Review: Skin Organics Beauty Box (March)

What is it?

Skin Organics Clean Beauty is a subscription box with a selection of non-toxic, cruelty-free, organic and natural products.  These may be skincare, body care or beauty products.  Their aim is to help you discover clean, green and cruelty-free products and brands.  They dispatch on 20th of the month.

Cost:  £19.00 (+£3.95 P&P) subscription, UK

I decided to try them out since the products that they are promoting are by the sort of brands I really want to use more of.

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Unboxing my first Skin Organic Box ?

A post shared by Author Ally Aldridge (@redfae) on

What was in my box?

The box came with a piece of paper with ‘Rebalance’ on it.  I’m wondering if this is the theme of the box but as I’ve not had one before I’m not sure if there is always a sheet of paper with ‘Rebalance’ written on it.  On the other side, it has details about the products inside and discount codes.

Apothaka face oil

Apothaka:  Rejuvenating face oil – normal/combination skin (website RRP £19.50, Sheet lists price as £19.95)

This oil has been shortlisted for the Beauty Awards 2017 and featured in Vogue.  It arrived in a blue organza bag and a personalized card from the owner of Apothaka.  I have normal to combination skin so this oil is perfect for me.  It is very moisturizing and I’ve only tried it before bed – I’m not sure my make up will stay on it.  It reminds me of Antipodes Divine Face Oil – which is one of the best face oils I have ever used.  I really like this oil. I’m going to continue to use it and see how my skin gets on.

NK naturals cleansing balm

NKnaturals London:  Delicate – Healing Cleansing Balm (website RRP £25.00 for 60ml, Sheet lists price as £15.00 for 30ml)

This balm arrived in a black box but as soon as I saw it I was excited to use it.  It reminded me of my Moa Balm and has a similar texture and colour. However, this seems more ‘delicate’.  I have used it for removing my eye makeup and it is so gentle it hasn’t irritated my eyes at all. My skin has never felt so soft after cleansing.  I’m going to see how my skin reacts to this as I use the pot up but on first impressions, I’m won over!

It smells like honey and lemon.

The Salt Parlour Scrub

The Salt Parlour:  Calm – Salt and Sulphur Scrub (Rose and Shea Butter) (£15.00 RRP for 200g on the website, £5.90 on the sheet for 60g tin)

This tin looks lovely but as I am not a fan of scrubs I thought about giving it to my husband’s best friend who loves scrub and the anchor theme makes it a little more masculine as you think of the marines and sailors but… I don’t think he’s going to get this one.

As soon as I opened the box, the delicious scent of this scrub caught.  I had to sniff everything in the box to figure out what smelt so good.  I decided to give it a go and found that it doesn’t scratch the skin, it scrubs and melts.  It’s full of nourishing ingredient so my skin didn’t feel dry.  This scrub is for keeps!

It’s a beauty shortlist winner and the wooden spoon that came with the box is for scooping it out so you don’t need to use your fingers.  It also has tiny rose petals in it and you can see all the natural ingredients.  I’m not sure my photo has captured how beautiful this product is.

Northburn bath salts

North-burN:  Revive – Luxury Bathing Salts (Orange, Lavender and Palmarosa (£4.00 on the sheet)

I thought the wooden spoon was for the bath salts but it was for the scrub.  I haven’t had a chance to use the bath salts yet but I was looking to buy some so I am really pleased this was in my package and I will keep it ready to try in my cupboard for a special occasion.

Beauty Kubes

Beauty Kubes – Organic shampoo for normal to dry hair  (£1.00 on the sheet)

The ‘Kubes’ are about the size of a sugar cube.  You crumble them in your hand to make a powder, add water to make a paste and then rub it into your hair to form a lather.

I’m not a massive fan of products that I have to make up myself – I’m lazy.   So, I never would have bought it myself.  However, I actually found it incredibly simple, fun and it lathered up quickly.  At first, it felt a little crumbly on my head so perhaps I didn’t get the paste quite right but it soon worked into a lather and didn’t matter.

Would I recommend?

I am really pleased with the contents of the box. I can see myself using up all the products.  I am considering repurchasing the cleansing balm, facial oil and even the scrub!  The Kube was fun but I’m not sure it is my thing and I’ve not yet tried the bath salts.

All the products meet the promise of clean, green and cruelty-free – so if that’s something you desire, this is a great box for you.  I’m going to continue my subscription; I think that says it all.

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NUI Cosmetics Beauty Review

My husband spoilt me and Christmas and bought this foundation and lipstick from my wish list. I’ve used the foundation every day since and I’m now waiting for payday so I can buy some more.

About the brand

https://instagram.com/p/Bgf6Y-9jAGc/

Nui cosmetics are from Berlin, Germany. They produce natural and organic beauty products that are cruelty-free and vegan-friendly.

My products were purchased from Glow Organic (Brighton, England). This is my go-to online store for organic makeup.

About the foundation

  • Name: Natural liquid foundation
  • Shade: Intense Kanapa
  • Cost: £38

The foundation isn’t the cheapest I’ve bought but it is well worth its price tag.

It is the perfect shade for me and I love how I can build it up where I need it. It goes on easily like a liquid foundation but dries with the longevity of a Matt foundation. It doesn’t sit in creases and looks very natural. It has a sweet scent to it making it a joy to use.

I apply with my fingers or a sponge. I like the little cap (lid) that clicks on to prevent the foundation coming out when not in use.

About the lipstick

  • Name: Natural Lipstick
  • Cost: £23
  • Shade: Aroha

You need to be confident to wear this lipstick every day as it is a daring colour. True red is a tricky colour to find in organic brands but Nui has done it!

It’s quite a nourishing lipstick and feels lovely on your lips, however, this means it doesn’t last long and needs to be reapplied during the day.

Repurchase

The only downside of the foundation is I didn’t know I was about to run out until it did. ?

As I had already been on a hefty shopping spree this month (probably the biggest in a decade), I had no budget left to repurchase. I had to wait until payday. ??

Surprise:  Luckily, my husband knew it would make me very happy to surprise me with my favourite foundation. Upon seeing me trying to use up samples I had, he ordered it without me knowing. ?

https://instagram.com/p/BglArNrj60S/

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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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Review: The Pip Box (February)

What is The Pip Box

It is a monthly subscription box full of cruelty free beauty products. If that’s not enough to make you feel good, they also donate a portion of their profit to Animal Free Research UK from each box sold.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfrEEVRhrH3/?taken-by=redfae

What did I get?

Here are my first impressions of the products that I’ve been testing out since I received the box about a fortnight ago.

Day cream

Dr Botanicals:  Kale Superfood Nourishing Day Cream

  • Vegan
  • Cruelty free 
  • UK (London based)

This product claims to improve the appearance of skin whilst providing nourishment.  The main active ingredients are Kale (vitamin C & E) and Cocoa Butter.

Review: I’ve found this cream to be light.  It doesn’t have a scent.  It dries fast so I can put makeup on immediately afterwards.  It is a small tube so I’m not sure how long this will last but the product cost is the price of the subscription fee so I’ve already got my money back with this one item.

RRP £14.90

Eyeshadow

Johnny Concert:  Amplified eyeshadow (Tainted Cupcake)

  • Natural
  • Vegan
  • Cruelty free 

This brand prides themselves on being diverse and creating a brand everyone can use to express themselves (reminded me of Illamasqca).  The shade Tainted Cupcake is a champagne pink with rose gold. It can be applied dry or wet for a more intense pop of colour.

Review: The eyeshadow has a shimmer to it so if you are not into that this then the shade is not for you.  The shade chosen is a safe choice for most people but if you fancy something more daring they have some bolder colours on their website.  It also came with a free brush which I really like.

RRP $15.00 (about £10.86 by exchange rate on 4 March 2018)

face-mask.jpg

Akamuti:  Face Mask (Chocolate Marshmallow)

  • Natural
  • Sustainable ingredients (and Fair Trade)
  • Recyclable
  • Charity (support The Orangutan Land Trust )
  • Handmade
  • No preservatives
  • Cruelty free 

Above is just a snippet of all the goodness this brand delivers.  One of the first The Pip Boxes I received contained the ‘Green Clay’ face mask, I then went on to buy more products by the brand (a body oil and their petroleum free jelly).

Review: I haven’t had a chance to test this yet but I have previously used their green clay version.  It is a power mask and you have to mix it with water to create a paste.  If you enjoy making your masks then you will love this.

I prefer my masks already made so I wouldn’t have chosen this for myself but I am looking forward to trying it out because I know this brand always delivers and the mask will be effective.  You mix up what you need and there is enough that you will get plenty of uses out of the pot making it very cost effective.

RRP £4.95

face-oil.jpg

Naissance Journal:  Argan Oil

  • Soil Association Certification
  • Natural
  • Vegan
  • Cruelty free 

I struggled to find the product on their website but other oils in the same packaging were the organic certified oils.  I expect they have just not updated the product images yet on the site and this is new packaging.  There was a wide range of products on their site and gift sets for people who like making beauty products like bath bombs etc.

Review: My skin really does love organic oils.  Since receiving this, I have been putting it on before bed.  You only need a little bit to cover your face and it dries quick.  There were also instructions on how you can use the oil for your hair or mix it to make a serum.  I’m not keen on the smell of the product – it smells like cooking oil.

I will use it up but not sure I’ll re-buy.  I am interested in trying their bath salts…

RRP £4.99

Matt lip

Medusa’s Makeup:  Lip Paint (Cowgirl)

  • Vegan
  • Cruelty free 

This brand is difficult to get in the UK but not impossible, however, I had trouble finding a supplier that sells all the shades of lip paint yet so this is possibly a new line.  The product is a liquid lipstick with a matt finish and stays on all day.

Review: The shade Cowgirl is not for me.  I put it on and it is a pale nude colour that made my lips look like they had no colour and I am a red lip girl.  However, I couldn’t get it off and realised I was stuck with the shade all day unless I wanted to start my make-up over.  I went out in it.  It did last all day.

I am very tempted to get this matt lip paint in another colour because I love the fact you can put it on and forget about it and as a busy mum, doing my makeup once is about all the time I’ve got.

RRP $12.00 (about £8.69 by exchange rate on 4 March 2018)

Jom

JOM Organic:  Organic Candy (Fizzy Caramel)

  • Vegan
  • Organic
  • No palm oil
  • Free from: Gluten, GMO and Nuts

JOM stands for ‘Just One More’ and the brand is appropriately named.

Review: So, I opened the packet to show the sweets and tried one.  Before I had even uploaded the pic to Instagram, the contents was gone.  Honestly, I meant to share them with my husband and son but they really were moreish.  I highly recommend!

I can’t wait to order some more of these and try other flavours.

RRP £1.25

Share to social media

Currently, boxes contain a card encouraging consumers to share pics of their box and contents on social media and how to tag to enter the monthly raffle. If your pic is chosen, you win your next box free. It’s rewarding that this support and loyalty is recognised by The Pip Box.

I take pics every month because I love my The Pip Box. I then use my images on my blog.  This month, I won! So, my March box will be free and the contents will be worth £65!

I’m no professional photographer. I just took pics with my mobile. This shows anyone can win. So, if you buy The Pip Box, don’t hesitate to share your joy with pics. Do it, tag it, and you may just win it.

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Review: What’s in my Pip Box – January

It’s been a busy couple of days but I’ll leave that for another post.  Due to my schedule, I did struggle to have time this week to film my Pip Box unboxing and take photos of the content.

What was in the box?

Draft design idea.png

As usual, Pip did not disappoint.  They had a good range of different products and most by brands I have not tried before.  Here is what I got:

This is  powder face mask that you mix with water to use.  The size in the box is a small sample size.  I’ve tried it before in Balm Balm’s Starter Kit (£15.50).  This was the first organic skincare brand I ever tried because I loved how affordable and effective it is and it initiated my love for organic products.

I’ve always wanted to try their Frankincense and Tea Tree range.  They also have a mother & baby range.

This is  a new brand for me.  I love the sliding tin with the lip balm and it smells delicious – vanilla is one of my favourite smells.  Their site offers free deliver on all UK Orders and they have a lot of other very desirable products that now have me tempted.

This body wash smells lush but on top of that it scores all the goodness points for being organic, vegan, cruelty free and doesn’t contain any of the bad stuff.  It’s sustainable and 100% biodegradable.  Their products uses Ayurvedic ingredients suitable for treating a range of sensitive skin conditions like Eczema and Psoriasis.

  • Medusa Make-up, Witch Lash Mascara:  RRP £25.49 (converted from US Dollars $36)

The mascara has a simple brush that is easy to use.  I’ve had no issues with this smuging or flaking  – it stays on all day.  This is a vegan cruelty free brand that have a vast range of beauty products.  I addition, the brand do their own subscription box where for about $15 you can recieve three to five full size products.  This is a great way to expand your make-up collection if you are venturing into Vegan or Cruelty Free products.  They have some beautiful metallic shades.

  • Optiat, The Hungover Coffee Scrub (Potent Peppermint):  RRP £9.99

The scrub is dark brown (almost black) in colour which surprised me – I guess its the coffee.  The minty scent was refreshing.  Sadly, this one is not for me…  I have a friend that loves body scrubs that I am going to give this him.  Scrubs just aren’t my thing.

The brand name stands for “One Persons Trash Is Another’s Treasure” and was inspired by the coffee waste filling landfills and wanting to find a solution – a natural beauty product.  If you want an environmentally friendly brand then this is a good one for you to consider.

Pip Box Jan contents.png

What is The Pip Box?

Pip is a cruelty free beauty subscription box.  The boxes contain a range of products from makeup, skincare and body care that are all not tested on animals.  In addition, they donate 50p from every box sold to an Animal Friendly Charity.

It’s a great way to discover new brands and new products in an affordable way.  The contents is always worth more than the subscription an contains a varied assortment.

Ally plus text

 

Axicology Beauty Review

 

For my birthday (in November), my husband treated me to a lipstick and a lip crayon by organic beauty brand Axicology and I loved them.  Working off his previous success, he bought me another lipstick for Christmas.

I thought it only fair that I share these with you so you too can discover this brilliant brand.

Axiology

Axiology is a brand that makes natural organic lipsticks that are vegan friendly and cruelty free.  Their packaging is from recycled paper and made by women in Bali giving them employment opportunities.  Plus, they donate a portion of their profits to charities that support the welfare of animals like PETA and Orangutan Foundation (so it’s ginger friendly).

By buying their lipsticks you are helping reduce pollution and support women in Bali and raising funds to support animal friendly charities.  Wearing lipstick has never felt so good.

 

Lip Crayon

Bliss is a lip crayon.

Bliss:  Is a summery coral so I haven’t worn it much yet.  I have found the crayon more drying than the lipsticks but I’ll probably wear it in the summer.  It costs £23

Lipsticks

Goodness and Fundamental are both lipsticks.  It costs £24

Goodness:  This is a nude colour and very natural.  It has a hint of gold shimmer to it and is very hydrating.  You could easily wear this colour everyday but if you wanted to make a statement the colour would be too subtle.

Fundamental:  The first time I wore this colour to work, I got so many compliments.  It was great.  It is a darker and more daring shade than I’d usually wear but I’m so glad I braved it because it is now my favourite.

The case

I have never been so impressed by a lipstick case.  The outside has a brushed gold affect.  You push the base and then it ‘pops’ and your lipstick unlocks, you slide the top off to reveal the beautiful polished gold lipstick inner tube.  I made a little video on Instagram to show it off because I love it so much.  Please check it out below to see what I’m talking about.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd7bdu-h6T4/?taken-by=redfae

I discovered the brand via the online organic beauty store Glow Organic.

Ally plus text

 

 

Review: Dabble Writer

What is it?

Dabble is an online writing platform for plotting, writing and editing.  It works best in Google or by using their app but can be used in any browser.

Features:

  • Dabble Account and cloud storage
  • Plotting tool
  • Export to Word/text file
  • Word counts
  • Novel series
  • App (works on a PC)

During November, they offered a free trial to NaNoWriMo participants.  We were able to use the site for free and they enabled a word count tracker – nifty!

Price:

Dabble Writer usually costs $9.99 but at the moment there is an introduction offer of $4.99 which if you subscribe will be at 50% forever.

Dabble Writer is an official sponsor of NaNoWriMo. If you took part, check the NaNoWriMo offers page to see if there are any exclusive additional offers for NaNoWriMoers.

 

Projects

I created two projects to test out the software.  One was Daisy Chain (my NaNoWriMo project) and the other was Jewel of the Sea (aka Drift).

  • Daisy Chain:  This required regular updates so I needed to work on the story whenever I was able to.  Switching between computers (and browsers) did cause a little technical issue but the support guys at Dabble were awesome.  The site runs best in Google chrome and the app.  There is also a little cloud that you can click to save your progress and ensure it has been backed up.
  • Jewel of the sea:  I uploaded this so I could experiment the downloading to word feature. I was really impressed.  It puts it into the correct format for agents so all you need to worry about is the line spacing.

Word Count

  • Word Count total:  There is a tracker that shows your overall word count for the novel (or project).
  • NaNoWriMo Tracker:  The word count tracker for NaNoWriMo was incredibly intuitive.  It deducted words if I deleted any and updated my daily goal based on how many words I needed to reach to keep on target based on my total.  They are currently developing a personal goal tracker so writers can set their own word count goal at anytime in the year.

Plotting Tools

This was one of the features I enjoyed using the most as I currently have nothing like it.

It looks a like pin board with post it notes stuck on it.  You can create different boards for tracking different things.

On the board you create different headings (or timelines).  I found it easiest to use it to track my characters developments within the story and plan I needed to happen and when.  It was easy to move and edit these too so it didn’t feel like a digital hindrance.

The ‘post it note’ (tile) has a heading and brief description.  You click on it to open up and a little note paper where you can go into more detail about the plot line.

This is a great planning aid and helped me to visualize the story.

Story notes

This is another great feature.  I’ve never shared my story notes *cringe*.

Dabble Writer - story notes

I split my notes into two categories (headings) ‘Characters’ and ‘World Building’.  Within those sections I create a note on different things that are important.

It is really handy to have everything stored in the same place and organised instead of loads of files saved in different places or programs.  I love having some where to stash my ideas and notes about the story.

Novel series

Within a ‘project’ you can create multiple books.  This enables you to track a whole series all in one place.  Genius!

Dabble future?

Customer Service:  The team at Dabble are extremely responsive to their customers and I think this will take the company forward to a bright future.  They were always on hand whenever I had a question about using the site.  No problem was too big or too small.  I wondered if they ever slept.

Development:  They have developed the site a lot from Sept to Nov so I’ve no doubt that they’ll make true on their promise to continue improving and bringing out new features.  They also ask their subscribers to suggest features and vote on features to help them prioritize what their users want the most.   Here are some of the features coming soon that excite me the most:

  • Goal tracking – set your own word count goal any time of the year (not just for NaNoWriMo)
  • Images in story notes (save a picture of your world map or the engagement ring or a celebrity that looks like you character)
  • Editing mark up (you can highlight a section you know you need to rework)
  • Novel cover (upload an image for you novel cover)
  • Character image (upload an image of how your character looks) and character tools
  • Restore a previous version as a new file
  • More ways to import and export including dragging a project to your desktop to save it
  • Social – enable word count competitions and stats to be shared socially

Am I subscribing?

I am very tempted to subscribe but currently I have a lot going on that I don’t think I will have the time to really make the most of having a subscription.

However, Dabble Writer is something I would definitely consider in the future as I found it a very easy to use interface, fantastic customer service and the features were exactly what a writer needs.

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Review: December’s Pip Box

Unboxing

Here is a little video of me opening my December Pip Box under the Christmas tree.  It arrived on 18 December 2017.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc2j1N7BREI/?taken-by=redfae

Review

I’ve now had the products two weeks and had a chance to try all but one of them them.  Here is my review:

  • Benecos – natural eyeshadow (rose gold):  As always Pip are brilliant at picking colours – I don’t know how they do it!  They sent me the shade Rose Gold which is a really pretty shade.  This is a great eye shadow.  It will become a staple in my make-up bag.  I would recommend it and I would buy it again.
    • This product was from   from Pravera Direct.  This is the first time I have seen Pip recommend a store (rather than the brand directly).  I love discovering new ethical beauty shops so I’m really pleased.
    • It costs only£4.95.  
  • Tisserand Aromatheraphy – bath soak (rose & geranium leaf): This is the second time Pip has sent me a Tisserand product (last time I got a hand cream).  I prefer the smell of this product.  It has an earthy rose smell to it. It alsogffelt really rich and moisturizing in the bath, almost like an oil.  I really enjoyed this and I’m certain it will get all used up in no time.
    • It costs £10.95.  
  • Bloomtown -100% Natural & Vegan Lip Balm (red & berried):  This is a winter life saver.  It had prevented cracked lips and kept them hydrated whilst in out in the cold.  An added bonus is that it has a subtle red tint to it and smells delicious.
    • It costs £4.80.  
  • Raven Chocolate – Mini Coconut Milk Bar:  This is the first time I got something to eat in my Pip box and I generously offered to share it with my 4 year old.  OMG, I wish I had recorded our reactions.  We DID NOT like this!  We are clearly not ready for vegan, dairy free, sugar free chocolate. YUCK!  I’m glad we got to try it as it enabled me to learn this is not for me.
    • A 25g bar costs £1.95

 

IMG_6972.jpg

Still to try

  • Freyaluna Skincare – nourishing face steam (fennel & rose):  When opening my box I had a stuffy nose so I was most excited to use this product.  I had dreams of resolving my nasal congestion and getting a facial at the same time.  Sadly, I got sick and then was rushed by Christmas and visiting family and I’ve just not had any time – aghhh!  I am still super keen to review this product properly soon.
    • You can get a small 5g packet to try for £2.00 or buy a 30g jar for £11.00

The Pip Box Review

I love my Pip Box so much that I’ve decided to cancel my Birch Box subscription.  I prefer the products I get and I end up using them all up (no waste).  It’s great value and I’ve discovered some brilliant new products and brands to love. I highly recommend subscribing.

  • Cruelty free beauty box – £14.99 (monthly), £40.50 (3 x months), +P&P
  • Vegan friendly beauty box – £14.99 (monthly), £40.50 (3 x months), +P&P
  • Follow them on Instagram to be the first to know about any special subscription offers.

Ally plus text