Dermalogica Precleanse VERSE Napoleon Perdis Foaming Makeup Remover | Product Comparison Review |

For the past six or so months, I have been playing with the idea of 'precleansers'. I am ADDICTED to my Mary Kay 3 in 1 Timewise Cleanser (click on pic below for a review by @jordysbeautyspot [a fellow Australian blogger and friend of mine] below). This cleanser is my holy grail cleanser and I simply do not think i could live without it! I love that it is 3 in 1 and so saves me time and money by removing my makeup, cleansing my skin and providing it with a daily light exfoliation all at the same time! 

 

 So with one product which does all of the above there is simply no need to go out and buy an additional precleansing product to remove your makeup. But alas. The curse of a beauty blogger. I just haaaddd to go out and test some of the precleansing products on the market. Come on guys. I had no choice. I did it for you. ;) ...One of the greatest things of being apart of the Australian beauty blogging and vlogging community is that it is a FANTASTIC excuse to just buy buy BUY and always be trying new and exciting beauty products. I can justify my beauty product/shopping addiction with the fact that I am helping people be reviewing the product... haha

So the first precleansing product I chose to try was Dermalogica's PreCleanse.

Now, initially I had issues with this product. SERIOUS issues. I had the worst outbreak of ACNE of my entire life around the time I was using this product. It was seriously that bad. I stopped using this product (and all the products I was using at the time of the outbreak) and switched up my skincare. This essentially cured my ACNE, along with various other measures I was taking which can be seen on my ACNE vlogs on my youtube channel. However, since then I have one by one been trying each of the products trying to isolate which product it was that sparked my ACNE. And I think I have isolated the product. It was the Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash I was using at the time. It was simply too harsh a cleanser for my skin. I have a feeling though that this precleansing product did not help the situation, contributing high oil content daily to my face. This is an oil based product so it makes sense that if you are someone with acne sensitive skin or oily skin this may not be the product for you. It does, however, effectively remove your makeup. I have tried this product on waterproof and standard makeup as well as foundation and eye makeup and all is removed effectively. The product works by first massaging the product around your face without any water for around a minute. Then adding some water to the mix. The substance turns a milky a colour once water is added and removes all final traces of makeup (often I feel this is the waterproof makeup dissolving part of the process). Finish by washing the product of the face. Your face is left feeling a little bit oily yes, which I suppose would be quite lovely for a dry to normal skin and would replenish the skins moisture balance. However, for an oily skin (or even combination skin if you are worried about oiliness) I would not recommend this product. With the oily residue however comes the most silky finish your skin has possibly ever felt. Restored and moisturised with the oils of the product, your skin feels supple and soft. As the name 'precleanse' suggests, this is just the initial step of a skin care routine; breaking down the organic compounds of your makeup so that your cleanser (the next step) can penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin. The biggest plus this product has going for it is its scent. It smells so divine it could be confused with an Aromatherapy Co. product! Beautiful for an evening (when its use is intended) as the scent is so soothing and calming I am certain it puts me to sleep! The fragrance of the product is Lavender and Chamomile, a combination from another world. Heavenly.

Secondly, I have been trying out the Napoleon Perdis Foaming Cleanser. 

This product would be a much better option for those of you who experience Combination - Oily skin or even ACNE sensitive skin. It is of a lightweight, foaming texture and smells of Marshmallows. The Pump Top packaging makes the product easy and mess-free to disperse, in comparison to the Dermalogica Precleanse which can leave you with runny, slimy oil EVERYWHERE. However, I do not feel this product removes makeup as effectively as the Dermalogica product and definitely does not feel as luxurious on the skin or leave such a lovely soft and silky finish.

The Verdict:

Both products remove both waterproof and standard makeup to various degrees. With the Dermalogica product being the most effective of the two. If you are looking for something with a luxuriously soft finish and do not mind the oily residue, I would opt for the Dermalogica product as I do believe it is the more superior of the two. However the Napoleon Marshmallow Foam is an appropriate alternative for those of you with a more oily, or acne prone skin type who still wish to partake in the precleansing process. 

Let me know which of the products you use and which you prefer.

Adelaide - City of Churches, Home of the Serial Killer

I’m from the city of light, with a sky of vanilla,
Known as the city of churches home of the serial killer,
And in the summer it feels like a hundred degrees...
And in the winter, the city sleeps dead in the freeze.

Australia's very own Hilltop Hoods sing these words about Adelaide, or so I have been told. Not being one to follow the aussie rap scene too closely I cannot verify that these words were written about that city. All I know is that when I returned home from my recent trip to Adelaide, almost everytime I mentioned the Australian capitol city's name I was met with the words "city of churches, home of the serial killer."

Those words sing lyrically of a side of Adelaide I did not see. The weather was neither a hundred degrees, nor did we freeze. Our August trip down to the southern underbelly of the nation was met with the most divine weather; a warm springtime breeze with clear skies and a beautiful sun. A very different Adelaide I saw, to that which the 'Hoods' rap about.

Flying in over the city I was amazed at the size of Adelaide. Coming from the South Coast of NSW, I expected Adelaide to be on par with the hugeness of Sydney. I was surprised at the seemingly quaint community I could see from the sky.

God blessed us with a terrific display of His majesty from the sky coming into the city, with a stunning skyline sunset which made me fall instantly in love with Adelaide.

We quickly discovered Adelaide's main industry, wiiinnnneeee. Oh wow. New South Wales wine simply does not compare to the grandeur and deliciousness of South Australian wine. We had many a glass over the course of our three night stay with my boyfriend's family. On the Saturday, the whole experience seriously was a weekend from heaven, we ventured out into the Adelaide Hills and wandered into Barristers Block, a gorgeous winery set on a gorgeous acreage of pristine Australian countryside. I am not to sure whether it was the season of Spring or what but the land was immaculate, the wine of course wasn't too shabby either... Nothing quite compares to a South Australian glass of Sparkling Red in the Adelaide Hills on a balmy Saturday afternoon, mid spring.

As for the nightlife of Adelaide. Well. Lets just say we were impressed and we had a ball. We found ourselves in a fancy little bar called Distill which was just up our alley. Perfect, on the downstairs, for a few quite drinks. And then upstairs is awaiting and calling your name for when those drinks have hit and its time to dance! Unfortunately, we were unaware that upstairs existed until the next day, but loungeing around on the first floor with our Champagne Cocktails suited us just fine for a Saturday night in a foreign city. A few of the other nightlife spots we checked out included Apple (highly recommend for a good dance floor, popular location), an underground bar with a signature blue drink and a retro club up a spiral of staircases called Suga.

 The trip finished off with some nice cuddles on the lawn at a picnic with my boyfriend's family to celebrate Fathers Day down at the local park.

All in all we had a dream trip and Adelaide quickly rose to become my all-time favourite Australian city. Its just so cute and quaint and pretty yet sophisticated. The perfect blend of all the best Australia has to offer. Adelaide, we will be seeing you again shortly im sure.

The Age of the Blog

Something Lauren Curtis, Australia's top beauty vlogger, said recently has been echoing through my head. She said that she is constantly haunted by the thought of what will happen to her when blogging and youtube go out of style and die the same inevitable death that Myspace died.

It got me thinking, are we living in the age of the blog?

An age is just a passing fad, a generational definer, a marked period of time, a fleeting moment. An age can go out of fashion faster than one can blink and definitely faster than my little brother can pass the salt and pepper shakers.

I remember the first moment I ever experienced this magic thing called 'THE INTERNET'. I was young, quite young, maybe 6, I can't remember. We were waiting for a boat? Hmmm, where were we and why were we waiting for a boat? I'm not so sure. But what I do remember was this magical thing called www.barbiegirl.com! There was a computer in the terminal and the computer had free internet. My dad had just had an explore around and had quickley run to get me to show me this new and popular thing called the internet. Being the fantastic father he is, actually after 6 years of long hard labour I finally had him well trained into shape, he searched 'Barbie' in a search bar, that was not google (Heavens forbid) as google was yet to make its grand appearances on the internet scene. I played and played and played, as we waited for our boat and I fell in love with this magical thing called the internet, on which i could play with an electronic barbie doll. Could there be anything more divine to a 6 year old girl? I think not.

These things to a 6 year old are magic, pure magic.

I remember when my uncle (who's not really my uncle, just one of those crazy family friends that your parents make the executive decision to call an uncle because they are so close they could practically be family) called my dad and told him to start using an AMAZING search engine called 'google'. He said it would be the next up and coming victory of the digital age. My dad told him he was crazy to think all the world was going to use the one search engine. Ahhh darling dad you clearly overestimated the intelligence and capacity for diversity of the human race.

Next, I remember in year 7 MSN was all the rage, instant messenger. I had my boyfriends and my friends all lined up for hours of chat each night after school, I couldn't get enough. Then i got banned. Yes. I am the girl with the overprotective parents who put our families computer in the kitchen so they could monitor our every internet click and also banned MSN so I could focus on studying. In year 7. So what did I do but discover the magic of Meebo. Meebo basically was a third party website which facilitated for MSN chat conversations without looking like MSN. Yes, I was a sneaky minx.

It didn't take long for my parents to discover I was pulling one over on them and boy did I get in trouble. Oh and I forgot to mention that around that time, early social media websites were beginning to emerge, for 13 year old me that meant Bebo. Pretty sure my profile still exists. Remind me to delete that before my 21st (which by the way I am getting the worlds BEST PRESENT EVER for, wait till I blog about this one!!!!!!).

Myspace was all the rave around the time I entered into year 8/9. I, of course, had an account, complete with twelvie selfies (lets not kid ourselves now, check my instagram today [@kattrap93] and you will find nothings changed...) and a bit of simple plan blasting on my insite mp3 player. I was da bomb.... Literally... 2 kewl 4 skewl.

 Myspace was soon taken over by facebook, a much more highly advanced and sophisticated form of social media. I remember thinking it was boring and for adults, but before I knew it I was using it too. I still claim, however, to this day to be one of the first people to make the switch. But half the world seems to make that same claim so it kinda looses its validity...

So we had internet, games, google, MSN, bebo, myspace, facebook...

And now blogs. Video blogs (hosted predominantly by youtube) and written and visual blogs (popular on wordpress, blogspot and tumblr). I was just on a website called blogchicks (www.blogchicks.com.au) dedicated to the blogs of Australian women (of which I am one, it should mention that somewhere on my blog I am sure). The website has categorised heaps of Australian blogs and I am simply amazed at how many topics women find to write about. I am 99% sure blogs are the 21st centuries biggest form of procrastination. We are women. We want to avoid doing something, so we write. I find it rather classy, rather romantic, and i'm glad we do it.

I'm happy to live in the age of the blog. I find it fun and exciting. Its cool seeing all the millions of topics and areas of interest and passion people are into across the globe and seeing how they visually and linguitically express themselves through the medium of a blog, a personal website. I am a beauty and lifestyle blogger but I do find myself wandering often into lifestyle, home decor, cooking, weddings (yes especially weddings!!), crafts and lots more. I find the world of the blog a fascinating and endless place and I am happy to reside in it and waste away my time whilst procrastinating from the more pressing and urgent matters of life.

Inevitably the age of the blog will come to an end but always one to keep spirits high and be positive about life (seriously check out my youtube video on how to keep positive) I do not believe this a bad thing. In the same way that your sad when iOS7 comes out because you love your current operating system and it seems super fugly, you know that its only onwards and upwards from here. Apple aren't going to bring out a dud. And if they do whats the worst that could happen, apple will go broke and a better company will rise up to carry on the batten. Time ticks on. Days move forward. The world progresses further. Never backwards always foreward. Dont worry, iOS7 will soon either grow on you because everyone will have it (mass manipulation - I see a communist world thrust on us next!!!) or will be improved, either way you will be happy.

So lets rejoice in the age of the blog, knowing yes it is fleeting, but it is a heck of a fun way to express yourself and read up on the world and peoples interests today. Embrace the age of the blog. Be fully emerged, fully relevant, fully present. 

NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO

My Perfume Collection

Man I'm craving chocolate!!!!! 

But that's totally besides the point (but definitely the more pressing issue of the moment!). This blogpost is all about my fragrance collection.

If you follow my YouTube channel @beautyconsultancy you will know and be familiar with my OBSESSION for scents! I believe there is SUCH power in a smell. It can spark a memory, a response or transport you to any given memory at any given time! For that reason I allocate a specific perfume/scent to very specific memories. For instance I wear the one perfume to work, a different one to prac in schools, and then a different one for all the other time in each season! At the moment I am wearing Elizabeth Arden's new fragrance 'Untold' as my Spring 2013 perfume and my Spring 2012 perfume was Marc Jacobs Lola! 

The benefit in allocating specific scents to each season is that Spring 20132, for example, was the season I got with James my boyfriend. And whenever I get a whiff of Marc Jacobs Lola I get a funny feeling in my tummy about him and get instantly transported back to that sensation of young love.... It's utterly thrilling!!!!

I will be uploading a video to my YouTube channel soon of my fragrance collection so make sure you go and subscribe so you can get an update when that goes live! Also follow me on twitter @kattrap93 as that will alert youtube when that video is uploaded :) 

For now, I have taken a pretty picture of my fragrance collection which I will link below for you all to see!

But I want to know from you, my read, my follower, my friend, what perfume are you currently wearing and how do you wear perfume? Do you change it up day by day, does it match your mood or do you like me allocate specific smells to specific occasions in the hope that it will one day spark a powerful memory?

La Charme Lash Adhesive Product Review

So lets have a little chat about this product...

OOOOOUUUUUUCCCCCHHHH!

Hooley dooley does this stuff sting!! For something that is made for the sensitive eye area (and this is coming from someone who does NOT have sensitive eyes!!) you would have thought the makers would have gone to more of an effort to make it eye area friendly!!!!

The picture below pretty much sums up my reaction to this product.

I really really wanted to like this lash adhesive which i picked up from Sydney Imats last year (2012). I purchased it along with some fake lashes (which for the record I quite enjoyed) and some lash curlers (also, not bad). However, this La Charme Lash Adhesive (for those of you who do not know that is simply the technical name for lash glue that attaches your falsies to your lashline) is a painful and inappropriate product for the eye area. It even says in a big label on the front DO NOT BRING INTO CONTACT WITH THE EYE... bit hard for a lash glue!!!! You would have thought that would be something that would have come into consideration in its design that it should not contain anything harmful to the eye area, considering that is precisely where the product is designed for!

Feel free to test out this product or leave me your own thoughts and opinions below but from my point of view and in terms of my recommendation this is a product to steer clear from.

Quickie Review: KMS Curl Up Styling Mouse

This product, seen in image below, did wonders for my hair this morning!! 

A few quick squirts of the slimy substance into my hands was enough to brush through the ends of my damp hair. As I blow dried my hair I curled and twisted the ends to create this desired effect.

Beautiful, natural, EASY AS curls!

Xx

Kat

Top Fragrances for Spring 2013

Ode to Spring 

By beautyconsultancy 

Yummy! Spring is upon us! Traditionally I have alway said my favourite season is the transition between seasons itself! That lovely moment in time when you begin to get just a taste, a tease, a glimpse of what the new and exciting season of change has to behold!

However, of late I have come to fall in love with the season of SPRING! The hope it brings, the splashes of colour, the promise of a long awaited summer! And Spring has held beautiful moments in store for me in more recent times! Spring last year I started dating my boyfriend un officially, who I could not possibly be more in love with if I tried!

Spring, as Robin Williams suggests, is natures way of saying "lets party!" Filled with colour, excitement and a love of life.

Spring in the country and in the garden is most incredible too! With Ruth Stout remarking, " if I could greet Spring anywhere it would be in a garden".

If you have time, google some poems about Springtime, my golly do they get you in the mood for spring! The season has certainly inspired some beautifully crafted words over the past several centuries!! 

Magazine Cosmo, suggests that 'Spring is all about renewal', so find something FRESH to shower yourself in as a light and rejuvenating scent! Let your person represent the change in season going on around you as we leave those cooler, darker, more sensual months and move into the warmer, fresher, lighter springtime!

Try something new! Spring is the month of birth and creation! So why not step a bit outside your comfort zone this month with a new fragrance!

Some Springtime Favs of 2013 so far have been:

1.Chloe's L'Eau De Chloe

2.See by Chloe

2.Chloe's Endless Love 

(You can see I am currently having a Chloe fragrance obsession!!!)

4.Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh

5.Marc Jacobs Oh Lola

6.Marc Jacobs Honey

7.Marc Jacobs Dot

8.Valentino Valentina

9. (My personal scent of spring 2013) Elizabeth Arden's 'Untold'

10. Something Blue by Oscar De La Renta (a BIG hit this season!)

11. Vivien Westwood's 'Flirty Alice' 

12. Prada's 'Candy'

13. Robert Cavalli's 'Acqua'

14. Gucci's 'Gorgeous Gardenia'

15. Actually any perfume in Gucci's new collection ' The Flora Garden'

These are my top 15 perfumes for spring 2023.

Why don't you pick one and enjoy some online shopping and spoil yourself!

On that note, fragrancenet.com have 20% off all perfumes today only :)

I went with Elizabeth Arden's 'Untold' this season which comes with a gift pack from Myer and A Swarovski necklace :) 

Let me know what you choose :)

Have fun making your selection!

Xx

Review of Napoleon's 'In the Flesh' Luminous Lip Veil

My goodness what a beautiful lip product this is. I attended a Napoleon Perdis VIP Event last night and as a thank you was given a take home bag of goodies. I was thrilled to have inside the Napoleon lip Veil, in the shade In The Flesh.

This is a brilliant nude lip colour which I instantly fell in love with when the MUA at the event used it on her demonstration model. WOW. I don't think ever have I found a more adaptable Nude colour. This lip veil literally suits everybody!! It works with the natural colour of your lip to create the perfect nude lip suited to you. Magic you say?! No! It's Napolepn!

The texture is beautiful and glides on like a dream, not sticky at all and definitely not playing the age old Venus fly trap for your hair! It doesn't smudge when you eat or drink though the colour may diminish being such a light shade, but that's no probs just carry the gorgeous little lip gloss around in your purse.

There's no need for a lipstick underneath and the pigment is powerful enough to fend for itself. Although the shade would compliment a pink or nude lipstick quite nicely. In the pic above though I am wearing it on its own and you'll find it quite flattering on me in sure!! ;) 

The packaging is gorg. Highly sophisticated with the gold and black detailing, feels really worth your money in your hand before you even apply the product itself!

Find below. Swatch of this gorgeous nude shade 

Isn't it lovely!! Highly recommend this staple nude lip gloss. It will not only become one of my all time Favs I'm sure but will also make for a staple nude gloss in my makeup artist kit 

How to clean your makeup brushes

Affordably, hygienically and efficiently

So. It's that time again. Time to clean my brushes. For those of you following my Instagram (@kattrap93 see link to the left) you will have already heard the news and seen live update pics of the brush cleaning process. As a makeup artist his HAS to be one of the most mediocre parts of the job... No fun. I often have people at Mary Kay parties and makeup job clients and just friends in general ask me how to clean their brushes. Obviously this is very important, especially as a makeup artist because you need to ensure that you are not going to be spreading any nasty germs!!! This blog post is going to go through with you how I clean my brushes and the products i use in doing so with the I intention Of answering some questions and helping you guys out.

You will need:

 

Your brushes

Shampoo and conditioner... Yes you heard me!!

Artiste Brush cleaner... This stuff is magic it sanitizes, kills germs and bleeds all the colour out of the brush between makeup jobs when you don't have time for a full clean!!!! Available at Priceline for $10

Paper towel- and LOTS of it!!

Fresh air a. So the powerful antiseptic smell doesn't knock you out b. so the breeze can hasten the drying process!

Procedure:

Your going to want to set yourself up with a workspace (i use the vanity in the bathroom, close to tap and running water access) and allocate about an hour (more or less depending on the number of brushes you own/need to clean) for this activity.

create two half meter long trains of paper towel ( I place one on either side of the basin to avoid confusion) the train to your left is going to be used for bleeding the pigment and left over colour out of your brushes and the train to the right is going to be used to lay down your brushes for drying. 

For each brush, and yes you need to do the each individually, you will first want to spray soak it with your artiste brush cleaner and then wipe the brush on your left paper towel and watch as all the leftover colour bleeds out of your brush. It's magic, I'm telling you go invest in this product you won't regret it!!

Then fill the basin with hot to boiling water (great for killing germs) and soak the bristles your brush but be sure not to get the ferrule wet as this will overtime cause the brush to shed and fall apart. I will insert a picture below demonstrating the anatomy of a makeup brush. Remember to only work with and wet the bristles in this procedure that is vitally important to ensure the longevity of your brushes!

Then get some shampoo (any brand will do, I use Herbal Essence simply because that's what I use in the shower for my own hair and so have laying around) and cleanse your brushes bristles just as you would your hair until you see no more product coming out of the brush.

Then use conditioner (now the reason shampoo and conditioner works so well in cleaning your makeup brushes bristles is because makeup brushes are often natural hair!! It makes sense when you think about it doesn't it! Shampoo and conditioner even work great with synthetic bristles!

Finally, rinse your brushes squeky clean and squeeze all the remaining water out of them and place them on your right hand paper towel train to dry for 24 hours, closest to a window is best and will ensure fastest drying time!

As a makeup artist and a Mary Kay consultant I have found this brush cleansing technique to be hygienic and effective. And furthermore it's inexpensive and simply uses products (minus the brush cleaner) that are lying around the house.

Happy cleaning!!

Katrina xx

Health Benefits of Almonds

Recently I have become ADDICTED to nuts!!!!! Namely, Almonds!

You can pick up a packet of what must be hundreds at Woolies. And they have become such a healthy snack alternative for me throughout the day. After reading Jessica Alba's health book, reviewed on my blog in an earlier post, I have been limiting the amount of refined sugar in my diet. As I am growing up and am almost a full adult now (haha... What?) my mum passed down one of the tricks of her trade to me in a quiet conversation about becoming a housewife (which I secretly hope is very soon!!!!). She said 'Katrina, in your diet you can allow yourself one square of chocolate per shirt you iron' - hahahaha. That was her little trick to encourage and motivate herself to get the ironing done as a you g newlywed! How funny is that!

Anyway I have found this has greatly limited my sugar cravings as chocolate must have been triggering them quite substantially for me. Because I do little to zero ironing haha you can see I haven't been eating much chocolate haha! And chocolate was my number one source of refined sugar in my diet. It has been a great health move for me haha wise mum wise.

So I have been substituting my chocolate intake for ALMONDS- glorious almonds! I have become somewhat addicted! Everyday this week for lunch I have had a mandarin and a handful of almonds... Yum!

I thought I would do some research into the benefits of almonds and came across the following:
1.  Almonds strengthen bones- woohoo no limbs will be falling off Katrina anytime soon!
2. They assist brain function; increase alertness and just general brain performance
3. They nourish the nervous system which helps improve clarity of thought, longevity and again strengthens brain function

So all in all, almonds were a much better choice than chocolate to begin with!!

How to identify Natural, Heathy and Toxin-free Makeup

All cosmetics need to be synthetic fragrance free because these are manufactured fragrances from who knows what chemicals mixed to make that smell! Synthetic Fragrances also contain PHTHALATES which are toxins that keep the scent fresh but cause damage to reproductive health and disrupt the natural balance of our hormones

Powder foundations need to be talc free and 100% pure minerals for optimum health results.

Check your concealer, mascara, fake tan and conditioner for dishonest ingredients tea (triethanolamine) and dea ( diethanolamine). These two ingredients create a chemical reaction with particular other cosmetic ingredients to produce the cancer-causing compound, nitrosamines. Need I say more.

Check your mascara for mercury. It's one of the only toxins the government has actually legislated against its use in beauty products; which should be a pretty clear indication as to the health risk it poses! It is used as a preservative to prevent bacteria growth which is all well and good until its neurotoxin property's get easily absorbed into your body and start accumulating, a common feature of mercury. 

In lip products you need to avoid any lipstick of product that contains lead. The more unnatural and vibrant the colour, such as a bright red, the higher the chance of it containing lead. Lead is a harmful neurotoxin that can play a role in the development of learning disabilities, autism and other neurological problems for babies and children. It can also penetrate a developing fetus so it is of utmost importance if pregnant to avoid this dishonest ingredient. 

Nail polishes can contain the dishonest ingredient of toluene. As your polish dries toluene evaporates into the air for you, your manicurist and anybody around you to breathe in. Not only can this cause irritation of the nose, throat and eyes as well as headaches and dizziness but also is toxic to the liver and kidneys and can cause harm to reproductive health. Another big miss for pregnant women. 

You also need to check your nail polish (as well as your eyelash glue, shampoo and hair products and body wash) for formaldehyde. It is dishonestly used to make hair and nails silky and prevent bacteria growth. However, not only can it trigger respiratory issues, t

Allergic reactions and asthma but also chronic, long term use is known to contain ute to cancer.

Be cautious with your self tanner, fake tan, gradual building tan etc. they may contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which is known to alter DNA and cause genetic modification! That is just shouting risk of cancer, cancer, CANCER!

This article goes through the theory of what to avoid. My next article will dig deep into the application of this going, through my very own MUA kit showing you what products and brands are safe and which ones to avoid!!!

This article is not meant to scare you but instead to EMPOWER you with a heightened awareness as to ingredients to steer clear from to ensure good health :)

Good luck healthy shopping friends!! 

The UGLY truth about Nail Polish!!

If you like me have been a girly girl since age three, dressing up in mummys jewellery, smothering her lipstick all over your face and painting your incy bitcy nails then you too are in for a shock from my most recent research findings!!!

Heres me, Baby Katrina, looking swish dressed up in my mummies goodies!! Many a time i enjoyed a good dress up and makeup believe play and im sure if your a mummy you would experience similar moments with your cheeky little bub! Thats why I was so alarmed to learn that nail polish (which many young ones play with, not to mention the countless adults who apply this substance everyday around the world!!!) CAN commonly contain toxic chemicals!!

EW! Yuck! And to think as consumers we are so trusting of big corporations to be providing us only with safe and tested products which are NOT going to bring harm to us long term or short term!!

In 2006 a study emerged exposing the ugly truth about nail polish and whats actually in them and the effect in can have on our (and even more so any little ones exposed to the smell of the polishes!) health! THREE toxic compounds were found to be included in almost all of the nail polishes on the market back then and a health law was passed in the states that required those brands to either remove those toxic chemicals (Formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate [commonly reffered to as DBP]). The world thought we had the whole toxic nail polish thing under control until in 2011 the California Environmental Protextion Agency conducted random testing on polishes used in Salons and found that 10 out of 12 polishes that claimed to not have any of the "toxic-trio" (As they came to be known) actually did!!! LIES! This makes me so mad! A. There is little to no regulation and enforcement of health laws when it comes to the consumerist market and B. all of those brands prioritised their own stinkin profit above the health and safety of its users!

So as a consumer i URGE you to do the checking and research yourself, because you simply cannot trust the claims that brands make. Very sad. Check the ingredients of your beauty products before you purchase them to ensure they have no dishonest, harmful chemicals in their ingredients list. And make yourself aware as to what these dishonest ingredients are so that you can make informed decisions when shopping!

I will list below the three TOXIC compounds that you need to avoid and WHY it is so important that you do/health risks associated!

Toluene is found in nail polish, nail strengtheners and cuticle treatments. It is used to form a smooth finish and suspend particles throughout your colour. HOWEVER, as your polish dries this substance evaporates and is breathed in by yourself, your manicurist and any children around is toxic to your health. Not only can breathing this chemical in cause irritation of the nose, throat and eyes but also the chemical is toxic to your kidney and liver and poses serious risks to your reproductive health (The issue i am most concerned about being just 20 with a whole life ahead of me!!!!). Pregenant women in particular need to avoid this chemical at ALL COSTS!

Secondly, Formaldehyde has been used in nail polishes to strengthen nails, fight bacteria and give nails that silky finish. BUT IS A HIGHLY TOXIC CHEMICAL THAT YOU NEED TO AVOID! This ingredient can not only trigger irritation and respitory issues but also can cause cancer over long term chronic use!! EW! Need i say more about its dangers!?

 

Lastly, DBP is used as a disinfectant to prevent bacteria growth BUT instead poses a similar threat to the aforementioned chemicals in that it can cause cancer over long term chronic exposure and also poses a risk to a womans reproductive health. Not good.

So i urge you as a consumer to check your nail polishes are Toxic Trio FREE. Most should brand this on themselves somewhere quite clearly. This morning i was painting my nails with Butter London and read that on the back they had reformulated and are now free of those three toxins. Butter London gets a big tick in my books.

And i was reading on the OPI website just this morning, in research for this article, that they too are TOXIC TRIO FREE. Prior to 2006 they do admit to having used torleune and DBP, however never formaldehyde. But have since reformulated to eliminate all three substances from their polishes.

However i could not find a press release (Dont rely on second of third hand reports such as blogs, even please go double check my findings, go straight to the company itself to determine whether they are truly toxic trio free or not) for China Glaze or Revlon Polishes... sketchy.

So at the end of the day i personally am going to stick to Butter London and OPI as a rule of thumb. They have brilliantly diverse colour ranges and the formulations are beautiful... and SAFE!

Author of international healthy living self help book is a chain smoker. Ironic. Updated thoughts on Jessica Alba's book "The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to you"

Yesterday, I excitedly typed up a raving book review on a book I am currently enjoying and reading, Jessica Alba's new text "The Honest Life". 

 

Read my aforementioned blog post to find out my positive thoughts on this book. In brief, I think Jessica has done a wonderful job in promoting a healthy lifestyle and inspiring readers to take up use of more natural, organic products. The book definitely heightened my awareness as to the many chemicals and toxins that enter our bloodstream from simply everyday products such as toothpaste, lotions, makeup and from the foods we eat and their agricultural origins.

The text places a special focus on protecting our bubbas from these harmful toxins and ensuring that they are exposed only to the CLEANEST, purest substances. This includes changing out items such as your child's shampoo and conditioner and monitoring the ingredients and the origin of the foods they eat. 

Jessica is careful not to judge. In fact she makes it very clear from the beginning of her text that she wants to be relatable and down to earth. She doesn't seek to provide lists of right and wrong and force her own beliefs on others she simply wishes to extend our choices and raise awareness. Noble outcomes.

The non-judge mental nature of the text has to be one of my fav components of it, with "keeping it real" sections intermittent throughout where Jessica admits something "naughty" that her and her family indulge in. 

That's why I feel terrible about what I am about to blog about and say.

Jessica Alba is a chain smoker.

It seems so so strange to me that a chain smoker could be writing a book promoting a healthy lifestyle, organic living and is freakishly controlling about making sure no toxins enter her or her baby's body's.

Odd, very odd.

I don't wish to judge, no that's not my goal at all. I simply wish to highlight the absurdity and irony of the situation. 

Smoking has to be one of the most terrible health choices one can make, with hundreds of nasty toxins entering your bloodstream with every puff. Yet the women who is most paranoid about having anything with an unhealthy toxin enter her families home admits to being a chain smoker. Jessica stresses the importance of checking product in your house for any of the ingredients that she lists in her book as "dishonest ingredients" yet she regularly smokes. Hmmm...

I was so inspired and uplifted from her book yesterday, determined to bring about healthy changes to my lifestyle and eating habits- convinced of the benefits of eating organic. I won't let this deter or sway me, but I do find this new found information disappointing. To think I looked up to Jessica Alba and her healthy lifestyle so indefinitely yesterday, to just find out today that she doesn't exactly practice what she preaches.

Sad.

Review on Jessica Alba's "The Honest Life"

My current obsession is Jessica Alba's new 'self help' book, "The Honest Life". It has been forefront of my mind for the past few days as I have been keenly reading it on my iPad's kindle application. The text itself, published earliae this year, is about Alba's quest to find healthy, organic everyday alternatives for her little family. The book covers topics from healthy eating to chemical-free beauty choices to sustainable home decor and everything in between. The text is comprehensive and Alba writes in an inspiring and down to earth way relating everything to her own experience with her little family. I am loving this book and finding it extremely helpful challenging the way I see the products we come into contact with each and everyday. This book encourages a healthy, organic, sustainable lifestyle which brings about positive change in your life and the life of others.

Thanks Jess

The Bond Girls OPI Collection

Who has seen the new Bond Girls OPI collection?! Awesome huh!!! Super super shimmery and available in these six gorgeous shades representing Bond characters over the past 50 years! I've imported below various photos demonstrating the finish the products have on your nails. If your looking for something less shimmery than the rest I would go with Vesper, a gorgeous, deep burgs day, with slightly less shimmery than the rest. If your looking for shimmer to the max on the other hand, go for Honey Ryder! It is so shimmery it literally is texturised above the surface of your nail!!!!

I love how each shade corresponds with a character and an aspect that specific actress brought to life on her portrayal of a Bond girl.

Are they pretty colours or what!! I love Pussy Galores (what a name!!) light shimmery pink!!!!! Such a classic colour of that era! The turquoise also catches my eye, bit darker than what I would usually go for though. The Solitaire is simply divine, totally sophisticated. And Jinx is so characteristic of the perfect IT shade of 2013.

Below are swatches of what the products looks like on your nails

Solitaire

Pussy Galore

Tiffany Case

Vesper

Honey Ryder

Jinx

Have any of you tried this ultra shimmery range of OPI nail polishes?

Available in Australia at David Jones and Myer

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