The October Natural Beauty Box

This month's theme was Dreamy Days and I have to say Emma, in collaboration with Rare Beauty, the women-led natural skincare site, has really outdone herself. This is one of my favourite curations of the year. 

The reason why I am so taken with this month's box is twofold. Firstly, the theme. When autumn and winter come, I just want to hibernate. I hate going out in the dark (which is sadly unavoidable when work becomes a trek to and from in the dark) and I hate being cold. Dark nights are all about cosy pyjamas, candles and a good book or my favourite telly. And when it gets cold, my skin needs all the help it can get. So the second reason for loving this box is the fact that it contains 4 body/hair products. In general, I would say that beauty boxes are skewed towards facial care with the odd body and hair product thrown in. I absolutely love body treats, especially because I moisturise all over once a day, so I go through a lot of products. So when I got this box, I couldn't wait to use all the products during my night time routine. What a total winner!. Also, 4 brands I haven't tried before and all brands I've been eyeing at Rare Beauty with a view to trying!


BLOOM REMEDIES SERENITY SLUMBER HAND AND BODY WASH

 Oh my word, I thought I had already decided what my shower gel of the year was until this little powerhouse arrived! Handmade in Cornwall,  and winner of 14 beauty awards, Bloom Remedies are palm-free, made in small batches and mainly vegan (their balms contain beeswax). They make 5 different ranges of body care, depending on your needs. The Serenity Slumber range includes bath products, body oils and sleep aids and frankly, I'd love to try them all.
The scent is beautiful, really potent and heady, but also dreamy (as the box intended) and relaxing. From the first time I used this, I looked forward to a shower every night and I can't remember a shower gel making me feel that good before. But this one does. If this is the quality of all Bloom's products, then I'm on board. I hope most of their packaging is glass though.

Ingredients: Water, Potassium cocoate (from coconut oil)*, Potassium oleate (from olive oil)*, Glycerin*, Potassium citrate, Sweet Orange essential oil*, Geranium essential oil*, Ylang Ylang essential oil, Patchouli essential oil*, Cedarwood essential oil*, Citric acid. *ORGANIC INGREDIENT. CONTAINS GERANIOL, CITRAL, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, CITRONELLOL, FARNESOL, BENZYL BENZOATE/SALICYLATE/ALCOHOL - NATURAL COMPONENTS OF ESSENTIAL OILS

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FREYALUNA GERANIUM AND YLANG YLANG GENTLE SHAMPOO

 Freyaluna are one of those brands I've looked at and said 'way out of my price range'. In fact, I did a double take the first time I checked out the price of the full size of this shampoo - £32. This is up there on a par with the likes of Rahua and Tabitha James Kraan. So imagine my surprise and nay, delight when I found a mini of said shampoo in this month's box.  Again, another fabulous reason for suscribing to beauty boxes - you get to try things you normally wouldn't be able to.
Freyaluna's tag line is "fall in love with taking care of yourself", a motto I wholeheartedly endorse as someone who's been guilty of not taking care of myself during rough patches in my life.

So is it worth the price?

The shampoo perfectly compliments the Bloom Remedies wash as it also contains ylang ylang although the scent is a bit subtler. I've found I only need a tiny bit of the shampoo (I have very short hair) and it lathers up really well. Afterwards, my hair is left so soft and silky, it's amazing. I have been following it up with conditioner because I always do, but it's possible I might not even need it after using this shampoo, it's really that good.
One thing took the shine off my love of this shampoo and that was the discovery of palm oil derivatives in its ingredients. Sustainable or not, it's palm oil, and I try to avoid it. So at the moment, I'm on the fence about purchasing the full size of this, although it might be the best shampoo I've used this year. And HUGE kudos for the glass bottle.

Ingredients: Aqua, Mipa laureth sulphate, Cocoamidopropyl betaine, Decyl glucoside, Matricaria rucutita (chamomile) extract, Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) extract, Olive Oil PEG – 10 Esters, Guar hydroxy propyltrimonium chloride, essential oils of Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), Pelargonium graveolens (geranium), Cananga odorata (ylang-ylang), Benzyl alcohol, Salicylic acid, Glycerine, Sorbic acid.

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MYROO OM OIL

 Although I've only used one Myroo product to date, I consider myself a huge fan, based just on their amazing orange blossom serum and I was thrilled to receive this full size body oil in the box. I've tried quite a few oils recently and enjoyed them all, even though I consider them inferior to butters in terms of moisturising quality, but that's just me - lizard legs. But once again, to use an American expression, Myroo knocks it out of the park! With vetivert, marjoram and lime, this is a citrus-lover's (me) paradise. After a shower with the Bloom wash, the oil is a delight to apply. It sinks in like a dream and leaves an adorable scent. Nothing not to like. This is probably the third product from the box that's going to make it on to my 'products of the year' list. I can't recommend it any more highly.

Myroo are the most 'free from' brand I've ever come across, vegan, Leaping Bunny approved, palm-oil free. They just rock it in the most pure of ways and to be honest, I wish they'd expand their range greatly. But that's just me being greedy.

Ingredients: Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa (Rose Hip) Seed Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetivert) Root Oil, Origanum Majorana (Marjoram) Leaf Oil, Coriandrum Sativum (Seed) Oil, Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Peel Oil Distilled, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Rosmarinus (Rosemary) Officinalis Extract, Geraniol*, Limonene*, Linalool*, Citral*, Citronellol*

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OILIXIA GUMMY CLEANSER

 The jury is out on this one, unfortunately. When applying, you're supposed to press the gummy cleanser into the skin and massage, before adding water. I didn't enjoy doing this as the product is so thick and sticky, I felt that I was dragging my skin rather than massaging. So I was skipping that step, adding water and massaging that way. Once the product has turned milky, it's easy to spread and then wash off. I'm happy with how soft and clean my skin feels afterwards, it's only the initial step that I'm not keen on.

Ingredients: Glycerin**, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond) Oil*, Aqua*, Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Cocamidopropyl Betaine**, Terminalia Ferdinandiana (Kakadu) Plum Extract*, Sucrose Laurate**, Caryodendron Orinocense (Kahai / Cacay) Seed Oil*, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Xanthan Gum**, Glyceryl Behenate**, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice Powder*, Eucalyptus Globulas (Eucalyptus) Oil*, Anthemis Nobilis (Roman Chamomile) Flower Oil*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil*, Phytic Acid**, Gluconolactone**, Sodium Benzoate**, Calcium Gluconate**, Limonene+, Linalool+

*Natural **Natural Origin + Occurs naturally in essential oils

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SOAP FOLK LAVENDER AND OATMILK SOAP

I like trying new soap and I always keep one in the shower to shave with. This is a really decent size and comes in lovely recyclable wrapping. While it doesn't have as much of a scent of lavender as I expected, it's fragrant, rich and creamy and leaves the skin feeling soft and cleansed. A lovely bar.

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 In summary, a fabulous autumn box full of everything I need. This one's such a winner I wish I could buy it again!


You can subscribe to the Natural Beauty Box here and visit social media at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can view the full range of brands and products at Rare Beauty here

*I receive a discount on this box in exchange for providing an honest review.