Wednesday 31 August 2011

August empties

August has been a huge month for empties, I'm so pleased with myself. I am determined to reduce the size of my stash so it's great to feel like I'm making progress. We've been reorganising our house lately and getting rid of clutter, which leaves me wanting to do the same thing with my collection. I want to get it down to a managable size and then just buy products that I love, instead of having products that I don't really like. That's my problem. When I don't really like something I put it in the cupboard instead of giving it away or throwing it out. If I got rid of the products that I don't really like my stash would be half the size that it is currently. I'm considering making a pile of everything that I don't love and letting my friends come over and take whatever they like. I'd feel much better about doing than rather than throwing things away, I just can't bring myself to throw barely used products away.

But enough of my ramblings, onto the empties.





Bath and Bodyworks Japanese Cherry Blossom body lotion: This has a beautiful, flowery scent that I loved.

Andrea Brazillian hard wax: This one isn't empty, but it has gotten to the point where I can't use it anymore. After a while the wax gets really hard and gluggy, so I have to throw it out.

Haus of Gloi Something Hopeful whipped soap: After using this HoG whipped soaps as now my new obsession. The texture is amazing, really creamy and lovely to use.

Orofluido: The lovely Anna gave this to me to try out and I really like it. If I didn't have a heap of other hair smoothing oils waiting for me to use up I'd buy this.

Bath and Bodyworks Sensual Amber body lotion: A nice lotion but Sensual Amber isn't a scent that I'd buy again.

Natio Wellness foot scrub: Love this foot scrub. It wasn't till I got pregnant that I realised the value of a good foot scrub.

Bath and Bodyworks Warm Vanilla Sugar body lotion: I used to love this scent, now, not so much.

Endota Spa gel cleanser: This is a beautiful, gentle cleanser. I'll be reviewing it soon.

Gorgeous Cosmetics First Base foundation primer: I've been wanting to try Gorgeous Cosmetics for ages, however they aren't available in WA (so annoying). This is a really nice primer, it feels really hydrating and silky.

Nutrimetics Micro-Dermabrasion Kit Resurfacer: One of my all time favourite face scrubs. It makes my skin feel so soft and smooth without being at all irritating. I wish it was available to buy on it's own as I really don't like the moisturiser that comes with it.

Mukti Botanicals hand, nail and cuticle repair cream: This is a very rich, lovely hand cream. I use it at night so that it has time to sink in and do it's magic.

Napoleon Perdis Whole Lotta Lash mascara: I got this free with a magazine a few weeks ago and was in love with it until it went all gluggy and horrible so I had to throw it out. It's a really shame because it's a great product. Considering how quickly it went bad, I'm glad I didn't pay for it.

Aveda Dry Remedy shampoo, conditioner and moisturising treatment masque: I only got one use out of these so can't comment on their effectiveness, however they smell lovely.

Priceline cotton pads: I use these over and over again. They do the trick and are cheap.

Ecopure Lime and Ginger body lotion: This was a wedding present. It smells nice and does the trick, however it's nothing amazing.

Guinot Gentle Face exfoliating cream: Very gentle, for me it was too gentle, I didn't find it scrubby enough.

Artistry Creme L/X: There is no way I'd pay for this, it's not worth the approx $400 that it costs. It's a nice, hydrating night cream, however there are plenty of night creams that do just as good a job and cost under $40.

Make Me Smooth Tahitian Petals perfume: I love this perfume and am upset that I can't buy it anymore. Hubby always tells me I smell nice when I wear this.

Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream: I'd buy this purely for the lovely rose scent.

Palmer's Rejuvenating Facial Serum: This will be a repurchase for me, it does a great job of keeping my skin looking good. Since I ran out my skin has been rougher and I have started getting a few pimples.

Haus of Gloi Madcap Garden perfume oil: This was included as a sample with one of my orders. Whilst I wouldn't have chosen it myself, the scent is beautiful and I'll be ordering it for sure.

Monday 29 August 2011

Splurge Lip Buttah


In my last Addicted 2 Lip Balm order I purchased the Splurge Lip Buttah in Orange Chocolate. It's an all natural balm that I've been wanting to try for ages. I promised one of my lovely readers Christine that I would do this review last week, sorry it's late Christine! She also told me that Splurge make body care products, which I'd love to try. 

Splurge Lip Buttah comes in a cute oval tube. Oval tubes are new to me, I've discovered that I really like them. They don't roll away when I put them down, they fit into my pocket easily and the oval shape means that they are easy to apply on my lips. 

But enough about the tube. This is a really nice balm. It's quite waxy in texture, but it's a nice waxy, similar to the texture of Burt's Bees mango butter lip balm. I find this to be very moisturising and often use it as a night time balm as it lasts so long on my lips and I wake up with soft, smooth lips.

The flavour is lovely too. Amazingly I've never had an orange chocolate balm before, which is strange considering I love orange chocolate. Anyhow, the flavour is exactly like orange chocolate.    

I purchased my Splurge Lip Buttah from Addicted 2 Lip Balm for $7.95 (AUD).

Will I buy this again? Yes, it's a beautiful, natural lip balm. 

Ingredients: babassu oil, organic cocoa butter, beeswax, sweet almond oil, organic castor oil, sweet orange essential oil, vitamin e. 

Photo courtesy of Addicted 2 Lip Balm.

Sunday 28 August 2011

Motherhood musings

Bub is now five and a half months old. It's quite amazing to look at how my life has changed since he arrived. The time when it was just me and hubby seems like it was years ago and I barely remember what life was like before we had bub. I still can't believe that he's here and that he's ours, I look at him in amazement every day.

Being a mum is such a full on job and I know it's only going to get more full on as bub becomes more active, but I love every second of it. It won't be long till he's crawling, he's trying his best but is not quite there yet. He can move backwards but hasn't realised that he's doing it or that it means he can get around.

I still have heaps of weight to lose, seven to ten kilos. Ten kilos to get to my ideal weight and nine kilos to get to my pre pregnancy weight. I'm not sure what weight I'm aiming for just yet. I figure my boobs probably weigh a kilo so maybe I should just aim to lose seven kilos. When I can fit back into my jeans I'll be happy. 


Friday 26 August 2011

Losing the baby weight - My weight loss journey

Since having bub I find myself in a situation I've never been in before. I'm overweight. I am very fortunate to be naturally thin. I've never had to diet or watch my weight in the past, so this is all new to me. Whilst I was pregnant I put on 30kg's. According to the Dr about 10 kg's of that was fluid. In the end he stopped weighing me because he said that due to all the fluid my weight wasn't an accurate measure of how much weight I was actually gaining. Fluid or not, I still have a lot of weight to lose. As I've never had to lose weight before I'm not really sure how to go about it, but I figure I just need to eat less and exercise more.

The first time I weighed myself after I'd had bub was at the three week mark and I'd lost 17kg's. The next time I weighed myself was around the twelve week mark and I'd put on 4kg's. At that stage I really didn't care. It wasn't until bub was four months old that I felt ready to start exercising and to do something about getting back to my normal weight.

I've been weighing myself weekly and watching what I eat for about four weeks now and I've lost around 6kg's. The last two weeks I've lost 700 grams per week and that is with minimal exercise. I try to go out walking every second day, however for the last two weeks I've only managed to go out once a week. The main change I've made that's enabled me to lose weight is portion control and cutting down on sugar. I still have chocolate every day, I just don't have as much as I used to. And instead of snacking on whatever I find in the cupboard I now snack on healthy things (like fruit or nuts or tuna) and only when I'm hungry.

I don't have a particular reason for writing this post, I'm just using it as a way to keep a record of how my weight loss is going. This week my weight is 72.2 kg's. My goal weight is 62kg's however I'll be happy when I get to 65kg's. I'm going to be so excited when I'm under 70kg's as I really don't like my weight being in the 70's, it's a mental thing.

Wednesday 24 August 2011

What do I do with a smudge brush?

I've always wanted a smudge brush cause they look so cute. A few weeks ago I finally bought a Models Prefer one, but now that I've got it I have no idea what to do with it. Can anyone tell me what it's for?

(The brush on the right is amazing! It's the Models Prefer Airbrush Brush. My review is coming up soon.)

Monday 22 August 2011

Aveeno Redness Relief range

I've been using the Aveeno Redness Relief products for a few months now and I really like them. They are perfect for dry, irritated winter skin. There are three products in the range, a moisturising cream cleanser, a foaming cleanser and a SPF 15 moisturiser. All three of the products are gentle and fragrance free. Since I've been using these my redness has gone. I'll often find in winter that my skin is quite red and dry, however since using Redness Relief I haven't had that problem.
 
I use the cream cleanser as my morning cleanser. It's super gentle, even on my eczema patches. Often I have a red face after cleansing my skin, but I don't have the problem when I use this cleanser.
The foaming cleanser is my night time cleanser. It easily removes all my make-up and is safe to use on my eyes. I usually stay away from foaming cleansers as I find them too harsh, however I don't have that problem with this one. It has a very light, airy texture.
 
The day cream moisturiser is light and yet hydrating enough for dry and combination skin. I don't think this would be suitable for people with oily skin. When I use this my skin feels soft any hydrated all day, even though it's a light feeling moisturiser. 
 

Will I buy these products? Yes., they're perfect for winter or when my skin is acting up.  

These products were sent to me for review.

Friday 19 August 2011

EmerginC Red Carpet Primer

When I was in my twenties I thought that primers were a waste of money, I just didn't see the point of them. Now that I'm in my thirties I've found that primers are an essential part of my make-up routine. The primer that I'm loving at the moment is EmerginC's Red Carpet Primer. 
EmerginC says: advanced, plant based, hydrating and plumping micro-spheres fill in wrinkles and fine lines and conceal pores, leaving a noticeably smooth, even complexion. This naturally tinted formulation also primes the skin for flawless, long lasting make-up application, while fighting free radicals and brightening and nourishing skin with an infusion of vitamin c.
I was very hesitant when I first used this as it is dark brown. When I applied it I thought I was going to end up with a brown tinted face, but to my relief it applies clear. 
There are a few reasons why this is my current favourite primer:
  • The pump top is a great idea and makes it super easy to use. I only need one pump to cover my whole face.
  •  The coverage is great. It makes my skin look smooth, covers my pores and softens my fine lines. I use this even when I'm not wearing any make-up.
  • It doubles as a face and eye primer. Not only does it keep my foundation where it should be, it also helps my eye shadow to stay in place and my concealer to stay crease free.

Red Carpet Primer costs $60.00 (AUD) and can be purchased from The Facial Company.

Will I buy this? Yes, it's my favourite primer. 

Ingredients: cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone crosspolymer, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, titanium dioxide, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, dimethicone, dimethiconol, ethylhexyl palmitate, silica dimethyl silyate, butylene glycol, sodium hyaluronate, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, sodium chondriotin sulfate, acacia senegal gum extract, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, silica, peg/ppg-18/18 dimethicone, triethoxycaprylylsilane, iron oxides.

This product was sent to me for review.

Wednesday 17 August 2011

My Lust Have It package

Beauty sample sites are new to Australia. They all seem to have arrived at the same time. I've signed up to two of them so far, just to see what they are all about. Lust Have It is the first sample site to start sending out packages. 
I was so excited to receive my first package, I took photos of the whole process.

The unopened box.
Not a very good photo. I had my little bub in the carrier on front of me and he was wriggling around trying to grab and eat the camera whilst I was taking the photos, so they are a bit out of focus.
The welcome note. On the back is a description of each product with directions how to use it along with the size and cost of the full sized product.
Well padded to avoid any damage.


All the lovely products, including one for the hubby!
Products laid out so that you can see them all.

I'm so happy with my first package and excited to see what will come in the next one. So far I've found Lust Have It's service to be excellent. I received an email when my package was sent along with a tracking number so that I could see where my package was. When the package arrived at my local post office I received an email letting me know it was available to pick up.

I'll be interested to see how the other sample package services compare with Lust Have It.

Monday 15 August 2011

P50P Update

Slowly but surely I am finishing up lip products. I've been tempted by quite a few products, such as the limited edition Juicy Tubes, YSL's new Rouge Volupte Sheer Shines and the Bloom Boost Juice lip balms. By some miracle I've stayed strong despite the temptation. Sometimes I even amaze myself, hehe.  

The products I've finished recently are: Planter's citrus lip balm, Lancome Primordiale Optimum Levres, Covergirl Outlast lipstain and Nutrimetics lip treatment. 

My tally is now:

Lipsticks finished: 0
Lip glosses finished: 1
Lip balms finished: 7
Lip stains finished: 1
Total products finished: 9


Lipsticks purchased: 0
Lip glosses purchased: 0
Lip balms purchased: 0
Total products purchased: 0

Number of products to go until P50P is finished: 41

Sunday 14 August 2011

Blog Hop

I saw this on The Science of Beauty's blog and thought I'd join in. It's a great way to discover new blogs. If you are interested in joining in, just click on the link below.

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Time saving products for busy Mums: Cleansers

Face of Australia make-up remover - This is a magic product. It is a dual phase liquid that takes off all make-up, including eye make-up. It's non irritating and only takes one swipe to get all my make-up off. It works so well that I don't even need to double cleanse, I just wipe my face over with a wet face washer afterwards and I'm done. 
Even better, this isn't at all drying or irritating. When I've used this I can get away with not using a night cream.

Dove Foaming make-up remover - Another great, easy to use cleanser. As you probably guessed from the name, this is a foaming cleanser. It's applied to either wet or dry skin and takes off all make-up. I do find that this sometimes stings my eyes, but if I just use a little bit it's fine to use as an eye make-up remover.

MooGoo oil cleanser - This was one of the first oil cleansers that I tried and it's still my favourite. It removes all my make-up, doesn't get in my eyes and as it's an oil I don't need to use a night cream afterwards. 

WotNot face wipes - These are the best facial wipes I've ever used. They are large, super gentle and leave my skin feeling moisturised.

Clarins Pure Melt Cleanser - I love this! It starts out with a gel like texture, then once water is applied it turns to a creamy texture. It removes all my make-up and doesn't dry my skin out.

Monday 8 August 2011

Clairol Intensive Conditioner

When I was younger and used to colour my own hair I always loved the way the deep conditioning treatment that came with the hair colour would make my hair feel. I searched and searched for a deep conditioner that would give my hair the same feeling and whilst I found some amazing products I never found one that worked as well as the ones that came with my hair colour did. Well guess what? Now you can buy the same conditioner that comes with hair colour!

Clairol says: Intensive conditioner for colour treated or highlighted hair. 
Love the intensive conditioner that comes in your nice 'n easy colour carton, but wish there was more? Now you can have more! Nice 'n easy ColourSeal Intensive Conditioner is a specially designed intensive weekly conditioner for colour treated and highlighted hair, just like the one that comes in your hair colour carton.

I say: I love this product! It makes my hair feel so soft and look so healthy. I use this weekly to keep my hair in great condition. It's easy and convenient to use and is bargain at around $6.00. I love the tube as it's sleek and doesn't take up much space in my bathroom (which is great as my shower is stuffed with way too many products!).

Will I buy this again? Yes!

Ingredients: water, amodimethicone, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, glutamic acid, fragrance, benzyl alcohol, panthenyl ethyl ether, EDTA, panthenol, trimethylsiloxysilicate, carthamus tinctorius seed oil, cocus nucifera oil, hydrolysed sweet almond protein, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, aloe barbedensis leaf. 

Friday 5 August 2011

One Handed Lip Balms

It's amazing all the little things that change when a baby arrives. For example, I now find myself requiring lip balms that can be opened with one hand. Who would have ever thought that would be a necessity? Maybe to someone who isn't obsessed with lip balm and doesn't have dry lips, it wouldn't be a necessity, but to me it is. So for anyone else who requires one handed lip balms, here's my list:
 
CO Bigelow lemon and raspberry
Mode de Vie espresso
Coco Zen chocolate covered coconut
All Lavera balms
Nivea balms - The milk and honey balm is lovely
Weleda Everon - Not a favorite of mine
ROC Enydrial

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Satisfied or always searching for something better?

I've been doing a bit of thinking lately, I have lots of time to think whilst I'm feeding bub. Naturally, I think about cosmetics and beauty products quite a lot. One of the things I've been thinking about quite a bit is the constant search for something better. I do this all the time. I'll find a product that I really like and that works well for me, then when it runs out I'll buy something different. Often I won't like the new product as much, so I'll use it for a little while and then buy something else again, instead of going back to the product that I liked. That got me thinking about why I do this.

I think one of the reasons is that there are always new products being released. There's always the possibility that there really is something better available as technology is always changing and there are always new innovations. 

I suppose another reason is that I rarely find anything that is truly amazing. If/when I find something that's truly amazing I do buy it over and over again (a perfect example of this is Neutrogena sunscreen. It's the only sunscreen I use now as it's non greasy and doesn't irritate my skin).

I wonder if it's human nature to never be satisfied and always seek out something better. I suppose it's quite similar to seeking out new adventures and experiences. 

Monday 1 August 2011

July Empties



I'm sure July only lasted for two weeks, it went by so quickly. Before I know it December will be here. 


I didn't finish many products this month, but I managed to finish up a face powder, which I'm very pleased about. It's so rare for me to finish any make-up items that I get really excited when I do. I also have a few tosses.


Empties:
L'oreal Infinium hairspray - I really liked this. It has great hold, doesn't make my hair sticky and can be brushed out.


Mum To Be Organics stretch mark oil - This was good but not one of my favourites.


Napoleon Camera Finish Powder foundation - A lovely powder. Applied with a brush it's okay, but when applied with a sponge it makes me look flawless.


Nivea Triple Action moisturiser - This is very rich, great for winter.


Tosses:
Estee Lauder Double Wear mascara - I like this mascara for every day use. It doesn't do anything dramatic which is why it's perfect for daytime. 


Nivea Calm and Care deodorant - I used this in summer and it was totally ineffective. I thought it might be okay for winter but it's not, it's a crap deodorant.


Smashbox cream eye liner palette - Love this palette and I'll buy another one if they are still available. I had to throw it out because one of the liners went mouldy - gross!