Tuesday 31 May 2011

May Empties

I'm so pleased with my empties this month, I've finally managed to finish a few full sized products that I've had for ages.

Philosophy Unconditional Love shower gel - Love this stuff, it smells amazing.
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant - This lasted forever. Seriously. I've had it for over 5 years now. I am so glad I finally finished it.
Dove Ultimate deodorant - This is a great deodorant, pity I can't find it here anymore.
Nivea Extra Gentle Eye Make-up Remover - A good, basic product.
wotnot facial wipes - My favorite!
Neturogena Deep Moisture hand cream - I love this, it smells great and is really hydrating.
Simple Refreshing facial wash gel - Nice, basic cleanser.
DDF Advanced Micro Exfoliation cleanser - Blah. Too scrubby to be a cleanser and not scrubby enough to be an exfoliator.
Pantene shampoo and conditioner. 
Biotherm Aquasource moisturiser - Nice but not amazing.
Ardell brow gel  - My HG brow gel.

Monday 30 May 2011

Haute Box is lauching soon!

I'm so excited about this! For years I've seen these type of things in the US and always wished it was available in Australia and now it is.


Haute Box is a subscription service that delivers deluxe samples of the newest and best beauty products for you to try. It costs $15 per month and is launching here in winter. 

To sign up click here.

What I love about this is that you get to try new products for a bargain price. Even if you get something that you don't like, it's only cost you $15.

The Body Shop Body Butter Duo


Every now and again I come across a product that makes me think "what a brilliant idea!" The Body Shop's new Body Butter Duo's are one of those products. I've always loved my body butters but find that I usually have two or three on the go at any one time as I switch between the different levels of moisturisation that I need. Now that won't be a problem as the new duo's contain two different formulas in the one pot. They contain a super hydrating butter and a lotion in the same fragrance.
Body Butter Duo's cost $29.95 and are available in four fragrances: Acai Blossom, Vanilla, Macadamia and Sweet Pea.

I've been using Sweet Pea, it's a gorgeous scent and I'll definitely buy it again. 

This product was sent to me for consideration.

Thursday 26 May 2011

I had a Super Quickie at Kit!

Kit Cosmetics have just launched a new skin care brand by Dr Perricone called Super. It's based around superfood ingredients, giving the benefits of these ingredients to the skin. I was lucky enough to be able to go in to Kit for a Super Quickie and you can too!

I went in for the Get Even treatment, to help make my skin more even toned. Sarah explained the use of all the products (she has a great knowledge of how everything works and what is in each products). 

First Sarah cleansed my skin with the Sweet Clean cleanser. This contains acai berry and smells lovely. 
 
The next step was the 3 Minute Facial Intensive Treatment mask. This mask contains ginger and like the cleanser, smells edible. One of the interesting things about this mask is that it doesn't tingle much when it's on but you experience the tingling after the mask is removed. The tingle is minimal, I didn't find it irritating at all. This is a great idea, it's something that I could put on before I get into the shower and remove in the shower, so it's great for time poor mums like me.  I couldn't believe the way this made my skin feel. It feels so soft but strange at the same time as it doesn't feel like my skin.
 
After the mask was removed Sarah applied the Night Recharge Retinol Treatment. This contains red algae but surprisingly smells really nice. I thought that with algae in it the scent might be ocean like but it wasn't. 


The next product to be applied was the O-Mega Moisture Nourishing Cream, followed by the Bright Eyed Flawless Eye Treatment. Both of these products felt lovely on my skin. 

Afterwards my skin looked amazing, fresh and glowing. 5 hours later my skin was still looking amazing. It's now the day after my Quickie and my skin feels so soft, I haven't had skin this soft for ages, in fact I don't remember the last time it felt so soft. Unlike Suzanne I am not brave enough to show you a photo of my naked face, but trust me when I tell you my skin looks just as good as it feels. The face mask is the next product I'll be buying, anything that makes my skin feel so soft is a must have product.



I had my Quickie with Sarah at the enex store. Sarah is lovely, if you ever need anything from Kit go and see her. 

Kit are currently offering 15 minute Quickies for anyone who is interested, so call you local store for details.   

Wednesday 25 May 2011

The Desire for More

I often wonder what it is that drives my (and others) desire for more. I find something that I like and then I want more of it, instead of being happy with what I have. Buying more would make sense if the product was limited edition, but when it's a regular product that's always available, there is no need to buy more. For example, a few days ago hubby bought me a pack of Nude by Nature products. I absolutely love them and so I want to buy more. Why? I already have them, why do I want to collect more? I want more of the glosses and eye shadows, even though I already have them and in reality will probably not use them up for years.

I wonder if it goes back to the hunter gatherer thing, if it's a primal desire within us to stock up in case of famine. When I was a child we always had a very full pantry cupboard. This comforted me as I knew that if something went wrong we would have enough food to survive for a considerable amount of time. Maybe the desire to gather things is a primal instinct that we have no control over.


Most women I know collect something, whether it be clothes, make-up, shoes, handbags, hair clips, soft toys or something else. I've always thought collecting was a kind of addiction, but now I'm wondering if it's instinct. It must be some kind of instinct for it to be such a common thing amongst women.  That's my excuse anyhow!


This concludes my musings for today.


Monday 23 May 2011

P50P Epic Fail Part 2

So we already know that P50P has been an epic fail so far. Here's more of what I purchased. I placed two orders, one with my favorite store, Addicted 2 Lip Balm and one with Strawberrynet. 


And here are my excuses. I had to place the Strawberrynet order as they had 10% off make-up, plus I got an extra 5% discount as I hadn't ordered from them for a while and on top of that I got 5% off as I ordered 7 products and another 10% off as I've made over 20 orders. So it worked out to a saving of $68.26 on my order. How could I resist that?

The Addicted 2 Lip Balm order I blame on Leah. She insists on stocking amazing products that I need. What it comes down to is that I just can't resist buying lip balms. 

On a positive note, I did manage to finish another lip balm. My aim by the end of P50P is to have used at least double the amount of products than I've purchased. Ideally I won't have purchased any more products after this. 


Here's the tally from when I started Project 50 Pan:

Lipsticks finished: 0
Lip glosses finished: 1
Lip balms finished: 3
Lipsticks purchased: 0
Lip glosses purchased:11
Lip balms purchased: 7

And in case you are wondering, there is still one more Epic Fail post to come.

Friday 20 May 2011

Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Serum


I've been a fan of Olay serums for ages, so when I received their new serum to trial I was very excited. I've used the whole bottle of my Micro Sculpting Serum so am ready to give my opinion of it. 


Olay says: Dramatically firms the appearance of sagging prone areas - around the eyes, jaw line and neck. This serum has the highest concentration of our signature amino peptide complex to date.
After two weeks of use: hydrates to regenerate skin's appearance and help firm the appearance of sagging prone areas. Reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

This is a really nice serum. I love the way it makes my skin feel. Unlike other serums I've used, this feels more like a light cream than a serum, it doesn't have the silicony feel that most other serums have. It has a chemically smell that's not very pleasant, however it fades quickly and isn't noticeable five minutes after application. It makes my skin feel soft and smooth. Other than that I didn't notice any change in my skin from using my Micro Sculpting Serum. It didn't reduce the appearance of my fine lines and as I don't have any sagginess I can't comment on that.



Would I buy this?  For extra hydration in winter, yes. As an anti ageing serum, no.

Ingredients: water, cyclopentasiloxane, glycerin, cyclomethicone, niacinamide aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, dimethicone, dimethicone crosspolymer, panthenol, polyethylene, polyacrylamide, titanium dioxide, tocopheryl acetate, c13-14 isoparaffin, mica, DMDM hydantoin, allantoin, laureth-4, dimethiconol, laureth-7, carnosine, sodium hyaluronate, fragrance, BHT, disodium EDTA, PEG-100 stearate, citric acid, butylene glycol, camellia sinensis leaf extract, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, tin oxide, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4. 

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant


When I received my Gentle Daily Exfoliant I was expecting it to be similar to Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant, however it's totally different. This is a clay based exfoliator so when water is added to it the texture is a lovely smooth paste that's very easy to use.

From the first time I used this it was love. I love the texture and the way it feels on my skin, I love how gentle the scrub is and I love the way it makes my skin feel. Using this doesn't feel like using a normal exfoliator does, it is very gentle and even with my sensitive winter skin I can use it every day without irritation. 

After using Gentle Daily Exfoliant for a week I noticed that my pores appeared smaller and my skin looked fresher and more radiant. This has now become a part of my daily skin care routine.   

Alpha-H says: A unique exfoliation with pure enzymes and fruit to instantly refresh and reveal a smoother brighter complexion. Suitable for all skin types. Non abrasive gentle enzymes activate upon contact with water to provide unparalleled daily retexturising by allowing new healthy cells to the surface. Combined with natural pineapple and papaya extracts for soothing and brightening benefits, your skin will appear smooth, soft and invigorated.
Contains no artificial fragrances, colour or ingredients.
Gentle enough to use on a daily basis.

On those days when I feel like my skin needs some extra help, I use this as an in shower face mask. I rub it all over my face and then leave it on for a few minutes before washing it off. I find that doing this gets rid of any flaky or rough patches that are hard to shift.   


Would I buy this? Yes, it's a great, effective product.

Ingredients: kaolin, solum diatomeae, bentonite, carica papaya extract, ananas sativus extract, ci 77891. 

This product was sent to me for consideration. 

Monday 16 May 2011

Planet Eve Organics Luxe Body Creme

I love a little bit of affordable luxury in my life and try to include something luxurious in my daily routine. The little luxury I've been using lately is my Planet Eve Organics Luxe Body Creme. It comes in a great pump bottle that's so easy to use. I'm of the opinion that all body lotions should come in pump bottles, they are so much more convenient than the ones that come in tubes or pots. 


When I first started using this we were still having warm, summer weather and it worked really well. It soaks in quickly and left my skin feeling hydrated and soft. Now that the winter weather has arrived my skin has been really parched with dry patches all over it. Not a good look. I was wondering if my Luxe Body Creme would be hydrating enough to deal with the state of my winter ravaged skin and to my delight it is. 

Planet Eve describe this as a deeply hydrating body creme enriched with rose, shea butter, jojoba and macadamia. This really is a deeply hydrating creme. As you would expect from the description, it is a medium creme texture that has a soft rose scent. When I use this my skin feels soft and moisturised all day.

Planet Eve products are Australian, all natural and certified organic. They contain no mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, silicones, sulphates, synthetic dyes or fragrances or GMO ingredients.
Planet Eve products are not tested on animals.

Luxe Body Creme costs $49.00 and can be purchased from the Planet Eve website.

Would I buy this: Yes, it's lovely.

Ingredients: rosa damascena flower distillate, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, glycerin, simmondsia chinensis seed oil, persea gratissima oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, cetearyl olivate & sorbitan olivate, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil, butyrospermum parki butter, lecithin, naticide, glyceryl stearate, tocopheryl acetate, xanthan gum.


This product was sent to me for consideration.

Friday 13 May 2011

P50P - Epic Fail Part 1

I knew I was being really ambitious when I started P50P, but I didn't think I'd fall off the wagon so quickly. And in spectacular fashion. Behold my latest purchases:

Yes, you are seeing right. I purchased not one but nine lip products. If I'm going to fail, I make sure I do it properly. I don't even have any excuses for making this purchase. I wasn't drunk or under the influence of mind altering medication. I'm no longer pregnant, I wasn't sleep shopping, I have no excuse!

Here's how it all happened:

Jessica from The Belle Lumiere decided to do a Q and A post on her blog and asked if anyone had any questions for her. I asked if she could do a post on using a mail forwarding service as it's something I want to do but I just haven't got my head around how it works. Jessica agreed to do the post (she's so good to me!) along with screen shots, then asked where she should make a purchase from. I suggested Bath and Bodyworks as that's where I want to purchase from, so then Jessica very kindly offered to order the products that I wanted too. And that's how it happened.

See, I have no valid excuse for why I made this purchase, other than because I could. In my defense, I've been wanting the products for years. I'm not joking, it has been at least five years that I've wanted to buy these products, so when I got the opportunity I just couldn't resist.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I then proceeded to order even more lip products. You could say I went on a lip product binge. I will show you what else I got in another post. Yes, you read right, there is more to come!

And now I'm back on the wagon.

Here's my shameful tally:
Lipsticks finished: 0
Lip glosses finished: 1
Lip balms finished: 3
Lipsticks purchased: 0
Lip glosses purchased: 8
Lip balms purchased: 4 (I've included the three lip balms that I purchased when I hadn't decided if I was going to include balms in my P50P).

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Face of Australia foundations Part 2



The other Face of Australia foundation that I was sent to try was the Mineral Therapy powder foundation in Natural Beige. Unsurprisingly, this is another great product. It provides buildable coverage that can be anything from sheer to full cover. Even when I layer this on heavily it sinks into my skin and is barely noticeable. My favourite way to use this is as follows: I use concealer on the area's of my face that require it, then I apply two layers of foundation, concentrating more on the problem area's. Once I've done that I use a setting spray and my make-up stays put all day. At the end of the day my foundation looks just as good as it did at the start of the day.

Mineral Therapy foundation costs $16.95 for a 10 gram pot.

The picture above shows Mineral Therapy Foundation on the far right.

The final product in this series is the Translucent Loose Powder. In the past I haven't bothered with translucent powders as I have been unable to find one that is truly translucent. They've all been either too dark or too light, so I just set with powder instead.

To my surprise the Face of Australia Translucent powder is actually translucent. It's not too light or too dark, it's translucent. I put it on and it's invisible, which is exactly what a translucent powder should be. This is ideal for setting my make-up. I like to use it over my liquid foundations as it ensures that the foundation stays put all day. If you need a good translucent powder I recommend you try this out.

The Translucent powder costs $11.95 for a 30 gram pot that will last for years.

Face of Australia products are available from Priceline, Kmart, Big W and some pharmacies.

Monday 9 May 2011

Australis Lash TLC Mascara


Australis have recently added several great new products to their range. I purchased a few of them at the Priceline sale recently, so keep an eye out for the reviews that will be coming soon.


I was sent the Lash TLC Conditioning mascara to test out and I'm really happy with it. In fact it's quickly become my daily go-to mascara.

If you are looking for a mascara with dramatic results, this isn't for you. If you are looking for an effective every day mascara that makes you lashes look naturally full and long then this is perfect. I find this to be very similar to my all time favourite Maybelline Full n Soft mascara. 
The colour is very black and lasts all day without flaking or smudging. One of the things I really like is that it leaves my lashes feeling soft, not all hard and crunchy like some mascara's do.

Australis says: Australis Lash TLC Conditioning Mascara adds volume, length, and definition, while holding curls and conditioning lashes. It contains nourishing vitamin E to protect lashes against damage caused by free radicals while moisturising and protecting against environmental aggressors. Strengthening and conditioning vitamin B5 protects hair against brittleness and breakage. The formula also includes silk powder enriched with amino acids and trace elements. Available in two brush types: Regular and Curling.

You can purchase Lash TLC mascara for $14.95 from Priceline, Big W, Kmart and Target.
Would I purchase this? Yes, it is a great everyday mascara.
This product was sent to me for consideration.

Saturday 7 May 2011

Last minute Mothers Day gift ideas

Stuck for idea's on what to buy Mum for Mother's Day tomorrow? Here are a few suggestions:

MOR Mother's Day gift tin. Or anything else from MOR for that matter. All their products are lovely.

A subscription to her favorite magazine.

The Body Shop Sleep Mist.

Dusk Candles.

Or lastly, breakfast in bed and a nice bunch of flowers.

 

Friday 6 May 2011

Face of Australia foundations Part 1

I was recently sent a huge package of Face of Australia products to trial, so keep an eye out for the reviews to come. 

I've long been a fan of Face of Australia, they make great quality products at a very cheap price. They've recently revamped their range and now the products are even better than before! Even better, they are an Australian company and they don't test on animals.

Face of Australia foundations are as good as many high end (I'm looking at you MAC, Becca and Clinique) foundations that I've tried and yet they cost a fraction of the price. I've been testing out the Mineral Therapy liquid foundation, Mineral Therapy powder foundation and Anti-Aging stick foundation.

Out of the three foundations, the Anti-Aging stick foundation is my favourite, it's amazing. It makes my skin look flawless and pore free. For best results I apply it with my Beauty Blender sponge. I put a light layer all over and then a second layer on dark spots and the parts that need more coverage. Then I set it with the Face of Australia Translucent Loose powder in Outback Translucent (review coming soon) and my skin looks amazing. Even better, it stays looking flawless all day. 

I would show you a photo of this on my skin, however the colour I received (Outback Beige) is too dark and too orange for me, so I look silly wearing it. Not to be deterred I wore this around the house for a week just so that I could test it out for you my dear readers. Whilst I was testing this out my orange face managed to scare hubby and the people at at shop several times, it was very entertaining.


Mineral Therapy Liquid Foundation is the one that I use nearly every day. It's my go to foundation at the moment because it's light, super easy to apply and looks very natural. The coverage is light to medium, but buildable. 

For every day use I apply a light layer all over, which evens out my skin tone. If I want more coverage I'll apply the Mineral Therapy powder foundation over the top. For a more sheer look I use a light dusting of translucent powder. I have this in Beige which is the perfect colour for me.



Anti-aging stick foundation, Mineral Therapy liquid foundation, Mineral Therapy powder foundation (review coming soon) swatched on NC20 skin.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Original & Mineral The Power Base Protein Treatment


I've been really lazy with my hair since I got pregnant and as a result it's suffered a bit. It went totally feral after bub arrived and got to the stage where I thought I was going to have to chop it all off and get a mummy hairstyle. Thankfully I started using my Power Base treatment and it saved the day.

As with all O&M products, this smells amazing and works just as well as it smells. The first time I used it I noticed a slight difference, my hair felt more hydrated, but there wasn't a huge different. However, after I'd been using this for a few weeks my hair was transformed. It had gone from dry, flyaway and horrible looking to smooth and soft. 

O&M says: The king of lifts for damaged hair. This intense double action treatment helps to restore you mane from within through the rebuilding strengths of wheat protein and follows up by moisturising and nourishing the exterior with apricot oil and shea butter.

Would I buy this? Yes, it's an essential part of my hair care routine now. 

Ingredients: aqua, cetearyl alcohol, hydrolyzed wheat protein, cetrimonium chloride, behentrimonium chlordie, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, amodimethcone & trideceth-12, phenoxyethanol, plyquatermium-10, panthenol, butyrospermum parkii, ricinus communis seed oil, tocopherol, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, prunus armeniaca kernel oil, urtica dioica extract, allantoin, parfum. 

This product was sent to me for consideration.

Monday 2 May 2011

Original & Mineral Seven Day Miracle Moisture Masque


My love affair with O&M products continues. For over five years Fudge's Dynamite has been my holy grail hair treatment. I've used so many bottles of this and buy it by the litre because I love it so much. Sadly for Fudge, after five years of faithfulness it has been replaced in my affections by O&M's Seven Day Miracle Moisture Masque. This is now my holy grail hair treatment.

Firstly, as with all O&M products, it smells amazing. Scent is such a powerful motivator for me, it makes the product really pleasant to use. If something smells bad I won't use it and when it smells lovely I want to use it all the time.

Aside from the amazing scent, Seven Day Miracle Moisture Masque works really well. With one application my dry hair is hydrated, smooth and healthy. It really is a miracle! I use this three different ways. If my hair is in fairly good condition I use it in place of conditioner once a week to keep my hair soft and hydrated. If my hair is dry I leave it on for ten minutes as a deep conditioning treatment. And when my hair is dry between washes I mix a little bit with water in a spray bottle and use it as a leave in conditioner.   

Would I buy this? Yes! I'll be buying it over and over again.

Ingredients: aqua, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, cetrimonium chloride, prunus amygdalus dulcis, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein, amodimethicone & trideceth-12, polyquaternium-10, polyquatermium-7, panthenol, certified organic argania spinosa kernel oil, simmondsia chinensis seed oil, butyrospermum parkii, helianthus annus seed oil, tocopherol, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, phenoxyethanol, allantoin, aloe barbadnesis leaf extract, parfum.

This product was sent to me for consideration.