Ooh I know I shouldn’t have and the big problem I have is that if I fess to all of you what I’ve done then my husband reads this too.  I’ve told him not to, that reading my posts isn’t good for his health but he wont listen, “If you read what I buy then it will just upset you, so you just shouldn’t”.  But he still does.

You see when I tell you all what exciting new things I have found lately, he knows too.  But it’s ok because to help you all out, I will take one for the team.

Now this particular great find of mine is a double whammy, whilst it’s a tale of a great find, it’s also a tale of great loss.  My loss in fact and yes I do wish I was talking about weight, but instead it’s my GHDs.  I bought a pair of them about five years ago and they were lovely.  Didn’t get much better really, did a great job and, given I only used them about 4 times, were in a pretty much near new condition.

Here’s a hot tip, straighteners don’t work on fine hair.  Not a lot of point of straightening fine hair it only makes you look like you have a whole pile less.  So in the cupboard they stayed.

So, what’s the problem?

Well I lost them, can’t find them, disappeared, gone for forever and yes, you guessed it, I have no clue where they went.  Now the problem is that I have a daughter that has the most beautiful thick hair, which she would like to have straightened on a regular basis and no straighteners.

I do want to say in my defence that I have resisted this temptation before now to replace them.  Lets face it, GHD have brought out Gold ones, Black ones with swirls on them and lots more.  But their latest range really got me.  Oh my stars they are gorgeous.

Their latest limited edition rainbow coloured collection are to die for.  My daughters are going to love them.

There is Purple Indulgence, my choice, Red lust, Blue Serenity and Green with Envy.  We all know these are the best on the market, so I am sure the colour makes them even better.

In store now, don’t miss out as they are for a limited time only.

How did I go with justifying them?  Think I will get away with it at home?  Wish me luck.

Available:  Selected Hair Salons

Price:  $369.00  but I did hunt around on the web and found them for $339.48 (8% off) on

www.hairproductsonline.co.nz

  You know how exited I get when I find a great product but better still when I find one that’s a bargain as well.  For all you Mascara wearers out there this is your lucky day, because the new ‘Double Extension Renewal Serum Inside Mascara’ is here.

A long time ago I read an article about a women in the States who was trialling this new Lash Serum that was designed to increase your lashes, make them thicker and grow at a faster rate then normal.  I thought how exciting at the time, I have always longed for big beautiful eye lashes to make my eyes stand out more.  I have to create this by using Mascara and we all know that can be hit and miss until you find a really good one.

So I have always wondered how long it was going to take for someone to come up with a reasonably priced one and now they have.  L’Oreal is one of the first cosmetic houses to launch their new Renewal Serum Inside Mascara and I have to say you wont be disappointed.   I love it.  I am a big fan already of their Beauty Tubes Mascara so I was thrilled to see they have launched this on a similar style with the Lash Serum at one end and the Mascara at the other.

Double Extension claims you will have visibly more lashes, plus they will be 80% longer in just 4 weeks.  The Serum is an intensive gel, enriched with essential nutrients to help repair, fortify and strengthen the lashes.  The theory behind this is that it extends the the length of time before your lashes fall out so there are more there than before.

Now if only they could invent this to help the hair on my head and I would be ecstatic.

I don’t know about you but that sounds great doesn’t it.  So I am going to trial it.  I want to know if this really does work.  I going to use it on my eyes and not my head, tempting as that may be.

You can also buy the Serum which you apply to clean lashes at night as well to make this more effective, which of course I have bought. Then you use the other one underneath your Mascara during the day.  Double the dose.

But all that aside even if it doesn’t live up to it’s claims its still a fantastic Mascara.  It’s as good as the Beauty Tubes if not better and acts as a treatment all day long.

I will keep you posted as to how I get on with my trial to see if it works, but I can still recommend it as a Mascara anyway.  I always love the idea of using a primer first, Mascara second and this really is good. 

Give a it go and I always find that L’Oreal is reasonably priced and good value for money.

It’s getting rave reviews.  Some are claiming this is better than eyelash extensions and I’m not surprised as my lovely friend commented the other night, she thought I had had eyelash extensions put in.  No not me, it’s just my new Mascara.

To help make sure there is no clumping when you apply your Mascara, make sure that you apply the Mascara while the Serum is still damp.

Available:All L’Oreal stockists Farmers, Pharmacies, Selected Supermarkets

Price:$33.95

For that special Mum on Mothers day,  why not try the gorgeous Mums the Word package at East Day Spa.

East Foot Ritual
60 minute Signature Massage
15 minute Scalp Massage or
15 minute Reflexology

90 minutes of relaxation for $140.00

Now doesn’t that sound heavenly.  This is a complete indulgence for that special Mum.  You can either phone, visit one of their Spas or simply buy it online and it will come packaged up ready for you to gift away.  Won’t you be the clever one with this gift.

I particularly like East Day Spa as they have a relaxation room which you can spend time in chilling out before and after your treatments. Its also a great place to visit with girlfriends as you can have treatments together.

Available:East Day Spa Thorndon, Wellington                                 Price:$140.00

N.B  It appears that this offer is exclusive to the Wellington Spa, but there are offers at their other locations as well.  Check them out on www.eastdayspa.com

  I’m not sure when it happened but at some point in my life I seemed to come up with the notion of more expensive is always best.  Now I need to start by saying I am not entirely sure where this thought process has actually come from, because both my parents are very frugal and I am married to an accountant.  How funny is that, no prizes for guessing how much I drive them insane.

So back to my “buying expensive is best” theory.  I have found what I believe to be one of the best facial cleaners I have ever used.  Now I currently have two and the reason for this is that I have one in my bathroom at home and one in my toilet bag I take to the gym.

My more expensive one I use is Nimue and it drives me insane.  For some reason I can’t seem to wash it off without a huge amount of effort and always feels slimy.  The smell isn’t the best either, but yet it’s supposed to be a fantastic cleanser.  The jury’s still out for me on this one.

Ok, so what is better?  Well wait for it, try Olay Total Effects Foaming Cleanser.  I know really Olay, but yes it’s fantastic.  I love it and prefer to use this over my more expensive one.

It’s voted best cleanser by Instyle Magazines beauty experts, so that’s really saying something.  But it really is great on many levels.  It’s easy to transport as it comes in a tube, easy to get hold of as you can just add it to your shopping at the supermarket, leaves your skin feeling clean and smells lovely.  But best of all is the price $15.29.  I can have multiple tubes for that and still not exceed how much I paid for the Nimue.

You wont be disappointed with this cleanser, so put it on your shopping list. The best part is that it just becomes part of the groceries and spend what you save on something else.  How clever is that.  See my husband has to be happy with that theory, doesn’t he.

Available:All major Supermarkets and Pharmacies                 Price:$ 15.29

  

After my scathing review of the Lancome Vibrating Mascara I did a few months ago, you would think that I wouldn’t go near them again now would you?  But in my quest to save you all money, and to spend mine, I have bought the new Maybelline Pulse Perfection just so I could compare it to its more expensive rival.

Well once again I am struggling with the whole vibrating thing, I mean it just really seems superfluous. That’s a big word isn’t it, but you know what I mean, it’s just useless really, more there for show.  Just another thing to allow them to charge you more for trying to be different.  I just don’t think this kind of different is that great.   I mean give us a new formula that goes on in one go and magically disappears at the end of the day, I don’t know, something else, but not vibrating.  It’s next to useless.

Not being a vibrating expert of course, I have been told that there are apparently better ways to spend your money if you are after something to vibrate.

But I also want to be completely fair when it comes to this Mascara because it does have one really big advantage over its rival and I mean BIG advantage, price.

It’s about half the price of the Lancome one and really pretty much the same.  I have both of them in my make-up bag at the moment and the only difference would have to the formula of the Lancome one.  It’s definitely easier to apply but it’s not enough of a difference to warrant the price.

If you still want to give a vibrating Mascara a go, then buy this one - for the price it’s a really good deal compared to the Lancome one.

I still say for lush lashes it’s hard to go past the Loreal Beauty Tubes.  Check out my blog for more information.

Available:  where all Maybelline is stocked, Farmers

Price: $29.95

  I have discovered these really fantastic new range of funky and fun make-up and multi-use bags.  My make-up bag has finally given itself up and can no longer be zipped up and down.  As you can imagine this causes me no end of issues when I am trying to find my Lippy at short notice and it’s now rolling around somewhere in the bottom of my handbag.

I mean really this is a crisis, people have been known to disappear into my handbag, only to re-appear weeks later looking messy and very annoyed, so what chance does my poor Lipstick have when there’s no bag for it to belong to.

So imagine my delight when I stumbled across these cute bags at Kirks, which are a perfect replacement for my old one.  Designed by Julie Donaldson these bags are sure to be a big hit as gifts and would make a great Christmas present as well.

They come in three different sizes and have beautifully embroidered text on the front, with a cute polka dot lining inside.  The best part about them, other than the range, is the price.  They are unbelievably reasonable and come in a variety of colours.

Large: Gorgeous             $18.99  Colours are:Noir, Blanc and Rose

Medium: Perfect              $14.99  Colours are Noir and Goldie

Small:    Dainty               $12.99  Colours are Noir, Blanc and Ruby

They can also be found in Life Pharmacies and other Department stores.

  Last week I told you about my vibrating Mascara mistake and promised you that I had alternative.  Well I do and the best part about this Mascara is that it fits into the ‘I Spy the Best Buy’ category as well.

About a year ago I decided to give the L’Oreal Beauty Tubes Mascara a go, largely due to the fact that I liked the idea of having the primer which preps the eyes and then applying the top coat of Mascara.  I have used a primer before in the past with huge success and really wanted to have that Hollywood eye look again.  Come on now, we are all entitled to dream and even if we wont make it to the red carpet, we can still have the eyes.

This Mascara is fantastic, once you get over the shock of removing it at the end of the day, it truly is one of the best I have ever used.  Now I mentioned the removal of it, because there is of course an art to this and by me telling you, you will avoid the shock I got.  The reason being is that when it comes off it does so in chunks and at first you do think that you a loosing all your eyelashes.   This is not the case because by putting on the primer you are actually coating the lashes which is what gives them the full pop out look. 

When you are removing the Mascara you need to soak a cotton pad, wait for a minute and then it will just melt off the eye, easy as that.  Better still if you can remove it in the shower it’s even better.  It really does just come off with warm water and there is virtually no smudging.

What really makes this Mascara a star in my book is the fact that it doesn’t move all day and even when we are really naughty and don’t take it off at night it doesn’t move , you can get up in the morning and it still looks good.  Not that I recommend that of course.

It is really like having false eyelashes on but without the hassle of putting them on.

Now my last tip is that once you have put the primer on apply your Mascara straight away before it has a chance to dry,  it’s much easier to get the Mascara onto the lashes while it’s wet and easier to put them into place.

It’s gets a whopping 5 out of 5 stars for me because of how good it is and also the price.  It’s funny I have gone away to try various new ones as they come onto the market and always return to this one.  Well worth it.

Available :all L’Oreal stockists                          Price:$

  I had to try it, a vibrating Mascara, how cool is that?! Given that it is supposed to be the best Mascara on the market, hey, why should the price matter, it’s a minor detail really.  Well it’s not so minor when what you have bought turns out to be a big disappointment.

I love new gadgets and I was really excited about trying the Lancome Oscillating Mascara, they claim that with the vibrating brush and the smooth formula that it wraps every lash up to 360 degrees.  You are supposed to see a fascinating gaze as lashes are to appear extended, really?  The only thing I saw extended was my overdraft after what I had paid for it and as for the fascinating gaze to be fair it was more of a ‘oh stink, this is a mess gaze’, followed by the ‘oh, this was a dumb buy gaze’. 

Now they do say that the formula is one that you can layer until you get as much as you need on the lash, and yes this is true, you can do that, so that is one good point about it.  But what I will say is that this isn’t a huge amount of use as it seems to keep going on in the middle of my lash and not on the tips where I really needed it.

I did however discover that if you apply a coat without using the Oscillating button it was a bit better, but really that kind of defeats the purpose now doesn’t it.  I really don’t think I have ever made such a damn mess of putting my Mascara on and you would think that I was new to this.

What I do think is that maybe after some time you may get the hang of how to use this Mascara and should you find anywhere in the instruction manual on how to drive it, you may find that helps.  It’s is all just too hard for me because it requires you to take lots of time and accuracy to get it right.  Personally I haven’t got the time to spend working this out and just want to put my Mascara on and go about my day.

This is of course at great sacrifice to myself telling you this as no doubt once my husband  reads this, there wont be any ‘fascinating gaze’, just the the you wasted money frown.

Available: at Lancome counters in all major Departments stores and Pharmacies

Price:$79.00

So check in tomorrow and I will will tell you all about my favourite one and as luck would have it, is half the price, so you can buy two for the price of one.

                            

   Not only is Pink my favourite colour as you probably know, whenever possible I always leap at the chance to support anything to do with Breast Cancer Awareness.  So October is Breast Cancer Action Month and Dove launched their Limited Edition PINK Body Wash in support of it.

It looks fantastic in the lovely pink bottle, but the best part of it is that it smells fantastic too and true to Doves form it feels amazing when you are using it.  I just picked it up a the supermarket which makes it all that much easier and currently on special at New World for $4.99 a bottle.  Not bad at all. 

They claim that it’s mild, soap-free and will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth and guess what, it does just that.

There is also a spray and a roll on Deodorant and the signature Dove Beauty Bar but in pink.  I haven’t used any of those due to the fact I prefer a Body Wash to the soap bar and I already have my favourite deodorant, but the Body Wash has definitely been a big hit with me.

Available: All Supermarkets                                         Price:$4.99

So don’t be slow in jumping on the bandwagon, get your pink cardis out of the wardrobe, buy your pink Body Wash and support The Breast Cancer Foundation this month.  To find out how you can do more and what’s happening around New Zealand go to www.nzbfc.org.nz  for all the latest info.

  Ok so I am in heaven.  Do you think it’s possible to enjoy your shower so much more in the morning because you have changed your hair shampoo?  I know your thinking I really have gone mad and that you are going to have to send the people in white coats to take me away.  How can hair shampoo ever be that exciting? 

Well I am about to let you in on my latest and greatest find and it comes in the form of hair products called Pureology.  So why am I so excited?

Well never before have I used a product that has made such a difference so fast.  Now that’s a big statement from me and I will tell you why.  For as long as I can remember I have had a sensitive scalp, I can’t use any supermarket products and only selected salon ones as well.  This really only confirms to my husband that he is married to the worlds most expensive woman and there is a striking similarities between me and the ‘Princess and the Pea’ story.

Anyway I have been waiting for this product to hit New Zealand after all the buzz in the US about it and here it is.  After the first time I used it,  the psoriasis behind my ears which has been there for years has completely gone.  My hair is shinier and than before and coupled with the fact I have also been using their blow drying product my hair has never looked better.  I’ve had many comments on how good I have looked, boy I’ve been having a big week.

So if that alone isn’t enough to convince you her are some more reasons and also explains why it’s so good:

• Anitfade complex with powerful antioxidants and sunscreens to help protect your hair and retain your colour longer.
• It smells divine and is like using silk on your hair, also you don’t need to use very much so lasts for ages.
• It prides itself as being a ZeroSulfate shampoo, it’s designed to gently cleanse the scalp whilst optimizing colour retention.
• It’s 100% vegan ingredients is infused with organic botanicals and contains no chemicals or synthetic pesticides.
• There is a range for you to choose from depending on what you might need, there is Volume range, Hydrating range and the Essential Hair Repair System. 

It gets the whooping big 5 out of 5 for me as this truly is an amazing product which I don’t know that I can ever stop using, so give it a go and I guarantee you wont be disappointed and as always I have saved the best for last.

Pureology guarantee that if after using their shampoo and conditioner together for 30 consecutive days and within 4 weeks you are not satisfied they will refund what you paid for the product.

Available: at selected salons phone 0800 REDKIN for more stockists            Price: depends on size but starts at $40.00 for the shampoo and $48.00 for the conditioner and the Volume Blowdry product.  Remember though, a little goes along way and they will last for ages if you are sensible with them.