Sometimes skin needs a little extra TLC. Breakouts, stress, changes in season, too many late nights and any number of things can disrupt your skin. Fortunately there are some great “fix-it” products that help with damage control however “upset” your skin is…
Primers: when the concept of skin priming prior to make up application first emerged I was cynical – just another product to complicate my routine. However, of late I have become a convert. Primers work much like an extra layer of moisturizer under your foundation by easing application and creating a barrier between foundation and skin. Primers are are particularly useful if you have dry skin as it will smooth out fine lines and wrinkles by lightly filling them in and creating a flat. It can also diminishes the appearance of larger pores and uneven skin texture. Remedica Recovery Lift Gel does all this and more. It is a unique complex used to hydrate, protect and smooth vale with the addition of Acaci Senegal and Hydrolized Rhizobian gums for an immediate lifting and smoothing effect.
Conceal: with a good concealer you can skip foundation entirely. The key is finding the correct colour for your skin type. Fortunately Ere Perez provides 4 different colour options each with two shades for different areas of the face or for blending to find the perfect shade for your skin tone. To get the best results when using concealer, apply several dots of concealer under the eyes, then use the pad of your finger to tap it in (no rubbing). Then if needed apply concealer on other uneven spots on the face including the chin, and around the nose and mouth. Finally brush on a light layer of loose powder over your face to set your makeup.
Hydrate: sometimes in the drier months, mineral make up can appear a little…well dry. This is easily fixed by the application of a hydration mist once you applied your mineral powder. Have no fear, your foundation won’t slide off your face, rather the mist will settle down the make up creating a smooth and dewy look. Three or four quick pumps of mist is all you need.
Bronze: there is nothing better for a healthy glow than a touch of bronzer. However, you want to choose a bronzer that isn’t too dark. Also avoid shimmer in your bronzer as the idea is that it looks like your real skin. Use a fluffy blush brush and apply on your face where you would naturally get sun such as the cheeks, the top of the nose, the top of the forehead, the side of the forehead, and the chin. Stop when you start to see a hint of colour.
This blog is actually Jenni from Coconut Magic’s work. I just love coconut oil and use it for many things. In one of my recent posts I mention that a teaspoon in porridge in the morning adds to the creamy deliciousness of this dish. In any case, here are Jenni’s 6 clever ways to use Coconut Oil:
Coconut Magic is great for all these purposes because it has quite a neutral taste and smell. I have tried a teaspoon in a cup of black tea and it didn’t significantly change the flavour and that is saying something. I really don’t like the “toasted” smell of old coconut much but love this as it is mild smelling which is because it is from young coconuts – can’t really say enough good about this product!
Now if you want an oil that is more specifically used for cosmetic purposes Remedica’s Monoi Blue is coconut oil infused with Gardenia flowers. Only genuine Monoi oil such as Remedica is manufactured in Tahiti from pure Tahitian coconut oil and Tiare (Gardenia) flowers. It is just divine for skin and hair.
Love it. Please do tell if you have any other clever uses for Coconut Oil
Article by Annie Meredith, creator of Spirit of Woman Australian Bush Flower Essences
It has been said that intimacy breeds contempt. Certainly the high divorce rate would have us believe that.
In your own world, how often have you felt devastated because you and your partner are not seeing eye-to-eye, or you feel that the love has transformed into a power struggle, or long tedious road into boredom?
Do you find that you are continually arguing and sparring and can’t seem to return to that glorious place you experienced early in your relationship when you felt bathed in the warm glow of love and felt so deeply connected to your partner?
Perhaps in your despair you have sought for that seemingly elusive and disappearing love outside of your partnership – in an affair, a flirtation, being totally immersed in your work, losing yourself to a cause, or involving yourself in your children’s lives so deeply that you have no time to let the pain of lost love rise to your conscious mind.
Or perhaps your close same-sex friendships assume such an importance that they somehow replace the sense of hopelessness that you feel deep down that you are not good enough to deserve a loving relationship?
How do we reconcile the disappointments in our relationship and navigate the rocky parts so that we enter smooth waters and come to a place of harmony, love and peace based on mutual respect, gratitude and celebration of the differences?
In truth, relationships are more about ourselves that the other. They just show us to ourselves.
We teach people how to love and accept us in the way that we love and accept ourselves.
For example, blame and criticism is the No. 1 reason why relationships fail. Most couples split up, family members stop talking or business partnerships fail because one or other of the parties gets tired of being blamed and criticized.
Think about how it felt last time you were blamed or criticized.
If in the moment when a critical thought is forming or a blaming statement about the other is on your tongue, you can instead make a “Mmmmmmm” sound. What this does is it shifts you out of your “critical” brain into your “wonder” brain.
Then, you can say to yourself, “Hmmm… I wonder what I could learn from this.” Or “Hmmm… I wonder how I’m contributing to this situation”.
When you do this from a place of sincere wonder, then an immediate change takes place in your connection with the person you were previously blaming or criticizing.
Try this the next time you have a critical thought, and watch real miracles open up in your relationships!
When we are critical and blaming it is truly more about us, and our relationship with ourselves, that we are expressing and that gets reflected back.
We attract the people who will allow us to grow, who will invite us to grow, who will ask us to step up and into our highest self-expression.
This doesn’t always happen consciously or pleasantly…..it just happens.
Enjoy the opportunity to let others know how much you love yourself and miracles will happen!!
The Spirit of Woman Australian Wild Flower Essence Relationship range assists you to have that essential love affair with yourself, so that you can fully love and accept your partner and appreciate the deep love you will receive in return.
Visit Annie Meredith’s website
Twitter It!This is a great video blog demonstrating how to create a summer signature look using the fabulous Lavera make up range. This video tutorial includes a number of professional make up tips that are useful. Annabella is a TV producer and has hosted numerous TV shows. Like me She loves fashion and beauty, but wants it to come at less of a cost to the earth and to our bodies so her aim is to find fabulous eco and organic products.
Annabella used the following Lavera Products:
View the Lavera makeup range
Twitter It!The term “new adopter” refers to people that follow new trends or products particularly in the area of new technology however I have borrowed the term for skin care aficionados i.e. people that just have to have the latest cosmetic or cream released on the market. I can confirm that I have definitely had moments of “new adoption” where I have bought products just because they were new or eagerly anticipated the release of a new range or product with the intent to purchase as soon as available.
On the flip side there are some favourite products I just can’t do without. Products that work for my skin or hair or coloured cosmetics that suit me so I go back to them time and time again. Among these is my Minerelle foundation. I have tried so many different foundations (I receive many samples in the course of my work) and while initially I might be impressed, I go back to Minerelle every time. For me it is not just about the performance of the product, which is excellent but also the shade which suits my skin perfectly.
One trend I did follow (well almost followed) is that of Morrocan Oil. I was really pleased to hear that there was a hair oil on the market based on natural ingredients. However, at the point of purchase I gave the ingredients a quick once over and smartly put it back on the shelf – the ONLY natural ingredient in Morrocan Oil is a bit of Argan oil – it is not even the first ingredient which means the fragrances and polymers make up most of the product. I was so disappointed so I instead chose Pure Lustre from Nature’s Symphony which is based on Camellia oil and completely natural. My hair loves it and love that it is natural.
The body product I just can’t go without is Remedica African Vanilla & Shea Nut Body Butter. I love everything about it – the texture, the scent (which lasts all day) and the way it moisturises my skin. BIG LOVE and a staple in my bathroom cupboard.
One new product that I think will become a favourite is La Mav’s Bio VA5 Daily Wrinkle Smoothing Crème. It has recently been reformulated and I find it excellent for my skin as it is not too rich but the cosmeceutical ingredients really pack a punch – Acai, Kakadu Plum, Hibiscus, Pea and Cassia to name a few.
With regard to cosmetics, when it comes to mascaras, I just can’t go past the Ere Perez Natural Almond Oil Mascara – it doesn’t clump, it doesn’t run or smudge or do any of the annoying things mascaras generally do. HANDS UP for this product. However, I will also say that the newer range of Lavera mascaras are pretty appealing particularly for longer, lusher lashes. I feel the call to try something new…
I did a quick ask around with the staff at Vitale Natural and they all pretty much mention the same three products as definite favourites:
Remedica Black Soap – also love it particularly in Summer when my skin tends to oilyI would love to know if you have any favourite products or products you think will become favourites.
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LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability which is essentially a socio-economic term that describes a segment of conscious shoppers i.e. people who not only consider their own personal benefit but the impact on the wider community and planet. In Australia this represents around 26 % of the adult population. However, this is a global trend and not only do I think the number of people that start making more conscious choices will rise, particularly in Australia where such a wide range of choices are available.
You can see evidence of this trend impacting on companies and brands alike particularly in the cosmetic industry where the trend towards natural & organic products has been taken further so it encompassess use of eco packaging materials, fair trade ingredients, stopping the use of palm oil or using sustainable plantation sources and choosing only cruelty free products.
At Vitale it is about ensuring coherence between what we say we do and what we actually do. We do this by:
I was prompted to write this little blurb by an article about LOHAS which got me thinking about how we as a company perform. Of course there is always room for improvement but I also think we have set a high standard for ourselves and we strive to achieve it in every way we can.
We would love to hear about areas we could improve so please have your say.
Twitter It!As you may have read in a previous blog I have had an ambivalent relationship with coconut oil – that was until I found Coconut Magic. However, despite liking the taste (or lack thereof) of Coconut Magic Oil, I still hadn’t really found the motivation to take it regularly…until now. I went to the Coconut Magic site and was doing a bit of reading and came across a video blog that Jenni from Coconut Magic did about the benefits of coconut oil which includes teeth whitening. Now this peaked my interest. I may just have to take up the challenge…and I would love to hear of any experiences of teeth whitening or oil pulling (see video for more info on this) – please comment if you have given either of these a go using coconut oil.
Watch Jenni’s video blog below:
Twitter It!Winter is such a great time to get into using blush. Blush can give you that “just flushed after exercise look”. I must stress this is not the beetroot look I get after running rather a dash of colour on your cheeks that makes you look healthy and full of life. I adore wearing blush but hold back a little as I also like strong lipstick colours. The combination can be a bit 80’s so I avoid really bright lipstick when applying blush. Now don’t be put off, this is a peculiar quirk of mine based on the colours I like, not a hard and fast rule. A little blush with bold lipstick is fine; just don’t go over the top.
Applying blush can bit a bit tricky but there are some failsafe guidelines that can make your technique foolproof.
Blush Colour
Firstly you need to choose a blush colour that suits your skin tone, either from a warm or a cool colour palette. Basically if you have a cool undertone, choose pink or mauve tones. If you have a warm undertone, choose apricot or sienna tones. Some examples are:
Cool Undertones – pinks, mauves and plums
Warm Undertones – apricot, earthy tones and even yellow based reds particularly for mediterranean skin tones
For more about how to work out your skin undertone read “How to choos the right coloured makeup”
Face Shape
Next work out the shape of your face and decide where to contour the blush. Some key tips on this:
Use a good blush brush. The effect you achieve when applying any makeup is based on the quality of your materials, both cosmetics and good brushes. A blush brush with a full head is ideal.
Blush Types
Choose the type of blush that will suit your skin. There are few different types of blush formulation that you can choose from:
Blush Application
Firstly, prep your face by applying your moisturizer and foundation. Blush needs to be applied over both of these. Then:
If you have any application tips you can recommend, let us know. We would love you to share the blush love!
Twitter It!If you are used to wearing bold and bright colours then maybe it is time to try something new such as a lipstick with shimmer. While I love bold colours, a subtle sheen creates a shimmery finish on the lips when applied and also fuller looking lips. This kind of lipstick can be deep in color but have a shimmering finish, or it can be a rather nude color that uses the shimmer alone to play up the lips.
I was doing a makeover the other day and we tried the gorgeous new shimmery Lavera lipsticks. They also have a subtle metallic look. It made me want to be a bit adventurous. The 3 shades are:
These tones are perfect for daytime use but will also create a gorgeous nighttime look particularly if you match it with some shimmery metallic eyeshadow such as Minerelle Joy (soft gold), Kiss (watermelon shimmer pink) or Elusive (pewter).
I love a new look!
Twitter It!As we move into the cooler months I checked in with the Vitale Team about their favorite products. Basically they had nothing to do with drier, cooler weather and we all about individual skin type or needs:
cause it is natural but doesn’t leave a white cast to the skin like other mineral sun protection products. In a minor concession to my question about Autumn skincare, she added that sun protection is important all year round and looking at her skin, which is gorgeous, you can tell she means it!
We would love to know what your favorite product is!
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