Mother's Day Gift Guide

I have a collection of things here that I've either tried myself, seen good reviews for or come across while browsing online. I think all of them would make lovely gifts for a special mum this mother's day. I must confess, there's a bias towards roses and pretty packaging 😉

GK Creations Himalayan Rose Bath Salts

How gorgeous does this look? It's pink Himalayan rock salt with rose petals and essential oils of geranium, lavender and orange. I think it would look so nice in any mum's bathroom and if it was mine, I probably wouldn't want to use it. 

GK Creations do gift sets featuring the bath salts with soap, bath truffles and a candle, starting at £14 here

Review: Balm Balm Little Miracle Rosehip Serum

I have recently been trialling Balm Balm's Little Miracle Rosehip Serum.

Balm Balm are a UK company who are 100% organic and leaping bunny certified. Their founder, Glenda Taylor, is a qualified aromatherapist. Their oils are vegan but their balms use beeswax. This oil has some bold claims and fantastic reviews on the company's website and I was keen to see if it lived up to expectations.

Review: Friendly Soap Shea Butter Facial Cleansing Bar

I recently tried the shea butter facial cleansing bar from Friendly Soap.

We are friendly because…

…we use the traditional Cold Process method of natural handmade soap making, which not only generates zero by-product but also allows us to carefully choose every ingredient ourselves and make natural handmade soap that is Earth friendly, Animal friendly and Skin friendly.

Review: Botanicals Cleanse and Polish

Botanicals hail from Leicestershire and began life in 2004. They make a range of skin care, body and bath products, cold pressed and essential oils. All their stuff is free from the usual nasties, cruelty-free and vegan. I've read some really good things about them and I was lucky enough to try their rose and camellia Cleanse and Polish which is for normal, dry and mature skin. (They do a gentle chamomile and marigold range which is for sensitive/problem skin).

Review: SkinLikes 100% Natural Deodorant

Skin Likes are a UK company based in Scotland. I was kindly sent a sample of their natural deodorant to try.

They say: 

This potentially life-saving, clean smelling, soft, fully 100% natural deodorant gives you peace of mind by using the pure, biological ingredients and nothing else. It’s the best!

No sting. (even after shaving)

Kills bacterial odour in sweat instantly.

Does not clog pores.

No white marks on clothes.

Suitable for vegetarians or vegans.

Using food-grade, plant-based ingredients and nothing else, this product as with everything that we produce has not and never will be tested on animals.

Cytotoxic testing at Glasgow Caledonian University confirms that this product will not harm human cells.

The wonderful natural ingredients in this product are:

Scottish spring water

Bicarbonate of soda (Used in baking)

Xanthan gum (a natural thickener found in many quality food products)

A special blend of bacteria-busting therapeutic essential oils.

Review: Beaming Baby Skincare Products

If you've read the About Me page, you'll know that both me and my son, Z, suffer from eczema and some of the products I'll be reviewing on this blog will be natural skincare for me and Z.
Z's eczema tends to be seasonal like mine, flaring up on and off over winter and is in the traditional places - creases of the arms and legs. It has needed steroid treatment in the past but it's not in the category of weeping and bandages or any of that, just dry skin and inflammation. He's luckier than a lot of children.
I've tried a few different emollients from the doctor and have now gravitated towards trying natural skincare.

I had the opportunity to try some samples from Beaming Baby, a UK company who are organic, use 100% recycled plastic for their bottles and give 10% of their profits to charity. They produce a range of biodegradable wipes, nappies and skincare.

They say:

The purest for your baby and that's certified! All Beaming Baby products are certified by the Organic food Federation, our wipes lotion is the first in the world to use over 95% organic ingredients. The certified organic plant ingredients are grown without using chemical fertilisers or pesticides.

Review: Maggie Anne Nail Polish

Today I'm reviewing Maggie Anne nail polish. Maggie Anne are an English company located in Berkshire. They make gel-effect nail polishes which are 6 free i.e. made without the 3 most common chemicals in nail polish - toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and also made without formaldehyde resin, camphor and THTP.

They say:

We don't test on animals and it's vegan friendly. Peta cruelty-free and Beauty Without Bunnies licence approved.

Review: Bio-Extracts Skin Boosters and Creams

I have been testing serums and face creams from a London company, Bio-Extracts. They boast products which are made with natural ingredients, vegan, non GMO, paraben free, British made and of course, not tested on animals. 

They say:

The advantage of biotechnology is the use of highly purified ingredients ‐ these are the active fractions of the plant extracts used to deliver benefits to the skin. NBLabs has sourced the most sophisticated actives to bring into existence a unique line of personal skincare: BIO‐EXTRACTS.

The range employs a clean approach to design cosmetics that create a bespoke solution for any skin concern. A powerful delivery system accommodates innovation and sustainability. A minimalist concept of beauty does not compromise the product’s performance as it retains the essential elements that have been tested and proven to be the best.

The idea behind the personalised skincare is that you take between 1 and 4 of the 'syringes' containing the serums or 'boosters' and mix them with a measured dose of the moisturiser.

Review: The Dirty Vegans Bath Bomb

The Dirty Vegans are a company based in Sunderland in the UK who make soaps, bath treats, cards and soy candle melts. They say:

We are 100% against animal testing and no animal derived ingredients

have been used in any of our products.

All of our products are handmade and contain no harsh ingredients.  

The scented products in our range our highly aromatic, absolutely delightful to your senses!

Our colourants are of the highest cosmetic grade so will not stain your bath.

All of our products are vegan / vegetarian friendly and cruelty free.  

Our suppliers use sustainable palm oil.

All ingredients come from fully EU certified and Insured Suppliers

I tested the Buried Treasure Giant Strawberry Bath Bomb 

Fair Squared is Cruelty Free

Reading beauty blogs has made me increasingly paranoid about companies who claim not to test on animals. So many companies who test say in their policy that they don't test and then tack on a little bit at the end about 'an exception could only be made if this was required by law'.

PHB Ethical Beauty Haul

I've been wanting to try PHB Ethical Beauty for a while. They are cruelty-free, vegan, handmade in the UK and give 20% of their profits to charity.