Goodbye 2013 ...

 

I want to start off by saying Merry Christmas and I hope that you all had a day full of love and joy! I've been so busy over the past week or so that I couldn't find the chance to pop in and say hey!
But I still can't believe that 2013 is almost drawing to close, so many things have happened this year, I started this blog, went overseas, got a new job, and scored my first internship just to name a few.

Every year I do this and I know it is quite cliche (but I do it anyway because I am a sucker for cliches) but I have decided to post my New Year's resolutions for 2014! I do tend to follow them for most of the year, I don't achieve every that I want to but I try my best! Feel free to check them out after the break and comment some of your own if you're willing, but otherwise Happy New Year my loves and I wish you all the happiness in the world! See you all next year!

XO Chantalle

Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub | Review

In terms of shower pampering, there has got to be nothing better than a nifty little body scrub. No matter the weather, the day or the time of the year, everyday I be scrubbin' (not everyday or my skin would be non existent but you get my point, right?!) I love to scrub.

One of my favourites has got to be Soap & Glory's The Breakfast Scrub. I first tried this baby after hearing wondrous reviews, and I thought to myself well I just got give this thing a try! I'm currently on my second tub and honestly I don't see myself stopping in the near future it is that good.

The Breakfast Scrub seriously has to be the most amazing thing that I ever smelt, and when I say it smells good enough to eat it truly does smell good enough to eat! If you have ever wondered what it would be like to bathe in maple syrup, honey let this whet your curiosity because this scrub is for you. The scent is a mix between said maple syrup, oats, and honey. Don't let the name fool you either, it can be used anytime of the day and I personally like to use it to relax just before heading off to la la land.

But what I love most is that it isn't an artificial smell, it smells like the real deal! And what is even better is that I find it doesn't linger too much or become too overpowering on the skin after showering, interrupting any other perfume you may fancy to put on afterwards.

In terms of consistency, I think it is quite spot on. It's thick but not so much so that it becomes too abrasive but is still a pretty good scrub. It contains contains sugar particles, organic cupuacu bio scrubs, oatmeal grains, as well as Shea butter, bananas, almond and honey extracts - quite literally breakfast in a tub. It works hard to remove dead skins whilst leaving skin smooth and smelling great.

The packaging itself is also quite cute like all Soap & Glory products (I can never fault anything pink). It comes in a 300ml plastic tub that is practical to be used and kept in the shower. In Oz this retails for $18.95 from Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Maxima, which in my opinion is quite reasonable considering how great the product is and the amount that you get.

I don't think I can emphasise how much I love this product and how great it smells. Sometimes I just open the jar just to get a whiff of it even if I won't be using it. If you have yet to try this, girl get on it!

Have you tried this scrub?

Chantalle X

Wednesday Wishlist #2 | Christmas Edition

I still can't believe that it is December, where did 2013 go!? But now that it is actually December I can finally accept that Christmas is indeed creeping around the corner. I do love Christmas but wasn't it just July a couple of weeks ago? Did we just skip October and November? But despite how scarily quick it has come I've decided to make this Wednesday Wishlist a Christmas edition of all the little bits and bobs that I could only dream of having, and perhaps spark a bit of gift giving inspiration for you all - for yourself or someone else, whichever!

1. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb- I have kind of neglected my scent stash as of late and I feel that it needs a bit of a mix up (I use Daisy Eau So Fresh or Chance by Chanel usually) and I would love to add this to my collection.

2. Clarisonic Mia 2 in pink- I've always wanted the Clarisonic Mia but I could never muster up the courage to fork out the money to buy it. I have read and watched so many reviews from beauty gurus singing their praises so I think a little cheeky Christmas gift for myself is in order, in pink of course.

3. Diptyque Rose Duet candle- A duo of my two favourite Diptyque scents Roses and Baies, what more can I ask for? The pink glass is such a lovely touch as well. The sad part however is that it seems to be sold out in most places in Australia.

4. Bobbi Brown Smokey Cool and Warm eye shadow palettes- I don't believe that this requires much of an explanation but I am in lurrrrrve with these two palettes. The packaging is also quite beautiful as well.

5. Kikki K A Sentence a Day Journal- Lately I've found myself in a rut in terms of where I want my life to be headed so I think it would be interesting to record my thoughts everyday for 3 years. I also have my eye on the goals and happiness journal

6. Marc by Marc Jacobs Baker Watch in silver- I love how simple and chic this watch looks. It's quite basic and can be styled with any look. I have so many watches already, but you can never have too many right? The other colours also look quite nice too.

Bioderma Crealine H20 | Is it Worth the Hype?

 

I am sure by now you've all heard of this miracle product (if you haven’t, are you living under a rock?) But if you've yet to try out this cleanser you may or may not be wondering if it lives up to all the hype it gets (and by golly it gets a lot in Beauty Land). In my opinion Bioderma's Crealine H20 Cleansing Solution deserves every last bit of raving response it receives. I love it and I don't see myself stopping any time soon.

It's so much more than water in a bottle

Don’t let the clear liquid fool you, this cleansing water is more than just plan and simple H20. It is a gentle, fragrance-free micellar solution that cleanses impurities and removes make-up without affecting the skin’s natural balance. Yes, this very simple looking liquid removes every ounce of make-up and dirt that may be on your skin from a day of heavy lifting without excessive rubbing or scrubbing. And for any lazy suckers out there, you don’t need to wash it off, at all.

It's great for sensitive souls

This solution is specifically formulated for skin that is incredibly sensitive, intolerant or prone to redness. The secret is in the special micellar solution. When you soak a cotton pad, the micelles within the formulation fix to the pad. Then, when it comes into contact with your skin, the micelles transform and open, capturing dirt, make-up and oils that lay around on your face. Once these impurities are captured, the micelles close again, imprisoning them and carrying them away on the cotton pad. Your skin is left feeling clean, fresh, hydrated, non-greasy and most importantly soothed.

It's great pals with contact lenses

For contact lenses wearers like myself finding a make-up remover that isn’t irritating is a mission in itself.  However, with this solution you can use it with complete confidence knowing that it won’t irritate your eyes a single bit. Trust me, I’ve tried it!

It has cute packaging

Who can say no to any form of pink packaging? No, I didn’t think so. But not only that, Créaline H20 come in various sizes (150ml, 250ml and 500ml) meaning you can take one with you wherever you go during the day, you can have one in your car, and you can also have one in your bathroom (or three). The flip top lid is also easy to use and dispenses small amounts of liquid without squirting everywhere and anywhere.

It's French

And if all that wasn’t enough to sway you to go and buy this product (read: buy it right this second), it is French and who doesn’t love a little treat from France in their skin care cabinet. I know I do.

The only down side is …

Once you have tried it, there is no going back. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Have you tried Bioderma’s Créaline H20 micellar solution? What do you love (or hate) about it? 

Chantalle X

Empty Products #1 | Things I've used up

There is nothing like finally finishing off a few beauty prods and stashing them in your room until you have collected enough to make a post, am I right? The time has finally come for me to make my first empties post and I am bit excited to share my thoughts as some of these products I absolutely adore. A lot of them I will repurchase in the future (or I already have hehe), but others I am sure I can live without.

1. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - So I had heard all sorts of reviews about this gem and I had been dying to get my hands on it and give it a go. Now, I do have incredibly pimple prone skin. When I was younger and about 15 I suffered from pretty bad acne, and until now I still get the odd pimple or two so I am always eager to give new products a go. I would not go as far to say that this gets rid of pimples, though it could work better on milder forms. However, it does as it says on the tube and reduces the appearance of imperfections. It has a nice clean scent and is very easy to apply. I use it in the morning and at night if I have more pimples than usual. I have already repurchased this and it is a part of my daily skin care routine.

2. REN Clear Calm 3 Replenishing Night Serum- I bought this product with the intent of using it as a heavy duty night cream for my pimple prone skin. I didn't actually use it for awhile after I bought it until I had a few pesky pimples that I thought this product could help clear up. To be honest I was really disappointed and I don't feel that it made a difference to my skin at all. It has botanic scent and is pleasant to use on the skin but I didn't feel that it helped with pimples in any way or form. I will not be repurchasing this.

3. MAC Fix+ - This is a skin refresher and a finishing mist all in one. Along with my pimple prone skin, I also have incredibly oily skin so my make-up tends to disappear by midday or become a bit cakey in appearance. I used this before applying make-up, as well as after and I think it worked well in prepping my skin but not so much in setting it. It was also quite good at refreshing my make-up throughout the day but a bit annoying to carry around everywhere in terms of size. It's not something I intend to repurchase.

4. Urban Decay All Nighter Make up Setting Spray-  I was really excited to try this, and I did like it but it is not something that I LOVED and I don't see myself buying it again. It did work but I would not say it was 'powerful,' again possibly something to do with my oily skin so I think I may try out the one for oily skin instead of this one again.

5. Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-oxidant facial Toner- I was reluctant to buy this thing as it retails for $65 here in Australia but I can say that I do not regret it, not one bit. I am always on the look out for new additions to my skin care routine as my skin is quite pesky, and this is a great addition. I feel that it thoroughly cleanses and tones the skin without stripping it of natural oils and moisture. My skin actually feels great after using it, and I feel that it has made a difference to the size of my pores. It also has a lovely scent. Despite the price, I am on my second bottle and I love it.  

6. Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel- I received this sample with one of my Mecca Cosmetica online purchases and it was great because I have always wanted to try something from Mario Badescu. But I did not love this at all. I am not a fan of gel cleansers personally and I absolutely hated the smell of this. To me it smells like cheap hotel shampoo, like a really fake floral smell and that is something that I do not like putting on my skin, especially my face. I wouldn't buy the full size and I am not a bit reluctant to try out more products.

7. Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist- Out of all my empties, this is probably my favourite! I love any rose scent but this baby is so much more. Because of its small size I could easily take it pretty  much everywhere with me, which was great as I would use it throughout the day whenever I felt that my make up needed a bit of a refresher. I would spray it all over my face and viola all better! I also believe it has the bonus extra of refocusing my mind during a long day! Love this product!

8. Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer - When buying make up or any product really my instinct is to go with oil free straight away, so out of the Laura Mercier primer range this was my first choice. However, I did not like this product at all and feel that it made my face oilier. It also has a very plastic smell. I won't be repurchasing this but I am trying out the other Laura Mercier primers

9. Skinstitut  Enzymatic Micro Peel- This was one of the first face peels that I have tried and to put it bluntly I don't like it and feel it made no difference to my skin what so ever. I won't repurchase this.

10. Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume- Dry shampoo is such a staple in my hair care routine and I tried this one out as it was on sale. Let me just say I do not like this product at all. I don't like the smell and I hate how my hair feels after I apply it. It leaves my hair feeling thick and dry, and hard to comb through. The volume was also way too much that I hated it. I felt like this was making my hair dirtier instead of cleaning it. I will not ever repurchase this, no matter how much this is on sale.

What beauty products have you finished recently?
Have you tried any of these products? What are your opinions?