Monday 30 August 2010

August Empties


Living Proof No Frizz Shampoo
Innoxa Daily Moisture Protection
Lancome Genifique
Nivea Double Effect Deodorant
Nutrimetics Active Hand Cream
Living Proof No Frizz Conditioner
Ren Balancing Matte Fluid
My Lip Stuff Lip Balm

Friday 27 August 2010

Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer


I purchased this in 02 Natural. The shade is good for me, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about this concealer.

Maybelline says: Other concealers are ordinary!
Whipped, air soft texture for a lightweight feel.
Full coverage, natural matte perfection.
Completely conceals without settling into lines or looking cakey.

GQ says:
This concealer is an epic fail for me. It creased almost immediately and made me look like I was 50, it sank into fine lines that I didn't even know I had and created some extra ones for good measure! Whilst it did manage to cover up my dark circles, the horrible creasing made it not worth the effort. I've used this a few times and every time have had horrible creasing within 10 minutes. This one is a huge fail for me.

Ingredients: cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, isododacane, trimethylpentanediol/adipic acid/glycerin crosspolymer, dimethicone crosspolymer, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone corsspolymer, tribehenin, polymethylsilsequioxane, methyl methacrylate crosspolymer, disodium stearoyl glutamate, silica silylate, phenoxyethanol, aluminium hydroxide, vinyl dimethicone/methicone silsequioxane crosspolymer, methylparaben, bht, ethyl paraben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben.
May contain: titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride. 

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Recent Lip Balm Purchases

In celebration of finally finishing the Post and Shame Challenge, I've gone on a bit of a lip balm shopping spree. I've received two of my orders and there are two more on the way from Addicted 2 Lip Balm and Ella Dean on Etsy. I'll post about those orders when they arrive.

My first purchase was from Priceline. I got some of the Paul Frank for Lip Smackers products. They have some amazing flavours and they all taste so good!

My second purchase was from For Goodness Grape on Etsy. Isn't the wrapping cute?  
They have so many lovely flavoured balms, I managed to restrain myself to five.

My last purchase was from Ophelia's Apothecary on Etsy. These balms come in oval shaped tubes. I've never had a balm in an oval tube before.
I really like the oval tubes. They don't roll of my bedside table and once I got used to applying them, they're easy to use. I especially love the packaging, the labels are so pretty. 
 

Monday 23 August 2010

Palmer's New Facial Products


As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been trialling some of the new Palmer's facial care products. I was sent the Daily Facial Lotion and Night Renewal Cream and have been using them both for a few months now.

It's no secret that I've been a fan of Palmer's products for years. The new facial products are just as good as I expected them to be. They both have the lovely white lily scent that the other facial products have. I really like the scent, it's light, subtle and pretty.

I've always associated Palmer's with rich, hydrating products and the face products are exactly that. However, whilst they are rich and hydrating they aren't thick or oily.


The Daily Facial Lotion is a lightweight moisturiser with an SPF of 15. It's ideal for my combination to dry skin. Through the freezing winter weather it's kept my skin feeling soft and hydrated.


The Night Renewal Cream is a great, hydrating night cream. As you would expect it's richer than the day cream and feels very moisturising. When I use this I wake up with soft, smooth skin. Although it's hydrating it sinks in quickly without any oily residue. 


I really like both of these products, they're effective, reasonably priced and I'll definitely be buying them again. If you need a good basic day and night cream then these are worth trying. They don't do anything fancy, but they will keep your skin soft and moisturised.

Wednesday 18 August 2010

A great mail day


A little while ago I was lucky enough to win Anna's giveaway. It arrived this week and I just had to show it off.

Isn't this palette beautiful? She also included a lovely card and a beautiful lemon scented lip balm that I'm in love with. Thanks Anna!

Monday 16 August 2010

Matte is here!

I'm sure you've all heard that Bare Minerals has bought out a new mineral foundation. It's called Matte and I'm in love with it. 

I tried Bare Minerals original foundation years ago and it didn't work for me, it was really itchy and made me look like I had moon craters for pores. Forget all that, Matte is nothing like it. Matte is amazing! It doesn't itch, doesn't sink into pores or fine lines and is super easy to use. 

I tend to stay away from mineral foundations due to the time it takes to use them. In the mornings I don't have time to let my moisturiser and primer sink in for five to ten minutes before I apply my foundation. Matte doesn't require any of that, I don't even use a primer with it. I apply my moisturiser and put Matte on straight away. It gives me great, buildable coverage and flawless, matte looking skin. 

Bare Minerals have made a few improvements to Matte and one of them is the packaging. As you can see in the photo above, the lid seals so you don't end up with powder everywhere.

Here is what Bare Minerals says about Matte: The bareMinerals revolution continues with our latest breakthrough: Matte Foundation. This groundbreaking formula offers shine-free coverage and extraordinary skin-renewing properties for a flawless, natural matte finish all day long. Fall in love all over again with an active mineral foundation that minimizes pores and smoothes skin to let the most beautiful you shine through — all in a no-spill, no-mess package.

Matte is available from Myer, David Jones and Spa Universe salons.  

Friday 13 August 2010

The Post and Shame Challenge is over!



Finally I am done! I'm so glad this challenge is over, it's been really difficult! 

My final tally is four finished eyeliners, eleven lip balms finished and fourteen lip balms thrown out or given away. I started this challenge in November last year. It's the longest challenge I've ever done and I'm very glad it's finally over. 

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Living Proof: My Frizzy Hair Miracle!



I've always had frizzy hair but this year it's been impossible to tame. I've tried so many different products and nothing worked. Then I was watching the Today Show and saw them talking about an amazing new range of anti frizz products that changed the structure of the hair and eliminated frizz. They said that it wasn't available in Australia however I recognised the packaging as Living Proof so headed straight down to Mecca to pick some up.

If you have frizzy hair you need to try Living Proof's No Frizz range, it's amazing! I initially bought the travel size of everything so that I could test it out and see if it was effective. I've now used up my travel sized products and purchased the full size. This is now the only range of hair care products that I use. I use the shampoo, conditioner, styling cream and styling spray. 

The first time I used the products I noticed that my hair was a lot less frizzy and the longer I've used them the better and less frizzy my hair is. After using the range for six weeks I didn't need to blow dry or straighten my hair to have perfectly straight, frizz free hair. I just wash it, apply the styling cream and let it air dry. Unlike other anti frizz products I've tried I don't need to use the styling cream or spray every day. I use them after I wash my hair and then don't need to use them again until the next time I wash my hair.

How it works: PolyFluro Ester is a smaller molecule than the traditional materials used for frizz control. Due to it's small size it creates a weightless shield on the hair to prevent moisture flux in and out, and it coats the cuticles to reduce friction between fibers. Repeated use improves the hair's ability to resist humidity changes, so No Frizz works better the longer you use it. Due to it's low surface energy the technology repels most other materials like water and oils, translating into a non greasy coating that doesn't attract dirt and other particles. No Frizz is more repellent to dirt and particles than natural hair, as a result you can go longer between shampoos.

Living Proof products are silicone free and smell beautiful. They have products to suit every type of hair. If you aren't sure which products you need either ask the lovely staff at Mecca or do the hair diagnosis on the Living Proof website. I recommend buying the shampoo, conditioner and styling cream. These are the three products that I use the most. I don't use the styling spray as much as I use the cream, although I do like the spray for touch-ups.

Would I buy it again? Yes, this range is the only hair care range I use now, it's my hair miracle.  

Monday 2 August 2010

Post and Shame Challenge Update

Slowly but surely I'm getting closer to finishing this challenge. My last eye pencil is getting smaller every day and I finally feel like I may actually complete the Post and Shame Challenge.

This month I finished one more lip balm, gave away three and threw another one out because I had an allergic reaction to it. That brings me to eleven finished lip balms and twelve thrown out or given away.