Valentine’s Day (aka things I want)

2010 February 8
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by Belowen
Mr B and I are not really into the whole Valentine’s Day thing. Sure, we confess to finding it lame during the unavoidable build up, (I am faced with at least 6 different florists on my morning walk to work, who all look like a red tinsel and glitter monster exploded in their window display) but in the end we we always surprise each other with a little gift on the day. Luckily for Mr B, I am aware that he reads my blog. So here is a little heads up for him. Things I WANT for Valentine’s Day…

This Works ‘Perfect Hands’ (for hand holding, of course. cheeeese!)

Available from Mecca Cosmetica $45 AUD

MOR Marshmallow Little Luxuries Roll-On Perfume

Available from Adore Beauty $19.95 AUD

Jurlique Rose Body Care Lotion

Available from Jurlique $42 AUD

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine in Raspberry Shine

Available from Strawberry Net $29.50 AUD

By Terry Baume De Rose Lip Care Wand

Available from Mecca Cosmetica $92 AUD

What do you want for Valentine’s Day? Do you celebrate it?

from → makeup, skincare, want!

Mood Inspiration

2010 February 7
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by Belowen

image source: thefashionspot

I purchased myself some red lipstick after seeing these beautiful pictures… Christian Dior Rouge Dior in Stage Red to be exact. What is your favourite red lipstick?

from → mood inspiration

Saturday Survey – February 6

2010 February 6
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by Belowen
01 Mood: Laaaaazy. Which is not a good thing because I have quite a lot of things to get done before going out this afternoon. Hopefully the coffee I am drinking will be the boost I need to get it done!

02 Best thing about this weekend: Getting to spend tonight with my closest girlfriends to celebrate a friend’s birthday!

03 Skincare Lust: I am still continuing my love affair with the KOSMEA Organic Rose Hip Oil!

04 What I’m watching: My Kitchen Rules. Mainly because I am in love with the chef judge Manu Fieldel. Ahh, so dreamy!

05 Haircare lust: I am currently trying out the new Pantene “deep fortifying” range, and am liking it so far! I will post a review some time next week.

06 Listening to: For some reason I can’t get “the final countdown” out of my head, and it’s driving me BANANAS. And not in a good Rachel Zoe bananas sort of way.

07 Wardrobe Lust: I was sadly too slow to pick up the Elizabeth & James Alexandra blouse, which is so depressing. If anybody knows anywhere I can still buy it online, please let me know!

08 Outfit: Right now I am not exactly killing it in the style stakes, but this evening I will be wearing dark denim straight leg jeans, a black Elizabeth & James blouse, a black blazer, black patent Lanvin ballet flats and carrying a purple Marni clutch.

09 I want: Someone to come and fill my cupboard and fridge with fresh, healthy and organic food for me to eat this week. Anyone?

10 Aim for this week: Organise getting my butt back to pilates class!

from → saturday survey

Savings Challenge #4

2010 February 5
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by Belowen
So it’s fortnight #4 and I feel like I am settling in and getting on track with saving vs spending. I have done away with trying to keep a tally on my “shopping allowance” because it goes down too quickly and I forget to update it etc. etc. I will only be tracking my repayments and my savings tally. Which, by the by, has accrued a mighty 40c this fortnight! Yes! That interest funded down-payment on a yacht is right around the corner. The tally is as follows…

Repayments Made: $2170.00
Savings: $300.41

Watching my repayments amount going up is quite heartening. $2170 down, $600,000 to go! Yay Mortgage! My focus now is on restricting impulse buying (do you know how easy it is to drop $150 at Target or Priceline without even realising it?) and to build up my savings so I have a nice little egg to fall back on. I am not allowed to dip into savings at ALL.

How is everyone else going so far?

from → savings challenge

Product Review: Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator

2010 February 5
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by Belowen
Jurlique is an all Australian skincare brand with a fresh and natural product range, so you can probably understand why it is one of my favourites. I was given the opportunity to trial and review Jurlique’s new Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator and was really excited to see what all the fuss was about!

What is great about this product…

The Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator contains lots of natural goodies that will benefit your skin. Ingredients such as Quandong Extract, Desert Lime, Willow Bark Extract, Green Tea Leaf and Prickly Pear Stem are chock full of vitamins and nutrients that will help keep your complexion looking smooth and revitalised. Alongside natural acids, the Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator enlists the power of the Australian Acacia Wattle to aid in the exfoliation process. I have quiet sensitive skin, but experienced no stinging or redness after using the the Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator. (HUZZAH!) After using the product over a couple of weeks my complexion is clear and glowing. I think I am starting to prefer enzyme exfoliators to “manual” exfoliators, they seem to work a lot better for me. The packaging is as fresh and pretty as the rest of the Jurlique range, and the price point is not too unreasonable with the 50ml bottle retailing for $50 AUD. (please keep in mind you only need a small amount of the product at a time)

What is not so great about this product…

If you’re one with a sensitive nose, the strong citrus smell might be a put off. (I quite like it though, and I am fussy about scented products) It also stings like hell when you get it in your eye, but that is just common sense – right? Right.

The Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator is available for purchase for Australian customers from Department Stores and leading pharmacies. Australia and International customers can purchase the Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator from the Jurlique website.

from → product review, skincare

Noni Juice Challenge

2010 February 4
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by Belowen
NOTE: The Fiijan Noni juice made me vomit this morning, so the Noni Challenge is on hold! At least until I can try out some of the Tahitian Noni, which is apparently ‘flavoured’ with grape & blueberry juice to make it more paletable. Not impressed!

I have been curious about Noni Juice after reading countless articles with Miranda Kerr raving about the stuff. I may have a love/hate relationship with Ms Kerr (or at least her public persona, it’s not like I know the girl personally) but I don’t doubt the fact that she is health conscious and is passionate about organic produce and skincare. The girl has fabulous skin and hair, and somehow manages to keep a schedule that would knock most of over for dead. So what is this Noni Juice she is always raving about?

TAHITIAN NONI™ Juice supports your immune system, delivers superior antioxidants that help rid the body of harmful free radicals, increases energy, is cholesterol-friendly, and allows for greater physical performance levels. Ancient tradition and modern research both testify of the power of noni. A must for those concerned with overall wellness.

I was at the Health Food Store this afternoon and picked up a bottle of Fijian Noni Juice. Now, I have no idea if the Fijian Noni and the Tahitian Noni are different in any way (if you have any information about this, please let me know!) but it was there, so I bought it. Miranda has raved about how this has helped her energy levels, her skin and her general wellbeing. So I am going to try Noni for a month, and see if it makes any difference for me! I will take it orally in the morning and night as recommended, and try soaking a cotton ball in the juice and applying it to my face at night. Here is my “before” (please note, I have no makeup on in this shot – so go easy on me kids) -

It’s a practical impossibility to take a picture of yourself without looking like a total moron, so please excuse my daft expression! I will take another photo in a couple of weeks to see if the Noni has made any difference to my skin! Wish me luck – and anybody who wants to join me on this challenge, feel free!

from → life etc

Product Review: KOSMEA Eighth Natural Wonder Revitalising Facial Serum

2010 February 1
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by Belowen
Another product review for Australian brand KOSMEA, this time it is their Eighth Natural Wonder Revitalising Facial Serum…

What is great about this product…

Who wouldn’t want a natural alternative to a face lift? The KOSMEA Eighth Natural Wonder Serum is a revolutionary product that combines the power of Myoxinol with the benefits of Rose Hip Oil to create a natural solution to the visible signs of aging. What the hell is Myoxinol? Good question. It is a plant extract obtained from the seeds of Hibiscus Esceluntus that combats wrinkles by reducing muscle contraction, reduces the formation of expression lines and is a natural antioxidant. Now, I am only 25 (quarter life crisis!) but I am starting to see the formation of lines across my forehead so this seems like a great product to be working in to my beauty routine. The serum itself is not too thick, is soaked up quickly and easily into the skin and is light enough to be worn under moisturiser during the day time. I have been trialling the serum at night and using it in conjunction with the KOSMEA Rose Hip Oil, have found my skin to be fresh and glowing in the morning when I wake up.

What is not so great about this product…
My main problem is that the serum is heavily scented. It’s not a bad smell, but it is a strong smell so for those with sensitive noses this might not be the product for you.

As with the rest of the range, KOSMEA Eighth Natural Wonder Revitalising Facial Serum is available for Australian purchase at David Jones, good pharmacies and health food stores nationally. Australian and International customers can pick it up via the KOSMEA website.

from → product review

Product Review: KOSMEA Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil

2010 February 1
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by Belowen
I love Rose Hip Oil. It is a definite must-have and staple in my beauty cupboard. I use it on my face and body, and over the years that I’ve used it, it’s evened out my complexion (minimal redness now) and helped to fade scars and stretch marks. I was lucky enough to be sent some of the KOSMEA Skin Clinic Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil to review, so here we go…

What is great about this product…

The first thing I noticed about the oil is that it is a darker colour than the Rose Hip Oil I have used in the past. After doing a bit of reading up on the product, I came to realise that this is due to the face that the KOSMEA Oil uses the entire fruit – which in turn captures all of the vital anti-ageing ingredients and accounts for the dark golden colouring of the oil. Which is obviously great for your skin. The KOSMEA Rose Hip Oil is certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture, and is grown wild on certified organic soil without the use of fertilisers or pesticides. Also, as mentioned above, the oil is extracted using the whole fruit (including the seeds and skin of the rose hip) in a way which does not compromise the essential vitamins or minerals. When using a product like this the major results will occur over time, but I tend to use the Rose Hip Oil every one or two days to keep my complexion fresh & glowing. The price point, as with all KOSMEA products is very reasonable. $24.95 for 15ml which will last you quite a while, as you only need 2-3 drops of the product per application.

What is not so great about this product…

I’ll be honest here and say that the smell is definitely not for everyone. I’ve actually had friends admit that they stopped using Rose Hip Oil due to the odd smell of the product, which can sort of linger around for a while after applying (as the oil sinks into your skin). I think that the benefits of the product far outweigh the scent, which is really hard to describe but I guess I would call it a musty sort of essential oil smell? See? Hard to describe. Definitely persevere though, because the product itself is amazing.

KOSMEA’s Skin Clinic Certified Organic Rose Hip Oil is available to Australian customers through David Jones, leading pharmacies and health food stores. Australian and International customers can purchase the Rose Hip Oil online via the KOSMEA website

from → product review

Product Review – KOSMEA Hydrating Rosewater Mist

2010 February 1
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by Belowen
I love rose scented products. So when I was given the opportunity to trial and review the Hydrating Roswater Mist from Australian brand KOSMEA, I jumped at the chance!

What is great about this product…

My favourite thing about rosewater mist is always how refreshing it is. The KOSMEA Hydrating Rosewater Mist is no exception. A few spritzes onto the face, and my skin felt cool, hydrated and soothed. The scent is absolutely beautiful, and the faint smell of roses will linger on your skin (and in the bathroom, according to Mr B) after application. As it’s been quite hot here, I’ve been storing my bottle in the fridge, and spritzing the rosewater mist onto my face when I get too hot – the perfect pick me up! The Hydrating Rosewater Mist is a great gentle & alcohol-free substitute for toner, for those of you like me who have quite sensitive skin. The price point is very reasonable, with the KOSMEA Hydrating Rosewater Mist retailing for $19.95 for a 125ml bottle, and $11.95 for 50ml.

What is not so great about this product…

Honestly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this product.

KOSMEA Hydrating Rosewater Mist is available to Australian customers from leading pharmacies, health food stores and David Jones. Australian & International customers alike can also buy the Rosewater Mist online at the KOSMEA website.

from → product review

Style Inspiration – Kate Bosworth

2010 January 29
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by Belowen

Hello, perfection!

image source: life

from → style inspiration

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