WOTNOT Facial Wipes review

Here's a quick review on a product I have been loving that I wanted to share with you all.

WOTNOT FACIAL WIPES  $7.95

This product is a natural organic facial wipe which contain no nasties but does contain all natural, thick cloths infused with Organic Aloe Vera, Sweet Almond, Jojoba and Rosehip oils.

Not only do these cloths cleanse your face thoroughly they calm irritations and moisturise as well.

I use facial wipes all the time and I thought that the redness and burning I felt was just part of using a face wipe.  Boy was I wrong, NOT with wotnot wipes.

These wipes contain 25 super thick cloths and where I would have had to use two cloths from other brands to remove all my makeup,  I only have to use one wotnot facial wipe.  Super moist and they don't dry out.  I love the way they make my skin feel, very cool and refreshing if you keep them in the fridge.  They remove every bit of daily grime, makeup and even waterproof mascara without irritating your eyes.  I find I don't even have to use as much moisturiser because my skin feels so soft and there is no tight feeling at all.

wotnot are an Australian eco-friendly company who sell biodegradable organic products and you can read more about them here and purchase online at EcoDirect here.

EcoDirect have some good specials here that you can take advantage of.  I purchased the following two Brush packs.

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Foundation Pack Special  $14.95

Eye Pack Special $27.85.

You purchase the makeup brushes and receive a free pack of facial wipes.

These makeup brushes are individually hand made with satin lacquered bamboo handles and synthetic fibre bristles.  They are very dense and feel great on your skin.   I am very happy with the quality and will be giving an updated review on the brushes once I use them a bit.

I recommend you give them a go.  EcoDirect sell a great range of natural organic products for baby and family, very reasonably priced and I don't think you will be disappointed.

If you have used wotnot facial wipes I would love to here what you think, please comment below.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Brush Review

I recently purchased two sets of Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Brushes from iHerb.  You can find them by clicking on the links.  The Base/Flawless Core Collection and  Your Eyes/Enhanced Starter Set.

I had heard good things about these brushes through blogs and reviews but wasn't that interested in purchasing as they are so expensive in Australia and I already have a massive brush collection.

When I saw them on iHerb for $17.99 each   I couldn't believe the price difference and thought I would give them a go.

The Base/Flawless Core Collection RRP in Australia is $44.99 - RRP iHerb is $17.99.

realtechniques.com

- contour brush
- foundation brush
- detailer brush
- buffing brush


Your Eyes/Enhanced Starter Set RRP in Australia is $39.99 - RRP iHerb is $17.99.

realtechniques.com

- deluxe crease brush
- base shadow brush
- accent brush
- eyeliner brush
- brow brush

The first thing I liked when I received this brushes was the sturdy case which doubles up as a stand just by flipping the wallet over and pulling on the toggle.

Professional looking brushes, aluminium colour coded handles in bronze (face) and purple (eyes).

The taklon brushes are soft but what I really like is that they are workable because of the dense bristles.  There is nothing worse than weak wishy-washy brushes.

Every single brush in these two collections is useable.  The only thing I would add in the base collection is a larger foundation brush, this one is too small for all over application.

In the face collection I would add a smaller base eye shadow brush and crease brush.  I found the ones in the kit to be too big and fluffy, GREAT for all over eye shadow application not so good for defined separate colours.

I really like these brushes, usually in collections you will find one or two brushes you will reach for every time but I have found that I pretty much use all of these brushes when applying my makeup.  Good brushes don't have to cost the earth and I would compare these brushes favourably with more expensive brands that I own.

There are individual brushes available too if you only want a couple of brushes but the collections are very good value and a great introduction.

You can find out more about Real Techiniques by Samantha Chapman brushes and makeup tutorials here.

For an even bigger discount for first time customers at iHerb apply code TUW872 at checkout for an extra $5-$10 off your order.

Please leave a comment below I would love to hear from you.

Lust Have It January 2013

LHI's effort for this month.

LOVE the box, it's fantastic.  Beautiful pattern and colour, love that it closes magnetically, can think of lots of things I might use this for.

I am hoping that next month's box will have a U on the spine so in the end LUST HAVE IT will be spelt out in a nice little collection of boxes.  If not maybe they will all be differently coloured like the bags.

LUSH COSMETICS - EMOTIONAL BRILLIANCE MAKEUP - RRP $24.95.  I received CONFIDENT Believe in Yourself, this is a gorgeous gorgeous Eggplant Purple, unfortunately too dark for my fair skin, I could never pull it off as a lipstick, eyeshadow or blush.  I am just going to admire the bottle from afar lol.......I am going to try this as a lip stain and then cover it in light lip gloss I think that might be wearable.  The only concern I have is that it doesn't seem to set and smudges everywhere!!  Sorry I couldn't get a good swatch of this, kept coming off brown on my camera and it is definitely NOT brown!

Also included was a card for a Free Emotional Brilliance colour reading in store and a free sample of make-up remover, unfortunately I live about 200km's away from my nearest Lush Store so I won't be able to partake of this offer.

lush.com.au

NUDE BY NATURE BB 5-IN-1 MIRACLE CREAM - 50ml, full-size RRP $19.95.  I received Medium.  I normally would purchase Fair but I can live with this, smells lovely, creamy hydrating texture, I will probably pick up a Fair and mix the two so I get the use out of this tube.  I generally use BB creams when I go for a walk first thing in the morning, covers the ghostly appearance of my pale skin as well as protection from the Sun.  I use quite a lot of BB cream as I work as an Athletics Coach, BB creams offer great coverage, sun protection and doesn't come off with perspiration, works best if you set with powder.

LUST HAVE IT KABUKI BRUSH - full-size RRP $19.95.  I don't know anyone who can't do without a Kabuki Brush, these brushes really are the best.  Lovely dense soft bristled brush, good one LHI!!

KLORANE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER - samples 10ml, RRP $9.95.  Formulated with Pomegranate and Mango Butter for colour treated hair.  Great,  but the samples need to be bigger for longer haired ladies such as myself.  Two teaspoons of conditioner just doesn't do it when your hair is down to your waist.

AVENE CLEANANCE SKIN RANGE - sample size,  prices start at  RRP$24.95.  OK I am just about Avene -d OUT!!  I have so many unused tubes in my sample basket, I just don't like the stuff.  This is also not for my skin type, these products are for oily blemish prone skin, I am mature dry skin,  this is where LHI"S lack of profiling their customers lets them down.

OK so besides the totally wrong skin care from AVENE, I am not too unhappy with my box this month.  In fact after seeing what some other lovely LHI customers received I am quite relieved.

What did you get this month and what did you think, let me know comment below.

Mirenesse Makeup Brushes Review

Recently I purchased some of the makeup brushes available from Mirenesse.

Powder - Blush -Foundation- Face Brushes
Smudge- Contour -Crease- Eyeliner- Eye Brushes
Cheek & Shadow Brush Duet with Caps

You can purchase these brushes individually or you can purchase in sets or as part of makeup kits.  I recommend that you purchase as part of a makeup kit because they are the best value.

Extremely well made professional looking brushes made with Taklon synthetic hair.  I have had no fall out from any of these brushes and they can be used with powder and creams.  Super soft bristles, picks up product effortlessly with even application and no streaks.  They are just the right size to hold and are easy to use.  Each brush is labelled with it's specific use but if you are like me who grabs the nearest brush they are interchangeable.

I actually like these better than my Sigma brushes.  Is that heresy??  I love my Sigma brushes honestly but I like these better.

Special mention are the Cheek & Shadow Brush Duets with Caps.  These are so handy to keep in your travelling makeup bag or even your handbag.  The caps keep the brushes clean and they don't come loose.  Both brushes are of a good size which makes them very usable, the blush brush is angled.  I own three sets of these and they would have to be my most used brushes.  You can also purchase a Powder & Concealer Duet but they are sold out at the moment so I don't have one to show you.

Mirenesse do have some other brushes available and some really good deals if you purchase as part of a set please go look here for more information.  Prices vary and the best deals are definitely when you purchase with makeup, after all the brushes are no good unless you have makeup to use them with, right?

Anyway I love my Mirenesse brushes I think you will too if you try them.

Please have a look at my blog on How to Clean your Brushes here.

I would love to hear from you please leave a comment below.

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

When brushes become dirty they stiffen, lose their softness and don't perform as well.  Dirty makeup brushes can harbour bacteria which can cause acne, eye infections and spread skin infections through open sores.  Each time you buff makeup into your skin you are working in bacteria, old skin cells, dust, dirt and oil that has collected on your brushes, yucky!

Clean brushes ensure smooth, even application of makeup and won't mix old makeup with new and effect the colour and tone you are trying to achieve.

Makeup brushes should be washed once a week.   I have a collection of brushes and when I have used a few for a week I transfer them to my 'dirty brush holder' and start using another clean set until I have enough brushes to do a big wash.   I like to use clean eye brushes daily for hygiene and product transfer as old shadow can change the new colour your working with.

I like to use a pump anti-bacterial hand soap to wash my brushes but you can purchase specialised brush cleaner or use baby shampoo, ordinary liquid hand soap, or any gentle 'soap free' cleanser.

What you will need:   Cleanser, a large bowl and a thick absorbent towel.

1.  Place a 3/4 rolled towel onto the draining board of a clean sink.

2.  Fill bowl with tepid water.  (hot water will cause the glue in your brush to melt and the bristles will start to fall out eventually)

3.  Pump a small amount of soap into the palm of your hand.  Just enough to form a lather.

4.  Holding the brush downwards, try to dip only the bristles into the bowl of water.

5.  Roll the bristles around your soapy palm forming a lather, gently use your fingers to work the soap in.

6.  Rinse soapy brush under the cold tap until the water runs clear.

7.  Gently squeeze bristles and flick brush downwards to remove any excess water.

8.   Smooth bristles to reshape brush and place on rolled towel, bristles facing diagonally downwards so any excess water can drain away.

9.  Repeat step 3 to 8 for remaining brushes.

10.  Leave brushes in a warm place to dry, rotate occasionally and smooth down any errant bristles, leave overnight or until completely dry before storing away.

Washing your brushes regularly ensures that they stay soft and in good condition, if you look after your brushes you should get many years out of them.  After all good brushes are expensive and you need to look after your investment.