Adelaide Hair and Makeup Trade Show haul

Today was the first day of the 2 day Adelaide Hair and Makeup trade show. It runs until 6pm tomorrow, Sunday 27th September. It's the first trade show for the beauty industry that Adelaide has had.

It is designed, not just for the professionals, but also those who just love makeup, so anyone was welcome. 

My experience:

I was underwhelmed by the whole thing. I arrived at 7:30am (doors opened at 8am), as I expected a line up. No one else rocked up until 5 minutes to 8am. The convention centre was pretty dead until roughly 10:30-11am. There were a handful of stalls, the only ones seeming impressive being Crown Brushes and Inglot, as they were the largest and had loads of product (also being the main sponsors). 

Bosa Beauty were late (due to flights etc), and when they did unpack (which was uber slow), they had very little product (within less than 10 minutes the 5 Too Faced Melted lipsticks they had were sold out. They stocked no TheBalm or Nars products but had a massive suitcase of those Full Lips thingys). My friend and I were told to buy online if we wanted anything. 

It took maybe 2 hours going back and forth to really look at everything. My friend and I ended up leaving, going to Mecca Cosmetica instead, spent our cash there and then went back for the Brittney Lee Saunders Q and A at 2:30pm. Straight after that we went home. 

Maybe my expectations were higher as I thought people would flock to this thing. It's the first time Adelaide has had anything like this, so anyone who wasn't able to get to IMATS and the like would go for this, hence why I thought it would be busy, packed and the reason I turned up so early. I definitely won't be attending tomorrow. 

What I bought: 

5 Crown Brushes (2 blending brushes, a powder brush, an eyebrow spoolie and a concealer buffing brush)

An Inlgot AMC lipgloss

An Inglot Sculpting powder for contouring in shade 504

Mecca haul:

Bumble and Bumble Seaweed shampoo and conditioner

Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Luminous Light

(Btw the girls at Mecca are so lovely!)

Overall, it was very underwhelming, although I did see Chloe Morello walk past, totally fangirled and couldn't even say hello. Who even does that? Haha. I fully had sweaty and shaky hands, heart pumping out of my chest and literally speechless. Ahhhh! 

Kiss and Tell: bright pink lipstick day!

Tomorrow, Friday the 25th, is Bright Pink Lipstick Day! 

Pink Hope is a charity for preventative health for breast cancer.
Now in its 4th year, Pink Hope aims to encourage Australians to have a conversation about their family's heriditary health, specifically their risk of breast and ovarian cancer. This is a big one, with many people having it in their family, many people who already have it, many who have survived it and unfortunately, many who will get it.

Statistics: (for Australia)
In 2015 there will be a projected:
15,740 people with new cases, of those, 
15,600 are women 
145 are men. Yes men do get breast cancer.

When/ what/ how to check:  * You should be checking your breasts once a month, ideally avoiding the week before and after your period for better detection. 
* Any type of "lump" should be investigated, no matter what it feels like. 
* Go to a doctor and get them to show you how it should be properly done if you're unsure. No need to feel ashamed, it's what they're there for! 
* Get your partner involved to "help check" as sometimes a partner has a good idea on how things feel and sometimes will be the first to know when something's up.
* Try to minimise the use of a bra, as the wires can block the lymph nodes. 
* Get a Pap smear every 2 years, (make it even or odd years 20, 22 etc, whatever works for you, so you don't forget).

It's all about preventative measure, rather than dealing with it, should it ever happen. 

Together with Pink Hope, Luma Cosmetics have come out with a Limited Edition Bright Pink lipstick for this cause and is available at lumacosmetics.com.au with 100% of proceeds going directly to the Pink Hope charity. 
RRP: $19.95

Other ways you can help (all help is appreciated, no matter how big, or small!):
~ Upload a pic on Instagram, on Friday the 25th of September making your promise to "kiss and tell" using the campaign hashtags #BrightPinkLipstickDay and #Lumacosmetics 

~ You can donate to Pink Hope at pinkhope.org.au (it's tax deductible for donations over $2)

~ Visit pinkhope.org.au and support the campaign


Statistics from canceraustralia.gov.au

Adelaide Hair and Beauty Trade show

GET EXCITED ADELAIDIANS!!

We are FINALLY getting our own beauty trade show. I AM SOOO EXCITED!!

Not all of us have the means or time to travel to Sydney to go to IMATS. In all honesty, this probably won't be as big, but it is still so exciting. Especially for someone who has never been to a trade show. 

There are going to be makeup and hair artists doing shows over the 2 days (see details below), with big stars like Rae Morris, Mia Connor and Martin Bray (to name a few, there are many more). If training shows aren't your thing, then obviously there will be plenty of brand stalls to pick up some goodies, some at a discount too. 


Get your tickets here:
kohlandcapri.com.au

Sat or Sun day pass (1 day): $20
Sat and Sun 2 day pass: $30

September 26th (Saturday) and 27th (Sunday)
At the Adelaide Convention Centre
Doors open at 8am and close at 6pm

Body Scrub showdown

Well, it's August and less than one month until Winter is officially over!

What does that mean? It's mean it's time to start the de-hibernation process. Scrubs, moisturisers and tanning. 

I've tried a few scrubs over "my time" and here's the low down on what I've found and what I like and not so much...

Frank
This is a coffee scrub with orange and almond oil being one of its main ingredients which leaves the skin soft and feeling moisturised afterwards. I find this is particularly awesome as I hate having to moisturise myself afterwards so to me, it's a 2 in 1 number. A few people I've talked to however, don't like the feeling of the residue oils on the skin, so I think this is for ahem "lazy" people or those who don't mind that oil feeling and take it for what it is. 
The smell is amazing and smells like Jaffas. The only real downside to this (and any other scrub to be honest), it makes a mess. You will get coffee grains EVERYWHERE! So prep some time to cleaning up when you use this. 
Repurchase: Yes, this is my favourite scrub
Available: frankbody.com.au
RRP: $14.95 (free shipping)

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar scrub
This is a fantastic cheaper scrub version that I love. It's gritty in all the right places and doesn't melt down a lot. This one is great at getting off those last remnants of tan without over-exfoliating your poor skin. I remember this being the first scrub I ever used and I used it for years until I decided to try out other things. 
Repurchase: Yes
Available: Priceline and most supermarkets
RRP: $11.99

The Body Shop body scrub
I'm pretty sure this is a sugar scrub with the way that it melts and very quickly loses its "scrub" factor. I do like something that is quite gritty and for me, for the price, I do expect something more gritty and scrubby.  There's a ton of flavours, and as always with The Body Shop products, new limited edition scents. After using this I find that it leaves a "moisturising" residue, although I'm not a fan of this residue (it must be what the Frank go-ers mean about those oils), I feel like it's almost like it's dirty and sticks to you. It's not enough to make me want to scrub my body clean, but it's not ideal.
Repurchase: No
Available: thebodyshop.com.au and in store
RRP: $23.95

The Body Shop body polish
This is more of a plastic bead type of scrub vs the above sugar scrub. This comes in a tube bottle and again, has a ton of flavours. I find this slightly more gritty than the body scrub, due to the grains not losing their shape as fast, but it still leaves me wanting more. 
Repurchase: No
Available: thebodyshop.com.au and in store
RRP: $11.95

Summer Salt Body
This is a VERY intense salt scrub. Be warned: do not use this if you have shaved anywhere within the past 24 hrs, it will BURN! (thats the salt). I bought the limited edition Pineapple, Watermelon and Coconut summer one. It smelled amazing and the 3 scents were broken into layers so you can use each scent by layer until they mix up further on down the bag. This is a scrub I would use very gently as you can easily irritate your skin, so sensitive skinners, beware, this may not be a product for you. Even though it has sugar in it, and as one of its main ingredients, it didn't break down like other sugar scrubs. Also, 2 things that really put me off, 1. the random water droplets that inevitably occur, acted like glue and made the scrub form clumps which aren't easy to break up; 2. eventually ALL of those little drops of water start to accumulate in the bottom of the packet and essentially turn the bottom stuff into a sludge. It still remains granulated but it's not that nice so I ended up chucking it out when I got the the bottom. Although it does say, use within 6 weeks and I definitely had mine a lot longer...
Repurchase: On the fence. It has the perfect scrubby-ness but, the not-so-nice extras kill. 
Available: summersaltbody.com
RRP: $16.90 

Have you tried any of these? What's your favourite body scrub? 

Favourite Winter lipsticks

I love dark vampy lipstick, and winter time is perfect for bringing out those sultry shades.

These are my faves and what I'm wearing this season!

MAC Russian Red (matte)
A Red can be a winter classic. Russian Red is blue based which fits in with those colder months (vs being yellow/ orange based). It's a great way to use a little colour against those blacks, greys and other darker shades.
Purchase: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: $36

Shanghai Suzy Mrs French Winter Maroon (matte)
I love Shanghai Suzy, and this range of winter shades are amazing. This is a beautiful plum and very wearable. This sways more burgundy than MAC Rebel. It also smells like grape bubblegum
Purchase: Shanghaisuzy.com
RRP: $12.95

MAC Rebel (satin)
This is my ultimate go to shade for winter, but then again, I definitely wear this all year round. It's a beautiful plum, which sways purple vs burgundy. This is a staple in anybody's lipstick stash.
Purchase: MAC store, counters and online
RRP: $36

Colourpop Pitch (matte)
This is such a 90s shade. Deep chocolate brown. I like this version as its so cheap, so you can try it out without breaking the bank. Pitch has full coverage, and even though it's described as a matte, its a very nourishing matte and not that flat, traditional matte.
Purchase: Colourpop.com
RRP: $5USD

OCC Sebastian
Cheating a little bit, this is a pencil, but OCC do do this in a lip tar to match (Or you could also try MAC Stone when that comes out, which is a matte). This is very on trend right now, that kind of stone, dark beige lip. If you want to try out this colour but it washes you out a little, try using this as an ombre lip on the outside with a nice nude in the middle (I like MAC Patisserie for an ombre look).
Purchase: Lipstickrepublic.com.au
RRP: $20 (lip tar $24)

Swatches T-B: Russian Red, Mrs French, Rebel, Pitch and Sebastian. 

What shades are you loving for winter? 

Review: Clearasil Daily Clear Superfruits

I got sent these products and to be honest, I initally thought, "Clearasil, god I haven't used their products since I was a teenager and first getting acne, what can these do for me?" and was hesitant to try them out, but since I've been using them, my opinion has definitely changed.

What Clearasil has to say about the Superfruits range:

"Clearasil Daily Clear Superfruits is a brand new kind-to-skin range which contains effective skin-clearing ingredients, plus Vitamin B3 and Superfruits known for their antioxidant properties – with raspberry and cranberry extracts." 

We all know by now how much I love my antioxidants. This is my review for 2 of their "general" face products, the Superfruits Refreshing Scrub and Wash. By general, I mean, not specifically targeted towards acne prone skin. These are also the newest products from Clearasil's line. 
I started using the Superfruits Refreshing scrub and wash in my skincare regime on the 1st of June.

                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Impressions: 
The smell is incredible! The scent is raspberry and cranberry according to Clearasil, and I definitely agree with the raspberry. It is super fruity and the scent is just delicious. It is definitely the first thing you notice. Neither leave your skin feeling tight and feel nice to apply. 

After a month: (daily use)

Superfruits Refreshing Wash:

Every time I use this I am just so delighted with the smell. I'm always more inclined and want to use a product that smells delicious. It leaves my skin feeling cleansed and not overly so. I dislike cleansers that make your skin feel "too clean". By too clean, I mean tight and "squeaky clean". I only got one whitehead pimple the whole time I was using this, and oddly it was after my time of the month (which I get one cystic during) so that was interesting. Maybe a positive sign to the product working and removing the toxins from my skin, which is why you should always use a product for a good 21-28 days before trying something new and jumping ship. That way you get a true result if the product is working or doing nothing. Also a little goes a long way with this cleanser, after a month of both myself and my partner using it everyday (twice a day for myself), there's a little under half bottle left, so definitely good value for money. Overall I really liked it and enjoyed using it. 

*My partner usually uses what I have around and I asked him what he thought about it and he prefers this wash vs the others that I've recently used (Glamourflage Olive cleanser and The Body Shop Seaweed cleanser). He says that the Superfruits wash really works for him and would definitely keep using it. He also really likes the scent too. 

Superfruits Refreshing Scrub:

The scrub also smells delicious and has those little plastic beads in it vs a grainy scrub. I found after about 2 weeks in, that the scrub is too harsh to be using everyday, as the label says, and as I was doing. I think if you do have acne prone skin and use it everyday, you could be making your situation worse and really increasing the oil produced by your skin, so I would go easy on how often you use it. I would suggest every 2-3 days. One thing that "bugged" me (but could easily be avoided), is that water gathers in the cap of the scrub which stays there and doesn't naturally drain (you have to turn the cap as if you were to remove it to get the water out. However, I use and keep mine in the shower which is why it happened, as I said, easily avoidable and easy to remedy but found a little eh. I would recommend this for those who already have clear skin who like a more gentle 2-3per week scrub. 

                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would I re-purchase?

Yes to the wash, no to the scrub. 

I prefer The Body Shop Vitamin C microdermabrasion scrub, but I don't dislike the Superfruits scrub. I just think the Microdermabrasion scrub works better for my skin and what I want out of a scrub. 

I absolutely LOVE the face wash, but I'm torn, as I really love The Body Shop Seaweed cleanser (my all time fave!) and the Glamourflage Olive cleanser too (the 2 I've been using of recent). I want to add it in, but I don't know where haha. #firstworldproblems. It has the full approval of my partner (see above) so I'll repurchase it for him for sure (and just steal it hahaha). #problemsolved

I can't get enough of the scent of both products, so if you love fruity scented goodness, these are definitely worth grabbing!! 

Day:

Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing wash

Mario Badescu Vitamin C serum

Olay SPF30 Moisturiser

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream

Night:

Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing wash

Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing Scrub (every second night)

Mario Badescu Seaweed night cream

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream

Glamourflage Luscious Lucy face cream for neck and décolletage

Available: Most supermarkets and Priceline

RRP: from $10.99

Please note: I stop using all previous cleansers and scrubs for the purpose of a full, proper review, and used both for a full month before posting. Products were sent to me for review and I chose these 2 from the Clearasil range as I thought these would suit me best. As always, thoughts are 100% my own and honest. Pictures taken from the Clearasil website. 

Winter Skin Saviours

We all know that winter is horrible to our skin. With heaters, air conditioners and the cold air, our skin gets dehydrated very quickly and what happens to our skin when it dries out? The "cracks" start to appear. By cracks, this could be anything from flaky skin, to those pesky fine lines showing up more and more frequently. So we must hydrate! Today I'm going to show you some of my fave products to get back that beautiful skin.

In winter, you may need a richer moisturiser to really penetrate the skin vs something a bit lighter in summer. HOWEVER, YOU ALSO STILL NEED A SUNSCREEN. Those rays are gonna get ya, trust me. Is it night 24/7 during winter? No, therefore the sun is still out, even if it's raining 24/7.
TOP TIP: Your hands and décolletage are the first places to start showing signs of ageing so slather on that sunscreen on those 2 places.
Sunscreen: Anything SPF30+ is best.
Try:
Eco Tan Natural Coconut Sunscreen
Available: Shelivescrueltyfree.com and most health food shops
RRP: $39.95 

The Cancer Council
Available: Priceline
RRP: from $6.99

Moisturiser:
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask
Available: The Body Shop
RRP: $44.95

Eye creams are a must in winter to help combat those fine lines.
Kate Somerville Cytocell: this is a beautiful eye cream that is not super thick but feels like it's doing its job. I've been using this lately and really enjoying it.
Available: Mecca Cosmetica, Maxima and mecca.com.au
RRP: $98

Origins Plantscription anti-anging eye treatment: I really enjoy this eye cream too, and I also enjoy the smell. To me it smells natural but not everyone will like it.
Available: Mecca Maxima and mecca.com.au
RRP: $58

Flaky skin, and lips are also prevalent in winter, so a lip scrub and balm is a must!
Lush lip scrub: I'm still working on my Santa lips from xmas, but the bubblegum is also delicious!
Available: Lush stores and online
RRP: $9.95

Sara Happ lip scrub: try the vanilla bean or creme brûlée, YUM!
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: $31 (free shipping)

The Body Shop lip balm: this comes in an assortment of flavours, my faves being Honey, Watermelon and Shea.
Available: The Body Shop and bodyshop.com.au
RRP: $6.95

Sukin Nourishing lip balm
Available: Priceline
RRP: $7.99

Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia and Caramel Creme
Available: Priceline
RRP: $5.70

The body also needs attention, so a moisturising body scrub is always a good choice:
Frank Body scrub: because this is loaded with sweet almond and orange oils (it smells like jaffas!), this is the perfect choice for hot showers, and leaves your skin feeling super smooth and super hydrated, because really, who wants to rub moisturiser all over themselves after a hot shower, in the cold.
Available: frankbody.com
RRP: $14.95 (free shipping within Australia, from $6.45 Rest of the World).

Something to soothe the winter blues:
Tea: I'm a massive fan of flavoured teas. It's a delicious, warm way to warm up. My faves would be Governors Estate Peach tea, Qi Green tea, Matcha Maiden Matcha, T2 Toasty Nougat, Toasty Warm, Turkish Apple, and Apple Crumble.
GE Peach: Coles supermarkets
Qi Green: Woolworths supermarkets
Matcha Maiden: matchamaiden.com
T2: online and T2 stores