Friday 29 November 2013

FFS Friday

It's Friday! I hope you have all had a great week and have a wonderful weekend planned. We're having friends over which I'm really looking forward to. 

Last Friday afternoon Chai was helping Tiger water the lawn. When Tiger wasn't looking Chai decided the house needed watering. FFS.

Unfortunately he had great aim and watered through the open door, into the dining room, all over the dining table, chairs and floor. FFS.

ChapStick Limited Edition 3 Stick Gift Packs
Now for the Chapstick saga!

Chapstick have released some limited edition lip balms for christmas. They come in a gorgeous little tin and I need them. Do you think I can get them? No! FFS.


My fellow lip balm addict Emma needs them too and we have both been on the hunt. FFS.


I can't complain about Chapsticks customer service as it's non existent. FFS.


After Emma and I leaving many messages on their Instagram post they finally got back to us and told us that the tins are only available at selected Priceline stores and if we FB message them our postcode they'll tell us which stores have them. That was last Thursday. Neither of us have heard back. FFS.


The tins are in the latest Priceline catalogue so you'd think they would be available both online and in store, but they aren't. FFS.


When I asked at my Priceline they said that there was an apology and they don't know when they'll be available. FFS.

I emailed the PR company who deal with Chapstick and told them that I want to buy the balms but can't find them anywhere. They told me that the tins are available at Priceline and pharmacies Australia wide. I already knew that. FFS.

They were helpful in that they gave me the stockist phone number. Not FFS.

I called the number and got Woolworths. FFS.

Undeterred I got onto the Pfizer website (they own Chapstick) and went to their contact section. It's blank. FFS.

I need these balms! FFS.



It shouldn't be this hard to spend money! FFS.


I still have a cold. FFS.


It just won't go away, it's been over a week now. FFS.


One of the many reasons we moved to the country is so that the boys could have a freer, safer life. Since we got here, three bombs have been found. FFS.


To my eternal frustration Chai thinks it's funny to wake up Eljay. FFS.


He has perfect timing. FFS.

He waits until I've just got Eljay settled in bed then comes and wakes him up. FFS.



When Tiger is home it's not usually a problem, but when he's away I spend all day putting Eljay to sleep. FFS.


That's the end of my weekly whinge. If you haven't had enough whinging, head over to Sarah's blog and see what everyone else has been whinging about. 


Dear Baby G

Thursday 28 November 2013

New prices at 1 Skin Solution!

If you haven't shopped at 1 Skin Solution before you are missing out! Raylene has beautiful products that are very reasonably priced, even more so now that she has lowered her prices! 

Lip balms are now $5.50


Lip butters are $9.90
Candles are $12.10
Soaps are $5.50 for the regular ones and $6.60 for the exfoliating version.  

One of the many things I have my eye on is the Vanilla Gift Box which contains a vanilla soy candle, vanilla lip balm and vanilla exfoliating soap all packaged in a box with a pretty ribbon around it. I'm planning on getting one for my bff for christmas. There is also a Mojito Gift Box. Both boxes cost $22.00.
 
Shipping is free for orders over $40 and orders under $40 have flat rate shipping of only $5. 


I haven't tried the whole range but everything I have tried has been lovely. You can read my review of the Lip Butters here


Monday 25 November 2013

Ophelia's Apothecary Lip Balms


I found these a few years ago when I was trawling Etsy for new lip balms. When I first received them I was a little disappointed because they are only fragranced and not flavoured, so I put them aside and forgot about them. A while later I picked one up, started using it and fell in love.

These are the perfect winter or overnight lip balm. They are quite thick (but not waxy), give a lovely shiny finish, last hours on my lips and are great at keeping dry winter lips hydrated. I apply at night before I go to bed and still have balm on my lips when I wake up in the morning. As an added bonus, they are all natural and vegan.

You can't tell from the photo, but they are in oval tube so great for carrying around in a back pocket.

Reading the website it appears that the balms are now flavoured as well as fragranced, which would make them perfect in my eyes.

Ophelia's Apothecary balms are available for $5.25 (US) and come in a range of gorgeous flavours.

Ophelia's Apothecary now have their own website so they are no longer on Etsy. You can find the lip balms and lots of other lovely things here. Unfortunately I won't be buying any of their balms again as the shipping is too high ($24.99 for three lip balms).

Saturday 23 November 2013

Bits and Pieces

For those of you who don't live near a Myer store, I've discovered something wonderful! You can ring the cosmetic counters and they'll send products out to you. How good is that! So if the product you want isn't available online, you just call the counter and they'll post it to you. Even better, if you spend over $100, shipping is free!
You also get your rewards points with the purchase and they are more than happy to hold things until everything you want is in stock, which is great when you want limited edition items.

NYX are slowly rolling out to Target stores across Australia. If you want to know whether they are coming to your local store, they have a list of the stores they're at on their Facebook page and they will even tell you when they will be in your local store.

Fountain Cosmetics have a great offer at the moment. If you buy $100 worth of products, they will give you $100 worth of product free. 



Friday 22 November 2013

FFS Friday - Whingey McWhingerson

It's Friday, time for my weekly whinge! 

Last week from Wednesday on I was so tired that I was struggling to keep my eyes open. You know when you are so tired that your eyes sting and you can't keep them open? That's how I was feeling all the time. FFS.

I had the PILs here helping for a few days. It was wonderful. Not FFS.

As usual MIL drove me crazy. FFS.

Wednesday we all went out to do the food shopping. On the way home Eljay decided to do his screaming trick. FFS.

MIL was sitting in the back with a tired Chai and the screaming Eljay. She was trying to soothe Eljay but as he was on the opposite side of the car to her she had to reach her arm right across Chai which annoyed him greatly, so he started screaming too. FFS.

There was no way to soothe Eljay and all she was doing was upsetting Chai but do you think she'd stop? I told her at least five times to leave Eljay alone and to stop irritating Chai but she didn't. FFS.

In the end FIL told her to leave it so she did, but every now and again she'd reach for Eljay when we weren't looking (which was most of the time as I was driving). FFS.

The only problem with that was as soon as she'd reach across Chai he'd start yelling. FFS.

Whilst all this was going on and I was driving like I was being chased by the devil, MIL kept on telling me to pull over and soothe Eljay. FFS.

I told her twice that it wouldn't help and that he'd get more upset when we started driving again, but of course she didn't believe me and kept on telling me to pull over. So I yelled at her. Oops. FFS.

It was bad enough having my baby screaming his lungs out without her upsetting Chai and telling me what to do, like I haven't already tried everything to stop him getting so upset in the car. FFS.

Unable to respect my wishes MIL reached her arm behind Chai and flapped a catalogue near Eljay, who promptly stopped crying and started laughing. FFS.

I'm never going out again. FFS.

Going anywhere in the car with Eljay is sofa king stressful, I hate it. FFS.

Did you like that? If you didn't get it, say it fast. Sofa king. Hehehe. If you like that you'll like far queue too. Bahahaha. (Yes, I'm tired so everything seems funny at the moment).

I made the mistake of telling Tiger about this and he got really annoyed and is going to say something to his mum. FFS.

I should have just kept my mouth shut. FFS.

The last few days before Tiger comes home are always difficult. I'm tired, Chai has had enough and it's just not fun. 

Saturday morning we had to go to the supermarket so off we went. Eljay was tired so I put him in the carrier as he usually falls asleep in it. Not this time. FFS.

Halfway through the food shopping Eljay spat it and wouldn't stop crying. FFS.

Chai decided to join in too. FFS.

The lovely people at the checkout let me go through the 12 items or less aisle and a very nice lady let me go in front of her. Not FFS.

No matter what I did Eljay would not stop crying. FFS.

I left the supermarket and got Eljay out of the carrier to calm him down. This meant that I was trying to push my full trolley with one hand with a screaming child in the other. FFS.

Thankfully a nice man pushed the shopping trolley to the car for me and even offered to load my shopping into the car. Not FFS.

As we were walking to the car he kindly told me that he has two boys and it doesn't get any easier. FFS.

That was just what I didn't need to hear. FFS.

People are so much friendlier in the country! Not FFS.

The rest of the day was exhausting. Chai was out of sorts so constantly spitting the dummy and crying. Every time I got Eljay to sleep Chai woke him up, which meant I had a very tired baby who just wanted to be held. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. Fun. FFS.

That afternoon I was getting lunch ready and managed to pour most of a can of beetroot into the sink. FFS.

The same sink that I'd just emptied Chai's potty into. FFS.

I had thoroughly cleaned it out, but still. Gross. FFS.

Dad came over for a few hours in the evening and saved the day. Not FFS.


The next day my best friend, brother, sister in law and nephews came over and we all had a wonderful day. They stayed until around 5.30pm and Chai had such a great time. My best friend bought her dog over (at Chai's request) so they spent a lot of time running around together then when my nephews arrived they all went for a swim. It was so nice to see my little boy happy and having fun. Not FFS.


It's made me realise that I really need to make the effort to go out or get people over more often when Tiger is away.


Tiger got home Tuesday. Not FFS.


He picked up his new car. We now have three cars as he hasn't sold the old one. FFS.


The bloody thing is costing us a fortune already. FFS.


He's replaced the brakes, bought a reversing camera, air cleaner and tyre. FFS.


He's also planning on tinting the windows and goodness knows what else. FFS.


Stupid car. FFS.


It's actually quite nice to drive. FFS.


In the early hours of Thursday morning I came down with a cold. FFS.


Send the wahmbulance. FFS.


It should be illegal for mothers to get sick as we don't get a break and can't rest. FFS.


Although I did time it pretty well cause Tiger is doing everything whilst I look after bub and lie around feeling sorry for myself. Not FFS.

I'm sure there are lots more things for me to whine about but I can't think of them at the moment so they will have to wait for next week. 

If you'd like to read more whinges, head over to Sarah's blog




Dear Baby G

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel

The more I use Clarins products the more I like them. I'm quite surprised that there isn't more hype about their products because most of the products I've tried have been amazing.




Their Splendours collection is beautiful, I want (and will probably buy!) the whole range. The collection consists of a shimmer body oil, colour quartet and liner palette, summer bronzing compact (shown above), instant smooth crystal lip gel and instant smooth crystal lip balm. How beautiful is the bronzer? I'd buy it just so that I could look at it!


I was sent the Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel in Crystal Plum to review and as soon as I tried it I ordered the Strawberry version. If you like the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector you will love the Crystal Lip Gel as they are very similar. The Lip Gel is like a gloss version of the Lip Perfector.

Whilst Crystal Plum looks dark in the tube, it applies sheer and gives my lips a nice light wash of colour.   
I found this to be very hdyrating. It's not at all sticky and feels more like a balm than a gloss. For a non sticky gloss it's surprisingly long lasting too, it lasts at least three hours before I need to reapply.

Colour wise Crystal Plum reminds me of Prune, which is the first Lancome Juicy Tube that I ever purchased.

As you'd expect, it has a lovely fruity fragrance but no flavour.
I absolutely love my Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gels and hope that they are released again as they are just beautiful. I'd even go so far as to say that they are one of the best glosses that I've ever used. If you are a lip gloss lover, run out and get yourself one before it's too late!

Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel costs $30 and is available from Clarins counters. 

For those of you like me, who don't live near a Myer, I've discovered that you can do phone orders! You just call the counter, tell them what you want and they'll send it to you. If you spend over $100 it's free shipping too! They are also happy to hold things for you until everything comes into stock. Bonus!


Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm in Crystal Rose.jpg
This is the Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm, another product from the Splendours collection that I'm planning on getting.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Ten reasons my husband is not a selfish shit

SallyAnne, this one is for you!
Last week SallyAnne bought to my attention that Tiger is often portrayed in a negative light in my FFS Friday posts. Whilst he's not perfect, he's pretty amazing, so I thought it was high time I started talking about some of his good points. In no particular order, here are a few of the many things that make Tiger a wonderful man. 

1. He works hard for us without complaint. Tiger works a very physically demanding job to look after us and so that we can have a nice house, holidays etc.

2. He moved to the country so I could be closer to my family, even though it meant that he is now further away from his family.

3. He makes sacrifices for us, in all sorts of different ways. For example, Tiger loves doing martial arts, however when he's home he rarely goes because it means time away from the family. I know he misses martial arts and I encourage him to go, but when it comes down to a choice between going to martial arts and spending time with the family, he chooses us.

4. He is an amazing dad. Tiger is the most hands on dad I know, he loves our boys and it makes me so happy to see the joy he gets from them. There is nothing he doesn't do for the boys. When I had Chai he stayed in the hospital with us and I only changed one nappy the whole time. He will feed, bath and change the boys without any hesitation and without me even having to ask. Unlike some fathers I know, I don't have a problem leaving the boys with Tiger, I know that they will be well looked after and I won't get home to find they haven't been fed or cared for properly. Also, he doesn't call looking after his children babysitting!

5. He is happy for me to be a sahm even though it means he has to work hard/away.

6. He treats me like an equal and doesn't make me feel like I should be contributing financially. He tells me that it's our money and that I work harder than he does, I just don't get paid for it. In his eyes raising our children is the most important job.

7. He brings me coffee in bed every morning when he's home. Despite him having to get up early for work every day when he's away, when he's home he brings me coffee in bed every morning and if I'm tired he'll take the boys so that I can sleep in.

8. He puts me first and stands up for me with his family. If it comes to a choice between me and his family, he always puts me first. He will also tell his family if they have overstepped the mark and he makes it very clear that the boys and I are his first priority.

9. He makes me laugh.

10. I love him and I know that he loves me. He tells me that he loves me all the time. Not a day goes by that he doesn't tell me he loves me at least five times, usually more. 

I could keep going, but you get the idea. 

Monday 18 November 2013

Priceline sale!


 





Tomorrow and Wednesday all cosmetics are 40% off at Priceline, in store and online. Great time to get some christmas shopping done!

Clearasil Vitamins And Extracts Scrub

It's been many years since I used a Clearasil product however I was intrigued when I received this to trial so into my shower it went. At first I was hesitant as I've always thought Clearasil products were for people with acne so I didn't think it would be suitable for me, however I quite like it.

This is a product that both Tiger and I use. I like to stock my shower with a few reasonably priced products that both Tiger and I can use, it saves space in the shower, means I get through products quicker and that Tiger isn't using my expensive products. The reason I don't like Tiger using my expensive products is he uses so much of them! He has no hair so uses his face wash all over his head as well as on his face. You can imagine how quickly he uses things up. 

Clearasil says: Gentle exfoliating scrub with a scientific balance of effective cleansing and skin-kind ingredients. Vitamin E and avocado extracts known for their skin nourishing properties, pomegranate fruit extract, an anti-oxidant known to help keep skin looking healthy. Use every day in the morning and evening for visibly clearer skin.

I use my Vitamins and Extracts scrub once a day, in the mornings as I use a make-up remover at night. I normally use cream cleansers so this is quite different to what I'd normally use, but I don't mind it. It cleans effectively without leaving my skin squeaky clean (which I hate). The scrub particles are smooth and there aren't a lot of them, so I wouldn't use it in place of my regular face scrub, however used daily it does the job. 

Whilst this cleanser isn't really for me, Tiger loves it. He loves that it cleans his skin and the scrubby bits make him feel like he's really cleaned the day off. As someone who works outdoors, Tiger likes to use a face scrub every day so that he feels like he's got all the dirt off and Vitamins and Extracts Scrub gives him that feeling without stripping his skin too much. 

Vitamins and Extracts Scrub costs $10.99 for a 150ml flip top tube.
Click this link to read more about Clearasil skin care products.


Ingredients:


This product was provided for review.

Friday 15 November 2013

FFS Friday - Tired

A word about FFS Friday:
I thought it was high time I explained FFS Friday as I have never done so, I just started writing the posts. FFS Friday is supposed to be a funny look at the things that have happened in my week and it's a way of keeping it real. As Sarah says, "it's cheaper than MOFO therapy" and it is. FFS Friday is my way of venting. Something happens, I write about it and then forget all about it. It's not about anger or negativity, it's supposed to be a fun, lighthearted look at what's happened during the week. That's all. 

Sunday started out like any other solo parenting day. In fact it started better than most solo parenting days because we all slept in until 5.45am. Winning. 

I should have got a little clue at what was to come, when in the morning the boys were playing. I was about to lay Eljay on Chai's stomach when Eljay did a huge spew all over the blanket and Chai. FFS.

We had some stuff to do so went to the the shops. When we got there I got Chai out of the car and then Eljay. Whilst I was getting Eljay out of the car Chai was playing with the car door. I went to close the door and it wouldn't close. FFS.

I thought that my handbag must have been in the way so moved back a bit and tried again, but it still wouldn't close. FFS.

That's when I noticed Chai's fingers were all black. FFS.

Naturally he couldn't tell me what he'd done to the door. FFS.

Feeling rather pleased with myself, I figured out that he must have put the child lock on. He hadn't. FFS.

Next I tried unlocking the doors. Didn't work. FFS.

By this time my mind was starting to run wild with the only possible outcome that I could think of and that was that we'd have to wait around in the hot sun for the RAC to arrive and fix the car. FFS.

In desperation I locked and unlocked the doors again and it worked! Not FFS.

We did our stuff at the shops and came home. No big deal. Eljay screamed the whole way home, stressful but nothing unusual. There was no hint of what was to come. 

Eljay had a huge 3 1/2 hour sleep which gave me plenty of time to play with Chai, it was turning out to be a really good day. When Eljay woke up I was feeding him and Chai was doing his usual thing of climbing all over me. FFS.

He climbs up behind me on the lounge suite and lays across the back of my neck which is not only annoying, it's painful, so I went into the bedroom to finish feeding Eljay. Halfway through the feed, Eljay had fallen asleep and Chai came into the room to tell me he's done a poo. I asked him if he'd done it on the potty and he said no. FFS.

As he was taking me into the living room to show me where he'd done the poo I realised he had poo all over his foot and was walking it through the house. FFS.

Turns out Chai had poo'd on the chair in the dining room. FFS.

I told Chai to stand still until I cleaned him up and went to put Eljay down. That woke him up, poor little bub. FFS.

Meanwhile Chai was crying and upon realising he had poo on his foot, promptly vomited so there was poo and spew everywhere. FFS.

I grabbed a towel, wrapped Chai up and took him into the bathroom where I washed the poo and spew off him then put him in the bath. I cleaned up the spew then crawled around the house cleaning the poo off the floor. FFS.

It was all through our bedroom carpet. FFS.

I had to keep on calling out to make sure Chai was okay as he was in the bath unsupervised and I didn't want him to drown. FFS.

I got the steam mop out and gave the spew and poo areas a good clean to make sure it was all clean, then used half a spray can of air freshener to stop the house stinking. FFS.

So instead of smelling like spew our house smelt like a toilet. FFS.

By this time poor Eljay was starting to get upset, so I picked him up then went to get Chai out of the bath. I got him out of the bath and dressed without any major problems then sat down to finish feeding Eljay. Chai chose this time to start playing up and was being a little horror. When his behaviour wasn't getting the desired outcome he threw a huge tantrum. FFS.

When he was still screaming twenty minutes later, I called for backup so my brother came over to help. As soon as I told Chai his uncle was coming over he cheered up and stood at the door waiting for him. Not FFS.

My brother stayed for two hours and there were no dramas. Not FFS.

That evening we were sitting in bed talking to Tiger on Skype when Chai did a huge spew all over himself, me, our pillows and the bed. FFS.

All hell broke loose. FFS.

Chai started screaming, Eljay started screaming and I sprang into action. I lay Eljay in his cot then stripped off all my clothes as I was covered in spew. I stripped off Chai's clothes and he started screaming because he didn't want a shower. FFS.

I told him I wouldn't put him in the shower but he didn't believe me so was kicking and fighting me when I was trying to pick him up. That just spread the spew further. I managed to get him into the bathroom, stood him in the bath and wiped him down with a cloth. FFS.

Poor Eljay was really, really upset so Tiger was talking to him trying to calm him down. It didn't work. FFS.

I got Chai cleaned up, stripped the bed, covered the spew with Febreeze and towels, remade the bed, got Chai dressed, all whilst stark naked. FFS.

Next I put on a dressing gown and calmed Eljay down. Then I sat there, stinking like spew, feeding Eljay whilst cuddling Chai and talking to Tiger on Skype. 

Both boys fell asleep and I was trapped. I had Chai cuddled up on one side of me and Eljay on the other side of me and I couldn't move. FFS.

How they could sleep anywhere near me when I stunk so badly is a mystery. FFS.

I sent a message to Tiger telling him that I was trapped and to send help. The first part of the message didn't come up straight away so he had a heart attack as the first bit he got was "send help". It wasn't until a few seconds later until he saw the first part with a photo of me and the first line saying "I'm trapped".  FFS.

At 8.30pm I had only just got both boys to sleep, I hadn't had tea, had a shower or cleaned up the second huge spew. Fun times.

Things like this never happen when Tiger is home. FFS.

I have more, but as Sunday was such a spectacular day I'm going to leave it to share the glory on it's own and I'll tell you the rest of my FFS Friday worthy moments next week.


Dear Baby G

Thursday 14 November 2013

FIFO Wife Life

It's 9.34pm and I'm exhausted. We are nearing the end of my first swing solo parenting with two children. It hasn't been fun. In fact it's been really bloody difficult and I hate it. I'm so bone numbingly tired that I can barely move. For the last two days I've been so tired that I struggle to keep my eyes open all day. Caffeine and chocolate aren't helping. I just need some sleep.

My house is a mess, there are toys everywhere, I haven't done the washing or vacuumed the floors and the oven needs to be cleaned. I don't care. I just want to sleep. For a whole day. Uninterrupted. Maybe in a hotel so that I'm alone. That won't work, I'd have to take the baby with me. 

FIFO is two weeks of heaven and two weeks of hell, continuously. Both Tiger and I struggle to know if we want to keep doing it. I hate it, I really hate it, when he's away. I love it when he's home. The two weeks he's away are a nightmare. I get tired, I struggle to look after the kids, everything is hard work. 

Then he comes home and everything is easy again. If he worked locally he'd only be home one or two days a week. But he'd be home every night. We don't know what is more important or what would be better. I think having him home every night would be better, I know it'd be better for me. And I think it'd be better for the kids. Getting through a tough day is easy, it's only a matter of hours. Getting through two weeks, not so easy. 

But FIFO gives us better quality time with Tiger. When he's home he's all ours. He's not tired, he's not thinking about work, he's not rushing around trying to get everything done in two days. He's relaxed, he's happy, we have time to do everything we want to do. He can come to any classes that we take Chai to. If he was working locally he couldn't do that. 

Then there's the other side. What if I get sick? He can't take a day off to stay home and help me, so I'm on my own. What if something happens to one of the kids? It'd take him at least five hours to get home. No point worry about what if's though.

All of that is irrelevant really as there are no jobs locally. We've looked. I'd happily move if it meant we could all be together, but there aren't many residential jobs available either. Most jobs in Tigers industry are FIFO. We are lucky that we have equal swings, a lot of the other jobs are four weeks on one week off. I could never do that, it'd be like being single. We did it years ago, never again. 

So, I suppose what my befuddled brain is saying is that FIFO sucks and I'm tired.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Eles Age Defying BB Cream 30

A few months ago I was sent the new Eles Age Defying BB Cream to trial, however thanks to my fussy skin I've been unable to use it so I gave it to my Mum. She's been testing it out for about six weeks now and it's safe to say that she loves it. Prior to giving the BB Cream to Mum I took heaps of photos of it, however they have mysteriously disappeared so I've had to use photos from the Eles website. When I find the photos I took I'll update my post.


Eles says: Multi-faceted and benefit-packed, this new, innovative treatment cream primes, tints, nourishes, evens out skin tone, and helps to strengthen and protect skin on contact. Upon application, skin immediately appears more uniform, hydrated and luminous, while being protected from UVA/UVB damage with Broad Spectrum SPF 30. Over time, age defying peptides and natural extracts help to promote cell health, strengthen elasticity and restore skin’s youthful glow. Skin caring and skin perfecting in one simple step.

Mum says: I like it! It's nice to use and makes my skin look good. 

I say: Mum's skin looks great when she's wearing her Age Defying BB Cream. The first time I saw it on her I asked what she had on cause her skin looked lovely, very fresh and healthy. I love that it has an SPF of 30, that makes it perfect for summer. 


I used this for a few days and found that it's quite thick, like the Asian BB Creams. Despite being thick, it's not at all oily and I still needed to use a moisturiser underneath it (I have dry skin). If you have oily skin this would be hydrating enough to use without moisturiser underneath. 

Coverage wise it's halfway between a tinted moisturiser and a foundation. I didn't find that I needed to use a powder over the top as it is pigmented enough to cover my redness, however I still needed to use concealer to cover up my dark under eye circles. Both Mum and I were able to use the Light shade, even though Mum's skin is a shade or two darker than mine.

Elese Age Defying BB Cream is available from the Eles website for $49.50. There are three shades available; Light, Medium and Deep. 

This product was provided for review.

Monday 11 November 2013

October Favourites

I'm a little late with my favourites this month, last month just ran away from me and it was the end of the month before I knew it. 
I've struggled to come up with favourites this month because I'm using the same products all the time in an attempt to use things up so I've already included my favourites in previous favourites posts. 

The Jojoba Company Jojoba Absolute Serum - You can see my full review here. In short, this is my miracle serum.  I've nearly finished it and I don't know what to do. I really want to repurchase it but I have so many other serums that I need to finish first. 

Subtle Energies Rose Petal Lip Balm - I'm a sucker for anything rose scented so there was no question that I was going to love this balm. It smells beautiful and is more like a butter than a balm. Perfection.

Soap and Glory Wash Your Hands of it - Soap and Glory are one of my favourite bath and body brands, I love the scent of their products. The hand wash is gorgeous and the scent is quite long lasting which I love. I got mine in a set with a hand cream which I think it still available.

Clarins Crystal Plum Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel - The more Clarins products I try the more I like them. The Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel is limited edition so get it whilst you can. It's a gloss and balm combined, on my lips it looks like a gloss but it feels like a lip balm. I'm planning on getting the strawberry one too.

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel was sent for review.

Friday 8 November 2013

FFS Friday - Life is Tough

WooHoo, look at me! I actually managed to get my FFS Friday post published on a Friday! I have lots to complain about so let's get into it. 

I mentioned last week that we went away for a few days. What a nightmare. FFS.

I'm never going away again. FFS.

Going away with kids is no fun at all. FFS.

Especially now that Eljay screams the whole time we are in the car. FFS.

We headed out Thursday morning. I fed Eljay and put him in the car nearly asleep. Thankfully he screamed for a few minutes then fell asleep. Not FFS.

We were halfway there when he woke up and started screaming. FFS.

Tiger wanted to look at some cars and I refused to go with him, so when Eljay started screaming we decided the best thing would be for him to drop Eljay and I off at the train station then he could come and meet us in the city once he'd finished looking at cars. Not FFS.

Naturally, that was the one time Chai decided that he wanted to come with me instead of stay with Tiger. FFS.

We managed to convince him it'd be better to stay with Daddy. Not FFS.

I got down to the platform and was sitting there feeding Eljay when a lady sat next to me and asked if he was my baby. FFS.

No, I just stole a random baby and started breastfeeding it, as you do. FFS.

I also stole a baby bag, pram and vomit stained top whilst I was at it. FFS.

I get that she was trying to be friendly, but really? FFS.

She then had a phone conversation that went like this "Hey baby, you coming over to my place? I text you my address." Then she pulled out another mobile phone, made a phone call and spoke rapidly in another language for a minute then hung up. So she was either a drug dealer or a prostitute. FFS.

We stayed in a hotel for two nights. It was one we'd stayed at in the past and had a bad experience, more fool us for going back there again. FFS.

They claim to be refurbished however there was mould in the shower, one of the beds was so old that when you sat on it you nearly hit the floor and the air conditioner wouldn't turn off. FFS.

That night just before he went to bed Chai poured a whole glass of water all over my bed. FFS. 

Tiger decided that he needed to get a sim card for his tablet which meant hanging around the Telstra shop. FFS.

Chai was playing on the stools there when he dropped on right on the top of my foot. FFS.

A week later it's still really sore (probably because he keeps on kneeing it, stepping on it and dropping things on the same spot). FFS.

To my great annoyance, the bruise is barely visible. FFS.

If I'm going to be in so much pain I could at least have an impressive bruise and get some sympathy for it! FFS.

After Tiger had got his sim card and signed a twelve month contract, we discovered that the sim card reader in his tablet is broken. FFS.

Telstra won't cancel the contract. FFS.

It's going to cost $80 to get the sim card reader fixed. FFS.


Whilst we were in the city Tiger got a massage twice. This meant that I was left alone with both the kids. Chai is never happy to be away from Tiger so complained the whole time Tiger was getting his massage. FFS.

Saturday morning was Tigers second massage. It was at 8.15am. Nothing is open at 8.15am. FFS.

The massage place is at a shopping centre, so Chai, Eljay and I were wandering around the closed shopping centre. We went to the supermarket and Big W as they were the only shops open. FFS.

I'd bribed Chai to stop crying for Daddy by promising to get him a car. Whilst we were looking at the cars I was suddenly busting to do a poo. FFS.

It was so bad that I thought I was going to poo myself. FFS.

I looked around madly but there were no toilets in sight and no staff members to ask if there was a toilet it the store. FFS.

I had to go so badly that I couldn't even walk. FFS.

I stood there wondering what the hell I was going to do, it was that desperate that I thought I'd have to go in my undies, take them off and then buy a new pair of undies. I kid you not. FFS.

After about 30 seconds I managed to be able to move and started making a swift dash for the exit. On the way past I grabbed a pair of undies in case I didn't make it. FFS.

Chai was screaming at the top of his voice because I hadn't got him a car. FFS.

He already had all the cars that were there, but despite me telling him that he was not happy. He also didn't understand my urgency to go to the loo, naturally. FFS.

By some miracle I managed to make it to the loo. Do you think the loo in the parents room could fit a shopping trolley? No! FFS.

In sheer desperation I managed to wedge the trolley into the toilet and sat down in relief. Not FFS.

Chai started crying, dry retching and telling me that he wanted to get out of the toilet cause of the smell. Eljay (who was attached to me in the baby carrier) also chose that time to start crying. FFS.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the whole time this had been going on Eljay had been in the carrier breastfeeding. FFS. 

When we finally got home on Saturday, Chai disappeared. Tiger found him in the car. He'd found my lip gloss, eaten some, painted his lips and both of his legs with it. FFS.

Thankfully it was only one I'd got free with a magazine. Not FFS.

Monday night I was cleaning up the kitchen when I managed to drop a plastic cutting board down the back of the stove. FFS.

I have skills. It's such a tiny space I'm sure I couldn't do it again if I wanted to. FFS.


Tiger pulled the stove forward and I tried to get the board with the tea bag tongs. I just managed to make it fall further down. FFS.

Thankfully Tiger discovered that the stove is on legs and he could get behind there so salvaged the cutting board. Not FFS.

I must admit I was slightly disappointed as I'd been looking forward to not being able to do any cooking. FFS.


Tuesday Tiger went back to work. FFS.

By 6.30pm Chai had wee'd all over the floor three times, the lounge suite once and the rug once. FFS.

As I was washing the dishes I heard a splash and turned around to see that Chai had got his medicine down, got a spoon, taken the child proof lid off and tried to pour himself some. FFS.

In the attempt, he'd poured nearly the whole bottle all over himself, the floor and the cupboards. FFS.

The medicine is red so he looked like he was bleeding. FFS.

Last night I managed to drop a kilo of rice all over the pantry. FFS.

it went all over the shelves and the floor. FFS.

Since the floor is not very clean I had to throw it all out. FFS.

It's the only time I've bought the expensive, organic rice. FFS.

No doubt it wouldn't have happened if I'd just bought my usual, supermarket brand cheap rice. FFS.

That's the end of my whinging for the week. If you've made it this far, congratulations.

For those of you who want to read more whinges, head over to Sarah's blog.  
Dear Baby G

Thursday 7 November 2013

1000th Post!!!!!

I can't believe that I've done 1000 posts! Who would have thought I'd have that much to talk about! I've been trying to think of something profound to write for my 1000th post but so far I've come up with nothing. So instead I'm going to talk about one of my favourite topics, synchronicity (you thought I was going to say lip balm didn't you?).

Synchronicity is something that tells me I'm heading in the right direction. It hasn't happened for a while ago but it happened a few weeks ago. It's the small signs that let me know I'm on the right track. Here's what happened. Dad was coming over for tea and I had no idea what I was going to feed him. I needed to do the food shopping so the fridge and cupboards were bare. I found some ravioli but had nothing to make a sauce out of. Dad came over and bought a whole bag of tomato's because he had too many. Perfect! That gave me something to make sauce out of. 

See what I mean when I say it's the small things? They are small, but they are signs. I love them. 

And now onto another one of my favourite topics, lip balm. Does anyone have any lip balm recommendations for me? I feel like I haven't tried a new lip balm for ages.   

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Latest ASOS purchases

I love ASOS for their cheap makeup. I bought a few maternity clothes from them and the quality wasn't great, so I'm not sure I'll buy clothes from them again, however I regularly check to see what makeup they have. They get things ages before they are released in Australia and they are usually a lot cheaper too.
I received my latest haul last week so thought I'd share it.
How cute is this owl lip balm? They had a blue and silver one too. I wanted the blue one but got the gold one because it was supposed to be choc caramel flavoured but it's not, it's raspberry which I'm a little disappointed about. I considered sending it back, but I'm going to keep it and just buy a blue one as well.

I've wanted the Bourjois Bronzing Primer for ages but it's not available here. I've been watching ASOS and they finally got it in, so I bought it straight away before they sold out. It smells gorgeous, coconutty and lovely. I'm absolutely hopeless when it comes to bronzing and contouring so it'll be interesting to see if I'm any better with a liquid bronzer.
It looks a little scary in the pot, but I swiped some on before I had a shower and was pleased to see that it blends in and is barely noticeable.
 
Another product I've been excited about is the new Bourjois Rouge Edition Shine lipsticks. They will be out here soon (they might already be available), however I'm sure they will cost a lot more than what I paid for them ($14.77)
I also bought the famous Korres Jasmine lip butter. I tried the lip butters many years ago when they were first released. When I say years ago I really mean years ago, they were so new that I had to order them from Greece! Anyhow, I didn't like them, I found them to be really light and not at all hydrating. They get such rave reviews though, so I thought I'd give them another go. I love the colour of Jasmine and it smells amazing too, not at all like Jasmine, it smells foody to me.

The Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm is something I've had my eye on for ages because I'm obsessed with chubby lip products and need to own all of them. 
Another photo of the owl cause it's so cute.


Is there anything else I should look at from ASOS? If you'd like a review of anything I bought, please let me know.

Monday 4 November 2013

Nude by Nature Glam It Up! Box

Priceline has some great Nude by Nature kits available at the moment, they are a great way to try out a range of products from the brand without spending a lot of money or buying a full sized product that you might not like. I really like the Nude by Nature products that I've tried so I bought the Glam It Up! box. 
As you can see from the photo, it cost $49.95 and comes with a foundation, setting powder, concealer, lip and cheek stain, primer, bronzer, kabuki brush and face oil.
I've been using the products for a few weeks now and I really, really like them. I'm even thinking that they foundation and setting powder could become holy grail products, they make my skin look so good, like it's glowing (which is quite amazing considering I'm severely sleep deprived at the moment!)



The primer (which I didn't take a photo of) is lovely and light which means that it sets quickly so I don't have to wait around for ages until I can put my foundation on.
Whilst the bronzer looks quite scary I'm finding that I can wear it and I'm rather pale, so I think it'd be suitable for most people.
I've always thought finishing powders were just a gimmick but they aren't, they really do make a difference. With just the foundation on my skin looks okay, but once I've put the finishing powder on it looks flawless.
This is very, very pigmented so use a light hand. It also sets quickly, so I apply a little bit at a time and layer it on until I've got the colour that I want. Once it's on it stays put all day.
I'm loving the concealer (another product I didn't take a photo of!), it hides my very dark circles and any redness that I have and it only creases a little bit towards the end of the day. 

If you are interested in trying out Nude by Nature products, this is a great kit to buy!

Friday 1 November 2013

FFS Friday - Late again!

So I'm late with my FFS Friday post again. FFS.

If I keep this up I'll have to start calling it FFS Saturday, but that just doesn't sound the same. We were away from Thursday to this afternoon (Saturday), so I didn't get the chance to post. Rest assured, the time away gave me plenty off FFS Friday fodder so next weeks post is going to be a doozy. 

I mentioned last week that Eljay has started screaming whenever we're in the car. FFS.

It's really, really horrible and makes me want to stay home all the time. FFS.

The poor little bub gets so upset that I'm convinced he's going to be emotionally scarred by the experience. FFS.

I have no idea how to spell scarred, so I've either said he's going to be emotionally scarred or emotional scared. Either is probably appropriate. FFS.

I'm emotionally scarred from it too and will probably require years of counseling. FFS.

If I could drink I'm sure that would negate the need for counseling, but I can't. FFS.

There's one thing worse than Eljay screaming in the car and that's when he stops screaming. FFS.

Every time he stops screaming I'm convinced that he's dead. FFS.

I imagine all sorts of things. Did he vomit and choke on it? Did he choke on his saliva? Did he choke on his tears? Did he pass out with the stress? Did his little heart give up because he got so worked up? FFS.

I get so worried that I contemplate pulling over to check that he's okay, but I don't want to prolong the journey any longer so I drive along dithering about whether I should stop or not. FFS.

It's a huge relief when he starts crying again cause at least I know he's alive. FFS.

Despite hearing how upset Eljay gets, Tiger was of the opinion that "he'll get used to it" (being in the car). FFS.

It wasn't until he actually got Eljay out of the car and saw how distressed he was that he changed his mind. FFS.

When we go out Tiger drives, so when we arrived at the shopping centre last Saturday I asked him to get Eljay out because I thought he could get to him faster. (Eljay is on the same side as Tiger). I should have known better FFS.

Tiger is so bloody slow, he's like an old woman. FFS.

In the time it took him to get out of the car and open the back door I'd got out, unbuckled Chai from his seat, put his shoes on and got him out of the car. FFS.

Meanwhile Tiger hadn't even got Eljay out of the car, he was just talking to him and trying to comfort him whilst the poor little thing was in his seat screaming. FFS.

Next time I'll just get him out myself. FFS.

I have a thing for cups. Both Dad and I love a good mug. We are always on the hunt for a great mug and will often buy mugs for each other when we discover a good one. Not FFS.


For my birthday Dad gave me two beautiful cups. I was hesitant to use them in case they got broken, however I believe that there's no point having nice things if you don't use them, so I've been using them. Not FFS.


I've been hand washing them because I didn't want to risk putting them in the dishwasher. Tuesday I put one of my precious cups in the dishwasher for the first time. You can see where this is going can't you? FFS.


Chai was helping me unpack the dishwasher and before I could beat him to it he picked up my special cup and somehow broke the handle off it. FFS.


Then, trying to help, he picked up the broken handle and cut himself on it. FFS.


I tried my best not to show him that I was upset because he didn't do it on purpose and I know he was only trying to help, but really, why do boys break everything they touch? FFS.


I suppose I have to resign myself to years of not having any nice things because I'm surrounded by males. FFS.

To my great frustration Tiger has decided that he needs a new car. FFS.

He doesn't need a new car. FFS.

In the seven years that we've been together Tiger has had six cars. FFS.

When he bought the ute that he has now he told me it was going to be the last car that he bought. FFS.

I didn't believe him and I was right as he's now decided that he needs a different car. FFS.

Considering we've just bought a house and got a mortgage, I really don't think it's a good time to buy a new car, especially when there is nothing wrong with the car he has now. FFS.

His car barely gets used. When he's away it sits in a car park and when he's home it sits in our driveway and we use the family car. FFS.


In typical Tiger fashion, when he's decided on something he's obsessed with it until he's got what he wants. FFS.

So he's constantly trawling the internet, auto trader and newspapers for cars and telling me all about them, like I give a damn. FFS.

Also in typical Tiger fashion, he's not going for a reasonably priced car, he's decided that he needs one worth about $30 grand. Fucking brilliant. FFS.

It's times like these that I feel like he's sinking us further and further into debt. FFS.

The worst bit is there is nothing I can do about it. FFS.

I can just see something happening to him and me being left with huge amounts of debt that I can't pay off so having to sell everything and live in a horrible little rental with my babies. FFS.

Time to get some life insurance! FFS.

Now that you've read all my complaints, head over to Sarah's blog to see what everyone else has to complain about. 


Dear Baby G