Review: The November Natural Beauty Box

The theme for this month's box was Winter Skin Saviours. I was so excited to receive it and it didn't disappoint. There were three new to me brands, I don't know how Emma keeps digging up these hidden gems! 😍

NISKAMA SKINCARE GENTLE SMOOTHING FACE POLISH

 Did anyone notice that when I took the pictures, I accidentally missed off this little pot? I had been using it that morning and it was still in the bathroom. Such a cute little glass pot with the tag attached with jute. Handmade in Cornwall by a pharmacist, the scrub contains hibiscus, calendula and unusually, peppermint oil. It needs some water to make it into a paste. When I first used it, I'd been coughing and snotty for a week and I really felt the peppermint; it stung around my nose, cheeks and top lip. I waited another week until my skin was in better condition and it didn't sting, instead it was rather invigorating. So I'd advise caution on any winter-damaged skin for those trying this.

Ingredients: Oryza sativa powder, Cocos nucifera oil, Prunus amygdalus dulcis seed oil, Helianthus annus seed oil**, Glycerin, Hibiscus rosa chenensis flower powder**, Calendula officinalis flower extract**, Xanthan gum, Gluconolactone, Citrus nobilis peel oil**, Mentha piperita oil, Citrus aurantium bergamia fruit oil**, Anthemis nobilis flower oil**, Sodium benzoate, d-limonene*, linalool*, citronellol*, eugenol*, geraniol* citral*

 **organic oils

 *naturally derived from essential oils

GUILTLESS SKIN ILLUME SERUM

Guiltless Skin products are firm favourites with natural beauty aficionados and they recently had a repackaging of their range to make use of glass instead of plastic. I love a serum and it's something that doesn't crop up often in beauty boxes. In fact, I've only used a handful of different serums this year and I have some firm favourites, so it was nice to try a new one. 
This is a clear, thick, unscented serum. It glides over the skin like silk and sinks in like a dream. It leaves the skin feeling so soft, looking luminous and perfectly ready to apply oil. I absolutely love it and it's a strong contender for serum of the year.

Ingredients: Aqua (distilled water), Glycerin,** Niacinamide (vitamin B3), Gluconolactone (skin conditioner), Sodium hyaluronate (skin hydrator), Vaccinium vitis-idaea fruit extract* (lingonberry fruit), Punica granatum fruit extract* (pomegranate fruit), Amorphophallus konjac root extract (natural thickener, skin conditioner), Sodium benzoate (preservative), Lactic acid (non-dairy) (ph adjuster), Citric acid (ph adjuster) *Organic ingredient. **Organic origin.

I LOVE SKIN FACE OIL +

I will be honest and say that I'm all face oiled out this year. As a blogger I get a lot of face oils to try and they seem to be in every beauty box too, so I find myself somewhat overwhelmed and jaded and asking myself what another face oil can do for me. (I've liked almost all the oils I've tried this year and wish I could use them all at once!). However, I was hugely and pleasantly surprised by this offering. 

Danielle is the brains behind the I Love Skin face oils, a naturopath who makes in small batches. The Plus oil is:

"A delicious blend of nourishing fruit oils and collagen boosting algae. Rich in protective antioxidants, essential fatty acids and nutrients. Face Oil softens skin, improves elasticity and tone, protects against water loss, stimulates collagen production and smooths fine lines and wrinkles. Smooth and light, Face Oil absorbs quickly, leaving your skin soft not oily. Plus essential oils to promote cell regeneration, fade marks and spots, heal, tone and tighten."

Firstly, the oil smells great, secondly it feels amazing going on and leaves the skin so moisturised but not oily. The ingredients (not on the website, but on the bottle) read like a who's who of natural skin care and contain absolutely no nasties: raspberry seed oil, poppy seed oil, rosehip oil, sea buckthorn fruit extract... and so on. 

This is an absolutely beautiful oil. 

FELICITY MCDONALD BATH SALTS

Carrying just this product at the moment, Felicity McDonald uses Soil Association certified ingredients in this lush glass jar. The salts look and smell incredible, with dried juniper berries and rose petals. I suspect a drain sieve might be handy when letting the bath water out to avoid blocking the drain, but at least it's all biodegradable and natural! Now, readers of this blog might know that bath salts are just not my cup of tea, so it's over to my buddy Julie for the review.

"Mention bath salts and I’m already visualising hot water, smells and relaxation and the bath salts featured in this month’s Natural Beauty Box did not disappoint. The smell of rose and lavender was gorgeous and the juniper berries floating in the bath along with cornflower just made me feel so relaxed and the salts were amazing as they dissolved really well. Another great discovery and a well earned relaxing treat 😊"

She also sent me a lovely picture of the bath afterwards 😊

Ingredients:

Maris sal (Himalayan salt)

Juniperus communis fruit extract* (Juniper berry)

Rosa damascena flower* (Rose petal)

Centaurea cyanus flower* (Cornflower)

Lavandula angustifolia flower* (Lavender)

Juniperus communis fruit oil* (Juniper berry oil)

Rosa damascena flower oil* (Rose otto oil)

Simmondsia chinensis seed oil* (Jojoba oil)

 *certified organic ingredient (salt cannot be organic)

OKKO SKINCARE FOOT BALM AND BODY BALM MINIS

Okko are quite different in that their balms come in sticks. They're all vegan and contain no nasties. I've previously used Okko's foot balm, which I reviewed here. It was nice to get another one as I'm using a lot of foot care products at the moment with my feet being itchy and dry and needing a lot of TLC. It's thick and nice to use, moisturises well and smells really good. 
It's worth noting that I would only buy this again in the full size compostable cardboard tube, rather than these plastic minis.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Butter, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Euphorbia Cerifera Cera (Candelilla wax), Unrefined Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Essential oils of Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf* & Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf*. Limonene**, Linalool**. *Organic. **Occurs naturally in essential oils.

The body balm is new to me. It's just as moisturising as the foot balm, when I tried it on my legs. However, I really didn't like the smell of this one.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract, Unrefined Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Butter, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil*, Euphorbia Cerifera Cera (Candelilla wax), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil*, Tocopherol (Vitamin E). *Organic

Hygge-themed photo

In summary, a fabulous winter box and I can't wait to see what December brings!

You can subscribe to the Natural Beauty Box here

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