Ally Aldridge Beauty, Body Care, Haircare, Makeup, Skincare

My top 10 beauty products of 2018!

So to wrap up the year, I am having a look back at what my favourite beauty products were.  These are the ones that got all used up and needed to be replaced.

Axicology lipstick – Goodness

This shade of lipstick gives my lips a natural but better look.  In addition, when I am in a rush, I have applied it to my cheeks as a highlighter/blush and think it looks awesome.

In addition, I love the tube of these lipsticks.  You click the bottom to pop the lipstick up.

Nui Costmetics Foundation Intense Kanapa

This foundation is brilliant. Not only is it all the good stuff and none of the bad stuff but it is also a really effective foundation. You can build up the coverage until you are happy and it has a really nice smell.

Pacifica Beauty Multi Mineral BB Cream

This can be used as a primer or just as a light product to even out your skin tone. I use it everyday for the school run as it gives a really natural look and is light on my skin.

Benecos Natural Eyeshadow – Rose Quartz

This eyeshadow is a lovely rose gold. It gives a slight shimmer but isn’t over powering.  Its a nice natural everyday shade.

Simply Redheads Henna Shampoo/Conditioner

I’ve had my eye on this shampoo for ages and glad that I finally gave it a go.  This shampoo makes my hair feel so good.  I was seriously impressed by the customer service in answering my queries.

I bought two massive bottles and they have lasted ages so they are really reasonably priced.  It is almost empty and I know I will have to repurchase.

A.S Apothacary – Wild Beauty Balm Concerntrate

Whenever my skin needs a little TLC, I reach for this moisturiser.  It comes out in a yellow colour but it is full of so much goodness and my skin really soaks it up.

Butter Bar Soapery Body Polish

As someone who finds no joy in body scrubs as they are scatchy and nasty, this one has truly converted me.  It scrubs the skin but it is so rich in moisture your skin doesn’t feel raw afterwards.  I look forward to using it as it is a real treat.

Roques O’Neil Therapie Bath Detox Salts

I saved these salts for after labour to help with healing and loved them.  I look forward to when I can find time to have a bath to enjoy these are they are a real treat.

NK Naturals Delicate Healing Cleansing Balm

Whenever hormones makes my skin play up, this cleanser brings it back to being balanced.  It is so gentle I have even used it to remove eye makeup.  I like the strong honey smell but that might not suit everyone.

BAO Skincare Apricot Rose Face Polish

I never thought I would trust a scrub on my face but this polish is really gentle and feels like a treat on my skin. 

What I want in 2019

I discovered a lot of the above products through my Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box.  If I can afford to subscribe again then I definitley will.

Other than replacing the above products when they run out, I would be interested in trying out other products by the brands.

I also enjoyed using a lot of lip balms, body oils and facial spritz but although I loved using them, I wasn’t in love with one that it was my most favourite.  I think in 2019, I would like to try more of those products to find the one.

Have you tried any of the above products?  Have you got any recomendations for me.

If you liked this post then you may enjoy:

Why subscribe to Skin Organics beauty box

Simply Redheads Review

Why subscribe to The Pip Box

Review product from my Naturismo box

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Ally Aldridge Beauty, Body Care, Haircare, Makeup, Skincare

Happy #LittleMermaidDay – Check out these mermaid beauty products!

Being a redhead, I have always had a love for the Little Mermaid, ever since Disney released the movie.

https://youtu.be/ai1RlvqicrU

It was one of the first films I watched at the cinema.  It was my birthday and my mum took me and my best friend.  Before the cinema we went swimming and pretended to be mermaids.  Afterwards, we ate at McDonald’s who had Little Mermaid toys and we both got Flounder.  It was late night Christmas Shopping and the Body Shop had just opened.  Mum treated us to a bar of soap and when we got home, my best friend and I had a bath together.

I’ve continued to love mermaids and if you follow my blog you’ll know I have even written a YA novel about one.  

Today is Little Mermaid Day!

To celebrate, I thought I would share with you my wish list of mermaid themed ethical beauty products.

Captain Blakenship – Sea Salt Shimmer Spray

What could be more mermazing than a spray to add some glitz to your tresses.  It uses all organic ingredients and will add texture as well as shimmer and can be bought in gold, silver or rose-gold.  Buy the Captain Blakenship Mermaid Magic Shimmer Set from Jolie for £23.40.

They also do a mermaid dry shampoo, hair oil and face mask.  

Tropics Skincare – Blue Lagoon Blemish Prevention Skincare

This is a brand new product to this ethical brands collection!  Mermaid’s need flawless skin to capture sailor’s hearts. With a name like ‘blue lagoon’ it’s a siren call to your nearest ambassador or visit their site – costs £42.

Bellapierre – Eye Shimmer Kit in Deep Ocean

I found this gorgeous kit on Naturismo for £29.99 (worth £81). This kit makes uses of blues and complimentary shades, perfect for fans of the ocean.  The brand uses natural ingredients for their pigmented mineral products.  

100% Pure – Fruit Pigmented Mermaid Palette

If blue is not your thing then this alternative eye palette with shades of coral, gold and green might be more your thing. The fruit pigmented palette costs £45.26.

Tarte Cosmetics

This cruelty free brand has so much for mermaid lovers to choose from. Here is a small selection of their fintastic products:

I hope you have the best Little Mermaid day and I would love to hear about your MERchandise ;) 

If you enjoyed this post you may also enjoy my post on Halloween theme beauty products.

Ally Aldridge Beauty, Haircare

Simply Redheads

I’ve wanted to buy this shampoo and conditioner for years but always held back because it’s not cheap. I finally decided to treat myself.

I discovered the brand on the Ginger Parrot store. A website with news and products for redheads.

Ginger Parrot have bundle deals for the Henna and Horse-chestnut line or Colour Enhancing line. I preferred the Henna and Horsenut as it used more natural ingredients.

I searched for Simply Redheads to learn more about the brand and discovered their new line, Henna and Cherry shampoo. Their products use natural ingredients and free of harmful ingredients (E.g SLES, parabens) and won an award.

Customer Service

I emailed them to get advice on which one I should buy. Zoe replied and was really helpful. Both henna lines were suitable for me. The Cherry has the added benefit of being anti-dandruff and reducing hair loss – neither are an issue for me.

The Cherry wasn’t in a bundle but she put one together for me. When she packaged up the goods, she added two travel size bottles from the hose chestnut line so I could try them too.

I must say, the customer service was the best!

Henna and Cherry Shampoo: RRP £14

Henna and Cherry Conditioner: RRP £14

Bundle (shampoo & conditioner): RRP £22

Review

I didn’t notice much difference whilst using the product but my husband noticed the next day that my hair looked shinier and healthier.

The Cherry isn’t a strong scent. I’d hoped it would be more fruity but it’s very subtle. I guess that’s better than being overwhelmed by a smell.

The henna isn’t strong enough to influence the colour of your hair, just to give you the healthy boost that henna is good for. I once used a henna dye and it was so messy, but this was really easy to use. It is simply shampoo/conditioner.

The bottle is quite big. Despite my long hair, I can’t see this running out soon. It is more affordable than I originally anticipated.

Will I buy again?

I would buy this again. I haven’t tried out the travel size bottles yet and I’m tempted to swap them with the other brand in my hospital bag. I think next time I’ll buy the Henna & horse chestnut as there is a bundle that includes a leave in conditioner and I like the look of that.

Ally Aldridge Beauty, Body Care, Haircare, Uncategorized

Review: Good Bubble Gruffalo

It’s been a tough three weeks without a bathroom.  Luckily we have been able to stay overnight at my mother-in-law’s and there are people with bigger problems so I don’t want to complain.

My son has been really good about keeping out of the workers’ way and not complaining about the noise, mess or disruption – it hasn’t been easy for him.  He would have loved to have given them a hand but it was too dangerous.

I felt he deserved a treat and when I saw Good Bubble had released a new Gruffalo range, I knew it would be the perfect treat.

https://instagram.com/p/Bf1IVlLBs_o/

He was really happy when he saw his new products sporting the Gruffalo, one of his favourite storybook characters.

The Review

Here is what I thought of the new line and the yummy fruity prickly pear scent.

  • Bubbly Gruffalo Bubble Bath (£3.99):  The bubble bath made a decent amount of bubbles and smelt delicious.  We have had the bubble bath before in Dragon Fruit and CloudBerry.
  • Grubby Gruffalo Hair & body wash (£3.69):  It was easy to get a lather and my little boy was confidently by washing himself. We have had the wash before in Dragon Fruit and CloudBerry.
  • Little Softy Moisturiser (£3.99):  This is new to the brand and an excellent addition.  My little boy loved having his first body moisturiser. At first, he thought it was a hand cream until I encouraged him that he could apply it all over.  This was easier for him to use than their Organic Coconut oil (£7.99).
  • Grizzly Mane Detangler (£3.99):  He doesn’t have long hair that tangles but he does get flyaways so I decided to give this a go to see if it helped tame the problem.  I think it has worked.  It smells really good and can be used on dry hair so we are using it to freshen up between hair washes.

Dragon Fruit was my favourite but now it is the Gruffalo prickly pear.  We will, definitely, be buying this again.

I was only able to get this range direct from their site but I’m hoping Sainsbury, Ocado and Holland & Barratt will get some in stock soon as they sell the rest of the range.

 The Good Bubble brand:

  • Organic (98% naturally derived ingredients)
  • Cruelty free
  • Recyclable packaging
  • No tears
  • Suitable for newborns and sensitive skin
  • Allergen-free
  • No nasties (Free from sulfates (except detangler), silicone, parabens, PEG, phthalates, artificial colour)
  • UK production

Click here to read my review on other Good Bubble products.

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