The Green Familia » Reviews

TGF Rated Review: Daily Replenish Face Cream

Brenda — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:26 +0000

What is it?

Ayurveda Pura’s 100% Natural Daily Replenish Face Cream has a non-greasy formulation that balances the Vata (air & space) Dosha, making it particularly suitable for dry skin.

Who is reviewing it?

Me a busy Wife and Mum of 3.

Set Up

Comes beautifully presented in a 30ml pot that looks good on your dressing-table. As soon as you open the lid, the gorgeous smells of the aromatic oils used in creating this moisturiser wafts out. The 100% natural moisturiser contains an unique blend of Aloe Vera, Almond Oil and Essential Oils of Lemon, Neroli and Frankincense.

Any negatives

None, I love it. It goes on my face like a dream and does not leave a greasy aftermath.

Price and Availability

Available from Ayurveda Pura for £17.50 for a 30ml pot.

Overall

I am always on a crusade to find natural products which work with your skin and not against it. This company not only make gorgeous products they also offer consultations on finding natural remedies to your health issues which is an integral part of the TGF ethos. So do your skin a favour and try these products next time you are looking for a natural alternative.

TGF Rating

5/5

TGF Rated Review: Inn Teas’ Green Tea

erica — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:37:08 +0000

What is it? Inn Teas specialise in organic, high trade teas. I was recently sent some of their green tea to try out.

Who is reviewing it? Me – a tea drinker who regularly drinks a wide range of teas including green teas.

Set Up This is a loose leaf organic green tea, so you need a teapot and strainer or similar set up to use it.

In Use The tea has a fragrant scent on opening and once made it comes up a light yellowy green colour, but still has a delicate almost floral fragrance. It tastes fresh and green and is a pleasant tea to drink.

Any Negatives Would be good to have a tea bag option for days when time is short.

Price and Availability Available from Inn Green Teas for £5.23 for a 50g pack.

Overall A nice green tea made with quality leaves.

Rating 3.5

TGF Rated Review: Rio Rocket Story & Seed Pack

erica — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:00:11 +0000

What is it? It’s a seed growing pack, from The Secret Seed Society, designed to appeal to children.

Who is reviewing it? Me and my 5 year old son.

Set Up The pack contains:

Illustrated Storybook
Organic Rocket Seeds
Growing guide
Recipe
Row Markers

In Use

It ‘s very easy to sow the seeds. The instructions are easy to follow. Our seeds have germinated well and are growing strongly. The row markers are useful especially if you are sowing the seeds into a vegetable plot. My son loves getting involved in the garden and he particularly likes to take responsibility for seeds. Interest was maintained too, because rocket germinates quickly so you can see the results after only a few days.

Henry enjoyed reading the book with me. He liked the fact that the characters are vegetables and he engaged with the story.

Any Negatives None

Price and Availability Available from The Secret Seed Society for £4.99.

Overall I think this makes an attractive, useful and entertaining small gift for a child. It’s also ideal as a weekend or holiday activity. Rocket can be sown regularly throughout the season to maintain your supply of salad leaves.

Rating 5/5

TGF Rated Review: Scent Free Children´s Sun Lotion SPF25

Brenda — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:58 +0000

What is it?

Scent Free Children´s Sun Lotion SPF25 from Green People.

Who is reviewing it?

My 4 year old nephew and myself who has very fair and sensitive skin.

Set Up

It comes in a 150ml tube which is easy to open and use. It is suitable for Vegetarians. Ideally you have to apply liberally to the skin 30 minutes before going out in the sun. If you are going swimming make sure you re-apply it afterwards.

Any negatives

No none, as it was fragrance free so it was great for sensitive skin and it was not too thick so easy to rub in.

Price and availability

Available to buy from Green People, the price is £15.95 for a 150ml tube.

Overall

This is a brilliant natural, scent-free, water-resistant and non-greasy sun cream which will protect your kids from harmful UVA/UVB rays and can also help protect sensitive adults as well.

TGF Rating

5/5

TGF Rated Review: Bria Organic Balm

Brenda — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:00:16 +0000

What is it?

A soothing, repairing & highly moisturising balm effective for dry skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis.

Who is reviewing it?

The whole family, but in particular my son and husband who suffer from the above.

Set up

Coming in a handy 60ml glass jar, this thick moisturising balm is easy to apply and massages in really well. It gives a protective barrier, yet helps to relieve and repair dry and sore skin.

Any negatives

None, we all totally loved it.

Price and availability

Buy from Bria Organics, with a 60ml pot costing £12.

Overall

This is now a staple in our family bathroom, when I had an allergic reaction to our cats and my face came up in hives, this was the only natural product I used and it quickly brought it under control and kept my face itch free and moisturised. My son and husband have also noticed their ezcema being better when they use the balm. As such I have no hesitation in recommending this to family and friends as it is a natural product which works.

TGF Rating

5/5

TGF Rated Review: Orange & Redbush Provamel Yogurt

Brenda — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:00:49 +0000

What is it?

The latest soya yogurt from the “Botanical” range from Provamel.

Who is reviewing it?

The family and I.

Set Up

It comes like the other botanical range of yogurts in a 500g tub, which is great if you are using it for pouring on cereal in the morning which is what I like to do. Or if you are my kids they like to pour it over their fruit.

Any negatives?

None, we all enjoyed the citrus tasting yogurt.

Price and availability

Currently available from independent and major health food stores. The RRP is £1.55 for the 500g pot.

Overall

If you are looking for a different tasting yogurt, packed full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals then this is the one to choose.

TGF Rating

5/5

TGF Rated Review: The Storymouse Animated Story

erica — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:00:39 +0000

What is it? The Storymouse have launched their first animated stories: The Emperor’s New Clothes and Snow White. We reviewed The Emperor’s New Clothes, the iPhone version.

Who is reviewing it? Mostly my son (he’s 5 very soon).

Set Up This is an animated story rather than just a normal talking book app.

In Use As this is an animated story the pictures move and change as you watch. The animation is fairly simple and is effectively animation of line drawings: people and things move across the screen, colours change and characters can gesture (e.g. the dog wags his tail).

On each page you get the words at the top so the child can look at the words along with the voices. Where appropriate the words change and the pictures remain the same. There are various options available like automatic page turning, volume control, etc. so you can use the app as it suits you.

The story is professionally narrated and the narrator carries the story along well. Using music by Vivaldi complements the period setting of the story.

Any Negatives The app didn’t seem to remember where you were in the story if you had to interrupt viewing. This is a bit of a pain if you are nearly at the end.

Price and Availability You can sample the first few pages before deciding to purchase the full story. Additionally on the iPad, users get the whole story free of charge with the option of adding animation, narration, music and other great features. Available from the App Store for £1.49.

Overall It’s an entertaining version of the classic tale. It certainly kept my son amused for quite a while and I think he’ll return to the app to rehear and rewatch the story. The animation isn’t as advanced as other apps we’ve tried, but with a traditional and simple tale like this one, I’m not sure you need anything more complicated.

Rating 4/5

TGF Rated Review: The Bempton Hanging Feeder

Brenda — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:00:01 +0000

What Is It

The Bempton Hanging Feeder.

Who Is reviewing it

Me Claire, mum of 3 boys.

Set up

I love this bird feeder which is very attractive and looks lovely hanging on a tree in our garden, its made from fsc sourced timber and feature’s latticed woodwork with a real verdigris copper roof. This bird feeder has been designed especially for small birds and designed to prevent larger birds from stealing the food.

Any Negatives

None.

Price and availability

Available to buy from Find Me A Gift for £22.99.

Overall

It would make an ideal gift especially with mothers day approaching and I know that both my mother in law and granny in law would love it. The feeder also comes with great instructions on how to look after the table.

TGF Rating

5/5

TGF Rated Review: Ecoforce Cleaning Products

erica — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:41:30 +0000

What is it? Ecoforce have a range of household cleaning products made from recycled materials. I was sent a number of Ecoforce products to try out including scourers, pegs, sponges and cloths.

Who is reviewing it? Mostly me.

Set Up Ecoforce products are the hardware, if you like, of cleaning: the tools. So I’ve used their items with my usual household cleaning products. I used sponges, scouring pads and the dishmatic handle with sponge/scourers for the washing up. For general surface cleaning, I used quilted cloths, dusters, scourers and sponges as appropriate. For drying washing, I used the pegs and washing line provided. All their products incorporate at least 50% recycled material and often more with many being having 100% recycled materials.

In Use Generally I was very impressed by the quality of the products. They are certainly a very viable alternative to the regular versions and I feel that they were also longer lasting than ones I’d bought from the supermarket.

The pegs and the washing line were robust and able to hold even fairly heavy washing well. The sponges and scouring pads are effective and hard wearing too. I was particularly struck with the quality of the quilted cloths and dusters as they didn’t shed or fray with use.

The dishmatic handle and removable scouring pads was, in many ways, a revelation. I am currently washing up by hand (long story) and often find that by the time I get onto the dirtiest items, the suds are disappearing rapidly and cleaning power seems to reduce when you need it most. By dispensing washing up liquid to where you need it most, you use less of it and you focus it on the toughest patches to clean. When a scouring pad is worn out, you replace it and keep the handle to use with a new pad.

Any Negatives One of the scouring pads that I used with the dishmatic handle came away from its base, which made it difficult to use. This was solved by changing the pad. Also, I initially found sponge scourers a little difficult to manipulate as they seemed a bit stiff, but after a little use, it was much easier.

Price and Availability Product prices start at £1.49. They are widely available in supermarkets, Oxfam, Homebase and B&Q.

Overall Good quality products made from recycled materials. I expect to be buying them in the future.

Rating 4/5

TGF Rated Review: Provamel Almond and Oat Drinks

Brenda — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:00:30 +0000

What Is it

Latest additions to the Provamel Drinks range.

Who Is Reviewing It

My husband Paul and our two older boys aged 8 & 5.

Set Up

1 Litre Cartons.

Our boys are always very excited to test items for Provamel and were not disappointed this time with the new drinks in two flavours Oat and Almond, which are sweet enough to appeal to my boys tastes. The drinks are 100% plant-based and low in saturated fats. The Provamel Oat can be drunk cold, and can also be poured over cereal. The Almond milk is tasty on its own, but can also be added to hot drinks or as a naturally sweet ingredient for cooking. We had great fun experimenting and tasting both.

Any negatives

None.

Price and availability

Available to buy from Supermarkets and online stores. They retail at £2.99 for a 1 litre carton of the Almond drink and £1.59 for a 1 litre carton of the Oat drink. For more information contact Provamel direct.

TGF Rating

5/5