Mini Review // GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment

This week, I had planned on writing a post either Thursday or Friday, but - as it often does - life got in the way. I was playing on my phone trying to think of a quick post idea and came across these photos from a few months ago, so here's my experience with the GlamGlow Youthmud mud mask.
A little while back, when my boyfriend and I were in Melbourne, I stopped in at Mecca Maxima to pick up a couple of things. I had my eye on the GlamGlow Youthmud, since I'd seen great reviews of it online and from youtubers such as Shaaanxo. However, since it costs $75aud for the full size, I wanted to be sure it was worth it. I asked the lovely staff if I could grab a sample - enough for two because I planned on using Jordan as a guinea pig and they were happy to give me this.

Just for reference, I have normal/combination skin and Jordan has normal to slightly dry skin (although he does have breakouts quite regularly). Every now and then I'll get pimples on either my forehead or chin (both if I'm so lucky) and can be oily in these areas as well as around my nose.

Sorry Jordan! Hehe (I'm sure he didn't want this photo public)

The girl at Mecca advised us that it was very important to only leave it on for 10 minutes and no longer. I applied it to both our faces using a foundation paddle brush to make sure we had an even layer, avoiding the mouth and eye area (obviously). In the mud there are green tea leaf pieces which look a little funky - that's whats sitting across my nose. The treatment goes on dark grey and dries to a lighter green-grey colour.

The next couple of photos might look a little gross, but they really show just how well the treatment is at extracting pimples and oil in the skin. Within about 5 minutes you could notice the mud had soaked up the oily area around the sides of my nose and some of the pores in on my nose too. Before applying the Youthmud, I had a rather large pimple on my chin. As you can see below, it sucked all of the oil and impurities out of that too. I'm 100% impressed with the way it works on pimples. Jordans blemishes were deeper in his skin and while the treatment didn't completely eliminate those, his skin did look and feel a lot better afterwards. It also didn't seem to be too drying to his skin (I made him apply moisturiser after).

In my opinion there are other masks out there, for a lower price, that will work as well for a whole face treatment. Youthmud would work best for best for spot treating your problem areas and helping to quickly reduce blemishes. I'm yet to purchase the full size product, but I think if i had the spare money, I definitely would.


Okay, so maybe this wasn't such a mini-review - I tried to keep it short! I hope this helped if you were considering buying this mud mask.
If you're in Australia you can purchase it (or ask for a sample like I did) at Mecca Cosmetica or Mecca Maxima, and online here.

DIY // Cookie-scented Coconut Oil & Brown Sugar Body Scrub

When I got up on Saturday and prepared to have a shower, I decided to try something new. Since I regularly fake tan on a Sunday I was planning on exfoliating generously in the shower - to remove the last of last weeks tan and help ready my skin for tomorrows application.

I have used the 'Frank' coffee scrub before but, while I liked the results I found it annoyingly messy. I've seen sugars scrubs in stores but never thought the price could justify what is essentially buying a jar of sugar. So I decided to make my own! It's super easy, and whats even better - mine smells like fresh cookies.

DIY Brown Sugar and Coconut Oil Scrub

Ingredients:1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Method:
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so begin by melting the coconut oil at a low temperature - I was too impatient to wait for mine to fully melt so there are chunks of coconut oil in it. This doesn't affect the scrub, but it is nicer if it mixes properly.
While that was melting, I measured out my brown sugar and put it in a clean glass jar. I  used the only sugar we had available at home, but I would suggest trying to find the coarsest sugar you can find at the supermarket. If you're like me and enjoy your showers hot the heat and steam from the shower will quickly dissolve fine-milled sugar.
Once your coconut oil is a good consistency, combine it with the sugar and give it a good mix with a small wooden or metal spoon.
For my scrub I added cinnamon powder and vanilla extract to get the perfect scent, but you can add any natural ingredients you think would work well. I just really love the smell of cookies!

I used my scrub straight after making it on Saturday and I'm quite pleased with the results! I applied it to my skin and rubbed in circular motions before washing it off under the shower. The coconut oil left my skin feeling nourished and moisturised, although if you don't like the feeling you may want to go over your body with a shower wash and loofah before you get out of the shower. I also wouldn't recommend using this scrub (or any with oils in them) before applying fake tan as the oil will mean the tan won't stick to the skin properly.

Got any home-made body scrubs you like to use? Share it in the comments!
Becky x

Birthday Wish-List // Ikea, Nike, Hourglass, Too Faced

In just a few short weeks, my birthday will be upon us (I'm turning 20!) and although I've had my main present picked out for a long time, I thought it might be fun to make a little post including some things which I've been dreaming of. Plus, I never know - Christmas isn't all that far away either... *wink wink*.

Ikea furniture: Top of my list - and what I'll hopefully be getting for my birthday. Watching youtubers with their perfectly set up makeup stations has had me lusting after a set of Alex draws. We don't have a huge amount of space in our bedroom but I think either the 100mm or 120mm desk top would fit fine and make a beautiful dressing table/vanity paired with a small stool.

(This image was sourced from google, but is essentially what I want).

Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette: For a long time I was considering the Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palettes, but especially after they brought out Naked 3, there were too many for me to choose from (I'm absolutely horrible at making decisions). Since this palette was released I've all but forgotten about the UD Naked palettes. I mean, just look at how beautiful these colours are... and all in the one palette. Plus, it smells like chocolate! What more do I need to say?

A good gym bag: As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I've been using a large black tote (intended to be a handbag) whenever I go to gym, ever since I first joined 9 months ago. While I've been meaning to upgrade, I haven't done much active looking other than to notice that StyleRunner.com.au stock some really stylish, beautiful sports bags.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette: More makeup! Okay, I might be a little addicted. However, this highlighting palette looks truly beautiful and highlighting products are something my makeup collection is really lacking so far. These powders look so luxurious, but I found this palette for a decent price on net-a-porter and I'm itching to get it now - even if I get it as a 'present to myself'.

Bedside lamps: Although I don't have anything particular in mind here, a bedside lamp would really come in useful a lot of the time (who's familiar with the blind dash to the bed) and would save a few of the 'who's turn is it to turn the light off' arguments. I'd like something small and rather simple, and of course white, or maybe a soft neutral colour, to tie in with the bedroom colour scheme.
Beacon have a great selection (as you would expect from a lighting store) ranging from the very plain to rather abstract.

Nike Roshe Run: I'll be the first to admit that I don't need another pair of new sneakers. There is really something about Nikes though - they are functional, stylish and (generally) comfortable. I've had my eye on Roshe Runs for some time now, but all the nice styles sell out super quick!




I could go on and on about all the things I'd like to own, some cheaper and some far more expensive (a celine handbag is right up there) but I know I already get far more than I deserve from my partner - he really spoils me. My family are great too; I'll appreciate any and all presents which I get!


Becky x

HAUL // Australis Cosmetics 50% off Online Sale

Over the weekend, Australis Cosmetics had a 50% off sale on everything on their online store. In all honesty I didn't even realise they had an online store, I knew they were stocked at Priceline and Big W and not much beyond that. But who am I to resist a half-price sale!

I filled up my cart with pretty much everything I had wanted from Australis. There were a couple of things which I wasn't too sure about so I googled reviews and adjusted my cart so I ended up with 9 things in all. The total came to $106.55, but with the discount code it came down to $53.28 (shipping is free over $50).

Firstly I would just like to note how quickly shipping was. When you place an order they say it should take one week for it to be delivered. I ordered at about 9.30am on the Saturday, and expected it might take a bit longer since they would be busy with all the orders from the sale but 10am on the Wednesday my packaged arrived, delivered to my door by AusPost.

Back in summer I had purchased a Velourlips Matte Lip Cream in the colour Rio-D which is a vibrant coral-orange colour which I actually find to be very wearable (as long as I've got a tan). I was impressed by the product, too. I was interested in trying the other colours - there are 5 all up- and thought this was the perfect time to snap some up. 

Australis Velourlips RRP $9.95 each

The colours I purchased are Par-ee (beige nude), Mal-i-boo (barbie pink) and Ny-cee (red). The only one I don't own now is Tok-i-o, a bold purple shade, which is just not something I think I'd feel comfortable wearing.

I ordered the Mineral High Lights in both Pearl and Gold, as I have no idea what will suit me better. Confession: I am completely new to highlighters. I'm not sure if liquid highlighters are the best place to start but fingers-crossed I don't come out of this looking like a discoball. These both look like nice colours and I've heard that one of them is a dupe for Benefit's High Beam.

Australis Mineral High Lights RRP $14.95 each

I'm yet to share with you all what my biggest beauty struggle is... My brows. I'm a natural light blonde and my eyebrows do indeed match my hair colour (if not even lighter). I'm not a big fan of overly dramatic brows either, so I'm constantly searching for brow products which are just the right shade. I bought the Tint My Brow in Blonde, which I believe is essentially a coloured brow gel and an Eyebrow Pencil in Light Brown. On the website, the light brown pencil appeared less warm-toned than the blonde - hopefully I picked the right one!

Australis Eyebrow Pencil RRP $7.95 and Tint My Brow RRP $9.95

Last but not least I ordered the Make-up Finishing Spritz and Matte Out Mattifying Face Base (primer). I've heard great things about Australis' finishing spray and had been planning on picking it up for quite awhile but hadn't gotten around to it until now. I'm still not sold on Matte Out - there are mixed reviews about it online - but curiosity got the better of me with this one, I want to see if it works for me.

Australis Make-up Finishing Spritz RRP $14.95
and Matte Out Mattifying Face Base RRP $13.95

Also in my box was a free 'Lip Trio' with a lip exfoliator, moisturiser and gloss, and a 25% card for Le Tan online store.

I give Australis a big thumbs up for making quality products at affordable prices and also because they are 100% cruelty free! For anyone interested in checking them out, here is their website: http://www.australiscosmetics.com.au/home They only ship in Australia (sorry international beauties). Did you get anything from the Australis sale? What are your favourite Australis products? Comment and let me know! Becky x