Ecooking Spring Releases - Vegan and sustainable beauty + Giveaway

A brand that has featured on my blog a good few times now is the Danish brand, Ecooking, a brand that started on the kitchen table of the founder Tina Søgaard, to one that is now widely available online. I was very kindly gifted some of the new Ecooking Spring releases and a few extra for one of you for yourself!

The first product out of my box is the  Hand Soap With Scrub: Described as being "A hand soap with scrub that cleanses the skin and removes dead skin cells" it has a scent of citrus, Violet and White Pepper and smells absolutely delightful. Using Pumice, which if you didn't know, is a stone formed through volcanic eruptions and it is the fine granulate of natural lava stones exfoliates your skin. You will also find Amino acids which help the skin by boosting collagen production, skin elasticity and moisture regeneration. Cucumber Extract which is rich in amino acids, proteins and vitamin C. Aloe Vera for its calming and soothing properties and then the most interesting ingredient for me which is Volcanic Sand. Volcanic sand is used because it is enriched with thermal water and is rich in magnesium, and silica and calcium have rebalancing, cleansing and regenerating properties.

On the skin, the soap is one which doesn't dry out your hands, even though it is a hand scrub. Instead, given the number of times I am sure we are all washing and sanitizing our hands right now, this is surprisingly soothing.  As well as using on your hands, this product can also be used on your body and feet.

I have always been quite honest in that there is very few Micellar Waters that I actually like. From Ecooking they have released a Micellar Water and I have been using it for the last few weeks.  Described as being "An all-in-one face wash that efficiently removes dirt, make-up and eye make-up without drying out your skin" and it contains Aloe Leaf and Cucumber, which again are calming and soothing on the skin and then we have Vitamin C which helps to brighten the skin.

This Micellar Water comes as a spray, so to use it, there is a choice of spraying it directly onto your skin or onto your cotton wool pad, depending on your preference. For me, I have tried both options and much prefer to spray onto a cotton wool pad so that I have more control over removing my makeup. Impressively, this product removes everything in its path, including mascara, which is an added bonus if you are running low on eye makeup remover and because it is so gentle on the skin, it doesn't sting and nor is it drying.

If you like a good Body Scrub, then this too was a Spring release and it is a product I have loved using. Using natural Sicilian salt to remove the dead skin cells and exfoliate the skin it also includes Sunflower oil, argan oil, shea butter & almond oil as well as natural kukui oil which together add intensive moisture and in turn helps to keep your skin smooth and soft. The final inclusion is Natural vitamin E which is a strong antioxidant which protects against free radicals and adds moisture.

This scrub is designed to be used once a week when showering and it can be used from neck to toes. I like that this scrub isn't overly abrasive on my skin, though applying a little pressure on those areas which need a little more attention, you can feel the salt on the skin.

When it comes to home tanning, it is not something I ever do, mainly through fear of leaving the house looking like an Oompa Loompa as I have a very pale skin tone. From Ecooking they have two tanning products.  The first is a Self Tanning Mousse and it is described as being "a fragrance-free and easy to apply, and it gives your skin a fantastic glow".  This tan contains hyaluronic acid, glycerin and cucumber which all work to ensure your skin is kept hydrated and then the main ingredient is DHA and it is this ingredient which is what gives the skin the tan colour and if you didn't know, DHA is derived from sugar beet and sugar cane.   The second self-tanning product is the Self Tanning Drops which described a product to help you to prolong your tan and are designed to be mixed with your normal creams.  These drops contain Hyaluronic Acid which helps keep your skin moisturised after using and they are a really lightweight texture and you only need a few drops at any one time. 

The final product I have to share with you is the Cleansing Scrub which is described as being a "mild and efficient 2-in-1 cleansing product that deep-cleanses your skin and removes dead skin cells".  Designed to combine both cleansing and exfoliation, this scrub contains Glycolic Acid to aid with the cleansing of the skin, Aloe Vera and Almond Oil which calms, moisturises and helps skin cells to regenerate.  On the exfoliation side, again we have Pumice, which is also used in the Hand Scrub above. Also included is Charcoal Powder which is an active coal granulate extracted from coconut shells. The shells are crushed and sieved, and the granulate is activated through steam. Finally, we have Olivine Extract which is rich in magnesium and contributes to stimulating metabolic cell activities and it, therefore, helps dull and tired skin.

You can find Ecooking products via Look Fantastic, Beauty Bay, Feel Unique and of course the Ecooking site too.

Competition

This giveaway is giving you the chance to win 4 products from the list above and the rules for taking part are listed below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules

– This giveaway is open to UK residents only
– One winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter
– Entrants under 18 must seek parental permission before entering this giveaway.
– There is no purchase necessary to enter this giveaway.
– Information you give when entering this competition will remain confidential and will not be passed onto anyone else.
– ALL entries will be checked and verified, with any incomplete, false or duplicate entries being removed from the giveaway entirely.
– Ecooking has kindly gifted me these products to offer it to one person as giveaway prize.
– The winner will be both be notified by the email address given and will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner/s don’t respond within 48 hours, an alternative winner/s will be selected via Rafflecopter’s randomiser.
– This is not a sponsored giveaway
– The item will be posted to the winner to the address that they have given to me via email within 28 days of replying - pending postal services at this given time.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

A new complimentary live online skin consultation from Alpha-H!

If you read my blog regularly (thank you), you will have come across my love for Alpha-H skincare and their very many products - everything from Liquid Gold and Balancing Cleanser to Lip Perfector and the Vitamin Mist.  But today, I am sharing something quite new and exciting - The live skincare clinic.

This is a brand new and complimentary live online skin consultation from Alpha-H. 

During these times while we’re retreating to our homes, it is easy for feelings of isolation to creep in…but social distancing doesn't have to mean isolation and with this in mind, Alpha-H is pleased to be able to offer complimentary 20 minute face-to-face personalised skin consultations with their highly trained skin advisors via Skype or FaceTime. This helps to ensure that you, the client can receive advice that’s tailored to you from the comfort of your home - or to put it another way, Alpha-H is bringing to you a service which allows access to one-on-one skin advice that you would normally find in-store.

How do you get a Consultation?

To request a personal consultation, clients would need to follow the link THIS LINK and complete a simple consultation request form, select a preferred choice of contact and time slot and then one of the lovely skin advisors will get in touch to arrange a convenient time.  

As an added extra, you will also receive a 15% discount off of your first order following on from that consultation!

So if you have never tried Alpha-H skincare before, want some advice on which products would work for you, or just to find out why I am an Alphaholic - the term affectionately given to those of us who are fans of the brand, then this is a great introduction!

I would love to know if you do have the skin consultation 

and any feedback on how it went!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Ember Travel Mug²

Travelling around London for work reasons, blog events, to meet up with friends or to go shopping brings with it a whole lot of bad habits that I am trying to stop - too much plastic packaging and buying takeaway coffee.  It is so easy as you travel around to move from coffee shop to coffee shop over the course of a few hours and before you realise that habit is not only expensive but incredibly wasteful.  I have got and have used my fair share of travel cups and whilst they start off being quite the revelation, they soon become worn and tired and less useful, that cup which once gave you 3-4 hours of hot(ish) beverages starts to struggle to keep things warm for an hour, then I was kindly gifted the Ember Travel Mug² and I am pretty obsessed with it.

As I mentioned in my Mother's Day gift guide, the Ember Travel Mug² is the perfect gift for someone who is always on the go. 

Designed to be used on-the-go, the new Ember Travel Mug² does more than simply keep your coffee hot, this smart mug not only allows you to set an exact drinking temperature but it also keeps it there for up to 3 hours, so your coffee is never too hot, or too cold.

If you love technology then you will absolutely love this mug because it is app-controlled. You use the Ember app to set your temperature, customise presets for your favourite drinks, receive notifications when your desired temperature is reached, personalise your mug, keep count of your caffeine intake and so much more.  The app is so easy to use and follow that I set mine up within a few minutes and my mug was ready to use, but if you don't want to use the app, then the mug still works just as well without,

The Ember Travel Mug² works by using seven temperature sensors, a rapid cooling system, a microprocessor-controlled heating system and temperature presets to create your perfect temperature. On the front of the mug you simply need to tap the 'Ember' logo twice, then you will see both the '+' or '-' which you use on the mug to select your temperature. It is worth noting that the temperature presets are 120°F - 145°F (50°C - 62.5 °C) and it holds 12 fl. oz (355 ml) of liquid.

The Ember Travel Mug² is designed to last an average of three hours on the go. The three-hour battery life is expected when pouring in liquid hot, and a set temperature of 57°C. If you like it cooler, your battery will last longer, and if you like it hotter, then your battery will decrease slightly. At any time, you can tap the Ember sign and it will show you just how much battery life is left with an LED battery sign.  Charging your travel mug is really easy, inside the box you will see a base for your Ember Travel Mug to sit on and you simply plug it in and let the mug charge. 

As this is a travel mug, the Ember Travel Mug² has a leakproof, push-to-open lid which will not only keep your hot beverage hot, it will also ensure you don't spill it as you go. I can be quite clumsy when I am tired and have been known to just put my travel cups into my handbag without giving it a second thought, only to find later in the day my whole bag swimming in coffee. With this mug, the leakproof lid is absolutely that, it doesn't allow a single drop of liquid to escape unless of course, you open the lid to take a drink.

I think it is pretty obvious how much I love this mug and if it has captured your attention, you can read more about it via the Ember website and it costs £179.99 to purchase.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Home renovations - The Floors

Just before Christmas we had our bathroom fully renovated owing to a leak coming through the flat above ours and as it was something we had been intending to do for some time, this gave us a kick up the backside to actually get it done.  As always with home renovations, it comes with a whole host of issues and decisions that need to be taken.

One of the areas we struggled with choosing something for was the flooring, beforehand we had some cheap carpet which wasn't quite laminate but wasn't quite a rug either, it did, however, look like floor tiles.  So I looked around for some different samples - laminate, wood, LVT and tiles and in the end opted for tiles which ended up being a light grey with grey grouting between them.  

We do have one outstanding issue that needs to be rectified and it is the hallway flooring. At present we have managed to fix part of the flooring which was damaged during the leak with some leftover laminate flooring that I managed to find hidden in a cupboard, the flooring in all rooms was one which was either installed or laid before we moved in. We have however decided that we will be looking to change the flooring in the hallway and the lounge, workmen cause dirt and dust and some stains are irreversible.  For the hallway, the current favourite is to choose wood flooring as it offers more insulation and will be hardwearing enough for the cats wh seemingly like to go skidding across the floors when having a game of chase.  

For the lounge, what was a light beige coloured carpet will need changing entirely as I can see the footprints from where someone walked across it after the hallway floor had been varnished - so needless to say, it drives me mad and other than purchasing an extra-large rug to try and cover as much of the current carper as possible, for the time being, it stays as it is.

Have you bought a new rug, carpet, flooring lately? Do you have any advice on what to choose, best colours?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.