Merry Christmas!

Christmas has come around again. I've been a bit slack with posting recently sorry, but I'm intending to put some more posts up here before the New Year. Merry Christmas!

Christmas gift packs

It’s less than a week till Christmas, and I still haven’t written any posts about Christmas. How very un-festive of me! If you’re stuck for gift ideas, there’s a few nice gift packs out from some great NZ brands. Living Nature has five Natural Christmas Gift Packs, each $39.95, each in a Living Nature Fabric Tote Bag. They are:

Christmas Skin Essentials for Oily Skin - 50ml Purifying Cleanser, 50ml Hydrating Toning Gel, 50ml Balancing Day Lotion, 2ml Firming Flax Serum, 2ml Balancing Night Gel
Christmas Skin Essentials for Normal Skin - 50ml Vitalising Cleanser, 50ml Hydrating Toning Gel, 50ml Nourishing Day Cream, 2ml Firming Flax Serum, 2ml Nourishing Night Cream
Christmas Skin Essentials for Dry Skin - 50ml Vitalising Cleanser, 50ml Extra Hydrating Toning Gel, 50ml Rich Day Cream, 2ml Firming Flax Serum, 2ml Nourishing Night Cream
Christmas Skin Essentials for Men - 50ml Gentle Cleansing Shaving Gel, 50ml Soothing Plant Moisturiser, 50ml Soothing After Shave Gel
Christmas Body Essentials - 50ml Nourishing Body Wash, 50ml Nourishing Hand and Body Cream, 50ml Balancing Shampoo, 50ml Balancing Conditioner

Trilogy has Body Treats, $34.99, containing Botanical Body Wash 200ml and Nourishing Body Lotion 200ml. Or try Evolu Sun Set, $49.99, containing Day Cream SPF15, Protective Hand Cream SPF15, Lip Treatment SPF15, Body Lotion and an Inflatable Towelling Beach Pillow.

Five products for $10 and under

Some cool products which won’t leave you skint.

Ecostore Conditioner, $9.95 for 220ml – Available in Normal, Fine and Fragile, Dry and Damaged, and Anti-Dandruff

Viola Organics Liquid Soap, $6.50 for 250ml - Available in Lavender, Summer Fresh, and Unscented Mild/Baby

Alba Botanica Terra Tints with SPF 8, $8.99 for 4.2g – Available in six shades

Primal Earth Shave Gel, $8.49 for 175ml – Available in Menthol Cool, Aloe Hydrate, and Extra Sensitive

Blue Earth soap block large $9 – Available in 18 different scents (including Lemongrass, Orange & Lime Swirl, and Rhapsody of Roses), and also a shampoo bar – see http://www.blueearth.co.nz/ for details

Giovanni Colorflage

Giovanni has a new range of shampoos and conditioners for colour-treated hair, Colorflage. Available in:

Boldly Black
Beautifully Blonde
Brazenly Brunette
Remarkably Red
Perfectly Platinum

Each colour has a Daily Color Defense Shampoo, and Daily Color Defense Conditioner, each $24.99 for 250ml. Available at Farmers, although for some reason the Remarkably Red colour isn't there.

Favourite product of spring

Spring has come to an end. It’s been pretty cold for most of spring in Wellington, but it was a lot warmer when I went over to Queensland, Australia. I spent six days in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, and I bought a lot of beauty products, including Saya Coconut & Shea Body Butter, AUD$26.95 for 200g. Saya products are handmade in Noosa, and can be bought at various places in the Sunshine Coast including the amazing Eumundi markets. They can also be purchased online at http://www.sayaskin.com/ The body butter is thick, rich, nourishing, and smells amazing. My favourite product of the season.

SPF 15 moisturiser from Antipodes

New from New Zealand brand Antipodes is Immortal Performance Plus SPF15, $49.90 for 50ml. It contains raspberry oil, hyaluronic acid, and vinanza grape and kiwi extracts.

Priti Nail Products

I’ve mentioned Ikigai before - it’s an Australian online natural beauty boutique. Ikigai have recently added Priti products to their store. Priti is a brand which specialises in nail products which are free from potentially harmful chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP. The Priti products available on the Ikigai website are:

Non-Toxic Soy Polish Remover 56ml $16.95
Non-Toxic Cuticle Remover 12.6ml $17.95
Almond Cuticle Oil 12.6ml $17.95
Non-Toxic Speed Dry Topcoat 12.6ml $17.95
Non-Toxic 2-in-1 Base & Top Coat 12.6ml $17.95
Non-Toxic Nail Polish in 29 shades 12.6ml $17.95
Bean Nail Brush in Flax Pouch $9

The people at Ikigai offered to send me one of the Priti products to try, so I chose the nail polish in Peekaboo Rose (pictured above) Review follows:

Packaging: A clear bottle with a silver flower on the front and a silver lid.
Price: AUD$17.95
Size: 12.6ml
Suitable for: Anyone, including pregnant women
Available at: Ikigai
Pros: Pretty colour, free of harmful chemicals, good value for money.
Cons: None I can think of.

The verdict: Peekaboo Rose is a lovely luminous pink shade that’s subtle enough for the office. It’s a great colour for spring. Very nice! I took a picture of my hand when I was wearing it (shown below), but it doesn’t really do the colour justice - it's a bit brighter than it looks in this picture. Check out the Priti products at http://www.ikigai.com.au/hands-feet-polis/ .