Tuesday 1 July 2014

Month in review...



The first month of summer is over. It has been a little stressful, yet I am not glad that it is over, we had some wonderful weather and June is the month of my birthday, I wish it could stay for a little longer.

I already did a post about what I did on my bday but I didn't say what gifts I received. I love getting presents, and this year quiet a few of them were beauty items from brands that I really like.

Rahua shampoo. When it comes to hair care I normally stick to the same things that work for me, unless I get a sample of something new, I don't actively seek out the latest products in this category. I received a Rahua travel kit in the NMDL quarterly subscription, if it was not for that I probably would not have realised how fantastic the original version of this shampoo is. And now I have been treated to the full sized bottle of this hair potion, I am currently testing out another shampoo, but it is super hard not to open the bottle, as I know how good it is.

Yuli Panacea Elixir. I had a trial size of this elixir, and I could not think of a better spray toner for summer. By now I have tried and thorowly tested all three of Yuli's elixirs and review is coming soon, that is all I am saying.

Eos lip balms. It seems like I received a mini collection of Easter eggs, but in fact those are lip balms. These are my preferred balms to go under lipstick, and I can not get enough of their fruity scents. Can not wait to try the strawberry and passion fruit limited edition versions.

Ilia lipstick. Honestly these are the best lipsticks, I am currently working on an excuse that will allow me to have every single colour. My current favourite is In Paradise. But now that I have been gifted with the Perfect Day, we will see if it becomes a new favourite.

Last month I did not manage to finish any products, not even a soap. This is rather unusual, I guess I will have to work harder in July, especially if I want to make space for the new goodies that I might acquire courtesy of the upcoming organic exibition and #fieldtriptour.

The star product of the month is  Gaia Creams gourgeous foot & leg balm.



I can not get over how beautiful the texture is, buttery soft and very light. It has a subtle, herby lemony scent and is full of antibacterial essential oils perfect for summer feet. More over it has been helping to relieve mussel tension in my legs after work (being on my feet all day seems to be much harder in summer).

The let down of the month is Eos hand cream.



This should have been a perfect product, with it's cute packaging that  is ideal to keep even in a small handbag, and instantly absorbed formulae. But even if I look past the less than stellar ingredient list (it was a gift), I can not get over the smell. It is supposed to be fresh flowers, but it is more like an air freshener pretending to be fresh flowers. Very artificial, and as their lip balms smell really good and have great ingredients, I would have expected much better.

Subscription boxes.

At the moment I am subscribing to three boxes NMDL quarterly (the next one will be out in July), souk souk and Petit Vour.



This months Souk souk box has been an amazing value for money and pretty exciting. I was not aware of these brands and I love that Mel Millis has packaging that contains wild flower seeds that you can plant. However 3 out of 5 products have jojoba rather high on the ingredients list. While I have been successfully reintroducing some products with relatively low levels of jojoba, I am not sure if it is a good idea for me to start using these (not all at once that is for sure). This was the last of my three boxes ( I tend to get the prepaid 3 month subscriptions, so I don't get flooded with too many products), and I am super tempted to get another one. I feel that souk souk is the best box around in UK and it has been a great help with cutting down on buying unnecessary beauty products.

Petit vour, so far I am on the fence about this box. I subscribed on the basis of past boxes that looked great, however the ones that I received so far have been less impressive. Some of the ingredient lists have not been up to my personal standards, and I am still waiting for my June box, even though I have been charged for it on the 4th of June it was only shipped on the 24 of June. As I already have scene some reviews I do like the sound of it is in this months box, but not sure about the value for money for international subscribers. I think I will give it one more month before deciding if I will continue with this subscription.

Reading this month.



I have been reading two very different books one is Eat pretty by Jolene Hart and the other, The Beauty Myth by Naomi wolf. The second book I have had for awhile but haven't had a chance to finish reading.

Eat pretty, as the title suggests, is about foods that will enhance your natural beauty, give you stronger nails, clearer skin etc. I think I bought it because so many other bloggers had it and were raving about it. I have always been curious about nutrition and plus the cover (if a little overly girly) was appealing (yes very shallow of me but I like books with pretty covers).

I do like this book overall, especially different food profiles and the separation of fruit and veg by seasons (eating seasonal food is the best way to go in terms of minerals and vitamins, but it can be difficult to distinguish with most everything being available all year round). However the first section, describing author's struggles and relationship with food, was a little hard to relate to. It is just not my experience, all the props go to my mom, who always made meals from scratch, bought seasonal produce and is just overall amazing. It is not to say that I don't eat some less than stellar snack foods and never have fizzy drinks, it's just I don't do it very often because frankly I enjoy fresh fruit and salads a lot more. While I think this is an enjoyable read and a good addition to my library, I don't think it is a necessary book to have.

The beauty myth is sociological work making a connection between the rise of beauty obsession (the beauty myth) and women's struggle for equality. I came across it while I was trying to get a better feel for sociology as a subject. Naturally I drifted towards this book due to the nature of this blog. The Beauty Myth was published in the 90s but I feel that it is still relevant, although I would love for an updated version something like Beauty Myth 20 years later. I always have been quiet sensitive to injustice and some of the examples, even though they happened quiet a while back, have made me feel a mixture of anger and sadness.

What I like about sociology is not only does it study the way the societies are at present but it also makes you question current and past conventions. Not a simple this is how things are, but how did they come to be this way. While some of the opinions in this book are quiet uncompromising and it is not what I would call an easy read, it is well worth reading.

I think I will make this a new monthly post, just a compilation of little bits that I did not get to share in my other posts at the end of each month. Have you been reading anything this past month? Please share in the comments.


10 comments:

  1. I love Perfect Day by Ilia. It's such a unique, almost tawny rusty red color. Really pretty for summer. Curious to see whether or not you like it. Nice post!
    ---Grace

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    1. I absolutely adore reds and corals so on paper this one should be perfect, I will be trying it out on the weekend :) xx

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  2. Love this post! ILIA lipsticks are one of the best, their staying power is incredible. I also can't wait for your review on the Yuli Panacea Elixir!

    amber-allnaturallybeautiful.blogspot.ca

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    1. Thank you! I have a few other lipsticks that I am fond of, but when I am getting ready for an evening out ilia is what I always reach for, and some of the colours are pretty uniquebxx

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  3. Great post! :) I love EOS balms - think I may be a little addicted :p x

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    1. Thank you! Ha ha I have the summer fruits version in my bedside drawer and I do take it out a lot, even when my lips are not dry :) xx

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  4. Nice post miss!
    Great book suggestions! x

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  5. I own only 1 Ilia product but I love it! I've yet to try anything from Yuli but I really want to, tho it might be some time before I can do that since I have a huge stash now. I feel you about PV, the shipping times is what annoys me the most,I think. I love Eat Pretty, so many good advice! xx

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    1. It started with one product but now I have quiet a collection of ilia. It took me awhile to try yuli, but now that I have my wish list for certain things has become much shorter, their products are just so good. I just want to get my June PV in June, not July, but I will give it another month xx

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