Survey Sunday (with a twist) - September 16th 2012

So it's Survey Sunday again, but this time with a little twist. The lovely Ellie from Ellalogy (go check out her amazing blog!) tagged me in a post and suggested it would be a great idea to do for Survey Sunday. So indeed I am using it for this purpose. Thanks Ellie! 

It's the...

If I Were Tag:

Source

If I were a gemstone, I'd be an opal.  

If I were a scent, I'd be vanilla.

If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be ballet flats with bows or pretty detailing.

If I were the weather, I'd be around 24 degrees during the day with bright blue sky, with cosy rain at night.

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a grin.

If I were a car, I'd be a pastel green convertible beetle.

If I were a time of day, I'd be 7:30pm. 

If I were a month, I'd be December.  

If I were a place, I'd be Disneyland. 

If I were a liquid, I'd be a strawberry milkshake.

If I were a sea animal, I'd be a dolphin.

If I were a taste, I'd be vanilla.

If I were a food, I'd be pancakes.

If I were a color, I'd be green.

If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a keyboard.  

If I were a flower, I'd be a lily.

If I were a planet, I'd be Earth.

If I were an object, I'd be a big sunny window with a window seat and a lovely view.

If I were a fruit, I'd be a raspberry.

If I were a sound, I'd be a song floating through the breeze.

If I were a day of the week, I'd be a Saturday.

So because it's Survey Sunday... I tag ALL OF YOU! Just copy the above questions and insert your own answers in the comments below!

xx

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Order

The other day I noticed my Dermalogica Cleanser was running out, and I made a mental note to myself to go and buy a new one.

But later that day I thought “Wait a second Kate! This is the perfect opportunity to try a new cleanser!”. Do I like my Dermalogica cleanser? No, I love it. So did I need to search for a new cleanser? Probably not. But had I been wanting to try the most renowned cleanser in the world for ages? YES YES MOST DEFINITELY YES!

So I went straight to the Liz Earle website, was beyond delighted to see they shipped to Australia, and chose their most famous Hot Cloth Cleanse and Polish and added it to my cart. I bought the 100ml starter pack, which I assumed from the little picture also included the muslin cloth. On checkout I was happy to note there was a little 3 pound deduction discount, and overall it came to less than my cleanser here. It cost about $45 AUD all up.

So then I excitedly waited for it to arrive. And I didn’t have to wait long. Fastest shipping ever! I ordered it on Friday and it arrived the next Friday. How great is that!

So then I opened it up and there was way more in there than I bought. Not only did I get my 100ml pump cleanser, I got TWO muslin cloths and they were all packaged in a cute little cosmetics bag (great for travel/storage). In addition, I also received a complementary 50ml Skin Tonic toner, and 4 shades of their Skin Tint to trial.

So how did each of these products perform and did they live up to my expectations?

Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

First of all the packaging looks and feels great. The thin, tall bottle has a matte surface with a sturdy pump and it has an attractive design. It looks natural and along the lines of The Body Shop packaging.

One pump was enough to get enough cleanser for my whole face. It was an interesting premise to apply the cleanser to a dry face, but it felt very moisturising, rich and luxurious. The smell is incredible and natural, and I appreciated the faint hint of eucalyptus being an Australian and all!

After it’s applied all over your face, you wet the cloth in hot water and squeeze it so it’s damp. Then you run it over each part of your face in soft little circles to take the cleanser off. The combination of heat, water and the textured cloth is extremely effective at cleansing your face. It removes makeup (including mascara), like no other product ever has for me. You can see this occurring right in front of your eyes as you see the makeup residue left on the cloth. The whole hot cloth process feels extremely pampering and relaxing. And the skin you are left with afterwards is truly soft, fresh and silky.

I love this product. It definitely lives up to the hype for me, and is the most enjoyable cleansing experience I’ve ever had. It feels like a professional facial!

Instant Boost Skin Tonic (came free)

Has a similar but more pronounced smell as the cleanser which I love. You apply it generously to a cotton wool ball and run it over your face. It feels refreshing and cooling and makes your skin feel even softer afterwards.

Would I repurchase this? Probably not, I don’t tend to see the value in toners, and I already have a lot. But if you are a toner person, this is a great one. Just so happy it came free!

Skin Tint (samples)

I have really wanted to try a tinted moisturiser for a long time so I was excited to try this. I was also really appreciative of the fact they included four samples of all of their shades! What a brilliant idea.

I squeezed it out and noticed even the fairest shade was pretty dark. It also felt sticky and thick, unlike the sheer moisturisers I’m used to which were what I was expecting from this product. I started to apply it and it felt sticky and actually like applying sunscreen.

After wearing it all day and typing this, I really don’t like this product. On its own it looks and vaguely feels greasy, shiny, and sticky.  With a translucent powder over the top, which I definitely felt it needed (it looked so greasy!), it looked patchy and like powder shouldn’t be placed over it. From a distance it looks okay, but up closer it looks very average.

My skin is quite dry and usually loves moisturisers, but this one seems to sit on the surface of the skin and never sink in. Really dislike this product!

The Ordering Online Experience

I was highly impressed with the number of complementary products that were thrown in, the generosity of the company, the personal touches and speediness with which it arrived. I also liked how everything was packaged, and it felt very luxurious to open everything wrapped with tissue paper. Also the number of included brochures, detailed information and instructions about each product was brilliant.

I also got a personally signed letter from the person who packed the parcel. I thought this was a great touch and made them feel more like a small, personal business rather than a large company.

Overall I am delighted I bought this cleanser, I absolutely love it and the whole process of ordering it online. If all online stores could be like this... watch out retail! One of retails main advantages over online is in its personal experience, but I felt like ordering online with Liz Earle achieved that very thing.

Have any of you ever used this cleanser or any of the other Liz Earle products I mentioned? What’s your all time favourite cleanser?

Survey Sunday - September 9th 2012

I’m so sorry Survey Sunday is a day late, I had a very busy weekend and also completed the questions on Saturday for the Liebster award so I think I thought I’d already done it for this weekend but then realised I hadn’t!

This week it’s been mostly lovely Spring weather in Melbourne that has made me feel all happy and long for the warmer months. It’s funny how the weather can have such an impact on your mood.

I went to fashion week, had lots of lovely dinners out with friends and the boyfriend, had a games night, had a girls movie night where we watched Pearl Harbour (how had I never seen this film before!?), and also did that exercise session I posted about in that Health Overhaul post I did recently.

My ENTIRE body is aching. My friend who organised it tells me this is a good thing because my muscles are rebuilding and when I’m in pain I’m burning calories. But I just want to tell her to never speak to me again for making me do this :P It was good but boy has it showed me how unfit I am! Managed to do my work out in 50 minutes in case you wanted to know how long it took. It’s definitely encouraging me to exercise more so the next time won’t be as hard!

Anyway, now moving on to this week’s questions:

1) What are you doing/what do you want to do as a job?

At University, I completed a double degree in Psychology and Marketing, and a minor in Journalism. I’m going down the Marketing path right now, and got accepted into a grad program as a marketing graduate, which I have done since the beginning of this year. So I’m hoping that I will find my niche in Marketing soon, and find a role I am passionate about that allows me an element of creativity.

2) What are your top 3 favourite TV shows of all time?

This is in here more because I’m interested in finding out your favourites, because if you read a recent post I did you should know mine! Just to refresh your memories, mine are One Tree Hill, Lost and Friends. Love them.

3) What is your favourite thing to go shopping for?

Beauty products! They always fit, are always beautiful and colourful, are super fun to play with, and are relatively cheap compared to other things I could have a shopping addiction for.

4) If you won the lottery for 10 million (dollars/pounds/euros, etc), what would you do with it?

Scream for joy and throw a pile of money up in the air so it showered down on me like in the movies! :P

Then I would most likely spend about 2 million on a lavish home in a gorgeous location, buy the car of my dreams, go on a world trip staying in fancy hotels, give 1-2 million to my family, and give some to charity. I would also ensure I put at least 5 million in a high interest bearing account so I could live off interest. I also might start a small business in an area I’m passionate about. And maybe also buy an investment home and/or a holiday home. WHAT A LIFE!

5) If you have a blog, what made you start one?

I’ve always had an enormous love of writing, I used to keep joint diaries with my best friend throughout school and wrote in it every night. And I used to email and send letters every day to friends. In the last few years I’ve barely written a single thing, and I have missed it incredibly. I also got really into reading blogs in the last year, and watching Youtube channels. Plus I really needed a creative outlet and something that’s entirely mine. My full time job isn’t as creative as I would have liked, at least not yet. So this really helps fill my creative void!

6) What are your three biggest fears?

Spiders, needles and jumping off/over heights. Sloths come a closer fourth :P

7) How many languages can you speak and what are they?

Just English, but I have a very basic knowledge of French after learning it for a few years at school and visiting France a couple of times. Also can speak fluent rabbit to my bunny.

_______________________________________

Now it's your turn! 

Copy and paste your responses to the questions in the comments below: 

1) What are you doing/what do you want to do as a job?

2) What are your top 3 favourite TV shows of all time?

3) What is your favourite thing to go shopping for?

4) If you won the lottery for 10 million (dollars/pounds/euros, etc), what would you do with it?

5) If you have a blog, what made you start one?

6) What are your three biggest fears?

7) How many languages can you speak and what are they?

Illamasqua Wins the Fight for Australia

The other day as I walked past an Illamasqua counter in Myer I encountered a glorious sight...

A New Fair Price For Beauty - Up to 35% Permanent Price Reduction 

I recently discovered that Illamasqua were taking a stand against the exorbitant Australian beauty prices. For instance, us poor Aussies generally have to pay up to 61% more than you lucky Brits for the exact same beauty product! How is that fair? 

We just all glumly accept it here, or are driven online in masses to order from overseas. So the fact that a huge renowned company was even bothering to make any sort of campaign against this was incredible. Tens of thousands signed their campaign to fight for a fair Australian beauty price. And it worked.

Then to actually see the results implemented... they've achieved what I've always just accepted as virtually impossible!

They have done it. They have fought back. They have diminished their profits for our rights, and they should be celebrated for it. And the more that they are celebrated for it through increased foot traffic and sales, the more other companies will take notice and hopefully follow suit. Which will bring down Australian cosmetic prices as a whole.

So just thought I'd share with you this little success story! Also to celebrate this campaign I thought I should reward them with buying something. I've had my eye on their nail polish in the colour Nomad, and seeing as it dropped from $34 down to $21, it's more affordable than ever! Illamasqua nail polishes are now basically the same price as OPI, so now it's opened up even more exciting nail options for me (not that I need anymore!) :P

It's an absolutely stunning vibrant jade green, and I just love it. It's perfect in every way. This is pretty much my favourite colour in the whole world.

So there you have it! Lavish praise on Illamasqua for being such a bold, inspiring brand, that isn't just all talk.

What do you think of this development in the Australian cosmetics industry? Do you think other companies will follow suit and reduce our prices as a whole? Fingers crossed!

P.S. I'm so sorry... Survey Sundays is coming! I just already typed it and my USB was accidentally left at work so I promise I will post it tomorrow. Sorry about that!

Liebster Award!

I very luckily got nominated for the Liebster Award by the wonderful Perla - thank you so much for the nomination! Her blog is brilliant and you should definitely check it out here.

So here are the rules:

1.     Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves

2.     They must also answer the 11 questions the tagger has set for them

3.     They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag

4.     They must then choose 11 bloggers to tag with less than 200 followers

5.     These lucky bloggers must be told

6.     There are no tag backs

11 random things about me:

1. I have an insane but very real fear of sloths
2. My boyfriend bet me that I couldn't name all 50 American states, so I learnt them and proved him wrong. Now I can recite all 50!
3. I can twitch my nose
4. I am addicted to Extra Peppermint gum, seriously go through about 5 pieces a day
5. When I doodle I always end up sketching the Australian Flag! It's the best doodle ever because it contains so many fun things to draw like stars, lines, crosses etc
6. When I'm bored and feel like a laugh I Youtube "baby bunny binky". Do it, I promise you won't regret it
7.  One of my favourite things to do is watch shows and movies I love with someone who hasn't seen them before
8. I love it when people draw on my hand
9. I dream really vividly and I'm hoping a book idea will come to me eventually in dream form
10. I have an unnatural obsession with checking the weather app and knowing the 7 day forecast at all times
11. Aside from English I speak fluent rabbit and only me and my bunny can understand it. It's a cross between baby talk and made up words said in a high pitched voice 

Questions for me to answer from Perla:

1. Do you like anime? If so which is your favourite? No I do not sorry, and I know virtually nothing about it I'm afraid! :S 
2. What is your favourite movie genre? I'm a real movie buff so pretty much anything going but my all time favourite genres would be psychological thrillers, apocalypse “how are we ever going to survive” films, and romantic dramas. 
3. What song are you obsessed with right now? I’ve just properly discovered Ben Folds and I’m currently listening to his song ‘From Above’ on repeat.
4. Who is your fashion crush? Miranda Kerr.
5. What is your favorite Holiday? Christmas- love the festive vibe, summer time, BBQs, beach, seeing family and friends, presents, smell of Christmas trees… can’t beat it!
6. What is something nerdy about you? I used to and occasionally still do love playing The Sims. I also find some fascination with watching my boyfriend play Half Life - it’s like a thriller/horror film that you can control! 
7. What’s your favorite ice cream flavour? Love vanilla and strawberry… really don’t like chocolate for some reason. Loving currently the new White Chocolate Strawberry Crumble Magnums!
8. When did you start wearing make up? I started really subtly wearing it in about year 9- just a mineral foundation and blush mainly, and then the whole shebang when I went out at night. Properly started wearing it every single day since starting my full time job. 
9. Blush or bronzer? Blush. It just makes you look so fresh and vibrant and healthy and glowing. Plus I’m pale anyway so sometimes it’s fun to just embrace that and not overload on bronzer and instead complement the fairness with blusher.
10. Stilettos or wedges? Stilettos because I don’t own any wedges. But I generally won’t wear stilettos even, just regular high heels for me! And I’d choose pretty flats over both.
11. Dog or cat? Can I say rabbit? No? Ok then cat because they are so fluffy and Ingrid’s (Miss Glamorazzi) cat Nugget has made me fall in love with cats. 

My questions for my lucky tagged bloggers to answer:

1. What do you do to relax?
2. What are your biggest fears?
3. What are three things that are unique about you?
4. What TV show is your favourite and why?
5. What are your top three bands of all time?
6. What is your favourite thing to shop for?
7. What does your natural hair look like?
8. What are three things you love about yourself?
9. Why did you start blogging?
10. What is your favourite colour of nail polish?
11. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I nominate (in no particular order) the following incredible bloggers:

1. Live.Food.Love
2. Spider Leg Lashes
3. Sneha Says 
4. Life at the Coop
5. Ellalogy
6. Amor
7. Unevenlemming Beauty
8. A Nutty Style of Life
9. String of Events
10. There's Something About Beauty
11. Our Little Balham Life

Well that's about it! Congratulations to all of the blogs I nominated, over the month I have

been blogging I've particularly enjoyed yours. So a big well done is in order! :D Thanks again

Perla for my nomination.

Hope you're all having a brilliant weekend  xx

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week

On Wednesday night I was lucky enough to attend with my fashion designer best friend one of the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week runway shows! We attended the Designer Series Runway 2 (tickets were $25 for general admission), which showcased the upcoming Spring/Summer collections from some of Australia's best and freshest designers.

The Designers

Above.

Alice Euphemia

Arthur Galan AG

Carly Hunter

Jayson Brunsdon

LifeWithBird

Manning Cartell

Thurley

YB J’Aime

The Fashion

The majority of the brands showcased bold brights, graphic prints and lots of textures. There was plenty of neon, florals, tribal and wearable art pieces.

My favourite brands were Arthur Galan AG for how wearable it was, and Alice Euphemia and Jayson Brundson for their incredible dresses.

If you want to see some of the highlights, go and have a look at this picture! It provides a good cross-section of the type of clothes and trends paraded on the runway. 

I'm really loving structured blazers, girly florals and prints, wearable art designs and pastels right now. Not a huge fan of the aztec, metallic/sci fi, sport luxe or neon looks. 

The fashions in this runway show got me so excited for Spring, I think the colours are so fresh and fun and really epitomise warm nights and days at the beach.

The Makeup

The makeup was done by Mecca Cosmetica and the eyes were the most predominant feature with a 60s inspired arty deep indigo dramatic eye. It was given a slightly futuristic, factory vibe with the indigo makeup joining the eyes across the bridge of the nose and a sharp wing. 

It made the models look odd and sci-fi and as though they were wearing glasses or had a semi uni brow. It was very severe and matched the visors the models wore across their eyes or as headbands when modelling certain brand’s outfits.

The Gift Bag

I have been the past three years in a row and one of my favourite things about runway shows is getting the gift bag on your seat and rifling through all of the freebies to see what you got! I’m always bizarrely curious to know what are in other people’s goodie bags, so here is what came in the Melbourne Fashion Week ones...

They are not quite as good as previous years but still extremely fun to receive. The shampoo and conditioner sample I’ve already used, and it smelt absolutely amazing and left my hair so shiny and luscious.

The experience was slightly ruined at the end with a whole bunch of protesters with horribly graphic images of animals being slaughtered for their fur barricading the exits. It was awful and I just kept my head down because the pictures were that disturbing. A few of the models came out with us and started attacking the protesters and making digs like ‘Oh is that a leather belt you are wearing, are those leather shoes?” and “There wasn’t any fur in any of the shows anyway!”. It was pretty crazy but luckily we got past them fairly quickly, but they made it very hard. It was difficult trying to escape and not looking up at the horrible pictures! It made me sad :(

Aside from that it was a fun experience. I just wish runway shows went for longer than half an hour!

Have you guys been to fashion weeks where you are? What is your favourite thing about going and what is your favourite brand to see?

And to finish, I'll leave you with a quote from Miss Fashion herself...