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Who likes drawing?

HAHA THAT’S A TRICK QUESTION- everyone loves drawing! I love drawing. And I love drawing on my face, that’s part of the reason why I love makeup so much. Because, if you feel like so inclined, it’s your way of showing the world that pink and green and red and freckles and glitter can co exist in a peaceful harmony of lines and lashes. Drawing on my own face satisfies some deep childhood, primal need.

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Some months ago I purchased Benefit’s High Beam Illuminator, which is a kind of pearly paint that you put on your face with a mini paint brush to make yourself look awesome. And I lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvve it (I’d put like a million vs in there if it wasn’t so obnoxious), oh my goodness I wear it practically every day.

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So imagine my giddy heights of excitement when I learnt that Benefit are now releasing another product which is the same principle of High Beam but in a pencil AND in a different color. Woah, woah, woah did you say PENCIL? Where do I sign up? Whereas High Beam gives you a Snow Queen chilling vibrancy, the new benefit High Brow Glow pencil gives you a champagne pink glow, like some sort of Studio 54 goddess. Yeahhhhhhhhh (with a million more hs). So here’s what I thought.

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The High Beam paint (lets call it that for ease) will always have a place in my makeup bag because of the doll-like non-greasy sheen it gives my skin. I usually use it on my brow bone, top my cheekbones and sometimes even the inner corners of my eyes.

The beauty of the new pencil is that you get a different color therefore a warmer look- I’m quite pale so the frostiness of High Beam works for me but I’m imagining when we came back into summer or for the more olive toned ladies amongst us, this new color in the High Beam Glow pencil, will be like all your Christmases have come in June.

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Also, being a pencil, I found I had greater precision and control, for example the pencil meant the inner corners of my eyes were a lot easier to get to. I also must point out, because this is kind of cool, you can use this nifty pencil on the sides of your nose and other places on your face for contouring!!! I don’t know a lot about contouring but I wish to know more, are you someone who knows a lot about this? Or would you like to know? Do you want your face to have the smooth plains and contours of the Swiss Alps? Yeah same. You should get the pencil.

Actually, can you get both? You should. Wonderful products that are not just for eyebrows, that have filled a big hole in my makeup routine, nice work benefit!

Available at Adore Beauty!

Also Check out Jade’s review of Benefit’s Watts Up illuminator on this very website, these guys have something for everyone!! <3
What do you think of the High Beam Illuminator and High Brow Glow Pencil? Do you like drawing? Lets talk about these things in the comments!

Review by Adriane Daff, glow enthusiast, drawing lover, excitable human being.

Be well,

xoxo

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I am going to start straight off by going out on a tangent and then I will quickly get to the point of this review, which, for the record, is of a few lovely Comvita products. I tend to suffer pretty badly from hay fever in the spring-time months and after a particularly bad bout this year I decided to look into how I could stop feeling like my life force was slowly dripping out of my eyes, ears and nose every time I stepped out of the house. One of the coolest suggestions was from a naturopath who said I should have a spoonful of honey (the real deal kind of stuff) every morning. Apparently the natural pollens and…ah…bee juices (?) would help build up my resistance to the outside world which I believed was trying to kill me.

I thought this woman was a genius, but guess what? Turns out other people have been onto this honey idea for a while. Example; Claude Stratford (aged 63, go Claude!) started the whole Comvita line by making and selling a range of bee products from his home.

His goal, ‘to produce natural products that work, and acting in a way which preserves the environment for generations to come’ is something that I can really get behind, so for the purposes of this review (see I told you I would get there in the end) I tried the Brightening Moisturizer, the Intense Hydrating Mask and the Medihoney Eczema cream.

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I don’t think there’s much that’s been left out of the Brightening Moisturizer (RRP $44) – Olive leaf extract, liquorice root extract (for brightening), rosehip, macadamia, sunflower and soybean oils AND shea butter. AND SPF 15. I heartily applaud any moisturizer that has an SPF in it. What an added bonus. This moisturizer is thicker than your average bear but its not greasy and its doesn’t leave a slimy residue, which means you aren’t left looking shiny. I loved it. An instant addition to my use-everyday beauty products.

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The Intense Hydrating Mask with Manuka honey (RRP $50) is a very light mask that kind of just looks like a really heavy moisturizer. You can leave it on for a while and then rinse it off or you can keep it on overnight for something a bit more…as the name states…intense. The Manuka honey in the product is there to slow down the signs of ageing by targeting the skin’s elasticity. I really enjoyed it for its hydrating prowess; in these dry summer months this would be a friend indeed for those of you who are feeling the heat! Heaven knows your skin is feeling it too.

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I have left the Medihoney Eczema Cream (RRP $13.95) ’til last, because in my opinion it’s the most successful. What I am about to tell you…I do not know why I am publishing this on the Internet, but what the hey it might help others right?

I have one fingernail that I call Howard. It’s my middle finger on my right hand, and up until recently I thought we were going to lose Howard. I thought he was going to fall off. For some unknown, ungodly reason I was getting such bad eczema underneath my finger nail (ew ew ew gross I know) that it was pushing my fingernail (my poor Howard) off of my body. It was awful, it was painful and it was just plain old weird (why only one fingernail?) But guess what? The Medihoney Eczema Cream saved my Howard!

He has rejoined his nine other brother and sisters back where he belongs and things are looking good! I’ve tried many, many different products and I am being absolutely honest with you when I say that this is the first thing to really work. It might be the medical honey or the coconut oil, the evening primrose oil, the aloe vera or the vitamin E present in the product but whatever the magical ingredient I don’t live in fear of having one ugly nail-less finger.

♥ Medical Manuka Honey

The bees and I have been triumphant! Now I cant wait to try that spoon full o’ manuka honey next year when the fever of hay rears it’s ugly head once more…

In the meantime, you can get the three products I mentioned (plus many more) here:

http://www.comvita.com.au/

Have you tried medical honey before? Got some eczema that wont budge? Lets chat about it!

Review by Adriane, Wellness WA contributor & slightly embarrassed owner of Howard.

Be well,

xoxo

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On the 8th of January our fearless leader and Wellness WA wunderkind, Annette, organized the very first Perth Online Beauty Media meeting of minds and faces at Djurra Day Spa in Fremantle. And what a day it was. Massages, foot treatments and raw pizza from the Raw Kitchen Fremantle (14/36 South Terrace) that was so unbelievably good that I would consider moving down there just to be closer to it. I’m pretty sure Annette has a photo somewhere of me that looks like I am inhaling my slice. WHAT A WHACKY GAL! (ED: Yup, I do!)

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The POBM was a wonderful day of chatting to like minded ladies about all things beauty…you probably gathered as much…so let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Everyone that attended was the lucky recipient of not one but TWO gift bags filled to the brim with products to try. So now that a couple of weeks have passed and I have been able to steadily make my way through everything I woke up this morning and felt something coming on…can you feel it too? That’s right it’s time for a TOP FIVE COUNTDOWN.

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5. Invisible Zinc Tinted Daywear

I usually give sunscreen related products and moisturizers pretty high scores but don’t think that I am just phoning this one in on account of the SPF, which in this product is a 30+ by the way. The Invisible Zinc tinted daywear is my number 5 because I have never owned a tinted moisturizer before, let alone a tinted sunscreen. I just didn’t see the point. I mean I was right into the coloured zinc as a kid but unfortunately time, society and a small sense of dignity have told me to grow out of that. So what is the point?

Well here’s three points for you, one- the sun protection, two- the dewy appearance that it gives your skin with just a hint of tint, which I just love because you may not be a runway model but dewy skin sure makes you feel like one and three – if you use it in place of your normal moisturizer in the morning then you will never forget to put sunscreen on. And how about this… BONUS point 4- the anti ageing properties of this product will help to keep you looking fresh faced for longer.

Available from David Jones, Myer, Priceline, Terry White and all good pharmacies.

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4. Foltene Eyelash and Eyebrow Treatment – $27.95

This was one of the products from our mega beauty product swap, and is an odd choice for me. Largely due to the fact that I am still not sure that you can actually grow more eyelashes and eyebrows on top of what nature gave you, I just don’t understand the science behind it, surely DNA plays a role here or something? Beakers, Bunsen Burners, periodic tables, lab coats?…I don’t know. What I do know is that you condition your hair to keep that healthy so you can grow it long without it breaking off, or shriveling up, ergo the same basic principle can apply to your eyebrows and eyelashes. And that’s why this product is my number 4. It is very easy to apply because it’s just like a clear mascara wand, use it after you’ve washed your face at night and let the conditioning begin. The best unexpected benefit of this product is that when you use the wand on your eyebrows it actually holds them in place a bit which makes them look neater and a better shape which we all know is ultimately more flattering to your entire face. Bravo Foltene.

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3 &2. Aveda Colour Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner

After I washed and conditioned my hair with these Aveda products one of my housemates came home and said ‘what smells so good in here?’, we did a quick checklist, new perfume? No. Just cooked something? No. Just cleaned something? No…waitahotminute- yes, it’s my new shampoo and conditioner! The lovely smell that lingered in my house followed me around for days after (in my hair of course) causing compliments from friends and strangers alike. It just really does smell that damn good. Which makes sense when you consider the ingredients- green tea, grape seed, rosea root, pine bark, orange peel and jojoba seed oil. Because my hair is quite long now (I feel like I manage to drop this achievement into every review I do these days) I am all about conditioner, and the Aveda really steps up to the job on this one, my ends felt smooth and silky like I had just had a trim. Perfection. The only thing I can’t comment on is the ‘colour conserve’ factor because I don’t have coloured hair. If any of you with coloured ‘do’s give it a go please let me know how it fares!

Available at Djurra Day Spa, go in and see what other great hair and beauty services they offer!

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1. Franc Serum Intensive Skin Rescue – $72

Why have I never heard of Franc? A West Australian business based in Darlington and founded by Chantal Vanderhaeghen who has made a strong commitment to only using botanical ingredients in her products. This means no sodium laurel sulfate and no artificial colours, fragrances, chemicals or additives. I should’ve been on top of this ages ago! Oh Franc why did we take so long to find each other?!

Dewy skin, anyone?

I love serums, I love putting them on before bed and waking up in the morning with (sorry here’s those words again) nice fresh and dewy skin. I guess I just like the hydration factor. It feels good knowing you are putting a carefully formulated recipe of macadamia oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, carrot oil, rosehip oil, evening primrose oil and vitamin E on your face and not much else! My skin has felt really great lately and I’m sure using this every night has had a big role in that. Franc deserves this number one spot. I hope we meet again. Well done.

What do you think of my top 5 picks?!

Review by Adriane Daff, with sweet smelling hair, dewy skin and better eyelashes – thanks to POBM!

Be well,

xoxo

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There is no better way to describe the effects of Privé’s Concept Shampoo and Conditioner than to explain in picture form how it transformed my hair after one of the most important hair events on my social calendar, Halloween.

I take Halloween pretty seriously. It’s all about dressing up and for me this year it was all about big hair, lots of teasing and a whole lot of hairspray over TWO nights of Halloween festivities.

♥ First Day of Halloween

♥ Second Day of Halloween

♥ Picture three. Day after Halloween/s

This shampoo and conditioner repaired my hair after treating it so abominably for two days, returning it to a state that was even better than before I teased the you-know-what out of it. My ends felt so good, was it the Amazon acai or the babassu oil? I don’t know, but there’s a combination of active ingredients in these products that really made my hair feel light yet voluminous, clean, soft, shiny and best of all…healthy.

Foamy!

If this productive was just effective, that would definitely be enough, but something that makes it unique is the texture. Both the shampoo and the conditioner squirt out like a foam (think shaving cream and you are pretty close) and then it turns into a gel RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR VERY EYES.

Both have a delightful lemon/lime citrus smell- the shampoo works up into a really great lather, and the conditioner works through the meanest knots in the world. Considering the performance of Privé’s Concept Shampoo and Conditioner in my hour of post-Halloween need I really have no choice but to give these guys an enthusiastic two thumbs up.

Visit their website for more info, usage tips (you can get way more out of this shampoo and conditioner because of the aforementioned non-aerosol mousse) and of course to BUY them, which I highly recommend. The Concept Vert Shampoo is $28 and the Concept Vert Conditioner is $30. They are also available at David Jones.

Oh wow, I just like knowing that I can fully indulge in Halloween without ruining my hair, don’t you?

Review by Adriane Daff, halloween costume, hair and makeup extraordinaire!

Be well,

xoxo

Intraceuticals Lover, Miranda Kerr!

Well, I’ll say this…Intraceuticals have no need to want for celebrity endorsement. They’ve got it in droves. Madonna, Miranda Kerr, Naomi Campbell…some heavy hitters. Specifically, our well-known friends talk about the Infusion Oxygen Facial: a procedure using hyperbaric oxygen technology combining pressure and hydration to achieve increased firmness and reduced fine lines. It’s popular to have before a big event (the next time you walk the red carpet perhaps?) because it’s non-invasive and you can put makeup on straight afterwards without ruining the results of the facial.

Oxygen facial!

The Intraceuticals line of products, therefore, is inspired by this jazzy little procedure (you can read barrels of oh-my-god-I-cant-believe-it-worked reviews online) but today we are talking about the products.

Intraceuticals products are formulated with a number of key ingredients- Hyaluronic acid (a nifty little component that can hold over 1000 times its own weight in water – very helpful indeed in keeping the skin hydrated), green tea, vitamins A, C and E and Squalene. It’s worth mentioning that Squalene is a natural oil that all plants and animals produce, no big deal there, BUT you may want to check the source of Squalene in your beauty prods, because it is most commonly taken from sharks’ livers OR olives. And maybe you don’t want Jaws being responsible for your complexion, but maybe you do want a tasty olive being responsible. We’re in the process of finding out.

Hoping for olive based squalene, fingers crossed!

Intraceuticals offer four different, very comprehensive lines in their skincare range- you have the choice of Rejuvenate to treat fine lines and wrinkles, Atoxelene – something stronger – a ‘Botox’ alternative if you will, Opulence for pigmentation and scars and Clarity to treat acne and enlarged pores.

Take away the celebrity hype for a moment and what you have is a focus on hydration and oxygen that seems to be what keeps most people coming back (apparently these products are great to use during and after flying) and I would have to agree that the Moisture Binding Cream and the Hydration Gel from the Rejuvenate range were my definite favourites. I liked using them in the morning because they were both very easily absorbed into my skin and I can see how makeup just glides over the top without a care in the world.

I am particularly interested in using these products in conjunction with the well-lauded facial to see what the true potential of these products really is. I’m going to have a search around to see where I can get one in Perth- I’m looking forward to seeing how they go, stay tuned!

Review by Adriane Daff, beauty lioness. 😉

Be well,

xoxo