Top ten products of 2008

Well, it’s the last day of 2008, and it has been quite a year. The Beijing Olympics, the USA electing their first black president, New Zealand returning to a National Government, just to name a few interesting events...but anyway, back to beauty stuff. I have tried a lot of great natural and organic beauty products this year. This list details the ten best products which I tried for the first time this year...and it was difficult to name just ten, because there were so many great products I tried! They are in no particular order.

Dr Hauschka Volume Mascara – It’s a great mascara! I have it in the black shade, it is very volumising, and defines lashes nicely. $45.

Trilogy Gentle Facial Exfoliant – A very fine grain facial scrub, good for getting rid of dead skin cells. $40 for 75ml.

Sukin Hydrating Body Lotion – affordable, effective, and smells great. $15 for 250ml, and $22 for 500ml.

UV Natural Sunscreen SPF 30+ - High SPF, non-drying, but also does not clog pores. $36 for 200g.

Ecostore Body Wash – Comes in a big bottle, smells good (three scents to choose from), it’s a great price, and it lasts for sooo long! - $8.99 for 400ml.

The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Foundation – Nice and mattifying, gives good coverage. I have it in 01, the lightest shade. $45 for 5g.

Giovanni Nutrafix Hair Reconstructer – A great hair moisturising mask, good for a weekly treatment. $22.50 for 200g.

Ecostore Baby Nappy Balm – great for dry heels, cuticles, and for baby’s bum, (obviously) though I haven’t used it for that! $8.99 for 60ml

Evolu Purifying Mask – Great for a weekly treatment, and you only need to leave it on for five to ten minutes. Smells good too. $35 for 75ml.

Weleda Iris Moisture Cream - Nice and moisturising, but not greasy. $23.50 for 30ml.

Hope you all have a great new year! I’ll be back in 2009 with more product reviews, product info, ingredient spotlights, information on new products, and more.

Hand sanitisers

Hand sanitisers are useful for getting rid of all those icky germs on your hands when you're not near a tap. I believe that in the USA, there is quite a range of more natural hand sanitisers, but that isn't the case here. However, there are some options.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Hand Cleanse Gel is not really all that natural in terms of ingredients, but it is better than some of the other sanitisers out there. It's not tested on animals, and comes in a recyclable bottle, so that's good. $10 for 60ml.

There's also The Aromatherapy Company Antibacterial Hand Wash $8 for 50ml, available in Orange and Jasmine, Cocoa and Vanilla, Rose and Patchouli, and Lavender and Rosemary. Also not tested on animals, and the ingredients are a bit more natural than The Body Shop one.

Insect repellants

Insect bites can get very annoying, so make sure you protect yourself with an insect repellant like Botanica No Insects Repellant. It's available in a 100ml spray and a 100ml roll-on, both $15.95. I have it in the roll-on. Botanica also makes Total Outdoor Protection, an SPF 15 sunscreen with insect repellant in it, $15.95 for a 100ml roll-on.

Or Try MozzyOff, available in 15ml dropper bottle for $12.99, and a 100ml bottle for $24.99. MozzyOff and Botanica products are both available at pharmacies.

Travel/trial size packs

It's that time of year when a lot of people are going on holiday, and when you're going on holiday, dragging around a lot of big cosmetic bottles is annoying. Fortunately there are plenty of travel packs, which are particularly useful if you want to take tolietries on a plane, what with liquids, gels and aeresols restrictions. Whatever your skin type, there is a travel pack suitable for you! Here are some ideas.

For all skin types:

Sukin Travel Pack $33 - contains Purifying Shampoo 50ml, Nourishing Conditioner 50ml, Facial Moisturiser 50ml, Cream Cleanser 50ml, Hydrating Mist Toner 50ml

The Herb Farm Skincare Pack (all skin types) $49.30 - contains energising gel cleanser 50ml, rejuvenating facial mist 50ml, rose face cream 30ml, rose body lotion 50ml

Trilogy Travelers $60 - contains - 50ml cream cleanser, 50ml hydrating mist toner, 50ml energising face lotion, 50ml nourishing body lotion

Evolu Travel Tower $40 - a tower of six stacked 10ml pots, containing: Purifying Mask, Soothing Eye Gel, Night Cream, Day Cream, Creme Cleanser, Hand+Cuticle

Evolu Travel Valet $40 - contains Moisturising Day Cream with SPF15 20ml, Lip Treatment with SPF15 15ml, Silkening Shampoo 20ml, Enriching Conditioner 20ml, Travel Facecloth in a reusable see-through pack.

For normal skin:

Living Nature Skin Essentials - Energising $65 - contains 50ml Vitalising Cleanser, 50ml Hydrating Gel, 50ml Nourishing Day Cream, 2ml Firming Flax Cream, 2ml Nourishing Night Cream

For combination skin:

Living Nature Skin Essentials Pack - Combination Dry Skin $65 - contains 50ml Vitalising Cleanser, 50ml Extra Hydrating Gel, 50ml Nourishing Day Cream, 2ml Firming Flax Cream, 2ml Nourishing Night Cream

Living Nature Skin Essentials Pack - Combination Oily Skin $65 - contains

50ml Purifying Cleanser, 50ml Hydrating Gel, 50ml Balancing Day Lotion, 2ml Balancing Night Gel

For oily skin:

Trilogy A Fresh Start for combination to oily skin - contains Balancing Gel Cleanser 10ml, Engergising Face Lotion 10ml, Gentle Facial Exfoliant 10ml, Free Travel Bag

Living Nature Skin Essentials Pack - Balancing $65 - contains Living Nature Fabric Tote Bag with 50ml Purifying Cleanser, 50ml Hydrating Gel, 50ml Balancing Day Lotion, 2ml Firming Flax Cream, 2ml Balancing Night Gel

For acne-prone skin:

Living Nature Skin Essentials - Acne Prone Skin $74.50 - contains 50ml Purifying Cleanser, 50ml Hydrating Gel, 50ml Balancing Day Lotion, 10ml Rescue Gel

For dry skin:

Trilogy A Fresh Start for normal to dry skin contains - Cream Cleanser 10ml, Vital Moisturising Cream 10ml, Gentle Facial Exfoliant 10ml, Free Travel Bag

The Herb Farm Skincare Pack (dry/mature skin) $53.20 - contains rose cream cleanser 50ml, rejuvenating facial mist 50ml, rosehip face cream 30ml, rosehip & citrus body lotion 50ml

Living Nature Skin Essentials Pack - Nourishing $65 - contains 50ml Vitalising Cleanser, 50ml Extra Hydrating Gel, 50ml Rich Day Cream, 2ml Firming Flax Cream, 2ml Nourishing Night Cream

For sensitive skin:

Living Nature Skin Essentials Pack - Sensitive Skin $65 - contains 50ml Vitalising Cleanser, 50ml Extra Hydrating Gel, 50ml Rich Day Cream, 2ml Firming Flax Cream, 2ml Nourishing Night Cream

For mature skin:

Living Nature Skin Essentials Pack - Mature Skin $65 - contains 50ml Vitalising Cleanser, 50ml Extra Hydrating Gel, 50ml Rich Day Cream, 2ml Firming Flax Cream, 2ml Nourishing Night Cream

For men:

Living Nature Skin Essentials - For Men $59 - contains 50ml Gentle Cleansing Shaving Gel, 50ml Soothing Plant Moisturiser, 50ml Soothing After Shave Gel in a Living Nature fabric tote bag

Concealers

I hope you all had a great Christmas! I did, but I'm really tired now, which means I have dark shadows under my eyes. Concealers are great for covering these shadows, as well as covering up pimples, redness, and scars. I like Couleur Caramel Corrective Cream, $31.30 for 3.5g, available in five shades, which I have in shade 02. I have also tried Living Nature Concealer, $32 for 7ml, and availabe in three shades, (I have it in Medium) but it gave me pimples, so perhaps would be better for someone with dry skin. The Couleur Caramel concealer has quite a dry finish to it, so probably wouldn't be so great for those with dry skin. Miessesnse Concealer, $26.90 for 5g, and available in four shades, is also good, but I haven't seen it anywhere in ages.

Some other options:

$40 and under: Dr Hauschka Concealer 2.5ml $37, available in three shades, Dr Hauschka Pure Care Cover Stick 2g $39, available in two shades

$60 and under: Aveda Inner Light™ Concealer 7g $59, available in six shades

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve, and it's raining. Maybe tomorrow will be a wet Christmas...but according to the weather forecast, it won't be, so let's hope they're right. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I'll be blogging again from Boxing Day onwards. Merry Christmas!

Foundations

Some women wear foundation every day, but I only wear it on special occasions. I like The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation SPF25, $45 for 5g, which I have in 01, the lightest shade. It is available in five shades. I have also tried Bare Escentuals Foundation in Fairly Light. It's $78 for 9g, and is available in fifteen shades. I prefer The Body Shop one, because it is more mattifying, and it is a lot more affordable.

These are both mineral powder foundations, but there are a lot of natural liquid foundations available, like Living Nature Foundation, $49 for 30ml, and available in six shades.


Some other options:

Mineral foundation: Natio Mineral Loose Foundation 10g $23, available in three shades, Bloom Pure Mineral Powder Foundation 2.5g $39, available in three shades


Liquid foundation: Dr Hauschka Translucent Make-up 30ml $49, available in five shades, Living Nature Illuminating Tint 30ml $52, available in three shades, Aveda Inner Light™ Liquid Foundation SPF 12 30ml $73, available in twelve shades, Couleur Caramel Foundation Liquid 30ml $76.99, available in three shades

Cream foundation: Aveda Inner Light™ Dual Foundation SPF 12 7g $73, available in nine shades, Couleur Caramel Foundation Cream g $76.99, available in five shades