Review: Glamourflage HOLA Seaweed Moisturising Toner

I'll be honest, I'm quite new to toners. I've been wanting to get one for a little while now as at 32, my skin is changing (hello old age!). My skin is doing the usual 30's thing of losing collagen, elastin and all that good stuff that we need to be addressing, like yesterday. I've been pretty okay with using skincare for a few years now and skincare is not the chore that it once was to apply. Hell, I even get quite excited when it's time to wash the day away and get into the bathroom. And there is DEFINITELY no more going to sleep with makeup on (okay, except when I might *occasionally* get too drunk, then everything gets disregarded, let's be honest here, we're all guilty of it at one time or another).

Luckily for me and timing would have it, I got sent this bad boy to try out and as we all know how much I love seaweed (if you don't, that's okay, you must be new here, WELCOME!), I jumped at the chance!

What initially struck me was the texture. It's like a liquid gel hybrid, thicker than a liquid but not as thick as a gel (hopefully you'll see what I mean with the pics below). I've never seen a toner with a gel like texture before (although, I'm very new, therefore short-sighted when it comes to toners. Is gel textures in toners a thing?)

Second thing I noticed? The scent. THIS SMELLS AMAZING! It has a fresh, clean, subtle marine scent. I personally LOVE anything that is marine or sea scented. It reminds me of something but I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm thinking maybe a Clinique skincare product, ahh! Not sure! 


So after using this for a good month and a half here's what I've noticed with my skin. My nose pores are CLEAN. I've got large pores on my nose and they also look like they're filled with "gunk". Not black heads by any means but just generally "gunky" (you know what i mean surely?). Because they're less gunky looking, they also look slightly smaller. Ok, I'm not talking "wow they've really closed my pores right up!", but to me it's noticeable and my nose is much more clarified. I'm also not getting as many pimples during my hormonal breakouts. 

My skin is combination (oily t-zone, normal cheeks), so I feel like I'm not visibly seeing any results in my skin being any more hydrated or moisturised. It definitely feels refreshing and does make my skin feel clean and soft after using it. Also, I think it's important to note, not that "squeaky clean" feeling, which *I think* is actually stripping and over-drying your face, so I guess it must be hydrating it to some point. 

I think you'd probably see better results if you had dry skin vs oily, given the nature of being "hydrating". 

Overall, yes I quite like this product and it does make my nose look spectacular, but I would recommend this to those who have dry skin. I think this is really good value for money, as you can see in the pic below. That's how much product I've used in almost 2 months with daily use (I skipped maybe 4 applications where I skipped my whole regime due to tiredness/ can't-be-bothered-ness).

Usage after 2 months.

Back of the box.

RRP: $26AUD (150ml) 
Available: Glamourflage (free shipping over $50)


This product was sent to me for consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Inika Baked Mineral Foundation

Through my journey of "cleaning out" my life and steering towards that "hippy life" of natural and chemical-free products, I feel like there's been a lot of trial and error. Especially with makeup products. I've always been a product (mainly cosmetic) junkie, and I'm definitely the type of person to not stray from my steadfast favourites. Unless it becomes discontinued. Which has happened too many times to mention. I think we've all been in that boat.

Unfortunately, trying to navigate through natural and chemical free cosmetics is not an easy task. Firstly, there's seemingly not as many natural and chemical-free cosmetic brands and products out there. Secondly, not many people review natural and chemical-free products, so you'll have to check it out yourself rather than waiting for reviews. Thirdly, because companies aren't using chemicals to make these products, some of the more natural products don't respond, act or behave the same way. To be honest, most natural products I've found (in the past) just don't perform the way I'd like (or rather, what I'm used to), which is why there's been a lot of trial and error for me.

One of my absolute favourite face products was MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light. It was my holy grail powder for YEARS! There's a couple of reasons why I've stopped using MAC MSFN:
* I'm going as natural and chemical-free (time to make this a drinking game I think. Every time I say chemical-free, take a shot!) as I can.
* I had the most ridiculous amount of products that I really didn't need, so I stopped buying everything and just used what I had. (I've gotten rid of so much in the process of this. I reckon I've cut down my collection by about half, and I STILL have more than 1 person will ever need).
* MAC are no longer cruelty-free, which I personally don't condone and can't support.

After running out of each item of face/ skin makeup, I simply replaced them with natural and chemical-free versions. Nothing compares to some of my chemical favourites but I'm slowly getting there with some good stuff.

One thing I've found that is virtually the same is the Inika Baked Mineral Foundation to replace the MAC MSFN. They're both baked mineral powders that offer a very light, and slightly pearlized/ light reflective finish.

I find the Inika powder is a satin finish rather than a matte finish, which I personally don't look for in any product. I always like a luminous or satin finish to my skin.


The Inika Baked Mineral foundation provides a sheer but flawless finish. I use it to help set my foundation as I like my foundation to be "in place" and set. I feel like I can build it up as much as I would want to without it looking "cakey" at all, even if I've re-powdered throughout the day. It also doesn't initially cling to dry spots or acne, like some powders can do when you have texture and make them look dryer. Even at almost 32 I still get the dreaded flare ups from "that time of the month". The powder also doesn't emphasise my pores or sink into any of my fine lines.

The Inika powder wears evenly throughout the day and I find my makeup still looks reasonably okay when I take it off each night. I usually wear my makeup for about 12 hours easily (from 9am-9/11pm). Even as it wears throughout the day, I don't get any excess build up anywhere on my face so again, no patchiness or cakiness (when you've got those dry spots and powders cling to it, UGH!). I do have pretty good skin with little texture on my face (all texture is condensed to my chin and around my nose/ smile line area).

Being a baked powder, I also find that there's little to no kick up and it doesn't "pool" with powder in the packaging. I always find it discouraging when products do that as you know you're not getting as much product out of it. The Inika powder does last a long time in usage as well. I bought a replacement as I hit pan on my first one probably close to a month ago now, but it's actually still going strong and I'll probably get at least another 2-3 weeks out of it. I'm using it about 5-6 days a week, and I think I'm being pretty generous with the amount applied to my face.

I use the Inika shade in Unity and it's a perfect match. The MSFN shade I used to use was Light or Light Plus in comparison.

This has definitely become my new holy grail powder and it's such a pleasure to use.

RRP: $65AUD
Buy from: Inika   Flora and Fauna    Nourished Life

Earth Day ~ Sunday 22nd April 2018

Earth Day is coming up this Sunday, and while I do as many Earth friendly things as I can, I'm extending the "invitation" to you. I'm putting up some easy and simple ways you can help this planet. We need to think about what we're leaving behind for the next generations to come. This is something we all need to work at together and create a much more beautiful and sustainable planet Earth. So far, we've only got this one so we should be looking after it.

On Earth Day 2018 we're focusing on plastic and plastic pollution. Plastic is becoming a huge, huge problem. We've been seeing this for years, but it just doesn't seem to be slowing down.

What can you do to help?

Ditch the plastic straws!
~ This is probably the one thing you hear again and again and again. Sorry, I'm gonna be telling you once more (for the people at the back). Plastic straws are one of the most wasteful, harmful to the environment, forms of plastic. Only because so many people use them, and they're generally a one-use product. Go for either bamboo, or stainless steel ones. Over time it'll also save you money (one set of straws vs how ever many bags of straws you'll go through over your lifetime). Simple math isn't it? So earth friendly!
Stainless steel straws (curved): Life Basics Curved straws
Stainless steel straws (straight): Ever Eco Straight straws
Bamboo straws: Yourstraw Bamboo straws

Produce/ nut bags:
~ Ditch those one use plastic produce bags when doing your grocery shopping. These bags are so great and hold quite a bit of stuff. They're available in packs of 5 or 8. 
These are the ones I get: Onya reusable produce bags

Beeswax wraps or glassware:
Use glassware to store things in the fridge like leftovers, lunches etc. Glassware is something you'll have as long as you can keep it and it's also great for heating food (vs leeching plastic). It heats more evenly and generally tastes better too. Or you could try out those beeswax food covers which take shape however you use it and can be used until it basically gets destroyed from use.
A range of Beeswax covers: Beeswax covers
More covers: Beeswax covers 2

Change your toothbrush!:
~ Go bamboo! They're more sustainable and are biodegradable. Saves hundreds of plastic
toothbrushes going to landfill. They're also available in kids sizes too.
Get one here: Charcoal Bamboo toothbrush
Or here: Bamboo toothbrush

Sustainable razor:
~ Again, something we go through quite regularly but we don't need to. Go for a safety razor and all you'll need to replace are the blades. This is a much more sustainable and earth friendly thing to do. Again, saving you money in the long run.
This I the one I have: Edwin Jagger safety razor

Bar soap:
~ Okay admittedly bar soap is not as nice as some bottled body washes out there and it does tend to run a little pricier as soap breaks down quicker of course! So you will go through more bars vs bottles of body wash. But it's much better for the environment. I use bar soap for 3 reasons:
* to get rid of all that unnecessary plastic
* so I'm using less chemicals, like sls, sulphates, phlalates and also palm oil
* to help smaller businesses rather than big corporations (also majority of small business do not test on animals either vs companies).
I usually get mine from:
Here: Scrumpy Soap
Or here: Sugarloaf Soap
I also check out Etsy for handmade soaps, which there are a lot so it's very ripe for the picking!

International Women's Day (Who gives a Crap?)

March 8th is International Women's Day. YES! I absolutely love it. Not that everyday shouldn't be inspiring, empowering and justified in some way. This international women's day I want to focus on water equality. I know that this might seem like a strange subject or thing to even really think about to many of you but i've developed a thing for water.

Water is great and essential to life, but water isn't actually abundant like most people think who live in the first, or free, world. Water can easily become contaminated and a lot of work is put into ridding water of viruses and bacteria. What does this really mean though? Having clean water means firstly, you have something to drink. H2O is essential for the body. Having drinkable water means that your community’s water sources won't give make you sick, or give you a virus, (like Giardia or Cryptospyridium, or even gastro), or "drinking" water shares water delegated to septic tanks (ya know, like your toilet water). Poor countries don't necessarily have the funds to put towards clean and seperate water flows and therefore clean, drinkable and cleansing water to their general population.

Living in the first world, you might find it shocking, unbelievable or just plain wrong that 1 in 9 women and children are without clean water (844 million in the world). From there, 1 in 3 women and children do not have access to a clean toilet (2.3 BILLION people worldwide). This means that hygiene goes out the window. The follow on from this is HUGE!

Some examples of the after effects include:

* Babies dying as a result of mothers giving birth in unhygienic conditions.

* Lack of clean water means children get sick with illnesses like diarrhoea, cholera, stunting, pneumonia and worms. 

* Around 289,000 children under 5 die each year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation. Almost 800 children a day. 

* Girls miss and drop out of school (usually around puberty) because there are no appropriate menstrual hygiene services (we'll definitely be taking about this later).

* Almost 500 million adult women are illiterate, accounting for almost two thirds of the world's illiterate population. 

Access to clean water, and therefore toilets, improves women's life conditions as they are then able to

get a decent education. This helps in the long run, as these women are able to contribute and help their community, society as a whole, and most importantly, themselves. Being an active and participative member of her community. This brings women out of poverty. Something as simple as clean water can make or break a women into poverty or not. Can you believe it?

You can help by firstly being aware that this happens every day for so many people worldwide. Tell other people. 

Learn about who Wateraid are and what it is that they do. How they help poor and marginalised communities obtain and keep safe and clean water. Donate if you can. 

In the last year alone Wateraid have helped:

* 1.5 million people to gain access to clean water

* 2.3 million people to gain access to a decent toilet

* 3.2 million people learn and understand about good hygiene

Photo courtesy of Wateraid

Photo courtesy of Wateraid

Another way you can help is by purchasing toilet paper from Who Gives A Crap. Who Gives a Crap is an Australian recycled and bamboo toilet paper company who donates 50% of their profits to building toilets for those in impoverished countries and those without clean toilet facilities (around 40% of the world*). They do this through and with help of Wateraid.

I personally purchase the bamboo 48 roll which lasts me about 6 months which works out to be roughly $1.80AUD a roll. Which, to be honest might seem pricey to some, but when it's being made from sustainable materials (let's talk about wood tress later, maybe), and proceeds are going to help build toilets, and as we just talked about, provide clean and hygienic facilities and women in society as a whole, I can't help but be on board.

You can also purchase recycled toilet paper (it's a bit cheaper), tissues and paper towels.

Sign up at whogivesacrap.org for $10 off your first purchase. You get free shipping over $30 (BONUS!), and designate how often you receive a shipment, like a subscription. The subscription date is very, very easily changed and not a hassle at all. I always have to push back my subscription back to about 26 weeks (tp for 2 people) and they always send a reminder 3 days in advance of the next shipment date. This post in unsponsored and I honestly, wholeheartedly believe in Who Gives a Crap. I  can’t see myself purchasing supermarket toilet paper for as long as this great tp is an option.

PS: #pressforprogress

Websites: 
wateraid.org
whogivesacrap.org

All statistics and facts taken from Whogivesacrap.org and Wateraid. 

Recent empties: episode 2

Hi guys! Back with another edition of recent empties... I have a lot that I've used up since I did the last one of these. I'm focusing on using up what I have, rather than buying more stuff. Very novel right?


The Body Shop Satsuma body butter (jumbo size)
This has taken me FOREVER to use. I'm not a super moisturiser, and just use them when I remember (which is rare, but I'm getting better!). This is my favourite Body Shop scent and I like that it's thick and I feel moisturised for a long time after using the body butters. I also learnt that I definitely prefer smaller packaged things so I feel like I can get through them, rather than something so massive like this, especially when I don't use a product often enough (my staples, however, could benefit from being bath sized in packaging haha).
Would I re-purchase: Yes, but not this size.
Available: The Body Shop stores and online
RRP: $8.95 (mini/ 50ml), $24.95 (regular/ 200ml) and $39.95 (400ml/ jumbo)

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream (full size)
I love this and even though it's more directed at dark circles, I love it for keeping my fine lines at bay. It's moisturising but not too heavy. This is a must have in my skincare regime.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: Mecca Cosmetica and mecca.com.au
RRP: $112

Mario Badescu Vitamin C serum (full size)
Ahhh the skin elixir that is Vitamin C. I swear this is "my secret" to youthful skin. It's just so good! Vitamin C is chock full of good things that do good things for your face. This serum absorbs quickly and makes my skin feel smooth and preped for other skincare and makeup. If I only could use one thing for my skincare routine, this is it. The thing to look for Ascorbic acid if you want a Vitamin C fix.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: $58

Mario Badescu Seaweed night cream (full size)
I love Seaweed (see my post below), and this is another staple in my skincare regime. It moisturises and plumps up my skin and makes it feel uber soft. The only thing that I've found is that I can't use it in conjunction with The Body Shops' Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask, it gives me these weird hives/ break out all over my face.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: Mecca Cosmerica and mecca.com.au
RRP: $33

Neutrogena Hydro Boost gel (full size)
I loved the smell of this but I didn't feel uber hydrated. It was nice and felt good on my skin, but I've definitely used much better moisturisers. I felt like it absorbed too quickly and I thought it would really sit on the skin more given its gel nature.
Would I re-purchase: Only if I was out of and every where was sold out of my faves
Available: Priceline stores and online
RRP: $24.99

Sukin Purifying Facial Masque (full size)
I've had this for a while but I feel like it didn't do much for me. My partner liked it enough but he's not a regular mask user and likes other things better. I didn't end up finishing it and just tossing it as it's quite old.
Would I re-purchase: No
Available: Priceline stores and online
RRP: $15.99

Excuse the dried out clay. as you can see, it was well tested (!?)

Socialeyes lashes in Tease 2.0 and Polished
These are 2 of my fave lashes ever. They've got a thin, very flexible clear band and are super comfy to wear. I personally prefer half lashes for myself and the Tease 2.0 are perfect.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: socialeyes.com.au
RRP: Tease 2.0 $4.95, Polished $5.95

MAC False Lashes mascara (sample)
This is my second sample. Same thoughts as last time. It's ok and I prefer it layered with something else.
Would I re-purchase: No
Available: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: $42 (full size)

By Terry Baume De Rose (sample)
I found this sample and thought I'd give it a go. It's rose scented and normally I dislike anything rose scented and although the scent is initially really strong, it dissipated pretty quickly. The lip balm is thick but not uncomfortable. It did make my lips soft and they felt slightly plumper after using it. If it weren't for the rose scent, I would like this.
Would I re-purchase: No
Available: Mecca.com.au
RRP: $84

Batiste XXL dry shampoo (mini/ sample)
I love Batiste dry shampoos, but I didn't like this  like some of the other "flavours". It didn't make my hair massive and give it much volume, I would recommend a Volumising product for that. It did soak up the oils from my hair and revive it.
Would I re-purchase: Not this particular one, but a Batiste dry shampoo, yes
Available: Priceline and most supermarkets
RRP: $12.99 (200ml), $19.99 (400ml)

Tresemme Heat Tamer Protective spray (full size)
This has been a staple product in our house since I first discovered it. It works well and smells great. My partner dislikes all other protective sprays but loves this. I'll be honest, he's a little "protective" about his hair... I guess that's a Leo for you haha.
Would. I re-purchase: Yes, already have
Available: Priceline
RRP: $7.99

Moroccan Oil treatment (full size)
This is my holy grail hair product! If I could bath in this I would. My hair is in better condition thanks to this baby. And the smell? OOOHHH I DIE! If they could make this into a fragrance, or candle or something, I would be one very happy camper. Even though it's an oil, it doesn't make your hair greasy at all. I also find it makes my hair dry quicker too. 
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have 
Available: Most hairdressers, adorebeauty.com.au, catwalk.com.au 
RRP: $59.95 

Redken Refining Sea Polish (full size)
This is basically a "liquid pumice" that you use to exfoliate the hair. I loved the feeling of rubbing this through my hair and the results afterwards were amazing. My hair always looked so shiny and healthy. I'm so sad they discontinued it. Exfoliating shampoos, in my opinion, just aren't the same. 
Would I re-purchase: Yes, if it were not discontinued
Available: Discontinued 

What have you guys been loving this month? Beauty staples that you purchase again and again? I wanna know! :) 

Review: Madam Glam gel nail polish

I received these a while back, but had to buy all the equipment associated with doing gel nails at home, like an LED lamp etc. I'm also quite new to gel nails, and definitely a novice for an at home session so I gave these a few trials before I wanted to write this review up.

I received the shades:
* Quicksilver (soak off gel polish) ~ glittery white silver
* Plum Addict (soak off gel polish) ~ a rich plum
* Dancing in the Moonlight (colour chameleon gel polish) ~ glitter pink when warm, glitter purple when cold
* A La Mode (colour chameleon gel polish) ~ warm bubblegum pink when warm, dark purple when cold

Quicksilver

Quicksilver

Plum Addict

Plum Addict

Dancing In The Moonlight

A La Mode

First Impressions:
I am especially taken with the colour changing "chameleon" gels. I love anything "gimmicky", glittery and fun like that, so these are right up my alley! My fave shade out of all 4 I received is definitely Dancing in the Moonlight.
I applied a thin layer, cured for 2 minutes, another thin layer, another 2 minutes and repeat again. Both Quicksilver and Dancing in the Moodlight applied thicker, due to being a heavier, glitter base, but I was able to get thin layers quite easily.
All 4 brushes aren't too thin, and definitely not as wide as a lot of polish brushes are. They move easily and feel very controlled when applying the polish. I personally found there was a tendency to go "outside the lines", but I'm not especially careful when applying nail polish. I'll happily scrape/ clean up the residue with my other nails. However, if you do that too, I'd recommend cleaning up before curing, as it's much tougher to clean up. Or you could find a bottle of that latex product that people seem to be using more frequently. 
The nail application goes on smooth without too much fuss and cure evenly too. 

Again, with the 2 glittery shades, Quicksilver and Dancing in the Moonlight, being thicker, they were opaque by 2 coats, both Plum Addict and A La Mode were opaque with 3 coats, all of which you do want to be thin so curing is quicker and you get a more even, smooth finish. 

Being the novice that I am, especially when it comes to gels, these are easy to use and complete novices, and of course, pros, won't have an issue using them. 
On my second "real" go, it took me maybe 25 minutes to do both hands and feet. They're fantastic, as once cured, there's no drying time, so you're good to go without having to be cautious about wrecking your polish job. 

They smell plasticky, and do smell compared to other nail polishes. I'd advise doing them in a decent space with good air flow, which you should be doing anyway. 

Easy to remove? On my fingers, a few nails peeled off (with assistance), and I just picked the rest off (naughty naughty!). On my toes, I just used a non acetone nailpolish remover, it did take a fair effort and time, so I would advise buying an actual soak off remover to make the process easier and quicker. 


After a month:
I don't know what it is, but I cannot keep these on my fingernails, but my toe nails? These last forever!
Fingers: I believe that it was completely my non prep as to why these polishes didn't work on my finger nails: (a list for total transparency)
* My finger nails were too smooth (I buffed and shined my nails before use).
* I didn't use a base coat, so the polish didn't stick as it should.
* I'm pretty hard on my nails (yes, I use my nails for everything like opening cans etc, which you "shouldn't" do... They are tools to me lol).
* I used just a normal OPI top coat afterwards.
So maybe this review is flawed as I didn't do everything, or really, anything, to get the best performance out of these polishes. On my fingernails, they lasted just under 2 weeks.

Toe nails:  All of the shades lasted well over a month, until I took them off to put another shade on. I didn't buff my toe nails and I don't do anything crazy, or strenuous with my toes haha. So I'm going to say it was these 2 main reasons that my fingers didn't last as long. Each colour remained opaque and chip free from application. You could see my nail grow out before application was altered in any way.


The colour change polishes didn't faulter in any way, from application to removal, they kept changing colour from warm/ hot to cold, and under water.


Would I purchase?:
After my personal shittiness with my fingers, I would still say yes. These work very well on my toes and last longer and don't chip like normal polish. There are a TON of amazing colours from neutrals, through to neons and glitters and my personal faves, colour change chameleons. You can also buy everything you need like base/ top coats, starter kits etc on the website. I bought my LED lamp on Ebay for like $5.


Available: madamglam.com
RRP: from $19.95USD

Madam Glam ships worldwide


All Madam Glam items sent to me for consideration, as always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Farfetch Wishlist; and what's in my makeup bag!

I'm an online shopper. I love spending hours just trawling through websites, especially the beauty ones! I've been a long time lover of the website Farfetch and wanted to show you what's on my beauty Wishlist and to tell you Farfetch have opened up it's NEW beauty boutique Space NK Apothecary. 

These are my TOP 5 Wishlist items!!! (this excludes those amazing Sophia Webster wing heels!!)

~ My Daily Essentials Makeup Bag ~

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Benefit High Beam

NARS Luminous Silk foundation

NARS Radiant Creamy concealer

Hourglass Dim Light Luminous powder 

TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow Pomade

MAC Painterly Paintpot

MAC Vanilla pigment

MAC Blacktrack fluidline

Ardency Inn Black Modster eye pencil

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara

MAC Creme Cup lipstick

Sneak Peak into my goodie bag!

All my daily faves!! 

All prices in AUD$. 
All items available on Farfetch.com/au

All pictures from Farfetch.com.au and as an entry to the Farfetch Beauty Blogger competition.