Just Say Yes (to.. carrots) | Essentials Kit Overview

For a little overnight treat, I purchased the Yes to Carrots Essential Kit when it went on sale on Asos. This is one of the first more natural brands I ever tried and so I have a little soft spot for it. The kit comes in a slim case with a mesh cover which makes it convenient to take for travel and practical as you can see the products easily. The Carrots range targets dry skin and hence why I was all over it..

My favourite of the bunch is by far the Nourishing Super Rich Body Butter, which is funny as I was afraid of this one the most. The idea of smelling like a carrot isn't something I long for but alas this doesn't make me smell like a vegetable - it has a nice neutral fragrant, not a salad-like one. The butter is quite thick but it is easy to spread and very moisturising, all the qualities I look for in a body cream *yippee*. Don't be deceived by the packaging though, there looks like there's more than there actually is in this kit!

The Hydrating Shower Gel is also another little hit, it lathers well and is quite hydrating for a gel texture. Again no salad smell here either (or for any of the products actually!). The C Me Smile Lip Butter is a little great extra, it has a nice texture and glides on easily but doesn't provide as much of a boost compared to other similar products.

The miss of the pack is the C a Softer You Hand and Elbow Moisturizing Cream. Yeah it feels and smells nice but 5 minutes later my hands feel just as dry as they did before application, so it doesn't quite live up to its name. It's in my daily carry bag for a bit of a hydration boost when needed but really just to finish it off.

This is a great little set if you're curious about the brand or like me wanted a pack-it-for-me option for travelling. The ingredients lists of Yes To are nice but aren't the most natural I've seen, but it's definitely an easy option as they're widely available and affordable (even in Oz, ha!). This set is available at feelunique. 

x mai-anne

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Colours Ahoy! The Sleek Sweet Cheeks Trio

 This was on my wishlist awhile ago and needless to say, I cracked.  This was the first Sleek palette that ever caught my eye and with its friendly pricetag (US pricing for us Aussies, win!) and surprisingly cheap shipping, I was seriously worried it would sell out! It is still available here on the website so yay for anyone still lemming after it.

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Patience is a Virtue: Horse Chestnut for Spider Veins

Things are about to get wild, I'm going to talk about horse chestnut cream. In my defence, I tried to get those pictures as pretty as my amateur skills could muster - but now this muddy lookin' cream looks like a choc thickshake.. win?! Anyhow, steering back on topic, this tub has been a quiet little worker on my spider veins and I have good things to report!

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The Natural Make-Up Staples

When it comes to make-up, my feet are in both the green and the mainstream beauty world. But I've found that the more regular I use a product, the more likely I'd want to go "natural" with it. This may not be the greatest logic, but it's one I'm going with at this stage of my make-up life (work with me people!).

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Make Me Over! the MECCA Beauty Election Lesson Experience

A few weeks ago I went to my first "make-over" at Mecca Cosmetica, what is probably my favourite beauty hangout. And I came home quite happy - surprise! Often these department-esque makeovers are bad news, with the likely possibility of coming home with a new face but luckily I have good words to share about my experience and I highly recommend the one at Mecca!

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My Favourite People: Green People (Review)

Ever since I tried a sample of their Vitamin Fix 24 Hour Cream, Green People have been on my radar. I finished that bottle awhile ago now and it's still my favourite day cream to date. Since then, I've gone on to try some of their other products and have been quite impressed by this affordable, green and often fair-trade brand.

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june faves: winter lovin'

While this post is 9 days into the not-so-new month, in my defence the pictures were taken on the 1st ;) This month saw some fun new discoveries with some amazing skin saviours for my once neglected skin.

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The Overnight Beauty Bag!

I have a hens night tomorrow (really? it's that time already!?) and one of the things that is exciting me the most is the packing side, sad. Edits and makeup bag picks are amongst my favourite posts to read and so here are my picks for the girls' night out shenanigans..

First up is the makeup and many of the choices are geared towards plans for a smokey eye, a solid night out choice. I'm undecided as to whether I'm going towards neutral dark browns or cool tones so I'm bringing both the MUA Undressed palette and a MAC quad with satin taupe, smut, carbon and omega for blending out the edges. I'm loving the Undressed palette more than I thought I would and am so tempted to get the real deal, which is of course, the UD Naked Palette. To accompany the shadows I've really grown to love the UD Glide on Pencil in Perversion which clings onto the waterline rather well, and of course a mascara is essential and I'm taking a new bird, the Modelco Fibre LashXtend (a GWP with this month's Instyle magazine, run!). While it is not dramatic, it does not smudge (win) and gives soft, defined lashes though more testing required to give a proper verdict. Keeping everything else neutral I'm taking MAC Gingerly Blush which just goes with everything, and my trusty staples the JK Dewy Glow, Everyday Minerals shadow in My Place for the brows and the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation, a fool-proof foundation choice.

Taking a downsized version of my usual skincare routine, I'm just going to take some essentials as I'm trying to be realistic (and to not scare my friends with my real skincare routine, ha!). To take the makeup off I'm still going to take my jojoba oil as I just trust it more than a wipe, and some cotton bud tips to help remove the eye makeup residue. Taking off the makeup is the most important thing so I'm also going to take the Alba Coconut Milk wash for a second clean for the morning wash. For moisture I'm entrusting the Cupcake Organics Day Cream which is thick enough to do double duty for night and day. Samples are a godsend and so coming along are Balance Me's Eye Wonder Cream and the Radiance Oil. Not sure if I'll use the latter but you know, just in case. Of course there is the next day to think of and an SPF is needed, and so the Green People SPF 25 Face Lotion is hopping along for the ride.

And that's it! Ha!

What do you usually take with you overnight? :)

x, mai-anne

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The Search (Continues?): Eye Primers

How exciting, an eye primer collection. This blog just gets better and better. Haha, sarcasm aside, I have indeed been on a hunt for an eye primer that can keep shadows on my eyes for a day's wear (8 hours, just 8 hours please). My eyes aren't oily, they're actually on the dry side, but its their hoodedness that causes shadows to crease very easily. This is even more evident on my right eye which is the more hooded of the pair and shadows just wiggle around more so there. So as quite an eyeshadow lover, I've been on the serious hunt for something that just works, sans parabens, red cosdna.com ingredients  and now also cruelty free (slightly more "rules" as I want to stick to it daily). Here is my current journey, thus far..   

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Playing Chemist: Mixing Bases

As a bit of a foundation lover, I've managed to rack up a few in my stash with some nods and some no-nos. After many trials and errors I've realised that having an odd assortment can mean tailoring your base to your needs that day, with the added bonus of getting more mileage out of something that is tempting to toss. Step in the current four I'm rotating and here is the mood board of base blends I'm loving..

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(A Broke Girl's) Beauty Wishlist

Oh boy, that's a lot of wishing! It always seems like when you're tight with money, you just want everything and when things are okay, nothing looks appealing. Unfortunately I'm at the former stage - it seems like the universe has put all the bills and expenses into June and July so here I am.. making a wishlist, not a shopping list!

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Oils on Rotation

Wowser, that's a lot of oils. But as dry skinned girl, oils are a must (I also recommend it for the oiler skinned too!).  They will save you from flakes and balance your skin if you naturally produce oils already. They are multi-functional products that can be used with other products or on their own, but this post is just about facial skincare.  My biggest tip if you layer you skincare like me, apply oils last to trap in the moisture from the previous layers, especially since most products are water-based. 

Now, going from lightest to heaviest, here is a tour of my favourite oil discoveries so far..

Rosehip Oil

A fad oil indeed but deservedly so. This number has helped brighten up my skin as dry skin can look a little dull. It is also the one I recommend to try first if you're hesitant about oils as it's the lightest of the bunch and will suit many skin types. I've got some of my mates on this one with good reports back, so lots of points there. Where it loses points is hydration for those with dry skin, but will definitely be enough for the normal and above.

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil

This was the first fancy oil I've ever tried, it's a concoction of many oils including almond, kukui and good ol' rosehip thrown in there too. The texture is similar to the Acure Argan Oil and so the hydration levels have been revved up. This isn't a favourite but I thought I would mention it in here in case you're wondering how it stands up to the others. Why it doesn't stack up might have to do with its price - at £30 a pop it is a bit too pricey and doesn't outperform it's more inexpensive sisters. I do recommend you get a trial like I did, you might still like it.

Acure Argan Oil

Oh, my first love. This will always be in my stash because it's the first skincare product that really changed my skin and I've repurchased it numerous times. I've raved about it before but in short, it's a hydration hero that will deliver pre-pubescent skin (weeell, one can hope!). It's got a thick texture which I love, and I'm a stickler to the one by Acure because they are a fair trade, organic brand and this bebe is around the $12 mark (!). Lots of skin types have reported good news on this so go on, give it a go!

Essential Care Superfruit Concentrate

Now this little oil concoction is well, gorgeous. I was about to buy this at full price at £33 but on a super lucky day, I found it for half price and it was the last one! But lemme tell you, I would be prepared to spend the full price amount on this, because it's good (I actually forgot that I didn't until I just looked it up then). It's not quite as thick as argan oil, but it is dense. It just feels like it's packed with lots of skin goodies. It's so good that sometimes it's the lone product I slap on my face and I still wake up with soft skin. I initially thought this was a serum but it's really an oil so I definitely recommend to use this as a last step. A bonus is that it smells nice too, which adds to the luxe feel of this product. My one gripe is the packaging, this really should be in a dropper bottle, no matter what I do the product leaks and hence why it ain't looking pretty in the picture.

Sophyto Super Skin Concentrate

Now this, is the big daddy of the bunch (even though I got the little guy version). No more mucking around guys, this is the most moisturising blend of oils I've ever tried and it's worth it. I can't even..

Its the densest of all the oils mention with the same thickness as the argan oil and I highly, highly recommend this for the dry-very dry skintypes. I only have a small vial of this so I only use it once a week after I exfoliate to get the maximum benefits out of it. If you're afraid of the price tag, mybeautyemporium sells the mini for £13 which is a good chance to test it out (they also often have discounts too). A definite repurchase is on the cards next winter.

Writing this post is getting me excited to take of my makeup and splash on some oils. Love..

Have you tried any of these or have any other recommendations? 

x mai-anne

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the skincare drawer

a sneak peek into my skincare home..

Skincare is my first love, can you tell? I thought I would show you the contents of my beloved top drawer which is filled with all these goodies. I definitely have more than the average amount where I can rotate the products but still can be finished before expiration. I put a lot of research (*cough* online shopping *cough*) before buying products so I usually will like what I buy but I don't tend to break out and am not particularly sensitive which does make it easier.

I'm a stickler and champion of natural/organic skincare which makes me love this drawer more. Beauty doing a good thing for us, the earth and our farmers? Win.

There will definitely be more in-depth reviews on lots of these products and I'm open to requests. Are you a skincare fiend too? :P

x mai-anne

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First Beauty Emporium (Mini!) Haul

So a crazy day back in April, Beauty Emporium had a 50% off off on their entire site for 24 hours. Yes, the entire site.  I had never seen a place offer that before and so even miss careful-shopper me placed an order quick smart. It's a UK based website that offers an unusual range of brands with many organic brands such as Trilogy and Priti, to mainstream brands like NYX. I like that it offers harder to find brands and am slightly kicking myself that I didn't pick up more, though this is quite a lot for a very slow shopper like myself. 

The first thing I was all over was Wild About Beauty, a makeup brand that includes lots of natural ingredients mixed in with some chemicals. I find that the ingredients can vary across products so more greenie eyes may scoff. I decided to pick up the Smooth Cover Concealer Kit, which is a duo concealer with a setting powder and the Ultra Dewy Creme Blush in 03 Phoebe, both of which had ingredients lists I was happy with. I'm planning a more in-depth post on these soon as there isn't much written about them.

For skincare, it was a great time to try something high-end on the cheap and a brand I've never heard of and is therefore harder to source. I went for the Sophyto Super Skin Concentrate which was featured in my last pamper post, and Cupcake Organic's Frankincense and Orange Day Cream as frankincense always seems to agree with me. I'm planning on some reviews on these soon too.

I was really impressed with the service from Beauty Emporium, the package came much quicker than expected (roughly a week-1 1/2 weeks) and was nicely wrapped. They also included their shopping bag which made it a more luxe experience, as if I had actually just gone shopping. I shop online mostly so it was nice to feel that way (sad). I definitely recommend this site and definitely sign up to get their offers, as they are clearly very good ones!  Now if only they offered free shipping.. Am I starting to ask for too much?

x mai-anne

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Pamper Night #3: The New Stuff

Pamper nights are always that little bit more special because of new products, as long as they don't cause some formidable breakouts, of course. I've had some newbies enter the camp and I have been itching to test them out..

After exfoliating with the Ren Glycolactic Skin Renewal Mask (of course) I applied a healthy dollop of Antipodes' Manuka Honey Mask. This has been on my wishlist for ages and I miraculously scored it as a gift with purchase by surprise - don't worry I played it cool at the counter while I was holding my breath.  But my, am I impressed. It's still early days but I'm a very tactile person and I have a very good feeling about this.  The combination of these two masks was amazing, just bright and healthy. Glow from the former and the hydration from the latter - sigh. I do warn thee, I did feel a bit of a tingy sensation so whilst it didn't burst into redness on my skin, it may for the more sensitive skinned.

I then followed up with my night time routine and whilst it's not new, I cracked out my 2nd bottle of Antipodes Apostle Skin-brightening & Tone-correcting Serum. I couldn't imagine life without this beaute and so I had to restock. It was because of this mama that I scored the amazing aforementioned GWP  even though I wasn't supposed to - the freebie was supposed to be for those that bought two Antipodes products. Hence the holding of my breath! So 25% off and a highly raved mask = ultimate win. *Happy Dance*

Okay cheap man's dance over, I finished my routine with a new oil in the family, the Sophyto Super Skin Concentrate. And it's heavenly. It reminds me of the Essential Care Concentrate, in both the smell and the texture. I waited till the next day to write this post so I could see if there was anything noticable by the morning, and while it is early days it is very moisturising, so far so good. 

I love these posts, they're a quick taste of some new products in the stash and it is so nice to take time out to care about yourself.  Do you enjoy pamper moments?

x mai-anne

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A Makeup Cleansing Routine

Yep, I have a full makeup cleansing routine. My life is rather exciting, yes?

I'm a bit of a skincare nut but I'm even more ruthless with my cleansing routine. I have never gone to bed with makeup on, even before I was bitten with the beauty bug. I think I was always afraid makeup would ruin my skin and I'd wake up to Shar Pei skin (yes I just googled "wrinkly dog").  This routine is the whole hog, when I've worn foundation and eye makeup that day so don't worry, it's not an every day occurrance!

I start first the Earth Science Eye Makeup Remover on a cotton pad, gently patting it on for a few seconds before carefully swiping all the colours away. I try to use just the one cotton pad, not because I'm cheap (well.. not just because I'm cheap) but to create as little waste as possible. This eye makeup remover is a beaut and does really well at cleaning up most of the mess without leaving my lids parched.

    I then follow up with an oil to start taking off my face makeup.  I'm loving jojoba oil at the moment and currently using the one by Desert Essence (I'm not sure if there is a huge difference between brands yet). It's a light-medium oil so it is easy to rub and into the skin. I like to take my time here and massage it into my face and close to the hairline, which can be an easily forgotten place. I also swipe a little onto and around my eyes to break down any remaining eye makeup. I really advise to do this second because I find that jojoba oil is thin enough to slightly touch the eyes and added with makeup - weeell it doesn't feel good! Those with more sensitive peepers may feel the sting, even mine can feel a tinge.

    I then take to water to take off the oil. The jojoba oil doesn't stick to my skin as much as others like coconut oil so it's really easy to rinse off and it leaves it feeling so soft and hydrated. I always double cleanse and my dry skin loves a cream cleanser.  Double cleansing is really important because it cleans deeper and removes any excess oil. I'm currently using the U Little Beauty Cream Cleanser one and while it's doesn't match my all time favourite Sukin Cream Cleanser it is nice and you need very little product to cover your face and neck (oh yeah, did I mention the neck yet? Clean your neck! Especially if you take your foundation down there like me)

    Okay, last step now, I promise! After I've patted my face dry I use a micellar water and a cotton tip to clean any last bits of my eye makeup. Yes, those little crevices hide even more makeup that a general cleanse won't get to. Right now I'm going through the Caudalie Cleansing Water which is okay, but not a favourite. Using the cotton tip I can swipe at my water line and around my lashes to take off the final dregs of makeup - you'd be surprised at how much is still left. I clean until the bud isn't turning black anymore, which isn't too long considering there were three steps before it!

Phew! So there we have it, a 4-step routine to clean off makeup, simples. I know it's a bit hectic but it's worth it and I really enjoy my skincare and I hope you do too. It's funny, I use to hate skincare but now I see it as a moment to take care of yourself and relax..

How do you go about your makeup removal ways? Don't tell me you fall asleep with it on!

x mai-anne

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march beauty faves!

March Favourites, a third way into April! 

Green Loves (+Hygiene!?)

My eye makeup removal has been made a lot easier because of the Earth Science Eye Makeup Remover. It has a cool gel texture and doesn't leave my eyes overly dry, I'm planning a more in depth post featuring this product so more on this soon! On the same-ish topic, I've been loving using Jojoba Oil to remove makeup and it leaves my skin feeling so soft afterwards. The Plus White 5 Minute Gel has been doing wonders on my teeth and I'm going to soldier on with it until my teeth are good looking before I look for more natural alternatives. And Swiss Super Greens, my new love. I take it with my juice and it feels like a detox but without the nasty effects. Great brand too.

The Make-Up

I've been guiltily loving the MUA Undressed palette, the infamous Urban Decay Naked palette dupe.  I have loved the colours more than I thought I would for quite a warm palette, and the pigmentation isn't half bad. Guilt factor? It does contain parabens, not the absolute worst thing in the world but if it didn't have it, this would be considered near perfect! 

  Cue the crazy collecting lady, my Essence obsession has started. Now I'm not much of a make-up collector per se but with good pricing (big thumbs up for not jacking up their prices in Aus), cruelty free shoutouts and the cute-as-a-button packaging, it is winning big in my books.  I didn't think much of them before as their core collection has the usual petroleum and paraben-laden formulas like most drugstore products, but after examining their collection items I saw nothing of the sort. My inner voice squealed with excitement so home went the Circus Circus Highlighter with me and I adore it. The powder is quite finely milled that it is easy to apply without looking like freckles of glitter here and there and the gold colour is delish. I even like it more than MAC's Soft and Gentle (gasp!). Can't wait for their next collection!

  I've mentioned it so many times before but I wanted to mention Stila's Convertible Color in Gerbera again as I just hit pan on it.  It is a cream product so the bottom is not as easy to see, but I've been loving this colour on my cheeks as the Sydney weather couldn't decide if it was Summer or Autumn in March. The downside to this product is that it only has a 6 month lifespan but I don't know if I can let it go after that date passes..

  Sitting happily on my nails this month has been China Glaze's Mahogany Magic from the Hunger Games collection. While it is indeed a shade of brown (snore) I thought of it as chocolate, and during the sugary season of Easter, why not..

So there goes March and April is finally looking like Autumn, looking forward to it!

What have you been loving lately?

x mai-anne

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Almost There / Mineral Fusion Concealer Duo Review | Blogmas Day 4 (Post #8)

I was super excited to try this concealer when theflaxenowl raved about it as I had been looking for a truly clean, green take on a concealer duo. I love the idea of a duo, palette, so that you can mix the colours to your skintone, problem areas and what not.  

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It's Love - Antipodes Apostle Brightening & Tone Correcting Serum | Blogmas Day 2 (Post #4)

I have been interested in the Antipodes brand since I began learning about ingredients and went organic but after an unsuccessful spell with avocado oil, an ingredient many Antipodes products are based on, I refrained from trying.  Avocado oil just did nothing for my skin and hair when I tried it for months so I didn't think Antipodes products would work, but after a rave review by essiebutton, and seeing that this serum doesn't contain any avocado oil, I made it a mission to buy it.

After the first night of use, I work up the next morning pretty amazed. My skin looked so much more glowy and awake and as an extra bonus, plump. I was expecting the glowy part, given the name of the serum and rave reviews I've read, but I was not expecting a soft, hydrated plumpness to my naturally dry skin. The serum contains hyaluronic acid which can partly explain the hydration factor, but I use plenty of other skincare bits and bobs with said ingredient that don't quite have that effect as this serum.  I actually think this might even be good even through the winter, when I'm extra flakey, making it a good all year product. As it also sinks in very quickly, and is light in consistency, I think it would be suit all skin types.

For it's tone-correcting claim, it's right on the money with that one. This serum has definitely evened out my skintone a lot more and I feel more confident in my bare skin than before.  I've even been complimented on my skin since adding this to the routine so I'm rather pleased :) I don't have any major hyper-pigmentation to work on as I don't have acne-prone skin, but from what I've gathered, it seems to work well on those who do so I do think it's worth trying if that is your skintype.

This has become something I don't want to live without, even as a skincare junkie who likes to try new things and I am very tempted to repurchase when I run out though I'm not looking forward to the price. Antipodes pricing is rather weird in Australia, some are on par with overseas retailers, others are inflated.  This serum is the former, retailing for $59 in Myer, and 41 pounds on Naturisimo. I bought it for 25% off at Myer for $45 which is probably the best deal I can get. I didn't mind that price too much but I'm a bit nervous to pay full price when it becomes an empty.  This is the first high end skincare product I've really tried and it's made me realise that there can be a difference between budgety brands and higher end ones as this is the first serum that I've really loved (damn).

Since finding success with this product, I've ordered another Antipodes product with others on my wishlist! Have you tried any Antipodes products?

mai-anne :)

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Coupon Haul! | Blogmas Day One (Post #2)

Coupon / sale times, are the only times I shop in Australia.  It's not that I don't want to support the Aussie economy, but that I hate supporting inflated prices in Australia. Coupon time is the only time I can buy in a store and get as close to the US price as possible. So here are some of the things I picked up a few weeks ago (I had been meaning to post this up earlier *sheepish grin*).

I was debating between MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle or the Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb. I've wanted Soft and Gentle for ages and like starting with permanent products first but Superb looked beautiful and unique. Mineralize Skinfinishes retail for $47 in Australia, making it one of the less marked up products (a sad 60% mark up from the US price) and I had a $20 Myer voucher.  I decided to shop on the night of Myer's Christmas event which included a 10% off discount which would make either product a cool $22.30. Win!  After deciding on Superb since it was LE, I was saddened when it was already out of stock when I got there.  I decided to just buy Soft and Gentle instead of hunting Superb down at other retailers.  A sad story, but this is an amazing product nonetheless (and hopefully Superb will be re-promoted, soon!)

Priceline was having a 2 for 1 sale on Revlon lip products which is a deal I don't think I've ever seen.  Coupled with a $5 priceline coupon and $2 left on a Westfield gift card I left with an even better deal.  I picked up 2 lip butters in Tutti Fruity and Peach Parfait (love) and 2 Kissable Lip Balm Stains in Honey and Romantic, which was stupid since I've had Charm on my wishlist and forgot! These were a bit of a junkfood makeup purchase, but I'm still learning what lip colours work with me so I'm going with what I can swatch in real life. Word of warning, the Priceline cashiers will charge you by the top price of the two products, so I got charged for two lip butters, retailing at $22, instead of $22 and $18 (the price of the lipstains) which was what I thought would be the price purchased. *doh!*

I just picked up these two cute candles from Sportsgirl. I thought these were adorable and assumed they were paraffin candles when I picked them up to look at, but to my surprise, these are soy candles! I was so happy and proud that a commerical Australian retailer sold soy candles that I picked up two and almost a third. These were on sale, down from $9.95 to $4.95. I also bought them at a Westfields shopping event, so these were a further 15% off (that was a lucky coincident though!) :D I will never buy paraffin candles, I think it's genuinely dangerous to use them as they can be inhaled - that's the easiest passage to our brain.

here is a blurry pic of the ingredients. you're welcome.

So there you have it! My little cheapass haul! Have you found any bargainous bargains lately? :)

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