Explaining my absence!!

Hey lovelies,

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been extremely busy of late! I know I mentioned that I was moving interstate in August and since then we decided to sell our house so we had everyone on deck finishing off our renovations in time to be able to put it on the market.

Well all the hard work paid off as we sold it in just 5 days! It's all very exciting but also very sad to say goodbye to our first home! We love this place and have done so much to it it's hard to let go of it. However, in saying that we have already organised a place to rent over in Victoria and it looks like its going to be a great place to live, very close to the beach and long walking tracks for the dogs.

We have been so busy renovating and getting the house ready for sale that the wedding planning has been completely on hold so I am looking forward getting back into it after the move as there is a lot still to be done!

I just thought I would update you and let you know that I haven't given up on the blog but that I will probably not be posting regularly for a while until the move is all done. I can't wait to be free of all this stress and be sitting in our new lounge-room photographing products and typing up reviews for you all.  I definitely do not recommend selling a house, moving interstate, starting a business and planning a wedding in the same year!! haha It's just been all too much lately!

Thanks for sticking by me and I promise I will be back!

Love you all and hope your well!

Hannah xox

Review: Australis All Over Face & Body Tint

A lot of people are comparing Australis All Over Face & Body Tint* to MAC's Face & Body Foundation and although they may look the same in my opinion that is where the similarities end.

Australis may have taken inspiration from the packaging of the MAC foundation but I don't think they were trying to replicate it. For starters they call it a tint not a foundation, which is exactly what it is.

Australis says "This all over Face & Body formula provides skin with a sheer lightweight tint to enhance skin tone. A blend of natural emollients including Jojoba, Pomegranate, Rosehip and Avocado oils help to moisturise, condition and evenly distribute pigments. The sheer natural looking coverage is easy to blend and ideal for your complexion all over."

From the several times I have used this product I would say that the description they give matches it to a tee. It is very sheer and when applied you can barely tell you are wearing anything at all apart from the fact that it makes your skin feel moisturised. 

If you are someone who doesn't like wearing a lot of makeup or has naturally great skin then you will probably love this product. For me I tend to like a bit more coverage than this so I have been using it underneath my foundation or bb cream as a base layer to add some extra moisture to my dry skin.

 

The picture on the left is me bare faced (eeeek) and the one on the right is with a layer of the tint applied. As you can see it doesn't offer much coverage but does even out your skin tone.

I find the best way to apply this is with the fingers as they manage to blend it seamlessly into the skin. There is a slight scent to it, most likely from the oils it contains. I don't mind the smell although if you are sensitive to smells you might not enjoy it.

All done up using the tint as a base for my foundation

It comes in three shades; light, medium and dark. As the formula is quite sheer & blends really well into the skin most people should be able to find a match within these three shades. If not though you can always mix the shades together to find your perfect match.

Australis All Over Face & Body Tint contains a huge 94mL and retails for $19.95AUD so it'll last you a far while which is great. It can be purchased from Priceline or anywhere that stocks Australis cosmetics.

Have you tried out this product? What are your thoughts?

Hannah xox

*Product provided by PR. All opinions are my own & 100% honest as per my disclosure statement.

Update!

Hey guys,

Long time no speak....again! I know but there has been so much going on I just haven't had time to sit down and write (or type) out a post.

The first update is that the wedding planning is coming along nicely. I have had a lot of help from Blake's parents who have been able to organise a lot of things that I can't not being in the same state.

Secondly we have decided to move to Geelong permanently. Originally we thought we'd be moving sometime next year but after thinking about it for a while we thought it might be easier & cheaper to move before the wedding. It's also a better time to look for rentals in the area we want to live as in Summer it gets pretty busy and finding a rental with two dogs I'm thinking will be pretty difficult.

So that's the big news of the moment. We are looking at moving in August (as my wedding dress arrives in store at the end of July). That gives us about three months to get our place up to scratch to be rented out and also get all of our belongings ready to be shipped interstate, a very complicated task!

Anyway hopefully I will be able to find the time to do more posts but they may be pretty limited for the next few months sorry!!

Hope you're all having a good weekend!!

Hannah xox

FOTD & EOTD - A simple natural look

Hey guys,

Just thought I would share a quick FOTD & EOTD for you :) Lately I have been testing out make-up looks to use for my wedding in October. I am going to be doing my own makeup as well as the makeup for my bridesmaids and mum :)

This is a very subtle natural look that I thought might be a good way to go either for me or for the bridesmaids. Let me know what you think!

Base: Australis Face & Body Tint, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer & Stila sheer pressed powder

Bronzer: Savvy by DB Natural Finish Pressed Powder in 06 tan

Blush: Clairns Instant Light Blush in 02 Coral Tonic

Brows: Rimmel brow pencil

Eyes:

Primer: Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Inner corner: UD Bootycall

Lid: UD Suspect

Crease: Combo of UD Chopper & UD Snakebite

Outer V: UD Busted

Eyeliner: A tiny bit of MAC Teddy on outer waterline

Mascara: Cover Girl Clump Crusher

Hope you're all having a great day!

Hannah xox

JAPAN!

Recently I got home from one of the most incredible places I have been to yet...JAPAN! Blake and I booked this holiday so long ago that we thought it was never going to come and it came and went in a flash :(

An intersection in Tokyo

The reason for the trip was to visit the snow in Niseko, where Blake's friend was renting a house, and of course go snowboarding. This was going to be the whole trip but I insisted that we could not go to Japan without visiting Tokyo!

Freezing cold!

So we spent 3 days in Tokyo before heading to Niseko for 8 nights and finished up in Sapporo for the last night before heading home.

The famous Harajuku st!

Harajuku street - unfortunately we didn't see too many people dressed up
- I think it was too cold!

Tokyo was incredible. Our favourite part was the people watching and in a city that big there is a lot of it! We also loved travelling on the trains and managed to only get lost once in doing so, which I was pretty impressed with. Three days might not seem enough time for such a big city but Blake and I found it was just right, by the end of it we were getting a bit sick of being surrounded by so many people.

A fun run going on, this street had all the major designers stores

A Chanel store in Shibuya

A gorgeous chapel we found by accident wandering through Shibuya

Niseko was absolutely mind blowing! The amount of snow in that place is just insane. The streets are lined with it and it didn't stop snowing the whole time we were there. Of course this made the snowboarding pretty amazing, although pretty hard for me as I was still learning. Eventually though I picked it up and can now proudly say that I can snowboard :) I even ventured into an off the path treed area, not on purpose, but I still did it without falling over or hitting a tree! haha

Gorgeous snow covered pine trees

A house covered!

The house we stayed in :)

Blake was very excited

The view from our window

The walls of snow in the town

Volcano Yotei in Niseko

Me after falling down the hill we climbed up to get the last photo!

Our amazing snowman!

Japan was really incredible and we will definitely be going back...hopefully soon!

Have any of you been to Japan? Where was your favourite place?

Hope you all had a great weekend :)

Hannah xox

Review: Paul Penders Hair Products

A little while ago I was contacted by the lovely Chui who works for Paul Penders. At the time I had not heard of the brand before so I was intrigued about the company and their products. Chui explained to me that the company was founded over 40 years ago in Holland and is run by Paul Penders who is an avid environmentalist and animal lover. You can read more about their story here.

It is for these reasons that the products are all derived from natural ingredients and are never tested on animals. He started creating shampoos and has since moved on from there now incorporating all kinds of beauty products into his environmentally friendly line.

I was a bit of a newbie to natural hair care products so Chui kindly explained to me that there were a lot of benefits to using products with natural ingredients as opposed to the chemically packed shampoo & conditioner I was previously using. The most obvious being that your not putting unnatural chemicals into your hair, which although may make it feel nice in the short term, can be quite damaging in the long term, with increased hair loss and even bad reactions to the chemicals they contain.

They kindly sent me a few products from the hair care line to test out and give my thoughts on. Here is  what I thought of each of the products :)

Paul Penders Time-Release Jasmine Shampoo ($25.00AUD - 200mL)

What they say: 

"Paul Penders Time-Release Jasmine Shampoo is designed to first cleanse the scalp, ensuring a healthy foundation for beautiful, shiny & manageable hair. During lathering, as some water is added, this shampoo formulation "breaks open" to create rich foam. After washing hair is visibly full, feels luxurious and is easy to style."

What I say:

For those who haven't tried a natural shampoo before they will get a bit of a shock the first time using this. It is not a shampoo that really lathers and foams up, instead it only slightly foams when adding a touch of water. At first it can be quite hard to work into the hair but once you have used it a couple of times you get used to the feel and the best way to work it into the scalp and hair. I do find that it really gives my scalp and hair a good clean and my hair does feel very nice after I have finished washing it. I wouldn't say that my hair is any easier to manage after using this to another shampoo but I have never found a shampoo/conditioner where my hair isn't a tangled mess after washing (probably a result of the way I wash/dry my hair!). I have to say though that this smells incredible and makes your hair smell amazing! 

Paul Penders Herbal Lemon Conditioner ($25.00AUD for 200mL)

What they say: 

"Herbal Lemon Conditioner is particularly designed to add shine, restore balance and harmony for all hair types. Apply generously throughout for instant moisture, vitality and shine. Corrects dry hair and brittle ends. Does not "weigh down" hair. Leave in for 2 minutes before rinse for best results."

What I say;

First of all, this again smells incredible, is it just me or do natural products usually smell amazing? I really enjoy using this. In the past I have been known to use an unnecessary amount of conditioner...you know how your mother always tells you "use the amount of a 20c coin" well I was never one to follow that rule. My conditioner blob looked more like a couple of 50c coins! What I find with this conditioner is that I don't have to use half the bottle in order to make my hair feel super soft, even though it is quite a lightweight consistency for a conditioner. I cannot express how nice this makes my hair feel after I have rinsed it out as well as how shiny and healthy my hair looks. This is a definite favourite for me.

Paul Penders Intensive Hair Repair Therapy ($29.50AUD for 120g - Currently on sale for $14.75!!)

What they say: 

"Restores balance and life to dry, damaged, permed or coloured hair leaving it glowing and manageable. Hair indulged with this emollient feels silky without weighing down. Apply generously and massage through hair and scalp. Leave for up to 30 minutes to infuse. Rinse well. For vitality and shine. Corrects dry & brittle ends. Use daily or weekly after Paul Penders shampoo & conditioner."

What I say: 

Again this product smells incredible due to the numerous flower and herb extracts it contains. This is a light-weight hair mask which feels nice when applied and leaves the hair silky and smooth. It adds extra necessary moisture back into my hair as my hair can get very dry and brittle feeling if it's not washed or treated regularly. All in all its a great hair mask and one that I will continue to use. I probably wouldn't use the product daily as they recommend as I feel this would be too difficult time-wise and I wouldn't want my hair to get used to this much treatment so regularly but I find that once a week or once a fortnight is good to keep my hair from getting too dry and brittle.

My biggest concern about trying a natural shampoo & conditioner was that I thought my hair would not feel as clean or as soft...but boy was I wrong. After using these products for a couple of times I was pleasantly surprised by how clean my hair was feeling and how shiny and silky it was to the touch.

Paul Penders products are available to purchase at their website. They are currently having a 50% off sale on some of their items including the hair mask I talked about. The sale ends 31st March 2013. 

Have you tried any Paul Penders products or any natural hair care products? What are your thoughts?

Hannah xox

**Products provided for review as per disclosure statement. Please note I only review products provided by companies if I am genuinely impressed with them. All opinions are 100% my own & honest.

Lust Have It! February Edition

I received my Lust Have It! box in the mail today and since it's been a pretty quiet day on the work front decided to get back into blogging by showing you guys what I got this month.

I know I haven't been blogging much lately and I know people hate excuses but I have some pretty good ones...starting a business, planning a wedding & an upcoming trip to Japan in a few days have  all kept me pretty busy.

Anyway enough about that onto the box!

Lust Have It! informed us that this month the items would not fit in the pretty new packaging so they would be sending the boxes out in just the normal packing box. This didn't bother me as it meant we were getting some decent sized items! They also said that they couldn't send one of the products as the box would exceed their weight limit, again not a big deal as they said they would just post it with the next month's box.

When I opened the box my first reaction was that it was an ok box. Nothing got me super excited but it wasn't a bad box by any means.

Here are the products that I received;

1. Summer Tan by Mancine Self Action Tan - Dark (Full size - 250mL for $29.95)

In the past year or so I have been getting into trying out different self tanners, St Tropez Mousse being my favourite, so I am keen to give this one a go. I was initially a bit hesitant as it says dark and I am pretty pale, however, when checking out LHI's facebook page there were lots of pale girls saying it still worked for them.

2. Lon Vitalite C9 Crystal Moisturising Hand Mask (1 pair - $4.50 each)

I've tried a face mask from this company before and my skin had a bad reaction to it, so I'm glad this is a hand mask and not a face mask. I will give this a go, despite my previous reaction, as the skin on my hands is not as sensitive and being a "tradie" now my hands are looking pretty shameful!

3. Styli-Style L3 Timeless Lipstick - Heavenly (Full size - $19.95)

I love lipstick, especially nudes/light pinks so this is right up my alley. When I swatched this it instantly reminded me of Nars Orgasm blush. It has that peachy pink colour with golden shimmer much like the blush. The formula of this lipstick really impressed me. It's super mositurising, feeling like a balm rather than a lipstick. The colour isn't very pigmented when applied but it is a rather sheer formula. I would be  really interested in trying the darker shades from this brand as I do love the creaminess. 

4. The Natural Source Camouflage Colour Nail Lacquers - Emerald (Full size - 12mL $9.99)

This is the disappointment of the bunch, not only is it a colour I probably won't wear but the formulation of the polish just isn't very good. I did a quick swatch on my nail and it was so sheer that you would probably need at least three coats to get it opaque and that's just no good for someone impatient like me!

The last item which will come out in next months box is Keratase Paris Nectar Thermique (150mL for $39.50), which is a leave-in hair treatment. I love hair treatments, as I suffer from pretty dry brittle hair, so I am very interested to try it when it comes. 

Value of the box = $29.95 + $4.50 + $19.95 + $9.99 = $34.44 *I haven't included the missing item as I don't know if it will be a sample size or full size.

So although this box didn't wow me there was still some decent full-sized products in it. What did you think of this month's box?

Hannah xox