All about facials: Cleansers

Today I am starting a new series, this series of blog posts will hopefully help you understand the products you use, and how to choose the right products for your skin type.

For anyone who doesn't know what cleanser is used for, it is to remove any dirt, excess oil or makeup from the skins surface. Cleansers can be used on the face or body, and are best used morning and night to help keep your pores from becoming blocked.

Cream Cleansers

First up is the most popular cleanser, the cream cleanser. Cream cleansers may also be called milk cleansers or liquid cleansers. Cream cleanser can be used on all skin types, thats why it is so popular. I prefer using cream cleansers because they don't lather or foam, and they leave my skin feeling clean and not tight.

Some of my favourite cream cleansers include Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser and Neutrogena's Extra Gentle Cleanser.

Oil Cleansers

The oil cleanser is one of the newest trends, it works great for people who wear heavy or full coverage oil based makeup because the oil cleanser counteracts the oil base and removes it with ease. Oil cleansers are best suited for people who have oily skin or combination skin, as it removes the excess oil produced by the skin a lot easier compared to other cleansers.

A few popular oil cleansers are Shu Uemura Ultime 8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil and Clarins Total Cleansing Oil

Foaming Cleansers

Foaming Cleansers, also known as gel cleansers and cleansers that begin to foam when mixed with water. Foaming cleansers are best suited for combination or oily skin but stay clear of a foaming cleanser if you have dehydrated skin. You should never use a foaming cleanser on dry skin as it tends to dry it out more.

I have been loving the Vitis Vinifera Rejuvenating Gel Cleanser by Enbacci.

Bar Cleansers

Bar cleansers are more popular for body use, but can be used on body and face. The are basically a cleanser in a bar, with no soap added - because it drys out your skin badly! You can use bar cleansers on all skin types, including skin conditions such as eczema and acne as most bar cleansers have added antibacterial properties included.

Dermaveen and Neutrogena both make Bar Cleansers.

Balm Cleansers

I first heard of these when I attended a Lush event, and I was reluctant to try a balm cleanser as they look very greasy. They are a greasy product but thats what helps it get everything off the top of your skin. The greasiness feeling isn't left on your skin after you have washed it off. Balm cleansers are best suited for dryer skins, but can be used by all skin types.

My favourite balm cleansers are Trilogy Everything Balm which can be used as a cleanser and moisturiser, and Lush Ultrabland.

Micellar Cleansers

Micellar Cleansers, also know as cleansing water are a great option for people who don't want to add water to a product. They work great at removing both waterproof and non-waterproof makeup and can be used on any skin type, although Micellar Cleansers work best on oily skin types.

Bioderma's Crealine H20 cleansing water is defiantly a favourite of mine!

What is your favourite type of cleanser?

Review | Not Your Mothers Knotty To Nice Detangling Conditioner

I was quite surprised to find out that you could buy Not Your Mothers products in Australia, as I thought it was only available in the US. I had been wanting to try their products for a while now after seeing many you tubers rave about them. 

My hair gets extremely knotty, especially after I wash it and in the mornings when I wake up. I was so pleased to receive Not Your Mothers Knotty to Nice Detangling Conditioner* because I was sick of all of the knots!

Not Your Mothers Knotty To Nice Detangling Conditioner is best used in wet hair, but it can be used in dry hair as well. I used it in both, and it worked amazingly for me. You just spritz it all over your hairMy hairdresser dreads the time she has to comb my hair after washing it, because it is so long and gets really knotty; it takes a time long to to get the knots out, and it hurts as well!! Her detangler doesn't work as well as Not You Mothers Knotty To Nice, so I brought it along to my last appointment which helped a lot!

Not Your Mothers Knotty To Nice Detangling Conditioner has a nice smell, it is sweet but not too overpowering. Unlike a lot of leave in conditioners Not You Mothers Knotty To Nice doesn't leave a film or sticky after dew, it makes your hair super soft and hydrated after it has dried. The only problem I has with it was my bottle spritzer kept getting stuck, but I made it work.

If you are looking for a Detangler and leave in conditioner then I would defiantly recommend Not You Mothers Knotty To Nice, you can purchase it from i-glamour for $16.95.

Have you tried any of Not You Mothers products?

If so what are your favourites?

This product was gifted for consideration

May Favourites

Since it is June 1st I thought it was perfect time to show you the products I have been loving this past month. Sorry that they are all makeup, I didn't even realise until I put this post together.

First up are two Mac Pigments, White gold- which was a limited edition a couple of years ago and Melon. These two pigments were the first Mac products I tried out and I was pretty pleased with my choice. Over the last month I have been using these for a subtile orange/bronze smoky eye look for work. Not only is using Mac pigments easy, but they are so soft and lovely to blend it makes me want to purchase more.

I got this Pandora lipgloss as a gift with purchase, lets just say I do love my pandora bracelets. It is such a gorgeous medium pink that goes with any look. I have been gravitating towards wearing the Pandora gloss on weekdays and the Klara cosmetics Kiss Proof Lips in 01 on the weekends, especially layered over a bright lippy, you can see the amazing gold even better.

I purchased this Etude House blush in Strawberry two months ago and never would I have thought that I would love it so much. When I first opened it I thought that it would never match my skin tone but it is really build-able and gives me nice rosy cheeks. The first time I saw Benefits Rockateur Blush I had to get it, and I am so happy I did. This blush has easily become my go to blush, because it suits any look and is never too over powering. 

I have heard many controversial opinions about L'oreals False Lash Wings mascara, but over the last month it has been amazing for my lashes. My eyelashes are short and straight, and this mascara transforms them into long curled goddesses. Love this mascara!

I picked up Make Up For Evers Aqua Brow after seeing a review and tutorial on it and I don't know how I lived without it. This stuff actually makes me look like I have eyebrows. It is magical and I love how simple it is to apply. Urban Decays Primer Potion in Sin has been a long time lover of mine, I also love the eyeshadow Sin as well. Nothing compares to this eyeshadow primer, I will forever love it. 

Lastly is my favourite palette, my Inglot Freedom 10 palette. Since photographing this I have filled it up, and the shadows I have are:

395, 08, 154, 31, 406, 12, 37, 21, 409 & 421.

I didn't realise how cheap and amazing quality Inglot was until I went to Salon Melbourne. I have now establishes that I have an addiction with Inglot.

What were your May faves?

March, April & May Empties

Over the last three months I have been extremely busy, with moving and personal issues, and although I have been going through products I didn't feel it was  neccessary to put up a separate post for each month as there wasn't enough items to make a post. So here are all of the products I have used up over the last three months :)

Models Prefer Eye Remove Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - 

I wasn't a big fan of this as it is very oily and made my eyes sting, so I used this to wipe my hand after finishing my makeup as I often use my hand as a palette. I won't be repurchasing this product any time soon.

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover -

This eye makeup remover wasn't as oily as the models prefer one, but it also wasn't very good at removing mascara (non waterproof) so in the end I ended up using it to take the left over makeup off my hand. This was a gift so I won't be going out of my way to buy it again, considering I prefer Bioderma's Crealine H20 better.

Woolworths select clear pore deep cleansing facial wipes - 

I purchased these as I had run out of my favourite Neutrogena makeup remover wipes, but theses do not compare. The woolworths cleansing facial wipes are a lot dryer then my neutorgena ones so they drag across my makeup instead of removing it correctly. I won't be trying these out again.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes - 

I love these so much, I have been through three of these in the past three months, but I accidentally threw the other packets out. To read a full review on Neutrogenas Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes click here.

Revlon Professional Equave Blonde Detangling Conditioner - 

I absolutely loved this stuff, but unfortunately it got pushed to the back of the cupboard and forgotten. I found it a couple of weeks ago but it is defiantly out of date. I tried to search for it online but I think it has been discontinued so into the bin you go my friend. 

Bed Head by TIGI Urban Anti+dotes Shampoo - 

What drew me to this shampoo was the smell, it has an amazing sweet fruit smell that lingers in your hair for days. If you haven't tried any of TIGI's products then you won't know that they all have pretty fantastic scents, but I would totally recommend this product as I found it helped keep my blonde hair from breaking so much. I will be buying this again after I have used up my stash of shampoos.

Klorane Dry Shampoo - 

When I spoke to my local Klorane rep she mentioned how Klorane ttys to reduce the itchiness dry shampoo causes, and I do agree I found my head less itchy whilst using this product. The downside is that it is more then $5 more then Batiste which isn't a lot of money for a normal person, but it is to me as I am tying to save for a house. So for now I won't be buying Klorane's dry shampoo unless it is on sale.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Fresh - 

I have been a long time user of Batiste, starting off the with Tropical scented dry shampoo and then moving onto the Fresh scent when it came out. The fresh scent is my favourite as it is not too overpowering, and i think sometimes the tropical can be too strong for me. I have already purchased a new can of this :)

Lush's Ro's Argan Body Conditioner * - 

I recently wrote a review on this product because I love it that much! It is a great body conditioner, and I recommend it to anyone who suffered with dry skin, especially with winter coming up you're going to need it! To read my review click here

Smart Value Makeup remover cotton pads X2 - 

I found these at BigW for $2 and had to get them, turns out they are really good value for money and also really hard to find. I have purchased a few packets of these just incase i can't find them in the future.

Daiso Detergent for puff and sponge - 

This is a well known beauty secret now, as it is so cheap and effective which is why everyone loves it, including me. Really good at removing makeup from makeup brushes and sponges.

Avene Micellar Lotion Sample - 

This has been talked up to be very similar to Bioderma's Crealine H20, but it didn't match up to me. I mainly used this to remove makeup from my hand and wouldn't purchase the full size.

Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Finishing Powder - 

One of my Holy Grail face powders, and so cheap! Really love this stuff and have already purchased a new one.

Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer - 

This is a really good primer, and smells amazing like the rest of the flower perfection line. Unfortunatley Bourjois have discontinued the flower perfection range so I cannot re purchase it.

Nars Light Reflecting Setting Powder - 

I purchased this online and didn't realise it was a dupe for the Australis ready set go, so I was pretty bummed but I used it all up of course. I won't be re purchasing this because of the hefty price tag.

Physicians Formula Mineral Correcting Powder -

I grabbed this last year while it was on sale and finally got around to using it in march. This powder really does correct redness, but it did make me look a little pale in photos. I would purchase this again if it is on sale.

Essence Stay Natural Concealer * - 

This Concealer is quite moisturising so it was really good for under the eyes, and it did a good job at hiding my bags. I would consider re-purchasing this after I have gone through my stash of concealers.

Bath & Body Works PocketBac in Crimson Plum - 

These are amazing!! I only have 4 of them left which saddens me because it is quite an effort getting them from the US. If you haven't tried any of the Pocketbacs then I suggest you do ASAP!

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer - 

Another Holy Grail item of mine, which I love to death. This concealer is oh so wonderful at hiding my old acne scars on my cheeks and chin. Love this stuff!!

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara sample - 

I am so happy I tried this out as it is not something I would of purchased before trying a sample. This mascara really is great at volumizing and lengthening my flat lashes. I cannot wait to get my hands on this again.

All products marked with a * were given to me for consideration, all opinions are 100% honest.

Top 5 Lush picks

Lush is one of my favourite brands, not only because their products smell amazing and are handmade, but Lush also don't test on animals, and they source their ingredients from smaller farmers in less fortunate countries. This warms my heart, and makes me love Lush as a brand so much more.

With winter approaching in Australia, all I want to do is sit in a nice warm bath and read a book all day. Unfortunately I am an adult who has to make a living for herself so I cannot do this, but I am going to share with you my top 5 favourite Lush products, in hope that you can enjoy them just as much as I do!

Now these aren't in any specific order, I love them all equally.

As mentioned above I love baths, so of course a bath bomb is going to be in my top 5.

This one is the Sex bomb bath bomb, and let me tell you the name fits perfectly. This bath bomb smells like lollies, so sweet that I want to smell it all day. When it has finished fizzing in the bath, it leaves a cute paper dissolvable flower which is a nice little touch to my bath. If you haven't tried the Sex Bomb yet, you MUST buy it now for $6.75

Believe it or not, bubblegum lip scrub was the first ever product I tried from lush. Since first trying it I have been through 6 tubs of this, can you tell I love it? I use this every day, and it is amazing at smoothing your lips before applying lipstick, or even just before bed.

Grab Lush's Bubblegum lip scrub for $9.95 here

I recently posted a review on Lush's Ro's Argan Body Conditioner so I won't go into much detail about this but this stuff is AMAZING. you can read my review here and buy it for $32.50 here

Bubble baths are my second favourite kind of bath, and I couldn't imagine a bath without my beloved Candy Mountain bubble bar. I think this is a limited edition one so I do apologise. Candy Mountian smells just like snow fairy, so it is very sweet, and smells like fairy floss. YUM! If you ever come across Candy Mountain at Lush then I suggest you pick one up, you don't want to miss out on this amazingness. 

My last top 5 Lush product is Honey I Washed The Kids Soap. This soap is not only my favourite soap, but my boyfriend has taken to it as well, I think I might have to get him his own one. As you can guess this soap smells like honey, because it is made out of honey. 

You can buy a piece of Hone I Washed The Kids soap for $6.95 here

So much Lush Yumminess in one post, it makes me want to go and use all of these products at once.

What are your top 5 Lush products?