balance Me Super Moisturising Body Oil Review

balance Me is a UK company that was founded in 2005 by sisters Rebecca and Claire,  the brand has grown significantly over the past two years and has recently been launched in Debenhams.

balance Me uses hi-tech natural formulations to create their products, which do not contain parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones, des, pegs, propylene glycol, artificial fragrances or colours.

I was contacted by balance Me to ask if I wanted to try their products, I told them that I had just had a baby and they recommended trying this product as Super Moisturising Body Oil* was created when Rebecca became pregnant with her first baby to help minimise the risk of the appearance of stretch marks.

It is also recommended for use during weight gain or loss to help minimise the risk of developing scars and for reducing the appearance of existing stretch marks.

The bottle contains 200ml and retails for £24.50 on their website.

A little of the oil goes a long way so this size bottle would last a good while!

The oil has a thin consistency and I found it absorbed quite quickly, although I would recommend waiting a few minutes after application before getting dressed.  The oil does not leave any residue once it is absorbed.  I have been using on on my arms as well as my tummy as they get quite dry.  I do find this really does get rid of the dry patches.

This the list of ingredients.

The oil has a nice subtle smell from the ingredients - the one I can smell most strongly is the rosehip oil.

Have you tried this oil or anything else from the balance Me brand?

Joliebox October 2012

My Joliebox arrived last night, the theme of this months box is Pure and Natural.

Back to the black box this month.

The bag inside the box was really full this month and it is nice to receive two full size products. However......

Balance Me Balancing Face Moisturiser

10ml sample size, 50ml retails for £24 on their website making the sample worth £4.80.

I was so disappointed to see a Balance Me product in the box, I have had so many products from this brand...

Facewash as a freebie in Glamour Magazine - here

Eye Cream in Lux Box - here

Hand Cream in She Said Beauty - here

I have also had the body wash, lip salve and lip balm!

LOV Organic Herbal Tea Bags

The box contains 6 teabags containing a mix of white and green tea.

100g of this loose tea costs £10.70 on their website

20 teabags retail for £8.75 making the 6 bags worth £2.63

Personally I don't like receiving teabags in my beauty boxes! It would have been nice as a little extra but I don't think it fits under the definition of a beauty sample?!

You can use the code JOLIELOV for free UK shipping and a free miniature pack of teabags.

JASON Bee Healthier Lip Balm Stick

The first full size product in the box, this retails for £2.49 here.

This smells nice as it contains peppermint leaf oil and it feels quite moisturing but I have so many lip balms to use up that this will probably get chucked in a drawer somewhere waiting to be used up.

MOA The Green Balm

Sample size but doesn't say how much the tub contains.

Again a product that I have had twice before in beauty boxes! I received it in one of my Lux boxes and in a Latest in Beauty box.

I haven't used both of the other samples yet!

Ritessens Cleanser

The second full size product, I can't find any websites that sell this in the UK or find the price anywhere on the internet!

This is the best product in the box, although I am being careful not to try too many new products on my face at the moment as a lot of products are breaking me out.  As the tube is sealed I will stash this until my skin is behaving!

Overall I am not impressed at all with this box, Joliebox have been my favourite subscription box for months now and the only box I have on subscription now.  This is the first box that I have been disappointed with, I want to discover new products that is why I subscribe! I do not want to receive products that have been in other beauty boxes or given away as freebies with magazines.

Joliebox have always been the box that don't have the same brands that have been featured in other boxes so maybe that is why I am so disappointed in this box.  I hope next months is much better or that might well be the end of subscription boxes for me......

Did you get this box? What did you think?

Magazine Freebies - Ren and Balance Me

Lots of freebies with magazines this month!

I picked up RED magazine for £3.90, which comes with this REN sample set worth £16. It contains 15ml of Vetiver v7 Hand and Body Cream, 5ml of Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel and 15ml of Hydra-Calm Global Protection Day Cream in a resealable bag.

I also got a copy of Glamour magazine for £2 with a Balance Me 50ml Pure Skin Face Wash worth £11.

There are different Balance Me products that you can pick up with the magazine - wonder eye cream, balancing face moisturiser and rose otto sensitive lip balm.

I'm tempted to pick up a copy for the eye cream and the moisturiser! 

There are lots of other freebies available this month

Elle has St Tropez Gradual Tan everday body moisturiser in two different shades

Marie Claire has a full size Avon mascara with three different types to choose from

Harpers Bazaar has a NEOM Organic Hand Cream in a choice of two scents

Lots of goodies this month! Which ones have you picked up?

June Empties

I can't believe June is over already, this month has gone so fast!! Hopefully July will bring some summer weather and less of this awful rain that we have been having.

I had saved up £31 at the end of May, and this is everything I used this month.

Full size Ojon volume shampoo and conditioner.

These retail at nearly £40 for the pair, I do really like Ojon products but for volume I prefer John Freida volume range for a quarter of the price so I wouldn't repurchase these.

Both full size so £2 in the pot.

The Body Shop dreams unlimited shower gel - I got this in a set with body lotion and a perfume. I love the scent, its very fresh and floral. This is on special offer at the moment for £3.90 on the Body Shop website. 

Rituals foaming shower gel in Mandarin & Mint. I do love these shower gels, they smell divine and are so moisturising. I have one I am using at the moment and one in the cupboard  so I need to stock up! They retail for £6.90 at John Lewis but I always keep an eye out in TK Maxx as they have them now and again on special offer. 

I would repurchase both of these, but the Rituals is definitely my favourite.

Both full size so another £2. 

These are all the products I used up on holiday! 

You can read about them on my holiday post

L-R

Sample size Vanitas Versace Perfume

2 x Sample size Lolilta Lempicka Perfumes

Full size Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash

Travel Size Ojon Shampoo

Travel size Ojon Conditioner

Sample size Green People Suncream

Sample size Bharti Vyas Face & Neck Polisher

Full size Champneys Body Butter

I would repurchase the body butter and the perfumes but nothing else.

Thats another £5, so total of £9 this month making the total £40!

I'm in the middle of using up quite a few products so I think July is going to have a lot of empties!

Aprils Empties!

Yay its bank holiday weekend! Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine :)

Used up quite a few items this month, I am putting £1 for every full size item and 50p for every sample size item in my money box.  I started in March and have £9.50 so far.

Full size Rituals foaming shower gel in Zensation - organic rice milk & cherry blossom, I love the Rituals foaming gels and this is my favourite scent.  Will absolutely definitely be repurchasing (once I use up the other three bottles I have!)

Full size Balance Me super moisturising body wash - this left my skin lovely and soft but I really don't like the smell it has patchouli in and the scent is very heavy.  I got this in one of my Carmine boxes, I wouldn't repurchase it in this scent but I have one in Rose Otto and that smells much nicer, like turkish delight! 

Sample size Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily bath and shower gel.  I got this in my Harrods Glossybox and I love it! A little goes a long way and the smell is divine. 

So thats £2.50 into the pot.

Sample size Decleor Phytopeel, natural exfoliating cream.  I received this in my last Feel Unique box, I really like this product.  You spread it over your face wait for it to dry then rub it off! It leaves my skin super soft.  The full size retails at around £25 so its not cheap, but my skin looks much better after using it and I have a few on the shelf that I have received in swaps so don't have to splash the cash just yet!

Two sample size FAB cleansers - my skin loves these cleansers which means I do too! I have a stash of these that I have received in swaps, I am down to my last three tubes now and will be purchasing the full size when I'm down to my last tube.

Full size Soap & Glory scrub your nose in it - I love the smell of this, I leave it on for a few minutes as a face mask and it leaves my skin lovely and soft.

That's another £2.50 in the pot.

Sample size Soap & Glory flake away - this smells good enough to eat! I think this is my favourite body exfoliator.

Sample size Dead Sea Spa Magik silky smooth body lotion - I received this in one of my beauty boxes, I use it on my shins and it doesn't irritate them.

£1 in the pot.

Sample size Lulu Timebomb flashback night cream - I received this in one of my Carmine boxes. Its quite light for a night cream which I quite like, it doesn't irritate or clog my sensitive skin. I was actually quite surprised by how much I like this product!

Sample size Yon-Ka Anti-Pollution Vital Defense cream - I received this in my December Joliebox, its a very small sample which makes it hard to judge whether or not you like a product.

Sample size Sisley Sisleya global anti-age cream - Received this in a Latest in Beauty box, a little goes a long way which is good as the full size product retails at a whopping £260 for 50ml! I liked it but I didn't like it £260 worth!

Thats £1.50 in the pot.

I wouldn't normally include toothpaste in my empties, but I got these in my Carmine box.  I have used this brand before and I wasn't too impressed with the whitening power BUT these toothpastes are brilliant, my teeth were much whiter after using and I'll be buying the full size.

Another £1 in the pot.

Sample size Ginvera green tea BB cream - I got this in a Latest in Beauty Little box. I have tried a few BB creams and not been too impressed with the coverage, but I like this one! The smell is awful but the coverage and colour is really good.  Its probably just a touch too dark for my pale skin but would be fine in summer.

50p in the pot.

Full size Prada Candy - My lovely hubby got me this for Christmas after I loved the sample in my first ever Feel Unique box.

Sample size Thierry Mugler Womanity - love the tester packaging! 

Sample size Yardley Peony - got this in a Carmine box, its actually really nice a lovely spring scent

Sample size CK Euphoria 

Sample size CK Shock

Another £3.00 in the pot.

Thats £12 in the pot for April.  Must moisturise more in May!

Lux Box - April

New beauty box on the block this month - Lux Box.  I tried to resist temptation but signed up the day before subscriptions closed.


My first box was delivered this morning.......

Hard to describe the colour of this box - quite like it though!

Packaged like all the other boxes.

Six good sized products.

Couldn't believe it though - I have had nearly all these products in other beauty boxes!!

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream.  Retails at £14 for this 10ml sample.

This is the only product that I haven't received in another beauty box. I like the products from Balance Me and I'm really getting into natural products at the moment so I'm looking forward to trying this out.

Steamcream.  Full size and retails at around £10.

I had this in my last ever Carmine box (boohoo miss Carmine) it's a really nice light cream that can be used on both your face and body. I love the designs on the tin.  I have two unopened tins so will add this third one to the pile!

MOA The Green Balm.  

This is a 100% natural balm that can be used for anything from cleansing to putting on cold sores! I have one of these from a Latest in Beauty box, I've never really used it as not really sure what to do with it - I'll have a good read on their website.

The pot doesn't say how much it contains, I'm guessing around 5ml, making the sample worth £1.66.

Eldora False Lashes in H101. These are £4.25 on Eldora's website.

Again I received these in a previous Carmine box.  I don't really wear false lashes and I'm building up quite a collection - may have to start wearing them soon.

BM Beauty Eyeshadows.  These are 100% natural mineral eyeshadows.

I got the shades Her Majesty and Marble Sparkle. Her Majesty is  pink with a gold sheen, Marble Sparkle is shimmery grey. These are both 1g sample pots and 2g full size products retail at £7 each making these worth £3.50 each.

I got Her Majesty in Februarys Glossybox and swapped it so this one will probably be up for swaps too, but I would like to try some different colours.

Right then my impressions on LuxBox - there are so many beauty boxes in the market now that they need to stand out from the competition to win new customers and to keep existing ones.  

I think if you don't subscribe to any other boxes then this is a really good box.  As most people I know subscribe to more than one box then they will probably have received at least one of the items in a previous beauty box.

The same brands seem to be repeating in the boxes and I think that if a box is featuring a brand that has been in a competitors box then the person in charge of buying should make sure that the product is different.

As I posted at the weekend I will only be keeping one other box than Glossybox (I have a 12 month subscription) and I don't know if LuxBox will be it :(.

Did you get a LuxBox?  What did you think of yours?