What my nails are wearing #2

I've been loving reds on my nails lately, and am lucky to have found what I think is the perfect one for me! I received this Strange Beautiful nail polish duo in one of my Violet Box's and to be honest I just chucked it in my drawer and never really opened it or thought twice about it. In my most recent makeup clean up I dug it out, put it on and fell in love!

 

This colour duo is Bandaid (a rosey nude) and Knoll (a red). This is really smart packaging, you just pop either one out of the cap! You can pick up Strange Beautiful duos at Violet Box, for $20, for 2 x 4ml of product.

I'm currently wearing Knoll, it's a beautiful pigmented tomato red which I just adore. This polish is great as you can get away with wearing one coat, it's super shiny and it dries fairly quickly (about 5 minutes). The only down side is it does chip rather easily so you really need a good quality top coat to help it last.

What polish are your nails wearing at the moment?

I'm Quitting Sugar

So I've decided to quit sugar. And when I say sugar, I mean fructose. You just have to watch the news to constantly hear this makes you fat, that makes you fat, this is unhealthy this is killing you and I always thought meh whatever, I'm healthy enough. Yeah I get a bit tired or reach for a coffee in the morning to get me through the day but that's normal isn't it?? Perhaps not.

I recently stumbled upon Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar For Life in Costco (I may or may not have had sweets in my trolley....) and had a bit of a flick through. At first I thought why would I need to quit something that I don't eat much of? I'm not a big fan of chocolate, don't add sugar to my tea or coffee and prefer savoury to sweet. Once I figured she meant fructose, what that actually was it started making sense. I bought the book (put the sweets back on the shelf) and did some more research on the internet. I stumbled upon David Gillespie's Sweet Poison (which Sarah's books are based around) which I must say is an amazing read. It flicked so many switches in my head and made me realise just how much fructose is a problem and what it's doing to me. I'm what is considered normal weight, but carry a little weight around my ribs (which is bad news), I'm constantly tired and lethargic, I'm anxious, suffer depression and anxiety, have puffy eyes, am prone to breakouts, can be moody (yep I'll admit it!) and often just feel 'meh'. I always just though this is me and couldn't be my diet - I eat low fat foods, I watch my calories and exercise as much as I can. I was pretty wrong!

(image from www.iquitsugar.com)

 

So I have decided to quit! I have signed up to Sarah Wilson's online 8 week quit program (available at www.iquitsugar.com) Yes this did cost $150, but in return you get shopping lists, meal plans, movement plans, access to forums as well as expert tips, sugar faq's and webinars. It took me a while to mull over whether the $150 was worth it and it came down to ease of use as well as helping equip myself with the necessary knowledge to be able to continue it on after the 8 weeks has finished. I can easily blow $150 on beauty products or clothes but this seemed worth it as an investment in my health (erm cliche or what!?).

As a little exert from Sarah's book, consider this:

• We're eating more low-fat food than ever before.
• We're joining more gyms.
• Yet we're putting on more weight.
• Today we eat more than a kilo of sugar a week. 150 years ago, we ate none.
• Low-fat food often contains more sugar than the whole version (sugar is added to make a food taste like the original).
• The low-fat industry is big business.

Sarah also asks should you be quitting?

• Do you get an energy slump in the afternoon?
• Do you need something sweet after meals?
• Does your stomach get bloated after eating?
• Are you unable to eat just one piece of cake and walk away?
• Are you 'podgy' around the middle, perhaps even slim everywhere else?
• Do you often feel unclear? That you're not always sharp and on-form?

I ticked yes to almost all of these. I've worked out that on my previous 'healthy' low fat diet I was consuiming 20+ teaspoons of sugar a day. Sugar was hidden in everything. In a typical day I was eating 2-3 pieces of fruit, yoghurt, honey in my tea, muesli, dried fruit. All this, I've now learnt, is a mine field of fructose. I'm not going to sit here and preach and tell you all to quit, I just want to detail my journey.

I am going to keep a weekly 'diary' on this blog of my journey through quitting sugar. The program officially begins on Monday 29th September, and today we were given access to the meal plans and shopping lists so we can shop and prepare for the week ahead! She gives tips on how to prepare your kitchen, create a freezer stash, and what exactly the 8 weeks hold. As a little example, this is what the 8 weeks will look like:



I'm very much looking forward to starting (I have actually started to cut down my sugar intake over the last couple of weeks anyway) and I look forward to 'reviewing' the program here as I go.

If you have any questions aout qutting sugar, or what the program entails please feel free to comment or send me an email :)

Bellabox Review - September 2014

I was really not expecting to see Bellabox in my post box yesterday! I hadn't received a dispatch email or anything so very out of the blue, plus I'm usually part of the last shipment so get the box in the last few days of the month so happy to see this early. Head on over to www.bellabox.com.au if you aren't familiar with this monthly beauty box subrscription service.

The normal blue box was missing this month, they included a little card explaining this (they apparently had a wardrobe malfunction!) and the blue box will be back for next month. I don't really care as I chuck the boxes anyway but I'm sure they'll be receiving a lot of grief on their facebook for no box! (People get waaaayyy too upset about stuff like that....)

The theme for this month is Beauty Wardrobe with Gritty Pretty and Bellabox. Not really sure what they are trying to do with beauty wardrobe? Perhaps things every girl needs? Or it's time for a clean out? Who knows. Nice to see beauty bloggers featured though!

Onto what is featured in this month's box:

Current Night Skincare Routine

In my previous post I shared my current morning skincare routine so I thought I would do the same with my current night routine. Again, in the past couple of weeks I've steered back to these products as they really do make a difference to my skin and as my wedding is fast approaching I want to be using products that I know help my skin look it's best.

Here are the products I use on my oily/combination skin at night:

Current Morning Skincare Routine

As my wedding gets closer and closer (5 weeks to go, what the hell!) I've decided I need to get back to my tried and true skincare routine. In the recent months, largely thanks to my beauty box subscriptions, I have been trying out new skincare products, and not all have been great for my skin. Nobody wants dull, blemishy skin for their wedding so in the past couple of weeks I've gone back to my normal routine and my skin has really seen the difference.

I thought I'd share with you my current morning skincare routine. I have oily/combination skin prone to blemishes.

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Skin Care System (Water/Earth) - Review





As a part of a relaxing spa day at my local Beauty Salon I was able to pick up a starter set of the Aveda Botanical Kinetics Water/Earth range for a lot cheaper than usual. This pack has an RRP of $89.95 but I picked it up for $39.95 as part of a spa pack. I have used Aveda products previously, but only haircare so this is the first time I have delved into Aveda's skincare range (apart from one small sample).

 

 

According to the little sheet included in this pack, Aveda draws on Ayurveda, a 5,000 year old Indian healing tradition grounded in the idea that the spirit of natural elements infinity, air, fire, water and earth are found in all living things, and when these elements are balanced your skin looks healthy, vital and radiant. I've never heard of this but I suppose it makes sense! As my skin is oily-combination, the botanical kinetics skin care system is suited to me, with the elements of water and earth requiring to be balanced. The system includes a cleanser, a toning mist, an exfoliant and a hydrating lotion.

 

Interesting information, but how did the products stack up?

Coconut Crazy

As we brace ourselves for some wild weather (spring is still no where to be found) I'm dreaming of a nice beach somewhere surrounded by sand, the sea and basking in the sun. Being served cocktails just totally relaxed. Wouldn't that be nice? 

Coconut always makes me think of summer and the beach. Coconut is also one of my favourite scents so I try and mix this in with beauty products as much as I can. I'm crazy for coconut and a total sucker - if it says coconut, I'll buy it. I'm also all about coconut oil in cooking but that's a different story!

I've gathered together a few of my current favourite coconutty (is that a word?) beauty treats and thought i'd share!

 

What my nails are wearing #1

I'm a big lover of nail polish. It's hard sometimes to keep my hands looking nice (I work on a farm - hello dry hands covered in dirt and grime, cuts and grazes!) so I always try to keep my nails looking nice. Most polishes won't last the week so I change my polish most Sundays, if I haven't removed it prior to that! I can't take chipped nails for long...

As I adore done up nails so much, I thought I'd share the nails i'm wearing at the moment, Rita Ora's collaboration with Rimmel in colour 203 Lose Your Lingerie:

Botani Rescue Acne Cream - Review

Botani Rescue Acne Cream is a topical treatment to aid in the treatment of acne. There are a million and one acne treatments out there but what attracted me to this one is it is 100% pure and made of organic plant extracts and essences. I was only really after a spot treatment and I was sick of using harsh, drying products full of chemicals on my skin. I wanted something gentle, but something that still worked.

I am prone to hormonal breakouts. I also work on a farm so I have to be really strict about not touching face through out the day and ensuring I wash my face regularly. Even still I am prone to a few breakouts thanks to my oily skin. I tend to get those horrid blind hormonal pimples that HURT and you just can't do anything about them. When I was younger I use to put toothpaste on a pimple before I went to bed, but these days I'm looking for something slightly less harsh and not so burning! And so, I discovered Botani and picked up a jar. This has a RRP of $26.99 (30g), but I bought it when Priceline were having a 40% off skincare sale. This product claims to sooth red irritated lesions without irritating the surrounding skin.

The product comes in a sturdy jar with a screw lid.

The cream is a thickish texture and is green in colour. It turns transparent once you've applied to your skin.

It has quite a strong botanical/herbal smell but you get used to it quite quickly and it doesn't linger.

I apply this whenever I feel a pimple coming up. I use a clean cotton bud and apply to the pimple twice a day after my morning and evening skincare routine. You only need a tiny amount, meaning this 30g will last forever - but it does only have a 12 month shelf life once opened.

For me, I found this best as an overnight treatment. I would slap some on, go to sleep and in the morning I would always see a reduction in redness, and sometimes in size. I find this cream really only takes away the anger of the pimple, it didn't really affect the time it hung around for. I have read that others use this daily however I don't - I didn't see any difference in preventing pimples, just helping them once they've come up.

It is a great non-drying cream and is not in the least bit harsh. Other creams I have tried completely dried out the area and your left with an angry flaky dry pimple. Yuck. This does not do that at all. It is the most gentle pimple fighter I have ever used.

It really does make a difference to harsh, angry pimples and I will definately continue to use it as a spot treatment.

Do you suffer from pimples? Whats creams (if any) do you use?

Empties - August

I love trashing my empties! i enjoy going through what I used up and deciding if I want it again. it also feels good to know I'm actually getting through my mountains of products!! During August I tried to concentrate on using up sample sized products I have in my stash. I got through a few but still have quite a lot sitting around which i'm looking forward to opening and trying (mostly from my subscription boxes). So onto what I managed to empty:

What I Loved in August

So as August ends (ummm where the hell is this year disappearing to???) I thought I would share a couple of products that I have been loving recently and simply can't get enough of!

Erin Bigg Cosmetics, Baked Finishing Powder in Matte Bronze (RRP $49 at Lipstick Republic)
This is the first I have used Erin Bigg Cosmetics and what a fantastic way to start! I really feel like this product was made for my skin. I'm a fair skinned lass and can find it hard to get a bronzer that doesn't make me orangey (hello oompa loompa!). This is perfection. The marbled powder gives me a great natural looking glow, is great for contouring and helps to set my foundation. Just luscious.

Garnier Perfect Blue Smoothing Base Perfector (RRP $16.99 at Priceline)
This gives me such a good base for my makeup. It hides my pores, smooths my skin and gets rid of any shine beautifully. Since I opened this I've used it almost daily - I can't get enough.

Clinique Chubby Stick Lip Colour Balm in 07 Super Strawberry (RRP $35 at Clinique)
This is a super moisturising balm which gives a great hint of colour. Perfect for everyday use. The only down side is longevity - the colour needs reapplying quite regularly but for me that is fine as it wears off evenly (and feels so good to apply!). They are a big hit to the wallet but for me it is justified. I NEED some more of these colours in my life.. I feel a shopping spree coming on!

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector (RRP $50 at Clinique)
I unfortunately was blessed with dark circles that just won't budge - very frustrating. Now, this is no miracle product (I am still looking for one for my dark circles) as it hasn't made any reduction to my dark circles but it does help with puffiness, thanks to the cooling metal applicator, and it also brightens and hydrates my under eye area. I love the way it leaves my skin feeling and it is tinted so it does provide a small amount of coverage.

Be a Bombshell Eyeliner - Onyx (RRP $19 at Violet Box)
I have done a review on this product (here) and absolutely adored it. It is perfect for me and since opening I haven't touched any other eyeliner. It is easy to apply and wears all day. Perfect!

Mirenesse Sexy Secret Eye Primer (RRP $39.95 at Mirenesse)
From the name I first thought this was just an eyeshadow primer but quickly discovered it is easily used as a concealer. This works amazingly at covering up my dark circles and doesn't go cakey and lasts all day. It works okay as an eyeshadow primer, but for me it is much better used as concealer. I'm in love.

Mimco AliceBand (RRP $34.95 but I picked this up on sale for $9.95)
I adore this headband, it adds the perfect pop of colour to an outfit and looks great with my hair colour. It is super comfortable to wear and I've found myself reaching for it many times this month!

Tea Tonic Relaxation Tea (available at Tea Tonic)
I'm planning a wedding (eek 2 months to go!) so need as much relaxation as possible at the moment!! This is a lovely caffeine free tea which is tasty (a hint of lemon), smells good (a hint of lavender) and is perfect paired with a good book whilst putting your feet up! 

What products have you been loving recently?