Crystal Collection

I've always been fascinated by crystals and stones from a young age, I believe that everything has it's own spirit, and that's no exception for crystals that are millions of years old. I pick the ones that call to me. The specific shapes, colourings and sizes all have a part to play in which stone is right for you, but when you pick it up and feel it's energy, you'll know. So, to date these are the crystals that I own:

Clockwise from Quartz (far left), Apatite, Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Bloodstone, Onyx, Goldstone, Citrine, Chalcedony, Malachite, Rose Quartz, Aventurine, (The next three I am unsure of), Blue Goldstone.

 Most of the crystals I picked up in a crystal and jewellery shop in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. I got the Quartz and Amethyst with a magazine called Mind, Body, Spirit and I received the larger Rose Quartz as a gift from one of my mother's friends when I was ill. She is doing a crystal course and brought along the stones which I was unable to identify and there's a few guesses as to what they are, but if anyone can help, post a comment below as I would quite like to be sure of what they are. I'll post some close up's here:

Deep magenta coloured stone; possibly a Star Ruby?

Bright blue with dark blue lines; possibly a Chrysocolla?

This one is hard to describe, it's a sort of brownish, purpley red stone; possibly a Jasper?

Again I'd appreciate it if anyone could help to identify these stones, I've looked descriptions up online and in my crystal books but stones can come in a variety of colours and most only show a stone in it's most common colour, making it hard to distinguish one stone from another. Blessed Be! xx

I'm Meltingggg!

Ok, so, yesterday's plan of a productive day didn't turn out so well. Northern Ireland decided to have a heat wave, so I could either lie outside and do some yoga (which I did), or sit inside in the cool air and do nothing (which I also did), but I managed to try out two of my latest Love Lula purchases and gifts, before deciding what to do for the rest of the day. Here they are:

 John Masters Organics Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner

 I love this! I've only used one of the samples and am already contemplating buying the full sized product. The smell is divine! And it definitely helped to moisturise my damaged tresses. It has a very thick consistency, and you can feel how smooth it leaves your hair when you've rinsed it out. A much needed treat for dry or damaged hair, I would recommend this any day!

For now I'm not writing out all the ingredients... there's too many!

John Masters Organics Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray with Lavender

 I'm one of those people who's natural hair can't really be defined; when I was young I had extremely long hair that was poker straight. When I got it cut shorter and layered for the first time it became wavy, and now it's a mixture between wavy, curly and straight. I usually scrunch my hair when it's drying to give it a bit more of a curl, and have used so many curling/ products for wavy hair in previous years when my hair was in a bob, but now that it's long I find they don't help, so I was eager to try out this sea mist (I've been looking to try Bumble & Bumble's Surf Spray for years.) I had read some reviews of this product saying it could leave hair greasy due to the oils it contains, but I found it to do the exact opposite. My hair felt like it would when I've been in the sea, slighty on the drier side, however I had kept my hair pinned up all day as it was so warm but when I took it down to go out last night I had the most textured beach waves I've ever had! This will definately be a staple hair product for summer.

Ingredients: Water, Sea Salt, *Lavender Oil. ( * = NOP Certified Organic)

Animal Crossing Meets Harry Potter?!

I'm a sucker for anything witchy, I confess! And when Enchanted Folk and the School of Wizardry caught my eye, I had to have it! I'm a big fan of the Animal Crossing DS and Wii games, (they no doubt keep you occupied when you're bored, as well as making you lose track of time!), so when I spotted a game that was similar but envolved magic... well, let's just say I was pretty quick to make a purchase. I'm hoping it is worth all my excitement, but I will let you know when I've played it for a while, after all it did only come in the post this morning, but I have made a plan today to work on some new posts as well as revising, trying out some of my Love Lula products and tidying up my room a bit so it can get decorated, but I'm sure I'll squeeze a bit of playing time in there somewhere :D Blessed Be! xx

The source of my excitement!

 p.s. it has come to my attention that the time stamps of these post are not in GMT, as my post at 6.30AM is stamped as being after 10PM, I'm not sure how to change this as my draft saving time is correct, any hints?

Mail's Here!

Don't you just love getting packages in the post? I know I do, and today my most recent order from Love Lula has arrived! :) I ordered (to no surprise) more Badger Balm products as well as a John Masters Organics hair product and a trial sized Pai product, as well as 3 free samples. So without further ado, here is my purchase:

Clockwise from top: Sample of Suki Exfoliate Foaming Body Cleanser, Trial Size Pai Camellia & Rose Organic Cleanser, John Masters Organics Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray with Lavender, Free John Masters Organics Bodycare Set; Blood Orange & Vanilla Body Wash and Body Milk (free gift with John Masters Organics purchase), Sample of John Masters Organics Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner, Badger Cuticle Care and Foot Balm Duo.

 I've been loving all my organic products so far, so hope to swap as many of my everyday products as possible to those that are organically manufactured. I find the option to include 3 free samples of products highly beneficial, as we all know trying out new things can be expensive and that's no exception for natural products, so what better way is there than to sample products you otherwise might not buy for free? Definitely a thumbs up from me!

On another note in my upcoming posts I'm hoping to show my crystal collection as well as more natural product reviews, (I've ordered some things of The Body Shop website today, 30% off, woohoo!) and I'm also hoping to include a more serious post on some topics that catch my attention, so until then, Blessed Be! xx

Badger Balm Review!

I realised that I left out one of the Badger Balm products that I own from the previous post, which is their Vanilla Madagascar Lip Balm, but I will include it in this review. These are the products that I have used for a few weeks so can give my opinion of them, the others I haven't yet used so I will include them when I have given them a go. Below is the products I will review in this post:

Clockwise from top: Badger Balm for Hardworking Hands, Badger Sleep Balm, Badger Vanilla Madagascar Lip Balm, Badger Cheerful Mind Balm, Badger Clear Mind Balm

Badger Balm for Hardworking Hands

 This stuff works! The smell reminds me of the oils that physiotherapists, osteopaths and accupressurists use, (I've been to all several times due to back and neck problems) and it's definitely a smell I love! The balm does leave hands greasy for a while, so I usually apply it at night before bed, but I wake up with the softest hands imaginable!

Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Beeswax, *Castor Oil, *Aloe Extract, Essential Oils of Birch & *Wintergreen. (* = Certified Organic)

Badger Sleep Balm

The sleep balm was the first thing I added to my shopping basket on the Love Lula website, I mean, who could resist the cute packaging? Packaging plays a big role when choosing products and I love the pictures across the brand (It reminds me of the time there was a badger in back garden sitting like a person eating a scone...random I know, but it was so funny!) As I was beginning my exams, and my sleeping pattern isn't the best, I knew I would need all the sleep I could get, and this balm definitely delivers! I rub some on my temples, forehead, lips and under my nose before turning off the light and it puts me to sleep much quicker than I would drift off otherwise. The smell isn't for everyone, I wasn't that fond at the beginning (I was expecting the scent of lavender oil and earl grey tea), the other oils definitely shine through, particularly the ginger, but as I have become accustomed to the scent it doesn't put me off. It's definitely been a life saver!

Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Castor Oil, *Beeswax, Essential Oils of *Bergamot, *Lavender, *Rosemary Verbenone, *Ginger, *Balsam Fir and CO2 Extract of *Ginger. (* = Certified Organic)

Badger Vanilla Madagascar Lip Balm

 I'm one of those people that has tried every lip balm under the moon to find one that actually lives up to it's description but with no luck so far. The closest I had come was Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturising Lip Balm but it would sting my lips. I've even tried E45 lip balm to no success, so I was happy to try out Badger's lip balm and it actually works! It's the only lip balm I've tried that actually keeps my lips moisturised and stops them from cracking (they're very sensitive to the cold and wind). It has a deep vanilla smell, but there is definitely a herbal undertone, but it s not unpleasant. All in all this is a product I will be stocking up on!

Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Beeswax, *Castor Oil, *Aloe Extract, CO2 Extracts of *Vanilla, *Rosemary, *Seabuckthorn Berry & *Rosehip. (* = Certified Organic)

Badger Cheerful Mind Balm

What could make you more cheerful than just looking at the packaging?! But on a serious note, the fragrance definitely lifts your mood, I wasn't sure how a combination of orange and mint would work, (flash back to the not so pleasant experience of brushing your teeth then drinking orange juice), but I was pleasantly surprised, the spearmint gives it a fresh smell while the sweet orange gives it a bit of a zing. It most certainly made me cheerful :)

Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Beeswax, *Sweet Orange Oil, *Lemon Oil, *Spearmint Oil, *Rosemary Verbenone Oil, *Rosehip CO2 Extract, *Calendula CO2 Extract, *Cinnamon Oil, *Bitter Orange Oil, *Ylang Ylang Oil. (* = Certified Oragnic)

Badger Clear Mind Balm

This was another purchase I made close to exam time, and I've used it almost every day I've studied/ had an exam. The ginger scent really wakes you up, and I've found that using this balm has indeed helped my concentration and capacity of thought, (I also wish I could trade places with the badger, looks like a lovely place to study!)

Ingredients: *Extra Virgin Olive Oil, *Beeswax, *Lemon Oil, *Rosemary Verbenone Oil, *Grapefruit Oil, *Calendula CO2 Extract, *Rosehip CO2 Extract, *Ginger CO2 Extract and *Cardamom Oil. (* = Certified Organic)

I will have more reviews of the other Badger products once I have used them, but with exams and studying to do I've had no time to do any yoga or meditation, but I reckon I'll have used the tension soother before my exams are done. Blessed Be! xx

Organic Goodness!

I've been really into swapping my everyday skincare and beauty products to those with natural and organic ingredients lately, and have made several purchases from the website Love Lula, (one of which I purchased today.)

It's a UK site that is passionate about selling only pure and natural skincare and beauty products from many different brands. Below is my collection, consisting mainly of Badger Balm products, but not only that, with every purchase over £5 you can add 3 sample products to your shopping basket to try out!

L-R from top row: Sample of Green People OY! Face the Sun SPF15 Moisturiser, Sample of Green People OY! Cleanser and Moisturiser, Sample of Green People OY! Cover and Clear Spot It, Sample of Egyptian Magic Cream, Sample of Trilogy Cleansing Cream, Sample of Suki Creamy Foaming Cleanser. L-R middle row: Badger Hardworking Hand Balm and Muscle Rub Duo, Badger Sleep Balm, Bagder Yoga & Meditation Balm, Badger Tension Soother. L-R bottom row: Badger Cheerful Mind Balm, Badger Clear Mind Balm, Badger Aromatic Chest Rub Balm.

If you're familiar with the Boots Advantage Card system, Love Lula also have a Reward Point's scheme in which you earn 5 points (to the value of 5p) for every £1 you spend, which you can use to buy products as your points mount up!

I intend to do a review of each of these products as well as the samples, and the new order which I will receive in a few days, so until then, Blessed Be! xx

Good Morning!

It is now 06.30AM and as I haven't slept due to my terrible hayfever I thought I'd write a post while watching the sun come up :)

If you've come across my blog you're probably wondering about it's title (or not), but I feel like I should explain it anyway. "The Silence Of The Moon" came to me quite naturally when I made a profile. From a young age, before I knew there was a name for what I believed in, I had always been drawn to the moon. If it caught my eye at night or even in the day it made me smile, I'm not entirely sure why, perhaps it's beauty, or that I now know it is representative of the Goddess. I've always wondered about nature and everything that is here. So many people are drawn to the sun, so the "silence" part of the title seemed fitting as like the sun, the moon is always there, but most people don't appreciate it's magnificence or see it enough to appreciate it, so my blog is an ode to the moon and all it's splendour, yay! :)