Great Australian Brands

Happy Australia Day!

Aussie Day has become a bit controversial in recent years - Apart from enjoying the mandated day off, and listening to Triple J's hottest 100, I don't actually celebrate the day. Supporting local brands and products is pretty important to me, so  I thought it would be a good opportunity to call out and mention those great Aussie beauty brands, and give some of my favourites a little love. So many Aussie brands have great stories behind them, starting from humble beginnings. They're also environmentally conscious, and many of them give back to the community! 

Australis - 

Australis have been around for 25 years, with all their products priced at under $20. Affordable, great quality and they are 100% cruelty free yay! Favourite products: Oh hai brow kit, fresh and flawless pressed powder, AC On Tour contouring kit

The Purist Company - 

With skincare brand A'kin, and haircare brand Al'chemy, the Purist Company are a 15 year old Australian company with natural products at the heart of their philosophy. They don't test on animals and are passionate about the environment, so practice a business based on sustainability. 

  

Face of Australia - 

Australian owned, Australian made and 100% cruelty free! Another brand with great quality products at affordable prices.

Sukin - 

One of my favourite skincare brands, Sukin are environmentally conscious (100% certified carbon neutral) and offer products that feature active botanicals and essential oils. They're also cruelty free, and are luxurious without being overly expensive. 

Lanolips - 

Lanolips began in a farm on Lucindale, South Australia. The lanolips lip balm range features lanolin, a product taken from freshly-shorn sheep's wool. Lanolips lip ointments are intensly moisturising, and give your lips a great shine. My favourite is the Peach flavour. 

Banana Boat - 

Banana Boat are one of Australia's most trusted brands in suncare. They have a huge range of sunscreens that work well, but probably my favourite thing about the brand is that they are committed to educating sun safety, through their 'Sun Safe Schools Program'.

Jurlique - 

Jurlique was founded in 1985, by a German couple ('the Kleins') who migrated to Australia. Their specialties were biochemistry and botany. They created a natural skincare line, that started out with Jurgen and Ulrike growing and manufacturing their own products on a farm in South Australia. All of their farming practices are strictly organic and biodynamic. 

Bloom - 

Bloom began in Melbourne in 1993. This multi-award-winning brand has an impressive range with over 350 products. The company uses high-quality botanical ingredients, and is a proud supporter of the Children's Hospital Foundation Australia.

Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment - 

Dr Lucas originally practiced medicine in London, but migrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1876. He came seeking out a warm climate...so maybe it's no surprise that he soon moved to Queensland. Dr Lucas studied botanical research, and came across the pawpaw tree; he described the pawpaw as 'the world's greatest healing agent'. Today, the business is still family owned, and everyone can share the healing effects of the pawpaw ointment; used by almost every Australian as a lip balm, it can also be used to treat small cuts, minor grazes and nappy rash! 

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What are your favourite Aussie brands and products?

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New In: My Skincare Routine

I am pretty fussy about skincare - when I find something I love it takes a lot to get something else to wrangle its way into my routine and take its place.
I've been loving these new additions to my skincare routine the past couple of months, and of course that means I had to share them.

Stridex Maximum Strength Pads 

These are what I have been using to exfoliate my face about twice a week. These are a cotton pad soaked in a concentration of salicylic acid. (2% salicylic acid for the maximum ones - there are lesser concentrations available). I use this after my cleanser, as a chemical exfoliator - I let it sit for about 30 minutes (which is way after the point of it drying on your skin, but the longer the better it works) and then apply some Rosehip Oil as a moisturiser. If you apply a moisturiser or something before waiting for about half an hour, you'll change the ph level of the product, which means it won't be as effective. 

Basically, this is amazing at clearing up blocked pores - I noticed a marked difference when I was using it consistently. I recently stopped using it for a couple of weeks to test if it was working, and surprise, I've broken out. Sad. 

I picked mine up from iherb for pretty cheaply. 

Milk&Co Face Cleanser*

Milk&Co is an Australian brand launched by Australian swimmer Michael Klim and his wife, Lindy Klim. Their face cleanser is a gentle foaming cleanser made from natural based cleansers (coconut and corn), and essential oils (ylang ylang, geranium). It also contains hibiscus flower extract, used for its antibacterial and anti-oxidant properties. I love the way this smells as well - it's not overly strong, but it's a nice "natural" scent from all the natural ingredients. This cleanser is so creamy, and so good at removing the day - I use it in the shower and find it also does pretty well at removing eye make-up (although I do go back in after with a specified eye-makeup remover). It leaves my skin feeling so clean, soft and hydrated. 

This cleanser is made in Melbourne, Australia (yay, support the locals!), uses 100% recyclable packaging (which is actually really cute), and is not tested on animals. 

It's also quite reasonably priced at $16.95, and I'm pretty sure you can pick it up at Priceline if online shopping isn't your thing. 

What skincare products are you loving at the moment?

(Products marked with an * were sent to me for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own - check out my disclaimer for further details)



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My Week in Pictures #44; the Theme Park Edition (part 1)

Last week J and I jet-setted off to Queensland for a mini-holiday. We stayed with my mum, who lives about an hour north of Brisbane. It was so great being able to see her after months and months, and check out her new place. We spent two days at Warner Bros Movie World and at Dreamworld, which was the basis of our little getaway.

We started off on Tuesday at Movie World. I last was at Movie World over 10 years ago, and it's a lot more DC-focussed than I remember. I have to say though, I totally commend them on their theme-ing of the park, because they have done an awesome job with that.

The Superman Escape rollercoaster, and the Arkham Asylum coaster (previously known as the Lethal Weapon) were easily the best in the park. Superman Escape had the longest wait time of them all, but even so it was only about 20 minutes. The Superman Escape accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in under 2 seconds which is just so, so much fun. 

I think the funnest rollercoaster of all of them was the Arkham Asylum - it has 5 inversions, reaches speeds of 88km/h with an experience of 4Gs. The track is above you, and your suspended so your feet dangle. This ride is so intense, and I think was my favourite out of all of the ones we experienced. 

The Batwing Spaceshot was a lot of fun - you basically shoot up 61m, experiencing a force of 4Gs while travelling 64km/h. You can see a lot of the park on the ride which is nice, for the views. 

The Green Lantern coaster was pretty fun - not quite as intense as Arkham; if you're after a little thrill but still a bit of a 'fraidy-cat, this would be a great ride for you. The ride reaches speeds of 66km/h, with an experience of 3.5Gs. That being said, I was surprised to learn it does actually feature the steepest drop in the Southern Hemisphere and the second steepest in the world. 

Just chillin' with our mate, the Joker. 

The last time I went to Movie World, the Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster had just been built, and the lines were so long that there was over an hour and a half wait to get in. This time, there was no such line. Unfortunately, the ride was a bit of a disappointment. Towards the end of the coaster part, there was a lot of stop-starting which kind of ruined the experience. The first time we stopped was at the end of the last drop, and I honestly thought the ride had broken and we got stuck. 

Movie World has fun little shows on, which is good to break up the day. The Batman one was pretty good, and easily drew the biggest crowd. Unfortunately the Wild West show got cancelled (but not before we were all standing in the sun for 20 minutes waiting for it to start). The Scooby Doo show was also funny and lighthearted; there were a lot of children at that show.

Movie World is a great theme park; it has an entire Looney Tunes section with rides just for little ones, so it would be perfect for all ages.
Stay tuned for my post later today on Dreamworld!

Have you been to Movie World before? What's your favourite roller-coaster ride?



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OOTD: Let's Get Political

Firstly…there is a slightly orange cast to all these photos. I wore this to uni on Monday, when it was ridiculously hot, and the sky was filled with a smokey haze from the bushfires that have engulfed NSW this past week. (That also explains the furrowed brow and general 'pissed off' look on my face...I swear the sun was in my eyes)
I was running late on Monday morning and didn’t put too much any thought into what I would wear. But, I got heaps of compliments so 5.30am Michaela is clearly doing something right.

 

The skirt is one I’ve had in my wardrobe since I was about 15. I have no idea where it’s from, because I ‘borrowed it’ (I swear at the time I had every intention of returning it) from a friend, who had borrowed it from another friend…who you guessed it… borrowed it from a friend. We will forever be tied together through this sisterhood of the travelling tartan skirt. This is probably one of my favourite pieces in my entire wardrobe.

I have been wearing a lot of the gold ID bracelet I got in last month’s Her Fashion Box, and again getting heaps of compliments on it. I love this bracelet…it’s easy, goes with a lot of the jewellery I already own and it looks good!
On the other wrist I stacked up my Thomas Sabo bracelets I got for my birthday. Simple, but it works.

This shirt is one of my favourites. J bought it for me at the Marrickville festival a few years ago. I thought it was apt given the current political climate and comments that have been made in regards to asylum seekers being called 'illegals'. Probably best not to get me started.

  

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WHOA! Legs!*

This post was brought to you by Women's Health of Australia. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For further details, check out my Disclaimer.

What was your favourite thing about the 1990's? 
I was born in 1992, so growing up in this decade I was young enough to remember my childhood with nostalgia, but not old enough to cringe about the fashions (scrunchies..amirite?). I was still young enough to dress in clothes lovingly handmade by my Nan, but know every single word to the entire Aqua 'Aquarium' CD, and the Spice Girls album...as well as owning almost every piece of paraphernalia related to the Spice Girls (thanks mum!) 
I watched Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Daria, Rugrats, Recess, Hey Arnold, (as well as a bunch of other awesome cartoons... television was just better in the 90's) when I got home from school. 
I played with tazos, tamagotchis, and I don't care how creepy you think they are...but I freaking loved my Furby. 

GUYS I AM SO EXCITED TO SHARE THIS CAMPAIGN WITH YOU. 

I have been lusting over a pair of Black Milk printed leggings for ... god knows how long. They are trendy, look good, fit well and the prints and patterns are unlike anything else on the market. Which is why I'm really excited that Women's Health of Australia (WHoA!) are working with Blackmilk and giving us Aussie women a chance to win an exclusive pair of 90s themed tights. Not only do you have the chance to win 1 of 2000 leggings that they're giving away, but you also get a say in what print will be on those leggings! (I would totally wear a pair of WHoA leggings with Sailor Moon on them....or mixed tapes! That would be cute!)


All you have to do to have your chance to win (and to have your say on what the limited edition 90s iconography that will feature on the leggings should be) is fill out a survey for Women's Health of Australia (just head on over here)

The survey, which has run annually since 1996, is used to improve women's health policies and practices in Australia. All information is confidential, and the survey takes less than 20 minutes to complete, with the ability to pause and resume your answers. Every year, the survey is divided into cohorts, and last year was the first time women in the 1989-1994 (year of birth) cohort have been able to take part in the survey. WHoA state that "every generation faces new and different health risks. We don't know exactly what health risks a new generation of young women will face...by completing annual online surveys, Young Australian women can help us uncover their health and wellbeing priorities and also improve health services for women of all ages and for generations to come"
So if you're an Aussie lady born outside of the 1989-1994 cohort, check out the WHoA website here, as there are other surveys you can fill out. Unfortunately you won't be able to take part in the Black Milk campaign, but you will still be able to help shape the future of women's health in Australia!

So that's it.
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
If you're aged between 18-23, help shape the future of Australian women's health, fill out the survey, have the chance to win some awesome, limited edition, will-be-collector's-items leggings. What could be better than that?




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Outfit of the Day: Braving the Mid-driff

I bought this top from Dotti as a total impulse buy...so impulse that I didn't even try it on. I saw it, fell in love with it, and somehow it completely slipped my mind to see if it would fit me. 

Luckily, it did. It's a little bit big, but not too noticeably so. 

I bought the skirt from ASOS, and I just love the little triangle it has cut out in the front. 

 

When I asked J what he thought of the outfit, he started to say something, and then hesitated. I managed to convince him to tell me what he was going to say... "it's a bit bowling-pin-ish" he said. 

What goes through boys heads?

I have no idea what else I have in my wardrobe that I can wear this top with...but I love the pattern so, so much and with the heat we've been getting in Spring, I can definitely see it getting lots of wear in Summer!



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Her Fashion Box: September

It's been quite a while since I unsubscribed from monthly subscription boxes. Although I loved getting surprises in the mail each month, I found I wasn't using all the samples I was receiving, so I was essentially just wasting my money. I still have a box of samples on my desk that I'm still making my way through. Maybe once they've run out I'll re-subscribe to the beauty boxes.

In the meantime, I've subscribed to Her Fashion Box. HFB is a mix of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, delivered to your door every month for $39.95. There's no contracts, and you can cancel anytime. Which is a condition I love, being so fickle and all.

$39.95 is pretty steep, especially since I was paying $30 (combined) for two boxes previously. The difference between this box and others though is that you get a lot more full sized products, thus really getting your money's worth. You get to choose your 'style' as well, and unlike some other boxes that provide the illusion of choice, HFB actually tailors the products you receive to the style you choose. The styles are classic, feminine and trendy. (I signed up to classic)
And if $39.95 is too much, you can sign up to the "Her Fashion Boxette", which is a slightly smaller box at $24.95 per month.

So, I signed up last month, and even though I signed up past the date for September, they sneaked me onto the list anyway, so I got to receive the September box yay!

Here's what was inside:

Black clutch with gold studded detailing (RRP $39.95)

I love clutches, and this one pays homage to Alexander McQueen (only my most favourite designer ever, guys you know me too well!) It's sleek, sophisticated, classic...will go with everything. I'm so in love with it.

'The Midas Touch' Ring (RRP $24.95)

'Androgychic' ID bracelet (RRP $29.95)

Both of these are really cool, real gold-plated pieces of jewellery that I'll actually wear. The ring has little hearts, but is chunky (which is a style that I love, and matches so many of my other rings!) and the bracelet is so effortlessly chic. 

Maybelline Colour Show Nail Polish (RRP $5.95 each)

These are both colours I'll wear, and who doesn't love receiving nail polish? 

Lonvitalite Collagen Firming and Moisturising Facial Mask (RRP $29 for 5 masks)

PureTan Organic Extra Virgin 100% Coconut Oil (RRP $11.95 for 65mL) I received a 15mL sample

I love a good cloth mask, and I especially love moisturising ones given how dry my face is. This mask claims to promote skin renewal to keep 'complexion looking firm, even toned and radiant...smooths fine lines and enhances moisture retention'

I am such a coconut oil lover. Not only is it an amazing hydrating treatment for your skin and hair, but it smells like summer! 

Designer Brands Chubby Lip Crayon (RRP $7.99)

Designer Brands Kohl Pencil (RRP $4.99)

Both of these are soft and pigmented, and easy to apply. I received the lip crayon in the colour 'enchanted rose'. In the booklet that came with the box, it looks like a pretty pinky red colour, but when swatched it comes out fairly neutral. So the colour itself isn't anything amazing, but I'm all about the lips and this is a pretty, neutral colour. I was also in the market for a new kohl eyeliner so I am really happy about receiving this! 

Overall, I could not be happier with what I received in my first month's box. I will use absolutely everything I received, and I genuinely love all of it! I also love that the box comes with a little magazine with details about all the products, and ideas on how to wear and style it all. 

Are you subscribed to any monthly subscription boxes?



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Napoleon Perdis Birthday Haul

For my birthday one of my good friends, BR, gave me a gift voucher for Napoleon Perdis. (Thanks so much B!!!)
Apart from trying out products from the 'NP Set' when I was a teen, I've never had much exposure to their products. So I was pretty excited to get some fun new things to play with.

I ended up picking out two 'color disks' (does it bother anyone else that despite being Australian, NP spells colour the American way?) which are essentially single eye shadows, and a loose eye dust.

 

The colour disks are so, so pretty and so pigmented. I chose two fairly neutral colours, that I could create a variety of looks with. But I also wanted some colours I could just wear on their own for those lazy mornings. 

 

Left - Green Living; Right - Bronze Age

 

The palettes (containers?) themselves are plasticky, and kind of cheap. They have a teensy tiny mirror in them (smaller than the actual eyeshadow) which makes me think 'what's the point?' The packaging also doesn't have any kind of clasp to keep the lid down, which makes me nervous should I want to travel with them. 

The actual eyeshadows though, are smooth, super pigmented and last for ages on the eyelid.

I also picked up the loose eye dust in Bronze Ambition, which is  a bronzey-golden glitter eyeshadow. The packaging on this one is a million times better than the colour disks. I haven't had a chance to play with this one yet, but I'm thinking of using it for night time, when I want to amp up the colour a bit more.

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