January empties!

As we near the beginning of February i thought it was time for another empties post! I was surprised by how many full size products i managed to finish! And i was glad to finish some products so i could move on and purchase something else!

Witch Hazel wipes: I purchased these because they sounded like a useful product an actual toning wipe, and they were useful! They cut down having to have a toner and cotton pads, but i felt there was too much product and didn't feel like it was toning.

Repurchase? No. I purchased the separate toner and cotton pads.

Priceline Cotton Pads:  These are AWFUL! They fall apart before you even get them out of the plastic. and they left fluff all over my face.

Repurchase? No! I bought a different brand instead!

Eslor Face Scrub: I got this in a  Bellabox it came in a set, but i haven't used the other products yet. This is amazing! It does have granulated bits but it's not irritating and i find it a lot more moisturizing and less harsh than St Ives.

Repurchase? Already have! I purchased the full size off Bellabox as that's the only place you can buy it in Australia!

Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel Creme: I really wanted to love this, but it just wasn't hydrating enough for me! I'm glad i was able to get a sample of it to try!

Repurchase? No, it didn't work for me and is too expensive!

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel: I love this so much! I have repurchased it about 5 times! I got this in July for Christmas in July and i used it in rotation with other products so it's lasted awhile.

Repurchase: Maybe again, I have a Philosophy gel i'm waiting to use!

Libra Hotties: These are the best invention! Little heat packs that stick to your tummy and provide relief during that terrible time of the month! They only come in a set of 2 but i usually only use one each month, and they do last for up to 10hrs and work really well! 

Repurchase? YES!

Elvive Hair Oil: I got this sample after requesting it online through a website, it came in the mail. Within a few days of using it i decided i had to have it! I use it on wet hair before drying, as well as  on dry hair before or after straightening, and you can use it before shampooing! It's truly lovely. Makes my hair nice and soft and frizz free!

Repurchase? Have already repurchased full size!

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream: I love this!!! It makes my skin look great and the coverage is amazing! It's in Medium-light but i'm hoping it comes in just light as that will suit me better for winter!

Repurchase? Yes, maybe for winter, or when i finish up a CC cream and other foundations.

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to know your thoughts!

What kind of posts would you like to see from me?

Mirenesse Free Trial & EOS Lip Balm

Last week I discovered on Beauty Heaven that Mirenesse have free trials throughout the year, all you have to do is pay for postage. So i went and had a look at the products on offer and there was quite a range. A lot of products had already sold out, which was upsetting, and i wasn't game to purchase any foundation products as the colour might not be right. So i went for lip products! I have quite a collection of lip products at the moment, it seems to have grown since i became a member of BH! I purchased two lipglosses, both worth $39.95 and i paid just under $21 for postage! So i saved nearly $60!!

Mirenesse 3D Forever Lip Gloss in Honey Bunny - This is a lovely transparent lip gloss with 3D reflective particles. Also has Shea Butter and Vitamin E! Nourishing and pretty! The shade is a lovely pink duochrome colour! I haven't tried it on yet but i have swatched it.

Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine High Tea Coffees in Butter Ball - Claims to be a lip plumper with microcollagen and Vitamin E. I swatched this and also tried it out quickly on my lips! It's a nice coral/pink/red colour. Apparently you only need a small amount so i'll test it out again and see if it does plum up the lips!

Top to bottom - Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine in Butter Ball
3D Forever Lip Gloss in  Honey Bunny

Nearly two weeks ago i decided i wanted to try out the EOS lip balms and find out what all the rage is, they are really hard to find in Australia, so i bought one off an Ebay seller who seems pretty legit! It took forever to arrive!! Nearly two weeks and supposedly arriving from NSW! My iHerb order arrived quicker! It cost me about $12 and i probably could have got it cheaper from a seller in Hong Kong if i had known it was going to take so long! I haven't had time to try it yet! But I'm interested to test it out! I purchase 'Summer Fruits'.

Did you pick up anything in the Mirenesse Free Trial? Or have you tried EOS before and can recommend a different place to buy them?

January Violet Box

What i saw when i opened the box

I got home from work today and my letter box was overflowing with parcels! Amongst them was the January Violet Box! I was so excited to open this, it's my first Violet Box after unsubscribing from another disappointing beauty box, and this one did not disappoint! I opened the box and on top was the item card as well as another little card that had pictures of Lush items on it. This got me excited! I love Lush products, at the moment i am trying to use up a lot of Lush shower gels and jellies as i have a lot! I got out the card and started reading, getting even more excited as i read! There were 6 items listed on the card but i received 7, so let me tell you what they were!

The product card

The gorgeous items

So Susan Water-based Pure Luminizer RRP $49 - I'm pretty sure this is the full size but there didn't seem to be much product actually inside the tube, however it was really nice when i tested it on my cheek bones. Was not overly shimmery, just nice and subtle!

So Susan Nail Lacquer RRP $10-  I love polishes! I'm not sure what shade i received it's kind of a grey/purple duochrome colour, might be the shade Silver Clouds. I believe this is full size also.

LUSH Dream Cream Body Lotion RRP $29.95 240ml- The size i received was 100ml, and i was really excited about this product. When i read the card before looking at all the products i was hoping i received the Gorgeous Facial Moisturiser, (which was listed on the card as the alternative) as it's worth $74.95 and i'd love to know what something that expensive felt like!

MOR Essentials Collection Hand Cream 80ml RRP: $14.95 - The card stated you'd receive either Black Current Iris or Basil and Grape, I received sample sachets of both of these scents. I'm pretty excited to try these as i love MOR products! I don't usually like scented hand cream but i think these will be nice.

Villainess Soaps RRP $8.50 99g - I believe i received a sample size of this product, it smells really nice with spearmint, cornmint, peppermint, black tea and barley scented with vanilla. I couldn't really smell these through the packaging, but i'm sure it will be nice to use. I've added it to my box of samples to use in the future.

Acorelle Eau De Parfum RRP $69.96 - I received a sample size of this, i have never heard of it before supposedly the perfumes engage your psycho emotional sphere, eliciting positive emotional responses for pleasure and improved sense of well-being. To me it smelt really nice, very citrusy. I'll test it tomorrow and see if my well-being is improved at all.

Overall i am throughly impressed with this month's box! Even if it does arrive a week after the first Auspost notice and is nearing the end of January. I'll look past that, because for once i have received a box that has products that i will use every single one of them and they are suited to all skin tones and skin types! Well done Violet Box, you have my vote! Now lets wait and see what Lust Have It have in store for January!

January favourites!

Today is the public holiday for Australia Day and after sunbaking and reading my Coco Chanel book i've taken a little break to write this post. At the end of this week it's the start of February so i've decided it's time i post a favourites post for January! These products have been purchase since my December post, mostly were purchased at the end of December start of January! And i am loving them for a variety of reasons! Let me share them with you!

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Relief - I have posted about this a lot, but really it's a lovely moisturiser and it's oil free so it doesn't make my skin more oily! I also read on the label yesterday that it can be applied over makeup! Haven't tried that yet though!

Hope's Relief Body Wash - I have not posted about this before, because i wanted to try it for awhile before i wrote about it! I've used this for about a month now, and it's lovely! I use it on my stomach as that is really sensitive! And it's really lovely and moisturising! This is great for sensitive, dry and irritated skin! 

Witch Hazel Toner - I've only had this for a few weeks but i really like it! Makes my skin feel really clean and fresh! It does have a strong alcohol scent though! 

St Ives Coconut Milk & Orchid body lotion - This is so lovely! I use it everyday morning and night! Smells really delicious and it's lightweight but very moisturising! 

Remington Perfect Curls - I got this for Christmas! It took me awhile to figure out how to use it best for my hair but i've finally mastered it and it is so fun! 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - I haven't even had this for a week yet but i had to add it because it's amazing and i love it so much. My makeup applies perfectly and looks so airbrushed!

Have you tried any of these products? 

I have an empties post coming up for the end of January! All part of my 10 pan challenge! It's so hard to force yourself to finish products before starting new ones! I haven't even smelt my Philosophy Melon Daiquiri body wash yet because i don't want to be tempted! 

My skincare routine

In previous posts I’ve shown glimpses into my skincare routine, with features of cleansers and moisturizers I use. So Today I want to combine it all and show you my daily skincare routine. This is exactly what I used today, and what has been my routine for a few weeks now. I will post what I use in order.

First Aid Beauty Cleanser – I use this in the shower along with The Body Shop Facial Buffer, it lathers up really well and becomes nice and foamy. The buffer helps to lightly exfoliate, I do have an exfoliating scrub, but I don’t use it much because it is a bit harsh on my skin.

Simple Eye Makeup Remover – I use this when I still have a bit of mascara or panda eyes happening after my shower, sometimes it doesn’t get it all off when I use it at night.

Witch Hazel Toner – I use this along with a cotton pad, at the moment I am using the Priceline brand ones, they are awful and I won’t be repurchasing them. The toner is really nice, my face feels really clean afterwards and I hardly break out and my pores appear smaller. It does have a strong alcohol smell though.

Clinique Moisture Surge – This is my new favourite moisturizer I have raved about it before in more depth. But basically it is a gel and it absorbs really well, I’ve finally figured out how much to use without it making my t-zone oily! I just dip my finger in and that’s enough.

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream – I’ve been using this product a lot lately, mainly because it’s been hot and also it helps my concealer to look better under the eyes. I only have a sample at the moment thought.

Basically this is it for my morning skin care routine, I then follow with my makeup! If you’re interested in my current makeup routine please let me know. I may post about it later on, but  I have a few other posts planned first.

Next up, my evening routine –

Usually I start my evening routine as soon as I get home from work, depends on how my skin feels sometimes it just wants it to come off!

Swisspers Cucumber Face Wipes – I’ve been using these to remove most of my makeup at the moment mainly because it has been super hot, and I find them really refreshing so I thought I’d add them to the routine even though I don’t use them all the time.

Simple Eye Make Up Remover – I’ve been using this before cleansing to ensure I get most of my mascara and eye makeup off. It doesn’t work that well with mascara, so I think when I finish it I’ll try the Biotherm brand.

Kora Organics Cream Cleanser – I’m still making my way through this, it should be finished up soon. I am actually starting to like it again now that I’m using it at night and I can get it to foam up more. I also use this along with The Body Shop Facial Brush, it helps to work the product into my skin and help to foam it up more.

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Tonic – I’ve started using this at night to get through it as I have about ¼ left, I’ve found it’s been useful during the hot days as it adds extra hydration to my skin! I’m still not sure if I will repurchase it though as I don’t need hydrating all the time.  I use this with the Priceline cotton pads.

Witch Hazel Toner – again sometimes I use this when my skin needs extra cleaning or if I feel I still have cleanser on my face.

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream – I use this at night when I remember, I have also been using the Chanel Eye Gel I posted about previously, but it’s nearly all gone so I’m trying to save it for times I need to reduce dark circles.

Clinique Moisture Surge - I use this mostly and sometimes my Kora Organics moisturiser just depends on  how i feel. 

Additional Products – Once a week I like to use a face mask, lately that has been either the Kora Organics Clay Mask or one of the Skin Vitals Cloth Mask. Depends on what my skin needs at the time, cleaning or hydrating! Also when I have blemishes I’ve been using a sample of ASAP Clearskin gel which I have posted about in my previous post!

Let me know if you use these products or if you’re interested in a makeup routine! 

iHerb haul! Real Techniques & Budget Beauty!

Today i was scheduled to post my skincare routine but i had to put that on hold because i am just way to excited about my purchase from iHerb!! I placed my order on January 14 and it was shipped on January 16 arriving to me today. So a total of 10days from purchase! Probably the longest i've had to wait for an iHerb order, but so worth it! Let me tell you what i bought!

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - $8.99 - I had to use this straight away! It's amazing! I used it with my Chanel foundation and it went on beautifully!! I even used it to blend in concealer!

Real Techniques Setting Brush - $7.99 - This is just as beautiful! I used it to set my concealer with MAC Skinfinish in Natural. I also used it to apply my blush! It was amazing!

E.L.F Mineral Eyeshadow Primer in Sheer - $3! I played around with this quickly and so far it seems pretty nice! No doubt i'll have a review on it soon.

E.L.F Eyelid Primer in Sheer - $2.99 - This is also really nice! Review to come eventually!

E.L.F Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal - $2.99 This is cute, i used in on my brow bone and on my cheek bones just to test it out! Looks pretty nice so far!

E.L.F Shimmering Facial Whip in Persimmon - $2.99 - This is a lot pinker than the Lilac Petal, i'll have to practice using this one a bit more.

E.L.F Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Pink Lemonade - $2.99 - These are pretty cute, more like lipgloss, I love this one! Like my lips but better!

E.L.F Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Strawberry - $2.99 - I don't think i'll use this shade as much! But they smell really nice! And not too sticky at all!

Shimmering Facial Whip
L-R Lilac Petal - Persimmon

L-R Persimmon, Lilac Petal, Mineral Eyeshadow Primer,
Eyelid Primer, Strawberry, Pink Lemonade

As you can see i purchased quite a few items, but the best part was it was so cheap! I saved a ridiculous amount especially on the Real Techniques brushes as they are about double the price in Australia. Postage was $8 but you can elect for $4 which is a bit slower or i think there is a more expensive options for express post. The great thing about iHerb is if you make your first purchase and use my code JNT740 and get $5-10 off depending on how much you purchase! This is what made me try iHerb for the first time, using someone else's code! Very handy! 

Naked 2 palette & Play on Plums

Naked 2 Palette & Play on Plums as eyeliner

I also want to share with you some pictures of me playing around with my Naked 2 palette and MAC Play on Plums eyeshadow! 

Have you purchased any of these items before?!

December Lust Have It & Adore Beauty Haul

Finally my December Lust Have It box arrived! I was seriously starting to second guess my choice of cancelling BellaBox for LHI but finally it arrived and it's even more useful than the two BellaBoxes i received put together! I really want to thank Stef from Lust Have It for keeping me updated with what was going on with it! Even if it did take a month from when i first purchased the box! So no doubt i'll be receiving the January box in the next few days! Lets see what i got!

Maybelline New York Dream Fresh BB Cream - Full Size - The shade is medium and i was a little concerned because i'm very fair, but i tried it on my face and it's not too dark at all!

Maybelline New York Pure Fresh - Sample - Haven't tried this yet, have put it in my samples box for later use.

Uriage refreshing gel-cream - Sample - This was what i was looking forward to trying the most! I'll be trying it tomorrow!

Clairol Visible Repair Intensive Mask - Sample - This was a surprise! And i am really looking forward to trying it! My hair needs some repairing!

SunSense Anti-Aging Face SPF 30+ - Full Size - I don't have a face sunscreen so i'm looking forward to trying this!

John Plunkett NS-3 Lip Balm - Full Size - Another surprise! I love lip balms and i'm excited to try this, so far it seems very moisturizing! Claims to have up to 3 hrs of moisture!

Overall i am really impressed! 3 Full size products! Can't wait for my January box now!

In my last post i think i mentioned that i had bought some items from Adorebeauty - well they arrived today! Let's see what i purchased!

Burt's Baby Bees Dusting Powder - I bought this to help me dry quicker and be less likely to develop heat rashes!

Philosophy Melon Daiquiri - I wanted to try Amazing Grace or Coconut Frosting but they were out of stock! This will give me a good excuse to use up the 2 shower gels i have going at the moment!

Burt's Bees Ultra-Conditioning Lip Balm - Another lip product! I wanted this one because it doesn't have a scent or flavour like my other 2 Burt's Bees lip balms, which are Pink Grapefruit and Mango Butter. It also has 4 hours moisturization!

I received two samples also - ASAP Daily Facial Cleanser and Jurlique Foaming Cleanser. I'll be trying the ASAP one tomorrow! Also a bonus TimTam! One of my favourites!!

I would love to hear your thoughts of these products! I have a full skincare routine coming up soon too!

A little blemish miracle!

I'm going to share with you a little sample product i received in my December Bellabox, the last Bellabox i signed up for and probably the only product i've liked out of the two months i received. I don't have acne or break out in heavy pimples i just get the occasional blemish here and there.

ASAP Clear Skin Gel - These are the listed benefits:

- Contains a powerful AHA/BHA complex to help remove dead skin cells and unblock pores. 

- Antioxidants, Green Tea and Bilberry, help protect against free radical damage and assist to even out skin colour. 

- Treats acne, signs of skin ageing and ingrown hairs. 

When i read this i thought, ok so how do it use it?! The directions say to apply it to the area to be treated, but do i wash it off after? After some googling i discovered that you apply it before your moisturiser and leave it for 5mins! 

So to show you if it works or not I took a picture of a blemish that appeared on my face on Jan 16th. I applied the gel that morning and that night before my usual routine. The after picture was taken the next morning. In the first pic you can see three little dots, the red one is the pimple the other two are freckles. 

Day one

Day two

The blemish is barely even noticeable amongst all of my freckles! It's not a red or as raised so you can't see it anymore. I didn't even need to use concealer after i applied my foundation! Awesome! You can see i have another blemish above my lip, so i'll be applying it on that too! 

I'd love to know if you've used this product, especially if you have severe acne. They suggest to apply it all over your face but i won't be doing that. When the sample runs out i'm not sure if i'll purchase a full size as it is 50ml and just under $30, i think there could be a more economical product for me out there. You can purchase this from Ry and Adore Beauty for $28-29! Definitely try it if you have acne prone skin! 

Vanilla Protein Overnight Oats

Today i am going to post about something a little different a non-beauty post! Most of you know that my 2014 goal is to be a better more healthier version of myself. To help me with that i have started being more careful about what i eat, eating more healthier and smaller meals. So i am going to share with you a breakfast recipe that's quick and easy to prepare! Anyone that works full time doesn't have time to prepare delicious cooked meals everyday, so i bring you Vanilla Protein Overnight Oats.

All the ingredients i list can be purchased from Coles, i have not necessarily purchased them from here though, they can also be substituted for different brands as well.

Vitalstrength Define Protein, Coles White Chia, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze

1/2 Cup of oats (I used Lowans, not pictured)
3/4 Cup Almond Milk (or any milk)
1/2 Scoop Protein Powder (I used Vitalstrength Women's Define)
1/2-1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds

After shaking

I put all the ingredients in a little mason jar, you can use any container with a lid.
You just shake it up so the protein is absorbed by the milk, and then i leave it in the fridge overnight. I usually eat it straight out of the jar! You don't have to use the protein, it just adds flavour for me. You could add something else like cinnamon or even vanilla essence! I have also used the chocolate flavoured protein with some frozen raspberries!

Refrigerated oats the next morning 

If you need to eat more than this you can double the mix, just make sure there is the same amount of milk to oats, plus a little extra especially if you are using Chia Seeds. If you aren't using the seeds you could get away with 1 to 1 of milk and oats.

Preparing your oats overnight is not only easy and convenient but it also aids in helping to digest the raw oats and chia seeds! Bonus!

Let me know what you think of the recipe! Would you like to see more?

An old time favourite...Revlon Lip butters

Firstly i just want to report on my spending ban, it is not going very well. I am keeping up with putting money aside, so far i have managed to put aside $100, that was firstly putting away $20 and then i increased it last week to $40. In saying this, this week i have been on a little spending splurge, it is due to boredom i think. Anyways so basically in this heat i developed a heat rash so i was googling ways to get rid of this and i came across Burt's Baby Bees Dusting powder. I decided i wanted to try it as people had used it on their own adult skin. I didn't have time to go searching around the shops looking for it, so i went to adorebeauty and purchased some, i also purchased a lip butter :| and then i thought "Well while i am here i'll check out those Philosophy shower gels" So i did, they didn't have Amazing Grace in stock or Coconut Frosting so with some extensive research i purchased Melon Daiquiri . I am pretty excited for this!

The next day i was reading some beauty bloggers 2013 favourites and a common theme was Real Techniques brushes....I then found myself on iherb and conveniently i already had the two brushes i wanted in my cart. Sam's picks was out of stock unfortunately. Then i found myself in the beauty section of iherb and i saw E.L.F cosmetics! I had read some beauty blogs over the months and people love this cheapo brand...so with some more extensive research i ended up with 2 lip products, 2 eye primers and 2 highlighter/shimmer products! HELP ME! Obviously in a few weeks i'll have quite a few reviews to post, i also blame this on the fact neither of my two beauty subscriptions have arrived and i am still waiting on my December LHI box, even though January payment has come out already :( And today I bought an EOS lip balm off ebay.... So to help myself out when i was putting my weekly money into my tin ($40) I took $40 out to cover the items that i purchased which were on my wish list and then i added $20 instead of the usual $40. So instead of being $140 closer to my new hairdryer i am only $80 closer. Back to saving!

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

Now on to today's review! When i was reading my usual beauty blogs and the 2013 favourites posts that lots of bloggers are posting about, another common favourite was Revlon Lip Butters. I thought to myself i already have some of these from when they first came out, probably in 2011? Unfortunately my favourite shade "Peach Parfait" had run out, and i wasn't paying $25+ for another one, but to my luck Chemist warehouse had a 1/2 sale so i picked up a new one. The other shade "Berry Smoothie" was hiding on the floor in my car, so you can imagine i was excited to find it again!

L-R: Peach Parfait, Berry Smoothie, Peach Parfait

These lipsticks are a cult favourite because not only are they a 'lipstick' but they are also a lip butter, i'd be more likely to call them a tinted lip butter which awesome colour pay off. The swatches i have below are literally two swipes! These are an awesome product because they are also really nourishing, their ingredients include shea butter, mango butter and coconut oil! Some of my very favourite ingredients!

If you haven't tried these yet (where have you been hiding!) i think you should give them a go! They are really delightful!

L-R Peach Parfait - Berry Smoothie

Peach Parfait - A gorgeous peachy pink shade with gold glitter particles. It can feel a little grainy, i think that's due to the glitter.

Berry Smoothie - A lovely berry pink colour with a slight shimmer! My favourite of the two!

Do you own any of the Revlon Lip Butters?

How I prepare for super hot days!

I live in Tasmania; it is fairly cold here even in summer! Most of the time we get about 25 as a high during the summer months and this week we are expecting a heat wave! Today is expected to be 34 and the rest of the week in the high 20’s, this is hot for us! In preparation for the heatwave I’m going to post about what I wear on my face when it’s hot to ensure my makeup doesn’t come off after an hour or so. Working in an office environment we do have air-conditioning, when it feels like working. So I like to prepare as if it’s not going to work and I’ll be sweltering!

Today I had very little make up on, and I actually felt quite strange, I didn’t feel like using my CC cream today because it’s quite light in tone and I’d have to bronze up and blush up to look less like a ghost. I am also out of my MAC BB cream! I was also at my boyfriend’s so I didn’t have enough room to transport that much stuff in my bag. So today I used my Kora Day cream (not pictured), because I want to use it up, and I also used Benefit Boi-ing concealer and my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder, that was literally all I put on my face. It lasted the whole day without coming off or looking terrible.

For my eyes I used something different from my usual Naked 2 Palette, I used my Bobbi’s Browns Palette, it’s super cute and easy to transport. I am not a fan of the brushes it comes with though, pretty crap. I used the last 3 shades, all over my lid, in the crease and in the outer corner. I also used my Maybelline Falsies and no eyeliner. Pretty much just a basic natural look today, and to perk my face up a bit I applied my Dior Addict Lipstick in Dior Kiss (not pictured). I think by the end of the week I’ll be in desperate need of my H-Revive Skinvitals mask! I think my skin will need some serious hydrating! Good thing I have one mask left!

I said in my previous post that I would be reviewing the masks. I used the C-brighten one the other night, and the next day my pores were huge. So I think I need to try it again before I can review it properly. I’ll keep you posted!

Pretty much as soon as i got home i took off my makeup off with a wipe and i decided i didn't feel like using a cream cleanser so i used my apricot scrub and lightly scrubbed my face to make it feel more refreshed, i rinsed that off with cold water. I then used my Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Tonic, as i find this helps to hydrate my face and i certainly need this today! I then applied my Bobbi Brown Hydrating eye cream, and followed up with the Clinique Moisture Surge Gel Moisturiser (not pictured). I feel these products will help to hydrate my skin and ensure it stays nice. I also have drunk a lot of water and will continue to do so now that i'm finished at work for the day.

I would really love to know what you do to prepare for the heat! As most of you are probably more experienced with it than I am!

Veet precision wax & care review & my Sundays

For today's post i decided to write about how i like to spend my Sundays. Sundays are usually a rest day for most people, time to catch up on sleep and spend time with your family. Typically my Sundays involve getting ready for the week ahead. I generally do my grocery shopping on a Sunday and cook and prepare my lunches for the week ahead. I also like to start my Sunday mornings with a walk or some sort of exercise. Today i have actually done two huge 40-45min walks by myself and with one of my friends. It was a lovely day so i made the most of that. I also use Sundays to prep my skin for the week ahead. Usually by popping on a face mask or something similar. Today i decided to wax my eyebrows. I have actually never waxed them before. I sometimes pluck a few random hairs here and there but i've never fully waxed them.

Veet Precision Wax & Care

Recently i watched a video on Beauty Heaven about a handy new waxing tool for your face, The Veet Precision Wax and Care. You get a double ended tube, one end has the wax that you heat up in a cup of hot water and the other end has the after care cream which is enriched with Aloe Vera. You also receive 20 reusable wax strips  I have always been too scared to wax any part of my face including eyebrows and upper lip. The video on BH made it looked so easy that i decided to give it a try, luckily Priceline had 20% off Veet products (they still do) and then an additional 20% off for having a club card. As soon as i purchased it i tried it on my upper lip. It was really easy to use and didn't hurt at all. Unfortunately my hairs weren't long enough, so it didn't pick up too many. I'll have to wait a bit longer to do those again.

Wax & Aloe Vera Cream

Waxing my brows was really really easy! I just lightly wiped the wax onto the areas that i wanted to wax, i then applied the strip and pressed down a few times, then i just pulled it fast, obviously in the opposite direction to how the hair grows so it actually pulls the hair out. I could see the little hairs on the wax strip so that was pretty cool! Took a few goes to get all the hairs out that i wanted and then i applied a bit of the cream all over the areas that i waxed!

I think if you are looking for something super easy to use and pretty much pain free (did not hurt as much as tweezing!) then this is the product for you!

Once my browns cools down a bit i'll also be applying a skinvitals face mask, C brighten! I haven't used this one yet. I have previously used another one, and i'll review them both at the same time. Probably in my next post! So let me know if you want to know my thoughts on the skinvitals masks!

Dusk Bondi Candle

Another way i like to relax is by lighting candles, i'd like to share with you my newest candle, Bondi by Dusk. Smells like coconut and vanilla it is just yummy! Currently i am actually burning Glasshouse - Tahaa (Vanilla Caramel) also delicious and i want to eat it!

Let me know if you've tried any of the products i've mentioned today! Would love to here your thoughts!

My overnight bag!

I had lots of positive feedback and views on my 'What's in my handbag' post, and people seem to like those kinds of posts. So I thought today I’d post about what I take in my overnight bag. I usually stay at my boyfriend’s house during the week and on weekends, sometimes I don’t take much just cleanser, facewipes and moisturizer sometimes I take more depending on what we’re doing or if I’m going straight to work from his house. I am posting about what i typically take if i'm going to work or we're going to breakfast or something.

 Cleanser – Kora Organics Cream Cleanser – I take this cleanser because I am trying to use it up and it fits easily in my small make up bag. I’ll probably have to buy some small containers to put my other cleanser in when this one runs out as it won’t fit in my bag.

 Moisturiser – Kora Organics Soothing day cream – I used to take this one with me to use day and night, but I think from now on I’ll try and squeeze my Clinique one in there instead! I just prefer that especially for day time use.

 Primer – Face of Australia – I love this! It’s just amazing. It makes my skin feel even more hydrated and it’s just something I need to take with me if I’m going to be wearing makeup.

 Foundation – MAC Mineralize Skin finish Natural. This what i usually take, sometimes i'll take a BB cream or CC cream, but this is usually what i choose.

Concealer - Benefit Boi-ing! - I use this one because it combats dark undereyes and pimples! And it's easy to use under my skinfinish.

Eyes – NYX Jumbo eye pencil – I’ve been using this lately mainly because it’s easy and doesn’t take up too much room. Otherwise I’d usually just take one of my paint pots full size or samples.

 Mascara – Maybelline Falsies - I switch this up with my They're Real Mascara, depends on how i am feeling.

 Lips – NYX Butter Gloss – Usually I just take one of my butter glosses as they provide a bit of colour and nourishment and Creme Brulee smells delicious! But if you’ve also seen my handbag post you know I have a variety of others to choose from also! On these particular days I don’t usually worry about eyeliner or blush, it’s just another thing that takes up my time and space in my bag. Plus I like to have natural looking days!

 Hair – Baltise Dry Shampoo – sometimes I’ll wash my hair if I’m there on the weekend and i just let it dry naturally, otherwise if I’m going to work I’ll use a bit of dry shampoo to make sure it’s not greasy. And I’ll usually just put my hair into a bun or something. Obviously I do shower, it just takes extra time and space again to take a hair dryer etc. I usually also pack some makeup wipes to make it easier to take my makeup off before bed, sometimes i'll wash my face etc before i go over. One less thing to have to do.

That is my basic overnight bag, if I’m going away for a weekend or to visit my mum in Melbourne I’ll take more products and a bigger bag! The next time I go away I’ll post about what take then!

 Let me know what else you'd like to see me post about! It helps me to know what people are interested in seeing the most.

Final part of the skincare series

The final instalment of my latest skincare series is cleansers! I’ve only really been using two lately, in addition to my St Ives Apricot Scrub, which I used too much and developed a rash. I change cleansers like theres no tomorrow, I just get sick of them or things happen to my skin that make me need to change cleansers. I usually use Lush Herbalism or Let the good times roll. I decided I wanted a change and wanted a cream cleanser instead of the thick mud type texture of these two cleansers. My skin is pretty normal, I get the occasional pimple, usually during a specific time of the month or if I’m naughty and sleep with my makeup on. I get dry patches and a little bit oily in the t-zone. But the problem I really have is that I have sensitive skin, that doesn’t like certain products and will get itchy and feral. You may recall this happened to me a month or so ago, and I couldn’t figure out what it was, well it has happened again recently, and I used St Ives Apricot Scrub too much! I scrubbed probably 3 days in a row and then the weird rash developed! So I am not scrubbing at the moment! Instead I am cleansing two times a day, with two different products, mainly because I want to use one up quickly.

Kora Organics Cream Cleanser – I purchased this a few months ago, because I really wanted to try Miranda Kerr’s line, I wrote a detailed review about the product which you can view here. Basically this is a cream cleanser that is designed to cleanse, nourish and revitalise dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin. Yes, it’s good for sensitive skin and it did feel like it nourished my skin but I didn’t feel like it cleansed it at all. I still had traces of makeup on my skin afterwards so I ended up needed to use a face wipe and toner to get the rest off. There is a foaming cleanser, and I find foaming ones clean my skin more, but I also find that they dry my skin out. More suited for oily skin. I’m not sure how to recommend this to you, but some stockists will let you take a sample in a container and try it. I recommend doing this and seeing if it suits you more than me! Everyone has different skin types and different likes and dislikes.

First Aid Beauty Cleanser – I purchased this from modnique, along with the radiance face wipes which I haven’t used yet! I think they were about $7 each or something similar. This cleanser is liquidier than the Kora one; I suppose you could say it’s a lotion. It is a shimmery lotion, so some of you may not like that particular ingredient in it; I can’t remember what it is called exactly. First Aid Beauty says that this product is formulated to remove dirt, grim and makeup (yay!) and is suitable for sensitive or irritated skin and skin undergoing treatment. I have to say that it does what it says on the packet! It does remove all my makeup, I have also started to use a face brush so that might also help. But it also doesn’t irritate my skin, and feel very clean after using it! The only thing that shocked me at first was the smell. It smelt like vomit! But now after using it a few times I don’t even notice the smell. I think if you have sensitive skin you should try this. You can buy it from their website or from Adorebeauty it is $19.95 or you can buy a travel kit that has other products in it also for $19.95, obviously they are smaller sizes and I’d probably recommend purchasing it this way in case you don’t like it. I am definitely going to repurchase this one again!

Out of these two products, obviously my favourite is the FAB cleanser. But it really depends on your skin type and what your personal tastes are. Kora has a lot of different products that are suited to different skin types and is certified organic, whilst FAB seems to target dry and sensitive skin and is free from harsh chemicals.

Have you tried any of these products?

Have you tried anything else from the FAB brand? What about the radiance wipes?

Would anyone be interested in my full skincare routine?

Part 2 of skincare series - Eye Creams

Part two of my skincare series will be on eye creams/gels. Part 1 was about moisturizers I have currently been trialling and are using, you can view that here. I have never really been and eye cream girl, I didn’t really think I needed to worry about that. But over the past few months the outside corners of my eyes have been sore and sting sometimes. So I thought maybe they are dry and I need to apply some cream to hydrate them and soothe them.  I had a sample lying around that I hadn’t used so I thought I’d give that a go. That leads me to the first product review:

Chanel Gel Yeux - Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream Sample – I don’t think I have mentioned this before, but this has been lying around in my cabinet for quite some time.  I decided to try it to see if it made any difference to my under eyes and the corner of my eyes. It did! My sore eyes soon disappeared and I found that concealing under my eyes didn’t look as terrible as before. This is a quite thick cream so you don’t need much, and the small sample I’ve had is still going and I’ve used it quite a lot! It’s meant to leave the skin feeling soft and smooth for up to 24hrs, I’m not too sure about that I never really monitored it! But it does have Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel which is meant to be soothing, I attribute that to my eyes not being as sore! I really love this and I’m not sure what I’ll do when it runs out! It’s $75 for 15ml!

Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel Yeux (eye gel) – I received this as a sample when I bought my Mat Lumiere Foundation, I actually only asked for a sample of the Moisturiser but she gave me this as well. I thought why not I’ll give it a go. It is meant to combat signs of fatigue by reducing puffiness and dark circles! Well, I don’t have puffiness but I do get dark circles when I’m super tired. This has helped to reduce those! I usually only apply it a night and sometimes in the morning if I’m super tired. I think it works really well to reduce dark circles, I’m quite impressed. The sample has lasted me a lot longer than the moisturiser sample, quite a few weeks! Again I’m not sure what I’ll do when it runs out; it’s $80.50 for 15ml on strawberrynet!

Out of these two eye creams/gels I honestly don’t know which I prefer. They both do different things for me! There’s no way I’m buying them both! But if you know of a cheaper eye cream/gel that will add hydration and reduce dark circles I would seriously like to know!

Have you tried either of these products?
Can you suggest a cheaper eye cream/gel to me?

There is one part left of my Skincare Series, but what else would you like to see me post about?

Skincare series

I have been trialling a few new products for a few weeks now, brands which I have never used their products before, relating to skin care anyway. So basically I’ve set this post to review 6 different products, 3 are actually samples. But each product I’ve matched up with another product I’ve used to compare them. Obviously the sample sizes make it a little harder to review, but I’m going to just do a first impressions kind of review. I’ll probably do this as a series as the posts will be quite detailed.

Clinique moisture surge - Kora Organics Soothing Day & Night Cream - Chanel Hydrabeauty Gel Creme

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Relief Gel – I purchased this based off reviews I read and suggestions by Beauty Heaven members, which was a little bit of a risk but it seemed to be perfect for what I needed it for. This is the original formula, there is a new one called Clinique Moisture Surge Intense, this is suited to really dry skin and it’s apparently a lot thicker than the original one. The original is suited for all skin types. So basically I was after a moisturiser in a gel form, as I hate lotions. I wanted something hydrating, but absorbed super quickly and wasn’t sticky. From what I read this product did exactly that. So I went and purchased it from myer with a gift card, it was $60 for 50ml. I originally wanted Bobbi Brown Hydrating Gel Cream $78, but the website was out of stock and I don’t have a Bobbi Brown counter near me. So what do I think of the product? It does exactly what it says! It is super hydrating and absorbs really quickly. It looks great under my makeup and my skin feels super soft after I use it! I don’t really have anything negative to say about it! I’m going to compare this to another gel, but in a sample and then I’ll compare them both to a cream lotion I have tried recently and am still using.

Pros:
Absorbs really easily
Suitable for sensitive skin
Hydrating

Cons:
Price, i can see myself using it up quickly!

Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel Cream Sample – I received this sample when I purchased my Mat Lumiere foundation. This is not as hydrating as I wanted, I know sample sizes are relatively small but I managed to squeeze a lot out for a few days, but it just wasn’t hydrating enough for me. Sure if I bought the full size I would have been able to apply heaps more, but for 50ml for $108 I would have gone through it really quickly! This might be alright if you have really oily skin, and maybe it would be ok if I had a different foundation. But it didn’t do what I wanted or needed it to. It smells amazing though and that’s the main thing that drew me to wanting it in the first place!

Pros:
Smells Amazing
Gel formula

Cons:
Not hydrating enough
Price is extreme!

Kora Organics Soothing Day & Night Cream – I bought this after purchasing the cleanser, and it was on sale on Ozsale for about $7! I thought it was worth a shot! Now I do like it, but I don’t love it! It is a thick lotion type moisturiser and it does feel kind of greasy once I apply it. It does sooth my skin though when it is feeling crazy and itchy! So at the moment I’m going to use it as a night cream until I use it up. I don’t think I’ll purchase it again. But if you have super dry skin that needs soothing it might be ideal for you! At the moment I’m pretty disappointed with the Kora range, the only thing I like that I have tried is the clay mask!

Pros:
Organic
Hydrating
Suitable for sensitive skin

Cons: Too thick
Quite expensive

I’d be interested to know if you’ve tried any of these products before and what do you think of them?

Spending ban & New products review

So today starts my spending ban, I spent the last few days stocking up on things I needed which will also give me some products to post about in the next few weeks. Some of them are new products so I need some time to use them and figure out what I like or don’t like about them. I’ll have a big post on skin care coming up soon. So if anyone is interested in knowing my current skin care routine just let me know and I’ll post specifically about that, otherwise it will just be products I’ve used recently or tried.

Today’s post is about a few random products that I’ve used for awhile now and I feel I have enough information to comment on them and how I’ve found them.

Essence Soft to Touch Blush - Lee Stafford Poker Straight Protection Spray
MAC Prep + Prime BB Cream

Essence Soft Touch Blush - The first product is my new favourite cheapo product, Essence’s soft to touch blush in #50 Sweetheart. I wanted a shade that was a light natural pink without too much shimmer. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from this product as it’s like $4.95 but I was pleasantly surprised. I have a few blushes already including from Bourjois, NYX and Estee Lauder. So to purchase one that was ridiculously cheaper than these and to find that I love it more than the more expensive ones I was shocked. It is actually quite pigmented, I just pat it on with my Furless blush brush, and then blend it up to my ear. I was expecting it to rub off after a few hours and there be barely a trace of it left, but after a whole day at work you could still see it there! If I wasn’t on my spending ban id go back a purchase more shades, but I’ll add it to my list. I know it’s only $4.95 but that’s $4.95 towards my GHD Air Hair Dryer! I really suggest you go and have a look at the blushes, I have heard they have other awesome products too, like a cool mascara!

MAC Prep + Prime BB Cream - Next up is a little sample I bought from The Body Needs, I wrote a post about that here, it was a few months ago. The sample I’m reviewing today is the MAC Prep + Prime BB Cream, it’s a primer and BB cream in one! I purchased the shade light plus, I am usually NC20, this shade is a little too dark for me. But I am super impressed with this BB cream! It goes on like a dream, I use a little Eco Tools Kabuki brush to buff it in. It’s a light coverage as all BB creams are supposed to be, but it evens out my skin tone really well and I hardly need to use a concealer to cover blemishes etc. I actually prefer this over the Chanel Mat Lumiere foundation I purchased; I wish I had bought a full size of this instead. I even used them both together one day, and oh it was great! In saying that, I did buy a new moisturiser which has helped to hydrate my skin more and makes the foundation look better; it’s still too dark though! I hate oxidising foundations!! I really think if you are after a decent BB cream, go and check this one out. Ask for a colour match, a MAC counter might even give you a sample, if not you can purchase a sample from The Body Needs for about $2-3 and it is a decent sample! I haven’t even used mine up yet!

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Flat Iron Protection Spray - Lastly, I’m going to review a hair product! I briefly mentioned this in my empties post as I replaced my Tresmme one with this one. I apply this before I use a hair dryer and before I use a straightener, I spray and then brush it through. I feel it does it’s job, I don’t seem to have as many split ends, it also really makes it straight even before I use the straightener! But there is one thing I hate about it, and it’s the smell. It reminds me of when I was 13 and my best friend at the time used to wear this tacky fragrance I think it was Stitch Angel. Well it stinks anyways and reminds me of a time in my life I don’t want to remember! So because of the smell I don’t think I’ll repurchase it, I know that’s ridiculous but I can’t stand it, it makes me itch! If anyone can recommend another awesome heat protective spray I’d love to know and love to give it a try! And if you can stand the smell of Poker Straight I really think you should give it a go, a lot of other people really like the smell, I just don’t.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you think of them! I’d love to know!

Can you recommend a heat protection spray to me?