A winter skin saver: Palmer's Rosehip Skin Therapy Oil

My skin gets dry and itchy in winter - and I mean maddeningly itchy.  The kind of itch that can drive me to cortisone to stop me from scratching myself red raw.  I suddenly become overly sensitive to soaps and scratchy clothes and damn that winter skin cycle begins again.  So, when I received a very generous Autumn/Winter skin care pack from Palmer's Australia a few months ago I was immediately drawn to the Rosehip Skin Therapy Oil as the first thing to try out - anything to soften and soothe my reptilian winter skin. 

This rosehip scented face and body oil not only promises to soften and smooth the skin but this "advanced, multi-purpose skin perfection product" with active ingredients Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter and Cetesomate-E Complex (which "acts as a delivery system for the other ingredients, improving spreadability and skin absorption") also claims to help improve the appearance of:

Scars
Stretch marks
Dry, damaged skin
Uneven skin tone
Aging skin

My impressions:
The light oil glides onto the skin and sinks in almost instantly with a satiny, dry oil feel and luminosity. I like how my skin instantly feels smooth and actually looks a little more youthful and naturally glowing - those doubters out there just need to apply the oil to one limb only and you'll feel and see the difference. The rosehip scent is an alternative to Palmer's traditional cocoa butter scent and fades away a few minutes after the product absorbs.

I started out using Rosehip Skin Therapy Oil on my problem areas only which weirdly enough are my torso and hips this winter but I've now extended that to my arms, paying special attention to my elbows.  With regular use my winter itches have been soothed and my skin feels softer and more elastic. Best thing is I don't have to worry about getting dressed immediately afterwards so I can use this oil even on busy mornings and the pump bottle means no risk of spills.

I can't comment on stretch marks or scars but I do have some uneven pigmentation on my shoulders from sun damage so I'll keep using this oil daily and see how it performs.

Ingredients:
Canola Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance (Parfum), Rosa Canina Seed Extract, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Coumarin, Methyl Ionone, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde (Lyral), Lilial.


 Palmer's products are available from Priceline, Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths, Coles, Big W, Target, My Chemist, selected pharmacies & selected IGA stores nationally.

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If you've tried Rosehip Skin Therapy Oil or Palmer's original Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil for scarring or stretch marks I'd be very interested to read your comments so please leave some below!


 (This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Rimmel 60 Seconds Colour Rush Rita Ora Nail Polish: Don't Be Shy

For once I'm getting a limited edition nail polish post up in time for you to get your hands on it! 

 

I received this polish from the about to be released Rita Ora Colour Rush collection for Rimmel and after all the moody colours I've been wearing lately I couldn't resist the lure of wearing a hot fuchsia pink in the middle of winter.  Don't Be Shy is one of 6 vibrant nail colours created and named by Rita herself in this collection which comprises a mix of 3 hot and 3 cool shades.  As per the 60 Seconds formula this polish could easily work as a single-coater (although I habitually applied another coat of colour because I can't help myself) and it dries within minutes.  Don't Be Shy has been shaking off the winter blues just nicely for me this week.

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

Here's the lady herself modelling for Rimmel. This collection is not for the colour shy!...

Rimmel Colour Rush 60 Seconds Nail Polish from the Rita Ora collection will be available from August 2014 at Priceline, Priceline Pharmacy, Target, Kmart, BIG W, selected pharmacies and selected Coles and Woolworths stores.


(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Mecca Cosmetica: Acai Addict

açai

aˈsʌɪiː,asʌɪˈiː/

noun

A South American palm tree producing small edible blackish-purple berries.

 

Just thought I'd get that little definition out of the way before I post this polish from Australian brand Kit Cosmetics at Mecca Cosmetica's limited edition Acai collection.  Besides Acai as a name for this gorgeous coloured polish makes sense to me now!  Acai Addict is a warm purple cream polish with a highly reflective lacquer finish.  Two coats glided on perfectly and I can't find a thing to fault with this polish - aside from a single wayward hair on the brush.  This is a universally flattering winter polish and not surprisingly a best seller from the collection.

 

Sun

 

 

 

Shade

 

 

Thanks for looking as always!



REVIEW: SCOUT Mineral Lip Gloss

During the week I'm a lipstick lover but on weekends I'm a lip gloss girl! I like the ease of a gloss because (unless I'm wearing a bright shade) I can just 'swipe and go' sans mirror and it just doesn't demand the same kind of attention to detail and maintenance as that statement power lip can!

 

Of course if you wear a gloss with high quality natural and moisturising ingredients it's makeup's alternative to wearing a balm. Colour with benefits right? So that's how I look at lip gloss - obviously how it feels, wears and looks but also does it hydrate my lips? Yes there are glosses which can weirdly enough dry out my lips.  If you've ever experienced that unfortunate combination of sticky, flaky lips you'll know what I mean.  Having said that, SCOUT mineral lip glosses are anything BUT drying on my lips... 

 

In keeping with their safe vegan cosmetics philosophy SCOUT mineral lip glosses are enriched with "...Vitamin E Organic citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) and Jojoba seed oil help to make this lip gloss shiny, creamy, long-lasting and moisturising..." and are free of parabens, lanolin, petroleum derived ingredients, beeswax or any other generic fillers.

There are 16 shades in the range and I chose the soft shimmery coral Enchant and pretty pink-nude Heart to review:

 

My impressions:
Everybody likes to know about gloss applicators right? The applicator is a standard doe-foot which makes it easy for precise application and to build up a few layers of coverage on the lips:

The gloss itself has the faintest natural botanical scent and it kind of feels like melted butter on the lips - I mean that in the best possible way because this gloss is not sticky at all on application but feels weightless and smoothing on the lips.  These are not gloopy, or watery glosses but have a lightweight, sheer formula which doesn't bleed out everywhere.  Wear time is average for a gloss and they do need reapplying every hour or so - I can't say these are particularly long-lasting - but the moisturising formula meant I didn't mind reapplying at all.

"SCOUT mineral lip gloss Colours are sexy fun and fresh..."
The shades I tried are quite sheer and have just enough of a hint of colour to wear alone for a fresh natural looking sheen or can be used as a subtle lipstick topper.  I slightly prefer the pinky nude Heart for the colour and also because the shimmer-free formula feels extra silky on the lips.

Swatched L to R:  Heart, Enchant

 

And on the lips.  These colours do look very natural and understated when worn alone:

 

Enchant

 

 Heart

 

The verdict?  I like the idea of a gloss that treats my lips to a dose of much needed moisture so I'd definitely recommend these as a treatment as much as for a subtle boost of shine.  As far as glosses themselves go I think these are rather chic because they don't go overboard with wet shine so are suitable for all ages and not just youthful lips. 

 

Ingredients:

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil* Polymer Mica (CI 77019) Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil* Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (orange) Peel Oil* Tocopherol may contain (+/-) Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate Tin Oxide (CI 778161) Silica Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) Iron Oxides (CI 77491 CI 77492 CI 77499) Ultramarines (CI 77007) Pigment Violet (CI 77742)

 

SCOUT mineral lip glosses are available for purchase from their online store here.

 

 

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Orly: Teal Unreal

Onto another nail post while I'm on a roll...

 

Teal Unreal is from Orly's Surreal collection launched late in 2013.  It's one of those winter-appropriate brights which provides a slight twist on the usual winter colours.  The name sums it up very well - this is a vibrant teal cream with a strong leaning towards blue.  Application was superb as the formula is so easy to work with (not too thick and not prone to flooding) and what I'm coming to expect from Orly polishes.  The only downside with this shade is the blue colouring can stain the nails and cuticles so be careful when using remover to ensure you sweep the cotton pad down from the base to the tip of the nail to minimise cuticle staining.  The nails themselves clean up well with an extra wipe of good quality remover.

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

Have you tried Orly nail polish?

 

 

Revlon: Divine

Although I bought this nail polish leading up to Christmas 2013 it just didn't feel appropriate to wear a shade like this until now - that's what happens with our upside down seasons!

 

Divine was released in Revlon's Evening Opulence collection and a deep metallic burgundy like this is just meant for cold weather and long dark evenings. It is truly beautiful at first but dammit this polish bubbled like a b**** just after I took my pictures - my subsequent online research tells me this is a common problem with this polish too.  I was so disappointed as even applying two layers of top coat couldn't completely disguise the issue. 

 

I'm pretty sure this is a dupe for OPI's Germanicure - which doesn't bubble - so if you fell in love with the colour like I did then don't go past the OPI option if you see it!

 

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

Until next time.

 



June's farewelled products (and beauty diet update)

And I thought June was going to be a slow month for empties. I'd better get this out before August rolls around...

 

Skin care

 

 

56) Kirkland Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes (15 towelettes) - I bought a boxful of these from Costco a few months ago so expect to get bored by the repetition when it comes to cleansing towelettes. Click here for my initial thoughts on these. 

 

57) La Clinica White Brilliant Intensive Correction Serum Stage 1 (50ml/1.76 fl.oz)* - I've been using this serum morning and night as part of my current skincare routine.  It claims to promote more radiant looking skin and contains "Tyrosinase inhibitors" to counteract excess production of melanin and reduce pigmentation and "Biomimetic Peptides" to accelerate the removal of dead skin cells and promote new skin growth.  I still have pigmentation from previous years of sun damage but it's not getting any worse and my skin is definitely on the radiant side - I've been reaching for the bronzer lately! I find this serum leaves my skin feeling firmer too which isn't a bad thing at my age. 

 

58) La Clinica Rebalancing Vitamin A Facial Mask (100ml/3.52 fl.oz) - Ling gave this tube to me and I've been grateful for the introduction.  This gel-like mask really did rebalance my combination skin - and my son's too! I've used this for the occasional hormonal breakout on my chin and the next morning those potentially mountainous eruptions have - wait for the inevitable cliché - reduced to little molehills.  Love this stuff cos it works!

 

 

59) Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover (125ml/4.23 fl.oz) - Great value for money at around $9AUD per bottle and as I've mentioned before it's oil free and paraben free too.

 

60) Lucas' Papaw Ointment (25g) - It wasn't that long ago this was bandied about as a cult beauty favourite but it's a little out of favour these days - plus there are a load of dupe products out there now.  I must admit I was surprised to discover last year that my precious papaw ointment contains a much higher percentage of petroleum jelly than actual fermented papaya fruit but I still have to say it works for all kinds of minor skin ailments - I use it for grazes and cuts as well as dry lips and cuticles. I'm sure I'll repurchase it again as a multipurpose product.

 

 

Hand and body care

 

61) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz) - My fifth bottle this year.  A bit expensive but definitely effective. 

 

62) Butter London Powder Room Baby Powder Scent Acetone-free Lacquer Remover (59ml/2 fl.oz) - OMG! Baby powder scented polish remover?! I got this as a complimentary extra when buying two bottles of Butter London polish last year. It actually does smell very pleasant for a polish remover and it has a very gentle formula.  Unfortunately a little too gentle for me - I needed to use twice as much product to remove polish and I wouldn't even go near a glitter polish with it.  Also the bottle was decidedly leaky as I found out when I discovered it lying on its side in a powdery scented puddle in our bathroom cupboard - yes the lid was screwed on tightly.

 

63) Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat - My current favourite fast drying top coat.  Doesn't dissolve the colour underneath, doesn't smell too toxic, doesn't shrink, dries my manicure quickly and makes my manicure last. 



 

 

64) Natio Meditate Body Butter (Yoga Scent Pink Lotus Attar) - I loved this little tub of creamy, beautifully calming scented body butter but damn it's been discontinued.  At least I have two more tubs in other scents to console me I suppose.  I heading back to the Natio warehouse sale in a few weeks so I'll snap more up if I see them!

 

65) Dirty Works Glow Girl! Buttery Salt Scrub (300ml/10.1 fl.oz)* - I really enjoyed this beachy, salty scented scrub and my only criticism is the runny formula.  Click here for my full review.

 

 



Cosmetics

 

Now for this month's beauty diet update. Sophie has now joined  Anissa, Norlin and myself on this exercise in moderation!

 

66) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - A very good colourless eye base for preventing creased eye shadow.  I don't know if I'd give it HG status though.

 

67) MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil (Bordeauxline) - My favourite MAC liner because it's purple! I'd normally run to the MAC counter for an immediate backup but I've decided to show my restraint by using the other two purple liners I found in my collection. So far the Physician's Formula twist up liner for green eyes isn't too bad at all either!

 

 

Culled...

 

Chanel Eye Colour Collection Quad (24 Interferentiels) - I'm sure this has been discontinued for over a decade! Anyway it lingered in my collection as my prized first ever Chanel quad and it's at least half empty as I'd finished the gold and pink duochrome shades years ago through daily use.  It was well loved but served its purpose. Farewell to my first Chanel...

 

 

Fragrance

 

68) Labdanum 18 Le Labo (samples) - Damn I thought I'd found my perfect resiny amber fragrance at Mecca Cosmetica but it was out of stock and then they rang to further disappoint me it was out of stock in the whole country! If you're curious the notes are:  french labdanum, castoreum, civetta, musk, vanilla, birch, resins, cinnamon, patchouli, gurjan balsam and tonka bean.

 

 

Until next month - actually now just a fortnight away!



 

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Essie: No More Film

Hey I'm back blogging again after some desperately needed rest and recuperation!  I think I've just avoided entering into Guinness World Records for the longest lived head cold because it's finally over...

 

Let's get into a wintry manicure then! I usually default to aubergine or oxblood for a classic vampy winter manicure but this year I've also been zeroing in on deep dark indigo blue because it's another twist on the classic vamp.  Essie describes No More Film as a "seductive deep violet" and this polish has very strong blue undertones.  Application was trouble-free and I'm liking this colour option very much on my newly shortened nails.

 

Indirect daylight

 

 

Sun

 

 

Until next time.

 



Colour theme: Radiant Orchid

OMG I'm so late to the party with this colour themed post - we are now halfway through 2014! -  but I had to do it because Pantone's colour of the year Radiant Orchid is one of my favourites.  Do I love "...an enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones"? Yes I do! It turns out I have quite a lot of it too so I'm opening up my makeup wardrobe.  I'm doing this post purely for fun as playing with colour always cheers me up and if you're a lover of purple-fuchsia-pinks hopefully you'll enjoy this little colour post as well.

When I say I have a lot of Radiant Orchid-esque makeup in my collection it makes perfect sense in the context of my tastes because I've loved purple and purple toned pink for a long time and my eye is always drawn to it when I'm out perusing makeup counters. Of course it doesn't hurt that these makeup shades are flattering to my complexion and eye colour so I have something in just about every category...


Lips

From top left of picture and swatched in the same order:

 

Maybelline Color Whisper (Mad For Magenta) - This sheer lip colour veers more to fuchsia but wears very easily for day because of its sheer sheen.  I bought this when the range was initially released and only wore it ONCE or maybe twice?! I have no particular reason why.  I think I'd better swipe some on this weekend!

 

MAC Amplified (Up The Amp) - I love this highly pigmented vibrant cool toned pink-purple.  It looks like it shouldn't work but somehow it just does. I always get compliments whenever I wear it because it's not your typical lipstick shade yet it's a flattering one.  I love MAC's Amplified formula too.

 

Revlon Super Lustrous (Berry Haute) - When I first bought this I thought I'd ended up with a dupe for Up The Amp!  As you can see above it does come reasonably close but it's just a little warmer and rosier in the pink undertones. If you want to try these kinds of lipstick shades but feel that Up The Amp is just a little too cool toned for you, this creamy lipstick from Revlon is a good (and more affordable) alternative to go for.

 

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids (Hot Plum) - This striking fuchsia-purple is a killer lipstick! The formula is super-pigmented but lightweight and the colour is just impossible to ignore - if you want to make a big lipstick statement this is how you do it!  I save this shade for those kinds of days.  Damn I need more of those kinds of days because I honestly think this is one beautiful lipstick... 



Nails

Left to right and swatched in the same order:

 

China Glaze (Fly) - Shimmery blue toned magenta and beautiful coverage in two coats.  Click here for nail swatches.

 

Revlon (Plum Seduction) - The nail wheel swatch makes this look straight up hot pink but let the shade name Plum Seduction guide you as this is definitely a plummy fuchsia cream.  I'm putting this one high on my list of polishes to wear this winter.  Winter blues be gone!

 

Canmake Colorful Nails (41 Candy Berry) -  Pink-purple sprinkled with holographic micro-glitter.  Click here for nail swatches and a full review of this Japanese polish.

 

Ulta3 (Purple Passion) - I've had this polish sitting in my collection a long time and was a bit surprised at how sheer this polish is as it took three coats to get the rather patchy coverage on the nail wheel.  The colour's best described as a high shimmer purple with pink highlights.  

Eyes

A few of these colours are more on the paler, lilac end of the colour wheel but I decided to keep them in because they're still pink-purple hybrids and work well with the other shades!

Clockwise from top left:

 

Essence Shimmer Effect (56 Hyped Up) - As you can tell from the picture above I've not worn this eye shadow!  It got buried in the eye shadow drawer *cough* and only surfaced when I went on my Radiant Orchid hunt.  Of course it just so happens to be the truest Radiant Orchid eye shadow in my collection.  Right. Enough said about that.  Hyped Up is purple with strong pink undertones and reminds me of the colour combinations I used to wear when I was a teenager - still I think this could work well as a transition shade.
 

Inglot Pearl Mono (441) - This soft pearl, almost duochrome pink-purple is definitely in the Radiant Orchid family. I like to wear this buttery eyeshadow as a crease shade paired with...

Inglot Pearl Mono (440) - This is the palest pick of the bunch by far and more of a complimentary shade in the colour family.  You can still see it's not a pink nor a purple per se but sits the fence between them so I've included it as a purple-pink which I like to wear as an inner corner highlight or all over the lid.  As with all Inglot eye shadows in my teeny collection (I have one quad) this is very buttery and smooth - almost too buttery because these shadows are very fragile and prone to crumbling and gouging at the slightest touch.

MAC Satin (Parfait Amour) - I bought this a few years ago when I was looking for a purple with cool undertones because I just had to have it and then it pretty much sat around barely used.  Parfait Amour is very pretty with its slight pink duochrome although - potential deal-breaker - it can look like a bruise if not properly applied.  I'm going to have to get this out and do some serious experimenting to see how to make it work for me.

Essence Shimmer Effect (16 Go Glam) - I've worn this lovely buttery satin eye shadow a few times because it sets off the green in my eyes beautifully.  This pink-purple wears as lilac on the skin so it's a gorgeous pastel option washed over the lids or applied in the inner corners.
 

Swatched left to right on unprimed skin:
Inglot 441, Inglot 440, Essence Hyped Up, Essence Go Glam, MAC Parfait Amour



Cheeks

 

NYX Mosaic Powder (Plummy) - Not strictly Radiant Orchid but the closest I could find in my blush collection!  The five shades in this cheek palette swirl together to give a radiant, glowing flush as swatched below:

So now you can see I do love this colour just a little bit - regardless of whether it was going to be colour of the year or not!

Until next time

How to do your nails 2014 style - and make your manicure last!

The things we can do with our nails these days are limited only by our imagination or mood really - and doing your nails is one of those small but significant ways to express yourself, accent an outfit, or just to feel put together.  You know - sometimes you want to go all out, OTT and crazy fun with your nails and sometimes you just want to be insanely chic!  You would know by now that I mostly sit somewhere around the middle of that scale (with more than a slight slant towards fun) but sometimes I need a chic week too!

 

If you're after some inspiration this post covers just a few of the current autumn/winter runway trends making it all the more easy to express yourself whether it be out there or more understated.   In my social media stalking, this season I've been seeing a lot of:

 

Matte or textured nails

[Source]

 

[Source]

You may be a traditionalist like I was and feel that a mani with a high lacquered finish is the only way to go but then again why not turn that idea on its head once in a while? I used to think it was all about high shine or nothing but this year I've become quite obsessed with textured looks and I like the downplayed effect of mattifying nail colours - I've seen how polishes magically transform to some kind of velvety subtlety with a mattifying top coat.  Doing my own matte manicure is high on my to do list this winter!

 

Glitter (again!)

[Source]

Glitter has been a mainstay over the last few years and it's continually getting more interesting here as brands (mainstream as well as indie) come up with more and more imaginative colour and shape combinations.  Layering different glitter polishes and doing gradient manicures as shown above can only add to the interest.  

 

Metallics

[Source]

I've always been a fan of metallic polish and these are cropping up again in time for winter - with lots of darker shades.  This winter I'm craving metallic versions of dark charcoal grey, burgundy, royal purple or inky blue.


Oxblood nails

[Source]

 I've been seeing this shade a lot in lips and nails and it's another personal favourite of mine because it's a modern day classic look and this is one I prefer with a high lacquered finish.  I view deep oxblood red as the 'other' neutral besides stone grey or beige for winter nails. 

 

Half Moon Nail art

[Source]

 It seems half moons are still popping up everywhere on the runway and thankfully this nail art design is quite easy to create with some strategically paper hole reinforcement stickers and creative layering of different colours and textures of polish.  I really need to make a trip to my office supply store and get experimenting with this look myself because I love the idea of a bright half moon peeking out from the base of an otherwise vampy nail!

Now hopefully you're inspired to do your nails this season so here's how to make your manicure last!

 

UV Gels

If you're going to go to the trouble of doing your own manicure, chances are you probably want it to last beyond the first couple of days! This is where UV polishes have come to the rescue over the past few years with the advent of UV gel nail polish and DIY UV nail polish kits.  UV gel nails promise superior wear time lasting up to two weeks and are worth considering if you're busy and slowing down to deal with a chipped manicure is probably not high on the list of priorities. 

This leads me to introduce GlazeMe, a leading Australian online UV polish store selling everything you need from individual UV gel polishes and nail accessories to complete starter kits.  GlazeMe have an extensive shade range of 54 colours in cream, pearl, metallic and glitter finishes so check out their website below!

www.glazeme.com.au

 

  

*Sponsored Post*