Monday 30 June 2014

MiniBarCo

I recently came across the MiniBarCo on Instagram and the next day I got an email about them having a sale, how's that for a coincidence?

MiniBarCo is an online store that sell travel sized (TSA approved) beauty products. What a brilliant idea! They stock a huge range of great brands and everything is travel sized. As well as being able to buy individual products, they also have kits available. 

I've spent the last few days browsing around the site and I'm impressed, they've really thought of everything. They have travel sized perfumes, candles, insect repellant, baby products and the list goes on. I've got my eye on the cute little deodorants by MBeze (and several other things!) 

Not only would the products be great for travelling, they'd also be great for an at work kit, for the handbag or for a baby bag.
 
They currently have a 30% off sale that's going until the 31st of July, just enter the code EOFY14 at checkout.

If you buy anything, let me know what you get!

Thought of the month

This month I have only one thought.

When did heroin chic become the norm?
I was watching 80's video's this month, specifically Samantha Fox. She was a very beautiful, normal sized woman. It got me thinking about when I was growing up (in the 80's). Back then beauty wasn't all about being stick thin, normal sized woman were considered beautiful and being super thin was not attractive. 

Then in the 90's Heroin Chic became a thing. People were shocked at how thin the Heroin Chic models were. Then all of a sudden Heroin Chic became the new normal and now we consider super thin to be attractive and normal to be unattractive. I find it very sad. It's this, along with a lot of other things, that makes me glad I have boys instead of girls. I really wouldn't like to raise a girl in a world where so much value is placed on appearance. 

Friday 27 June 2014

FFS Friday - Stuck like glue

Hello lovers! How are we all? I trust you have all had a wonderful week and are ready to read my whinges. If you haven't had a wonderful week, please tell me all about it. 
 
I'm sure that the longer Tiger works away the harder it gets for all of us. FFS.

Tiger hates being away and we hate him being away. FFS.

We all love the time he's home though. And we know that we get to spend more time with him now that he's working away. If he worked locally he'd get four days a month off. Working away he gets fourteen days a month off. No comparison really. FFS/Not FFS.

If only Chai could understand this. FFS.

For the last few swings, when Tiger has been away Chai sticks to me like glue. FFS.

Literally sticks to me. FFS.

He is always touching me. FFS.

And I mean always, even when I'm on the loo. FFS.

The only time he isn't touching me is when I'm in the shower. He stands at the shower door and watches. FFS.

I'm constantly tripping over him because he's either right in front of me or right behind me. FFS.

Even when he's sleeping he's stuck to me. FFS.

We have a king sized bed however Chai and I take up less than the room of a single bed. FFS.

His head is on my pillow all night. FFS.

I really struggle to cope with it, I just want a bit of space where he's not on me but he's really not at an age where I can get him to understand that without upsetting him. Clearly he's like that cause he's upset about Tiger being away and I don't want to make it worse by telling him he can't touch me, but FFS, give me some space! 

Added to that, this week he's really, really missed his daddy. FFS.

No matter how busy I've kept him, he spends a great portion of his day crying for daddy. FFS.

I'm so over it. FFS.

I've tried everything I can think of and it doesn't help. FFS.

Monday I arranged to catch up with an old work friend who I haven't seen for about 10 years. Not FFS.

Naturally, that was the day Eljay decided to wake me up at 4.30am and Chai at 5am. FFS.

This meant that when we were leaving to meet my friend, Eljay was ready for his sleep. FFS.

We went anyhow. Not FFS.

It was so, so lovely. She hasn't changed a bit, I really enjoyed seeing her and Chai had a great time playing with her son. Not FFS.

When we got home I was hoping Eljay would have a long sleep. He slept for an hour. FFS.

Tuesday I decided to take the boys to the park to get us out of the house. We had a few things to do first, so we did our running around then drove to the park. The last five minutes of the drive were wonderfully peaceful but it wasn't until we got there and I turned around to talk to the boys that I realised they were both sound asleep. FFS/Not FFS.

So I drove home, parked the car in the garage, opened the car doors, left the door to the garage open and went inside to have lunch. Not FFS.

I ate nearly all of my lunch before the boys woke up. It was blissful. Not FFS.

I didn't have to share anything, have Chai pretending to breastfeed from my arm or trying to cuddle me, feed Eljay at the same time etc, I just ate. Heaven. Not FFS.

Wednesday I thought it was Thursday and got very disappointed when I realised it was only Wednesday. FFS.

Thursday I thought it was Wednesday and then I had a mad panic last night when I realised it was Thursday and I hadn't done my FFS Friday post. FFS.

I'm so confused. FFS.

If you'd like to read more whinges, head over to Sarah's blog. I keep forgetting to add my link to her FFS Friday post and now I can't find the cute little FFS Friday button, I'm sure it's there somewhere.

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Current skincare routine

I've never done a skincare routine post, mainly because I change my skincare constantly. At the moment I'm using some products that really work for me, hence my first skincare routine post. 

ECO. C serum - I've wanted to add a Vitamin C product in to my routine for ages now, so when I got the chance to trial the ECO. C serum I was really excited. It's been around a month now and I'm already seeing the changes in my skin, it's glowing.When I first started using this I was expecting some irritation as my skin can be a little sensitive, but to my great delight I haven't had any tingling or irritation. I use this every morning under my moisturiser and sunscreen.


Subtle Energies Facial Blend - This smells amazing! Really, truly amazing! It's one of the nicest scents I've ever smelled. I wish they made it in a perfume! Subtle Energies describe the scent as Sweet floral aroma with woody tones. Calming and nurturing to the senses and the heart chakra. That description is spot on. I would use this serum for the scent alone, it's beautiful and soothing. I use the Facial Blend at the end of the day as it's a beautiful way to end my day. I put a few drops on my hands, rub my hands together to warm to oil, put my hands over my face and breathe in the beautiful scent for a few seconds before applying the oil to my face. It's blissful.
Subtle Energies say that this can be used as a moisturiser and for someone with oily skin it would probably be enough, however I apply a moisturiser over the top as my skin is super dry at the moment.


Subtle Energies Mogra and Indian Rose Gold Cream - This nearly smells as good as the Facial Blend. The scents are very, very similar however the Rose Gold Cream scent is slightly subtler. Funnily enough Subtle Energies describe the scent as subtle sweet floral and woody aroma. I'm using this as my day and night moisturiser at the moment. Originally I was just using it as my day cream however it compliments the scent of the Facial Blend so well that I started using it at night too. 
This cream is very, very rich and hydrating, just what my skin needs at the moment. If you have dry skin that gets irritated and needs intense hydration, this is the moisturiser for you. 


Dr Lewinns Sensitive Cleansing Milk - This is my morning cleanser and it's really nice. As the name suggest it's a super gentle cream type cleanser that doesn't make my face feel dry or tight after I use it.


Alpha-H Age Delay Intensive Eye and Lip Treatment Cream - I'm using this on the fine lines around my mouth and it's really making a difference. I can only see the lines when I pucker my lips, but they aren't as deep as they were before which I'm really pleased about.

MooGoo Oil Cleansing Method - I've tried other oil cleansers but I always come back to MooGoo, it's my favourite for several reasons. It's reasonably priced, smells great, easily removes all my make-up and doesn't leave a greasy film on my skin or eyes. 


NAT. Face Ageblock Eye Cream and Eye Gel - These are my hero products! I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately due to Eljay teething, however thanks to these two products I still look fresh and rested. I use the gel in the morning as it's light and absorbs quickly and the cream at night for a more intense hit of hydration.

Note - The Subtle Energies Facial Blend, ECO. C Serum, Alpha-H Age Delay Intensive Eye and Lip Treatment Cream and NAT. Face Ageblock Eye Cream and Eye Gel were provided for review. All other products I purchased myself.  

Monday 23 June 2014

Favourite Hand Creams

Hand cream is one of those products that I've always been lazy with, which is not a good thing considering that the hands and neck are the first areas to show signs of aging. Luckily for me, I always wipe my left over facial skin care on the back of my hands and I'm sure that's why my hands are in pretty good condition.

Having said that, over the last twelve months my hands have been really dry, so I've been making the effort to use hand cream every day. Finding a good hand cream is surprisingly tricky, but lucky for you all I've done the hard work for you. To make things even easier I've broken my list up into when/where each hand cream is best for, I'm so good to you all. 
For the kitchen - Aurora Spa Rituals Rose and Shea Hand and Cuticle Cream. 
As you can probably tell by the photo, this hand cream is huge! It's 150ml and has lasted me for ages. I've been using it every day for six months and it's at least half full still. This has a gorgeous rose scent, absorbs quickly and leaves my hands feeling soft. Once the cream has absorbed it doesn't leave any greasy residue, which is why it's the perfect daytime hand cream. 

For the handbag - Kosmea Rose Hand Cream.
This is a lovely new addition to the Kosmea range. As with all Kosmea products, it contains rosehip oil which is a lovely, light hydrator. Add to that shea butter, jojoba extract and carrot extract and you have the perfect handbag hand cream. Rose Hand Cream smells beautiful, absorbs within minutes and leaves my hands smelling like roses. 

The overnight/dish washing treatment - Lanolips Rose Balm Intense.
When you have super dry, sandpaper hands, this is the hand cream you need. As the name suggests, this is a deeply hydrating product, nearly ointment like in it's consistency. It's not one that I'd recommend using during the day (unless you don't need to use your hands for a while), but as an intense treatment it's perfect. Over winter when my hands are really dry I'll use this twice a week and that's all it takes to keep sandpaper hands at bay. It also works really well as a foot treatment. 

For the car - Tokyo Milk Dark Tainted Love.
This is the only hand cream on my list that isn't rose scented. After smelling it I now have the Tainted Love perfume on my wishlist, it's such a beautiful scent. The notes are dark vanilla bean, orchid, white tea and sandalwood. I'm certainly not a scent connoisseur, to me it smells like a beautiful vanilla mix. I like to use this when I'm in the car because it's non greasy, so I can put it on then drive without my hands slipping all over the steering wheel. An added bonus is that I get to smell the lovely fragrance whilst I'm driving.  

Note - The Kosmea and Tokyo Milk hand creams were provided for review.

Friday 20 June 2014

FFS Friday - Getting my bearings, ball bearings that is

It's Friday again! I know this because yesterday was bin day and bin day is Thursday. That's the only way I know what day it is. FFS.

My poor Eljay is going through teething hell at the moment. FFS.

All of his teeth have decided to come through at the same time. FFS.

His bottom two teeth both cut through on the same day, quickly followed by the top two, then another top tooth and now he's working on one more top tooth and more bottom ones look like they are on the way. FFS.

The poor little puffin is so out of sorts and wants to be held. All day. FFS.

If I put him down he cries and cries and cries and cries. FFS.

It's making things extremely difficult. FFS.

I am very good at doing most things one handed, but there are some things I just can't do with one hand. FFS.

Usually I'd put him in the carrier but he doesn't want to be in the carrier at the moment, he wants to be in my arms. FFS.

I hope the nasty teeth come through soon so that I can have my happy baby back again. FFS.

Chai is obsessed with shoes. FFS.

I mean totally obsessed. FFS.

Every time we go out he wants me to buy him a new pair of shoes. FFS.

A few weeks ago he had a major tantrum in Big W because I refused to buy him a pair of slouchy, suede, womens high heeled black boots. FFS.

He wears shoes all day from the second he gets up and usually changes his shoes every fifteen minutes or more. FFS.

When he's not changing his shoes he's wearing mine or Tigers. There are shoes scattered all over the house. FFS.

 Last week he announced to Tiger that he needed a pair of Vans. FFS.

"I really, really need them Daddy". FFS.

Childrens Vans cost $60. FFS.

He got a pair. FFS.

They'll probably fit him for a few months if we're lucky. FFS.

I'm flying solo again and as usual there was the usual fly out day drama. FFS.

Have you ever wondered what's inside a maraca? No? Ball bearings. FFS.

Lots of them. FFS.

I hear you asking how I know this. I'll tell you. The afternoon that Tiger flew out, a few hours after he'd left Eljay was playing with a maraca. It's one of his favourite toys. He loves to bash it on the floor and anything else near him. FFS.

He was bashing it on the floor when I heard things hitting the floor and the window. FFS.

The maraca had broken open and there were ball bearings everywhere. FFS.

Took me 15 minutes to pick them all up. FFS.

Whilst I was picking them up Eljay crawled around after me crying. FFS.

Fun times. FFS.

That concludes my whinges for the week. If you'd like to have a good whinge, feel free to do so in the comments and I'll commiserate with you.

If you haven't had your fill and would like to read more whinges, head over to Sarah's blog



Dear Baby G

Wednesday 18 June 2014

My Lanolips collection


I must admit that I have become slightly obsessed with Lanolips over the last few years. So obsessed that I ordered their three new products from the UK as they aren't yet available here. Speaking of that, what's with that? An Australian company that releases their new products overseas before they release them here? And not just a little while before, the banana balm was launched in the UK nearly 12 months ago. That really, really irks me. It'd be nice if we got the products here first, just once. We are always waiting for things to be released here we have to wait months and months. This is why we shop online, when will companies realise that? But enough ranting, onto my Lanolips products.

I have the entire collection other than the Triple Buttermilk Body Balm which I can't find anywhere. I also don't have all of the tinted balms as Lanolips is now impossible to get in my town. Priceline doesn't have any stock and Terry White Chemist will no longer be stocking it. Very inconvenient. I know I can order online but sometimes it's nice to go into a store and check out colours etc before buying. I'm planning on getting more of the coloured balms but I want to see the colours in person before I buy, so it will have to wait until next time I go to the city, which will probably be months away.

Here's a brief rundown of each product:

Golden Ointment - Golden Ointment contains manuka honey and Vitamin E to provide intense moisturisation. I have the travel sized tins which are brilliant as they are so easy to carry around. Golden Ointment can be used all over, as a lip balm, cuticle cream, skin conditioner etc. I usually use it as a lip balm and on any sore spots that the boys have. It's really great for grazes and nappy rash so the perfect addition to a nappy bag.

Rose Balm Intense Hand Cream - This is a great winter hand cream as it's super hydrating. I like to use it as a night time hand cream or for an intense hit of moisture I apply a thick layer before I do the dishes (wearing gloves). The warmth of the water makes the cream absorb quickly leaving my hands feeling lovely and soft.

101 Ointment - I use 101 Ointment in a similar way to Golden Ointment. 101 Ointment is a little lighter so I tend to use it when I don't need intense hydration. Primarily I use this as a lip balm, however it also works as an all over mosturiser.

Lemonaid Lip Aid - As you can probably guess from the name, Lemonaid contains organic lemon oil which acts as an exfoliant. I use Lemonaid as a night time treatment when my lips are feeling a bit rough. It helps to get rid of the rough patches and leaves my lips feeling soft and smooth.

Herbal Treatment Body Oil - I first started using Herbal Treatment Body Oil as a stretch mark preventer when I was pregnant. It contains eucalyptus and pine oils so has a light, fresh fragrance that didn't upset my pregnant nose and it did a lovely job of keeping my skin feeling soft and non itchy. The oil is light so sinks in quickly with no greasy residue which meant I could put it on and then get dressed straight away. I've since gone through countless bottles as it has lots of different uses. At the moment I'm using it as a bath oil to help soothe Eljays eczema.

Lip Ointment with Colour in Mulberry - This was a limited edition christmas product. It's a beautiful deep berry tint that's a great winter shade. If they release it again this christmas, get it whilst you can!


101 Ointment Strawberry - is lovely. Unsurprisingly, it's exactly like the original 101 Ointment, but it smells like strawberry (funny that). It contains strawberry extract and vitamin E and can be used all over. I find it to be slightly more hydrating than the original 101 Ointment.  

Banana Balm 3 in 1 - contains lanolin, 100% natural banana extract and 1% shimmer. It's a gorgeous, creamy lip balm with a lovely soft shine. It smells gorgeous, like banana lollies and to my disappointment it has no flavour, I really wish it did. 

Both the Banana Balm and 101 Ointment Strawberry have slant tipped applicators which makes them much easier to apply than the original 101 Ointment.

Antibacterial Hand Cream - I've been wanting something like this to be released for years and I'm so glad there is finally one available. I've stopped using hand sanitisers as they make my skin so dry, but constant hand washing is just as bad. Now I don't have to worry about dry hands, I just use my Antibacterial Hand Cream and I'm set. It has a lovely, subtle fresh scent and leaves my hands feeling soft and hydrated. It's quite rich, however it sinks in quickly and doesn't leave any greasy residue.   


Friday 13 June 2014

FFS Friday - Frozen

Hello and welcome to another installation of FFS Friday. If you are new here, FFS Friday is where I get my weekly whinge on.
You've probably read the title and think I'm talking about the movie Frozen. I'm not. I haven't seen the movie or heard the song from it that everyone is sick of. 

Despite appearances to the contrary, I am an introvert. I love being alone and crave quiet time to myself. Now that I'm a mother with a FIFO husband, that rarely happens. I miss it. I need it. This time I was determined to get some alone time whilst Tiger was home. We'd planned it for Friday but it didn't happen. It didn't happen Saturday or Sunday either. Monday I was all ready to get out of the house on my own. I'd put Eljay down for his sleep and was just about to leave when Chai decided he wanted to come with me. FFS.

He couldn't be persuaded not to come with me. FFS.

I gave in and took him because we rarely get time alone together now and I though it'd be nice for us to spend a little bit of time together. I had quite a lot of running around to do so explained to Chai everything that we had to do and he was quite happy. Not FFS.

The cheeky little man had things planned down to a tee. FFS.

We got into town and he wanted to go to Subway, I refused. Then he wanted an ice cream, I refused that too (it was 16 degrees!) Then he wanted sushi. Then a dinosaur. Then a banana drink. Then a quiche and so on. FFS.

We were in Target, halfway through collecting everything we needed when he announced that he needed to do a poo. FFS.

And he was busting. FFS.

Thankfully the lady at the door looked after our shopping whilst I took Chai to the toilet. Not FFS.

When we got back and continued our shopping, Chai decided that he wanted to go home to see Daddy. FFS.

I still had to go to the supermarket so explained that to Chai, but he had his mind made up and wanted to go home. FFS.

For the rest of the time we were out all I heard was "I want to go home Mummy. I've had enough now, I want to go home and see Daddy". FFS.

Knew I should have left him at home. FFS.

Being an extrovert, I don't think Tiger fully understands my need to be alone. He craves company, I crave silence. FFS.

I have not had silence. FFS.

The PILs came down on Wednesday. FFS.

I hid in my walk in wardrobe. Not FFS.

My BFF came and joined me. If only we'd had alcohol it would have been perfect. Not FFS.

I'm going to put a bar fridge in the wardrobe. Not FFS. 


The MIL does.not.shut.up. FFS.

It drives me fecking crazy. FFS.

I feel like chopping my ears off so I don't have to listen to her talking. FFS.

Instead I put ear muffs on to muffle the sound. FFS.

I'm not joking. FFS. 


They leave today. Not FFS.


Wednesday we got a plumber over to replace a gas fitting that was leaking. It wasn't leaking. FFS.

Turns out that we had 2 leaks, one in the wall, meaning he had to drill a hole in the wall to fix it and one in the roof. FFS.

It took several hours and a lot of investigation to discover where the leaks were. FFS.

Our roof was filled with gas. FFS.

At least it would have killed all the creepy crawlies up there. Not FFS.

Yesterday morning I forgot the plumber was coming so greeted him at the door in my dressing gown. I'm so classy. FFS.

The plumber is coming back today (for the third day in a row) to finish the job. FFS.

We're all BFFs now. FFS.

Because he had to replaster the hole he made in the wall yesterday he couldn't fit the gas faucet, meaning we have been left with no heating. FFS.

It's currently 2 degrees here. FFS. 


That concludes my whinges for this week. If you've had any FFS worthy moments please share them in the comments so I can laugh at your misfortune as you have laughed at mine ;)


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

If you don't hear from me next week it's cause I've frozen.  
Dear Baby G

Monday 9 June 2014

May empties

May was a very slow month for empties, I didn't finish much at all. I suppose being sick didn't help, although I did manage to get through several boxes of tissues.
The Body Shop Satsuma body scrub - I'm not a huge fan of this scrub as I don't find it scrubby enough, but it smells amazing!

Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser - I usually stay away from foaming cleansers as I find them too harsh however this was really pleasant to use. It wasn't at all drying and left my skin feeling lovely. And added bonus is that it smells great, like citrus. 

Dove Original deodorant - This is my fall back deodorant when my pits are irritated. It's gentle, I can use it even when my arm pits are sore and it works.
Beauticology Strawberry shower gel - Smells good, does the job, nothing else to say really.

Luminesce serum - I absolutely love this serum, it's made my skin feel lovely, smooth and soft. I have a review coming soon so stay tuned. 

David Jones Day Cream - I got this in one of the PWP bags that they bring out a few times a year. This is a surprisingly good moisturiser and one that I would consider buying. It says it's for radiance which I didn't notice, however it was a really great moisturiser.

Friday 6 June 2014

FFS Friday - Crying over spilt milk

Continuing on with my usual poo and wee theme, I have a wee story for you this week. FFS.

Eljay is trying his best to walk so loves pushing things around and walking behind them. He's particularly fond of Chai's potty. FFS.

I always stop him touching the potty, however this week he got to it when I was busy with Chai, and tipped it over. FFS.

It was full. FFS.

He did it just before bed time after we'd had a particularly long and trying day. FFS.

I looked at the wee all over the floor, looked at my screaming children, put the matt over the wee and left it till after I'd put the boys to bed. FFS.

He did it again the next day. FFS.

And then again that same day. FFS.

I'm now making Chai use the toilet when he wants to wee. Not FFS.

Thanks to Eljay's continued teething, once again I have had very little sleep this week. FFS.

Tuesday started at 4am. FFS.

The day just got worse from there. FFS.

Chai has a shoe obsession and insists on wearing his shoes all the time. FFS.

He had boots on and accidentally kicked Eljay in the mouth. FFS.

There was blood everywhere and the poor baby had a huge fat lip. FFS.

Due to the early start, Eljay fell asleep when I was feeding him at 6.30am. Whilst I was feeding him Chai decided he wanted some milk. Unable to wait for me to get it, Chai got it himself. FFS.

He couldn't open the carton and in a fit of frustration he hit the carton and split it open. FFS.

It was a new carton. FFS.

I was holding a sleeping, feeding Eljay so couldn't move. FFS.

I could hear milk dripping everywhere. FFS.

By the time I put Eljay down and went to clear up the mess, there was milk all over the bench and halfway across the room. FFS.

F@#$%^^&&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All my paperwork on the bench was soaked, my phone was wet, Eljay's shoes, bibs, etc. All covered with milk. FFS.

Even worse, the new Priceline catalogue that I hadn't read yet was ruined. FFS.


See, milk everywhere. And toys. The milk went right out to the yellow bus. FFS.

That's it for my complaints. I hope none of you have been crying over spilt milk this week.If you have, please tell me all about it in the comments.

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



Dear Baby G

Wednesday 4 June 2014

May Favourites

I have a whole pile of favourites this month, which is highly unusual but this month I've been trying quite a few beautiful new products. 
 

Subtle Energies Facial Blend - This is the nicest smelling product I've ever used. It truly smells amazing. Every night I look forward to using it and I love it so much that a few nights when I've forgotten to put it on I've gotten out of bed just to use it. I kid you not. Since I've been using this along with the Subtle Energies moisturiser and ECO. C serum my skin has been glowing. 

Subtle Energies Mogra and Indian Rose Gold cream - This smells as lovely as the Facial Blend. It's a very rich, hydrating cream but it sinks in quickly and leaves my skin feeling wonderful. Normally I have dry patches this time of year, but I haven't had any this year, it's a miracle.

Chanel Chance - I have way too many perfumes and am currently on a mission to use most of them up. I've written a list of my all time favourites and when I've finished everything I'm going to buy all my favourites and have a nice small perfume collection. Well that's the plan, if it happens will be another matter. Chanel Chance is one of my all time favourite perfumes and will be part of my lovely small perfume collection. I've been wearing it every day this month and I've been reminded how much I truly love it.

ECO. C serum - I'm crediting this and the Subtle Energies products with making my skin glow. I started using them all at the same time and after about a week my skin started glowing. I haven't been using the C serum long enough to see huge changes in my skin, so I'll be interested to see how it goes long term, but so far I'm in love.
Lancome Lip Lover - I've been reading about the Lip Lovers on blogs for a few months now so was itching to get my hands on them. There's only one Lancome counter in my town and they are so behind, they only just got the Gloss in Love's so who knows when they'll get the Lip Lovers. I was thrilled when I found them at Fresh Fragrances and Cosmetics. I purchased shade 333 Rose des Nymphes. It's quite a bright colour, next time I'll get something a little subtler. Lip Lover looks like a gloss, has great pigmentation and feels like a lip balm. It's the best of everything. When I have this on I feel like I'm wearing lip balm, it's the type of lip product I've been wanting for years. I can see myself going through countless tubes of this gloss.

Lanolips Banana Balm - Banana Balm hasn't been released in Australia yet, it will be released exclusively to Priceline in July then other retailers will get it in August. Being the impatient person that I am I ordered mine from Victoria Health last year. I can see that this is going to be a winter staple, it's super hydrating and has a lovely shimmer to it, plus it smells amazing!

TBN lipstick -  People say that this is a knock off of Revlon Colourburst lip butters but it's not. Yes, the packaging looks similar however this is a lipstick not a balm. Considering these are only $2.50 at chemists, the quality is amazing. They smell pleasant, give great, opaque colour in one swipe and last well. If I wasn't doing the Beauty Diet I'd be buying more colours. 

Maybelline Colour Elixir - These got so much hype in the blogging world that I was expecting to be disappointed, but I wasn't. If you like the Lancome Lip Lover glosses you will like these as they are very, very similar. I'll be doing a comparison post soon, but suffice to say they are nearly identical in my opinion.  
1 Skin Solution Almond Biscotti tinted lip balm - I love all the 1 Skin Solution balms and wear them regularly. Lately I've been loving Almond Biscotti as it gives such a natural look. Added to that it tastes great!

Sisley Phyto Lip Twist - This is such a luxe, gorgeous product and it looks so pretty, how could I not love it? You can read my full review here.  


Eles Mixed Berries Mineral blush - This looks like a rather scary berry colour in the pan but it applies beautifully. I'm not too great with blush and prefer a light wash of natural colour, which is easily achievable. I've been using this almost daily and it really perks me up and makes me look awake and fresh, which I certainly have not been the last few weeks! 

Colgate Sweet Tea mouth wash - I don't like mouth wash, I don't like the taste and they make me super thirsty. That was until I discovered the Colgate Sweet Tea mouth wash. It tastes great and doesn't make me super thirsty. The only place I've found it is Chemist Warehouse, no-one else seems to stock it, not sure why.

Born to Balm lip balm -When Sophie sent me her balms to try it was horrible. I had the flu, didn't want to contaminate them with my germs and I couldn't smell a thing. I had to look at them sitting there calling to me for four days before I was well enough to use them. I've been using Berry Ripe daily for the last two weeks, I love the gorgeous berry scent and taste and feels lovely on my lips, very smooth and hydrating. I have a full review coming up soon so stay tuned.

That concludes my favourites this month. What have you been loving?
If you've done a favourites post, please put the link below so I can have a read. 

Note - The Subtle Energies serum, Eco. C serum, Eles blush, Born to Balm lip balm and Sisley Phyto lip crayon were provided for review. 

New from Lanolips

Over the next few months Lanolips will be releasing some gorgeous new products that you all need. They've already been released in the UK which is how I got my hands on them. If you are like me and can't wait for them to be released here, you can buy them now from Victoria Health.

101 Ointment Strawberry is lovely. Unsurprisingly, it's exactly like the original 101 Ointment, but it smells like strawberry (funny that). It contains strawberry extract and vitamin E and can be used all over. I find it to be slightly more hydrating than the original 101 Ointment.  

Banana Balm 3 in 1 contains lanolin, 100% natural banana extract and 1% shimmer. It's a gorgeous, creamy lip balm with a lovely soft shine. It smells gorgeous, like banana lollies and to my disappointment it has no flavour, I really wish it did. 

Both the Banana Balm and 101 Ointment Strawberry have slant tipped applicators which makes them much easier to apply than the original 101 Ointment.

Antibacterial Hand Cream - I've been wanting something like this to be released for years and I'm so glad there is finally one available. I've stopped using hand sanitisers as they make my skin so dry, but constant hand washing is just as bad. Now I don't have to worry about dry hands, I just use my Antibacterial Hand Cream and I'm set. This has been proven to kill 99.9% of germs instantly. I hope they bring out a smaller version soon. 

It has a lovely, subtle fresh scent and leaves my hands feeling soft and hydrated. It's quite rich, however it sinks in quickly and doesn't leave any greasy residue.  

Monday 2 June 2014

Dear Eljay

My precious son. Today you are ten months old. You are a beautiful, happy little explorer. You spend your day exploring the house, examining everything you can get your hands on. When we go outside you love watching the ants, playing with the grass and eating everything you can get your hands on. 

You have another tooth now, your top right hand front tooth came through and the left one isn't far off. It's given us a few sleepless nights but you've still been a happy little bub. 

Like your brother, you love food. Actually, you love it more than your brother. If someone is eating, you need to be eating too and you get really, really upset if you aren't given any food, there are tears, real tears. 

I can see that you are a determined little poppet, you know what you want and aren't happy if you can't have it. At the moment you don't have any favourite toys, however you love books (mainly to chew on). I try to read to you every day, however it's rather difficult as you pounce on the book and start eating it. 

This month you saw stairs for the first time and promptly climbed up them then stood at the top screaming with delight.

You can say Mum, Dad and Nan. Daddy hasn't heard you say Dad yet as you started saying it whilst he was away, he's going to be so excited when he gets home and hears you say Dad. 

My beautiful ray of sunshine, you are my everything. I'm so grateful you chose me as your mother.