Introducing Love, Beauty and Planet

New brands pop up every other day but the ones which take the ever-growing concern about the environment seriously are few and far between. Love, Beauty and Planet are addressing the issue, one bottle at a time.

Love, Beauty and Planet is a new brand for Malta and they have kindly sent me three products from their range - the Argan Oil & Lavender Shower Gel, the Argan Oil & Lavender Body Lotion and the Tea Tree Oil & Vetiver Face Cleansing Gel.

I really can't pick a favourite out of these products so I'm going to start with the Face Cleansing Gel as it has a different scent to the other products. I comes with a pump dispenser which is great as just one pump is more than enough to cleanse my face with. I don't use this as a makeup remover, only as a cleanser after removing my makeup with a dedicated remover as it lathers up well and I feel my skin is thoroughly cleansed. It has a fresh scent which translates to a fresh feeling on my face which lasts for quite a few minutes. The only thing that bothers me with this cleanser is that sometimes, the around my eyes itches after I use it.

Moving on to the Argan Oil & Lavender range, I have the shower gel and body lotion and they are what I'm currently using everyday. First off, I love the scent! It's exactly what I crave for after a long day! I love how calming it is, especially the body lotion which is perfect to use at night as lavender helps induce sleep.

The shower gel lathers us nicely, which is something I definitely look for in a shower gel and the body lotion rapidly absorbs into the skin so there are no issues with it leaving a sticky residue on the skin. I feel the products have a herbal scent to them which somehow makes me feel like I am actually using that is beneficial for my skin. 

Lastly, all Love, Beauty and Planet products are vegan and their bottles can be recycled. Also, I love how they remind us to go easy on the tap in order to save water. Did you know that just by keeping the water running while brushing your teeth, you're wasting copious amounts of this precious resource? Every little helps, let's do our bit to preserve the world we live in! Let's Love our Planet!💓🌍

Banishing Dry Skin with Yves Rocher | Bourbon Vanilla Sensual Sugar Body Scrub & 3 in 1 Nourishing Cream Lotion Review

Spring will soon be upon us, which means warmer weather, which in turn means more skin will be exposed. The effects of cold temperatures are manifested in a number of ways on our skin but mostly, they all result in dry, flaky skin which I think we can all agree is not a beautiful sight. Moreover, we tend to drink less water in winter which can lead to skin dehydration.

I am not immune to altered moisture levels in my skin but since the people behind botanical beauty brand Yves Rocher (Malta) reached out to me to try their Bourbon Vanilla Sensual Sugar Body Scrub and the 3 in 1 Nourishing Cream Lotion with Oat Extract I agreed to try the products and see how they work in restoring glowing and moisturized skin all over.

I couldn't wait to start using the products, thus I did so right away but more on the results later. Here are a few words about the packaging and products' texture first.

Bourbon Vanilla Sensual Sugar Body Scrub - €9.95 for 150ml 

This sugar based body scrub comes in a 150ml transparent plastic jar with a green lid bearing the Yves Rocher logo. The scrub is sealed with a protective foil. The commitment of the Yves Rocher brand towards the environment is truly visible with minimal packaging that can be reused or recycled. Back to the scrub, it is yellow in colour and has a thick, buttery texture with exfoliating granules. As soon as you open the jar, the smell of Bourbon Vanilla immediately takes over your senses and vanilla being my favourite scent, I found this scrub very appealing. 

It is very easy to employ this scrub to slough away dead skin despite it's thick texture as it spreads very easily over your skin without the granules being too harsh.

3 in 1 Nourishing Cream Lotion with Oat Extract for Very Dry Skin - €9.16 for 150ml

The next product I was offered to try is this nourishing body lotion. Again the packaging is environment friendly as the tube contains 25% less plastic than the previous one for this same lotion. This cream features a white, rich formulation that is easily absorbed into the skin to quickly hydrate the skin. It has a subtle fragrance and the oat extract contributes towards softer feeling skin. The lotion's formula contains more than 94% ingredients of natural origin, is mineral oil free, colorant free and paraben free.

Now for the results. I have used both of these products religiously for the past 10 days or so and have applied the lotion everyday after I shower and I have used the scrub twice a week. I have nothing but words of praise for both of these products as they do exactly what it says on their respective packaging, and I now have smooth, supple skin ready to face shorter skirts and sleeves!

Yves Rocher has outlets in Paola, Valletta and Sliema and they also house a Botanical Spa at their Paola outlet.

PR Samples

Review: Marks & Spencer Cocoa Butter and Vanilla Hand and Body Lotion

This lotion was part of a gift-set I received for Christmas. The set also included 2 shower gels, a roll-on deodorant (which I gave to my Mum as I don't use roll-ons) and a hand wash all in a pretty yellow wicker basket.

I love the combination of moisturizing cocoa butter and fragrant vanilla as it leaves my skin silky smooth and smelling nice for hours. In fact, on the bottle, there's written:

'Specially formulated with natural extracts of cocoa butter and vanilla, this hand and body lotion will soften and moisturize your skin, leaving it feeling smooth.'

I like the pump dispenser because I can control how much product comes out, therefore none of it will go to waste. Also, I find it practical on my lazy days hehe because I just press the dispenser once or twice and slather it on.

I keep the bottle on the bathroom sink so that I apply some right after I wash my hands to replenish lost moisture due to the chemicals in the hand wash. I also apply body lotion every day after I shower to keep my skin soft and supple.

This is not the first body lotion I ever tried from M&S and I was always pleased with the results. In fact they are my go-to body lotions when I want to buy another one! All of the M&S body lotions have a 12 month fit-for-use period.