Skin Vitals Hydraflex Face Mask - Sample Review

This week I tried out the Skin Vitals Hydraflex Face Mask I received in the Priceline Skin care bag. I have never used a cloth face mask before and was not quite sure what to expect in what they call 'the 15 minute facial'. The hydraflex mask claims to smooth skin, boost hydration and give instant results through maximum absorption due to the flexi cloth design.

I opened the packet and took out the mask and immediately felt that the cloth was far wetter than what I had expected. I opened the cloth out and placed in on my face, rubbing the cloth gently on to my skin. The mask it self was far to big for my face and wrinkled up in many areas making direct skin contact difficult, and also managed to get a bunch of the serum in my hair.

After 15 minutes I took off the mask and rubbed the remaining serum in to my face and neck, but no noticeable difference was evident. I did not enjoy my first experience with a cloth mask, and won't be quick to do it any time soon.

Seems as though I am not having much luck with these samples! I was really hoping I would find something I really enjoyed using and was able to purchase. I am glad I have had the chance to try some new products though, in the comfort of my own home, free of charge.

Have you used a cloth mask before? Did you enjoy it?

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel - Sample Review

As mentioned in my Apivita Express Beauty Mask post I am trying a new sample each week. This week I tried out the Elemis papaya enzyme peel. The Elemis product description is as follows: 'The natural exfoliating fruit enzyme action of Papaya and Pineapple smooth, brighten and clarify the complexion. This unique, non-granular exfoliating cream contains nourishing Milk Protein, Anti-Oxidant-rich Vitamin E and Marine algae to moisturise, repair and protect the skin. Perfect for complexions which are sensitive or mature.' 

As I applied the product I was skeptical as to how this product was exfoliating or a peel as the directions said to wipes off the product with a damp cloth, rather than 'peel' it off. It felt smooth, rich and creamy and very easy to apply, but as stated on the website, was non-granular. My face felt tight as the cream dried and soaked in to my face. I left it on for around 20 minutes and then washed it off with a warm cloth. Although this product smells and feels great while on, after my face had dried, I noticed no difference in the condition of my skin and I probably wouldn't look at purchasing a full sized tube of this. My skin is already quite soft, and as a 21 year old, it is also pretty wrinkle free, so it was not a surprise that there was no noticeable change. 

Schick Hydro Silk Razor Review

When it comes to hair removal I can get pretty lazy because let’s face it, how boring is shaving your legs! I have very sensitive skin, especially on my legs, and am allergic to soap, so most razors out there don't really suit my needs. I have tried waxing cream, wax and a tonne of different razors and all have left my skin irritated and red. After reading Jess's review on the Schick Hydro Silk I was quite excited to try it out, as it seemed to have some great properties such as the easily melted serum which is dermalogically tested and the 5 curve sensing blades. I was lucky enough to receive Hydro Silk before it hit selves for a test run. The pack came with the Schick Hydro Silk handle with razor attached, a spare razor head and a small wall mount with suction cup.

Since falling pregnant shaving my legs has been my last priority, I put this razor to the test on my au natural legs!

The first thing I noticed about this razor was the handle, it is a gorgeous blue, and very easy to hold as the wide end fits perfectly in your hand and is not slippery at all. I did some research and could not find out whether the serum contained soap, so I just gave it a go, and was delightfully impressed. With a few seconds under the water and the serum was ready to go, and made the shaving experience beautiful, no extra shaving creams were needed. And most importantly, I did not come up with any sort of rash, I was thrilled! As I headed up my legs towards my knees, I got a little nervous, as I always do with razors. I always end up with small knicks on my knees that sting for days, but not this time! The curve sensing blades pulled through and no blood was shed! I am amazed at how well these blades worked, even though I had two full legs of hair, it took next to no time to shave them perfectly, and I didn’t even have to go back over the same spot repeatedly like I do with other razors I have tried.

Overall this has been the best hair removal experience I have had in my many years on the search for something that doesn’t irritate my sensitive legs. I will definitely be re-purchasing the Schick Hydro Silk when it hits the shelves. I am so grateful I was able to try this razor out, as I know I would have over looked it in stores, because in the past razors just haven’t worked for me. Last but not least a big thank you to Schick for creating such a wonderful and easy to use razor! And Jess for the opportunity to try out such a great product!

Lush UK Haul

I finally received my Lush UK package last weekend and am already completely in love with the products I have already begun trying out. Overall, this package including postage cost me around $95 AUS. I would have paid a lot more if I had purchased from my local Lush store in Adelaide, plus the Retro items are not available in store, let alone Australia. So far I have used Coolaulin conditioner, which smells divine and actually like real coconuts, along with Trichomania. My hair is always soft and tangle free after using these together. Lemony Flutter is my new favourite product as my fingers are always looks worse for wear, and I have noticed the changes in them after applying this regularly over the past few days. You barely need any, I have used it over a dozen times and you wouldn't even know. Shine so bright is something I am going to need to get used to, it is more of a hard balm than a cream and I haven't found a way I like to apply it yet, but it does smooth down the fly away's and split ends and the scent is amazing. Karma Komba and Jungle are two favourties of mine that I stocked up on and I have reviews for them here. I haven't used Slammer or Rub Rub Rub as of yet, as I am still using up the rest of my current scrub and wash, but let me tell you, I am so excited to use them both as they both have a gorgeous scent, Slammer having a citrus punch and Rub Rub Rub having a subtle blossom scent. I also was given a little sample of Lustre dusting powder, a fine golden powder used to give your body some shimmer and glow, oh and don't forget the alluring scent of Lush's Lust!

I am so pleased with my package and will definitely be ordering online from Lush UK again!

What's your makeup style TAG

This is my second tag post, taken from a favourite blog of mine Beauty in a Bottle.

1. EEK! You’ve got five minutes to do your makeup for a date. What’s your minimum?
Foundation, setting powder, blush and thick mascara. I always have chapstick on so that too.

2. Pick a trend—crazy cat eyeliner, super hot pink blush, or feathered false lashes?
Crazy cat eyeliner, I already do a very small cat eye most days. I am not a pink cheeks or fake lashes person at all haha.

3. If you had to either give up all makeup for two months or give up your skincare for a week, which would you pick?
Probably the skin care for a week, as my skin is not all that bad. I'm not all fussed about the makeup either though.

4. What beauty products are always in your purse?
Chapstick always! Mostly my daily makeup bag stays in my handbag because I do it in then car on the way to work with my husband.

5. Are there any beauty products that you keep coming back to throughout the years?
Hmm, not really. I am always finding something new that I fall in love with. It used to be Maybelline full and soft mascara, but since finding my current mascara by Revlon, I haven't use it.

6. Smoky eyes or red lips?
Brown smokey eye for sure.

7. Lipstick or lipgloss?
Chapstick. I find lipgloss to be sticky and I don't like the way it feels!

8. Are there any products that you never expected to like but ended up loving?
Not that I can think of, no.

9. Any products you expected to love, but ended up hating it instead?
Lush, Rehab.. I don't hate it but I don't love it as much as I wish I did. It is very clarifying so I don't use it very often as I find it strips my hair. The scent is devine though!

La Riche, Directions hair colour.

As mentioned in my post, Haircut Horror Stories and New Haircut Ideas, I get bored with my hair very easily and am always looking for something new and exciting to do with my hair. Being pregnant means cutting back on using harsh chemicals to colour my hair, as when colouring my roots, the chemicals can travel through my scalp in to my blood stream, harming my baby. There are inconclusive tests as to whether this is actually harmful to bubs or not, but I am not willing to take that chance.

As I can not bear to think of getting my hair cut at this time, as finally my hair is at a better length, I decided I would add some colour to it. I chose to colour my hair with La Riche Directions, as I used this brand in Midnight Blue for my 'something blue' streak at my wedding in February.

PROS

• Comes in a huge range of colours
• Plant based, so no harsh chemicals
• Low scent, no harsh smells
• Vegan 
• No Animal Testing
• Vibrant colour that doesn't fade fast (5 - 6 weeks of colour)
• Gives hair shine
• No give off of colour on your hands when heat is used to style the hair
• Cheaper than others (I bought two pots for under $20 AUS, including postage)
• Comes in 88ml pot, easier to use, lots of product.
• Adds colour highlights to dark hair

CONS

• Not sold in Australia, have to buy on eBay
• Waiting time, can't make split second decision to colour hair(Usually comes within two weeks depending on seller) 

So far I have tried Dark Tulip, Midnight Blue and Rubine, as shown below. 

In comparison to it's competitors sold in Adelaide, La Riche takes the cake every time. I have found that colours from Fudge and Renbow Crazy Colors seem to fade with washing quite quickly, leaving your hair looking faded after a week or two. They also tend to give off colour on to my hands after using heat styling, which is really quite annoying. The biggest thing for me would be their price, these products have so many cons, yet charge at least $18 per 75ml tube (Fudge). Renbow charge about the same for a 100ml bottle, but the staying power is the same as fudge, it fades quickly and is not worth the money if you are wanting coloured hair for long periods of time.

I completely recommend La Riche Directions, if you can wait the extra two weeks. For me, the wait is worth it. 

Apivita Express Beauty Mask - Sample Review

As I sorted through my cosmetics on the weekend I realised just how many samples I have, and that I should try a new one each week and review them, because who knows, I might find something new to use.

This week I used Apivita's Express Beauty with cereals nourishing mask. I received two sachets of this product in my Priceline skincare goodie bag. The packaging stated that this was a mask made with wheat germ oil, oat and rice extracts, honey, olive and sunflower oil and orange essential oils to nourish and hydrate skin. As you can see it is also free from Parabens, Silicones and Propylene Glycol which is always a plus. 

The scent of the mask is subtle and I couldn't detect any citrusy scent from orange oils, it had more of a subtle cereal scent. The application was quite creamy and thick and easy to apply, but I found that one sachet was far too much for one use. I expected it to be a one use sachet as you can actually buy them in packs of the same size, anyhow, better more than less I suppose. After leaving the cream mask for around 15 minutes, most of it had soaked in to my skin, and I rinsed. My skin didn't look any different, but did feel a little softer. I didn't notice any dramatic changes that would cause me to purchase this product for myself. In saying that I do not really suffer from dry skin, so this product may have just not been right for me. 

Overall, I would not purchase this, but would recommend it to those with dry skin as it is very moisturising and soaks in to the skin well. 

How I use Lush's Jungle solid conditioner bar.

Lush is known world wide for their amazing all natural products and being environmentally friendly, especially with their non packaged shampoo and conditioner bars. Currently I am using Karma Komba shampoo and Jungle conditioner, see here for me review on both of these products.

As I said in my review, Jungle is a much harder bar, and does not 'rub' as well directly on hair or between my hands. As suggested by many forums, I tried breaking a little off each shower and melting it in to my palms before rubbing it on to my hair. I ended up with more product in the breaking and melting process on the floor than I did in my hair, it really was not working for me. So I decided to give something else a go that I had seen on youtube a long time ago. I sliced a little chunk off of the bar, chopped it up and placed it in an old H'Suan Wen Hua hair treatment container and added enough hot water to cover the chunks, gave it a little shake and left it over night. The next day I had a liquidy conditioner that I could apply with ease.

I have found that using boiling water from a kettle, enough to cover the chunks and then shaking until they are all melted and leaving to set gives the best consistency, because air bubbles are created and form after shaking and leave it feeling thick and mousey. Remember, never melt down the whole bar at once, because the preservatives used are meant to be for the solid bar, and your conditioner may go off otherwise. I make enough each time of 2 - 3 washes as I was my hair every 2 - 3 days, so it is never sitting longer than 2 weeks.

Are there any other fancy tricks out there? Have you tried solid shampoo and conditioner before?

I would love to try: Crystal Essences

Crystal Essences are a natural yet powerful deodorant made from salt minerals that prevents body odour rather than masking it. They come in spray, roll on or towelette form and currently have three great scents, all with different properties. They do not contain any harsh chemicals such as Aluminum Chlorohydrate, Aluminum Zirconium or Phthalates.

The scents and their properties as stated online:

• Charmomile & Green Tea — Combines the stress reduction of Chamomile with the powerful anti–oxidants of Green Tea.
• Lavender& White Tea — Merges the natural anti-inflammatory gifts of lavender with the relaxing benefits of White Tea. 
• Pomegranate —  Enjoy the natural antioxidant powers of this proven “super fruit” to help protect and regenerate your skin.

Crystal also stock an unscented deodorant that would be great to wear with your favourite perfume. I would love to try all of the scents to find out which works best for me, and if they are more effective than regular supermarket deodorant. As a lover of all things natural, these really appealed to me, after spotting the pomegranate spray in the bathroom while my auntie in-law was over from Perth.

So far I have not seen these in store, only online for around $7.45 AUS on aussiehealthproducts.com.au .

Hopefully they make an appearance in some local stores soon as they seem to have really taken off in the US and the UK. As usual the Aussies are a little slow to catch up to growing trends!

What other natural deodorants are out there? Are they Available in Australia? Have you tried them, and do they work more effectively than regular deodorant? I would love to hear what you have to say!

What I Want Wednesday - Real Techniques Brushes

image source

After reading so many great things about the Real Techniques brushes, I have found myself really lusting to try them out. I did some research and found these two, the stippling brush and the expert face brush, appealed to me the most, as I haven't yet found a brush I like to apply foundation with. I love how they are also multi purpose and I can create the base of my look, foundation, powder, highlighter and blusher, with the same brush. They are available in my local Priceline for around $25 each, luckily I have found them online at iherb.com for a much cheaper price ($25 for both including postage) and will probably find myself purchasing them soon enough.

Natural Products and Animal Testing: My most used beauty products.

Using products that are great for our skin is very important to us, but it is also important that animals are not being harmed for our skins benefit. There are so many alternatives out in the wide world now that are reasonably priced and just as good for our skin, if not better, that do not test on our furry friends. Natural ingredients and the use of no nasties are really important to me so, recently I decided to check out the 'behind the scenes' as such of my most used beauty products. As far as I am aware a fair chunk of my collection is either natural, organic or not tested on animals. There are a bunch of products that I have collected, received as free gifts with a purchase, or been given as presents that I know are none of the above, and I don't really used them all that often now, if at all. They sit gathering dust and bulking up my storage cubes.

 I decided I would research how natural are my most used products and if nasties are used, if they are organic, if they are tested on animals or cruelty free accredited (CCF, no animal testing or ingredients), and if they use animal derived ingredients. Here is what I found. 

Face
Yes To Cucumbers wipes and cleanser are 98% natural, contain no nasties and are CCF accredited.

St Ives Apricot Scrub is natural, contains no nasties or animal derived ingredients. The product it self is not tested on animals, but it is believed that the company uses ingredients from sources that do test on animals.

Innoxa Super Sensitive Toner is natural and conatins no nasties. They also claim that most of their products are vegan, therefore do not use animal derived ingredients, with the exception of a few products containing things such as honey where the animals have not been harmed. They do provide a vegan friendly list to help clarify.
Witch Skincare Blemish Stick is natural, contains no nasties, does not test on animals or use animal derived ingredients.
Sukin Facial Moisturiser is organic and all natural, contains no nasties and is CCF accredited.

Body

Palmolive Milk and Honey Body Wash is not something I would usually purchase, I am trying to use up all my older body washes as to make room for the new natural, and CCF accredited ones. Though it is soap free which is an important factor for being, being allergic.
Puretopia Body Scrub is natural, does not contain any nasties or animal derived ingredients and does not test on animals.
Palmers Tummy Butter is CCF accredited but does use some un-natural ingredients such as collagen and elastine to help eliminate stretch marks during pregnancy.
I love.. Raspberry and Blackberry body butter is not test on animals and believes the company does not purchase products from companies that test on animals. The ingredients are not natural or organic. (But it does smell amazing, and makes a really like massage cream for when my husband rubs my aching shoulders and lower back)

MakeupRevlon Colour Stay Liquid foundation/Grow Luscious Mascara are obviously full of nasties and do test on animals. It was said that Revlon it self did not test on animals, but later it was found out that companies they purchased their ingredients from did. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid foundation/pressed powder are naturally derived using cotton, green tea etc but do test on animals, which is a shame because this is my favourite pressed matte powder.
Mirenesse Tight Liner is not tested on animals and no animal derived ingredients are used. It is not made with natural ingredients but I have to say this is my favourite eye liner by far, I am so glad that Mirenesse are against animals testing and ingredients.
Bourjois Healthy mix Foundation and baked blush are not tested on animals, and as far as I know do not use animal derived ingredients. The foundation contains vitamin rich fruits but that is as natural as it gets. I am in love with this foundation/blush and again am glad they do not test on animals.
Garnier Naturals Anti-Dark Circles Roll on is not tested on animals. I am unsure if they use animal derived ingredients. A lot of their products have natural aspects, such as the lemon juice and caffeine in this particular product, but I am sure they still contain some nasties too.

HairI can proudly say all my hair care products are not tested or animals nor do they use animal derived ingredients. My hair care go to's are all from Lush, as well all know they are cruelty free and all natural. I use Karma Komba, Jungle, Rehab, Veganese and RnB. Davroe moisture senses Argan oil is something else I use all the time and it is CCF accredited. Organic Care Scalp Care, my anti-dandruff shampoo is also CCF accredited and organic.

When I colour my hair crazy colours I use La Riche Directions which is vegan. I do not use henna dyes as a few family members have had some bad experiences and I figure since we share the same DNA and our hair is fairly similar.. I don't want to risk it. Though I do try to keep with brands that do no test on animals.

So I still used a few products that test on animals, but since I have already purchased them, I have already supported them, so I am not going to waste them, just use them up and by non-animal tested products next time. Now to research the replacements!

Do you guys have any recommendations of natural beauty products that aren't tested on animals or that are CCF approved that I should try? Comment Below! x

Haircut Horror Stories and New Haircut Ideas.

My hair is one of my most important features. I am always fussing over it and spending crazy amounts of money to keep it healthy and growing. Over the years I have definitely used and abused my hair beyond it's limits, dying it an array of colours ranging through the reds, oranges, dark browns, blondes and even some crazy colours such as pink, purple and blue!

Now I have many hair cut horror stories but here's the one that lead me to the hair I have currently and why I want it to grow so desperatly. At the start of last year, 2011, my hair just reached my chest and I had just dyed it from pink to dark brown with blonde tips. I wouldn't call it ombre because there wasn't any sort of blending or graduation in to the blonde. Come late Febuary, March I decided that the blonde had ruined my hair, and instead of dying it all back to brown as suggested by the hair dresser who said my hair wasn't that badly damaged and with some care would come good again, I took a leap and chopped it all off. I left my fringe long and the rest cut very, very short. I could barely get a straightner in the back and had to use a mini one most of the time. At the time I loved it, but now, I regret it more than any of my hair cut horrors.

As time went on my hair began to grow out and become more manageable, but my fringe, being longer than the rest of my hair hair, was out of control. I got so frustrated with it one day, that I just cut it off, which left me with similar length hair all over, but also looking very boyish. When my hair became just long enough to get in a tiny elastic, I wanted to have it cut and evened out in to a short bob, but the hair dresser for some reason convinced me an asymetical hair cut would be much more suiting. As that grew out, it was the BIGGEST pain. Half my hair was able to fit in an elastic, and the rest sort of just flopped about and had to be pinned up. I kept this hair style until after my wedding, as I was having my hair curled around to the longer side and pinned up, and if I had cut it before I would have had hardly any hair left to work with. A few weeks after my wedding, I chopped the longer part of my hair of myself because I just couldn't wait any longer.

Since then I haven't cut my hair once. 4 and a half months with out scissors touching my hair and about 8 months with out going to the actual hair dressers, I starting to get the temptation to get my hair cut. But how? is the big question. My hair is currently just over my collarbones, with a long side fringe. It's a bunch of random colours because I haven't dyed it in quite some time and the ends are copper / faded pink. I want to keep the length because I am growing it out and love that I can put my hair up easily now. But I want an actual style, rather than the I-haven't-been-to-the-hair-dresses-in-8-months-growth. I am terrible at picking hair cuts for myself and just want something simple, and simple to style. Being able to put it up is a major thing for me and having a long fringe that I can sweep back easily is also important. (I have curly hair and a short fringe means I would have to straighten it every morning for it to sit right, and I just don't have that sort of time.. well to be honest, I'd rather stay in bed an extra 5 minutes)

My hair now goes up easily in many styles and is easy to straighten because of it's length. I want/need a cut though, even just to even my hair out and thin it out a bit. I'm not sure what I want to do yet! Feel free to recommend some hair styles for me below! Links to pictures would be wonderful!

This or That TAG

I have not yet completed a beauty TAG as if yet, and since reading two TAG's by Born To Buy and Beauty in a Bottle, I decided I would finally take the plung and do one for myself! So here goes!

Makeup
1. Blush or bronzer? Blush for sure! At the moment my favourite is the Bourjois blush in '03 Brun Cuivre'.
2. Lipgloss or lipstick? Neither, I am more of a tint girl. I don't like the way lipgloss feels and lipstick always seems to get everywhere with me! I hate seeing it on cups and food!
3. Chapstick or lip butter? Chapstick, at the moment I have two lip balms of choice, both are vanilla one from Soft Lips and the other from 1SkinSolution.
4. Matte or sparkle eye shadow? Matte, I don't really apply eyeshadow often, but when I do I like it to be subtle.
 5. Eyeliner or mascara? Mascara. Even when I am not wearing make up, I sometimes apply just a little mascara. At the moment I am in love with Revlon's Grow Luscious, the brush is huge and amazing!
6. Gel, liquid, cream or pencil eyeliner? I love my marker style liquid liner from Mirenesse. I get it right every time and it is soo easy to apply.
7. Foundation or concealer? Concealer, I rarely do a full face of make up anymore, but concealer helps me look a little more alive and hide those dark circles.
8. Liquid or powder foundation? Liquid, I find powder ends up looking cakey and thick, and I don't really like how it feels.
9. Neutral or statement eyes? Neutral, always.
10. Pressed or loose shadow? Pressed. I make such a mess with loose, I end up with more on my lap or bed than I do on my face.
 11. Waterproof or non-waterproof? Waterproof, I am far too paranoid that I am going to have black running down my face!
12. Brush, sponges or fingers? Brushes and fingers. Fingers are good for a quick on the go application, which is my everyday application haha.
13. Powder, cream or liquid highlighter? I am not sure really because I don't really use a highlighter, I have used high beam and moon beam from Benefit and I like those both, and I have also used dafodill by Benefit as a highlighter and liked that as well!
14. Contouring or no contouring? I usually can't be bothered because I haven't quite perfected this one yet, I need a pro to give me some tips for my face shape.
15. Red, bright or nude lips? I always go for shades closest to my natural lip colour, and that is a dark fleshy red.

Nails

1. OPI or Essie? OPI. Dying to own the pirates collection!
2. Acrylic or natural? Natural. I used to wear nails all the time, but they are such a hassle and ruined my normal nails.
3. Brights or darks? Either. Depends what mood I am in. Currently I haven't paint my nails in a few weeks, and I still have the remainders of Butter's yummy mummy and Essie's French affair on my ring fingers.
4. Matte or shiny? Once again, either. I like to change it up.
5. Glitter or no glitter? No glitter. I love glitter.. until it comes time to get it off and I sit there for a week picking it off because my nail polish remover doesn't budge it at all.
6. Short, medium or long? Medium or short. I get to a certain length where I have to cut them off because they annoy me.

Body

1. Perfume or body spray? Depends what I am doing, if I am just going to work I will just use my normal deodorant which is a neutral smell with some body spray. (I work amoungst men, one being my husband, and another my step father in law) in a car servicing/water tank building, and wear jeans to work) Going out I will always wear perfume, either Midnight Fantasy or Shock One.
2. Lotion or body butter? Butters, I have really dry skin and butter's seem to help a tonne more!
3. Body wash or soap? Body wash. I always use body wash on my puff. I don't like soap, espeically since I share a shower with 5 others, including a 7 year old.. I just find it weird that someone else might use it directly on their body..
4. Self tanners, tanning salon or au naturale? Au naturale. Sometimes I will use gradual tanning lotions, but over-tanning and looking orange is not my thing.
5. Body brush, exfoliating glove or body scrub? Scrub, my husband and I use Puretopia body scrub on eachother in the shower and sort of give each other massages at the same time, so that's always nice.


And we're done! Well that was fun, comment below and let me know if you agree with my choices!

I need some empties!

I have so many skin care, hygeine and make up products, that I never manage to finish them off before the expiry dates, meaning I have to throw them out, wasting a tonne of money. Recently I did a huge clean out of all my old products and ended up throwing away ridiculous amounts. Something like 5 mascaras, some foundation and powders, eyeshadows, about 10 moisturisers (hand, face, body etc) and even some fash washes. Luckily some of my face washes were able to be given to my brother as they were not yet old, I just didn't like them much. I felt so guilty and wasteful throwing away un-used products. I swap products so frequently, I mean, I can't even use an entire tube of tooth paste without changing up and at one point in time I had 3 tooth brushes on the go. How silly!

My goal for the next few months is to stick with the products I am currently using and actually FINISH!!! them. I think this will be the most difficult in the make up department, only because I don't wear it everyday now that I am pregnant. I just feel so drained that most mornings I just can't be bothered with my hair or make up.

To help me along in the process, I am setting myself a few must finish products. No starting new ones until these are all used up! Products I am aiming to use up are:

• Yes To Cucumbers face cleanser
• Palmolive Milk and Honey shower gel
• Veganese conditioner
• Palmers tummy moisturiser
• Sukin facial moisturiser
• Sensitive foaming toothpaste
• Bonjous Healthy mix foundation
• Davroe hair serum

Hopefully I can achieve this in the next few month and finally do an empties post to prove it. Wish me luck, I know this is going to be a tough one!

Our New Home #1

Last weekend was quite hectic but very exciting for us. We finally received our cabin, which came in flat pack form ready for us to build.

According the webpage we ordered it frm, it would take 2 men 1 day to build it, and considering we had at least 5 people we thought it would be pretty easy. We could not have been more wrong! The cabin came a lot differently than what was pictured online, with extra parts, parts that didn't fit together and parts that we just looked at thought... huh!? After a full days work we managed to get the base, four walls and half the roof together.

Day two started off with a challenge. We realised that not all the roofing panels were square, so the roof had some over hang that needed to be cut before we could even think of putting the other half on. As the clouds grew greyer we were so worried we would get rained on and the floor would get meaning we wouldn't be able to carpet it and sleep on our new matress inside that night. Luckily the rain held off, the sun shone, all challenges were over come and the roof was finally on!

I just had to laugh when I saw the door handle situation. I won't even bother explaining, because the picture below tells all.. What were they thinking!?

By the end of the night, half the room was carpeted, we put our new queen matress on the floor, brought in some of our furniture and our TV and relaxed watching a movie in our new home!

We can not wait to finish the carpeting and the cosmetic's of the cabin so we can finally move all of our furniture inside and begin to organise our things again, instead of living between the caravan, cabin, spare bedroom in the main house and the garage! Some normality would be nice!

Face Care Routine

(Photo's taken on my iphone, as we are moving in to our new home at the moment and I seem to have packed my camera cord away, sadly)

I have re-done this post SO many times now, every few months my routine seems to change because I find new products and fall in love with them so quickly, which is not always a good thing. Half the time I don't see a change in my skin's condition and just love the feel or the scent of a product, this time, things are a little different.

As I posted a few weeks ago now, I received the Priceline skincare goodie bag. To receive this I purchased for myself Yes To Cucumber daily wipes, Yes To Cucumber daily face cleanser and Innoxa Super Sensitive toner. In the bag I received Witch blemish stick and Sukin facial moisturiser. These products along with St Ives Apricot daily scrub make up my new face care routine.

In the shower:
I first wash my face with Yes To Cucumbers daily face cleanser (if I have managed to remember I usually take my make up off first with the daily wipes) using the clean pod I received with my L'Oreal facial cleanser a while ago. The cleanser is a translucent green liquid with no ex-foliating beads, I usually squeeze a little on to the pod and then rub my entire face with it. The scent is mild and smells pretty much like cucumbers. Once a week I use St Ives Apricot daily scrub. They call this one a daily scrub but I find it far too harsh to use daily. It is full of crushed walnut shells and is quite gritty against the skin, almost as if you are rubbing sand on your face. I like to use this one to rid my face of dead skin cells and really give my pores a deep clean and I only ever apply it with my hands.

Out of the shower:
I first tone with Innoxa's super sensitive toner and a swissper pad. This gets rid of anything the cleanser or scrub may of missed and usually the pad comes away relatively clean, always a good sign (This always depends on whether I have taken my make up off before the shower or not). I then apply Witch's blemish stick to all my spots which as usually on my fore head, around my nose and on my chin, and then apply Sukin's natural facial moisturiser (which has the gorgeous scent of orange and lavender) to the rest of my face, avoiding the blemished areas. The Witch stick is a small blue stick in a push up container, almost a wider version of lipbalm that you literally just rub on your blemishes. It can sting a little sometimes, but seems to help with the dissapearence of blemishes.

Before I changed my routine to the above, my face was covered in spots and blemishes (which is really unusual for me, I usually have really clear skin, so I put it down to the products I was using, along with the pregnancy) and now, after a few weeks, my face is pretty well clear. I can't attribute my clear skin to just one of these products as I started using them all at the same time, but I can say that they are all great and my skin is thanking them all greatly. Most of the products I use are natural and nasty free. I am very happy with this routine as I have actually seen the results and happy skin! I won't be changing this one up for a while!

Online shopping overseas: Lush

Recently I have discovered I can save myself quite a bit of money purchasing online from the UK, instead of online from Australia or driving down to Lush in Adelaide, not to mention the UK stock retro products, some of which I am dying to try. When we get our tax back, we are allowing ourselves a little to splurge on things we wouldn’t normally buy, so I figure I am going to spend mine on Lush and maybe some new clothes. I am so keen that I have already picked most of the things I would like from Lush. So far my list is:

• Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, this is mainly for my husband as scrubs really help with his dry skin. He is also working with grease and cars all day, so hopefully this will help to get it all out of his pores on his front and back.
• Karma Komba, is my current shampoo and I am in love with it. I swear by it. (I barely use Rehab anymore because I love it that much)
• Jungle, so far I have really loved using it as an alternative for Veganese. Switching up conditioners gives my hair a shock and something new every so often seems to keep it silky smooth.
• Cooclaulin, I would really love to try a new conditioner and coconut scents that helps with dry frizzies sounds wonderful to me. This is a retro product.
• Silky Underwear, because who doesn’t want to have smooth silky skin.
• Karma and Godmother Soaps, let’s face it Karma and Godmother scents are to die for, Karma (Lush's most well known scent) is the citrusy wake up, where as Godmother is the fun, flirty sweet smell reminding us of the Christmas favourite, Snow Fairy.
• Flying Fox Shower Gel, I have a temple balm in this scent from years ago and I am still in love with it, the jasmine scent is very strong, but personally I don't find it over powering.
• Slammer Shower Gel, This is another retro which I would love to try, apparently it is really citrusy, so great for waking up a tired body in the morning.
• Trichomania, once again coconut scents are amazing and I am hoping this goes well with the Cooclaulin conditioner, like I said I love chaning it up in the shower and since the scents last for days on the hair, it would be great to know there is a range of scents to choose from.
• Latte Lip Tint, I have just wanted to try this for a while and this seems to be the most subtle colour.
• Lemony Flutter, if you could see my fingers, you would understand why I need this desperatly. I have a horrid family habit of picking the skin around my nails.. I have terrible cuticles!

I can get all this, including postage, for just over $100 Australian. If I was to purchase all of this in Australia it works out for over $140 Australian and that doesn’t include the postage of $9 when you order online. So I save around $50 shopping online in the UK and manage to score some retro products too. Sounds pretty good to me! I can not wait to order these next month and feel fresh and clean everytime I use them, there is just something about Lush products that make me feel extra clean after using them. Not the mention how AMAZING all their scents are.

If you're looking in to a big order from Lush I reccomend checking out the UK site, who doesn't love saving money!

Changing the look - Apologies

Apologies to those who visit my blog over the next week. I will be making some cosmetic changes to the look of my blog, so it might be all over the place for a bit!


EDIT: All done guys! Hope you like the new look!

Lush Reviews

Last week I received my Lush package after ordering my goodies with free shipping thanks to the Lush Gorilla perfumes exclusives. To qualify for free shipping, you are to order a Gorilla perfume and then enter the code EXCLUSIVE at checkout, for me this turned out to be a great deal, as shipping is usually $9 and I only paid $9.95 for the solid perfume to qualify, so technically I paid .95c for the perfume! (This offer has sadly ended)

Upon receiving my Lush package I could smell Karma Komba and Jungle before even opening the box. Their scents are just gorgeous. Karma Komba has a fresh orange citrus scent, I personally don't find it to be over bearing, rather sweet and calming. Solid shampoo bars remind me very much of those little sprinkles all stuck together, my husband thought they were just 'so weird' and much like 'rubbing a bar of soap on your head'. The Karma Komba bar lathers up beautifully. I wet it, rub it between my hands a few times and on the top of my head and then wash my hair as normal. I rub my hair until the lather calms down and then rinse. My hair feels soft enough to not have to use a conditioner after. My hair has never been so tangle free after using a shampoo alone, I was so shocked the first time I used it. After using Rehab for the last 5 months and having my hair feel like straw after shampooing (it is SOO very clarifying, now I will only use it once or twice a fortnight or when I have used product in my hair), it was a nice surprise to have my hair feeling clean and refreshed without conditioner. Even though my hair feels so great without conditioner, I still use Jungle after. Jungle's scent is what I keep describing as foresty. I honestly can't pick a particular scent from this bar, I just know I love it. Once again I wet it, rub it between my hands a few times, then run it down the length of my hair, this conditioner bar takes a few more swipes than the shampoo bar does as it is a lot harder to melt. I rub it through my hair and then, get on the with the rest of my shower before rinsing. After rinsing I have literally tangle free and gorgeous smelling hair. These two keep my hair shiny, looking healthy and pretty tangle free until the next wash. When I get out the shower I pat them both dry and store them in an open container under my sink where the moisture can not get to them. Overall both of these get a big thumbs up and a 5/5 from me.

The ultrabalm is a great universal product that I use on my extra dry fingers/hands, my lips, scraps, cuts and so on. There's not much to say, since it is such a regular products, like vaseline or paw paw cream, aside from the fact it has little scent and is very moisturising. 


1000 kisses is a solid perfume from the Gorilla perfume exclusives and was created in honour of lasting love. The first time I opened and smelt the bright orange stick, I was greeted by the scent of blossoms and fresh citrus followed by a woody undertone. I swirled some on my wrists, rubbed them together and smelt more of a strange indescribable smell rather than the fresh citrus. After giving it some time to warm and soak in, the fresh citrus scent returned and the woody undertones were more apparent. The scent is subtle and not over powering, but sweet at the same time. I have never smelt something like this before, and I like it more and more every time I wear it. 

I did not like the Dirty toothy tabs I was given as a sample one bit. I don't actually have one nice thing to say about them, so I won't go in to it too much. I crushed mine up first as I didn't like the idea of chewing it and getting it all stuck in my teeth. Long story short, I put my tooth brush in my mouth, the flavours hit my tongue, I spat and rinsed within two seconds. I felt like I had eaten soap.. These aren't my thing at all..

I am super impressed with my new Lush additions, especially the hair products. These will be a re purchase for sure!

How do you guys store you solid Lush bars? Have you tried toothy tabs? Let me know below!

Priceline's Skincare Goodie Bag

Priceline's free goodie bag is back again! This time they are handing out a skincare bag, packed with $220 worth of great skincare brands when you spend $50 or more on the selected brands, which includes some of my favourites like Yes To, Sukin and Puretopia.

After spending yesterday deciding what products I needed that added up to $50 I ended up ringing my sister and asking her if she needed anything from Priceline that was included in the selected brands. Don't get me wrong, I could spend waaay more than $50 in one go on skincare, but as we are on a budget at the moment and I just bought a new car, I thought I been just stick with what I absolutely needed. Luckily for me my sister DID need some things, and over all together we equalled up to $55.

Together we bought:

• Yes to Cucumbers Gentle Daily Cleanser (mine)
• Yes to Cucumbers Daily Wipes (mine)
• Innoxa Super Sensitive Oil Free Toner (mine)
• Neutrogena Ultra Foaming Facial Cleanser (sister)
• Palmers Cocoa Butter (sister)

I will get reviews up for my products after I have used them for a few weeks, so I can really comment on their effectiveness. (I used the cleanser and toner for the first time last night, and let me tell you, they both worked amazingly, especially they toner.)

I was so eager to open my goodie bag, but we still had to grab some dinner and go grocery shopping before I could even have a sneak peek! (In the car I looked at a few items, but it was quite dark so I could barely see.) As soon as I got home I quickly took the fridge items to the fridge and then tipped my bag out on the bed (at which point my husband rolled his eyes at me as he began unpacking our groceries) and quickly divided everything up in to face, body, hands etc. I am very pleased with what I have received in this goodie bag, so many great products and 90% of them suitable for me! (The Playboy deodorant is for my sister, the anti-wrinkle hand cream will be given away as a gift to a mum or a grandma and the Oxy spot gel I gave to my husband) I am over joyed with how many natural products they included in this bag, with Witch, Puretopia, Yes To, Ulittlebeauty, Sukin and so on.

I can't wait to start using and reviewing these items! It definitely gives me something to write about now as I was running out of products there for a while. Did you redeem this awesome gift from Priceline? What's your favourite product you received in the bag?  

Lush Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek at my order from Lush. It finally came this morning and I am so impressed that I managed to score a sample of the new Dirty Toothy Tabs (I didn't even have to ask!). I can't wait to go home and wash my hair tonight because these two smell divine, I could smell them before I even had the box open! Stay tuned for my reviews on these products over the next week.

Something extra special.

This week I thought I would post about something extra special happening in my life at the moment. As I have written about previously, I got married in February to Billy. In April we found out that we (I was) were pregnant with our first bubba! Now I am 13 weeks and finally had my first ultra sound yesterday and received some precious photos of our baby! Everything is looking great so far. Our baby measures at 6cm from top to tail and has a head span of 2cm. The baby is growing at a steady rate and we are both healthy. (Aside from my morning sickness, which is slowly subsiding thank god!) We are both so thrilled and our families are both equally thrilled and have been ever so supportive. Getting pregnant so soon after our marriage was not the plan at all. We had planned to do so when we were financially stable (paid off our loan and billy moving up to full time work, as he is only a 3rd year apprentice mechanic right now) but we wouldn't change this for the world and have been making it work so far. We have now done a lot of planning and budgeting to prepare ourselves and believe we will be fine when the little one comes along. We are both truly blessed to be given this chance to be parents and raise something so precious. So I should probably share some of my pictures with you guys now.

Previous Lush Purchases and Wishlist

Lately I have been overly obsessed with Lush. By now everyone in the cosmetics world has heard of Lush and has tried at least one of their devine products. Lush are against animal testing and against the use of animal derived products, providing their customers a touch of nature by using essential oils and natural bases for their products, which are all fresh and handmade. Lush also believe in being green, and lessening the amount of packaging used. Their solid shampoo bars are a great example of no packaging being required. They also have a promotion where bringing back 5 'black pots' will get you on free fresh face mask, helping them recycle and re-use the pots. Although these are all great reasons to get in to Lush, the smell and quality of the products is what pulls most of us in. So far from Lush I have purchased:

• Flying Fox Temple Balm (still in use)
• Bubblegum Lip Scrub  (still in use)
• Sugar babe Scrub  (still in use)
• Rehab Shampoo  (still in use)
• Veganese Conditioner  (still in use)
• RnB Hair Treatment  (still in use)
• The Comforter Bubble Bar  (still in use)
• American Cream (sample)
• Big Shampoo (sample)
• Godiva Solid Shampoo (used up)
• New Solid Shampoo (used up)
• Solid Conditioner (used up)
• Cinnamon Soap (used up)
• King of the Mods (expired and rid of)

I have been almost stalking Lush.com.au for the past week deciding on what I would like to buy and sample next. So far I have stuck with just the products I believe I need, rather than completely splurging out and buying EVERYTHING, because believe me, I would if I could. Upon next visit I would like to sample: Retread and American Cream Conditioner (I have tried American Cream before, but that was about 2-3 years ago now, and since I am half way through Veganese, I think I would like to give the other two conditioners a go) and also  I would like to get matched up and sample some of the colour supplement. I currently have 4 foundations open and actually can not justify purchasing another one, as I would hate to waste any of the others I have now, but am dying to try out the colour supplement. I would like to purchase a Solid Shampoo, I am not sure which one as of yet, I really want to talk to the Lush consultant and see which they think would suit my hair type, since they were so spot on with Rehab, and Ultrabalm. I am always needing balm, whether it be for a scrap, my lips, my cuticles and so on. I have been using paw paw ointment for some time now, and would just like to give something else a go.

There are so many other things I would love to buy, like the roma water, and billions of soaps and bath bombs. We don't have a bath though, so that really cuts out any beautiful smelling bath bombs. I can't wait the have our child be able to bath in beautiful smelling water when they are old enough. Hopefully I will be getting down to Lush in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for my reviews on the samples and purchases!

Absentee and Current Favourites.

Hello there! I am back, after much time off (3 months I think) I have come back to my blog. I was finding that I was running out of things to talk about and spending a load of money on things, just so I had something too write about, even if I didn't really need them. So now I have had some time to save and get some new products that I actually needed rather than just because. I also cancelled all beauty box subscriptions as I found I was using them less and less and just ending up with a bunch of things I didn't really need, or things I did need in the wrong colour (which ticked me off something awful). Today's post is going back to basics and just outlining my current favourites (some old, some new).

These products are in my everyday makeup bag that is kept in my handbag. I always start off by cleaning my face with 'Yes to Cucumbers' cleansing wipes before applying my foundation. Rimmel's Stay Matte has become my new favourite range as I find it to be light weight but still maintains an even and medium coverage (depending on how much you apply) I use a minimal amount and am currently applying it just with my fingers, mainly due to my lack of clean foundation brushes at the moment (I am currently moving and cleaning brushes is the least of my worries right now) It spreads evenly and easily over the face, although this particular colour '200 Soft Beige' is a little dark, ever so slightly and barely noticeable unless under very close inspection. What drew me to the Stay Matte range was the fact that it is talc, paraben and fragrance free and used chamomile, cucumber and cotton to naturally reduce shine. I feel that this product teamed with the Stay Matte pressed powder in '001 Transparent' really help to cut back shine, while leaving my base feeling light weight and fresh for the most part of the day. The only criticism for the powder would be the packaging. The lid easily falls off as the twist lid design is pretty poor, which is a bit disappointing, but won't discourage me from using it everyday. I use the EcoTools mini buff kabuki too apply my powder all over my face after applying Garniers Roll on Anti Dark Circles in Light under my eyes to hide any dark circles and sometimes to my eyelids and under my brow if they are looking particularly veiny. Depending on where I am going I appy a quick stroke of Bourjois blush in '03 Brun Cuivre' to my cheek bones and apples with the mini brush provided. This blush is a really light nude peach with shimmer and gives a natural slightly bronze glow. As mentioned by a few others, the blush itself is quite hard and can sometimes take a lot of brush swirling to achieve the desired result. The packaging is very suitable, with mini brush and small mirror in the lid and makes it easy to quickly touch up. Now for the eyes, I keep it pretty simple, a few coats of Revlon's Grow Luscious waterproof mascara in '821 Blackest Black' and a stroke of Mirenesse's Tight Liner in 'Caviar Black'. Grow Luscious mascara has the BIGGEST brush I have ever used before, and I was a bit intimidated the first time I used it, after a few tries I figured out how to get the product on my eye lashes rather than my eyelids, haha. I have fallen in love with the bigger brush now, although I have quite short lashes, this brush gives them the lift and extensive coating they need too widen and brighten my eyes. As far as the packaging claims 'longer, stronger lashes' I can not comment on that yet, as I haven't really been using this one for that long. I love the look it gives me now, and if it just happens to make my lashes 'grow' then that's a double thumbs up. I received the Mirenesse liner after finding a coupon in one of my beauty boxes a while ago. As soon as I used it, I fell in love. I will never use another eye liner again! It is so simple to apply, never messy and always perfect the first time. The felt tip makes precision lines and instead of taking the 5 minutes for each eye as I used to, I take about 3 seconds for each. I can not say enough amazing things about this liner! Last but not least, 1SkinSolution lipbalm in vanilla. I recieved this lipbalm in my March Lust Have It and didn't think much of it, as we had been getting soo many lipbalms from all the different beauty boxes. After losing my last lipbalm to my husband who decided that he needed it in his car more than I did in my handbag, I tried out a few from the boxes. 1Skin lipbalm has become my absolute favourite. You only need one swipe on the bottom lip and after rubbing your lips together, it remains on your lips for hours. It's so moisturising, not to mention it smells great.

So that's it, my daily wears. A pretty long post. but I did say I had some new products! Hopefully I can keep updating regularly again. I have decided it might be nice to do some reviews on older products that I own and have re-purchased multiple times. So stay tuned x

My Everyday Wears

Benefit That Gal, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, L'Oreal Touche Magique, Garnier Roll-on, Australis Fresh and Flawless, Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour, Maybelline Line Stiletto, Benefit Hoola, Benefit Dandelion, Mirenesse French Kiss in Bellini and Eco tools Limited Edition mini concealer and contour brushes.

Hello Kitty Perfume body mist's in Musk Sticks and Bubblegum depending how I'm feeling.

Lust Have It March

Excuse the terrible photo's I had to use my iphone this week as I can't find my camera again... I'm hopeless haha. Anyhow this is my first lust have it box, and I am so super impressed! This by far has been the best box I have received out of them ALL! Everything in this box was something I am interested in and can use in everyday life and of great quality. Not to mention this month there are four full sized products and one deluxe sample, we got around $100 worth of goodies for $14.95! How amazing is that?! The Davroe Argan very much lives up to its description, it smooth the hair without oilyness and it smells divine with the musk jasmine scent. Anything that is natural and organic that is a fix for my fluffy mop is a plus for me. The Dito nail polish design is great, it does make it a lot easier to paint your nails, but I got a bit of a weird colour that doesn't look all that good on me. (I've only used it once if anyone is up for swaps comment below) The 1skin lipbalm is great and very moisturisrising, just like every other lip balm I own. I think that the lipbalms have been a little over done throughout all the boxes now, maybe a lipstick or gloss would be better now. Kosmea is a brand I have taken great interest in since receiving the face mist in one of my first boxes. I love the scent of there products. I now use this cream as a base for make up or on it's own before bed. Mirenesse are such a great brand with great quality products, I have so many of their products now. The eye shadows are amazing in colour and pigmentation and as you can see from the swatch I received a gorgeous bluey silver pallete.

Overall this box is my favourite by far. Due to some financial issues all my boxes are cancelled currently until I am back on my feet again. I will only be re subbing to lust have it upon my beauty box return!

Schwarzkopf Taft Full On Styling Powder

Over time I have tried so many different products to create the tussled look, salt spray, dry shampoos and so on. I have recently read a few reviews on the Schwarzkopf Osis and really wanted to try it, but with the price tag of $25 I was a little put off. After a little research I found out that the Taft version with a $7 price tag contained the same ingredients, lucky for me because it is amazing. A shake a little on and around my roots and then use my finger tips to rub it in and fluff up my hair a bit. Back combing helps with volume and the powder is very mattifying and has good hold. Unlike hair spray it can be re-moulded as many times throughout the day. Very happy I managed to find a cheaper but just as effective alternative.

Garnier Roll-on Anti Dark Circles in Light

After hearing many great reviews on this product, I just had to get it for myself. I'm so glad I did, because I love it. Basically it is a roll on tint aimed at helping to cover and reduce dark circles, which I tend to have a lot of regardless of the sleep I have or have not gotten. It feels amazing applying this, you just roll it on under your eyes and gently pat it in to you skin with your finger tips. It blends away very easily and evens the skin tone under the eyes while still looking natural and feeling fresh. Another great thing I find with this is the ball roller is nice and cold, adding to the fresh, awake feeling. The roll on works great alone and with or under a foundation base. I would recommend this to anyone having troubles with dark circles, but this would not hide full on bags haha. I have also heard great things about Garnier's BB miracle skin perfecter cream and am looking at picking it up next time I am at my local pharmacy. What do you guys think of it?

March Wishlist

1. Stlia - Convertible Colour in Rose
2. Bourjois - Liquid Eyeliner
3. Eyeko - Curvy Mascara
4. Hello Kitty - Eyeshadow in Desert Dore
5. OPI - Pirate of the Caribbean Collection

It's all about the face: Face care products.

One of my first posts was about all the face care products I used at the time. A few months down the track and it seems as if it has changed dramatically. I have now added a few more face products to my collection and stopped using some of the things I spoke about before. These are the products I use regularly.

I fell in love with  L'Oreal Perfect Clean - Exfoliating Gentle Apricot Scrub with the cleanPod the first time I used it. The scent is very sweet and apricotty and it is almost like a runny gel. You squeeze around a 10 cent coin sized amount on to the cleanpod and then in small circles clean your face with it. I find that with the help of the cleanpod, all my makeup is removed and my face is left feeling fresh. (Aside from my eyes of course) On my eyes I use either Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil or Nivea Daily Cleansing Wipes for Sensitive Skin, both remove my eye makeup really well without leaving any traces behind or hurting my eyes. I used to use toner that was alcohol based, but found it was probably a little to harsh on my skin for prolonged use and am now on the hunt for a new alcohol free toner. I am swaying towards the Simple Soothing Facial Toner as it is alcohol free and pH balanced.

Sometimes if I am having a bad week with breakouts I use Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash with the cleanpod to help clear up any nasties. After face cleansers/toners I usually apply some sort of moisturiser/primer. There are a fair few I select from depending on what time of day it is and if I will be applying make up or not. Right before bed I apply Nivea Q10 Plus Night Cream or Olay Total Effects. Yes, they are anti wrinkle creams, but they are so thick and lovely and my skin always feels amazing in the morning. Before makeup I apply Benefit That Gal Brightening Primer and if I am not wearing make up for the day I usually apply some POD Liquid Face Tan Serum instead of tinted moisturiser because they always end up making me look extremely oily.

A few different products I have bought over time that are now in my cupboard are:
St Ives Apricot Scrub, which is a really exfoliating scrub with ground apricot shell. I have now found out that natural exfoliators, although sounding great, are bad for your skin as they are not uniform shapes and can sometimes be damaging to the skin.
Clearasil Blackhead Scrub, Clearasil Ultra Overnight Scrub, Clearasil Ultra Pimples + Marks Wash and Mask all of which are great and work really well, but upon ordering Proactiv and using their products these have sort of been forgotten about.
LilyLovesPearl Exfoliating Scrub which I don't really like much at all. The scent is strange and sometimes makes me feel ill and there is not enough of the exfoliating crystals for it too feel like a scrub.
Garnier Pure Active ExfoBrush is pretty awesome. It's easy to use and has a tingling effect which is always good in my opinion. Once again has been forgotten about since Proactiv and L'Oreal came along.

Fomula 10.0.6 Toner which is just far too harsh for my skin and is drying due to containing alcohol.
Along with a whole bunch of face creams that I should really stop buying.

Well I think that pretty much sums it up. If you have any questions or want a detailed review of any of the products mention, or have some recommendations for me, leave me a comment :)

Benefit sample pack.

For the last few months I have been waiting to try some of the Benefit products but been hesitant due to the fact I would only be able to order it online from over seas and the costs are quite high. After seeing this sample package on ebay, I thought it would be a great chance to try some of the products. The tints/stains are in rose and poppy, and the staying power is amazing. The benetint gives lips a gorgeous red pigment that lasts for hours under a good lipbalm or gloss. I love the light pigments that the posietint leaves on the cheeks, it is easily blendable over makeup and works great as a base for blush. Two primers, that gal and porefessional, both are great bases for foundation/powder or worn alone. The erase paste is in the lightest shade, which is a little too pink for my complexion, but works well under my foundation and powder. It is a little too thick for my everyday makeup and feels heavy in comparison to my normal Loreal Touche Magic concealer. Stay don't Stray is a little heavy on my eyelids for my liking, but does help to hold shadow and give true pigment of shadows. Hoola and Dandelion are both very light colours. Hoola is a non shimmer bronzer that blends wonderfully where as Dandelion is a very shimmery light ballerina pink looking amazing brushing all over the face for an all over shimmer or high on the cheek bones as a highlighter. For $40 this pack is amazing and gives me such a great range of the Benefit products. I definitely want to get a full size Hoola and try some deeper colours of blusher. I love the fact that they come in boxes with their own brushes. Would recommend picking yourself up one of these packs, even for travel or in your handbag.

Lush Goodies #2

Friday we went to the city after work to grab some Lush goodies and new Vans. We ended up leaving Lush with R&B leave in hair moisturiser, Bubblegum lip scrub, Sugar babe and Mange too massage bar. After trying a sample of the R&B leave in hair moisturiser a month a go, I fell in love. It really does wonders for my hair. It leave it looking less frizzy and controlled, not to mention the gorgeous smell that lingers in my hair for days to come. I would recommend this to anyone who has unruly hair to neaten it up and make it easier to manage while curly/wavy. The bubblegum lip scrub is delicious and I am always tempted to eat some more after applying it to my lips. After applying, lips feel softer and smoother and it makes lipstick application look a lot smoother. The Sugar babe is an amazing exfoliater for my legs and knees as I pretty dry skin. It rids me of the dead skin and cells on my legs and leaves them feeling amazingly soft, and smelling great. Mange too was something my husband picked out, because he liked the fact that it says it is actually lickable. It smells strongly of white chocolate and has little exfoliating bits in it which feel great on my back when massaging. This one if a winner for the both of us. I am already picking out the next Lush products I want/need for our next visit.

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French kisses.

I received these beauties in the post after Mirenesse cosmetics had a promotion on their facebook page, if you signed up, and then signed a friend up too, they would send you and your friend a lipstick each valued at $29.50. Now I don't wear lipstick all that often, but I seriously can't get enough of these two. They are truely amazing. They glide on smooth like lip balm and can be built up to achieve slightly more pigmented lips or full on bold colours. Both colours are gorgeous, though I probably favour the Mai Tai the most, the red one, as it is almost a perfect match to my natural deep lip colour, just with added shine and gloss, which is great. I would definitely recommend trying these if you don't like the feel of regular lipstick, but want the bold colour that comes with it. They seriously feel like a lip balm or gloss, it's brilliant. Mirenesse cosmetics really are one of my favourite brands, I have never tried something that I didn't like, all their products are wonderful and true to their word! Get on to their weekly specials and try some of their products for yourself!

February Bellabox

 Once again, bit late with my review. This month I didn't really like my Bellabox all that much. I found it pretty boring and ordinary, considering it's supposed to be all about love. I received three creams, a soap flower and some eyeshadow. I mean don't get me wrong, I know it is a samples box, I am not complaining about that. I just think that they could have picked some more products towards the love and valentines day theme. I don't have much to say about it really. The eyeshadow is very silver and is of quality. The body soothe said it could be applied all over the body and face. I'm telling you now, it does not feel good on your face at all. It felt so heavy and made me feel clamy and gross. The soap flower is adorable, but I am actually allergic to soap, so it's more of a nice decoration. The other creams I have not tried as of yet. I think this is the first box where I haven't been excited by any of the products at all. Feel like I missed out a bit after seeing some people got Sparoma body shimmer. Ah well, you get what you get. Fingers crossed next month is better.

February Glossybox

Terrible photo, I know. Taking photos while your new kitten is jumping on everything possible and being extra cute is quite difficult apparently haha. Oh well, I am sure you have seen what's in this months Glossybox a million times by now, as I know I am very late with my review.

I was pretty happy with my box this month. This is the second time I have subscribed to Glossybox. The first time I was disappointed with the products and decided it wasn't for me and moved on to Bellabox. This box has sort of 'restored my faith' in Glossybox. For starters who doesn't love a bright hot pink box!? WOW! So happy too see proactiv as my husband suffers from acne, and we have been wanting to try proactiv for a while now, but didn't want to purchase it, and then have it not work, as it is quite expensive for the whole kit.  He was also very pleased that he got a little goodie this month too haha. If he likes the wash, we will be redeeming the $20 discount voucher also given this month. I was over the moon about getting the Bobbi Brown mascara, and rightly so. It works a treat. My eyelashes have never been so long without a primer before! They looked amazing, they weren't clumpy or heavy either. If it wasn't for the $50 price tag, this would be a must have. The nail polish is a great colour which I don't actually have yet, so that was good. It's soo red! I am not a fan of fake tanning really. I love my POD facial tan, only because I always wear SPF foundation, so sometimes my face can be a little pale against my tanned body if I am having a make up free day. The Tantasia tan is shimmery though, not something I would want on my face really. Loving the little nail files, I am always looking for little travel sized bits. I just finished the love heart lollies while writing this haha, I love these, have since I was young.

Overall, great box. I don't think it was very 'valentine' themed other than the pink box and heart lollies though. Oh well, got myself some great samples.