The Skincare || Looking After the Décolletage

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to take more care of my body skin, particularly my décolletage area. Whilst I am religious about applying sunscreen to my face, my neck and chest are often forgotten which leaves me with quite a red, sensitive and damaged neck area. I've been trying to repair this damage by firstly applying sunscreen every morning. I'm trying to use up the Olay Daily Face SPF30+ on my neck because I don't like the feel of this sunscreen on my face and I suspect it breaks me out a bit. Yet as I type this I forgot to apply it this morning. Oops.

In the evenings, I'm taking a number of steps to undo the damage done. Firstly I'm cleansing the area with the Jurlique Purifying Foaming Cleanser (please don't shoot me for using this, I'm trying to use it all up). I've been using a sample of the Trilogy Nutrient Plus Firming Serum, which is ok. I have to say I won't be repurchasing this, I find it doesn't mix well with certain moisturisers. It works perfectly with the Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream however, which I've been applying day and night. A fairly simple routine, but so far I'm happy with the results. My neck seems to be less sensitive, red, and the fine wrinkles which were appearing have seemed to lessen.

Do you take much care of your décolletage?

X Suzy 

The Weekend Pamper || Bed Time Beauty Bits

I'm sure many of you have your own unique ritual to get yourself ready for a good night sleep. Mine involves a number of products slathered on after the nightly skincare routine (yes there's more skincare), comfy pjs and a good book.

Usually I apply some of the Sukin Rose-Hip oil just before I go to bed, I don't like feeling greasy while I'm awake. Plus I wake up with the most amazing glow the next morning. I also top up the spot creams, hoping to kill them over night. Finally there's the Jurlique Love Balm for lips to prevent any chaps and dryness. That's usually all for the facial skin. I give my hands a bit of nourishment next, applying the Jurlique Love Balm to my cuticles and the Jurlique Jasmine handcream all over. Lastly my feet need a little bit of love, I use some of Lucas'Paw Paw Ointment on my heels and any other dry patches. To finish off, I smother my feet in some sorbolene cream, which means I wake up with such soft feet! 

In order to properly wind down, I charge all my electronics over on my desk, where I can't reach them whilst asleep. I take fifteen minutes to write in my journal and write a to-do list for the next day and then I spend the rest of evening reading a book. At the moment I'm reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

How do wind down for the night?

X Suzy  

The Monthly Roundup || February 2014

My recent buying habits have been quite slow and I have to say that I'll be like this for the next couple of months. I'm saving my pennies for when it go to Europe in July (I've already got a shopping list!). So I only brought a grand total of 5 cosmetics this month. And yes, I'm am feeling myself.

February Favourites:

The product which wins the most loved product this month is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, something which is helping clear out my skin. It's totally cleared up my forehead, I've got no need to wear foundation there anymore. It's still early days so I'm waiting for it to clear up my cheeks and chin area too. I use this as my morning serum, to prevent any makeup causing blemishes during the day.

Something I've come to love this month is the Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face Brush. I think I've mentioned this before, but it's become invaluable for applying my mineral foundation. It buffs the product in to the skin flawlessly, leaving my skin looking natural and uniform. It also a dream to apply translucent powder with, and because it's quite thin, it works wonderfully with powder highlighter.

I've had some nail polish loves also this month, the Barry M nail paint in Mint Green and the Napoleon Perdis nail polish in White Swan. The Barry M is cheap and cheerful, for $5 the colour is decent, it took me three coats to achieve a level of opaqueness which I was happy with.  I got the Napoleon Perdis with their Valentine’s Day set, and I doubt you can buy it separate. The finish of this nail polish is lovely, super shiny and opaque. Someone asked me if it was shellac, that's the sort of finish this nail polish has. It's lasted me four nights and there's a little bit of chipping, nothing to major (it would be a lot better if my job didn't consist of finger painting and chopping up fruit).

This month in blog posts:

I'm glad to tell you that I wrote quite consistently this month. I started my new feature called The Craft Post, and I featured my Patchwork Lace Curtain. I hope you’re all interested in hearing about my crafty projects I whip up. Next I brought you my first “Empties” post. I reviewed my Real Techniques Brushes and my favourite shampoo and conditioner in Feb. I also wrote quite a detailed post about those products which I just love and can always count on to perform. The body skincare bits also got a mention this month, particularly because it’s one of my New Year’s resolutions to look after it a bit more. You got to see the makeup which I applied daily in summer. And lucky you, you got a peek inside my handbag.

Hope you all had a great February!

X Suzy  

The Review || Organic Care Shampoo and Conditioner

I've gone through quite a few conditioners in my time. I had favourites from Pantene and Sunsilk but it wasn't until last year when I realised all the benefits from using natural products and the harm that chemicals can do. Since then I've tried both of the Sukin conditioners and I was unimpressed. I stumbled upon the Organic Care Dry Nourish Conditioner when my sister tried the conditioner, didn't like it and let me have a try. It was instant love. The ingredients are fantastic, but there are some chemicals in there. However these are derived naturally from plants, which make them friendlier. The result is beautifully conditioned hair which is deeply nourished form natural oils, not coated in silicones. If you're used to the feeling of a silicone heavy conditioner, this may take a little bit of getting used to.

After going through a couple of bottles of the conditioner, I thought I might give the Organic Care Conditioning Shampoo Anti-Dandruff a try. It's much the same as the conditioner in the sense that it's not 100% natural as it makes out, but the chemicals are sourced from natural plants. It foams up really well, giving my hair a good clean. My dandruff is also kept at bay when I use this.

These truly are wonderful hair care products, the balance between natural and chemicals is just right. I get mine from Coles, each for $3.50. Great price, great quality.

Have you tried any of the Organic Care range?

X Suzy