Universally beautiful...and bunnies!

Hello lovely people!

Tint Stick!  That's right I am so excited about this one that I am just launching straight into it - no preamble - no back story...just Tint Stick!

I received one these bad boys in my monthly beauty box (the bees' knees by the way, and more about them later) and was a little apprehensive by the intensity of the colour...but I needn't have been!  The colour was gorgeous and the product, really fabulous!

Lip Tint $18

The company that produces the Tint Stick is an international brand by the name of Universal Beauty - There are 6 shades available and I already know that one will not be enough - They contain a highly pigmented colour, but the water based, matte formula is enriched with Vitamin B5 and Aloe Vera to stop your lips drying out, as they are wont to do with tints and matte  lip products.  They also market this product as being anti - feathering and to have lasting power of up to 10 hours!  Now I wore the Tint Stick on a night out over the weekend and I can safely say that 10 hours is indeed an accurate estimation.  Many, many (ahem) 'beverages' were consumed, I talked and laughed the night away - and upon my arrival home my lips looked like they had just been 'painted'...and that was roughly 8 hours after I first applied!

So as you can see they are presented in a very cute, understated 'pen' - the actual applicator is akin to a highlighter pen so it is so easy to put on - less than a minute!  And each one has a really sweet little positive mantra to further add to the pleasing experience of making oneself look fabulous!

So super impressed with this one and how much you say?  Only $18.00!  Hip Hip hooray!

And in other news...we have adopted a bunny!  My husband is very pleased as this has been his dream since I have known him and  Mr Bunnykins (the name of the rabbit, not a pet name for husband) is actually quite sweet.  I will attempt to get a picture but he is rather skittish still at the moment (poor little fella is a rescue rabbit) and is only just getting used to us.

So now that I have finished toilet training a three old child I find myself attempting to toilet train a somewhat reluctant rabbit.  Just when I think we have developed some sort of understanding - he will have voluntarily hopped over into his little tray - I have then patted him and extolled such praise and congratulations on his efforts that his little whiskers start to quiver - I will walk out of the room leaving the little guy sitting proudly in said tray - and re enter the same room not 2 minutes later and it will look as though some kind of rabbit poo grenade has gone off and there are as many poo pellets on the floor as there are stars in the sky ...and this is only a slight exaggeration!  And so, I pick Mr Bunnykins up, once more place him in his tray and with him blinking innocently at me (damn the cute little thing), the process begins once more.  So on that note if anyone has any rabbit toilet training tips - please message me!

And also I have, apprehensively entered the world of Instagram!  Huzzah!  Follow me @crystellewaters!

I think that is it for this post!  As always, thanks for reading and thanks for the support!

Oh have included a family snap we took after a lovely lunch we had in the Swan Valley this weekend - Perth has had some stunningly sunny days and we had fields of vineyards behind us - was really very pretty!

And will just go and see if I can get a snap of Mr B....nope - next time!

Crystelle xx

Winter is coming!

Winter is descending upon us, as it does every year - now I grew up in a little town called Exmouth located on a very picturesque north west cape in Western Australia!  Exmouth is hot...temperatures often reach over 40 degrees and have been to known to hit 50!  50 degrees celcius!  I remember when I moved from Exmouth to Perth, the capital city in W.A - that I thought Perth was freezing - In fact I remember I actually brought those old fashioned 'long john' trousers and would wear them underneath my jeans...yup - I was a trendsetter back then too!  Then I moved to the UK and felt the bitterness of an English winter - well in fact 8 of them - and I learnt the joy of seeing the temperatures raise into the 'teens' - A 12 degree day with the sun shining felt positively balmy - and then we moved back to Oz - and I tell you folks it doesn't take long for one to become acclimatized.  And so, as this Winter descends upon us, you will forgive my somewhat defensive tone, when I say (assume whiny voice) 'it's co-old'.  Sure our temperatures are still maxing 20 -25 degrees during the day, but the nights go down to 11, sometimes 8 degrees.  (I hang in my head in shame)  IT'S ALL RELATIVE PEOPLE!  WE HAVE NO CENTRAL HEATING!

Even us Aussies needs some winter comforts - and mine are....

Molten Brown Shower Gel - Pink Pepperpod

Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod $39

My cold winter night countdown to being warm and snuggly in my bed will often begin with a nice, hot shower - lathering myself head to toe in this delectable body wash by Molton Brown.  It is a very addictive fragrance using a fiery pink pepper, hints of ginger and patchouli!  I first fell in love with it when my husband began using the 'masculine version', and it smells just as good for the ladies - spicy!

Post shower I then moisturise - well I try to moisturise...hmm...I should really moisturise...ahem...the truth is - my post shower body hydration consists of  a quick spray from that Vaseline spray moisturiser, if that - but today I sampled a L'Occitane produce - which was divine...quite pricey and for that reason I didn't purchase it on the spot, but it has been playing on my mind.  I give you...

L'Occitane Supple Skin Oil

L'Occitane Supple Oil $64

I think I mentioned in a previous post how much I loved the scent of L'Occitanes Almond Hand cream and the scent of this product is equally blissful!  This is 50% Almond oil blended with camelina oil and I think, a little bit of heaven!  To the embarrassment of my sister, whom I was with at the time, I couldn't help but groan out loud rubbing this product in - the smell, the texture - the softness of my skin - and it absorbed really nicely leaving my skin feeling almost like satin!  If I were to purchase this, mainly due to my laziness and time factors, I probably wouldn't use this on a daily basis - but for a good old fashioned pampering evening - Bring it on! 

So I am showered, and oh so supple - time for my...

Peter Alexander PJs

The evenings are dark and cold - and what better way to perform a winter hibernation of sorts than to do so in style...

I love my pyjamas..my husband always looks somewhat horrified when I emerge from the bathroom wearing these, but they are oh so comfortable...snuggle-rific!

Now I think in Winter, anyone's skin can look a little drab, dry and well, dull!  And that is why I am super excited to be trying something that has been on my radar for a little while now -

Ren Glycolactic Radiance Mask

Ren Glycolactic Acid Renewal Mask $59

I used this for the first time last night and was dutifully impressed.  The consistency of this product is quite 'sticky' and you need a reasonable amount to get an even coverage - I felt a very small tingling sensation for literally a few seconds.  I left the mask on for the recommended time of 10 minutes - and removed it using the enclosed muslin cloth (nice touch Ren) and my skin felt incredibly soft, smooth and clean.  The scent is quite pleasant - a kind of citrus aroma.  I liked this product.  It is marketed to remove dead skin cells, aid in skin congestion and over time, improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles - containing an array of natural fruit acids and an extract from Papaya - yay for the sloughing of dead skin cells!

SO -

I am showered.  I am exfoliated and body moisturised (I promise) - what now I hear the masses ask?!  Can I hear a 'whoop whoop' for serums?!  I think I have mentioned before that  at night, and certainly more so in the summer - I tend to only use a serum and at the moment I am still dutifully using my Boots No 7 Protect and Perfect Serum - which I am still loving - but in these winter months as well as my serum, I have also been trying out a really affordable night moisturising cream -

Palmers Moisture Rich Night Cream

Palmers Moisture Rich Night Renewal Cream $10.49

This is part of Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula range and has lots of great skin favourites in it's ingredient base including, Vitamin E (of course), retinol (bring it..), peptide complex (great to see these babies in skin care - they function as moisture binding agents and theoretically aid in skin repair on more of a cellular level), shea butter and aloe!  This cream is quite thick and on application feels rich but very luxurious - I really expected it to feel quite heavy on my skin, especially as I tend to avoid too much product at night, but it absorbs amazingly well and every time I have used this I wake up the following morning, and my skin feels smooth and my pores seem smaller.  Quite impressed with this one - hence why it's on my blog!

So I am ready to sit down and watch whatever horrific, soul destroying installments GoT has lined up (sob - watched the last episode a few nights ago..) but there is one thing left to indulge in on a cold winters night...

Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Treatment

Lanolips $15.95

The story behind the formation of this product and brand is quite endearing - the creator, a woman by the name of Kirsten Carriol spent her childhood on her grandfather's sheep farm in South Australia.  Her father, a DNA scientists, was a big advocate for natural products, and in many interviews she reports, that as children whenever they had dry lips or skin, their father would always reach for the trusty lanolin.  Now for those who don't know, Lanolin is a natural substance found on the coats of sheep - it's this Lanolin which keeps the sheeps fleece protected and dry in the elements.  It used to be purchased as a yellow, sticky, smelly substance and Kirsten set out to transform this amazing product into something that would be more consumer friendly - and what an amazing job she did.  She developed Medical grade Lanolin - it was completely odourless, colourless and non sticky and from there - she developed the product into the Lanolips brand you can buy around the world today.  The great thing about this product is that it holds up to 400% it's weight in moisture, and it's semi - permeable which allows the lips to self hydrate from within.  It's so effective and versatile it has attained somewhat of a beauty cult status around the world.

Thank you for reading my blog - and remember if you enjoy my take on the beauty world that is taking us by storm, share it on facebook, subscribe to my blog or just talk to your friends about it.  I would just like to re-iterate that I write this blog in my spare time, because I genuinely get excited when I use products that work - and I love getting recommendations for me to try new things.  So please drop me a line, or jot something in the comment box if you have used a product that you think would change my life.

And now - time for a hot chocolate and a new tv show to take my mind off the Game of Thrones debacle...Season 3 of Orange is the New Black me thinks!

Thanks again,

Crystelle xx

Airports Boots frenzy! (and how much I miss M & S and Asda)

So we very recently returned from a rather impromptu trip to the United Kingdom - and it was wonderful!  The countryside, the history...the pubs - and of course, the people - especially the people!
The people who surround us makes the world go around!

And another great thing about the UK?  Boots!!  And Asda - the food, the clothes, the homeware, the alcohol - all in the same place!

Me very excited to be in Asda!  Two thumbs up!

 'What?!' I hear you say - yes fellow Australians!  This is a real place - Scrumptious freshly made pizzas topped with an enormous amount of toppings - yours for only a few pounds!  Bananas at 68p a kilo!  Pomegranate seeds freshly prepared awaiting purchase for you to toss haphazardly through a salad.  We bought half a kilo of blueberries for 2 pounds!!  And gourmet ready meals in abundance.  (I have gotten so used to whispering this word in Perth, frightened at the scornful looks I would receive from fellow shoppers)  How dare I not prepare a meal from the bare basics of food - What possible reason could there be for me to not spend every spare second of my day slogging away in the kitchen like some modern day cinderella (woe is me)...and most importantly how can I physically stomach the atrocity that is the quality of Ready Meals available for purchase in the shops Down Under?  And it is true - the ready meals here are terrible - they are sloppy, tasteless insults to the taste buds of people every where - but hear me out People of Perth - neigh People of the world - never again will you roll your eyes in disgust or pooh pooh me with your judgement once you have had the Marks and Spencers 10 Pound Ready Meal deal!!

You heard me - for 10 pounds you too can go home with main meal delights such as Chicken & Tewksbury Mustard Crumble for 2, Honey glazed gressingham Duck legs with smoked salted onions.  What about 2 chicken kievs with wild garlic cornish butter...sounds amazing right - and don't forget a side - with choices like, chunky chips, santini salad, carrot and swede crush, garlic mushrooms; and finally - dessert - A simple cheese selection if you prefer, but of course you could also have a Key Lime traybake, Raspberry Pannacotta, Millionaires shortbread, Tarte Citron and the list goes on.  But the 'piece de resistance' - you also get a frickin bottle of wine!!!  Now I quite enjoy dabbling in my kitchen given the time and solitude to do it in (aah if only), but I kid you not - if we did move back to the UK - I may never cook again!...but where was I?  Aah. Boots!  A little slice of heaven...Now I spend quite a few of dollars in Priceline and they do have a reasonable selection of brands and products, but let me tell you now Priceline, is a poor mans Boots!  Liz Earle, Bourjois, No 7, Soap and Glory, Benefit, Clarins - the list goes on and on.

Now my restraint whilst in the UK in terms of my purchase of skin care and beauty products was beyond compare!  I walked into Space NK and out again good readers without anything except a small sample pot of Sarah Chapman's Skinesis Night Elixir (which I did not receive on Mothers day good readers despite my enormous hints which seemingly fell on deaf ears, or blind eyes in this case - although dear husband still insists he reads my blog I do have my doubts).  But....in the airport at Gatwick awaiting our flight back to Australia, I suddenly found myself in Boots - under the guise of buying sandwiches and water for essential hydration I was surrounded by all these fabulous products and brands, and my resolve.  Began.  To crumble.  I walked in for a sandwich and walked out with nothing less than a start up selection for a beauty salon.  Well, it wasn't quite as bad as that, but please read on for a couple of my purchases.

Boots No7 Protect and Perfecting Serum - Advanced formula

If you haven't read some sort of media coverage concerning this product then you must have been living under a rock, but this miracle serum purports to 'reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles by up to 50% in just 4 weeks'.  Its rich, it's velvety, it's (wait for it)...scientifically proven to work!  Huzzah!  I have never used this product before but after a personal recommendation from a friend I threw this baby straight in the Boots basket.  I will let you know I feel about it after 4 weeks - but it is an amazing product to use.  It feels very decadent and indeed velvety.  And what can we attribute the enormous success of this product (it is Boots bestselling product since it's release) - well in the original formula, the key ingredients were a blend of peptides - proteins absorbed by the skin and then able to restore collagen and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.  But in this advanced formula this blend (which they call Matrixyl 3000) with white lupin extract (reduces the breakdown of collagen by enzymes) and some good old fashioned anti oxidants - Vitamin C, ginseng.  Add this lot with a new highly concentrated peptide acetyl-dipeptide which enables all the other bits to work more effectively and you have winner!

Can we buy it Oz?  

Well there is good news and bad news folks - Good news is that Fish Pond do stock it - but bad news is it's out of stock.

And my sources say that Amcal and Guardian Pharmacies my also stock.  Yaay!

Soap and Glory Mascara

Soap and Glory Mascara $33.89

 This is my new favourite mascara!  And I can be a bit of a mascara snob!  I shall just cut and paste product description taken from Fishpond here, because I simply couldn't say it any better;

'The BRUSH is the stuff - Soap And Glory's 7-SIDED FAN FLARE-180 brush with a V-groove to lay down volume & intensity, and a network of combing & curling surfaces to give length, definition and DRAMA. Featuring strength-building COLLAGEN PRE-PEPTIDES, LONG-STRETCH POLYMERS that wrap lashes in a flexible, lengthening film and NO FLAKE24 all-day wear technology, prepare yourself for TOTAL LASH LIFT-OFF!'

...I know, right!!  It sounds awesome because it is awesome.  Click on the link above and get some.  Right now!

Soap and Glory Extreme Plump XL

Extreme Plump $19.00

Another fabulous product by Soap and Glory - within seconds of applying my Very Berry tinted Extreme Plump Lip Shine - began to feel a tingling - and as promised, my pout did look subtly plumper!  And I found the colour to have a bit of a 'stain' effect and lasted quite a long time, which in the Berry colour - was very pleasing.  I quite like that natural looking berry lip so I really love this product.

Seventeen Define & Conquer Contour Kit

I have always been at a bit of a loss when it compares to contouring - and in general will just stick to a bit of good old fashioned blush - but I have to say - I love this Contour kit!  The colour is great and subtle enough to look natural whilst also adding that important bit of definition.  And I was a bit surprised at how much brighter my face and complexion looked with the highlighter.  I found the brown colour to be quite an effective eyeshadow as well this morning when I was in a rush.  Applied a bit with my Nars 'fluffy' brush (over my Nars Pro Prime of course) and then a little bit under my bottom lashes with an angled brush really gave a nice amount of 'shadowing' and definition - a great colour for a 'no makeup' make up look.  Now can we get this brand in Oz? - I can't easily find it on the internet I have to say, but if someone else knows please leave the integral info in the comments box.  Ta!

Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick No 26

Aaah Bourjois - how I miss you your affordable cost, yet premium results delights!  I think Bourjois is available over east in Oz, but I certainly have been unable to find it in good ole W.A!

Bourjois Shine Edition $19

Now I was a big fan of Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine collection, in particular the shade Boy.  But this Lip stick with it's sheer, yet super hydrating formula could be a dead ringer for it - at about a third of the price people!  Yaay!

Rimmel Good to Glow Highlighter

Rimmel Good to Glow $10.05

Good old Rimmel - another super consumer friendly (cheap) brand that I find you always get good quality make up for.  Now you can obviously buy Rimmel products here, but by the time this baby went into my basket I had entered a bit of a frenzy in my last ditch Boots shopping trip - and actually there are some Rimmel products that you can't get here - or in WA anyway (they do a liquid blush I have been unable to find anywhere)  Now this product is very opalescent on application, but really does provide a very radiant look when mixed with some foundation - or is also very effective when used in isolation on cheekbones and the other 'high' points on the face.  

And there you have it.  My Last-minute-airport-Boots-haul!

I hope you enjoyed reading and maybe found some inspiration for new products or brands to try.  As always, any comments or recommendations are very welcome!  Until next time...

Crystelle xx

London Calling!

Howdy good people! This is just a quick post to offer some explanation for my absence from the blogosphere I have so newly entered!

The reason is not really that exciting but essentially, dear husband delayed submitting some paperwork and was rendered unable to work for 28 days! So we made a very spontaneous decision and booked flights back to the uk for a whirlwind visit!  We literally made the decision to fly and then departed four or five days later! And here we are!

So we have been enjoying the whimsical delights that late spring in England has to offer and of course have been seeing our wonderful family and friends who reside in this green and pleasant country!  We also squeezed in a super quick visit to Ole Paris and I was completely blown away by how wonderful the french pharmacies are! No generic branding here.. I stumbled through a whole array of Caudalie and Looccitane products among many others!   Enormous self control required... It was bliss! ... I loved Paris! ...(sigh)

But our time here has flown by and in turn we are due to fly back to Oz on Wednesday morning... I feel very sad to be leaving in part because we will be saying goodbye to all our wonderful, funny and much appreciated family and friends.. But also because it means flying back across the globe for 20 odd hours with a 3 year old in tow..(sob)

But Beauty-Holics fear not!! Before too long my life will return to some semblance of normality and along with that will come a more regular appearance from moi with skin care treats so delectable and 'scientifically-proven-to-work' they will  tempt even the most skeptical of minds!

Yay! Thanks for reading!

Crystelle xx

Beauty products I lust after... (just in time for mothers day!)

There are so many fabulous skin care products out there that I covet and oh, if I could have them all, how truly blessed I would feel.  But that's what Wish Lists are about - and readers do not despair on my behalf, there is hope, the aussie Mothers Day is coming up and if my husband does indeed read my blog as he so solemnly declares, well ... (wink wink)

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial $89.70

The Sarah Chapman Brand name has popped up on my radar a couple of times and by all accounts this award winning Night elixir is working miracles on the complexions of women everywhere!  And it certainly boasts an impressive cocktail of ingredients including, an array of antioxidants, vitamins, flower extracts, seed oils and Renovage - an anti aging formula clinically proven to combat the signs of aging; including fine lines, wrinkes, reducing pore size and sunspots.  Mix this with the essential oil blends of jasmine, frangipani and rose and this serum is touted to be heaven in a bottle.

Creme De La Mer

Creme de la mer Anti Aging Moisturiser $220

 I think my fascination with this product rests primarily on the amount of money one has to part ways with in order to experience it's miraculous anti aging effects.  $220 for 30 mls brings tears to my eyes and makes me break out in a cold sweat.  For that much money you would want to be pretty sure that it does what it says on the tin...which is...well - when you read the blurb there is a lot of talk about being 'born from the sea' and the skin looking virtually 'ageless'; they even throw in a line about it's 'profound powers of transformation'.  And even when you cut out all the flowery language it seems the key ingredient that one is left with is some kind of 'nutrient rich Miracle Broth' - the science behind how this product works is still somewhat undefined, but does it work?  Apparently so - reviews I checked out on multiple sites rate this product as 5/5 and gives recommendations so glowing I had to take a step back from my computer.  If only some kind hearted employee of La Mer could find it in the cockles of their hearts to gift me a jar of this, their best selling cream and allow me to give it a road test and put the readers mind to rest that - yes, if you spend an exorbitant amount of money, you will get the results you are looking for...(La Mer...you can find my contact details in the header..ahem)

Caudalie

Caudalie Radiance Serum $79

Another product that has been on my wishlist for a while is this oil free serum whose formula includes a highly concentrated natural compound found in vine sap (oooh), known to brighten and lighten dark spots and scars, evening out skin complexion.  This compound was patented by Caudalie and named Viniferine; and is said to work wonders!  Users report perceivable brightening after a single use and those who still suffer from the odd break out anecdotedly report a definite reduction in their acne.

And another Caudalie bestseller is their Beauty Elixir...

Caudalie Beauty Elixir $22.49

For the very reasonable sum of $22.49 (?) from online beauty store Bath & Unwind you can be the youthful appearing owner of this 'elixir of youth'.  You apply this one between your foundation and your powder application, and it will tighten pores and brighten your features whilst setting your makeup.  It does sound to me like a rather fancy sounding hydrating mist spray - but with grape, rose and orange blossom extracts on board, with some essential oil of rosemary (mmm divine) - I am finding it hard to stop myself going out and buying this one right this second!

Sunday Riley

It is not uncommon on a late night Thursday shopping evening to find myself absentmindedly wandering through my local Mecca (amazing beauty and skincare) store - a squirt of some cream here - a splash of some colour there - my fingers trail lingeringly over the array of bottles and powders and glosses...and I always find myself in front of Sunday Riley.

Now Sunday Riley, the founder of the same name brand, entered the cosmetics industry after working in a laboratory which formulated skin care and makeup products.  She spotted a market gap for 'scientifically advance, high performance formulas' which also utilise 'pure, potent botanicals and cleaner chemistry techniques'...isn't this what we all want?  And so her brand was born..and has since become very successful.  In particular I have my eyes on this one..

Sunday Riley Good Genes $125

This is a corrective facial treatment and contains high grade lactic acid (yay for exfoliation), Lemongrass and Arnica to boost circulation and Liquorice which has natural skin brightening effects.  And yes this is another product that the users rave about (which is why I want it!)...Apparently the scent is little be desired, but if it works..it works!

And finally...

Guinot Anti-fatigue eye gel

Guinot Anti Fatigue Eye gel

This is a recent addition to my 'lust after' list and just in time, as my Clinique laser wear eye cream is conveniently just about to run out...I really love eye gels and if am feeling particularly puffy a good trick I use is to pop my gel in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to application and it feels oh-so-soothing!  Now my 3 year old, who was a near perfect slumber-er in the first 2 years of her life, has in the last year, developed a pattern of waking up anywhere between 2 - 4 times a night - sometimes she will be re-settled quickly and easily and other times there are tears.  A lot.  Hers and mine.  And so an Anti - Fatigue eye gel sounds fabulous..if only there was an anti fatigue face mask!..oh there is http://www.guinot.com.au/skin-care/masks/item/anti-fatigue-face-mask 

Anyhoo, I digress.. This gel will protect, it will moisturise, it will reduce the appearance of dark shadows and puffiness... at least that's what the reviewers say - and one very reliable recommendation came from my lovely sister in law!  Thanks V!

So...there you have it - a short list of some of my most desired beauty-licious products!  

Thanks for reading and any other recommendations please do share!

Crystelle x

My Favourite Things (part two)

Well after a somewhat, very rainy, very blustery, with the odd bit of lightening, thunder and hail thrown in, jaunt to the east of our country - we have ended our holiday in Sydney and arrived back safely to our hometown...I mean City, of Perth - (after the hustle and bustle of Sydney streets, the roads in Perth feel positively desolate!)

And despite the generally awful weather we endured whilst in one of Australia's most iconic cities we also did have a few slightly sunnier days and a fabulous time.  After my brief hiatus away from my new blogging-ness, here is part two of a few of my favourite things! 

Philosophy No Reason to Hide Multi-imperfection transforming serum...(gasp for air)

I have been using this product for a couple of months and feel that I have therefore 'road-tested' it's worthiness rather thoroughly and it was time to unleash it's utter brilliance to my devoted readers.  (fake it til you make it..)

Philosophy No Reason to Hide Serum $75

Now yes, it is $75 buckaroos but please believe me when I say that it's worth it!  I put my Lancôme's Visonnaire Serum (which is also fabulous) on my bathroom shelf in favour of this product.  I first applied this serum one night before going to bed and woke up in the morning with my skin feeling smoother and complexion more even looking.  Over-night people!!!  It is advertised as an 'all in one' Serum, and my stars, it certainly is -  the ingredients include Philosophy's exclusive marine extract formula, botanical extracts, concentrated niacinamide (which is part of the Vitamin B group and has anti-inflammatory properties - great for inflammatory skin conditions), and active vitamin C for those dark spots; bisabolol to calm any redness and salicylic acid to reduce the appearance of enlarged, pores and even out the skins texture!  It is great..you  must buy it!

Moreish Emergence Clay Mask

Moreish Emergence Clay Mask $19.99

This is a simple Clay Mask that is bargain-licious but works as well as any of the more expensive products out there.  This is a purifying and balancing mask which is great for combination and definitely oily skin - it contains that lovely Kaolin Clay which is a very fine and light clay with natural absorbency properties; Argan and Manuka Honey.  You obviously use this product as a mask (the purpose for which it was intended) but I also use it some mornings as a cleanser if I am feeling particularly oily or greasy (as one is wont to do at certain times of the month).  Fabulous product with some very appealing packaging!

Lipstick Queen

Lipstick Queen By Poppy Medieval $27

This a very versatile lip colour and don't be fooled or scared off by the intensity of the colour - this is an ultra sheer lip stain - the colour was inspired by women in the Medieval times, when apparently they would use lemon to stimulate the lips to create colour similar to this one - so whilst there is colour, as I said it is sheer and somehow natural - like you've been eating a plum..it also got Vitamin E in it giving it very balmy texture... I love it!

 Aesop Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste

Aesop Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste $51

So whilst I am normally averse to 'physical' Exfoliators I was given this as a sample product whilst purchasing a cleanser from an Aesop Store in Sydney - and I have to say I was rather impressed.  Designed to revitalise the skin it's ingredients include Rosehip and Rosemary Leaf extracts, giving it a very soothing aroma - but it was the fine quartz particles combined with lactic acid which really piqued my interest!

So whilst the fine quartz particles did provide that physical exfoliation it was ever so gentle and I didn't at all feel it to be abrasive - and the lactic acid means that chemical exfoliation is also at work!  Afterwards my skin felt smooth and soft and it didn't dry out my skin!  The price is a little steep but you only need a very small amount so I figure the tube would actually last a reasonable amount of time!  I might have to add this one to my wish list!

So that's it.. for now - I imagine my favourite things repertoire will be an ever expanding, dynamic series as I discover yet more new wonders.

Thanks for reading!

Crystelle xx

Game of Chromes!

What does a gal do on a very rainy holiday in Sydney...other than the museum and sea life aquarium?

Well, it turns out not much... Am still convincing husband that shopping would be a marvellous way to wile away several rainy hours...

So in an attempt to brighten up the very grey and gloomy weather that has descended upon us in Sydney.. (And in honor of the new season of Game of Thrones...he hee...) I have decorated my nails with some sparkle!

I am not normally one for glittery nail polish but Sally Hansen has this fabulous gold, glittery shade called... Wait for it...Game of Chromes! The name alone has immediately resulted in a loyal fan status from moi!

This colour is part of the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel range with a two step process where you get 'Gel' results without use of a UV light!  I have been using this product for a couple of months now and I have to say it is pretty impressive!  My nails will look pretty immaculate for at least a week and a half.. But once I get my first chip it does seem to be downhill from there!  But a great improvement on standard formulas where I was getting chips sometimes the same day as application! 

There are some other great colours in this range and a point of note, I have been using the Sally Hansen Top Coat over some Revlon Gel polish that I purchased and it seems to work just as effectively! 

Thanks for reading and more from me soon!

Crystelle xx