*Review* Zk'in Skincare

Honest Skincare

Recently I have had the pleasure of trying the Zk'in Organic Skincare range. This was a new discovery for me so I had very little time to build any expectations. I had been given the Two step skincare routine that is suitable for sensitive skin types.

The Calming Cleanser* has a unique system that turns the cleansing oil to milk when in contact with water. I really enjoyed how gentle this non-foaming cleanser is on my skin and it didn't leave any oily residue on me either. Organic Colloidal Oatmeal and Aloe Vera help to soothe the skin and give it a great clean with the help of the gentle oil to milk technology.

The Relife Moisturiser* is a real gem, it comes in a lovely tube with a pump so its easy to measure out the precise amount you need. I found that not even a full pump was enough for my face and neck so I can see this lasting a long time. This light lotion has almost no scent and leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft. The Relief Moisturiser contains a unique blend of  clinically active Cotton Thistle Extract (skin Repair), Hemp Oil which nourishes skin and increases blood circulation promoting fast healing and Evening Primrose Oil, famous for relieving itching and redness.

Zk'in Organic Skincare has a zero tolerance approach toward synthetics and chemicals and  choose to only use 100% natural preservatives. They also have zero tolerance to sustainability, using only recyclable packaging and  zero tolerance to animal testing and Dishonest Marketing such as photoshopping the images of women on their website. This zero tolerance made me feel comfortable buying products from a company with complete transparency.

I have been suffering from a few pimples around my chin and they haven't budged so I think that this cleanser and moisturiser would be great for Sensitive and Normal skin types that are not prone to blemishes. The best products to use for my skin type at the moment would possibly be the Oily or Combination Set but since the Sensitive range is safest for pregnancy I will have to like or lump my blemishes and just wait for my Second Trimester 'glow' to set in. Hormones are a pain sometimes and I don't want to risk using diffrent chemical laden skincare just for the sake of a pimple or two. In the mean time I feel comfortable knowing that this brilliant two step skincare is safe to use during pregnancy and will not harm a growing baby.

Get started with Zk'in personalised beauty consult: http://www.zkinorganics.com.au/beauty_consult

Have Fun!

Renee x

* Hemp Organics* Organic Lip Tints

Protects, Nourishes and Tints!

I have a few staples in my handbag and one of them is the Hemp Organics Lip Tint. Originally I picked up the Lip Tint in Love which is a light berry colour and it gave my lips a slight tint. I fell instantly in love. I was recently sent two other colours called Wine and Berry so I wanted to share them with you.

Wine is the lighter shade of the two. As you can see on my lips it leaves a subtle and very pretty pink shine against my fair skin tone.

Berry is my favourite because it is a deeper hue and has slightly more red in it. Berry gives a brilliant shine to my lips making them look lovely and glossy.

Hemp Organics Lip Tints feel brilliant on the lips.They contain organic hemp seed oil which is amazing for moisturising and healing properties, there is no synthetic fragrances, petro- chemicals or synthetics preservatives which leaves room for ingredients to only nourish and protect the skin.

Hemp Organic Lip Tints come in an array of colours ranging from sweet pinks to dark earthy tones.

These include:

Rose

Wine

Love

Berry

Terra

Earth

Kiss

Amber

Check out the whole colour selection here: http://www.hemporganics.com.au/hemp_organics_products.php?cat=2 

What's your favourite colour?

Have Fun!

Renee x

Dont Forget To Check Out My International Giveaway From Faby Nails.

*Review* Toby and Rosie Pink Salt Facial Cleanser.

A Gentle Cleanser

The other day I tried the very unique Toby and Rosie Pink Salt Facial Cleanser $15.00. I have recently broken out in spots on my chin and I was hoping to feel a less oily face. This cleanser has a fine, powdery consistency and the usual fresh scent that Toby and Rosie products are known for. I had to get a couple of pinches of the soft powder in my palm and mix it with a little water, it slightly foamed to an easy-to-use cleanser. I really enjoyed the gentle exfoliating action that this cleanser gave and it made my skin feel that extra bit fresh. I also noticed that the pink salt did not aggravate my tender spots on my chin but instead took away all the oil with the help of the activated charcoal .

I would recommend this handy cleanser to anyone who love to try different textures and ingredients for their skincare.

Have Fun!

Renee x

Don't forget to enter my International Faby Nail Giveaway! 

Moving To A New Town

Smile And Say Hello!

I thought I would do a different post today. I have just moved house and into a new town 6 hours away from family and friends. Why? My husband and I like the climate in south-west Australia (it's a lot cooler) and also on the search of finding a cool place to set up an eco/self sustainable farm we feel that the location would be better in the lush and moist forests.
I was a little overhelmed the first week coming down here. Dan and I were getting used to living together on our own with our toddler with no grandparents to keep company and I missed church the first week too. Meaning that I had 14 days of not having a proper conversation with anyone else but my husband. Gosh I love the guy, but seriously! Most of the time I'm OK on my own but I need that reassurance that I can visit a friend when I feel lonely.
So how did I handle moving to a small town, not knowing a single soul? Join groups!
After the second week of living here I had rapidly been joining as many groups as I could handle. I joined the library group where there are tonnes of mummys and babies and stories and songs. After an hour we go out side to the playground with a wonderful fenced area so that I can let Miss E run around and I can chat to the mums without worrying if she will run onto the road.
I also joined the local gym and go to classes 4 times a week, this is something I had to think about a bit (more like 2 seconds) because we could either afford a second hand couch or a 3 month gym membership. Naturally I chose the gym membership. Lets just say I had to put up with a numb bum from sitting on the floor boards for a few weeks. The gym is particularly great because it has a fantastic crèche for Miss E and she loves it when it's full of other kiddies. 
We also quickly joined our local Baptist church and the people there have truly blessed us with their friendship and willingness to make us feel welcome with buckets of home grown veggies and honey made from backyard bees.
I was never scared moving to  new town. I was ready and I had a plan. Join groups, say hello to the person in the street and if someone offers you fresh eggs from their chooks, say "yes please!"

Till next time.

Have Fun!

Renee x

*Native Box Unboxing* February 2015

Australian Brands At Their Best

It always feels like forever before my next Native Box is due.  This is one of those subscription boxes that I enjoy because I love finding out about new brands, especially Australian brands.

Natures Organic Sensitive Face Scrub: I have a few face scrubs at home already so this one may have to wait its turn before I remove the seal. This face scrub contains cooling cucumber and has 97% natural based ingredients. I think I may use this as a back-up scrub when I'm in-between buying my favourites.

Wotnot Facial Wipes: I don't usually use these little packets of face wipes, but lately I have been way to lazy to cleanse my face in the evenings that I may leave these on my bedside table. Wotnot wipes are probably the only face wipes I would use because they are void of nasties including petrochemicals, sulphates, parabens and artificial fragrance.

Anerah Organic Recovery Eyecream: Lately I have been really getting into eyecreams. At the moment I am using the Dr Hauschka Eye Balm, but since my daughter recently attacked it, the tub is looking a little empty. The consistency of this cream is super thick but still workable and compared the the Dr Hauschka Eyebalm it doesn't leave a sticky feeling on the skin. This brand is something I intend to look into a bit more.

Anerah Lavender Shower Gel: I'm looking forward to trying this as it smells fantastic! This shower gel has more than a Lavender scent. it has Aloevera juice, green tea extract and cucumber extract so it has a real botanical and luxurious fragrance. Love it.

Rainforest Remedies Lemon Myrtle Lip Balm: I recall receiving one of these in the Winter 2014 Native Box and I actually haven't used it yet. Looking at the ingredients I can tell this will be really good for my lips with Sunflower Oil, Macadamia Oil, primrose Oil and that's just naming a few! I may actually leave this one in my car, It will definitely get used there.

Sachets- Emma Organics Organic Facial Fluid and Emma Organics Hand and Nail Revive: I was really happy to see these because I have never tried anything from Emma organics and they seem to have a great reputation. Ill pop these in my suitcase and open them when we go away next week.  I'm particularly curious to see how the Facial Fluid goes. I do hope to get a full size  Emma Organics product one day in this box.

Australian Bush Flower Essences Body Love: This face moisturiser is packed with essential oils and organic ingredients. Because I received two face moisturisers in this box I will give this one a trial tomorrow. I hope it agrees with my skin.

I also received a $20 Gift voucher when you spend $50 or more. I may or may not use this. A lot of the time I kind of ignore vouchers of any kind because they have a crazy 'minimum spend' but this doesn't seem too bad. Ill see if I like anything of their site.

Verdict: I think this quarters box was ok. There was a couple of full sized products but then only tiny samples after that. I also noticed there was a few double ups on brands too, that's not a particularly bad thing, just something I noticed. I think I keep comparing it to the Winter 2014 Native Box (my first) because it was awesome! My favourite thing was actually the Emma Organics sachets, I can't wait to get stuck into these.


What do you think of this Native Box?

Have Fun!

Renee x

Faby Nail Laqcures Giveaway

Here

Worldwide Giveaway with Faby Nails

Two On-Trend Shades.

I have been promising another international give-away for a while and here it is! It has been nearly a month since Valentines Day (which is when these nail shades were released) but that doesn't matter, because these two fabulous nail lacquers from Faby Nails can be worn anytime of the year, day or night.

 Faby Nail Lacquer in Innocent Fantasy* is a barely there sheer pink. The soft light pink symbolises innocent and young love.

Faby Nail Lacquer in Valentina's Day* is bright and cheerful colour and happens to be my favourite. This scarlet red was created to symbolise love for Valentines Day.

I found these nail lacquers pleasantly easy to apply with a very consistent formulation. As part of the give-away I will be adding in the Double Base and Top Coat (not pictured) to create extra wear out of your new nail colour!

The Winner Will Receive

1x Faby Nail Lacquer in Innocent Fantasy

1x Faby Nail Lacquer in Valentina's Day

1x Faby Double Base and Top Coat

Total Value $60

Dont forget to tell your friends this is an international give-away! This competition will end the 31st of March 2015 at 12:00AM 

To learn more about Faby Nail Lacquers check out their website today.  http://www.fabyboutique.com.au/14-nail-lacquers

Have Fun!

Renee x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stay At Home Mum Routine

Mummy Routine

Every mum has usually settled into daily routine. This is a comfortable routine that has kept me organised. 

7am: Miss E wakes up next to me and will usually just lie there cuddling under the covers.

7.15am: Miss E starts to get hungry so wakes us up by talking to us, gets out of bed and rummages through things in the bedroom making a lot of noise.

I finally get up and make Miss E either Cereal or Scrambled Free Range Eggs. I always have scrambled eggs and toast.

8.15am: Time to get dressed, this usually takes about 10 minutes (for both Miss E and Myself)

8.30am: Brush hair, brush teeth and cleanse face (lightning speed)

8.32am: Do the dishes and tidy up

.

8.40am: Head off to the gym with Miss E in tow leaving hubby in bed.

10.20am: Get back from the gym and have a shower to de-sweatify.

10.40am: I have a snack, sometimes a sandwich or left over dinner.

11.00am: Snacks over, tidying up done, now for general errands. Sometimes its grocery shopping or taking a trip to the laundromat to do a couple of loads of washing, we always take the wet washing home and dry it on the clothes line. It's cheaper and environmentally friendly. Sometimes when my husband isn't busy he will hand wash our clothes for us at around this time of day.

12.00 noon.Usually left over dinner again. We have a couple of nights of left over dinners in our fridge at one time so we pick and choose what we like. This takes a while as we don't have a microwave so we have to either heat the oven or heat on the stove top.
After lunch we usually hang out playing, I might catch up on some housework while hubby watches Miss E.

1.00pm:  At around this time I look for when Miss E may like to go to bed

1.30pm: Miss E Still not ready for a nap

1:40pm: Miss E Napping
Time to take a breather, during this time (2-2 ½ hours) Illdo some blogging or have a soy Milo while watching some TV, or knitting or cleaning the house-depending if I had time straight after lunch or have a quick nap. I have been known to do all these in the 2 ½ hours free time. Its amazing how much you can get done!

After Miss E wakes up I give her snack. I usually prepare a banana shake in a jug and keep it in the fridge during her nap time and when she wakes I blend it up. Miss E likes to sit on my lap watching Playschool/kids shows while drinking her Banana Shake.

Playing an unwrapping game. She loved it!

Homemade chips with dinner.

4.30-6.00pm: I prep dinner and make dinner. I spend an hour cleaning, doing dishes, taking out rubbish, feeding the cat, sweeping floors and bathing Miss E. And giving Miss E another snack, she likes strawberries and Greek Yoghurt.

7.15pm: Time to put Miss E to bed. She sleeps with us so we lie down together, I read her a book and sing to her and give her a cuddle until she lets me know she is ready to go to sleep. Then she kind of “kicks me out” This usually doesn't take long about fifteen minutes or so.

7.30pm: I make myself a White Tea, Grab a snack and grab either my laptop to do some writing or depending if I have had a stressful day I'd watch a movie or series on Dvd. This is also a time where my husband and I chill out together.

10.30pm: By this time I'm usually ready for bed. I make a drink of Spirulina, Vitamin C and Magnesium and gulp it down quickly (it doesn't taste nice but is amazing for my immune system) and quickly brush my teeth. I slip in bed next to Miss E and enjoy the fact that she is like a built in hot water bottle (because the nights are getting cold).

 I have a devotional app on my phone I read that then pray until I fall asleep..

Have Fun!

Renee x

Top 5 Lip Products

5 Of The Best

 Lip products are one thing I am guaranteed to use everyday. I don't like the feeling of chapped lips so I always have a lip balm handy. I have put together a collection of my favourite lip balms and scrubs that you may like to try to keep those lips soft.

To prep my lips before applying a lipstick I like to use a scrub to make my lips that extra bit softer. The Lush Santa Lip Scrub $9.95 is so easy to use, It's made of castor sugar so I just lick it off and it tastes of yummy cola.

In the evening just before I climb into bed I apply the Dr Hausckha Lip Balm $24.00 to my lips. I love the gentle scent and its thick consistency. This lip balm comes in a thick glass pot that feels like it is quality made, I like that. I prefer this lip balm at night because it kind of stays on top of my lips and doesnt absorb easily so it feels like an overnight treatment.

I have absolutely no doubt about the moisturising qualities of the Sukin Nourishing Lip Treatment $7.95. I make a beeline for this lovely when my lips are at their worst. The gel like formulation is wonderfully soothing and it makes a brilliant shine. Honestly, if Aussie girls have not tried this and are suffering with painful dry lips, try this! I would apply it constantly for a week, to really get results because I gotta give my lips time to heal. It worked for me.

The People for Plants Organic Lip Balm $9.95 in Peppermint and Evening Primrose is living in my bag at the moment. I really enjoy minty lip balms and constantly apply them during the day. This hydrating lip balm in particular is a favorite because it's 95.9% organic and 100% natural. I will be repurchasing this.

I discovered Hemp Organics $12.95 by chance when I made an iHerb order. I heard that hemp is extremely healing and moisturising to skin so it makes sense that there would be lip products containing Hemp. I have Hemp Organics Lip Tint in Love which is a cool toned rosy red colour but when applied leaves only a hint of colour. I really like this lip tint because I can confidently apply it without having to worry about finding a mirror.

What lip product do you keep in your bag?

Have Fun!

Renee x