talkback thursday: february skincare

I have gone through all the phases.. makeup, skincare and bodycare. Now I'm happy to give away makeup and bodycare because there are only so many mid-tone brown shadows one person needs and bodycare only does one thing: to moisturise your body but with skincare.. I can't let go. I have to try every cleanser, moisturiser, mask etc. out there to find the perfect skincare routine. I end up switching products every other day, which causes my skin to freak out, which I try and attack with really hard anti-acne products which leaves me super dry and more broken out until I finally come to my senses and stop using everything except cleanse, tone and moisturise.. that is until I find the next IT skincare product to try and the vicious cycle begins all over again.

So, I have decided to come to a compromise: I will stick to ONE skincare routine every month. You should really give skincare products 4-6 weeks to work before moving along so I think it's a good compromise. This month I'm trying out the following products:

AM ROUTINE
Michael Todd Skin Defender AHA Creme Facial Cleanser
LUSH Tea Tree Water
Naruko Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Moisturizer
Naruka Magnolia Brightening & Firming Eye Cream
Naruko Creme of Jing Cheng

PM ROUTINE
Lush Ultra Bland Cleanser
Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Daily Wash*
LUSH Tea Tree Water
Naruko Rose & Botanic HA Aqua Cubic Moisturizer
Naruka Magnolia Brightening & Firming Eye Cream
Naruko Creme of Jing Cheng

As you can see the only changes are the cleansers so I'm still keeping it pretty simple. No AM/PM serums, no AM/PM moisturisers.

After a month, we'll see how I go and look forward to some reviews!

x peachsbeauty

Holla at me:

email: peachsbeautyfamily@gmail.com

youtube: peachsbeautyfamily

bloglovin: peach

twitter: @peachsbeauty

instagram: @peachsbeauty

pinterest: peachsbeauty

* This product is in a blank tube because it was provided for a blind review by beautyheaven before the product was released. 
Everything mentioned in this post was purchased by yours truly unless otherwise stated. My reviews and thoughts are always 100% honest. Thanks for reading! (:

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
pinterest: peachsbeauty

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
pinterest: peachsbeauty

Teas // Talkback Thursday #1

TalkBack Thursday is back and today we're talking about teas. I personally love teas and I have to have my English Breaksfast tea every morning or else I literally can't function. I never understood why some people 'couldn't live' without coffee. I used to always think "it's just a beverage how can it have such a hold on your life.." until I became addicted to tea and now everyone knows that if I don't have my cup of English Breakfast or Melbourne Breakfast or some sort of tea in the morning, I get very cranky and irritated at the strike of 11'o clock. So this is my current tea collection and I have a few more left in Sydney which I'll also talk about.

I'd love to know if you're a tea or coffee person (or both)! My boss is Italian and he keeps trying to convert me to drinking coffee.. It's not that I don't like coffee but I don't drink milk.. and if you've ever tried coffee with soy or even rice milk it's really not the best.. so I end up getting a long black and because there's no milk, there's nothing really to hide behind so it has to be really good quality coffee. And you're just never sure if you're going to get good coffee or not..so long story short, I stick to tea.

My Tea Collection (:

|| Tea Tonic - Oriental Twist

This is one of the two I picked up from the Sydney Easter Show, they usually have a stand at the Woolworth's Dome every year. This tea tastes so good I even got my bf hooked onto it and it's a blend of Lychee, Jasmine and Green tea. Tea Tonic is great and I would recommend all their teas, depending on your taste preference.

|| Tea Tonic - Complexon

This is the only one I picked up and while it's not the best tasting it does have a blend of Red Clover, Nettle, Dandelion Leaf, Calendula & Burdock which is supposed to give you a luminous glow. It doesn't taste bad by any means and I still drink it alone although they say you can add lemon if desired.

|| Lipton Green Tea

Not much to say, just your generic green tea. I wouldn't really recommend unless you're not able to access anything else.

|| T2 Melbourne Breakfast

This is a great twist on your traditional English Breakfast tea. I like to treat myself on weekends to a cup of this in the morning. The vanilla and honey infused black tea has a really warm flavour and I drink it with a little rice milk.
|| T2 Sleep Tight
I sometimes have trouble sleeping so I thought I'd give this tea a go. It's lemony with rose, lavender and jasmine which is the perfect combination to calm and soothe.While I can't say that it necessarily knocks me out, it's definitely a great way to end the day.
|| T2 Lemongrass & Ginger
This is a 'spicy' tea and I love it when I'm feeling under the weather. I know traditional ginger tea is very good for your health (my mum used to always make me drink it when I had the flu or had been caught out in the rain.. she added rock sugar to make it taste a bit more pleasant). T2 have added lemongrass to balance out the ginger.
|| T2 White Jasmine
This was one of my first teas from T2 and I was drawn in by the fragrance - I love jasmine anything. I will always come back to this tea as it has a special place in my heart.
|| T2 Gorgeous Geisha
I would describe this tea as fun. It's infused with strawberry and cream, like candy in your green tea and great to drink if you need to inject a bit of fun or interest to your day. It's not too sweet or sickening at all, just a hint of strawberry flavour.
|| T2 Orange Pecko
Haven't actually tried this yet because it was a sample a got by joining the Tea Society. From what I've read, it's in the black tea family with a hint of sugar cane and sweet sultanas.
|| Kirkland Green Tea (from Costco)
This tastes exactly like Japanese Matcha Green Tea, the kind that you get at sushi places. I even made green tea ice cream with this and while I didn't get the texture quite perfect (it was my first try at home made ice cream.. and without a machine too!) everyone still loved the taste and it was polished off within days.
|| Dilmah Ceylon Tea
Dilmah makes the best teas that are readily available and because it is so affordable, I have a cup of this with a little rice milk every morning without fail. I alternative between Ceylon and English Breakfast.
|| Nerada Tea
I got this 10 pack from a showbag at the Easter show and I have yet to try it. I have tried Nerada Orgnics Herbal Infusions and they were nice.
|| Diplomat Chamomile Tea (from Aldi)
Super affordable simple chamomile tea, great for evenings to calm and relax. Perfect for everyday use (whereas I like to save T2 Sleep Tight for when I need extra relaxation after a stressful day).
|| Diplomat English Breakfast Tea (from Aldi)
Picked this up in a pinch when I ran out of my Dilmah. Can't really compare but for the price, really can't say anything bad about it.

So that's my tea collection! I hope you'll try out some of my favourites and let me know what you thought. I'd love hear your tea (or coffee) suggestions and try out some new tastes.

peace,
peachsbeauty

email: peachsbeautyfamily@gmail.com

youtube: bit.ly/peachsyt

bloglovin: bit.ly/peachsbloglovin

twitter: bit.ly/peachstweet

instagram: bit.ly/instapeach

pinterest: bit.ly/peachspins