The July 2019 Plastic Free Natural Beauty Box

July's Natural Beauty Box was one of the quarterly plastic-free delights that Emma curates. It was amazing as always.

MILA'S APOTHECARY HEDGEROW DROPS

Mila's quite a hard lady to pin down as she doesn't have a website. She does have a huge following on Instagram, though, and posts the most beautiful photos. This lovely mini bottle came with a Kraft paper label but was too small to feature ingredients, so I can't provide a list here. However the majority are strawberry seed oil, rosehip seed oil and hemp seed oil, all organic and cold-pressed. I usually use serum followed by oil but I used this on its own until I finished the bottle and I absolutely loved it and would use it again in a heartbeat. I've contacted Mila to ask about her other products.



THE ILEX WOOD DANDELION AND ROSEMARY SALVE

An immense cheer went up from this subscriber when I found this lovely brand had returned to the box. A huge fan of Holly's calendula salve, I've been wanting to try something else for a while. This balm has just four ingredients - soy wax, almond oil, dandelions and rosemary essential oil.
It's a pale, non-greasy salve and it smells gorgeous. I love rosemary and have it growing in my garden. I rarely use it, though, as I forget it's there, I really should make some skin care with it. I also think dandelions are underrated as a health benefit and it's so nice to use skin care with these lovely natural analgesics in. I posted photos on Instagram after intensive use of this when my son came home with not one but two head injuries (in the same place) and the healing was quite remarkable. I've used this for miscellaneous things for both of us and I love it.


FLAWLESS GENTLE FOAMING CLAY FACIAL CLEANSER

I love a cleanser as I might have mentioned before. This one is the lightest white powder which yes, does go everywhere like flour when you add a bit of water to it on the palm of your hand. And despite the fact the sink looks like you've been using cocaine afterwards, it's a gorgeous cleanser. I've been using it after my oil cleansing and I find it really thorough and deep cleaning. It feels great when it lathers up and that it's really making a difference. My skin is so soft after using it. I'm still using the facial mud bar in the last plastic-free box and it's so nice to find another zero waste cleanser I like. This one's such a great price too at £7.95. Flawless have great plastic free options and do lovely brushes too. They also sell eco-friendly glitter.

Ingredients: Kaolin (White Clay), Oat Kernel (Avena sativa), Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), Pine Essential Oil, Lime Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Geraniol*, Linalool*, Limonene*, Citral* 

DIVINE AND HANDMADE PINK HIMALAYAN BATH SOAK

And a warm welcome back to Divine and Handmade too whose hazelnut oil from last year's box I absolutely loved. However, this one's going straight to my bath-fiend buddy Julie, as I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than take a bath 😃

INCI list: Sodium Chloride (Himalayan Pink Salt), Epsom Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil , Prunus Dulcis (Almond) Oil, Alpha Topcopherol (Vitamin E).

MEADOW SKINCARE FACE BALM

And again, a warm welcome back to Meadow, who've featured in the box before. This gorgeous balm is so soft and fragrant and just melts into the skin. I've been using it at night as I prefer something lighter during the day under make-up and it's just perfect to recharge overnight.

Ingredients: mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, butyrospermum parkii (east shea nilotica) butter, argania spinosa (argan) kernel oil, olive squalane, orbignya oleifera (babassu) seed oil, cannabis sativa (hemp) seed oil, rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) fruit oil, euphorbia cerifera cera (candelilla wax), tocopherol (vitamin e), pelargonium graveolens (geranium) flower oil, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, citrus aurantium amara leaf/twig oil (petitgrain), cymopogon martini (palmarosa) oil, citral*, geraniol*, neral*, linalool,* limonene*, citroneliol*, famesol*, (*naturally occuring in essential oils)

ANGEL FACE COSMETICS BRONZER

This brand has since changed its name to All Earth Minerals and supply a range of cosmetics in cardboard and bamboo pots (the sifter in these is plastic). I haven't used this yet as bronzer looks a bit silly on my pasty face but I will get around to having a go and if not, I will pass it on. I absolutely love the cardboard tube packaging although I guess you would have to decant it into a tin or jar if you wanted to stick a big brush in it.

In summary, another beautiful plastic free box from Emma. To subscribe, head over to her website here