You're a natural beauty

Vanilla highlighter, corn powder, carrot balm, beetroot tint, rice powder. You would be forgiven for thinking I was talking about the contents of a Masterchef mystery box (oh Masterchef, how I miss you). No, I’m talking about a range of cosmetics from Bondi gal Ere Perez.

Mexican born Perez has been toiling away for the last 5 years on her 100% natural makeup – plant extracts, cruelty free (who wants cruel makeup?) and mainly vegan. What she has produced is an epic collection of beautiful cosmetics across mascara, eye pencil, eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, gloss and stain. Simple packaging and natural ingredients; you feel kind of healthy just using it.

I road tested the Natural Beetroot Cheek & Lip Tint in Joy and the Natural Carrot Colour Balm in Happy. I love a good lip tint because you can stain your lips & your cheeks and look totally natural, like you’re flushed from a brisk walk or sucking an ice block. It’s a really subtle reddish colour (beetroot, perhaps?) and lasts quite well. My only beef with this prod is the icky taste – very soapy. It’s fine if you pop it on your cheeks though, unless someone will be licking your cheek, in which case, go you, you saucy minx!

The Carrot Balm is more pigmented and packs more punch. It has a similar creamy texture to lipstick and is hydrating, but doesn’t last quite as long on lips as the tint does. It’s ace on cheeks though – crème blush! There are four shades in the balm – Healthy (light caramel), Happy (reddish tint), Harmless (shimmery pink) and Holy (light plum).

Keep an eye out for Ere Perez cosmetics – it’s nice to know that you can still get great colour without having to use lots of chemicals. Especially if you happened to read Sarah Wilson’s piece on detoxing your beauty cupboard earlier this week!

Price: Tint - $29.95, Balm - $27.95
From: http://www.ereperez.com/ – check the stockists lists because there are loooaaaads of stores
Why you need it: Gives natural colour a whole new meaning

These products were sent to me for consideration

Taming the winter mane

I’m going to be really glad when spring hits. When it’s hot I can wash my hair, spray some sea salt spray and be done with it. Blowdry? Pfft no, my hair is dry in 5 minutes. But come winter I need all sorts of products to fight frizz and dryness, plus heat protection for all the time under the hairdryer. As if I want to be getting up earlier in winter just to dry my hair?!

Thankfully between dry shampoo for my oily roots (Batiste is still my all time favourite, and it has to be tropical) and a moisturising day cream to fight the frizz and dryness, I have been pretty under control. Best bit? I’m doing it on the cheap. Batiste is only $10 for a can, and Pantene All Day Smooth cream is $7. That’s $17 that gets me an extra day out of my blowdry!

The Pantene All Day Smooth light weight cream is an apple scented gel that you just need to warm between your fingers and gently run over your dry ends. Just like magic, you have instant detangling and softening of angry ends from too much back-combing (I back-comb my top knots...and I wear a lot of top knots!) Get amongst it people.

Price: $9.95 – Batiste/$6.99 – Pantene
From: Priceline/Supermarkets
Why you need it: For the extra sleep in the morning

Missing: My favourite sunnies

I have no idea whether any of you dear readers will be able to help me out here, but I'm desperate. Desperate! My most favourite electric blue Rayban Wayfarers that I bought in Maui last year were stolen off my desk at work on Friday July 2nd. I took them out of my handbag about 2pm and put them on my desk, and when I came back to collect them the next day (yes, I was at work on a Saturday) they were gone!!

Here's the kicker - the receipt with my name, address and phone number on it was inside the brown leather case, so if they were lost then the finder could quite easily locate me. Sigh.

If for some reason you hear of anyone selling an electric blue pair of wayfarers, please let me know. I could easily identify them by the two scratches on the lenses. This colour is pretty rare - as I understand it, there was a limited release of the blue here and I have only ever seen 2 other people with them.

Gutted.

Beauty in a snap!

BeautySnapz are one of those products that you should have in your handbag at all times. And your bathroom cupboard. And definitely your suitcase when you're travelling.

Price: $5.99 for a pack of 24

From: Priceline
Why you need it: Two products in one...hello, space saving!

PS - I lied in my video - there are 7 kinds of BeautySnapz. The one I missed is Wet Tips and I missed them because I have already used my whole pack.

PS - If my brows are looking particularly dark, it's because I just had them tinted at the Benefit store in Paddington. $15!

I was sent this product for consideration

The thing about blogging is...

...you’re the boss and the employee (and believe me, performance reviews are always an interesting experience). I can’t just lodge a leave request and pop off for a week, because the boss gets angry (she’s a bitch). So instead I’m lodging a leave request to you, my dear readers, and respectfully asking for a week’s annual leave.

It’s going to be really hard to resist the temptation to post, but I am taking a self imposed week off to recharge the brain and find where I left the creative juices (I could have sworn they were in the fridge, but apparently not).

If you see me lurking around, tell me to rack off (politely, of course - manners please)!

The eternal quest for glossy

I’m pretty sure every female has that ultimate product that they are always on the hunt for. For me, it’s clear gloss. I have tried dozens and dozens of clear glosses over the years to try and pin down the right one for me. I have a friend who has about 17 nude coloured glosses on her dressing table and none of them are the ‘right nude’. Another friend has half a dozen black nail polishes because none of them are the right black (how hard is a black polish? Very, apparently).

Anyway, I found my ultimate clear gloss quite by accident. A friend of mine who works at a beauty company sent me a little parcel with a few bits and pieces she thought I might like to try. She had no idea of my eternal quest, but it was kismet. I think I heard angels singing the first time I applied it. Ahhhh.

This is no ordinary gloss. Buxom Lips from Bare Escentuals is a super-hyper-mega plumping gloss. It tingles when you put it on and the peppermint makes it really cool and refreshing. Not everyone will like this, but I love the feeling of my lips tingling away. The gloss smells amazing – the combo of peppermint and vanilla is good enough to eat, and it must have maple syrup in it, or maybe coffee, because I can definitely smell a sweet hit (smells better than it tastes though). It’s a slick gloss that glides on smoothly and has enough hold in it that it doesn’t run. It also isn’t sticky or tacky, which is usually the biggest problem with clear glosses. Looks amazing over lipstick, but I like it best on its own; it makes my natural lip colour sparkle and fizz. Definitely a keeper.

FYI the clear gloss is called Krystal. There are also other colours - varying shades of pinks, corals, browns etc. I haven't tried any of the colours yet, so can only comment on the clear.

Price: $75 (Just quietly, I know it's much much cheaper at Sephora, so if you have someone heading to the states, get them to get you one)
From: Myer and DJs
Why you need it: Hopefully this is your ultimate clear too

This product was sent to me for consideration

The sexiest deodorant ever

I was standing in the bathroom yesterday morning getting ready for work and all of a sudden I could smell it. The sweet, sweet smell of Abercrombie & Fitch. It’s a very distinctive smell and if you have never visited an A&F store this might not mean much to you. Ohhh but if you have...oh my. I was suddenly transported to a world of dim lights, dark hardwood, expensive clothes and good looking people.

Funnily enough, the smell wasn’t from overpriced A&F cologne or perfume, but from the new Garnier Minerals deodorant. I know! Crazy, right?! My armpits smelt like an A&F store. I picked up the deodorant because I was curious about the whole mineral deodorant thing and whether it would be better/worse/no different to my regular anti-perspirant. The active ingredient is something called mineralite (aka perlite) which, as I understand it, locks in four times its volume in water and is five times more absorbent than talc. So it’s a big moisture sucker. Probably a good quality for a deodorant.

Not sure how I feel about the 48 hour claim, because that seems kind of unnatural to me, but I highly doubt any deodorant would work for 48 hours solid. I can confidently say though that after 15 hours my pits are still in pretty good nick because I did a sniff test and they passed. The things I do for you.

There are six types – ultra-dry, extra care, sensitive, fresh, silky and anti-white marks. I went anti-white marks and can confirm there was a distinct lack of white marks on my clothing. Big tick. I can’t promise it will smell like A&F for you (probably something to do with the chemistry of my skin, and how ridiculously good-looking I am) but I can promise it smells good and keeps you dry and not stinky. That’s all you can ask in a deodorant.

Price: $4.25 roll on (50mL) or $5.45 spray (150mL)
From: the supermarket
Why you need it: Stay dry, free of white marks, smelling good, looking good, feeling good

Let’s chat...

I’ve been writing Stuff That I Bought for a while now (coming up on three years and over 300 posts for those of you playing at home) and there have been loads of changes over the last few years. I have gone from sporadic posting, to weekly, to daily, to now 3 days a week plus extras when I have more to say. The face of beauty blogging in Australia has also changed a lot and that has an influence on the content I post. Sidenote: If you’re a beauty blogger who hasn’t already signed up to iBlogBeauty, make sure you visit here and get your form in as soon as possible (submissions closed yesterday, but you can try emailing Helen and pleading your case!)

As an industry, beauty is only just starting to understand the power of bloggers. Some brands are embracing it with both arms and legs and even torsos.

They get it and they want to be involved. A lot of brands don’t understand it. Some brands hate it. Some other media hate it too. I’m not sure why, because beauty blogging will never replace magazines and newspapers; we are merely complimentary rather than competition.

The brands that are embracing beauty bloggers (like me) often send us products to review. Considering that the premise of my blog is stuff that I bought myself, I sometimes feel like I am inadvertently deceiving you. I want you to know that I don’t make any money at all from this site – it is a labour of love. The ads that occasionally run on the right hand side pay me pennies (literally pennies) and don’t even cover the cost of my hosting. The beauty brands don’t pay me either and I’m not obligated to run positive mentions because of advertiser spend or stuff like that. I have a good relationship with a lot of the PR girls both through this site and my Real Life Day Job – they are all really nice people - BUT that doesn’t mean I have to write nice things about their products. They know that. They send me things that they think I will be interested in and therefore that you would be interested in. I always trial everything I write about and only review it once I’m satisfied with it. I value the trust you guys put in me and I take it seriously.

Right now we don’t have disclosure legislation like they do for bloggers in the States, but I am making a commitment to always let you know what I have been sent for consideration and I am also making a promise that I will continue to be completely impartial and provide thorough reviews.

Thanks for your continual support – it means a lot. Beauty blogs wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the readers!

Fighting fine lines with yummy eye cream

Since I inadvertently turned this week into a skin care week, I may as well tell you about a new product I am using that I have fallen in love with. It’s Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm, and it will (hopefully) help me combat all the irritating little fine lines that have been popping up around my eyes. I was face-mapped by Dermalogica about a month ago and this was one of the products they recommended for me.

Seriously, I’m kind of over this ageing thing already. And the winter thing. I have been working overtime to keep my skin plump and hydrated, but I still get fine lines in the afternoon after a day in the dry air con. Perhaps if I stop smiling so much it might help?

Anyway, Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm is a fabulous little tube of firming complex that controls signs of ageing, improves skin elasticity and smoothes out the bumps. Fun fact: did you know you lose 1% collagen a year after 40. Egads. I’m not 40 yet, but I feel like it some days. Luckily this shiny little tube from the Dermalogica AGE Smart system fights free radicals and smells so good I could eat it. Apparently it contains red seaweed and that’s what smells good, but I am 100% convinced it contains raspberries. I would squeeze this stuff on chocolate. Go to a Dermalogica counter, try it, and tell me I’m wrong. I dare ya.

In terms of results, I have only been using it for a month so at this stage I can’t say just how effective it has been. However, I have seen little improvements around my eyes which I’m really happy with. I’ll keep you updated.

Price: $73
From: Dermalogica
Why you need it: To keep fine lines around the eyes at bay – I would rather use an eye cream than quit smiling.

Stealth vs Wealth - face masks a go-go

I’m not the only one with a skincare/haircare/beauty addiction. My darling friend Jo is also a card-carrying member of BA (Beautyholics Anonymous) and she likes to buy stuff too. Thankfully for us, she can also string a sentence together. Here’s what Jo had to say after she recently had the taxing task of trialling a couple of face masks:

I've recently started a new job and with it has come earlier starts, longer days, and a tired little Jo. As a result, I've been a little lax in looking after myself and my skin has certainly noticed; it has thrown a small tantrum consisting of that charming combination of breakouts and dry skin.

The lovely Elise had given me one of SK-II's Skin Signature 3D Refining Mask to try out, so over a couple of weekends I decided to relax-o with everyone's favourite product comparison – Splurge or Steal!

The fiance will tell you that every trip we take to a supermarket, chemist or department store involves a period of “I just want to look at the skincare aisle” from me and some “But I'm bo-ored” from him (don't get me started on my one true love, Priceline). So with SK-II sitting pretty in its role of Splurge, when I recently popped up to Woolies to pick up some milk I also picked up a pack of Olay Regenerist Facial Treatment Masks, to play the part of Steal.

Cost: Olay's the clear winner here – their 5 pack of masks retail around $39, with the SK-II coming in at $190 for a pack of 6.

Fit of mask: I'm a bit of a fence sitter here... while SK-II's mask is cleverly split into two halves horizontally, allowing you to fit each half exactly to your face, I personally found it difficult to manoeuvre, and preferred the “just stretch it 'til it fits” mentality from Olay.

Scent: Olay's serum has a quite nice fragrance to it, SK-II smells like alcohol (and I mean like metho or something, not a nice chocolate port).

Serum: While SK-II's serum had a nicer feel to it, they're both quite thick and lovely, giving you the impression it's really doing all those great things they say it does. The one thing I'd note is that both masks come loaded with way more serum than is required, meaning once you peel the mask off you either have to spend the next 15 minutes rubbing excess serum into your face and neck, or wiping it off with a tissue. There is one upside to this however...

Entertaining instructions: Olay tells me that I can “wipe off the extra mask juice on your face with cotton wool or tissue”. Mask juice?? On the other hand the sachet from SK-II was labelled entirely in an Asian language I don't speak, so I can't vouch for the entertainment value of its instructions.

Overall result: I highly recommend both of these masks, they both made my skin feel instantly plump and moisturised, and left a beautiful glow for a few days. They're both of great quality, so if you're looking to save a few pennies, I'd be telling you to go Olay.

Buy your skin a coffee to cheer it up

Is it just me or is everyone operating in high gear at the moment? I feel like I am constantly chasing my tail...meetings, functions, dinners, long hours...trying to fit everything in seems impossible. There are about 5 hours too few in my day.

I very sensibly managed to schedule an hour into my calendar last week for a facial. I had a Priori Coffeeberry facial coupled with some Omnilux, which I have spoken about before. Honestly, I just wanted the Omnilux so that I could get some fake sunshine. I am craving light and heat and warmth so badly at the moment; this weather is just ridiculous.

Anyway, the Priori Coffeeberry facial was incredibly lush. It started with a revitalising cleanse to wash all the dirt and grime away, and then a botanical enzyme masque peel. My beautiful therapist Gwen explained to me that this was the same action as a chemical peel but a natural version – enzymes of papaya, pumpkin, willowbark and coffeeberry antioxidants are used for exfoliation. Chemical peels kind of scare me, but this felt nice and didn’t irritate my skin at all.

After the peel it was all about the products – tightening serum, brightening complex, day complex, night complex and finally radiance eye serum. All of these products are available to buy so you can use them at home, but there is something far nicer about having someone else rub them on your face. If I had the money, I would keep a beauty therapist in my bathroom to rub my face cream in for me twice a day (if you can work for minimal pay and don’t mind the cold, please send your resume through).

The Priori products combined with the Omnilux Revive really made my skin glow. Like, GLOW. Hyper-mega-ultra glow. Radiant. And I felt much more relaxed and a little less uptight after dedicating an hour to myself and my wellbeing. There is much to be said for looking after yourselves, girls.

Price: Coffeeberry peels are about $99, combination of Coffeeberry peel and Omnilux is about $160, Omnilux on its own is $110...depends on where you go
From: Check the Spa Universe website for salons
Why you need it: To treat your skin to a well deserved peel and some rejuvenating sunlight. Suitable for all skin types including sensitive and even pregnant ladies.

PS - Happy 300th post! Yay me! And yay you for reading! Buy yourself a slice of cake today and celebrate how great you are.

Must See: Toy Story 3

I saw Toy Story 3 last week and all those news reports are right...you cry like a baby. I did. And Fiance might not like me telling you this, but he got all choked up too.

You don’t need to have seen the first two, but it does help to understand the back story. They have brought back all the primary characters - Buzz, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, The Potatoes, Slinky, Rex and Hamm. There is also a host of new supporting characters and Barbie has a bigger role this time around. It’s fun, fast paced and the toy plotline is amusing, but it’s the storyline with Andy that tugs on the heart-strings. I won’t ruin it for you, but if you have ever grown up and revisited your childhood toys then you better wear waterproof mascara!

It probably didn’t need to be in 3D, but it certainly added an extra dimension (oh snap!!) Pixar have outdone themselves once again – John Lasseter and his team really are the leaders in animation. One of the things I love about Pixar movies is the short they show at the beginning. The short on TS3 is call Day and Night and it is phenomenally gorgeous. Absolutely kicks the butt of my previous favourite For The Birds.

I give this 5 stars. You don’t have to be a Toy Story fan or even an animation fan to appreciate the touching story. Take tissues.

Price: $24!! Gosh darn Event Cinemas are expensive these days!
From: the movies
Why you need to see it: To be genuinely entertained

Picture credit: Stolen from krisblack.com