Weely Round Up - Facial Toners

When I was younger I never knew what toner was, I then used it to take my make up off instead of washing my face. During my crash course in skincare when I started working at Lush Cosmetics I finally found out what it is used for and why it is so important.
No matter what cleanser you use it will strip the natural oils from your face and toner helps to put those oils back in. It also helps to remove any left over cleanser on you skin. This is such an important step and I think it gets missed a lot in peoples skin care routines. So below I have rounded up my favourites for you to check out.

1) Lush: Tea tree water - This saved my life.  While I am lucky and don't get many pimples, I do have a very oily T zone. This beautiful Toner helps to balance the oils in your skin and prevent pimples. Using undiluted Tea tree oil on your skin is not recommended as it can be very drying for your skin. This toner is the perfect dilution and leaves the skin feeling clean and refreshed.

2) The Herb Farm: Rejuvenating facial mist - I need a lot of help to start my day in the morning and this toner with Rose and Ginseng toner really gets things moving. This facial mist not only wakes me up but my skin too. It looks so much brighter and more alive after use.

3) Now Solutions: Vitamin C and Acaci berry purifying toner - Another o f my favourites to use in the morning. This toner has a very citrus heavy scent, which in the middle of a cold dark winter really makes me happy. It has definitely brightened my skin

4) Humpherys: Citrus witch hazel - Can you see a running theme here? Again a beautiful citrus scent and amazing oil control as it contains Orange and Lemon oils. Witch hazel is great for clearing up the skin and tightening pores. One of my favourite low cost toner

5) Wild Ferns: Purifying toner - With Manuka honey you just know this toner is going to be good.  With added Aloe Vera and Witch hazel this toner is simply perfect. This toner balance oils, adds moisture and protects the skin all the same time. Miracle in a bottle.

Just remember, your toner should never contain alcohol as it really drys the skin.
What's your favourite?

June Favourites

It's crazy to think that it is pretty much July already, means we are offically half way through the year which is just crazy! June has been a pretty busy, cold and long month and the late half of the year is always busy for Brendan and I. We have a lot of family birthdays, the anniversiory of when we started dating (Cute i know), mid winter christmas gatherings and we always sneak a late winter get away in.

I picked up these new Washi tapes the other day and can't wait to use them for some DIY I have planned.

I got this Urban Skincare Co infuse body balm in my Violet box and I love it. Beauifully scented with citrus and provides so much moisture. It's been my go to hand cream.

Isn't this just the cutest packaing ever! I love my new Sukin Glowing complexion kit. Since my birthday I have been trying to take better care of my skin, so have been on the look out for new products. These oils are beautiful to use and I'm loving how glowing and healthy my skin looks.

For my birthday last month one of my closest friends spoilt me rotten and gave me this whiskey. Not only is is stunning to look at in its beautiful decanter but this has to be one of  the smoothest whikeys I've had and the only one so far that I enjoy to drink neat. I am so very blessed with amazing friends

Hope you all had a great June

5 ways to : Save money on your wedding

Weddings are expensive, that's no secret, but there are so may ways you can keep costs down. Brendan and I were married in April this year after starting dating in 2007 and being engaged for just over a year. I had so many grand plans for the big day, like the venue we first looked at that was a third of what our whole day cost just in venue hire!  Safe to say we didn't use that venue. Moral of the story is that grand plans aside you have to be able to afford it and since we payed for the day ourselves, we needed to find a way to still have the perfect day that didn't bankrupt us!

1) Don' be afraid to ask your friends and family for help. You'll be surprised how many are so willing.  I had my friends drying petals for me from the day we got engaged.  My little brother's new girlfriend is a trained florist and was more than happy to put together all the flowers for the day,  my mum spent many nights cutting of paper hearts that lined our aisle, a lovely friend did my hair and make up.You get the idea. Find out what your friends love to do or are good at and use them!

2) Op shopping, Thirft shopping, Flea markets. Whatever you call them they are a brilliant resource. I found so many of the decorative items at our local op shop and collected them over the months. Crystal bud vases, photo frames, jars and bottles. All were so cheap and it was just a matter of buying them as they came up and storing them until the big day.

3) DIY as much as you can. The hessian table runners I was looking at buying were more expensive then the huge roll of hessian and lace I bought to make our own.It took time but saved us so much money. Instead of having flowers down the aisle we spent months cutting out paper hearts and gluing them onto sticks. This was probably my least favourite job of the wedding prep but it was so worth it, the final outcome was striking. If you have the time making your decorations will save you a large amount of money.

4)Decide what is important to you. I fell in love with the first dress I tried on but it was $3500, there was no way that fit into our budget. As I thought about it more I realised that I was going to wear the dress for less than 8 hours but look at the photos for the rest of my life, So I choose a similar dress but much cheaper and used the extra money to hire a brilliant photographer. Now I have the most breathtaking photos to remind me of the day an you can't tell that my dress didn't cost me a small fortune. I knew having a videographer was very important to me so we cut costs on things like the invites and the cake.


5) Favours. To be honest I've never understood these. Guest should want to be part of your special day and if you are paying for dinner and have the bar tab covered then that in itself is a favour. Since a lot of our guests travelled and paid for their own accommodation at the venue I felt that I did need to do something, so I got our wedding photos made into magnets from Magnapix and sent one out with each thank you card.

Here's a selection of the magnets I had printed. Of course I got a set for our fridge

There are many more ways to save on your big day but these are the ways that helped the hubby and I afford the best day of our lives!

Perfect Winter Dinner

Last week it had been raining for three days straight where we live, so hard, that all the rivers were close to if not had burst their banks. It was cold and miserable. On nights like these I find nothing better than a hot bowl of homemade soup for dinner. Slow roasting the pumpkin with chili and sage over the course of the day and bringing it together with a little coconut cream and vegetable stock, accompanied by some cheesy garlic breads. Nothing could be better.

Weekly Round Up- Cleanser

This week I will be rounding up my favourite cleaners. I tend to exfoliate more than I use  a cleanser but now and then I do like to get my skin a break with one of the following.

1) Herb Farm Energising Gel Cleanser :This cleanser  has such an invigorating scent that really wakes you up. The Orange, Lemon and Lime oils work wonders on your mind, the Aloe Vera liquid softens the skin. This is one of my relatively new favourites but it will be a life long favourite.

2) Superstar from Sorbet:  I learnt early on during my time at Lush that the best way to clean oily skin is with oil and this cleanser cleans so well. It takes off every little bit of make up and leaves the skin so soft and fresh.

3) Juliet Skin Brightening Cleanser from Antipodes: I've often felt that my skin is dull and lifeless and this cleanser really helps to liven it back up. The Kiwifruit extract exfoliates so gently that you can't feel it and the Manuka honey really hydrates the skin.

4) Aqua Marina from Lush: Don't let the look of this fool you, this cleanser is a god send. With its Seaweed, Calamine powder and Aloe Vera this cleanser can soothe even the most irritated of skins. With all the exfoliating and harsh New Zealand weather my skin is exposed to, the softening ingredients in this calm everything.

5) Cleans all from Skinfood: Kiwiseed oil, Avocado Oil and Manuka honey. This all New Zealand cleanser is so creamy and hydrating yet purifying. I always find myself going back to this product.

6) Essano Rosehip Cleanser: As I am getting older I am noticing some fine lines that I would rather nip in the bud now than try and manage in a few years time. Rosehip is so good for renewing skin cells and helping the skin stay young. This cleanser is beautifully scented and formulated to leave skin protected and cared for.

Wedding: Inside Glance

Here's a little look at our wedding.

Brendan and I were married 2 months ago after being together for almost 8 years. We wanted a laid back by still glamorous and timeless wedding.

 I have always dreamt of having a fishtail dress and this one with its delicate beading and lace was perfectly vintage for me. It was a dream to wear and paired amazingly with my mums veil

 Brendan knew from the get go he didn't want to be in a full suit, so we settled for a waistcoat with fit our vintage but relaxed theme.

Photos by the lovely Florence. If you are getting married check out her work, she is amazing and so easy to work with.

Our venue Makoura Lodge is set in the middle of farm country and provided some stunning locations for our photos and breathtaking views. The staff here are outstanding and will do everything in their power to make your day run flawlessly.

What's on my coffe table

For the most part of my late teens and early 20's my coffee table was used for mass storage. When my husband and I got our own place he made us a beautiful custom Rimu table that is just far too pretty to cover in daily bits and bobs.

I have slowly gathered a few special pieces that I want to display and have styled our coffee table in a way that shows off these pieces and still shows our stunning table.

Tray: This is actually a plate from Collected that I just loved! It's marble pattern is just beautiful. It holds all the smaller pieces really well

Candle: This Ecoya candle accompanied the disk of our wedding photos from Florence ( head over to her page to see more of our wedding photos. They are breathtaking, if I do say so myself) I can't bring myself to take it out of the packaging yet as there is the cutest saying on the inside that reads "Light me, To honour, To Remember, To Celebrate and To Never Forget" The sweetest present to get from our photographer.

Tiki Statue: This is the one thing that my husband brought back from Raraotonga after our honeymoon. He is a builder and loves the grain in this piece. I wasn't fused on it to start with but now couldn't imagine our place without it. It is such a lovely reminder.

Vases: This collection of little vases was a gift from a friend. The hold the dried cake spray and button hole from our wedding.

Room Spray: A beautiful French Pear (My fave scent) Room Spray is more of a practical piece for the coffee table but luckily it came in a pretty bottle!

Books: A range of books from Cupcakes and Cashmere to How To Be Parisian. These are some of my fave books and really show my personality.

Geo Candle Holder: This is from Kmart and I just love it! Meant to be a candle holder but doubles as a great vase!

Moss Bunny: This cute lil guy fills my need for all things Alice In Wonderland and finishes the table of perfectly

weekly roundup - facial exfoliaters

I am a huge fan of exfoliaters,  I love the super clean fling they give my skin. There are so many different ones out there so this week I have chosen to gather my favorites for you to check out.

1) Bee naturals face polish This is a dry exfoliater that you mix with your favorite cleanser. Ilove this as it is gentle enough to use everyday and I get the best of both worlds since I can mix it with my cleaners ( currently loving this one)
2) Lush - Let the good times roll This product was released as a limited edition Christmas products while I was still working there. I instantly fell in love with it. The sweet caramel scent, the gentle but oh so scrubbing exfoliater and how soft it leaves your skin feeling.
3) Queen Helene Mint julep scrub Such a wonderful scent and really good for oily skin. I love to use this one in the morning as the zingy scent really wakes me up
4) Sorbet Cosmetics GingerSnap When I saw these on the website I just had to have them, I love anything with a spicy scent. They were the first thing I tried when my order arrived and it's safe to say I will be ordering more! Moisturising, scrubby and leaves your skin feeling silky and smooth.
5) Ria's Soap Activated bamboo charcoal This is a solid bar similar to Lush's CoalFace The Charcoal absorbs excess oil and gives a very gentle scrub. A hit with my husband aslo since it's not a 'girly'
6) Lush Ocean Salt Again Lush makes my list but hey, they really know how to make good skincare! Ocean Salt gives you that same feeling feeling after being in the ocean. Super fresh and super clean. The salt, both small and large grains give you a good scrub and are amazing for your skin.

Have you tried any of these? What was your favorite?

Healthy afternoon treat

Ever since watching The sugar film on the way to Rarotonga for our honeymoon,  I've been trying to cut out the amount of refined sugar in my diet. When i found a recipe for Healthy Date Truffles I was intrigued.

The recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped mixed fruit, 1/4 cup boiling water 1/2 cup of coconut an 1/2 cup of milk powder ( which I swapped for protein powder)
All you need to do is let the fruit sit in the water for 10 minutes or until the liquid is soaked into the fruit. Mix in the coconut and milk powder and stir. Roll into balls and roll though additional coconut. Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

No added sugar but still tastie,  serve with a mug of tea and enjoy.

Let me know what you think