An Awesome Present - Neal's Yard

Last week two of my aunts came to visit us from England. They stayed for a week, though I only got to spend an evening with them at my dad's place. Though this isn't my personal blog, let me digress for a moment.

If you don't read my other blog, you may not know this about me, but my parents are both from England. I'm first generation Canadian, and I feel a strong connection to my British roots. I guess you could call me an Anglophile - I love everything British, from the BBC to Polo mints to Marks & Sparks to calling potato chips "crisps." So it follows that I'd have a proclivity towards British cosmetics. Which I do - in fact, I worked at LUSH for a couple of years, which was originally a British company, and which I first encountered in Covent Garden. 

So when my aunts gave me this beautiful gift box from Neal's Yard,  you can imagine how pleased I was! Neal's Yard is a British company that uses natural, organic ingredients and doesn't test on animals. What I like most about their products, so far, is that they don't have overwhelming scents. Even naturally-derived essential oils can be overpowering (if you've been in a LUSH store, you'll know what I'm talking about). I don't know if it's from working at LUSH for so long, or  because I stopped working there, but I've developed a sensitivity to really strong perfumes. So I love cosmetics that smell good, but don't beat you over the head with it. 

I have to admit that I haven't started using this yet - I'm saving it for sometime when I need a pick-me-up, but I'm looking forward to giving it a try. I think my favourite scent is the Citrus Hand Wash. It's a subtle, refreshing scent that I could just sit and sniff all day long. I'm also looking forward to trying the shower gel and body polish, followed by body lotion, which are all rose and geranium scented. For some reason, this smells particularly British to me.

So if you're in England, going to England or just looking for something fantastic to buy online, check out Neal's Yard. Definitely a great present!

xo M.