This week (25th April - 1st May) is national Allergy Awareness week. Allergies affect 21 million people in the UK alone and Scotland has one of the highest allergy rates where 1 in 3 people suffer from allergy symptoms.

Often people aren't aware that they have an allergy or don't recognise the symptoms of a reaction. Allergic reactions can happen to anyone, at any time or any age, even with food or products you've used in the past.
A common misconception is that products listed as "natural" or "organic" are allergy free which isn't the case - in fact a huge amount of allergies are triggered by plant matter such as pollen or nuts. Almond oil, tea tree oil or lavander and citrus extract are common cosmetic ingredients which can cause reactions.
If you suffer from an allergy the most important thing is to work out what your triggers are and how to avoid them.

I'm allergic to nuts so I avoid eating any foods which contain nuts and also watch out for beauty products which use nut derivatives. A lot of beauty products such as lipsticks or moisturisers (and pretty much everything in Lush) uses nut kernals or oils.
These aren't always obvious as cosmetic products don't have to come with an allergy warning and the ingredients are usually listed with their scientific name (e.g. almond oil is prunus dulcis). Also, many people with a nut allergy won't react to beauty products  which contain them as the main allergen from nut protein and only the fat/oil is left after rendering for use. I try not to risk it myself but if you aren't sure of product ingredients its always worth patch testing on a small piece of skin first or avoiding all-together.

In an attempt to help consumers make safe choices, AllergyUK - the leading national charity supporting UK allergy sufferers - test and review products from allergy friendly brands to ensure their safety. While it's impossible to say that a product will 100% not cause a reaction in everyone the AllergyUK seal of Approval endorsement and Allergy Friendly Product award shows that the products have been clinically tested and checked for allergenic substances.

Skin allergies are the most common in relation to using cosmetics. Symptoms of a skin allergy include, red, inflamed, sore skin which becomes tight and dry. For more information about allergies visit the Allergy UK website. AllergyUK also has a helpline for questions on skin allergies and how to reduce or manage an allergic reaction: 01322 619 898.



AllergyUK have put together a box full of beauty goodies for me to test out and also very kindly provided a box for one of my lucky readers. Just because the products are Allergy Friendly doesn't mean the products aren't as good as others. I've tested these out and all stand up well do my ususal, everyday products from well known brands.

Included in the box is;

Skincare from L'Oreal with AllergyUK Seal of Approval;
La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra RRP £17.50
La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour RRP £15.50

Makeup from Natorigin with Allergy Friendly Product Award
Mascara RRP £15.95
Eyeliner RRP £7.95
Lipstick RRP £17.95 *contains almond oil
Nail Polish RRP £11.00

Native Unearthed Deoderant with Allergy Friendly Product Award
Aloe Deoderant Stick RRP £6.49

If you'd like the chance to win this box simply fill out the form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions for Giveaway:

The competition will run until 23.59 Wednesday 11th May 2016. I will contact the winner within 48 hours via email.
You must follow Glasgow Beauty Blogger via Bloglovin', Twitter or Instagram and leave a comment with the correct answer to the question as stated in Rafflecopter widget. (I will check).
One winner with correct answer will be selected to win a beauty box from AllergyUk.
Open to UK residents only aged 18 or over, once the winner has been selected their details will be given to Allergy UK who will arrange for the prize to be shipped.
Products within the box are allergy friendly and not allergy free, please always check the ingredients and if unsure don't apply to your skin or seek medical advice first.
I accept no responsibility for any reactions to any of the products within the box.
Please Note: This is a giveaway to say thank you to my readers and followers, please do not post on "comping sites" if you are not a follower/reader your entry will not be included.


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