Review: SoukSouk May 2013 Box

The Little Green Beauty Box...

May 2013 SoukSouk contents

What is SoukSouk?

A monthly 'green and clean' beauty box that aims to introduce ethical beauty lovers to new brands and products that are either certified organic and natural; are free from certain chemicals; and are not tested on animals! Wheww, finally, a truly guilt free beauty box... Subscriptions cost £14.95 (this includes £2.95 p&p) and get you 4-5 'green' beauty samples to play with and a copy of the SoukSouk magazine! The magazine is well worth a read and contains all the latest beauty and gossip news alongside any updates of what is going off in the world of green beauty. Did you know that on the 11th of March 2013, the EU implemented a ban on animal testing for cosmetic products and ingredients within the EU? Hurrah :)

May 2013 Box Contents

Here's a little look at what I received in my May box:

• Dr Bronner's Magic Soap 18-in-1 Hemp Rose (59ml)
• Green People Moisturising Shower Gel (30ml)
• Green People Nurture Body Lotion (30ml)
• BalmBalm Lip Balm (full sized 7ml version)
• Inika Eyebrow Pencil Brunette (full sized) 

I'm going to talk about my favourite picks from my box first and my absolute fave is the BalmBalm lip balm; it smells dreamy! I got the rose geranium version and I'm so glad I did as this would have been the one I went for if I was buying it myself. I adore floral scents and these two flowers combined make an enticing fragrance that just soothes my mind upon applying and has the added bonus of soothing and repairing my chapped lips! This natural emollient balm is suitable for all skin types and can be used pretty much anywhere that you have dry skin that needs some TLC... Who doesn't love a great multi-tasker?!

I've never really used brow pencils before so I was happy to see the Inika pencil for brunettes nestled in my box. I don't know what it is about using actual pencils to fill in my brows that I find so much harder than using my current Benefit Brow-Zings palette and angled brush? But I just never seem to get the application right; too heavy or too light. After trying this pencil though, i'm feeling a little more confident about making the switch as this applied smoothly and didnt feel like I needed to really press hard to make it leave the desired amount of product. 

As you can see from my swatch, it gives a lovely rich chocolate brown shade - perfect for brunettes ofcourse as the name states and maybe even for the darker of the lighter brows. Just don't apply it as thickly. Glides on effortlessly! It even comes with a sharpener that you can attach the opposite end of the pencil for on-the-go sharpening. Really impressed with this product.

I love the pretty bow that is wound around the contents list paper turning it into a scroll; it adds nicely to the overall natural feel of this product and is different to the usual silk ribbons that adorn most beauty boxes. The Dr Bronner's Magic Soap is something i've only heard about before so it was good to try it, but I wasn't keen on the scent. It's rose so i thought i'd love it but sometimes there's certain rose scents that just make me feel a bit nauseous and sadly this is one. I'm definitely going to use it as the scent is still quite light so it won't give me a headache but it's not something i would repurchase. It can be used for a variety of things as the name suggests which is fab if you are wanting to cut down the clutter you have in your bathroom cabinet, for example! On the back of the bottle it says you can 'enjoy only 2 cosmetics, enough sleep & Dr Bronner's Magic Soap'... That's quite a statement! Some of the things you can use this soap for is as a bath oil, massage oil, deodorant and even pet shampoo! To find out even more of this soaps wonderful uses do visit SoukSouk's blog and if you can think of any more uses be sure to let me and SoukSouk know! 

Little Green Magazine

Again i was introduced to another new brand in this month's box; Green people. The samples are 30ml so there is plenty to play with and they are perfectly sized for packing away in a travel bag. I've tried both and i'm in love! The body lotion is very nourishing and doesn't take long to fully sink into the skin which i always look out for when sampling new moisturisers. I hate that sticky feeling from the ones that just sit on your skin and this lotion is free from alcohol which probably explains why it's so good at what it does. Alcohol is very drying I find when it's included in skincare products. Team this lotion with the moisturising shower gel and you're going to have silky soft skin with the lightest and most delicate fragrance of orange blossom. I can't wait to try more of the Green People range now... Highly recommend!

Overall

I adore my first SoukSouk beauty box experience! I love everything about it... I've been trying to be more green beauty conscious of late and I'm finding that I'm really not that clued up when it comes to what is on offer in the world of ethical and clean beauty; there's just so much choice! It's nice to have a monthly lot of handpicked samples delivered to my door, taking the hard work out of finding green beauty brands. I love how SoukSouk include the stamps that certify organic products, free from animal testing and vegan certified approved on their contents summary page making for very easy reference. The magazine that comes with the box is one of the best I've read from all the boxes i've subscribed to... very different and most importantly very informative. It was nice to see a section at the back that lists the 'Good Guys' when it comes to purchasing beauty and skincare if you just can't wait for your next box arrive... ;)

To find out more and to subscribe to SoukSouk's little green beauty box click here! Be sure to give them a follow on twitter too.

Did you receive the May box also? Let me know what you thought, I love to hear your thoughts x

Beautecobox...Say Hello To The Beauty Box With Options!

Say Hello!

This month has seen the launch of Beautecobox; the new subscription beauty box that gives YOU the choice as to which box & products that you'll receive through the post! I've waited for something like this to come along for so long now and I'm thrilled to bits with my first box which I was lucky enough to have won on their Twitter giveaway last week. The first thing I noticed was the sizing... No teensy tiny samples in these boxes! Let's hope it stays that way :) Click here to go pick your first Beautecobox now and never waste another £10 on a box full of duff samples again!

The 1st Box (menu 3)

How does it work?

• Choose which box you would like to receive from the menu on the Boutique page of Beautecobox which lists all the contents so that you know exactly what you'll be getting! It's as simple as that. 
• Each box will always have at least FIVE samples included!

Click here to go pick your first Beautecobox now and never waste another £10 on a box full of duff samples again! 

My Faves

Melvita Milky Cleansing Oil 35ml

My absolute favourite product from the box has to be the Melvita Milky Cleansing Oil... I've been interested in this brand a lot recently but never got around to buying anything yet so I'm super glad this was on the menu. Melvita describes itself as "a pioneer in organic beauty and has grown to become one of France's leading brands of natural and organic cosmetics" So if you're obsessed with the hype over French Pharmacy skincare and beauty like me, you're going to love this brand!  It's 35ml - a decent size as it's an oil cleanser and you only need a little bit to go a long way. It takes off the most stubborn of makeup, especially eye makeup that you might need to usually go over with an eyemakeup remover after using a normal cleanser. First impressions of Melvita are impressive, they get a thumbs up and i look forward to trying more of their range in the not so far future.

Mitchell and Peach Body Cream 50ml

I had never heard of Mitchell and Peach before, but I'm glad I discovered them thanks to Beauteco Box... this body cream is amazing! That subtle creamy scent that lingers on the skin after applying is divine; I love anything that has that yummy honey scent to it. It's organic, blended in England and quite simply pure indulgence, so I love it!

Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser 5ml

I wasn't that excited about the Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser at first, it retails at £120 for 60ml and I just thought it would be another one of those unheard of expensive creams that is just hopes to gain followers through the idea that it's just luxe due to being expensive whilst not actually really making a difference to your skin. Or atleast not £120 worth! I became slightly more interested when i read the blurb on the back which says 'Think serum, moisturiser and eye cream one...' Eeep! If it actually did all of these things then it would most certainly be worth a £120 as it would cost me far more than that to buy all three things separetly. I've only used it today but so far so good, it feels nice and light on and sinks in well over half an hour. I'd need to use it longer before I'd decide whether i'd swap to this instead of using serums and eyecreams too though. I will update!

In every menu for this month's boxes is the full sized Anatomicals Body Scrub £3.49 and Hand Cream £3.00. I don't use handcreams but my mum was pretty chuffed to have been given it and says it's working really well and given her softer hands already. The body scrub works perfectly fine as i've had from Glossybox or similar before and buffs away all that nasty dead cells that dulls skin instantly.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to go pick your first Beautecobox now and never waste another £10 on a box full of duff samples again! 

Do pick your box carefully as you cannot change your mind after selecting. If you have forgotten to choose your box before it is sent out, relax, the Beauteco box gals will send you the box that they think is best based on your previous selections! 

Seafolly Festival Bikini S/S13

Bikini Brights

I've become totally obsessed with swimwear this year and already have perhaps too many to consider taking away with me but it doesn't stop me lusting over this Seafolly bikini from their s/s13 collection. It's like nothing I own or have have ever owned, I love the bright clash of contrasting colours and to me this just screams that it wants to be my Miami bikini as it makes me think of the neon lights you see on on the art deco buildings around South Beach. 

I usually stick to safe pastels or just plain bikini's but I think it's time that I experimented with colour a bit more ;) 

Seafolly Festival Triangle Top £39.50

I love the first two pictures of the official Seafolly model in the bikini, it definitely better on tanned skin...

Seafolly Festival Hipster Pants £39.00 

Classic Triangle VS Booster Bandeau Style (bandeau £59.00)

Quick question: would you go for the triangle or booster bandeau bikini top? I can't decide if the bandeau style looks a bit big and I'm not exactly big in the boobage dept :P

They were pretty hard to find, and most websites only stock one or two of the range instead of the whole lot - there are quite a few variations in the bottoms and tops not to mention a maxi skirt and coverup, so i've listed a few places where you can find items from the range. 

• I recently discovered Odyssey Boutique located in Edinburgh stock the triangle top and hipster pant and are super friendly and helpful. 
• ASOS also stock the hipster pant and a halter bikini top, the latter i'm not so fond of. They currently have the skirt cover up too.
• Simply Beach have a good range of most the collection and some bigger cup sizes
• Last but not least, Figleaves have the hipster pant and bandeau top and usually have a discount floating around!