iherb haul #3

I did another order because there were a few thing I really wanted to try but with the Australian dollar being not as good as it usually is I thought just in case I would put another order in.

This is a small haul because I have left out all the food products I bought cause I wasn't sure if that was interesting to anyone, plus they were mainly all gluten free. So instead I am just including the non-food products :)

I do realise I have been doing a LOT of hauls (remember my username is shopaholic555 for a reason lol) but after this one there is only a vitacost order coming soon that I will be doing a haul with and then I will take a break from them (hauls) because I am sure that they might be a bit boring for you all. Anyway on with the haul :)

1)  Keeki Pure & Simple Nail Polish, Top Coat

In my recent iherb order I bought a mineral fusion top coat, I have used it and wowzers it has a strong, strong smell I got this one hoping that it will have a lighter smell because this one is water-based.

2) Badger Company, Sore Muscle Rub, Extra Strength

 For my mum I got this, she always has aches and pains so I thought I would get her this, hopefully it helps.

3) Acure Organics, Sensitive Facial Cleanser, Argan Oil & Probiotic, Unscented 118mL

I've been using my Moogoo milk wash (I think that's what it's called) to cleanse my face with my clarisonic, so far I think something is missing, my skin isn't as soft as I was hoping it would be and I am thinking a cream cleanser is a better option for me, even though the moogoo is gentle and kind to the skin, I feel my skin needs more moisture from a cleanser which is why cream cleansers are my favourite and I've heard good things about Acure Organics so I am hoping this will help improve my skin.

  

 4) Acure Organics, Sensitive Facial Cream, Argan Oil & Probiotic, Unscented  50mL

I thought I would give this a go since I am using the matching cleanser, plus I like how this for night and day plus my skin is so sensitive and I just prefer my moisturisers to be unscented since I get headaches so easily when I don't like a smell. It's very small but I am hoping it will have great results!! and hopefully I wont have to use too much product.

  

5) Acure Organics, Eye Cream, Chlorella & Edelweiss Stem Cell  30mL

This is for me and my mum to share, I have these lines underneath my eyes, they're not super bad or anything but I would like to decrease them a bit and reduce the likelihood of them worsening. I am a big believer in moisturising around the eye area at any age (I'm 20) whether it's with a moisturiser, gel or an oil I think it's a necessity that is overlooked. 

6) Nature's Way, Activated Charcoal 100 capsules

So, so, so excited to use this!! This is one of the products I was referring to in my latest post, I am going to experiment with this to whiten my teeth as I have done some research and found out that some people use it to whiten their teeth and get results right away! I really, really, really hope this works!! I will make sure to do a blog post on this!

7) EcoTools, Naturally Beautiful Lash System "Soft & Dramatic"

I actually think these are nicer than the pair I bought in my iherb order before this. They look really beautiful, I like that they're dramatic and a little wispy so I got these for a wedding I am going to later on this year.

8) EcoTools, EcoPouf Bath Sponge

My favourite bath sponge/ loofah, so cheap! Only thing is I think they have changed what the holder string thing is made of which sucks because one of mine broke so I can't hang it in my shower any more :( I hadn't even had it for long.

9) Swisspers Organic Essentials, Triple Size Cotton Balls, 80

I am running very low on these so I bought another packet since I probably wont buy form iherb for a little while. These are my favourite cotton balls.

10) Earth Therapeutics, Exfoliating Hydro Gloves

I use to have a pair of these exfoliating gloves but they were pretty cheap (in quality) plus they ripped a little and were too harsh, I think I had gotten them from Kmart, anyway I had to throw them out and because of my skin being so flakey I thought I would see if this brand is any better. 

For anyone's first purchase at www.iherb.com you can use my referral code QUM327 to receive $5 off  an order under $40 and $10 off an order over $40.

If you use my code I do receive a small commission percentage of your orders placed.

Tips for Oily/ Acne Skin

Tip #1

Make sure to regularly change your pillow case, this goes for everyone obviously but even more so for anyone who has issues with pimples/acne and oily skin, the bacteria will just be accumulating on your pillow and will be back on your skin every night, GROSS!

Tip #2

Don't touch your face!! I do this myself sometimes but touching your pimples and your face a lot spreads the pimple bacteria and also spreads the germs from your hands to your face YUCK!!

Tip #3

Start using a natural toner either specifically for oily skin or a better toner is a home made apple cider vinegar toner, diluting it with water for more sensitive skin (there are dilution ratios that you follow for different skin types I will try to find that website), but apple cider vinegar has a lot of benefits such as helping pimples, helping the pH levels of the skin etc. Apple cider vinegar does a lot of good for the skin so if you are suffering from pimples/acne and oily skin I would strongly suggest trying this as one of the first things you do.

Tip #4

For oily and more so acne skin, find cleansers or face cleansing bar soaps that contain tea tree and other naturally antibacterial ingredients. An example is Nubian Heritage, Lemongrass & Tea Tree Soap, With Orange Peel as it contains tea tree, lemon grass, orange oil and coconut oil which are all naturally contain antibacterial properties.

Tip #5

Using a cotton pad and then squeezing some lemon juice onto it and rubbing all over your face will help the pimples and oiliness because of it being antibacterial and is a natural astringent (closes pores). First test this on a small part of your skin too make sure it isn't too harsh (because lemon is very, very harsh) or dilute it with water if it is. You can let it sit on the skin for a few minutes as long as it isn't hurting then wash it off. If you have open pimples I would stick to honey on those until then heal a little otherwise it will sting like hell.  Even using this as a natural toner to close your pores and help with oiliness and pimples is good too, then just splash some cold water on your face. Use this maybe 1-2 a week as a treatment. If you use it as a toner, don't use too much lemon and make sure to dilute it with water, as using lemon everyday may be too harsh so diluting with water is a MUST!!!

Tip #6

Stick to more powder based make-up as liquid make-up is 1) more likely to clog pores and cause pimples or even worsen them 2) powder will help with "soaking" up some of the oils being produced 3) less make-up is better so instead of liquid foundation then setting it with powder which is heavy for the skin using just powder is being nicer to your skin and of course you should try to keep it mostly to natural ingredient make-up.

Tip #7

HONEY!!! Using honey as either a mask or a "spot treatment" or even as a cleanser, why? as most people would know honey is antibacterial and I have noticed it would help heal my  pimples quicker. Some people use it as a cleanser, so you would just rub it all over you face let it sit for maybe 5 minutes (there are different ways you can do this) then wash it off with warm water. A mask you simply put it all over your face or even just your problem areas and let it sit for as long as you want, in my opinion the longer the better same as when you would use it as a spot treatment, the longer the better and it works great if you continue to use it, don't just do it once.

Tip #8

Don't do your whole skincare ritual right before bed, this is for everyone the reasons 1) you skincare products will not have settled into the skin yet and will still be on the surface so a lot of that will then go onto your pillow which your skin is then missing out on the full benefits of the products and it's a waste because of product too 2) skincare products will be collecting in your pillow case more so which will then have more bacteria, yuck! So try doing it a few hours before bed.

Tip #9

Diet, what you put into your body is more than likely going to reflect to your outside so trying eating cleaner (more vegetables and fruit), drink more water, try green juices, cut down on dairy and very importantly cut down on greasy fried food even cut that out all together.

Tip #10

Personally I do not have oily skin but even if you do, I don't think you should cut out moisturising, I think either go for a natural oil-free moisturiser aimed at oily skin for during the day especially if you wear make-up and at night put a LITTLE bit of jojoba oil on the skin, I know oils are a scary thing  if you have oily skin but not only is jojoba oil great for your skin in general but it is an oil which is closest to the oil our skin naturally produces, which is sebum, so it should not cause any breakouts. I've also read that because of jojoba oil being so similar to sebum it tricks the skin into not producing any more oil, I am not sure if this is true but I did read it so I think it's worth giving it a go.

Tip #11

Beware of your hair products, especially if you aren't using natural products they could be contributing to pimples how? whether they are covering you pillow and then sinking into your skin as you sleep at night or it might be you hair touching your face, maybe you have bangs and realise you are having a lot of skin issues on your forehead, it's definitely something to be aware of and look more into it.

Tip #12 

Please use natural skincare products, ingredients in "normal" cleanser not only aren't good but they might be contributing to your oily/acne skin, while you're thinking it's helping, just keep that in mind.


Remember anything that is natural is more likely to take longer to work so you should really persevere with it for a while to give it a chance to work :)

If anyone decides to give any of these natural tips a go, please let me know your results :D

iherb May 2013 haul #2

My iherb order came today, just a few bits and pieces, products get more exciting as you get further through the post :)

My iherb.com package before I unpacked it

1) Deep Steep, Foaming Hand Wash, Refill "Tangerine-Melon" 474ml
It was such a good price and I needed to buy some hand soap, using "normal" soap lately has really damaged my sensitive hands even more :(

2) Clean Well, All-Natural Antibacterial Foaming Handsoap "Orange-Vanilla" 280ml
Don't know about the scent I chose, but I was happy to find a naturally antibacterial soap, as they are harder to come by.

3) Better Life, Dish It Out, Natural Dish Soap "Clary Sage & Citrus" 651ml
I have the unscented version and it's pretty good, but doesn't always get rid of stronger food odours so I thought I would give this one a go.

4) Honeybee gardens Nail Polish Remover 120ml
So, I obviously got the remover for the nail polish that I bought. I didn't expect the ingredients to be perfect just something better, I wish they left out the "fragrance" ingredient, it doesn't say whether it's natural or not so I am hoping it is.

5) Honeybee Gardens, WaterColors, Water-based Nail Enamel in "Abyss"  14ml
I wanted to try a natural nail polish as I do love nail polish but don't wear it often because of my concern of the chemicals in it. Anyway I am really glad they can ship it to Australia, to be honest I thought it wouldn't be allowed, super happy it is. SUPER happy it has no odour and is water based  I got a black colour because it is my favourite nail polish colour, goes with everything and  basically I think it completes a look, so fingers crossed that it was a good buy :)

6) Mineral Fusion, Top Coat  10ml 
I wasn't going to buy a nail polish without buying a top coat, as I want the nail polish to last more than  a day or two, I got this because it was 20% off and the other two nail polish top coats that I preferred were out of stock so I thought I would give it a go.

7)EcoTools, Shower Cap & Storage Case
I actually love shower caps because 1) when my hair has conditioner in it keeps it from water washing it out by accident, especially because my hair so long  2) it helps keep the heat in, therefore conditioner is working it way more into the hair for softer hair. I keep buying these shower caps from Chemist warehouse and they are so crap, the elastic keeps getting stretched so much so that it becomes unusable, hoping this will be better.

8)One With Nature, Vanilla Oatmeal Soap Bar 200g
I always like trying new soaps, and I know oatmeal is very hydrating so it's great for dry skin plus winter is coming up and it's already freezing where I live.  It's very big which I like, so hopefully it will last a while.

9)Nubian Heritage, Lemon Grass and Tea Tree Soap with Orange Lemon Peel 141g 
I have almost finished the bar I have already of this, I don't use it for my skin because it would be too drying for me, I'm pretty sure this is for oily- breakout prone skin though but as I said I couldn't use it for my face so I use it for my hands because of the antibacterial ingredients.


10) Earth Therapeutics, No Mess Nail Clipper (with easy slide clipping catcher)
I have a manicare nail clipper which is great but I need another one replace my priceline clippers which aren't very good.


11) Toothsoap, Natural & Organic Tooth Cleanser in "Pepper Whip"
Favourite toothpaste, love it . . . . . that's it :)

12) EcoTools, Naturally Beautiful Lash System, "Naturally Lush 1260" (1 Pair of Lashes)
I was so excited to see this, I love that the glue is formaldehyde free, it comes with a cute mascara looking wand to blend the your real and fake lashes together I assume, they're adorable lashes, can't wait to try....too cute!!! They have a few other designs I guess, I wasn't sure which ones to get so I got these and I might cut them in half because I love half lashes :)

13) Mineral Fusion, Concealer Duo in"Cool" 
It's one of the best concealers I have ever used, the colour matches me exactly and it was 20% off, it felt like a good decision to buy a back-up.

14) Physician's Formula, Organic Wear Mascara, Black Organics
I was trying to buy this online during priceline's 40% off special but the website wouldn't work all day until a bit before 12am, then as I am checking out the special  ends and the discount is no longer applied to the products I was trying to checkout with, after getting a response from my complaint email surprise, surprise it contained nothing useful or helpful BUT I am now happy that Priceline had given bad service because I found it cheaper on iherb.com, SO psyched :)


15) Physician's Formula, Organic Wear, Lash Boosting Mascara, Black Organics
I really was excited to see this, I couldn't find too many reviews on this but a few pictures which looked great and I am excited to try this and really happy at the price since Australian prices are so ridiculous and we don't even have this available to purchase in Australian stores. Yay! Winning! LOL

16,17,18,19,20) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Eyes Enhanced Starter Set, (includes 5 brushes and a case)
Of course I had to get this, being not so blown away by my Sigma eye brushes I decided to give these ago  since everyone raves about them, although I do love my ecotools eye brushes I think these are quite different from them so I can't wait to start using them. I think I'm gonna love the deluxe crease brush the most :)
I would say I am set for brushes now and really shouldn't buy anymore! Happy to eventually do a review if anyone wants to see one :)


21) EcoTools, Airbrush Concealer brush
A bit of an impulse purchase I just really wanted to try this, I didn't NEED it, I was just curious. I think this will be a nice eyeshadow blending brush too as well as for blending concealer!


22) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Lash & Brow Groomer
I wanted to get it before but didn't so I thought I would just buy it cause I'm really trying to work on my eyebrows. I like that the lash comb is metal rather than plastic and has a cover, unfortunately it has a very small crack in the cover so hopefully it doesn't get worse.

For anyone's first purchase at www.iherb.com you can use my referral code QUM327 to receive $5 off   an order under $40 and $10 off an order over $40.

If you use my code I do receive a small commission percentage of your orders placed.

Please comment on any specific products you would like me to do a review for in the  future :)