Sunday 21 August 2011

LUST: American Apparel Clutch

Ever since I first saw this TO DIE FOR clutch on DulceCandy I have been in love with it. I know its not exactly a new thing, but I just love it!

This is the Basic Design that I love

The Lovely Aqua Colour is Superb




And the One I Cannot Live without



...and due to the fact that I have had some difficulty finding the one I wanted, I decided to try my hand make making one, and here are the results





What do you think, im really proud of myself for the quality of this. I think i may even make another. wish me luck!

until next time, love you guys.

Nutrimetics!

So recently my Friend held a Nutrimetics Party at her house, and who can turn down the chance to try products and have some fun! So I went Along and got to trial a few of there Products and have a look at all the kits available.

Now for those who don't know what Nutrimetics it, it is a make up/ Beauty Company brought to Australia in the  late sixties, and since then, it has sky rocketed (it is available internationally quite readily). 

I personally have known about Nutrimetics for a long time, but always thought that it was more a company for older women, who are still the target demographic, but I was surprised to find a few things that I was very interested in trying.

The First thing I took and interest in was the Soul Renewal Tahiti Reviving Hand Polish. this is the only thing I am yet to use because I simply have not had time. But I did have the pleasure if trailing a different formulation of this product which I loved, I will do a full review on this product in the near future. It smell very tropical, pineapple and and coconut (if you have ever smelled Malibu and Pineapple Juice then you will know what I am talking about) 
 The next Thing I thought would be worth the money was the Nutrimetics Hydafinity Perfecting hand Therapy with Sunscreen and Myrrh Extract. Now Im all about trying hand creams, I have Generally Dry skin and had sections on my hands that dry out very easily. So when this Was shown to me as a quick Absorbent Hand Cream I was up to give it a go. This is the only product that that I have used every day since I got it and I love it. The cream is thicker then I expected which means it is more Moisturising, but it absorbs in minutes. I love this! The Scent is a very Clean Neutral Smell, that I dont love, don't had, but it doesn't linger so it doesn't matter. I highly Recommend this Product. 
 Recently I ran out of my Inika Pure Primer (Blog Post Linked HERE) and so for a few days I went without a primer, which I hated! And when I saw that Nutrimetics Had a face Primer, I thought, Why Not?. This was the best bargain of the day, as it was only $16, for a Primer, so good, Although the RRP is $29.99. The Product size is 50ml, or 1.69fl. Ounce, which is a decent amount for your money as well. I have Used this Twice and have felt that my make up has stayed on well, and that there was not problems with it, although I will have to keep you posted as to the long term effects of this product!
 While I was Flicking through the Many Catalogs, I couldn't Resist buy a few soaps. I know Soap is not a very exciting thing to purchase but these are wonderful. The range of products these soaps belong to is the botanical range, which has a large range of fruity scents. I chose two Exfoliating soaps to try as it is comming up to spring and it time to get the arms and legs out, and lets face it, they need a little work. The scents i Chose are the Tangerine (orange) and the Red Apple (red) Which smell Divine. The Tangerine Smell sweet and Fruity, slightly acidic and rich, whilst the Red Apple Smells of Candy Apple, a Scent I LOVE. 
 Last but not least, Nutriments has a gift with Purchase Program that meant that I was lucky enough to receive the Apricot Body Dew, a classic Nutrimetics Product, that I love. I swear this will be my go to Spring/Summer Body Moisturiser because it is wonderful. It is a slightly reflective, but in no way shiny, quick absorbing cream, which does not leave you with that slightly wet feeling, but skin so smooth, you wont be able to stop touching it. I believe I will be repurchasing this over and over again. 

GYMGYMGYM

I seriously need to get motivated and get my but to the gym! I think about it all the time but never ever do it. So today I have decided to start! All I need to do now is find out what time classes start and convince my friend to start with me! Wish me luck!

P.S if you know some got Runners/Trainers to buy let me know!
x

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Proactiv Update

Ok so Im so slow at blogging lately its sad, I haven't posted since SUNDAY (crazy)...any way, because I dont have much time I thought I would quickly do a Proactiv Solution Update.

I've now been using the system for over three weeks (how time fly's when your having fun), and I have found a noticeable difference, yes I still do have blemishes and pimples, but its still working its magic. As i have said previously I wasn't expecting miracle or a quick fix, but it is working.

My skin still feels PH balanced but at the moment I have about 12 noticeable blemishes as well as just bad skin, but although that sounds bad, my blemishes have dramatically changed, they no longer come above the surface. At this stage they are still red, and are defiantly still there but they don't raise into the pimples that they once would have, so I am pleased. Im now over the hump and according to previous users, this is when the magic starts to happen, so I will keep you posted, as usual.

Bye bye Lovelies.

Sunday 14 August 2011

Mini Look Book Trial


Hey Guys, so firstly welcome to my very first look book/style profile/Outfit of the Day post. Today Modelling the outfits I have put together is my little sister Angie who offered to help me out today. Please bear in mind this is my first styling post and that the quality of the camera is not quite what I need for this type of thing. Enjoy 





 Shirt: Supre, Jumper: Element, Neck Tie: Vintage, Leggings: Target, Boots: Zu Shoes, Clutch: Target



 Top: Country Road, Skirt: Vintage, Ring: My mums from years ago, Necklace: local Boutique






  Shirt: Target, Leggings: Target, Belt: Kmart, Bangles: Mums from way back, Shoes: Local Boutique



Shirt: Local Boutique, Leggings: Target, Blazer: Wish, Satchel: Vintage, Boots (same as above)



I hope you enjoyed it, I know it is very rough, but hey you have to start somewhere. I hope you are all well
x

Saturday 13 August 2011

Tea Vs Water

Now I hope people don't take this wrong, and by no means do I believe I am an expert on Nutrition or to completely take this at face value, and I do NOT advise that you stop drinking water.

So im the sort of person that drinks a fair amount of water if it with me, I mean I can drink three litres easily, but in Winter, when its cold, I just cant get motivated to drink Water at all. Now you may be aware that I am trying to clear my skin with Proactiv Solution and am aiding it in any way I can, but I just cant drink an adequate amount of water, so the solution I came up with is TEA.

 I've always been a big tea drinker, im kind of addicted, and I love a really large, scolding hot, milky cup  of tea with anything! Now Caffeine is found in tea, so if you don't already drink tea, then don't take it up because of this, but I have been loving getting my daily water in tea form. Where I live it has been very cold and I love nothing more then having a hot cuppa two, three, four times a day, which is probably not the best for me sleeping at night, but I have really been noticing the difference in my skin, due to the antioxidants and the water!
 My Current Favourite Tea's are Dilmah Black tea (pretty standard) and Twinings Chai tea, both with milk, and both boiling hot.

Friday 12 August 2011

Inika Cosmetics


Welcome to the Wonderful Organic World of Inika Cosmetics!
 Inika Cosmetics, where do I start. I first Discovered this brand in 2007 when I was at a salon and the Wonderful girl offered a demonstration of there product range, solely including the Inika Cosmetics Range. After my Mum, sister and I had all had a Demonstration and Mini Make over, it was settled, we had to get something  So my Mum got the starter kit (which ill get to in a minute) and I bought a single foundation. After only a few applications I was sold, not to buy another foundation for almost four years.
 I want to tell you a little about the brand. Inika is a wonderful Organic Australian Cosmetics Brand, created by two wonderful Women who loved cosmetics and after a long time searching for natural Make up where the quality was high, created their own 'Inika'. Inika was launched in 2006 and the company has never looked back. From a reasonable sized range in the begging, Inika has added a few new products to there lines, but have never sacrificed quality by rushing to just get more out there. Inika Products are Either 100% Organic or Vegan (or Both) and are Certified Halal and Certified Cruelty free. Now lets get to the Products.

If you are new to Inika or Make up in general, The Starter kit if Most likely your best bet. These come with The Inika Mineral Foundation in two shades, a Summer and a Winter, a Bronzer (the colour depends on you skin tone) and the Inika Kabuki brush (which is AMAZING). These I believe come in three shades Light, Medium and Dark but because these are Mineral Foundations and you get two colours, you can mix and match to find you perfect shade. The bronzer get Darker as the Foundations do, to allow for all different sorts of skin tones.
 Click HERE to be taken to the Inika Website to check out the full product range, as although I have tried most of their Products, I do not have the Full range and have not tried the full range. This is not a Sponsored Post and All of the Products Featured have been paid for myself, with the exception of the Naked Ambition Lipstick, The Black Caviar eye Kohl, the Cream de Casis Cream eye shadow and the Autumn Plum Mineral eye shadow, All of which I won from the Inika Facebook Page (linked HERE) in the 'Romancing the Storm' Limited Edition Collection.
 I have 9 of the Inika Cosmetic Brushes, including the Infamous Kabuki (which is my all time Favourite Brush). I First Purchased the Kabuki in 2007 and used in every day for over 3 years, and due to my lack of Knowledge and my disregard for this product (and the love I gave it) I needed a new one. Earlier this year I re-purchased this brush and I love it just as much as ever, and the new packaging is simply stunning. I also have the Limited Edition Brush Roll with includes a Blush Brush, Two Angled Brushes (a small and a large) a Lip Brush, a Foundation brush, a concealer brush, an eye shadow brush and a brow comb.  My favourites are the Blush brush and the small angled Brush, they do there jobs perfectly.
 Inika's most well known product would have to be there Mineral Foundation, My all time Favourite Foundation. Firstly there is a reasonable colour range, with 9 shades from Grace (for Porcelain to Fair skin) which is my Winter shade to inspiration for darker Brown, Yellow to Olive toned skin. Now although there are 9 shades, you may be very unlucky and not have a match, if this is the case, you can simply mix the two shades you are in between. I am as I said Grace in the Winter and Unity in the summer, but at the moment I am trying to use up my Nurture shade which I had two Summers ago when I was particularly tanned, so I simply blend them together.

This product is Applied with the Kabuki brush, simply tap a small amount into the lid of the container and press the powder in, tap off the excess and blend in a circular motion onto the skin until a desired effect is created. Another Amazing thing about the product is that it can in fact be used as a concealer, if you have and redness, blemishes or discolouration, just dab a small amount over the area and blend with the Kabuki for a flawless look.
Inika has recently added both a Liquid Concelar and and a Liquid Foundation to there collection. The concealer comes in only three shades which is not a great deal, but unless you are super pale or overly tanned or have darker skin, you will be able to find a reasonable match. There is Light, Medium and Dark. I have the Medium concealer, which is far to dark for me now, but in summer it is a very decent concealer. The Liquid Foundation comes in only four shades, Cream, Beige, Honey and Tan, which is not a very large range. I find these to run Dark, as  I have Cream and it is more of summer shade for me, although the Minerals make these blend wonderfully and if you felt like you needed a little bit of colour one day you could easily make it work. 
 The next Product is the Inika Mineral Setting powder, which is a Translucent Powder, designed to Absorb oils when applied over either the Liquid or Mineral Foundations. This is in no way a matte powder, but still allows the radiance to come through without the oily look. This is a good product, but I didn't notice anything special, so if you are not concerned about the ingredients, then this is not the right product for you, but if you have skin allergy's, sensitivities or are ingredient conscience then this is a good choice for you.

Next up is Bronzer, one of my Favourite Additives to any make up Routine. Now like all Inika Products this is a wonderful Product with a very Luxe Feel to it. It is Soft and Glowy, Not Overly Shimmery. This is a very Dark Bronzer and Considering the Pigmentation of all Inika Products, this is a bit strong for my liking, I personally prefer a build-able cheek and contour colour, but that said, I still love this colour, especially in summer when I want a very warm glow.   
Another Favourite Product is the Mineral Illuminisor, I have Previously Blogged about this in my 'Most Reached For Products' Post, but I use this Product where most people would a Blush. Because of my Skin tone I find it hard to wear Blushes, but I have found that using a small amount of this product on my cheeks my skin is more luminance and I look healthier. To read my other Post Click HERE  

 This is the Inika Lipstick in 'Naked Ambition', This was apart of the 'Romancing the Storm' Limited Edition Box set that I did Win. I do quite like the colour of this Lipstick, a semi brown Nude, which is almost a nude your lips but better could (hence the name), However, im not really a fan of the Formulation. I believe that this is like the Setting Powder, if you are very Cautious about what you use on you skin, have allergy's or sensitivity, then this is the product for you, but if you are a cosmetics enthusiasts then these aren't for you. I do wear this from time to time, and I feel like the colour would look better with a Tan. These are almost a matte Finish. These Lipstick come in 8 Shades from Nude to Deep Red, so there is a shade for everyone.

 Now we get to most peoples favourites, Eye Make up. Inika has a wide range of colours when it comes to the eyes, and they all never let me down. Shown Below is Caramel Mineral Shadow and Autumn Plum Mineral Shadow and Creme de Casis Cream Eye Shadow (last two From the 'Romancing The Storm' Collection). I am Ever Becoming a Bigger Fan of the Inika Eye Products. My Favourite right now is the Creme de Casis Cream Shadow But unfortunately these are only Released with Limited Edition Sets, so if you see one, grab it. But I really do love the Two Mineral Shadows I have. I tend to use Caramel all over the Lid with a Cream base to Emphasize the Colour and then with a more Champagne Colour I like to blend Autumn Plum through the crease.
 Now although I didn't Photograph the Caviar Eye Kohl (Top Left), it is defiantly one of my favourite Inika Products, these are soft and Creamy, with great colour Pay off. They easily Blend but keep there black colour. I use this for my smoky eye and sometimes just blend a small amount in along my upper lash line with Creme de Casis for a bit of a more dramatic look. This eye Kohl gives MAC's Smoulder eye Kohl a run for its money.
(Top Left to Bottom Right) Black Caviar Eye Kohl, Naked Ambition Lipstick, Mineral Illuminisor, Sunloving Bronzer, Autumn Plum Mineral eye Shadow, Caramel Mineral Eye Shadow and Finally Creme de Casis cream Eye shadow.

Winter Favourites: Beauty

This is going to be Part one of a two part winter Series about my Winter Favourites. I hope that my Southern Hemisphere readers can look back on what I have loved and what they have loved, and Hopefully this gives my Northern Hemisphere Readers a bit of an Idea for what their Winters Are going to be Like.

So Please enjoy my All things Beauty Winter Favourites

I don't know if everyone has this problem, but my already dry skin gets REALLY dry in Winter, so I always take precautionary measures to keep my skin in reasonable form. This year I have also started using Proactiv Solution to counter-act my blemishes, and that has also added to the dryness of my skin.

So I have started using two products to keep my skin in good health, This first is Innoxa Skin Moist Cleanser (which I love), I use this to remove my face make up (not eye make up) Before I cleanse to make sure that my skin is clear so the cleanser can do its job, and also to ad some moisture back into my skin. I feel like this product has really benefited my skin and stopped any future dryness.
 The other product I have been using to help counter-act dryness is my Olay moisturising cream for sensitive skin. This product is around $15 from Supermarkets and Chemists (Drug Stores). This is a very basic Moisturiser, its fragrance free to be gentle on the skin and it doesn't really do anything special but its just a good cream. I was using the Johnsons Moisturisers in the white tub (the name has slipped my mind) because I wanted a nice thick cream for winter, but that wasn't really doing the trick, so  because I had used Olay before in the past I thought I'd give this a shot and I LOVE it!



As someone with dry skin, but also have surface oil, I know how important a moisturiser is in anyone's routine, and I highly recommend this because it is moisturising, inexpensive, gentle and a really good base for your make up (even though I also use a primer). I wouldn't buy this product for Summer because it is very thick, but if you have been at the beach for a few days and your skin is feeling it then the combination of the Innoxa skin moist cleanser and this cream would be perfect to boot your skin back into shape!
I have Suffered from Dry skin for ever and it is partly my fault because I could never commit to a cream that I felt was working. While I was still at school I was a Legs girl, that's all I would moisturise because, well I didnt have time, but recently I have been working hard to get my skin in shape, and that's where the Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising cream comes in. Aveeno is widely available in Australia and I know it also retails in the US but im not sure about the UK, but if you can I would defiantly check out this brand. Any who, this is a wonderful, strong cream, that I have found to work miracles. Again this is more of a winter product (hence the title of this post) but could be used at night in summer to help with dryness.
Personally I really like the smell of this product but its not everybody's thing, and the smell does linger so if you dislike the smell, then don't get it. It is reasonable inexpensive, being around $16 RRP but there are always deals with these products like 3 for 2 to buy one get on half off so have a bit of a look around. I have been using this most days for about a month and the quality of my skin has improved over 100%, I really do recommend this product
The body shop camomile eye make up remover is a product I have already done a post on that I will link HERE so check that out for my review, but I really do love this product and will use it come Winter or Summer, No matter what!
 Orofluido Hair Elixir Again I have done a post on which is linked HERE and although i have only recently purchased this product for myself, I had used it before and loved it then, and i love it even more now. Im currently doing a little experiment on my hair using this product to see how long the ends of my hair go before I feel they need washing, day 3.5 and I feel I could go another day, but i might break and wash my hair tonight!
Max Factor False lash Effect Mascara and Maybeline Colossal Volum Mascara are the only mascaras im using at the moment and I really do like the combination. Im a die hard Max factor False lash effect user (this I think is the most under rated product ever) and will use it until the day it is taken off the market. But my Current tube is on its last legs so to give it that little extra kick I've been really liking layering it will my Colossal Volum, which in all honesty I do like but I don't believe I will be repurchasing it, at least not yet!
 The most recent product that I have added is my Revlon ColourStay Foundation for Normal to dry skin in Buff which I have had for just over a week, not a long time, I know. Previously I was using Revlon's Photo Ready foundation which was not enough coverage for me and it was far to luminous (for a nice choice of word). Now im all for a dewy complexion but at this stage in my skin care, it just didn't do the trick. So when I needed a new foundation stat, and I only had the choice of Revlon, I thought I'd give it a shot. Now I don't want to do a full review because I don't feel like I have found the right way to use this, but a review is coming.
And Finally, a product that I use everyday, no matter what is my Savvy by Designer Brands eye shadow Duo in StarLight. For those who don't know, Designer Brands is a very cheap brand of cosmetics her in Australia, that I really don't like, I have swathed products from them over and over and failed to like anything (except a lip liner that I only like because it matches a lipstick perfectly), so I wasn't interested when they released this line.
But you know, your in the make up isle and it there, so why not swatch it, and to my surprise, I loved it. The colours are a light shimmery champagne and a rich grey Taupe colour, which both have very nice pigmentation and colour pay off. The formulation is a little rough, which can be expected for the $4 price tag, but when blended correctly they never fail, these don't crease at all and last all day.
I generally use the Champagne colour all over my lid, with the Taupe either blended though my crease and brow bone or as the base crease and outer third colour with a smoky eye. I also very much like the Champagne colour as a highlight on my cheek bones, under the brows, down the centre of the nose and on the cupids bow.
Im sorry this was such a long post with a whole lot a writing, but I do hope you found this interesting and liked the products included.

Bye Dolls x