Cruelty-free goodies from TK Maxx

It would be lovely if more BUAV-approved products were available on the high street, but one thing I've discovered is that you can fairly regularly find bunny-friendly brands at TK Maxx, and at budget prices too.  So I thought I'd run through some of the highlights I've bagged in recent times:

1) Bellapierre skincare

I got this set for £29.99, a real bargain as it's pretty expensive to buy each item separately.  The eye gel (on the right of the picture) alone costs £55!!  So I saw it as a good opportunity to try a range I wouldn't normally buy (and probably won't again unless another discount comes along).  This is definitely very good quality skincare.  The moisturiser (in the foreground) was very luxurious, it smelled like sweet cream.  The toner (blue bottle) is particularly good - smells very high-end and feels great to use on the skin.  The cleanser (white bottle) is good, but I would not repurchase (even if I could...) as it was a little on the thin side. And the eye gel? It feels wonderful as it goes on, but I'm not sure that it made any great difference to my eye area. 

2. Saaf

Saaf is the Persian word for 'pure', and this is the Organic Complexion Boosting Serum.   Unfortunately, the barcode got stuck over the ingredients, but from what I can see, the oil contains  rosehip, jojoba, vitamin E and juniper (and some other stuff).  It has quite a botanical smell - not too sweet - and it feels and smells like a very high quality blend of oils.  You can feel your skin just drinking it in.  Again, this was a good discount, from £29.99 to £9.99.  The packaging on Saaf's website has been updated, but I'm quite happy to take a good product in an older box for a third of the price!

3) EcoTools brushes

These brushes are so pretty with the decorated handles.  The set contains the conceal brush (round), the bronze brush (angled), the contour brush (domed), and the buff brush (flat top).  The bristles are synthetic and the handles are recycled aluminium.  And price? £7, reduced from £14 or so.

These brands were all new to me, so it was a great opportunity to try them at bargainous prices. 

Other bunny-approved products I've spotted at TK Maxx are Dr Bronner's, Paul Mitchell and Melvita.  So it's always worth a rummage!

Review: Lumie Bodyclock

OK, so it's straight in with a review...  Last year, my partner got me a Lumie Bodyclock for Christmas, to help with the dark mornings.  So this is the second winter that I've has it, and I can say that I would absolutely not be without it now.

I have the basic model, and the 'thing' with these clocks is that they wake you up very gently with an artificial sunrise that takes a full 30 minutes.  So if you set the alarm for, say, 7am, the light will start to come on at 6.30am.  From being almost imperceptible, it will gradually get brighter until by 7 it's very bright indeed, and you'll be properly awake.  And it works brilliantly!

I've had the clock for nearly a year, and it has genuinely transformed my winter mornings.  Before, I would hit the snooze button as many times as I could get away with, and still get up feeling incredibly tired and barely awake.  Now, I can get on with the day, and I feel a lot less tired in the evenings as well, which is a bonus.  It's been like hitting a reset button.

Drawbacks?  It's true, £60 is a lot of money for a bedside clock.  However, if it works for you, you'll consider it money well spent.  And using the controls can be a bit fiddly (this point does come up in the reviews) but once you get the hang of the sequences, it's not so bad. 

Conclusion: this product really works!!  And it's great to find something that lives up to its claims as well.  If mine breaks, I'll be straight on the computer to order another one!