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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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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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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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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Everyday Mineral Blushes Review

(shotty camera skills again, my bay-ad!)

I bought a few Everyday Minerals blushes awhile back and now I'm a bit of a fan.  EM was the first mineral brand I ever tried and I'm super impressed with their products, ethos and I also like their cute packaging and branding.  

Two of these blushes were individually bought, 'All Smiles' and 'Nature's Sweet Side' (which was on special for $5 at the time) and the other two, 'Wild Vines' and 'Girl Friday', were from the 'Pink Lady' set, which isn't available anymore but the individual blushes are still up for sale. 

All Smiles is a peachy, orangey pink blush and is a firm favourite of mine.  I'm a bit obsessed with oranges, peachey-pinks and all other things tangerine coloured so I absolutely love this one.  The other three, I like, but to be honest, I can't tell the flippin' difference between them!  Maybe it is my skin, but the shades are minutely different when applied and I've never remembered which one was which.  Since they're so similar, I've given two of them away (to two different people!).

As it was my first foray into mineral makeup I was concerned that they would be hard to work with but it turns out that it pretty simple.  The 'big size' blushes are much easier to work with since they have a tab inside that you can slide so you can easily control how much product you get out. I usually open it a crack and then dunk a small amount of product onto the lid and swirl my brush around.  The smaller ones don't have the same contraption so it's just a matter of being careful with the pots. 

The colours are quite pigmented but not so pigmented that you get to clown level too easily.  If I'm feeling fancy, I take my Ecotools bronzer brush to pack the colours on and a larger powder blush (I like the Real Techniques one) and blend it out.  I would say the blushes aren't quite as easy to blend as traditional pressed powder blushes but you get used to it, and it's not that much harder anyway ;)

Here are heavy swatches, I really wanted to see if there was a significant difference.

Wild Vines, Nature's Sweet Side, Girl Friday, All Smiles

blended out

So as you can see, blended out, the first three blushes are really similar, you definitely don't need all three!  Though similar, the colours are really pretty, soft pinks with a matte finish.  Wild Vines is meant to be have a 'sheen' finish, which I agree when swatched heavily, but when blended it's sheen isn't that noticeable.

These Everyday Mineral blushes are lovely quality, and I love that when I wear them I'm not loading my face with chemicals.  

You can buy straight from their website here, or on iherb as well (do I mention iherb on every post?!).

What do you think of Everyday Minerals? Have you tried much in the way of mineral makeup?

x mai-anne

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Rage Review! Bdellium Tools 10 Piece Studio Line Kit

Can I start a blog post saying that this must be the most disappointing beauty purchase I've ever made?
Yeah? Okay, I will.

This is the most disappointing beauty purchase I've ever made!

Okay I'll settle down now and explain (coherently) why.

I bought this set from iherb (nothing against you iherb) for $58 which seemed like a big-ish price tag, but it was for 10 brushes and from a reputable brand.  I had previously bought the eye brushes from the Bambu mineral line which I loved (and will do a review soon), so I was excited to get this kit.  I had been eyeballing the bunny collection from Sigma for ages, but some (stupid) change of heart made me go for this one.  Out of the 10 brushes in the collection, only 2 are good, quality brushes. 

2! 

The only slight upside was that I was looking forward to these two the most, but still, that rages me!

They are these two..

.. the #957S Precision Cheek and the #955S Finishing Brushes.

These have the quality I was expecting, soft like butter bristles, strong and sturdy bodies and don't shed when I use or wash them.  I love these but they don't make up for the 8 other crap to mediocre brushes. The #957S is great for foundation, and has this really odd 'wet' sensation when you apply foundation which I like and find amusing.  The stippling brush doesn't beat the Real Techniques one but it performs well for a brush in this standard shape.

After the top 2, there are 4 brushes that were.. okay. Sigh.

They are the #964S AP Blusher, #945S Contour, #755S Smudger and the #769S Angled Contour.

The 964S is soft.. ish, and does the job.  The 945S I quite like, because it is soft and performs well but it sheds like balls. It's quite frustrating because I do like this one, but it sheds when washed and when it's being used. The 955S is standard, can you go wrong with a brush like this? It's not soft, but it's sturdy and does what it's asked, it just doesn't stand out like the top two.  The last brush is the 769S, which is a brush included in the bambu eye kit as well.  Not bad, but not the softest, and its bambu version is much softer.  All 4 of these are are prone to shedding as well.  

The last four are just plain crap. Just awful.

They are the #942S Slanted Contour, #781S Crease, #776S Blending and the #765S Small Angle Shader.  

These are awful for the same reasons.  They all do not have soft bristles, they are harsh and I feel like I'm scratching my face/eyes with them. The eye ones are worst because the eyes are such a delicate area that you feel the scratch even more.  I've even tried to condition them a few times now, they've got a bit better but not enough to really feel a difference and still remain scratchy when used.  

Here is a close up of the brushes, I was hoping to capture how dry and tough the bristles are so hopefully you can see what I'm talking about.

These 4 also shed when washed which is something I really hate.  Good brushes shouldn't shed, especially when you wash them for the first time. 8 brushes out of 10 are prone to shedding which really shows the poor make of these. 

On the whole, I'm very disappointed with this kit especially since I did pay $58 dollars for them.  Perhaps I got a dud kit, but if Bdellium Tools can put out dud kits then I would recommend you not to risk it, unless you would like to test them out for yourself. I really love their Bambu eye kit, and hearing that others like it too makes me think that it is either a superior line or there is more of a quality control with those brushes.  There isn't as much information about the Studio Line so I did take a bit of a gamble here, but hopefully it helps you if you're in the market for some brushes.  I do appreciate Bdellium Tools because they are an eco-friendly, cruelty free brand and I'm open to trying more from their Bambu brushes, but honestly, I'm staying far, far away from their Studio Line!

In case you're curious, this is the where I bought these. Link.

Have you tried any Bdellium Tools brushes? :)

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