Press Pause on Ageing with Alpha-H

Good Morning Loves!

I have enjoyed using Alpha-H skincare products for around three years. The proudly Australian brand, perhaps most well known for its cult classic Liquid Gold glycolic exfoliant, offers a large range of effective, results driven skincare products. I have reviewed a number of them in the past, and will leave some links below to previous posts for you.

Today I have a gentle, but effective duo of products to share with you to help you Press Pause on Ageing. The Gentle Daily Exfoliant and the Protection Plus Daily SPF 50+ have been part of my routine for the last two months.

I have used, and repurchased Protection Plus twice now. It is definitely a favourite of mine, however the Gentle Daily Exfoliant is new to me, and she has been happily living in my shower since the day she arrived. It is the combination of gentle effective exfoliation, and then protecting that lovely new skin with a broad spectrum SPF that helps you to Press Pause on ageing. As many skin specialists will tell you, the most effective way to slow the ageing of the skin is to protect it from the damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun.


If you'd like to find out a little more about these two products, please read on!

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant.

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant.

The Gentle Daily Exfoliant is quite unlike any other exfoliant I have used in the past, and believe me I have tried quite a few in my time! It contains a combination of fruit enzymes, which do a lovely job whisking away dead skin cells from the outer layer of skin, and very finely milled cleansing clays, including bentonite and kaolin. I use it in the evening following my oil cleanse, however you could certainly use it in the morning if you prefer. Once mixed with a few drops of water, the consistency is very light, and the product becomes quite thin. The silky, fine texture has no grip or pesky granules, in fact, you almost feel like you are massaging a very fine, diluted, watery clay mask on your face. It is quite different, and takes a bit of time to get used to. I will continue to massage for the full minute, to give the lovely ingredients time to do their job, and then rinse. I cannot tell you how velvety soft and smooth my skin feels. It feels clean and refreshed, without a hint of redness or irritation.
You may also mix the exfoliant with your cleanser of choice if you prefer. I have tried this with the Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser with great results. As I mentioned earlier, this product has not left my bathroom. I happily recommend it if you are looking to add a very gentle, but effective daily exfoliant to your skincare routine.

Alpha-H Protection Plus Daily SPF 50+

Alpha-H Protection Plus Daily SPF 50+

I use the Protection Plus as my morning moisturiser, after cleansing and applying my morning serum. I have combination/oily skin that is acne prone, and many mainstream SPF's irritate my skin, are too greasy, and can cause my acne to flare up. I have never had any such issues with the Protection Plus. It is tinted, which makes blending into the skin seamless. It is hydrating without being heavy or greasy, and it dries down to a satin/matte finish that makes for an excellent base for makeup. It also contains antioxidants to further shield skin from environmental damage. I also make sure to apply it down my neck and onto my décolletage, and the back of my hands. I wait about five minutes after application to allow it to absorb fully prior to staring my makeup.
As I have already mentioned, I have repurchased Protection Plus a number of times, and will continue to do so. I cannot recommend it enough.



You can head to the Alpha-H website here for more information, and to locate stockists, of which there are many!!


Below are some of my previous posts featuring Alpha-H skincare. Just click on each link to take you straight to the post!



Triple Action Cleanser

Instant Facial

Berry Box Gift Set

Liquid Laser Cleansing Oil




Thanks so much for stopping by!



Blessings,



Lou xo

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own. xx

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Davines Hair Care | NOU NOU | Review

Hello Loves!

I have a review for you today on the beautiful davines NOU NOU hair care range.

It is one of the many davines products that you can purchase from the Australian online beauty mecca

Recreate Yourself.

This beautiful gift set was sent to me for review, and I have my thoughts to share with you today!

davines is a family owned Italian hair care brand with long history of developing high quality, in salon hair care and colouring products. With a focus on sustainability, and inspired by their cultural heritage, davines is indeed an absolutely lovely brand. I have tried a couple of samples of their products in the past, and was really impressed.

davines NOU NOU range is a part of their Essential Haircare range, and is designed for bleached, highlighted, brittle hair types. Whilst I wouldn't class my hair as brittle, it has certainly seen its far share of bleach over the years! I have recently had a big change, and cut off my medium length hair in favour of a longish pixi cut. I am still getting used to it, but I am loving how quick and easy it is for me to style in the mornings when I am trying to get four children off to school whilst concurrently comforting a teething baby on my hip. I enjoy using good quality products on my hair, and am always up for switching up my products and trying something new, especially if they smell good!

davines NOU NOU Shampoo is just lovely. It quickly transforms into a dense, moisturising lather, and then rinses cleanly and easily. My hair and scalp feel clean and refreshed, without feeling stripped or squeaky! If you have highlighted/bleached hair you will know what I mean by this! davines describe the scent as " citrus, spicy and aromatic note " however it is quite subtle and not at all overpowering. I would describe the scent as slightly citrusy, clean and little powdery. It's lovely.

250ml RRP - $32.95 AUD.

davines NOU NOU conditioner is equally as lovely, and is packaged in a plastic pot with a flip top lid. It is surprising easy to use, just pop up the lid, scoop out the product and pop the lid back down. Nothing worse than trying to screw a lid back on a jar of product with wet hands whilst trying not to let said product plop on the shower floor! Do you feel me?! I digress... it is indeed a rich, thick luxurious conditioner which does a stellar job of hydrating and detangling my locks. I always try to take a little time to give my scalp a massage for a minute or two. It is an easy way to incorporate a little bit of self care, and whilst not a patch on having someone else do it, it is great for your scalp and can assist in helping you feel relaxed. Like the shampoo, the conditioner rinses very nicely, and leave my hair feeling soft and nourished. Love.

250ml RRP - $32.95 AUD.

davines NOU NOU Hair Mask is another winner in my book. My very first hair stylist ( whom I still miss very much due to her rudely moving interstate ) recommended to me to use a hair mask in place of a normal conditioner for those times when you feel your hair needs some extra nourishment. I will often do this for one week out of the month, particularly in summer when my hair feels the effects of lots of swimming and exposure to the sun. Like the conditioner, the hair mask hydrates and nourishes without weighing down my hair, and without making it look and feel greasy the next day like some products can have a tendency to do. It's a good one!

250ml RRP - $39.95 AUD.

I have also found that whilst using this range, my hair has become shiny again! If you have blonde/highlighted hair like me, you will know how difficult it is to get it to reflect light! It has also helped to maintain the 'brightness' of my blonde, meaning I have needed to reach for my purple toning shampoo a great deal less than I would normally.

As I mentioned earlier in the post, these products were sent to me as a trio gift set from Recreate Yourself. I have just checked on the site, and it would appear that the NOU NOU gift sets have sold out already, so I apologise for that most sincerely! The products I have mentioned are all available individually on the website, at prices which are quite comparable. 

Head over to the RY website here to check out their huge range of davines products, many of which are also available in travel sizes. RY Brickworks has also recently opened in sunny Southport, Queensland, so you lucky folk living nearby can pop in and potter around to your hearts content!

RY also stock some of my favourite beauty brands such as AlphaH, Bioderma, Becca, Bite beauty, Lanolips, Metta Skincare, OPI, DnA Elements, Lulu & Lipstick, Eco Tools and Real Techniques just to name a few!

Have you tried davines? Do you have a favourite haircare brand? Or do you prefer to spend you beauty dollars on skincare or makeup rather than your hair? Let me know in the comments below...I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings!

Lou xo

This is not a sponsored post. Thank you RY for providing the lovely davines.

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Natio | Four Makeup Palette Reviews and Swatches! | Limited Edition

Hello beauties!

Happy February! Where did January go?!

I hope you are all well!

I have some gorgeous NATIO products to share with you today. The Australian brand NATIO was one of the first makeup brands that I fell in love with many years ago... yes they have been around for a long time! They used to have a beautiful blush called "Apples" that I was completely obsessed with and used every day, along with their stick foundation and pressed eyeshadows.

As a brand they have come a long way in recent years, and are certainly embracing new technology in their skin care ranges and makeup lines. They have managed to do this whilst still keeping their prices very reasonable, and maintaining excellent quality, and were recently voted best Australian beauty brand in the 2016 Prix de marie claire Awards. I have used and loved many of their body care ranges, and I have noticed they have just released a new aromatherapy home fragrance range, which I am excited to explore!

Today, I have some colour cosmetics to share with you, and a few of these are limited edition, so if you like the look of anything you see then grab it quick!

Let's go!

NATIO Sunlit Mineral Bronzer & Radiant Mineral Blush RRP $19.95 AUD.

NATIO Radiant Mineral Blush.

NATIO Sunlit Mineral Bronzer & Radiant Mineral Blush,
swatched in natural light.

Both the Sunlit Mineral Bronzer and Radiant Mineral Blush have been re-released due to consumer demand. Both contain five varying shades, giving you control over depth and tone of colour applied. Both are soft and creamy, and apply beautifully to the skin, giving you a gorgeous natural glow. I have swirled all of the shades together for the swatches above. You can see the blush has a rosy/peach tone to it when all five shades are mixed, but keep your brush to the left side of the palette and your blush will take on a more rosy/mauve tone. Both compacts are enriched with vitamin E and rosehip oil,  along with oil absorbing kaolin clay. In my personal experience, the fine texture also means that these powders will not accentuate uneven texture or enlarged pores. I have enjoyed applying the bronzer with a large face brush to warm up my complexion in the areas where the sun would normally hit the face, and I like to apply my blush right on the apples of my cheeks to give a youthful flush of colour. Love. 

NATIO Natural Shades Eyeshadow Palette - Rosebud RRP $19.95 AUD.

I adore the tones of the eyeshadows in the Rosebud palette. They remind me of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette in many ways. It contains four matte shades, and eleven shimmer/metallic shades. The matte shades do feel a little dry and powdery to touch, though they perform really nicely on the eyes with the aid of a primer. With the exception of one shade which lacks pigment, the shimmer shades are stunning. Soft, creamy, blendable and gorgeous. The palette contains a good variety of highlight, mid-tone, and deeper shades, meaning you can choose one gorgeous shade for an easy one shadow look, or build up intensity in the outer V and crease with the deeper shades for a dramatic smokey look. It is a completely lovely eyeshadow palette that I would warmly recommend to either the beginner, or makeup collector/lover. 

I have swatches of all three rows of the palette below for you. The photographs are all taken in natural light.

NATIO Natural Shades Eyeshadow Palette - Rosebud RRP $19.95 AUD.

NATIO Rosebud Palette - 1st Row.

NATIO Rosebud Palette - 2nd Row.

NATIO Rosebud Palette - 3rd Row.

NATIO 32 colours inspired by nature palette - RRP $49.95 AUD.

The 32 Colours Inspired by Nature palette was released just prior to Christmas 2016.

 24 eyeshadows, a contour palette and a blush palette with four shades each, and a variety of brushes makes this palette great value for money. The eyeshadows are of a similar quality to the Rosebud palette, with a good variety of matte and shimmer shades ranging from soft highlight shades, to lovely mid-toned and deeper colours. The pigmentation is generally very good, and the powders are soft and blend nicely on the skin.

The packaging is sturdy, made from good quality cardboard, and included is a brilliant full size mirror. The mirror itself, whilst excellent, is also heavy, and does not sit up on its own, so you will just need to lean it against something while doing your makeup. Not a deal breaker by any means, but just something to note.

NATIO is all about promoting natural beauty. They take inspiration from the colours in our beautiful Australian environment, and their mantra " love being you " has always resonated with me. Whether you choose to do a full glam makeup look on a daily basis, or just subtly enhance your features with a handful of products, it's about using and enjoying makeup creatively in a way that YOU enjoy. I don't contour my face on a daily basis, however some days I feel like experimenting! Blush is a must-have for me on a daily basis, I feel like I've forgotten my knickers if I'm not wearing blush...much like lipstick, it instantly brightens my face, and makes me look a little more awake than I feel! The point is, trends will come and trends will go. They always do. I have seen many in the 30 odd years that I have been experimenting and enjoying makeup. Just don't forget to "love being you", and have fun!

See...it's even written on the palette to remind you xx

The tools included are not too bad, and with the exception of only one will do the job well. The 'Blender' brush is not so great... it is cut straight across and feels a little scratchy to be honest. I use a bigger, tapered fluffy brush for blending my eyeshadows. All in all the brushes are not too bad, considering that the brushes included with most palettes usually leave a lot to be desired.

The contouring powders are lovely. The two deeper shades a very pigmented so just use a light hand. I find the peach shade to be less of a contour, and more of a brightening setting powder, or even a blush if you have a very fair skin tone. The highlight shade is very pretty...I have swatched it quite heavily here, it does not look this stark and obvious on the skin at all, but blends nicely to catch the light perfectly.

Now the blush palette...well...I am SO loving this! Knocked my socks off. 

The rosy brown shade on the left is perfect for placing towards the back of the cheek, almost like a 'relaxed' way to contour and add shape and dimension to your face. The middle two shades are completely stunning, have a matte finish and give the most beautiful youthful flush to your cheeks...just tap your brush gently into these, they pack a punch, but do blend out easily. The dusty mauve shimmer on the far right is completely dreamy, and makes either a beautiful blush topper to the other three shades, or a gorgeous glowy blush on its own.

The quality of these blushes reminds me of many high-end blushes that I own. Pop these into NARS packaging and I wouldn't blink.

I have only swatched a couple of the eye shadows from the palette. The shades in the top two rows are very similar to the Rosebud palette. These shades above are an assortment from the bottom two rows, where the colours are a little warmer in tone. Lovely.

If you see this palette in Priceline Pharmacy, Myer or David Jones I would not hesitate to recommend that you pick it up. It would make the perfect gift, either to a loved one, or just for you to enjoy.

You can also head over to the NATIO website here to see their lovely range of products.

Phew! Are you still here? If you are, then thank you! 

I appreciate each and everyone of you that visits my blog! I have some exciting changes coming... so stay tuned. Lots more content coming your way this year. If you have any requests for reviews or 'how too's' please leave me a comment below!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings!

Lou xo

Disclaimer; Products are PR samples provided for consideration. All opinions are my own, as always. Thank you Natio! And please bring back "Apples" blush! Lou xo

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