My top 8 of 2011

These are the 8 health/beauty things I couldn’t do without this year, in no particular order:     1. Seche Vite – quick dry, smudge-fixing, shiny goodness.     2. Shea butter – all-round awesome moisturiser. I use it straight out of the tub, but I’ll probably scent and whip it soon.     3. Eyeliner brush – I do …

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Fact-check: The Science of Face Washing

One of my friends recently asked me why you can’t solely use oil for cleaning your face. The answer is quite simple – water doesn’t dissolve oil, so you need something that does. If you’ve been on this planet for more than 10 years, you should have noticed by now that oil and water don’t mix (if you haven’t, please …

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NOTD: Gold and black crackle

  My boyfriend suggested this when I received my China Glaze Cracked Medallion in the mail from eBay, and despite my initial skepticism (his other good ideas include things like rainbow board shorts and jumping off tall buildings in wingsuits), I think it turned out really well!     It’s alternating gold crackle over black, and black crackle over gold. …

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Review: Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Balm

  Summary Main moisturisers – sweet almond oil, beeswax Texture – greasy balm Packaging – cute tin Price – $0.88/g, but you won’t need to use much Burt’s Bees is an American company which has gotten a lot easier to find here in the last couple of years. Their Lemon Butter Cuticle Balm is the first product I’ve tried of …

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Nail product ingredients – how bad are they?

  If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients list on the back of any of your cosmetics, you’ll see a massive block of scary-sounding names, with a few familiar ones in the mix (hello water!). Nail polish is probably the most unfriendly cosmetic product most people own – it smells nasty, and it’s hard to clean up after. You’ve probably …

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NOTD: Ancient urn

  A simple NOTD today. This has the distinction of being the only manicure of mine that a 70 year old man has complimented 🙂 Unfortunately since it was so simple, I wasn’t too impressed by it until I recevied compliments on it, but by then it was all chipped and nasty. So only one picture of the completed manicure …

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DIY: Easy Microwaveable Lip Balm

Recently I was asked to be a bridesmaid for one of my best friends. Of course I accepted! 😀 For her hens event, we decided on a DIY pampering weekend in a country cottage. To keep costs down, we wanted to try some homemade skincare projects. The easiest pampering activity I could think of is making homemade lip balm. These …

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Chemical vs. Natural

It’s probably no surprise to anyone that, as a science geek, it irks me when I see scientifically incorrect things in popular media (I have been known to yell at the TV during Mythbusters). But what really upsets me is when advertisers and marketing gurus try to use scientific terms and absurd claims to bamboozle people into buying their products. …

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