Boudoir Privé October box

I received my second Boudoir Privé box through the post on Tuesday (by a lovely Sheffield lady postie. Sheffield people are so friendly!) I spoilt it for myself (again!) by reading blog reviews like Lilys, but I was still looking forward to it.

The products in this month's box were: Rose&Co Rose Petal Lipsalve, Studiomakeup eyeliner pen in black, Cetuem Illuminating skin mask and Créme de Lite, Leonor Greyl Huile de Palme pre-shampoo conditioner, Korres Quince body butter and Mémo Paris Les Echappées parfum.

I always enjoy products that I can start using right away, and I was happy to see a liquid eyeliner in the beauty box as I had been meaning to buy one. My liquid eyeliner skills are not great so I'll have a bit of practice before showing you the results of this.

I was happy to receive a lip salve, as my lips do suffer in winter with the dryness of air-con/central heating, however the container of the Rose&Co Rose Petal salve was made of a metal-like material (a bit like vaseline tubs) which I find a turn-off as it can feel greasy to touch and consequently I'm never sure whether the container is clean. I much prefer lip balms to come in tubes.

I really need to start using up my hair treatment samples otherwise I will end up with a backlog from my beauty boxes! In this month's box was a pre-shampoo conditioner for dry and damaged hair from Leonor Greyl. It is to be used before washing your hair as a leave-in treatment from 5 mins to overnight. I think I will give it a try overnight next time my hair is due for a wash. A little looks like it would go a long way with this hair oil.

I really like the packaging for the Quince body butter from Korres, and that really makes a difference to how inclined I feel to use it! (Am quite a visual person). The body butter goes on really smoothly, like a thin cream and sinks into your skin well. The smell is quite mild with a hint of avocado and what seems like rose. It is described by Boudoir Privé as: "An extremely rich and soothing cream for dry and chapped skin. The combination of vegetable oils has excellent compatibility with the skin, allowing for easy absorption. It provides uplifting and long lasting moisture."

The Memo Les Eschappées eau de parfum was my favourite product out of this month's box. I always enjoy different scents and the varying affects they can have on our memory, mood and feelings. This scent is described as "A spicy tuberose underlined by pear." I really liked this perfume as it is so different to my usual scents (citrusy). This perfume is spicy and deep, a little musky, and would be great for winter. It reminds me of drinking mulled wine and eating toffee apples.

What did you think of this months' Boudoir Privé box? Are you subscribed to any other beauty boxes?

Neal's Yard Remedies Geranium and Orange Product Review

Like any female over 12 years old, I've been inundated with soaps and 'smellies' over the Christmas season. Smellies as gifts are often derided for being from the unimaginative gifter, but recently I've come to think that the best smellies come from the people in life who know you the most. My boyfriend's family (well let's face it, his mum) got me some gorgeous smellies this year. In previous years we haven't known each other too well, so we've tended to buy each other gifts that we like, hoping they will like it too! Do you guys ever find that? That's not to say it's a bad thing- we obviously like our own taste, and hope others will too. With that in mind, I'm going to do a product review of what she got me.

Neal's Yard Remedies: 'Vibrant'
Includes: Geranium & Orange Shower Gel 200ml, Body Scrub 200g and Body Butter 200g

First: the Shower Gel.

I think that the Geranium and Orange smell is an aquired smell. It smells much more like your flower garden than your bathroom cabinet. This makes it a bit different and sets it out from the rest as a mature, together, woman's body product. As for me, I like it. A lot. It's unusual, and my first introduction to Neal's Yard, it's a smell I will remember.

The shower gel itself is nicely packaged, the branding and design of the labels is very effective, original and aesthetically pleasing. It says on the label for this particular shower gel: 'can also be used as a shampoo'. I was intrieged by this as the notion of my hair smelling like geranium and orange appealed to me. I added a little in with my original shampoo and I have to say, it worked very well! It worked better, even as a shampoo than it did as a shower gel! The texture is more like a shampoo; liquidy with some weight and no soap suds (though it didn't weigh my hair down at all, it gave it a smooth silky texture). So I would recommend this as a shampoo, not a shower gel. For the record my hair, despite its terrible condition -which even my hairdresser commented on, despite it never being coloured- is fairly normal, on occasion dry.

Second: the body scrub

The body scrub I love. I just can't get enough of it. It's so addictive, I have it on my desk while working and when I need a pick-me-up, I scrub it on my arms and hands. You're supposed to wash it off afterwards, because it has dead sea salts in it that you can feel on your skin, but I usually brush them off (I am lazy).

Third: the body butter

I have to say I'm a bit biased with body butter because imo it is the most useless product in the world. Who uses it, and more importantly, why do you use it? What is it for? I don't think I will ever understand body butter, sorry world! I guess if you just want your body to be smooth and perfumed but not exfoliated, then choose the body butter over the body scrub.

Overall I would say it was a perfect gift set and well worth the price (particularly if you look at the cost of the items individually, it's a steal! I think I might buy a gift set for myself now!

A little bit about Neal's Yard...

Neal's Yard brands itself as an extremely ethical and environmentally responsible brand. This can lead people to be very critical of their medicinal claims. (When uncomfortable questions about the claims they make regarding alternative/holistic medicines and homopathy were put to them by Guardian readers, they failed to respond.) I don't support treatment without scientific evidence (especially if the scientific evidence actually supports that the product may harm!) so I won't discuss their treatments here.
Their makeup and skincare, personally, is another matter which can often and happily be discussed away from politics. By some of the product reviews on their website some people find their products help their skin so by all means, have it as an option, but if you have skin problems, see your GP/doctor first guys! Their products are high-end, with shower gels ranging from £9.30-£38.90. Think Bridget Jones' mum (and probably yours)- she'd love it.

Do you like Neal's Yard Remedies? What have been your favourite products? And (I would be particularly interested to know comments on this one) have you used any of their remedies, and what was the result?