Shea Terra Organics Mango Whipped Shea Butter

This is such a delicious little hand and body treatment that I received from the lovely people at Amorganica. There are several scents available and I have the mango scent. Now, I'm not really a fan of artificial mango flavours in food and only like it fresh, so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this cream. But oh my lord, is it an amazing scent! I can only describe it as mouth-watering! Fresh and juicy and sweet. Just like a mango.

Aside from smelling amazing and basically being in danger of being eaten, this cream actually does a pretty decent job at hydrating my skin! I like to keep it on my bedside table and apply as a hand and elbow cream at night before I go to sleep. It is quite thick and has an almost solid butter-like texture but once it has warmed up a little on your skin, it is very easy to spread and massage into your hands.

A little goes a long way! It absorbs quite quickly and doesn't leave a greasy residue - perfect for when I apply it and want to sit up and read for a little while (no oily pages for my books!). When I use it regularly, my hands are softer and my nails and cuticles are so much healthier, to the point where I've even braved painting them again after a six week break because of how much they were splitting and peeling.

These creams contain 30% organic shea butter (wow!) so they are quite long-lasting once applied as the shea butter forms a sort of water-proof barrier on your skin. Other ingredients include spring water, natural emulsifying wax, mango extract (mmm!), and natural preservatives. I love products with such minimal ingredients - I feel much safer using a product where I know what each ingredient is! The cute little jar packaging also looks great on my bedside table, and I'm not too bothered about hygiene from dipping in and out of the jar because the product is only going on my hands.

There are a few other scents available in the range, including pink guavas and pomegranates, white chocolate, gingered pumpkin, and rooiboos and berries. They all sound just as delicious, and I see myself purchasing a few more for handbag and office purposes.

Price: $8.00 (Amorganica) [$0.28/mL]
Rate: scent, efficacy, ingredients, ease of use, packaging
Hate: nothing!
Verdict: would repurchase (if I ever run out!)

* Product was gifted to me by Amorganica as an inclusion in an order I made, but this has not influenced my opinion on the product and I have given as truthful a review as possible

Kosmea Apple Of My Eye Cream

Kosmea is an Australian brand with a focus on natural skincare and the use of certified organic rosehip oil. This is the first product I have tried from Kosmea and unfortunately it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I really love the story behind the Kosmea brand with the foundation of all the products in rosehip oil and to create "skincare as nature intended". Their rosehip oil, by the way, is absolutely fabulous and one of the best I have tried.

The Apple of My Eye Cream promises to combat signs of ageing and leave skin brighter. It promises to brighten dark circles and smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Sadly, this eye cream just didn't work out for me. At first, it was great! It is light and easy to smooth around the eye area, absorbing quickly into the skin so it is perfectly fine to use under makeup. It helped to keep the skin around my eyes hydrated and I was looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the first couple of weeks with day and night use.

However, after about eight weeks of use, I found that there was a bit of rough skin appearing under one of my eyes. I also noticed that the eye cream has started to sting when I applied it. I stopped using it right away and gave my skin a couple of days to rest. Within about three days, the rough skin had cleared up so I'm certain it was caused by this eye cream. Sad.

It is one of the better packaged eye creams that I've come across - awesome push down pump applicator and a tall, skinny tube that is easy to find and store in the mess of my skincare products (so much better than the tiny little glass or plastic jars that eye creams usually come in). So hygienic. Thank you, Kosmea. I also love the creamy, yellow colour (it reminds me of the inside of an apple).

The eye cream has a water base and includes organic rosehip oil, ceteareth-20 (a fatty alcohol derived from coconut oil to aid in skin absorbtion), cetearyl alcohol and stearic acid (emulsifiers which, in combination, prevent the water and oil from separating), cetyl esters (to aid in thickening), glycerin (an humectant to aid with hydration), shea butter, glyceryl stearate (another moisturising inclusion), apple cell culture (so-called PhytoCellTec apple stem cells to help combat ageing skin), rosewood oil, soybean oil, carrot root extract, organic white tea extract, beta-carotene (a source of vitamin A), xanthum gum (binder and stabiliser for the formula), potassium sorbate (a preservative, commonly used in food), natural fragrance, and essential oil components.

All sounds pretty good right? I'm not really sure what it was that caused my skin to react like it did, but I will keep an eye (hah) on the ingredients of my future eye creams to see if there are similarities if I get another reaction. My suspicion is the ceteareth-20 may have caused the reaction, as some studies show it is unwise to use on sensitive or damaged skin. I would still recommend this eye cream, as it has a lovely formula, but maybe not so much for sensitive skin types.

Price: $44.95 (Kosmea website) [$3.00/mL]
Rate: packaging, ingredients, lightness of formula, initial results
Hate: unfortunate reaction to it
Verdict: would not repurchase because of my skins reaction :(

Skincare

I like to subscribe to the Caroline Hirons method of skincare. Admittedly, it makes my skincare routine a helluva lot longer than it was a year or two ago, but the results for my skin make it 100% worth it. I thought I would take some time to explain my morning and evening skincare routines, which are more or less based on Caroline's, so that my reviews make a lot more sense in what I am actually looking for in a product.

Typical morning line-up

Morning:

1. Cleanser! I like to use a creamy, milky cleanser in the mornings that is light but will still get rid of any built-up sweat and gunk from overnight.
2. Hydrating toner to start the hydration process for my skin.
3. Eye cream. I apply this before serum so that it actually absorbs into the eye area.
4. Serum. I don't like to use an oil-based serum in the morning if I am going to be wearing makeup during the day as I find it doesn't sit as well on my skin. If I am staying home and not wearing makeup...bring on the oil! My skin can use all the extra hydration it can get.
5. Moisturiser. Because my skin is almost always dehydrated, I like to use a thick, creamy (not quite night cream level) moisturiser that will last the whole day.
6. SPF. Every day. It's Australia, you just cannot get away with not using an SPF.

Typical evening routine

Evening:

1. Double cleanse. My New Year's resolution is to try to do this as soon as I get home from work instead of letting my makeup sit on my skin until I'm ready to go to bed. More time for my skincare to do its work! My double cleansing method involves an oil-based makeup remover to get rid of eye makeup and the top layer of foundation and then a cream or oil-based (non-foaming) cleanser to massage the rest of the makeup and grime off my skin. Remove with a warm flannel.
2. Exfoliating acid toner. I use a mild exfoliating toner on a cotton pad swiped all over my face to keep my skin fresh rather than a traditional, manual scrubby exfoliator. Once in the evening is enough - using it in the morning as well can cause problems in my skin. I find chemical/acid exfoliating works much better for my skin, but if I'm out of my acid toner I will use a manual exfoliator two to three times a week.
3. Hydrating toner, as for the morning routine.
4. Eye cream.
5. Serum. Here I will layer a few treatments if my skin needs it. Water-based serums first and oil-based serums last.
6. Night cream. A nourishing layer of night cream or facial oil depending on how my skin is going. And, done!

Chemical vs. manual exfoliation products

There you go. Yes, it's a good few layers of skincare morning and night but the change in my skin since I've adopted a good routine is incredible. It's all worth it - even the boy has seen a lot of improvement in his skin after adding a few extra steps to his skincare routine as well ;) Again, all credit to Caroline Hirons for the basis of these routines and skincare tips. She's a genius and has definitely revolutionised the way I take care of my skin.

Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm

Ah, the fabulous Nuxe Rêve de Miel... I was lucky enough to win one of these gorgeous little glass jars filled to the brim with golden, magical balm from the very generous Sophie of Born to Buy. And I love it just as much as I thought I would!

I always apply a lip balm as the last thing I do before I go to sleep and I have a little container filled with lip balms of all sorts on my bedside table. But this one is my favourite. It is thick, luxurious, and has the most wonderful scent of honey and grapefruit that I find really soothing. Its name literally means 'dream of honey'. Doesn't that just make you smile?

Sorry for the out of focus photo, yeesh

I find this balm to be very effective at making my lips soft and smooth the next morning. It tends to sort out any dry or peeling lip issues that I might have too. Even after a full night, there is a slight film on your lips after using this balm, which to me just shows how effective it is if it lasts all night! Because the first thing I do in the morning is wash my face, this isn't an issue at all for me but might feel a bit uncomfortable for some people. It's also great underneath lip products, as a thin layer provides a sort of matte film that lasts and lasts.

As much as a glass jar isn't the most convenient, safe or hygienic packaging, it's so darn classy that I'll forgive it for that. I love how this looks on my bedside table, especially because of my soft spot for the French language.

Nuxe claims this lip balm has 80% natural ingredients and no parabens. Included are beeswax (explains the thick, tacky texture), vegetable oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, honey, grapefruit peel oil, soybean oil, vitamin E (tocopherol) and lemon peel oil. Annoyingly for me, it does contain some silicon in the form of dimethicone, which my skin never reacts well to in moisturisers and primers. One cool ingredient is ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (stay with me), a sunscreen agent that protects from UVB rays, so this baby is good for daytime too!

Price: $19.99 (Priceline)
Rate: effective, luxurious, ingredients, name, sun protection
Hate: glass jar packaging (but not a lot of hate), silicon
Verdict: would repurchase again, and again

Lancôme Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector [LR 2412 4%]

I never thought I would see the day when I thought forking out $97 for a serum for my face was a rational thing to do. Well, the day has come. And let's just say that every single dollar was worth it!

Yep, Lancôme Visionnaire is the love of my skincare life right now. I was able to try out a sample from The Parcel by Marie Claire and that 7mL was enough to convince me that I needed more in my life. So a full size 30mL turquoise bottle of this lovely, pump-packaged serum was soon taking pride of place on my dressing table.

I'm not sure how it does it, but this serum manages to smooth, brighten and soften my skin. Within a week of starting to use it, I saw less breakouts and overall my skin looked healthier, more hydrated. I've been using every morning and night for about two to three months now and I've not noticed any radical changes over time - just that fantastically smooth and plump skin that it created originally. However, I'm sure if I stopped using it, the difference would be noticeable!

With my full size purchase, I managed to buy the older serum rather than the second generation which is more concentrated in its main ingredient LR 2412 (derived from the jasmine plant). I would have preferred the second generation serum - there is not so much of a noticeable scent and I think I would see better results.

The instructions say to use three pumps day and night, but I am only using one pump. I can't bear to see it disappear so quickly! It is easy to smooth over your face with a lovely silky texture (hmm, silicon...) and sinks in very quickly so that you can apply moisturiser or night cream over the top. Like I mentioned, there is a bit of a scent to it that I'm not sure how to describe - a little chemically but not in a bad way!

The only downside to the serum (besides the price) is the amount of alcohol contained in it. I'm not sure if this is doing good or bad things for my acne, because alcohol can be inflammatory despite the other benefits of the serum. It also contains silicons, which explains the silky texture, and are unfortunately my skins number one hate (though I haven't noticed any drying out from using the serum).

So there is good and bad to this serum, despite the great results I've seen using it!

Price: $97.00 (Myer or David Jones) [$3.23/mL]
Rate: effective, easy to use, great pump packaging, sinks in quickly
Hate: price, amount of alcohol in formula, silicon
Verdict: may repurchase sometime in the future if I don't find something better (in terms of ingredients, not performance)

Burt's Bees Sensitive Night Cream

I have always loved Burt's Bees products, especially their lip balms, and the gorgeous retro-style packaging. Their products always have a homely feel. Whenever I'm running low on Burt's Bees, I will jump on one of their Grab Bag promotions, which include a big range of products at a discounted price. They actually have two of these running on their Australian site at the moment which you can check out here.

I received their Sensitive Night Cream in a Grab Bag I purchased in winter and have been using it ever since. It's not a very thick cream, fragrance free and absorbs into the skin really quickly. One thing that I did love about this night cream was that it never caused any redness in my skin straight after application, which tends to be a common occurrence with other products.

My skin tends to be really dry and can be flakey with the changes between seasons. I prefer to use a much thicker night cream to keep my skin nourished and avoid any dryness, so whilst this night cream is really gentle and nourishing, it isn't the best suited to my skin type. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with oily skin or for someone looking for a lighter option over summer.

A downside to this night cream is the packaging. Given the runny texture of the cream (more of a lotion), I would have liked to see it in pump packaging. So much more hygienic and you always distribute the exact right amount. Although, the glass jar does look very classy sitting on my dressing table.

In terms of ingredients, this night cream has a really lovely base of natural ingredients including sunflower seed oil, cotton flower extract, aloe vera, and shea butter. It doesn't contain SLS, mineral oil or synthetic fragrance (winning!) but it does have small amounts of phenoxyethanol (a synthetic preservative) that can be toxic in high concentrations, though I'm not worried about the amount in this, just something to be aware of.

Price: $29.95 (Burt's Bees website) [$0.60/g]
Rate: fragrance free, gentle, natural ingredients
Hate: thin texture, glass jar packaging
Verdict: would not repurchase, as it does not suit my skin type

Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner

I really enjoy Sukin products - they're simple, inexpensive, and I adore their signature lavender/citrus fragrance! Today I am writing about their Hydrating Mist Toner.

After discovering the benefits and joys of using a toner day and night (thanks, Caroline Hirons!), I can't go without a hydrating toner and an exfoliating toner in my skincare routine. The Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner is the hydrating toner in my current routine, which I spray on after cleansing my skin and swiping it with an exfoliating toner.

It helps to bring hydration back into my skin and is also great in the morning as a bit of a wake up call. I also like to use it on really hot days to refresh my skin and makeup. I love the delicate rose and chamomile scent, it is heaven to spritz all over! I also find that it helps my serum and moisturiser to spread all over when my skin is damp and absorbs more quickly.

The pump packaging is so handy - I really dislike hydrating toners that are packaged in bottles without a pump, I feel like I'm wasting so much product on the cotton pad rather than my skin. This one disperses a nice even mist and I use about three sprays over my face and neck, both morning and night.

It is alcohol and paraben free, with a perfect little list of ingredients (what I like to see) including rosewater and German chamomile extract. It does contain a small amount of synthetic preservative in the form of phenoxyethanol.

The Hydrating Mist Toner also recently won the Best Toner in the Beauty Heaven 'Best in Beauty' Awards 2014. Congrats Sukin!

At only $9.95 for a 125mL bottle, I'd definitely recommend everyone give this toner a try, especially in preparation for the boiling hot summer ahead of us in Australia!

Price: $9.95 (Sukin website, Priceline) [$0.08/mL]
Rate: fragrance, small ingredient list, hydrating, cheap, pump packaging
Hate: nothing!
Verdict: would repurchase!