Saturday, June 25, 2016

7 SKINS


~  7 SKINS YOUTH  ~
Natural Skincare That Rocks

Skincare Review!


It is no secret that I have acne prone skin. Getting my first zit when I was eleven is still clearly
imprinted in my mind. I suffered pretty awful skin all throughout my teens and even into my early
20's. I am so happy my skin has calmed itself down over the past ten or so years as I have learnt how
to care for my skin, tried a billion different products and acne fighting remedies and perfected a
routine twice daily skincare routine for myself which just comes naturally to me now and is actually
a ritual I look forward to and enjoy, especially at the end of a long day! It is nice and relaxing to
spend some quite, quality 'me' time!

Throughout my teen years I wasn't very educated in terms of skincare products and I remember just
having Saperderm soap in the bathroom which was my face wash. Thinking back I cringe at the
thought of using a cake of soap to wash my face with! Majorly oil stripping, it is no wonder my skin
went into sebum reproduction overdrive!

Lucky of teens now a days there are some fantastic Aussie brands helping us out with products
designed especially just for acne sufferers and adults alike as I have found 7 Skins to be a fantastic
and effective brand with their range of products for my 'normal' adult skin which if you watch my
Youtube videos you will probably notice still gets the odd zit pop up every now and then.

Organic Fab Face Detox Tea
Ever since my professional teeth whitening experience I have been trying not to drink so much
coffee so have been working through not only my variant random flavoured tea but also this 100%
certified organic, Aussie made and owned detox tea to help to cleanse my body both inside and out.

With a refreshing blend of ingredients including - burdock, dandelion root, liquorice, nettle leaf, St
Mary's thistle, lemon peel, lemon verbena, red clover, calendula petals & rhubarb root, the flavour is
unique and easy to drink. It is recommended to try 2-3 cups per day, however I have been trying 1-2
and finding my body responding well in the detoxing and appearance of my skin whilst using the
other complimenting products from the 7 Skins Youth range.

4 Week Supply! (2 Cups Per Day) $18.95 (60gms)

Fab Face Mist in Lavender
Over since I first tried using a face mist, I cannot tell you just how much I love and enjoy them!
Particularly during Summer when it gets insanely humid, having a refreshing, cooling facial mist on 
hand to cool you down and refresh the skin is addictive!

Facial mists not only hydrate your skin. This blend of lavender, augustifolia, distillate and grapefruit
 seed extract also tones, cleansers, controls oiliness, helps to heal acne and keeps your skin's natural 
ph balance in check! Additionally with it's antibacterial and antiseptic properties, this facial mist also
reduces redness, skin irritations, soothes sunburn and can be used on minor grazes and burns to calm 
the skin. Trust me, this all rounder is a must have for both your skincare routine and first aid kit, I 
have been using it like crazy over the past couple of months. And because it is all natural and does
not contain any nasty chemical ingredients I can safely use it on my kids. Bonus! 

Also available in Rose, Orange Blossom & Chamomile! $15.95 (150ml)

Zappin Zeolite Acne Mask
I haven't had much experience when it comes to using powdered facial masks before, however this
has been fun to use and being a loose powder, this ensures the ingredients stay fresher, longer!

This mask can be used as both a deep cleansing facial mask or as an exfoliant which is highly
effective when used several times per week whilst experiencing a break out. You can mix some of
the formula with water or if you want to pack even more goodness into your skin, the 7 Skins Youth
facial mists can be spritzed into a moist paste and then applied to the skin.

Ingredients include - Organic Australian zeolite & french green clay.
It is recommended to mix your mask into a plastic bowl using a non metal spoon as the clay will
absorb the metal and therefore not be as effective. (Weird fact!)

I found the mask to dry completely after around ten minutes and once rinsed away my skin felt
amazing and looked renewed, fresher and you could really see how deeply it cleaned out my pores!
Loved seeing them so clear and free of dirt and the dead skin build up completely gone!

Available online now directly to purchase from the 7 Skins Youth website. $15.95 (100gms)

Fab Face Acne Serum
This might be a little 15ml bottle, but boy does it pack a powerful acne fighting punch!
With soothing, healing, cleansing, antibacterial, antiseptic (to name just a few!) ingredients
including - grape seed oil, organic black cumin seed oil, watermelon seed oil, lavender essential oil, 
sandalwood essential oil, myrtle essential oil, pachouli essential oil & geranium essential oil.

This acne fighting serum can be used to cleanse, hydrate and even fade scaring. I love that this serum 
not only fights my occasional spot, it also heals my skin and fades some of the acne scaring that I
have from my teen years. 

100% Natural & Suitable for both men & women! Does not dry out the skin! $18.95 (15ml)

Do you still suffer from adult acne?
How do you keep it under control?

Let's follow each other! 

*These products were kindly sent to me for review 
*All photographs are my own work & my opinions are all 100% honest & all my own
I have included this article over at Fabulous & Fun Life's blog link up 'Monday Makeup Madness!' Check it out!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

MARIA NICOLA


THE 10 WAY NECKLACE

BY - MARIA NICOLA

I love fashion and wearing a bit of bling to finish off a look is one of my favourite parts of styling.
Having previously worked in retail specialising in fashion jewellery, I know all too well the struggle
of having that one favourite piece you wear all the time that goes with everything. However wearing
the same thing over and over can get boring so how does shaking things up by creating a whole
range of different styles and looks using the ONE necklace sound? Well, I think that sounds like a lot
of money saved by not having to purchase 10 different similar necklaces just because you like one
particular colour, stone or pendant. 

Introducing the 10 Way Necklace! That is ONE necklace you can wear in ten different ways!





Let's take a closer look...
Below I show you myself wearing the necklace in ten different ways. There are only eight pictures,
however you will notice the necklace can also be worn as a beautiful beaded bracelet in a number of
different ways which easily adds up to ten different looks, maybe more!



 






 



Maria Nicola created the 10 Way Necklace as an easy and convenient way to style your look simply
and easily from day to night and for any occasion in seconds! The necklace is made with a colourful 
range of crystals and sturdy magnets which make it so easy to pull apart and play around with the
different ways in which you can wear it. 

The 10 Way Necklace variants include -

Platinum Crystal
Champagne Crystal with Rose Gold Magnets
Turquoise Howlite Stone
Black Crystal with Silver Magnets
Black Crystal with Rose Gold Magnets
Dusty Pink Crystal
White Howlite Stone
Red Crystal
Turquoise Crystal
Red Howlite Stone

I highly recommend checking out the range as there is something to suit all tastes. Maria
Nicola jewellery also includes a range of crystal and stone earrings in addition to add ons for the 10
Way Necklace like trendy crystal tassels and Swarovski crystal pendants!

Maria Nicola jewellery can be purchased directly from the website which offers worldwide shipping.
She has is also the author of a fantastic stylish book called Accessorise Me which can be purchased
on Amazon.com here.

LIMITED SPECIAL OFFER!
I am so excited to share with you that Maria Nicola will be presenting her 10 Way Necklace and
taking on the sharks on Shark Tank TONIGHT at 8:30pm!

To celebrate she is offering 10% off her 10 Way Necklace including all other jewellery on her website
 on orders over $100!

Plus enjoy FREE SHIPPING within Australia AND receive a FREE copy of her book 'Accessorise Me'!

Use MARIA10 at the checkout!

Shop Now!

See exactly how this necklace transforms in 10 unique ways in the video below!

Make sure you tune into SHARK TANK 8:30pm tonight (22nd June) on CHANNEL 10 to see 
Maria Nicola take on the sharks! 

Are you impressed by the 10 Way Necklace?
How would you wear it?

Let's follow each other! 

*This product was kindly sent to me for review 
*Video is credit to Maria Nicola at https://marianicola.com/
*All photographs are my own work & my opinions are all 100% honest & all my own

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

PURE SMILE


TEETH WHITER IN YOUR LUNCH HOUR

WITH A PURE SMILE TREATMENT!


If you have been reading my blog for the past two years then you would know I have kept it no
secret about my constant teeth whitening battle. I am a coffee drinker. I wouldn't say I am an addict,
however those coffee beans stain and yellow your teeth over time no matter how good your oral
hygiene routine is.

I have been drinking coffee for about twelve years and during this time I have used whitening
toothpastes and gels, foams, whitening mouth wash and toothbrushes promising a whiter polished
shine as well as at home DIY whitening kits. Some of these methods I did find to be slightly effective
and I did see some improvement particularly with the teeth foam, however I had never, ever gone in
for any kind of teeth whitening treatment session before until I was recently offered to go to a
60 minute treatment session with Pure Smile. Getting a professional whitening treatment is 
something I have always wanted to do, however just never found the time to get around to actually
booking in for one. How could I say no?


Upon arrival I was greeted by the lovely and very friendly Veronika at their Garden City kiosk who
quickly made me feel at ease and welcomed me to my home for the next hour in the very spacious
and comfy white egg chair! (See above).

Getting straight down to business Veronika presented me with two different sized mouth pieces to
choose from to wear throughout my treatment. The difference between each of the plastic clear mouth
 guards was only slight, however I went for the smaller option as I didn't feel my mouth was really on
the larger size.. :)

Before inserting the mouth plate which covered both the top and bottom teeth, the whitening
treatment gel was to first be applied to the front eight teeth on the top and bottom. The pen appeared
similar to those at home whitening pens you can purchase yourself. However ended up being much
more powerful when activated underneath the led blue light for an hour! (See before & after images
at the end of this post). Veronika held up a mirror for me to apply this liberally myself.


Once my teeth were nice and coated the mouth plate was inserted into my mouth and I was given 
some very funky 70's disco large red glasses to wear to protect my eyes from the super bright led
light throughout the treatment. The whitening machine was then put up to my mouth and at the end
I was required to gently just hold onto it in between my teeth so the light could activate the gel 
throughout my four 15 minute sessions. 


After the timer beeped to conclude each 15 minute session, I again used the treatment whitening pen 
to apply some fresh gel to my front 16 teeth. Pure Smile have thought about the impatient and easily
bored person here as there were also some headphones readily available to wear if I wanted to hook
my phone up and listen to some music. 


A few selfies and some precious alone time later (With two toddlers alone time is a precious a rare
thing!) it was time to take out the mouth guard and examine the results! I have to admit after just
over 60 minutes of having my mouth forced open it was a relief to finally take it out! If was a bit
difficult to conclude the results when I first looked into the hand held mirror right after taking off
the glasses I'd been wearing for an hour and only seeing red! However my eyes got to have a little
rest as the final stage of the treatment progressed.


To conclude the whitening treatment I was presented with a new mouth guard with some white
 squishy inserts in it which was a quick fluoride treatment which tasted minty, however I cringed
each time I had to swallow my saliva as there was nowhere in which to spit until the very end!
I can understand why we wear a nice large bib during this whole process and thank goodness for
all the tissues Veronika so kindly provided me with as well as a nice refreshing bottle of PureSmile
branded bottled water to rinse with and take home with me. :)


So in the end I couldn't wait to see how much whiter and brighter my teeth were! I was shown this
Bleaching Shade Guide below and as you can see, my teeth went from around an S28-S30 all the way
up to an estimated S10-S8! That's around 8 to 9 shades whiter! I am thrilled with this result and to be
honest, I knew my teeth weren't the best in terms of being bright and white, however I had no idea 
they were in fact this discoloured! I was slightly horrified and don't EVER want to go back to that
awful yellow tone again. And all mainly just from drinking coffee all these years. I have never 
smoked nor do I even drink any alcohol or wine! Coffee, why must you be so so bad but oh so good?


 BEFORE                                   AFTER

 If you are thinking of booking in for a PureSmile treatment I would highly recommend it as it is so
quick with sessions ranging from 30 minute ($127), 45 minute ($143) or 60 ($159) minute treatments and it is so affordable as well! Be sure to book online to gain this 20% discount offer!

PureSmile have locations in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne & Adelaide and you might be surprised to
know their treatments are 100% peroxide FREE and all natural. Completely and totally safe!

Have you ever had your teeth professionally whitened?

Let's follow each other! 

*Thank you PureSmile for this complimentary treatment
*All photographs are my own work & my opinions are all 100% honest & all my own

Sunday, June 5, 2016

UNISEX PRODUCTS


UNISEX PRODUCTS I USE & RECOMMEND!

Straight out of our shared bathroom....

LISTERINE TOTAL CARE
I have always grown up being quite aware of my oral health and taken good care of my teeth. I've not
ever had a filling and would like it to stay that way. I am not actually a big fan of using mouth wash. I
find them too strong and overpowering, and this one is no exception. This product is actually one of
the strongest in terms of flavour I have ever used, however I use it becaues the benefits far out weigh
the pungent flavour.

With 6 big benefits in one including - killing germs, reducing plaque, freshening breath, protects
gums, prevents tartar build up and strengthens teeth. It is hard to say no and I cannot deny my mouth needs this and since I am now well beyond the 21st Day Challenge from when I first began using this
product, I can safely say my mouth looks, feels and smells a lot more clean and healthy. 

About a month ago I took my 4 and 2 yr old for their very first dental check up and also booked
myself in for a check and clean since I hadn't been in more than 5 years! Happy to report all is good
and I am still cavity free! Yay!


NIVEA CREAM
I feel like I have been using this classic Nivea Cream since I started using skincare products. I am
pretty sure the first time I used this product I was actually 'borrowing' it from my sister! This product
is the perfect all rounder must have for every person, male and female! It comes in a variety of sizes, 
so you can have a larger size at home for daily use as well as smaller travel and purse size options
available. At the moment I just have this cute little sample pot which I received after applying for a
sample. 

The cream is thick and white and is great for dry and sensitive skin. Even safe enough to use on 
children and babies skin which has been great over the past 5 years with my two rascals.
Can be used all over the body as both a facial and/or body cream.
Currently on special at Priceline for $6.64 (200ml)

I have been using this for a few months now and love that it is unisex and my hubby can also enjoy it!
 The clear glass bottle is so simplistic and minimal and matches any space I store it. The scent is very
 gender neutral, appealing to both men and women. I usually go for the sweet, floral and girlie scents, 
however this isn't any of those things yet doesn't smell at all masculine either. This is a really fresh 
and clean scent that doesn't over power your nose. I have found the fragrance to last throughout the 
day and can smell it lingering on my skin if I smell my arm. :) This would make a great gift for those 
who have everything or are difficult to buy for as it would suit just about everyone!

Contains top notes of wasabi, mandarin & violet leaf. Middles notes of wet cobblestones, concrete
accords, orris root & rose absolute and base notes of vetiver, sandalwood & incense.


PRIMAL EARTH MOISTURISER WITH SPF
There has just been something in the air lately that has been attracting me to products from New
Zealand, (see my NZ skincare routine here!) and this being one of them! My husband visited NZ
for a few months before we met and has always raved about how beautiful a place it is, so I wasn't
surprised to find the Primal Earth range of men's products on his side of the bathroom. 

Being a naturally curious beauty nut who will try just about anything I had to see if it was any good, 
as I usually do with any new product I see in the bathroom. I am gonna try it - mine or not! haha!

This moisturiser is thick and white and contains an SPF 15 which you can't even tell is there when
you apply it. There is no greasy feel or sunscreen type smell. The smell is actually very natural and
uplifting. I really like this one!! Contains Aloe Vera, Green Tea & Harakeke.
Available to purchase from Woolworths.


COLGATE OPTIC WHITENING PEN
This product actually comes in a set with the Colgate Optic White toothbrush but I have to say I 
only bought it mainly for the whitening pen! I have a bit of an obsession with whitening my teeth
as a frequent coffee drinker (more for the buzz and to stay awake and alert than the taste) my teeth
have suffered for it and definitely have had whiter, brighter days!

The pen is so easy to use, you just twist the bottom around until it clicks a few time and you will see
the product begin to ooze out the top. Apply this to your teeth and you're good to go! I have been
applying this right before I go to bed so my tongue doesn't get busy wondering around my mouth and
removing the product. I want it to work with maximum results so I let it sit overnight. I started to see
results after about a week and have kept on using it! 


NIVEA FOR MEN SENSITIVE POST SHAVE BALM
With all of the hype around this product recently of course I had to give it a go to see for myself
what all the fuss was about. Funnily enough my husband already had and uses this product so it
was easy for me to 'borrow' it! 

For women it is said this product makes for a killer makeup primer. I have tried quite a number of
different primers and have found pros and cons in each of them, however never actually finding a
holy grail I would keep on re-purchasing. So I have been buying and trying out new ones all the time. 

This product does have a bit of an aroma to it. It is quite pleasant though and not as strong as you
might expect a men's facial product to be. Usually they seem to have a much stronger scent then 
women's products in my opinion. After applying the skin feels smooth and dry surprisingly and
immediately ready for makeup which stays matte and shine free throughout the day! Gotta love that!



Do you use any of the above products?
Are there any you would been keen to try?


Let's follow each other! 

*Some products were kindly sent to me for consideration/review
*All photographs are my own work & my opinions are all 100% honest & all my own