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.

PAMPER WEDNESDAY - NEW CHRISTMAS PRODUCTS FROM LUSH!

I've made no secret of my love for all things Lush, and their new Christmas range is absolutely no exception!

Lush sent me a few things to have a look at, and as soon as I saw them, I promised myself a little mini-spree over there, and picked up a few more things!

I filmed a haul video, which you can see below,and I'll just add a bunch of pics to show you what the products look like up close, and for some of them, what you can expect when you use them!


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Santa Baby Lip Tint

Angel's Delight soap

Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

Shoot for the stars Bath Ballistic

Bubbles from Candy Mountain

Pink water from Candy Mountain

Santa Baby Lip Tint

Ickle Baby Bot Bath Ballistic

Creamy Candy Bubble Bar

Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic

Luxury Pud Bath Ballistic

Golden Wonder as it fizzes

Green water with gold lustre from Golden Wonder

Review Thursday: A little treat from Montagne Jeunesse

When I received my very first  Valentines Day card for this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had come with a little treat inside, and it was from the awesome people at Montagne Jeunesse!

Inside I found a pink lollipop in the shape of a heart, which was yummy and just what I needed, but also right up there on the list of "things I need" for that day was the other surprise that i found inside - a sample of their "Peel off passion" face mask!

It's a clear gel mask, which you put on your skin and allow to dry until you're able to peel it off, which has always kind of grossed me out, but the results really make up for the gross "peeled-off-skin" you have to throw in the bin when you're done.

The scent of this product is divine. Fruity and not overpowering, it was definitely a product I was happy to put on my face.

I just sat down to relax for about 10 minutes, then I peeled the mask off carefully (it's always a good idea to avoid your eyebrows when you use this type of mask!) and I was done!

Here are the results, and what the mask looks like on the skin. I really liked it, and I'll be on the lookout for more Montagne Jeunesse products when I'm out and about. You can find them at Priceline, Target, Kmart, Big W, Coles, Woolworths and selected Pharmacies for $3.95 each.

Midweek pamper session: Face mask!

 Whether it's a pore strip, a full cloth or a liquid, there's not much I like better for relaxation than a face mask. Just the thought of lying down with a nice cooling mask on my face makes me feel instantly more relaxed.

So this evening we're going to take 20 minutes to give ourselves a little bit of quiet relaxation time and pamper our skin a little bit with a face mask.

Some of my readers have asked me how to choose the right mask for your face, and the answer really is that it's all down to personal preference. Some people like a heating mask, some like a cooling mask. Some people like a cloth mask, and others prefer a peel-off or the kind that goes on like a cream and dries out.

You should take a look at the ingredients and decide what will be best for your skin type, maybe even buy a few different ones to try.
The very best masks I've ever tried are skinmiso nose strips and lon vitalite 24K gold mask. They are amazing.

So... now that you've chosen your mask, go! Use it! Take 20 minutes, play some relaxing music and just chill out, forget about the world.

Midweek pamper sessions: Pedicure!

Ok, girls. Roll up your skirts and get those feet ready to be pampered. It's Wednesday night, and you know what that means!

Tonight, we're going to take care of our feet. You'll need somewhere to soak them. For me, that's my trusty footspa, but for you that could be as simple as a plastic tub full of warm water. If you have some bath salts or foot soak, add that to the water and just sit and relax for 10 minutes, let the warm water soften up the skin on your feet. Once you're done soaking, if you have a foot file, get in there and really work on the harder areas, your heels and under the ball of your foot. Slough away any dead, hard skin and really get into any cracked areas and remove as much of the damaged skin as possible.

Next, lets massage some heel balm into our feet. If you don't have heel balm, any thick moisturiser will do. Give yourself 5 minutes per foot to rub the sore parts and get the moisturiser worked right into the skin.

Last of all, we'll take care of the nails. Make sure they are cut to an appropriate length (too long will hurt your feet pressing against your shoes, too short and you risk an ingrown nail), the file them so that there are no sharp edges. Now, push the cuticles back and add cuticle oil if you have it/want to. After rubbing in the oil, it's important to wash the excess off of the nail, and the best way to do this is to take a cotton ball with some nail polish remover on it, and wipe it over each nail and let it dry.

While you're drying off the nails, you can choose a colour for painting them. Base and top coat are as important on your feet as they are on your hands, so make sure you bring them too.

Paint your nails the way you like them, and while we're waiting for them to dry, let's just sit and enjoy a glass of wine, or a hot chocolate. Whatever your guilty pleasure is, have it guilt-free tonight.

And we're done! Just a half hour of me-time and I feel so much girlier and happier and more relaxed. Oh, and my feet are ready to face the rest of the week and the inevitable parties that happen at this time of year. Bonus!