Everyday Minerals Semi-Matte Base & Angled Kabuki Brush: I’ve been loving the finish of this foundation, because it’s semi-matte it gives a healthy glow and doesn’t look powdery. The angled kabuki is now my new favourite brush, it’s soft and because it’s large it makes applying the foundation quick. It’s also great for building up coverage.

W3ll People Elitist #87 Eyeshadow & EcoTools Smudge Brush: They eyeshadow isn’t pictured (sorry), but it’s a beautiful satin, taupe. I love using the EcoTools brush to smudge the eyeshadow under my lower lash line.

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Rose: This is great for everyday, gives the lips a healthy colour without being too much.

Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Handcreme: This is a rich cream that is great for really dry hands. Would also be good for winter as it leaves a protective barrier. You can read my review here.

Burt’s Bees Citrus Facials Scrub: The perfect amount of exfoliation, not too gentle, not too rough. Smells delicious. Review here.

MooGoo Skin Milk Udder Cream: I’ve been using this as a night time moisturiser. It isn’t heavy or greasy, but leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth in the morning.

Badger Evolving Balm now the Damascus Rose Beauty Balm: Another product I’ve been using as a night time moisturiser. Great for dry skin and the winter months. It’s emollient and soaks into the skin easily.

Burt’s Bees Energizing Citrus and Ginger Root Body Wash: Lathers well, doesn’t dry my skin out and smells like Lemon, Lime & Bitters. Yum.

What have you been loving lately?

-Hayley

*All products were purchased my me. These are my honest opinions, I am not being compensated*

Steam Facial: Steam facials are a simple and effective way of giving your skin a great deep down cleansing and detoxing. It helps soften the outer layer of dead skin cells as well as remove toxins, oil and other build up that can occur in the pores. It’s also said that the steam increases circulation which aids in cell renewal, which can speed up the healing process of blemishes. The cleaning out and opening of pores also allows better penetration of the products you use after the facial.

I add a few extra steps to my facial to get maximum benefits, after steam facials my skin is always softer and brighter.

Here’s what you do: (This can all be tailored to suit your skin and what you believe is best for you)
-First you want to thoroughly clean your face and make sure you remove all makeup. I use jojoba oil to make sure I get rid of all traces of makeup and dirt, olive oil also works well. You can use your favourite cleanser.
-Next you want a bowl of hot water, it can be below boiling point. Just place your face over the bowl and cover your head with a towel to make sure you trap the steam in. *It’s important to keep your face a good distance from the water to make sure you don’t scald your face. Water that’s too hot and close can damage your skin and cause broken capillaries. Start from a distance and slowly move closer to the water until you feel you are at a comfortable distance.
-You can add essential oils, herbs or dried flowers to the water. I actually added a herbal tea which contained peppermint, lavender and rose petals. While benefits from doing this are unlikely, it does make for a more relaxing and enjoyable experience. After having a crap day, this was a lovely way to wind down and relax. Great if you want something a little more indulgent.
-I usually steam my face for 10 minutes. Again this is up to you and what you feel is best.
-After 10minutes I wipe my face with a clean cloth.
-Next I apply a thin layer of oils (I don’t rub it in), I used jojoba and avocado oil (again you can use whatever you like).
-I steam my face again for an extra 5 minutes with the oils on. This helps the oils penetrate the skin better.
-After 5 minutes I lightly pat my face with a cloth and then rub the excess oil into my skin. You can always wipe the oil off.
-To finish of the facial splash your face with cold water to close your pores.
*You can use a moisturiser if you feel you need it. Using the oils is usually enough for me.
*You can also exfoliate either before or after the facial.

I’ve been loving this lately, it’s relaxing, softens my skin and leaves it brighter.

Green Clay Mask: This is the cult Indian Healing Clay and apple cider vinegar.
I’ve done a post on this already, so I’ll keep this short. Again this is good for detoxing and bringing impurities to the surface.

-Like the steam facial, thoroughly cleanse your face beforehand. You can even do a quick 5 minute steam before you apply the mask to open up your pores.
-I use ACV because it mixes better with the clay to make a smooth paste. You can also use water if you have sensitive skin.
-Because this is more intense/harsh than the steam facial, I only apply a thin layer to my t-zone when I suffer from blackheads
-I let the mask completely dry. Tailor the time to your skins needs/sensitivity.
-Rinse off with warm water and splash with cold water.
-Apply your favourite moisturiser.

So this is what I do when my skin is dull, congested and needs an extra boost. If you have any favourite masks or at home spa treatments, then let me know

-Hayley

I’ve been loving Acure Organics; they are natural, fair trade and certified organic. They have a great range of products for affordable prices, plus I love their packaging.
I will review everything once I’ve tried it out.

I used: 
-Quinoa (half a cup of uncooked quinoa for a single serving)
-Grated carrot
-Diced cucumber
-Corn kernels
-Feta cheese
-Fresh oregano, basil and rocket
-Halved cherry tomatoes
-Balsamic vinegar & olive oil for the dressing.

I really liked how the salad turned out, it was the perfect amount for one lunch serving. It was delicious and filling without being heavy, a lovely lunch for a warm summers day.

Let me know if you have any favourite recipes.

-Hayley

Here goes:

Rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 11 people!

11 Random Things About Me:
1. I have terrible sleeping patterns. I stay up late, wake up at 8am, nap during the day, go to work in the afternoon and do it all over again. I feel tired during the day and wide awake at night.
2. I am somewhat fascinated with bugs and small creatures. Spiders don’t worry me, I like to sit outside and catch moths and feed them to frogs, I like grasshoppers, beetles and stick insects, etc.  My boyfriends family hate anything like that and employ me to get rid of any creepy crawly’s that get into the house.
3. People are often surprised to find out that I’m not overly girly. eg. I like bugs, I enjoy camping, I loved playing in mud as a kid. I was on a school camp throwing around a football with some guys and my teacher was surprised that I was good at it. Seems a little ironic that I have a beauty blog.
4. Pink is my least favourite colour. Green is my favourite.
5. I make this high pitched screech that is horror movie worthy, which either scares or irritates my boyfriend. Either way, he hates it.
6. I’ve never broken a bone *touch wood*.
7. I am horrible at singing, so I compensate by trying to sing even worse. I was at work pretending to be an opera singer and a customer walked into the office, very embarrassing.
8. When I was a kid I loved building cubby houses and pretending to be a spy.
9. I don’t care for cars, but I like watching car shows/movies.
10. I love broccoli and at times eat just a bowl of it for lunch.
11. I have a perpetually runny nose and am well known for always having tissues on me.

11 Questions I had to Answer:
1 Where is your favourite place? Why?
Byron Bay. It’s a tiny costal town in New South Wales, I’ve only been there a couple of times but I love it. It’s a quite, relaxing, hippie type town with amazing scenery and beaches. It’s a great place to go to get away from it all.
A place closer to home, would be my bedroom. It’s decorated with things I love and it’s nice to sit in there while listening to music and burning incense.
2 How do you like to relax?
Being in my room, a cup of tea or sitting outside and watching the wild birds feed.
3 What is your favourite smell?
I love floral scents like jasmine, or the fresh smell after it rains.
4 What are your hobbies?
Probably art, but I go through phases where I paint a lot and then I stop for a while.
5 What is your favourite animal? Why?
I have this weird obsession with owls, which I am pretty famous for. Friends of friends know about my obsession and think of me when they see owls. I don’t really know why I like them so much though. As a kid I lived across the road from a park, and after storms baby owls would sometimes fall out of the trees. My family would take care of them until wildlife folk could come collect them. Or maybe it’s because I’m a night owl?
6 What was your favourite subject at school? Why?
This would be art. It’s the subject I got the highest marks in, the teachers were always fun and we got to drink tea and listen to music in class.
7 What is your favourite book?
I am sadly not much of a reader, I wish I was. There was one book I remember reading in school that I loved. It’s called ‘Mama’s Babies’ by Gary Crew. It’s a sad story, but I found it really interesting.
8 What was the last thing you ate?
Organic dark chocolate.
9 What is your favourite computer game?
I’m not much of a gamer either. But as a kid I LOVED the computer game ‘Commander Keen’, I’m also still a fan of the old faithful, Super Mario.
10 Are you more introverted or extroverted?
Extroverted. I’ve been told I’m pretty bubbly, plus I love meeting new people and socializing. I can be pretty loud and outgoing with people I am comfortable with.
11 What is your favourite song?
This is pretty tough, so I’ll go with a song which is on the album currently in my car. Gotye- In Your Light.

11 Questions for the People I Tag:
(I haven’t read any other of these tags, so hopefully I don’t double up on Q’s that have already been asked)
1. What is your dream job?
2. One of your favourite things from your childhood? Could be a friend, game, memory, etc.
3. Where would you love to travel?
4. Who is your favourite character from a TV show/Movie. Why?
5. What prompted you to start a blog?
6. What is one thing you always have to have with you?
7. Are  you more of an indoor or outdoor type?
8. What is one bad habit you have?
9. One person you would love to meet and why? This can be anyone in the world, past or present.
10. Do you have a guilty pleasure? If so, what?
11. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?

11 People I Tag:
Rola’s Fountain of Youth 
Free to be Natural 
Lovely CosMe
A Victorious War and Beauty Ashore 
Pure Makeup
Tested on Human
Drugstore and Bargain Lover
Sugarpuffish
Green Juice
Core Beauty 
Naturalla Beauty

Send me a link once you’ve done it

Hopefully you guys don’t mind reading something un-beauty related. If you have any other random questions for me, feel free to ask
Thanks for tagging me Hannah, it was fun

The first snack I’ve been loving is; fresh, diced mango with greek yoghurt, drizzled with honey and topped with chia seeds. I’ve been having this for breakfast or as a snack, everyday this week. It is light and refreshing, which is great for summer. I love the different flavours and textures; the mango is sweet and fresh, the yoghurt is creamy and tangy, the honey is sweet and gooey and the chia seeds give crunch. This is so simple and delicious, I have tried it with other fruits, but like it best with the mango. Yum!

Another little obsession of mine has been the Red Chai tea from T2. This rooibos blend includes almond and apple pieces as well as hibiscus flowers. The tea is fairly sweet and tastes great alone, but if I want something sweeter after dinner I add honey and milk. The great thing about rooibos, is that it is low in tannins, which means it can be brewed without ever getting that bitter taste. Plus its lack of caffeine makes it a great drink before bed. I’ve been loving this so much that I haven’t had a chance to try out the other teas I bought. If you’re a tea fan, and haven’t tried rooibos, then do!

Let me know if you guys will be interested in seeing posts like this every now and then?
If you have a favourite snack or drink tell me about it in a comment.

-Hayley

T2 Tea

Let me know if you guys enjoy the video and this type of topic.
I might start incorporating food/recipes into my blog/channel a little bit more.
Last year I was conscious about using safe, natural cosmetics; this year I will do the same with food

-Hayley

Acure has an impressive list of credentials:
- All of their products are 100% natural, with many of their products being USDA certified organic.
-  All of their products contain fair trade ingredients, with many products carrying the Fair Trade Certified label.
- They are cruelty free, all of their products are vegan (with the exception of their lip balm and line eraser)
- Acure Organics are carbon neutral, their packaging is either from 100% recycled paper or certified sustainable forests.
- And you can be assured that none of their products contain synthetic fragrances.
- Oh and did I mentioned that they also make donations to the Bright Pink Foundation, have so far planted 20 000 trees and support Farmland Trust which converts conventional farmlands into certified organic farms, as well as sponsoring small organic farms.

Not only are their body, hair and skin products full of amazing and beneficial ingredients, but they also look as good as the ingredients inside of them. It is often the case that the packaging of natural brands doesn’t always meet the standard of commercial products. It may be superficial, but good looking packing is a bonus. They are also in the process of converting a lot of their packaging to glass.

What isn’t there to love about Acure?
Here is what I have tried so far:

Radical Age Reversal:
 Radical Age Reversal Treatment
30ml/$25.90

This cream is an “antioxidant rich blend of organic botanicals, essential amino acids and vitamins” that will fight fine lines and wrinkles, while promoting new cell growth. While I can’t say too much about its age reversing properties, it does work well as a night time moisturiser. With the weather warming up I found that I was able to use something lighter, than the oils I was using previously.

This is a light cream, that absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving a residue. While it is light, I found it to be the perfect night cream for me, and gave my dry/normal skin enough moisture. It has a very subtle scent, that is pleasant and calming.

It comes in a recyclable cardboard box and is packaged in a glass, pump bottle. It is only 30ml, but it has been lasting me quite a long time. This is a treatment type product so it is a little bit more expensive than their other products, I can’t find it on their website anymore, but it is on iHerb.

Overall this has been a great night time moisturiser for the summer months. It gives my normal/dry skin adequate moisture and leaves my skin looking healthy and radiant.
Acure has a range of moisturisers to suit all skin types.

Ingredients: Organic curoxidant blend (organic euterpe oleracea (acai) berry, organic rubus fruticosus (blackberry), organic rosa canina (rosehips), organic punica granatum (pomegranate), organic calendula officinalis (calendula), organic matricaria recutita (chamomile), fair trade certified organic aspalanthus linearis (rooibos), prunus armeniaca (apricot kernel) oil, persea americana (avocado) oil, vegetable glycerin, prunus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, glyceryl stearate (vegetable derived), simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil, glucose (sugar), glucose oxidase & lactoperoxidase (milk & sugar enzymes), 0rganic chlorella pyrenoidosa (chlorella growth factor), organic oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oil, organic argania spinosa (argan) oil, hypericum perforatum (St. Johnswort) oil, essential oils of lavendula angustifolia (French lavender), citrus reticulata (red mandarin) oil, thymus mastichina (marjoram), anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile) & nardastachus jatamansi (spikenard), xanthan gum

Argan Oil:Argan Oil
30ml/$12.22

I just wanted to quickly mention this product, seeing I think most people will know the great benefits of argan oil by now.

Acure’s argan oil is 100% USDA certified organic, with $1 from each bottle sold being donated to the Bright Pink Foundation.
I use argan oil as a facial moisturiser and hair serum, it is a light oil and I’ve even used it under my makeup during the cooler months.
Argan oil can be quite expensive, but Acure’s argan oil is a great price, especially considering it is certified organic.  A little goes a long way, so this bottle will last quite a long time.

I highly recommend checking out Acure Organics, they have great quality products at reasonable prices.
They are also releasing body washes and a SPF face cream sometime this year.
I am loving Acure and have ordered quite a few more products from them, I’ll post a video once I get my order.

-Hayley

All products were purchased by me and these are my 100% honest opinions…as always.

Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme
2.0z/57g
RRP AUD$19.95/ US $9.00
100% Natural  

My hands are constantly dry, so I always have a hand cream with me, and this is my favourite hand cream yet. It is a very thick, white cream that soaks into the skin relatively quickly, considering how thick it is. I prefer my hand creams to be thick, rather than thin lotions. It has a cherry scent, that reminds me of candy, I think people with either love or hate it. It doesn’t bother me at all. It’s packaged nicely in a glass jar, which is great if you want to reuse or recycle the jar. It may not be the best packaging for hygiene purposes, but I am the only one that uses it, so I don’t worry about it. Overall this rich cream is great for dry hands and would be good for those experiencing winter. The scent and packaging may not be for everyone, but this works great for me and is the best hand cream I’ve come across so far.

Ingredients: prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, water, beeswax, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, kaolin, fragrance, citrus grandis (grapefruit) fruit extract, tocopherol, non-fat dry milk, chondrus crispus (carrageenan) extract, glycerin, glycine soja (soybean) oil, stearic acid, glucose, sodium borate, sodium chloride, sodium benzoate, glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase.

Burt’s Bees Citrus Facial Scrub
2.0z/57g
US $8.00
99.96% Natural

Like the hand cream, the facial scrub comes in a glass jar. It has a spicy scent, like pumpkin pie or fruit mince pie. This is a little different to scrubs I’ve used before; it has a moist, crumbly texture, which you scoop out and mix with water. I dampen my face, dry my hands and scoop a small amount of scrub out and mix with a few drops of water in the palm of my hand. I find the scrub to be perfect for me, not overly harsh and not so gentle it does nothing. If you have overly sensitive skin, I would be careful not to scrub too hard. My face feels refreshed and smooth after using this and it doesn’t leave my skin tight or dry. The only downside to this, is that it isn’t available in Australia, so I did have to order from eBay. But this is a great, effective scrub with a delicious scent.

Ingredients: glycerin, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) seed meal, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel powder, rosa damascena (rose) flower oil, carya illinoensis (pecan) shell powder, citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, myristica fragrans (nutmeg) fruit powder, eugenia caryophyllus (clove) flower powder, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, tocopherol, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, fragrance

I’ve been really enjoying these products and would highly recommend each of them. So far the only downside with Burt’s Bees is that; it’s about double the price in Australia compared to the US, and I’m having trouble finding US online stores that will ship Burt’s Bees internationally.  Also, not all of the products shown on the US site are available in Aus, like the facial scrub. I have made an order with vitaminlife.com which I am waiting to receive, so hopefully I won’t have any troubles getting that into Aus.

Thanks,
Hayley

*All products were purchased with my own money, these are my 100% honest opinions*