Beauty Archives - Page 2 of 3

Archive of ‘Beauty’ category

7 Hacks to Stock Your Toiletry Bag

November 21, 2017 / Beauty / 1 Comment

One of my organisational habits is ensuring my toiletry bag is stocked all year round. I thought I’d share 7 hacks to stock your toiletry bag so it’s well organized for when you need to travel (and when you need to have a toiletry bag ready in case of an emergency).

After I’ve come home from a trip away, I check the contents of the products, to see if there are any that need to be replaced or filled up. I got in the habit of having a well equipped toiletry bag after having Esther. You never know when you will have a trip away and require a stocked toiletry bag.

Having mine organised, means I have one less bag to pack when we go away. I always check it before I head away to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything, but generally, it’s well stocked.

You can get away with NOT having a toiletry bag or having a minimally stocked toiletry bag, as most hotels provide toiletries. But they don’t provide the cleanser, toner and face moisturiser and various other personal products. I also much prefer to use my favourite brands, that the stock standard offered from a hotel too.

I thought I’d share how I keep my toiletry bag stocked all year round, with some free hacks that you may not have thought of.

7 Hacks to Stock Your Toiletry Bag

1. Visit your dentist regularly to get free samples of toothpaste.

Our local dentist always has free mini samples of Colgate or Oral B toothpaste, that are free for customers to take after their visit. I stockpile these and use them in our toiletry bag to save packing a big tube of toothpaste.

2. Take up special promotions with your skin care range.

I use Trilogy products for my skin and every now and then (usually at Mother’s Day and Christmas), they will have a promotion where you buy two full priced products and receive a mini set of products free. I pack these freebies in my toiletry bag. It ensures I have a cleanser, moisturiser and mist packed, from my favourite brand. If I’ve run out of cleanser (which I did when I headed to Coffs Harbour), I will use Sukin. The bottles are the right travel size and are cost effective.

3. Gratefully receive freebies from travelling relatives.

My parents travel regularly and they will have a stockpile of shampoos and conditioners that they receive on their flight and from their hotel. I’m always given a few after they have travelled. Once the samples have been used up, your local grocery or department store will have miniature bottles of toiletry products for around $3 a bottle.

4. Ask for Samples and Save Them!

Ask for perfume samples when you purchase a bottle of your favourite perfume. Whenever I purchase a new bottle of perfume which is less than once a year, I keep the mini samples and pack them in my toiletry bag to take away with me.

5. I always keep my makeup and toiletries separate.

I keep my makeup and toiletries in separate bags. The reason for this is I can leave my toiletry bag in the bathroom, while someone uses the shower, and take my make up bag into the hotel room where I can use a mirror to apply my makeup. I also keep my everyday makeup in this bag, so if I ever needed it, Jacob could grab it for me, and not have to sort through my products to find what I need.

6. Purchase The Body Shop Gift Sets.

I recently had to add a shower gel and body moisturiser to my toiletry bag as I had run out. I went to The Body Shop, as I love their shower gels and the scent can often be a memory of my holiday away. I really wanted the British Rose shower gel, but it only came in a large bottle. The sales assistant told me if I wanted the smaller products, to buy a gift set instead. This worked out to be great value as I got the shower gel, body butter and loafer for $15 ( you can buy here). They were perfectly sized for my toiletry bag too.

7. What goes in the toiletry bag, stays in the toiletry bag.

I once forgot a brush and it was a big deal with my thick hair. I now keep a brush in my toiletry bag so I’m never without one. Same with razors, hair ties and panty liners. Whatever gets placed in the toiletry bag, stays in the bag, so I’m not without it when I travel.

I used to fill bottles with shampoo and conditioner, but found whatever bottles I bought, they would leak after a while. So now I recycle the bottles and buy them new or replace them with samples when needed. I usually only replace them once a year, depending on how much travel we do.

Choosing a Toiletry Bag

Over the years I have used many different toiletry bags. I’ve used ones with handles, zip up cases and sectioned bags.

My current toiletry bag is a roll-up one that has segmented sections and a hook so it can hang. It’s been one of my favourite toiletry bags thus far. To choose the right bag for you, consider how many products you travel with and what type of accommodation you stay in.

If you stay in a hotel, any of these toiletry bag suggestions would work. If you go camping, I’d want a toiletry bag with a hook. I also like sectioned bags. I keep one section for products I use in the shower that get ‘wet’, and another section for the dry products – products used out of the shower.

Here are some toiletry bags I found online.

1. Louenhide Raindrops Toiletry Bag $49.95

2. Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag $27.13

3. Floral Zipper Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag $14.91

4. Annabel Trends Birds of Paradise Roll Toiletry Bag $35.95

5. Wicked Sista Bahamas Hold All Toiletry Bag $39.95

6. Billy Australian Native Toiletry Bag $25.00

7. Baby Emma Toiletry Bag in Pink Champ $44.95

Do you have any toiletry bag hacks to share? What style of toiletry bag works for you?

Disclosure: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How I’ve Been Managing my Adult Acne Using Essential Oils

September 5, 2017 / Beauty / 0 comment

For the last couple of months I have been battling with adult acne.

Without my BB cream on, you could describe me as having a ‘pizza face’.

A couple of months ago it got so bad I had to do something about it.

I had red pimples over my chin, on my forehead and occasionally on my cheeks.

a selfie with no makeup where you can see my pimple scars on my chin – this was a week after using my mask.

At the young age of 33, I had thought my pimple days were behind me, but sadly they re-emerged aggressively.

Of course, to combat the problem I’ve looked at what I eat, I’ve tried to get more sleep and drink more water. But I did find notice I would get a bad run of pimples when it was a certain time of month.

I have combination skin and generally use a creamy cleanser from Trilogy. I have also used a charcoal soap bar from the Washpool Soaperie (which I’ve just run out of) that would help balance the oil on my face.

What I’ve been doing over the last couple of months is managing the problem by using natural products and mixing essential oils with raw honey. This mix has helped reduce the redness and eruption of pimples on my face.

Here is what I’ve been using:

When frustrated with the redness from the pimples on my face (yes I pick – it’s not good I know and makes them worse!) I use a honey and essential oil mask which significantly helps calm the redness and I can see a big difference after just one application of the mask.

My acne mask is

2 tablespoons of raw honey

3 drops of frankincense oil

3 drops of lavender oil

3 drops of tea trea oil

I found the recipe via Dr Axe, and even though it’s recommended for acne scars, I put the mask on when I have pimples emerging on my face.

I mix all the ingredients together and then smooth some over my problem areas. For me it’s my T-zone and chin area. I leave this on for an hour.

I usually apply this face mask at night, while I type my blogs (I even have it on now as I type!) on a clean face after I’ve had a shower. I don’t coat too much on my face, or else the honey melts and drips onto my desk.

After it’s been on for an hour, I wash my face. I dab Clary Sage over my problem areas on my face and add my moisturizing cream.

And the results speak for themselves. Over the course of 3 months, I’ve had the occasional pimple or two on my chin and forehead, but usually they occur during that time of month. And my face hasn’t been anywhere near as bad before I started using the mask.

Clear face selfie with Phoebe

With a light BB cream on

This is what has worked for me. Having smoother skin has made it easy for me to apply my BB cream and foundation.

With makeup on

Do you get adult acne? How do you manage yours? Ever used essential oils to manage your skin?

Best Hydrating Mists For Summer

October 18, 2016 / Beauty / 18 Comments

Before I left for my week’s holiday with the family, I bought a new toiletry bag. I was a bit over my old one and wanted something that could be hung up and could fold really well.

I found what I was after at Big W and brought it home, only to find that once I put all my products in, it no longer folded down.

This may be motivation for me to minimize my beauty products!

Anyway, when I packed my toiletry bag for our holiday, I forgot one of my much loved and needed beauty products: my hydrating mist.

At present I use Trilogy’s Hydrating Mist Toner because it’s affordable at $27.95 and I find it does what it says and keeps my skin hydrated.

My skin tends to be more on they dehydrated side these days. Despite being a huge water drinker, living in air conditioning often zaps my skin from moisture. As does swimming in a chlorine pool. So I knew I needed to buy a new hydrating mist asap.

I ended up choosing the Replenish Mist from the Perfect Potion. And it did as it said and kept my skin well hydrated. I loved the scent too.

I can’t live without a hydrating mist and I find summer is a crucial time to have a mist on hand to spray when living in air-conditioning or being outside or just generally for skin health.

I’ve use four different hydrating mists and the only reason I stick with Trilogy is because of cost and it’s stocked at my local pharmacy, so it’s easy to purchase.

The Lavender Hydrating Mist from Jurlique is BEAUTIFUL. The scent and how it felt on my skin… I didn’t want the bottle to go empty.

Aesop also have a fabulous mist, but I found I would go through a bottle quite quickly. I still rate it up there for hydrating mists.

1. Aesop Immediate Moisture Aerosol $25.00

2. The Perfect Potion Replenish Fine Tuning Solution $34.95

3. Jurlique Lavender Hydrating Mist $49.00

6. Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner $27.95

It’s great to have a hydrating mist on hand when at work for a quick pick-me-up in the afternoon.

It’s also good to spray on after having a shower when the steam has opened your pores for moisture.

It’s definitely a beauty product I can’t live without.

Do you have a beauty product you can’t live without? Got a hydrating mist you swear by?

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The Importance of a Beauty Ritual When You’re a Busy Mum

August 16, 2016 / Beauty / 8 Comments

This post has been written in collaboration with Jurlique

When I was pregnant with Phoebe during Christmas 2013, my mum-in-law from South Australia sent me a stunning Jurlique cleansing pack for Christmas. She also sent a Jurlique baby products pack for my bub-to-be, Phoebe.

Since becoming 30, I have been more adamant about using products on my skin that I love.

The products I love are ones that smell fabulous (I’m old school and love rose and lavender) as they lift up my mood – and who doesn’t want to smell like flowers?! The products must also do what they say by moisturizing my skin and keeping it hydrated and looking youthful.

I remember using my Jurlique products and my skin not only felt amazing, it smelt pretty good too. I didn’t want the bottles to run out. But sadly they did.

So I did what any desperate mother did and used some of the baby products on myself too.

Since that encounter with Jurlique, it’s been one of my go-to-brands for skincare. It’s farm is also located in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia.

One thing I wish I could afford to do more for my skin is get consistent facials. But time and money prevent me from doing so.

Jurlique recognise this need for women and have created their own facial you can do at home called the Jurlique Ritual.

Sigourney Cantelo from Beauticate shares what the Jurlique Ritual entails. The video is quite calming to watch and I can almost feel myself relax as I watch her explain what each product does. You almost feel like you’re getting the calming effects of a facial – but without anyone touching your face!

I’ve noticed now that I’m in my thirties, my skin needs a bit more than just a moisturizer to stay hydrated. I very much have a cleansing, misting and moisturizing ritual, but I know I can go one better and add a serum and eye cream to ensure my skin is getting the best hydration.

And that’s what this video from Jurlique is all about. It’s about finding your own ritual that works for you. We can’t always spend half an hour on our faces each day when we’re busy mums, but we can take time out each week to give ourselves a facial.

Do you have a beauty ritual you live by? What has to be in a beauty product before you purchase it?

This post has been written in accordance with my disclosure policy.

My 5 Minute Everyday Face Routine

June 9, 2015 / Beauty / 15 Comments

I don’t have time to apply make-up in the mornings when I have three little girls that I need to get up and ready so we can be on time for Kindy. Since becoming a Stay-at-home mum, my face routine is pretty quick and takes about 5 minutes.

I thought I’d share with you what I use and my 5 minute everyday face routine.

After I’ve showered and cleansed my face I will put a day moisturizer on. Straight after the moisturizer I will put on Garnier perfect blur which is like a primer before I apply my BB cream. Now that my body is getting back to normal after having Phoebe, I have had break outs, so applying the perfect blur evens out my skin so that when I apply my BB cream, it glides on easily.

Before I apply my BB cream, I will use Maybelline cover stick concealer under my eyes and over any blemishes. I will reapply this after I apply my BB cream for a complete coverage if needed.

Once that is done, I slick on some Oh My Gloss in Snog by Rimmel on my lips. This glides on so easy and adds a bit of gloss and natural colour to my lips. It’s one of the only glosses that my lips don’t dry out from.

To finish my look, I will apply Benefit They’re Real mascara. Sometimes I may go without mascara. It depends on where I’m going and what I’m doing that day.

From left to right: Garnier Perfect Blur, Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer, Garnier BB Cream, Rimmel Oh My Gloss in Snog and Benefit They’re real mascara

This is my everyday look

This is an non blurry everyday look

I’m pretty slap dash when I put my everyday face on. If I am going to a function, I will swap the BB cream with a foundation and add in a blush. I also change from Snog to Rebel Red for extra colour.