What's in my Rubbish Bin #4

 
Only a small empties post this time. Having these types of posts in the back of my mind definitely helps me with finishing products up, or (as you'll see in this post) parting with products that don't perform as well as they used to.

A few months ago we moved into a new place that has a bath-tub. Naturally, I rushed out to Lush and stocked up on bath products. The first I used is the Sex Bomb Bath Bomb. I was absolutely delighted to see this transform my bath water into bright pink. I've heard this is Lush's most popular bath bomb, and I can totally see why. It smells absolutely incredible, and the scent really lingers on your skin afterwards. My skin felt so hydrated and soft when I stepped out of the bath, and I was left generally feeling incredibly relaxed. It also didn't stain my bath, which I was a bit worried about.
Will probably repurchase.

I really liked the Australis Curve Ink Eyeliner - it was great for those mornings where I was too tired to properly apply eyeliner because this product was marketed to be as easy to use as possible. I loved how black the ink was. Sadly, this product is now discontinued so I will not be repurchasing.

I first read about the John Frieda Full Repair Flyaway Tamer on Hair Romance's blog. I still have about half the product left in the bottle, but the gel has dried out a fair bit, and doesn't perform like it used to. I really like this product for ... you guessed it.... taming flyaways. I have a lot of baby hairs around my face. These are fine if I'm going for a messier look, but when I want to look polished they really annoy me. That's where this product is really useful.
I will repurchase this.

 

I do have a much more in-depth review coming for the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, but to be brief; although this is touted as a dupe for Bioderma's micellar water, it doesn't come come close in my opinion. It has a funny smell, stings my eyes and isn't as effective. Will not repurchase. 

It took me so long to finish Lush's American Cream Hair Conditioner, because I could not make my mind up about it. After finishing the bottle, I think I've worked out that I don't like it. It really weighs my hair down, and after I step out of the shower my hair feels "fried" - which is a really weird adjective to choose, but is the most appropriate I can think of. Fried and frizzy. This is not moisturising in the slightest. I needed to use heaps, even when my hair was much shorter, which means it isn't that economical, and does work out to be quite expensive. It does smell nice (think vanilla milkshakes), and the scent lingers in your hair, which I did kind of like. Unfortunately, that's really the only positive I can think of. 

To end on a high, we've got Dr Lewinn's 4 Fusion Cleansing Oil. I adore this as a pre-cleanse to remove all my make-up, and the majority of my face make-up. I've spoken before about how much I really love this product, and just repurchased it during Priceline's recent skincare sale. 

I will say though, that my bottle did leak a lot of product (so much so that I needed to have paper towel underneath it so it wouldn't stain the bathroom cabinet) and the bottle ended up this weird shape when it was done - does this happen to anyone else?

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Her Fashion Box: November

 

I received the November HFB well into December,  so apologies for this being seemingly late. I didn't receive the HFB Magazine in my box, so I have no idea what these products are valued at.

 

Jewellery items this month...I love the simplicity of both of these pieces. The bangle is really pretty on and looks like two straight gold bracelets.. I am in two minds about the necklace - there's no clasp so the bar just feeds through the ring and then hangs. It's pretty, but I don't like that the length can easily change / the necklace can come undone. I think this would have been so much nicer with the bar as a pendant and a clasp to actually keep the necklace on.

 

HFB have released their own version of the "tangle teezer". I hate this style of hairbrush as it absolutely destroys my fine hair, so this one will be a miss for me. If this type of brush works well for your hair, then you will probably love this. 

We also received two cookies from  Byron Bay Cookies - I love these cookies so was pretty pleased to see them in my box. 

Onto the beauty products, and we received a lipstick from Coral Colours. I received a cool-toned red. I'm not really a fan of the scent of this product, but the staying power is better than I expected it to be.

 

In other beauty products... more press-on nails. These are the type you get as a kid in "play makeup sets", where you peel off the backing sheet and stick it directly on to your nail. Apparently you just need to peel the nail off to remove, so I hardly see them lasting long. The colour is really pretty though and I can see these being used if you were in a rush and didnt have time to apply nailpolish. These come in a durable plastic container as well, which is nice. 

Lastly, I also received a bee venom and active manuka honey eye cream from Bee-Bio. I'm not allergic to bees, yet the thought of this being infused with bee venom kind of scares me. This product smells really nice though, and I'll definitely give it a try.

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Review: Natural World Moroccan Argan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner

It's not really a suprise to anyone that as a result of years of bleach, my hair is not in the greatest condition. So, it's really important that I use products full of moisturising goodness to put nourishment back into my dry locks. I've learnt over the years that oils are especially good for my hair (and skin, but that's another story), so when I saw this shampoo and conditioner on sale at Catch of the Day, I was intrigued. I was already buying some stuff, so to make the shipping cost 'worth it', I added these to my cart. (That's totally how online shopping works, right?)

I haven't heard of this brand before, and I didn't even research this product before pressing 'add to cart' (Hey, I live life on the edge!) but it turns out that impulse buy was a really good decision! 

Firstly, the packaging...I really like that the shampoo and conditioner are different colours, it makes it a lot easier to just grab the correct product at first reach. It's pretty easy to control how much product comes out the top, which is always nice.

As the name suggests, both the shampoo and conditioner are infused with Moroccan Argan oil, which is fantastic at making your hair silky and smooth. The shampoo has a really creamy lather, (FYI, it does contain sulfates, but neither the shampoo or the conditioner contains parabens) and my hair doesn't feel stripped after rinsing it out. The conditioner makes my hair feel so silky under the water....and then that feeling doesn't go away when I've rinsed it out and stepped out of the shower. It continues making my hair feel silky smooth! The conditioner doesn't have silicones, so I feel like it actually moisturises, rather than just leaving my hair feeling moisturised. I also love that I only need a small amount to get results. 

I normally use a hair oil after blow-drying my hair, but I've actually found myself doing that less since using this S&C. 

Overall, I actually don't have anything bad to say about this. My hair feels clean after I use it, and I love the way it makes my hair feel and look. What more could you ask for in a shampoo and conditioner, really?

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Review: Muk Curl Stick

So my mum recently got married. And, for the wedding, her hairdresser/make up artist did her hair in a half-up, half-down style, with really pretty curls all over. In the few days leading up to the wedding, mum told me all about how the hair trial went, and that the hairdresser used the Muk curl stick, and how fantastic it was, and that she really wanted one.
There's a few things you need to know about this situation. My mother and I have pretty different hair. I was lucky enough to inherit the dry aspect of her hair, and not to inherit the curls, the frizz or the amount of it. So when something works in my mum's hair, that's a pretty damn good indication it will work for everyone else.

Look at all that pretty, pretty hair!
After seeing how gorgeous her hair looked at the wedding, I could not help it but buy her one for her birthday. And I may have also bought myself one. Because, you know. YOLO. Life's too short to not own amazing curling irons.
I bought it on sale from My Hair Care. They have free express shipping for orders over $50, so mum and I both got our orders within two days even though we live in different states. Winning.

The Muk curl stick is a clipless curling iron, with three titanium interchangeable barrels. The barrel sizes are 25mm, and two conical barrels, one at 25-19mm and a 25-13mm. Obviously, this is good because it's like getting three curling wands for the price of one! In the box there's some instructions, and a heatproof glove. 

I personally found the heatproof glove doesn't fit my long skinny fingers too well, so I tend to not use it. But I have also burnt my hand, so maybe don't take my advice on that one. 

The cord is a swivel, which is nice to stop tangles, and it's also super long so you don't feel tethered to the powerpoint. 

There's three heat settings (210C, 170C and 130C), and I personally just stick to using the 130C setting because my hair is damaged enough. There's a red 'on' button, and you use this button to cycle through the heat settings. Super duper easy. 

I found at first changing the barrels to be a little tricky. There's two release buttons, on opposite sides of each other on the curler body. To change the barrel, you hold these down, pull the barrel out. Then, you align the holes up with the one you're popping on to the curler body, and click it in. I found the pulling out part a little tricky, because it's quite secure on there. I was also scared of pulling too hard and breaking the clip or something. It does seem really sturdy though, and I found that holding down the release buttons and wiggling the barrel as I pull it out makes it come off easier. Just a tip. 

I have really loved playing with this since I got it, and cannot recommend it enough. 

It heats up fast, although there is no beeping or flashing lights to tell you when it has heated up enough, which is one of my pet peeves with hair electricals. I have been dealing by hovering my hand over it until it feels hot. Apart from that, it is super easy to use. Like I mentioned, there's one button so there's not really any need for instructions. 

I love the variety of looks you can create with this. I've gone for defined curls, as above, and also looser curls / waves, as below. 

In the above photo, I used the 25-19mm barrel, and ran my fingers through after all the curls had cooled down. The photo above was taken about 7 hours after I first styled it. I lightly sprayed some hairspray over my whole head. 

I wore this hair look to work, without using any hairspray and it lasted the entire 6 hour shift, as well as lasting well into the night when I got home. I tie my hair up to sleep, and the curl definition was still there in the morning, even after I brushed through my hair.

I am just obsessed with these waves! 

For this look, I used the thickest, barrel at 25mm, and brushed through the curls with a paddle brush once the curls had cooled down.

And, just for reference, mum's hair in the photo at the top lasted all night long for the wedding. The curls hardly dropped at all (although quite a bit of hairspray was used). 

Have you used the muk curl stick? What are your thoughts?

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My Week in Pictures #50

(Apologies in advance that these are all instagram photos)

I am counting down the days until my next pole performance, and trying to squeeze in as much practice as possible in between class and going to the gym. I've started putting together my routine, and practicing the moves I definitely want to include. I have 5 weeks until performance day, and a lot of practice to be done between now and then! 

Wearing a lot of curls in my hair lately, courtesy of my hair curler. Watch this space, because I'll be having a review up later this week! 

Picked up this crop on sale last week. I am in loveee with it and kind of sad I discovered it as we're heading into winter. For more details check out this post. 

In probably the most exciting news this week, I got accepted into ANU's GDLP course. To be admitted as a lawyer in New South Wales, not only do you need to undertake a Bachelor of Laws, but you also need a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. This is the 'practical' aspect of the qualification, and I'm so freaking excited I get to complete mine whilst finishing off the rest of my BA / LLB. Which means (if all goes to plan) I will have completed all the necessary qualifications to be admitted as a lawyer by the end of this year. 

Crazy!!! 

Catching up on Game of Thrones on the way to a meeting after work on Tuesday. The hour long journey between Miranda and Bondi Junction is the perfect length for a GoT episode. 

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What's in My Rubbish Bin? #1

This is my first 'empties' post! I'm not quite sure why I haven't done one before...I think the thought of holding onto rubbish put me off it. I finished off all this stuff kind of around the same time though so I thought now would be as good as ever to start posting! 

Dermalogica Precleanse

This was the first oil based cleanser I ever tried and I loved it. I am pretty sure I got this sample size in a beauty box, and reserved it for travelling. It took me ages to actually finish, even though I never felt like I was skimping on product when I did use it. I think that goes to show that a little goes a long way with this product. 

Would I repurchase? Absolutely, but at the moment I'm using another oil based cleanser so maybe after that. 

LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

I got a sample of this in a beauty box about a year ago, and fell in love with it and purchased the full size. It is a tad expensive, but it lasted me about a year, so I think I definitely got enough use out of it. I love the way this makes my skin feel (especially in winter) and if your skin isn't as dry as mine you could absolutely get away with using this and not moisturising after. I don't moisturise my upper body after I've used this, but unfortunately my legs are drier than a desert and require an extra little lovin'. 

Would I repurchase? I already have! I jumped in and bought Michaela's from Lather Rinse Repeat when she had a blog sale before she moved to Dubai. 

Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Mask

I'm not even ashamed to admit that I succumbed to the hype and bought this. I used it as a normal conditioner (I only wash my hair like once a week), and found it worked really well for me. I actually really like this, and find it super hydrating without weighing my hair down too much. 

Would I repurchase? Yes. I've tried so many other hair masks since I used this one up, and they just do not compare.

Lee Stafford Argan Oil Deep Nourishing Treatment

I bought this the last time Priceline had a 40% off hair sale, and I had just ran out of the Morrocan oil mask. This one smells quite synthetic, and whilst I loved the way it made my hair feel under the water, if I let it dry naturally I didn't feel like this did much. If I blow dryed my hair and applied more oil afterwards, then it was in pretty good condition, but that's too much effort for me every single time. It worked well, but not great. 

Would I repurchase? Probably not. 

L'Oreal Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover

A friend told me about this one back in first year uni, and I have barely strayed since. This is my HG eye make up remover. It doesn't sting, it removes all eye make up without needing to tug and pull and this bottle lasts forever. (Spoiler alert, I've already repurchased this). Unfortunately, they've since changed the packaging on this, and now it squirts out all over the place and I've used up half a bottle in half the time. Which makes me really unhappy. Loreal need to do something about that, because I'm not okay with wasting product because of shitty packaging. 

Would I repurchase? see above. Love the product, hate the new packaging. 

I also finished up some Loccitane samples, but I have another review coming soon for those!



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My Week in Pictures #36

 

Wore my hair curly...to J's surprise it wasn't for any special occassion, but merely because I had some extra time in the morning. 

Rommy has taken sitting on our shoulders to a whole new level, and perched himself up on my arm. Cutie cat. 

 

Dropped into L'occitane to pick up my dad a father's day gift...and to pick myself up one of their new serums.  I also decided to try the local bike track, on my way to my dad's place and was pleasantly surprised that it goes along parks and rivers. So peaceful!

 

FINALLY GOT THAT PENCIL DOWN MOTHERIUCKERS GUYS! 

I have been working on this move for a solid 6 months. Probably longer. Nothing quite beats that rush of adrenaline of achieving something you've worked so hard on. 

Check out my instagram for videos!

 

 Oh Sydney, you have blessed us with beautiful weather the past week! Spring is OFFICIALLY here, and I am too keen. I took my studies outside in the backyard. Very pleased to report the tree that overhangs our yard is starting to get its leaves back. Winter is over, yo!

 

Nommed on a croissant while catching up with one of the girls at work who has practically left us *sob* 

Also seriously lusting over these teacups in T2...just saying, if you feel like buying me one, go right ahead. 

 

This one really needs no words.  

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Priceline Haircare Haul!

 

Priceline had a 40% off haircare sale for two days earlier this week, so off course I had to check it out and pick up some products I've lusted over but never been keen to buy, due to the price tag. 

(Side Note: I actually picked up the Alchemy products on Monday, before the sale started with their 2 for $20 sale; which ended up being cheaper than 40% off)

So what did I buy? 

 

Alchemy

Rice Aminos & Wheat Protein Shampoo and Macadamia & Wheat Protein Conditioner

I've heard so many good things about Alchemy, so thought I'd give these a shot. I am such a sucker for advertising, I absolutely adore the packaging of this S&C, and the way it looks in my bathroom. 

Lee Stafford

Flat Iron Protection Shine Mist

This is a heat protector for straightening, that gives your hair some shine. Could be a bit of a sales pitch, we'll see. Either way, I've only ever used tresemme's heat protectant, so it's good to branch out now and again. 

Bleach Blondes Conditioner

I already have the shampoo version of this, and love it! So thought it would be good to pick up the conditioner as well for a thorough anti-brassy treatment! 

Argan Oil Deep Nourishing Treatment

I've been loving Argan oil lately, can't wait to see how this 'nourishing treatment' treats my poor, bleached locks! 

Organix

Moroccan Argan Oil

See...argan oil, everywhere! I've tried this a few times since I bought it, and I love it so much so far! I also think the packaging is adorable (so tiny!), much to J's confusion

Klorane

Dry Shampoo

Honestly, I prefer this one to batiste, so thought I'd pick some up while it was on sale. 

What did you pick up in the priceline haircare sale? Would love to know for future spendings! 

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April Favourites!

Here's a bunch of stuff I was loving last month! 

Perfume:

I've totally been digging the sweet, floral intensity of Rihanna's Reb'l Fleur. I'm not really a fan of celebrity fragrances...I find them way too sweet but I dunno, this one is nice. I'm not even going to try to describe the scent, just know that I like it. The bottle is kind of a weird shape; apparently it's based off a high heel? I can see that, but that doesn't change that I think it's ugly hideous. 

Skincare and Haircare

Once a week I've been using the Organic Honey Peel from Organi to exfoliate my skin. This one is an enzyme exfoliator, which is great because it deep cleans your skin without any scratching! The manuka honey in it also acts as an anti-bacterial agent, helping to combat breakouts. I've found this has really helped with my blackheads, and removing that layer of dead skin.

My hair has also been super soft this month, because I've started using (and loving!) the Deep Repair Masque from Macadamia Natural Oil. I started out using this as a deep conditioning mask when I washed my hair, once a week. After about three weeks, my hair was so noticeably softer that I've now switched to using it every second week.

Lips

I've been freaking obsessed with Revlon's Colourstay ultimate suede lipsticks. I've written up a whole review for them to go live tomorrow, so check that out because I just cannot express how much I love these in one paragraph. 

I'm not much of a gloss person, but I have really been loving the moisture I get from Arbonne's lip gloss. I did a review of that (with swatches) here. This one's been great to wear to work - it lasts for ages, and I can quickly re-apply without a mirror. 

Make-Up and Body

I got the Body Shop's Coconut Body Butter for Christmas off my friend Meg, and I've been loving rubbing it in to my skin after a hot shower. The coconut scent is helping the scents of Summer linger around as the temperature starts to decline. I think it's funny that I love the idea of Summer, but am not really a fan of the season. So products like this one are perfect for me! This body butter is really moisturising without being heavy. 

Not too many new loves in the way of make-up. I really like the finish that I get from Australis' Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder. The texture of this is so smooth!! I use it to set my foundation, or on days that I want a lighter coverage, I just apply it by itself.  I also bring it with me to uni on really long days to touch-up my base make-up during the day. Cannot believe it's taken me this long to find out about this. 

My Blync lashes in Monroe Monday have been getting a lot of wear lately. I love the super length I get from these. They don't add too much in the way of volume, so it's good for daytime; amazing long lashes without the heaviness. 

I picked up this concealer from Revlon ages ago, and it is PERFECT. I cannot believe how amazing it is at covering my under-eye circles. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, so this is an absolute staple for me at the moment. I also love the sturdy, lipstick-y packaging. It's so durable, and I know it's going to be safe in my handbag during the day. It also makes it really easy to quickly touch-up during the day too. It's not that great at blemish-covering, but that's more a colour/tone issue.

Miscellaneous... 

The change in weather has had my sinuses in a mess. I picked up the Vick's Inhaler from Coles and use it to clear that stuffed-nose feeling. The first time I tried it though...woah. I was not a happy camper, it seriously felt like I'd just snorted menthol; not pleasant, but not as bad as that wizz fizz I snorted at 15 (cheap thrills). Once I learnt how hard to sniff it in though that problem went away. 

What were your favourites in April? What's the craziest thing you've snorted? 

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