Birch Box

It had been a few months since I last treated myself to a subscription box, so when I spied that Unidays were offering 50% off the October Birch Box, I decided to sign myself up for the month.  I did however make a rather silly mistake, as I signed up for the 50% off box on October 31^st, and then was charged on the 1^st of November again for the next month’s box.  I wasn’t that fussed though, as both boxes looked really pretty, and there was a few bits and bobs between the two boxes that I was keen to try out.

October

So I’m not going to lie, there was only really one product that I was interested in when I signed up for this box – the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray.  I have recently become a fan of the stuff, so I was really keen to stock up on it to tie me over till Christmas.  Sadly I didn’t receive this in my box, however I did anticipate this as I did the order, seeing as I was ordering on the last day of the month.  If I’m totally honest, there wasn’t really anything that wowed me in the box – other than the styling of the actual box itself.  Inside contained a facial mist spray, hair oil, eye brow brush, a sheet mask, a lipstick crayon and an aroma therapy shower gel.  Not to sound snobby, but these are all items that I either buy myself a regular basis and have plenty to keep me going, or items that I tend not to both much with.  The facial mist does feel great on my skin, the lipstick crayon is a gorgeous colour and I love the way the hair oil makes my hair smell (like a hairdressers) however I probably won’t bother much with the other items.  I’ve got a brow brush, and the mask is not cruelty free, so this box wasn’t a winner for me.  I did however LOVE the design and drawer style of the box, and I have it nicely displayed and in use in my room. 

November

Seeing as I had no idea what to expect in the November box, I was actually quite excited by what might come.  The delivery was as quick as the first one, only taking a few days to arrive after the payment was taken.  Again though, sadly the contents were not items that I was thrilled by.  Now don’t get me wrong, they are all great products, just not stuff that I go mad for.  My November box contained another facial spritz spray, a leave in hair conditioner, a lipstick primer, BB cream and a facial moisturiser.  All great products, all cruelty free, just these are not the kind of items that I had hoped to receive in a monthly subscription box.  I’ve been loving the Nuxe moisturiser which I’ve been using under my primer, and the lip stick primer does work a treat – however it’s not something that I think I will bother with when I run out of the sample.

I like to keep my routines pretty simple, and so adding extra bits and bobs really complicate things for my and clutter up my toiletry bag!  None the less, I will be using up all of the products above over a period of time, however for the time being I will be cancelling my Birch Box subscription – as this beauty box is not the one for me.

Did you treat yourself to any of the above boxes?  Were you more thrilled with the contents than I was?

Until the next one,

Native Unearthed Deodorant

Probably my favourite item that I received in The Vegan Kind August box was definitely the natural deodorant from Native Unearthed.  I’ve always been sceptical of natural deodorants as I have an irrational fear of smelling bad.  I’m the kind of person that will put some on in the morning, then before I leave for work, then when I get to work, then on every break etc... So you get the picture.  I don’t want to stink.  I’ve tried going natural before using one from Lush, which unfortunately did not work in the slightest for me and left me feeling really self-conscious going about my day.  I stuck it out for about 2 weeks before packing it in, so although I was excited to find this in my box, I was also a little skeptical and rather uncertain about giving another one a try. 

The Native Unearthed stick deodorant needs to be wet before you apply it to your underarms.  There is no fragrance to this particular one, which worried me slightly as what if I do start to stink and there is no pretty smells to try and combat it?  Of course I was being ridiculous, but hey, that’s just me.  As you rub it on, a clear wet paste like solution glides over the skin – it’s hard to tell if you’re putting on too much or not enough.  I will admit that it does not give me the same clean feeling as using a spray on does when applied, however you can’t really compare a spray and solid.  I love that it doesn’t flake off as you move your arms, nor does it stain you clothing as your pulling it over your head, like most spay on deodorants do!  After applied, it’s a waiting game to see how it preforms…

I played it safe for the first few wears, applying it in the morning and only using it on days when I knew I wasn’t going to be getting up to much other than blogging and a dog walk.  When these days passed without any problems, I started applying it in the mornings before going to work – but would always use the spray on stuff when I was at work to keep me topped up.  However this last week or so, I’ve put it to the real test and have been only wearing this for all day, be it a lazy day at home, a trip to town for some shopping or an evening work out at the gym – and it’s been great!  Not once have I found myself feeling sweaty or uncomfortable as my day as gone on - nor have I began to develop a bad odour either – which of course is my main concern here!  Of course I do still sweat, however it doesn’t smell at all and it doesn’t leave me feeling damp or sticky either.  It really is a great product, and I’m so happy that I got this in with the August box.  Priced at just £6.49 RRP – it’s a total bargain or the quantity and quality of the goods, and I will definitely be repurchasing again when this one runs out.  I’ve been convinced that natural deodorants are the way forward for ethical reasons thanks to Native Unearthed, it’s by far the best natural deodorant that I’ve come across to date, and would highly recommend that you give it a try too!

What’s your favourite natural deodorant? 

Until the next one,

The Vegan Kind Box August

I treated myself to a Vegan Kind box in August after my mum received her one in the post – the items inside were so brill that I couldn’t help myself!  It was a massive bargain too, as everything in the box totally up over £20, and I got mine for just £8.50 with a money off voucher!  Although it wasn’t much of a surprise when it came as I knew what to expect, I was still super excited to pop open the box and tuck in.

Hippeas

These chickpea puffs were one of the items from the box that my mum raved about, so I was quite excited to try these out as I’ve seen them in the likes of Holland and Barrett and Boots in town.  They were really thick and crunchy, and although it doesn’t look like you get a lot in the bag, because they are so big it is actually a really good sized portion.  Very herby in taste, this particular flavour was not really up my street.  They were nice and really packed with flavour, but not amazing.  I’ll definitely pick up the other flavours to see what one does take my fancy, as I really liked the texture of the snacks!

Squirrel Sisters

The packaging for this snack bar was really cute, I loved the colour and the little squirrels were funky!  I wasn’t really feeling this bar, it was oddly a little sour – I think this was the fruits used to flavour.  It reminded me of a flapjack/nakd bar, kind of a mix of both.  I really liked the coconut flakes that they had mixed through, you could really taste these with every bite!  I’d maybe try out the other flavours of these bars, if I ever come across them in the shops!

Candy Kittens

By far my favourite snack from the bunch, these sweeties excited both me and my mum when she opened up her box, as she’s been filling me in on the new vegan flavour for ages!  We both loved Percy Pigs when she was veggie, however now that she’s gone completely vegan – she can no longer have them due to beeswax.  The Candy Kittens sweeties remind me of these, the texture is amazing and the taste is really nice too – not too sweet yet not so artificial.  They’ve really created a fab vegan sweetie – and I only hope that they decide to expand their vegan range further, as beef gelatine is gross and we don’t need that stuff in sweeties!  Since receiving my box I have repurchased Candy Kittens from my not so local Sainsburys, and plan to do so for the foreseeable future.

Landgarten Crunchy Choco Snack

I’ve seen these bad boys online advertised as the vegan alternative of Maltesers – as seeing as these were a favourite of mine before my diet change, I was really quite excited by this particular snack!  Although very small in size, these little crunchy choco balls hit the sweet spot perfectly without being too sickly or bitter with the dark chocolate.  I myself personally wouldn’t compare them to Maltesers, as they’re substantially crunchier and completely different in taste altogether, however I can see why they’ve been compared.  I absolutely would pick these up again as they were a really nice wee treat – I juts hope I come across them in town sometime soon!

Vegan Egg

This is one of the items I was most excited to try out, as finding something that I can make an omelette style meal or scrambled egg is what I’ve been looking into for a while now.  I recently tried out scrambled tofu which I loved, and had hoped that this would be the as good if not better than that.  Unfortunately, I just really could not stomach the texture of this, it was super slimy and just not my cup of tea at all. I had cooked it like an omelette, and then scrambled it when I realised how floppy it was.  I flavoured this with black salt and pepper, and it did taste pretty good, however the texture was just too much.  I reckon this would be better trying it in some baking good, however that’s just my opinion and I’m sure people love this just the way I cooked it!  

This box was well worth the money, and I can promise you that I will be making a repurchase again from The Vegan Kind.  I treated my mum to the September box too this month which was pretty amazing - I just can't decide if I can stretch my budget that far this month yet to get one for myself too!  Watch this space...

Until the next one,

July Lust List

Just like last month, I’ve put together a few bits and pieces that I would like to treat myself to.  I’m keeping it short and sweet this time round though, as I have three birthdays in July to fund – as well as another three during the first two days in August… YIKES!

Vegan Subscription Box

My six weeks on my gluten/dairy/yeast free diet have been and gone, and I’ve decided to carry on with it until I’m given a reason not to (bar the occasional treat mind you!)  My mum is a vegan, and she has come across the perfect wee snack box for me.  It’s 100% vegan and totally gluten free too, and it only costs £9.50!  They send you out a box a month, which will contain five to eight vegan snacks that are guaranteed to cost more than the value of the box you are paying for.  I’m excited to try this one out and report back to you guys at a later date!

Nakd Treats

I’ve found that buying Nakd bars from my local supermarkets has become a little bit repetitive.  They only stock certain flavours now – and although I do still really enjoy them – I like to have variety.  You can now purchase a variety box online from Nakd for just £7.99 – they send you 9 bars in the post, some of which I’ve yet to try!  I can’t wait to place an order, I’ve been dying to try the Café Mocha for ages now… so here is hoping it’s a good one!

Lip Care

If you follow me on Twitter, you will have probably noticed that I’ve been complaining about my lips and awful lot this last few weeks.  I don’t know what happened, I basically woke up one morning and my lips were dry and red and sore and just really not nice looking!  It’s really quite painful at times, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to find something that will fix the problem sooner rather than later. I’ve been having a look at a few vegan and cruelty free lip balms and moisturisers since my problem occurred, so watch this space.  I’ll fill you in if I find that miracle product any time soon!

I think that’s it really!  I’ve a few trips coming up in the next couple of months that require hotels and train fares – as well as all these birthdays (and my boyfriends and I three year anniversary) that all need funding too.  I don’t need to crazy splurge on myself every month – but I do like a wee treat here and there!

What’s everyone else got their eyes on this month?

Until the next one,