PSA: A friendly reminder to check your breasts.

As someone with a pretty heavy family history of breast cancer, I'm hyper-aware of the need for early detection. This honestly saves lives.

So every month on the 13th, I'll post this same blog post to remind all of my beautiful readers to have a check (your gender is not important here, every human is at risk for breast cancer), including the entire chest area and under your arms.
If you find something out of the ordinary, it'll be terrifying, but go to your doctor to have it checked ASAP. Don't put it off and hope it'll go away.

As a bonus, for my readers with testicles....give them a bit of a check too.

PSA: A friendly reminder to check your breasts.

As someone with a pretty heavy family history of breast cancer, I'm hyper-aware of the need for early detection. This honestly saves lives.

So every month on the 13th, I'll post this same blog post to remind all of my beautiful readers to have a check (your gender is not important here, every human is at risk for breast cancer), including the entire chest area and under your arms.
If you find something out of the ordinary, it'll be terrifying, but go to your doctor to have it checked ASAP. Don't put it off and hope it'll go away.

As a bonus, for my readers with testicles....give them a bit of a check too.

PSA: A friendly reminder to check your breasts.

As someone with a pretty heavy family history of breast cancer, I'm hyper-aware of the need for early detection. This honestly saves lives.

So every month on the 13th, I'll post this same blog post to remind all of my beautiful readers to have a check (your gender is not important here, every human is at risk for breast cancer), including the entire chest area and under your arms.
If you find something out of the ordinary, it'll be terrifying, but go to your doctor to have it checked ASAP. Don't put it off and hope it'll go away.

As a bonus, for my readers with testicles....give them a bit of a check too.

Skin care for people who love the outdoors

O. Nidiformis, glowing "Ghost Mushroom"

Most of you may not be aware of the reason I missed last week's blog post, and haven't done a pamper Wednesday either. It's pretty simple, really. I'm very much a lover of the outdoors, an avid photographer, who specializes in Australian Flora and Fauna.
 Ghost Mushroom season is upon us, so I'm spending a lot of time outside at night taking suuuuuper long exposures of mushrooms to capture their eerie green glow (pictured here, taken 28 April, 2019). There are also still Aussie native orchids out, which I love to capture often.The short story is that I'm busier than usual.

I was thinking about it, and I really should share with you guys, my skincare (and haircare) needs have changed a little bit with all the activity out in the cold evening air, and early morning briskness. It's a much harsher environment for the skin, purely in terms of weather, but when you add in the extra things I'm needing to apply, like mosquito repellant (this is what absolutely destroys my hair), it's a bit of an assault on my epidermis.

The rare and endangered Caleana Major "Flying duck orchid"

So... what steps am I taking to make sure my skin doesn't start flaking off and getting out of control.
I should start by adding that I have a chronic illness (end-stage Hashimoto's Disease - I essentially don't have a thyroid, but still have the autoimmune symptoms the disease caused when it was destroying it for me) which makes me very dry in some areas. I'm needing a lot more moisture in general when it comes to my skin.
I'm also quite uneven in my skintone these days, which is partly age and partly health. I've chosen the following product range based on those 2 factors.

Every day, in the shower, I'm using Olay's Regenerist Luminous Brightening Cream Cleanser. It was part of a gift pack that I bought with the other 2 Olay products that I'll mention here, and included a really cute toiletries bag.
It's a scrub without having a scrub. Very gentle exfoliation and cleansing designed to target dark spots and uneven skintone. It's been a bit of a lifesaver really, because I was finding other exfoliants were really upsetting my skin, which is now quite sensitive. It's not offensively perfumed, and it's in a tube, which is nice and easy to use. Part of my illness is pain in my arm joints and fingers, so jars can sometimes be difficult.

After the shower, while I'm plopping my hair, I apply the Tone Perfecting Treatment from the same range. It's essentially a serum, which also has those properties for evening up skintone, and starting to get a bit of moisture into your skin. I really like this packaging because it doses the dropper for you as you twist off the lid. You really don't need any more than the standard dose, as it goes a long way. I'm really enjoying this. Again, not offensively or excessively fragranced, and the packaging is mostly disability-friendly and easy to use.

Once the serum has had a minute to soak in, I go straight over it with Tone Perfecting Cream. It's doing all the heavy lifting when it comes to moisturising my skin, and it's doing a really good job. It's a fantastic day cream, which keeps me hydrated and comfortable all day long and I'm finding even on the chilly evenings, I'm not getting that dried-out skin feeling when I'm out and about.
Same deal as the others, it's not offensive to the nose, and the packaging, even though it's a jar that I need to screw the lid off, it's a soft-close packaging, which makes it easy to open and close.
 

Last, but not least, the big guns. I will admit that I don't use this every night, mostly because I forget, or I'm so tired that I just fall asleep before I get a chance to use it. Manuka Doctor Restoring Night Cream is expensive. It's worth every single cent. It's been a staple in my skin care routine for about 5 years now, and I won't be without it. You only need a tiny bit to get that "slathered in luxury night cream" feeling, and when you wake up in the morning after the first time you use it, your life will never be the same. This is my holy grail, absolutely must-have-it product of all time.

I'm going to just let the results speak for themselves. This photo doesn't have a filter on it, I'm wearing mascara but literally nothing else (as evidenced by my complete lack of eyebrows) and I'm an almost-40-year-old woman who is so, so happy with her skin. Yes, I'll admit that it's partly amazing genes, and partly that I carry extra weight, but there's a good part of it that's taking care of my skin. I absolutely encourage all of you to do the same. We only get one epidermis. Treat it nicely and it will reward you.

You can find Manuka Doctor at Chemist Warehouse and Priceline. I think it's around the $50 mark for a jar that will last you months and months.
Olay can be found at leading mass stores and pharmacy outlets (I know chemist warehouse for sure) and the pack I bought was around $40 for all 3 products and the bag.

This post is not sponsored, nor was I gifted the products for review. I believe in honesty and open disclosure and trust that my readers appreciate both of those things.

If you'd like to follow my photography adventures, they are over at Katy Lylak Photography

Clean your frickin' brushes!

I'm so ashamed of the state that my makeup brushes get into. I'm such a filthy urchin when it comes to washing makeup brushes, which makes NO sense, because I like to think I take really good care of my skin. Here's a newsflash for (me and) you! If you're rubbing dirty sponges and brushes all over your face, you're depositing so much more than just makeup into your pores.
If you're randomly breaking out and blaming your foundation, or that you've been "wearing too much makeup", maybe it's just that your trusty tools need a bit of attention. This is certainly almost always the case for me. I'm not showing you, it's too gross.

It's not even hard or time consuming to do (though you do need to give them some time to really dry out properly).

Here's how I do it:

Products: I absolutely swear by Daiso's puff and sponge cleaner. It's AMAZING, and its cheap (because Daiso!) and I've never used anything that leaned brushes and sponges quite as effectively and efficiently as this does.They also have a brush cleaner product, but I have't tried that yet. I'm almost out of the 5 bottles I bought the last time I went to Daiso, so I'll see if I can get both this time and do a bit of a review for you.

Then it's simple, warm running water (don't leave your brushes soaking in water, it's not going to do anything extra except make the hairs fall out of them), a squirt of cleaners into the palm of your hand and off you go! Run the brush under the tap until it's wet through, then swirl it into the cleanser in your hand, really working the product into the brush hairs. Repeat as necessary until the water runs clear, then give the brush a gentle squeeze and set aside on a towel of in a drying rack. Don't pull at the hairs as you're squeezing out the water. Leave them to dry, give them a swirl on the towel when they're half dry to fluff the hairs up, and then once you've got them completely dry again, they're ready to use!

I don't know if it's my cleaning method, or the fact that they're just amazing brushes, but my set is mostly comprised of Real Techniques brushes (both old school and the gorgeous metal ones) and they come back to near-new when I clean them. I say near-new because 2 of my eyeshadow brushes are stained from intense pigment shades, and I'm ok with that.
The handles are looking 5 years old, let's be honest. They're worn and a bit discoloured at the ends, but the bristles/hairs are still beautiful and soft, and they bounce back to their original shape every single time. I'm thoroughly impressed, both with my brushes and the cleaning process.

Go grab your brushes and sponges now, have a look, if they're gross or you just haven't cleaned them in a while, get to it! Your skin will thank you!

Pamper Wednesday: An overview and basic face mask evening (with wine!)

Oh Pamper Wednesday, how I've missed you! It's nice to have an "obligation" to take a tiny bit of time to take care of myself. It's been a long time, so I'll break down how pamper Wednesday works for you again, and then we'll get into my Wednesday pamper for this week.

Pamper Wednesday is all about taking a little bit of time to focus on your own wellbeing. It doesn't have to be beauty related, it could just be sitting down to read a book, or watch a show that only you love to watch in your house, it could be a glass of wine, or a piece of chocolate. Anything that makes you feel calm and relaxed.

Today, for me, it'll be a face mask and a glass of red wine, watching my guilty pleasure show (KUWTK - I swear I started watching it just because the little one was so mean and it was funny, but now she's not mean any more and cries a lot, but I'm still over here watching)
I have quite a collection of face masks, and I have to admit, I'm playing favourites with my brands over the last couple of years, because I really love Sukin's collection of face mask products. They don't break me out or make my skin go crazy, and in particular, the pink clay mask is beautiful and leaves my skin feeling so soft and clean.

After the show is over and I wash off my mask, I might head to bed with my new book, The man in the High Castle (Philip K. Dick.) I've watched the first season of the TV show based on this book, and it's absolutely fascinating. It's a fantasy alternate history, in which the Allies lost WW2. Kind of a heavy subject matter, but really brilliant, and I can't speak to the plot without giving things away, but I will say that it sits well with me as a fantasy book, and I'm not in any way offended nor do I feel that it is presented in a way that would be disrespectful to those sensitive to this subject matter.

My wine for this evening is Stumpy Gully 2017 Pinot Noir. We love a local wine here on the Mornington Peninsula. This wine is smooth and subtle, just exactly the kind of thing that's perfect for me. I'm not about those bold shiraz-y wines and like something a bit more subdued. This wine is lovely, but it's unfortunately sold out, so you'll just have to join me in trying their 2018 pinot, or their other wines. Their Peninsula Panorama Pinot Noir is a great introduction to Pinot Noir from the Peninsula. It's made in a fresh style for early drinking.
Responsible drinking, etc. I don't think I have to tell you not to guzzle 42 litres of wine (though sometimes the kids might make you feel like you need to!) I plan to just have one good glass with my face mask and chill out.

Enjoy your Pamper Wednesday! Head on over to facebook and let me know how you chose to relax today!

Keep an eye out for stumpy gully wines at your local bottle-o, or make a trip down to our beautiful mornington peninsula! Their cellar door is open 7 days from 10am – 5pm, and online shop is open 24 hours a day with free postage! (minimum order 6 or 12 bottles). They have very reasonably priced wines starting from $22 in their cellar door and online up to the premium range at $50.  

Sukin products are available Nationally at major pharmacies including Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, My Chemist and health food stores. 

This post is not sponsored, nor were the products mentioned above gifted to me for blog purposes. I value honesty above all, and assume that my readers do too. All opinions stated are my own.

How I saved my nails from years of damage and abuse.

 I was pretty horrible to my nails for a really long time. I've posted heaps of nail art things on this blog, in which you can see my lovely long acrylic nails. They were tough and rarely broke, and it was great....but my fingers were sore, I had multiple burn marks on my nail beds from overzealous dremel filing, I lived in fear every time I was cut with a manual file (this happens WAY more often than you'd expect and there's no way to sterilize them, nor do they throw them away), and every time I had a reset/refill, I was confronted by the horrendous state of my natural nail underneath.

So I went the "healthy" way and switched to SNS. Because " SNS doesn't damage your nails. BULLSHIT. I call absolute bullshit. The process that they use to "prepare" your nails under it is exactly the same as acrylic (not to mention that SNS is actually just acrylic powder) and I was left with the same sad state of affairs on every finger.

After a year or so of this, I decided enough was enough, I'd stop torturing myself and grow off the damage (There is no other way. You can't repair nails that have been filed away). It took a -really- long time. The cuticles were damaged, my poor nails were thin and brittle, and as I left my nails alone, I noticed that without the "protection" of a coating, the skin around my cuticles was getting pretty nasty.

I'm an anxious nail biter, and I pick at nail polish, so after I realized that nail polish could provide a bit of protection for my nail edges and cuticles, I set about looking for a polish product that has some staying power, whilst not being invasive in any way, like shallac is.

My salvation came in the form of an old favourite brand with a new lid colour. Boy does it fit the bill, and then some.

OPI Infinite Shine has been around for a few years now, so their colour selection is immense. I have trouble choosing when I go to buy "just one, I promise!", and now my collection is up to about 20 colours, plus the primer and top coat.

 First, we start with the base coat, which gives the nail a good starting point for the polish to bond to, without drying out the nailbed or harming the natural nail in any way.

Next, a thin coat of your choice of colour. Let it dry before then adding a second, more generous coating.

Last, but definitely not least, is the top coat. It's hard as nails (see what I did there?) and dries SO fast. You're good to go (carefully) in about 5 minutes, and completely dry in 20. It's truly amazing.

It dries crystal clear, doesn't matte out nail art gems, and stands up to hard treatment, even in water.

It's not a cheap product. In fact, once you buy a base and top coat, and a couple of shades, you're not going to get much change from $100, BUT you definitely get what you pay for and it's worth every cent.


It's good enough that I'm exclusively using Infinite Shine nail lacquers now, and have been for about a year. They've even released a fine silver holo, which will make all the holosexuals out there extremely happy (shout out to simply nailogical, for those unaware of the term holosexual).

So now I'm one of those people who has lovely long, healthy natural nails, and I'm certain that wouldn't be the case if I hadn't started using Infinite Shine. If you're struggling to grow off damage, or just want a new and awesome nail product, give it a try!

This post is not sponsored and I wasn't gifted the products for review. This blog represents my own opinions.
I value honesty, and assume that my readers do too.

Infinite Shine by OPI is available at all good nail salons, Myer and David Jones nationally.

PSA: A friendly reminder to check your breasts

As someone with a pretty heavy family history of breast cancer, I'm hyper-aware of the need for early detection. This honestly saves lives.

So every month on the 13th, I'll post this same blog post to remind all of my beautiful readers to have a check (your gender is not important here, every human is at risk for breast cancer), including the entire chest area and under your arms.
If you find something out of the ordinary, it'll be terrifying, but go to your doctor to have it checked ASAP. Don't put it off and hope it'll go away.

As a bonus, for my readers with testicles....give them a bit of a check too.

The time-poor girl's guide to Curly Girl Method hair in Australia.

I know it's been a really long time coming. I've been out of the blogosphere for a couple of years, completely jaded by the whole YouTube debacle, and didn't really have much to share.

But here goes, a complete re-launch. I'm not a late 20's person, like I was when I started all of this, I'm now a late 30's woman, with a whole new appreciation for beauty and what it means to take care of yourself, your hair and your skin.

I've begun by embracing my natural curly hair (Thank the spaghetti monster it's FINALLY fashionable!!!!) and trying the curly girl method.

I'd like to start by stating that the curly hair community is quite nasty. I've seen so many people on the internet get into fights about what -type- of curly hair somebody said they have...which is completely ridiculous and a waste of everyone's time and energy. This is not the place for that. I won't be stating my hair curl type, but I will tell you the ways I have personally worked the curly girl method into my life, and what works for me, as a person who doesn't have 2 hours a day to perfect every curl.

So what even is CGM? Basically, we're cutting out sulphates and silicones that strip and weigh down hair, heat styling which damages hair, and switching to more natural products and techniques for drying and styling hair, as well as washing less often.

DAY 1: WTF?

A warning: The first month or so of CGM isn't pretty. It's a frizz-filled, oily mess of a thing and you're going to want to give up on it because your hair looks worse than ever. This will pass, I promise. You have to get your scalp and hair used to having a more natural environment, so it's going to take some time to work through the process of your scalp skin figuring out how much oil to produce.

I have really fine hair, and due to a chronic illness, there isn't much of it left. I'm very lucky it's curly. I have a low amount of frizz, relatively speaking, and my curl pattern is fairly even. I work 6 days a week, I have 2 kids, and I have a fella I like to look at who lives an hour away from me... so I have, like, no time.

I've tried a few different sets of sulphate, silicone and paraben free products, and have settled on Sukin's range of shampoos and conditioners. Natural Balance is the one I like for my hair, and I'll generally shampoo twice a week and use a small amount of conditioner every morning in the shower to reset my curls, which I generally don't bother tying in silk scarves or putting in a pineapple bun to sleep in.

If you love a good botanical scent, these are definitely going to be right up your alley. I love the way my hair smells, and I love the super-light formulation, which doesn't strip my hair of natural oils, or weigh it down at all.

In terms of styling, I'll generally wash/wet/light condition my hair, comb it out with a wide toothed comb in the shower (I haven't brushed it in 4 months and I love it so much!), then put a tiny bit of conditioner into my hands, rub them together and work it through the ends before plopping my hair into a towel while I clean my teeth, etc. I'll occasionally use a really basic hair gel, but I don't like the way it makes my hair crunch. When I scrunch out the crunch, my hair looks weirdly "fried" because it's so fine. Usually the bit of leave-in conditioner on the ends is all I need for a bit of definition.
Once I'm dressed and ready to go, I'll let my hair out of the towel, give it a quick scrunch and I'm out the door, still wet. Luckily I have the kind of job where it's completely fine if I show up with still-damp hair.

Yes, I'll admit that I'm still colouring my hair, though it's only about once every 6 weeks, and because of my thyroid condition, I'm finding that I just don't hold colour any more. Within a week, I'm pretty much back to my natural level of greys and that "grown-out" look where I used to dye my hair black. It's mostly just the ends now, and they probably need a good chop. I have noticed some growth in the 3 months that I've been doing CGM, though, so that's awesome. I've heat treated my hair once in that 3 months, and straight, it looked so much longer than it used to.

3 months later: amazing!

All in all, I really feel like this curly hair thing is working for me. The maintenance is minimal, I love the way it looks and feels, and I have some relief from that "bald" feeling I was starting to get with my tiny little 12-hairs-slicked-into-a-ponytail look I'd rocked for work for the past few years.

So... here is the result after 3 months of CGM. It looks great, and I finally feel good about my hair!

Sukin haircare is available Nationally at major pharmacies including Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, My Chemist and health food stores. Shampoo/conditioner are $14.95 for 500ml or $24.95 for 1 litre.

This is not a sponsored post, nor was I given the products to review. These are my own experiences and opinions. I value honest communication, and assume that my readers do too :)

BOE BEAUTY HAUL - throwback...Monday?

KITSTAGRAM: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

Hey guys,

I've decided to try a new series to see what you guys think. I'll do it about once a month, and I'm going to call it Kitstagram. I'll share my favourite Instagram pictures (from my own account), and talk about where, when, how and why they were taken.

Let me know in the comments section if you do/not want to see this as a regular feature.

This one I feel is pretty self-explanatory, but there's a bit of an ongoing story with it. This is our Christmas tree, beautifully decorated.

After the kids came home and saw it, I told them that I would throw away any ornament that they willingly removed from the tree.

We are now down to 2 ornaments and a string of tinsel.

This was taken post-walk-with-friends at Frankston, at the bottom of Oliver's Hill where the little jetty is.

The water was so still and lovely that I felt the need to capture it.

Taken at Sweetwater Creek walking trail. A group of friends and I went walking (as we do, because we all like to exercise regularly, and doing it as a group helps keep us motivated).

The plant is Nasturtium, and it covered the entire "wall" of the path we were walking down. Note the random yellow and orange flowers, which will be more plentiful as summer progresses, and are completely edible.

A rare addition to my public instagram, a picture of my boys. Josh is the older one, he's 9, and Max is the little guy, 3.

They love the beach, and play in the water no matter how cool it is.

This day, they made a huge sandcastle. It was a pretty awesome day.

My strange addiction: Nail Polish.

This is a little under half of my nail polish collection. I just love it and I can't really explain why or how I have so many.

Nail art is a fun hobby of mine.

A proud moment.

My first month on YouTube with the new channel. 1,520 views on the few videos I had up.

I'm really excited about the growth of the new channel.

Trying something new.

Montagne Jeunesse sent me their new 2 step masks to try, and the anti-breakout one is awesome.

Stay tuned for a review in the next week or so.

A big surprise.

Sukin sent me a beautifully wrapped christmas gift, the contents of which, I will share with you in my "what I got for Christmas" video.

Faked!

My fake naked3 palette arrived, and I created a look from the colours in it for a dinner on Saturday night.

This is the look that I'm wearing in my Faked3 video, my beauty talk tag video, and my random favourites#1 video.

My biggest achievement since I broke my ankle.

We walked 6.4km on the gravel tracks in Mornington, and in the middle of that, we did the dreaded Birdrock climb, a set of approximately 200 steps (set just-a-little-too-close-together) to get down to the beach, and a track with a 45.7% gradient to get back up.

My leg is aching 3 days later, so I think I overdid it a little bit, but I felt good about getting a decent training session in.

Birdrock was my before-Christmas goal for the leg, so I'm really happy.

If you want to follow me on instagram, you can find me @katysbeautysecrets or @katylylak (same account), or #kbcommunity, #katysbeautysecrets, and #ifiwasahorse.

REVIEW: LUSH KARMA KOMBA AND DARK ANGELS

Over the past few weeks, you've seen my Lush hauls, and i figured it was about time I did some reviews for you. Here we go, starting with Karma Komba solid shampoo and Dark Angels facial cleanser.

First of all, Karma Komba, which is an awesome orange and lemongrass scented solid shampoo bar. It's great for my fine, wavy, frizzy hair, and it's so, so easy to use! Literally like a bar of soap for your head, you just rub it on, lather up and rinse away! Definitely worth a look, and on my list of favourite things right now.

Also on my list of faves is my Dark Angels cleanser, which is amazing for my combination/oily skin. It looks and feels like playdough, it's black because of the charcoal in it, and it's super simple to use with your hands, or like I do, with my facial cleansing brush from Daiso. Dark Angels is a must-try for all oily-skinned peeps, and don't despair if that's not your skin type. For normal, combination and dry skin, you can check out Angels on Bare Skin, the sister product to Dark Angels.

 For a better look and some more of my thought, check out my video review:

 

MAKEUP MACGUYVER - HOW TO DIY IN A PINCH

MacGuyver dishing out tips to his lady friend

I've been promising you guys this post for a while now. My makeup MacGuyver tips, and how to make stuff that's awesome from stuff you have lying around your house.

So...what awesome things will I share with you? Let's get right down to it.

1.MAC strobe cream.
This one is really easy. Strobe cream is basically just a moisturizer base with a pearlescent finish to it, which gives your skin a dewy glow under your makeup.
For this, you need to mix 9 parts moisturizer with 1 part white shimmer powder. Make sure it's mixed really well.

2.BB cream.
Another super easy one. This mix is 1/3 moisturizer, 1/3 foundation, 1/6 sunblock and 1/6 primer. Just mix them together well, and you have a makeshift BB cream.

3.Facial scrubs.
These can be made with a variety of different things, but my favourite all-purpose friend is Bi-Carb soda. Make a paste of Bi-Carb and water and use it as you usually would for a facial scrub. Use it once a week, not more often than that, because it is quite harsh on your skin.

4.Teeth whitening.
Again with my friend Bi-Carb, this time making a paste with peroxide. You can use creme or liquid, but the creme peroxide makes a better paste. Brush onto your teeth once or twice a week to remove stains. IMPORTANT: DO NOT SWALLOW THIS PASTE.

5.Volumizing shampoo for beachy waves.
This one is really simple. Summer is coming, so beachy waves will be right back on trend like they are every year. To help your hair along, or even just to add some extra volume, just add a little rock salt to your shampoo.

6.Lip scrubs.
You can make these a bit fancy with a carrier oil and some essential oils, but really all you need is some raw sugar to make a fantstic lip scrub, which is edible too! You can mix the sugar into a bit of vaseline to make it stick together better and disperse onto the lips better.

7.Avoiding hair dye on your skin.
Using the vaseline again, draw the outline of your face, all along the hairline with vaseline. This will form a barrier between your skin and any dye that goes astray. Don't forget to do your ears and the back of your neck, too!

8.Eye makeup remover.
Last of all, how to remove any stubborn makeup, waterproof makeup, stay-on lipsticks, etc.
Baby oil. It's that simple. It will remove any of the above mentioned cosmetic products.

9. Makeup setting spray.
1 part glycerine to 9 parts distilled or filtered water, shake well, use in a spray bottle and replace every couple of weeks. Because we're not using chemical preservatives in this, it'll go off.

That's all for Makeup MacGuyver 2013. I hope you guys get some use out of this stuff.

ANOTHER CHEEKY LUSH HAUL!

 Another kid-free weekend means another chance to sneak off and do cheeky things... and in my case, that just means going to Lush and checking out what awesome things they have for me this week!

The kids love bath fizzies and so do I, so it makes sense to spend a few bucks every couple of weeks on some things that make us all feel special.

This week, I got a few different things; the Ickle Baby Bot bath fizzer, Dorothy Bubble Bar, Father Christmas Bath Ballistic, Bombardino, The Honeymooner massage bar, and Cupcake face mask.

 I'm loving all of their holiday-themed products, and tonight I took a bath with Bombardino, a gorgeous Lemon-Cheesecake-scented bath bomb which left my skin feeling really soft and hydrated!

The other thing I really want to comment on is the customer service at my local Lush Store. I go to Fountain Gate, which is the closest one to me, and there is a girl there (I'm really kicking myself that I didn't catch her name!!! But I know she'll read this and tell me in the comments section below!), she's absolutely gorgeous, with blonde hair and several facial piercings. She is the kindest, most friendly retail salesperson I've encountered, and I feel like she deserves to be recognized for that...so well done and keep up the awesome work. She always helps me find things that I'm looking for and recommends products without being pushy or hanging around too much. That, to me, makes a great sales person.

I'll add the video of my unwrapping these things as soon as it's finished and uploaded. It also contains details about the very first giveaway in my 12 days of Giftmas series, so stay tuned for that on December 1!

FIRST LOOK AND REVIEW - BLINC COSMETICS

This week, I've been given the opportunity check out something that's brand new in Australia, that USA celebrities have been using for ages!

Blinc Cosmetics are somewhat sketchy about where the brand originated (they claim that the product has been around for 25 years), but the product is manufactured in Tokyo, Japan, and they have been running out of the USA since 1999.

This is the first "tubing" mascara on the market, and it's the first tubing mascara that I've used. The idea is that it adheres to your lashes and forms a thickening and lengthening tube around the lash which can withstand water, sweat, dry friction, and is basically a bombproof mascara.

The first of the two products I tried was the Lash Primer, which is a nourishing, thickening, lengthening formula. It feels great on the lashes, and it's a really great base for your mascara. At $25, it's a higher end primer, but it's a beautiful product and worth the extra money.

 I also tried their Amplified Mascara in Dark Brown, which is really awesome. The tube formula, once it adheres to the lash and dries, is completely bulletproof. I went out running in the rain with this one, came home saturated and even rubbed my eyes, and the mascara is still on 5 hours later!

As far as price is concerned, this one is on the high end of things at $38, but shipping is free, and the product definitely earns its keep. You can get these products and many more at www.blinccosmetics.com.au.



I made a video to show the product and give my thoughts on it, which you can watch below:

fair and full disclosure: These products were sent to me at no cost by Blinc Cosmetics for my consideration. I was under no obligation to review them. I endeavour to bring you honest reviews of products which I have used and genuinely enjoyed.