Tag Archives: Vegan Skincare

Jun 16 2020

{AD-Gifted} SO, It’s Vegan Skincare!

Hey there my lovelies, I hope you are doing as good as you can do right now.

Over the last few weeks, I have been testing out some super skincare. Skincare that is natural, kind to the skin, effective and kind to the environment AND, it’s Vegan too! Let me introduce to you, SO Natural Cosmetics.

So Natural Cosmetics is the brainchild of a husband and wife team who are based in  Buckinghamshire. They wanted to create a range of completely 100% natural and plant-based beauty products for face and body which was to be aimed at a market that isn’t defined by age, sex, or ethnicity, they wanted something that would be more natural and eco-aware and sustainable.

So Natural Cosmetics says:

“We believe that we all deserve something better. products that don’t have the potential not only to damage our personal health but also to destroy the environment around us. we have a duty to our children and grand-children to take care of their legacy. To that end all our products are 100% natural and plant-based. wherever possible we use organic accredited sources and local suppliers. we support small businesses and artisan producers. we take our carbon footprint seriously and seek to reduce our impact on the environment in every way possible. we embrace an ethos of no petroleum-based or synthetic additives. we are cruelty-free and only use natural ingredients from certifiably sustainable sources with good working practices and human rights policies. Simply put, our range is ethical, natural and effective and delivers high-quality visible skin and hair care benefits in a natural way”

The products that I’m going to introduce to you are Foamy Handwash, Versatile Ultra Gel, Deodorant Stick, Lip Balm, Waterproof Makeup Remover, and Nourishing Moisturising Cream. I’ll start with the Foamy handwash, seeing how handwashing is so important right now.
My hands have really suffered since COVID-19 reared its ugly head. Using anti-bacterial soap and handwashes have dried the skin on my hands, around my nails especially. My knuckles were so sore and red from all the constant washing of hands. I found the SO Natural foamy handwash an absolute delight to use on my poor hands. It’s based on the traditional soap recipe, made from pure organic vegetable oils, no unnatural chemicals have been used in the production of this foamy soap. The oils are Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil.
It’s unscented, so no flowery fragrance at all, although I think it does have the smell of the vegetable oils to it, certainly not a problem for me though. The handsoap is dispensed via a foamer bottle and just one pump is all that’s needed on wet hands to thoroughly clean (for 20 seconds, singing Happy Birthday) after washing I found that they were not dry or stripped, my hands were feeling quite smooth, and the problem skin around my nails was not as dry. An absolutely gorgeous handwash!
To keep my hands and anything else soft and nicely conditioned I have been using the SO Natural Versatile Ultra Gel. This is in a pump-action bottle again and it’s 100% recyclable. The formula for this multi-tasking gel is a family secret, although the ingredients are here: 
Aqua (Water), Flax Seed mucilage (Linum usitatissimum Seed extract, vegetable Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder), Benzyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic acid. It also has vitamin E and Omega fatty acids.
SO, why is this versatile? Well, it can be used wherever you need to moisturise. You can even use it on the ends of the hair to help with the flyaways or to separate the curls during styling. I have used it to keep my hands soft and moisturised after all the handwashing that has to be done at the moment. I was also very surprised to learn that this gel can be used as a personal lubricant. It’s completely water-based with plant-based ingredients and PH balanced, so extremely safe.
The next SO Natural product that I have been using is the So Effective Hard Deodorant. The packaging really intrigued me. It’s made of brown Kraft paper which is fully recyclable. The deodorant is dispensed by pushing up from the base of the tube.This is a natural deodorant, aimed at keeping effective for up to 12 hours. It’s full of natural plant ingredients with coconut oil and cocoa butter within to help with nourishing the skin. This solid deodorant doesn’t stop you from sweating, but it does help to neutralize those nasty whiffs.
I have never used a hard deodorant before, and I was slightly concerned that once applied it would feel very sticky, but I needn’t have worried it applies better and much drier than a usual roll-on deodorant. The description says that the deodorant has a “subtle, clean and invigorating aroma of spearmint essential oil” I didn’t get that from it. I found the fragrance quite earthy, a bit chocolate like but without the sweetness, it has a more masculine fragrance, but saying than it is very pleasant, it certainly doesn’t clash with my chosen perfume. You can see the ingredients below.

 Rice Starch, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter Candellila Wax, Potassium Alum Powder, Sodium Bicarbonate, Lemon Ester (Isoamyl Laurate^, Triethyl Citrate^, Isoamyl Cocoate^), Castor Oil, Farnesol*, Spearmint Essential Oil, Sunflower Oil, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Limonene*. *Naturally present in essential oils. ^Esters of lauric, citric and coconut acid.

Next up is the SO moisturising Lip Balm. Like the hard deodorant, the lip balm is packaged in the brown paper push up tube, which is manufactured in the UK and completely recyclable too.

I really like this lip balm and I use it at night before I go to sleep, I keep it on my bedside table to re-apply during the night when I do tend to wake. It has 100% natural plant-based ingredients within this lip balm. There’s cocoa butter, organic jojoba and castor oils in there also peppermint oil. Again the description mentions the peppermint aroma, and again I didn’t get that. For me it’s unscented, but I know that the peppermint is in there because I do get a slight tingle sensation. This is a lovely moisturising lip balm, it’s not a sticky cloying lip balm, I hate that kind. This is so comfortable to wear, and actually, you don’t need to use a lot to get that moisture, I applied to my bottom lips and smooshed my lips together, they were completely covered and soft and smooth. It’s great to use under a matte lipstick too, especially if you don’t like a totally matte look lip. A really lovely lip balm.

Let’s talk about cleansing now with the SO effective waterproof makeup remover.

Okay, I have to say firstly that I didn’t follow the instructions to the letter when I used this cleanser. They say to apply a small amount to a cotton pad to remove makeup. I didn’t. I poured the milky cleanser into the palm of my hand and massaged it over my face, taking it across my eyes. I then removed it with my usual wet muslin cloth. It did remove my face makeup and left my skin feeling clean and soft and freshened. It didn’t remove all my mascara in one go, I went in for a second time, to be fair I would do anyway with a second cleanse. None of my makeup is waterproof, so I can’t comment on that side of the cleanser. There is no fragrance at all, it’s full of beautiful natural/organic ingredients such as Organic Olive, which is rich in Omega 3 and nourishes the skin. Organic Castor Oil which is good for dry skin types, Witch Hazel water a natural astringent that helps in the removal of makeup, it also helps with acne-prone skin or aging skin as it has anti-oxidants, and there is also Vitamin E which helps to retain moisture in aging skins. The cleanser is available in 100g and 250g size bottles, which are 100% recyclable.

Lastly, I’m sharing with you the SO Nourishing Moisturising Cream, particularly for dry and mature skin types.

Oh, my word this is one heck of rich nourishing face cream! It really is quite gorgeous. With 100% natural plant-based ingredients including Shea Butter which as we know is amazing for moisturising the skin and high in phytosterols which helps with cell renewal, there’s Cocoa Butter in there for nourishment and Olive and Sunflower oils to soften and protect the skin. It has no perfume and a total joy to use. You do not need to use a lot of product, it really does go a long way. I made the mistake of slathering it on my face and the following day I did have a bit of a breakout on my chin and the side of my nose. But once I corrected myself I have really enjoyed using the cream every day. It’s fantastic on the hands too, leaving them very soft and nourished aftrewards. A gorgeous everyday moisturising cream indeed.

SO Natural Cosmetics I’m very glad to say are wonderful, everything is handmade in the UK, 100% natural and plant-based, vegan – cruelty-free, palm oil-free – gm free, no synthetic or mineral oil-based additives. There is FREE shipping on orders over £30. You will find them HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading today, take care of yourself, stay safe.

XXX

 

 

 

 

Jun 23 2019

Two of the Best Micellar Cleansers, and they’re Vegan too!

Hi, welcome to Elegant Ageless Beauty.

I have purchased a few cleansers just recently, and two are of the Micellar variety. I’ve got a Micellar Oil and a Micellar Water, both of them are from B. Skincare which is a Superdrug own brand.

So let me begin with the Micellar Oil.

Firstly, I just want to say that if you look at the Superdrug website description of the Micellar Oil the photo shows the oil to be bright orange in colour. It really isn’t. It’s actually a very pale amber colour. Anyhoo, this is an oil that goes milky when water is added onto the skin. I’ve used it over my eyes and it doesn’t irritate mine at all. I don’t use it to remove eye makeup, although it does get the last traces of mascara that may have been left behind. This has Pomegranate seed oil within so it is very moisturising and brightening for the skin, there’s Vitamin E to soothe and protect and Chia seed oil to purify. You can apply and cleanse the skin by way of using the oil on a cotton pad and swiping over the face, but my chosen method is by pouring some into my hand and massaging over the face then removing with a muslin cloth or face cloth. Once rinsed away my skin feels very clean with no oily residue left behind. It’s good to massage on to the face and leave to sink right in then wash away with a wet face cloth, I’ve done this a few times and my skin really does feel so clean afterwards, and not dry and tight. This is a really lovely cleansing oil.

Now, this is the B. Skincare Micellar Water. It’s gorgeous for me to use first thing in the morning before my bath. It cleanses, tones and just refreshes the skin beautifully. I used to use micellar waters to remove my eye makeup only, but now I always use a separate eye makeup remover and just use the micellar water on my face. I have used this on my eyes to remove eye makeup to test it out and it’s pretty good at the job. I did, however, have to give it a couple of goes to be mascara free. To use this in my makeup removal/cleansing routine I remove eye makeup, then I use a cleansing oil or balm cleanser or cream cleanser then I will use my micellar water to ensure I have got all traces of makeup off of my skin, then I would carry on with all the other steps in my usual skincare routine. The B. Skincare Micellar Water really is the best micellar water I’ve used so far, and I have tried a few. It doesn’t sting because it’s so gentle and leaves my skin feeling soft and fresh and cleansed. Perfect for me.

Check out these two gorgeous B. Skincare products, and more HERE. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading today.

XXX