Holland and Barrett Dr. Organic Haul*

I was recently sent some more Holland and Barrett goodies from the Dr Organic range and after trying them out for a few weeks now, I thought I would share with you my recommendations. Dr Organic is a brand I have used before and I have tried many small sachet samples however I have never previously received full sized products. 

Dr Organic Raw Virgin Virgin Coconut Oil

The first item I saw was this coconut oil and being a massive fan I was so chuffed with such a large jar! Coconut oil is so versatile in that it can be used for cooking, baking, in smoothies and on your skin and hair. This Dr Organic one is unrefined and cholesterol free. There is nothing artificial here and it’s suitable for vegans too. As I was having my nails done for my holiday, I used the coconut oil just to soften and strengthen them ready for the acrylics and this oil really did a good job of that.

Dr Organic Manuka Honey Rescue Cream - 50ml -RRP £8.99

This Manuka honey cream can be used day and night, whenever you feel you need a top up. This cream is safe to use on sun exposed skin, sensitive or irritated skin. For that reason, it's great in the summer and the winter. This cream really did leave my skin feeling soft and absorbes fast so you aren't left with that tacky feeling. This is something I would definitely use again and for the price it's a pretty decent sized pot. A little can go a long way.

Dr Organic Virgin Olive Oil Face Mask - 125ml - RRP £6.49
I probably don't used face masks as often as I should so when I got this one, I wanted to make it a part of my daily routine. This mask is very hydrating and leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft. This is a clay based formula and aims to draw out oil from your pores. It leaves your skin feeling toned. The texture is nice and the mask rinses off easily which is something I always look out for in a face mask. I'd reccomend this to anyone that wants to control oily skin.

Dr Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Moisture Melt Body Oil - 90g - RRP £9.59

This body oil is amazing. This treatment is based on organic virgin coconut oil, and smells just like it. The texture is like coconut oil too and is soild at room temperature. To use this product, I submerge the bottle into warm water until some of it has liquefied and then pour onto the skin. This is best used after a shower or a bath and makes my skin feel amazing. The oil soaks in beautifully and doesn’t leave any residue. It has a really lovely scent which is based on coconut oil with gardenia flowers, papaya seed oil, mango butter, cocoa butter, orange fruit extract, bergamot fruit oil, lemon peel oil and added vitamin E. The product comes in a glass bottle too which makes this feel even more luxurious and is good for dry areas such as the elbows and knees. A little goes a long way with this so I think it will really last and I will most likely repurchase.

Dr Organic Hemp Oil Rescue & Restore Hair & Scalp Treatment - 150ml - RRP £14.99

This product is really easy to use and is described as an energising treatment mousse based on organic Hemp Oil. This product aims to increase hair density and stimulate healthy hair growth, With a mousse like texture, this product is best used on wet hair before styling. The product is light and made from natural and organic ingredients. My hair is already rather thick so I passed this onto the other half to use. The result is thicker hair that feels healthy and energised. 

*I received these items free of charge.

Holland and Barrett Beauty Haul*

I wasn’t sure what to call this post as technically it is not a haul as such but I did receive a nice bundle of beauty goodies from Holland and Barrett which I thought I would review. I am part of the Holland and Barrett Good Life Insiders group which means I occasionally get to trial products for them. I recently got these beauty products and was over the moon. I have been trying them out for a week or so now so I thought I would share my thoughts.

I received four items from the Trilogy range, the first one being the Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm, 80ml retails at £19.50. This natural balm is made from plant oils and leaves skin feeling smooth and hydrated. The texture appears firm inside the pot, almost like wax but when applied this melts into the skin taking all of your make-up with it. this even removes waterproof mascara and I love how smooth my skin feels afterwards.

I also received the Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner 100ml which retails at £17.50. This is perfect to use following on from the cleanser and also really hydrates my skin, especially at this time of year when it can be a bit dry. The mist contains rose, geranium and lavender and the scent of the rose is the one that comes across the strongest.

The third item I received was this lovely large bottle of Trilogy Botanical Body Wash retailing at £16.50. What I love most about this is the pump on the lid which makes it so easy to use in the shower or bath. The body wash is gentle and suitable for all skin types. The product is nicely scented and I really enjoy using this as part of my morning routine.

Finally from the Trilogy range I received the Trilogy Everything Balm which costs £12.50. this is my favourite product of the lot and is a certified natural multi-tasking balm. This balm can be used all over the body and on all skin types, including use on children and babies. This balm contains rosehip, marula and manuka honey. It absorbs quickly and the tin is the perfect size just to pop into your handbag. I have found this great for chapped lips and dry knuckles. I also burnt my hand the other day and popped some of this on and it healed up a treat.

I then received a few items from Beauty Kitchen, the first being the Seahorse Plankton Everlasting Radiance Cleansing Gel which retails at £14.99. This is simple to use, simply massage into damp skin and remove using warm water and a konjac sponge or cloth. The gel is gentle and really works with the skin. This product is suitable for vegans. My skin felt really clean after using this and looked radiant. What I love about this range is that 1% from all sales in the Seahorse Plankton range goes towards supporting The Seahorse Trust.

I am in love with the Beauty Kitchen Seahorse Plankton 5 Minute Miracle Mask that I received, retailing at £14.99. This mask is easy to apply and leaves my face and neck feeling refreshed. The product aims to stimulate, firm and plump the face and although I didn’t notice any plumping effects, my face felt softer.

Finally I received the Beauty Kitchen Seahorse Plankton Beauty Boosting BB Cream which also retails at £14.99. Like the other products this also contains seahorse plankton. The cream aims to blur imperfections and even skin tone. I wondered how this would work considering there is only one colour but it blended into my skin just fine. I noticed this really did even out the natural redness on my face, I think it’s a lovely product to wear when you don’t want to wear a full face of make-up but just want to give your skin a nice boost of colour.

I then received a few more items, including the Active Manuka Honey from The Real Honey Company. This product of New Zealand is 100% natural and a 500g jar like this one costs £42.99. Manuka Honey is harvested exclusively in the rural and unpolluted pastures of New Zealand and has been independently tested. Although I would never spend this much money on a jar of honey, it is a nice luxury to have this in the house. This can be used in recipes and we love having a teaspoon with our porridge. The honey can also be used on the skin to help heal cuts or even used to create a face mask.

I also received the Ekia Organic Crème Originelle for Normal to Combination Skin retailing at £30.99. This has a nice sweet scent and goes onto the skin smooth. This is a preventative anti-aging product for younger skin, it’s never too early to start using these items! Containing regenerative Dragon’s Blood Sap is the best cream for those who are starting to get fine lines and a dull complexion. Angelina Jolie is even known to use it! I have already noticed a difference in my skin after using this product, I have found that waking up after using this my skin is hydrated and it even helps my make-up go on better.

The last product that I received was the Freshious 5-a-Day Certified Organic Facial Serum  which retails at £36.00. This organic facial serum is enriched with white grape seed, pomegranate, apricot, avocado and green tea. It has a non-greasy formula which sinks into the skin with ease and does not leave an oily residue. I was a little confused with the packaging when I first opened this and was pressing the pump on the lid expecting some oil to come out, I then realised the lid doubled up as a pipette dropper which made more sense. I love using this and instantly feel more youthful.

Overall I have really enjoyed adding these products to my beauty routine and I can’t wait to continue using them. Have you bought beauty products from Holland and Barrett before? What do you think?

*I received these products free of charge. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Bioglan Skinny Greens* - Review and Results

I have mentioned in a previous blog post that I am a Holland and Barrett Good Life Insider which means I sometimes get the opportunity to sample products which is great. I received this selection of Bioglan Skinny Green’s, available at Holland and Barrett and I couldn’t wait to try and review them after seeing Lucy Watson from Made in Chelsea post a photo of them on her Instagram.

Week 1 began with the Bioglan Skinny Greens Superfood 7 Day Cleanse RRP:£17.99. This is the smallest pot and contains 70g of the powder and a scoop to measure your 10g daily portion. The Skinny Greens aim to help you achieve the shape you want in a natural way. I have tried shakes and things before and to me it’s just empty or wasted calories so it’s great to hear that these aren’t a replacement, they are an addition to your lifestyle and this one contains only 25 calories a serving. This is step one in the three step regime and has been formulated with milk thistle and dandelion to naturally detox and cleanse your system over 7 days and prepare yourself for step 2.

The instructions advise to mix one scoop of the powder with 200ml of water and mix until dissolved. For best results it is advised to consume once a day before breakfast for 7 days. I mixed my first portion and was surprised at the bright green colour. I’ll be honest I really didn’t like the taste of it. It was sickly sweet with an odd aftertaste but I held my nose and gulped this down.  As this was before breakfast I was rather hungry and drinking this on an empty stomach made me feel a bit sick. I genuinely wondered if this was going to be worth it! By day 3 I was used to the taste and could down this in one without holding my nose or gagging. By the end week one, I hadn’t actually lost any weight but I did notice I had less bloating.

Week 2 began with the Bioglan Skinny Greens 14 Day Superfood Thermo Burn RRP:£24.99. As this was a 14 day cleanse I really hoped it tasted nicer than the last one! The flavour is described as citrus and aims to raise your bodies temperature and stimulate metabolism. I definitely noticed I was warmer, it was a welcomed change – I normally freeze in the office. The taste on the other hand was not pleasant. At least with step 1 I was able to down this, but due to the cayenne in this one I couldn’t drink it fast as it was rather spicy. It had a distinct orange taste but I could also taste cocoa. Once again this was to be taken before breakfast or before exercise for 2 weeks. I had a couple of nasty side effects with very little time to get to the toilet. I was at work, my stomach made the loudest rumble ever and I had to rush to the toilet when I exploded. This happened twice, around 4 hours after taking the drink. After about 4 days it was a lot more manageable and I thankfully had no more bad side effects but it did keep me regular, that’s all I’ll say! After 2 weeks on this shake I lost 1.5lbs. I was very happy with that because I ate so much in these 2 weeks due to having a hectic and busy social life with meals out and birthdays. Normally I would have gained weight but to lose made me feel chuffed.

I was told by other people using this that during step 2 you can incorporate some of the skinny greens for step 3 but one was enough! I decided to save step 3 for when it was time. When I got to week 4, it was time to move onto step 3 of the cleanse which lasts another 2 weeks. This is where I drank the Bioglan Skinny Greens 14 Day Superfood Replenish Shake Vanilla RRP £24.99 or the Bioglan Skinny Greens 14 Day Superfood Replenish Shake Mixed Berry RRP:£24.99 instead of a snack each day. The Vanilla flavoured shake smelled and tasted like Playdough. It was far too sweet for me and made me gag drinking it. With all of the drinks after a few days I got used to them but it wasn’t something I looked forward to. I will be honest I couldn’t finish it, the taste was just too much.

Overall at the end of the 6 weeks I had lost weight (around 5lbs) and inches despite eating loads as I had a hectic social schedule. I did continue to exercise throughout the 6 weeks. Usually I would have gained or maintained my weight eating this way but I was impressed that I still managed to lose throughout taking the Skinny Greens.  I imagine if taken with a healthy diet then this would product fantastic results but for me I just couldn’t stomach the taste and would definitely look to other ways if I wanted to lose weight.

Would you ever try Skinny Greens?

*I received these items from Holland and Barrett free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Skincere Cream Cleanser Review*

I love cleansing and usually stay true to my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser but when I was given the chance to try out the Skincere Cream Cleanser, available at Holland and Barrett, I couldn’t wait to vary my routine.

The Skincere Cream Cleanser is 100% natural. It is ideal for daily use and is great for my sensitive skin and all other skin types. The product is free from wheat, sulphites, nuts, egg, alcohol, milk, gluten and so many more items that could be classed as allergens. I have been massaging this into my dry face and neck each morning and night then rinsing off with warm water and a muslin cloth for the past 3 weeks now and I have really noticed a change in my skin. Even after just a few uses, my boyfriend noticed how soft my skin is and couldn’t stop touching my face which was slightly bizarre. I put it down to using the Skincere Cream Cleanser as I have not added anything else to my skincare routine.

My skin tone seems more even and I have less discolouration on my face and the dry areas I used to have are gone. Skincere also have an eye cream, day cream, night cream and facial serum in their range all available at Holland and Barrett . When used together I imagine you would get great results. The scent of this product is minimal and fresh being fragrance free. It is great at removing all traces of makeup left on my face leaving my skin clean and fresh. You can even store this product ibn the fridge! I think in the summer this will be so refreshing to cleanse with if its cold.

I love how soft my skin feels after introducing this cleanser into my routine and it is a lot more affordable than cleansers I have used in the past and I have achieved excellent results. Have you ever heard of Skincere?

*I was kindly sent this item free of charge in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

The Perfect Autumn Soup...

I recently entered a competition as part of the Holland and Barrett Good Life Insiders group that I am involved with. We had to guess some co-ordinates for a fun Halloween trick or treat prize. I am so pleased that I guessed correctly and won some great things.

Among the items I was sent, I received this jar of Biona Organic Spiced Pumpkin Soup which costs £2.69 in store, and some Freed Gluten Free Crispbread with Cheddar and Pumpkin Seed which is only £2.89 for 160g.
 

With it being near Halloween when I received these, I couldn’t wait to get in the spooky spirit and try these delicious treats out! The jar of soup was easily enough servings for 2, so I poured half of it into a microwave proof bowl and heated through. The jar didn't actually have any instructions on how to cook this, but it turned out just fine. Although this soup is supposed to be spicy, it wasn't overpowering and had just the right amount of kick to it. It was really flavoursome and when I took my second batch to work I was complimented on how nice it smelled.

The crispbread went perfectly with the soup, and was a great treat and made a change from having bread on the side. The cheddar wasn't overpowering, and the pumpkin seeds made a nice difference and gave the crispbread an added crunch.

I am interested to see if there are other flavours in the soup and the crispbread range, as these go perfectly together! Have you tried these?

Bootea Teatox* - Review and Results

When I was offered the chance to be a Holland and Barrett Good Life Insider I couldn't wait to trial some of the products I was kindly sent. One of the items I was most excited about was the Bootea 14 day Teatox, available for £19.99.

I've heard so many good things about this and seen so many celebrities promoting it and I really wanted to try it for myself. I was a bit worried as I heard if you are on the contraceptive pill you need to be careful when you take it as the 'flushing effects' can make your pill less effective. It is best to take your pill in the evening to give it a good 8 hours to sink in. This was probably the only thing that scared me about doing this teatox - oh any maybe the laxative effects!

Anyway, the concept of this 2 week detox is you have one morning cleanse tea bag every day, then every other evening you take one of the bedtime cleanse tea bags. The morning tea bags weren't too bad and tasted a bit like a lemon green tea. As a lover of green tea, I found it easy to incorporate these into my morning routine as they taste quite similar and were a good substitute.

My cat also loved these. He kept trying to get the teabags, so something in them must be attracting him to them, I didn't see catnip on the ingredients list though!

The evening tea bags weren't as nice, they were minty but also tasted a bit like grass but after a couple of days I got used to them and could drink them easier.

After day 1, I took my evening tea and waited for the laxative effects to kick in the next day, but nothing happened. Later on in the day my stomach really swelled, I wonder if this was part of the flushing effects but nothing came out.

So did they work? By the end of week 1 I still had experienced no laxative effects and actually gained 1.5lbs despite still keeping up a healthy diet and drinking lots of water.

After the whole 2 weeks was up I had actually gained 3lbs! Although I gained weight, I must admit that I did feel a lot less bloated, and even after a big meal my stomach remained flatter than usual. I took the Teatox during that "time of the month" and I did notice a difference in the fact I was a lot less bloated than usual. This could also be why I gained weight due to extra water weight.

It is recommended you eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water alongside this teatox and as I eat fairly healthily anyway I continued as normal, maybe that's why it didn't really work for me.

If you want to lose weight the best way is to eat healthy and exercise. There is no tea that can substitute that for you. I will also be trialing the Slendertox Tea to see if this has any effects on me so keep an eye out for that in the next couple of months.

*I was sent this product free of charge. I was not asked to review it and this is not a paid post. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.