Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash & Body Oil Review

I am currently loving using this duo of natural skincare gorgeousness from Balance Me from the Super Toning collection.

The Super Toning Body Wash 200ml £9

Balance Me say 

Our invigorating super toning body wash is designed to improve skin tone, soften, smooth and encourage good circulation thanks to a unique spa-inspired blend of natural, active ingredients; juniper, bergamot, geranium and lavender. The wash’s uplifting signature blend appeals to both sexes in equal measure. This is a wonderful daily treat, ideal for frequent use thanks to its gentle, naturally foaming formulation.
My thoughts 

Wherever possible I try to avoid SLS and Parabens in my skincare and indeed one of my favourite collections contains neither so it was nice to try yet another, lovely natural collection that avoids these as well, performs well and is a decent price.

The body wash has a pleasant, delicate scent and comes out as a gel that foams ever so lightly when mixed with water. Personally I am not bothered about bubbles but I know some people are!

Skin feels clean, soft and healthy.

The Super Toning Body Oil 200ml £20

Balance Me say 

This award-winning body oil is our beauty Shangri-La, originally created by Balance Me Co-Founder Clare. This super-effective body oil will soften and smooth skin, and encourage good circulation thanks to a unique blend of active ingredients; juniper, bergamot, geranium and lavender. We added the moisturising and softening oils jojoba, macadamia, sweet almond and wheat germ for their essential fatty acids, anti-oxidants and vitamins, to help keep the visible signs of ageing at bay.
My thoughts 

The body oil features the same light and pleasant scent as the body wash. The oil dries quickly on the skin to leave it super soft and feeling nourished. The effects are lasting too. Perfect for a Winter skincare treat, I will be applying this daily.

*PR Samples

Balance Me Rose Otto Hand Cream Review

Another gorgeous hand cream recommendation for you today, this time from natural skincare brand Balance Me. I have already reviewed the Super Moisturising Hand Cream which had a lovely formula but the scent wasn't quite able to win me over. As predicted though the Rose Otto Hand Cream is far more to my liking.

Balance Me say

We have combined the best elements of our multi-award winning super moisturising hand cream with our most cherished rose essential oil blend to create a richly hydrating cream that has the lightest of textures and is perfect for dry, delicate and sensitive hands. Our ultra-soothing and skin-quenching rose otto hand cream deeply smooths and moisturises dry hands with its emollient blend of anti-oxidant rich, protective Arctic cloudberry, soothing cameila and kukui nut oils and our exquisite aroma of softening rose otto, palma rosa and rose geranium essential oils.

My thoughts 

The Rose Otto Hand Cream has a lovely and appealing delicate rose scent. The cream is non greasy, absorbs fast and leaves skin feeling velvety super soft, hydrated and smooth looking. What is there not to love!

Balance Me Rose Otto Hand Cream 50ml £10

*Balance Me promise no parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones, dea, plegs, poropylene glycol, artificial fragrances and colours.

*PR Sample

January GlossyBox 2014 - Back To Basics

January's GlossyBox is themed 'Back To Basics' with a range of products 'designed to get you back on the road to moisturised, toned, healthy skin, bright eyes and sculpted eyebrows' ..all sounds good doesn't it?

What's Inside The January 2014 GlossyBox 

So what did I get in my GlossyBox this month?

Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream 2 x 3g mini samples (full size product £13.50 for 33g)

Described as a skincare essential, I recently reviewed this product and I can confirm I do love it. Enriched with vitamins E and B2, a high glycerine content and camphor this really works. However it would have been fantastic if it had been a full sized product.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash 50ml (full size £10.25 for 250ml)

I haven't had a chance to try this body wash yet but it smells good and it comes in a generous sample size. Excellent for a weekend away. It contains a blend of juniper, bergamot, geranium and lavender essential oils and is paraben free.

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Floral Slanted Tweezers £8 

These are pretty tweezers. I must admit I am a Tweezerman girl through and through but I have already used these and so far so good and they look perfect in my Cath Kidston makeup bag!

Anatomicals Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer Wake-Up Under Eye Patches pack of 2 (£6 for pack of 3)

These under eye patches will apparently reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and revitalise the skin around the eyes.. I am looking forward to pepping my peepers so watch this space for a review of these very soon!

Montagne Jeunesse Passion Peel Off Masque & Blemish Mud Masque £1.09 each

Deep cleansing masks. I stopped using masks when I got psoriasis on my face a couple of months ago. Now it has cleared up I will be giving these a go. I do like MJ masks, the Passion Peel sounds very fruity and who doesn't love a mud pack :)

Final thoughts 

Opening up this box I thought it looked pretty empty, the products were tiny and there wasn't any pretty makeup to reel me in. However what GlossyBox has delivered this month is a box full of useful items and products that I will be using so actually it is a pretty good box this month. Yes I would have loved a full size beauty product somewhere in there but value wise it is not a bad box and for the theme .. it is a perfect fit.

Roll on February Box

Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream

As the colder weather approaches a hand cream is a must to combat the drying effect and to keep cracked, flaky hands at bay, although for me personally a hand cream is a staple in my beauty regime all year round. I have mentioned before I have hand creams everywhere! I always, without fail, apply hand cream before I go to bed and this award winning hand cream from Balance Me is the one that comes with me to bed.

Balance Me say

Multi-award winning and seriously rich, our cream has been formulated to leave even the driest hands smooth and soft to touch. Our unique and uplifting blend of renowned ancient skin conditioners (benzoin and yarrow) shea butter and sweet almond oil work together to really turn back the clock on hard-working hands.

Also includes the essential oil Patchouli (calming) Indonesian kukui nut oil for supply skin and skin smoothing carrageenan gum.

Ultra effective and seriously smoothing.

My thoughts 

This hand cream is quite thick to apply, you will only need a little as it goes a long way and it absorbs fast with no greasy finish. Skin looks plumped and smooth and seriously soft. The scent is slightly medicinal and herbal and is not really overly appealing to me (although the more I use this cream the more I am getting used to it) but I know that could just be my issue as lots of people have told me that they love the scent and it even had my own husband asking me "what is that lovely smell".

Super Moisturising Hand Cream is a very effective hand cream which I would recommend you give a go.

Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream is available in 3 sizes 100ml, 50ml and 30ml and retails at £14.50, £10 and £7.50. For stockist information visit balanceme.co.uk

*Balance Me promise no parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones, dea, plegs, poropylene glycol, artificial fragrances and colours.

*PR Sample

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm - Review

It is so lovely to find fabulous facial cleansers and I have been lucky recently with a couple that I am really liking.

The first one is the Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm with radiance-enhancing oatmeal.

Balance Me say 

Our sophisticated 100& natural oil-based balm is a daily must for its dual cleansing and smoothing action to remove make-up and enhance your skin's natural radiance.

Anti-oxidant rich Artic cloudberry, gentle Roman chamomile and skin brightening mandarin smooths away daily grime and make-up leaving skin soft, radiant and calmly clean. Gently polishing oatmeal sloughs away dead skin cells and encourages cell renewal. Shea and cocoa butter, softening rosehip, camellia , kukui nut and virgin coconut oils which are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and lipids, provide a layer of skin boosting goodness which benefits both young and mature skin.

Suitable for normal/to dry sensitive skin.

My thoughts

My skin sits nicely between young and mature skin and can be a little sensitive (I suffer from slight rosacea on my cheeks) and as I wear make-up every day I am looking for a good cleanser to use twice a day. I don't like my skin to feel tight after and I want it to smell nice, be gentle and leave my skin really clean oh and preferably be able to use it to remove mascara ... and I am happy to say this Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm fits the bill completely.

It has a pleasant citrus lemon scent, not too dissimilar from Lemsip actually. The first part of the two phase process - Packed with lovely ingredients it is quite oily as it comes out of the tube, it loosens as you apply and massage to your skin,  it has fine pieces of oatmeal that gently polish the skin. In the second phase of the process you add warm water and continue massaging. The balm becomes thick and gloopy and at this stage you can apply it to closed eyes wiping over lids and lashes. Finally wiping off the balm with a damp muslin cloth/flannel.

This results in clean, clear and brilliantly soft skin that looks bright and feels comfortable. A wonderful and pleasant to use cleanser. One for my beauty essentials page.

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm costs £20 for 125ml (comes with a muslin cloth)

Available in selected Debenhams stores and online

*Balance Me promise no parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones, dea, plegs, poropylene glycol, artificial fragrances and colours.

*PR Sample

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil - Review

Balance Me say 

Highly emollient yet super-absorbent, our 100% natural powerfully active face oil with Amazonian buriti nut oil, Roman chamomile, yarrow and benzoin feeds skin lacking in lustre with a rich, replenishing blend of skin-boosting and smoothing ingredients. Suitable for all skin types, including combination complexions.

INGREDIENTS: 

 Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, Vitis vinifera (grape seed) oil, Aleurites moluccana (kukui) nut oil, Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil, Rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, Mauritia flexuosa (buriti) oil, Moringa oleifera (moringa) seed oil, Camellia oleifera (camellia) oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile)*, Styrax benzoin (benzoin), Achillea millefolium (yarrow)*, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, Limonene**, Linalool**, Geraniol**, Citronellol**

My thoughts 

Don't you just love it when a product lives up to its claims. This is a gorgeous oil to apply, puts the 'treat' in treatment. It has a pleasant subtle scent and doesn't feel overly oily or greasy on the skin and absorbs well. I apply it at night (2 drops) before my moisturiser and I noticed a difference in the texture of my skin within 2 days. My skin is smoother and more refined. The skin looks softer, clearer, brighter and generally more radiant. 

Have you tried this oil?

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil 30ml costs £30

*PR Sample

Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash - Review

I got the Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash free with September's issue of Red magazine. Avid readers will know that I am a massive fan of rose products so found this offer too good to pass up and I also discovered that Red magazine was a really good read.

The claims 


'Our gently foaming, sulphate free body wash is heavenly scented, luxuriously moisturising and deeply soothing thanks to our bespoke blend of skin-quenching rose otto, palma rose and mood balancing rose geranium oils. Even the most sensitive skin can soak up softness, leaving it feeling supplier and smoother'

Balance Me claims that this wash is perfect for the very sensitive skins, I don't have sensitive skin to be able to substantiate these claims but they also claim that it is perfect for the rose connoisseurs and that is something that I certainly am.

The reality

This is a heavily rose scented wash that smells of delicious Turkish delight. I adore the scent but it doesn't linger on the skin. Despite it being scented I didn't have any irritation from it and I did find it to be gentle to use. The actual product is very runny, so you have to move fast so that you don't waste the product as it literally pours out of the tube on its own. I have found this happens with a lot of natural bathing products though. The wash does have a gentle foam which is pleasant for those that like to see some bubbles! My skin is left feeling soft and comfortable and if I forget/run out of time to use a moisturiser, my skin is not left feeling the need for anything extra.

As a product that contains no parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones etc I think that it is really rather appealing. If you like rose scented products then you will love this.

Have you tried this product?

Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash retails for £8 for 125ml