Natio Wellness Body Scrub

Back in the day when 'My shower routine" videos were popular on youtube (by the way, does anyone else find them a bit weird?) I always laughed seeing girls talk about the fifty step process they went through in the shower. I myself love a good lush product like everyone else, but the reality is my showers are more race in, race out because I'm late to get to school. I simply don't have the time or the energy to spend half an hour mucking about, and I also don't like wasting all that water.

One product that has been a consistent feature in my routine, however, is the Natio Wellness Body scrub. This was gifted to my Mum who was not at all interested in it, and she passed in on to me after I took one sniff of it and declared that it was mine!

This sugar scrub is apricot and pomegranate and every time I open it I just want to eat it! I love that this leaves the slightest hint of scent on your skin, so that if you want to wear perfume it is no problem but if you want to go without, you smell fresh and fruity. I love going to bed after having given my skin a good scrub because I just smell all clean and fresh. 

I use this scrub about once a week, usually on a weekend when I feel like giving myself a bit of pampering because it does take a fair while to scrub your body down! It's relatively gentle and not too abrasive so you probably could use it multiple times per week, I'm just lazy! Because the sugar granules are large, it really allows you to scrub fairly hard and get rid of all the dead skin cells that desperately need to be rid of! It also contains an oil that soaks into your skin completely and makes it feel smooth and moisturised.

You don't actually have to use much for this to be effective. The sugar granules are so large that they don't dissolve quickly and you can work at scrubbing the skin, massaging it in really well. I really love the jelly/jam like texture and it feels so good working it into your skin. It lathers up slightly so it's soapy and easy to work into your skin. If you only use this once a week like I do, I think it would last you quite a long time, and for around $15-20 it's worth every cent!

I've never felt the need for a body scrub before, but after this I am an absolute convert and I'm actually quite excited about exploring what else is out there! If you have tried any scrubs that you love, please let me know because I want to try it out!

Top 3 Tuesday - Mascara

Mascara is one of those products that most people would consider an absolute staple, but if I am really honest with you, they don't excite me that much. Don't get me wrong, I think an amazing mascara can make the world of difference to a look, but when it comes to makeup shopping, I always gravitate to the lipsticks and blushes and then eventually get around to checking out the mascaras at the end.

I have a very specific taste in mascaras. I like long, defined lashes with a smidgen of volume - none of that clumpy stick-your-lashes-together rubbish. I like natural looking lashes the best, but I am appreciative of the dramatic(ish) look too.

1. Covergirl Lashblast Length Waterproof mascara
I love this mascara so much, but I know it isn't for everyone. My good friend had this too and absolutely hated it, whereas I think it is perhaps that greatest thing I own (well not quite, but it is good!). Length and definition is what this is all about, and I love that it is waterproof because I am subject to severe cases of panda-eyes.


2. Avon Daring Curves Mascara
I only just started using this mascara and I am really quite impressed. It is a little clumpy, so I do need to run a comb through my lashes after application, but it is darker and gives a glossier finish than my Covergirl one which is a welcome change.

3. Natio Maximum curl waterproof mascara
This is just one of those mascaras that I change my mind about all the time. One day I love it, the next I hate it and tell myself that I will chuck it out ASAP, then the next day my opinion of it is somewhere in the middle. In my initial review I gave it a 5 out of 10 (which is appropriate because it represents all those 'in the middle' days), but honestly, some days I would give it a 7 or 8 and others a 2 or 3. It is very natural looking, but drying and requires effort. It is lengthening and defining, but not overly glossy or black. In short, I wouldn't bother with this product if I was you, but since having it in my collection, I have been using it often.

Close but not close enough...

For my close but not close enough this week is Maybelline's lash stiletto mascara. I picked this up for $2 not realising that it was in a light black/grey shade, but I seem to be able to wear it without any trouble. I absolutely hate the wand, which looks like a terrifying razor-blade-like contraption that is much too dangerous to put near my eyes. The formula is okay, a little wet and requires a bit of fiddling about with, but lengthening to a satisfying extent.

Australian beauty at its best - products I am proud to call Australian

So since starting this blog, I have been reading incredible reviews on all these gorgeous, high end, American/English brand products. I try to resist reading them because I know all that will happen is that I will end up desperately wanting something I can't have, but it never works out. Ever. If I had a money tree, I can guarantee I would own a significant amount of makeup from overseas brands!

So, I have decided to do something about it, and no, it does not involve splurging and buying a ship load of American/English makeup (I wish). I am going to get over myself and recognise the products that Australia has to offer. How? I am going to list some of the best products Australia has to offer (in my personal opinion) so that someone else can have a turn to drool and be jealous! I would love it if other Aussies contributed to the product love and listed their favourites down below (or created a post referring to this one, much like you would with a tag).

It can include brands that are Australian but ship products world wide - for example BYS is an Australian company (from Melbourne to be precise) but they do export products all over the world.

Face of Australis lipstick - Lychee Crush
I expect this would come as no surprise to anyone who owns this lipstick or has heard about it - several bloggers are huge fans of this little beauty. The perfect nude and such a good lipstick all round. I have a review here if you are interested on my further thoughts regarding this product.

BYS blushes
Another favourite amongst many Australian beauty bloggers, are the BYS blushes. So cheap, so pigmented and so lovely, these little beauties are something to be jealous of. Reviews can be found here and here. I did find that one colour suited me much more than another (hence why there is such a difference between the reviews) so your opinion could be based on whether you have found your perfect colour match!

BYS lipsticks - Sassy Salmon and Champagne Rain
Although the packaging is a bit of a let down, these lipsticks have a lot going for them. The price is a huge standout, but the product is pretty good too. Yet another Australian product worth being jealous of. I have two reviews here and here.

Savvy lipglosses
I know this is nothing new and would come as no surprise to many followers, but I adore these lipglosses. Shiny, glosses, non sticky, sweet smelling, pigmented. Yeah, I'm a fan, and you should be too! Read about them here. I can't guarantee that the Savvy by DB brand is Australian, but I am pretty sure it is. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Australis creme blush
When I first reviewed this, I didn't give it in incredibly wonderful rating. It wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing either. I don't know what I was thinking because it is actually an amazing product. I think it was because I had never really used a product like it before, but I have since altered the review to reflect how amazing it is. So worth buying.

Savvy bronzer
This is my favourite bronzer and it was so cheap! It gives that glow Australians are famous for and it will last forever with its jumbo size!

Face of Australia Illuminator in Angel Flame
This is probably one of my prettiest makeup products and it certainly draws in the compliments. Admittedly it doesn't get enough recognition and use that it should, but when I do use it I am reminded of just how lovely it is. See my thoughts here.

Natio Eyelash curler

I wasn't aware that Natio was an Australian brand until I did a bit of researching for this post. I decided to include my Natio eyelash curler because even though it made me realise how curly my lashes are anyway, I would miss it if it suddenly disappeared.

Lucas Papaw Cream
The last product if of course, Lucas papaw ointment. This multi-purpose ointment is so well known amongst the Aussie beauty girls!

So I hope those of you living overseas got a chance to be jealous of some Australian products. Aussie girls, please add to this list if you feel I have left something out. I'm happy to test some more Aussie products out!

Natio Eyelash curler

I did a little post asking you guys whether eyelash curlers were worth it or not and the general opinion was that it was worth buying one. The problem was that everyone suggested different price ranges. Some people thought that a real cheapie did a great job and others thought that investing a bit more would ensure quality and a better result. I ended up going with a cheapie for two reasons. The first was that it was all I could find at the time, and the second reason was that for my first eyelash curler I didn't want to spend a whole heap if I found it to be useless and a complete waste.

I spent about seven dollars on this one by Natio and have been using it everyday for about a week and a half now. I have discovered that I actually have quite curled lashes naturally, and that whilst it isn't a complete waste of money, it doesn't really help me all that much. It does however help several of my friends who aren't so lucky and have lashes that stick straight out. I'm still going to use this curler, but I'm not going to rate this product because it isn't really applicable for me.

It is super gentle and easy to use. I was afraid that, being the person that I am, I would end up pinching the skin and tearing half my eyelashes out. It is actually really difficult to pinch the skin - you would have to be trying pretty hard to do it. As for tearing my eyelashes out, well I haven't managed to do that yet.

As I mentioned before, I didn't realise that my eyelashes were relatively curled anyway before I bought this and started comparing my lashes to other people. It does curl them a little more, and I guess it evens out the curl a bit. Sometimes have of the lashes on one eye are super curled and the rest stick out straight - this does a wonderful job fixing it.

What else can you say about an eyelash curler...not much really. I think for anyone else who is thinking about buying one for the first time should think about how much it would benefit them. It really depends on the person as to whether they will find it amazing or a complete waste of money.

A little haul - Australis, Face of Australia, Natio, Target

The makeup/beauty products

After seeing several recent haul and review posts, I went out to visit my old friend Priceline. We haven't caught up with one another for quite a while, so it was a long visit.

I had a little list of things that I wanted and purchased most of them. I also went to Target in search for some Essence products but I was so disappointed - the stand there was awful, barely anything on it and half the products were smashed and smushed. Very disappointing. Anyway, I will get onto the haul. There isn't too much but still worth posting about it anyway.


Face of Australia was have a buy two get one free deal. I bought the Illuminator for myself in Angel Flame after reading Gianna's review, bought a blush for my Mum who has been wanting it for a while, and got the lipstick Lychee Crush for free. I saw the review on Michaela's blog and wanted it immediately!

I spotted the Australis creme blush on sale for seven dollars and I decided to just go for it and chuck in the basket. I got it in the shade Dusky Rose. I then ambled over to Natio where I spotted this eyelash curler for seven dollars and bought that too. I was looking for the Australis Crystal colour top coat but unfortunately it had sold out. It was also going for ten dollars so I figured I could probably get it cheaper elsewhere another time. I will be staying on my wishlist though...

I forgot to picture this with the other makeup products but I bought a black nail polish because the other one I had was completely useless. Shocking. Anyway, fingers crossed this new one (which was only three dollars) is a little bit better. One coat is all it needs to be fully opaque, and I seriously mean fully opaque. It is super glossy, but I haven't had it on long enough to speak about the chipping factor.

 The Australis blush looks a little bit scary in the packaging but I'm hoping it will blend out nicely as a blush, and if not it will be a lovely lip colour. There were only two other shades which I did not like, this one was the nicest.

I have tried out the lipstick, and it is amazing. Every review I have read has praised it like no tomorrow, and I totally understand why. It's gorgeous. So soft and moisturising and creamy, and such an awesome colour.

The illuminator also looks quite scary, but it blends so wonderfully and looks gorgeous. I had planned on getting another colour because even on Gianna's post I thought it was too pink, but realised at Priceline that it was perfect.

I am really happy with the eyelash curler. I wasn't sure whether to go for cheap or expensive after you guys all commented. This was seven dollars and I hope it lasts.

 I also bought some Earrings from Target for three dollars on special down from nine. I wanted the pearl ones because they were nice and little, unlike the ones I already have. I expect I will get a lot of use out of the silver ones too but I'm not sure about the last ones...

I bought this hat for five dollars down from ten. I tried to get it on a nice angle when photographing it but it looks a bit funny. It's nice in real life....

Last but not least is this bag. I adore it, I think it is wonderful, and it only cost $15. What a bargain!

The gold ones down the bottom are shaped like hearts

L-R: Lychee Crush, Dusky Rose, Angel Flame

I am hoping to get some reviews done ASAP!

Natio Maximum Curl Waterproof Mascara

When I first bought this mascara I absolutely hated it. I wrote a huge long review about how bad it was and gave it a 2 out of 10. Thank goodness I didn't post it because I have changed my mind.

I was in Priceline (my second home!) and wanted a decent, waterproof mascara that was lengthening and didn't clump. I wanted it to look relatively natural too. The nice lady said that Natio Maximum curl waterproof mascara was exactly what I was looking for so I bought it without any questions. "No flake, no drip, natural, beautiful lashes!" is what the lady said.

Once I got home I early opened it and tried it out. I was so cross.

It is the driest mascara I have ever used. Most people complain about wet mascaras but this was unbelievable. How was it supposed to stick to my lashes if it was already dry? I also couldn't see any visible difference to my lashes. There seemed to be no product on the brush! I rubbed the brush across my hand and I'm not kidding, the faintest grey smudge appeared. I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed and still very little mascara was on my hand. "What rubbish!" I thought, and I chucked it to the back of my makeup draw. 15 dollars wasted there!

I then went online to see what other people thought. The first site I went on, it was rated 2.5 out of 5. "Waste of money," someone wrote. The next site it was rated 2 out of 5. One person claimed that despite its waterproof claims, as soon as she used a cloth and touched it on her eyelashes it all came off. I was annoyed, I was very annoyed.

I then went and bought a new, better mascara and didn't use it for ages. Only recently did I try and use it again. Once again I had the same result, but this time I persisted, applying it again and again, putting it back into the tube each time. Something actually happened, my lashes started looking longer and more defined. There were NO clumps whatsoever, not a single uneven little bit of mascara. All my lashes were completely separated and it looked rather nice.

I quite like the tube - it is this translucent plastic which sounds awful but I think it is quite nice. You can see the product inside, and the tube feels so nice. It's really difficult to explain. The brush is also curved as you can see in the picture below.  

So, my opinion has changed a lot, but it is still my least favourite mascara. All the hassle of applying it a million times for a result that isn't that amazing is just annoying. I give this product 5 out of 10, which is better than 2 out of 10 but isn't all that marvellous.

Has anyone else tried this and what did they think?