Scottish aromatherapist Gail Bryden’s award-winning JustBe Botanicals range hit The Beauty Shortlist’s beauty radar in November when some of it arrived in a beautiful pale wooden mini-crate gift box with a lid which you can then recycle as an urban window box, an old paperback storage box, a safe place for small toys, a new home for odds and ends…you name it.
Better still, there were two bars of chocolate lurking in the box that would give the Swiss a run for their chocolate money (here’s the JustBe Tranquil aromatherapy bar, below – it’s white chocolate with lavender and topped with raspberries and it’s as delicious as it sounds, in fact taste-wise I’d rank it even better than a brand like Green & Black’s; price wise this chocolate is an indulgent artistan-style splurge at £4.50 a bar).
So a big thank you to Sandra at Beauty Balm blog for telling me about JustBe, after spotting her Tweet about the aromatherapy chocolate. Since November I’ve fallen for not just the chocolate but some of the beauty products pretty much hook, line and sinker.
Don’t ask me to choose between the white lavender and raspberry chocolate and this one!
The JustBe Energised bar has hints of Turkish delight about it, but the infusion of cardamom gives it an even more intriguing flavour and the subtlest touch of spicy warmth. £4.50 each but worth it on a winter Sunday afternoon and delicious with a cup of chai tea.
Some of the boxes JustBe ticks are: NATURAL + AUTHENTIC + ARTISTAN + ‘AROMATHERAPEUTIC’ + GENTLE + SIMPLE + ETHICAL and you can tell Gail really has put a whole lot of passion and thought into her now extensive range (she does gifts and teas, too).
The ultimate beauty pamper hamper £95
The JustBe Happy Tea Gift Set, Gail’s Be Happy herbal blend and a bone china signature mug £15
My personal favourites from the range are:
After testing this for a while I gave the rest to a friend who couldn’t find a day moisturiser with a little SPF protection which was light yet protective and doesn’t leave too much of a shine, and she loved it.
Water (Aqua), Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Andiroba Oil (Carapa Guianensis), Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera), Zinc Oxide, Sesame Seed Oil (Sesamum Indicum), Self Heal Extract (Prunella Vulgaris), Oat (Avena Sativa Glucan), Oat Extract (Avena Sativa), Xanthan Gum, Cucumber Extract (Cucumis Sativus), Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Glyceryl Behenate, Geranium Oil (Pelargonium Graveolens) and Petitgrain Oil (Citrus Aurantium).
Fantastic at removing all eye make up, I prefer using this at night because of its multi-oil and coconut formula. (I use a non-oil based eye make up remover in the a.m. to avoid mascara smudging).
Gail’s rich Cleansing Balm 60ml (£30) got some great feedback from Caroline Hirons last year…
JustBe Cleansed £30/60ml
…and my vote, as a try-me/dip-in product from the range, would go to the Radiant Treatment Face Oil. You can buy it with a mini serum for £25 for the set (10ml x 2) or alone for £14.50/10ml. This is a brilliant little facial oil with a lift-your-spirits scent, packed full of skin-boosting natural oils and it’s going to travel everywhere I go this year. Sometimes the best things come in mini bottles.
Ingredients: Rosehip Oil (Rosa Canina), Rosewood Oil (Aniba Rosaeodora), Patchouli Oil (Pogostemon Cablin), Pink Grapefruit Oil (Citrus Grandis), Lime Oil (Citrus Aurantifolia) and Bergamot Oil (Citrus Bergamia).
Application tip: Smooth 3-4 drops onto clean damp skin, apply day and night to face, neck and décolletage.
A big oil for a small price and if you fall in love with it you’ll be wanting the full size next time.
Treat yourself to some aromatherapy chocolate to combat the February blues and discover Gail’s skincare heroes and healing teas
Twitter: @JustBeBotanical (no “s” on the end!)
Gail Bryden, founder, JustBe Botanicals
