PRODUCT REVIEW: THE LOOSE LIPS TEA CO

When its cold outside... Which it is right now, with the wind hauling and the rain pouring down, then I love nothing more than sipping on a comforting cup of tea - I admit it, I love a good coffee, and I actually find it hard to wake up in the mornings and function properly without a strong dose of it - but when it is cold, I reach for teas, and one of the amazing brands that have recently come to my attention, is The Loose Lips Tea Co.. 

Starting as a hobby in 2010, the Loose Lips Tea Co is the creative brainchild of Melbourne-based tea artisan, Cherri. Today The Loose Lips Tea Co has experimented with over 70 tea blends to create the unique and unconventional Gourmet Specialiteas and Simpliciteas ranges. All tea blend are hand-blended and hand-packaged from start to finish, using only organic and certified organic ingredients all encased in BPA free, recyclable, Melbourne-made packaging.

I 've put a couple of blends to the test, including The Loose Lips Tea Co Rose Blossom Tea from the SimpliciTeas range. This Rose Blossom Tea is blended with nothing but organic rose buds and petals, and it is soooo pretty, it looks like a potpourri, and I may just pinch a small handful and use it as that, as it is just too pretty and smell too divine not to!
But as a tea, it makes the most gorgeous pink tinged tea, that smells as beautiful as it tastes too. Personally I prefer to drink it 'black' without milk or sugar, but that is just my personal preference. Its a great afternoon tea on a cold day, and it'll quickly make you daydream of sitting in the middle of a rose garden. I can also imagine that it will be gorgeous as an ice-tea on a hot summers day. 

I also put The Loose Lips Tea Co Luscious Lemonmint, also from the SimpliciTeas range. This blend is made with organic lemongrass and pure peppermint, and for me, it is the perfect refreshing tea to drink in the morning, or when my tummy is feeling a little irritated, as I know for a fact that peppermint is good at soothing tummy upsets. Peppermint tea is my all-time favourite tea that I will never tire off, and this new blend with lemongrass makes for a refreshing and uplifting change.

Both teas are very concentrated, and you honestly only need to use the tiniest amount, The Loose Lips Tea Co recommends using a heaped teaspoon in a teapot, so a bag will seriously last you forever!! If I am just after a single cup, I love using the Silicone Tea Infuser, which holds just the perfect amount of tea for a mug. And when you're done, you can put it safely onto the little included silicone saucer. It comes in a range of gorgeous bright colours, including this bright lime green.

But even if those teas are not for you, there are heaps other in The Loose Lips Tea Co range, including blends such as various types of Chai teas, as well as Aussie Bush Tea, Raspberry Mint and Rose Blossom Tea, Buddha Tears and heaps of other speciality teas.

When I'm on the go, the My Tea Bottle Infuser is, which is such a great idea. This glass bottle comes with an internal tea infuser which infuses the tea from the bottom of the bottle. This infuser can be removed, so once your tea has infused for long enough, you can simply screw on the lid tightly in one end, flip the bottle and unscrew the infuser in the other end to remove the tea leaves, before putting the bottom lid back on. It also comes with a thermal sleeve, to help you keep your tea warm for up to two hours, and of course protect your hands too.

And the clever design means you can also drink straight from the bottle, if you like. It holds 550ml of tea, just enough for two decent cups of tea, and it BPA free and also safe to pop into the dishwasher.

All in all these teas are really lovely, and truly of such high quality and with such lovely taste, so if you're a tea drinker and looking for a new quality tea, be sure to go check these out, you'll absolutely love them!! 


Rose Blossom Tea - RRP: $12.50 / 50g
Luscious Lemonmint - RRP: $12.50 / 50g
Silicone Tea Infuser - RRP: $6.00
My Tea Bottle Infuser - RRP: $35.00

Available from The Loose Lips Tea Co

* Products have been kindly provided for consideration, and have reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: 90DEGREES TEA

I admit it, I love a good coffee, and I actually find it hard to wake up in the mornings and function properly without a strong dose of it - but when it is cold, I reach for teas, and one of the amazing brands that have recently come to my attention, is 90degrees Tea. 

90degrees Tea is an Australian brand, with all teas and herbals blended by hand locally, using organic ingredients where possible, and of course no added 'flavours' or preservatives.

The unique things about 90degrees Tea is also the way the teas have been blended, with minimal exposure to air throughout the whole process, to ensure the freshest tea of the highest quality.

All the teas come packaged in gorgeous matte black bags (and if you follow me, you'll know that I particularly love monochrome, including black and simplistic design), which are simply elegant and super stylish.

Even their special square metal canisters are matte black, and also have a stunning golden logo.

90degrees Tea has a large selection of blends, including classics such as Earl Grey and English Breakfast Tea, though personally I prefer herbal, fruity or floral teas - but they are a part of the range too.

I put a couple of different teas to the test, including 'Hers', which contains among others, Organic raspberry leaf, Organic hibiscus, Organic calendula flowers, Organic rose petals, Safflowers and Wild yam root.

It is such a pretty tea, looking almost like pot pourri, (which you could almost use it as too, as even un-brewed, it still smells incredible) - and once brewed, it gives you a gorgeous red'ish floral tea, that is just gorgeous, and somewhat refreshing at the same time.

I didn't mention above, that I also love how 90degrees Tea also include, not only the ingredients, but also the brewing instructions on the back of the packets, including how much tea to use, how long to brew, and the ideal temperature.

I also love that 90degrees Teas are aware that picking a tea can be tricky, and consequently they also sell samples, and very cheap too at just $1.50 per single serving sample - and that's with free shipping - so you can test out a few before getting a bigger bag. 

I also tried a couple of samples, including a Chai, Smooth and Oasis. I always love a good chai, though do prefer them at café's, but think that's probably just because somehow a cuppa always tastes nice when someone has prepared for you, right!. But this one is gorgeous, and the perfect option for when you're at home, with all its herbs and spices. The Smooth is a very simple tea, containing just two ingredients, Organic Cinnamon Chips and Organic Peppermint Tea - and as Peppermint is one of my fave blends for mornings, this is a lovely spicy change. The Oasis contains Organic Himalayan Green Tea, Organic Rose Petals< organic Calendula Flowers and Corn Flowers, and is a beautiful green floral tea.

All in all these teas are really lovely, and truly of such high quality and with such lovely taste. I can't actually say which of these blends is my favourite - all I can say is that if you're a tea drinker, do go check these out, you'll absolutely love them!!

90 Degrees Tea Hers - RRP: $10.95 / 50g, $15.95 / 100g
90 Degrees Tea Samples, Single Serves - RRP: $1.50
90 Degrees Tea Storage Tin - RRP: $9.95 

Available from 90degrees Tea and select stockists

* Products have been kindly provided for consideration, and have reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.


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PRODUCT REVIEW: BE GENKI

During the 4.5 months I was at the Royal Children's Hospital with our little baby, I received a beautiful care parcel from Be genki, and having previously tried their products (see my post here!), and really enjoyed using them, it really put a smile to my face.

The beautiful people at Be genki had heard of tough time we were going through, and purposely selected some products to help ease the stress. "Genki" is the Japanese word for being happy, healthy, positive and in complete harmony within your body, and that is exactly what Be genki is set out to do with their products, with their simple philosophy that we can all enjoy holistic health and be happy inside and out by making conscious choices that reflect on your health and well being. And hence the products are made using ingredients to help not only nurture the skin, but all help alleviate any signs of day-to-day stresses for a more harmonious.

They among others sent me some tea, including Tranquil and Serene. These are loose organic teas are best made in a tea infuser with freshly boiled water (that has cooled for a few moments to avoid damaging the tea), and infusing for 5-10 minutes to ensure all the beneficial properties are infused into the water.

The Be genki Tranquil tea is made with among others Chamomile, Passionflower, Lemon Balm, Devils Claw, Valerian, Green Oats, Celery Seeds, Marjoram, Horsetail, Meadowsweet, Lavender and White Willow Bark, and is designed to help you get a tranquil and good nights sleep, also helping with insomnia, easing nervous tension, headaches and anxiety.

The Be genki Serene tea on the other hand is made with Chamomillia, Passion Flower, Alfalfa, Lemongrass, Green Oats, Echinacea, Rose Hips, Scullcap, Plaintain, Siberian Ginseng, Liquorice and Ginger, and is designed to help with mental issues emotional conflicts supporting the central nervous system, adrenal fatigue, anxiety and depression.

Common for both is that the actual tea leaves are very concentrated son I've only been using about half a teaspoon full to make a small teapot-full, which makes about mugs of tea.

It is obviously very difficult to say if these actually have the intended effect, but one thing is certain, these herbal blends taste lovely and instantly feel very soothing. And you can tell that they are made from quality ingredients, so regardless of the effects, teas definitely rate amongst some of the best teas that I've ever had, and they certainly helped make a very long and stressful hospital stay that little bit better.

Next are the Be genki Oil Blends. They come in cute little bottles and can be used in either an oil burner or in a warm bath, - or in case you haven't got a bath (or like me, rarely has the time to take a bath!), you can also put a couple of drops in the corner of your shower floor, and let the steam from your warm shower infuse with the organic essential oils. Previously I've mainly been using essential oils in a burner, but I have to say that I've been thoroughly enjoying using them in the shower too for a very relaxing spa-like experience. That said, I still use these in an oil burner too, as it helps keep my house smelling beautiful and not of my two dogs!!

Unfortunately, I was unable to use these while at the hospital, - my little baby, was extremely sick, and his age, along with his intense treatment made him very sensitive to everything, and because of infection risks, he was in a special vacuum sealed room, not allowed any visitors apart from myself and my husband, and of course the nursing staff and doctors. His little brother wasn't even allowed to visit, sadly. So I thought that I'd best not use any strong scented products, including the oils, out of fear of causing any irritations. But it was then nice to finally come home and have them waiting..

The Be genki Serene Oil Blend contains oils from organic ingredients including Palmarosa, Geranium, Patchouli, Neroli, and Rose Otto. And especially thanks to the Neroli, this blend helps ease the state of anxiety and depression, while the other oils in the blend, helps relax, calm and uplift.

The Be genki Sensual Oil Blend contains organic oils from Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Vanilla, Jasmine, and Rose Otto and is an aphrodisial blend with sensual properties, evoking confidence and releasing inhibitions.

Finally, the Be genki Tranquil Blend is made from organic oils from Lavender, Sweet Orange, Roman Chamomile, and Sandalwood, and is intended to have a calming and relaxing effect on the nerves and hence help treat insomnia.

Again it is difficult to pick a favourite as they all smell incredible and each of the blend contain some of my favourite notes, and I hence enjoy them all. That said, I do love the Serene blend, but that's probably due to the neroli and patchouli notes, as well as the Tranquil blend, probably due to the sweet orange (I can never resist products containing citrus fruits!)

Finally, the Be genki Tranquil Candle is a large glass, and the soy and coconut wax candle burns for more then 40 hours, filling your home with the most gorgeous scent from the organic lavender and sweet orange, for a calming and sleep-inducing scent, which is absolutely beautiful, and lasts for hours and hours, even after the candle has been blown out.

All in all I am really enjoying all of these Be genki products, as you can tell they've been made with the best of ingredients, and thought has been put into them as well. Even my husband has been commenting on how nice they smell, something he rarely will say, unless he really means it! The products come in gorgeous bottles and jars with simplistic, yet stunning labels, and again, I love that care has been taken not to use superfluous plastic or packaging, and the fact that the products are Australian owned and made is just the icing on the cake! 


Be genki Serene Herbal Tea - RRP: $20 / 40g
Be genki Tranquil Herbal Tea - RRP: $20 / 40g
Be genki Serene Oil Blend - RRP: $38 /10ml
Be genki Sensual Oil Blend - RRP: $42 / 10ml
Be genki Tranquil Oil Blend - RRP: $34 / 10ml
Be genki Tranquil Candle - RRP: $40

Available from Be genki and benaturallyyou

* Some products may have been kindly provided for consideration, and have reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: MAMA BODY TEA

Today I’d like to put focus on a selection of organic teas, which has been developed to assist pregnant women, and those with new babies, there are teas to help target morning sickness, digestive issues, pelvic support for birth, breastfeeding and assisting upset babies. I have always been a big coffee drinker, but being pregnant, I have completely cut out coffee, and instead reaching for various teas, so I was excited with the opportunity to trial these special Pregnancy teas. Here are my thoughts on the Digestive Tea and the Raspberry Leaf Tea from Mama Body Tea;

How cute is my little Flower Pot Tea Infuser..

What They Say:

Digestive Tea: Bloating? Indigestion? Discomfort? These are typical pregnancy complaints… Ease uninvited digestive discomfort and find relief with mama’s aromatic Digestion Tea goodness.

Raspberry Leaf Tea: We recommend drinking Mamas specially formulated Raspberry Leaf blend regularly throughout your third trimester of pregnancy. Traditional used to strengthen and tone the muscles of the uterus to minimise the duration of labour, and recovery of the uterus after birth. Mama Body Tea Raspberry leaf blend contains a rich source of iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium, vitamins B1, B3 and E which supports your health during this physical challenging time.

RRP: 14.95/each – Available from Mama Body Tea


What I Say:

First up is the Digestive Tea. If you’ve been pregnant, you’d know how uncomfortable the inevitable bloating and constipation can be. Personally I’ve found that being healthy, drinking sufficient water, and eating plenty of fruit is a great help, but sometimes just not quite enough. The Digestive Tea contains among others Peppermint leaf, Ginger root, Fennel seed, Rosehips and Marshmallow root.

The tea is best infused for about 7-10 minutes, and can be drunk both after meal as well as anytime during the day (or night), and no need to worry about it keeping you awake as it contains absolutely no caffeine!

I’ve always been a huge fan of peppermint tea, so I naturally love the taste of this tea, with the dominant flavour being peppermint. I am not personally a big fan of the ginger taste, but luckily it is not very strong.

In terms of effectiveness, it is always hard to tell, as symptoms come and go, probably depending on what you’ve had to eat the previous day too. However, I do believe that it has definitely not matters any worse. 


The Raspberry Leaf Tea has been developed to help strengthen and tone the muscles of the uterus to minimise the duration of labour, as well as help recovery of the uterus after birth. It is recommended to drink the tea regularly throughout the third trimester of the pregnancy, and it is recommended to avoid the tea during the first trimester.

The Raspberry leaf contains, apart from naturally Raspberry Leaf, also Peppermint and Nettle leaf, and yet again, I love that I can detect the taster of peppermint.

The tea needs to infuse in hot water for 10-15 minutes, and it is recommended that you drink 1-2 cups a day from the start of your first trimester, and increase to 3 cups per day in the last month of pregnancy.

As well as minimise duration of labour, the tea also promises to help nourish the uterine muscles, assist in strengthening the pelvic floor, calm cramping of the uterus, help stop excessive bleeding after birth, help soothe and prevent bleeding gums, promote milk supply and relieve sore throats, cold, flu, and diarrhoea. Wow, that sounds impressive!

At about 35 weeks pregnant at the time of writing this, I obviously cannot vouch for any of these claims. But I do know that the length of the labour when I gave birth to our little boy almost two years ago was very long, so any improvement this time around will be very welcome. I am aware that second time mums generally do give birth a lot quicker the second time around, so again, it will be difficult to actually measure the effects.

But what I can say is that I do enjoy drinking this tea – and even more so now that the weather is getting colder – and if there is just the slightest chance that I will have a shorter labour, then it is all worth it. Oh, and when I forget to drink it while it’s hot, I just drink it cold, which is pretty nice too. The flavour is ok, (I always drink my tea black with no sugar) although I do definitely prefer the taste of the Digestive tea.

Also available from the Mama Body Tea Range is a Morning Sickness Tea (Oh how I wish I’d heard of that one when I was constantly sick during the first trimester!!), a Nursing Tea to help increase breast milk supply and quality as well as a Baby Bliss Tea to help relax restless babies. NOTE - Common for both teas, is that they are herbal infusions and not a remedy or drug. Mama Body Tea also recommends consult a healthcare professional before using these products if you are pregnant or lactating and have any concerns.

*Product was kindly provided for consideration, and has reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: NOTOX BOX JUNE 2014

Today I’d like to share with you my thoughts on the *June edition of the Notox Box;

 

What They Say:

If you're new to healthy living, want to find non-toxic products, or are overwhelmed by the choices available, this is the box for you!  We hand pick a range of the best natural, clean living products and pack them up in a surprise box for you to enjoy each month.   It has a little bit of everything!  

The box contains 5- 8 products including in a mix of full sized, travel and sample size products

All products are natural, organic, ecofriendly or ethical, organic food, health food or super-foods, natural and organic skincare and beauty products, wellness, eco home or healthy lifestyle products.

RRP: $25 per box – Available from Notox Box 

What I Say:

I really like the idea of exploring healthier option within both beauty, food, health and home, so I really like the concept of the Notox box where I get introduced to so many new healthier options. If you haven’t seen my review of the May Notox Box, you can see it here.

This month’s box arrived in a bright green postage box with a lot of ‘feel good’ little sentences on the lid, such as ‘Love what you do’, Stay healthy & happy’. ‘Dream big’, and ‘Define your own success’, and as always it was full to the rim, and quite heavy too, and these are the goodies I found inside;
 

 
 

Slendier Konjac Lasagne Sheets – Full Size

 

We eat lasagne all the time. At least once a week, and especially now that our little boy is starting to eat ‘normal’ food, as lasagne is one of his favourites, and it saves me having to cook a meal for us and another one for him. These lasagne sheets are made from konjac root, which is high in fibre and low in fat, as well they have reduced carbs, are low calorie and gluten free. I have never tried konjac before, and I am not quite sure about these. They are a completely different texture to normal pasta sheets, as they are kind of like a large noodle. I love my traditional Italian lasagne with pasta lasagne sheets, but still being quite adventurous with what I eat, I will certainly give them a go. I am not particularly trying to lose weight, but on the other hand, eating less calories, could mean having a few spare ones for some more fun things (=chocolate ;-)

 

Brookfarm Toasted Macadamia Muesli – Sample 75g

 

I love muesli, and if I don’t eat muesli for breakfast I eat porridge, or plain old oats that where I add raisins and fresh fruits to myself. And if I have sweets cravings in the afternoons, and I have a good muesli in the pantry I often snack on it. This muesli contains no preservatives, and is using sun ripened macadamia nuts, grains, bran, currants and sultanas and cranberries all roasted in Australian bush honey. Yum. I cannot wait to taste this.

 

Vital Organic Vanilla Rooibos Tea – Full Size/10 tea bags

 

I have to be honest and admit that I prefer coffee to tea, but I only drink it in the morning in trying to cut down a little. But in winter when it is cold, I do tend to have a cup of tea in the afternoon, although I generally tend to drink peppermint tea or a lemon tea, this will be a nice change, and I like that is naturally caffeine free, and is high in antioxidants and great for headaches, so I wish I’d had this last week when I had a major headache. I have never heard of Vital tea before so it will also be nice to try out this brand.

 

Herbal Fresh Hands Hand Santiser – Sample size, 50ml

The only time I use a hand sanitiser is when I’ve had to change my little boys nappy and there is no soap and water nearby, such as when you have to do an emergency stop by the side of the road and make a quick nappy change, then a sanitiser definitely comes in hand. And I like that this one is all natural and not full of chemicals. It uses alcohol to disinfect and apart from that only contains purified water, gelling agent and olive leaf extract, which is also a nice change from the usual products with a long list of ingredients you usually cannot pronounce let alone know what is. only has 4 ingredients, none of which are hard to pronounce. So this one is going into my nappy bag as soon as I’ve used up the current one.
 

 
Absolute Organic Chocolate with Quinoa Flakes – Full size, 100g

This chocolate bar was on top when I opened the box, and really made my day. I prefer dark bitter chocolate, so this organic 70% cocoa chocolate bar, is right up my alley. I’ve never tasted chocolate with quinoa before, and doubt that I would have bought this myself, but it is actually surprisingly nice with the crunch, so a pleasant surprise. And I love too that this bar doesn’t have any nasties included – but unfortunately I guess I’d better share it with my husband.

 

Chic Nuts Roasted Chickpeas – snack size, 25g

 

I am not sure I would have bought this myself, but these are really nice. They are made of whole roasted chickpeas seasoned with sea salt and garlic, and as they are high in protein they are a healthy snack when you’re a little peckish. So nice with a healthy alternative, and a refreshing change from the nuts I usually snack on, so will definitely purchase these again in the future.

So there you go, the contents on this month’s Notox box.

And yet again the box has managed to introduce me to some new brands and healthy food options, which being a little conservative with the food I buy at the supermarket I might never have even seen, so I look forward to testing out every single one of them (ups, the chickpeas kinda disappeared as I was writing this..

*This product was kindly provided for consideration, and it has been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

Have you ever heard of the Notox box? Heard or tried any of the products in this month’s box? Keen on subscribing?