Honeybee Gardens Mascara

This mascara retails on iHerb for $8.46 (about €6.25) which is pretty reasonable as natural mascaras go!

Upsides

- It's pretty affordable

- It's black (I got the colour Black Magic)

- Super natural and vegan ingredients

-Long-lasting (this stuff is nap-proof, people)

Downsides

-No discernible volume or length added

-Doesn't layer well

-Can take time to build up

After 1 coat

Close-up ;)

It gives a natural lash look, as I've discovered to be the case with most natural mascaras. The formula is more on the wet side, with a spooly-style spiral bristle applicator. I think the packaging looks really cute, not that it makes any difference to the product that's in the tube! 

I have found that this mascara doesn't layer well, so once it has dried, leave it alone rather than going for another coat, which can really clump the lashes. 

This mascara works best when wearing light/no makeup on the lids, as it pops against a light background. It frames the eyes well, gives slightly defined and separated lashes, but isn't going to WOW on the lash front. It's a great every day grab-and-go product. 

Ingredients

Purified water/aqua, serenoa repens (saw palmetto) fruit extract, hydrogenated glyceryl abietate, brassica campestris, aleurites fordi oil copolymer, copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax*, glycerin, persea gratissima (avocado) butter, triisostearyl citrate, stearic acid, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, aloe (barbadensis) leaf extract**, rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) leaf extract**, xanthan gum, d-alpha tocopherol, sodium hyaluronate, methylcellulose, ethylhexylglycerin, phenethyl alcohol. May Contain/Peut Contenir: mica, iron oxides (CI77499, CI77492).

*certified organic ingredient, ** made with certified organic ingredients

Review: Clean Cauldron

Many of you may already know of the beautiful Viv Valore (here is her Youtube link) who is active in the green beauty world. When she offered to send me some goodies from her brand new company, Clean Cauldron, I jumped at the opportunity! She was using me as a guinea pig to see if it would be feasible to ship her products worldwide, as she is based in the US,

WELL!!!

This package arrived to me in the post today, and I was so excited that I couldn't wait to share with you guys! The packaging was so lovely that I couldn't resist taking photos before I had even opened it!

She sent me 3 lip tints and 4 body butters in different flavours. I have tried out all 3 of the lip tints today alone (!!!) and I can't get enough of them. They all offer a sheer wash of colour and an EXTREME amount of moisture (note: these will begin to melt if you keep them in too warm a place, eg above a radiator..).

The ingredients are incredibly clean (hence the apt naming of her shop) and are free from all the usual suspects (parabens, phthalates, preservatives, etc). She has all the ingredients plainly listed on the labels and also on her website.

The pink colour is Purity, the orange is Firedust and the Purple is Mystic. I love the fact that they all came with a safety seal so you can be sure no one else has been trying them on ;)

I haven't even mentioned my favourite aspect: the smell.

Ladies, let's take a moment here.

*deep breath*

I cannot get over the smell of these products. Mystic has no discernible scent to me, but both Purity and Firedust have added flavour that make them smell absolutely magical. I can't quite put my finger on what the scent is, but it reminds me of caramel. Beware that other may be tempted to nibble you lips while wearing these tints!!

As for the body butters, the scents she sent are Blood Orange, Wizard, Vanilla and Chocolate. These also came sealed, which is much appreciated. I have just smothered myself in the Blood Orange scent. They are incredibly moisture filled, quite rich body creams, the texture is similar to some sort of whipped frosting. Of course, the scents are all divine. Viv has an unerring nose and creates the most delectable products. They all smell edible to me, like baked goods... mmmmm...

As you can tell, I tend to get carried away whenever things smell good.

To me, the Blood Orange smells like lemon drizzle cake.

The scent Wizard is a beautiful man smell. Smear this on your man while he sleeps or just keep it around if you like the smell of manliness. Wear this body butter and you'll feel as if you've stolen your boyfriend's teeshirt and are wearing his smell.. At least that's how I feel, and I don't even have a man!

Vanilla smells like cheesecake to me, it has that slight edge of sharpness to it, which makes it an incredibly dynamic and luxurious smell. I love it.

The scent Chocolate smells like a French boulangerie to me. It reminds me of pain au chocolat and macarons. It has undercurrents of chocolate and overcurrents of biscuity goodness.

I'm bowled over by these products! I absolutely recommend checking out her stuff, they are dreamy and I can't possibly choose a favourite out of everything she sent. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that international shipping works out, because I'm hooked, and I'll be needing a fix as soon as these run out.

I also wanted to mention that the little black jars she sent are for samples only, the finished product won't be sold like that. Viv is incredibly thoughtful and puts a lot of thought and care into the details of her products. Having said that, I would buy these no matter what packaging

they were sold in!!

If you want to keep up to date with Viv's shop, you can follow her Instagram here!

Plant Essentials, Townsville

As some of you may know if you follow my Youtube channel, I am currently in Australia. I wanted to experience some local skincare (natural skincare, of course) while I was here, so I popped into Plant Essentials on Flinders Street to check out their stock.

It turns out they have their own line of natural skincare made with a lot of natural ingredients and based in aromatherapy. The shop smells amazing! Their products are made locally and are free from:
-Petrochemicals
-Synthetic Preservatives
-Colours
-Fragrances
-Animal Testing

Plant Essentials: Walnut & Fennel Eye Cream and Hemp Cream

I picked up their Walnut and Fennel Eye Cream and Hemp Cream.

The eye cream comes in what seems like a huge amount for an eye cream. It's 25ml of product and comes with a pump for about $17 AUS. The consistency is incredibly light, almost to the point of being comparable to a cleansing milk. The fennel scent predominates, but the overall smell is light and not overpowering! It absorbs well into the skin and does not leave the area feeling greasy or oily in any way, so this is perfect for a daytime eye cream.

I asked the lady in the shop to advise me on the best moisturising product to tackle eczema and she pointed me in the direction of the Hemp Cream. It's 125ml with an open-close pump for about $18 AUS. Cocoa and I have both been using this product non-stop since buying it, and may have to go back for another!

I have used it on heat rash, which cleared up overnight; Cocoa uses it on his sunburn and eczema for extra hydration. It smells like Club Lemon: a strong zesty, citrus scent which pulls towards lime. It does have lime essential oil in it, so I'm wary of applying it during the day in case of photosensitisation, but I do love it at night.

Again, it has a lovely light consistency that melts into the skin. The scent is stronger in this product and I would keep it away from the face for this reason.

Altogether Plant Essentials is a lovely shop with friendly, helpful staff! I would recommend it if you are in the Townsville area!

The Skincare Tag

I just read Naturalla Beauty's version of this tag and it looked like a fun and interesting post to do! Technically she didn't specifically tag me, but she welcomed anyone to do a post... So here I go. I am used to doing tags on YouTube, but I'm going to embrace them on my blog as well. :)

Describe your skincare routine in 5 words:
Cleanse– I love to keep my skin clean and free of excess makeup. Although I am guilty of flopping into bed with a full face on occasionally, I am usually thrilled to take my makeup off at the end of the day.

Spritz–This step is crucial to helping my moisturiser be absorbed by my skin. I use rose water or George's Alway Aloe.

Hydrate–As a dry-skinned girl, I need to keep my skin plump and soft with moisture. I use mainly oils such as avocado, argan and jojoba.

Protect–Especially in the summer months, I use SPF to protect my skin. Zinc Oxide is my preferred SPF and I'm currently using Andalou tinted BB cream and Davita Solar Protect.

Pamper–A girl's gotta give herself some pamper time! I love to don a mask while I'm in the bath, usually home-made. There are some excellent recipes online for whatever your skin is currently dealing with!

Andalou Naturals BB Cream and Devita Solar Protective Moisturiser

What's your skin type?
I have dry skin for the most part.

What's your favourite skincare product?
I absolutely adore rose water. I love most things that I can spritz on my face, but rose water tops that list. It smells amazing, rehydrates parched skin, preps my face for serums or moisturisers, helps prevent breakouts.. did I mention that it smells amazing? It's like a mini aromatherapy session; I'm a sucker for anything that smells lovely. The best thing about rose water is that it is suitable for all skin types, from dry to acne prone! I recommend one without alcohol and that is made with essential oil as opposed to synthetic fragrance for the best benefits.

Rose Water

Top blemish zapper?
I've recently been suffering from some hormonal acne, so I've been experimenting with some natural acne remedies. So far, I've been loving using an acidic wash such as lemon or apple cider vinegar (both diluted with water at least 50/50). I swipe a cotton round over the affected area and leave on for 5-10 minutes, then rinse off.

I also love using tea tree oil (at night) on stubborn blemishes to reduce bacteria and keep it clean.

Face wipes: yay or nay?
Absolutely NAY! I haven't met a face wipe that hasn't completely irritated my skin, especially around the eye area. It actually makes me cringe to see anyone using a face wipe on their face. I would use them to clean my hands in an emergency, that's about it.

Toner: yay or nay?
I say yay. My skin is not in particular need of 'toning' but I do use either rose water or George's Always Aloe spray to mist my face before moisturiser.

High-end skincare or high-end makeup?
Skincare. I'm not a fan of high-end prices, but I am a fan of high-end quality. If the product works for my skin, I will usually sacrifice paying more for it. For example, I'll usually fork out more to get an organic version of a product. High-end does not necessarily mean high-quality, so I look for products that work for me rather than the most expensive.

What's the most unnusual skin care product you've tried?
I once had a charcoal mask by The Sanctuary that heated up once it was on my face! It was such an odd sensation, but I loved it. I think it's quite a common thing for clay masks to heat up, but that's the only one that I've tried.

You're in a pharmacy and can only pick one item up–what is it?
Coconut Oil. If they stock coconut oil, that would be my first pick. I use it all over my body as a moisturiser, after shave balm, hair treatment, lip balm, face moisturiser and sometimes as a makeup remover.

Organic Coconut Oil

Tell us your top skincare tips?
Eat more fruit.
Drink more water.
Get more sleep.

Water and Oranges

These three things are so important. People sometimes neglect these areas and think they can 'fix' their skin with lotions and potions. It's so much more effective to get radiant skin from the inside!

Silk Naturals Lippiepalooza Swatches!

A note on the formulations: the bright lipsticks are incredibly pigmented and wonderfully hydrating, however they definitely leave a stain. Great if you want the colour to last after the lipstick wears off, not so great if you want to remove the colour! For this reason I was unable to get an accurate swatch of the Amplifying Lip Glaze in Blushberry, which is quite sheer and wears like a gloss. It's the third colour down in this arm swatch taken from my Instagram (@TeenyTemptress).

Top-Bottom: Lois, Jane, Blushberry, Zap, Wham, Zing, Vroom

Lois

This first shade is called Lois, and comes off as a light, neutral pink on my lips. A great everyday, tame colour.

Jane

Next, we have Jane; still a wearable pink, but more on the fuchsia side and with some mica shimmer apparent with heavy application. If worn sheer over a lip balm, the shimmer doesn't show noticeably on the lips.

Vroom

Vroom is a pink-based red. It is matte with a velvet texture, none of these lipsticks are drying but they do STAIN!

Wham

Wham has the same texture and colour intensity as Vroom, but is a true fuchsia pink. I love this colour, it screams 'Barbie' to me!

Zap

Zap is a bright orange which tends somewhat towards red. I find it an excellent replacement for my Revlon lipstick in Kiss Me Coral.

Zing

I saved my favourite for last. This is Zing. It is one of the most perfect, true reds I have ever worn on my lips and it is absolutely beautiful. This will be living on my lips year round, it's a classic!!