lush: full of grace serum

Lets get back on track with a beauty related post, shall we?

Marketed for dry, sensitive skin, I wasn't sure how Lush's Full of Grace serum bar ($19.90) was going to work on my extremely oily skin. It's not a product I would have purchased for myself — I received this as a prize for winning one of Lush's Facebook competitions (thank you Lush Newmarket!) It's a strange looking serum, in solid form rather than liquid, and it didn't come in any particularly durable packaging either. In order to take it with me to Japan, I cleaned out an empty jar and cut the serum into smaller chunks. With the Japanese summer being over 30°C everyday, I certainly didn't want it to melt all over my luggage during transit. (Let's just ignore the fact that I've been in Japan for almost 2 months now...)

The serum is formulated with murumuru and cupuacu butter; calming ingredients such as calamine and rose infusion/oil; almond oil; and portobello mushrooms for its antioxidant properties. Despite being a solid bar, Full of Grace is easy enough to use: simply warm between your palms and gently massage the oil onto your face. I personally only find this method doable during autumn and spring (or places with moderate tempatures regardless). In the Japanese summer heat, the serum melts into a soft cream-like texture, and I apply it like I would a moisturiser — scoop up a bit and melt between the palms, then pat onto my skin. It also takes a little more effort during winter because the bar stays solid. In that case, I apply the bar directly onto my face before patting the product in with my hands. Because the application is heavier with this method, I would only recommend it for those with dry skin, or during the colder months.

Unlike some other oils, I don't find Full of Grace to be overly greasy even on my skin type. I am, however, a regular facial oil user so my preferences may be a little different. Due to its oil components, I tend to use this as a night time moisturiser, or under a sheet mask to help the essence absorb better (it is a serum after all). I haven't used the product frequently enough to see any noticeable differences in my skin, but it definitely provides just the right amount of moisture. I usually reach for this when I have break outs as I know it won't aggravate my skin any further.

Despite being a serum aimed at dry skin, I think anyone can benefit from using Lush's Full of Grace. From rosacea to acne prone skin, dry to oily; it's a great all rounder for all skin types. I've already purchased their Angels on Bare Skin cleanser recently upon Caroline Hiron's recommendation, will report back later on how that goes...

estée lauder: gift on the go

Never in a million years would I expect to purchase, not one, but two Estée Lauder products in one transaction (and in New Zealand at full RRP)! Being a luxury brand with a relatively long history, I've always associated it with mature women, and a brand I never really gravitated towards. That is, until I found out about their amazing gift with purchase promotion at Smith & Caughey's. The gift was simply irresistible and looked too good to be true. 

Can you believe that I only paid for the two Pure Color Envy lipsticks, but walked away with everything in that photo? Because I'm still mind blown. While testers are offered for almost every makeup product available, samples are right on the other end of the spectrum — taboo, and never to be spoken of in front of a counter makeup artist (I kid). According to Estée Lauder, the gift is worth over $240 based on the recommended retail price of the full sized products. Of course, most items in the gift bag are sample sizes, but they're all very generous amounts. I purchased #410 Dynamic and #450 Insolent Plum (spending a total of $118) from the Queen Street store with the help of a lovely girl named Sandra. She was so patient with me and tried on all the products I asked her to. High end makeup counters can be a little intimidating in my opinion, and some assistants can be (for the lack of a better word) snobby. I work in a customer service environment, so I definitely appreciate good service.

That aside, let's have a look at the contents, shall we? There were two sets to choose from, and I opted for the purple/warm toned set. Makeup wise, the bag consisted of their: Pure Color Long Lasting lipstick in #17 Rose Tea, Pure Color Intense Kajal eyeliner in #02 Blackened Cocoa, Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying volume mascara in #01 Extreme Black, and a mini palette consisting of their Pure Color eyeshadows in #10 Ivory Slipper, #67 Lilac Whimsy, #18 Sepia Sand, and #07 Smokey Ember. Sandra also depotted a sample of the Double Wear Light foundation in Intensity 3.0 for me to try. She tried the original formula on me the day before and I wasn't a fan of the cakey, settled-into-pores look. I wanted to love the foundation so much, but at least I didn't fork out $80 before I found I it didn't work for me. (I am around a MAC NC30 and got matched in the shade 2W2 Rattan, if anyone was curious). 

For skincare, a sample of their best selling Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II serum and Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant creme were included. Oh my goodness. ANR! This is pretty much the sole reason (not really, but really) as to why I wanted this gift bag so much. I get to try the famous ANR before shelling out $92 for a 30mL bottle? Yes please. If a product is Caroline Hirons approved, it's going on my to-try-when-I-have-the-funds-list. (Oh, my poor, poor bank account...) To complete my skincare addiction, Sandra also threw in a few sachets of the Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher serum. And lastly, the final two products are their Modern Muse eau de parfum, and Pure Color nail lacquer in Black Plum (perfect for autumn/winter)!

I've never tried Estée Lauder products before, but they've done an excellent job at recruiting another beauty addict (aka me) to their consumers' list. I love the fact that you only need to purchase two products to qualify, and there's no minimum purchase amount. The offer is available exclusively at selected Smith & Caughey's stores until Sunday 13th April, so make sure to grab yours before it ends! 

Edit 16-04-14; Post has been updated with photos. Here is the link to my instagram photo that I originally used.

recent empties: episode #01

I love watching empties videos on YouTube. The idea seems a bit silly; someone (usually halfway across the world) shuffling through and displaying their accumulated trash over the past few weeks/months. But I'm sure most of you would agree that it's one of the best ways to discover new products. I've also managed to gather a few empty bottles and tubs for the purpose of taking the above photo, and doing a mini review on each. 

As you can see, I've finished quite a few products from The Body Shop recently. Quite a while ago, there was an amazing gift with purchase event and I just had to spend the full $80 to get it. Both the Moringa Body Butter and the Body Butter Duo in Macadamia were freebies, and to be honest, I'm not a huge fan. Both sides of the macadamia were too greasy for my liking, and the formula for dry skin made my legs incredibly itchy. The moringa was better in terms of texture — less thick and not sticky, but the scent isn't my favourite. TBS body butters get such amazing hype, and I really want to love them, but it just seems like I haven't found the one for me yet. 
The Vineyard Peach Cream Body Scrub on the other hand; I really enjoyed using! The scent is absolutely delicious and that's what propelled me to buy it in the first place (besides the GWP). It isn't as exfoliating as some other scrubs I've tried, yet effective enough to create a smooth base for shaving. It's both gentle and moisturisng; great for when I don't want to use something too abrasive on my skin. I'm not sure if I'd repurchase as of yet, but I would definitely be keen on trying some of the other flavours.

This is the second bottle of the Bifesta Brightup Cleansing Lotion (￥1,050) that I've used up, and it served as my main makeup remover way back in 2011 when I lived in Japan. Micellar waters are huge amongst beauty bloggers, and it only took me 3 years to realise that I've been using one all along! I've forgotten how much I enjoyed removing my daily face with this (after switching to cleansing balms), and recently rekindled my love for it. I wouldn't use it as my sole cleanser; but it's great as a pre-cleanse on light makeup days (or when I'm just a tad too lazy to balm it up). 

Lastly, we have the Origins Super Spot Remover ($25). I picked this up from Mecca Cosmetica when I was suffering from an eruption of breakouts along my chin and jawline (something that happens every month or two — the joys of having blemish prone skin). The Origins offering definitely helped to reduce redness and the overall appearance of spots after a few days of use, but I would say it's more effective against minor blemishes as opposed to under the skin breakouts. It's not actually as drying as the sales assistant made it out to be, which is always a plus in my book.

As a beauty hoarder (ahem) enthusiast, it's very satisfying when a product gets used up to the very last drop. Time to get cracking on the rest of my collection...