With just a couple of days left in November this post is a little late…but better late than never!
Here’s your 5 things for November…
1 – ILIA Beauty
ILIA Beauty is a US based clean beauty brand with a conscience. Founded by nature-lover and creative/branding specialist Sasha and her younger brother (also an Olympian!) Zac, ILIA was born out of a family’s quest to find non-toxic, natural alternatives to health and wellbeing products. They started out by recreating Sasha’s favourite lip balm… and the rest is history. Aside from having a beautiful brand identity (Sasha clearly knows her stuff) the brand is passionate about ingredient transparency as well as making their packaging more circular – they’re now using TerraCycle’s Zero waste Box platform that’s dedicated to recycling the hard-to-recycle. I’ve been using their True Skin Serum Foundation for a couple of months and I’m sooo impressed. It really feels like more of a skincare product than make-up, it leaves my skin hydrated and gives it a subtle glow. Initially the pigment was a little darker than my skin tone but somehow it seems to even out and match my complexion over time… I’m not sure if this is an intentional benefit but it definitely happens! I’m waiting to try their mascara next when my current one runs out….
2 – UK bans new petrol car sales from 2030
I can’t say the UK government has been in my good books over the past few years, but this news definitely surprised me. It’s great to see them finally taking a stance on climate and introducing measures to help us reduce our carbon emissions. I’m looking forward to see how this pans out in 2030.
Plastic free laundry has been a bug bear of mine for the last couple of years. I’ve tried Eco Egg, using essential oils, eco-detergents and more but nothing smells good enough for me whilst being plastic free. Until I found Tru Earth! Their laundry strips are zero waste, they breakdown in the wash and leave no trace, and the Fresh Linen smell is great! I use 2 strips per wash instead of one as I like my laundry to smell a little more, but overall these are a great find!
A shoutout for a new client of mine, Anything But Plastic. This quirky online shop was founded by Jenny Derry (it’s definitely worth reading her about page) and stocks a lovely collection of plastic free products from small and indie brands.
And finally…a book recommendation. You might have already seen this one doing the rounds (I saw it on Reese Witherspoon’s book club) but it definitely lives up to the hype. It is a total tearjerker and I read it in less than a week because I was so emotionally charged the whole way through… but the story is so beautiful I wish I took longer to savour it. I love the way Delia Owens captures the charm of the marsh and swamp and its critters… the gulls Kaya sleeps with on the beach, the fireflies, the shells, feathers and nature’s trinkets that she cherishes and decorates her home with. Aside from the main plot, it really highlights human’s relationship with nature and that even though we can feel alone, there is always life around us if we care to look.