Empties: June 2012

Lush Gorgeous Moisturiser (sample size) - Smelled wonderful, but I don't think it had any effect on my skin at all. Plus it comes in unhygienic pot, which is a real shame for such an expensive product.
Avon Skin So Soft Hair Minimising Deodorant - Had no noticeable hair minimising properties at all. Not that good at eliminating smells, either. I have another one to get through as it was a 2-for-1 deal. Won't get it again.
Searo Nail Color Dry Spray - after buying this as an add-on to another purchase on e-bay, I was happily surprised to find that it actually works well. It cuts the drying time of my nail polish in half! I'm currently waiting for a replacement to arrive.
Daiso Japanese Wet Sheet Wipes in Mint (not pictured) - I had these at work for those sticky moments. They made me feel powdery dry and had a lovely subtle minty scent. Being Daiso, they were very cheap as well. However, I decided to buy a different brand this time; currently waiting for it to arrive.
Maybelline XXL Extensions Mascara in Black - started to go clumpy so I threw it away, but I'd had it for a long time and was happy with the lengthening effect.
Crabtree & Evelyn Body Scrub in Citron Honey & Coriander - loved this; reviewed here.
Ffid Coenzyme Q10 Cloth Face Mask - also loved this discussed here.
Mirenesse Eclipse Age Defence Daily Face & Neck Clear SPF Mineral Balm (mini size) - not even sure what this was supposed to be used for: moisturiser? sunscreen? primer? serum? Seemed to have no effect of any kind. Only lasted 2 applications, anyway.
De Cheri Hotel Soap AND Paradise Hotel Soap (second not pictured) - standard guest soaps from my collection.
Burt's Bees Peppermint & Rosemary Body Bar - had a very strong peppermint/menthol smell. It made my eyes water and more sensitive parts of my skin sting! I would definitely not get this again.
Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum (sample sachet) - love this stuff, and I think it really works. I've already bought the full-size product and I'm using it as an eye serum.
Kerastase Nectar Thermique Leave-In Conditioner (sample sachet) - I had 5 of these from a beauty box and I think this is the second-last one.
Jurlique Calendula Face Cream - smelled nice, but! Was very thick and had to push it around my face. Did not notice any particular benefits, either. Would not get again as I felt my skin was stretching too much trying to rub it in.
Bloom Body Cream in Mandarine (not pictured) - only threw away because it was extremely old and smelled manky. Would get again for a treat.
Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid (sample sachet) - have already purchased the full-size product. I've only had one small pimple since using this. Looks like it may be my go-to exfoliant!

Paula's Choice Haul

I placed my first order with the Paula's Choice Australia website last week. I know! I said I was on a spending ban, but I was going to buy these sooner or later anyway, and the site had a 50% off everything special, so it just made sense. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, anyway!



Here we see the:
☚ Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliating Gel
☚ Resist Intensive Wrinkle Repair Retinol Serum
☚ set of 6 mini makeup brushes

I found both the exfoliant and the retinol serum really easy to fit into my skin care routine when I tried the sample sachets, and was also very impressed with their performance. I bought the brush set because I've been wanting to experiment more with using brushes to apply makeup, rather than those little sponges you get with most makeup sets. This set is perfect because it has 6 different types of brush in it. Turns out when you try and use a lip brush to apply eyeshadow, it doesn't work too well. Who knew? シ

My experience dealing with Paula's Choice was all-around a positive one. The site was easy to navigate. The descriptions are very precise and some products even have videos explaining their purpose. The items came in 2 days - fast! And no worries about the packaging - they were all wrapped in bubble wrap and finished off nicely with tissue paper:



I would definitely order from Paula's Choice Australia again. They continuously have specials on different items, free shipping offers, etc. The service is fast and efficient, and they take care with the products.
Last but not least, an action shot of the packages falling off the windowsill!:


blooper time!

Not-A-Review: Paula's Choice BHA Exfoliant

I just wanted to quickly report that I've finished the sample sachet of Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. It took me a week to use up. I think it worked well. I had a big pimple at the time I started using the liquid, and it cleared up pretty quickly. My skin felt clearer in general as well. I was happy with the performance of the Liquid and I'm going to purchase a full-size bottle as soon as I've finished my current exfoliant. I think I'll get the gel formula, not the liquid though. I like to apply products to my face with my fingers rather than a cotton pad, and a gel formula would make that much less messy.
The next sachet I opened is the Resist Retinol Serum, and I'll report back once I've finished this!

Getting Serious About Skin Care

Or; Can One Person Really Make a Difference?

The Story...
This post is a bit of a rollercoaster ride, so hang tight!
I've been noticing more and more recently, how I'm rapidly becoming a "woman of a certain age". I never worried at all about using anti-ageing products in the past; I always thought that at at certain point (way off in the future) I'd start. It seems like that point is here! Aside from the physical changes (let's not go there!), a sure sign was when I woke up with a jolt in the middle of the night a few weeks ago, and my first thought was, "I need to start using anti-ageing moisturiser!" シ


From Pinterest.

Of course the dilemma is - who do I turn to? With so many different products out there, with so many different ingredients, and - most worryingly - so many ludicrously bogus claims, who do I believe? Which brands and products actually work, and which should I choose to use? Having a strong streak of the thrifty gene inside me, I hate the thought of using products that don't actually work, especially if they cost a lot! But I know that help is at hand. Years ago, I read Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me by Paula Begoun. It pretty much confirmed my view at the time that most cosmetics companies are evil liars! But it also provided hope, because it also listed the products that are proven to work.


From Pinterest.

So, about a year ago when I first became more interested in beauty products, I found Paula Begoun on the internet and her site Beautypedia. The site has scientifically-backed reviews of thousands of skin care and cosmetic products, as well as hundreds of useful articles. Aside from her other credentials as a consumer advocate, I've found no other source that discusses what to do if you have oily/acne-prone skin and ageing concerns at the same time (I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem!). I also found out that Paula has her own skin care line, Paula's Choice, which she founded in 1995. I was all set to be hard and cynical, until I realised that the products are reviewed alongside hundreds of other brands on the website. Many many products from other brands achieve the 'Paula's Tick' (the highest rating) as well as the Paula's Choice products themselves. As the website says, it's the only brand in the world that recommends products from other brands. I think a little pause is necessary here to let that sink in.....


From Pinterest.

I was really impressed by the honest, open, no B.S. attitude. So naturally I was very interested in trying some Paula's Choice products. But here I ran into some issues. Like many specialty products, you can't just walk into any old Priceline and get one! The products are sold through the Paula's Choice website, and there are different versions of the website depending on which country you're in. So I went to the Australian site and found that you had to join their club to buy the products. I have no problem with that, so I went to join and found that there was a $10 joining fee. What the ...?? That kind of stuff is so old-fashioned! Who does that anymore?? I was really mad! I gave up.

I still subscribed to the email newsletter though, because it had information about new product reviews and articles. A few months later, I received an email asking to participate in a feedback survey. Here was my chance! So in the comments section at the end, I explained that I was very interested in trying the products but was yet to buy anything because I was put off by the joining fee. I submitted the survey and didn't think too much about it after that. (Just in case you were wondering, it technically is possible to buy products from the U.S. site, but the cost of postage is prohibitively expensive to overseas customers. I'm talking over $50 - that stuff is so 2008!)

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago - I was wandering idly around the internet one day and decided to check out the Paula's Choice website again. Behold! I was very happily surprised to find that joining the Paula's Choice club is now free! Did my feedback contribute to that change? Or did they realise some other way that the joining fee was putting people off? Who knows? New members receive 5 free sample sachets for joining, so I signed up straight away. The only took about a week to arrive. And there they are:



I received the:
✰ Hydralight Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner
✰ Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser
✰ 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) Liquid Exfoliant
✰ Resist Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum
✰ Skin Balancing Daily Mattifying Lotion

(The last one is not pictured: I thought I'd lost it but it was just in between some of the brochures that came with the samples!) I tried the BHA Exfoliant this morning; I thought that was the most appropriate sample to start with, as I have a honking great pimple on my chin right now. Something definitely felt different about my skin afterwards, so I think it's working. It's quite exciting, I have to say.

So yes, I'm now Serious About Skincare!