#WeAreAllies & What You Need to Know

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For the first time, a ground-breaking initiative has been formed by beauty competitors such as Biossance, Caudalie, Herbivore and Youth to the People along with Ren Skincare to commit to producing only planet-friendly packaging by 2025. 

The Zero Waste Pledge as taken from the Ren Skincare website comments on how advertising the competition doesn't make a lot of sense in traditional business but with the current environmental crisis nearing its peak things need to change and be done differently. They're now asking you and me as consumers to consider buying products which also aim to be cleaner for the planet.

Natural Baby Spa // Frugi & Tiddley Pom

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In May, Tiddley Pom Baby Spa, sister brand to Aromatherapy Shed and Frugi, the UK’s leading sustainable kidswear brand announced their exciting collaboration on an ethically sourced, sustainable, and organic skincare range. 

The collection is available to purchase from the Frugi website and features four gorgeous kits perfect for mums-to-be and new mums looking for a chemical-free, natural skincare remedy. Each of the products includes an infusion of organic English Lavender, Chamomile Oils, Shea and Coconut Butters making it ideal for the skin. 

Ole Henriksen Balance It All 3-Step Skin Kit

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With Ole Henrikson now easily available in Boots, grabbing my favourite products has been a doddle. If you're not familiar with the brand, Ole Henrikson is a cosmetician and skincare guru with more than 40 years of experience in the skincare industry. He believes great skin begins with a positive outlook - an effervescent optimism and zest for life that allows you to glow from the inside out.

His Scandinavian heritage and colourful nature led him to design a simple, joyful, yet powerful approach to the skincare you see and many of us love today.

The Ole Henrikson skincare collection is built on a product philosophy of exfoliate, treat and soothe, which originated in Ole's Beverly Hills spa, to bring incredible, transformative results to clients all over the world. Each product in the line, from easy daily regimens to professional-strength system, combines efficacious powerful actives, natural botanicals and essential fatty acids and so today I wanted to show you the Balance It All 3-Step Skin Kit.

Two NEW IN Products from Temple Spa

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I don't know about you but, this staying home lark has enabled me to really get in tune with my skin, wear less makeup and nail my skincare routine. I'm really seeing the benefits just as we go into the summer months - glowing skin is here and with two new products from Temple Spa, it's here to stay although I do have a bit of gripe with one of them!

If you're fairly new to Temple Spa, they're an award-winning British skincare brand with a Mediterranean heart. They've been creating luxury skincare and spa treatments for over 21 years. Temple Spa products contain Mediterranean botanical, plant, fruit and legume extracts, combined in synergy with high regard for derma-science, technical innovation and research; performance and texture are paramount so you just know you can trust them when it comes to simple and effective skincare collections.

Yardley's NEW Floral Body Mists

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Yardley has been a recognizable brand for 250 years, creators of fine fragrance and more, it's quintessentially British and has lead the way when it has come to the scents people reach for over the decades. I have fond memories of my Nan using their lavender puff powder and I'm a fan of the Flowerful Collection, English Daisy is perfect for spring. 

In recent weeks, they've added floral body mists to their range so I'm gonna tell you a little more about them.

The Lush Cosmetics Father's Day 2021 Picks

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With the Lush Cosmetics Easter Collection firmly behind us, it's time to celebrate the men in our life with the oh-so-cool Father's Day collection - it's a good'un this year. 

Father's Day is 20th June in the UK and so you have one week to fill your baskets and pick up something special. I find with Father's Day it can be very sport or beer-focused, kinda bland to be honest so with the new range hitting stores it was as good a time as any to check it out. 

The collection features fresh shower gels, funky bath bombs and some fab gift sets so I'm gonna talk you through what was in our latest Lush drop. 

How to use the Liewood Manfred Ice Pops this Summer

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When it comes to fun activities to do at home with the little one, our go-to always seems to fall to something baking related. He really enjoys getting to grips with different ingredients and seeing what they can become while we enjoy eating the result so it's a win-win. 

With the sun shining we turned our hands to making ice lollies especially as we had a little bundle of Liewood products arrive from Sisi & Seb, a Hampshire based children's shop. 

The Liewood Manfred Ice Pops (£26.00) are a summertime favourite and we personally love them - they're cute, they're sustainable and they make the sweetest ice pops shaped like cute animals or cool dinos. We also have the Liewood Eddie Silicone Bowls (£23.00) which you'll notice in the photos, they were super handy for keeping our ingredients in for our ice lollies! 

You can get 15% off all full-priced items at Sisi & Seb using the code ALICE15

The All NEW Solid Shampoo Bars from L'Occitane

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I've dabbled in shampoo bars over the last six years and now more and more brands have released their own, most recently L'Occitane. I'm a die-hard fan of the French skincare brand and use a lot of their products in my day-to-day life so I was really excited to see their own take on shampoo bars for the first time. 

Having already been awarded Best Sustainable Hair Care Brand in the 2021 Woman & Home Awards and been eco-approved, the collection of three shampoo bars have been whizzing in and out of stock all month. 

What I Read in May + Mini Reviews

Books, books books! This year is flying by - I feel like I say that all the time but a new month means a quick refresh on what I've been reading over the last month. I read five books this month and a couple were big ol' duds but three stole my heart, especially one that was written by one of my favourite authors, Taylor Jenkins Read. 

My TBR pile is never-ending and I'm a nightmare for continually adding to it so I've placed a ban on myself until I've worked through what I have at home - not including 99p Kindle offers, oops!

I have five mini-reviews for you today and if you want to keep up with what I'm reading then you can follow me on Goodreads too - Alice Spake // Goodreads.

Stepping into Summer // Dr. Martens

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The sun is shining, the temperature is warming up and we've gone quite a few days without any rain which means Summer should be right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate the next season than with a little something-something to freshen up your wardrobe! 

I don't know about you but I like to get my feet Summer ready each year so the first thing I do is make an appointment for a pedicure, have my nails painted and choose some fabulous footwear so my feet can breathe - this year my choice has been Dr.Martens and I am beyond excited because I've wanted a pair for so long, I just wasn't sure they were very me. 

Well... to hell with that, I'm wearing what I want this Summer and I can't wait!