Neal's Yard Remedies Give-away

I was very excited to find out that I would be receiving an orange flower skin care kit as part of a social media give-away. I don't actually tend to use anything on my face apart from moisturiser and mineral power so have always been reluctant to start  using face washes and toners etc. I have very dry, sensitive skin that is pretty happy to be left alone. The problem for me is dry skin and peeling skin on my face so was super excited when I found out this skincare set is specifically for helping with dry skin.

The set came in a really cute cotton bag which has been very useful as storage for this set and also all my other Neal's Yard oils. The picture above shows the bag with the moisturiser, facial wash, toner and facial oil. 

Facial Wash and Toner

This was all new to me. I've never used toner before in my life and occasionally face wash when I was at high school. The best thing was that they were both very light products. The facial wash didn't leave any residue and wasn't at all 'slimey or soapy'. I didn't get that tight skin feeling that a lot of people with sensitive skin get with normal soaps or washes.

The wash only had a light orange fragrance but the toner was more fragrant and it was very refreshing. I read on their site that Neal's Yard get the orange flowers from the Atlas Mountains. I really recognised the smell as orange flower is a key in most Moroccan pharmacies that produce oils and skin care products. I have visited Morocco three times and it really took me back to the smells of those pharmacies.

Moisturiser

The moisturiser was very light and easily absorbed after the toner. It didn't lave my face feeling oily or sticky, just smooth and soft.

I normally go for thick moisturisers because my skin is so dry and light moisturisers have no effect. However I did feel like this worked well especially if the oil is also used.

Facial Oil

The oil just smells amazing. Like I said earlier it took me straight back to the smells of Morocco. It's not a sticky fruity orange kind of smell, more subtle and floral (probably because the flowers are used and not the fruit!).

The oil was definitely my favourite thing and probably the one I am most likely to buy. I can imagine it being very good in winter at preventing and soothing dry skin.

This set has been lovely to use and I am pleasantly surprised that my skin hasn't become irritated or more dry after using it. It actually did the job! Also the ingredients are all natural and are organic and it's vegan, eco-friendly and cruelty free. The main thing is I don't feel like I need to wear make up on my skin because the set has worked so well. So thank you Neal's Yard!

Sustainable Textiles: My Banana Fibre Scarf!

My favourite present from Christmas has to be my scarf made from recycled banana fibres. My Granny got it for me off a craft fair stall and one of the reasons I love it so much is that she pays attention to the things that are important to me: sustainability and ethics.

The amazing thing is that you would have no clue the scarf was made from a banana plant! Recently I have come across articles discussing other sustainable fibres.

A little list of plant based fibres:

• Sustainable vegan leather made from mushrooms
• Sustainable vegan leather made from pineapple (Piñatex™)
• Linen made from flax seed
• Thread and textile made from banana stems
• Thread and textile made from bamboo
• Yarn from eucalyptus pulp called Tencel/ Lyosell
• Organic or recycled cotton

Where can I buy plant based fibres?

People Tree - Fair-trade sustainable fashion using organic cotton and sustainable Tenecel

H&M Conscious - Recycled cotton \and Lyosell

BAM Bamboo Clothing