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:

 

REVIEW: Sukin Organics

As you all know, I recently traveled half way around the world to where it was summertime, ]and as it was winter here at home, my skin was unprepared for the heat.
You can see in the photo, our happy smiles and the city of Austin, Texas in the background. It was a wonderful evening, and I don't think I've ever been quite so content in all my life.

When we got home from our evening at the symphony, I decided I needed a bit of relaxing skin care, so I rummaged through my case and found the goodies I had brought with me from Sukin Organics.

Over the course of the next few days, these products kept me hydrated and blemish-free with the different water and harsh sunshine. I was so glad to have taken them with me.

First up, the foaming facial cleanser absolutely smells divine! Most of Sukin's products have amazing botanical scents, but this one in particular is a favourite of mine. It gives a nice amount of lather, and you only have to use a tiny bit to wash your whole face. It removes makeup and clears pores without stripping away moisture from the skin, and did I mention it has an amazing fragrance, which it leaves on your skin?

Next, their facial moisturizer, which has a slightly different scent to the cleanser, but is also really nice. It goes on very nicely, making my skin feel moisturized, but not smothered. I have a sample of an extremely expensive moisturizer, and I would much rather use my Sukin one every day, because it feels so nice on. The fact that these products are affordable, and botanically sourced, kind to the environment and everyone within it, and Australian made and owned, is the icing on the cake of awesome products for me. I really love it when a product has everything going for it.

Last of all, a product which came in very handy while I was away. We got sunburned, and we were in chlorinated pools a lot, and we went out hiking and all sorts, and my boyfriend suffers with back spasms, so I was really pleased to have Sukin's wellbeing body oil on hand. It has a handy pump top and warms very quickly in your hands. Once again, it has that amazing fragrance, and my man was very happy to have his back rubbed and just relax and take in the scent of the oil. It worked wonders for my burned, dried out shoulders, too. It's a must-have product for me now, which I'll always make sure I have in the house.




All in all, I thoroughly recommend the Sukin Organics range. I know I've recommended their rosehip oil to you guys in the past, and these products live up to my expectations of Sukin products completely.

Fair and full disclosure: Sukin Organics sent me the above products free of charge for my consideration. I was under no obligation to review them. I always endeavour to bring you open, honest reviews of products that I have genuinely tried and enjoyed.

REVIEW: Love Alpha mascara and eyeliner.

Recently, I was recommended a mascara by one of my lovely readers (Thank you, Alice!), and just had to try it out! When I was shopping for the mascara, I also picked up their gel eyeliner at the same time, and I tried them both out, with amazing results!

One eye done, one eye natural.

Love Alpha fibre coat mascara is a two-part system, with a transplanting gel (which is black, and could be used alone), and natural fibres, which brush on over the top and stick to the gel.
The one thing I will say about the fibres, is that you should definitely apply another coat of mascara or transplanting gel over the top to seal the fibres, as they can cause quite a messy fallout if you leave them unsealed.

The thick eyeliner is awesome, it's a gel, which is very creamy and goes on like a dream. It even comes with its own fold away brush.

For a more in depth review, watch the video below. Don't forget to rate and subscribe for more beauty secrets!

Review; Lancome Hypnose Star mascara

In the February Lust Have It box, I received a cute little sample of Lancome Hypnose Star mascara.I am quite the mascara connoisseur, so I was excited to try out a high end product like this and see if it lived up to the hype.

It totally does. In a few different ways!

First of all, it's a glossy, blacker-than-black colour. Just one coat of this makes my lashes pop and my eyes are defined absolutely.


Then there's the added benefit of not needing to tightline. I hate tightlining! It's uncomfortable, awkward, and risky, and the effect is not worth the hassle, to be honest. However, if you can get the same effect with no extra effort, it does make enough of a difference to bother with it.

The shape of the brush is what lets you get right in under the lashes to the upper waterline, and it coats the skin there right on the lashline as you pull the mascara through your lashes.

It lengthens and separates the lashes beautifully, and if you want a bit of extra volume like i do, you can always use a lash primer or fibre coat first, then apply this over the top. In my pictures, I've used a maybelline XXL pro lash primer (from the 2 step mascara that I usually use), then just one coat of the Lancome product over the top.

Now, in terms of where to get it and how much "high end" costs, it varies unbelievably between Australia and the USA. Here in Australia, you need to get it from the Lancome counter at Myer store, and it's going to set you back $52.

If you're in the USA, you're lucky, because at Sephora, you can pick this baby up for $28! I'm going to make do with my sample for the next few months and pick up a couple of full sized ones when I go to Texas in August.

Definitely a product to try out if you have the urge to splurge on a nice product. If you can find a sample somewhere, even better! I don't like to spend huge dollars on mascara, because technically we're supposed to ditch them every 3 months. It makes me wish that they came in smaller and more affordable product sizes. the sample that I got in my LHI box is just about a perfect 3 month supply for me, wearing makeup 4-5 times per week.

Check it out, though, it's a fantastic product!

Review: BYS custom colours eyeshadows.

 I've seen these little pans and palettes around for years, and I've always loved them. In my early "getting serious about makeup" days, I had several of these palettes with similar colours in them, or colours that went well together. They used to have them with cute art on the outside, but now I can only find the black ones.

Anyway, they are the BYS custom colours palette and pan sets, and basically you buy the palette empty and then fill it with colours of your choice, that fit magnetically into the pan!

They have a cute, but functional sized mirror inside, so they are perfect for beauty on the go.

Over christmas (and even still now, at a heavily reduced price!), I saw these sets with a palette and 10 shadow pans, which are really great value.


The palette I've put together here is perfect for creating a pink-based smoky eye look. My camera hasn't really picked up the colours very well here, but the lighter pink is more of a baby pink, perfect for highlighting under the brow, then there's the deeper pink, which I'd put on the lid and right up into transition, then the light grey I would blend into the crease and transition, and of course the charcoal for the outer corner and crease.

I really love the design, and the available colours are awesome.

What do you think? Would you love to make up your own palettes?

Ban bad hair days with Polished London Dry Shampoo!

This morning, I received a gift in the mail from Polished London, and when I opened it up and had a try of what was inside, I couldn't wait to share it with you guys!

Until very recently, when I tried a different product from a sample box, I was a bit wary of dry shampoos, and I really think it's because I had no idea how to use it properly. I found that the ones I had tried didn't have a lot of pressure behind the product when you spray it out, which seems to be what sets this one (and a couple of others I've tried) apart from the rest.

The one I got was the coconut scented one, Cornwall Coconut. They also have a floral scented one called Bristol Bloom, and both of these names have meaning for me, because I'm from south-west England, very close to Bristol, and we used to holiday in Cornwall when I was little. Regardless of that, I'm not reviewing the name of the product, so I'll move on to what you guys actually want to know.

First of all, I'll talk about the scented one that I tried out, then I'll tell you about a couple of other cool varieties they have,

After I had sprayed the dry shampoo in

The coconut scent is really nice. It's not overpowering, just as if I'd actually washed my hair with a coconut scented shampoo. I just followed the directions, sprayed it into my roots, massaged it around a bit, then brushed it out. I haven't washed my hair since yesterday morning, so it was perfect timing for the package to arrive. I'm going to just show you the before and after and let the results speak for themselves...

After I brushed it out.

My hair is really fine, so I need to keep on top of washing it, because it only takes a tiny bit of excess oil to really make my hair look terrible, lank and gross.
This dry shampoo feels like second day hair, which is awesome to style, without the excess oil, and with a boost of volume to boot. It's absolutely perfect for my hair.

So... on to the other things in this range. I know some of you love dry shampoo, and I also know that you absolutely hate the white powder.
Well, now you have options. Polished London also had the amazing forethought to add "Blighty Brunette", and "Bonny Blonde" to the dry shampoo range. Coloured powders that blend into your hair colour!

Now, for the very best part. They're $4.99 a can! Available from pharmacies nationally, there's a stockist near you! Go try it, the only trouble you'll have is deciding which one to try first!

The most awesome matte lipstick I've tried: Model Co Party Proof

Shopping at Gloss the other day, I came across a stand of Model Co lipsticks that looked amazing. The red, in particular, caught my eye, and I had to have it once I also noticed that it's matte.

I'm loving the vintage glamour look that's so trendy right now. It's really right up my alley, so a gorgeous matte red lipstick was just what I needed.

Add to the awesomeness of the colour the fact that it's party proof (and I still have the marks on my arm 24 hours later AFTER using wipes on it immediately when I swatched yesterday and having a shower this morning to prove it), and you have the recipe for a really awesome makeup product.

It comes in 12 colours, and retails for $16.95. As far as I know, the line is exclusive to Gloss, or online from Model Co at www.modelcocosmetics.com/lips/party-proof-lipstick-1.html

The lipstick has a nifty mirror on the side of the tube, so you never have to fish around in your bag for a compact when you're reapplying (which should happen so rarely, you'd wonder why they bothered!).

I'm looking forward to doing a tutorial really soon using this lipstick. I have a feeling it's about to become a staple in my kit.

All in all, a really good all-rounder. I will definitely be buying more of these in neutral shades for everyday wear.

Review: Rimmel Stir It Up Cream Eyeshadow

 I was browsing through Gloss the other day, and I stumbled across these Rimmel cream eyeshadows, and fell in love!
There were 7 or 8 different colours, and at just under $5 each, I was tempted to get them all, but I listened to my inner thrifty person and just chose 2.
I ended up with #400 - Out of the blue, and #300 - Sure. Both of these colours are gorgeous and I can think of a bunch of different ways to use them.

First of all, let's have a look at the colours swatched on my arm. The blue one, of course, is Out of the blue, and the bronzey-pink-purple is Sure. I love both colours. The blue/green would be amazing for a mermaid-y kind of look, and the pink will be fantastic for a faerie event we have coming up in Melbourne.

When I first picked them up, I thought that they were powders, so of course, I got a huge surprise when I stuck my finger in the tester!


 They go on very smooth and don't crease, so I think that they would also make a really awesome base colour for a really intense makeup look, if you had an event that you could get away with massive makeup for. Remember, though, if you're going all out with the eyes, you probably want to keep the lips natural-looking to avoid a massive makeup faux-pas.

I lovelovelove these, and I highly recommend that you go check them out for yourself! Like I said, you can get them from Gloss, or from Priceline, Kmart, Target, Big W, Coles supermarkets & selected pharmacies nationally.

Review: BYS Nail art lacquer

Lots of you have asked me how I put my nail art together so nicely, and I'd love to take all the credit on the back of my creativity, but I just can't. 

Nail art has never been easier, thanks to nail art lacquers and polishes with very thin brushes, and my favourite ones are the ones from BYS.

They come in over 30 different colours, so there's one to match every nail look!

 The best part is the price. Coming in at $4.95 each, they are totally affordable, and anyone can have gorgeous nails!

Working the same way as a traditional polish, but applied with a very long, very thin brush which doesn't take long to get the hang of, you simply apply straight lines and brush strokes with ease to create and kind of nail look you want.


 All of the nail art looks pictured here were created with the help of BYS nail art lacquers. My collection is growing every week!

Review: Dr. LeWinn's facial polishing gel

This month in my bellabox, I received a 50ml sample of Dr. LeWinn's Facial Polishing Gel, and I've been using it every day since then.

It's a really nice "scrubby" scrub, which feels gritty, but is still gentle on your skin. I've certainly been feeling a lot cleaner since I started using it. That lovely clean feeling that comes with freshly exfoliated skin.

This is definitely a product I'd recommend to anyone looking for a really nice scrub. Try it out, you won't be sorry.

See www.drlewinns.com.au for stockists.

Review Thursday: Aum lifting face serum

Today I tried out a new product and I'm already hooked! Aum Anti Age organics specialize in age-defying skin care products, derived from organic ingredients.

Their Lifting Face Serum is amazing. With Papaya's antioxidant properties, and marine botanicals to even out skin tone and fade away dark spots, I could feel it working as soon as I applied it. My skin felt firmer, plumper and more hydrated, and truly I feel like I've had a mini facelift right now.

The serum is very light in texture, almost watery, rather than sticky or thick. I much prefer a thinner consistency, that absorbs easily into the skin, so this is ideal.

I really love the feel and look of my skin after using this lifting serum. It's even lifted and smoothed my under eye bags, which is awesome!

I can't wait to try out more products from Aum's range of anti-age organics!

Available nationally in selected Myer department stores, pharmacies and organic health retailers. Find your nearest stockist on www.aumbeauty.com

This product was provided for review by the lovely people at Aum anti age organics. My opinions are always my own.