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Vegan. Ex-makeup artist. CFS/ME sufferer. Cares about human rights, equality, animal rights, conservation/climate change.

Chitika

Thursday 26 May 2016

The Vegan Kind Beauty Box 7 Review

Earlier this month I recieved my The Vegan Kind Beauty Box (yaaaay!) Instead of just showing you what I got, I thought I'd take some time to try out the products and tell you what I thought. 

This is what the box contained.

 Anticlockwise L-R PHB Eye Gel, Alva Sparkling Mineral Powder, Fairypants Lip Scrub, Grounded Hair Mask, Twa Burds Bath Soak.

I was really impressed with what I got this time. It's amazing value for money, bought separately the contents would set you back £42.94! Pretty good, considering the box costs £18.15 (including P&P) on the most expensive subscription plan! Right, let's get to the products.

First we have PHB Ethical Beauty Anti-Aging Eye Gel, RRP 16.95.

It's a hydrating gel containing aloe, argan oil, seaweed, sea buckthorn, rock rose, and lavender. With the 'anti-aging' claim, I was expecting to find ingredients like peptides, retinol, vitamin c, niacinamide, but no such luck. While it might not work miracles on your crow's feet, it is intensely moisturising, and leaves the eye area supple and soft. I was expecting it to make my eyes water or sting because of the strong fragrance, but somehow it doesn't cause any irritation. 

Packaging
I like that it comes in an airtight container with a pump, instead of a jar.

The gel absorbs quickly, leaving no sticky residue. It works well under other products and doesn't 'pill'.

It has some impressive ingredients - argan and sea buckthorn oils nourish the skin, effectively locking in the moisture provided by the aloe and seaweed. However I'd much prefer some real anti-aging ingredients instead of the fragrant essential oils - especially as fragrant oils can be a potential irritant for people with sensitive skin.

Ingredients List
Overall, it's a good product, but for the price I would demand more active ingredients and less fragrance.


The next product is Alva Natural Cosmetics Green Equinox Sparkling Harmony Mineral Powder, RRP £7.50.

This is a beautiful, multi-purpose golden shimmer powder. It's lovely as an eyeshadow, but it really comes into it's own when used as a highlight. I initially thought it would be too dark to use as highlighter on my skin tone, but it adds a sort of 'lit-from-within', ethereal glow that I can't get enough of! The shimmer particles are just the right size so that it doesn't look obviously glittery. I've also been applying a little to the centre of my lips and cupid's bow to add dimension. The only fault I can find with it is the sifter only has three holes, so getting the product to come out is a struggle! 




Left, finger swatch. Right, blended out. In sunlight.
Tried to capture what it looks like on in this hastily snapped selfie.

Next up is Fairypants Lemon Drizzle Lip Scrub, RRP £3.99.

This is one of those products I wouldn't buy because they're so easy to make yourself. However it is lovely! It smells - and tastes - of sweet lemony vanilla. Mmm! It works, too, leaving my chronically dry lips smooth and flake free. Great for prepping your lips for unforgiving liquid lipstick formulas!
I love the cute packaging!


Yum!
I've been dying to try some of Fairypants' other products - ecpecially their lip paints and space-themed collection of holographic nail varnishes! Everything seems very reasonably priced, too, perfect if you're on a budget!

The next item is Grounded Coconut and Lime Hair Mask, RRP £12.50.

I love using oil treatments overnight on my hair, but for frugality's sake I usually use plain coconut oil, or a mixture of olive and coconut. This one contains a blend of coconut, macadamia, avocado and grape seed oils, and is scented with a tropical lime aroma. I used it according to my normal routine, which is as follows.

Step 1 - Before bedtime, brush hair thoroughly to remove all tangles. Place a towel around your shoulders to protect your pyjamas. 

Step 2 - Fill a spray bottle with warm water and spritz hair until damp, but not dripping. This step is important, as the oil's job is to lock the moisture in, and it can't do that without any moisture!

Step 3 - Saturate hair with oil. If you have a dry scalp or are looking to promote hair growth, saturate the scalp too.

Step 4 - Section hair into two sections, left and right. French plait hair.

Step 5 - Lay the plaits close to the scalp, then wrap the head in cling film. Leave out the face, or you'll die. 

Step 6 - Put on a hat, or wrap head with a scarf. The warmer the hair is, the better the oil will penetrate, so wear as many hats as you can fit on at once!

Step 7 - Sleep. You may want to cover your pillowcase with a towel, just in case.

Step 8 - In the morning (or afternoon, I'm not judging) wash your hair. It usually takes 3 washes to get completely out.  For the first wash, apply the shampoo to the hair before wetting it. Condition as usual.

Step 9 - Enjoy your soft, silky hair!

I really liked this hair mask. It worked amazingly, but apart from the (heavenly) scent it didn't seem much better for my hair than my usual straight coconut oil. It's easier than coconut oil because you don't have to melt it first, but if you want to heat it, it's as simple as popping the pouch in a bowl of hot water. 

I love the pouch packaging with the screw top. I wish they made pure coconut oil in these pouches!

The final product I received was Twa Burds Woodland Rose Epsom Salt Bath Soak, RRP £2.00. 

I am a massive fan of Epsom salt baths, so I was pleased to get this in the box! Epsom salt, or magnesium sulphate baths are a great way to get an dose of the essential mineral magnesium. An electrolyte, magnesium is needed by the brain and muscles - and sore muscles feel so much better after soaking in a hot Epsom salt bath! It also helps to soothe joint inflammation, so it's perfect for sports injuries, or for spoonies with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia or arthritis. 



This bath soak is tinted pink and infused with a gorgeous scent. The rose and calendula petals floating on the water really give this product a luxurious feel - perfect for when you're in need of a pamper! I'm afraid I forgot to take a picture of this, it looked so relaxing that I jumped straight in!

I had a look on their Etsy shop, and they do Nag Champa scented Epsom salts! I have to try those next! They also sell palm oil free soap - which is perfect if, like me, you avoid palm oil because of the deforestation and destruction of orangutan habitat involved in it's production.


I'm so pleased with the selection in this beauty box! And of course 20p from the sale of each box goes to Dr Hadwen Trust, an amazing charity dedicated to non-animal medical research. 

If you want to subscribe to The Vegan Kind Beauty Box, you can do so here, and if you already do, tell me what you thought of this box!

Til Next Time,

Emma
xXx

This beauty box was purchased by me with my own money, but my opinions could never be bought either way!

1 comment:

  1. The Alva mineral powder looks so beautiful! I adore lemon scents so I'm going to have to get my hands on some of that lip scrub, it sounds lovely :) xx

    Toasty

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