Nail it!

I'm not sure how many of you may be familiar with the clothing store, Sportsgirl. A fashion store that is popular in Australia but ships worldwide. There's been a lot of promotion on their nail products lately - and so I decided to revisit one of my nail polishes I bought from them a while ago. I used guava.

I must say, I am deeply disappointed with the nail polishes and it must be why I haven't used it in a long time. Despite having a LOT of shades, After painting my nails it still leaves the tips white. It costs more than Maybelline Colour Show, which is of much better quality. The variety of colours are quite tempting though, and so if you don't mind so much, you can probably put it on for an event that night because the polish will only last a couple of days before coming off. And during which, the white tips do become more noticeable.

Head and Shoulders Itchy Scalp Care With Eucalyptus Dandruff Shampoo

I requested a sample for this and thought it'd be great to try out since I've been loving the smooth and silky shampoo. Though I think my dandruff has been more controlled, I do still get some itch now and then so I thought, why not?

However, I don't actually think it decreased any itchiness at all. The Eucalyptus smell is nice when you open the bottle, but it doesn't stay on, which might not be a bad thing - might not want to smell like a big eucalyptus ball :p I do think my hair is less smooth in comparison to using the smooth and silky shampoo. As I was only sent the shampoo, I've been using the smooth and silky conditioner with this shampoo. I'm not sure if that may have decreased the effectiveness of the itchy scalp care shampoo, but I don't think I'll be switching - I don't have a major problem with an itchy scalp with controlled dandruff using the smooth and silky shampoo and conditioner combination and I haven't really seen benefits switching to using the Itchy scalp care shampoo at all.

Seacret Body Lotion

I purchased this product a long time ago - and it's probably a bit pricier than what I'd normally pay for a body lotion. The dead sea has many great benefits and I couldn't help but buy something to try it out. It not only has great benefits for only for your skin, but even for osteoarthritis! So since I can't travel that far, some skin care products will have to do.

I saw a sale on this product online and thought I'd try this out. I used it at home a couple of times, and didn't think much of the cream, because of the smell - honestly thought it smelt like a lighter version of hair removal cream haha. (yes, I'm not gonna lie) Wasn't too fond of the smell. So it was banished to the lotion/cream that I would take out if I went on holidays/stayed out for the night because it was smaller and I wouldn't have to bother repacking my lotion into smaller containers.

Because often those were small trips, I knew it worked as a lotion, but didn't think much of it. Recently, having used up my hand cream at my table. And having gone through Winter - with VERY dry hands. I've just been trying to find something else to use. I do have a hand cream, but I picked this up the other day on my table, and used it as my hand cream. It actually works VERY well as a hand cream - which I must say, MOST body lotions DO NOT. In fact, I have not found another body lotion that does. If I use a body lotion as a hand cream at night, I'll wake up in the morning and my hands are VERY dry and itchy. This one, keeps it moisturised, an it might be a little dry, need a bit of replenishing in the morning.

It claims to "replenish the skin's hydration to it's optimum level and leave the skin relaxed, supple, silky soft and radiant all day" I cannot agree more. Although I must say I'm not too sure about the radiant part. Hydrated, supple and silky soft, definitely!

So I've looked online and the scent I purchased (Vanilla Coconut) is no longer available - which is probably better! Their new scents definitely sound nicer! And it's been so long since I purchased, that they've also changed the packaging! Sorry! :( But I'll link you to their body lotions here. $30 for 200mL or 6.8oz. A bit pricy perhaps, but it is quite good. If you ever see it on special, snap it up! To those in Australia, I actually saw it on Catchoftheday for $10 I think? I can't remember the exact price, but I thought it was a good deal and purchased it. For those overseas, if you have similar discount sites, see if you can keep your eye out! Maybe back then they were getting rid of stock due to the change in packaging? And now, the scent isn't really bothering me, becuase I think the benefits is outweighing it, or maybe I'm just used to it haha. It's definitely a more watered down version of hair removal cream though.. Oh well, at least there's new scents now!

August Favourites

Skincare:

Kose UNKISEI PRIME cleansing oil

So one night, I freaked out. I was removing my BB cream, thought all was good. Had a shower (where I used my cleanser) and when I came out to tone my face - there was still a heck of BB cream on. So. More make up remover.. (Lots more) AND another 2 washes with two cleansers later.. did the trick. Yes, I was constantly monitoring. I wasn't sure what it was. Too much BB cream? Not sure. So.. she suggested I use Kose UNKISEI PRIME cleansing oil. She said she had been using it for a while and it was really good. Honestly, I was really desperate for a solution at that point. The only problem was that it needed to be ordered. But whatever, order me one and anything to prevent this from happening again. My skin at that point with all that cleansing and make up removing was D-R-Y.

Image Source: Sasa.com

I'm going to admit, it wasn't exactly love at first use with this cleanser/make up remover. I felt like using an oil was messy. It just seemed to make my liquid eyeliner run and I still had to grab my cotton buds after my shower and get rid of it. But, I probably didn't use it right, or wasn't used to it. It gets so milky white around my eye area now and looks so clean! I do use a cleanser in the shower afterwards, because it just feels a tad oily if I don't. I have heard that you don't need cleansers because make up remover oils double up as cleaners. But, my friend told me she also follows her make up removal routine with a cleanser. But it's really good to use as an eye make up remover. Really liking it despite the messiness.

Body:

Vaseline Intensive Care Total Moisture Dry Skin Lotion



My Nivea Rich Moisturising Lotion ran out, so my mum purchased another in it's place as my family share body lotions in the bathroom. This was actually the second one we got (The first was a total miss). This doesn't have as thick of a consistency as the Nivea Rich Moisturising Lotion, so that is still my preferred one. However, I think does do a pretty good job. So I will make my way through this bottle. I won't keep using the other one however. BUT after this one is finished, I have purchased a double pack of Nivea Rich Moisturising Lotion! Yay!

Vaseline Petroleum Jelly

Okay, I didn't know where to put this, but over the drier months for Winter, I've been loving Vaseline. I have a small tub I keep at my table, so when my lips are dry and I'm about to head out - just finished my make up, it's my lip balm. It also works as an alternative to eye gel to hold eyebrows together (did you know that?) :) - just don't dip your fingers in again if you're going to be using it on your lips as well! AND, Because I have dry skin, I've had some REALLY dry areas on my hands/arms. So guess what I used? Yup, that's right. Vaseline. Hydrates really well. One tub, multi-purpose!




Hair:

Head and Shoulders Smooth and Silky Shampoo and Conditioner (Separate)
So, if you've seen a previous post about hair care, you'd know I love the Clear haircare range. And I didn't think anything was going to change that. Really, nothing probably will. However, I was getting quite an itchy scalp with so much dandruff and although I felt the Clear anti-dandruff shampoo worked, I felt my hair was less soft. So I went back to Head and Shoulders.



Yes, I'm combining both the shampoo and conditioner (separate bottles) and it's leaving my hair really smooth and getting rid of my dandruff! I do still think the Clear shampoo does a better job of leaving it smooth, but this is the price to pay for wanting to have less dandruff I guess! I do miss how Clear shampoo smells, so I might start alternating and see how that goes.

Makeup:

Muji Duo Tone Blush

I'm not sure Muji make this item anymore - I checked on the global website and it's gone :( My friend actually bought this for me from Hong Kong a while ago and I've just been slowly using it and alternating between blushes. But I've found myself constantly reaching for this one. I haven't been able to find any blushes on the Muji website. However, I remember the first time I ever bought a blush from Muji, it was a quadrant and the mix of colours was amazing. You could a colour to highlight or choose one to use a blush to complement your overall makeup and best of all? If you mixed them, it gave an amazing colour. If you ever see a really pretty pink blush quadrant at Muji - PICK IT UP. Unfortunately I don't have Muji in Sydney, so that will only be for when I travel.



Sorry about the glare, the photo didn't show without the glare -.-

Back to this Duo. The softer pink makes a lovely highlighter, though I will admit I prefer the highlighting effects of the YSL or Maybelline Dream Lumi. As for my cheeks - depending on my look, I'll either opt for just the brighter pink or mix the two together. For my everyday makeup, I'll make the two together, it looks your natural look a nice "pop". There's also a really  nice, light shimmer to the colours.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer
Another product which I've loved but mentioned previously is the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer. Yes, I've reached for it more than my YSL Touche Eclat! I am mainly using it for under my eyes however, so for highlighting I would probably using the YSL. I'm currently using Ivory, but I think I'd need to go up a shade when I repurchase. You can read my review where I compare Maybelline Dream Lumi and YSL Touche Eclat here



MISSES:

Okay, something new this month. What hasn't really worked well for me?

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

In all honesty, this is the FIRST eyebrow pencil I have used. But I didn't think it worked well while being sharp (when new) and was hard to glide on. I prefer it very blunt to the extent that I am very afraid of sharpening it. It works better, but I wouldn't say it works the best. The brush that it comes with is also quite harsh and has hurt my eye area, particularly if I'm rushing in the mornings. I haven't actually tried to use a brush to brush out the pencil lines, rather just do it slower. But it's something I will try. That being said, I will keep using this until I find a new pencil.. but it just doesn't do it. I don't hate it, but because I have purchased it, I will use it, but wouldn't recommend it.



However, IF you have a drug store/ low end eyebrow pencil to recommend me, please leave it in the comments below! :)