Fear of disappointing people

I have come to terms with the fact that I care way too much about what other people think about me. To be honest, if I could change any character trait about me it would probably be this.

Don’t get me wrong- I think its a good quality to be tactful, but there is a difference between general politeness and changing the way you act in order to please others

I feel that I’m getting there. I’m definitely a lot less of a slave to human respect than I was several years ago in my teens. But still I have a long way to go. And I don’t think it helps living in a society that suppresses authenticity in nearly every way possible. Nothing is real these days. Photos are taken in the best lighting, edited to the max and captioned with rubbish that distracts from the true message: ‘hey, I need a confidence boost so please like my photo and tell me I’m beautiful’. Companies are all about money, even to the point of lying about their products. Everything is geared towards squeezing the maximum amount of dollars out of a person, no matter the ethical cost. The media is fake af. They show you what they want you to see, not the truth. And people can be so charming to you in person and say the most cruel and hurtful things behind your back. Just go to an extended family gathering and you’ll see what I mean.

I am so over it- it makes me mad. It makes me sad. It makes me want to get as far away from it as possible.

As the year draws to a close I can say with a sense of sadness that I am far from the person I want to be. But my focus for 2016 is to be as real and genuine as I can- not to pander to human respect but to stand by my opinions proudly, open to being humiliated if necessary yet not abandoning my morals for the sake of any other human.

I need to tell myself, and I’m here to tell you: It’s ok to disappoint people- you can’t possibly go through life pleasing everyone and being liked by them. Some of the most inspirational people were the most hated, yet they stood by their values and did not waver. That is what made them go down in history as one of the greats of their time.

The constant desire to please people is an exhausting and fruitless endeavour that is bound to lead to disappointment in itself. Just be yourself- don’t always be afraid to express your wants and desires at the expense of inconveniencing others. Sometimes people are happy to help- and if they aren’t, that’s not your fault and you can’t do anything about their lack of selflessness. Just as experiencing disappointment will not kill you, neither will disappointing others. If we feel we have a standard to uphold and live in constant fear of not meeting expectations we are really just guilty of a secret pride that, while not as obvious as arrogance, is equally as damaging and perhaps even more dangerous.

So anyway, that’s me signing out at the end of a much-needed venting session. It feels so good to put down in words what has been on my mind for so long. I hope you can understand where I am coming from and I also hope this helps if you are like me and need to tell yourself to just quit the worrying and get on with living life- a life that’s as genuine and authentic as possible xx.

 

 

 

 

 

Natural/organic lip products I’m throwing out

It came to my attention that I have WAY too many lip products that I simply don’t use, and haven’t for some time. I blame this on several factors:

• Online purchases are often a disappointment, as the colour I THINK I am getting turns out to be different in real life. A lot of colours just don’t suit my complexion and so I never end up using them
• I am not a lip person and don’t wear lipstick on a day-to-day basis. I have about 3-5 lip products in solid rotation and never really touch the others. I’d rather spend my money on face products, personally
• I find it basically impossible to use up a product before it goes out of date. The average shelf-life for a natural lipstick is about 12 months.

So, without further ado, here I present to you some farewell swatches of the lip products I am about to throw away. I will give a little description on some I find worth mentioning. Also please bear in mind that some of these products may be discontinued by now.

From top to bottom:

Phyt’s lipstick in Pink Suspicion: lovely formula, colour washed me out a little

Terre D’oc lipstick in no.207: again, nice creamy formula, just didn’t really like the colour as much as I thought I would

Honeybee Gardens lipstick in Paradise: formula is a tad drying, colour is too brownish

Lavera lipstick in Rosewood: good formula, but once again the colour was too brown for me

Hemp Organics lip tint in berry: I liked this one, but I don’t tend to go for darker colours

Inika lipstick in Lola 01: this came in a set of products and the colour did not suit me in the slightest. Also very dry formula

Silk naturals kisser slicker in Raindrops on Roses: had this for way too long

Silk Naturals kisser slicker in Breathless: I liked this colour, but have had this for too long now

Silk Naturals kisser slicker in Mirabelle: as above- long overdue to be thrown out!

Burt’s Bee’s lip shimmer in Champagne: too light and sparkly, washed me out

Burt’s Bee’s tinted lip balm in Honeysucksle: ONE OF MY FAVOURITE LIP PRODUCTS OF ALL TIME! I plan to repurchase, but have had this one for several years now so it needs to go

Burt’s Bees natural lip gloss in Juicy Peach: I’m not really a fan of lip gloss. This was ok, but a bit grainy and annoying to wear

Burt’s Bees lip gloss in Ocean Sunrise: once again a bit too light and sparkly for my liking

The All Natural Face vegan lip gloss in Peppermint Stick: too pink, bright and sparkly for me. Delicious scent though if you like mint

The All Natural Face diva stix in Bubblegum: I went through a phase of wearing very bright and bold makeup, but now I find this just a bit too in-your-face pink for me. Also a bit of a drying formula

So there you have it! I feel really bad thinking of all the money I wasted on these products, but you live and learn I guess. Let me know if next post you want me to show you all the lip products I’m keeping and wear on a more regular basis. I have found that more subtle, pinky-peach colours work best on my skin-tone.

Hope you found this insightful and have a wonderful day 🙂

Another iHerb Haul!

Recently I decided to go all out on my iHerb purchases- it was pretty epic, as you can see!

Though I have not had sufficient time to properly test out all the products, I do have a general idea of how they perform. Here goes…

Earth Circle Organics Raw Maca Powder

I think maca powder is absolutely fabulous. Not only does it provide energy and help regulate hormones, it also has a unique, delicious malt flavour. Since using it I have noticed a small difference in my energy levels and the appearance of my skin, which is clearing itself after a bout of bad breakouts. Whether this is directly related to the inclusion of maca in my morning smoothie is hard to say, but I’m liking it anyway! Thumbs up! 👍

Sun Warrior Raw Vegan Chocolate Protein Powder

Despite the good reviews, I was a little doubtful of whether I would enjoy the taste and texture of this powder, probably because I thought nothing could even get close to the amazingness of the Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion blend. I was proven wrong, however, upon trying it the first time. It was absolutely deeeeeelicious! What I love about this particular brand are the clean ingredients, lack of sugar, and high percentage of protein. It really helps keep my hunger at bay when included in my morning smoothie. Overall, big thumbs up! 👍

Ingredients: Proprietary protein blend (raw organic pea protein, raw cranberry protein, raw organic hemp seed protein), organic dutch cocoa, organic chocolate extract, organic vanilla extract, stevia, natural cherry extract, medium chain triglycerides, ancient sea salt, herbal (tea leaf) extract, natural fibers (fenugreek, konjac), natural citrus extract.

Amazing Grass Green Superfood Chocolate Drink Powder

I could rave on about this product for days. But I think you get the jist if I just tell you I love it and can’t go without it and have it every single day in my morning smoothie 😛. Not only is it packed full of nutrients, it tastes freakin’ amazing! I have already done a full review of this product on my blog, so if you want any more info, go ahead and check it out! Massive thumbs up! 👍

Earth Circles Organics, Organic Ecuadorian Cacao Powder

I use cacao powder in many things, from smoothies to cookies and avacado chocolate mousse. I couldn’t be without it really! This particular product is organic, good-quality and also decent value. I have already purchased it several times. Thumbs up! 👍

Spry Sugar-free Peppermints

After being introduced to this product by a friend, I was keen to get a hold of it. Although I like Spry chewing gum, mints have several advantages in that they dont upset the stomach (and possibly even lead to ulceration) or have to be spat out afterwards. These mints taste deliciously sweet and are very effective at freshening breath. The ingredients are also nice and clean in comparison to the majority of mints on the market. Thumbs up! 👍

Ingredients: Xylitol, calcium lactate, magnesium stearate, gum Arabic, natural peppermint oil, & beeswax (glazing agent).

Now Foods Organic Maple Syrup, Grade B

Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to test out this product (I blame all the Easter chocolate). Going by the reviews, however, I’d say it sounds very promising! Pure maple syrup is a healthier choice of sweetner compared to regular sugar as it goes through less processing, contains many more minerals and nutrients, and is lower on the Glycemic Index. 👍

Alter Eco Dark Coconut Toffee Chocolate

If you hadn’t guessed by now, I kind of have a thing for chocolate! I think I pretty much knocked this off in one sitting! Shameful, I know 😭 But let me tell you, it was so freakin’ scrumptious I could hardly resist! The crunchy toffee pieces and smoothness of the chocolate make it an absolute winner, plus I could feel slightly less guilty knowing it’s made from organic ingredients. Big thumbs up! 👍

Ingredients: Raw cane sugar**, cocoa liquor**, coconut toffee (sugar**, desiccated coconut**, butter*, sea salt), cocoa butter**, whole milk powder*, butterfat*.

*Organic **Organic and Fair Trade

Cocoa: 47% minimum

Amazing Grass Green Superfood Capsules

I bought these looking for a way to get my greens in on days when I don’t have my Amazing Grass powder. Turns I pretty much STILL have it every morning, even though I’m trying desperately to conserve it 😛. In spite of that, I do enjoy having these little capsules on-hand in case I want to up my greens intake. They’re easy to swallow and are packed full of nutrients, just like the powder. They also happen to be very reasonably-priced. Thumbs up! 👍

Sweet Leaf Liquid Stevia, Chocolate

While I haven’t tested this out in anything I’ve made, I did put a little drop on my finger to have a taste. It’s very sweet (as you’d expect) and has a pleasant but mild chocolate flavour. I’m looking forward to using this in drinks and raw desserts. I find that when used in baking, the taste and flavour of stevia tends to disappear, so I now save it for non-baked goods where it works very effectively. Thumbs up! 👍

Ingredients: Purified water, organic stevia leaf extract, natural flavors, cocoa extract.

IHerb were also kind enough to throw in a complimentary pencil with my order- cheers! 😄

So there you go, these are my thoughts on the products so far. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them down below. Overall, I highly recommend iHerb for online shopping as the range is enormous, the customer service is great and the prices are reasonable, even when converted from the US to the Aussie dollar!

‘No makeup’ makeup using natural products

Swatches (left to right): 100% Pure Foundation ‘White Peach’, Aubrey Organics Translucent base ‘Beige’ (barely visible), Lavera mineral rouge powder ‘Lovely Peach 03’, Zuzu Luxe cream brow pencil ‘Russet’, Silk Naturals brow cream ‘Medium Ash’, Nude by Nature lipliner ‘Chique’

Hey! Oh my gosh, Im finally back after yet another hiatus! 😃

After a lot of experimentation with natural makeup products, I’ve finally come up with a routine that is quick, easy, and looks flawlessly natural.

So without further ado, here it is: my go-to ‘no makeup’ makeup routine

• 100% Pure super-fruits healthy foundation ‘white peach’
• Aubrey Organics silken Earth translucent base ‘beige’
• Lavera ‘lovely peach 03’ mineral rouge powder
• Zuzu Luxe ‘russet’ cream brow pencil
• Silk Naturals ‘medium ash’ brow cream
• Lily Lolo Natural Mascara
• Nude by Nature natural ‘chique’ mineral lipliner
• Hurraw chai spice lip balm
• Real Techniques blending sponge for a flawless application

Application:

1. The 100% Pure Foundation has a rather drying, matte finish, so I find it best applied straight after moisturising. I find that it sits very well under the Pai Rosehip Oil. Simply squirt a few pumps and blend onto the face with fingers. Use a damp sponge to go over everything and ensure it is well blended. The 100% Pure Foundation is now my HG natural foundation. It is fantastic for oily skin, never breaks me out and has great coverage but somehow still looks so natural.
2. Apply a small amount of the Aubrey Organics Translucent Powder over the top to set the foundation with a large powder brush. I forgot how good this stuff is!! Although it doesnt act well as a foundation alone due to lack of coverage, it is amazing as a setting powder, and will keep makeup in place all day long
3. Using a smaller brush, apply the Lavera peach blush to the cheeks. Everyone has their own way of applying blush based on their face shape and bone structure. I find I like it best right on top of my cheekbones, swept away towards my temples. This particular blush might look scarily orange in the pan (and I stayed away from it for a long time because of that), but it seriously just adds the most gorgeous bronzey natural flush of colour when on the face
4. Give the lashes a couple of generous coats of the Lily Lolo mascara. Make sure you get right at the roots! This particular mascara gives the most amazing combination of length and volume, without being overly clumpy. Thinking of doing a full-review soon to show what a difference it makes to the overall look of the lashes
5. Use the Zuzu Luxe brow pencil to define the base of the brows with light, feathery strokes. Then go over and blend in slightly with the fingers to avoid it looking harsh. I love this pencil, but find it can be a little stiff, so I like to run the tip of it between my fingers first to warm up the waxes before using it
6. Using a brow brush, apply the Silk Natural brow powder in any sparse areas, just to give the brows a more full look. This product is my absolute hands-down favourite for the brows. The colour is a PERFECT cool-toned taupe, and it blends in so nicely with my natural brows
7. Apply the Nude By Nature lipliner just underneath the natural line of the bottom lips. This works an absolute treat for giving the lips a natural fuller-looking appearance.
8. Smack some Hurraw lipbalm (or any lipbalm of choice) on your lips for some moisture and you are good to go!

As you can see this is a rather minimal approach to everyday makeup, but it is so quick and easy to do when you just want a look that is fresh and natural yet flawless. I find myself going for this look almost every day at the moment.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or comments about absolutely anything in this post, and I’ll be sure to get back to you. Have a great day! 😊💚

Review: Haut Cosmetics BB cream and HDD cream

About a month ago I purchased some products from a brand I’d had my eye on for some time- Haut Cosmetics.
Haut Cosmetics may be seen as a high-end natural brand that put simply amazing ingredients into their products. In my eyes it’s almost a cross between skincare and makeup, so as you can imagine I was very keen to try out their BB cream along with a sample of their HDD cream which I purchased from the website Be Naturallyou
I ordered the shade ‘Almond’ in both the BB cream AND HDD cream.

Let’s start off with the BB cream:

Top to bottom: BB cream swatched heavily, blended out

Pros:

-Lightweight
-Creamy
-Blends like a dream
-Incredibly natural-looking
-Dewy finish
-Evens out skin-tone and covers minor imperfections
-Stellar ingredients
-Pleasant Smell
-Pretty packaging

Cons:

-Small pot size (7g, 0.25 oz)
-Expensive ($42.95)
-Pot packaging is less hygenic
-Sheer coverage will not cover your average blemish

Application: This BB cream is actually so creamy I didn’t really need to use a sponge to blend it in! Just by using your fingers you’ll get a lovely, even finish. However, I still like to use a dampened sponge to go over some areas and make it perfect. Because I like a more matte finish, I like to apply a little bit of powder over the top, however, this is totally optional.

Shade: Almond is described as being suitable for ‘light skin with yellow or neutral undertones’. I’d say this description is fairly accurate. I have light skin with neutral undertones and this worked really well, perhaps just being a tiny bit too dark on my winter skin. I’m fairly certain that after a bit of sun it will match perfectly though.

Ingredients: aloe juice*, coconut oil*, shea butter*, castor oil, , emulsifying wax nf, calendula extract*, stearic acid, vegetable glycerin, cocoa butter, lavender distillate*, bilberry extract*, sugar cane extract*, sugar maple extract*, orange extract*, lemon extract*, cranberry extract*, papaya extract*, pineapple extract*, vanilla seed ferment, glycolic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, tocopherol (vitamin E), olive oil*, candelilla wax, coconut Oil*, shea butter*, palm oil*, jojoba oil*, rosehip oil, tocopherol (vitamin E), rosemary oleoresin, neem oil, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, carnauba-coated serecite, kaolin clay, arrowroot powder, Canadian glacial marine clay, Canadian glacial clay, iron oxides.

*Organic

Overall: I really, really love this BB cream. I kind of wish I didn’t though considering it costs $42.95 for 7g (0.25 oz). But the way I justify it is, the ingredients work to actually nourish and improve the condition of your skin, so you would expect to pay a little more. It is PERFECT for days when I want to even out my skin tone and give it a natural-looking glow. Seriously, this product is nearly undetectable on the skin if applied correctly, but it still makes a big difference somehow!

 

Now onto the HDD cream:

HDD cream swatch

Pros:

-Thick formula with good coverage
-Still natural-looking
-Easy to blend
-More matte finish in comparison to the BB cream
-Stellar ingredients

Cons:

-Expensive ($31.70 for full size)
-Very small pot size (3.5g, 0.125 0z)
-Pot packaging is less hygenic

Application: Although thicker and tackier in consistancy than the BB cream, this product still glides onto the skin with ease, and doesn’t require too much blending to achieve a flawless look. I find it better to warm the product into the skin with my fingers first before going in with a damp sponge to finish off.

Shade: Although I got the same shade, ‘almond’, as I did in the BB cream, I felt that the colour was just a smidgen more on the cool-toned side in comparison. Still fairly accurate though. If you have a neutral skin-tone, this will suit just fine.

Ingredients: olive oil*, candelilla wax, coconut oil*, shea butter*, palm oil*, jojoba oil*, rosehip oil, vitamin e, neem oil, titanium dioxide, carnauba-coated serecite, zinc oxide, arrowroot, canadian glacial marine clay, yellow clay, kaolin clay, purslane (lactobacillus/portulaca oleracea) ferment extract, bioferment, kakadu plum extract, iron oxides, vitamin e.

* Organic

Overall: I only really had enough in the sample for one application, however I did really like this stuff! It definately had more coverage than the BB cream, yet still felt as smooth and natural on the skin. I would certainly purchase the full size if it weren’t so expensive, but as it is, I’m just not sure I can justify it. If I did buy it, I’d really only use it as a concealer because there is no way it’d last long enough otherwise.

So there you have it! Those are my thoughts on these two fabulous products. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them down below. Have a great day! 🙂