I'm Back with some products from 'Down Under'

First of all I should start with an explanation as to why I haven't posted for a while (with my sincerest apologies) I have been having a lot of trouble with the internet connection at my house, it has been running very slow and sometimes not at all which has made it too hard to use.

Thankfully it has started working a bit better (fingers crossed it stays this way!) 

Anyways I'm back with a post about products/ brands that are close to my heart, being that  they are mostly Australian made/ owned. I am aware that some of you reading are not from Australia and therefore  the following may not hold much meaning to you and I'm sorry for this however maybe it will inspire you to find and use some products made in your home country.

For as long as I can remember my dad has always encouraged me to buy Australian and support our economy and this makes sense to me however sometimes it is hard to do given that the options are not always available and sometimes it's just so much cheaper to buy things elsewhere. In saying this recently I have been trying to bulk up the amount of products in my collection that are 'Aussie.' I am not saying that I have thrown out everything that is made elsewhere as some of my 'foreign' products I absolutely love and could never part with, but what I have been doing is as products run out and are used up I have been trying to replace them with Australian products. 

I am not going to do a full review on all the products, some are new, some I have been using for years, mostly I just wanted to share with you my new philosophy on my beauty products, and some examples of Australian brands. (sorry about the terrible photos)

Some great skin care brands include; Skinstitut, Jurlique, Rationale and Kosmea. I have recently given my whole skin care a bit of a shake up and have been absolutely loving threeFIX which is a three step skin care line for acne prone skin. To describe it in one word I would choose WOW! My skin is so much smoother and clearer that I feel more comfortable in it.
 I am also keen to try some of the Kora organics by Miranda Kerr line have any of you tried any products from this line?

I am a huge fan of DIY (do it yourself) and I love to save a buck where I can which brings me to a great waxing brand from Oz Waxaway which is owned by Caron Laboratories the brand behind the amazing award winning bump eraiser a superb ingrown hair treatment! There are so many great products out there that make at home waxing so easy and comfortable, my absolute favourite is the precision wax wand which make taming my (and my boys) eyebrows a breeze. I also dye my eyelashes at home too!
Does anyone have any DIY tips and suggestions for me?

Onto some everyday essentials my favourite whitening toothpaste is white glo it tastes yummy and is very foamy. A nightly routine that I have had for years is to rub some cuticle oil into my nails before bed and a staple in my routine is Dr Lewinn's Revitaoil.

Makeup; I am still hunting for some more Australian Makeup brands but I love Nude by nature and Rationale both of which don't irritate my skin and leave it looking fresh.
Next time I am out and about shopping I am probably going to try out some products from Bloom... Any suggestions?

Through my lust have it monthly subscription I have been introduced to a fantastic Australian hair care brand called davroe their products smell fantastic and are so beautiful on my hair, I am in love and can't wait to test out some more products from the range. I currently have an argan oil, heat protectant spray and a detangling spray.

Lastly some awesome body products Sugar Baby suntanned sweeties bronze radiance cream, this I have been using since I was in high school its fantastic to slather on before a night out, it gives you a beautiful bronze glow that washes off in the shower but lasts all night! For something that lasts a bit longer I have recently tried Rationale self tanner which gives a marvellous colour and doesn't have a horrid smell. Another new discovery of mine is Swisse body cream which is a new product on the market and I love it, it smells like oranges and bergamot (a couple of my favourite scents!) it absorbs really well and of course is Australian Made!

Thanks so much for reading I hope you enjoyed my rambling

I am very open to suggestions of brands/ products that are Australian made or Owned

Meghan
Xx

Post Night Shift Routine

Every six weeks my body is punished by working two weeks of night shift, at the end of these fortnights I like to have a bit of a pamper session to relieve my body of some of the shock that night shift puts it through.

I tend to suffer tummy aches, pimples, headaches and dehydrated skin (attractive I know!), during my night shift rotation and following is what I like to do on the days off I have following night shift to let my body/ skin know that I still care for it!

Firstly (after a looong catch up sleeep) I like to light some candles and have a nice hot bath. My absolute favourite bath products to use are Lush products (I know this is not the best way to store them but they make my bathroom smell wonderful and always seem to work still). I run the bath and choose whichever products takes my fancy that day, last time I used MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt which smells yummy and makes my skin feel super soft, it also turns the bath water a milky pink colour. My favourite lush bath product (you may be able to guess because there are 3 in the bowl above) is the Comforter bubble bar, which smells of sweet berries, makes lots of bubbles and turns the water a pinky purple colour!

While relaxing in my Lush bath I like to put a face mask on to help repair the stress my face is usually suffering from. Depending on the issues at the time will depend on the mask used, if I have quite a few pimples I favour the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I love the smell of this mask, a very fresh minty scent, it's very thick and does tighten my pores, it can be quite drying on the skin though, so I wouldn't use it if my skin is feeling overly dry.

If my skin is just dull and not too 'bumpy' I like to use a sheet mask, I have just used up my last SK-II facial treatment mask, these are really nice they make your skin look radiant for a couple of days after use and seem to plump up your skin. They are crazily expensive $140 AUD for a pack of six, so I am planning on trying out some different sheet masks. Above I have a LAC Taut Collagen Infusion Mask that I received in a Lust Have It box, I haven't tried this one yet but I am looking forward to it as it is marketed to brighten and hydrate your complexion.

When I am feeling particularly decadent I use my Eve Lom cleanser which I purchased a while back when my skin was disastrous and I would have spent anything to try and help it! This is a nice cleanser and the process with the muslin cloth makes me feel like I am giving myself a nice facial. I don't really like the smell and once I use this one up I won't buy another as it is far too expensive.

Once I have soaked for long enough and can be bothered doing anything I like to exfoliate my body. At the moment I have been using Philosophy The Gingerbread Man which is a salt body scrub that smells like ginger and lemon rather than gingerbread, still lovely though. This is one of my favourite scrubs, doesn't leave my skin oily and works well.

I also have a Laura Mercier Scrub in the Creme de Pistache scent. This creamy scrub is packed full of crushed up pistachio shells which gently exfoliate your skin and leave a lovely fragrance to the skin (slightly nutty). I only use this on special occasions though as it was given to me as a present and is a bit too expensive for me to justify buying for myself!

For a cheaper alternative that also works really well I often use exfoliating gloves with regular body wash. These leave the skin soft and well scrubbed, and you can use your favourite scented body wash, leaving you smelling wonderful.

All these masks and treatments... best I do something to my hair as well. I like to restore the moisture to my hair post night shift and these products are three of my favourite! 

Beginning with Lush Marilyn, A hair mask that you put on before shampooing, the instructions say to 'soak' your hair in this gloopy product for 20 mins prior to shampooing and conditioning. I do this and I must say I notice my hair is very hydrated after using this, maybe too moisturised, I would say use sparingly. Not a fan of the smell, but for the benefits I can deal with it.

After shampooing I like to use a hydrating treatment like JOICO K-PAK Intense Hydrator. This leaves my hair nicely hydrated and smells divine. Makes my hair silky soft after conditioning with it, can say I am a big fan of this!

Yummy... Matrix Biolage Intensive Strengthening Masque I use this when my hair is weak and snapping at the ends. It moisturises well and doesn't weigh down my hair. I bought this on a recommendation from one of my friends a couple of years ago and I have been enjoying it ever since.

Now onto the Moisturises... Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. One of my favourite products of all time! I use this on my lips, elbows and any dry patches I may have, I have recommended this to many friends who now couldn't live without it. It's more of a balm then a cream with a strange smell. If you have never tried this product you really should give it a go!

Jurlique Calendula Cream, I love this product when my skin is distressed or dull. Its a beautiful cream that you warm between your hands before you pat onto your skin. It's very calming and soothing, a must have for my sensitive, easily upset skin.

Lastly an oldie but a goodie The Body Shop Body Butter, this one is in cocoa butter and is designed for  very dry skin. I like this one the scent is not too overpowering and it is very moisturising. I have had many different scents of body butter and must say I enjoy the lightness of this one but I can always buy a different scent each time!

Hope this helps any shift workers out there! If you have any suggestions as to how you like to relax and repair I would love to hear them!

Meghan
Xx

April Favourites!

Well I guess seeing as I did an April Finishers post I should probably also do an April Favourites post.

So April is the second month of Autumn and it has been a bit of a doozy weather wise this month from warm sunny days to freezing cold wet days, and I would say it's the latter which has most influenced my favourites this month.

As the weather changes and starts to get colder and colder I find my skin changing and getting drier and more dull so April brings moisturising products and Autumn colours out of my stash.

Jurlique Calendula Cream    This has been amazing to my poor skin which has been getting mighty confused with the weather changing. It's a very rich cream and I cannot use it all year round as it is sometimes a bit much. However for me this is like a comforter, it's super soothing, doesn't break me out  and when my skin is stressed (such as during season/weather changes) it helps with the irritation. Love it! My mum bought me this for my birthday, it's quite expensive lucky she got the big tube!

KOSMEA Skin Clinic certified organic rose hip oil    Fantastic little miracle in a bottle! This is a burnt orange coloured oil, that smells to me quite woody, I don't really like the smell but I can live with it. I put 3-4 drops on my face at night before I go to bed and i find I don't need to put a moisturiser on over the top, this is very moisturising and doesn't make my skin oily at all! It does however turn my skin a slight tinge of orange which is why I use it at night as opposed to during the day. A nice calming/ healing oil.

Colgate Savacol Antiseptic Mouth and Throat Rinse     As I said in a previous post I broke a tooth this month which was highly uncomfortable! I has been using this mouthwash after brushing/ eating as it contains chlorhexidine which is an antiseptic in hopes that it will prevent me getting an infection! I have already been to the dentist twice this month and will have to go twice next month :-( I am typically terrified of the dentist, but hopefully once all is well I will have faced my fear a bit not to mention broken the bank!!! Why are teeth such an expensive thing to maintain???

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in blush, Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie Swatches are the other way around (Lip butter first and lipstick second...WHOOPS!)

I received the Colorburst lipstick in a freebie bag from Priceline this month and have been loving it! It is definitely a colour I would have picked for myself, It is a neutral, mauve, pink kind of my lips but better! The formula is really nice and I think I will continue to love this over Autumn/ Winter.

The Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie has been my favourite so far its very wearable during the day /night with a nice subtle sheen of colour over my lips. I think once the weather starts to warm up I might enjoy the brighter colours a bit more but for now I am loving this berry colour!

These next favourites are not so much the individual items themselves (although I do love all of them) but more the concept/ colour range and it is Bronze/ Brown eyeliners! I find that they really compliment my green/ hazel eyes beautifully and again are a nice colour to wear for Autumn!






From Top; MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeliner in Bronzed, Wet n Wild Color Icon Brow& Eye Liner in Taupe, Savvy By DB Luxury Liner in Brilliant Bronze


Swatches Left to Right: MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, Savvy by DB in Brilliant Bronze, Wet n Wild Color Icon in Taupe, Wet n Wild Color Icon in Bronzed

Another concept rather than individual items, I find myself drawn to deep plum, berry and mauve blush colours at the moment, I usually am this time of year, these four are generally the first ones I have been grabbing for this month!







Clockwise;
e.l.f Studio Blush Berry Merry
Benefit Dallas
e.l.f Studio Blush Mellow Mauve
MAC Prim & Proper (Limited edition from the liberty of London Collection)




Swatches Top to Bottom;
MAC Prim & Proper
Benefit Dallas 
e.l.f Berry Merry
e.l.f Mellow Mauve 

And Last but not Least Barry M nail Paint in Mushroom! I love brown taupe coloured nail polish this time of year and this along with OPI Over the Taupe (which I couldn't find, that usually means my mum has 'borrowed/ stolen' it!) Barry M nail polish in general are lovely and this is one of my top Autumn nail colours!

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed my April favourites and I would love to hear some of your favourites for Autumn/ April! 

Meghan

Xx