Boho Balm is a new Australian brand that I had not heard of before kindly receiving a PR package containing their product.

So, what is Boho Balm?

Boho Balm is a 100% natural balm - no parabens, synthetic fragrances or petroleum based ingredients. Made with Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Australian Beeswax and Honey, this product smells good enough to eat. 

Being 100% Australian made and owned and all natural of course I would jump on the bandwagon to try this possible skin saviour out! Once I received it I immediately checked out their website and Instagram to find out as much as I could about the product. Based off my findings I learnt that BOHO actually stands for the products that are put into this balm - B: beeswax, O: olive oil, H: honey and O: coconut oil. If you jump on over to their website here and click on FAQ you will be able to read all about why they selected those four ingredients to use in their balm.

What can it be used for?
This multipurpose balm can be used as a lip balm, cuticle cream, applied on insect bites, scratches, grazes, mild abrasions, dry skin, skin irritations, cracked heels etc.

The purposes of this balm is very similar to Lucas Paw Paw ointment which is one of my all time favourite products however this contains more natural ingredients. It is the healthy sister of it!

Positives

• Packaging - the packaging is pretty and sleek. It appears to be a two in one sort of concept as the actual balm is housed in a silver casing which is then surrounded by a clear plastic casing. On the lid is the brands logo which I find to be very appealing to the eye. The lid can also act as a mirror as the silver creates a reflection.
• Ingredients - the biggest positive of them all! Some of you may or may not be aware but for the past two months I have been using natural ingredients such as honey and coconut oil to wash my face. Honey has amazing antibacterial properties and coconut oil is very hydrating so it only makes sense to include these two ingredients into a balm.
• Australian Owned & Made - it is always nice to support local companies
• Cost - usually products that are natural cost a little more although I think the prices are very cost effective for the sizes and benefits.
  The prices are: 5ml $8.95, 15ml $14.95 and 30ml $24.95
• Scent - when they say it smells good enough to eat they aren't lying. This balm smells so so good. It has a sweet scent and you are able to smell every single ingredient that is contained within it.
• Moisturising - the four ingredients included makes moisturisation a given. I used it as a lip balm on its own as well as under lipsticks and it worked wonders. If you are a liquid lipstick lover you can apply this product thinly on your lips and it will prevent them from feeling tight and dry!
  Another purpose for this balm that intrigued me was that you could apply it on cracked heels. I don't personally have cracked heels but they are a little dry so before bed I applied this balm on those areas.
  I have also used this on small hair curler burns and grazes and it helps moisturise the areas really well preventing them to turn crusty.
• Thin consistency and not sticky
• Versatile - you can literally use this for anything and everything! It makes life so much easier when you have a cuticle cream, lip balm and so many more uses all in one compact product. I leave this beside my bed and it has become part of my nighttime routine helping me cut out other individual products.

Negatives

• The biggest downfall is that the site does not offer images of the different sizes you can purchase. I guess you can estimate roughly how much product you would receive but it is always nice to be able to see what you are buying. Hopefully this review and their Instragram feed gives you an idea of how the product looks!
• Packaging - again as I am unsure of the size I own this packaging is a little bulky for your handbag or to travel with. This only poses as a negative if I own the 5ml balm which is the smallest size they sell however from what I have read on their site and by eye I assume my pot is either 15ml or 30ml. (Maths is clearly not my strength lol)
• No international shipping - This is still a small new company so I completely understand why they do not ship internationally so this really isn't a major negative. If you live in Australia and love Lucas Paw Paw Ointment definitely try this balm out!

The bottom line...

I really like this product. It is a very similar yet 100% natural concept to the Lucas Paw Paw Ointment. I can see myself reaching for this balm every night before bed to use as a lip balm as well as daily under my beloved matte lips. Based off the ingredients I really think it would work well with combating any dry patches you may have as coconut oil is super hydrating! If you're an Australian resident check out this brand.

Social Media Links

Instragram @bohobalm

Website http://www.bohobalm.com/

P.S. It has my dog's sniff of approaval

Disclaimer: this product was sent to me however all opinions are 100% honest and based off my own experience with the product. I would like to thank Ruby Agency for giving me the opportunity to discover and try out this balm!

It is a very exciting time in the makeup world with so many gorgeous new releases arriving. Too Faced Peach Palette, Jaclyn Hill's new palette with Becca and L'Oreal's new la vie en rose collection! Today I will be sharing swatches of the five nail polishes and lipsticks that are a part of their all pink range.

La vie en rose translates to life in pink, which is my personal favourite colour to wear and probably a lot of other beauty lovers like you! Everyone will be able to find their perfect pink shade from this collection as it ranges from light soft pinks to mauve pinks and bright hot pinks.

First up are the 5 nail polishes. The shades include Opera Ballerina, Macaron Noisette, Marie Antionette, So Chic Pink and Insolent Magenta.

These are the shades applied:

Opera Ballerina

Marie Antionette

So Chic Pink

Macaron Noisette

Insolent Magenta

Next up are the lipsticks from the la vie en rose collection. I have swatches of the following celebrities shades - Naomi, Julianne, Eva, Natasha and Doutzen.

Lipsticks

Here are all the 5 lipstick shades swatched

L-R: Doutzen, Natasha, Eva, Julianne & Naomi

Naomi's Delicate Rose

A fresh and sophisticated tea-pink

Julianne's Delicate Rose

A nude pink which best compliments paler skintones

Eva's Delicate Rose

A berry-pink best suited to darker complexions

Natasha's Delicate Rose

A bright and feminine fuchsia pink.

Doutzen's Delicate Rose

An ultra-vibrant, illuminating pink

Other info:

Release date - June 2016

Prices

Lipsticks - $21.95

Nail Polish - $7.95

This week's blogpost was inspired by Kerrie's (@kerrieellenblogs and blog here) post on what her boyfriend thinks makeup does. I absolutely loved her idea so I decided to ask both my brother and boyfriend. I am putting them both to the test to see what they think a few items I selected are meant for and see who wins this little challenge.

I selected some products that Kerrie also included in her post as well as a few added extras. Some of these should be easy however I chose others to challenge them. Lets see how they went!

Primer

Brother - "uh it prevents foundation from fading (reading off packaging)... it goes on your face"

Boyfriend - "it says it on it, prevents foundation fading. You put it on your foundation"

Foundation

Brother - "covers up your face"
Boyfriend - "nail polish, mascara? *twists it open* It is foundation it covers everything"

Brow Pomade

Brother - "goes on your brows to make them look on fleek"
Boyfriend - "you use a brush to put it on your eyelids"

Liquid Lipstick

Brother - "lip liner, it goes around your lips"
Boyfriend - "it goes on your eyelashes... lipstick, lipgloss? It is for your eyelashes, my final answer."

Liquid eyeliner

Brother - "mascara *twists cap* how do I open it? it goes on your eyes"
Boyfriend - "To colour in your eyebrows, actually it is to do the flick"

Jumbo Pencil

Brother - "a pencil to go around your eyes"
Boyfriend - "white out, it's like a crayon. I don't know what it is"

Eyeshadow

Brother - "it colours your eyelids"
Boyfriend - "its eyeshadow for the shadow of your eye, on the eyelid *points to crease*"

Mascara

Brother - "it makes your eyes black, you use it like this:"

Boyfriend - "this is the one to make your eyelashes go huge"

Highlighter

Brother - "albatross, like the song? It is blush, it goes on your cheeks, I mean concealer, nah nah *thinking* it's blush"
Boyfriend - "its powder for your forehead"

Yellow "banana" powder

Brother - "it's highlighter you put it on your cheeks"
Boyfriend - "it goes on your forehead and cheeks"

Setting Spray

Brother - "makeup remover"
Boyfriend - "it goes everywhere to set your makeup all day"

I hope this post brightens your week and adds some humour! I definitely got a good laugh out of their innocent cluelessness, haha.

This week I'm talking nude lips and showing you swatches! 

Since majority of my lipstick collection consists of pinks and nudes I though I'd pull out my most worn and favourite shades. I tried to keep this to strictly nude lip shades however most are on the pinky side. I have selected a total of eight lip products with a variety of finishes from different brands to share with you all. Lets jump straight into it!

Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip - Midi

(Full review on Colourpop's liquid lipsticks here and a comparison review here)

"Soft neutral beige"

Chi Chi O.M.NUDE!!

"Mauve nude"

Colourpop Lippie Stix in Cookie

"True nude beige in a matte finish"

L'Oreal Colour Riche in 630

Beige nude - Satin Finish

Maybelline MAT7

Beige nude

Too Faced Naked Dolly

True pale nude

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Phenomenon

Pale pinky/beige nude

Rimmel Lasting Finish in 45

Rosey nude

As you may be aware by now I gravitate towards beige/pinky nudes. If you are after a new nude I highly recommend any of these. Here are swatches of all the above shades on my arm:

Top to bottom: phenomenon, midi, cookie, mat7, naked dolly, 630, 45 and O.M.NUDE!!

Thank you for reading this weeks post and I will have a new post up for you all next week
xx

I'm not the type of person that sticks to one foundation routine for prolonged periods of time as I have never found products to work 100% for me every time. I have finally hit the jackpot and am really excited to share it with you all! I have dry, acne prone skin that tends to crease a lot, especially in my smile lines. Foundations would either combat one issue but accentuate another. This routine involves four crucial products that prevents every single one of my issues, that being said let's get straight into it.

The first and most important product I use is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask ($39).

Don't be fooled by the words "overnight" because I completely ignore that and apply this mask two-to-three hours prior to wearing makeup. As I mentioned above I have dry/dehydrated skin so oil or a moisturiser usually is not enough. This mask claims to leave your skin nourished, hydrated and plump and that is exactly what it does. So many people say that skincare is the most important part to get right to result in an easier makeup application and it is so true. If you suffer from dry patches I highly recommend you try any hydrating mask prior to makeup application.

Once I have let the mask sink in I then rinse off any excess with cold water and pat dry. The reason as to why I use cold water is to tighten my pores. Think of getting a facial or giving yourself one, warm water/steam helps to open up your pores to allow your skin to properly absorb the products that will be applied so the opposite is done when applying makeup.

Foundation coverage wearing off was another issue I faced but ever since Nikkietutorials introduced Nivea Mens Post Shave Balm ($8.60) into every beauty lovers life my foundation does not budge.

I am sure you have seen endless reviews and praise on this product so I won't go too much into it however this product contains glycerine which prolongs the wear of your makeup. This "primer" provides a tacky base for your foundation to really grasp onto.

Now for the stars of the show. The actual foundation I use. I enjoy using a foundation which acts both as a foundation and concealer. I have a lot of redness to cover so I opt for full coverage. The most full coverage foundation I own is the L'Oreal Infallible 24H-matte ($20.95). When I wear this alone it gives me a powdery and somewhat cakey finish so I pair it with my Becca Backlight Priming Filter ($50) to give it more of a dewy finish.

By following these steps and incorporating all these products I am able to get a long-lasting, dewy, full-coverage foundation. I have worn this foundation routine out to parties and there is no flash back, which is a major bonus if you're going to be taking photos! Personally I do not powder as this lasts 8+ hours on my skin on its own and I do not need it.

After applying my blush, bronzer etc I use my Australis Makeup Finishing Sprtiz ($15.95) to settle the powders and maintain a dewy finish.

I know how difficult it is to work with dry patches, redness and creasing that ages you 5 years but there are always ways to work with it. Hopefully this flawless foundation routine was helpful and if you have dry skin too try this technique out!


~ ~ ~
Alternative Products: A drugstore alternative for the Becca Backlight Priming Filter for those of you whom may not want to purchase it, the Australis Mineral Face Highlighter gives the same effect at a much lower cost. I compare the two in a review here
As for a hydrating face mask, the one mentioned is the only one I have tried so far so I do not have exact alternatives. In saying this, you could check iHerb as they sell a lot of face masks at affordable prices and have good shipping rates or Chemist Warehouse.


Disclaimer: I do not complete this routine every single time I wear makeup only when I desire a flawless base. Also, everyone's skin is personal to them and this may or may not work for your skin type. All opinions are my own and based off my own experience and preferences.

There is a quote that goes along the lines of what do you give the one person that gave you everything? and there probably isn't one answer to this. To give you all some ideas on what to buy I have put together a gift guide at various prices.

A) Picture frame
I feel like you can never go wrong with a picture frame featuring a personalised photo of you and your mum. This is an affordable yet special gift idea that can then be displayed in the home and will mean so much to her!

B) Candles
Candles not only help make the house smell nice but they are also super relaxing. Purchasing candles for your mum can help her wind down at the end of a stressful week with a warm cup of tea or coffee watching her favourite movie. She will be definitely be thanking you for this gift!

C) Nail polish
If your mum loves painting her nails or even getting her nails done nail polish is a small yet thoughtful gift. There are a variety of brands and shades to choose from and if she is already a nail polish addict, you could purchase (or make) a nail polish stand for her to display her well-loved stash!

D) Perfume
I feel like perfume is often the go-to gift for everyone. Mother's Day is the time to splurge on a classy or sweet scent such as perfumes by Marc Jacobs or Chanel.

E) Pandora
What mother does not love Pandora?!
Pandora currently have a special that if you spend over $150 you get a free bracelet which is very convenient for mothers day. They sell a wide variety of jewellery to choose from and the charms can especially be a personalised gift.

F) Watch
Adding on to my above idea very quickly, you could buy your mum a watch. These come in a range of prices and styles so you will be sure to find one that suits your budget and her style!

G) Skincare
Personally I love receiving new skin care and your mum may too! There are so many amazing skin sets sold at Myer or create your own personalised set for her.

H) Makeup
I suggest lipstick primarily because it is my favourite and receiving a Chanel lipstick is a very luxurious and special gift. But you could really purchase anything! If your mum needs any new makeup items now is the time to get some for her.

I) Purse/Handbag
Another gift that you can purchase to suit your budget. No woman can ever have too many handbags.

J) Lush
Last but not least is a gift from Lush. You can choose from masks, creams, bath melts, bath bombs and so much more. All of their products are natural, affordable and they even have a vegan range.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and I hope you spoil those very special people!