March '15 Empties | my gift to you | peachsbeauty

hi there,

You know what they say, 'out with the old, in with the new', so today I'm sharing with you my empties for March '15. Also, a pinch and a punch for the first day of the month (cos that's how mature I am) meaning this is the first post as a part of my birthday gift to you! #mgty

PRODUCTS

1 | Lush Turkish Delight Shower Smoothie $32.95 for 200g - bit.ly/1OS30I1
I love the scent of this products (I'm going to say it) even more than the famous Ro's Argan Oil. I'm not the biggest fan of pure rose scents so the added jasmine and neroli (my fave) just absolutely hits the nail on the head for me. The issue for me though is that I've used a tub of this and loved it but I still actually have no idea what it is.. like what is a shower smoothie? I've confirmed from the Lush staff that it's not a body wash (which should be used prior to this product), and it's not a body conditioner (like Ro's which should be used after this product.) So what then exactly is a shower smoothie, other than something you use in the shower that smells divine? Would I really pay $33 again for that.. not sure. What do you think?

2 | Skin Food Steam Milk Mask Cream - bit.ly/1Nwk6rx
I didn't actually finish this product but it expired at the end of last year so I decided to get rid of it. It's a very hydrating moisturiser that has been just a bit too much for even my normal/dry skin the past six months which was why it was kind of shoved to the side and forgotten about. I would probably only recommend this for people with dry/very dry skin living in harsh climates as it has quite a thick sleeping mask-like consistency that's good for locking moisture in the skin - sort of balm-like but in a cream form so it's still easy to spread over the skin.

3 | Caudalie VinoPerfect Day Perfecting Fluid SPF15 - $66.21 for 40mL - bit.ly/1DmKMvo~
This product warrants an "OMG!". It's so luxurious, smells incredibly delicious and awakening which is important for a day cream. It's super lightweight yet insanely hydrating with SPF 15 that I would recommend for all skin types. While you can't see any different as it sinks in and disappears immediately, you can definitely feel your skin drinking up that hydration. I've already started saving so I can pick up a full size of this for summer next year as this does cost a pretty penny.

4 | Juju Cosmetics Aquamoist Moisture Milk - discontinued? (Couldn't find any information in English)
This I also didn't finish and wasn't a big fan of for the opposite reason to the Skin Food Cream. The moisture milk was very liquidy (makes sense) so it really just spread out to nothing and didn't really do much.

5 | Bioderma Sensibio Micelle Solution Sensitive Skin $31.99 for 500mL - bit.ly/1DmYlen~
I got a tiny sample of this a while ago in a beauty box and just used it up when I went to Melbourne. Love Bioderma for lazy makeup removal and have a 500mL bottle sitting on my drawer for such occasions. I really want to try the blue one though for sensitive dehydrated skin.

6 | My Beauty Diary Collagen Firming Mask $15.50 for 10 - bit.ly/1BZ3u55~
I was clearly having a lazy sheet mask month as I only have one empty to share with you. This one I received a while ago as a sample to try with a YesStyle order I believe. I love My Beauty Diary masks and I had never tried this one but I quite liked it and would consider repurchasing if I was ever running low on sheet masks (highly doubt that will ever happen though.. >.<").

7 | Daiso Triangle Brow Pencil $2.80
I am the exact opposite of a brow product snob. I picked this up because I thought the triangle shape was quite interesting so I gave it a go and I quite like it, which basically means that it's a somewhat dark brown colour and doesn't migrate to my forehead when I brush my brows out. They're really the only two requirements of a brow product for me. I have quite thick, full brows already so I just need something to fill them in a bit and define the ends. The brush at the other end is also quite handy. Stock tends to come and go at Daiso so if I ever see these, I always pick one up for backup.

8 | Big W Makeup Remover Pads $2 for 200
These are soft (not like a baby's bum but soft enough), don't break up when I'm trying to remove my makeup or apply toner and they're cheap as chips. What more can I say. Always pick these up when I can't get to a Daiso to pick up my favourite cotton pads. They're just so easily accessible and affordable - can literally be bought with the change found under your car seat.

9 | Oral-B 3D White Toothpaste $9.49 for 130g - bit.ly/1IL51lc~
Picked these up as a triple pack from Costco and we're onto our last tube. Not much to say other than the fact that it's not super minty tasting toothpaste and didn't notice any whitening effects.

10 | SK-II Facial Treatment Essence $99 for 75mL + 1 Mask + 30mL Clear Lotion - bit.ly/1xuoxkH~
My holy grail product, I will never be without this. Already onto a 215mL bottle, however I'm doing a showdown of the facial essences I have tried so for the last few weeks I have been using the Shiseido Eurdermine Revitalising Essence.

Hope you'll enjoyed reading about my empty products. Love to know what you've finished lately and will be repurchasing!

Don't forget every comment from my April posts counts as an entry into my birthday giveaway at the end of the month :)

xox cheng

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Prices correct at time of publishing, however may change with exchange rates etc. All products mentioned were purchased by yours truly unless specified with an asterisk (*). All opinions are 100% honest and my own. ~ are affiliate links. I always try to find the most affordable option with shipping to Australia. Thank you for your support if you choose to purchase from them.

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REVIEW: Lush Shine So Bright Hair Balm

Image: lush.com.au

The Details: Lush Shine So Bright Hair Balm
Price: AUD$7.50 for 10g
Packaging: Tiny metal screw tin - fairly sturdy, haven't had issues of unscrewing
Scent: very nice - floral, citrus
Ingredients: Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia cerifera), Fair Trade Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Perfume (Perfume), Neroli Oil (Citrus aurantium amara), Grapefruit Oil (Citrus paradisi), Rosewood Oil (Aniba rosaeodora), Fresh Free Range Eggs (Fresh Free Range Eggs), Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), *Hydroxycitronellal (*Hydroxycitronellal), Geraniol (Geraniol), *Citral (*Citral), *Farnesol (*Farnesol), *Limonene (*Limonene), *Benzyl Benzoate (*Benzyl Benzoate), *Linalool (*Linalool) * Occurs naturally in essential oils

They say:
"A balm to transform split ends and make your hair shine so bright. This will repair split ends with a plethora of strengthening ingredients, such as Extra Virgin olive oil, fresh free-range eggs and fair trade coconut oil. Coconut oil also adds condition and shine. Fragranced with an uplifting blend of orange flower absolute, grapefruit, neroli and rosewood." - Lush

I say:
Application - I gently rub my fingers across the top of the product to melt some onto my fingers and then I apply it to my dry ends, approximately 10-15cm. I have used it the last 5 times I have washed my hair but it is a good product to use on the in-between days as well. A little bit goes a long way so it should last a little while, maybe a few months if you don't wash your hair everyday and use sparingly.

Pros - I really liked this product because I love the way it smells and I felt like it did add a bit of moisture to my hair to make it shine. I'm not so sure about the 'split end transforming' claims because I'm not sure how you would make your hair come back together once it's split.. I do believe moisturising and strengthening my hair will prevent split ends in the future though.

Cons - However.. This is a very small pot of product and while it won't break the bank at $7.50 a tin, when you look at the ingredients they're mostly things you can pick up at the grocery, health food store or easily accessible online.

*Warning - the following paragraph is a little bit of a rant about DIY beauty products and how you could potentially make this product at home* So 'Extra Virgin Coconut Oil' is something I have at home and is now easily accessible at your local grocery.. I get a 900g jar for about $10 from Costco (I think from memory, although my memory is horrible). Shea Butter, I get mine from iherb.com, approximately 200mL for $8; Candelilla wax, available from soap ingredients suppliers $8 for 100g, although it's not a necessity if you don't have it; Olive oil, also another staple in our kitchen, fair trade might be a little harder to find though; Neroli, grapefruit, rosewood oil all available from iherb.com or again soap making/aromatherapy shops; free range eggs.. I think that's obvious although how much egg/protein do you think they really got in that 10g tin? Having said all that.. you could probably get a pinch of Coconut Oil and Shea Butter and rub it in your hair for an instant shine.. *rant over*

Final words?
While I do really really like the product, and the concept of the product (great for travelling and a moisture boost/protector from dry airplane air!), I'm kind of torn about repurchasing. I'm going to try some DIY solutions to see if I can achieve the same results but I have a feeling I will always have some of this on hand for an instant hair shine pick-me-up that has a to die for scent.

Rating:

✿✿✿✿✿

Anyone have DIY hair balm recipes they'd care to share?

x peachsbeauty

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**Sorry for the looong review. I can't help it, I just like to blab on about things. Everything mentioned in this post was purchased by yours truly unless otherwise stated. My reviews and thoughts are always 100% honest. Thanks for reading! (: If you hate these long reviews let me know, I will try and tighten things up for next time. xx**

Review: Lush Dream Steam Steam Tab

The Dream Steam Steam Tab (DSST) has replaced the Tea Tree Toner Tab (TTTT) as my favourite Steam Tab (I know they only sell the two now which is a shame, they used to sell other ones like.. Moon and Sun?). I used to love the TTTT because I usually only remember to steam my face when my skin's feeling all congested and gross so tea tree oil is perfect for that with all its antibacterial properties. Even thought I have used Dream Steam many times before but I just realised that it has Tea Tree Oil in it too.

How I use it:
* Fill a bowl on a flat surface (table) with about 1 cup of hot boiled water (200mL), pop in the tab and watch it fizzle away. I will then get my towel, tea tree oil, iPad so the water can cool down a little bit. I add a few extra drops of tea tree oil when my skin's feeling extra yuck.
* Place your freshly cleansed face over the bowl. (Make sure it's free of any makeup or cleanser residue. I like to exfoliate before a steam as well.) If it's too hot, just wait a minute!
* Then, place a towel over your head to create a .. tent? Making sure that it covers your entire head and bowl all around.Relax and enjoy the lavender and rose scent (they are fairly subtle but they're there).
* You can stay in this position for as long as you like until you not longer get any steam.On average I'd got for 15 minutes.
* When you're done, you can splash your face with cool water and pat dry and/or pat dry and use a ' pore tightening' toner such as Lush Tea Tree Toner or even Witch Hazel. I have no idea if this does anything but in my mind my facials work like this: cleanse off dirt, exfoliate dead skin cells, steam out gunk from pores, close pores with toner to prevent gunk from getting in... It's a psychological thing. Please feel free to correct me if you have any scientific information of what a facial actually does.
* When the water is cool, funnel into a reuseable spray bottle (I get mine from Daiso!) and use a facial mist/toner/refreshing spray. Keep it in the fridge and it'll last for a week. Just in time for another facial/steam (:

What it does:
* Tea Tree acts as antibacterial for your skin
* Rose absolute calms redness (and boy do I have redness)
* Chamomile and lavender relaxes and calms the mind
I feel for myself the scent of lavender just instantly makes me feel like the weight has been lifted off my shoulders - a weight that I usually wouldn't even know was there. I usually use the steam tabs when I do a facial and facials usually makes me feel pretty relaxed anyway. The steam might also be good to do just before you go to bed, as part of a nightly ritual once a week or fortnight.

Deets:
* Available at Lush stores and online
* $2.50 for each tab

Ingredients:
Sodium Bicarbonate (Sodium Bicarbonate), Citric Acid (Citric Acid), Perfume (Perfume), Lavender Oil ((Lavandula angustifolia)), Rose Absolute (Rosa damascena), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), Citronellol (Citronellol), *Geraniol (*Geraniol), *Limonene (*Limonene),Linalool (Linalool), Rose Petals (Rosa damascena)

Rating:

✿✿✿✿✿

What do you like to use as part of your at home facial?

x peachsbeauty

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Everything mentioned in this post was purchased by yours truly. Thanks for reading! (:

5 Friday Faves #1

It's Friday, YAY, and welcome to my first ever 5 Friday Favourites! I've been all alone by my lonesome self this week so I have had a bit more time to pamper myself (because I'm not cleaning up after an almost full grown man). You'll notice there are only four products in the photo because the fifth is a virtual favourite aka blogger, youtuber, tv show etc. Hope you enjoy. Let me know your favourites in the comments below!

1. Vice & Velvet Handmade Body Mousse in Blushing Phoenix

{I won this product from a V&V giveaway - lucky me ;)}

This body mousse smells and feels amazing.. The mousse is feels very light and blends well on the skin. I thought this tub was going to go so quickly but it's actually lasted quite a while. I'm so bad at describing scents so from the website: "An exquisite blend of fresh lychee pulp, sweetened oolong tea and palmarosa syrup, emboldened with a drop of aged vetiver." YUM (:

2. Cococare 100% Coconut Oil

I picked this up from iHerb a while ago. I personally wouldn't repurchase this one as I found one at Costco that I can eat as well as use externally. So I have been loving coconut oil in general (not this one in particular). I use it as a night eye cream, eyelash serum, hair mask, teaspoon in my daily morning english breakfast tea, cook with it. There are so many other uses for coconut oil that I haven't explored yet.

3. Lush's Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

OMG the smell. If you love the smell of roses you will love this.. even if you don't you will love this. I actually use this as a body lotion. So after I step out of the shower, I will gently pat myself dry and apply the 'conditioner' onto slightly damp skin. The scent lasts all night and onto the next day you will catch whiffs of it. It'll even make your clothes smell amazing if you get dressed straight away.

4. Vera Wang Princess

{This is a tester I received when I used to work at duty free}

This is a winter fragrance for me. "The scent sparkles with the captivating, sweet, tart aroma of delicate lady apples and the coveted tahitian tiare flower and finishes with a tasty vanilla chiffon" says the Vera Wang Frangrances website.. whatever that means. It smells a little bit fruity and floral but the vanilla adds depth and warmth. Usually not the biggest fan on vanilla but with the apple and flower, just smells special.

5. Kitsch Snitch

I have been watching her videos and following her blog for a while now but I found out about the Balm deal at DJs from her so I just want to give her a shout out. She's from Melbourne and her videos are so relaxed, they're great.

Hope you've enjoyed by first 5 Friday Favourites. I'd love to know what you've been enjoying lately. If you have any product suggestions or full review requests, leave me a comment below. Have a great weekend!

x peachsbeauty

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Everything mentioned in this post was purchased by yours truly unless otherwise stated. Thanks for reading! (:

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:
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Products marked with * were provided for considerations. Opinions are always 100% honest. Thanks for reading (:

Hump Day Haul: #lushloot

Nobody likes hump day (unless you work shift and Wednesday is really a Friday..) so I like to do some retail therapy to get me through it. Yesterday's smallish haul was particularly fitting - some goodies from Lush which I like to call #lushloot. If you've picked up anything from Lush lately or have a Lush stash at home, I'd love to see it. Instagram or Tweet me at @peachsbeauty and hashtag #lushloot and let's make it a thing! (Also tag @lushaustralasia if you want so we can let them know how much we love their stuff.)

I say this haul was particularly fitting because yesterday was a really long work day (and it was only Tuesday omg..) AND I had a toothache (still do - beginning to develop a panadol addiction..) so a Lush bubble bath would have been amazing but unfortunately I didn't get time to have one so *fingers crossed* hopefully tonight I will. Anyway, here's what I picked up - mostly stuff from their limited edition Easter collection but a couple of other things as well and I didn't get any of their giant bath eggs because I smelt them and they weren't really my thing and they were like $11.something each but if you've tried them and you think they're totally worth it let me know!!

- Hoppy Easter with Bunny Knot-Wrap, Candy Fluffy Egg Bath Bomb ($5.50), Carrot Bubble Bar ($8.95) for $13.95.
- The Bright Side Bubble Bar for ($6.90)
- Egg Hunt Soap for $5.75/100g
- Always Look on the Bright Side Bubble Bar for $6.90
- Twilight Bath Bomb for $5.95
- Shine So Bright Hair Balm for $7.50
The Easter range was available online from March 15 and apparently available in stores from March 21 but I know a lot of stores had them available from the end of last week! Eye candy is below as I'm blogging this from my Blogger app and it doesn't let you place images anywhere else (also apologies beforehand for any weird auto correcting or formating p.s. if any links don't work pls let me know)

And a little something something: I went to the Melbourne Central shop to pick up these goodies because it's near the bus stop (and it wasn't my first time there). TBH I'm usually the type of shopper who likes to be left alone. Sometimes I like assistance and I will ask for it but for the most part, I'm happy to touch and sniff on my own. So, I completely didn't mind when the SA was deep in conversation with an ex-colleague and totally ignored me even when the other person said 'I should probably let you go'.. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that if you're a shopper who needs assistance and likes to talk to the SA I would suggest going to the Swanston St store, I think its more popular, there are more SAs and even when they're totally swamped they'll still try and get around to everyone (:

Happy Hump Day!

Leave me a comment and don't forget to show me your #lushloot on Instagram and Twitter!

Much love, peach.

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HAUL | Lush Haircare, Proactiv, Chemist Warehouse

What'd I say?
I Love Juicy Shampoo 500g | $30.95
Veganese Conditioner 500g | $33.95
Big Solid Conditioner | $11.95 per 100g
Roots Hair Treatment 225g | $18.95
No Drought Dry Shampoo 115g | $13.50
Seaspray 100g | $12.50
Tea Tree Toner Tab | $2.50
Tea Tree Water 250g | $20.95
Cosmetic Warrior 75g | $15.95
Proactiv Dry Skin Pack - Cleanse, Tone, Repair, Green Tea Moisturiser, Deep Cleansing Wash, Clarifying Night Cream | $129
Deep Cleansing Wash 60mL | GWP
Cleansing Body Bar | GWP
Blemish Control Stick | GWP
Enya Sorbelene Cream 1L | $2.99
Maybelline Color Tattoos - Too Cool, Audacious Asphalt | $6

What are your favourite anti-acne and hair care products?

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Haul | Lush

While I was in Melbourne, I went to Lush for the first time in like three years and decided to pick up some items! I bought some skincare products because my skin was literally freaking out from the cold Melbourne weather and some other hair and body products which the Lush lady recommended.

I am currently using the Lush skincare that I purchased and I will be doing a review of ( My Month with Lush | Skincare ) very very soon so please stay tuned for that.

I hope you enjoy the haul video!


Also, I am a Lush newbie so if you have any products that is a must-have or holy grail for you that you would like to recommend, I'd love to hear it!

What'd I say?

| Aqua Marina Cleanser >>>
| Eau Roma Water Toner >>>
| Celestial Moisturiser >>>
| Grease Lightning Spot Treatment >>>
| Cupcake Fresh Face Mask >>>
| Dream Steam Tab Toner >>>
| Putty for your Hands >>>
| Lust Solid Perfume >>>
| Ro's Argan Body Conditioner >>>
| H'Suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment >>>
| Dirty Springwash Shower Gel >>>

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