What to take on Holidays...

So next week I'm going to Europe! Which I'm oh so excited about. The hard thing about going overseas is decided what to pack, or more like what not to pack since I know I'll be after getting a few things.

So after much decision making this is what I've decided to take away...

1. Benefit's POREfessional

2. Youngblood's Rice Powder

3. Benefit's Boi-ing

4. Nars' Laguna Bronzer

5. MAC's Mocha Blush

6. MAC's Leopard Luxe Eye Shadow

7. Illamasqua's Neutral Palette Eye Shadow

8. Benefit's BAD Gal Mascara

9. Nars' Bourbon Street Eyeliner

10. Stila Lionfish Eye Liner

1. Environ AVST Cleansing Lotion (In a smaller container)

2. Environ AVST Moisturising Toner (In a smaller container)

3. Environ AVST 1 Moisturiser

4. Alpha-H Liquid Gold

5. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Cream 

6. Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer

7. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Lightweight Sunscreen
8. SK-II's FTE

I'm planning on buying a few things while I'm away, so I'm trying not to take too much with me. Just the basics which I use on a daily basis. 

Nat xoxo

Product Update: Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold Original

Last year as part of the ABBW (Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend) we were given a Liquid Gold Started Kit by the lovely people at Alpha-H.

To start you off you started with the Prep + Prime and used it until it was finished (they said it should last a month) before you move on to the Liquid Gold original so your skin gets used to the Glycolic Acid.


Well that was back in September/October and it’s now March of the following year and I’m still going on the Prep + Prime. Talk about value for money. So given that they said a month I thought at the beginning of March it should be safe to start using the Liquid Gold original product. I really liked the idea of the Liquid Gold product because you can use it with your current skincare routine; you just use it instead of your skincare regime every second night. So you don’t have to commit to completely changing what you do.

Liquid Gold is a firming and revitalising lotion which boosts your skin’s radiance, helps fight pigmentation, age spots, acne scarring and helps smooth and clear out your skin. The key ingrediates are…
Glycolic Acid (5%) – exfoliate and brighten
Licorice Extract – sooth and brighten your skin and helop reduce dark spots/pigmentation
Silk Proteins - natural amino acid and lipid oils which bind moisture, improve your skins clarity, radiance and texture.


What did I think? I have to say my skin has been pretty good recently thanks to my Rationale essential six night range. But since introducing the Liquid Gold my skin really has an extra glow; my skin is brighter and more radiant. I’ve also noticed that if I get a spot starting to form it is squashed pretty quickly, which is awesome.


I can’t wait to add in the Liquid Gold Radiance, which is the final product in the Liquid Gold starter kit.


You can buy the Liquid Gold kit for $99 on the Alpha-H website.


Nat xoxo

Product Head To Head: Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant VS Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant

I love Exfoliators and I love the concept of daily Exfoliators! (always makes my skin feel really clean). Recently I have tried two really great daily Exfoliators that are both, check this out, powder based. I know this isn't a "new" concept but to have to admit, the novelty factor is pretty awesome.

Daily Exfoliator 1: Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant

I was first introduced to Alpha-H through their Liquid Gild range (which I'm currently using) and I got a sample of the Gentle Daily Exfoliant in my BellaBox last month.

The Gentle Daily Exfoliant is an enzyme powder that contains pineapple and papaya extracts.

What did I think? I really love this Exfoliator! The texture is more like a paste then your typical Exfoliator texture. I found that as well as exfoliating (which it did a great job of doing) it also made my skin really luminous.

Handy hint: for a more intense exfoliation add Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold with the Gentle Daily Exfoliant instead of water.

Daily Exfoliator 2: Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant

I was 1st introduced to this product in one of my Lust Have It boxes a few months ago and then I got a full sized product a few weeks ago.

The Daily Microfoliant is also an enzyme-based powder that is made with rice.

What did I think? Again this was a really good Exfoliator! Although it's powder based as well, it forms more of a foam texture. It's quite light on the exfoliating so it really doesn't harm your skin if you use it everyday. However I did find that I still needed to use a stronger Exfoliator once a week.

How did the 2 compare? Oh do I have to pick?!?! This is really hard because I love using both products, but if it was life or death and I had to pick one I would have to go with Alpha-H’s Gentle Daily Exfoliant.

This might be a bit of a shock because I know the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is a cult favorite, but I did find that Alpha-H's Gentle Daily Exfoliant worked better for me.

You can get your hands on Alpha-H's Gentle Daily Exfoliant for $59.95 and Dermalogica's daily Microfoliant for $83.5.

You really can't go wrong with either because they are both great!

Nat xoxo

Product Update: Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold Prep & Prime

So a month ago I got Liquid Gold Skin Perfecting System starter kit as part of the ABBW. The 1^st product in the system is the Liquid Gold Prep + Prime.

Liquid Gold Prep & Prime is 90% natural ingredients with Glycolic Acid.

Specifically Prep + Prime contains: Thyme, Cucumber, Chamomile and Glycolic Acid. Also what I really like is that all the Liquid Gold products are free from detergents, parabens, kojic acid, hydroquinone, artificial fragrances and colors. 

Liquid Gold Prep & Prime is designed to build tolerance to active enzymes and fruit acids, which are in the other Liquid Gold products. At the same time as doing that it also improves the appearance of fine lines, open pores and broken capillaries. A lot for one little product huh?!

I started using Prep & Prime about a month ago and I have to say I was a little bit skeptical. This was purely because you use it alone every morning after cleansing. You then only apply sun protection and make-up if you want. And I’m very happy to say Prep & Prime really showed me, because this product is amazing!

After using it for only a month I have noticed a big difference in my skin. I’m lucky that I don’t really have any big skincare concerns (and I hope it stays that way for quite a few more years), but because I do have very fair sensitive skin it marks really easily. Most of these I can cover up with make-up but I also thought it would be lovely to not have to worry about them at all. Since using Liquid Gold’s Prep & Prime they have gone down, A LOT! I really can’t believe what a difference it has made. I have also noticed that my skin just looks better and brighter.

I’m going to keep using it until the bottle is finished, even though they say you can move on to the Liquid Gold Original after you have used Prep & Prime for a month. Personally I can’t wait to use Liquid Gold Original if it’s supposed to even better then Prep & Prime!

So if you haven’t tried Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold range I highly suggest you do, and for only $99 for the set you really can’t go wrong.

Nat xoxo

BellaBox – October Box

I'm sure by now you are all very versed in the Beauty Sample Boxes that have launched here in Australia. And this month another box launched...Bellabox! And I got my very own in the mail.

I have to admit that I was a lot a little skeptical that another company was launching, but once I saw some of the brands that Bellabox had on-board I started to take notice. And I'm very glad I did because their 1st box was amazing!

And the lovely products that we got in our box were...

Napoleon Perdis’ Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer – I have used this primer before and I really like it.

A’Kin’s Lavender, Geranium & Jojoba hand and nail cream – I haven’t used any A’Kin products before but this hand and nail cream sounds really good, and smells really good.

Alpha-H’s Gentle Daily Exfoliant – I have been using Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold range and I LOVE IT! (you can check out my Liquid Gold Post here) So I’m uber-excited to try out this daily exfoliant.

Savoir Faire’s Lipstick in Miss You – This lipstick is divine! The packaging is amazing, the color is great and it looks really nice on. It’s also a great texture.

One’s Skin System Daily Hydrate – This luxury sample looked pretty amazing! I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I really can’t help it. I haven’t heard of ONE before, but if the packaging is anything to go by it’s going to be good.

Wines’ Wipes – I think this product is a great idea. It’s a wipe for your lips/teeth when you have been drinking wine to remove the stains! Don’t you hate it when you go to the bathroom during a night out and realize you’ve got wine stains?? I know I do. So really keen to give this product a whirl the next time I’m indulging in a glass of red (which will be tonight actually). But the hard question is Merlot or Pinot Noir?

And that's it folks. I was really so happy with this box and I can't wait to see what Bellabox have planned for their next box.

Nat xoxo

Alpha-H - Liquid Gold

Alpha-H was one of the brands that we got to find out heaps about as part of the ABBW. Alpha-H does a range of products, but they specifically spoke to us about their cult products Liquid Gold. Now I love cult products because I find they tend to work better then your standard run of the mill products.

Ok on to Liquid Gold. I found this product really intriguing because it goes on like a toner, but it’s designed to work alone. So you don’t put anything else on your skin. This is a bit of a new concept for me, as I’ve never see a stand along product like that before. Liquid Gold as a product is supposed to help skin tone and texture, help with spots, pores, acne scars and pigmentation. Liquid Gold is also designed to work in with your current skincare routine, as you use it 3 nights a week. I really liked this about the product because it really doesn’t require you to stop using any of your current products.

Another little fun fact about Liquid Gold, apparently a bottle is sold every minute of every hour of every day. That’s a lot of product.

As part of the ABBW we got the Liquid Gold Skin Perfecting System starter kit. This kit features Liquid Gold Original, Liquid Gold Prep + Prime and Liquid Gold Radiance.

You start by using the Liquid Gold Prep+ Prime. The Prep + Prime is designed to introduce your skin to the Liquid Gold product. You use this every morning until the bottle is empty and like the Liquid Gold you don’t put anything else on your skin, except for sun protection.

Liquid Gold Prep + Prime contains 90% natural products with a splash of glycolic acid.

I started using the Prep + Prime 5 days ago and so far I’m really impressed. I thought my skin might get a bit dry without using anything else of a morning, except sun protection, but it’s not at all. I have already noticed that my skin just looks better; you know when you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror and your skin just looks great. So I’m really impressed with it.

Once I finish using the Prep + Prime, I’ll move on to the Liquid Gold Original. As mentioned before Liquid Gold is to be used 3 times a week at night. And again it’s to be used alone.

Liquid Gold is made with 73% natural products and contains liquorice and silk proteins as well as glycolic acid.

We were told that you could move on to Liquid Gold Radiance after you finished Liquid Gold Original, or use both at the same time (not on the same day though). Liquid Gold Radiance is to be used the same way as Liquid Gold Original. The difference between the two is that Radiance has additional ingredients to focus on pigmentation in the skin and help skin stay younger looking for longer. It also helps hyper pigmentation, which can be caused by hormones in women.

Liquid Gold Radiance is made with 67% natural products and contains Ferulic acid, which is from plants, Niacinamide, Gluconic acid and Glycolic acid.

All 3 Liquid Gold products contain 5% Glycolic acid, but Prep + Prime has a higher pH level so you can wear it during the day.

What I also like about these products is that they require you to wear sun protection. This is something that you’re supposed to do anyway but so many people don’t. I do find that this has a major impact on premature aging. So anything that encourages sun protection is awesome in my book.

Watch this space for updates on how my experience with Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold goes. 

Nat xoxo 

ABBW – Day 2: Sunday 25th

Day 1 of the ABBW was a pretty epic day, so who knew day 2 would be just as amazing?!

We started the day with an Alpha-H event. This was a great event because we got to learn all about their Liquid Gold product. I’m not a sucker for advertising and a good PR spin, the results of working in the Media industry, but I was seriously impressed with this product. The lovely Alpha-H ladies knew the product so well you would have thought they had hand made it. They answered everyone’s questions and seemed to live and breathe the product. We were lucky to get an introductory Liquid Gold kit, which I have started to use and so far I love it!

Following our Alpha-H education, we had a Face Of Australia make-up training session. Face Of Australia started it’s 1^st Look-Book in August and we go to see the looks 1^st hand. Make-Up Artist Kirsty Dolores took us through the looks, plus the lovely people at Face Of Australia gave us each a bag full of full sized make-up products to create these looks ourselves.

I also found 2 really great tips:

1. Highlighting brings forth and Bronzing recedes. So when you highlight a part of your face it becomes more noticeable and Bronzing adds depth. I know that might sound pretty basic, but I’ve never thought about it like that before.

2. You need to change the way you highlight and bronze your face based on your face shape.

Another handy hint, if you can’t work out the shape of your face, trace it with eyeliner or lipstick or some cream product in the mirror. That will help you work out your face shape.

Can you believe the day did not stop there?? Procter & Gamble sponsored our final event of the day. They organized for Bahar Etmian the creator of rescu.com.au to come in and give us a keynote speech. I have to say, I loved this keynote. It was so great to hear Bahar talk about her experiences in the beauty industry and also hear her valuable advice. It was really inspiring and a great way to end the ABBW!

And that’s my summary of the amazing events of the ABBW! It was such an amazing experience and really helped further my knowledge of the beauty industry and allowed me to meet some really great people. I can’t wait for ABBW 2012; I’m sure it’s going to be bigger and better (if that is even possible)!

Nat xoxo