Marks & Spencer v An Allergy Sufferer

Moaning about eating out when you have allergies is a common subject on my blog.  I am determined to highlight the problems and demonstrate how we are being let down.  Non allergy sufferers see Free From ranges and think we have it sorted but it is far from the truth. Stores are making an effort but my experiences demonstrate they can get it very wrong.

Let me set the scene. Every other week my girlfriends and I frequent our local Marks & Spencer cafe for tea, cake, gossip and shopping. Whilst they (M&S) have never catered for me in the hot food or sandwiches section I could always grab a spiced ice bun. One of my friends is Coeliac and she could have a Gluten Free chocolate muffin. A simple pleasure for the both of us and neither one of us has to feel left out.  

Recently our M&S opened a new fancy cafe so we were all very excited to see what they had created. Well it looks like "Coffee Club" will be seeking a new location.  No more ice buns, no more gluten free cakes and nothing on the hot food menu for vegans. Can you believe they have removed jacket potato with baked beans? Pretty much any cafe you visit guarantees that option.  It’s a life saver for the majority of allergy sufferers, a staple safe option.

When we asked staff why these items had disappeared they did not have an explanation. My friend and I had assumed that since they have tripled the size of our cafe that would ensure a wider selection for us but how wrong we were. We over heard someone suggesting purchasing an item from the food hall to eat in the Cafe.  Wow what a telling off they received from staff who told the customer it’s not allowed.....what? Are you serious? It’s not like you are bringing in competitors food.  Instead I have to sit watching my friends devour a massive slice of cake, seems a little unfair. 

In general M&S food hall is hit and miss for allergies. There are some items I can have and buy regularly but I was disheartened when M&S launched a Gluten Free range. I am beginning to sound like a broken record. I have started to begrudge gluten allergy sufferers when really we should all stick together.  I know firsthand that Coeliacs have been struggling to get catered for as my sister has the problem but wait a minute my two main food allergies (milk & egg) are two of the most common out there. Why are we suddenly being left out?  The Gluten Free market is obviously more exciting and appealing at this time, other allergies are old news.  

I often wonder who stores consult with when launching or extending a free from range.  Do they consult with allergies sufferers? Do they have staff with allergies?  Often it feels like they are pretty clueless, that they are second guessing what the market wants. I challenge these stores to spend a day in my shoes. See what I and many others battle against on a daily basis. All I want is to enjoy the company of friends and not have my allergies spoil the fun.

What are your experiences with eating at Marks & Spencer (in the cafe or food hall)?

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Pukka Ayurveda Organic Skincare Collection

When I was offered the chance to try Pukka Ayurveda (website link) I accepted as I am familiar with the brand. Some many recognised the name from their teas and herbs. Skincare from Pukka is organic and free from parabens, petrochemicals, synthetic colours and fragrances. The range caters for dry or damaged skin, oily or combination and normal or combination, so there is something for everyone. 

I received the Organic Skincare Collection 5 Steps to Radiance. This gift/sample set includes 10ml size tubes of the Gentle Cleanser, Uplifting Toner, Radiance Serum, Deep Moisture Day Cream, Nourishing Night Cream and a free sample of Firming Face Oil. 

I have enjoyed sampling the range. All the products feel gentle on my skin and I have not had signs of irritation. The strongest fragrance is from the toner but none of the other products are particularly overpowering. I feel as if the scents have a herbal under tone. I am not sure if that’s the right way to describe them but the fragrances are woody, exotic and not what I would class as traditional floral. There are some great ingredients used in the line - rosewater, green tea, neroli, shea butter, macadamia, frankincense, avocado, rosehip, aloe vera and arnica to name a few. 

This kit makes the perfect gift or an ideal way to sample the range without commitment to full sizes. After sampling I would definitely look to invest in full sizes and I honesty recommend you give them a try.

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Disclaimer - PR Sample, 100% own opinions, links are not affiliated

Geoskincare Hydrating Hand & Body Cream

I found this Geoskincare Hydrating hand & body cream at TK Maxx. It is made in New Zealand, certified organic and not tested on animals. Also this has a free from list as long as my arm - no phenoxyethanol, sls, parabens, propylene glycol, triethanolamine, isopropyl alcohol, pegs, deas, edtas, mineral oils, petrochemicals, genetically modified ingredients, artificial colours and fragrances.

This cream is light and runny, shake the tube and you can hear the product move around. 

The lotion is certainly ideal for the summer months as it does not feel heavy or sticky on skin. I do wonder how well it would work on my very dry skin during winter. I have mainly been applying this to my body but it works well on hands. As you initially start to rub into skin it turns you white as illustrated in the picture below but with a bit of effort it disappears. It just takes a few extra minutes compared to other creams I own.

It is perfect for those of you who prefer a non greasy hand cream. I can continue typing after applying. The fragrance is from lavender but it does contain ylang ylang and patchouli. It is lightly scented so will not clash with other perfumed products you may apply. 

After purchasing this product Lovelula (website link) announced themselves as a stockist. The hydrating cream is priced at £13.50 for 100ml tube. I paid £7.99 at TK Maxx. Other products in the range include cleansers, toner and moisturisers.  I am not sure if I would buy this cream again but I have enjoyed testing and I love the brand's ingredient policy.

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Sunday Catch Up - Competition Prizes & Cupcakes

To be honest not much has happened this week so this will be a short and sweet catch up.  I recently have been lucky enough to win a couple of Twitter RT competitions

I won Ecoegg stain remover, Dr Organic Lavender Lotion and Naturtint shampoo and conditioner.  As you know I am a fan of Dr Organic and I dye my hair with Naturtint (click here for a review). I already know I like the hair care because sachets are supplied in the hair dye box.

I finally got around to spending my birthday money on a new camera. I have been wanting to up grade for ages. I am heading to Rome in October so a perfect excuse. I was only looking for a point and shoot and after researching the market I chose the Samsung ST66 for £67. Hopefully you will see an improvement with picture quality on my blog.

Thanks to it being a Bank Holiday weekend I have time on my hands for baking.  I tested out another recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World (amazon link). This batch is Lemon, Macadamia and Dairy Free White Chocolate. These taste great as they are so I decided not to overload them with buttercream instead I drizzled some lemon icing over the top.

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Jane Maddern Natural Skincare

Jane Maddern approached me to review their products. I was not familiar with the brand but after a quick website check I accepted the offer. Products do not contain artificial fragrances, parabens, SLS and not tested on animals. Everything is made in the UK and packaged by a local team of craftspeople in Somerset. Essential oils are the focus of the range which consists of four collections – Harmony, Tranquillity, Vitality and Sensuality. Within the collections are body wash, body cream, hand cream, liquid and solid soaps.

Body Wash

I have been testing out the Harmony body wash which is fragranced with sandalwood, frankincense and neroli. The scent is pleasant and this creates a superb lather.  I have not noticed dry skin or tightness after washing. 

Liquid Hand Wash

The Vitality hand wash is fragranced with Juniper, Bergamot and Jasmine.  It has an uplifting lemony scent and on inspection of the ingredients I can see this also contains May Chang. Similar to the body wash this creates a nice lather and I have not experienced dry skin whilst testing. 

Hand cream

The Sensuality hand cream is fragranced with jasmine, rosewood and vetivert. I have enjoyed using the hand cream. I would describe this as a medium thick cream, it’s not the heaviest I have tried but neither is it a runny liquid.  It sinks into skin quickly without greasy residue so great for using throughout the day.

I was also sent a Body cream but I passed this on as it contained mandarin and I was worried about my orange allergy. Here is their feedback - "Lovely creamy texture, easily absorbed into the skin, nice bottle and lovely fragrance. Left skin soft and supple."

These products do have ingredients that I wish to highlight. Both the hand and body wash contain PEG/PPG120/10 Trimethylolpropane Trioleate. The hand cream contains Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone. Jane Maddern have confirmed that the Stearic Acid is derived from sustainable palm oil.

I honestly have enjoyed using all these products.  The scents are pleasant and not overpowering with a variety to suit different tastes.  Packaging is practical and elegant, ideal as a gift and displaying in your bathroom.  Whilst I know the latter isn’t important there are people that like the “show house” look in their bathrooms. All products do contain Manuka Honey one of my favourite ingredients for healing properties but this makes the range not suitable to Vegans.  I have used the shower gel in rotation with others as I am currently suffering an eczema breakout so I needed to be cautious whilst testing. I want to stress that sensitive skins should to be careful with essential oils. Prices for 250ml bottles are body wash £12, liquid hand wash £12 and hand cream £14 click here to view website.

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Disclaimer - products sent for consideration, 100% my own opinions, links are not affiliated

Rococohichi Shea Butter

Rococochichi (website link) which I have no idea how to pronounce, is a Twitter discovery and the place to visit for natural whipped shea butters for hair, body and hands.  I purchased the vanilla hand butter as the 30ml size makes an ideal tester and fits neatly into your pocket.

I am addicted to shea butters and think it’s the perfect problem solver for dry skin.  No two shea butters are created equal and I have blogged a fair few.  Rococohichi’s shea butter is whipped so that gives a nice light and airy texture. One thing I have decided is vanilla scented shea butters are not my cup of tea.   I adore vanilla on it's own so that is why I was attracted to this product. The scent is reminiscent of the MuLondon cream I tested (click here for more info). It is sweet and sickly almost white chocolate fragrance which you are either going to love or hate. You will be pleased to hear other fragrance options are available – lavender, rosemary and unscented.

Check out the website (linked above). Prices are reasonable £9.95 (body), £6.95 (hair) and £3.50 (hand) plus free UK delivery on all orders.

Note: Nut & Latex Allergy sufferers should patch test shea butter as it may not be suitable for you.

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Disclaimer - purchased with my own money, 100% my own opinion, links not affiliated

Essential Care Concealer

Essential Care (website link) is a Suffolk based company with a wide range of hair and body products as well as make up.  All products are natural, organic, not tested on animals and free from synthetic chemical ingredients.  I accepted an offer to try their new concealer.

I have mentioned before I use very little makeup (see my collection here) in terms of lipsticks, eye shadows and blusher but foundation and concealer are a staple.  Over the past year I have tried Natural Living (review link) and Priia concealers, the latter is my current go to product.   The Essential concealer is packaged similar to a lipstick.  It contains 100% pure mineral colours, organic plant extracts and designed for covering under eye circles, pimples and imperfections

Majority of the time I am looking to cover dark circles as luckily spots are only a once a month problem for me.  This concealer is soft and blends easily.  It appears to last a working day with a little bit of movement especially in fine lines however this is easily blended out using a finger. I decided the best way to demonstrate the product is with some before and after pictures. 

I have been very happy with the results. My dark pigmentation is covered in a way that is very natural.  I am not a fan of illuminating concealer that often give you a shimmery shadow.  For my USA readers the results and consistency are identical to the Priia concealer. 

I have been using the colour fair but it is also available in medium.  This retails for £17.50 but is currently on special offer at £14.  I highly recommend you check out the Essential Care website and browse the product range click here. Also take a look at the Top Make Up Artist Concealer Secrets page it's very useful click here. 

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Disclaimer - product sent for consideration of review, opinions 100% my own & honest, links are not affiliated

Marks & Spencer Pure Natural Beauty

Thanks to Pampered Prince I became aware that Marks & Spencer had launched a skincare line called Pure Natural Beauty. You know me I had to hot foot it down to my local store to see if this was as "natural" as it implies. The new range promises BUAV approval, 95% natural ingredients, eco friendly packaging, British manufacturing and ingredients. Products are free from artificial colours, synthetic fragrances (100% essential oil), parabens, silicones and mineral oil. I decided to purchase the Moisture Plus Treatment Mask (50ml £6) as I have been trying to replace the Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Mask which contains parabens. 

I have not got around to testing so this is going to be a review of the ingredients. Unfortunately, ingredients are not listed online so I am unable to analyse every product from the range. 

I have picked out the INCI ingredients in the mask which are not obviously natural from an English translational in brackets. My sources for information are  EWG Skin Deep Database and Beautybible.com.  

• Sodium Polyacrylate - a sodium salt of Polyacrylic Acid 
• Phenoxyethonal - preservative that may cause irritation, synthetically derived
• Caprylhydroxamic acid - preservative I can not find any information to say it is a cause for concern 
• Tocopherols - class of naturally occurring chemical compounds related to Vitamin E 
• Methylpropanediol - an organic glycol that functions as a solvent in beauty products and cosmetics. 
• Trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate - a biodegradable chelator used in detergent applications a low hazard according to EWG 
• Sodium Hydroxide - a highly caustic and reactive inorganic base. In high concentrations it can cause irritation but in cosmetics it’s used in small doses 
• Aspartic acid - An amino acid that occurs naturally in sugar beet, sugar cane, molasses and other plants, can also be created synthetically. Used to make skin smooth, is most often found in products for dry skin. 
• Sodium chloride - Common table salt. 
• Algin - a type of carbohydrate, derived from brown seaweed

Overall, I do feel this product has far too many preservatives. Phenoxyethonal is listed as the sixth ingredient. Personally I would rather see it at the bottom as this would indicate a smaller amount present in the product. It is certainly not the worst product I have seen and I do like that M&S products are now carrying the BUAV leaping bunny logo.  Just be aware when buying from this range there are natural brands on the market that do not rely as heavily on preservatives. The choice is yours. 

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