Summer Faves 2015

So many goodies!

This Summer I have been trying out a whole bunch of new products and I have some great favourites to share...

I have been using the Lush Celebrate Body Lotion (limited edition) in the mornings and I love the hydration that it is giving my legs. It's so thick and it seems to last forever.This cream has the smell of cognac and lime so its really invigorating and always puts me in a good mood.

The Lush Lovely Jubblies Breast Cream is a cream that I will never regret purchasing. Lovely Jubblies is so creamy and it smells lovely. Sometimes I put this on instead of a fragarence because it has such a calming smell to it. I also like the idea of giving my chest area some extra TLC.

This summer I have been using a super light face moisturiser called Gorgeous from Lush. Im loving how this is so light and it leaves my face moisturised without being oily. I only need to use a tiny bit and the cream just glides all over my face and neck. This stuff will last ages even though its only a 45g pot.

I need to get more of the Toby and Rosies Acivated Charcoal Cleansing Bar  because It Rocks! My face has never looked more clearer. It's only got a few clean and readable ingredients in it and my skin is loving this simple but very effective soap bar. Must Try! Enough said.

For Hair care I have been alternating between the Lush Seanik shampoo bar and the Jumping Juniper solid shampoo bar. I have found that the seanik shampoo bar makes my hair a tad oily if I continuously use it. But using this duo seems to be a perfect balance for my hair.

To condition my hair I have started using the Jojoba oil from the Jojoba Company and It works so well to moisturise the tips of my hair. I haven't felt any major split ends and my hair is a lot lighter and loving the lack of chemicals that a lot of other conditioners have.

Turning to makeup I have been trying out a few daring lip colours for me all from Colour Theory. They are sold at my local chemist and they are totally purse friendly. Colour Theory lipstick are creamy and easy to apply evenly, I'm a pink girl and always feel comfortable in a pink lip colour with a berry tint just like Pouty Pink. Pouty pink has a sheer finish to it unlike the bright red Showstopper which is more of a matte finish.

I also love the lip liner in red-y steady go, this colour is so versatile and suits both my lipsticks. Score!

My makeup routine has been quiet simple this summer, but all the products I have used are cruelty free give a really nice, fresh look. For a base I have been using the Model Co BB+ Cream it contains the all essential 30+ sun protection for Summer and it gives a matte finish. I also love the fact that I don't have to use a lot to cover up my uneven skin tone. I love it!

My mascara of choice recently has been the Model Co Fibre Lashxtend, This mascara is like tiny fibres that stick to your own lashes and they don't clump or smudge. I feel at ease wearing this mascara in summer even when I sweat because I know it's not going to be dripping down my face any time soon. 

When I feel like wearing eyeshadow I go straight to the Models Prefer Eyeshadow Pallette. I have featured this in a few tutorials and I think it gives the best smokey eye. All the colours are neutral which create a really classic look if two or three are used together, but if I just use the gold or the bronze on its own my makeup look can be changed to something fresh and beachy.

To cover the dark circles under my eyes I have been reaching for the e.l.f under eye concealer and illuminator. I think that after 6 1/2 hours sleep my eyes need a little bit of a 'pop' so I apply the illuminator on my brow bone and the outside corner of my eyes along with some concealer right on the dark circles. I find that it works great blended in together and e.l.f products are certainly within my limited budget. Yay for e.l.f!

To apply my eye makeup I have been loving the Furless Cosmetics blending brush, they have soft synthetic bristles and they fit perfectly in my eye crease (it's not in the photo because I couldn't find it at the time). I have also been using the Cosmetic Kitchen angle brush on my eye-line and I love the bamboo handle, I think they look so cool. 

Baby Fave

The Milk Baby bath time wash has been a popular bath time choice in our household of late. It's gentle on the skin and lightly scented with lavender and chamomile. The bath time wash doesn't bubble very much at all but I didn't expect it to. It's a disappointment to my daughter though because she goes wild for bubbles! Having 95% naturally derived ingredients I feel safe having my baby use this on the skin.

 What's been your favourite thing this season? What do you think of the larger pictures?

Have Fun!

Renee x

Also don't forget to enter my giveaway! HERE

The "Selfie" Facial

No time for the salon?

This 20 minute at-home facial is so easy and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean.

 Apply some Jojoba oil to a cotton pad and remove any makeup from the day. I use The Jojoba Company 100% Natural Australian Jojoba oil.$19.95

 Not only is Jojoba oil a fantastic facial moisturiser and hair conditioner but just look at all the makeup it gets off my face!

 Cleanse your face with a charcoal based cleanser. I love the Toby and Rose Activated Charcoal Soap Bar $8.00. It works wonders to get all the grot out of my pores and its non drying on the skin.

 My favorite part is putting on the Lush BB Seaweed Mask $16.95  straight from my fridge. Its cooling which means that it closes my pores and makes my skin so soft. I like to leave this on for at least ten minutes then gently rub it of with a warm facecloth.

Spray a good toner on your face, I love the Dr Hauschka Clarifying Toner*. Toners are essential to get rid of any residue product on your face before applying moisturiser and also for adding extra hrydrating befefits.

  Gently rub some fresh and hydrating moisturiser to your face. My current favourite is the Lush Gorgeous Moisturiser* $74.95  which is working perfectly to keep my skin soft and supple and keep that uneven skin tone at bay.

Finish your facial off with a good eye cream. Eyecreams are made to concentate on the delicate skin around the eye area. The Dr Hauschka Eye Balm* $62.00 eases away any dark circles and puffiness I have around my eyes.

Whats your essential for a great facial?

Have Fun!

Renee x

*Review* Dr Hauschka Bath Essence and Body Milk

A fresh start to Autumn.

I'm counting the days until Autumn. Yes it's no secret that I love the cooler seasons, the best thing is experimenting with new scents and products for the season. Weird? Probably.
I have been using Dr Hauschka Bath essence and Body milk even before I used up my Celebrate Body Lotion from Lush. As soon as it arrived I couldn't wait to open the packet and get stuck into it. I may be an extremely frugal beauty blogger (I don't like opening up a new product before I finish up the previous one), but here I am breaking my own rules, yet again,

Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Bath Essence* $32.00 rrp. This is a 'grown up' bath essence to me because of it's high quality ingredients with its light and elegant citrus smell. I like to use this at night after a tiring day running around after my toddler. I find that it refreshes me and puts a zing back into my step. To use this I simply add two cap-fulls into the bath water and swirl it around. As for the beautifying effects, this essence contains moisturising Almond oil and stimulating Lemon and Lemongrass to bring blood around the body helping to heal and tone worn out muscles. I would recommend this to those who take bath time seriously and only intend on using this occasional.  I recommend using two or three capfuls of essence in the bath to make the oil worth it but this little honey wouldn't last long if you intend to use it every day. 

Quince Hydrating Body Milk*  $47.00 rrp I noticed straight away that this is such a cooling milk on my skin. This body milk absorbed into my skin almost instantly and with absolutely no sticky residue. I loved the lightness of the product and it was such a nice change from the thick buttery moisturiser I have been using from Lush a lot. This milk has somewhat of a gel-like consistency so I do warn that if you have exceptionally dry skin this product may not cut it. However its the perfect maintenance moisturiser to stop skin from getting dry. I like the natural smell that this body milk has without that nasty "fake" smell. I love the classy glass bottle that looks very nice on my bathroom counter and with the pump applicator I can get the right amount of product I need. 

About Dr Hauschka: Aiming to make truly natural and/or organic cosmetics. Free from synthetic fragrances, dyes and preservatives. Free from mineral oils, paraben silicon and PEG. Dermalogically tested for sensitive skin. 

Let me know if you have tried these yet.

Have Fun!

Renee x

Valentines Day Gifts For You

Spoil Yourself

You may not expect much from your special someone or perhaps you like to choose your own gifts. Whatever the reason, here are some special treats you may like for Valentines Day.

1. T2 Rose Rush Tea For One. $55.00.This is a gorgeous mix of traditional roses in bloom and quirky and modern colours on one cute tea pot.
2. Ecoya Celebration Candle in White Musk and Warm Vanilla. $39.95. A beautiful blend of fresh citrus deepening into a mossy middle note of leafy greens with a base of sandalwood, vanilla and musk.
3. Lush Hello Gorgeous Gift  $49.95. This gorgeous gift box contains Vanilla Dee-lite Body Lotion, Think Pink Bath Bomb, The Comforter Bubble Bar, Gorgeous Moisturiser (sample), Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub.
4. Absolutely Gorgeogeous Healing Hand and Nail Cream $19.95.Organic Shea butter and Organic Jojoba Seed Oil nourish and moisturise tired and cracked hands.
5. iKOU Bliss Massage/Body Oil $23.95 A perfect nigh in with your Valentine (if you know what I mean), Hydrating Coconut oil and indulgent Vanilla bean are a perfect pair to make your evening special.
6. Dr Haushcka Romance and Harmony $37.00 This gift pack contains The Rose Nurturing Body Oil with the gifts of sample sizes Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Body Oil, Quince Hydrating Body Milk, Lavender Sandalwood Calming Body Wash, Sage Purifying Bath Essence. What a great little pack and I think its awesome value!

What are you hoping for this Valentines day?

Have Fun!

Renee x

Dr Hauschka **GIVEAWAY**

2 to Giveaway!

I love hosting giveaways because I get to give a little something back to my readers. Its very special to me.
It's been over a year since I have started this blog and it has given me so much enjoyment and connected me to so many bloggers out there. It's amazing to see what a friendly and welcoming community I am a part of. I certainly don't plan on stopping any-time soon!

Since being introduce to the Dr Hauschka brand in 2014 I have loved the range of skincare they have to offer and I think that you may love it too. So I am giving away a couple of gorgeous trial size tins to a lucky reader.

Freshness and Energy Kit

This Revitalising care for the body contains:

10ml Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Body Wash

10ml Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Bath Essence

10ml Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Body Oil

10ml Lemon Lemongrass Vitalising Body Milk

10ml Quince hydrating Body Milk

10ml Hydrating Hand Cream

Harmony Kit

This relaxing care for the body contains:

10ml Lavender Sandalwood Calming Body Wash

10ml Moor Lavender Calming Bath Essence

10ml Rose Nurturing Bath Essence

10ml Rose Nurturing Body Oil

10ml Rose Nurturing Body Cream

10ml Lavender Sandalwood Calming Body Cream

This Competition is for Australian residents only due to postage costs. There will be two winners, one kit per winner. Please comment what kit you would prefer to receive.  I will contact the winners via their blog or Facebook or email. 

Competition ends on the 19/2/2015

For more information on the Dr Hauschka range: http://www.helioshealth.com.au/Dr-Hauschka-Natural-and-Organic-Skin-Care-Australia

Have Fun!

Renee x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Review* INDAH Purfume Balms

Cruelty Free Scents.

Beautiful Because is a website that I stumbled across whilst doing some beauty blogger research (as you do). Beautiful Because is a web-store that stocks natural, organic and eco-friendly brands from Australia and beyond!

INDAH is one of these brands that is made by Model Teisha Lowry and uses organic ingredients to develop a beautiful and superior product, such as her purfume balms. During my research on cruelty free products I have noticed that like many makeup brands there are many perfume brands that still test on animals. I'm not OK with that. So this year I want to introduce a wider variety of cruelty free cosmetics to my blog (including Scents).

INDAH perfume Balms* come in stunning packaging that looks so very special. I received a INDAH Gift Box which contains four of their amazing perfume balms. This is a great gift for anyone who can't just stick to one perfume, like myself.

INDAH Perfume Balms are 95% Organically Certified by the ACO. INDAH is Palm Oil free and certified by Choose Cruelty Free. The packaging comes from renewable and natural sources.

Dewi

Neroli and Jasmine create the key notes to this powerful scent. Dewi is a sensual fragrance designed to bring out the 'goddess' in you. I certainly feel that this is the more brave scent because the strong combination of the Jasmine and Neroli certainly turns heads.

In Love

This is my favourite purfume Balm out of the four. It provides a soft, romantic scent of Ylang Ylang and Rose-Otto. The woody base is evident once the oils touch my skin and then quickly the Orange and Rosemary creep its way to the surface. I do find that this fragrance lasts the longest on my skin, but woody fragrances last a long time on me.

Travel Balm

This is an energising scent of Ginger, Cypress and Orange designed for travel sickness and long commutes. I'm not too keen on this one only because too many citruses and spices can overwhelm my nose. That being said though, my skin really likes this one and my body reacts really well to the oils and it mellows out to a lovely refreshing scent, so if I had to say yes or no I would say yes. Because its more important that a scent is pleasing on the skin, don't you think?

Zen Meditation Balm

This purfume Balm is like no other scent I have ever worn. With spices usually found in curries such as Carmadon, Clove Bud and Cinnamon, it was easy for me to recognise where the influence of the scent came from. India. It's a smell that I could imagine the markets to be like, with stalls of spices on display. If I apply this scent in the morning it usually last until lunchtime, the spices seem to gradually and steadily fade off my skin.

In every order there are free product samples. I love that, It gives me a chance to try something different and as a beauty blogger I am all for that! I was sent a sachet of the Rahua Voluminous Shampoo and Voluminous Conditioner. I liked the conditioner, I found it moisturising and light so it doesn't weigh down my flat hair. However, I feel the Voluminous Shampoo didn't suit my oily scalp and my roots looked like they needed a wash a little too soon. Even though this Shampoo and Conditioner combo didn't work for me I would recommend it for people with dry to normal hair types.

Let me know if you have tried a perfume balm before.

Have Fun!

Renee x 

*Review* LDN Skins Exfoliator and Tan

A Golden Tan

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to try out the LDN: Skins Foaming Exfoliator and Gradual Tanning Lotion*. It took me a while to pick up the bottle because I have been so busy with the Christmas and New Year period that I haven't had a chance to even read the instructions. I finally tried it the other day. First I used the exfoliator on my legs to get rid of any dead skin cells and make my skin clear of any dirt before I tan. This exfoliator is scentless and lightly foaming. It is instructed that its easier to use it in the shower, so I did, concentrating on those rough knees of mine. It caused me no trouble at all and was easy enough to use. 

The LDN: Skins Gradual Tanning Lotion came with a tanning mitt, which I LOVE. It's just one less thing I don't have to worry about. The application is easy enough, pump lotion onto the glove and in long gentle strokes work down the body (I only did my legs). The lotion carries no scent and it didn't feel sticky or greasy. I left the tan to develop for about six hours then washed it off.

The Foaming Exfoliator and Tone 2 Medium Gradual Tan Lotion

The tan comes in a pump bottle and included a mitt.

Before

After

Just a hint of tan showing here.

I took these photos immediately after washing off the excess (six hours after applying the tan). Not much difference can be seen in the photos. I really noticed a change the next day after it had  been developing for over 17 hours to a much more noticeable deeper hue.

The result is an even and golden glow that actually looks natural. No splotches and no dark patches around my knees. I like this tan better than the Pure Tan Rapid Bronze, even though it's not instant it gives a lot more natural finish.

What tan do you reach for?

Have Fun!

Renee

*Review* Lush Solid Jungle Conditioner

Avocado and Bananas. YUM!

I recieved a small sample of the Lush Solid Jungle Conditioner with my latest Toothy Tabs purchase the other day. I am a regular user of the Lush solid shampoos and what better fit would be than a solid conditioner?

I used a Lush image to give you a better idea of what it looks like. 

Again and again Lush are coming out with products that don't contain packaging which is like a sigh of relief to the environment. 

What makes this solid conditioner great is that is contains all of the good stuff, that is so nourishing to hair. Avocado adds shine and lustre to hair and Banana protects hair natural elasticity preventing split ends and helping to control dandruff. 

I tend to have trouble with conditioners, a lot of the time they are too heavy and make my scalp oily and hair limp. But this solid conditioner is light enough to gently hydrate my hair and leave it seriously fluffy.

This conditioner will leave your hair smelling like a tropical fruit salad which is just delicious! 

 I haven't got a problem with an oily scalp any more (that's why I love the solid shampoos as well), and I feel that with the combination of Jumping Juniper Solid Shampoo Bar and the Jungle Conditioner bar will be my new hair care routine. 

Have you tried this?

Have fun!

Renee x