D A I S O & D E N I M.

After my sister's rave reviews I paid a visit to the DAISO store in Chatswood today. 


In short, DAISO is a large store containing Japanese goods - everything from sticky tape dispensers to bath salts - with a flat price of $2.80 for every single item. Now, while I'm sure there are things there worth less than $1.00 there are certainly bargains to be found.


They even have nifty small trolleys you can manoeuvre around the aisles easily.


Of course I was at the beauty section like a moth to a flame upon entrance - but after collecting a mass of products I culled it down to just three. 

Clockwise from left: Beeswax Lip Balm in 'Beeswax and Mint', Desk Blotting Papers (winning!) and a Soft Bathtime Brush (so I can feel less guilty about brushing my hair when wet.)

Things I resisted buying today: tongue cleaners, hyaluronic acid serum, something shaped like a panda & a box of 190 soft cotton pads for makeup removal (the only thing I truly regret passing up.)

I am sure I will be back there soon enough and recommend it to all you Sydney-siders.

Before that I managed to use up a Myer gift card on a pair of shorts - I don't normally do fashion posts but I was quite pleased with these even though my collection of denim cutoffs is nearing excessive. They are from Bettina Liano's inexpensive 'T' line and I had admired them at full price and was pleased to see my size on sale.

Bettina Liano now shares a special place in my heart after being the brand from which I finally found my much sought after Neoprene dress (yes, Neoprene, wetsuit material), so I am forever indebted to her.

f i v e l i t t l e w o n d e r s.

These five items fit into a makeup bag smaller than my hand yet have all impressed me to no end:

Left to right clockwise: 

Jack Black 'Natural Mint & Shea Butter' lip balm - my favourite balm, ever. 

V-Rohto 'Cool' eyedrops - a Vietnam purchase, working out to be $2.50 each (compared to about $12.00 US for a similar product) - this is intensely cooling but makes tired eyes feel incredible.

Prada 'Amber Intense' Eau de Parfum mini size - purchased on a whim for on the go, it's really beautiful, dark and yet still clean and I'll definitely look into the full size.

LUSH 'Chilli Tingle' lip tint - creates a bright orange/coral tint and I have used this on both my lips and cheeks (bonus: it smells like chocolate)

Listerine Pocketpak - this isn't a new product, but I still think they are really nifty and I prefer them over gum (no chewing required.)

f i r s t a i d b e a u t y.

I'm a big fan of fuzkittie - I admire her commitment to skincare and her entire makeup ethos, and her raves pushed me over the edge into finally committing to purchasing the La Mer lip balm (which is worth every cent). So naturally when she mentioned First Aid Beauty in one of her review videos and supplemented that with featuring them in her skincare routine, I immediately sought to locate the brand and try some products.

A few months back, while briskly walking through David Jones I stopped short at a display - did my eyes deceive me? No, it was indeed stocked with First Aid Beauty. I purchased then and there the Ultra Repair Cream (petrolatum free), a large tub for $33.00 - only a small jump up from the $28.00 in the US should you buy it there. 

F.A.B 'Soothe and Smooth' Pack

The cream has a slight eucalyptus scent and despite its thick consistency, it has never caused a breakout - truly it is a great moisturiser. 

So I recently found for $24.95 the "Soothe & Smoothe" pack (pictured above) - full size balm, sample size Soy Face Cleanser, Shaving Cream and Day Cream.  

'Smooth Shave Cream' - creamy and gentle - a little goes a long way and the instructions note that. Nothing irks me more than a product that says "Use a generous amount" when usually just a small amount is needed. My dry legs are less irritated after shaving and take less time to shave.

'Face Cleanser' - foams up slightly with a pearlescent sheen, mild in fragrance and removes makeup well. However, it's not my first choice in cleanser as it is a little drying for my skin currently.

'Ultra Repair Lip Therapy' - a review will also be available on my lip balm Tumblr, but in short this balm is thick, matte and long lasting - a great buy.

'Daily Face Cream' - a lighter lotion moisturiser for everyday wear. I was very pleased with this product, it's very gentle and hydrates well. While I am wearing thicker creams currently this is my go-to for under-makeup moisture without shine or SPF (great for photography heavy situations.)

Overall I give this sample kit a solid 8/10. I am interested in the other face creams on offer from F.A.B - one with SPF, as well as the Detox Eye Roller.

b e a u t y s w a g.

The following are my beauty purchases from over the past 2 months:

Soap&Glory 'Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser' - I love S&G (available from Kit Cosmetics for fellow Australians), and this cleanser rivals the famous Liz Earle Cleanse + Polish. Complete with muslin cloth.

O.P.I polishes left to right: 'Rainbow Connection', 'Warm and Fozzie' (both from the O.P.I 'Muppets' Collection), 'Romeo + Joliet' and 'Up Front and Personal.' Who would have thought I'd ever get into nails?

Soap & Glory 'Glad Hair Day' Shampoo + Conditioner. Both with that classic S&G 'Miss Dior Cherie meets raspberry coulis' scent they are affordable and leave my hair in great condition.

This was actually a gift from my boss (it's commonplace to see me apply this at work) - and it now sits with my other daily products.

What have you purchased lately?

m a g n o l i a n o b i l e.

I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of Acqua di Parma's 'Magnolia Nobile' for Christmas this year. I had, a month or so back, been browsing the Acqua di Parma shelves in David Jones to test out the Blu Mediterraneo range. While I found that range a little too acidic for my taste - I immediately became enamoured with 'Magnolia Nobile'. The small test spray on my wrist developed from a clean, citrus opening to a floral, warmer drydown without ever hitting sweet or strong. 

Admittedly, I do not excel at describing fragrances - but ADP describes it as:


"Top notes of Italian Bergamot, lemon, and citron blend seamlessly with magnolia accord, a rare ingredient extracted with time and dedication. The heart evolves with notes of rose, jasmine, and tuberose and the base notes unfold with sandalwood, patchouli, and vanilla."


The scent caught me off guard I suppose because it was quite unlike what I normally wear - clean fragrances in the aquatic, fresh, cool, unisex way. This scent is definitely feminine, however it's a floral (something I rarely wear) that is not overbearing. In short, it's a scent I want to wear every day, possibly forever. 

The packaging is also beautiful and refined. The whole affair is pure elegance - and on a slightly more negative note it makes my other perfumes seem just not right somehow. 


Have you ever had that "Eureka!" moment with a fragrance? 

c h e m i c a l h a i r s t r a i g h t e n i n g.

I recently returned from 3 weeks in Vietnam with a close friend - another entire post would be required to cover that - and on the final day of our trip we made our way to a beauty salon where I opted for a chemical straightening treatment that cost me 720,000 VND (approximately $30 AU). 


In short - chemical straightening breaks the chemical bonds in the hair allowing them to be altered and give the hair a new "memory" - so it always falls straight upon drying once the process is complete. It's not natural, it causes some hair damage and it's a time consuming process, however I have no regrets.


My hair is naturally golden brown, very thick and with a natural wave to it. I have dyed it in the past as well as bleached it, and the bleach has now grown out to the tips of my hair.


I have always envied those with straight hair - it took me a solid 40 minutes to straighten it, 50 or more for pin straight and the next day the waves would be back in some form. I was resigned to the fact that this was my fate and tried to embrace my hair as best I could, however I still pined for straight, smooth hair.


The friend I travelled with was in China earlier in the year and returned with her hair chemically straightened. Her hair, much like mine, was thick and wavy before, and it looked amazing. At that point our trip wasn't in the works, and unfortunately in Australia the prices for the process are about $350 for long hair and I wasn't willing to pay so much.


Then, once in Vietnam, I mentioned chemical straightening and she encouraged me to go for it, which was really all the push I needed.


Now onto the treatment itself:


1. My hair was examined by my stylist who informed me that I should have about an inch and 1/2 off my hair, which was fine by me as my hair is about bust level now and the ends were dry. So my hair was washed, combed and cut then blow dried.


2. After the trim, the straightening chemical cream/lotion (the active chemical is sodium hydroxide) was applied to different sections by two stylists - first to the mid lengths, then the ends and finally the roots (I should note they don't hit the very top of your scalp, perhaps to reduce irritation). I give props to the stylists, they were meticulous about the whole process.


3. Then I waited - for about 40 minutes to an hour with the chemicals soaking in. Every so often a stylist would come over, lift a single strand of hair and stretch it gently, I suppose to see how weakened the hair was and to ensure the chemical wasn't on for too long. I felt no burning or pain in any way - the most unpleasant part was the smell of the cream, it smells exactly like Nair products if you are familiar, and having the unmistakable smell of hair REMOVAL products soaking my head was quite bizarre. 


4. Then the chemical was washed out, my hair shampooed and conditioned and blow dried once more. Then my hair was straightened by the two stylists in a way it's never been straightened before - each strip of hair was gone over about 10 times if not from root to tip, 
this was giving the hair the blueprint of what it should return to after each wash. 


5. Then I was ushered back over to the basins where a minty smelling water based product was sprayed all over my head and sat there for about 15 minutes - then I had it washed out and a nourishing oil conditioner was applied (it smelled exactly like Werther's Originals) and massaged in skilfully, then finally shampooed and conditioned away.


6. I was then given a blow dry and no straightening and my hair dried straight and smooth, and then I was instructed not to shower for 2 days and that my hair would now dry like this every time until the chemicals grew out. Throughout that evening (on 2 flights home to Sydney) my hair looked better and better, and I was truly impressed as it had not been touched by a straightener. If my friend was exhausted by my constant "I can't believe how straight it looks!" she did a good job of hiding it.


7. The real test, however, came after the 48 hours were up - and I stepped into the shower and shampooed my hair, nervous that perhaps it would be a short romance with my new hair, however after towel drying and combing, my hair was straight. Not pin straight yet, but no waves, like straight hair would naturally be. I then left it out to air dry and it continued to look straighter and smoother throughout the day, truly amazing. Chemical straightening means no frizz when wet/drying, and hair that feels silky all the time.


I could not be happier with my result - it's truly what I'd dreamed of for my hair. If I want to curl the ends under it takes 2 minutes with a straightening, and the hair can still be curled and styled as normal (however curls may not hold as well). 


As far as damage goes, my ends were always dry and perhaps there are a few dozen more split ends than before, but this is a price I'm more than willing to pay for such easy hair.


Now from what I had heard from others, often the process entails a repeat of the process about 3-4 times (I mean chemical in, washed, straightened and repeat), whereas I had only one application of the cream and only one round of straightening. Perhaps my chemical was on for longer, I'm not sure, however my hair is better than I had hoped for so I can't complain. I was in the chair for about 4 hours.


So, who would I recommend this treatment for?


+ Those with unruly, wavy/curly hair that long for straight hair.
+ Those with thick hair (thinner haired individuals may find their hair too flat, as it takes away much of the original volume)


I should add, my hair is resilient and plentiful, which would have impacted the results of my treatment, very dry, currently lightened or very thin hair may find the treatment more harsh. 


So if you're in Vietnam I recommend Van Nyugen Hair Salon in Hanoi, where the straightening prices range from 300,000 VND - 800,000 VND depending on length. 

t h i r d t i m e ' s t h e c h a r m .

I'm hoping that this blog can reach it's potential for regular beauty-based posts. Videos aren't going anywhere, this is simply an additional outlet. 

I already have 2 posts lined up, so we shall see if we make it or break it.

x h o l l y