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I am a big believer in supporting local businesses, which is why, as soon as I moved to Devon, I started looking for local beauty companies. However, I really struggled to find any. Luckily, a friend mentioned Aromatika to me. However, I was so busy with work, that I didn’t manage to pop into their store right away. I was dying to get in there and have browse, but had very little free time.

 

Then on my birthday, what does the fiance surprise me with? You’ve got it, some products from the Aromatika store in Exeter! I honestly don’t think I could have been more excited, or pleased – he picked me the perfect present.

 

He’d picked out a mini facial kit, complete with cleanser, toner and moisturiser. These handy travel sized kits come in five options relating to skin type; normal, dry, oily, sensitive, and combination, which the fiance got me.

 

Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis will know that I have sensitive skin, but sadly the store was all out of these kits, so the fiance opted for combination skin. He told me that the lovely lady who served him, explained that as the products are all natural, that it shouldn’t cause any irritation or soreness, and she was right.

 

The fact that Aromatika’s products are all natural, was one of the main things that appealed to me, when my friend mentioned the company. I suffer from eczema-prone skin, so using products containing harsh chemicals really isn’t an option for me. As far as possible, I always try to use natural products.

 

The other thing about Aromatika that I LOVE is the facts that all their products are SLS and paraben free, and most importantly, are not tested on animals. All of the products on sale in the store are handmade in small batches, and are plant based. (So basically, are as natural as you can get!)

 

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After the fiance treated me to my mini facial, he took me into the store to have a browse. It had such a lovely, fresh feel to it. As I looked around I couldn’t believe how many products they sold, from skin care items to beauty bits and bobs, there were so many different things on offer.

 

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While I was in the store, I also found out that they offer various treatments. I cannot wait to get myself booked in for one, I am in serious need of some pampering. (Once I’ve had a treatment, I’ll be sharing my experience with you all, so watch this space.)

 

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Anyway, going back to my mini facial, in the £20 kit, I received a lavender cleanser and a lavender toner, as well as a sandalwood moisturiser. (This cute mini kit comes with 15 ml of cleanser and moisturiser, and 25 ml of toner.)

 

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The cleanser is a mixture of lavender, sweet almond oil and apricot oil. The toner is a simple concoction of soothing lavender water, produced with some of the very best, mountain-grown French lavender. The moisturiser is a combination of sandalwood, shea butter, jojobba oil, vitamin E, and orange, and it smells AMAZING!

 

On the gorgeous little glass jars, all the ingredients are listed, which I love. However, there are no instructions that come with the kit, which I would say is the one downside. Obviously, a facial isn’t rocket science, but even so, some form of instructions would have been nice.

 

I started off by dampening a cotton pad with warm water and gently wiping it across my face, I then followed this by applying the cleanser. The cream cleanser was very light in terms of consistency, and because of this was easy to apply. I popped a small amount of this onto a clean cotton pad and slowly wiped it around my cheeks, forehead, nose and eyes. I then used another damp cotton pad to remove the excess cleanser. This gentle cleanser left my skin feeling soft, fresh and smelling lovely.

 

I followed this by applying the toner all across my face – this smelt divine. It wasn’t sticky, it was easy to apply and quickly soaked into my skin.

 

Finally, I applied the moisturising cream. The thing that I love about this cream is how light it is and how far it spreads. I only needed the smallest amount to cover my entire face and neck. While this gentle cream soaks in after a couple of minutes, it does leave a somewhat oily residue on your skin. However, after a few minutes this completely disappears, and leaves your skin feeling soft, silky and incredibly well hydrated.

 

Would I buy it again? At first I wasn’t sure, only because of how small the pots looked. However, after trying the products, what I’ve found is that a little goes a long way. Plus, with all the items being natural and free of parabens, spending a little extra is worth it.

 

I couldn’t find the mini facial kit on the Aromatika website, but there were lots of other lovely products. While the facial kit wasn’t on the website, if you pop into the Exeter store, you can pick up one from there.