La’bonic Daily Defender SPF 15

Where I got it: I was sent this for review from La’bonic and you can purchase this on their website for NZD$45.00

What I got: This is 50g tube of La’bonic’s Organic Daily Defender moisturiser with SPF15. The moisturiser contains pure natural rose damascena oil which moisturizes, evens skin tone, reduces pigmentation from sun exposure and brightens the complexion.

La’bonic is a range of honest and healthy New Zealand Natural and Organic skincare made by trustworthy professionals.

How I find it:  The moisturiser is a little on the thicker side and it can take little effort to spread because of its sunscreen properties. It does need a little time to settle in on my skin so after I apply the moisturiser, I wait for a few minutes to apply any makeup.

Overall: The moisturiser is quite moisturising. A little goes a long way as shown on the picture above, that is enough for my entire face. The consistency is very comfortable on the skin as it doesn’t feel too oily or heavy on my combination/oily skin even in summer. The down-side of this moisturiser is it’s scent – because it does not contain any fragrance, the scent is rather chemical-like. However, the scent is not strong so it will fade very soon. I am sure a lot of people would prefer skincare with no fragrance, but I would prefer a light natural scent instead of this chemical/sunscreen smell.  Anyway, I am quite impressed with La’bonic’s skincare product so far! I do look forward to trying other skincare products from their range!

Disclaimer: I am not paid to do these reviews. All reviews are of my honest and personal opinions.

Plantae Certified Organic Supercritical Rosehip Fruit + Seed Facial Serum

Where I got it: I was sent this for review but you can get this from the Plantae website for $44.90.

What I got: This is a bottle of the Certified Organic Supercritical Rosehip Fruit + seed facial serum from Plantae. A high potency Rosehip Oil concentrate containing the complete nutritive benefits of the whole fruit. This unique synergistic blend of both Rosehip Fruit + Seed delivers natural Vitamin C, Pro-Vitamin A and Essential fatty acids to condition and improve skin firmness and elasticity.

How I find it: After cleansing and toning, I use the dropper to dispense 3-5 drops of this oil to my palms, warm it up by rubbing my palms together then press it onto my face. The oil smells really nice of Rosehip and feels non-greasy after about a minute for the skin to absorb. I use this at night only because it tends to be a bit too oily to use during day time.

Overall: The facial serum is lovely to use and I love the smell of rosehip! The dropper bottle is also very easy to use. I am getting quite careful of what I use as skincare now that I am pregnant. Rosehip and rose oil are fine and all Plantae products are paraben free and certified organic.

Nominee for Best Beauty Blog 2013 on BeautyReview.co.nz

I am very happy to announce that Bellyrubzbeauty.com have been nominated to be 1 of 15 Best Beauty Blog 2013  hosted by BeautyReview.co.nz! 

So it works like this: There have been 15 nominees and 4 heats of voting. Each week will run from Friday to the next Thursday (Heat 1: Friday 8/11/13 to Thursday 14/11/13. Heat 2: Friday 15/11/13 to Thursday 21/11/13. Heat 3: Friday 22/11/13 – Thursday 28/11/13. Heat 4: Friday 29/11/13 –  5/12/13)

I have started Bellyrubzbeauty.com for just over a year now and I have been seeing growth in viewers. Everytime I see a comment, or a like I get the same butterflies in my stomach feel. I deeply appreciate people spending time on my blog, reading reviews and find them useful. The main focus of my blog is product reviews of skincare, cosmetics, body care, hair care, etc. I love to give my honest opinions and provide informative and precise reviews of new products and products that I have loved for a long time.

I would say that my blog has the same focus BeautyReview.co.nz has – to provide honest and unbiased product reviews for New Zealand women (international as well), helping consumers like you choose products that will be more suitable to what you need or what you are looking for.

If you enjoy reading my blog, please vote for me! Your vote means a lot to me!

Bellyrubzbeauty.com will be on the Heat 2 of the voting rounds. Thank you! XOXO

ARTDECO Cosmetics

When I received my invitation to the ARTDECO cosmetics New Zealand launch I was over the moon! I RSVP’d right away and asked for half a day off from work. Unfortunately, a very ‘important’ training session comes up on the same day and at the same time! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! I was checking my twitter and instagram constantly for updates and photos. I was extremely gutted and envious of the media that went! I still can’t get over it. Thankfully, the lovely PR ladies sent me all the information and products I needed!!

ARTDECO is a unique colour cosmetics brand that combines numerous collections into one integrated concept, offering a range of premium quality products at affordable prices. ARTDECO is a leader in Germany’s selective market since 2001 and it is sold in more than 70 countries around the world.

ARTDECO  will be available in New Zealand exclusive to Farmers (limited to 26 branches nationwide) from 8th November (SUPER EXCITED!) 

Where I got it: The lovely people at BDM Grange sent me these lovely products and hopefully these will come to your local Farmers! The affordability of ARTDECO products is great for their palette system where you can buy small eye shadow and blush pans and create your own palette.

What I got: The lovely people at BDM Grange sent me their lovely products and press release information despite me missing out on the launch and demostration. Here’s what I got in a cute little ARTDECO black cosmetics bag: 1 x empty Eye Shadow Palette (fits 4 eye shadows), 4 x Pearly Eye Shadow shades in (02 Anthracite, 10 White, 12 Chocolate Cake, 17 Misty Wood), 1 x All in One Mascara, 1 x Art Couture Lipstick, 1 x Eye Shadow Base, 1 x Hydra Lip Booster Lipgloss and 1 x Perfect Teint Concealor.

How I find it:

Eye shadow palette and eye shadow shades (Quattro Palette $16.00, Pearly Eye Shadow shades $9.00 each): The ARTDECO pearl eyeshadows are characterized by an amazing color brilliance and a wide choice of shades. The fragrance-free eyeshadows are very long-lasting and available separately, so they can be combined and replaced individually. The eyeshadows can be stored in the practical refillable magnetic beauty boxes. The palette I got has a lovely mirrored cover with rose gold tint. The palette opens easily with a click at the bottom edge into a big mirror under the cover and a magnetic strip at the bottom of the palette and a plastic part so you can pick the eye shadow refills out easily. It also came with a small double-ended applicator sponge tip which I do not use unless I need to take this palette out. The eye shadows I got (left to right of the picture): 10: a lovely shimmery pearl white colour. 12: lovely golden bronze with shimmer. 17: dark brown with shimmer. 02: dark grey with a bit of shimmer. The eye shadows comes with a small little plastic lid with the shade number that clips onto the eye shadow pan. The eye shadow pan fits perfectly into the palette to create your favourite set of colours! I use 12 all over my eye lid, then use 17 for the outer edge and crease, 02 for closer to my lash line, then 10 for the inner corners and brow bone. All the colours goes on really pigmented and stays on extremely well. Comes in heaps of different colours and finishes (matte, pearl, shimmer, etc.)

All in One Mascara (black) ($32.00): The long-lasting All in One Mascara provides perfect lash styling. The lashes get maximum volume, visual extension and great curl. Two lash brushes in one supply your lashes with more volume and separation at the same time. Carnauba wax nourishes the lashes and maintains their flexibility. Long lasting formula. This mascara provides long-lasting volume with a medium sized brush head. The formula looks a little on the dry side and gives a matte finish to the lashes instead of a glossy finish. The formula is not clumpy after 2 coats, it gives a bit of volume but not much for lengthening.  It did smudge after a long day around the outer corners to my lower eye area, but overall it held up very well! Removal is easy with cleansing water, eye makeup remover or cleansing oil. Comes in 3 colours: Black, brown and blue.

Art Couture Lipstick in ($32.00): A lipstick matching your gorgeous gown – whether classic red or subtle nude – the Art Couture Lipstick classic embodies everything desirable in a lipstick: sheer, creamy texture with sensual shine. A sublime generation of lipstick, uniting enticing, rich color with feminine elegance and delicateness. The gel-like texture glides on the lip effortlessly, providing an incomparable creamy sensation and embeds the lips in a soft, velvety cushion of color. Hop extract nourishes the lips and keeps them supple. The result: perfectly colored and moisturized lips. The lips appear smooth and soft. An elegant aroma with a sweet note completes a luxurious lip make up sensation. It comes in a box and the lipstick case is of a lacquer finish and it looks pretty high end. The colour I got is a very natural nude pink suitable for many skin tones. The lipstick itself has ARDECO embossed on it which makes it even more sophisticated! The formula is on the creamy side I would say. On the lips, it gives a rose colour with gold shimmer which looks really amazing (you can’t really see it when it is brand new from the bullet, after a few swipes, you will see the lovely gold shimmer on the lipstick). It gives a nice layer of colour with 2 swipes, but if you want more colour, layering with this lipstick looks just as pretty! Available in 12 lovely shades.

Eye Shadow Base ($16.00): The Eyeshadow Base with a soft, creamy consistency prevents the deposition of eyeshadow in the eyelid crease and makes the powder eyeshadows highly long-lasting, intense and brilliant. This way, little particles cannot become loose, making it ideal for contact lens wearers. The base calms reddened eyelids with bisabolol and neutralizes the color of the eyelid. Vitamin E nourishes and protects the sensitive skin of the eyes. This eye shadow base is really comfortable to wear! It is really creamy and velvety. It doesn’t have a very silicon feel to it, and it does on clear and smooths out evenly. It helps my eye shadow stayed on throughout the day (from 7am to 8pm in an office environment). Very affordable, but the down-side is the  pot packaging – would be a bit of a hassle to get the last bits.

Hydra Lip Booster Lipgloss in 36 Translucent Rosewood ($22.00): This Lip Gloss provides full, sensual lips with a trace of color and wonderful shine. Marine Fillings Spheres® evens out wrinkles and lines. Blue Seakale und Collageneer® support the regeneration and improve the skins elasticity. The Hydra Lip Booster has an excellent wearing comfort and visible care for the lips. The packaging of the lip gloss was a little disappointing compared to the lipstick, but none the less, the product is the most important part. This shade is a perfect neutral pink/nude colour. It has quite good pigment, but not to the point of a liquid lipstick. The lip gloss is not sticky even though it is not the lightest lip gloss available, it is super comfortable to wear. The gloss lasts for a long time and appears to hide the lines on my lips. Available is 3 pretty shades.

Perfect Tient Concealor in 5 Refreshing Natural ($28.00): Light-reflecting pigments cover up shadows around the eyes, lines and wrinkles. The complexion appears more even and radiant and gets a fresh appearance. The light and pleasant texture is water-repellent and long-lasting. The brush applicator with practical rotating mechanism provides a very precise and easy application. With UV protection. Fragrance-free. This concealer seems just right for my skintone and it is about 2 shades lighter and I do like a lighter shade concealer for my under eye area. Give it a couple of twists at the bottom to deliver to formula to the soft brushes, then apply. The formula is quite easy to smooth out and the coverage is light, buildable to medium. It doesn’t crease really badly, but it does. Sadly, it doesn’t really work so well with my oily skin and it moves and is not really long-lasting even when I set it with a powder. Available in 3 shades.

Overall: I absolutely adore the eye shadow palette system and the shades that I have at the moment. I think I can easily go crazy with buying more shades knowing that they are $9.00 each! Next item I love is the eye shadow base obviously, it is affordable and the quality is just fantastic. Next up would be the lipstick, the shade is really pretty and I am just a sucker for packaging! I would like to try out their complexion products like foundation, powder, blush, etc. as well! We’ll have to sit tight and wait for the launch in 2 weeks!

For celebrating the launch of ARTDECO in New Zealand, when you purchase 4 eye shadow shades, you get an empty palette for free! How great is that! Make sure you have a look at your local Farmers for the ARTDECO launch!

Farmers Albany, Bayfair, Blenheim, Botany Downs, Chartwell, Dunedin, Lambton Quay, Lynmall, Manukau, Napier, Newmarket, New Plymouth, Northlands, Palmerston North, Pukekohe, Queen St, Queensgate, Riccarton, Rotorua, Shore City, St Lukes, Te Awa, The Palms, West City.

Karen Murrell Lipstick in 06 Carnation Pink

Where I got it: I got sent this for review.  These are available in 11 colours and a clear lip balm for $30.  You can purchase these on Karen Murrell website, or find your local stockists here. Check out my review of the shade 03 Pink Starlet and 09 Sandstorm here.

What I got: After trying out Karen Murrell’s lipsticks in 03 Pink Starlet and 09 Sand Storm, I am trying out their 06 Carnation Pink. Karen Murrell lipsticks are totally natural, contains no mineral oil, no animal products, parabens or preservatives!  They all contain Candelilla, Evening Primrose oil and Castor oil, they smell and taste nice (smells like cola bottle lollies)!

Above: Karen Murrell lipstick in Carnation Pink

How I find it: Carnation Pink actually looks great! This romantically inspired lipstick nourishes lips with an admiring rose petal pink. This is a lovely nude pink that is very easy to wear. The colour is buildable, and it can be a sheer colour if you apply one swipe. 2-3 swipes will give you gorgeous colour!

Top: Full lips with 06 Carnation Pink. Bottom: right half with Carnation Pink, left half bare.

Overall: The formula for the lipsticks are amazing. They are creamy and soft, I don’t think I need a lip balm! I wonder how I have never tried them before? The colour swatch on the website doesn’t really do these colours justice, you really need to try them on to see that lovely sandy colour of Sandstorm! I have been wearing Pink Starlet everyday to work and it looks natural and not too strong, just the way I love it!

Repurchase? Oh, yes! I already have my eyes on a few other colours – 04 Red Shimmer (an amazing bright red), 08 Coral Dawn (I love love love coral) and 11 Scarlet Blaze (rich velvety red).

Please like if you like this post! Thank you so much for reading!  xoxo

Disclaimer: I am not paid to do these reviews. All reviews are of my honest and personal opinions.

Plantæ skincare – Purify range

Where I got this: I was sent these products to try and review (thank you Plantæ). These products are available on their website or a few selected stockist which can be found here.  Product ranges from $27.90 to $79.90.

What I got: I got some Plantæ skincare from two of their ranges. The purify range is perfect for combination/oily skin: Purify Lemon Oil-Control Cleansing Gel, Purify Wild Thyme Oil-Regulating Toner and Purify Watercress Light Day Lotion.

Above left to right: Purify Lemon Oil-Control Cleansing Gel, Purify Wild Thyme Oil-Regulating Toner and Purify Watercress Light Day Lotion.

How I find it: I will review these individually.
Purify Lemon Oil-Control Cleansing Gel $34.90: Its blend of botanicals stimulates microcirculation and helps prevent acne by regulating oil flow. Its powerful anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties, combined with organic extracts like Lemon, Ivy and Quillaja Saponaria are carefully chosen to leave skin feeling cleansed and refreshed. 95.50% of all ingredients have a natural origin from which 95% are produced by organic farming. This gel cleanser is quite fluid and has a light brown tint. I use 3 pumps on my palm, work it into a light lather then massage onto my face. It washes off very easy without feeling sticky or greasy. Cleanses very well, but doesn’t immediately leave the skin dry and tight. The only thing I would comment is the strong lemon oil scent, which can be overwhelming for some people.

Above: Purify Lemon Oil-Control Cleansing Gel

Purify Wild Thyme Oil-Regulating toner $27.90: The expertly created synergistic blend includes organic Wild Thyme Honey, a powerful anti-oxidant, with Lemon, Sage and Ivy chosen for their astringent and micro-circulatory properties. It purifies the skin, tightens the pores and helps minimise blackheads. 99.7% of all ingredients have a natural origin from which 97.7% are produced by organic farming. This toner is really refreshing and light, it is not highly astringent which is what I prefer so that it won’t irritate my skin. It does hydrate my face before I use the day lotion.

Above: Purify Wild Thyme Oil-Regulating Toner

Purify Watercress Light Day Lotion $44.90: This light, cooling moisture lotion contains Watercress, Burdock, and Lemon. It also includes Black Cumin – a super-critical extract, and Jojoba Seed, brilliant for oil-control as it contains all natural forms of the anti-oxidant Vitamin E. Totarol™ from the native New Zealand Podocarpus Totara tree helps to prevent acne and skin blemishes. The day lotion is rather light and fluid and that is great for oily/combination skin! Upon application, the lotion is absorbed quickly and leaves the skin feeling smooth with a soft matte finish (not too mattifying, but looks really natural). The lotion is lightly scented leaving my skin feeling refreshed and clean.

Above: Purify Watercress Light Day Lotion

Overall: I personally prefer this range over the Balance range. All of the scent and texture in this range is really lovely on my skin. Cleanses well and the day lotion gives just the right amount of moisture to oily skin. This range is great for combination to oily skin.

Thank you so much for reading! Please check out the Balance Range here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid to do these reviews. All reviews are of my honest and personal opinions.

Plantæ skincare – Balance range

Where I got this: I was sent these products to review (thank you Plantæ). These products are available on their website or a few selected stockists which can be found here.  Product ranges from $27.90 to $79.90.

What I got: I got some Plantæ skincare from two of their ranges. The Balance range is great for all skin types to balance the skin: Extra Gentle Revitalising Cleansing Milk, Refresh & Refine Alcohol-Free Toner and Phyto-Nutrient Day Cream.

Above left to right: Refresh& Refine Alcohol-Free Toner, Extra Gentle Revitalising Cleansing Milk and Phyto-Nutrient Day Cream.

How I find it: I will review these individually.

Extra Gentle & Revitalising Cleansing Milk $39.90: The texture of the cleansing milk prevents the skin to be dragged by the motion of the fingers/palms. It contains ingredients such as Bergamot (and smells like Bergamot too), and anti-oxidant rich Sauvignon Blanc Grape Seeds – a locally grown and produced superfruit extract to help firm skin due to its high anti-oxidant activity. The luxurious feeling of the cleansing milk is really nice on the skin and it smells really nice too! Cleanses gently, therefore you need to remove all makeup before using this. However, I would probably only use this in the morning as I prefer my cleansing gels in the evening (try the Purify Lemon Oil-Control Cleansing Gel from Plantae!). 99.50% of all ingredients have a natural origin from which
99.00% are produced by organic farming.

Above: Extra Gentle & Revitalising Cleansing Milk

Refresh & Refine Alcohol-free Toner $32.90: This contains Bitter Orange detoxifies leaving the skin refined and rejuvenated. Vinanza® is a superfruit extract, naturally processed from locally grown anti-oxidant rich Sauvignon Blanc Grape Seeds. It delivers exceptional skin firming and hydrating properties.  This contains 99.70% of all ingredients have a natural origin from which 96.38% are produced by organic farming.  I just absolutely love the spray bottle for this toner. Sprays perfectly and finely! OK, onto the product itself. The toner is truly alcohol-free and non-irritating at all.  After cleansing, I hold it about 20cm from my face and spray 2-3 pumps all over my face and let it absorb before putting on the day cream below. Smells fresh with a hint of orange.

Above: Refresh & Refine Alcohol free Toner

Phyto-Nutrient Day Cream $48.90: This exquisite balancing day cream is full of anti-oxidants and polyphenols including nourishing White Tea, Rosemary Extract and Vinanza® Grape – a potent superfruit extract from Sauvignon Blanc Grape Seeds selected for their exceptional skin firming properties. Exotic oil blends perfect the balance: rejuvenating Myrrh, tonifying Jasmine Sambac, regenerating Bitter Orange, fragrant Vanilla Fruit Extract to uplift mind and body, and omega rich Evening Primrose Oil. This contains 99.40% of all ingredients have a natural origin from which 95% are produced by organic farming.  I apply this cream day and night because it does not contain SPF so it is OK to use at night. It is quite rich for my skin type to use during the day so night-time is great. One thing I do not like about the day cream is the scent, I cannot describe it but it’s not my favourite smell.

Above: Phyto Nutrient Day Cream

Overall: I love the cleansing milk and the toner the most. I think the day cream is too rich for my skin. I love the fact that they are made in New Zealand and that they contain high amounts of natural, quality and organic ingredients. Overall, the range is gentle enough for sensitive skin and it works great to balance combination skin.

Thank you for reading! Please also check out my review on their Purify range more suitable for oily skin!

Disclaimer: I am not paid to do these reviews. All reviews are of my honest and personal opinions.

Karen Murrell Lipstick

Where I got it: I got sent  these for review.  These are available in 11 colours and a clear lip balm for $30.  You can purchase these on Karen Murrell website, or find your local stockists here.

What I got: I got two Karen Murrell lipsticks in 03 Pink Starlet and 09 Sand Storm. Both colours looks amazing. Karen Murrell lipsticks are totally natural, contains no mineral oil, no animal products, parabens or preservatives!  Even the packaging looks great and is totally biodegradable (dissolves back to mother nature within 100 days! Wow).  They all contain Candelilla, Evening Primrose oil and Castor oil, they smell and taste nice (smells like cola bottle lollies)!

Above: Karen Murrell lipstick in Sand Storm and Pink Starlet

How I find it: Both colours looks great on my skintone and the black packaging is so sleek!

Sandstorm is a lovely creamy nude colour inspired by the rugged, natural beauty of Highway 1 USA. The subtly sandy brown shade has no sheen or shimmer to it therefore it is really easy to wear. My natural lip colour is quite pigmented therefore it was quite hard to find a nude lipstick that doesn’t make me look washed out or looking unnatural. However, with 2 swipes on well exfoliated lips, this colour made me believe I can wear nude lipstick again!
Above: Sandstorm on left half of my lips, natural lip colour on the right. Bottom: 2 coats of Sandstorm.

Pink Starlet actually took my interest more when I opened both lipsticks. The pink/red toned lipstick has a blue/gold base that is perfect for every skintone.  The colour is buildable, and it can be a sheer colour if you apply one swipe. 2-3 swipes will give you gorgeous colour!

Above: Pink Starlet on the left half of my lips. Bottom:  2 coats of Pink Starlet.

Overall: The formula for the lipsticks are amazing. They are creamy and soft, I don’t think I need a lip balm! I wonder how I have never tried them before? The colour swatch on the website doesn’t really do these colours justice, you really need to try them on to see that lovely sandy colour of Sandstorm! I have been wearing Pink Starlet everyday to work and it looks natural and not too strong, just the way I love it!

Repurchase? Oh, yes! I already have my eyes on a few other colours – 04 Red Shimmer (an amazing bright red), 08 Coral Dawn (I love love love coral) and 11 Scarlet Blaze (rich velvety red).

Please like if you like this post! Thank you so much for reading!  xoxo

Disclaimer: I am not paid to do these reviews. All reviews are of my honest and personal opinions.

Lush’s first ever blogger event in Auckland!

When I received the invitation to Lush’s Christmas breakfast preview, I was really excited and RSVP’d straight away! Shortly after that I received another email from Lush for a bloggers event on the same day and I thought it was the same event. When I looked closer,  they were 2 different events! With all the excitement, I RSVP’d right away as well! 2 Lush events on the same day, I’m going to have an over-dose of Lush goodness!

After a few hours at work, I drove straight into the Queen street Lush store and was greeted by some familiar faces that morning (Megan, Peta and the lovely Sian!). There were juices and finger food served, but honestly, with skincare and beauty products in front of me, my tummy could not get any messages to my brain (much to my poor hubby’s demise, he had to wait until 9pm for dinner because I lost track of time).

Above: Some pictures of the night

There were about 13 of us roaming around the shop trying out body lotions, sniffing perfumes, snapping photos, sniffing shower gels and checking out the bath ballistics. After Peta’s short explanation of Lush’s ethics. Amber the manager of the Queen Street branch handed us a goodie bag each filled with top-selling products from Lush and talked us through the products!

1. Dream Cream. A lovely chamomile and lavender scented body lotion. I love using this before bed!
2. Ultrabland. This is a multi-purpose cream – cleanser, makeup remover, moisturiser and healing balm!
3. Angels on Bare Skin. Fresh skin cleanser with rose and lavender. Loving this cleanser.
4. Bubble gum lip scrub. A bubble gum flavored  sugar lip scrub that you can scrub and lick off.
5. The Comforter. This lovely blackcurrant bubble bath bar that is a top 20 best seller! It smells great!
6. Honey I Washed the Kids soap. This irresistible toffee and honey soap is a top 20 best seller.
7. Cupcake. Chocolate scented fresh face mask that smells good enough to eat!

Left to right from the top: Dream Cream with Ultrabland, The Comforter, Honey I Washed the Kids, Bubble gum lip scrub, Cupcake mask and Angels on Bare Skin.

We were also asked to choose 3 products in the store that we would like to try and I picked:

1. Grass shower gel. A lovely green shower gel that smells like grass. Sooooo refreshing!
2. You Snap the Whip body butter. Exfoliating body butter that you use as a body scrub in the shower. LOVE this.
3. Dark Angel face wash. Great black charcoal cleanser to absorb oils.

After going through the goodie bag, we got hands on to make some fresh mask – the Cupcake!  We mixed dry and wet ingredients together and viola! Mask, done. We then moved on to different areas of the store for bath ballistic demos, bubble bath demos, emotional brilliance demos, facial demos and shower product demos.

Above: bloggers got hands on with making fresh face mask and trying out products and see demos of bath products

I can’t wait for Lush’s next blogger’s event!   Thanks for reading XOXO

Antipodes Grace Gentle Cream Cleanser

Where I got it: I got sent this for review but it is available in your local Farmers, leading pharmacies and Health2000 website for $46.90 (free delivery on all NZ orders!)

What I got: This is a 120ml tube of Grace Gentle Cream Cleanser by Antipodes. It is certified organic and dermatologically approved for sensitive skin. It claims to clear impurities and remove make-up. The soothing formulation features anti-inflammatory Vinanza Oxifend® super-antioxidant, naturally extracted from pinot noir grapes from award- winning Marlborough vineyards. Nutrient-rich avocado oil and marigold flower gently yet effectively cleanse, freshen and soften the skin. Suited to all skin conditions, especially sensitive.

Above: Antipodes Grace Gentle Cream Cleanser

How I find it: This cream cleanser feels amazing! Feels very luxurious and very gentle.  The texture of the cream is soft but a little thick which is just great for massaging into the skin for makeup removal. I warm the cream up in my dry hands, then apply the cream directly on my dry face then massage with my fingertips and palms. I can just go on and on and on with massaging because it feels so good!

The cream washes off without stripping my skin’s natural moisture, so none of that squeaky clean feeling which is great for sensitive or dry skin. Even for combination/oily skin, its not always necessary the best to be squeaky clean because your skin’s natural oil is stripped away then your skin over-produce sebum to help protect the skin. For acne prone skin, you may want to use this only in the morning and use a more deep cleansing cleanser (I use Shiseido Ibuki Purifying Cleanser with my Clarisonic Mia 2).

Overall: I love using this Grace Cream Cleanser especially in the morning and at night when I am not wearing too much makeup and during colder months. As for the effectiveness of make-up removal, it can take care of light face and eye makeup, but I would still use my Bioderma Sensibio cleansing water to remove heavy makeup and waterproof eye makeup before using this as a cleanser.

Purchase? Definitely! This cleanser is great for even my combination skin! I would love to try many other products from Antipodes as well! I’ve already got my friends wanting to try this cleanser out and they have also recommended me their Joyful hand cream and the Juliet Skin-Brightening Gel Cleanser.

Disclaimer: I am not paid to do these reviews. All reviews are of my honest and personal opinions.