Product Review: MyNewSkin UF7 in Olive and Lavender and Olive and Lemon Myrtle

Today I’d like to share with you my thoughts on the *MyNewSkinUF7 in Olive and Lavender and Olive and Lemon Myrtle;

 

 

What They Say:
"100% Natural. Intensively nourishes and restores skin. Carefully made from a special combination of 7 freshly-picked, skin-healthy herbs and Lavender oil or Lemon Myrtle oil. Each Ingredient has its own benefits for your skin: nourishing, moisturising, softening, refreshing and replenishing"

 

RRP: $24.95 (50g) - Available from MyNewSkin

What I Say:

As I’ve never before heard of MyNewSkin, I decided to look a little into the brand, and it turns out it is an Australian brand, based in sunny Queensland, and the balms are made from completely natural and chemical free ingredients. The balms are made from plant oils and herb extracts - which are processed within 3 hours of being freshly picked, for superior freshness. How amazing does that sound! And add to that that MyNewSkin offers a money back guarantee for unsatisfied customers. Impressive!
 

MyNewSkin Balms are multi-purpose and can be used literally anywhere on the nface and body; it can be used as a face moisturiser, on dry elbows, knees, or feet, as a cuticle balm, or even on the lips.

There are two different balms available - Olive and Lavender, and Olive and Lemon Myrtle. They're both 100% natural, and both intensively nourish and restore skin. With regular use, they nourish, moisturise, soften, replenish, and refresh dry, ageing, or uneven skin tone. 
 

Each balm is made from 7 types of freshly picked herbs, including Cold Pressed Olive Oil, Burdock Leaf, Chickweed Leaf, Olive Leaf, Oregano Leaf, Sheep Sorrel Leaf, Ocean Salt, Beeswax, Salad Burnett Leaf, Lantana Leaf, and Macadamia Wax, - and each of these ingredients has its own targeted skin benefits. And in addition the balm also contains either Lavender oil or Lemon Myrtle. 
 

And let me start my saying that each of the balms smells amazing in their own right, so fresh and natural. But personally (and if you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’d know this), but I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE lemon scented products, so needless to say that the Lemon Myrtle balm is my absolute favourite, it is just has such a refreshing and zesty scent. But in saying that, the lavender scent is also nice and calming, it is really a matter of personal preference.

 

The balms come in a brown plastic tub with a screw lid, simple and easy to use. The actual balm is quite solid in texture, but once you warm it with your hands (or on a day like today, as I write this, where it is 41 degrees warm), it has a much lighter texture.

The balm is easy to spread onto the skin, and while it does absorb into the skin fairly quickly, it does leave it a little greasy – especially if you are too heavy handed, as these balms are so concentrated that it only takes the tiniest amount.

 

Again, you can use the balms all over, but as I have combination skin, very prone to breakouts, and even more so during the hot and humid summer days, I have to admit that I stayed clear of using it on my face, but concentrated on the dry areas on my body –my feet and my cuticles – as well as on my lips. And because of the slightly greasy feeling, I have preferred using it at night before going to bed, so I didn’t transfer the cream onto my shoes or leave greasy fingerprints everywhere  - but that works perfectly for me, as I rarely have time to moisturise my feet in the morning anyway, and moisturising my cuticle is something that I often do as I sit in front of the telly. And as for using the balms as lipbalms – as the tubs are so large, they are not particularly handy to carry around in your handbag, but are perfect to keep on the bedside table!

 

And well, when you wake up in the morning, the balm has done its magic. My feet feel and look so much nicer and slowly, with continued use, my dry cracked feet is healing up and looking so much better. And same goes for my cuticles, and consequently my nails looks so much nicer. And my lips are just super smooth and soft.

What I Like:

• Australian owned and made
• Made using fresh ingredients, and absolutely no chemical nasties
• Multi-purpose
• Smells amazing
• Concentrated so a little goes a long way

What I Don’t Like:

• It only keeps for 6 months after being opened as it doesn’t contain any preservatives, but then again, that is a good thing, that it doesn't contain an artificial preservative, isn’t it!
• Apart from not feeling confident that I can use this slightly greasy balm on my blemish prone skin, I really have no negatives to say about these balms.

Overall, I am really enjoying using these balms, and in particularly the one with Lemon Myrtle – and consequently I’ve been using the Lavender and Olive one on my feet, and the Lemon Myrtle one my cuticles and my lips, so I can keep smelling the gorgeous citrus scent. If you’re looking for a natural multi-tasking product, then I highly recommend that you try it. I have no doubt that I will be repurchasing this again.

*These products were kindly provided for consideration, and have been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

What do you think of these new balms from MyNewSkin? Do you use multi-purpose products? Any recommendations?

 

 

Product Review: Aveeno Stress Relief Body Wash & Moisturising Lotion

I’ve never had sensitive skin. Ever. But then I got pregnant and something happened. My skin started itching and being irritated no doubt from being stretched so much. I thought my skin would return to normal after giving birth, but my little boy is now seven month, and while my skin is not quite as sensitive as it was while I was pregnant, it definitely seems to have changed to a more sensitive mode. So I happily accepted when I was asked to trial the *Aveeno Stress Relief Body Wash & Moisturising Lotion, here are my thoughts;

 

What They Say:

"Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion is specially formulated with a triple oat complex to relieve and protect itchy, extra dry skin. The formulation contains oat oil, which has a high level of natural antioxidants, including vitamin E to soothe the skin. Oat essence powerfully protects skin and helps restore its natural barrier, while oatmeal flour works to deeply moisturise skin and restore the normal pH of the skin. This fragrance free lotion can be used on all skin types and provides moisture for up to 24 hours."

"Aveeno Stress Relief Body Wash is enriched with colloidal oatmeal to ensure that skin is left feeling soft and smooth all day long. This wash is lightly fragranced with lavender, essential chamomile and ylang ylang oils to ensure a subtle scent is left on the skin."

RRP: Moisturising Lotion $12.99 (354ml), Body Wash: $9.99 (354ml) – Available from Supermarkets, Priceline and Pharmacies

What I Say:

I have previously trialled the Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion and Body Wash, and really enjoyed using so much, that I’ve repurchased both several times.

Different to the original body lotion and body wash, which has a natural scent of the colloidal oatmeal, the Stress Relief products has added calming essences of lavender, chamomile and ylang ylang, which gives it a lovely floral scent at the same time.

And I like that it is floral, as opposed to being too strong on the lavender notes, as I am not overly keen on too much lavender, personally finding a little bit of an ‘old’ scent and something you’d find at grandma’s.


The Body wash has a nice thick consistency, and it lathers up to a nice creamy and rich lather when you use a pouf. After the shower my skin feels calmed and relaxed, and incredibly soft without feeling dried out at all.

According to the bottle, the body wash can also be used as a shaving lotion, but I usually use an epilator for shaving, so I won’t be able to test it for that – but I do like the idea of it, and that it is a multi-tasking product.

Although the body wash doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry, I always follow with a body lotion, and the Stress Relief Lotion is the perfect match, having the same gorgeous floral scent. It has a nice consistency, and it absorbs quickly into the skin without any greasy residue, and it leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated, and with the bonus of nice subtle floral scent too.


And going back to using an epilator (check out my review here), while I love using it, since I was pregnant, after each use I end up with a lot of red irritation marks where the hairs have been pulled out, which is quite frustrating – but on the other hand, I hate the stubbly feeling that I get a few days after using a shaver with a blade, so I will persist using the epilator, and put up with the irritated skin for a few hours after each use. Anyway, this Stress Relief Lotion has proved to be magic to use after I’ve shaved, as it quickly gives my skin some relief, and soothes and calms it down.

The products come in simple cream coloured bottles with lavender writing and lavender lids, which distinguishes them from the original products.

The Body Wash has a simple flip lid, and the Body Lotion has an easy to use pump.


The body lotion claims moisturise the skin for 24 hours, and it really does leave my skin feeling soft and dry, and at no time do I feel that I have to reapply during the day.


What I Like:

• Body Wash has a thick rich lather
• Body Wash can double as a shaving cream
• Body Lotion is thick, but absorbs quickly
• Body Lotion leaves kin soft and smooth, and without feeling greasy
• Body Lotion comes in an easy to use pump bottle
• Both products have a nice floral scent that lingers on the skin

What I Don’t Like:

• It would be lovely if the Body Wash also came in a pump bottle

 

Overall, I am really enjoying using these products. It claims to be calming and relaxing, and while I can definitely feel the calming properties on my skin, I am not sure that using them makes me feel relaxed – but maybe it is just because I am in a bit of a stressful period of our life at the moment, in the midst of moving house, in the process of getting one designed to build at the same time as looking after a baby. But I usually also only use the products in the morning after my shower, so I really should try to use at least the Body Lotion at night before bed, to try to calm my senses and get me to sleep a little faster. But regardless I do like how the products feel on the skin, and I love the scent and that it is still so gentle on the skin. I will definitely repurchase both these again.

 

*Products were kindly provided for consideration, and have reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

 

Have you tried any of the products from Aveeno? What do you think of these Stress Relief products? Do you use products with essential oils to help relax and calm your senses?

Product Review: John Plunkett Advanced Collagen Lift Moisturiser

Today I’d like to share with you my thoughts on the *John Plunkett Advanced Collagen Lift Moisturiser;

 

 

What They Say:

John Plunkett Advanced Collagen Lift Moisturiser is a technically advanced day and night treatment moisturiser that helps smooth and lift as well as provide optimum hydration. Collagen and hyaluronic microspheres expand in the skin to instantly plump and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. Matrixyl 3000, one of the latest and most powerful peptides, stimulates collagen production to firm and lift.

RRP: $59.95 (50ml) – Available from Priceline, selected pharmacies and Plunketts Pharmaceuticals Online

What I Say:

Being at the age where sadly anti-ageing creams are now a necessity, I was excited to trial the John Plunkett Advanced Collagen Lift Moisturiser. As you can see from the image, the cream came with a trial size of the John Plunkett Glyco Peel, and you can see my review here. 

 

 

I have combination skin, prone to breakouts, so whenever I trial new creams, and in particularly anti-ageing creams I am a little worried that it will make my skin congested and breakout. The Advanced Collagen Lift Moisturiser is recommended for normal to dry skin, so I was aware in advance that the cream may be a tad too rich for my skin.

The cream contains among others Matrixyl 3000, which is a blend of two potent peptides that stimulates natural collagen production repairing photo-ageing and damaged collagen networks in the skin to reduce deep wrinkles and restore younger looking skin. It also contains hyaluronic filling spheres to smooth fine lines and wrinkles, while delivering hyaluronic acid to increase hydration, avocado oil as a penetrating emollient rich in vitamins A and C, as well as rosehip oil, which is rich in vitamin C and softens the skin. All sounds pretty impressive, huh! And add to that the product is Australian made and owned too!

 

The cream comes in a nice looking clear plastic jar with a light metallic blue screw lid. As I say, I do prefer moisturisers that come in tubes or pump bottles as I find it more hygienic as that way I don’t constantly have to dip my fingers into the cream. As an alternative, it would have been nice if the cream had at least come with a small spatula.

The cream smells absolutely amazing, and reminds me a little of Dior’s J’adore, which is one of my favourite scents, although I would have preferred it to be slightly less fragranced for use on my face as my eyes are quite sensitive and water easily, and very fragranced products are always irritating my eyes if I get the product too close to them.

The cream has a nice consistency, and is very concentrated, so only a tiny dab is needed. It absorbs instantly into the skin, without making it feel greasy, and you can instantly feel its moisturising properties. It also leaves the skin with a nice sheen.

As with all anti-ageing products, you need to use for several weeks before you can expect to see some result, but unfortunately after about a week’s use, I started to feel that my skin was getting a little congested, and especially in the mornings, I found that my skin was feeling a little greasy. Consequently I decided to stop using the cream in my face, and instead use it on my decollate, which is equally in need of some anti-ageing TLC, with fine lines and photo-ageing fast developing.

 

 

And I have to say that I am enjoying using it there as already after just a few weeks of use, the skin on my decollate is looking so much nicer. The skin is not only thoroughly and noticeably hydrate, it is also looking more even and fine lines seems to have minimised in appearance.

What I Like:

• For an anti-ageing cream, it is lightweight and absorbs easily into the skin
• Reasonably priced for a high quality anti-ageing cream
• Visible improvements in look and feel of skin after just a few week’s use
• Very concentrated
• A lovely fragrance

What I Don’t Like:

• While it has a lovely fragrance, I am also going to put it down as a negative, as it is a little too fragranced for me to use too close to my sensitive eye area
• Unfortunately it made my skin feel congested and greasy – but in saying that, I do have combination skin prone to breakouts, and the cream is recommended for normal to dry skin types, so hence not the ideal match for my skin type

Overall this is a lovely anti-ageing moisturiser, and I thoroughly enjoy using it on my decollate as it is unfortunately not suitable for my face. I am impressed with the results it has delivered after just a few weeks, so I can only hope that one day John Plunkett will also bring out an even lighter version suitable for those of us with combination and oilier skin types prone to breakouts.

*Product was kindly provided for consideration, and has reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

Have you ever tried any of the products from John Plunkett? Do you use anti-ageing moisturisers? Which one is your preferred one?

International Giveaway

The next month and a bit is going to be a little hectic for my little family. We’ve sold our house and is going to be building a new house. So we are going to be moving into a temporary house while the new house is being designed and built – well actually, we will be going on a bit of a holiday in-between, living in a holiday house for about three weeks, before moving into the temporary house – so as if it isn't stressing me out enough to be moving house, we'll be moving twice in month, as all our furniture and stuff will be in storage in that 3-week period. Phew!

I am not really sure how much access I will have while we're in the holiday house, but I am working hard to get a little ahead and schedule  at least some blog posts for this period, - and to thank everyone for sticking by my little blog in a period where it will may be a little more quiet, I thought that I hold a giveaway.

And this giveaway is also to celebrate that my little blog has now had over 350K views - yep, 350,000 view!! So thanks so much to everyone from around the world for continuing to stop by.

And that's why this is an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY. Yep, that is right, this giveaway is open to all my lovely followers from both Australia, but also from around the big wide world.

 

The prize will include the following selection of makeup:

 

• Garnier BB Cream in Colour Medium
• Streetstar Cosmetics StreetGloss Ultra Shine Lipgloss in colour 204 Natural Brown
• Australis Cosmetics Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Eyeshadow in A-ListerSista
• Rimmel London Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in 004 Guilty Grey
• Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara in 001 Black
• Max Factor Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadow in Pink Plume (note that the seal on the pink part of the Eyeshadow has been broken, but the Eyeshadow is still brand new and unused!)
• Avon Extra Lasting Lip Gloss in Continuous Copper

All items are of course brand new, and never used!

 

Here are the rules of the giveaway, so please read them:

The giveaway begins today, the 3^rd February 2014, and ends on the 14^th March 2014. – I know this is a long time, but it will give me a chance to move properly into the new house, get internet connection sorted and so on.

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.

You MUST follow The Beauty & Lifestyle Hunter by GFC or Bloglovin’, and you will get extra entries for following me on both.

You can also get additional entries by following the options in the Rafflecopter form

You will be banned from this and future giveaways if you're only following my blog on GFC, Facebook, Bloglovin, or SheSaidBeauty, because of this giveaway and un-follow straight after (or have done so in the past - I know who you are!)

Giveaway blogs that solely posts about giveaways/competitions are excluded from entering this giveaway.

The winner will be selected from random using Rafflecopter.

You must be 18 or older to enter. If you are under 18 years of age, please get permission from your parent(s), as I will need your postal address if you're chosen as a winner.

From contacted, the winner has 48 hours to respond with their address details. Failure to respond within this timeframe will result in a new winner being drawn.

I will not be held accountable for any custom/import fees or taxes that may incur.

Note I take no responsibility for lost, misdirected or damaged mail, but I will of course try my best to carefully pack the items to avoid breakage.

I reserve the right to modify anything about this giveaway. 

Good Luck everyone – and thanks again for all your support!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Product Review: Mineralogie Pressed Mineral Bronzer

Summer is upon us, and I am paler than ever. Last summer I was pregnant, and couldn’t stand the heat or the sun, and this summer has so far been one of the worst ones Melbourne has experienced. Still, when the sun is finally peaking out, I am keeping out of the sun as much as possible. My skin is already sufficiently damaged and I consequently have more pigmentation than I like. But for a bit of glow to my face, you cannot go past a good bronzing powder, so here are my thoughts on the *Mineralogie Pressed Mineral Bronzer;

 

What They Say:

Keep your complexion fresh and sun-kissed with Mineralogie's Pressed Mineral Bronzer. Available in our mirrored compact, our pressed bronzer goes with you everywhere so you can add a quick touch of a warming glow to your cheeks, chin, nose or décolleté. Provides all the benefits of our loose mineral bronzer in the convenience of a compact. You decide the coverage, we provide the warmth!

RRP: $70 – Available from select stockists and Mineralogie Online

 

What I Say:

This is the first product that I’ve tried from the brand Mineralogie so I consequently did a little research. The brand manufacturers and distributors of 100% mineral makeup. In addition Mineralogie is a ‘green’ company, as all outer box product packaging is printed using soy ink on recycled papers from sustainable tree farms. Many of the company’s containers are made with 20% recycled materials while others are 100% biodegradable (Eco-Chic compacts), as well as a large number of the containers are refillable and reusable making them both user and environmentally friendly. Recycled packing boxes and milo grain resin biodegradable peanuts are used and reused in shipments, whenever possible. The company also donates a portion of its proceeds to the Natural Resources Defence Council. And of course, none of the products are tested on animals. Big ticks of approval from me!

 

 

 

The Mineralogie Pressed Mineral Bronzer contains among others Vitamins E and A as well as Aloe Vera & Rosemary help to soothe and protect the skin, and Zinc Oxide which is supposed to make it long lasting as well as it has been pressed with moisturising sweet almond oil.

 

The bronzer has next to no scent comes in a sleek round compact with Mineralogie written in white. Simple and modern, just what I like – I’ve always loved the simplicity of the monochrome black and white! The compact has a mirror in the lid and also contains a small powder puff, and although I rarely touch up my makeup on the go, the mirror is still a nice feature, and so is the inclusion of the powder puff, though I prefer applying the bronzer with a brush.

 

 

The bronzer is available in two shades Sunswept and Barcelona, and I tried the lighter colour, Barcelona, which is a nice match to my medium neutral skin tone. 

The bronzer is very finely milled, so you can apply just a fine sweep over the bridge of your nose, forehead and cheeks for just a touch of colour and a natural looking healthy glow, or you can build up the colour for a more intense tanned look.

The bronzer has a little bit of golden shimmer particles throughout, but this is still very subtle, which I like as shimmery products often make my combination skin look even more greasy and shiny! And unlike other bronzers, it doesn’t turn orange on your skin, but rather gives you a very natural healthy look.

 

The bronzer is so easy to apply and blend, and it is perfect to use both on its own, or on top of a foundation, of if you like, you can even use it as a blusher, for contouring or on your décolleté, and regardless it provides a nice even silky soft finish, that stays put all day, without settling into the fine lines on my face.

On the negative, this is a little pricey, but as it is such a high quality product, in fact, I find it is at the same if not better quality than the better known brands in the department stores, which charges even higher prices, so it really is worth its price.

What I Like:

• It is long lasting
• Comes in a sleek compact with a mirror and a powder puff
• Finely milled and very concentrated
• Provides a nice even finish and a natural healthy looking glow
• You can build up the colour whilst still getting a natural look
• It doesn’t turn orange on your skin
• It contains ingredients that care for the skin
• Mineralogie has a 'green' philosophy

What I Don’t Like:

• It is a little pricey

Overall, this is a lovely bronzer, and the fact that it gives me such a natural suntanned look will mean that I am even more likely to stay sun-safe and avoid baking in the sun for a tan this summer, and I now could only wish that I had come across this amazing brand earlier!

*This product was kindly provided for consideration, and it has been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

Have you ever tried any of the products from Mineralogie? What is your favourite bronzer?