I am writing this from Fiji which is a bit spoilt but lovely.  It’s raining today so here I am playing catch up with my posts and making the most of some quiet time.

I thought I would share with you my, I don’t want to catch any bugs on the way over here experience.  Having been very busy and tired before I flew over and I was concerned about not getting sick the minute I arrived.   Even more so for my husband, who has been very busy also.
  
So I had found these lozenges you can take to stop you catching bugs on the plane and also to build up your immune system.

This magic little bottle of tablets is called Blis Travel Guard and is designed to support your throats natural immune defense.  The idea is that you take four lozenges the day before you travel; four on the day of travel and four during travel.  Suck all lozenges within one hour of each other and repeat on the return journey.

Well, I now need to be truthful and say that I didn’t manage to complete the task and it’s actually quite hard to do. I’ll tell you why.  Normally you are really busy just before you go away and have a huge to do list. But really that wasn’t completely it.  They are just disgusting to suck. I tried to follow it with a drink and it seemed to make it worse.  The long and the short of it is that they really don’t taste very nice.  You are supposed to suck them, which for someone like my husband who doesn’t like the taste of much even on a good day, it was impossible.  He was nearly bringing the whole lot back up.  And to be fair to him, whilst I’m a lot hardier with these sorts of things, I could hardly do it either.

I can’t say I know what chalk would taste like but I imagine it would be similar.  So it remains to be seen if it stops me from getting sick even though I only managed to compete half the task.

Product: Blis Travel Guard
Available from: Pharmacies and Health Food Shops.
Rating: 1 (provisional)

  Now I’m not one to usually get excited about a hand cleaner, but this is really neat. You know when you find something really nifty and you want to share it with everyone, well this product is one of those. Believe it or not, it’s a hand cleaner.

It comes in a handy 44ml plastic squirt bottle and here’s the exciting part, you simply squirt it onto your hands and rub in.

You don’t need water and once it’s rubbed in there is no sticky feeling. Your hands smell fresh and clean. That’s what makes this so clever and useful. You can take it anywhere, and did I say you don’t need water. I believe I have. That’s how impressed I am with this product. Plunket nurses are now using it before handling babies as their hand sanitizer, it’s that good!

So keep it in the glove box of your car, your desk at work, your handbag, your first aid kit, your baby bag, your picnic basket and anywhere else that might be of use to you.

Best part is a little goes a long way and it’s cheap.

Rating: 4

Price: $4.95

Available at Pharmacies

  You know what it’s like, when you wait a long time for something only to discover it isn’t anywhere near as good as what you had expected. Well this is how I feel about this book.

Sandra Kaminski has been inspiring me for years with her amazing displays in the back section of the New Zealand House and Garden Magazine. Her ability to turn a boring old Sunday lunch into a fabulous magical experience is a skill I have always envied. She can make Christmas in her home seem like something out of a Santa Claus movie, wrap a gift so that you would never need to know what’s inside and decorate a table you will never want to leave.

So, I waited for years until she finally announced she was doing her own book.

I feel certain I was the first person to buy it and I could hardly contain myself not to stand and riffle through it on the street. When I finally got home I made myself a cup of tea and sat down to be inspired.

My excitement soon turned to disappointment when I realized it wasn’t what I had expected. It was the same as I had seen in the house and garden magazine, not alot of it was new. Clearly I had expected that when she finally had an opportunity to put out her own book, she would do it in a way to make it easier for us to to replicate.

I had expected step by step instructions, maybe even a list of what you need to complete the look. A ‘how to’ when making the little bags filled with goodies and general useful information on how to appear as if I was after all, the domestic goddess.

Instead it is much of the same as the House and Garden Magazine. Mixed through it are arty pages of nothing. Rather than easy to read copy, it has paragraphs which don’t have any information on how to do what she has done. Disappointing. I’m time poor these days and really want to be able to pull off that ‘I’ve spent a lot of time doing this’ look. She needs to make it simple for us to replicate, with the least amount of time and effort. Not all of us do what she does for a job and have access to what she does.

It is definatley more a great coffee table read and if you don’t have the expectation that I did, then this still could be a book to add to your list.

Hot tip an alternative to spending $49.95 on this book, and you are lucky enough to still find a copy, try the NZ House and Garden (special edition) magazine called ‘fresh inspiration’. It went on sale earlier in the year for $14.90 and is very good value for money.

Rating:2 Price:$49.95

Avaliable:Whitcoulls

  I love this concealer and have used it for years.  It has become one of my indispensable make-up tools.  I have tried many different ones but I always seem to return to this one.  That says alot about this product, doesn’t it. So why is it so good?

 Well firstly it doesn’t seem to matter what skin colour or skin type you are, there are several different ones you can choose from.  Secondly it comes in a wand, which makes it very easy to use and to carry around. I put it on, over top of my foundation and gently pat it into my skin. It glides on and doesn’t stretch or pull as you apply.

My eyes seem suddenly brighter,  I look fresher and younger. Radiant Touch is great for hiding all those little annoying little imperfections.  Use it underneath your eyes, sides of your nose and at the corners of your mouth for a blemish-free finish.

Because it is in a wand style it lasts a long time and though slightly on the pricey side, it is worth every cent. 

I have had mine 9 months and still going.  It’s well worth the money and one of my all time favourite beauty buys.

Rating: 4

Price:

Available at: major department stores and selected pharmacies

  I discovered this little treasure out of desperation. Having managed to burn the area around my eyes by using an eye cream that didn’t agree with me, I stumbled across this product which turned out to be my saviour. It’s Loreal’s Eye Make-up remover for sensitive eyes and it’s fantastic.

My eyes were so sensitive they had split and were very painful. So trust me, putting on  mascara to look better was a big deal to me. The problem was, I couldn’t take it off. I couldn’t use anything until I found this eye makeup remover.

Interesting enough I had tried many brands in my quest to sort my eyes out and most had been very expensive. I still couldn’t use any of them. All would sting and cause the problem to get worse.

So I imagine my surprise when I found this little gem in the supermarket and it worked. Not only is it gentle and removes eye make-up with no fuss and it is a bargain.

Don’t be put off by where you can buy it. Having tried much more expensive brands which claimed they were for sensitive eyes, nothing worked as well as this.

I have since recommended it to a friend who had very bad cyrisis on her eyes and she found it fantastic as well. She has also continued to use it and threw out her more expensive product which had also made her problem worse.

The big bonus is great value for money and it can be brought in most department stores and supermarkets. I buy mine in the toiletries aisle at New World, it doesn’t get much easier than that.

So add this to your list because, we can say in this case cheaper is better.

Rating: 5 star

Price:$12.95

Available:All major department stores

  Having just this year woken up to what a good idea this club is, I feel the need to spread the word.  This is a very worthwhile club to belong to.

There isn’t anything terribly complicated in joining,  they make it really easy for you. All you have to do is fill in your details in store on the spot, they then send out the card and all the relevant information to you.

Now, I’m not usually one to join clubs, largely due to the fact that I can never remember that I have and then I don’t collect the points.  Which then makes it absolutely pointless belonging in the first place.  So as a rule I generally don’t join clubs, but this club is particularly good.

In a nutshell, for every dollar you spend in the beauty department you get one point, when you have collected 200 points you receive a $20.00 voucher to spend within the beauty department. Effectively this equates to a 10% discount. The voucher needs to be spent within 12 months, which isn’t hard given there are great gift ideas if there isn’t anything you need at that time. You don’t however get points on already reduced stock or promotional items.

They keep all your information on the computer and you just hand over your card each time you buy and they will give you an update on your points.  If you have spent enough to receive a free voucher,  they will issue it to you on the spot.  You don’t have to wait for the voucher to be mailed out,  you can use it there and then. 

How hard is that, not very.  So really, you are already spending money in the store, they just give you a little bonus every now and then.

They mail out catalogues with all their promotions and invite you to special discount evenings throughout the year.  Their new catalogue has just come out and the offers are available from the 7th September to 1st October 2007.  All products in the catalogue are either on sale or have bonus gifts. 

Now is also a good time to join with Christmas coming, they have special Christmas evenings and if you buy any Christmas gifts there just think of the vouchers you will accumulate during that time.

So pop into your nearest Farmers store and join up now.   

  Ok, so yes, I was initially attracted to the purple packaging of this product since I love the color purple and thought it was a good idea and looked cool. So it has turned out to be and absolute bonus that this product does actually deliver.

It is great for any aches, strained muscles, bruises, bumps and sporting injuries which may occur. I get quite bad shin splints when I am working out and this leaves me with aching legs at the end of a day. If I rub this into them, within minutes the discomfort has gone. It is better for me than swallowing loads of Panadol so I can sleep at night.

I have also used this on my six year old when she fell and strained her arm. She said it was hot when it first went on but she wasn’t anywhere near as sore the next day when she woke up. We rubbed it into her arm for three days and the lump in the muscle went away and she said it was much better.

For a Natural product, complete with Arnica and Calendula you can’t go wrong. It is my preference over Deep Heat any day.

hot tip Always wash your hands with soap after you have rubbed it in. It is quite strong and you wont want this anywhere near your eyes.

Rating: 1 

Price: $9.95

Available: At most Pharmacies

  A friend of mine asked me the other day what she should use on her daughter with dry lips and it’s funny how I always resort to my old favourite Eight Hour Cream. 

I have to say without a doubt this product has been one of my top favorites for years now. It is also one of Arden ’s longest running products due to it’s popularity. It is still rated in beauty surveys as one of the top products to buy.

It is so versatile that you can use it on dry lips, cracked heels, elbows and as a hand cream. It even appears to have a long lasting effect on psoriasis. I have also used on my children with great results. So if you are looking for one of my must haves in your beauty cupboard this would be it.

Elizabeth Arden are currently running a promotion to celebrate this product with a one off by packaging it in a jar for a limited time. To get great value, a good time to buy is when stores like Farmers run a promotion.  They will usually combine Eight Hour Cream with a hand or body lotion which makes it very cost effective.

So buy this as great staple to keep in your cupboard, you will find it has many uses.

Rating: 4

Price:

Avaliable at:  Pharmacies and all major department stores.  

  

I don’t know about you, but I want a cleanser that does it all. When I am taking off my make up it’s usually late at night or cleaning my face first thing in the morning. I want this process to be as simple and painless as possible.

 A cleanser to remove my eye make-up and clean my face in one step.

So in my search for the best cleanser out there I am finding a few stinkers along the way.

I wanted to find a reasonable and very accessible cleanser, because lets face it we wash our face with it then we flush it down the drain. So I don’t want to pay alot for something that really is there just to clean my face,  it needs to be gentle and effective.

So I tried the Neutrogena Foaming Cleanser. It has a pump for easy access, can be stored in the shower without mess and is very reasonably priced. Another added bonus is that it can be purchased easily from most supermarkets. Neutrogena is also recommended by dermatologists as their preferred brand.

Imagine my surprise when after a couple of days I started to noise that my skin was really dry, then after a few more days red patches started to appear. By the end of a week my skin felt terrible, itchy and sore.

I also found that I couldn’t use it around my eyes as they reacted to it. I have used Neutrogena products in the past and haven’t had a problem but I certainly do with this one.

It appeared to strip my skin of any moisture, making it tired and dull. Any natural oils which were normally there disappeared and I likened it to using dish washing liquid on your face.

I wouldn’t buy this again and certainly will be a little more careful when changing cleansers in the future. Whilst I’m not wanting to pay the earth for it, a little more care needs to be taken when choosing next time.

Rating: 1

Price:

Available: Pharmacies and New World Supermarkets

  

I don’t know about you, but I want a cleanser that does it all. When I am taking off my make up it’s usually late at night or cleaning my face first thing in the morning. I want this process to be as simple and painless as possible.

 A cleanser to remove my eye make-up and clean my face in one step.

So in my search for the best cleanser out there I am finding a few stinkers along the way.

I wanted to find a reasonable and very accessible cleanser, because lets face it we wash our face with it then we flush it down the drain. So I don’t want to pay alot for something that really is there just to clean my face,  it needs to be gentle and effective.

So I tried the Neutrogena Foaming Cleanser. It has a pump for easy access, can be stored in the shower without mess and is very reasonably priced. Another added bonus is that it can be purchased easily from most supermarkets. Neutrogena is also recommended by dermatologists as their preferred brand.

Imagine my surprise when after a couple of days I started to noise that my skin was really dry, then after a few more days red patches started to appear. By the end of a week my skin felt terrible, itchy and sore.

I also found that I couldn’t use it around my eyes as they reacted to it. I have used Neutrogena products in the past and haven’t had a problem but I certainly do with this one.

It appeared to strip my skin of any moisture, making it tired and dull. Any natural oils which were normally there disappeared and I likened it to using dish washing liquid on your face.

I wouldn’t buy this again and certainly will be a little more careful when changing cleansers in the future. Whilst I’m not wanting to pay the earth for it, a little more care needs to be taken when choosing next time.

Rating: 1

Price:

Available: Pharmacies and New World Supermarkets