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Have you, like me, made a New Year’s resolution that involves getting healthier, fitter and avoiding stuffing your mouth with sugar/junk/fun stuff?

If so, here’s a product that can help satisfy those pesky cravings for a Cadbury family block just by licking your lips.

Jane Iredale does lovely make up that is kind to your skin and packed with loads of ingredients that are easy to pronounce (a great sign you’re not working with nasty chemicals).

Now Jane Iredale has combined two of my favourite things: natural skin care and chocolate.

The Chocoholicks Lip Palette is packed with natural ingredients like avocado oil, shea butter, cocoa extract and jojoba seed oil.

Everything about these little beauties is so “sweet”! As the box says: “révélez votre sensualité” or “unwrap the decadence”. Oh I will, Jane, I will.

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The Chocoholicks “bar” I got had some classic chocolate combinations:

♥ Chocolate & Blood Orange – A coppery tone
♥ Chocolate & Espresso – A reddish brown which would look hot over nude lips on olive skin
♥ Chocolate & Berries (drool) – A plum tone
♥ Chocolate & Chilli Pepper – A pinky red tone for the snow queens out there

They come in a handy purse-friendly palette with a lip brush so you can smother on the good stuff wherever you are.

What I loved about these was that they smelled so true to the real thing! Each flavour was so distinct and scrumptious before they’d even hit my lips.

Each colour is unique with a bit of sparkle. The shimmer is noticeable but doesn’t look like you’ve dipped your lips in glitter. However, if you really hate the grainy feeling shimmer glosses give when you rub your lips together, these probably aren’t the glosses for you.

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While the colours are technically sheer, over a nude pencil they work a treat, (I’m currently loving the look of the Bobbi Brown Lip Liner in Sandwash Tulle). I also found each flavour gave my lips a little zing which felt refreshing!

The palette contains colours suited to most skin tones. Considering I’m pastier than Casper, I wasn’t sure the rich browny orange tones would work with my skin. For me, a sheer slick of Blood Orange and Chilli Pepper suited me best, while Espresso and Very Berry would probably suit darker and/or warmer skin tones.

No matter what your flavour is, these glosses will get you through the new year with a lip-smackingly natural pout!

Available from Adore Beauty – even better, it’s on sale for $35 down from $50 as at posting! Yippee!

Review by Gemma Clark, member of Chocoholics Anonymous and lover of all things deliciously natural.

Be well,

xoxo

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Body grossout is the best kind of high school fun – remember that scene in The Breakfast Club where Ali delights in shaking her dandruff out onto her notebook?

As a high schooler, I myself would take great joy in ignoring the ineffectual ramblings of my teachers and focusing on more mesmerising activities, like pinching my thick black girls’ school uniform stockings and watching bits of dead skin come through the stockings’ porous fabric. Nothing pleased me more than watching the tiny white particles explode and mingle with all the dust already in the air.

Nowadays, I have the increased body self-consciousness one lacks as a 16 year old: the thought of dry, scaly legs certainly doesn’t delight me in the way it did back then, in fact, probably quite the opposite! I pretty much always have a pump pack of affordable moisturiser in my bathroom I slather on my pins post-shower to avoid scaly legs. I like moisturisers that are not too thick so they spread easily and absorb quickly, so you can pull on your leggings without them sticking mid thigh to your slimy legs. As you can see, I equate keeping my skin hydrated with light moisturisers – I had not, until recently, considered using a body oil for the same purpose.

Rosehips!

I recently trialled Busby’s Pure Tissue Oil, a mix of grape seed oil, rose hip oil, vitamin E and avocado oil, and am definitely more appreciative of the beneficial properties of oil, in my case, in the place of a moisturiser.

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I tested it on my legs (dehydrated skin) for just over a month, and also used it on my chest area in the hope of reducing some minor stretch marks. The oil comes in a pump pack (which made me happy – I don’t have enough ‘getting ready’ time to put aside for a screw top! The packaging is fully recyclable, too) and is really light – I would say it absorbs just as fast as my regular body moisturiser. While it does leave a nice sheen on your legs, it’s not a slimy one, nor one that soaks into your pants – it soaks into your skin only.

After using the oil for over a month, post-showers, the condition of the skin on my legs is pretty great – taught, smooth to the touch, hydrated. As to the stretch marks, I’ve experienced only a minor reduction in their appearance – but perhaps upping the application to twice a day or more might be more effective.

Something definitely worth noting in regards to the Busby Pure Tissue Oil is that it’s super natural: it’s not tested on animals, contains no animal derivatives, no artificial colourants, no parabens, no petrochemicals and no preservatives. I am a regular user of Bio-Oil, which I have found very effective in reducing a problem blemish area on my chin, as well as tightening up and reducing cellulite on the skin on the back of my thighs. However, for its many great properties, Bio-Oil does contain mineral oil, which is a petro-chemical derivative and is harmful to the skin. The Busby oil, however, contains no petrochemicals or mineral oils, so it’s definitely worth looking into as a substitute for Bio-Oil if you’re a fan of the latter.

Busby Pure Tissue Oil is $17.95 for 100ml and is available at most pharmacies or call 1800 655 841 for stockists in your area.

Review by Danielle M, editor @ The Thousands Perth City Guide.

Be well,

xoxo

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Even though Christmas has just passed, I have an idea for a thoughtful gift that you can make at home. My recent trip to New York inspired the idea when I ate it for breakfast nearly every morning. I took inspiration from a few recipes on the internet and found the best combination of ingredients.

You can make this a healthier version by cutting back on the amount of sugar you decide to use, I’ve already modified the recipe since making it by taking out the caster sugar. Perfect for mornings when you want to eat a healthy breakfast that is also easy to prepare!

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Ingredients

♥ Vegetable cooking spray
♥ 4 cups old fashioned oats (organic if possible)
♥ 1 cup sliced almonds
♥ 1 cup dried cranberries
♥ 1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
♥ 1/4 teaspoon salt
♥ 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
♥ 1/3 cup vegetable oil
♥ 1/4 cup honey (manuka if possible)
♥ 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Cooking Instructions

1. Position oven rack to the middle and preheat to 300 degrees.
2. Lightly spray large baking sheet with non stick spray.
3. Mix oats, almonds, salt, ground cinnamon in a large bowl.
4. Combine oil, honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat.
5. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
6. Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well.
Ingredients
7. Using hands, toss mixture until thoroughly mixed.
8. Spread granola on prepared baking sheet.
9. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, for about 15 mins (the last 5 mins you want to add the cranberries to cook them in the mixture without burning them)
10. Transfer sheet to rack, cool granola completely.

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After making the granola mixture I use a recycled jar and pour the clusters in, decorating it with brown string and a cute tag from Kikki K! Voila, perfect gift for a gorgeous friend.

What do you think of this recipe? Would you like to receive it from a friend?

Review by Kelly-Anne, graphic designer and cute cook.

Be well,

xoxo

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QV Skincare have done something marginally wonderful in recent years: they’ve branched, and reinvented, and started to carve out a place for themselves beyond the moderately daggy babies-and-skin-problems niche.

QV Purifying Mask

This mask is a creamy, very pale brown, smells faintly of clay (surprise) and is one of the maybe three masks I’ve ever used that didn’t immediately have some stingage as it went onto my skin. It’s so mild I can actually layer it on right up to the edge of my nostrils, i.e. one of my really sensitive areas.

It does this thing, initially that makes me squirm like an idiot – it tickles. Luckily this stage passes fairly fast, and when it dries, you’ll have a vision of your older self when you look into the mirror. It dries sort of translucent, but hugs into your wrinkles and dries you out. With this mask on, I can guarantee you’ll look older – but not bad enough for it to immediately register that you’re wearing a mask. This mask has spooked the bejesus out of my boyfriend, lets put it that way.

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I find it’s best removed with a wet flannel – lukewarm water is fine, warm would be nice in winter – and be prepared to rinse that poor towel within an inch of it’s life. Kaolin clay clings to material like you would not believe.

The mask seems to operate primarily as a neutralizer – on my oily, blotchy and occasionally pimply skin, it calms, de-oils, reduces inflammation and leaves my skin soft and smooth. In drier gals, it seems to add some moisture and plump up the skin. It’s also so incredibly hypoallergenic you could use it every day, and wetting your face beforehand will ensure you need very little for a lot of effect. Awesome stuff.

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♥ QV day cream with SPF 30+

Oily ladies have a perpetual issue – sunscreen. Because we have to wear it, especially us Australians, especially us ultra pale motherland Australians. And sunscreen, by design, is oily. And because it’s loaded with zinc oxide (the bit in sunscreen that does the sunscreening) which blocks the pores it can cause breakouts, blackheads, and make your poor face sweat horribly. And no one wants a sweaty face. No one.

I’ve been battling the sunscreen issue for years now, and seem to have sidestepped it totally by just not going into natural light between 10am and 4pm, but I know it’s not addressing the issue, and ultimately I need a sunscreen. I have met the occasional marginally successful foundation with a 15+, which is probably fine for most parts of the world, but for Australia? You really need to start at 30+.

So QV’s day cream with SPF 30+ is a small miracle. It’s not 100% there – I do need to point that out – but it’s damn close, doesn’t irritate or break me out, and leaves no white cast. And it doesn’t interfere with my makeup application, and in fact I struggle to put on makeup properly without it. It leaves just the right amount of slip on my skin for easy application, and a little bit goes a long way. For those with facial sunscreen issues, I’d suggest giving this a whirl. It’s a cheap gamble and I guarantee that at the very worst, nothing bad will happen. Bless these baby-friendly products.

If you’re in the unenviable position of being sensitive skinned, or excessively anything (oily, dry, you know), I can’t stress how much it’s worth paying some attention to QV and their Face line. And even if you’re not – sometimes you need a basic scentless, cheap, stable product, and these are totally that.

Surely I’m not the only oily-as-sin pale lady? How have you coped with your skincare as the months have gotten warmer?

Review by Suzanne from Don’t They Know Who I Am? A highly silly and irreverent beauty and skincare romp. Come and visit Suzanne for indie, drugstore and high-end cosmetics and skincare. And the occasional unrelated rant. Or else follow on @HogSandwich for daily tomfoolery!

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There’s a lotta love to be had for products that have more than one use, not only do you save money and time, but you also save on precious bathroom bench space, something which is worth an increasing amount these days!

Here are my three current favourites:

♥ Jane Iredale Antioxidant Spray

Packed full of antioxidants and smelling like delicious oranges/tangerines, this product has a lot more uses than just pepping up your face on a hot day.

♥ Sets mineral makeup, of which Jane Iredale produce some pretty awesome varieties.
♥ Use to wet brushes to use with eyeshadow and make liquid liner, genius!
♥ Spritz over hair to control static.

The great news is that you can do all of this while smelling like summery citrus fruits. RRP $39.

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♥ Essential Kit Multipurpose Wonder Balm

This stuff beats regular paw paw balm any.day! It’s certified organic, smells absolutely amazing – kinda like a chocolate orange, and 100% of the ingredients are from a natural origin. Plus NO animal testing or animal products and it’s made in Australia! SIGN ME UP 🙂 It even tastes yummy… should you accidentally (or not so accidentally) lick your lips.

Can be used for…

♥ Lip balm, smoothing eyebrows, giving your cheeks a highlighted glow, moisturising nails & cuticles, a thick body moisturiser, smoothing flyaways, soothes dry heels, protecting cuts, shaving… AND under wetsuits on long swims apparently!!!

It’s fast becoming a staple and comes with me everywhere. So much love! RRP $22.95.

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♥ Tisserand Ethically Harvested Lavender Oil

I’ve only just started to really get into essential oils and candles, but have always had a soft spot for lavender. Ah, quell-er of stresses, easer of sleeps! It’s always been good to me, and I’ve recently discovered that it has a lot more uses than I initially thought, lets have a look:

♥ A natural way to take the sting out of burns
♥ Super successful zit zapper – have been hitting this one up a lot lately, and it’s working!
♥ 6 drops on a damp flannel to help a headache
♥ Disinfectant for cuts & to help new skin grow
♥ And of course, a few drops on the pillow to de-stress & help you fall asleep 🙂

What are your favourite multi-tasking beauty & wellness products? Share with us below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo