Review! Rexona Clinical Protection Antiperspirant Deodorant

Surviving in 30+ degrees Celsius weather and being 30 weeks pregnant is no easy feat! I feel I’m much more sensitive with heat(waves) and sometimes I just want to stay indoors with the aircon.

Lucky for me, Rexona Clinical Protection Deodorant works like a charm!! While I historically prefer deodorant sprays versus types that you roll on to your armpit, this product worked wonders for me!

This deodorant claims to have clinical strength wetness protection and motion activated odour protection. You can even apply it at bedtime for optimal results and lasts throughout the following day even after a shower.

The test for this product was on Friday when it was a sweltering 35+ degree Celsius day. As it was a work day, I was indoors but for lunch I did head out in a non-airconditioned restaurant for at least 2 hours. Plus also had dinner out after work. By the end of the night, after inspecting my armpits (as you do…) it still smelled clean and fresh and I did not feel any sweating or wetness. AMAZEBALLS!

What I also loved about this deodorant is the scent. It smells clean and fresh like as if you’ve just stepped out of the shower. You don’t drown in a spell of floral, musk or spice type of fragrances! Plus, I think this product can definitely also be used by males…but no sharing!!

For me the only drawback was the packaging and application. You need to twist the bottom of the stick for product to come out through the top. I would have thought simpler packaging would have been more user friendly, as some of the product would get stuck in the pore-like holes at the top. I suppose it was designed like this as a way to “portion control” the amount of deodorant used each time.

In anycase, this is a product I would definitely repurchase, particularly as summer is about to hit Sydney in a couple of weeks, and its definitely a (pregnant) girl’s best friend! Check it out if you are looking for a new deodorant :)

Pros 

• Assisted and provided relief of everyday sweating – especially when Sydney was 30+ degrees! Protected against wetness and odour 
• No irritation 
• Clean fresh smell, no floral or overly scented 
• Easy to use 

Cons 

• Packaging was ok – different. Maybe a stick would have been better? 

Thank you beautyheaven for giving me the opportunity to trial and review this product.  
All opinions are my own.

Review! VS Sassoon 3Q Hairdryer!

I am a “no-fuss” hair type of gal, but at the same time, you don’t want your hair looking like you crawled out of bed with a birdsnest. Historically I have been averse to using hot hair tools on a daily basis to maintain the healthiness of my hair. However the VS Sassoon 3Q Hairdryer works so quickly that I don’t even feel like its damaging my hair!

The “3Q” stands for Quick, Quiet and Quality. Quick – 70% faster, Quiet – 40% less noise, Quality 10x longer life.

What did I think of this hairdryer?

I thought it was freaking amazing! The brushless motor technology makes it light and compact, and also reduces drying time as the airflow is maximised. It is also quieter and extends the life of the hairdryer.

I really enjoyed using it, and found that yes, it dried my hair quicker and I felt even using the hairdryer in 30 degree weather did not bother me! Usually I would fret as it would get too hot if I kept blowdrying for ages… I can’t really compare it to other blowdryers in terms of noise levels though.

I also loved how lightweight the hairdryer is which makes it super easy to use, usually my arm would get sore holding up the hairdryer for so long!

But all in all, definitely impressed with the performance. It’s a favourite hair tool at the moment and I hope it lasts the distance! If you are looking for a new hairdryer, give this one a go, it will not disappoint!

Watch my video below including a demo :)


Thank you beautyheaven for giving me the opportunity to trial and review this product.  
All opinions are my own.

Switzerland Vlog! Part I - Lucerne and Lauterbrunnen plus Hotel (Chalet) Tour!

GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com  

Anyone who's been to Switzerland will tell you just how beautiful it is. It literally feels like heaven on Earth...As I love being outdoors, Switzerland was definitely a highlight for me, getting in touch with nature and I thought Lauterbrunnen is the PERFECT place for a tranquil, back to basics, getaway :)

We arrived in Zurich, Switzerland from Barcelona and caught the train from Zurich to Lucerne where we had a stop over for lunch, then back on the train again from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen.  The trains and customer service we received were top notch compared to Sydney! Below is what I thought of our first day in Switzerland...

What to do in Lucerne if you had 2-3 hours...
1. Check out the famous Kapellbrücke (wooden "Chapel Bridge"). It's so pretty and worth a picture
2. Try some cheese fondue or a sausage and some rosti
3. Buy some chocolate!! Go to Bachmann, you won't regret it!
4. Enjoy the scenery :) Lucerne is right next to a stunning lake, enjoy the sun, and the swans and pelicans!

Lauterbrunnen
We chose to stay in Lauterbrunnen because it was in the valley of the Bernese Oberland.  We wanted somewhere serene and close to walking trails.  So Lauterbrunnen is easily accessible by train as well as walking tracks from other nearby villages such as Murren.

We stayed at Chalet Horner which I can't recommend enough! It was a cozy chalet with a kitchen and the most spectacular view of Staubbach Falls just outside your balcony. What more could you ask for?

In the next vlog, and blog post, I'll walk through things to do in Lauterbrunnen :)

London Vlog! Part II - Tower of London, British Museum and Portobello Markets

GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com 

London Tips Part II!

1. Visit the museums!
One of the best things about visiting London is checking out the free museums! We visited British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern and Natural History Museum.  British was definitely my fav by far, I enjoyed the artefacts of the various historical civilisations.  Highly recommend checking out the museums!

2. Tower of London - worth it?
Personally, no I didn't think it was worth it. I enjoyed it, the Beefeaters made a great tour guide, but just walking within the Tower of London wasn't amazing...the crown jewels were pretty but were probably not worth the travel or entry fee!

3. Ride a double decker bus!
Go on, ride on the second floor, front row!We don't have these in Sydney so I thought it was pretty fun :)

4. Food adventures!
We ventured out to west of central London for a taste of curry and I definitely recommend it if you have the time! Was one of the best Indian foods I've eaten! Also, definitely try high tea! We went to Charlotte Street Hotel and absolutely loved it!! Scones were delish!

5. Hit the theatre!
We went to see the Lion King, book your seats early! Absolutley loved the show :) If we had time, would have loved to see another! You can also check out Covent Garden which is in the area!

6. Visit the markets!
We went to Borough markets (we went late and it was closing but there was some interesting food stalls) as well as Portobello Markets (good for antiques, bits and bobs, a few food stalls)! Go early as they can get quite crowded, especially Portobello on a Saturday!

7. Stroll through the parks!
Loved the walks through Kensington park, it was warm and very calming - we even crossed paths with some squirrels! We stayed close to the park so we actually walked from Harrods back to Bayswater via the park!

London Vlog Part I !! London by Bike and Hotel Tour!

Ello ello ello! Don't you just love the English accent?! London was our second stop during our Europe voyage in April :) Check out what we got up to in the vlog below:

Camera: GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com

Tips on London! (based on this vlog)
1. Pick a good hotel room suited to your needs
We stayed at Prince's Square Apartments in Bayswater. It's not smack bang in the middle of Central London but it was close enough by train! The room itself was a huge studio including a basic kitchen and lounge area! This was probably the second roomiest hotel we stayed in during the trip.  I loved how you can make breakfast or dinner if you didn't feel like eating out! and there are so many convenience stores walking distance from the hotel. I also liked how there were two stations close to the hotel, Bayswater and Queensway.  Queensway was on the red line, and took you directly to central london! Definitely recommend this hotel if you want to be away from the hustle and bustle from Central London and be close to the leafy greens of Kensington Park.

2. Do a bike tour on your first day
As per Paris, we went on a bike tour with BrakeAway Bike Tours ! We both really enjoyed it and was a great way to see the city in a small amount of time and gave you an opportunity to visit the places that you enjoyed. We did the Grand London Tour and it pretty much took us al over the city to the major sight seeing spots along with some informative tour guides!

3. London Eye - is it worth it?
Yes! Buy a ticket in advance and you can skip the long lines. Go at sunset or dusk and London looks just magical!  It's a 30 minute ride, there's seating and great photo opportunities. Plus its one huge ferris wheel and who doesn't love ferris wheels?

If you've been to London, what did you get upto on your first couple of days? Where do you recommend to stay?

Paris Vlog Part IV! Our last day in Paris...Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur

It was hard to say goodbye to Paris...I felt like I had not eaten all the pastries I had eyed, or visisted all the shops , or see all the paintings in the museums. But with every good thing, it must come to an end.  The last few days we spent in churches, Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur Basilica. We also went to Galeries Lafayette where I bought my new baby Celine Trapeze bag :)  We also went to check out the Pompidou Centre but I came down with an awful cold we barely saw any artwork. Even though, Paris was amazing, I will definitely come back one day for to savour the croissants and hot chocolate.


GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com

 

Review! Dr Lewinn's Miracle Radiance Renewal Serum

Hands up if you experience lacklustre skin during the Winter? Yep, I do. I blame it on the cold dry winds and waiting every morning for the train outside facing the harsh elements!  For me, my problem areas in winter include: dry patchy skin, breakouts on my forehead (the little stubborn pimples), and peeling skin from the dryness.

Cue, a serum. I've been using Dr Lewinn's Miracle Radiance Renewal Serum ($49.95, available from Priceline) for about 3-4 weeks now and I've seen results! So the ingredients like rosehip oil may scare you off, especially if you have oily skin. But oil is actually very nourishing for the skin, particularly during winter!

The serum provides deep cell nourishment and renewal and also aims to rejuvenate and nourish skin.

What I loved about it:
- Skin felt instantly hydrated
- Serum was absorbed into my skin
- Fit well with my current skincare routine (I applied twice daily, after cleansing and before any moisturisers)
- My skin reacted really well to the ingredients
- Skin was clearer, brighter and hydrated.

Compared to other serums out there in the market, this product does live up to what it claims it does, and for just $50! But as Priceline is having a sale at the moment, all Dr Lewinn's products are 30% off so at $35, this is truly a steal! 

Have you tried this serum? What did you think? What are your favourite serums to use?



Thank you beautyheaven for providing the product to trial and review.

Paris Vlog Part III! The magical Eiffel Tower

Definitely one of my highlights in Paris was the Eiffel Tower! Sure, its iconic and is one of the most recognised architecture globally, but to climb it, see it with my own eyes with a crepe in hand was just magical!!


Tips for Day 3 in Paris!
1. I've mentioned this in my last post, but buy a Paris Museum Pass!! Served us well today as it granted entry to  Arc de Triomphe (climb and check out the view of Champs Elysees!), Notre Dame bell towers (we arrived too late and missed the opening time but we checked it out the following day), and Musee d'Orsay.
2. Climb the Eiffel Tower - it's cheaper, the line is shorter, free workout and you can truly appreciate the entire experience of the Eiffel Tower. Arrive early!!
3. See the Eiffel Tower on a clear sunny day. If you've planned to go on a specific day and it happens to be cloudy, don't go. The views are significantly better on a clear day!
4.  Try the Nutella crepe place behind the Eiffel Tower (south-side). Yummers!
5. Is Angelina a must visit? Yes! If you love hot chocolate. Who cares that it costs something ridiculous like AUD10-12.
6. Try the falafel place in Le Marais. It was the best vego meal I had in Paris (not counting the croissants).

What are your favourite tips on Paris??

For more photos, check out my instagram @cozzle85 or the hashtag #cleurope2014 

Paris Vlog - Part II! Palace of Versailles

Is Palace of Versailles a must-visit if your in Paris? Yes!  Watch my adventure at Palace of Versailles below...

Camera: GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com

Tips for visiting Palace of Versailles and why it's a must visit!

- It's only a short train ride away from Paris city centre
- The entrance cost is covered in the Paris Museum Pass! Great value for money!
- Visit the official page for opening times and there's a nifty chart that also shows you the most busiest times throughout the day
- We arrived fairly early and the line was huge! We only spent half a day there and by the time we left it was a little after midday and there was no line!
- Must check out Le Saint Julien Restaurant! Only a short walk from the Palace and was the best meal I had in Paris!

For more photos, check out my instagram @cozzle85 or the hashtag #cleurope2014

Travel Vlog: Paris Part I #cleurope2014

These Europe travel vlogs are long overdue! As I was editing them today, I fell in love with Paris all over again. It's easy to fall in love with the city of lights! The food, the architecture, the french tongue...too much to see, so little time!

Hope you enjoy our little adventure :)



Camera: GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com

Place: Paris, France (Day 1)

Top 3 Highlights of Paris on Day 1:
1. The food! This was our first encounter with an authentic croissant and pain au chocolat...my oh my, I was never a bread or pastry fiend but alas, a bread fiend was born...

2. I could not dream of a better way to see Paris - by bike! Highly recommend the blue bicycle tours in France. It covered a wide variety of typical touristy places plus there's a break at Rue Cler...mmm crepes...

3. Love at first sight...Paris architecture is just beautiful. The cobblestone roads, the Hausmann buildings...the windy alleyways, it makes for the perfect adventure!

For more photos, check out my instagram @cozzle85 or the hashtag #cleurope2014

 

Review! Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Nail Polish

Beautyheaven have kindly given me the opportunity to trial and review the new Revlon nailpolishes!  To me, nailpolishes are one of the little luxuries of life and can brighten up your day!  I was provided with all 30 colours in the entire range of Gel Envy nailpolish plus the Top Coat.

These are my favourite colours and formula!

 L-R: Ace of Spades, Pocket Aces, Roulette Rush, Full Horse, Wild Card, Queen of Hearts.

I'm currently wearing "Queen of Hearts" which is a cool, deep red.

Here are my thoughts on the polishes!

Pros:
- Beautiful creamy consistency (with exceptions, see Cons below). All of my favourites above have a creamy and opaque finish which I love
- Top Coat provides glossy shine
- Nail Polish starts to chip at 5-6 days for me
- Easy to remove (except for the Red polishes)
- Colour and Base in One, so speeds up the process of applying nailpolish at home (compared to applying a separate Base Coat, Colour and Top Coat
- Quick drying time

Cons:
- Some of the lighter shades like Checkmate, All or Nothing, In the Money (beautiful though), and Cardshark had a thin consistency and left a streaky finish after two coats. Three or more coats is recommended.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars!

Have you tried these nailpolishes before? What are your thoughts?

Europe Vlogs: Barcelona! #cleurope2014

Well well well. It's been aaaaaaages. I am finally posting up my Europe holiday vlogs from April 2014! First up....BARCELONA!


Camera: GoPro Silver 3+
Music by danosongs.com

Place: Barcelona, Spain

Top 3 Highlights of Barcelona:
1. The food! Loved the paella, tapas and pinxos...and the drinks as well! mmm give me some cava anyday!

2. The Gaudi architecture was also very impressive! It's nothing like I've ever seen anywhere!

3. And last but not least, the shopping...zara, pull and bear, topshop, H&M. I found that compared to other cities in Europe, Barcelona had the best prices!!

For more photos, check out my instagram @cozzle85 or the hashtag #cleurope2014

Review! Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser

Today I am reviewing Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser.  I have been using this product for about 2-4 weeks (I can't remember exactly when I started using it!) and have been using it in place of my normal cleanser during my skin routine.

My skin is combination oily, I get oily skin around my T-zone by the end of the day. I also have visible pores on my nose and cheeks.

The pros!
* I did notice that my pores around my cheeks reduced in size. However the pores around my nose were still there, staring out at me :P
* My skin was sooo smooth. I usually exfoliate once a week. But this cleanser I exfoliated twice a day. Too much exfoliation will result in dry skin but because this product had fine microbeads, it was very gentle and didnt dry my skin out.
* Smelled fresh and clean!

The cons!
*It stung my eyes and I could barely open them! I am thinking it is because of the AHA present in the product?
* Because it is an exfoliating cleanser, and because it badly stung my eyes, I could not use this to take off residual eye makeup...

Overall Rating 3/5
I enjoyed how smooth my skin felt and how squeaky clean it was after each cleanse.  But I would not repurchase this because of how much it stung my eyes!

Have you tried Neutrogena cleansers before? What are your favs?

My Everyday Makeup Routine!

Hi lovelies :) I hope you've had an amazing week!

Here is my everyday makeup routine as well as what products I use on a daily basis! I think these are probably my favourite products because I definitely think you should be using the products that make you feel and look your best everyday! Why save it for only special occasions?

Hope you enjoy the video :)


Products used:
- The Balm Shelter, tinted moisturiser. I need to repurchase asap!
- Garnier under eye concealer
- Inglot face powder
- Contouring set by Makeup Forever
- Illamasqua blush in Hussy
- Rimmel eyebrow pencil in dark brown
- Elf eyeshadow primer
- Buck and Sin e/s from Naked Palette
- Maybelline Stiletto liquid eyeliner
- L'oreal Voluminous mascara
- Chanel lipstick in Seduisante

Get Ready with Me! Smoky eye for Beyonce's concert!

I know this is a very late post, but better late than never right? So Queen Bey had a tour in Sydney towards the end of last year and I was lucky enough to go!  She is an amazing singer and I absolutely loved her performance of "Halo".

For makeup I wanted to go for a sultry, smoky eye and it was pretty hot that night so I wore a white camisole with a green khaki skirt and my jelly sandals.  Here is a pic from my instagram:

Let me know what you guys think of the makeup look!

Products used:
- La roche posay effaclar duo as a base/primer
- Makeupforever body foundation in #34
- Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer
- Inglot Face Powder
- Jemma Kidd bronzer
- Sleek blush in Rose Gold
- Rimmel eye brow pencil in Dark Brown
- Urban Decay eyeshadow primer
- Stila Smudgestick waterproof liner in black
- Naked palette e/s in darkhorse, smog, buck
- Bobbi brown gel eyeliner
- Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara
- Gorgeous Cosmetics Lipsticks in Rose Velvet