Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

To those of you heading out, be safe and have fun.

To those of you that, like us, are staying home, make sure you do something, however small, to bring in the year.

I look forward to sharing some new finds with you next year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Lovelies!

Hope you all have a wonderful day filled with love, laughter, fun and great food!

Love,

Olivia

Xxooxx

Skin B5

Afternoon Lovelies!

It's almost Christmas!  Where has the year gone?

I received an email from the lovely Michelle over at Skin B5 a couple of months ago, asking if i'd be interested in reviewing the range.  I jumped at the opportunity.  I'm a past cystic acne sufferer, and still get hormonal acne (although it's nothing like it used to be), and therefore am passionate about treatment options.

The Skin B5 philosophy is that in order to treat acne, you need to use products both externally and internally.  So the range consists of a cleanser, moisturiser and mask for the external, and 2 different tablets for the internal. 

There's the Acne Control Cleansing Mousse.  It (from the website) "Tightens & unclogs pores, Removes excess skin oil, Soothes troubled skin, Removes dead skin, Prevents breakouts, Refines skin texture,Effectively removes makeup"

I really like the cleanser, but i will dispute one thing.  I found it didn't remove makeup all that well.  Not a problem for me these days, i used a cleansing oil first and then used the cleanser, but i can see it being an issue for younger people.  As a teen i wore makeup each and every day, i hated my skin and tried everything i could to hide the acne i had.   And had i used a system like this, i wouldn't have strayed from it.  So, to me, a product like this either has to remove every miniscule amount of makeup, or there needs to be another step to the system to ensure that the issue is taken care of (even a list of acceptable products).

Other than that, i love this.  It leaves my skin soft and smooth, i find i don't need to exfoliate as it does a great job of removing dead skin, and it doesn't leave my skin feeling tight at the end.

The second step is the Skin Purifying Mask.  It "Cleanses acne prone skin - potent antibacterial properties, Purifies - absorbs and extracts oils and impurities, Soothes and heals skin surface and irritation, Helps to renew skin condition, FAST acting - see the difference in just 5 minutes!".

It really is a fast mask, you leave it on for 5-odd minutes, then rinse off.  You can use it as a mask twice a week, or as a spot treatment as needed.  It smells lovely, and really leaves your skin feeling beautiful.

Then finally there's the Acne Control Moisturiser,  It "Prevents breakouts, Non-comedogenic, Easily absorbed, Evens skin tone, Tightens pores, Control shine".

It's a thinner moisturiser, so i don't know how people with really dry skin would find it.  Otherwise it did what it claimed, and was the perfect finish to the other products.

Then we have the internal products.  There are 2 different tablets, one is the Acne Control Caplets (the smaller tablets), the other the Acne Control Extra Strength Tablets (the larger tablets). 

The Extra Strength Tablets are for those people with moderate to serious acne.  They "Potent formula to help control more serious acne, Helps control skin oil production - suitable for acne sufferers with very oily skin, Supports skin healing and renewal, Supports healthy immune function, Provides powerful anti-blemish antioxidants, Helps relieve stress".  The biggest surprise for me was how it worked on my stress levels.  I have anxiety, and my husband went away for 2 weeks when this package rocked up.  I was expecting (as was hubby) to be fairly frazzled by the time he came home, but i wasn't.  I was noticeably calmer, and things didn't get to me as much.  Plus my skin glowed :)

The Caplets are for those of us who have mild acne or occasional breakouts.  These have Vitex in them (which the others don't), which is a herb that helps regulate hormones (it's something women who have irregular cycles and are TTC turn to for help).  So these should help those of us who suffer from those hormonal breakouts.

After all that, the big question.  Did the range help my skin?

Honestly, i didn't notice a huge difference to my acne.  In saying that, my skin is pretty clear the majority of the time.  What i did notice was a change in my skin itself.  It was smoother, and clearer (if that makes sense).  It didn't seem to be clogged up with gunk, and if anything my pores and acne scars seemed less noticeable.  Plus it seemed to glow from within, with the added bonus of my stress and anxiety levels dropping dramatically.

The Skin B5 range is wonderful, and definitely worth trying for those of us who are battling acne and It's available from the Skin B5 website.

Thank you so much Michelle and the Skin B5 team for the opportunity to review the range!

Redpawpaw Summer 2015

Evening all!

It's that time again!  RPP have joined forces with Subscription Box Australia, so that's the Facebook page to ask questions on etc (i know last box it was a bit up in the air about why the RPP facebook page had disappeared, and whether or not the company was in trouble).  They also posted full spoilers for the box, although not all the spoilers were in my box (not sure if that's intentional, and you just get a random mix, or if there's stuff missing.  From past boxes it's probably a random mix).

But, on to the exciting part, the contents!

The box was really heavy!  Same box, as per usual.

Fantastic Thinner Bite Black Rice Crackers-sample size 10c
Nature Valley Crunchy Bars-sample size $1.98
Uncle Toby's Yoghurt and Strawberry Lunchbox Bars-full size $3.99
Belvita Breakfast Muesli Biscuits-full size $4.00

Campbell's Real Soup Bases in Moroccan, Italian and Asian-full size $5.00 each

Sipahh Chrismint Straws-sample size $1.28
Kraft Crunchy Hazelnut Spread-full size $5.70
Tic Tac Candy Cane-full size $1.69
Darrell Lea Choc Stix-full size 79c each

Well Good Coconut Flour-??  A lovely looking recipe for Banana and Raspberry bread was included, using this flour.
Qi Teas sample packs-??

Value=$35.12

Is it up to normal Redpawpaw standards?  Not really.  However everything in the box will get used.  I have raspberries here, and some overripe bananas, so that coconut flour has plans, i've already eaten the liquorice/milk choc stix, my eldest desperately wants a sipahh straw, and the rest will be eaten over time.  And i love that there were some Christmas-y items included.

I'd love to know your thoughts, i don't know how many people still subscribe to RPP, and whilst i think it's ok, i'm not sure about everyone else.

Jamberry Nail Wraps

Afternoon All!

I'm sure you've all heard of Jamberry by now (unless you live under a rock).  It's a huge craze that hit our shores from America at the start of October.  Jamberry are a range of nail products, mostly known for their nail wraps, but they also sell polishes, gel polishes and nail/hand care products.

The nail wraps are vinyl wraps that are made to stay put for up to 2 weeks.  You get 18 wraps per pack, which will do a couple of manicures and pedicures, plus some feature nails (which honestly depends on the size of your nails.  The bigger your nails the less you are going to get out of a pack.  The smallest wraps might fit Miss A's nails, but they don't come close to mine).  There are 300-odd designs, so something for everyone, and you can search by colour, finish, and by collection.

Application of the wraps is a bit fiddly (although if you're ever done gel nails at home, it's no harder or longer).  The wraps need to be heated to seal to your nails, which can be done with a hair dryer or you can buy a heater from Jamberry (i used a hair dryer, and didn't find it too difficult).  There are a few methods, and plenty of youtube tutorials covering them all, so i won't go in to too much detail.  The biggest problem i found was sourcing all the different things you need, without buying them all directly from the company.  You need an alcohol wipe (i ended up using my gel nails prep instead), a soft cuticle stick (which i think was the hardest of all, the wooden ones are a dime a dozen, but finding a soft one proved to be hard.  Priceline sell a Models Prefer one at a decent price, but it isn't the softest), sharp, small scissors, a nail file, tweezers and of course your heat source.  Some are easy to find, or you should have them on hand, but having to go out and source particular things just to do my nails put me off a bit.  Once you have them it isn't an issue, though.

These were my nails the first day i applied the wraps.  There were a few creases in some nails, but all in all they weren't too bad.  I found application to be fairly simple, however i think practice makes perfect.  If anything finding the right size for your nails was the hardest part, it's recommended that you pick a wrap slightly smaller than your nail, but finding that perfect size for some nails was difficult (you can cut the wraps if needed).  i love the way they look on my nails, though.

Wear after 2 days

Wear after 4 days

Wear after 6 days

I ended up taking the wraps off after 6 days.  As you can see by then they had lifted beyond repair (small lifts i had filed off until then).  To remove them i just used my DB Instant Nail Polish Remover and Primer.

I really enjoyed the wraps!  I kind of can't wait to use them again, to see if i can get a better result.  They are gorgeous, and lasted longer on my nails than gels.  They didn't last quite as long as i hoped, but that may have been user error.

Gripes are mainly with the company.  When looking for info for this post i found a lot of the website missing.  The links are there, but there is only an error message when you click on them.  Things like 'How to apply nails', 'contact us', 'about us', 'FAQs', things that if i was buying from the company i'd want to know.  I'd get it if the company had just opened for business, but they've been in Australia since the 1/10, so over 2.5 months.  I know there are demonstrators you can ask questions, but what happens if i don't know one?  Or i want to order at 2am and no-one's awake?  I can buy, but if i want to know anything else tough luck?  Seems off to me.

However none of that has anything to do with the demonstrator who kindly sent me these to try.  She's the lovely Alley Trumper https://alleytrumper.jamberry.com/au/en/ , and she would be happy to answer any questions you have about the wraps, or any other product in the Jamberry range.  Plus she has an amazing Facebook group where you can see other people's wraps, ask questions etc.

Thank you so much Alley!  I've loved trying them out.

Marie Claire The Parcel Summer Edit 2015

 Morning Lovelies!

Look what's here!  It actually arrived on Friday, but with all the end of year stuff we have going on atm, today is the first day i've had the chance to sit down and blog (Miss A and Master P had their school Christmas concert on monday, I had a craft group christmas party yesterday, we went to carols last night and Master T got to perform with his playgroup.  Add in my parents being here and the general work and we're flat out).

The box was packed!

First up, the 'colour' part of the box.  This quarter had a Maybelline NY Color Elixir Lip Gloss ($17.95), a Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure ($14.95) and a Maybelline NY The Colossal Pumped Up Volum' Express Mascara ($19.95).  The Color Elixir is a lovely lip gloss, not too sticky, the colour lasts a decent amount of time, and it's reasonably moisturising.  The nail polish, whilst a gorgeous colour, didn't last particularly well on my nails (but, of course, my nails tend to be oily, so polishes usually don't last a great deal of time).  As for the mascara, i haven't touched it.  I have a stock of mascaras waiting to be used, so this will have to wait for a little while.  With these, though, the price of the box is well and truly made back.

We have 2 Lonvitalite Face Masks ($39 for a pack of 5).  I just can't get excited over these, i have tonnes from various boxes over the years, and i'm not a huge face mask person (i just don't have the time for them).  A lot of people swear by them though.

Then we have sample sizes of Elizabeth Arden Superstart Skin Renewal Booster ($85), Paula's Choice Vitamin C Treatment ($70) and Michael Kors 24K Brilliant Gold ($110).  This is one of the reasons i really like The Parcel.  They send out high end samples, along with full sized products i can get at my local Priceline.  The Elizabeth Arden is 'clinically proven to restore the appearance of the skins surface layer for supple, smooth, more radiant looking skin' (sounds interesting), the Paula's Choice 'is ideal for spot-treating wrinkles, stubborn brown spots and post acne discolourations', and the Michael Kors is 'designed to reflect the opulence and luxury of the highly prized metal' (who knew gold smelt like jasmine?  From my time around jewellers it kinda smells like metal).

Following that, there is a sample size Swisse Deep Sea Hydrating Mist Toner ($9.99), a sample size Trilogy Make-up Be Gone Cleansing Balm ($36.90) and a Zoeva Eye Pencil ($17).  The toner is perfect for freshening up on the run this summer (which is supposed to be a scorcher), Trilogy stuff is always lovely and this smells lovely, and the brush (a 230 Luxe Pencil) is so lovely and soft.  I love getting brushes in boxes, especially good quality ones.

Finally we have travel sizes of OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo and Conditioner ($17.99).  I've wanted to try these, so now i can!  So far i'm not convinced that they're worth the money, the Aldi equivilent seems identical.

The Maybelline Lipgloss and Sally Hansen nail polish

In full sizes alone the Summer Edit of The Parcel is worth $69.85.  It has a great range of products and brands, and is perfect for the summer ahead.