♥

Another budget beauty product that I have read about on the Vogue Forum is the microfibre cloth. According to my research (read: Google and Vogue Forum), microfibre cloths are able to eliminate oil, cleanse makeup with just water, exfoliate skin and deep clean pores. Plus, the household microfibre cleaning cloths are a LOT cheaper than the beauty specific ones and still get the job done. Needless to say, I was hooked! I just had to try them out.

As I have mentioned in my previous article, my skin isn’t the greatest. Unfortunately, I am not one those girls blessed with naturally perfect, glowing skin – mine is oily, prone to break outs unless I am very disciplined in my cleansing regime, with large pores and rough patches.

So, I toddled down to my local supermarket and found a microfibre cloth in the household cleaning aisle. That night, I decided to try it out. I wet my face, wet a corner of the cloth and massaged it over my face in soft, circular motions. Let me tell you right now, the cloth really delivers! It managed to clean ALL of my makeup off (moisturiser, primer, foundation, blush, eyeliner, mascara and concealer) with just water. No harsh rubbing and it took barely any time at all. After, I toned with witch hazel and there was no makeup residue on the cotton pad – none! At all! Even when I cleanse with Cetaphil, there is still usually a bit left. The cloth managed to get right down into my pores and sweep everything off.

In addition to removing all my makeup, the cloth also eliminated the oil from my face (not long term – it was back the next day) and my skin was left feeling very soft and smooth. The cloth acted as a very gentle exfoliant. In fact, it is so gentle that I feel comfortable using it everyday – there is no redness, rubbing or scratching. As the cloth is quite large, I have been using various corners of it so far, but once I have run out of clean patches I will just chuck it in the washing machine and voila! Good as new. Love it.

Cloth in packaging (so you can spot it in the shops!)

The Nitty Gritty

Cost:
$4.72 for Chux All Purpose Microfibre Cloth (pack of one)

Pros:
cheap as chips!
instant results
feels great during and after
re-useable

Cons:
results aren’t AMAZING OH MY GOD THIS IS A MIRACLE, but still really good

Recommended Usage:
I think that it would be totally fine to use the cloth everyday – I certainly am and haven’t noticed any adverse effects so far.

Rating:
4.5 / 5

Review by Cassandra, beauty lover on a student budget and Pilbara correspondent!

Be well,

xoxo

♥

Free spray tans in Perth. Free spray tans in Perth. FREE SPRAY TANS IN PERTH!

I hope I have got your attention now! So I wanted to share with you this super cool secret that those who are already in the know will be cursing me for sharing. Sorry guys!

Aussie Bombshell is a fab new Perth based fake tan company who are responsible for tanning Sam and Renee from The Amazing Race Australia, but to my knowledge not the lovely ladies from Big W, (though I’m sure they would too!) as well as the Miss Universe Australia Perth girls! And many more notable devotees.

In order to be lucky enough to score a free spray tan, you just need to be a member of the Aussie Bombshell Facebook page, and be online when they announce their TRAINING TAN days, if you get in quick enough with a comment or phone call you can swoop yourself a spray tan from a trainee, which I hear should look just as fabulous as a regular one!

They’re only available on training days If you would like to try an Aussie Bombshell tan without waiting for a Facebook announcement then check out their stockists page or phone Penni on 0408 123 245 for more details.

Hope you enjoy this little treat!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Aspirin. For myself and I’m sure, readers, this is synonymous with pain relief. However, there is a growing trend of using it in an entirely different way – as a face mask!

Aspirin is less commonly known as acetylsalicylic acid, a derivative of salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a key component of various products used in the treatment of skin-related issues, including acne. Increasingly, budget beauty babes and home DIYers are using aspirin as a cheap, at-home face mask. Online beauty forums are filled with testimonials proclaiming the benefits of the ‘Aspirin Face Mask’ to combat redness, acne, pimples, oily skin and large pores, though there is some debate as to whether the mask works as a manual or chemical exfoliant.

As I have quite oily skin that has the tendency to break out a bit, with large pores and patches of rough skin on my nose and chin (I sound hideous! It’s not too bad ), I decided to try it out for myself.

♥

From the internet, most people use 2 – 6 tablets per mask. I used 4 and crushed them to a fine powder in baking paper, using a small hammer. A few ‘bits’ were remaining in mine, and it made application slightly difficult.

Next, I mixed in about 5 drops of water. The amount depends on how runny you want your mask to be. Keep in mind that if it is too liquid or too dry, application will be tricky.

Mixy mixy.

The reviews advised using mixers such as water, aloe vera, honey, rose hip oil, witch hazel and cleansers such as Cetaphil. I decided to slather half my face with just aspirin and water and the other half with aspirin, water and about 4 drops of honey. I found that the mixture with honey was a LOT easier to apply – it was much less gritty and foamy and had more of a soft, gel texture.

Aspirin face!

After about 20 minutes, I washed off the mask with warm water. To me, there wasn’t any real difference between the two sides of my face. My skin was extremely smooth and soft – I couldn’t get over how silky it felt! The rough patches on my chin and nose were significantly reduced (although not gone completely) and while I couldn’t see any difference in pore size, my skin was definitely less oily. It is enough of a difference that I will definitely be using it again in the future.

The Nitty Gritty

Cost:
24 Pack Aspro Clear from Coles = $3.58 (4 tablets per mask = $0.60 per mask)
Honey – cheapest = approx. $0.65 per 100g (many, many uses per bottle)

Pros:
♥ cheap as chips (possibly cheaper, depending on any penchant for gourmet chips!)
♥ instant results
♥ fun fizzing sensation during application

Cons:
♥ slightly time consuming and a bit fiddly
♥ the water and aspirin mixture was a bit difficult to apply
♥ was a tad sticky, due to the honey and the saccharin sodium (I think)
♥ may not be ideal if you have dry or sensitive skin

Recommended Usage:

I would recommend that you only use this mask once a week at most. It was granular and slightly abrasive, so probably not great if you have sensitive skin unless you crush the tablets up VERY finely. In addition, some reports on the Internet stated that it is possible to build up a tolerance to the chemical properties of the mask.

Rating:
3.5 / 5

Review by Cassandra, beauty lover on a student budget and soon to be regional (Pilbara) correspondent!

Be well,

xoxo

Enough said! [source]

Howdy wellness partners! Since our coverage of the free yoga / running / pilates / body balance at Lululemon was so popular last month, we’ve decided to enlighten you again by sharing the timetable for May 2011!

This month there’s a special theme: Mums! Pre and post-natal yoga classes are available FREE for the month of May, as well as the usual offerings.

Tuesday, May 3 – Pre Natal Yoga with Michelle Papa at 6pm

Wednesday, May 4 – Run Club with Sean O’Neill at 5.30pm

Thursday, May 5 – Flow Yoga with Caitlyn Hunt at 6pm

Tuesday, May 10 – Post Natal Yoga with Laila Mahmud at 6pm

Wednesday, May 11 – Pilates with Leonie Fancourt at 6pm

Thursday, May 12 – Iyengar Yoga with Masayo Baba at 6pm]

Tuesday, May 17 – Pre Natal Yoga with Michelle Papa at 6pm

Wednesday, May 18 – Pilates with Martina Turiakova at 6pm

Thursday, May 19 – Body Balance with Kate Trevenen at 6pm

Tuesday, May 24 – Post Natal Yoga with Sara Evans at 6pm

Wednesday, May 25 – Pilates with Martina Turiakova at 6pm

Thursday, May 26 – Vinyasa Yoga with Jane Lewis at 6pm

Tuesday, May 31 – Post Natal Yoga with Erica Hua at 6pm

So bring your fitness gear with you to work, and pop on down to help you unwind after a hard day at the office!

Lululemon city store is located within the Enex100 building @ 683-703 Hay Street Perth WA 6000.