konjac sponge

26 December 2022

Green Beauty Brands that stood the test of time: A look back at 2011 Blog Posts

As 2022 draws to a close I thought it might be interesting to look back on my first year of blogging. It all began in May 2011 and I was curious to see how many of those early posts had stood the test of time. Sadly there a several brands that no longer exist but there are some products that remain staples in my home.

Whilst the Faith In Nature Cacao Body Wash has long since disappeared I'm still using their products. Currently in my collection I have the Jojoba and Avocado body washes and Dragonfruit hand wash. I've always found Faith in Nature to be a reasonably priced brand and these days you can find on the high street and local refill stores. I had paired up my original body wash review with a post about Nakd raw fruit & nut bars. I'm still a loyal customer and eat them on a daily basis. Current favourite flavours are Bakewell and Peanut.

I don't use Dr Bronner's as often as I once did but you'll still find it in my home as it's the best liquid soap to use for washing out makeup brushes. Over the years I found it a little too drying on my skin so for me, its main purpose is now household cleaning.

I'm still using Naturtint Hazelnut Blonde hair colourant but honestly I'm now contemplating whether it's time to ditch it and embrace the grey; only time will tell.

I can safely say that I'm still bitter that Alpro still haven't launched the Macchiato drink which I had on my trip to Amsterdam.

Konjac Sponges have remained in my life but I now only use the body sponges. Over the years I tried out several brands but we (my husband and I) are currently re-purchasing from Friendly Soap.

I'm still sadden to this day at the loss of Brownearth body butters. They were a favourite for a long time. You can of course find lots of decent green brands offering different variations of shea body butters either with this standalone ingredient or combining with others such as coconut or cocoa butter.

I'm can't quite believe that I first discovered Evolve Organic Beauty back in 2011. I remember the branding was very different back in the day. Evolve is definitely one of those brands that I revisit over and over again, dipping into products as the range has expanded. Currently I'm trying out the Bio-Retinol + C Booster and I've placed an order for the Bio-Retinol Gold Mask in the Boxing Day sales!

I remember using Organic Surge shower gels regularly back in the early years. I thought they were lost forever but recently discovered they re-branded to Organic Works (OW).

Oh my the photo on this post about TK Maxx is terrible but I wanted to say that I still visit stores looking for beauty bargains.

In my first month of blogging I wrote about my struggles with sun cream that was suitable for eczema prone skin. I just wanted to say that through many trials I eventually settled on Green People. This is a brand I had been using long before the blog started. It is very much a staple to this day. I am a fan of their scent free moisturisers and of course facial sun cream.

I hope that you have enjoyed this look back over 2011 and comparing it with 2022. At this time I'm not sure whether I'll continue blogging into 2023 but you can always find me over on social media if you'd like to connect.

Happy New Year to you all!

Sarah x

6 October 2015

Sugarpuffish Natural and Organic skincare haul
In recent weeks I have been stocking up on my favourite products and I thought I would share them. 

Dr Bronner's Green Tea soap & Neom Handwash from TK Maxx
Naturtint 7N Hazelnut Blonde
Organyc Cotton Buds
BWC Serenity Loose Mineral Eyeshadow 

Sarah x


Disclaimer: Links are not affiliated. The video does not contain PR samples, products bought with own money.

16 December 2014

Konjac Pink Clay Bath Sponge & Green People Scent Free Shower Gel

If you have been watching my YouTube videos, you will be familiar with the saga of my recent eczema flare up. For those of you who don't know about this, my trigger was narrowed down to a new cream and a change of ingredients in a fabric conditioner I regularly use. My skin became very angry quickly and in order to combat the problems I felt the need to switch things up with my shower routine.

I had been using Laughing Bird Lavender & Chamomile body wash which I purchased after reading Amber’s review. Unfortunately, I think the essential oils are a little on the heavy side and my skin was not coping very well. Aside from a leaky bottle, it is a lovely product so I am gutted that it did not work out for me. I decided the best thing I could do was change over to an unscented body wash. I purchased an old faithful, Green People Scent Free Shower Gel and to compliment this I bought a French Pink Clay Konjac Bath Sponge.

I think Green People is a reliable brand if you desire free from products and are prone to sensitivity. Avoiding essential oils during a flare up seems to be an effective method of treatment for me. I have previously mentioned in a video that this shower gel contains Sodium Coco-Sulfate and Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Green People responded to my video and informed me these ingredients are derived from coconut and on the EcoCert safe list but I was already aware of this. What I should have mentioned was my concern with Cocamidopropyl Betaine is the link to contact dermatitis. When I purchased the shower gel I considered all the ingredients, I was battling a skin flare up and did not wish to exasperate the issue. I want to raise awareness for those with extreme sensitivity because there is a small chance someone out there may have a problem with this ingredient.

Konjac 6 wave pink clay bath sponge
As my skin was very sore, I thought a Konjac sponge could be a good solution to add gentleness to my routine. It was back in 2011 that I discovered these sponges. It has been a while since I last owned one but it seemed the obvious choice under the circumstances. Konjac sponges can be used with or without skincare products and I opted for Pink Clay because it is recommended for sensitive and irritated skin. I cannot tell if the Pink Clay makes a difference to my skin (it’s very difficult to judge) but I adore the softness of the sponge. It is very gentle, I can “scrub” across my eczema patches without causing further irritation.

My eczema is much better now, mainly because I realised my triggers but also with the aid of these products. I am certainly not going to make any claims for “curing” eczema but anything that is gentle enough to allow my skin to recover during irritation gets thumbs up. I have used the Green People shower gel in very small amounts and relied on the sponge to do the rest of the work and have been happy with the outcome. If you are looking for other unscented shower gels, I have previously written about brands that have this option.

Have you tried the Konjac Pink Clay Bath Sponge or Green People Scent Free Shower Gel? What do you think about these products? Would you recommend them?

Sarah x


Please note: Links are not affiliated and all products were purchased by me

19 January 2014


collection of natural and organic skincare

If you haven't been following my blog from the beginning there are probably product reviews within the archives that you don't realise exist. It got me thinking what was lurking on here that I don't talk about as often as I should. Here's what I re-discovered. Apologies for bad photos on these posts, my old camera was rubbish.

Handmade Naturals - a little company I discovered many years ago, before blogging and when I first turned to non toxic skincare. I've dipped in and out of their products over the years, whilst I may not use on a regular basis I always recommend to others. I particularly like the cleansing oil with Japanese Camellia & Rice Bran.

Cupcake Organics - part of the attraction to these moisturisers is the cute packaging and coloured glass jars but the creams are also rather nice.

Suti - Both my sister and I fell in love with Suti products. The cleansing balm is always on my sister's wish list for Birthday and Christmas. I sadly didn't go back because I decided to cut out orange oil from my skincare but this is a product I highly recommend.

Balmology - For the most part, Comfort Balm has been wonderful for calming and soothing my eczema. Every balm I test has to live up to this one otherwise it doesn't get a recommendation from me. 

Konjac Sponges - all of a sudden Konjac sponges are everywhere. I first discovered these in 2011. I enjoyed using the sponge but I didn't buy another one as I went back to using cloths. I still think it's a great product and worth considering. 

Miss Polly - I first tried the frangipani shea butter in 2011/2012 and was sad when Miss Polly closed up shop. The good news is she is back in business and at some point I need to re-visit this old favourite.

Brown Earth - before I started blogging, this was the only shea butter I would use on my skin. These days it's a little bit harder to get hold of so I must admit I haven't purchased in recent years. 

Peachykeen Organics - a lovely little company that I introduced my sister to and she became a loyal customer. As for me, I have been distracted by other brands but Peachykeen still goes on my recommendation list especially the rosehip oil.

Sarah x

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