Crush Cosmetics Mini Haul

Tuesday 21 May 2013

In my previous 'Online Shopping Faves' post, one of the sites I mentioned was Crush Cosmetics.  So I wanted to share with you a few of my favourite products I've purchased from them recently.
 
Nothing better than getting these little bubble wrapped goodies in the mail!

The first thing I discovered was the China Glaze nail polish brand.  I'm in love with these!  The one I chose was from the Hologlam Collection in the shade, Galactic Grey.  It's a dark grey, almost charcoal colour and in different light it has a slight holographic effect.  I love the way it looks and the quality of the polish is really impressive.

Also from China Glaze, I got the Fast Freeze Quick Dry polish.  I love doing my nails, but I hate waiting for them to dry, so I thought I'd try this.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well it works!  I just applied one coat over top of my polish and it literally dried within seconds - no smudging or chipping, it was great!  I'm keeping mine in the fridge, as I read that it works even better when chilled.

The next thing I got is a NYX Round Lipstick in the shade, Peach Bellini.  I had heard good things about these lipsticks and they're super cheap, so had been wanting to give them a go.  I really like the colour I got and it seems to last quite well, although I did touch up once during the day.  For the price though, I think they're great quality and there is a beautiful range of colours to choose from.

The last thing I got is the Sleek Highlighter Compact.  I think it's super pretty and gives a shimmery, peachy highlight.  It has 5 colours which can be used all together with a large brush, or separately with a smaller brush.  I've been using this as an alternative to blush and I'm really enjoying it.

Clockwise from left: China Glaze Fast Freeze Quick Dry RRP: $12.95, China Glaze Hologlam Collection in Galactic Grey RRP: $11.95, NYX Round Lipstick in Peach Bellini RRP: $6.95, Sleek Highlighter Compact RRP: $14.95

Delivery came within 2 days of placing my order, packed beautifully and items exactly as described.  I definitely recommend checking out Crush Cosmetics if you haven't already!  www.crushcosmetics.com.au

S ☓
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Mental Health Awareness Australia

Tuesday 14 May 2013

Recently, I was given the opportunity to write a weekly post for the Mental Health Awareness Australia Facebook page.  I haven't shared any of these posts on my blog so far, but I thought I would share this one as I feel it's an important one.  My other posts, as well as some great support and info from others on the page, can be found at: www.facebook.com/Mental-Health-Awareness-Australia

S ☓

I've been thinking a lot lately about my experiences with different doctors & psychiatric specialists.  So I thought I would share with you some of my less than desirable bumps in the road.  I am also really interested to know if many others have had similar experiences, so please do let me know if you have.  I'd love to hear your stories.

Originally, when I first started to feel myself breaking down and I realized that it was more than just "feeling a little down or stressed", I went to my GP for help.  Her answer was to change my antidepressants and send me on my way.  After I spiraled out of control and was inconsolable, my fiancĂ© called the GP demanding that she do something, anything to get me in to see a psychiatrist asap.  She told me to up the dose of the pills I was taking and then the following week she finally got me in to see someone, after putting it off for weeks beforehand.

When I went to see the psychiatrist for the first time, I had to have my mum take me as I couldn't drive myself and was in no condition to be out on my own.  She literally had to hold onto me at times, because I was so crippled by anxiety that I couldn't walk myself down the street.  Any way, this psychiatrist turned out to be possibly the worst person I could have gone to in my state.  She sat me down, asked a few general questions, then sent me away with a script.

This went on every week for months.  She charged me $260 per session, did not offer me ANY cognitive therapy of any kind, but sent me away with a different lot of pills almost every time.  During that time I was on Lithium, Seroquel, Zoloft and Xanax all at the same time.  I was getting worse and it was at that time that I became suicidal.  I lost hope that anyone would ever be able to help me.

Finally I found the strength to find myself a new GP, who then referred me to a fantastic psychologist, who then also referred me to a new psychiatrist to get my meds sorted out.

I'm now alternating between psychologist and psychiatrist every couple of weeks, and of course keeping the GP updated and in the loop.

I really believe that if I had kept seeing my original doctors, I would have continued to get worse and I would have ended it by now.  I just couldn't have kept going the way I was.

I thought this was an important post to write, because I hate the thought of others going through the same agony.

Some of these "doctors" can be down right dangerous, so if you ever feel that you're not getting the help you truly need and SO deserve - please don't be afraid to start over again with someone new.

I wish I had have taken that step a lot sooner for myself, but I was so vulnerable and desperate for help - I was terrified I'd just end up lost in the system somewhere and not be able to find anyone else.

I would love to know if any of you have similar stories, so please do comment or contact me if you'd like to share.

Wishing all a fantastic week ahead filled with as many smiles as possible!

Stephanie ☓
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Online Shopping Faves - Beauty, Fashion & Accessories

Wednesday 8 May 2013

These days - like a lot of people - I tend to do most of my shopping online, especially when it comes to beauty products and accessories.  So today I thought I'd share with you, my absolute favourite sites to buy from.

So, for cosmetics I have a few online stores that I absolutely love!  The first is Crush Cosmetics.  They carry a lot of international brands, that are not so easy to come across here in Australia - such as Sleek, Elf, China Glaze and NYX.  They're based in Australia though, so the postage is minimal and you don't have to wait weeks for your items to arrive!  Crush Cosmetics can be found at www.crushcosmetics.com.au

Another great one for makeup and beauty is Beauty Joint.  They also carry international brands, and they stock both beauty and fashion products.  The link for Beauty Joint is www.beautyjoint.com

And of course, as we Aussie girls know - Priceline is the place to go for drugstore cosmetics.  I must admit, as I have a store nearby at my local shopping centre, I tend to buy in store most of the time - but I was excited to find out that they now have an online store as well!  The link to the online store is www.priceline.com.au

For fashion, I still love eBay for all things second hand or vintage.  But my absolute fave online clothing store at the moment is definitely ASOS!  They have such a huge range of products and prices.  Of course, these sites can be found at www.ebay.com.au and www.asos.com.au

Lastly, for accessories - I love, love, love Etsy!  I have bought so many things from Etsy over the years and many of them have been custom made.  I love that pretty much anything you could possibly want, you can have someone design and/or make for you.  There are so many great sellers and so much to choose from - I can spend all day just browsing if I let myself.  If you haven't already, definitely check out www.etsy.com

So these are just a few of my favourite online stores at the moment, and I hope you will love them too!  Please do comment and share, if you have any favourites of your own - I'd love to hear them!

S ☓
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The Little Things

Thursday 2 May 2013

I think we all have little things that we learnt as teen girls - either from our mothers, sisters, friends or magazines - that we continue to do as part of our adult beauty routines every day.

So I thought it might be fun to share with you some of my "little things", that I've done since I was a pre-teen - and where/who I learned them from.

1. Always pat dry your face - never rub.
I read this somewhere in a Girlfriend or Dolly magazine and I've always done it. The theory is that by patting the skin dry, we are allowing some of the moisture to soak into the skin before locking it in with moisturizer. And of course this is far more gentle on the skin as well.

2. Always tone & moisturize your neck as well as your face.
Many women forget about the neck and chest area when it comes to skincare, which is why you will often see ladies with beautiful, young looking faces - but wrinkled and sun damaged necks. Often the neck can be a tell tale sign of age if neglected.

3. The best way to treat aging skin is to prevent it.
I've always had very fair skin, so I tend to burn easily. I learnt early on to always choose a moisturizer with a sunscreen in it. We all know the sun is the number one cause of skin damage & aging - so it's important to protect ourselves from an early age, in order to keep skin healthy and young. I think this was something I heard Nicole Kidman say - another very fair skinned lady!

4. Use toothpaste to dry out pimples.
I learnt this years ago from a Jennifer Love Hewitt interview I read. By cleaning the face thoroughly and then putting toothpaste on any pimples before bed, you can speed up the blemish healing process by drying out the spots over night.

5. Only file your nails one way.
My mum taught me this and it's so true. By filing your nails in a back & forth motion, you will actually weaken the nails and they are more likely to tear or break. Always file them in one direction only, to keep them nice and strong at the tips.

6. Don't wash your hair every day.
This is another one I learnt from my mum. By washing your hair every day, you encourage the hair to become more oily - and in turn, you then have to keep washing it daily. But by washing your hair only every second or third day, the hair learns to maintain a more natural oil balance and becomes a lot healthier.

I'd love to hear some of your little tips also, so please do comment if you'd like to share!

S ☓

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