ASAP Starter Pack Update

I have been having a few tiny tiny issues with my new skin care routine . First of all on the odd occasion during the day either side of my nose get itchy constantly and I had a dry patch of skin on my chin which I never ever get dry skin! I was advised from my skincare specialist that this could be a reactions from the Mircohydrodemrabrasion, like my skin repairing it self is causing the itching and old skin shedding causing the peeling skin. On the bright side my skin has never been clearer! Minimal pores (are a little clogged now, wish they would stop that!) I had a few spots week after a starting using ASAP but that's to be expected when you change your skin care and by make up looks INCREDIBLE no oiliness threw the day or night my makeup will not move or smudge no ugly lumps or bumps and I still can not believe I'm using a sunscreen! I haven't noticed a difference with the advance eye cream my dark bags are not as dark as they usually are but that cold be because I'm drinking more water now and actually sleeping at night.

GHD AIR Hairdryer

So today my good old Parlux 3500 compact died after 2 yrs after I dropped it after the 700th time so I needed to replace it ASAP so I could have fresh clean hair for my meeting this afternoon.

Dropping into my local Price attack store which I have been doing a lot lately, I had a little look at what was in stock. My natural reaction was to go for another compact Parlux reason being because I do so many blow dry's in the salon it's very light and after doing 5 blow dry's in a row lightness was a key factor.... But then they showed me the pretty new GHD Air which I can assure you is not light! So I traded up.
So the specs for the GHD Air are quite impressive, it's not as loud as other dryers so this feature was important to me I'm sick of not being able to hear my clients over the dryer and having to go to bed with wet hair at 5am because I don't want to wake the family up drying my hair after washing the club, sweat, smoke and alcohol out of my hair. ( I don't smoke or drink but people that do can seem to control there behavior after a few) This druer is very powerful, so much so when I frost turned it on and aimed it at my hand to test the air pressure it actually blew it away I have no problems smoothing with the smaller of the two attachments that came with the dryer. I love the 3 meter cord! I can actually move around the thick salon chairs and I love the fact it cut down a extra 10mins of my usual blow dry time! I had no problem with burning my scalp as some other blogs I have read had issues with. The only things I don't like about this dryer is the finish of the actual dryer is a matte finish that gets dirty really easy especially with serum residue. The controls are not in the usual place it makes it hard to switch modes with out having to look and the control buttons sit flush to the dryer they don't stick out so you actually have to look to see if it is at full strength or not because you can't feel it. I did read the reason they are like that is so left handed people enjoy the dryer just as much as us righty's.. So hopefully it will grow on me...

So end results are much Smoother then my regular dryer! I actually tested different type of brushes, this dryer and ceramic tube brushes are a match made in heaven! However with a bore bristle brush it didn't quite have the same over all effect and as for a denman and paddle brush it was pretty average. I m yet to go one of my curly blow-dries (like the picture below) with this dryer yet but I will update when I do.

Body trim starts tomorrow!

So having my bestfriend overseas and working two jobs having no social life ATM and still greiving after losing a loved one has officially taken its toll on me !
I've been seeing a hypno therapist recently to help me overs come my random crying fits from stress and it has been helping me alot, I'm feeling much better these days plus I don't randomly burst in to tears at the office anymore! Woohoo!
So my goal is slim down and get ready for the warm weather in December of course I want to make this a permanent loss so I'm allowing my self a lot of time to do this correctly and not just a fast temporary fix. I have purchased the body trim DVDs a few years ago when I lost 20 kilos in 2007 so I m plan from tomorrow that I start my new lifestyle! I have made a account on fitday which is a fantastic food diary and way to track your process and it's mostly preprogrammed so you just need search for your foods that you ate and best of all it's free! ( well the iPhone app cost me $2.00 the web version is free )

So by Blogging about my intentions means I have no excuse to not commit to it... Unless I delete this post.... I won't delete this post... Yet...

Wish me luck I'm totally going to need it!

Hair Extensions- Keratin bond, Braided sew in weaves and Mirco Beads

So I've had hair extensions for ever, I love them it gives my thin flat hair some height, body and thickness.

My first few full heads of extensions was with the low heat keratin bonded hair extensions, these I found separate after after styling and it's hard enough having to be careful that you don't put your straightening iron on or near the bond other wise it weakens the bond and the extension falls out then there's the fact that your natural hair gets tangled in between the hair extension bonds.

Then I started with the braided weaves that are sewed into the braid, these are great I've had these the most you Can brush your hair with out getting tangled they blend into your natural hair extremely well. The only downside is that these do tend to malt a little and once you have these in for the first time they are a little tight on the scalp witch is a little annoying but that hours away over night. I have had these for the last 3 years I do like them and there not as expensive as the keratin bonded.

Mirco beads look great in theory and I will be trying these very soon and will keep this post updated.

The Dark Knight Rises - My new favorite movie

If you haven't already seen this movie, Go see it... Now! I dragged my best friend who's a massive scaredy cat into a 9.20 pm session on friday night with our San Churro milk hot chocolates and I was bracing my self to having to tell her when to close her eyes every ten minutes but she was fine in fact she loved it! A high suspense movie with a great twist and I hate to admit it but I kind of have a crush on Bane even thou you don't actually see most of his face... I'm a strange girl! We were so into the movie that we even forgot to eat our Churro's ! I think I may have to watch it again :)

Crabtree & Evelyn Lip tints

Catching up with a girlfriend on the weekend I noticed that we had same lip gloss (in different colors of course !)
I have sweet tea a sheer muted pale pink with shimmer and my girlfriend has Apple which is a beautiful warm red with a shimmer. I'm actually really surprised I bought this product as I had to spend a extra $10 to get a free gift so I picked it up and I was expecting never to actually use it but I did try it and it actually really beautiful the texture is nice and the smell is pleasant in fact the only thing I didn't like about this tint was if your lips are slightly dry it stings so much!

Goldwell Colorance Mousse for Blondes

So I have a client coming in this afternoon that would like to achieve that " sliver type ash blonde" and I going to my favorite hairdresser outlet to pick up my little cheats that I recommend every blonde at leased tries.
So these colorance mousses are easy as pie.

Step One : Shampoo Hair twice
Step Two: Apply mousse in desired shade. Leave in for 5 to 10 mins or longer (keep checking for desired colour)
Step three: Rinse and Condition.

These are pigmented glosses which mean that they will not lighten your hair, these are great in between visits to the salon or after DYI bleach jobs that I highly recommend that nobody do!

So My two go to colours are 10P and 10V

10P is for when you want that white almost sliver colour- I also recommend if you want a intense silver reflection regular use with the delorenzo silver shampoo and leave it on for a min or two every few washes will help to keep you on track.
10V is for your beige type softer golden blonde's that are that bit to gold. (which is the kind of Blonde I prefer for my self atm)

Just remember the Ash the blond the less it reflect colour so the less shiny it is.

I also use these mousses when I m in what I call my ''Self Destruct Mode" and I miss my long Black shiny hair. I would usually on a whim throw in a 6N mousse in my hair, I hate it and then wash my hair everyday for 3 weeks to remove it and have some more blonde foils. So if you would like a temporary change I would use a 8N or 7N and stay away from Golds, Browns and Reds as they do not wash out easily, never turn out how you would like them to and are trouble to bleach out down the track if need be.

You can actually grab these at Price attack as well and the staff will hopefully be able to help if you have any questions also some poeple like to leave these in after washing and continue to blow dry but I think it makes your hair tacky and smells a little off so maybe stray away from that option.

The Jojoba Company Tuberose & Clementine Body Souffle

No better feeling then jumping out of a hot shower drying off and applying your favorite body moisturizer and this is mine! First off the texture of this body souffle is divine! It is very dense and yet  spreads so easily. When I first got this I was actually surprised of the quality in the packaging of the tub, its a  large beautiful frosted plastic tub that you can actually get your hand into if need be when running low on product.The reason I will keep purchasing this is because I find 90% of the lotions, body butters and creams that I have used in the past either rub into my skin well but leave a  residue on my skin so I find my self sticking to gel type moisturizers and lets face it, they only get you so far.
Once I have applied this product on to my skin (even if i accidentally apply to much in one spot) not only does my skin absorb it all instantly but it leaves my skin with the most amazing texture almost light a light matte wax feeling I love it! To my surprise on of my Clients showed this product to me and i tried it on my hands 10 mins prior to washing her hair ( I'm Hairdresser after office hours he he he) and after washing her hair my hands still feel as amazing as I just applied it and they still had that amazing texture. The only thing I do not love about this product would have to be the smell, Its a nice fresh clean smell but it isn't something I would wear with out perfume and the fact that it does not have a matching body wash, call me crazy but I like to match my products!

Nars Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girl

This opaque non sticky formula lasts for hours and hours with out drying your lips, It does not melt or dry up and go all crackly. Many reviews I have read on this lip lacquer are complaints that it has a odor and tastes a bit chemically, I bought mine about 10 months ago ( it lasts forever when applied with a lip brush) and mine is perfect I don't taste anything it does smell a little perfumed but its not a bad smell maybe they changed the formula?!
My only issue with this product is it does not come in many colors Chelsea girl is the only one that suites my skin which I would describe as a medium nude color. If they where to bring out a Turkish Delight Lip Lacquer I would be over the moon!

Lancôme Artliner

I can't find another eyeliner that has that same high gloss when it's dry I have tried! Lancôme Artliner is a long wearing easy to remove (eith clenser or makeup remover) ink black liner that is a little tricky to use the first few times, I think the nib is rubber ? I'm not certain but if you press to hard it will pull the skin and will apply all feathery instead of a solid line ( so press press press instead of dragging if this keeps happening) I also love to use a white kohl liner such as fascinating by MAC on my waterline to really give that eye popping contrast.
It is a expensive product here in Australia at a Lancôme counter it will set you back about $52.00 so I usually try to buy it online much cheaper! Artliner is a standout product, if you want that wow factor it's a must have

Shiny New Holden Cruze

I thought maybe it was time to introduce the world to the new (and only) love of my life.

He is the new 2012 Holden Cruze Equipe in Alto Grey.

It was unfortunate that the dealership I bought him from gave me hell to buy him and delivered the car to me with a chip of paint missing off the drivers door but they did offer to fix it for free (mind you I will be with out it for two days while this happens GRR) the car it's self is beautiful! I love it's little thoughtful features such as when you put the car in drive it automatically locks the doors and when the car is put in park it automatically unlocks the doors and the follow me home head lights which basically means the headlights stay on up to a duration of 1 min (you can change this) after you have locked your car to make sure you can see where your going. The car is Perfect to drive however I can't help but feel if I got the 1.4 turbo instead of the 1.8 the car wouldn't lag as much going hills. Every body loves little comforts like bluetooth and I have become a little bit of a digital radio snob, if I haven't herd a song on the radio while I'm driving an I don't have access to shazzam I want to know what artist it is and the song title hahaha

It's actually quite strange because I have a sedan and the hire car holden gave me to drive while my car was getting repainted was the same Holden cruze and year but it was a hatchback and I had it for two days and they drive completely different I couldn't believe it! My sedan was so much smoother I found the hatchback a little rattley.

Mmmm Candles

Yesterday I received a lovely surprise! It was a beautiful French vanilla candle from the palm beach collection that was packaged in a beautiful black box with a cream label and in the box no only was there a gorgeous jar filled with a amazing smelling wax but there was also a cute box of matches branded of course with the collection of plan beach label. This makes a gorgeous gift !

I have quite a candle collection, I love nothing more then walking into a room filled with the scent of a candle.

My favorites are :

Poppy's Honey mama's kitchen trilogy candle ( in the clear jar creamy colored wax with the cute gold bee)

I discovered this candle walking past a stall at the royal easter show, I smelt this intoxicating sent and sniffed every single candle on the table (which was covered) singling out this sent that caught my attention. This candle is triple pour which combines Creme brûlée sugar cookies and carrot cake. One of the things I love about this candle is that I only need to remove the lid to fill the room of this yummy scent.
http://www.poppyshoney.com.au/candles-mamaskitchen.htm

Dusk Meditation candle jar (frosted jar baby blue wax)

This is my every day light abuse burn candle. Very strong frankincense smell which I quite like. At Christmas disk brings out another of my favorites called gold frankincense and myrrh and this is my substitute for it haha.

Circa house 1979 Oceanique (white opaque jar white wax with grey wooden lid)

This candle is for when I need a uplift pick me up. It smells just like my Holliday penthouse I escape to on weekend in summer that is across the road form the beach. Only down side is that this candle after a 2 or three hours the scent is too strong almost like sting the eyes type strong. A little burn at a time with this one.

Some of my other favorites that I have are limited editions and are already discontinued so I don't think I will tease you with them.

Pure (waste) Harmony Bath + Rinse

So a few months ago I purchased the Pure Harmony bath ( shampoo) and Rinse (conditioner) by Hairjamm which replaces harsh synthetic ingredients in other shampoo and conditioners with natural derived ingredients it is classified as a re hydrating shampoo conditioner that also protects against natural elements such as the sun, salt water etc it's also supposed to stop split ends and be soothing and genital on the scalp... Previously when I wash my hair when I get out of the shower I find my scalp gets a little itchy and this product stops that from happening. However I don't like these products the bottles are hard to squeeze the product out of and I find I need half a bottle of shampoo to feel like my hair is clean. The conditioner is a very unusual texture it's very dense and almost rubbery it does leave my hair soft but not as soft as what as I like. I find I have to use a treatment ( goldwell rich repair 60 sec) as well as conditioner with this duo. I will not be repurchasing this again! A waste of $50.00. I think I will  be going back to my Redken AllsoftThank you for reading me ! A.H

ASAP Skin Care Starter Pack

This post is a follow up after my Microhydrodermabrasion treatment.

 First off let me tell you a little about my skin. I have combination skin with a extremely oily t-zone and a little dry on my cheeks. I have for the past years been using Proactiv to keep my large pore ( some open), black heads, white heads and under the skin pimples at bay.

I LOVE MAKEUP! It is my life !

However I do not to like to wear it every day.. Shock I know!

This pack was recommended to me by the lady that did my treatment to enhance and to keep my skin in top shape during the duration of the treatment.

This pack contains:

-Daily Facial Cleanser

-Daily Exfoliating Facial Scrub

-Moisturising Daily Defence with spf 30+

-Clearskin Gel

-Soothing Gel

-Deluxe Facial Cloth

My routine that I was prescribed is:

      MORNING

-Dampen face with warm water

-Apply Daily facial cleanser and emulsify with fingers in a circular movement all over face ( I was told not to  avoid the eye area)

-Take the Deluxe Facial Cloth and saturate with warm water, gently squeeze excess and use it to remove the Daily Facial Cleanser

-Wait till dampness is gone (do not use a towel? I don't know why? You don't need to anyway because its fairly dry anyways) then apply the moisturising Daily Defence.

       NIGHT

-Dampen face with warm water

-Apply Daily facial cleanser and emulsify with fingers in a circular movement all over face ( I was told not to avoid the eye area)

-Take the Deluxe Facial Cloth and saturate with warm water, gently squeeze excess and use it to remove the Daily Facial Cleanser

-Dampen face with warm water again

-Apply Daily exfoliating facial scrub and emulsify with fingers in a circular movement all over face

(this time do avoid eyes!)

 -Take the Deluxe Facial Cloth and saturate with warm water, gently squeeze excess and use it to remove the Daily Facial Cleanser

-Wait till dampness is gone

-Apply the Clearskin Gel

-Apply the Soothing Gel

This seems like a long progress but it isnt, the whole thing takes a min or two. I love the fact I dont have to use a toner!

The Product's so far:

Daily Facial Cleanser:

I really like the texture, It does have AHA's in it so I was expecting a burn or a tingle or something but nothing! I actually find as I take a few seconds to emulsify the cleanser I feel like my skin absorbs it.I noticed that it looks like my pores are inflamed when it is on ( all my pores turn into red little dots) but it doesn't hurt and it go's straight away when I wipe the product off.

Daily Exfoliating Facial Scrub:

This really surprised me I didn't realise how abrasive this is compared to my older exfoliating cleanser (which was proactiv step 1 ) It wasn't pain full and it didn't burn I was just  really surprised by the texture hahaha.

I could actually feel the exfoliator penetrating my skin once I removed it (with the cloth of course) not only was my skin polished it actually had a sheen.

Moisturising Daily Defence with spf 30+:

Never in my whole life would I have ever thought that i would be using sunscreen on my face let alone DAILY! My experiences with sunscreen (kids sunscreen, oil free sunscreen, sensitive skin sunscreen etc) have been hell, I bought this know that it would be thrown in my beach bad to never really see the light of day. BUT I will try anything once and this BLEW MY MIND! I love it, completely mattifying, no oil threw out the day at all and it doesn't feel thick, it doesn't  even feel like I have anything on my skin. Also apparently sunscreen is the best anti ageing product..BONUS!

Clearskin Gel:

I'm pretty sure this is the product that has been minimising my pores and closing my open pores. This is quite a strong product, it does have a cooling sensation on contact with skin and it is recommend to use the soothing gel afterwards always.

Soothing Gel:

I'm quite familiar with this products from my past. I used to use it on my body when ever i had laser hair removal and bad sunburn, I'm convinced there is a tropical agent in it. I recommend every one try this product even if its for after the beach application only.

Deluxe Facial Cloth:

This smooths cloth is almost like a super soft  car shami, it almost squeaks as you use it to remove products, It doesn't hurt even after a super hard exfoliation and its easy to rinse out as well as absorb a

lot of water.

All up I'm very happy with my results with these products in whole. I don't get oily threw the day like I used to with my old products (proactiv three step system and proactic green tea moisturiser) I  don't feel like my skin is being dried out and my face is feeling more hydrated and plumper with more elasticity.

As it is early days I will be going a update in a week or two to compare.

Thank you for reading me!

A.H

Dr Lipp, Nipple balm for Lips

The love of my life! This is a beautiful shiny  lip balm that looks and feels like a amazing gloss. My lips are always dry and this balm can turn my dry cracked almost on the verge of  bleeding back to brand new in the matter of a 24 hours. It can be used under or over lipsticks, liners and other glosses! In the photo you can see that I'm only wearing Dr Lipp Nipple Balm for Lips on my lips :) /div>

My friends always joke about my nipple cream but after I force them to try it they fall in love <3

They only con's I can think of would have to be price $40 for 15 mls (even though a tube lasts me 5 months) and the fact that I don't use it as often as I should because I know no matter how dry my lips get Dr Lipp always fixes it in a matter of moments!

Definitely a beauty must have!

Thank you for reading me !

A.H

Miracle Mircohydrodemrabrasion!

Yesturday I tried for the very first time the Minivac Microhydrodermabrasion that is offered at most laser hair removal clinics. This facial is not for the faint hearted it isn't a "relaxing" or "unwinding" kind of facial although you do however get amazing instant results! I had my 45 min treatment early yesterday afternoon, during my brief consult the beautician referred to this treatment as getting carpet professionally cleaned (this made me a little worried) it started with a cleanse with a AHA cleanser the Microdermabrasion followed and then the Microhydrodermabrasion which feels exactly like the microdermabrasion but it is louder and harder to move along the skin so there is a little more pulling as well being cold and slightly damp. Next step was a series of eye creams and face creams which was not discussed prior so I don't know what they are but I do know that I looked in the mirror and not only did it suck off two or three years off my age but most of my old pimple scaring and under the skin bumps and lumps had vasnished! Not to mention the slight pigmentation around my t-zone, my face honestly lifted and my dark bags under my eyes where gone my large oily pores were minimized if not vanished and the smoothness and plumpness of my skin was as if I have had dermal fillers threw out my whole entire face! Too good to be true if you ask me, I would have believed it if I didn't experience it! Follow up care was not to wash that night and to stay away from facial exfoliators for three days and if I wanted permanent results I was to three more treatments two weeks apart. Which I bought and paid for there and then since it was on sale for $99 instead of the $150. I didn't have any pain or discomfort threw out the treatment at all, it stung a little after the eye cream went on I was a little red afterwards and you are not allowed to wear makeup for 48 hrs. I did how ever feel uncomfortable when I was in the shower, although the water wasn't touching my face I felt the little splash back drops of my chest stung like a b****! Also some products where recommended which I of course had to purchase which I will write another post about including a description of my skin and past products and treatments to compare. Thank you for reading me!