Is it me, or are toothbrushes a bit rubbish these days? Perhaps I'm just a bit vigorous with my brushing, but I seem to have to replace them with alarming regularity. And cost aside, that's not good when most are made from brand new lumps of plastic.
Which is why I'm now switching to the Preserve recycled variety; also known as 'the toothbrush made from yoghurt pots', as a lot of the plastic used to make them comes from Stonyfield yoghurt cups. The brushes are now more affordable than ever, as Sainsbury's has slashed the price of Preserve by a third, so a toothbrush now costs just £1.99!
We weren't too impressed with Origins Organics' foaming face wash when we tested it the other week (mostly because it didn't foam!) but not wishing any ill-will against this usually very reliable beauty range, I'm happy to say we've since been testing their new Perfect World cleanser, and are extremely impressed. It's a really creamy cleanser, yet feels very refreshing due to the use of palm and coconut.
This time, the cleanser foams up really nicely, and has a lovely scent of light magnolia and orange. The use of oat amino acids help deep cleanse and detoxify the skin, and washes off all traces of makeup.
As a guy (I would imagine) it's not easy to get hold of natural and paraben-free grooming products. So I was happy to see that Bulldog is expanding its range with six new skincare products for men.
The news is especially good for guys with skin conditions, as the new additions include a specialist skincare range for sensitive skin. There's also an exfoliating face scrub, and an invigorating new shower gel. Like all existing Bulldog products, they do not contain any parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colours or synthetic fragrances.
Neals Yard Remedies has really branched out lately, with some great new additions to its ever-wholesome range. And if it's a bit of firming and toning in the leg region you're after, you can now get it beautifully packaged in one of NYR's signature blue bottles.
Zingy grapefruit and juniper are the main ingredients in the new hip and thing gel, which is formulated to combat cellulite. You can get it for £25 at the Neal's Yard site. And did you know that Neal's Yard was the first ever fully carbon neutral company in the UK? They've cerrtainly kept that one quiet, along with the impressive work they are doing to make their bottles recyclable, source all their ingredients in the UK and have partnerships with several good causes. Look out for a small explosion of more new products coming soon!
I'm always a bit suspicious about products that call themselves 'all purpose', so I raised an eyebrow when I was handed a leaflet about Moa the Green Balm, a 'miracle' potion from Iceland that claims all kinds of amazing skin benefits.
Moa is essentially an organic, herbal balm that is aimed particularly at those with dry skin, but its uses are listed as relieving everything from minor burns to frostbite, which is pretty unusual for something you'd find in the beauty counter.
Enthralled by the wave of super-foamy, SLS-free, organic cleansers out there, Abi and I choose two of the most promising to put to the test. We pitched cult beauty favourite Philosophy's Purity High Foaming Cleanser against newcomer Madara's Purifying Floral Foam. Who will win? Read on to find out!
It was very exciting to sit down with Huggy Ragnarsson, as she has created a large number of amazing magazine covers in her time, and has met all the top models, from Naomi Campbell to Eva Herzigova. We talked about how she tries to keep herself green, and what you need to succeed in the fashion world, She's also the face of Duracell Rechargeable batteries, and is offering you guys a fab prize to win.