphic on the tin makes me love it even more.

Verdict: it's definitely a keeper.

Ingredients: Olea Europaea (Extra Virgin Olive) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor Oil), Cera Alba (Beeswax), Capsicum Frutescens (Cayenne) Extract, Essential Oils of Zingiber Officinale (Ginger), Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamom), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass), Rosmarinus Officanalis (Rosemary), Thymus Mustichina (Wild Marjoram), Salvia Officinalis (Sage) and CO2 Extracts of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) & Rosa Canina (Rosehip).

Sanctum Organic Australia

My friend Beauty Bee has kindly agreed to be my guest reviewer. Today she's reviewing 6 products from Sanctum Australia.

As you know I always include a product's ingredients list whenever I could. Sanctum webpage has already listed the ingredients on their webpage, so please check it out yourself.

Without further ado, please welcome Beauty Bee with a big round of applause! :)

"My skin is a reasonable normal skin type with a few sun spots and the start of some small wrinkles around the eye area. I am prone to have small blackheads on my nose and what I would consider medium size pores on my nose.

Foaming Facial Cleanser – Comes in a pump bottle with a simplistic design. I use one pump application to clean my face. It has a very light texture and has a delicate smell of lemons that isn’t too over powering. I rub my palms together to get an even distribution over my face when I gentle massage it into the skin. It was rinsed freely from the skin leaving a clean feel without the oily residue or tightness that some cleansers leave on my skin. When I have worn makeup I tend to double cleanse(out of habit more than anything) .

After using this product for two weeks my skin's texture hasn’t changed a lot but the blackheads on my nose are visibly less and the pores on my nose appear smaller.

Toner and Refresh Mist – Is packaged in a spray bottle. After cleansing I gave my skin a light spray to help freshen it up and prepare it for my serum.

Hy C Recovery Serum - Is in a small pump bottle. I use two small pumps of product and put it on the back of my hand. It is a light amber coloured gel that tends to melt with my body temperature reasonably quickly. I gentle patted it onto my skin making sure I took extra care around my eye and lip area.

It seemed to refine the texture of my skin and did give it a more luminescent appearance. This product had a natural fragrance that I could relate to something in my childhood. After reading the ingredient list I discovered it was probably the honeysuckle, which smelt like mum’s golden syrup dumplings. (Music is drooling here... hehehe...)

Moisture Replenish – This lightweight cream is packaged in a tube with a flip lid. I only need to use a small amount of this product. lt doesn’t have that really organic/earthy fragrance that some organic ranges tend to have. Sanctum Moisture replenish has a light breezy aroma that almost smells a bit like weak lemon tea infusing on the kitchen bench. It is great under foundation and I have even used it under mineral foundation powder as it sinks into the skin quickly leaving it smooth and hydrated.

I applied a small amount onto my finger tips and pressed it onto my skin. For a better result I applied as per the instructions Sanctum Hy C Recovery Serum before applying Moisture Replenish.

Firming Eye Balm - This balm comes in a small 15 ml tube, but that is the only thing that is small. After solely using this firming eye balm I have noticed a reduction in the crows feet around my eyes. It isn’t heavy or gluggy as some eye creams and balms can be at times. I have the start of a ‘crepey’ area by my nose and this has really helped improved the appearance of my skin. I have applied it under my makeup and it doesn’t leave a greasy or creased looking finish to my face. You apply a small droplet of balm around your orbital bone and gentle pat it into the skin with your ring finger. It has a light natural fragrance that isn’t overpowering.

Night Conditioning Cream – This night cream is presented in a tub with a screw top lid. I am not a fan of product in tubs especially skincare for the face as they can become contaminated. I have never been fully convinced that night creams are really necessary, however this product is changing my preception of this. It is thicker in consistancey and when gentle massaged over the face and neck (don’t forget the neck), it leaves my skin feeling nourished and revived.

This product, like all the Sanctum products that I have used, has a light fragrance that is very pleasing. I also followed the recommendation on the packaging and applied Sanctum Hy C Recovery Serum before applying the Night Conditioning Cream.

Overview
I really love the overall performance of this product line. It has left my skin looking more youthful. Considering I have only been using it for a couple of weeks I believe there is still more room for improvement. I love the textures of Sanctum's products. If anybody is looking for a reasonably priced, good quality skincare line I would highly recommend this one.

Sanctum also has the added bonus that it is a Certified Organic product line which ensures that you get genuine Organic ingredients produced in superior environment.

My only criticism of Sanctum is that I would like to see them discontinue the use of boxes to package there products in. While they are very pretty they aren’t necessary and would help with reducing recycling."

Comments from Music: I haven't used any Sanctum products so I can't agree or disagree with Beauty Bee's opinions. I tried contacting Sanctum twice to ask whether I could get some samples to try myself. To my disappointment I didn't get any reply on both occasions, not even a "no" answer nor did I get any acknowledgement to my emails. Not a great customer service in my opinion. I wonder whether they "ignored" me because they don't have UK stockist? Who knows, I guess I have to wait until my next travel to OZ before I could try them out! :)

GROWN Vanilla & Orange Peel Hand Cream

I've joined GQ in trying to finish up "old" products first before buying a new one. Amongst other things, I've nearly finished my tube of GROWN Vanilla & Orange Peel Hand Cream.

So far I don't have anything I don't like from this hand cream.

Here are my thoughts on it:

- LOVE the subtly refreshing orange scent. I can't stop smelling my hands everytime I use it.

- It's non-greasy (like it said on the packaging) = I could go back to whatever I'm doing as soon as I've finished applying the cream. In fact, I'm using the hand cream as I'm typing this. :)

- It makes my hands & cuticles feel softer and moisturised for longer than other brands I've tried. IMO it's even better than my favourite L'Occitane hand creams.

- If you look at the ingredients list, it contains so many different natural oils = I like!

- The packaging reminds me so much of Aesop = chic packaging.

Verdict: It's positively my HG hand cream. When I've finished this tube, can someone in OZ please send me some more? Please? PLEASE?!

Here's the blurb on the tube: "This non-greasy formulation of moisturising active botanicals, naturally soothes and softens dry undernourished hands and cuticles. Bio Active Ingredients: Antioxidants from grape seed, wheatgerm and rose hip oil protect against free radical damage and boost the skin’s natural protective function. Rose Hip and Camellia Seed Oil increase the skin’s lipid content which helps to restore moisture levels & enhances the skin’s natural moisture retaining capability."

Ingredients: Aqua (Purified Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Extract, Prunis Amygdulis Dulcis (Sweet Almod) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol (Vegetable), Ceteareth-20 (Vegetable), Glycerin (Vegetable), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Camellia Sinensis (Camellia) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Seed) Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed (Grapeseed Oil), Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil, Rosa Moschata (Rose Hips) Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheatgerm) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides (Vegetable), Glycine Soka (Soyabean) Oil, Sesamum Indicumm (Sesame) Seed Oil, Daucus Carota (Carrot) Root Extract, Tocopherol (Vegetable), Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn Berry) Oil, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Vegetable), Phenoxyethanol Lactic Acid (Nature Identical), Rosa Damascena (Rose) Absolute, Citrus Sinensis (Sweet Orange) Oil, Vanilin (Vegetable), Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Oil, Limonene (Vegetable), Linalool (Vegetable), Citronellol (Vegetable), Geraniol (Vegetable).

GROWN Geranium Leaf, Bergamot & Rose-bud Facial Cleanser

Recently I've been missing Australia in a big way.

Amongst many things, I miss:

- my friends.

- breathing fresh air tinged with Eucalyptus scents in Perth.

- Vegemite: it's better than Marmite, without a doubt! :)

- walking around Swan River and King's Park.

- firework displays on Swan River.

- the carefree lifestyle.

- the fabulous range of natural products available for sale there.

The other day hubby found a bottle of GROWN Geranium Leaf, Bergamot and Rose-bud Facial Cleanser in one of our many boxes in the storage place. I was so excited, it was like finding a long lost treasure! (Well, almost...)

Not only it's gentle to my AC skin (After Chickenpox, in case you forget. Hehe...), the beautiful scent helps me to relax and forget about my trouble for a moment. The instruction on the bottle says to "gently rubs between hands, massage onto face". Most of the time I apply the cleanser neat onto my face, with a tiny bit of water to make massaging easier. Adding more water creates more foams. I always do double cleansing to make sure that all traces of my mineral powder all gone from my face.

Verdict: it's gentle, it smells gorgeous, it works. What more do I want? (Magically being flown back to OZ... LOL... )

Ingredients: Aqua (Purified Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (White Willow) Bark Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Cocamidopropyl Betain (Vegetable), Decyl Glucoside (Vegetable), PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate (Vegetable), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (Vegetable), Phenoxyethanol Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), Rosa Damascena (Rose Absolute) Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Oil, Citrus Sinensis (Sweet Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Oil, Polysorbate 20 (Vegetable), Citral (Vegetable), Geraniol (Vegetable), Citronellol (Vegetable), Linalool (Vegetable), Limonene (Vegetable), Caramel (Vegetable).

Peppermint Foot Lotion and Lip Balm

Occasionally I contract a "foot in mouth" disease, when my mouth speaks faster than my brains. So I'll start this from the bottom to the top.

A little caution: I've heard about people being allergic to peppermint. So it's always good to do a spot test before trying any new things. As with other things, what I like you might not like, vice versa. So don't blame me if you don't like them! Hahaha... See, even my disclaimers are at the top, just to turn things around a bit.

Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion

I love it when pepperminty products deliver real pepperminty kick like this one does. The foot lotion "refresh and soothe" my tired feet, just like it says on the tube. I don't notice any moisturising effect, which isn't a problem as it never claimed to be.

Verdict: Very musical (= highly recommended).

Natural meter: 100% natural - LOVE! #

Ingredients *:
Water, sunflower oil, vegetable glycerin, coconut oil, beeswax, peppermint oil, stearic acid (vegetable fat), witch hazel, glucose (sugar), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), wheat germ oil, tea tree oil, parsley leaf oil, orange wax, tocopherol (vitamin E), rosemary leaf extract, menthol, sodium borate (natural borax), xanthan gum, sucrose stearate (sugar emulsifier), glucose oxidase & lactoperoxidase (natural enzymes).

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

I'm not a huge fan of lip balms/lip glosses/lipsticks. I could do without any lip products, or so I thought before I tried this lip balm.

I'm addicted to the instant hit of peppermint zing on my lips. Personally I think the fresh feeling stays longer than after using minty toothpaste. It's an essential part of my bedtime rituals now, I can't sleep without applying the lip balm first (after brushing my teeth, of course!)

On most days I only use it once a day, but the difference is noticeable: my lips are smooth and moisturised.

It also does everything it says on the tube:
- Soothing (yup)
- Cooling (absolutely)
- Refreshing (without doubt)

A word of caution: do not use if you're allergic to lanolin.

Verdict: Very musical (= highly recommended).

Natural meter: 100% natural - LOVE! #

Ingredients *:

Beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower oil, tocopheryl acetate & tocopherol (vitamin E), lanolin, peppermint oil, comfrey root extract, rosemary extract.

* found on my products, not sure why they're slightly different from the list on their webpage.

# according to the webpage.

I love the fact that Burt's Bees products contain REAL natural ingredients and honestly says how many percent of the product is natural. Unlike some overpriced, overrated, over-hyped bogus "natural" products with misleading advert... don't even get me started on those... my beauty friends should know which particular brand I'm thinking of... The "ghost" of skincare past... Hehehe...