Get Drenched 'Bomb Cosmetics'

Just over two weeks ago my second Bomb Cosmetics order arrived. I was really stoked as since I finding out about these fabulous products I have been trying as many as I can. I have taken the time to trial each item before making my post.

This order was a lot bigger than my last one because my daughter wanted some items too (and seriously you cannot share bomb cosmetics!)

Parma Violet, Pocket Full of Rainbows & Tangerine Dreams

Dream Shower Soaps
$9.95 each

140g each

Seriously these soaps are utterly DIVINE!!!. They smell gorgeous and feel absolutely heavenly! I have the unused soaps sitting in my linen cupboard and every time I walk pass I stop and open the cupboard just for a smell! (yum).

So far I have tried the Tangerine Dreams. According to the packaging this soap is an exfoliating and massaging sponge drenched in soap with pure essential oils (mandarin and blood orange oils)

To use you simply soap it up as you would ordinary soap. The foam fronds act as your personal masseur in the shower - use in a circular movement across your skin. The fronds are soft and feel great on the skin while they gently exfoliate.

I found it soaped up nicely in the shower and after use my skin felt very clean and fresh and subtly scented. I love it! - the scent is lovely and my skin feels so fresh and clean. I have used it most days but does not seem to be getting smaller - so it is definitely value for money.

 Lime & Dandy

Handmade Soap with Essential Oils
$5.95

100g

What a piece of art this soap is!. It is so lovely, I love the different tones of green and the shapes suspended within the soap - I don't want to use it!. This soap is designed to lift my spirits with its fresh scent of pure lime and lemongrass oils. 

The scent is definitely limey very 'fresh', and smells delicious (good enough to eat). I have not tried it yet (will wait until I have finished my Tangerine soap), so it is currently keeping my undies smelling nice!.

Flower Girl, Purple Passion and Wow Factor

Solid Shampoo Bar

$8.95

50g

I was very curious about these and thought that if they worked they would be great to use when travelling (rather than taking bottles and tubes), but I admit I was a bit worried as I tend to have oily hair and didn't know how it would 'go' with my hair.

I have tried the Wow Factor shampoo bar and was very pleased with the results. My hair smelt lovely after use and it was similar to using my normal shampoo (lathered up on my hair then rinsed). My hair felt great and had a lovely shine to it - I have only used it twice so am unsure how it would 'go' with regular use. However according to the Get Drenched website these bars are a similar formula to traditional liquid shampoos  without the watre. So it lloks like I will be popping it into my luggage for Singapore.

Pink Marmalade Body Scrub 

$21.95

400g

Mandarin & Orange Cleansing Shower Butter

$18.95

275g

I had already purchased the Mandarin & Orange Cleansing Shower Butter, but hey a lady can never have too many personal-care products.

I love this butter, it smells divine (gee I keep using this word!) and includes tones of mandarin, fresh apples, green leaf , orange blossom, yuzu and coconut. It is a creamy shower gel which starts in semi-solid form when scooped out of the tub, but lathers up nicely when used in the shower. Not only does it clean the skin beautifully, but it also acts to moisturise and condition your skin - two actions for the  price of one!. I found I only needed to scoop a small amount each use, so it has lasted me a while (I am still using the one from my first order).

The Pink Marmalade Body Scrub is a lightly grained (oil based) body scrub (I noted that it was sealed in plastic when I received it as it has a tendency to have an oily residue on the outer of the tub - so I have it sitting on some paper towel to prevent staining).

This scrub includes sweet almond oil with lemongrass and clary sage essential oils - it smells delicious and feels wonderful when used. The grains (being quite fine) are not harsh on my skin, but leaves it feeling soft and sweetly scented. As with the butter it is simply a case of scooping some of it out of the tub and applying to the skin (in the shower) in a circular motion.

I also got some lovely 'freebies' with my order (plus a personal note from Paul) - the two sets of bath bombs as I had spent over $100 plus this lovely little metal tin (shown on the left) - which will come in handy. 

I also got free postage - so all up I am extremely happy as I bought some wonderful goodies, got fabulous freebies and free post!. Now all I need to think about is do I order again......

Get Drenched currently has has 10% off  (use the code FB1000) until 31st August .......  mmmmm ..... decisions, decisions! 

Recent Empties

Butter Cream Bathing Bubble by Sugar Baby

Gee how long have I had this for? ...... eep!

This was part of a larger gift set my daughter gave me one Mother's Day and I think this is one of the last bottles left. I have always loved the Sugar Baby bath products and this was no exception.

I know it is for the bath, but I used this as a shower gel. I found it lathes up quite nicely and leaves a 'candy-scented' smell (not too sweet) and is great for everyday use.

Would I buy again?..........  I am not even sure if they still make this, but if they do, I would. 

                                                                                                         

Sheer Beauty EDP by Calvin Klein 

Got this in one of my samples boxes I buy every month (not sure, but think it may have been Bella Box).

This EDP is lovely - on my skin it smells quite citrusy and fresh and is quite a light fragrance. One I can wear everyday as it is not overpowering.

Would I buy again?.......... For sure I would buy a bottle as it would be a lovely summer fragrance.

Montagne Jeunesse Sauna Mask  

I won this as part of a package (see here) during July for writing a review on one of Montagne Jeunesse's face masks. 

I love self-heating masks and was eager to give this one go.....and I loved it!. 

This was a one-use mask sachet, I found the mask heated up as soon as I applied it to my face, but was not uncomfortably warm/hot. After my skin felt great - soft and fresh-feeling.

Would I buy again?..........  Already have.

Revitalising Hand & Foot Polish by Dr Lewinns  

I have been using this product on and off for a number of years now. I first bought it when it came in tub form (which was really frustrating as it used to always get under my nails), so I was very happy when they switched to tube form.

I keep a tube in my shower (and try) to use it once a week. I have only ever used it on my hands (even though it is for feet too!). I love the strong citrus scent of this polish and its gentle exfoliating feel. After use my hands feel so soft and smell heavenly.

Would I buy again?..........  Already have - bought 3 tubes when they were 50% off in Priceline.

Silk Marbling Workshop with Vesile Yilmaz

I have just returned from a most enjoyable afternoon of craftiness. I have just had the pleasure of attending a silk marbling workshop run by Vesile Yilmaz. What better way to spend a rainy, cold afternoon than creating wonderful pieces of art!.

Earlier in the year I attended an Ebru workshop at the Perth City Farm ran by Vesile - I really enjoyed it and created some lovely pieces (on paper). So when I received an email about this workshop I was very excited as this was marbling on silk (something I have wanted to do for a while now). 

For those who don't know Ebru is the traditional Turkish art of marbling (see here for more information and examples of this beautiful art) and in the case of Vesile she uses all the traditional methods and equipment to create the marbling.

I took daughter, Ashleigh, along with me as she has never done marbling before and was keen to learn. This workshop was small, with only 4 people attending, which was great as we all had our own trough and had lots of opportunities to create some lovely marbling papers (plus two silk scarves).

To begin with we practiced our skills on paper - creating a number of marbled pieces (exploring colour and designs)  before moving onto the silk scarves. 

On the right is a photograph of some of the paper pieces we did - each so different and unique. 

I think I will be using my for wrapping paper and making cards.

Once I felt confident enough I moved onto the 'long trough' where I was to create the design for my scarf.

This trough is approximately 1.6m in length, so it is much longer and larger than the one I used for paper marbling (these are about an A3 size). So now I had to consider creating a design for a length of fabric rather than an A3 piece of paper. See photographs below for the difference in the troughs.

Scarf Trough

Normal Trough

The photograph (above) on the left shows the design I created in the trough, while on the right is the finished scarf. The design in the trough is not complete as I added continued to add more colours, then created floral designs using wooden-handled needles to manipulate the inks, before transferring the design onto my scarf.

Creating these scarves is a two-person job. The design on the carrageen can be done by one person, however it requires two people to lay the scarf on the design as the fabric needs to be held taut as it is lowered carefully onto the design. 

The scarf is then lifted off the carrageen, rinse in cold water and hung out to dry. Once dry it is ironed to set the design. 

Above are photographs of my two finished scarves 

For this workshop we used 100% silk scarves and the 'inks' are acrylic paint (with water added to create a creamy milk consistency). Before the workshop all scarves were soaked in alum for approximately 20 minutes to ensure adhesion of the inks.

I was thrilled with my two scarves (and various paper marblings) and I particularly love the fact that each scarf was unique - they would make lovely gifts. And due to this I will be attending another workshop with Vesile later in the year so I can make some 'unique' Christmas gifts.

If anyone is interested in attending a workshop or want to know more about Ebru you can visit Vesile's website for more information (Vesile is based in Perth, WA). 

 http://ebru.ipekyilmaz.com/

Springsteen & I

Just a quick post..... but wanted to let you know about a great documentary I took my daughter to this week.

Being a HUGE Bruce Springsteen fan I have had this event in my calendar for months. Plus 2013 has been a big year for me as I was fortunate enough to see him in concert (Melbourne 24th March). 

You are talking about someone who has worshiped him all my life and whose nickname at school was 'Springy' (for obvious reasons). All my life I have only had one item on my bucket list - to see Bruce in concert before I die and this year I did it.......WOW!

I know he has been to Australia before, but unfortunately I was never financial enough to go, but when I heard he was coming this year, well that was it, I was going no matter what.

And what an experience! .... it was virtually indescribable, all I can say is it was as close to heaven as you can possibly get (and still be alive). 

Anyway I digress..... 

Springsteen & I is essentially from the fan, about the fan, for the fan and of course all about Bruce - what he (and his songs) mean to us die-hards. Fans had the opportunity to submit home-made tributes which were spliced together with associated footage from concerts which told the story of how he has affected their lives.

At times it was funny (especially the English guy who has suffered through eight concerts in eight different cities due to his wife's love affair with The Boss and at one stage pleads with the Boss to please shorten his concerts), while others were quite cringe-worthly (the woman who used a photo of the Boss to convince her newborn he was 'daddy'), but all were straight from the heart and passionate and very entertaining (and struck a cord with me!).

Being a true fan I absolutely loved it, and yes I will be buying the DVD when it is released  . My daughter (not a 'real' fan - she did not know every word to every song!) did enjoy it, and happily stayed in the cinema with me until the end. However she was sure the shot of the huge crowd at one of his concerts was photo-shopped (I had to explain no it is real, these are his famed outdoor concerts and just recently he performed at a stadium event which had a crowd of over 54,000).  

I really enjoyed the frankness (and lack of embarrassment)  of the fan's contribution - how they talked about their thoughts and experiences, and  to then have it followed by the actual event/concert/song they were talking about. The Elvis impersonator who spoke about his life-long wish of singing with Bruce, then footage was shown of him at a concert fulfilling his dream ... and the reaction of his wife ... magical!

A street performer spoke of the day Bruce drove down his street - stopped - got out, and jammed with him for about an hour. It showed Bruce's connection with his fans and how that simple act meant so much to so many people. It was heart warming.

The documentary concluded with a mosaic of Born to Run - one song sung over various concerts at different times and venues.... different but still the same (and with Clarence there too!). 

My only complaint was the (lack of advertising). A friend (also a Bruce fan) had no idea this was on at the cinemas and missed out on seeing it (he will definitely be buying the DVD). Even when we got to the cinema it was not listed on the board - a real shame. 

Springsteen & I  was edited by credited director Baillie Walsh and produced by Ridley Scott

My Priceline 40%-off Haul - Part 2

My second half of my online order arrived today and I can honestly blame ALL the ladies on Beautyheaven for this lot of purchases. I was only intending to buy the first lot (Part 1) .... but then I read about all the fabulous hauls purchased so of course I had to go back online again, and well, this is what happened!

Once again my parcel was well packed and all items arrived safely and in one piece. This time my purchases were all Sanctuary Spa products. I cannot say I have ever used this brand before (I did get a body scrub recently but as yet have not tried it), but I have heard great things so I thought 'why not?!', 40% off how can I go wrong?

Hot Sugar Scrub 550g

'Our famous thermal sugar scrub for deeply cleansed and super-refined skin.'

As the name suggests this is a warming body scrub aimed at opening pores for that deep clean, coupled with a zingy citrus scent (oh how I lurve cirtus!) I am really looking forward to trying this out. 

According to the label it includes detoxifying kaolin clay (to draw out impurities) and fine organic sugar (to buff away dead cells). Both work together for smooth, velvety skin.....ooohhh sounds divine!

Salt Scrub 650g

'Our iconic dead sea salt scrub leaves skin perfectly polished and gorgeously moisturised.'

Well if the scent is anything to go by I would happily loll around in this all day!. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the smell reminds me of my childhood, it has a lolly-sweet/floral scent.... I just can't put my finger on it, but I love it!

As well as the Dead Sea salts this scrumptious scrub includes jojoba, almond and coconut oils - simply delicious!. I am also loving the glass jar - which will be happily added to my growing glass jar collection!. 

I checked out the Sanctuary Spa website and this is a hands-down winner with the customers (see here)

Youth Boosting Facial

Warming Micro-brasion Polish 

100ml

'Intense thermal polish to dramatically refine and smooth the skin.'

As I have mentioned previously I love my self-warming products. My skin is very oily and I love giving it a really 'good' cleanse and find the self-warming products do wonders for my skin (my skin feels so clean and refreshed after).

I am currently using a Body Shop self-warming product and hope this one is as effective. The scent is lovely, it reminds me of my scented geraniums (a bit like musk).

Here is the tube with a bit of the product squeezed out.

Youth Boosting Facial 

Therapist's Secret Facial Oil 

30ml

'Super-charged plumping treatment for younger-looking skin.'

Now silly me has always kept away from these type of products as I assumed that as I have oily skin why would I need to add more to my skin?

This it is promoted as a 100% natural (superfood) for all skin types. So hopefully this will work for me as who doesn't want plumper, younger-looking skin? 

The smell is quite pleasant - it is a delicately scented, reminding me of a cross between rose and scented geranium. It is advertised as a powerful mixture of pure oils (sunflower, jojoba and wheatgerm) to assist in the replenishment of the skin's natural oil content, while providing noticeable plumper and rejuvenated skin (mmmmm sounds wonderful!). The inclusion of rosehip helps to rebuild and strengthen, while rose and frankincense (ah thought I got a whiff of those two!) soothes and calms the skin. So fingers crossed!

Reading the rave reviews on the website (here) has inspired me to give this product a go, and at 40% off what have I got to lose?!.

Brightening Facial 

Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser 

125ml

'Deep cleanse in one illuminating treatment.'

I decided to buy this after reading comments on Beautyheaven. And the thought of a facial sounded very appealing as I admit I rarely take the time for this. 

To use you place (the enclosed cloth) in hot water and after wringing out, lay over your face to open your pores. Then gentle massage the cleanser over your face and neck using circular movements. Gently remove the cleanser with the cloth. Rinse cloth in cold water and place over your face for 30 seconds to close your pores. Finish by splashing water over your face and pat dry........glowing, soft skin!

Comments I have read extolled how well it cleaned without stripping the skin, and how soft customers skin felt, so I thought why not give it a go.

Sounds weird, but it smells like tea to me - not unpleasant at all, just weird! (maybe my sense of smell is haywire!).

All up my little haul came to under $70.00 (including post) so I am very happy and with the sale it was a fabulous opportunity to try some products without spending a lot of money.

My Priceline 40%-off Haul - Part 1

A much anticipated box arrived in the post this morning - whooo hoooo! my Priceline haul has just arrived! 

.......and don't you just love the sticker on the box!

As I couldn't get to my local store before the 40% off sale finished I decided make my first ever purchase at the Priceline online shop (no way was I missing out on a 40% discount!). 

I was initially only after some more of the Montagne Jeunesse face masks, but when I saw how much I could save on things I 'needed' I decided to splurge a little.

PLEASE NOTE: the prices quoted are what I paid after the 40% discount

 Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System

Replacement heads (2 boxes)

$19.49 

2 x brush heads ($5.99 each)

I have heard so many great things about this system (thanks mainly from the lovely ladies at Beauty Heaven), and with it being discounted by 40% I just had to purchase and give it a whirl. 

According to the advertising it deeply cleanses + gently exfoliates + primes skin for anti-ageing regimes - well if that is the case I now have my very own personal miracle machine!

I do like that the batteries are included - nothing annoys me more than when I purchase an item/product only to find I then meed to buy batteries - great job Olay!.

As well as two batteries it comes with a brush head and 20ml skin renewal cleanser. I wasn't too sure on the cleanser it has a bit of a plastically smell to it, but after testing it on my had I found the smell dissipates very quickly with no residual scent. So I am sure I will be fine with it.

The bristles on the brush are very soft to the touch. 

The brush is  designed 'specially to be gentle on skin for daily use.' And as I have a dreadful T-zone I am looking forward to how well it will remove the oil and dirt there.

Due to the great discount I also purchased two boxes of replacement brush heads. As each box contains two brushes I should have plenty to last me (on the box it says to replace the heads every 3 moths - so looks like I have over a years worth of brushes!)

Formula 10.0.6 Down to the Pore

Blackhead Banishing Pore Strips

Tea Tree + Kaolin

$3.59

I bought these for my daughter (however I too use them every once in a while). I find they are great for removing those pesky blackheads that seem to cluster around my nose (than darn T-zone again!). I also find tea tree to be a fabulous ingredient and great when fighting blackheads and acne.

We have never used this actual product before, but have been happy with other products from this range, and hey at $3.59 it is worth a try.

This box contains 6 individual pore strips.

Models Prefer MATT me

Pore minimising cleansing wipes with MP aquaFLEX

25 wipes

$4.19

Another product I have never tried before, but once again have used other products in the range - so happy to give it a try.

I like that it may assist in minimising my pores, but even if it doesnt I like using wipes for removing makeup or refreshing my skin, so they will definitely come in handy, and they were a bargain.

According to the packet the 'innovative MP aquaFLEX system restores the skin's natural aquaporins that regulate hydration levels and promote collagen synthesis for maximum skin moisture and youthful complexion.' - we shall see!

I do like that the packet has a resealable lid rather than a simple adhesive strip.

Olay Wet Cleansing Towelettes

Sensitive

30 wipes

$4.19

Now these I do like, and am currently using (even if they do have just an adhesive re-seal). I have chosen the sensitive wipes as my skin can get a bit red and blotchy when using wipes if I am not careful. 

I do like they way these wipes cleanse my skin without irritating and they are not too wet nor too dry (they are just right!). I love their convenience, how they are so handy and can be thrown into a case or hand bag for use away from home. 

Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks

Damask Rose 100g $5.39

Sauna Mask 15g 2 x $2.39 each 

Apricot Scrub 12g 2 x $2.39 each

And lastly (but not leastly) my lovely collection of face masks. I am really loving these at present. The smells are simply divine and my face feels so wonderful and refreshed (and not to mention soft!) after use. I simply cannot get enough of these! 

The Damask Rose smells heavenly. As the name suggests it smells of roses (my all time favourite flower) and includes marula oil, shea and cocoa butter - yum!. 

It is an ultra deep cleansing masque and according to the packaging includes up to 10 uses (so each treatment may only cost 54c - bargain!).

Can't wait to try this one!

The Apricot Scrub is a deep exfoliating and ultra cleansing scrub. As it is in a sachet I cannot smell it, but can imagine its lovely citrusy scent. This scrub also contains mango and aloe vera.

The Sauna Mask is 'anti stress' (just what I need!) and is for normal, oily and T-zone skin. It is deep pore cleansing and is self-heating (this is what I bought this mask for as I love my self-heating masks).

What I love about the MJ single use masks is they are simply that - one use. I am not left with left-over mask or trying to stretch out insufficient product. I can pop one or more in with my travel bags and use on holidays all without the extra bottles and tubes - perfect!. And when they are on special they are a cheap (but luxurious) treat for my skin.

I was impressed with how my parcel was packaged. Everything was carefully sealed in plastic bags (just in-case of breakages or leakages during transit), and then securely padded with extra cardboard. I appreciate the care taken to ensure my items arrived safely - thanks Priceline on-line!

I must say I am very happy with my little haul and very excited about trialing some new products. 

As you can see by the heading it says PART 1 - so yes I couldn't help myself.  I was on Beauty Heaven and read some raves about some other products (I have not as yet tried) and so HAD to go back on line and do a second order (my poor bank balance is looking pretty sick as of now)

So all up, including post I paid $64.34 for my little lot - one happy vegemite!