Good Golly Miss Holly!

If you know me personally, you will know I am not a fan of shopping in store. I hate it with a passion. I hate going into a shop: finding an item of clothing I love, only to realise they don't have any left it in my size. Which is a common occurrence when you're as tiny as I am. I hate the long searching through racks, and then having to pull an item off shelf to get a better view of it (only to discover you still have absolutely no idea what it would look like on.) If I'm honest I also hate how overly happy (and pushy) some shop attendants can be. Yes I know it's your job, but I do not need your opinion what would look best on me when I haven't even asked. Needless to say I am an absolute lover of Online Shopping. It gives me the ability to only view items in my size, and also always includes photos of what it looks like on. Plus I don't have to make polite small talk with anyone if I don't want.

In the last month, during a late night scroll through my Instagram feed, I came across another online clothing shop. Miss Holly. Don't get me wrong I have come cross Many different online clothing stores on Instagram, but none have really caught my eye like Miss Holly did. To begin with their feed wasn't just airbrushed models posing in such stiff model like ways. No. They had posts of their clothing, but their photos were done in such relaxed ways. Their models were enjoying themselves. Always smiling or laughing, and never just in a boring bare studio. 

Miami Heat Top $39

As well as photos of their clothing, Miss Holly's Instagram also has tropical photos (which lets face it, makes everyone feel they're on holiday,) and inspirational and funny quotes. Upon further stalking I actually realised I really liked the style of clothing Miss Holly had to offer. Their range is very chic, urban and just fresh. Many items include lace, which I absolutely love, and they're very easy to dress up or down. Their price range is very reasonable too for what you are getting! You're not having to cry once you pay your bill, that's for sure. 

Midnight Glamour Dress $69

What's even more appealing about Miss Holly is that since I've been following them on Instagram (@misshollyhq & @misshollyxox) I've noticed they have very regular "Flash Sales" which last 60 mins and you get 50% off their entire range (once entering the code they give upon checkout) Now I don't know about you, but it's very rare you come across a shop that does flash sales in general, let alone as regular as Miss Holly does. 

Byron Bay Dress $69

Another really inspirational fact about Miss Holly is that it is owned by two friends; Natasha and Aisha. They made the business completely on their own without the help of anyone else; which proves anything is possible if you work hard enough for it, and have a passion strong enough!

Owners Natasha and Aisha

After discovering this store, and finding out more about it I couldn't stop myself from making a purchase from them. I bought a lovely basic singlet and also a really cute pink jumpsuit during their flash sale, and it only cost me $9 for express postage. The delivery was really quick (purchased on Thursday- received on Friday) which is unusual for me as I do live in a rural area and express delivery usually takes 2-3 days. Once I received the items they were packaged so carefully and well. The sizing of these items were just right also. Needless to say I am in love with both items. 

Anita Pink Playsuit $49

If you are after new fashionable clothing and are on a budget- or even if you're not on a budget, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed in Miss Holly and should definitely give them a stalk! 

Until next time, xox

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My Experience With Laser Hair Removal

*If you're just interested in reading about what happens during the appointment, scroll down to the heading "During the Appointment"

I am very particular about the hair on my body: I Do NOT Like It. 

Unless it's the hair on my head, or my brows (lashes included too), it must go. Even in the middle of Winter, when I'm wearing nothing but pants and jumpers, I still shave religiously. I don't do this for other people, no sir. I do this purely for myself. I love the feeling of hair free legs (those sheets were made to feel smooth), I dislike the look of hair under my arms and most importantly: I despise any hair on my downstairs region. 

I've tried every form of hair removal on each of these body parts; shaving, waxing, hair removal cream and even using an epilator (only on my bikini line for my lady. No thanks to any further.) Now, all of these forms of hair removals are great- they're just not long lasting or permanent. 

Shaving: for me is the worst form. I just can't seem to learn how to not cut and slice my legs whenever I shave. Plus it's insanely itchy whenever the hair grows back.

Hair Removal Creams: I usually use this on my downstairs region and also further down back (if you catch my drift) and it's amazing. Only problem- just like shaving the hair grows back almost immediately. 

Waxing and Epilation: These are my two favourite forms of hair removal (of those I've already named) They are also the most painful, but it does take an extra few days (maybe even week if you're lucky) until the hair grows back.

Reality is all of these hair removal options are exactly the same. They remove the hair, yes, but the hair will always come back. Due to the fact like I said previously, I'm not a fan of hair in general, I needed a more long term solution. 

My friend has the same hate as me when it comes to hair on his body. His chest to be exact. Just like me, he hated the fact it was there and would always continuously shave it off at the first sign of it. That is until he discovered Laser Hair Removal. 
Now at the time he discovered this- I was learning about it in my diploma of Beauty Therapy, but was yet to try it myself. Reality is: I was actually scared to try it. It was a somewhat new form of hair removal, not that many people were doing it and who knew what the results would be like. So when my friend tried it for himself and was starting to see amazing and ideal results- his hair taking longer and longer after each session to grow back. Also less and less- I had to try it myself!

When I first researched Laser Hair removal I was actually quite surprised at the cost of it. The place I ended up choosing to go to had a "special" on (I say "special" as it had been that for the last year and a bit) where you would get both your Brazilian and Underarms treated for only $59 a session. Now, if you're a regular waxer you'll know the cost of getting a wax can be anything from $50+ each wax. So to see this long term, permanent hair removal solution which included two different body regions for basically the same price as waxing- it made me wonder why I hadn't tried this sooner. 

Now due to the fact I was currently studying this in college- I knew you would need an estimate of 10 sessions spread out every 4 weeks for this to work. When you calculate that cost- it's ridiculously cheaper than spending the rest of your life paying for a wax and someone to rip your lips off. The only problem with this hair removal is it's not available for everyone. 

If the roots of the hair you want removed are very fair (no colour to them) you will not be able to get this treatment as laser hair removal works by light travelling down the hair follicle and "zapping" the membrane (the hairs brain cell basically). If you have no colour to the hair follicle, the laser will not target anything in particular and will just disperse all over. Therefore not "killing" the cell.

 To find out if you're suitable for this treatment all you need to do is get a pair of tweezers and pull out 5 hairs from the area you're interested in and if the majority of those hairs are dark, then you're suitable. So if 3 of the 5 are dark based hair, you're good. 2 or 1 out of 5- you may possibly not be suitable and you should be prepared for the technician to let you know this if you decide to book an appointment. 

DURING THE APPOINTMENT

Once you get to your first appointment and your beautician determines if you're suitable for this treatment (remember the tweezing), you'll be asked to remove you underwear and put on some nifty sunnies which resemble those of a speed dealers from the movies 

After you've put on your amazing and spiffy new accessory your beautician will then coat the area to be treated with a gel to help protect your skin from burning- as it is a bright light constantly being flashed against the skin.  Once they have done that they will get the machine and grab the Light handle and start placing it on your skin and making it "zap" you. Now, it doesn't hurt at all. I would compare it to an elastic band gently being flicked against your skin. It is a bit of a shock to begin with as you're not too sure what to expect- but pain is not it. 

If you're getting your Brazilian done there are two places its' a bit intense with the elastic band flicking feeling. They are; your bottom and also right on your lips. Like I said before though it isn't something you'd compare to a strong overwhelming pain. If you can wax you can definitely do this. Waxing is a hundred times more painful than Laser.

After every part has been zapped your beautician will then smooth some "soothing gel/cream" onto the areas and tell you to put your clothes on and that's it! 

It really is so simple! I'm up to my 4th treatment now and can see such great results! I use to shave my underarms daily and now I literally shave just over every fortnight- if that. My downstairs I use to shave every second day, but now I literally can get away with over a fortnight. It's amazing. The hair is getting finer and there is a whole lot less of it! I would recommend Laser Hair Removal to anyone who currently does Any form of hair removal treatment. 

Let me know in the comments below if you think Laser will be something you try for yourself!

Until Next Time, xox


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Review: 'Face Mask' by Kmart

The other week I was browsing through my local Kmart when I came across these face masks. Now usually I am not one to purchase a store branded beauty product: purely because in the past they just haven't worked at all, but I thought I would give these ones a try due to the fact they just sounded so amazing. 

You have your: manuka honey, peppermint and green tea, natural clay, coconut water hyaluronan, blueberry goji berry and pomegranate and papaya masks. Just hearing those selections made me want to try these masks out for myself, and at $3 a packet it didn't seem like I was taking that big of a risk. Let me tell you- I am glad I gave these products a shot. 

Each packet also describes which skin type they are best suited for and what type of masks they are.

Manuka Honey: For all skin types. Is a Rejuvenating Face Mask

Peppermint & Green Tea: For all skin types. Is a Refreshing Face Mask

Natural Clay: Normal to Oily skin. Is a Purifying Face Mask

Coconut Water Hyaluronan: For all skin types. Is a Nourishing Face Mask.

Blueberry Goji Berry: For all skin types. Is a Revitalising Face Mask

Pomegranate and Papaya: For all skin types. Is a Rejuvenating Face Mask.

As soon as I got home I tried one of them out. Peppermint and green tea was the one I was eager to try most. My first assumption was this would be a hard drying face mask. I assumed once I applied this mask to my skin it would dry into a clay like substance, but that was not the case for this mask. It stayed on my skin as a moisturising agent. 

In the first two minutes I felt a very very slight burning sensation, BUT I do have sensitive skin so just assumed that was what it was and didn't let that scare me off. If anything I think it would've been the peppermint doing its job. The scent of this mask isn't fake or off putting, it literally smells as if you have put peppermint leaves onto your face. After the 10 minutes the packet recommends, I washed this mask off with warm water and my skin was left feeling very soft and definitely refreshing- exactly as this product advertised. 

I can honestly say I am extremely happy with this product and will definitely be repurchasing! The only negative about this product is the packaging it comes in. The amount of product they give you is enough for 2-3 uses (which is great!) but the packet itself is not resealable and is also a bit messy when you get the product out. For now I am keeping my leftovers in the packaging and then putting the packet into a clip bag. Other than that I think this product deserves an 8/10.

Let me know if you've tried any of these masks out for yourself and which is your favourite! I cannot wait to try the rest.

Until next time xox

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PureTAN review.

Fake Tans and myself definitely have a Love-Hate relationship. We've been at it for years. Sometimes they can please me, other times they make me want to exfoliate my whole top layer of skin off and start again. I've experienced many orange, streaky and overly potent smelling tans. But still, I keep going back to them hoping maybe one day we'll be able to connect properly and make things work. 

Today is that day my dear readers! Today I am happy to announce that Fake Tans and Myself are finally in a committed, serious and trusting relationship. Their name is PureTAN. 

I can honestly say this is the Best tan I have ever experienced in my life. It does not streak, come out orange and better yet it does not leave you with that disgusting overly strong fake tan smell EVERY other tan on the market leaves you with. To be honest the smell of fake tan is what puts me off most. All day the only thing you can smell is that, and the people you walk past/stand near can smell it too. Which is a complete giveaway that the colour of your body is in fact from a bottle. PureTAN does not give you this embarrassment though.

I have used this tan for over two months now and every time I've used it I've had 100% positive (amazing) results. Every time. What other tan can you say that about? Not many I'm sure. I would recommend using this tan with the mitt (or your own) that PureTAN sell as it evenly distributes the product onto your skin- therefore not making it streak.

Another great thing about this tan is that it only takes 1 hour for it to process for a light tan, 2 hours for a medium and 3 hours for a dark. As soon as you apply the product to your body you can instantly see the difference it gives.

In my review I am including photos so you can see for yourself how this tan works and the end result it gives. So lets get straight into it!

As you can see I am naturally very pale, so when it becomes the warmer months I do tend to reach for my bottle of brown to not stand out as much. I also do prefer having some colour to my skin as I feel I look healthier and also when I am a tone or so darker I feel my body looks more defined.

I usually begin applying tan from my legs then work my way up. Here you can see what the fake tan looks like on my leg as soon as I've applied it vs what my leg looks like with no tan on at all.

After applying the tan to my whole body you can instantly tell I am wearing fake tan, but that's okay because I really do not plan on going out whilst the tan is developing. Nor should you. It's not what I look like during the process time that worries me anyway- it's all about the final product. 

I only left this tan on for 2 hours, not the whole 3, as because I'm naturally pale (and everyone knows it) I didn't want to do something so extreme and make people know it was fake. Once people get use to me being this tone I can then extend my developing time to the 3 as if I've naturally just become darker with time. It's how you fake it properly. You should never really fake tan so extreme on the first go if you want a 'natural' look. It's all about making it look natural, so naturally it takes a bit of time. After washing all the product off this is what I looked like. 

As you can see it is very natural looking and nothing too dramatic to what I originally was. It isn't orange and hasn't streaked at all. If i keep applying this every 2-3 days it will gradually become darker, which is exactly what I want. You can also understand now with what I meant before in saying that being tanned gives me more definition. 

After washing the tan off I used another PureTAN product which is their coconut oil, and slathered that all over my body to give moisture to it so the tan will hopefully last longer

Even after the next day and another shower I felt the tan still lasted as great as the first day. 

I've also included photos of me outside in natural light so you can get an idea what it looks like in the real world.

the next day

I happily give this product review a 10/10. There is absolutely nothing to fault with this tan. I completely Love it and I am going to keep on using it until it decides it no longer loves me (which I hope never happens)

You can buy this product off their website https://puretan.com.au/ or from your local Priceline.

Too Faced The Little Black Book of Bronzers ♡

Not so long ago I was lucky enough to win a competition on Instagram hosted by @lulus.
The prize was The Little Black Book of Bronzers by Too Faced.

I will be honest with you, I haven't really owned that many bronzers in my life (high end or low.) A few months ago I made the decision to purchase Hoola by Benefit, but apart from that I've never really owed bronzers. To me, bronzers weren't seen as a huge staple product for my makeup collection.

 Let me tell you, since receiving this Book my mind has definitely changed!

Before now I always thought of Bronzers as a product which made many girls look tacky, fake or 'Oompa Loompaey.' Which is still the case for some people, but only those who go crazy on their product usage, or seemingly apply their makeup in the dark. Due to having such pale skin myself, I was afraid I would unknowingly slip into either one of these horrendous categories by using bronzer.

My first impression of this "Book" was the name itself was a bit deceiving. It was definitely not  'Little" like the title labels it. It was in fact massive. A bit too massive actually. It wasn't an item I would easily be able to transport with me, or even be able to store easily. Right now actually, I store this product under my makeup table as it won't fit in the drawers, and even if it did- it would take up too much space. You cannot take the bronzers out of the book either which is a bit of a disappointment. It would've been nice if you had the choice to either store them in the book, or the ability to take one (or all) out and do what you please. Really though this isn't too huge a hassle. I still have products I am capable of using. Who cares if I have to store it under a desk, it's not like I'd be using that space for much else anyway.

 Upon opening the book you are faced with a page explaining how you can use these bronzers, and tips for the occasion you would wear them for. Which is very helpful if you're practically a Bronzer Virgin like me. On the page next to it are the Bronzers themselves. Attached to the Book in all their brown, shiny (matte) glory. 

I've included swatches of all the Bronzers you get with this book. 

After swatching and trying these Bronzers on myself I have to admit I am a fan. Except for the darker ones (Sun Bunny and Beach Bunny), I am able to wear all on my natural skin. The other two I feel would definitely be suitable if I wore a medium fake tan.  I will give a quick overview and summary on each of the Bronzers just so you can get a better idea at what they are.

Milk Chocolate Soleil:  This is one of the lighter Bronzers in the Book and as the name suggests smells exactly like chocolate. To me, I feel scenting makeup in such a way isn't too wise a decision- as honestly who wants their face to smell like chocolate all day? It is a very strong scent, and you can smell it as soon as you open the book. Apart from the smell though this Bronzer applies so smoothly and easily to the skin and has a lovely matte finish, so there is no shine coming through.

Chocolate Soleil: This bronzer is the same as the milk chocolate soleil apart from the fact it is a tone darker, so more suited for a medium- deep look. It too has the chocolate scent and a matte finish.

Snow Bunny: This Bronzer you can use one of two ways: you can either mix all the colours together and get a luminous bronzed finished (as the swatch photo shows) or you can use each colour individually and have a highlighter, bronzer and a blush. The choice is yours! Personally I did find this to be a bit on the shiny side, and I'm not a huge fan of glittery makeup (I do tend to prefer natural looks) but I know there are many people who do enjoy some sparkle in their life and this would be great for them. 

Bronzed and Poreless: When I first used this Bronzer I didn't notice much of a difference between this and the Milk Chocolate Soleil. After a few hours though I found this one did stay matte longer and didn't "rub" off as easily as the milk chocolate. The Book describes this as a pore perfecting bronzer, I do not have big noticeable pores so cannot really comment on if this Bronzer does in fact hide the appearance of such a thing. 

Pink Leopard: Pink Leopard is another highlighting bronzer. The book labels it as a blushing bronzer. Just like snow bunny it is on the sparkling side, but in a more deeper shade. 

Beach Bunny: This was one of the two Bronzers I wasn't able to wear on my naturally pale skin as it is a very deep shade of a bronzer. In saying that though I feel it would be a very good product to contour with as there are four different shades of brown involved you could use individually, or like the swatch photo- blend together for a nice deep bronzed look. 

Endless Summer: This bronzer is labeled as "16 hour wear." Hell it's even got '16 hour bronze' carved into the bronzer itself. I used this as an 'all over face' bronzer, as in I did not apply it in the "big 3" way, or contour. I found it did give a nice natural sun kissed look to my face. Also it was able to last through my 8hour shift at work. I didn't give it a 16 hour go, as I don't think I ever really wear makeup that long, but with how it lasted my whole day at work without making my face shiny- it convinced me it possibly could last 16 hours. 

Sun Bunny: This is the other bronzer which I found too dark for my skin. The Book claims its a 'natural' bronzer, but honestly I feel thats only if you used one half of this product, as one half is light the other is very deep. Once again this could be used as a potential contour bronzer, but I feel it would be more suited as a 'sun kissed' look for naturally olive skin.

Overall I would rate this product a 7/10. I did have to deduct points as the scent of chocolate to me is definitely not needed, and also the size (and not being able to take each individual bronzer out) is another bother. Otherwise it is a great purchase for someone who's wanting to try out different bronzers for different occasions!

Why I Jab My Face With Needles & You Should Too

I will be the first to raise my hand if the question "who has problem skin?" is asked. True, I'll admit it isn't as bad as I make it out to be, but for me I would much rather if it were a lot clearer than it is. I've tried many (many many) different products, my bin will tell you that. I've increased the amount of water I drink a day, and even try (most days) to have a healthy diet, but nothing seems to completely fix my skin. 

After doing a fair bit of research on micro needling, I finally had the courage to buy my own "mini" micro needler. Now, I didn't spend big $$ on a fancy pancy machine. 1 because I do not have money to waste on products that "may" work, and 2 even if I did have the money I wouldn't be able to justify to myself spending so much on one item. So I did what I do best- I resorted to E-bay. 

All I did was search "micro needler" and found many different results. The product I ended up choosing for myself was about $18 including postage, so if it did end up being a dud, it wasn't that huge a dent in my amazing bank account. Just a Large Maccas meal and Mcflurry really, and hey my skin would probably appreciate the miss on that meal. 

Now if you're not familiar what micro needling does- feel free to Google it. Long story short though is micro needling is a machine/ roller (in my case) which has many many tiny needles sticking out of it, that then goes over your skin puncturing it and causing 'trauma' which then signals to the cells that they need to be regenerated. Therefore creating fresher, newer and hopefully healthier cells. 

The Derma Roller I purchased was 0.5mm (the needles length) which has 192 needles on it. 

I have used this probably 3 times now and already can say my skin is so much clearer! I have less noticeable (acne) scarring (not completely gone), less pimples and even my pores seem to not be as obvious as before. Only thing I am not a fan of when using this on my skin is it does 'hurt' a bit when rolling it over the skin as you do need to give Some pressure when rolling. Not so much that you're digging it into your skin, but enough so that there is some impact. I found after using it my face feels a bit 'burnt' and goes red for the next few hours. I do however have very sensitive skin so this could possibly not be as bad with other people. I've found using Bio Oil and a moisturiser with Vitamin E does help shorten this effect though. 

So reality is (for me) I do not need to go out and spend over $200 on a machine that basically does the exact same thing this one does for me for only $18. The only obvious difference is mine isn't powered so I do have to put pressure onto the gadget myself when using it, oh the shock of doing some work myself! But really, is it honestly worth the big gap in $$?