Green Beauty: LoveLula Beauty Box - June 2020 review

If you love discovering new green beauty products and brands, the LoveLula Beauty Box is the perfect cruelty-free subscription box for you! June's edit features some fantastic products that you can easily incorporate into your everyday routine, and with the contents being worth £63, it's an absolute bargain!

Here's what I found inside, and don't forget that you can read my reviews of previous LoveLula Beauty Boxes here.

 Kathleen Natural Citrus Cheer Bubble Bath & Shower Gel (RRP £18)

I think it's safe to say that most of us could use some cheering up right about now, given the state of the world's current situation with COVID-19, so I was very happy to find this luxury Bubble Bath & Shower Gel from Kathleen Natural when I opened up the box. I've used the Tranquil Fields scent before which is great for winding down before bedtime, and this Citrus Cheer fragrance is the exact opposite as it's warming, zesty and very uplifting - perfect to use first thing in the morning if you're a night owl like I am! Suitable for all skin types, it can be used in both the bath and the shower so that everyone can enjoy its cheery goodness.

 Humble By Nature Sweet Pea & Verbena Hand Cream (RRP £8)

A good quality hand cream is a must-have and I love the Sweet Pea & Verbena fragrance of this particular one from Humble By Nature, which is a brand that's been created by TV presenter Kate Humble. The main concept behind her brand is to create products that you can use to spoil yourself, without spoiling the environment which is something that I can definitely get behind!

Ooh! Oils Of Heaven Plum Face Oil (RRP £19)

One of the fun things about a subscription to the LoveLula Beauty Box is that every now and again, they include a brand new product and subscribers are often among the very first people to try them out. This Plum Face Oil is the latest release from Ooh! Oils Of Heaven who are a brand that I've had the pleasure of using many of their amazing products from in the past. Described as a multi-tasker, this oil is rich in Omega 9 and leaves the skin feeling silky soft so it's particularly great for dry skin types.

Elsa's Organic Skinfoods Detox Natural Deodorant (RRP £18)

The final product in this month's LoveLula Beauty Box is another luxury natural treat and although it's a somewhat mundane everyday product, I'm actually really excited to try it! I'm a huge fan of Elsa's Organic Skinfoods deodorants and have been recommending them to friends and family ever since I reviewed them two years ago (read my review of Elsa's here), so it's great to see the brand back with a new product.

This Detox Natural Deodorant is a super-concentrated formula that contains Activated Charcoal and Bentonite Clay to deliver all-day protection which is much more powerful than any other natural deodorant. I must admit that I do struggle to find a natural deodorant that works for me during a heatwave summer, so keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram Stories to see how I get on with this as the weather continues to warm up!

LoveLula Beauty Box* is a monthly subscription box priced at £13.95 with free postage in the UK. Visit lovelula.com to find out more.

Have you subscribed to LoveLula's Beauty Box?

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The Weekend Post: Emotional Wellness Activities for College Students #AD

At first, we all watched movies and series about students' lives where students did nothing but have fun, drink, sometimes travel, and fall in love. Now, we see very different styles of movies and series about students' lives. Previous year Euphoria became the top series in this field, and it is rather dark, if not depressive. Of course, not every student lives through such troubles as Zendaya's character, but many of them have enough problems in college. 

Emotional wellness is something that hasn't been widely discussed previously, but now it is a raging topic. It has been proven that emotional intelligence is not less critical than cognitive intellect, and is even more important in terms of success in life. That is why, being a college student, you should prioritize your emotional wellness. Here are some actions and activities which may help with it. 

Defining what well-being looks like for you

People are different, and it is normal that well-being looks differently for them. It is related both to emotional well-being and any other kind of well-being. It would be strange to expect all the people to have the same understanding of happiness and fulfillment. People tend to look at others and think about what others have achieved. It can be very challenging to adjust your life to someone else's expectations and successes. And the main idea is that you should not do it. You should Define what well-being in many aspects looks like for you and for you only. It is not a simple task, but once you deal with that, you will be ready to move forward without getting distracted by other people's understanding of life. We don't mean that someone else's understanding is bad or wrong; we just mean that you should be first of all on your own vision.

Screening your psychological state

Once you define what emotional well-being is for you, you can move to the next stop. We don't mean this article to be a step-by-step manual, and most of the activities we offer are not interconnected rigidly. However, their first two ones are connected, and it is better to do them one by one. There are many systems that help to screen your psychological state. We cannot recommend a particular one if you are currently communicating with a specialist, ask him for an individual recommendation. However, we can recommend a PERMA model to assess your life situation. P is for positive emotion, E is for engagement, R is for relationships, M is for a meaningful existence, and A is for achievement. 

Analyzing available resources

When you watch motivational speeches on YouTube or read them in books or articles, you may stumble upon sentences Telling you that you have all the resources to achieve whatever you want. It sounds so nurturing, so reassuring, but the fact is it is not valid. Unfortunately, it is not true. We all have limited resources, and mostly they are not enough to achieve everything we want, so we need to choose wisely. But before you choose, you need to make our goal, to understand the task for which you need those resources. Later you list all those resources available and choose from them the most suitable ones for the situation. For example, you may not have resources to address a psychologist right away, but you can't talk to a college counselor or join a support group on campus. You may not have enough energy for dealing with your essays, so you can address SmartWritingService, for example, which provides students with legitimate essay writing services for professional help from time to time. Not all our resources are interchangeable, but many of them are. Don't get discouraged from the very beginning, keep digging, and you will find the resources you need to achieve the goal and make your emotional well-being more stable.

Asking for help

This part is one of the most difficult ones because, from our childhood, we are taught that we should help others, and we are not taught how to ask for help without losing self-confidence. We know how to provide help to our friends, but we are often too shy to ask directly for this help ourselves. It is an important flaw in our minds that should be overcome. Think of three major problems that influence your emotional well-being and decide on people, which theoretically can help you with them. Of course, you won't make them responsible for those changes, you're the responsible one, but you can share your struggle and ask for some help, which will make the journey easier for you. 

Adjusting your diet

It might sound surprising, but it is very difficult to guarantee emotional well-being without adjusting your diet. We are not speaking about self-esteem related to body weight or appearance, though those conceptions are still very strong in our society. We talked about the influence that food we eat has on our brain, on our emotions, on our ability to deal with daily tasks and to stay confident in our abilities. Food that is full of sugar and preservatives has a strong effect on our emotional stability. You need to cut on sugar and junk food if you want to balance your emotional well being. Excessive sugar sends you to an emotional roller coaster, and no matter how long you meditate or how good your self-awareness is, you will have mood swings, which will make you miserable sometimes. Tracking your diet, connecting it with your emotional state, and changing the diet accordingly, will hugely enhance your emotional well-being.

Emotional wellness requires an investment of time and effort. You cannot expect that the moment you start tracking your mood, everything will become significantly better in a blink. You need to build a system that will help you to maintain emotional balance. At first, it may even seem like things are going worse. It is just the same as when you want to tidy your wardrobe and start taking everything from the shelves, sorting it, and your whole room immediately looks like a mess. Not a very tidy picture, right? For the moment, it may even seem that you did all wrong, you made things worse, and it will never get tidy back again. The same feeling can hunt you on your way to emotional wellness. Just know that if you feel this way, you require just a little bit more effort before things get better.

[This is a sponsored post]

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Health & Lifestyle: 5 Products To Help You Fall Asleep Faster #BestSleepEver

Following on from last month's sleep-focussed post (read here) where three wellness experts shared their top tips for getting a better night's sleep, I've decided to round up some of my go-to bedside products that I use when I'm struggling to count those elusive sheep.

Disclaimer: Please see a GP if you're having sleep problems - below are just the products that I have been using to help my own sleep issues, but they may not all work for you.

 Spritz On Bedlinen - Neal's Yard Remedies Goodnight Pillow Mist* (45ml, £15, link)

Pillow mists are something that used to be quite obscure many years ago but thankfully they are readily available these days thanks to growing consumer demand for natural sleep aids. I've tried a lot of different brands and one of my favourites that I frequently go back to when I'm having sleep problems is Neal's Yard Remedies Goodnight Pillow Mist. Packaged in their signature dark blue glass bottle, the mist is composed of a relaxing blend of Organic Lavender, Vetiver and Mandarin essential oils - all well known for their soothing properties. Simply spritz over pillows and bedlinen before you want to sleep and let the tranquil fragrance work its magic as you nod off.

Take A Bath - MOA Fortifying Green Bath Potion* (100ml, £25, link)

Taking a warm bath is often mentioned in many sleep hygiene routines, and I have personally always found baths to be wonderfully relaxing, especially if you've had a particularly busy or stressful day. Baths can significantly help you to unwind and they're great for relieving aches and pains such as sore muscles from exercise. Try MOA Fortifying Green Bath Potion which is a bath oil that I often recommend to anyone who isn't keen on the traditional lavender scents. Instead, this Bath Potion is more of a herbal blend with Peppermint, Fennel, Sweet Birch and Yarrow that's both invigorating (it helps to clear and refresh the mind) and calming at the same time thanks to the physical benefits that it brings to the body. It's also ideal to use when you're feeling run down as it clears up blocked sinuses a treat - just make sure to not use too much - it's strong stuff!

Treat Your Hands - Balm Balm Lavender Hand Balm* (60ml, £12.50, link)

Hands feeling dry due to frequent washing and using hand sanitiser all day? Give them some TLC with this ultra-rich Balm Balm Lavender Hand Balm. The perfect pot of hydrating goodness to keep on your bedside table, it has a seriously nourishing formula thanks to a blend of Shea Butter, Sunflower, Beeswax, Jojoba and Calendula oils. With added Lavender essential oil, it fits in neatly as an extra pampering step that you can do before bedtime to get you in the right frame of mind for sleep.

Try A Rollerball - Seascape Island Apothecary Soothe Oil* (8ml, £10, link)

Temple balms and oils are another handy product to have nearby when you're struggling to sleep and I sometimes re-apply them to my pulse points if I wake up in the middle of the night to help me to get back to sleep. Lots of different brands offer them and Seascape Island Apothecary Soothe Oil is definitely one to try if you want something that's instantly comforting and relaxing as it has Lavender, Bitter Orange and Mandarin Orange essential oils in a convenient rollerball. Swipe it on, breathe it in and relax.

Unwind With CBD - Naturopathica CBD+ Unwind* (30 capsules, £39.99, link)

CBD is fast becoming the go-to supplement for those who are feeling stressed and anxious, and I've written about my personal experiences with the positive benefits of taking CBD Oil in previous features on this blog. If you're not a fan of the taste of pure CBD Oil, there are lots of other ways to try it including teas, lozenges and more traditional capsules. The CBD+ Unwind capsules from wellness brand Naturopathica have been particularly useful to me, and I've been taking them for the past month to help with the heightened sense of anxiety I've been having due to the current pandemic situation. This range has been formulated to work with the body's endocannabinoid system so it contains 5mg of full-spectrum CBD to be the most effective, and the Unwind blend also includes B1, Magnesium, L-Theanine and Chamomile to further support healthy sleeping patterns.

Do you have problems sleeping?

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Introducing: Typology - Vegan, Ethical & Natural Skincare - My Personalised AM & PM Routine for Oily/Combination Skin

Launched in the UK just last month, I was very honoured to be part of a lucky few green beauty bloggers, who were sent packages from Typology to test out some of their natural skincare ahead of its release date. This is definitely a brand for serious skincare fans and I couldn't wait to try a whole new routine!

Typology describe themselves as a 'clean, genderless and 100% digital' natural skincare brand who are based in Paris, and they certainly have their eye on the prize with their current plans to expand further afield. Their mission is to promote critical thinking within the personal care spectrum whilst demystifying the skincare industry and breaking a couple of rules along the way, so you can see why they grabbed my attention as soon as I received an email introducing me to the brand.

Created by Ning Li, founder of MADE.com, Typography has 'future cult status' written all over it. From their ethical and vegan-friendly credentials, effective and active natural ingredients, to a strong commitment to sustainability and of course, that super sleek and chic aesthetic, Typography is a brand that's easy to fall in love with from the get-go.

My Personal Prescription with Typography

After answering a couple of questions about my skin, highlighting any specific concerns that I currently have, a personal prescription was quickly drawn up and this involves all of the products that I was very kindly sent to test out. The prescription card went into detail about my skin diagnosis to help me understand why the products had been chosen and I feel this was an excellent introduction to the way that the brand works overall, and would be most helpful to consumers to better educate them about their skin. 

My main skin concerns at the moment are balancing my oily/combination type, reducing breakouts, blemishes, redness and inflammation, and protecting the natural skin barrier against oxidative stressors such as pollution. 

AM Routine

My AM routine prescription consisted of just three products; a cleansing bar, hydrolate toner and a specific serum based on my menstrual cycle.

Typology Solid Purifying Cleansing Bar* (100g, £11.80, link)

It's been a while since I've used a solid cleansing bar to wash my face as I automatically gravitate towards gel and cream cleansers, so trying a bar was a pleasant change from the norm. This Purifying Cleansing Bar is made from 100% natural ingredients and features cold-saponified plant-based oils and fats to create the soap. These include a blend of Organic Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil and Shea Butter (great for soothing, repairing, softening and nourishing the skin), plus purifying actives of Organic Eucalyptus and Spearmint Essential Oils and Organic Nettle Powder which reduce the size of the sebaceous glands, regulates sebum production, heals damaged skin and helps to balance it overall. It's easy to use - just wet and lather by the sink or in the shower and rinse off. My skin felt thoroughly refreshed and clean without the usual tightness or dryness that sometimes occurs from using purifying cleansers.

Typology Organic Peppermint Hydrolate* (100ml, £8.80, link)

I followed up with a reusable cotton pad that had been soaked in the Organic Peppermint Hydrolate and this is one of the most invigorating and refreshing products I've ever used on my face! Distilled from Organic Peppermint Leaves (derived from the Lamiaceae family that's native to France), the Hydrolate is a wonderfully simplistic but effective toner which has natural purifying and astringent properties to help tighten pores and keep sebum in check. It also helps to soothe any inflammation or redness, but as always, do remember to do a patch test first if you have sensitive skin.

Typology Woman Serums

The third and final step of my prescribed AM routine was to use a serum from Typology's Periodic Woman Serums* (4 x 15ml, £44.90) - a clever pack of four serums which have been designed to be used during different weeks of your menstrual cycle like so:-

• Week 1: Hydrating and Soothing Serum
• Main active ingredients: hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, bisabolol and cornflower floral water. 89% naturally-derived.
• 
  
• Week 2: Suppleness and Radiance Serum
• Main active ingredients: vitamin C and fruit acids (blueberry, lemon and orange). 88% naturally-derived.
• 
  
• Week 3: Hydrating and Astringent Serum
• Main active ingredients: sugar extracted from wheat and ginger extract. 91% naturally-derived.
• 
  
• Week 4: Mattifying and Anti-Blemish Serum
• Main active ingredients: seaweed extract and zinc. 89% naturally-derived.

I've been particularly interested in these serums as my skin definitely goes through noticeable changes during my cycle, so it makes a lot of sense to use a specific product to address these differences. I tried them out for a full month and found that they did work incredibly well - especially during weeks 3 & 4 when my skin tends to start having a tantrum and breaking out. Each serum absorbs quickly and produced the results from what they say on the label - perfect! I would highly recommend these to all menstruating women and it's certainly made me consider how I should change up my skincare routine throughout my cycle to better support my complexion. It's worth mentioning that you only need one drop per application so these bottles will last a good while.

PM Routine

Moving onto my evening skincare routine, Typology prescribed a micellar water and three different types of serums to address my skin's concerns. I could then finish up with my regular moisturiser.

Typology 7 Ingredient Micellar Water* (200ml, £12.80, link)

I've always liked micellar waters, ever since they became hugely popular, but I've mainly used them to just remove waterproof makeup or as a quick first cleanse before using a cream or balm cleanser. So the thought of only using a micellar water in the evenings was a little strange to me as I'm so used to my double cleanses! That said, this 7 Ingredient Micellar Water worked a charm and removed all traces of daily grime and makeup, and it didn't sting my eyes or dry out my skin. It's fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive skin.  

Typology Hyaluronic Acid 3% + 2% B5 Serum* (15ml, £11.80, link)

On evenings where my skin was craving some extra moisture, I applied the Hyaluronic Acid 3% + 2% B5 Serum, which is suitable for all skin types and has a fresh gel-like texture. I always get on with anything that has Hyaluronic Acid in as it's amazing for locking in moisture for longer and this married well with the B5 in the formula helps the skin to stay perfectly hydrated until the next day.

Typology Bakuchiol 1% Serum* (15ml, £14.80, link)

Ideal for oily skin that's prone to acne and breakouts, the Bakuchiol 1% Serum is a must-have for controlling fussy skin. Rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, Bakuchiol is a popular anti-blemish ingredient and has been regularly used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. It works by targeting the bacteria that gets lodged in the sebum of the pores, helping to prevent the blemish from developing further. It's also useful for repairing skin damage and reducing the appearance of scars. I really love this serum and it's something that I'll definitely continue to use more of in the future.

Typology Salicyclic Acid 2% + Zinc 1% Serum* (15ml, £19.80, link)

Finally, I applied a little of the Salicyclic Acid 2% + Zinc 1% Serum to any blemishes that were already gracing my complexion and I was very pleased to see a huge reduction after just the first use. This serum is fantastic as a localised spot treatment to use as and when blemishes pop up, and it's another product that I highly recommend to have in your skincare stash if you have oily/combination skin. 

Extras

The more I looked into Typology, the more I discovered and realised how vast their product range is, and I was thrilled to find these extras in my skincare package. There were two Perfume Discovery Sets* (£8.80 each, link) with some gorgeous fresh floral and citrusy scents (the Pamplemousse Petit Grain and Yuzu are new faves), and their popular 9 Ingredient Lip Balm* (15ml, £9.80, link) which is packed full of nourishing plant-based actives with nothing unnecessary or artificial added.

Overall Thoughts

Typology is obviously a brand for ardent skincare lovers and savvy consumers who want natural and effective products. But it's also a brand that can be embraced by those new to skincare as their informative website is full of advice about how to build a routine that suits your skin type and the online shop makes it easy to find products to address your skin concerns. It reminds me of a more streamlined and simplified luxury version of The Ordinary, but with better ingredients, more ethics and none of the drama.

Discover the full range at uk.typology.com

What would you like to try from Typology?

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