D.I.Y Lip Scrub

First of all, I'm going to apologise for this SUPER DUPER late post! I'm really, really sorry! I had everything bought (and made) three weeks ago so I could post this two weeks ago. But as uni started, I got sick and at the same time was lumped with uni work (and work as well).

For those who saw my last post or follow me on twitter, my original DIY didn't go as planned... even after I made it again. I'm not too sure what exactly went wrong, so I thought I'd change the DIY I was going to post.

This is a SUPER EASY  & FAST DIY that I really love. I've been using this for the past 3 weeks as well and it's my lips feel great! :) It's also very easily modifiable but I'll detail that below.

Let's get started!

What you'll need:

• 1 teaspoon of sugar - I recommend brown or caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
• half a teaspoon of petroleum jelly (I used Vaseline)
• A travel container/empty cosmetic container for storage
• Vanilla essence OR your choice of flavouring (for smell :) )

Side note - in the photos, I didn't use one teaspoon of the ingredients as my container was super small, so I had to portion down. But I've recommended one teaspoon for a decent size and even consistency.

What to do:

1. Place sugar into your mixing container OR directly into your travel jar if it is big enough - remember you'll be mixing later!

2. Pour in one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil 

 

3. Mix in one teaspoon of petroleum jelly - MIX WELL!

4. If you want to give your lip scrub some nice smelling flavour, add 1-2 drops of EDIBLE vanilla essence, or another flavour of your choice. Alternatively, you can add a spice - for example, cinnamon. I recommend a tiny sprinkle. Any more will be very overpowering! and don't forget to MIX it in! :)

5. If you mixed in a separate container, place into your travel container.

HOW TO USE:

Apply like a regular lip balm, however the sugar will act as an exfoliant and help to bring out a natural redness to your lips. As it is a scrub, just rub it in a little bit more than you usually would!

Also, as I did edit my last post after I made my twitter account..

I GOT A TWITTER ACCOUNT!!! @doseofsprinkle

and to be completely honest - I'm completely new to the twitter scene. So I really have no idea about it =P So please, bear with me. It's been really quiet. If you guys do make this, please show me #doseofsprinkle and please tell me what flavour you chose to add, if any!

Lush Dream Cream

To make up for my extremely short post yesterday, I'm posting today :)

I've tried this cream for about a month now, and I love it. I read up multiple reviews raving about how beneficial Lush's Dream Cream was for eczema and dry, sensitive skin and how it worked even when prescription creams didn't work. Being someone who had eczema and dry skin, I had to get my hands on this.

Image source: Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics Australia

Lush Dream Cream Body Lotion

I had been reacting to sunscreens lately so I decided I had to try this cream before I made the purchase. Many reviews did say they were bothered by the scent, although it was a great cream. So that was another consideration. As usual, I was greeted by a lovely sales assistant who asked what I was after. When I mentioned I had heard great things about the "dream cream", and just wanted to try it in case I was allergic. She told me it was one of their best sellers and offered to give me a sample for me to try at home. This was the first time I was given a sample without a sale. But I must say, I really, really appreciate the gesture. I'm sure Lush will never stumble across this post, but it has really allowed me to trial the cream and I will definitely be back to purchase it. I left knowing I will know for sure, whether I am, or not allergic to the dream cream, whereas, it will take me a couple of days to be confident if I was trying. (I had only recently been told by my doctor that delayed reactions can occur - as I have found out with my allergy to the sunscreens I had been using).

Now, after all that ranting, the cream. As it is Summer here in Sydney, it was a light cream, that did not feel heavy, but did really help to moisturise my hands. I mainly used this on my hands, as this was the area that was most dry with some eczema problems. The first day, I noticed with a few applications, in between hand washing, the eczema scabs had disappeared. I was very impressed. So I continued to use this with high expectations. As the month went on and I used this bottle, I also used this less, mainly at night (when I am at home and the cream is easily accessible).

To get good results, you do need to continually apply this (as with most creams and moisturisers), so you may need to put this in a travel container when you're away from home to keep the benefits up. When my eczema was flaring and my skin was swelling, irritable and itchy, I felt this was the ultimate test. I did feel it helped with the itchiness, although it did not compare to my prescriptions as some reviews had said. Which, I'll admit, I'm not surprised. But I'm happy to apply anything that'll help that is not medicated. I did honestly hope for it to help a bit more with all the reviews I had read/heard though. Once it settled, in the morning, the cream was great to help with the dryness of my skin. But again, constant application is definitely recommended, as per all creams and lotions.

So, it definitely isn't a miracle cream, but it DID have an impact on my eczema. It definitely helps with constant application throughout the day and makes a great difference. Oh and the scent. It is a strong, tea-tree oil scent, which isn't for everyone, but I really didn't mind it at all.

What I really wonder now, is the difference between this and helping hands - something I've also heard great things about. I'm ready to go out and purchase the full size of Lush Dream Cream and put a travel size in my hand bag for when I'm out and about because I'm determined that this is what will help with my eczema. But Helping hands, designed for nurses and others who have to constantly wash their hands, is also very intriguing. If you have tried both of these, let me know which has worked better for you!

Otherwise, I will be off to purchase dream cream. And please stay tuned for my next post. It will be my first D.I.Y, a body butter inspired by Lush and Ann Le or Annorshine.

Announcement: I've just made a Twitter account, follow me @doseofsprinkle

Valentines Day Outfit

Sorry for this belated post! I took these photos and even did a make up look before Valentines' Day, hoping to have it up as a date-look inspiration. But I got caught up with work and other things! :( So I decided I would leave out the make up for the post and show the outfit I put together. I was pretty excited as I had just received the belt the morning I put together this outfit for this post.

Blue Maxi Dress from Supré

This is a halter neck dress that you tie up at the back, allowing you to alter the length. This means it's also a little revealing, making it a perfect elegant and chic dress for a night time date.

Nude belt from eBay:

This nude belt has a gold buckle which went perfectly with the shoes. The gold buckle made the belt look elegant, adding to to the chic maxi dress.

To complete the outfit, I wore my gold, leather Oroton flats

These are my absolutely favourite shoes at the moment. They're so comfortable! I would have preferred to wear some platforms, but I don't own a pair of nice, nude pairs. And with the dreary weather that day, I didn't want to wear heels.

How did you spend your Valentines' Day? What did you wear?

Mariah Carey Liquid Sand OPI

Over the weekend, I was gifted my first OPI nail polish set: Mariah Carey's Liquid Sand. Which girl doesn't love nail polish? :) Thank you to my friend for this belated birthday present!

I was instantly drawn to this set which was obviously glittery and had what I felt, were staple colours. A royal blue, a dark, but bright purple, bright red and a dark shade with red glitter. When I sat down to decide which colour to apply, I was instantly drawn to "Stay the Night" which is the dark shade with red glitter. The packaging describes this as a matt black shade with "red glints".

Although the package recommended 2 coats of colour, I felt I needed an extra layer just to cover everything. But what I LOVED about these small O.P.I polishes was the size of the brushes. I have very small fingers and thus, nails. And the brushes were perfect and created (I swear) minimal mess. I have a LOT of mess after polishing, or rely a lot on Vaseline. But looks like now, I'll be looking into these gift sets more! More of an incentive to paint my nails with the other 3 polishes soon ;)

But I must say, as much as I absolutely adore this colour, I am disappointed with the lasting power. It recommends a base coat only and no top coat, but the next day, the polish had already begun to chip. This seems a little different to O.P.I polishes I've tried previously.

I am very impressed with the colours of this new gift set released over the 2013 holiday season, but I will be trying out the other colours to check the staying power.

If you've tried this set, let me know your thoughts!

Lancome Rose Palette Review: Complexion products

I compared the Lancome Kohl Eye Crayon (which comes in the Rose Palette), to Napoleon Perdis. Click here to read.

Today, I'm continuing my review on the Lancome Rose Palette. My absolute favourite product on the palette is my blush. I will admit that this, is an everyday product.

Lancome Powder Blusher Rose Sable 02

 

It is a gorgeous colour that is light and builds easily. I only lightly dabbed here and brushed twice. Usually 2-3 swipes on the apple of my cheeks will give a lovely glow. I cannot say how many complements I have gotten whilst wearing this blush. There is a tint of glitter that isn't very visible in the palette, but is after you put it on.

Lancome Concealer Correcteur in Beige Clair 02

The concealer is probably a shade lighter than my skin, which is perfect. I do find it is rather light in coverage though, and you need to apply a couple of layers before achieving sufficient coverage. However, it is very easy to apply and blend into the rest of my skin. I do prefer the YSL Touche Eclat or the Maybelline Dream Lumi however. That being said, I am mainly using this concealer for under my eyes.

Poudre Majeur Excellence Compacte

As this comes in a palette, the sponge is very small, meaning that I have to go over my face quite a few times in order to get the powder all over my face and set my foundation/BB cream and concealer. I find that the powder gives light coverage, although I can do with one layer. A second layer is preferable to completely set everything though. The small space is just made difficult as it is on a palette. It does a very good job with blending and giving a nice finish, helping it to look very natural. I'd definitely recommend this in it's usual size!

Here is a picture from my previous post where you can see this palette

Morning Rush

Overslept? Running late for work?

Today, I came home from work (nothing on but BB cream) and realised I really needed put on some make up before I headed out. Yeah, I was looking pretty scary. But I only had 5-10 minutes, JUST a bit more time than this morning. So, I thought I'd see what I could pick up and do before I ran for the train.

It actually worked really well, my make up-less work mornings, when I snooze too much may finally be saved!

In order of use:

 1.  Missha M Perfect Cover B.B. Cream SPF 42 PA+++ 21 Light Beige, 1.69oz, 50ml - for face and neck
 2. Lancome Concealer Correcteur in Beige Clair 02 - under eyes and spots
 3.SHU UEMURA Shu Uemura Liquid Eye Liner Pen Black - eyes
 4. Lancome Powder Blusher Rose Sable 02 - cheeks
 5. Eye lash curler
 6.Maybelline New York The Falsies Volum' Express Washable Mascara, Blackest Black, 0.25 Fluid Ounce

I will admit I didn't reapply the BB cream as I already had it on when I dashed out the door this morning, so I went straight to the Lancome concealer. So from steps 2-6, it took me about 5 minutes, I promise!
I don't imagine applying BB cream with fingers will be that much longer and concealer, depending how much and where you're concealer will alter your time.

Despite the rush, I still had time to fix my eyeliner quickly before I dashed out the door. But, you will notice in the list, I didn't use any lip colour. I always have a lip balm in my bag and today it was Vaseline Lip Therapy in Cherry Flavour.




So I just picked up my bag and applied this on my way. Unfortunately this doesn't have any colour, but it does give a nice, soft finish to my lips - which I thought, was better than nothing in my rush!

But to complete this look, I'd recommend a lip stain, or a lip butter. I should probably make sure my bags all have a lip butter instead! This is also something you can grab and apply on your way out!

Napoleon Perdis Eye Pencil vs Lancome Kohl Eye Crayon

So, I said a longggg time ago, I would review the Lacome Paris Rose Edition Complete Make up Palette. I thought I would review each product separately, rather than in one long post, particularly because it has been a long time since the release of this palette. So, it's probably good to review these items separately so you would know my thoughts of individual products which you could try/purchase as this palette as a whole is no longer available. Firstly I'm going to talk about Kohl eye pencil.

When I first started using eye liners, I used pencils and crayons. Water liner was too scary. But once I got the hang of it, I switched between the two of them and then, pencils were pretty much banished. Or, when I literally ran out of times in the mornings, I'd run into the supermarket before work/uni and buy a eyeliner (as that would be the only thing that was open), swear to myself I'd get a proper make up bag in my bag, and quickly put on eyeliner with the pencil liner. But otherwise, my go to's were liquid and gel liners. One of the reasons that it has taken me so long to do a review for the palette is using up everything!

The Kohl Eye Crayon in Black, being one of the barely used items as pencils just wasn't something I regularly used. It is quite easy to glide on and staying power is alight, BUT it does smudge very easily. I did find, a bit might come off near my eye and need to be wiped away, which then causes a nice smudge on my face.

Napoleon Perdis Eye Pencil in Black

So I saw this boxed item sticking out of my make up box - I impulse purchased it when the gel liner was completely sold out a while ago and never really got around to using it. I tried it and felt what the hell, it seems really good so why not?

So when I saw this sticking out today, I thought I'd try it out and compare it to the Lancome crayon. I thought it glided on easier with similar staying power. I don't think this smudges as easily or as much, as the Lancome either. So if I was to go back and use eye pencils, I think it'd be Napoleon Perdis. I do think I might continue to use this for my waterlines in the future now that I've just rediscovered it, but the smudginess of the Lancome Kohl crayon wasn't as attractive.

Napoleon Perdis Eye Pencil $28 AUD according to Napoleon Perdis

Have you tried either one of these? What are your thoughts?