Thursday 28 July 2011

Awesome deal at Moody Bee

Until the 31st of July all orders placed on the Moody Bee website will be doubled. So if you buy one lip balm you'll receive two, if you buy two you'll receive four and if you buy four you'll receive eight. How good is that?

Even better, Moody Bee ship internationally!

If you want to take advantage of this offer and get some of these lovely balms, click here.

For those of you who haven't heard of Moody Bee, they make lovely lip balms. You can read my review here.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Seven Wonders Moroccan Treatment Shampoo and Conditioner



Unless you've been living on Mars you'll know that Moroccan oil is the must have product at the moment, it's everywhere you look. Despite this, until recently I hadn't tried any Moroccan oil products. Now that I have I can understand why people love Moroccan oil.


I was sent the Seven Wonders Moroccan range to trial. The range consists of a shampoo, conditioner and serum. I will be reviewing the serum soon. Seven Wonders use certified organic argan oil which works to repair and strengthen hair. These products work on all hair skin types even oily hair as it has an oil balance feature. This means that it hydrates dry hair and spreads and balances excess in oily hair, which leaves hair shiny without any greasiness.


Seven Wonders is a West Australian company. Their products are free from sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium laureth sulphate, parabens, methylparabens, harsh preservatives, mineral oil, methylisothiazoline and phthalates.

Seven Wonders are so confident that you will love their products that they offer a 100% money back guarantee. If you don't like one of their products return it to them with proof of purchase and you will get a full refund. That's pretty amazing and very rare in Australia where you struggle to get a refund for anything.



After using the shampoo and conditioner for around two months I can report that they are both amazing. They smell like flowers and make my hair feel soft, hydrated and smooth. In the true test of a product, I used a different shampoo and conditioner once and couldn't work out why my hair felt so dry and rough. It took me a while to realise that it was because of the other shampoo and conditioner. I switched back to Seven Wonders at the next wash and my hair was back to tip top condition.

You can purchase Seven Wonders Moroccan Treatment Shampoo and Conditioner for $15.95 each from health food stores and pharmacies.

Would I buy these? Yes, they're lovely, I'll definitely be purchasing them when I run out.

Shampoo Ingredients: purified aqua infused with evening primrose oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil and aloe vera leaf, lauryl glucoside, cocamidopropyl betaine, coco glucoside, sodium lauryl sarcosinate, glycol distearate, laureth-4, polyquaternium-39, argan oil, polyoxeyethylene methylglucoside dioleate, phenoxyethanol, polyquaternium-10, hydroysed soy protein, panthenol, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, fragrance.

Conditioner Ingredients: purified aqua infused with evening primrose oil, aloe vera leaf, nettle extract, green tea leaf extract and macadamia ternifolia seed oil, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, sweet almond oil, cetrimonium chloride, argan oil, shea butter, pro-vitamin b5, vitamin e, sunflower seed oil, polyquaternium-10, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, fragrance. 

Friday 22 July 2011

The advice I wish I'd been given as a first time parent

I have five pieces of advice for first time parents, all thing that I wish someone had told me before my bub came along.

The first piece of advice is to buy some travel mugs. When bub first arrived I found it impossible to drink hot drinks whilst holding him so I was constantly drinking cold tea. After about five weeks I finally thought of putting my drink in a travel mug and now I can enjoy my hot drinks whilst holding bub. 
If I go out for coffee I get my drink in a take-away cup too because bub is sure to want to get out of the pram, or else he'll need a feed before I've finished my drink.

The second piece of advice is to ignore all the advice you get. When bub first arrives (and often before bub arrives) I was constantly bombarded with advice from everywhere. It happens at the time when you are most vulnerable and least able to deal with it. Everyone has an opinion, from friends and family to the guys at hubby's work to the mailman. Ignore them all and do what feels right for you. You are the only one who knows what will work for you and your baby, so trust that.
Hubby and I chose a few people who we would rely on for advice (our obstetrician, GP and two midwives) and ignored everyone else. 
Adjusting to life with a baby is difficult enough without everyone constantly bombarding you with advice.  

Having said that, the third piece of advice is do not be afraid to tell people that they can't visit or kick them out if they have visited for too long. Having visitors is exhausting (especially if they are bombarding you with advice!) and sometimes it just gets too much, so don't hesitate to ban visitors if you need to. You have enough to do just looking after yourself and bub, the last thing you need is to have visitors who you have to try to be hospitable too. If they are the type of visitors who are helpful and will look after themselves and make you a drink, or hold bub whilst you have a shower, get them to visit every day! :)


The fourth piece of advice is don't be afraid to ask for help and if help is offered, accept it. Looking after a newborn is difficult and it's a huge life adjustment. If people offer to help out say yes. There are many ways that people can help that are easy for them to do and they make a huge difference to you. For example, some things that people did for me that were really helpful: made a meal for me (or bought over take-away), did the laundry, did the dishes, came food shopping with me, held bub whilst I had lunch and watched bub whilst I had a shower. They are all little things that made my day so much easier. People enjoy helping out, it makes them feel useful, so really, by accepting help you are making someone feel good :) 

The last piece of advice is to stop and enjoy the moment and remember that the sleep deprivation is a temporary thing. Whenever I'm feeling frustrated/tired/like I can't do it anymore, I stop, take a deep breath then look at bub and remember what a miracle he is and how blessed I am to have a healthy, happy baby. 

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Aurora Spa Rituals Peppermint Pedi Repair Cream

Before I got pregnant I didn't appreciate foot creams, I thought they were pretty pointless. But when I was pregnant I appreciated how wonderful foot creams can be. I especially loved them at the end of my pregnancy which was during the summer heatwave. Thankfully for my feet, I had a tube of Aurora Spa Peppermint Pedi Repair Cream (that I'd been given as a gift) waiting to be used. 

This is a lovely, rich foot cream that smells amazing and is a miracle product for sore, tired and dry feet and legs. I used to massage this into my swollen feet and legs every night as I loved the cooling sensation it gave. It comes in a huge 150ml tube that lasts for ages. I used mine daily for about five months and there is still about half left.

As you can see the packaging is gorgeous which makes it great to give as a gift. When I was given this it came in a gorgeous box with the hand cream as well (review coming soon).

Aurora Spa says: Aurora Spa Rituals is different by nature. Our products contain no synthetic fragrances, sulfates, pegs or parabens and are formulated with premium quality ingredients enriched with hand blended essential oils.

We only use 100% recyclable or reusable packaging made from environmentally accredited, chlorine free, forest managed paper. Our bottles are made from 100% PET recyclable plastic and our tubes from high and low density recyclable polyethylene.

Peppermint Pedi Repair Cream costs $40 and can be purchased from Mecca Cosmetica

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

Monday 18 July 2011

Palmer's Daily Cleansing Gel

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan on Palmer's products. They are cheap, effective and smell great. To my great delight Palmer's have recently expanded their facial care range to include a gel cleanser, a calming facial lotion and a purifying mask.

Unlike most of the other Palmer's products, the Daily Cleansing Gel is fragrance free. I've been using this for a few months now and I really like it. There are a few things that make it stand out for me. 
Firstly, the pump top. It's so much more convenient than having a flip top lid and means that it's much easier to double cleanse without getting water all over the place.
Secondly, it removes all my make-up without making my skin feel dry or tight. 
Thirdly, I can use it to remove my eye make-up and it doesn't sting or hurt my eyes.
Fourthly, it's cheap at only $9.99 for a 150ml bottle.


Ingredients: water, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycerin, oleth-20, propylene glycol, sodium chloride, cocoa seed butter, shea butter, hydrolyzed milk protein, evening primrose root extract, panthenol, peg-120 methyl glucose dioleate, disodium edta, quaternium-26, dmdm hydantoin, citric acid, tocopherol acetate, steareth-20, chrysin, n-hydroxysuccinimide, palmitoyl oligopeptide, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7.

Friday 15 July 2011

Anti stretch mark products

When I got pregnant I was convinced that anti stretch mark products didn't work and that nothing I did would prevent stretch marks. Despite this I faithfully applied my anti stretch mark products twice a day. I can now say that they work. The reason I say this is because the only place I didn't apply my anti stretch mark products is my bum and that's the only place I got stretch marks. Considering my stomach stretched a lot more than my bum did and it remains stretch mark free, I can confidently say that anti stretch mark products really do work. 

I used a combination of different products. During the day I'd use an oil as I found they absorbed quickly and at night I'd use my Palmer's Belly Butter. I used this at night as it's super hydrating and takes a while to sink in. This isn't a product that I could apply and then put clothes over the top straight away.


The products that I used are: Palmer's Belly Butter, Tinderbox's Pregnancy Oil, Belli Elasticity Belly Oil and Bio Oil. 


I used Bio Oil in the first few months of my pregnancy. It was great because it's odourless and did a great job of getting rid of the itchies. 

Once I finished my Bio Oil I switched to Belli Elasticity Belly Oil. This was another great product. I tried using it earlier in my pregnancy and found it gave me a rash, but once I got to sixteen weeks I could use it with no problems. It has a lovely, light lavender scent that I really liked.  Another great thing is that it comes in a pump bottle, which is a brilliant idea as oils can get rather messy.
If you want to try this, don't buy it in Australia. To purchase it in Australia  costs $78 (AUD), however to purchase from the US (I bought mine from Skincare Rx) you only pay $38.60 (USD).


For the last few months of my pregnancy I used Tinderbox Pregnancy Oil. This has a very soft, subtle scent that I really liked. I found it to be just as good as the Belli oil and it only costs $18. It comes in a screw top bottle so I decanted it into the Belli bottle so that I could use the pump top as it was much easier.

I liked all of these products and believe they all worked really well for me. If I was to get pregnant again I'd probably use the Palmers Belly Butter and Tinderbox Pregnancy Oil because they're reasonably priced and easy to get hold of.  

Monday 11 July 2011

Does it ever sink in?

Bub is seventeen weeks old now and I still can't believe it. The reality that I'm a mum and that I have a child hasn't sunk in yet and I'm wondering when it will. It all seems so unreal. I can't believe that after all those years of wanting a baby he is finally here. Every day I look at him amazed that he's been entrusted to my care. I can't believe that he grew inside me and came out of me. Even when he was first born I couldn't believe that he'd been inside of me, even though I felt and saw him come out! That a perfect little baby can come out of a person is bizarre to me. I felt the same way when both of my nephews were born.

I'm also wondering why I didn't get that rush of love that everyone talks about. I'm not saying that I don't love him, because I do, but I didn't get that feeling of intense love that people describe, where they say that they hadn't realised they could love someone so much. I love him with all I have and all I am, I would gladly give my life for him, but I'm wondering why I didn't get that feeling of my heart expanding that people describe. 


I've discussed this with a few of my friends. One of them said that she thinks some people bond with baby before it's born so they don't experience the rush of love because it's already there. Another said that babies grow on you and he didn't get that feeling till his bub was two and a half. And another friend said that when her baby was born she felt nothing (I should note here that she is one of the most loving mothers I know). 

I don't know why it didn't happen to me. Maybe because I've always know that I would love my baby more than life itself. That's just always been a fact to me, so maybe when he got here I just accepted that feeling as natural. Who knows? Or maybe I'm still in a sleepless newborn haze. 

I was really looking forward to the huge rush of emotion that people talk about, so I'm quite disappointed that I didn't get to experience it. At first I wondered if not having that feeling was a symptom of of PND, but I'm quite confident that I don't have PND. I'm happy, not depressed and I'm not feeling down or sad or any of the other things that I'd feel if I had PND. So I really have no idea why I didn't get the love rush, maybe that's just another one of the many mummy myths that are around. I'm sure half the things we get told about what should and shouldn't happen are just made up lies.


Wednesday 6 July 2011

Bloom Gypsy Lipgloss


Blooms Gypsy Glamour collection is full of amazing products. I could happily buy the whole range (and probably will). The Nude lipstick is a must have and so is the Gypsy lip gloss. I also have my eye on the Bronzing Duo.

Gypsy is a wonderful mix of peach and pink that looks gorgeous on. Bloom describe it as a peachy beige pink. I normally can't wear peachy colours as I'm more suited to cool tones, however this looks lovely on me (if I do say so myself). For some reason my swatch photo's didn't work, so I'll take some more and update this post with them. 


Gypsy has the usual vanilla mandarin flavour that all Bloom glosses have. It seems more creamy and longer lasting than their regular glosses, I also find it to be quite moisturising.

Gypsy lipgloss costs $25.00 and is available at Myer, David Jones and some chemists.

This product was sent to me for review.

Monday 4 July 2011

June Empties

June has been another great month for me empties wise. I have no idea how I'm managing to finish so many products as it feels like I barely get a second to myself at the moment. 

Nelsons Pure and Clear Purifying Cleansing Wipes
Planet Eve Luxe Body Creme
Palmer's Facial Scrub

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
Simple Eye Make-up Remover
Jonathan Detox Dirt
The Body Shop Coconut Shower Gel
Australis Lash TLC Mascara
Clinique Touch Tint for Eyes in Natural Suede
Nivea Young Clean Deeper Cleanser
Nivea Oxygen Power Cleansing Gel
Origins VitaZing

Friday 1 July 2011

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm


It's no secret that I am addicted to lip balm. It's the one beauty product that I can't resist. I've tried most of the lip balms that are readily available to me and so I get very excited when a new one is released. To my great excitement Burt's Bees have recently released a range of tinted lip balms.  


They come in cute little cardboard tubes with the end coloured the same as the shade of the balm. The sticks are the regular twist up version.

There are six different colours available, three of which I have. Tara has swatched the whole range, you can see her post here.  
As with all the other Burt's Bees lip products I've tried, these balms are lovely. The colour is very sheer but enough to be noticeable. (I will update this post with photo's of the balms applied as the ones that I took didn't work out.) They have a beautiful light lolly fragrance and flavour. The texture is smooth and creamy, very similar to the mango butter lip balm. 

Pictured above from the left are Pink Blossom, Hibiscus and Rose. 

Burt's Bees tinted lip balms are available exclusively at David Jones and cost $14.95 each. For the readers who live in Perth, I've only found them at the Hay Street store. They can also be purchased online from the Burt's Bees website.

Ingredients: coconut oil, vegetable oil, beeswax, olive fruit oil, candelilla cera, sunflower seed oil, aroma, lanolin, shea butter, castor seed oil, cananga odorata flower wax, jasmine flower wax, ammonium glycyrrhizinate, tocopherol, rosemary leaf extract, soybean oil, canola oil. 
May contain: alumina, titanium dioxide, carmine, iron oxides. 

Hibiscus was sent to me to review. Pink Blossom and Rose were purchased for review.