It feels like only a week ago that I did my June empties and yet here we are a month later. July was a much better empties month after my dismal effort in June. It's so satisfying having a decent amount of empties.
I have a tub full of face masks so began making the effort to use them. It's not like they take long to use, I pop one on after the boys are asleep, lay in bed reading for a while then take the mask off. Easy.
I'm determined to finish them all by the end of the year. I'm going to take an inventory this weekend so that I can keep track of my progress.
Palmers Coconut Oil Formula Hydrating Sheet Mask
Every time I order from Chemist Warehouse I pop a few Palmers sheet masks into my cart. They're a great, cheap way to spend enough for free shipping.
Out of all the ones I've tried this is my favourite, it's gentle, soothing and left my skin feeling very soft. I'll happily repurchase once I've got through my current collection.
16 Brand Hibiscus Tea Mask Pack
I have no idea what this mask was supposed to do, but it was pleasant to use, didn't irritate and left my skin feeling soft. That's pretty much all I expect from my face masks.
Andalou Naturals Pumpkin and Honey Face Mask
If I could only use five face masks I'd use this would be one of them. It has a tingly feeling but doesn't irritate or make my skin red. When I use it regularly (a few times a week) my skin looks brighter and feels smoother.
Simple Radiance Boosting Sheet Mask
Out of all the sheet masks I've tried this is easily one of my favourites. It made my skin look brighter and healthier, the dark spots were less noticeable and I was glowing. I'll definitely repurchase this (and I won't wait to finish my current stash, I'll get it next time I see it on sale!)
Simple 5 Minute Reset Hydrogel Mask and unknown brand Black Sesame Hydrogel Mask
These two were a comedy of errors. I put on the black sesame mask but it burned my skin so I had to take it off after two minutes. Determined to do a face mask I got out the Simple mask. It's a jelly texture and broke in four pieces as I was trying to unfold it. I threw it in the bin and went to bed, hahaha.
Skin Republic Bubble Purifying Mask
I normally stay away from purifying masks, however my BFF told me how much she loved this mask and they were on sale at Priceline so I bought one. It was so much fun!
I didn't realise that you had to rub the mask in the packet to increase the foaming so mine didn't foam as much as it could have, but it was still a lovely mask that left my skin feeling soft and smooth.
Skin Republic Brightening Eye Mask
I like these eye masks however I don't find they do anything other than hydrate. They're nice to use and I'll continue to buy them.
Ole Henriksen Sheer Transormation Perfecting Moisturizer
I really enjoyed this and all the other samples I used this month. However, as I say every time I do an empties post, a sample sachet is only one use, so not enough to decide if I'd buy something. I really don't know why companies give out sachets, in my opinion they're just a waste of money.
Youth to the People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream
As I said above, this too was lovely to use however one use is not enough for me to form any opinion about the product.
Susanne Kaufmann Hyaluron Serum Moisturising
I liked this but there is no way that it's worth $227 for 30 mls.
Dr Jart+ Ceramidin
This sample size is so much better. I got a few weeks use out of my Ceramidin and was intending to purchase a full size until my eyes went all sensitive and it irritated them. If it wasn't for my dodgy eyes I'd happily purchase.
Kiss Read Skin Light Chia Oil
Oh how I love my beautiful Kiss Ready products. The Light Chia Oil is beautiful and one of the few products that doesn't irritate my eyes. This is a definite repurchase.
Korres Shampoo
There's not really much to say about shampoo, I never know what to write. This was pleasant to use and one I'd happily buy. It didn't weigh down my fine hair and it smells good.
Glow Lab Body Scrub
Ugh, I really didn't enjoy this, it was a chore to finish. The scrub was okay, however it leaves a horrible oily film that's really difficult to remove. I'll stick to my salt and coffee scrubs.
Acure Brightening Face Scrub
I'm happy to say I've found my holy grail face scrub. Brightening Face Scrub gives an intense scrub, I press lightly so that I don't irritate my skin. It's easily the best face scrub I've ever used. The grains are smooth so don't scratch my face and you can use light or heavy pressure depending on how intense a scrub you need.
The Body Shop British Rose Shower Gel
If something smells like roses I'm sold. The Body Shop shower gels are great and this one is no exception. If I wasn't switching to bar soaps I would have already repurchased as this is one of my favourite scents.
MooGoo Expresso Exfoliant Coffee Scrub
I love that this can be used on the face or body. My little sample pot lasted me a few months as I only used it on my face. A 350g tub costs $24.90 which is great value. I'd happily repurchase if I didn't have other products to finish first.
La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo
I didn't appreciate LRP products until my eyes went weird. Now, it's a brand that I love. The effaclar duo is something I"ll be buying full sized as soon as it's on sale again. I love the tingly feeling and how smooth my skin felt the next morning.
La Roche Posay Toleraine Ultra Sensitive Eye Contour
Finally I've found a product that will heal my eyelids when they are red and irritated from allergies. Over the years I've tried a lot of different products, this is the only one that has worked. Immediately after application my eyes feel soothed and within a few days the irritation is completely gone.
Avene Tolerance Extreme Cream
Like the two products above, this is another love. It's soothing, ultra hydrating and non irritating. As with the other two, I'll be purchasing a full size very soon.
Tosses:
I had another mini clean out of my collection this month and got rid of more products that I don't use or have dupes of. Most of these products will be going to a better home.
Dishonourable mention goes to the Essence nail polish, it makes my nails look a very unhealthy yellow, it's not pretty at all.
The Essano Exfoliant does not warrant that name, there's barely any scrubby bits in it at all, so it went in the bin.
Weleda Skin Food Lip Balm just isn't nice. I couldn't bring myself to finish it which shows how much I dislike it.
Kate Somerville Cleanser gives me that awful squeaky clean feeling which is not ideal for dry skin.
The rest of the products are old, duplicates or just don't suit me.
Dear babies. Yes, I still call you babies even though you're not. What a month we've had. We've caught up with two of your cousins, spent time at Gravity, done lots of learning and had Poppy here helping with our learning.
Chai, to your great relief we finished the testing sessions with your new OT. They were a real challenge but you did a great job. You managed not to have a meltdown even though you wanted to. I was so proud of you.
This month you learned a few lessons about friendship. One of your friends has been spending time with someone who's a bad influence which has affected his behaviour and he's not being kind. We spent quite a lot of time discussing the way that good friends behave and you decided to have a bit of space from your friend until he starts making good choices again.
You got a new owl toy that you love. He's called Oscar and he's been your constant companion since the start of the month.
You also lost your seventh tooth. You were determined to get it out and pulled it out in the car on the way to your friends birthday party on the 21st.
Eljay, you're such a strong willed little man. Trying to teach you is a challenge because you will only do things your way and won't allow me to show you any other way. You're going to be a force to be reckoned with once you're an adult.
You're such a sweet little boy. This month when I was feeling sick from the prep for my colonoscopy you didn't leave my side. You stayed home with me, rubbed my belly, offered to get me food and were so caring. It was beautiful.
You've both had a growth spurt, I swear some days you wake up taller, it's amazing.
You are my sun and my moon, the reason I wake up way too early every day and the best part of my life.
1. I really want to be someone who uses a planner, however no matter how I try it just doesn't happen. I've recently discovered the Focus Planner and I really like it. You can download a free trial, which I've done, but haven't used it yet, oops.
What's your favourite planner?
2. As of today both of my parents are out of the country. Tiger is at work. My BFF and great neighbours are also out of the country. This means if anything goes wrong I'm on my own. Everything is going to be fine.
3. Tomorrow is national lipstick day and there are a lot of great deals to celebrate. If you need a new lipstick now's the time to shop.
4. I've decided that laundry is the bane of my life. How does one family have so much washing?
5. My new life motto is "Only love today".
This world is such a strange place. We spend years trying to aquire stuff and then later on spend ages trying to get rid of the stuff. It all seems so pointless. We strive for more and more without thinking about if that more will enrich our life and make us happier. I reckon 90% of the time it won't make us happier.
I've been looking around our house lately and thinking about all the time that we've swapped for the possessions we have. That's what it comes down to. Each item in our home has cost us time. It's time that Tiger has spent working away from us to purchase things. Frankly, I'd rather have the time than most of the things.
No matter how much I try to declutter, there's still an overwhelming abundance of stuff. A good portion of it belongs to the kids, I suppose that a certain amount of clutter comes when you have children.
I'm glad I have no attachment to most of our stuff. I'd happily toss most of the contents of our home. I'm not sure when having heaps of stuff became the norm and something that we aimed for. It wasn't like that when I was a kid. Personally I think social media has a lot to do with it. We see what other people have and we want it.
I'm making a conscious effort to only buy things that we need. It's easy to tell myself I need something, however 90% of the time it's a want not a need. I'm also trying to teach the boys the difference between needs and wants. So far it's not working. This morning Chai insisted that he needs a spiderman suit. When I told him it's a need not a want he told me that he doesn't have one and he wants to be spiderman, so he needs it. I suppose when you think of it like a child would, he's right. Hahaha.
Have a beautiful weekend.
It's time for another episode of The Lip Oil Series.
Today I'm talking about my newest lip oil Zoella's Tinted Berry Lip Oil.
First up, I'll tell you why this lip oil is about to leave my collection. It has that awful fake cherry/marzipan scent. It's horrible. When I purchased this I was expecting a nice berry scent but was very disappointed when I smelled it.
The scent isn't very strong, it's only noticeable for a few minutes after application but as it's a scent that I really hate, I just can't tolerate it.
It's a shame about the scent because I quite like this lip oil. Texture wise it's very light, it is undetectable after a few minutes. The tint is what I love. It's a light, sheer wash of colour that brightens up my lips and lasts for around six hours. I love how long lasting it is, it's perfect for those lazy days when I want to look like I've made some sort of effort but can't be bothered wearing lipstick.
If you're after hydration this isn't the lip oil for you. Once applied it feels like nothing. There's no hydration, no heaviness, nothing at all. This means that it works well under lip balm or over lip pencil.
If it wasn't for the awful scent, I'd really love the Zoella lip oil. They do have a clear version in a watermelon scent that I'm tempted to buy, but I have enough untinted lip oils to last me many years.
I purchased my Zoella Tinted Berry Lip Oil from Priceline for $8.95.
1. Why is it so difficult to find a taupe eyeliner? I just finished my favourite taupe Essence liner. I've got two left and once they're gone I'll be on the hunt for a new taupe eyeliner. They're just so difficult to find! L'oreal make one that's way too dark, it's more dark brown than taupe. That's the only one I've found. Rimmel used to make a great one but it's been discontinued. Help!
2. I've had my eye on this for a few weeks now. It sounds amazing and is such a bargain.
3. The week I watched season 1 of Yummy Mummies. WTF is wrong with those people? I don't understand.
4. I also don't understand Instagram feeds that are purely pictures of the account holder. Bizarrely those accounts usually have a whole pile of followers. Why?
5. Life is confusing. Most of the time I have no idea what's going on.
Hello and welcome to Friday. We've made it through another week. If you're parents in WA, you've made it through the school holidays. If you're a homeschooler, nothing's changed.
I had my gastroscopy and colonoscopy on Wednesday. They went well and everything looked good which is great news. I was concerned that my Crohn's might have spread but it hasn't. I'm still in pain every day, but at least my Crohn's isn't getting worse.
Yesterday in Australia Instagram hid the number of likes a post has got. There's an uproar about it. Personally I think it's great. Maybe we'll see the end of the influencer. I'd like that.
It irks me to see the same people get sent a pile of stuff from brands. I'd much rather see them send out products to random fans. It'd be a great way to generate publicity, the person would be more grateful, more likely to use the products and I find normal people much more believable than influencers.
I wonder if brands consider the waste that occurs when they're sending a pile of products to influencers? I was watching a declutter video recently and so many products were just being tossed. Some of them had only been released a few weeks earlier and they were going in the bin. How wasteful. It's also a waste of money for the brand. Bad for the brand, bad for the environment and just totally wasteful.
If I see a product endorsed by an influencer I treat it as an ad and ignore what they say. If I see a review by a normal person, I believe them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't believe influencers are honest.
People aren't silly, we know when something is an ad, even if the person doesn't disclose.
Let's hope brands will wise up, stop the wastage and start rewarding their genuine customers instead of heaping products on people who'll often just throw them in the bin.
When I was in high school I had a little bag that I carried around with my money and lip balm in it. It was a tiny little black thing and it had handles on it, so cute. I used to pin it to my skirt so that I didn't lose it. I have no idea what happened to that cute little bag, I suspect that it fell to pieces as it was well loved.
I've searched for something similar for years and not found anything until I was sent the new Dearest Lips Lip Balm Holder as a birthday present. How cute is it? I love carrying my stuff around in tiny little bags.
If you too are a fan of cute little bags, check out the gorgeous new Dearest Lips Lip Balm Holders. They come in four different designs, are a bargain at only $10.95 and they can easily fit in a few lip balms and some cash.
They're very sturdy with a strong clip so they won't fall off your keys or handbag.
Being nice and compact they fit into my pocket or if I'm wearing jeans I'll clip it onto my belt loop. I take mine when we're going to the park, it fits all my essentials (house key, garage remote, band aids and lip balm).
When we're not at the park, my lip balm holder is attached to my handbag with a lip balm, lipstick and gloss in it. Perfect.
I love that it zips up so the balm can't fall out of it. I've lost several lip balms to holders that they fell out of which really isn't ideal. This one means that I don't have to worry about losing my favourite balm.
If you're a lover of cute little bags or in the market for a lip balm holder, check out Dearest Lips. Whilst you're there, get some of their gorgeous balms too.
1. I went to a funeral on Friday. It was beautiful and brutal at the same time.
2. Priceline is having 50% off cosmetics from Tuesday to Friday this week.
3. Ed Sheeran has released a new album. From what I've heard so far, I don't like it because it's all collabs with other artists.
4. Nourished Life stock Crazy Rumors lip balms now!
5. I'm still on the hunt for gym leggings that are good quality and not as expensive as Lorna Jane. There's not much available in Bunbury so I bought some online. I researched, read lots of reviews and then bought them only to find that they were totally see through. So see through that I may as well not have bothered wearing pants. Why did no-one mention this? Do people wear see through leggings? I haven't seen anyone at my gym wearing see through leggings, maybe I just go at the wrong time?
Why would a manufacturer think that selling see through leggings is a good idea? I don't understand.
It's time for episode 30,786,357 of Crap That Only Happens When Tiger is Away.
The day after Tiger left was quite windy. I was watching the trampoline and hoping it wouldn't take off then looked at our back fence and noticed that part of it was leaning over. Crap.
I went out to check and watched as the whole thing fell down. Double crap.
To make things even more interesting, it is the corner of our fence behind the pool so when it fell down it gave street access to our pool and a view straight into the main living area of our home. FFS.
I called the insurance company but they were closed as it was after 5pm EST.
Called them back the next morning and they said it'd be a few days until they could get a temporary fence put up. I told them that wasn't acceptable as it's illegal to have a pool without fencing, so they got someone to install temporary fencing that day.
I absolutely hate people being able to see into our backyard and house. It makes me feel very vulnerable and exposed.
As if that wasn't enough for one swing, we've had problems with our wood heater. The fire bricks are cracked and need to be replaced. They needed to be replaced last year but Tiger didn't bother. I've been asking him to get it sorted since June last year but it still hasn't happened. Summer would have been the ideal time but as usual he did nothing.
The cracking has been getting steadily worse so Saturday I headed to Bunnings and bought some fire bricks. I wanted a full set but they aren't available any more. WTF is with that? Heaters are supposed to last 10 to 20 years. Our heater is 2 years old and already the brick set that we need has been discontinued. FFS.
Sunday morning with a huge effort (it took me half an hour) I pulled out the three worst fire bricks. Before I did that I measured the bricks and they looked like the same size.
I got the bricks out, put one of the new ones in and realised that it's a lot taller than the ones we currently have and wider too. FFS.
That meant that after all my effort I couldn't replace the bricks. FFS.
The old ones were in pieces so I couldn't put them back in. FFS.
I got a few pieces and stacked them into the back of the heater as best I could then decided not to light the fire. I gave in that afternoon as it was 13 degrees and freezing.
I spent over an hour searching online but no-one has the brick sizes that we need. WTF.
I was totally over it so told Tiger it's his problem to sort out when he's home.
I also told him that if he'd sorted it when I first asked him to it wouldn't be a problem now. FFS.
WTF is with these people who don't do the things that need to be done? It drives me crazy. Tiger is the worst for it. I may need to divorce him.
If you've been playing along at home, I'm still on strike. A permanent strike is very tempting.
Regular readers will know that I've been downsizing my collection for a few years now. The destash is an ongoing process but I've finally gotten to a place where it's so much more manageable.
Last week I realised that I've destashed so much that everything can fit into a drawer. When I say everything, it doesn't include lip products. They'd probably take up another whole drawer however I'm working very hard at destashing them too and have gotten rid of at least half.
So, here's what my make-up drawer looks like now:
It's not neat or organised, but at least it all fits. There are still products in there that I will declutter in the near future. I've already gotten rid of two products, one I tossed due to age and another I gave to my cousin.
Slowly but surely I'm getting there and it's a very satisfying feeling.
1. We've had a gloriously wet, cold week here and I've loved every second of it.
2. Glow Recipe is at Mecca now. I'm tempted, very tempted.
3.
Kylie Minogue has launched a make-up line. It's quite small but looks
interesting. For some strange reason the website is in pounds, you'd
think being an Aussie she'd have an Aussie website.
4. TVSN is launching Amazing Cosmetics Tuesday. I cannot wait to get my hands on some of their products.
5. Clearly I'm in a shopping mood because all I've talked about today is make-up.
I'm getting my rant on today about rude people.
I'd never realised how rude people could be until I made a friend who had a prosthesis (false leg). It amazed me how many people (nearly everyone) would ask her what had happened to her leg.
Random strangers would walk up and ask about her leg. Some of them didn't even bother to say hello first, they just immediately asked what had happened to her leg.
I truly could not believe it. How rude!
Fair enough if kids ask because they don't know any better, but adults should not be commenting on another persons appearance.
Why I'm ranting about this today is because it's happening to a friends daughter. She lost her leg recently and random strangers are approaching her to ask what happened.
How F@#*ing rude!
You wouldn't walk up to someone and ask why they've got purple hair or a fat belly, so why would you ask someone what happened to their leg? It's just not okay.
Both my friend and my friends daughter, when they've refused to say what happened to their leg have had the rude person act all hurt and say "I was just curious". Honestly people, you are in the wrong. You can be as curious as you like but keep it to yourself. Why is your curiosity more important than a trauma victims pain?
You wouldn't ask a rape victim to talk about their trauma, why ask an amputee to talk about their trauma?
If you were talking to someone and they mentioned that they'd been raped, you wouldn't ask for details. Losing a limb is the same thing. Don't ask for details. Trauma is trauma.
What makes people think they have the right to know about another person? What other people do is none of our business unless it directly affects us. We have no right to know and no right to ask.
What I learned from having a friend with a prosthesis is that they probably don't want to talk about it, so unless they tell you what happened, don't ask.
If you do happen to be talking to someone with a prosthesis, do them a favour and don't ask what happened. Even if they mention losing their limb, unless they decide to tell you how it happened, don't ask.
It's empties time again! June was a very slow month for empties. I haven't been wearing much make-up and I've eased up on my skincare trying to figure out what was annoying my eyes (turns out it was products with SPF in them).
OGX Coconut Water Shampoo
I have fine, uncoloured hair so most shampoos are okay for me. I'm not the best person to do shampoo or conditioner reviews because pretty much anything will do the trick. This worked well and cleansed my hair as expected. There's not much else to say about it.
Kiss Ready Skin Rose Omega Face Balm
Rose Omega Face Balm is easily one of my all time favourite skin care products. It can be used as a moisturiser, face mask and cleanser. I mainly use it as a moisturiser. It's a beautiful, natural product that smells amazing and does wonders for my dry skin.
I'll be purchasing another one soon.
Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask
Used as a deeply hydrating night cream Deep Moisture Mask is amazing. I wake up with super soft, happy skin the next day. If it wasn't $110 I'd purchase it asap.
Clean Sweet Layer Perfume
This is one of my all time favourite perfumes. I've been saving it because it's not available here anymore but decided to use it up because it's getting old. If I'm ever able to get my hands on it again I'll buy the biggest bottle I can.
Soap and Glory Glad Hair Day Conditioner
For $10 this conditioner is a bargain. It did the job for me, however as I've already mentioned, I don't really need much from a conditioner. Provided it doesn't weigh my hair down I'm good.
I'd happily purchase this again.
Avene SPF 50+ Sunscreen Lotion
I've never used an Avene sunscreen which is something I'll be rectifying soon. It didn't irritate my skin or eyes and it has SPF of 50+. Next time Avene are on sale I'll be picking up a tube or two.
Bath and Bodyworks Hand Sanitiser
I don't normally use hand sanitiser however with the killer flu season here we've been using hand sanitiser religiously. This one was great, small enough to carry around, non drying and gorgeously scented.
Mecca Cosmetica Multi-Purpose Plumping Balm
I'm glad that I received this free from Mecca, because I didn't particularly like it. I didn't notice any plumping but it made an okay primer.
Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist
When I was using my Dewy Skin Mist I thought that it wasn't particularly good (for the price), however now that I've finished it and started using other mists I've realised how much I love Dewy Skin Mist. Funny how that happens.
This is a gorgeous product for hydration, I used it before moisturiser and it made a noticeable difference.
At $73 it's not a product that I'll be repurchasing, however if I can get it as part of a set I will.
Malin + Goetz Advanced Renewal Moisturiser
Despite the small size, I really enjoyed this moisturiser and would happily purchase a full sized one.
A Buzz From the Bees Lip Balm
It's such a shame that this company isn't around anymore, because their balms were beautiful. If you see any around, grab them whilst you can.
Tosses:
As usual I've been clearing out my make-up. It's now at a very manageable size and I'm quite pleased with it. I still have more products that I need, however I can fit everything (other than lip products) into a train case.
I've recently realised that my sunscreen allergy has been getting worse and most products with SPF in them I can't wear. I used to be okay with BB creams and foundations that contained SPF but even they are irritating me now.
The rest of these products are either old, I have dupes or they're products that I just won't wear.
I wanted to love the Nars concealer but no matter what I tried it just doesn't work for me. I've held onto it for way too long when I could have just given it to someone who'd use it. Silly.
