Monday 24 June 2013

Review | Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliners // Makeup Monday #1

This is a repost from my old blog (:


I decided to try these under the recommendation of FleurDeForce from YouTube and they are 50% OFF at Chemist Warehouse (and the black one is a GWP) so I couldn't say no!

What Rimmel says:
- Long lasting shocking color intensity with kohl Britania
- High intensity color for an instant color impact
- Ultra smooth & creamy formula that glides on easily
- Waterproof, smudge-proof, sweat-proof, heat-proof, humidity-proof and scandal-proof
- Dermatologist & ophthalmologist tested. Safe for sensitive eyes.

What I say:
- Great colour pay-off and pigmentation with one swipe (see swatches)
- Super creamy formula for easy applicable, but not too soft that it gets messy
- Don't set too quickly, allowing colour to be blended for a softer, smoky effect
- Once set, liner is smudge-proof and water-proof (for application on lash line, see below for waterline/tight-line application). Setting time will increase with a thicker layer of product.
- "Dermatologist & ophthalmologist tested" means nothing when you don't know who the professional is and what their credentials are, but I do have sensitive eyes and I wear contact lenses and the eyeliners didn't cause any irritation (:


black: very dark black / matte finish
bronze: dark brown with gold shimmer / metallic finish
taupe: light neutral taupe / matte finish


swatched with three swipes for thicker line
rubbed vigorously after a minute to set / note_ thicker swatch had not set completely
water tested by rubbing vigorously under cold tap water
shower tested by rubbing vigorously with shower puff (with body wash) under warm water / note_ I was rubbing very hard and you can see my hand's a little bit red there. I could've rubbed it all off but I wanted to leave something to photograph

And..
- It's great for lazy days when all you have time for is eyeliner. Just apply some to your lash line and blend out with a dense pencil brush for an instant smokey eye that's not too dramatic.
- Great for the waterline and tight-line as well, however I did lose colour on my tight-light, at the outer corner of my eye throughout the day. It didn't smudge down my eye though, the colour just disappears..
- Still trying to hunt down the nude shade for use as an eye brighter in the tight-line.
- Blue and purple shades may be fun colours to try our if you're into coloured eyeliners.

Recommend for .. anyone who's in the market for a highly pigmented, creamy, super-blendable pencil eyeliner  which can you be used all around the eye and becomes waterproof when it sets.

rrp | AUD 9.95
** 50% OFF RIMMEL @ CHEMIST WAREHOUSE **

Last week to enter my Aphelia Cosmetology Skincare Giveaway: here!

x peachsbeauty

Thanks for reading! Holla at me:
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youtube: peachsbeautyfamily
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Everything in this post was purchased by yours truly. Thanks for reading! (:

Thursday 20 June 2013

My "Professional" History // TalkBack Thursday #3

Hi,

Welcome to TalkBack Thursday! Today’s going to be more of a personal post. I flew back to Sydney on Tuesday night for my Graduation 2.0 on Wednesday. I love graduations because you truly don’t get to attend many of those in your life. It’s really a celebration of what you have achieved and it represents all the hard work you have put in over the years. I always get really inspired by the speeches and I think of all the possibilities for the future. While this is all nice and good, it also reminds me that I have to fly back to Melbourne five hours after the ceremony and wake up the next day and go to work.

Although I don’t hate my job, I don’t exactly love it either. Let me tell you a little a bit about my “professional” history. I graduated from high school not knowing what I wanted to do except that - I couldn’t be a doctor or lawyer (didn’t have the brains… and I’m kind of scared of blood); I didn’t want to do commerce or science (too nerdy...); I wasn’t allowed to do arts (not ‘prestigious’ enough) and I HAD to go to university. So, in the end, I chose to do Architecture. It was the worst three years of my life.

Being a Taurean I am fairly stubborn so once I had decided to embark on a Bachelor of Architecture I was not willing to let anything or anyone (including myself) get in the way of me finishing this degree. I never failed anything because if I did, I knew I’d just have to do it again and it would be twice as painful. My goal was not to excel but to simply graduate so I would never have to present another project to a group of pretentious architects again. I always said I would never work in architecture because I hated it, much to the disappointment of my parents who thought a female architect was the coolest thing ever. To be fair, I didn’t hate my entire degree. I liked history and theory and even did it as an elective. I did well in a photography elective which was fun. I wasn’t alone in hating structure and construction because it was all unnecessarily complicated maths and we’re not civil engineers so we really couldn’t care less how the building stands up as long as it looks pretty rendered. As for design, well I had pretty crap tutors in the first three semesters who had no idea and just gave no constructive feedback. I had better tutors in the last three semesters and it showed in my marks as well as my emotional attitude towards design. Overall, architecture just really did my head in and while the work is not hard (like brain surgery is hard…) it takes a lot of passion and dedication (and insomnia) to really do well. Guess I just wasn’t cut out for it.

So, onto degree #2 which was a Master of Art Administration. Most people have no idea what that is and I don’t blame them. To be an Art Administrator is to be a curator, marketing manager, sales, office support, event planner, coordinator, graphic designer, client services … whatever you need to be at that instant to make sure the show/festival/event/exhibition goes on. In my final semester I was working fulltime (and then some), studying full time and writing a research paper (which was really neglected but I got a fairly good mark considering…) I was ‘stressed’ but I was never stressed because I was always enjoying what I was doing.

You’d think this was the answer to all my problems…but no. Jobs in the arts are hard to come by (not impossible) and they don’t pay very well (to be totally honest). So, when I up and moved to Melbourne I thought it was time to find a real job so I could complain about hump day and look forward to Fridays like everyone else. I thought it was okay to hate your job as long as you were being paid the big bucks (and by big bucks I mean more than the checkout chick at Woolies…) Oh how wrong I was. Like I said, I don’t totally hate my job. I just hate not having the freedom of working as much as I want when I want and not working at all when I don’t (the joys of being a casual) and I hate not being able to see and experience the fruits of your labour (as you do when you work at a festival).

… Now that I’ve told you my whole life story, I’d love to know where you are in life “professionally”. Are you still in school? Have you graduated? Love your job? Hate your job? ‘In-between jobs’ aka unemployed (the best kind of employed!)? Are you in your perfect career? Have no idea?

I’m interested to know, so Talk Back at me in the comments below!

Don't forget to enter my Aphelia Skincare Giveaway: here!

x peachsbeauty

Thanks for reading! Holla at me:
email: peachsbeautyfamily@gmail.com
youtube: peachsbeautyfamily
bloglovin: peach
twitter: @peachsbeauty
instagram: @peachsbeauty
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Monday 17 June 2013

Skincare Routine - Winter '13 // Skincare Sunday #2

If you've read my latest TalkBack Thursday (#2) post, you'll know that I've discovered two products which I believe has been keeping my skin clear lately. So, I'm going to share with you my current skincare routine for Winter 2013. Hope you enjoy!

Note: I started doing this exact routine two weeks ago when it started getting very cold and my skin got very dry and flaky. I have been using the majority of these products for two months, I just switched out my toners two weeks ago.


MORNING ROUTINE
Cleanse | Sorbolene + warmish micro-fibre cloth ( not shown as I had people over and they were already giving me weird looks when I started lining up my skincare products...)
Tone to remove | LUSH Tea Tree Water on a Daiso Cotton Pad
(I used to use Witch Hazel Toner)
Tone to add | SK-II
Eye roller | Aphelia Dark Circle Treatment Essence *
'Serum' | 4 drops Rosehip Oil + Aphelia Whitening & Lightening Creme *
Eye cream | Aphelia Beautifying Eye Creme *
Moisturiser | LUSH Celestial

NIGHT ROUTINE
Remove makeup | Maybelline Express Care Eye Makeup Remover
Cleanse | Michael Todd Honey & Oat Gentle Deep Pore Cleanser + Clarisonic
Daiso Cold Cream + Q-tip to remove any excess eye makeup

Tone to remove | LUSH Tea Tree Toner on a Daiso Cotton Pad
(I used to use Witch Hazel Toner)
Tone to add | SK-II
Eye roller | Aphelia Dark Circle Treatment Essence *
'Serum' | 4 drops Rosehip Oil + Aphelia Whitening & Lightening Creme *
Eye cream | Aphelia Beautifying Eye Creme *
Moisturiser | LUSH Celestial

REVIEW
Love using Sorbolene in the morning as it's super gentle while the cloth provides some very mild exfoliation (dry flaky skin be gone!) LUSH Tea Tree Water is more gentler than Witch Hazel but still feels refreshing. Just started using SK-II and my skin might be firmer.. but we'll have to see if there are any real results. I have reviews on the Aphelia products *: here. I discovered LUSH Celestial last year when I moved to Melbourne in the middle of Winter and my skin freaked out by being super dry, sensitive, itchy and red. Celestial is perfect for anyone which sensitive and irritated skin. It just covers and smooths over your dry patches to really calm them down. It is a bit on the thick side and doesn't sink in super quickly but it really is for skin that is dehydrated and irritated. It smells to me like vanilla ice cream (:

The two products I believe that have truly done wonders for my skin and stopped my breakouts are ... Michael Todd Honey & Oat Gentle Deep Pore Cleanser + Rosehip Oil. They are the only two products that I started using when my breakouts stopped and I have never tried them before. Of course, it could be the routine as a whole but as soon as I started using the Rosehip Oil, my skin felt different immediately. From that first day, my breakouts stopped and I just felt like my skin was being nourished and treated with kindness (sounds strange but that's just how I personally felt). Not sure exactly what was happening on a cellular level, on a medical perspective but I can only say what I saw and what my skin felt like.

Michel Todd's Honey & Oat Cleanser just leaves your skin feeling super smooth, especially used with my Clarisonic. It removes all traces of makeup, doesn't dry out your skin and uses organic ingredients. I didn't want to believe the hype. I heard all the sponsored reviews but this is the first MT product that I've tried (purchased 100% by yours truly) and I really really like it. I have picked up a whole lot more products from the website and Ozsale and I can't wait to start trying everything.

If you'd like to see full reviews on anything I've mentioned today just leave me a comment below!


ps. Don't forget to enter my Aphelia Cosmetology The Origin of Beauty Skincare Set GIVEAWAY: here !

xx peachsbeauty

Thanks for reading! Holla at me:
email: peachsbeautyfamily@gmail.com
youtube: peachsbeautyfamily
bloglovin: peach
twitter: @peachsbeauty
instagram: @peachsbeauty
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Products marked with * were provided for considerations. Opinions are always 100% honest. Thanks for reading (:

Friday 14 June 2013

My Acne Story // Talk Back Thursday #2

I want to talk about my acne story because I discovered a couple of products which have been keeping my breakouts at bay and I’m not particularly sure why… because they’re not products specifically for acne-prone skin. I will be showing you my current skincare routine on Skincare Sunday - you can follow me on BLoglovin' or GFC (sidebar) so you don't miss out! But first things first…

My Acne Story
My story starts when I was about 12 when this little girl turned into a young lady. You know what I’m talking about: the P-words. Puberty and Periods. I tried everything: OTC acne skincare, GP, anti-biotics, contraceptive pill, prescription creams, Proactive, dermatologist, Roaccutane…
• OTC stuff did pretty much nothing.
• The Pill kept the acne from being as bad as it could have been and I’m still on it.
• Prescription creams probably were working but it made my sensitive skin, really dry and irritated and I just wasn’t patient enough to stick with them.
• Proactive actually worked really well on me and got rid of a lot of my acne until it started to irritate my skin. This was when they first started out and didn’t have alternative salicylic acid alternatives to their 3-step BP treatment so instead of using it less frequently e.g. every second day or nights only, I stopped using it all together. More on this later (:
• Dermatologist did nothing until she prescribed me Roaccutane… which did nothing. See below.
• Roaccutane unfortunately did not work for me but I might have jinxed myself by saying that, given my luck, I of course would in the 20% of people for which Roaccutane just does not work. Anyway, jinx or not, it didn’t do anything while I was on it. I simply went from having combo skin to normal skin, lips were a bit dry but nothing some cheapstick couldn’t fix. My skin did not freak out and erupt into cysts as I have heard from some horror stories, which was why I was reluctant to try Roaccutane in the first place. My skin pretty much started getting better from day one and I had perfect skin for the year that I was on the drug. It all went downhill about six months after I finished the treatment (beg. 2012 – after a decade of acne) and at this stage had pretty much given up and was thinking that I’ll just live with acne for the rest of my life… it’s not going to kill me. I don’t think it was as bad as my teenage years but I always had some of pimple somewhere on my face at any given time.

Last July (2012) I moved to Melbourne for a month. The BF was moving there for work and I thought I’d keep him company for a month because we had free accommodation and I was on my uni break. That month, I broke out the worse I have ever broken out in my entire life… concentrated around the sides of my face but generally everywhere. I blamed it on the diet because we ate out every weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and what happens after you eat out... you have dessert – San Churro, Max Brenner, Coco Black you get the idea. So I didn’t think anything of it and it eventually got better when I went back to Sydney for my final semester and even when I was working full time 10 hour days, studying full time and writing a research paper, I didn’t break out as badly as I did while I was in Melbourne.

Last December, I moved to Melbourne for good… and the nightmare began again. I just started breaking out… everywhere. We weren’t going out every weekend. Sure we cook different food to our parents but if anything, traditional Chinese cooking is way oilier than what we were eating. I cut out meat for a week. We cut out preservatives. I cut out dairy, gluten, soft drinks, sugar… didn’t make an ounce of difference. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the diet (although I still eat as healthy and as balanced as I can). Maybe it was the skincare - I tried natural aka Lush, I tried harsh aka alcohol and acids, even my trusty Phisohex didn’t have a huge effect. Eventually I tried Proactive again because I kept thinking back to how Tiffany D from YouTube loved it for so long and so I thought maybe if I give it another go it’ll work for me again. So off I went to the Proactive counter and picked up the pack for dry skin. If you want to know my Proactive routine, then just leave me a comment below and I’d be happy to let you know how I used the products in my Dry Skin Pack. The routine worked to clear up my wide T-zone acne but I still getting some painful ones on the sides of my face. (I’m not blaming Melbourne but… seems a bit more than coincidental…)

Eventually I figured out they were hormonal/cystic/stress/diet related. I was already drinking lots of water, cutting out sugar, eating less meat, dairy etc. and I wasn’t about to start hormone therapy... so again, I was at a loss. Then one day, something clicked and I just thought, I think it’s about time I started being nice to my skin for a change. Keep it simple, keep it consistent, keep it gentle. So after a lot of research, this is the routine that has been working for me for the past month, morning and night without fail (I think when you start seeing results, you just don’t ever want to break the trend no matter how tired you are) and I’ve had three pimples in that time. (That’s crazy! I usually get three a day…)

Current update: although I don't have any active pimples (at the moment) I am still left with a scarred face. I have acne scarring in both texture and colour, redness, huge pores, blackheads, whiteheads and blocked pores when I slack off on the exfoliation, but that's the least of my worries since Winter has so kindly crept up on Melbourne, I now have seriously dehydrated, scaly, irritated, peeling skin. It's just all fun and games for me. lol. I'm definitely finding the Melbourne Winter much colder and dryer than in Sydney, however I already knew that when I came down last year and had to suffer the worst (cystic) acne while having super dry, itchy, red, irritated skin. ... I seem to also be developing some kind of stress rash on my forehead and eyebrows (of all places) that just seems to itch.

I know I've been talking a lot about skincare lately but that's because it's the only thing that's been plaguing my mind since I moved to Melbourne at the beginning of the year. I haven't bought any makeup since the Priceline 40% OFF sale and even when I do buy makeup, I don't get super excited anymore because I know that it'll look like crap if my skin underneath is all ... eurgh. So, now you've read all my woes, let me know yours! What keeps you up at night? And if you have none, well let me know too so I can envy you haha. Share your happy life tips and spread the joy! (no really, I need some tips to reduce stress - but I think that's a topic for another TalkBack Thursday...)

Want to know what has been keeping my skin clear for the past month? Stay tuned for Skincare Sunday!

TalkBack Thursday is a weekly blogpost series where I pick a topic of discussion that I may have some queries about and hopefully you'll join in the conversation and TALK BACK AT ME (:

xx peachsbeauty

Thanks for reading! Holla at me:
email: peachsbeautyfamily@gmail.com
youtube: peacshbeautyfamily
bloglovin: peach
twitter: @peachsbeauty
instagram: @peachsbeauty
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Monday 10 June 2013

Aphelia Cosmetology + GIVEAWAY! // Skincare Sunday #1

Today I'm doing a review on some products Aphelia Cosmetology sent me and there'll also be a giveaway so keep reading for details!



Products mentioned:
Fusion Herbal Dark Circle Treatment Essence
Oasis Acne Treatment Essence
Luminance Whitening & Lightening Creme
Peony Advanced Beautifying Eye Creme Specifically For Eye Fine Lines

What you could win - Giveaway prize!

 photo 130609-01_zpsaf38eb27.jpg

The Origin of Beauty Set includes:
- Peony advanced eye cream anti-wrinkle and fine line eye cream
- Fusion dark circle under eye treatment redresses the appearance of dark circles under eyes, lightening and brightening the eye area
- Merlin ultimate skin perfecting cream for wrinkles and fine lines with 10 oriental concentrates complemented with 5 modern cosmetic essentials
- Luminance for diminishing pigmentation, dark spot, redness, age spots, sun spots and redress acne scarring. Perfection in skin perfection for even skin tone
- Oasisa potent defence against acneand adult acne.
- Purify Classic a cleanser prized for its sebum removal and make up removal. It promises transparency and radiance to fatigued skin

2 ways to enter ~
1-BLOG (using rafflecopter)
2-YOUTUBE
a. Subscribe to peachsbeautyfamily
b. Like my Skincare Sunday: Aphelia Cosmetology video
c. Leave a comment on the video telling me what if your favourite skincare product/tip/method

Giveaway Details:
| Aphelia has made this giveaway open to Australia only - sorry my international readers :(
| If you are 16 or under, please get permission from your parents as I will require your address if you win.
| Aphelia Costmetology will be responsible for sending out The Origin of Beauty set.
| This giveaway ends on midnight 30th of June, 2013 AEST (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra you know).
| The winner will be drawn shortly after and announced on my blog, twitter and instagram. I will also email the winner and they have 48 hours to respond with their address. If I don't hear anything from them in this time, I will pick another winner and again they have 48 hours.
| NOTE: This giveaway is running on both youtube and my blog, which means that yes, you can enter at both places. It also means that the ONE winner may be either someone who enters from the youtube video or someone who enters through rafflecopter on my blog. There will not be a winner drawn from both places.. I hope that makes sense. Feel free to leave me a comment/email/message if any of the rules or details of the giveaway aren't clear to you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck guys and I look forward to reading all your skincare tips!

xx peachsbeauty

email: peachsbeautyfamily@gmail.com
youtube: peacshbeautyfamily
bloglovin: peach
twitter: @peachsbeauty
instagram: @peachsbeauty
pinterest: peachsbeauty


Products featured in this post were provided for consideration by Aphelia Cosmetology. Reviews and opinions are always my own and 100% honest. Thank you for reading.