Review: The April Natural Beauty Box

As the time for May's box draws near, here's a review of April's Natural Beauty Box.

PHB ETHICAL BEAUTY BRIGHTENING EYE GEL

I was actually using this eye gel when the box arrived, spookily. It's a lovely scented, cooling gel targeted at reducing dark circles and feels so soothing on the eye area at night. And night is the only time I use it as when I've applied it under make-up before, it's kind of peeled off in flaky bits when I've applied eye primer and foundation. Maybe that's just me. Like other PHB products though, it's good quality and also a generous size for an eye product and lasts forever.

Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe barbadensis (Organic aloe vera), Vegetable glycerine, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Coco-caprylate, Sclerotium Gum, Betula Pendula (White birch), Propandiol & Salix alba, Helianthus Annuus ( Organic Sunflower) Seed Oil (and) Euphrasia Officinalis (Organic Eyebright) Extract., Hippophae rhamnoides (Organic Sea Buckthorn), Citrus parasidii (Grapefruit), Citrus bergamia (Bergamot), Boswella carterii (Frankincense), Citrus aurantium (Neroli), Benzyl alcohol, Commiphora myrrha (Myrrh), Rosa centifolia (Rose), Jasminum officinale (Jasmine), *Linalool *Limonene *Citral *Geraniol *Farnesol *Eugenol *Citronellol *Benzyl Benzoate *Occurs naturally in essential oils, **Organically grown ingredients.

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BYBI BUFFER LIP SCRUB

This new brand on the block launched by beauty bloggers is CF, vegan and 100% natural (no mention of organic ingredients) and seems targeted at making natural beauty cool with their 'Babe Balm' (which looks fabulous and doesn't contain any essential oils) and 'Mega Mist' and being stocked at Harvey Nichols and Beauty Bay.

I've never bought a lip scrub before, although I have made one and it feels like a luxury I'd never spend my money on, so it was interesting to try this one. At a pricey £9, that's why beauty boxes are so amazing. Firstly, the tube is made from sugar cane and is biodegradable, secondly the contents are vegan with agave instead of honey, so full marks.

The scrub contains sugar, strawberry extract and cinnamon and smells (and tastes, ahem!) great. It leaves the lips really soft. I've loved using it at night with my skin care routine.

Ingredients: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil

Sucrose (Brown Sugar), Agave Tequilana Extract, Prunus Avium (Sweet Cherry) Seed Oil, Rhus Verniciflua (Fruit Wax), Peer Cera Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Fruit Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Eugenol ** Naturally Occurring in Essential Oils, Citric Acid, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Leaf Oil, Benzyl Benzoate

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VILLIERS FLORAL FACIAL STEAM

 Villiers are a new to me brand and this is another product that seems like a luxury that I wouldn't think of buying. It almost seems a bit silly. Couldn't I collect bits out of my garden and steam my face with those? However, when I delved deeper, there's a bit more to it than that - a collection of 14 botanicals, herbs and fruit peels which I don't happen to have in my garden 😀

To use, you add boiling water to 1-2 tablespoons and steam your face for 10-15 minutes. I'm never fresh-faced at the best of times but I've got to say, I felt it after 10 minutes of steaming and looked dewy and glowing. My skin felt so soft afterwards and I followed it up with the Bloomtown mask.
This is best saved as a treat for when you've got time, especially at bed time as there are so many relaxing ingredients in it.


Ingredients: Rose Petals, Lavender Flowers, Lemon Verbena Peel, Marigold Flowers, Rosehip, Jasmine Flowers, Chamomile Flowers, Dandelion Root, Witch Hazel Leaf, Comfrey Leaf, Elder Flowers, Yarrow, Lemon Peel, Green Tea Leaf. Essential oils of Rose, Chamomile, Litsea and Lavender

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BLOOMTOWN BOTANICALS BLUE CLAY AND INDIGO LEAF SOOTHING MASK

Having used Bloomtown products before, they are always a welcome addition to any beauty box with their palm oil free vegan products. This clay mask has minimal ingredients and is designed for sensitive skin and what's more, the 60ml jar does 25-30 applications, a total bargain at £12!

This doesn't dry out, no matter how long you leave it on and despite being grey in the jar, it's a lovely turquoise on the face, always great to open the door to the postman!
My skin felt radiant and soft after using this and it's very easy to wash off unlike some masks I've used in the past. A lovely mask to add to my routine.


Ingredients: plant-derived glycerine, natural blue clay (bentonite), aqua, leuconostoc (radish root ferment filtrate), lactobacillus, urtica dioica (nettle) root powder, indigofera tinctoria leaf powder, cocos nucifera (coconut) fruit extract

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MYROO SKIN BOOST SERUM

 Myroo are on my radar as doing great things. They are organic, Leaping Bunny approved and vegan, formulated for sensitive and allergy prone skin and are free from 14 known food allergens as well as offering fragrance free products which are free from 26 cosmetic allergens.

This is the star of this month's box as far as I'm concerned, the first thing I took out to use. I love a serum! The packaging is gorgeous. For some reason the blue and white reminds me of the white houses and sea from Greece. Made with rosehip, starflower and orange blossom, it's delicately scented and a few drops sink so nicely into the skin. It's great at bedtime and perfect during the day under make-up.

Again, this is why beauty boxes are so fabulous. At £30 I probably wouldn't have taken the chance on buying this, but now I've discovered it, I know it's worth splashing out on.

Ingredients: Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Borogo Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Olive Squalane, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Flower Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Citral*, Geraniol*, Farnesol*, d-Limonene*, Linalool* * Naturally occurring in essential oils

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In summary: A totally fabulous box of facial treats with some new brands and surprising products, fantastic value as always at £24.95 for an £80+ bundle of goodies.I can't wait to see what's next this month.


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