Yaoh Hemp Seed Oil Lip Balm

I received this item in Decembers The Vegan Kind box and wanted to share it with you.  Yaoh are a UK based vegan brand selling a range of Hemp Oil products including this lip balm.  They come in 5 flavours: Spearmint, Strawberries and Cream, Mango and Kiwi, Coconut, and Blueberry.  As you can see I got Strawberries and Cream which I wouldn't have chosen myself to be honest but it's not as sweet as it sounds and has quite a pleasant scent.

I've had a bit of a cold the past week and so my lips have been ridiculously dry and cracked but I've been using this and it's actually helped quite a lot to keep my lips hydrated.  I tend to avoid lip balms, especially petroleum based ones (I avoid Vaseline like the plague!) as I don't think it's very healthy to be using a by-product of oil on your lips.  Also you can get addicted to using it as your lips rely on the balm for moisture instead of producing their own - I'm not sure if this is a legit fact but sounds about right to me!  You can find the ingredients on their website here which all looks pretty good.  At £2.75 I would happily repurchase, I think I'd like to try the Mango and Kiwi flavour!

We also got marshmallows in our TVK2 box which is so exciting!! I haven't tried them yet but I'm really looking forward to it.  This month TVK are donating 10p from every box to Greyhound Gap which is a charity which rehome greyhounds and lurchers who find themselves in a 'put to sleep' situation in UK pounds.  You can see my review of the first box here, and follow the link to sign up via The Vegan Kind website.

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Festive Nails!

Hello!  I feel like I haven't posted on here in sooo long!  I'm not even sure why?  I've just been  busy working and applying for jobs and stuff, not really had any motivation for blogging sadly!  

I've kind of decided what I would like to do as a career if possible.  I'd like to get into merchandising; they are the ones who work out how much stock goes where, and when to run promotions and markdowns going by the sales figures etc.  I have a background in maths and also in retail so it seems like something I can do!  Unfortunately most head offices are in London which would mean moving away from home but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for something like that yet!  I have found one vacancy in Scotland so we shall see...  If anyone knows of any head offices that are in Scotland please let me know so I can investigate haha!

Never mind blogging, I've not actually painted my nails in over a month, it's shocking!  I actually felt like a 3 year old when I was doing it, I'm so out of practice... Also my nails are such a mess at the moment but never mind, at least now they look kind of cute and Christmassy.

I've used Nails Inc Victoria & Albert as the red underneath (only needed one coat!) with Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow over the top.  There are smaller gold particles which are much more visible in person and give it a nice shimmer.

PS do you like my Christmas duvet set?  I got it from Primark - love it!

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The Konjac Sponge

I've had my eye on the Konjac Sponge for a while and decided to get it for using in the morning.  This is because I am a terrible human being and don't cleanse in the morning cos I am too lazy... I do 'wash' my face with cold water but that's about as far as I've gone, so I decided that this looks like the perfect way of getting me out of this terrible routine.

The Konjac Sponge is made from 100% pure vegetable fibre (from the Konjac plant) so this makes it also 100% biodegradable.  The Konjac plant itself is an alkaline and contains loads of great vitamins and minerals such as protein, carbohydrate, iron, phosphorus, copper, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C and folic acid.  It is gentle on the skin, naturally moisturising, deep cleansing and gently exfoliating.  They come plain, like the one above, or with added charcoal or french clay depending on your skin type. 

I wasn't very sure what to expect from this when I first got it and was quite excited to try it.  It arrived in a sealed plastic pouch which was sort of damp on the inside and smelled a bit odd, but after a first rinse the smell was gone.  When you leave it to dry it goes almost solid so you need to make sure before using it is totally soaked to soften it again.  It has the most bizarre texture, I can't even explain it properly, reminds me of a crumpet!!  It is very soft, not like a normal sponge you would buy, and when you rub it on your face it feels almost as if it is foaming... but it's not?!  It does feel very nice and cleansing on the skin, you can use it with your own cleanser for extra goodness and it also can be used to remove make up.  As I'm only going to be using it with water in the morning I can't really comment on this, however I did try it once after coming out the shower but there was still make up coming off when I toned so it didn't seem to work very well.  Perhaps the ones with clay or charcoal ones would do the job better.

The sponge should last between 1-3 months depending on use so once it starts looking a bit depleted or damaged it will need replaced.  There is a a string running through the sponge to allow you to hang it up to dry, leaving it in a damp place such as the shower will shorten its lifespan.  When you've finished with it it can be composted, or you can add it into a plant pot and help look after the plant by retaining moisture for it!

I've been using it for a while now and haven't noticed any improvements in my skin - which in general is good, combination but more dry in Winter - but I am enjoying the routine of using the Konjac sponge in the morning as it does leave it feeling nice and clean.

You can get this from LoveLula for £6.99.

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