OIL GARDEN AROMATHERAPY WORKSHOP @ THE VIBE HOTEL, SYDNEY

I had the most stressful day prior to Oil Garden's workshop. Things just did not go well for me at the airport (flying to and from the Gold Coast for work) followed by a terrible flight back. It was a down-hill kind of day. I can't lie, it took a lot of mental effort for me to head over to the workshop after a long day at work... but I was SO glad that I did!

Oil Garden is a new brand to me, whilst I love aromatherapy, I only knew a couple of brands. We were showered with a wealth of precious knowledge by Oil Garden's in-house aromatherapy expert and educator Pat Princi Jones. I learned so much about plants and aromatherapy within the span of 60 minutes. 

Pat went through the benefits of aromatherapy, from mood soothing to a sexy and enticing aroma that can be worn as a perfume. I learned that Eucalyptus within the leaf is produced to protect the trees from sun rays and that Jasmine + Rose essential oils takes a lot of effort and lab work to make, as a result, a tiny bottle of the pure form of the oil is through the roof. The oils that we are able to purchase affordably are all diluted. Oil Garden chose to dilute these precious oils with jojoba for added skin care benefits. 

Pat did a one on one and created custom blends for our needs. I of course, asked for stress relief that was created under Pat's guidance. I then made a very simple sleep blend. Pat added a hint Ylang Ylang oil into my stress relief blend, I learned that it was worn by Cleopatra. It was the most beautiful relaxing blend! Pat is a true master!

SPECIAL OFFER

For a limited time only, you can get 25% off Oil Garden products from www.oilgarden.com.au by using Lily25

Lily not Louise attended this event as a guest of Oil Garden

MEDIK8 R-RETINOATE YOUTH ACTIVATING CREAM INTENSE LAUNCH @ ALPHA RESTAURANT, SYDNEY

I enjoyed an intimate morning with Medik8 @ Alpha Restaurant in celebration of their latest addition to the r-Retinoate range. Medik8 r-Retinoate Youth Activating Cream Intense is a game changing product and a world's first "all in one" night cream. 

We were provided with an excellent introduction to r-Retinoate Youth Activating Cream by Medik8's Formulation and Development Director, Daniel Isaacs via a video conference. 

Daniel explained the difficulties experienced when combining retinyl retinoate and retinaldehyde, the combination makes r-Retinoate an absolute power-house; there is no other product like this on the market as of yet.

You may be familiar with Medik8 Australia's 2018 launch - r-Retinoate Youth Activating Cream (in a beautiful white bottle), we were advised that r-Retinoate Intense will not be replacing the original product so don't fret!

Comparing r-Retinoate Intense to the original, the new launch is richer in texture and possess the best hydrating ingredients, peptides (that directly target collagen producing cells) as well as vegan squalane. r-Retinoate intense was trialled on 27 people, including those with highly sensitive skin and no irritation was reported.

This product is 8 times stronger than retinol and eleven times faster acting. You are expected to notice a fading reduction in the appearance of fine lines in just 4 weeks. 

Active Ingredients:

Polymer-encapsulated Retinyl Retinoate - 8 times more powerful than retinol and stable

Crystal Encapsulated Retinaldehyde - 11 times faster acting than retinol

Smart Hydration Reservoir - Delivers multi level hydration

Vitamin E - Quench free radicals

Ceramide Complex - Nourish the skin

Drone Targeted Copper Peptide - Plump skin

Organic Carrot Seed Oil - Preserves the potency of r-Retinoate Intense

How to Use:

Like every other retinol products, it needs to be phased in. It is recommended to introduce r-Retinoate Intense into your nightly routine twice per week for 2 weeks. Once your skin adjusts to the ingredients, use it every other evening for 2 week. Following this, you can use it every evening. This product is designed for night time use only.

Price:

$389 for 50ml - check website below for stockists or call 1800 242 011

I tried and tested r-Retinoate Intense at the event, I have used Vitamin A previously and cannot escape the awful scent. I was extremely surprised to find a very subtle fruity scent to this powerful night cream. We were advised that r-Retinoate Intense is so powerful that it acts as both your serum and your night cream.

WEBSITE

https://www.medik8.com.au/

Lily not Louise attended this event as a guest of Medik8

Atkinsons London 1977 Pirates' Grand Reserve Eau De Parfum

I was recently introduced to Atkinsons, a famous perfume powerhouse founded by James Atkinsons in London, 1799. James was the perfumer to the royal family. His perfume line grew and currently range from home décor, bath essentials to perfume. I had the choice to chose a fragrance from Atkinson's collection, after reading through the scents and notes, I decided to try something different - Pirates' Grand Reserve from their contemporary collection.

Notes:

Top notes: Rum SFE, Jasmine petals, Heliotrope
Heart notes: Cocoa bean, Geranium essence, Cedarwood
Base notes: Patchouli, Madagascar vanilla essence, Helvetolid

Pirates' Grand reserve was described as rich and adventurous.

"Chocolate and gloriously aged rum pay delicious homage to English gentleman Sir Francis Drake".

I almost always only use fresh and fruity fragrances, when I saw the description of Pirates' Grand Reserved I thought I'd venture out of my comfort zone and try something I wouldn't normally wear. For some reason, the description captivated me. The 100ml Eau De Parfum was encased in a classic glass vessel with a weighed metal cap. My first impression was that this bottle marked an epoch of 1799 London's high society.

A light spritz of the scent and you will be able to smell the floral top notes with fairly heavy rum notes. As the fragrance rest on your skin and goes through to the heart/base notes, you know that it will be extra long lasting. Pirates' Grand Reserve is indeed rich, daring, strong and not for the faint hearted. The base notes are extremely prominent with the vanilla slightly under the Helvetolid - so quite a musky scent. The scent will hold on your skin for hours... literally hours. If it's sprayed onto an item of clothing, it will last until the next day.

I'd classify this perfume as a unisex scent that can be worn by both men or women. This scent is suitable for those who are drawn towards a strong and long lasting old fashioned scent. I am really glad that I ventured out to the high seas to try something new and different, I appreciated how long lasting this fragrance is, Atkinson's history, motto and use of high quality ingredients. However I have to be very honest here, at first, this unique scent was so strong I instantly thought, "uh oh... this is not for me.. too strong.. too musky". I sprayed a generous amount on my colleague who felt the same ….alas after a few hours of wear, I sniffed my wrist and was completely surprised - the scent grew on me. I messaged my colleague who reported the same. The strong musk scent eased and it turned into a mixture of patchouli with vanilla. This is the type of scent that you really need to go out there and have a sniff for your self, it's very unique and nothing like anything I have ever tried before.

Atkinsons is available at selected David Jones stores
Call 1800 940 578 for more information

WEBSITE
www.atkinsons1799.com/

Sample provided for editorial purpose

MY PICOSURE TREATMENT EXPERIENCE - DID IT WORK? DOES IT HURT?

Unedited photo of bare skin taken December 2018

WHAT IS PICOSURE?

As per Cynosure website: PicoSure® is the world’s first, fastest and most effective picosecond aesthetic laser. This unparalleled breakthrough in laser technology delivers ultra-short pulse bursts of energy to the skin in trillionths of a second. Picosecond pulse width is 100 times shorter than nanosecond technology, enabling unmatched photomechanical impact for better clearance with fewer treatments and less fluence. Picosure laser toning is comparable to nanosecond or traditional Q-switched lasers. 

It was explained to me on the day of treatment that Picosure is more effective than laser treatment. You will need lesser sessions and it will achieve better results. Picosure will also assist with smoothing out the textural problems of your skin. 

TREATMENT PREPARATION 

I was advised that the level of bacteria on your skin will be assessed prior to your picosure treatment. Treatment may not be as effective if there is a high level of bacteria. Crystal - the owner of Bella Pelle (also a highly experienced registered nurse who had worked as a theatre nurse in plastic surgery before venturing into lesser invasive cosmetic procedures) advised that she would not perform Picosure on clients with a high level of bacteria on their face as it will not be effective. 

My cleansing method is quit rigorous. I double cleanse, gentle exfoliation once a week and mud mask once per week. When I remember, I will do a chemical exfoliation.

I removed all my makeup before treatment and applied numbing cream which was removed prior to the treatment. 

DURING TREATMENT

I lied horizontally on a bed and I had to wear protective patches on my eyes to protect them from the pulses. The pulses were only slightly painful... I'd say less painful than laser. However the sensitive parts from my cheekbones did hurt. The procedure lasted for about 10-15 minutes, this included specific spot treatment and overall pulses for the entire face.

AFTER TREATMENT 

Crystal provided me with a cold compress to prevent swelling etc. I also had LED light therapy to help with the healing process at the clinic. I was not allowed to us any harsh skincare including vitamin C for approximately 2 weeks. I also had to be gentle with cleansing. 

Following my treatment the parts that received spot treatment and the sensitive areas were red. Overall my face wasn't too red and Crystal advised I had reacted well to the treatment. 

AFTER TREATMENT SUN CARE

It is imperative that you protect your skin from the sun after Picosure. I applied SPF 30 sunscreen before heading out and wore a hat. 

approx. 45mins post treatment

HOW MANY TREATMENT SESSIONS?

Crystal had recommended a further 3 sessions for me to get rid of all my pigmentation

1-3 DAYS POST TREATMENT 

Redness diminished the following day after treatment. The areas where I had received spot treatment got darker and I was able to see the formation of a small scab.

7 DAY POST TREATMENT

After 5 days, the pigmentation scabs had fallen off my face revealing fresh skin with no pigmentation.

1 week post treatment

2 WEEKS POST TREATMENT

Full pigmentation reduction, most of my freckles have either faded or fallen off. My pores were reduced and uneven skin tone looking  a lot better. 

5 MONTHS POST TREATMENT

I went to Fiji for a week between the 5 months and got a lot of sun, I did SPF like no tomorrow but I still came home with a distinct tan.

 In terms of the uneven skin tone situation, I think I needed more follow up treatment to maintain the plump skin but the condition is better overall. 

Pigmentation wise a couple of pigmentations did come back (on my nose and on the side of my face) while the rest did not emerge which I was quite happy about. 

I've never had laser pigmentation removal so I can't really comment on the comparison. But I was quite happy with the outcome - after just 1 session. However it is a very expensive treatment so I suppose the result matched my expectations. 

COST OF TREATMENT

$750 - $1000 per treatment. in Sydney.  It's quite hefty. If I had the money, I'd go and get the further sessions.

WEBSITE:

Find our more about Picosure: http://cynosureaustralia.com/technologies/picosure/
Book your own Picosure treatment at Bella Pelle:  https://www.instagram.com/bella_pelle_cosmetic_clinic/

*Invited for editorial purpose.

5 THINGS YOU MUST DO IN FIJI + NADI SHOPPING SCAM (BEWARE)

ISLAND TOUR

There are many islands surrounding the main island of Fiji and many tours/cruises you can take to go island hopping. These can usually be booked online before your trip or while you are in Fiji, by your hotel. If you are time poor, do a day tour. We did the Robinson Crusoe Island Day and Night Tour it cost approximately $297AUD per person. It was our biggest spend during our trip but it was worth our while. We were taken on a village tour for a couple of hours and then whisked away to Robinson Crusoe Island where the water was pristine. We were able to see all the fish in calf deep water.


Tour link: https://www.robinsoncrusoeislandfiji.com/tours.html

SNORKELLING

There are so many beautiful reefs in Fiji, it would be a shame if you don't go snorkelling! We went snorkelling in Natadola Beach. There was a reef fairly close by the beach so we didn't need to swim out too much we saw the most beautiful fish, I spotted a clown fish hiding in the reef. It was my first experience snorkelling in Fiji and it was the best decision. Make sure you have your under water cameras ready!


We rented our Snorkelling gear through our hotel for $10FJD per set for the day.

VILLAGE TOUR

A village tour in Fiji is not to be missed. It's a different way of community living. We went on two tours, one to the Sanasana Village and the second one with Robinson Crusoe Tour to Vusama Village.


We went on the Sanasana Village Tour with our hotel staff, it was $15FJD each, half of the profit went directly to the local village which we were really happy about. We were asked to remove our hats and sunglasses when approaching the village, women had to cover their shoulders and knees. The community living is not what we had expected, people lived in a block of land that is owned by the Chief, without fences or power lines. The houses were mostly made from tin or cement, there were no physical doors or windows. Simply squares or a rectangle. We were taken to the Chief's bure and met the chief. The villagers were extremely happy to see us, everyone was shouting Bula! with a huge smile every time they saw us. On our way back, our guide must've told them that he was taking us for a village tour and I assumed that they knew 50% of the profit goes to the village directly so each household greeted us and thanked us. If your hotel offers a local village tour, don't skimp out. It was the most authentic experience we had and knowing 50% of the profit goes directly to the village, it was even better. You will be taken to a place to buy souvenirs. We wanted to support the locals so we made a purchase.

Our Vusama Tour was different, we were able to see the positive impact brought by tourism. Vusama village was a lot more remote than Sanasana however they had a power lines, physical doors and windows, more resources and a church built in the village.

KAVA CEREMONY

Kava is the national drink in Fiji, we were told that people drank several cups per day to help them chill, wind down and relax. Kava drinking comes with a traditional Kava Ceremony. It is often a drink people offered to their guests. Kava is made from root grinded into powder. We went through 2 kava ceremonies. The first ceremony was in Vusama Village with the village chief and it was very formal. The second was in a store in Nadi which I will speak about later.

We experienced a numbing effect, we did not experience any high or sudden relaxation. I think this depends on how much kava you drink.

LOVO

Lovo is a must have when you are in Fiji. It's a traditional cooking method where fish, beef and chicken are wrapped and cooked underground essentially. We experienced this during the Robinson Crusoe tour. I personally found the fish a little bit tough but the chicken, delicious. My partner loved the fish.

NADI SHOPPING + SCAM STORY

This is not such much a do, it's more of a "beware" story. We went to Nadi to check out the town and do some shopping. There were a few tourists wandering around. We were dropped off at Jack's which is one of the most popular souvenir franchise in Fiji. As we walked down the street, several shop owners tried to get us to go into the shop and we did but didn't buy anything. One guy from a shop named "Fijian Souvenirs or Local Souvenirs" who was very charming, very friendly asked us to go into his shop which was all wooden handcrafts. Gave us a spiel about how dodgy non-native Fijians are in Fiji and that we should support local Fijians. We declined and he said "how about I will give you my card so you can come back when you are ready." We stupidly agreed and was lured into the shop for the non-existing card. He started with a Kava ceremony then tried to sell us kava, cigarettes and weed.

Following this he tried to sell a $250FJD  wooden statue to my partner, he claimed that the wooden statues are all locally carved and made - no, we saw the same items at the airport for $16FJD. Luckily we budgeted our shopping trip and only had $100FJD with us.. in which we had already spent $30. My partner declined the item. He tried to push a $150FJD item on my partner. I went over and said we didn't bring much money today and tried to take my partner out of the store. This man strategically placed himself so that he was blocking my partner and the entrance/exist. He kept asking us how much we have, we said not much and that we don't have cards or anything. By this point he was a bit annoyed and told us to go and look at the cheap stuff. Eventually we purchased a turtle necklace for $20FJD. which was still a rip. On our way out he literally forced us to givea donation to the local village into his massive "turtle bowl" we chucked some silver shrapnel into the bowl as it's money we didn't want to take back and left.

An hour after this experience we both started to feel funny in the stomach. I told my partner that I was almost certain that he fed us tap water disguised in a Fiji Spring water bottle. We went and had lunch then I had a full fledged upset tummy 2 hours later. But I was ok once everything came out (sorry TMI!). We were fine for the rest of the trip.

To be honest, this didn't dampen our experience, it was an experience on it's own. I have never seen anyone so pushy before. We still had a great time in Fiji. Bottom line, be careful and try not to get scammed or drink mysterious bottled tap water!

We will be going back to Fiji to do some island hopping in the future

IS THIS LUXURY LIPSTICK YOUR NEXT HOLY GRAIL?

We have been doing quite a bit of traveling in the past few years. This year we went around the former Yugoslavia and had the most educational and invigorating experience. As soon as we got back, I started to write down a list of countries and cities I want to visit, excited about my next trip! This brings me to Sisley Paris' new Le Phyto Rouge release, their shades are linked beautiful cities around the world. 


ABOUT SISLEY PARIS LE PHYTO ROUGE HYDRATING LONG LASTING LIPSTICK

• Full coverage, long wearing lipstick
• Hydrates, protects and soften lips all day long
• Glide on formula that will not bleed 
• Gold magnetic casing 
• Active ingredients includes Calendula (softens), Vitamin E (Anti oxidant, Anti free radicals), Vitamin C (anti oxidant) 
• 23 shades with different finish such as pearly, satin and iridescent 

RRP $65

MY VERDICT

• Shades: 21 Rose Noumea (a dusty rose, an everyday shade for me) and 43 Rouge Capri (More of a brick red, this would be my go to shade for events!). I went to Noumea a couple of years ago and thrilled that I was matched with this beautiful city. Capri is on my list! We were planning to head off to Italy this year but found it impossible to budget for it now that we are moving into a 2 bedroom. Both shades are needless to say, stunning. 
• The Case: I adore the gold zebra stripe casing, the fact that it's magnetic makes it easy to ensure the lipstick won't be twisting out if it's tube. The casing is quite heavy compared to my other lipsticks. It provides a very luxury feel to it. The lipstick also comes with a velvet red, this is great to make sure your case won't suffer any scratches. 
• The Texture: It's velvet soft, extremely light weight, creamy and glides on with absolute ease. My lips felt soft and did not feel like I was wearing product on my lips. The lipstick did not tug at my lips. 
• Finish: Matte finish (I think there is a tiny bit of pearlescent in Noumea)
• How long did it last? I wore it to a few lunches. If I am not eating or drinking the lipstick seems to last until removed. Once I started eating I noticed the lipstick to fade very slightly, however still very visible... until I subconsciously start to wipe my lips with a tissue and notice the amount of product that came off. Overall, really good lasting power!
• Hydration? The lipstick itself is quite hydrating once applied, it did however feel slightly drying after a couple of hours of wear if I do not prime my lips with a balm. If your lips are naturally dry and prone to chapping, apply a generous layer of lip balm.
• Did it bleed? Rouge Capri is a fairly vibrant shade and I did not notice any bleeding. Mum tried it and did not notice any bleeding either. Note this was the result with both no lip balm and lip balm applied. We were very pleased with this.
• Other Recommendations: 
• I don't tend to use a lip liner, however if you are looking for very defined lips or if you are looking to make your lips slightly bigger by drawing outside your natural lip lines, I would recommend you to use a lip liner. 
• The lipstick itself is very creamy and silky in texture, so use a semi light hand when you swatch it. Don't let this factor stray you because I assure you that this does not happen when you apply it on your lips. Lip application is flawless. 

This lipstick screams luxury, from packaging to the shape of the lipstick bullet. If you are looking for a feathery light lipstick that is pigmented and true to colour, this might be your pick.

You can find Sisley Le Phyto Rouge Lipsticks here.

PR Samples featured