L'Oréal Paris - Colour Riche - Le Khol - Immaculate Snow

I like to use this for my water line (the thin line of skin between the eyeball and lower lash line). 
Putting white on your lower line makes your eyes look bigger (an extension of the cornea).

This pencil is soft enough to be gently pressed along the delicate eye skin,  but firm enough that it doesn't break off.

It is a good colour intensity (which is hard for white).

Overall, I can't fault it and is a good white eye pencil.

Price: 3/5 ($18.95 for 200mg)
Scent: 2.5/5 (no scent)
Effectiveness: 5/5

Daiso - Magical Triple Face Powder

This only cost $1.40... it was not worth $1.40

The packaging is nice: good mirror, sturdy construction.

There was no puff/brush included, which sucked.

The powder itself was an interesting colour choice: white (good highlighter) light blue (ok?) and mid blue (wat?).

I could get behind this, but there is too much glitter/shimmer in this powder to be a good all over face powder.

If i ever need to look like a zombie/dead this will be really handy but until then, this just makes your face look pallid.

I am SET to play the corpse bride one Halloween party.

Price: 5/5
Scent: 2.5/5 (no scent)
Effectiveness: 0/5

Coles - Compact Powder Puff

I use compact powders daily, it is what I have in my purse and even prefer it to loose powders when I'm at home.

So to cycle my powder puffs for cleaning, I bought some spares from Coles.

They come in packs of two, are a cute pink colour, and are made of velour.

I love the feeling of velour!

The puff itself is great and fits well into most compacts.

However it was not that well made and the ribbon on one of mine has all but fallen off.
It was cheap but take a little pride in your products!

Price: 5/5 ($2.30 for 2)
Scent: 2.5/5 (no scent)
Effectiveness: 4/5

Endone

Nerve pain (at least in the case of my arm and shoulder) is like pressing on a tack and having that signal of pain travelling up your limb, over and over again. It cannot be ignored. No paracetamol or ibuprofen can reduce it. It works through a mostly unavoidable messenger pathway that is responsible for your motion and senses. 

The only thing that helped when the pain was at its worst was oxycodone (Endone).
It is a strong pain killer and came with it's own draw-backs. 
It made me tired and sleep a lot. 
It made me less useful, less active, and dulled my ambition.
It has been linked with addiction (not something I personally experienced  after a month of use and not something I want to experience). 
It gave me dull headaches in the frontal lobe (with constant use) which stopped me from ever getting the taste for it.

But all these negatives were fine, if only the pain stopped.

I have other management systems now and will see the neurologist soon, but this was an angel in a time of need.

Price: Controlled medicine ($16.92 for 20 tablets)
Effectiveness: 5/5
Warnings: Addictive (you don't want to get addicted to opiates! I have seen someone weaning off them, it isn't nice), looses effectiveness over time.

Coffee Organics - Organic Coffee - Scrub

I received this in a Bellabox. It is essentially coffee grounds with a peppermint scent that you use to scrub your body.

Let's address the writing on the front of the package. This will NOT reduce cellulite or scarring and probably won't reduce inflammation. I can tell you this even without testing it.

Ignoring this, the rest of the packet it cute. A light aqua and white simple sticker on a foil, resealable bag. It is kind of reminiscent of the foil packages you can buy coffee in. 

The coffee itself comes from ground coffee and that which is recycled from coffee pods (reduce, reuse, recycle!). It is a good choice for a scrub since it is biodegradable and the coffee helps neutralise odours. The peppermint oil is a nice addition as well. 

I didn't like the suggestion that you leave it on your wet body for 5-10 min before washing it off. If you use it in the shower (which you probably would), 5-10 min is a LONG time to be shivering, cold and wet.

Like this, but you need to finish watching a youtube video before you change your clothes.

Overall, it was okay, but I'd love to see this come in a gel so the 'nutrients' in the coffee have already been extracted out and are readily available.

Price: 1/5 ($14.95 for an unspecified amount, maybe 300g?)
Scent: 5/5
Effectiveness: 2/5

Garnier - Micellar Cleansing Water

Micelles are spheres of fats that form when they are in water (or other hydrophilic substances).

Science!

Because they are non-ionic, the solution remains at a relatively neutral pH and is relatively non-irritating. And because there is both hydrophobic and hydrophilic components, it can remove both water-soluble and waterproof makeup.

Even if it drops straight into your eye, it won't hurt.

This was really nice to use, even for eye makeup. I can't really fault this product. Even the packaging is good. Cute, well designed, and leak-proof. What more could you want?

Price: 3/5 ($12.99 for 400mL)
Scent: 3/5 (very mild fruity scent)
Effectiveness: 5/5

Lacura Essentials - Organic Argan Oil - Cleansing Wipes

I picked these up from...

The pack of 25 was a good size, you wouldn't want any more because the flawed packaging encourages drying out. The problem with the 'resealable' packaging isn't unique to this brand, it is a cross-brand problem. The cruddy plastic flap will only really reseal five time, then it won't close properly. Fix this, people!

The addition of argan oil made these wipes more of a moisturizing finish. There was a residue left on the skin after use. So if you are looking for an 'all off' clean, perhaps give these a miss.

The wipes themselves were good though.

Price: 5/5 ($1.99 for 25 wipes)
Scent: 3/5 (mild, almost nutty)
Effectiveness: 2.5/5

Blackmores - Valerian Forte

There is nothing like a good night's sleep. Go without and you quickly miss it.

While I can sleep like a cat (+14 hrs, in various places around the house) I often have difficulty getting to sleep when I try to go to bed at a reasonable hour (9pm-11pm).

To aid this, I tried Valerian root. It gave me a 30 minute window after taking it before I felt its effects.
It made my mind slow down a little (not dulling, but calming), helped my muscles relaxed, and overall was quite effective.

I did like that if you didn't go to bed and work with it, it didn't knock you out. You can shake this off if you need to (sometimes emergencies arise).

The two downsides:

 - you can't take it too often. Your body eventually gets used to it. To make it effective again, you need to stop using it for a while (I found this took 5-7 days).

- Some mornings after taking it, if I didn't get 7-8 hours sleep, I felt sluggish.

Overall, it may be a good place to start if you are having a little trouble sleeping.

Price: 2/5 (RRP $36.49 for 60 tablets)
Scent: 2/5 (leaves a little bit of an aftertaste, but not strong)
Effectiveness: 4/5

And I done goofed!

Sorry for dropping the blogging ball! I was caught up in my Mid-semester test.

Back to the normal program!

:D

Daiso - Smooth Lemon Peeling Gel

I was using this totally wrong.

What you are meant to do:

- rub a pea size anount it into dry skin
- leave it for a few minutes
- rub off the dead skin

I was using it like a physical exfoliant in the shower (after I realised it wasn't a peeling face mask and was so sad).

Otherwise, it smells amazing (mmm, lemons) and was relatively cheap.

I'm kind of glad I didn't use it right though, I don't like the idea of removing too much of the dead skin cell layer. Not that this does that (I wouldn't know), but it is always in the back of my mind. 
It is, after all, a protective layer.

Price: 5/5 ($2.80 for 100g)
Scent: 4/5
Effectiveness: You know I can't comment on that :s

Deep Heat - Back Patches

Desperate for relief from my nerve pain, I tried these as a non-stinky, use during work solution.

It worked okay, provided you don't move too much (it doesn't adhere too well).

I would have liked it to have produced more heat, but I guess the manufacturers want to be sure no one gets scolded by it.

It works by the exothermic reaction of iron oxidation:  

4Fe(s) + 3O₂(g) → 2Fe₂O₃(s)

Which is why it starts to heat up when exposed to air.
If you are looking for non-stinky pain relief which you can use 

without fear of drug interacts, these are pretty good (if a little 

pricey).

Price: 2/5 (RRP $13.33 for 2 patches)Scent: 2.5/5 (None)Effectiveness: 4/5

Grace Cole - Boutique - Softening Hand & Nail Cream - Orchid, Amber & Incense

This smells so lovely! Incense is such a great addition to any scent combo.

As a hand cream, I found this to be too thin. 
It is a lotion not a cream.
I ended up using it as a body lotion instead.
As a body lotion, the results were great, very hydrating.

A better hand lotion is the hand therapy from Crabtree & Evelyn.

In a range of scents!

Price: 5/5 ($5.99 for 500mL)
Scent: 5/5
Effectiveness: 1/5

Avon - Anew - 10% Vitamin C Serum

I loved this!

I got so many comments while using this ("Are you ok? You look pale." = brighter skin) and I could see the improvement.

It smells citrus, oily, and slightly nutty. It soaks in well and skin immediately feel softer. 

Just remember to use it at night, as it may make your skin more sensitive to light.

Price: 2/5 ($35 for 30mL)
Scent: 4/5
Effectiveness: 5/5

Rexona - Clinical Protection - Antiperspirant Deodorant - Sheer Powder

You know how I feel about these types of antiperspirants, you can get a very similar effect from just putting it on at night and letting it soak into your skin. 

That aside, I hate the packaging of this! The holes of the grate are far too large for efficient product distribution. Chunks of the bar came off and fell down the inside of the container, never to be utilized.

I also left it aside for a week, to use a different antiperspirant, and it grew bacteria! Why does it support bacterial growth?!

Also, why do I want to smell like bland powder? Answer: I don't.

Price: 1/5 (RRP $14.73 for 48g)
Scent: 1/5
Effectiveness: 1/5

Zostrix - Capsaicin 0.025% w/w

This was one of the many things I've tried for my nerve pain.
It is a topical capsaicin cream, like pepper spray for your skin. Although to my disappointment, it doesn't burn much.

Don't put it on your food.

In terms of effectiveness for nerve pain, it seemed to work alright. It took the edge off.
I was tempted to try the 0.075% cream, but cost put me off.

It also leaves a residue on your skin which can get on your clothes.

<  I wish i could put a better solution hear, but I can't :'(  >

Price: 2/5 (RRP $19.99 for 45g)
Scent: 2.5/5 (none)
Effectiveness: 3.5/5

Same Product, Different Scent: The Body Shop - Fuji Green Tea Body Butter

This one is nice and thick, a great formula.

The scent is fresh and I would almost call it a mix of black pepper and aloe vera, it doesn't smell like green tea to me. But it's pleasant anyway.

Advent Calendar Opening - Snap Chat

Want to see what's in this Body Shop advent calendar? 

Follow along on snap chat for 24 days of fun! XD

username: mozmox3

Art break - House for Kitty S

Kitty S likes boxes, so as little side project, I made her a house.

We start with a box.

We then add paint, feathers, sting, some windows, and a kitteh.

Verdict: She likes to look out at the birds while hiding in the box.
Ma calls it her sentry box XD

Herbal Essences - None Of Your Frizzness - Shampoo

It has pictures of mandarins on the bottle, claims to be a mandarin orange fragrance but smells of peaches. D:

Why!? Why they do these things?!

Aside from being crushed and disappointed in the script, it cleaned well with a good lather.

I don't know if I can say this helped with hair frizziness, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, my hair did seem less frizzy.

Price: 4/5 ($4.95 for 300mL)
Scent: 2/5 (Why?!)
Effectiveness: 4/5

Art break - Easter Basket for Parents

I don't have kids but I do have parents! So this year, they got to search for an Easter basket.

I used a pre-made wicker basket.

Which I then put ribbons on and filled with tissue paper. 
I kept it to pastel colours, which is a common colour scheme for Easter.

Then I got some eggs, these are raw so they could still be used like normal.

To colour them, I used food dye.

I went for a rainbow theme: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. 

Once dry, I drew patterns on them with a white paint marker and put them in the basket.

Verdict: They loved it, Ma won (she found the basket).

Privacy protected: no one wants to be caught hover-handing with your wife... just embarrassing!

Essentials bu Faulding - Vitamin E Cream

Vitamin E is, among other things, is an antioxidant and is associated with tissue repair. 
How effective it is in topical treatment I cannot say. 
It is however popular and this cream is one example.

The cream itself smells wheat-like and clinical, not a nice thing to walk around smelling of.
The texture is thick, oily, and does not absorb well.

Overall, I don't really like this as it feels like it is trying to be a medicinal treatment and has ignored being pleasant.

Price: 5/5 (RRP $4.45 for 75g)
Scent: 0/5
Effectiveness: 2/5 (as a moisturiser)

Cinta - Colour Highlight Shampoo - Auburn

My sister (the good one) gave this to me as it wouldn't work on her hair. She has thick, straight locks. I have fine, super absorbent, crazy hair. I think you can already guess, this worked perfectly for me. XD

My sister VS Me

This shampoo can be used two ways. As a colour supporting shampoo or as a dye, the difference is how long you leave it in your hair.

The colourant is henna, so if you have and allergy be warned.

It smells soapy and not unpleasant.As a shampoo, it cleaned well and had a good lather.

Overall, this was a pretty good product (for me).

Price: 2/5 ($9.99 for 250mL)
Scent: 2.5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5

Lacura - Pedi Spa - Chiropody Pliers

Aldi!

I wanted a pair of clippers for removing hard skin that appears on the top of my fingertips near the sides of my nails. No, hand creams alone don't always help with this.

These clippers work perfectly. They are easy to position, the 'spring' can be adjusted so the clippers are open or closed (for storage), and they are sharp enough to cut.

Price: 3/5 (Can't recall, like $5?)
Effectiveness: 5/5

Lux - White Impress

Not all beauty products come from boutique stores or pharmacies, some come from $2 stores.
That is the origin story of this bar of soap.

It is a 'whitening' soap which is not usually sold in the Australian market. It smells like soap and some fragrance I can't identify but know I don't like. Lily, it may be stinky lily.

I wanted to like this, it was a bargain at $6 for four bars, but it left me itchy. It did clean well, perhaps too well, as my skin felt stripped of moisture. But to be fair, I can't use most bar soaps, they are too harsh for my skin.

I tried to soften its blow by putting it in a sponge. The theory was only the lather could then reach my skin. In practice it took a lot of effort to produce lather and I threw it all in the bin.

Sometimes, you get what you pay for.

Price: 5/5
Scent: 0/5
Effectiveness: 1/5

Podcast Review - Blame It On Outer Space

This is another podcast about conspiracy theories told to us by our 'enlightened' hosts Eric Szyszka and Ben Worcester. 

It is a fun way to learn about the conspiracy theories, myths, and legends of the world. There is also a story arch involving the hosts so you need to listen to it chronologically and there is a lot for you to catch up on.

It also features a healthy connection between sightings and 'jazz cigarettes'.

It is ranges from tongue in cheek to blatantly funny and you can listen to it any time without getting the heebie-jeebies.

Occasional guests often feature and a particular favourite of mine is 'Wilford Brimley'.

Why CAN'T I smoke my jazz cigarettes in here, String-bean? God-Dammit!

I adore this program and consider it an absolute gem!

Side note: If you ever wondered what it sounds like when my siblings and I talk nonsense, this is a pretty good approximation! XD


Rating: 5/5
Catagory: Conspiracy/Comedy

L'Occitane - Créme Perfectrice - A L'Extrait De Pivoine

Oh, why do you cost so much!? I love you so much!

I purchased this back when I was feeling down and didn't regret it at all!

First, the packaging is gorgeous. Pink and silver, the glass jar would look at home on a old Hollywood vanity.

The cream smells of peony, which is delightful. It is rich, absorbs quickly, and has the faintest pink tint (can you tell I love pink?)
It leaves skin feeling moisturised, dewy, and not suffocated. 

I love this so much! If I were rich I would use it every day.

If I were a rich man...

Price: 1/5 ($65 for 50mL)
Scent: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5

Lacura - Skin Science - Cuvée Royal - Neck & Decollete Mousse

Yes, it is an Aldi product! 

First, it come in a sleek container, packaging which I not only cannot fault but also love!

Look at this sleekness!

Second, it smells pleasant and mild. The texture is a rich mousse and a little goes a long way.

Third, I love the idea of taking better care of your neck. It sees just as much of the elements as your face but is often forgotten.

Price: 3.5/5 ($24.99 for 50mL)
Scent: 3.5/5
Effectiveness: 4/5

Cetaphil - Suntivity Ultra-Light Fluid Face - SPF 30 - 30mL

This is such a nice purse-sized container and was easy to use on the go.
The thin formulation made application onto the face/neck/arms quick and easy.

No unpleasant sunscreen smell, doesn't leave you overly shiny and has UVA and UVB filters.

Over-all, this Bellabox find is a gem!

The only draw back is the price. :(

Price: 1/5 (RRP $12.49 for 30mL)
Scent: 2.5/5 (little to no scent)
Effectiveness: 5/5