New addiction: light hand creams (review)

Ever since I’ve been out of lab, I’ve been getting into hand creams (don’t have to worry about microgram-weight greasy fingerprints on glassware anymore!). Sometimes a nicely scented pampering product is necessary in the afternoon. Here are three currently in rotation next to my keyboard: Endota Spa Lavender & Alpine Pepper Hand Cream – RRP $10 for 20 mL, $34 …

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La Mav Organic skincare review

La Mav is an Australian, certified organic, natural-based skincare range. They’re also cruelty free and eco-friendly, and most importantly, use ingredients with proven results, which is a rarity in the “natural” market, and something I’m very excited about! Exhibit A: an ingredients list on their website, which specifically states the mechanism of action of each ingredient, in simple terms. Win! …

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Models Prefer Skin Cleanser review

I’ve been umming and ahhing about investing in a Clarisonic for a while – I’ve heard really good things about it, but I have the worst habit of buying electric appliances and using them feverishly for a week, then never using them again (hello, epilator!). So when I heard that Priceline had started stocking a similar product at an extremely …

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DIY Gentle (but effective) glycerin nail polish remover

My cuticles suffer a lot from nail polish removal, so inspired by loodie I decided to DIY a version of Zoya Remove+, which is popular for its ability to keep nails and skin from drying out, while quickly removing polish. I’ve been looking for a bottle of glycerin for months, even though it’s supposed to be easily found in chemists, …

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Current Favourites

I haven’t done a favourites post in ages (since New Years in fact!), so I thought I’d share some of my recent finds and classic beauty/shiny favourites: The Grove Perfumery Half Baked – Made by the same people who do Glasshouse, this line is sadly discontinued. Half Baked comes in a cute punk-themed glass with an air-tight lid and smells …

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Oily oily oily, oi oi oi!

Even though I have an oily T-zone, I love using oils on my face. At the beginning I wasn’t quite so enthusiastic, but now they’re often my only moisturiser during the day. Here’s a review of some of the oils I’ve been testing out on my face lately: Rose-Hip Vital Rosehip Oil (RRP $19.95 for 30 mL and $29.99 for …

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Ceramides – what the eff are they and why are they in my cream?

Ceramides – where have I heard that before? Ceramides are in lots of moisturisers and serums. Brands which feature ceramides in their skincare range include Elizabeth Arden, L’OrĂ©al, Ultraceuticals and Innoxa. What are ceramides? Ceramides are a family of lipids (fatty molecules) which make up a significant proportion of cell membranes, the “skin” of cells. They are also the main …

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Operation Freckle-Away feat. Neostrata Gel Plus

After researching AHAs and BHAs for my blog post here, I incorporated 8% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid into my nightly skincare routine and I’ve been very impressed with the smooth, glowy skin and reduced pores they gave me. I’ve recently embarked on Operation Freckle-Away, which is me trying to get rid of a few sun-induced freckles on my …

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