Father's Day Present Idea featuring Dermalogica!

Father's Day is fast approaching and if you are at a loss as to what to get your dad then this post may help you out. I always find men especially hard to buy for and if the men in your life are anything like mine it's because they never give you any hints!

A safe bet I find is some form of quality skin care item(s). Most men wouldn't think to buy these things on their own accord and I find Blake (and his skin!) really appreciate it when I buy him some good skin care items.

L-R: Dermalogica Post-Shave Balm and Close Shave Oil

My favourite skincare brand is Dermalogica and when I was offered a couple of products from their men's line for Blake to test out I was very excited. Both of the products are to do with shaving, great considering each time Blake gets home from his two on one off mines shift he has crazy facial hair going on!

Close Shave Oil

Dermalogica Close Shave Oil 30mL

What Dermalogica say;

"No nicks. No cuts. No redness. All accuracy! Create an instant cushion between skin and razor with this ultra-smooth shaving oil for the ultimate close shave. Clear, skin-comforting formula creates an instant comfort barrier that encourages razor glide while allowing you to see where you're shaving. Contains no artificial fragrance or colour."

What I say;

First off this smells incredible and no wonder considering the mix of tea-tree, lavender and orange oils. Its an oil so obviously it is very silky and glides onto the skin easily making it feel very smooth, which I imagine would be good for a close shave.

What Blake says;

As someone who uses an electric shaver, this product was a bit confusing! We figured out though that it was to be used after a shave with a regular razor when you want a very close shave. Blake loved the smell and the texture of the oil, however as he prefers an electric razor he would probably not use this very much. However, if your man loves a close shave (or your sick of pash rash!) then this would be perfect.

Close Shave Oil retails for $41AUD and is available for purchase here.

Post-Shave Balm

Dermalogica Post-Shave Balm 50mL

What Dermalogica say;

"Refresh. Recharge. Fight ingrown hairs! So much more than an after shave: help reduce discomfort and redness brought on by shaving with this super cooling treatment balm. Shortens post-shave recovery time without leaving skin feeling heavy or shiny. A unique ingredient complex controls oily shine and helps prevent ingrown hairs and bumps. Contains no artificial fragrance or color."

What I say;

Upon application I definitely notice the cooling effect, it feels amazing on your skin. Its a lightweight gel formula which absorbs quickly into the skin leaving it feel very soft and smooth. It has an interesting smell and when you look at the list of ingredients it's clear why. A mixture of Artichoke extract, horse chestnut, rosewood, cedar wood but somehow it works and I do enjoy the scent.

What Blake says;

The first thing he noticed was the cooling effect which he thought was really soothing after the shave. He loved how his skin felt after it and rushed out to tell me that this stuff was "bloody good" even asking me to stroke his face so I could see how nice his skin felt! This amused me as usually I am making him do this to me after testing various products haha

Post-Shave Balm retails for $35.50AUD and is available to purchase here.

L-R: Close Shave Oil, Close Shave Balm.

Both of these would work great for a father's day gift but also as just a nice treat for the special man in your life.

Looking pretty happy with himself! haha

Do you find it hard buying for the men in your life? What are your Father's Day gift ideas?

Hannah xox

**Both products were provided for review by PR. All Blake and my opinions are 100% honest :)

July Lust Have It!

I am just about to hop on a plane to head over to New Zealand for a couple of weeks and before I left I thought I would show you all what I received in this months Lust Have It! box.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the box overflowing from my letter box was that it was bigger than usual. This excited me as it meant changes and hopefully a lot of samples!

Once I opened it the change was clear, they had done away with the cute little makeup bags and instead cased it in a white box with a black ribbon around it. I was kinda glad that there wasn't another makeup bag as I have got so many already but I was a bit disappointed that the box was pretty flimsy and probably can't be used for storage purposes like I used to do with the old GlossyBox boxes. 

It's not that big a deal as I guess it saves them a bit of money and maybe this will reflect better samples, I hope so!

So here is what was inside;

1. tanGo Tanning Glove (Full size - $29.95)

This is supposed to be a glove that helps to remove your fake tan and also can be used to remove makeup with just water. Handy as I have just recently started getting into fake tanning, although I am not sure how well it will work. 

2. Tigi Rockaholic - Rock Out Shine Blaster (100mL $27.95 - full size) 

This was one of the first things I noticed as it smells incredible, mine had leaked a little bit into the box but luckily it didn't get on the other products. This is supposed to seal your hair cuticles to speed up drying time as well as adding shine and temporarily masking split ends. I put a little bit in my hair and it definitely makes it shiny, not sure about the claims it masks split ends though - might have to experiment with this a bit more.

3. ModelCo Eyeliner - Black (Full size - $26.00)

I love trying out new eyeliners and was glad this was in black as I know it will get used. It's not the blackest eyeliner out there but it looks like it would be great for smudging as it is quite soft. I also love that it has a sharpener on the lid!

4. Marc Jacobs DOT Fragrance (100mL $160.00 - 1.2mL sample)

I was really excited to see this as I love trying out new perfumes and I have seen this one advertised a lot recently. It has a floral/berry scent to it which I do really like. 

5. Appelles Skin Detox Shower Gel (100mL $12.95 - 30mL sample)

I'd never heard of this brand before so am eager to test these samples out. This one has an amazing berry scent to it but doesn't smell super strong.

6. Appelles Body Booster Skin Lotion (100mL $12.95 - 30mL sample)

This is a very lightweight lotion that absorbs quickly into the skin and has the same scent as the shower gel. I can see this in my handbag used as a hand cream for sure.

7. Appelles Body Bar Vegetable Soap (40g $4.95 - full size)

This smells really good and seems to have a stronger scent than the other two samples. Don't know what makes it a vegetable soap...it doesn't smell like vegetables haha

Total Value of this months box = $29.95 + $27.95 + $26.00 + $1.92 + $3.88 + $3.88 + $4.95 = $98.53!

I am very impressed with this month's box, especially considering there are 4 full size products in here and a whopping 7 samples!

Did you get anything different? What are your thoughts? Are you sad there is no more mini makeup bags?

Hannah xox

Review: Arbonne Cosmetics Lip Products

I was recently contacted by a representative of Arbonne Cosmetics, a brand I had never heard of before but was eager to try once I found out a bit more about them. They started out in Switzerland with high quality skincare products formulated by a group of leading bio-chemists, biologists and herbalists.

It's focussed heavily on providing high quality products based on botanical properties. The company is all about the environment, from the ingredients that are used in their products to their "green commitment" in the production processes of their products. 

They have since expanded into makeup which is focussed on bringing out your natural beauty while benefiting your skin. Their products are noncomedogenic, hypoallergenic, gluten free, nut free with micro sized pigments for improved textures and are formulated without parabens, talc and phthalates.

I was sent two lip products to try, a lipstick in Strawberry Fraise and a lip polish in Raisin. Here's what I thought!

Arbonne Lipstick in Strawberry Fraise

I'm going to start out by saying that this lipstick is without a doubt the most moisturising lipstick I have ever tried and judging by the fact that my lipstick drawer barely closes thats saying something!

It is a pleasure to apply and goes on very pigmented and glossy. Usually lipsticks, even moisturising ones, start to dry your lips out after about half an hour to an hours wear but this was just as moisturising after an hour as when I first applied it. It seriously felt like I could have been wearing a lip balm.

Being that moisturising you'd think that it wouldn't last all that long on the lips but I was pleasantly surprised as this lasted a good few hours on my lips before needing to touch up. I haven't seen how it holds up after a meal but I would usually re-apply anyway so that's not a big deal for me.

Lipstick in Strawberry Fraise

The shade Strawberry Fraise is a bright glossy reddish pink. Perfect to use as a statement lip colour. 

The lipstick is packaged in a thin sleek tube with a strong clasping lid. The bullet is on the smaller side which makes applying the lipstick a lot easier, especially for those with smaller lips like me. 

They are quite pricey at $36AUD each but when Revlon Lip Butters are $21.95AUD I think its bearable. I love my lip butter in Creme Brulee but I think if I found a similar colour in this range (I'm thinking Shell) I would prefer it as I find them to be more moisturising than the lip butters and longer-lasting.

Arbonne Lipsticks retail for $36AUD and come in 14 shades. 

Arbonne Lip Polish in Raisin

This is a deep purplish/burgundy lip gloss which is super smooth on the lips. It can apply a little streaky so if you are wearing this alone you have to be a little careful with application. 

The smoothness of this product is what blew me away initially. Years and years ago I had this lip gloss that was like silk on your lips, it was so so smooth and velvety (I think it may have been from Maxfactor but I'm not sure) but I hadn't come across anything quite like it until I applied this. It goes on so smooth and silky and has almost no stickiness. 

Lip Polish in Raisin

The lasting power is pretty good for a gloss without much stickiness. I was wearing this for at least an hour before having to touch up. It is pretty pigmented so you can wear this alone or it would look fantastic over a deep berry lipstick.

The packaging for these is super nice like the lipsticks and remind me of the Revlon Super Lustrous glosses but better quality. The applicator is a doe foot, which is my preferred gloss applicator as I find brush applicators transfer too much product onto the lips at once.

These are also quite pricey at $36AUD each, however they are a great gloss. They are available in 7 shades one of which is a really bright coral colour which I really want to try. 

L-R: Lip Polish in Raisin, Lipstick in Strawberry Fraise,
Combined.

Arbonne cosmetics are available for purchase online through their website. The shipping to Australia is quite reasonable too. 

Have you tried any Arbonne Cosmetics?? What were your thoughts? Do you prefer to use natural products, or are you not bothered?

Hannah xox

**Products provided for review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest as per my disclosure statement.**