In Spaces Between

Bank account looking a little sad after the annual Christmas spend-a-thon, but you’re (literally) scraping the bottom of the barrel/ bottle/ tube of your favourite beauty products?

Never fear, my friend, I’ve found a few ‘cheap and cheerful’ goodies, and if you’re all about bang for your buck when it comes to beauty, I’ve got a feeling you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was!

* Excuse the ridiculous photos. Not my finest… obviously. Carry on. 

1. Garnier PureActive ExfoBrusher $11.99

I love a good novelty product, particularly if the funny roll-y knob or – in this case – crazy spiky head, is actually useful.

The idea behind the ExfoBrusher is that the soft flexi-bristle head gently yet deeply cleanses to reduce excess oil and nix blackheads. The formula contains 2% Salicylic Acid which helps remove dead skin and unclog pores, and, trust me on this – your face will seriously never feel cleaner than after to you use it.

I generally use this cleanser in the shower by wetting my face first, then wetting the brush, squeezing the bottle a little until some of the product comes out and then scrubbing my face by moving the head around in a circular motion.

I’m a huge fan of face massages and this is as close as you’re going to get without keeping your facialist on a weekly retainer.

2. Lush ‘Vanillary’ Solid Perfume $10.95

They call this one a “grown up gourmand” perfume and I have to agree. It’s super vanilla-ish, no doubt, but it’s not a flirty, sickly sweet, celebrity-scent kind of vanilla (if that makes any sense at all). Basically, it’s amazing and totally swoon-worthy and men will probably drop at your feet if you wear it. For real.

If you’re thinking of buying one for yourself, I’ve got both the spray version and the solid perfume, and I prefer the latter because it’s not as overpowering strong. Great little gift too, and the perfect size to pop in your sparkliest party clutch!

3. Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream $13.95

I picked up Garnier’s BB Cream over the Xmas break after hearing a bunch of beauty bloggers rave about it (what can I say, I’m a sucker for a bit of mad marketing hype) and I’m kind of in love with it!

The idea behind this bad boy (perhaps that’s what’s BB stands for?) (kidding guys, its Blemish Balm) is that it combines the best of skincare and the benefits of makeup, and for under $15, I can tell you that its definitely punching way above its weight. The cream is quite thick and nice and dewy – which is how I like it – and I adore that it evens out my skin tone, whilst giving my face a nice blast of radiance. Winner.

Garnier’s BB Cream is essentially a tinted moisturiser (on steroids) so I’ve been wearing it alone on weekends and mixed with a drop of foundation during the week for a little more coverage. For reference, I bought the Medium shade but it also comes in Light. It contains an SPF 15+ and while 30+ would be better obviously, some protection is better than none at all (note: I always apply a separate 30+ even if the product does have sun protection – one can never be too careful!)

In summary: if I had to describe the way this Miracle Skin Perfector will leave your skin looking in one word, I’d say ‘luminous.’ And who doesn’t want that for the price of a takeaway stir-fry?

4. Rimmel London ‘I Love Lasting Finish’ Nailpolish in Wine Not $5.95

I keep my nail polish in the fridge and there’s one shelf in the door that’s positively bursting at the seams with colourful polishes, ranging from pale, pale pinks to the blackest black. And yet, in that lovely collection, I didn’t have a decent wine/ mulberry coloured polish for some reason, so I grabbed this one in a rush from Priceline before my work Xmas party at the end of last year.

I’ll admit to throwing it in my basket thinking it would be good for a few hours and then my nails would be chip-central, but the price was ridiculously good so I didn’t really mind.

How wrong I was! Not only is the colour perfect, but this nail polish actually lasts longer than some of my $20 polishes – and dare I say, the consistency is totally on par. I’ve been wearing it to death since I bought it and quite a few people have complimented me on the colour, which is always welcome.

Wanna get vampy with it too? ‘Wine Not’ I say.

* Note: these aren’t my nails, pic from here.

+ Have you picked up any beauty bargains lately?

Happy New Year my loves, I hope 2012 has been treating you magnificently so far!

Regular posting will resume around here next week but I wanted to quickly share with you my brand spankin’ new makeup storage unit.

I had a major organisation day yesterday and tackled my bathroom cupboards with vigour, throwing out a bunch of old makeup, half finished lip gloss tubes and tubs of face cream that had but a skerrick left in them.

Inspired by this post, I decided I too needed something fabulous to store my new pared-down collection in, so I headed to Office Works and found this clear perspex 4 drawer treasure, which came in at a very affordable $14.99!

I love that I can see everything in one place now and that I’ll be forced to keep my beauty loot clean and in order because it’s all on display in our bathroom.

+ What do you think? Are you in super organiser mode at the moment too? How do you store your beauty products?

UPDATE!

I’m so crazy about these trays I decided to organise my jewellery too! Thinking they’d also be great for spices or condiments in the kitchen (the possibilites are endless).

Hands up if you love glowy skin and feeling damn good? Excellent. Me too (times infinity) and I’m going share with you what I’ve been doing lately on the beauty and health front that’s helping me ramp up the glow factor.

1. Sodashi

I mentioned recently that I’m on the quest for some new beauty products, so after a goodie box of Sodashi samples made it’s way to me a few weeks ago, I was absolutely thrilled, to say the least.

I’d heard great things about Sodashi (which sounds like something an excited Harajuku girl would squeal - “Sodashi! Sodashi!” – but actually means “wholeness, pureness and radiance” in Sanskrit) and knew that their products were chemical-free and made from natural ingredients, so I ripped the box open and started applying the products straight away. As you do. If they’re good enough for some of the world’s most exlcusive spas in the Paris and New York, they’re most certainly good enough for me!

This is what I’ve been testing out:

1. Calming Rose Face Mist

This spray smells like a dream and although I generally only use face mists on long-haul flights, I’ve been giving myself a little spritz twice a day and delighting in the experience. The idea behind face mists are that they’re supposed to refresh and uplift so I’ll be bringing this one on my flight to Melbourne today to do just that. Smells IN-CRED-I-BLE.

Full details on ingredients and price.

2. Clay Lime Cleanser

This one gets major points from me for one very simple reason – you can rub it all over your face, including your eyes, without running around the bathroom like a screeching Banshee, arms flailing as you reach for a towel to “take the stingy away.” Does anyone else do this when you forget the product you’re using isn’t suitable for rubbing over your eyes? Hate that. Anyway, I’m pleased to report that this clay cleanser is totally sting-free and sinks into your skin beautifully. The texture is amazing and you’re left with a clean (but not tight) face. I’ve also noticed it seems to brighten my skin as well, which is a big fat bonus!

Full details on ingredients and price.

3. Rejuvenating Face & Neck Moisturiser

I’m loving this so much I just ordered another bottle because I can’t bear the thought of my sample running out and being left without this product. It’s THAT good. It’s funny because I love quite oily/ thick moisturisers (of which this is neither) but I’m finding my makeup is staying better now and it has most definitely helped with smoothing and brightening the skin on my face. I don’t want to brag too much but I feel like my expression lines under my eyes are plumper and less noticeable too. THIS is why I’ve ordered more. Oh, and it smells divine!

Full details on ingredients and price.

4. Rejuvenating Concentrate

I wasn’t sure if this would impinge on my super-speedy beauty routine so I was a bit dubious about this concentrate at first, purely because I’m a whip it off and whack it on kinda girl when it comes to cleansing and moisturising. HOWEVER, I didn’t need to worry as this only adds about 40 seconds to your overall routine and is completely worth it. Trust me.

What you do: Fill your basin with warm water and add 10 drops of Rejuvenating Concentrate. Soak a face cloth in the solution, squeeze out excess water and then apply to your face. I like to hold it on quite firmly, the way they do when you have a facials. Repeat your affirmations in your head as you do so – it adds to the experience.

What it does: Um, magical things! The Rejuvenating Concentrate actually gently exfoliates as well as rejuvenating, so it’s great for skin renewal and helps with scarring and pigmentation. Super stuff.

Full details on ingredients and price.

2. Ultraceuticals

I’ve recently started using Ultraceuticals Even Skintone Serum  in place of my Clinique Even Tone Clinical (which I also love and highly recommend) and it’s working a treat!

I’ve been applying it after I cleanse, under my night cream for the past two weeks and I’ve definitely noticed it lightening up some of the more noticeable pigmentation on my face. The curse of living in Queensland is that we’re so much more susceptible to sun damage and with my wedding coming up, I plan on doing everything I can to even out my skin. This serum is staying in my kit for sure.

I’m still using my all-time favourite serum, Trilogy Rosehip Oil in the mornings and I use this one at night.

 3. Big ‘Everything’ Salads

This salad we made the other night is THE BOMB and I’ve been trying to incorporate these big “throw in everything” type salads more and more in our diets.

This one had:

+ Roast pumpkin – roasted in coconut oil and turmeric
+ Spinach
+ Snow peas
+ Tomato
+ Fetta
+ Avocado
+ Alfalfa
+ Walnuts
+ Chia seeds
+ Red onion

Dressing

+ The salad with firstly dressed with a bit of avocado oil, then topped with a mix of natural yoghurt, mint, lemon and cayenne pepper. YUM!

4. Exercise Motivation

Women’s Health magazine had a great deal recently where you could subscribe for 12 months for $69 and also receive their Big Book of Exercises as a freebie. I’m a big believer in reading to educate and get motivated, and I love the way Women’s Health pull together relevant health information without being “preachy” (or worse still, calorie/ fad diet obsessed).

So glad I’ve got this highly informative book of exercises now and I’m going to make up some new (hardcore) routines for my training buddy and I to tackle next week. I also bought some new exercise gear (lululemon and Lorna Jane make the best stuff in my opinion, girly and functional all at once) because apparently new gear makes you run faster. Ha!

+ What about you? What are you using/ eating/ doing at the moment that’s making you feel and look fabulous?

A quick (exciting) note!

Gorgeous Nikki from bellaMUMMA contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I’d like to be interviewed for one of her ‘Glow & Tell’ posts.

My response, of course, was ‘YES I’D LOOOOVE TO!’ as I’m a huge fan of bellaMUMMA. If you haven’t yet come across this stunning site, I highly recommend spending some time looking through the archives – Nikki finds the most incredible images and mixes them up with lovely words on life and beauty, which I know you all love!

In my Glow & Tell feature I talk about my favourite beauty products and tips, so head on over to bellaMUMMA today to check it out.

Huge thanks again to Nikki for featuring me! xx