Review of 
Living Nature foundation By Nicky Boyd
Packaging: Living Nature foundation comes in a glass bottle with a black plastic pump.
Application: Lightweight liquid foundation that blends in and dries quickly giving a medium, natural-looking coverage. Ingredients: All of Living Natures products are certified natural by BDIH Germany (the international industry benchmark control body for certification of natural skincare). Ingredients include manuka honey (moisturising, nourishing, healing, rejuvenating and protecting with antimicrobial and biologically active qualities), macadamia ternifolia seed oil (rich and soft), persea gratissima oil (from the avocado, great for dry skin) and organic simmondsia chinensis oil (from the jojoba shrub and very moisturising).
Results: As I was applying the foundation it felt a little grainy, but I usually use a mineral powder foundation so am not used to liquid foundations. After application my skin felt very soft and fresh. I finished it off with a sweeping of mineral powder and asked my friend for her honest opinion. She said that she hadn’t initially noticed that I was wearing foundation but on a closer inspection my skin looked very natural. The shade of ‘pure taupe’ (a light shade with light pink base tones) was perfect for my fair skin (there are another five different shades to choose from). I have been using the Living Nature eye-makeup remover for years – fabulous for sensitive eyes.
Pros:
100% natural ingredients
Free from synthetic preservatives
GM free
Not tested on animals
No mineral oils
No herbicide or pesticide residue
Cons:
Takes a little getting used to if you don’t normally wear liquid foundation
Living Nature foundation (£16.00) and Living Nature Skincare Products are available at naturisimo.com
Review of Living Nature Gentle Makeup Remover
By Caroline Scott
Packaging: Living Nature Gentle Makeup Remover bottle is made of recyclable plastic in the standard Living Nature half-moon shaped design and in the usual cream and black colours. Unfortunately, instead of the standard flip top lid, there is a screw top cap which allows product to be dispensed through a hole in the protruding "neck". It feels rather flimsy and not of the usual high standard I have come to expect from this brand. On a positive note, the bottle is transparent enough to be able to see the amount of product left in the bottle at all times.
Application: When I initially tried Living Nature Gentle Makeup Remover, my first
thought was that I had accidentally picked up a toner instead of a cleanser, as the product inside is the consistency and colour of water with next to no scent.
I was a little unsure what to make of it. I can't remember ever having used a liquid cleanser before - creams, gels, waxes, yes but liquid, no - and this really is liquid.
The bottle states that to use this makeup remover you should "apply to warm damp cotton pad and gently wipe away all traces of makeup"; so with a little trepidation, and a face full of makeup, I gave it a try. Wow! It actually worked! More than that, it actually worked really well! I will admit here and now that I was surprised. My usual method of cleansing tends to involve great slatherings of cream and a wet flannel - so how could this drop of liquid work so well and so easily?
I thought that I would give the Gentle Makeup remover a bit of a workout and made myself up with waterproof mascara, water resistant eyeliner and one of those foundations that claims not to budge for 24 hours. To be fair to the cleanser, I decided to use it neat on dry cotton wool rather than dilute it on a damp pad - and I pressed the cotton wool to my eyes first.
I genuinely don't know how it works but the makeup slid off easily. All of it! I actually managed to remove a whole face of makeup on just two sides of a cotton wool pad!
Ingredients: The main active ingredients in Living Nature Gentle makeup Remover are: Kumerahou - for its natural gentle cleansing and anti-microbial action and Harakeke - for its soothing and hydrating properties
It also contains a soothing blend of eyebright extract, larch tree extract and Harakeke flax. Fragrance and allergen free, it is ideal for sensitive skin and eyes. Other Living Nature Products also contain these ingredients.
Results: Living Nature Gentle Makeup Remover really does deliver on its promises. Not only does it remove makeup quickly and efficiently, it is also good at cleansing skin without makeup. Used on bare skin, it removes dirt and oil whilst leaving skin feeling really clean and refreshed.
There is no residue left on the skin afterwards, in fact it almost feels like a cleanser and toner in one.
Admittedly you do need to use a generous amount of product - I found that a few drops was just not enough, either on a wet or dry pad - but it is extremely gentle on your skin at the same time as being very effective at removing makeup, dirt and oil.
Your skin is left feeling really refreshed without being at all dry or tight. I also noticed a lot less redness in my cheeks immediately after using the product which may be due to the Harakeke ingredient.
Pros
Removes makeup extremely well
Leaves skin feeling refreshed and soothed
Doesn't irritate skin at all
No scent, which is preferable for some people who don't like heavily scented products
Cons
Not the greatest bottle design
Living Nature Gentle Makeup Remover (£8.50) and Living Nature Products are available at naturismo.com
Review of Suncoat Nail Polish.
By Sue B.
Packaging: Suncoat Nail Polish comes in an 8ml clear glass bottle, so that you can see the colour, with a gold coloured lid to which the brush is attached. The writing on the bottle is very small but being black with a clear font it’s legible.
Application: Suncoat water-based nail polish has a rather thin consistency, advising two or three coats. The brush is good, enabling just three strokes to cover the nail in colour. There is virtually no odour.
Ingredients: Being water based there is a huge 70% water content with natural minerals used for the colours. No toluene, formaldehyde, alcohol, phthalate, acetone or acetate.
Results: Suncoat cosmetics is a Canadian company that I’d not heard of before so I was very interested to find out more about their water-based nail polish.
I applied two coats to my toes and this was adequate, however, my fingernails required three coats to get a good colour. I was surprised by the lack of odour. I found the drying time to be quite quick, which is good for me as I’m not very patient and tend to spoil my polish before it’s properly dried.
I put Suncoat Nail Polish on my toes has lasted well over a week, probably because its winter and my feet are snug in socks and shoes. The polish on my fingers didn’t last more than a day or so. Perhaps if I’d used the recommended Suncoat top coat it would’ve prevented the tip wear. I do have a “tough on the hands” lifestyle rather than an office job which may have made a difference. When it came to removing the polish with my usual acetone remover, I found that I had to rub it for a while, so I’d suggest getting the Suncoat remover.
The polish was called Almond nude so I expected the colour to be as I saw on the bottle – a pearlised nude colour, but on application it was more of a pearlised gold.
Pros:
Not only toluene and formaldehyde free, but also phthalate-free, alcohol-free and acetone/acetate-free!
Suncoat cosmetics are against animal cruelty.
Free from the drying effects of toxic chemicals.
No strong chemical smells.
Lasts for 24 months after opening.
Cons:
When used on the fingers I found that the polish wore off quite quickly.
Not easy to remove with acetone based remover.
The colour wasn’t as expected.
The brush came away from the lid on one occasion when I opened the bottle.
Suncoat Nail Polish (£12.95) and Suncoat Cosmetics are available at naturisimo.com
Living Nature foundation 
