Monthly Favourites - October

 October, as is every month, was a crazy one. Time just flew by and things were happening all over the place, it was remarkably difficult to keep up. Anyhow, here are my October favourites, and I'll tell you in advance that I did cheat a bit.

First up is the face category, and my Wotnot facial wipes win without a doubt. I didn't wear much foundation and concealer this month because I was camping and crazy busy, and I also found myself getting lazy and reaching for these more often than not. Whilst they are great and I loved using them, I really must get back into my old skincare routine...

You can actually try a full packet of these out for free, information about it is on this post of mine.

Next up is lips, and throughout October I found myself going to my Baby lips balm in Mango pie over and over again. I don't know what it is about this particular flavour, but I've been using it to death. I also love the packaging, it's so eye-catching.

Then comes eyes, and whilst I technically use this on my eyebrows, since it has the word 'eye' in it, it totally counts. I have been using my Essence lash and brow gel\ so often. It is half used up, grotty as anything and has horrible packaging but it does the job and was terribly cheap - my kind of product!

Here is where I cheated - normally would be something from the nails category, and then from the 'other' category, but since I didn't do anything with my nails in October and had two 'others' I figured I would do that instead.

For the first "other" product, we have a new bracelet of mine that I literally haven't taken off. I love this so much and am so pleased that I purchased it in a 3 for $10 deal with two other similar ones. Perfect!

For the second "other" product is a candle. Many YouTube beauty gurus rave about candles all the time, and I finally know why. The particular candle I have been burning is from Glasshouse Fragrances in Kakadu Waterlily and it is so lovely. I love the little glass jar with its adorable lid too, perhaps even more than the candle itself. According to the website, this candle is an "exotic blend of water lily, spring orange blossom, precious woods and amber" - in other words not at all what I would usually go for, but nice all the same.

Wotnot facial wipes & chance to try them for free

Facial wipes are one of those things that are a bit of a necessity but are quite boring to buy so I get lazy and never get around to picking any up. I was quickly running out of my old ones from Smart Skin that were actually pretty good, when Wotnot offered to send me some to try out. What good timing!

I was sent two lots of wipes, each in different packaging. The first was in the typical flimsy plastic packaging, and the other a hard case box with a small mirror underneath. I must mention that I love the colour scheme with the brown and pink...I mean I really love it, love it, love it, love it!

Upon first glance they seemed pretty great to me - natural/organic, eco friendly, Australian, free of harsh chemicals, packed with aloe vera/rosehip/sweet almond oils that are meant to be wonderful, not tested on animals and able to get waterproof makeup off. Even the packaging of the hard case is made from recycled materials! Sound magical? I thought so.

I began using them right away for both makeup removal in addition to simply just cleaning my face. I noticed that they were larger than normal, (20cm by 18cm) not much, but enough to make them just that bit better. There were 25 wipes per pack, the average number I believe, and the plastic packaging on the outside was nice and sturdy with a resealable sticker that certainly stuck.

When I went camping I took the hardcase box with me. I knew that I would be getting terribly filthy and that facial wipes would probably save my life, so along with me came that little brown box, and it never left my side. Having the mirror was actually so convenient too, that is one feature that I really love about it. I also love the fact that once having used up all the wipes, you can keep the container and refill it with more from the flimsy packet (which are cheaper). It is nice to see a brand not ripping people off.

The wipes, as they claim, are gentle and very effective. The cloth is very wet, which I like a lot, and it is remarkably strong and hardy. According to the packaging, the wipes are made of 100% natural materials, so I am surprised it was so strong. I had no trouble with it getting off all my makeup (or in camping's case, all the dirt and filth on my face - trust me, there was a lot). Even waterproof mascara came off after a little bit of fiddling about. Like a cleanser, I did need to moisturise afterwards which I was completely fine with, after all their job is to clean and get all the gunk off my face, not make it smooth and supple.

I wouldn't replace my cleanser and skin routine with these wipes, but on those days where I am too lazy or travelling around a bit, these wipes, especially the ones in the hard case, will be by my side.

As is to be expected,these wipes are perhaps the more expensive ones on the market, but they do work really well and have several qualities that make them stand out against other brands. Natural products tend to be more expensive in all cases, so I don't think it is anything unusual. The hard case pack costs $10.95, and the soft pack $7.95. I guess it just depends on how much you care about your face and the environment which will determine whether you think the extra couple of dollars are worth it.

I would definitely recommend these wipes from Wotnot. I have developed a fondness for the brand - it's eco friendly, natural, loving claims have really won me over and I don't normally worry too much about that sort of thing!

If you are interested in picking some up, you can purchase them from the Eco Direct website, or if you go to this link on their website you will find a list of stockists in your state in Australia. These facial wipes are sold at many pharmacies and health stores throughout Australia so you can skip any postage costs and get them in your local area.

And last but not least is the greatest part of all, on the 1st of November Wotnot started a campaign called AboutFace whereby you can swap an empty packet of old facial wipes for a full sized packet of Wotnot wipes. Yes, this means you can all run out to a participating retail outlet and get a whole packet to try out for free! (Oh gosh, that sounds terribly like an advert, I just think it is the perfect way to give these all a shot!) If you can't make it to a store that sells them, you can register and send your packet in and get them sent to you. All the information is here.