This product is not new to The Daily Catchup. It has featured in a few blogposts and many photos on my Instagram in the past, so it was only right to give it a blogpost all to itself. I am referring to the Antipodes Apostle Skin-Brightening serum.

When you hear the words skin-brightening, I don't know about you, but personally it sounds like music to my ears. For someone with quite a bit of redness and scarring I love the sound of brighter skin and need all the help I can get to achieve it. Before I go on and on about my love for this product I will include some information from the Antipodes website.

ABOUT:
"A water-based serum which helps to correct dull, blemished or uneven skin. The revolutionary antioxidant Vinanza Grape & Kiwi helps minimise the appearance of facial redness. Exfoliating enzymes from the superfruit kiwifruit and soothing Vinanza Oxifend from pinot noir grapes leave skin gloriously glowing. Meanwhile, mamaku black fern and Reishi mushroom of immortality boost healthy cell renewal for true, fresh-faced beauty."

INGREDIENTS:
This serums is 100% natural, with 74% of it's ingredients from organic cultivation. As mentioned above the ingredients within this serum are waiwera artesian water, vinanza grape and kiwi fruit and vinanza oxifend. It's fragrances are green apple and cardamon pod.

BEFORE & AFTER:
The above photos were taken on the 13th of December 2017 and my after (bottom) photos were taken on the 28th of January 2018.

THOUGHTS:
There aren't many skincare products that amaze me after one use. However, this is actually one of those products for me.

You can tell by my photos, especially my left cheeks in the before and after how much this product really helps reduce acne marks. For the amount of time I  used it I wasn't able to make a dramatic change to my scars that have been around for years but it did improve any newer marks left by my pimples. Whenever I use this serum people that see me with bare skin ask me if I have applied makeup because it's looking a lot clearer than usual and I feel the same way.

I would also have to agree that it brightens and tones the skin. I am someone with pretty dry skin but after using this serum I didn't have any dry flaky spots which was amazing!! I don't have too much to say about this serum because for me personally, the before and after photos speak 1000 words. Yes I still have a pretty bad break out situation on my right cheek (thanks hormones) but all the spots from my before photo have completely gone. Acne marks usually last forever on me, so to have a product speed up the process and take away some of my redness I will forever be grateful for.

I have also used this serum in the past so I was without it for a little while. Which made me realise the drastic shift of my skin when I am using it and when I am not. Out of all the skincare I have ever used or owned, this is by far my favourite because it really boosts my confidence and I can go out without makeup on. It just makes my skin look so healthy, brighter and generally in a much better state than usual.

For anyone that is interested, I used the serum once a day at night and am about halfway through the bottle. I apply the serum generously over my cheeks and jaw line as they are my problem areas and use the left over on my forehead, nose and chin. I also really enjoy the dropper applicator as it keeps it hygienic and I can adjust how much or how little product I want to apply.

If your skin is similar to mine or you have any marks on your face you want to fade then I highly, highly, recommend this serum by Antipodes. It is a little pricey but I would happily buy multiple bottles because it really does wonders to my skin.

Every January my family and I go to spend the month at the beach. For the past few years I encourage myself to pack light and only bring the products I absolutely need. So this post is sharing what I packed and in a way, my favourite makeup products since they made the cut or products I plan to use up this year.

Base

• Models Prefer all-in-one Healthy Glow BB cream - a product I'd like to use up
• Hynt Beauty DUET Perfecting concealer - fave!
• Nudestix nudies all over face colour matte in Bondi Bae and Naughty n' Spice - favourites
• Savvy Perfect Base Foundation - suits my tan, full review here
• Evelyn Iona Green Tea Primer - new to my collection but promises to be hydrating

Eyes

• ZOEVA cocoa blend palette: Even though this palette technically suits Autumn better than Summer, I plan to hit pan in it this year.
• Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes mascara
• Eye of Horus Brow Fibre Extend: cruelty free and natural alternative to Benefit
• Chi Chi Brow Pomade - waterproof!

Lips

• 3INA lip oil balm - my current go-to
• Eye Of Horus bio lipsticks in Venus pink, Artemis nude and Aurora peach - these give off a matte appearance while not drying out the lips

Brushes
I know this isn't makeup but I wanted to include it because I never know how many brushes to pack when I travel so this may be helpful to others!

• A foundation brush
• large powder brush: this is my favourite
• 3 eye brushes: I like the EcoTools travel ones because it includes an angled one for the brows

I'm not bringing any cheek brushes as the Nudestix come with them on the end.

Late last year a new love was born, my obsession with Nudestix. I love what their brand stand for and the simplicity yet multi-use purposes of their products. There is just something about makeup in crayon form that really appeals to me.

I'm sure you've seen the multiple posts that have graced my Instagram feed so it was only fair to write up a blogpost dedicated to my Nudestix collection.

So far I own:
3x Nudies all over color matte in the shades: Bondi Bae, Bare Back and Naughty n' Spice.
3x Lip/Cheek pencils in: Love, Whisper and Mystic.
Satan was limited edition in a Christmas set I received two years ago.

From what I own I am currently head over heels for the nudies all over color matte sticks. They can be used on the lips, eyes and cheeks. This makes them perfect to travel with or great to speed up an early morning makeup routine. Bondi Bae is the perfect bronzing tone for my skin and the two blush shades I own also work perfectly. I find they last all day on my dryer skin or even when it is hot and I am sweating. Some people don't like the brush that is attached to them but I do, despite them being dense I like to use it to pat the product in and lightly feather out the edges using a flicking motion.

The lip/cheek pencils are what made me fall in love with the brand. They don't last as well as the previous product on the cheeks as they are creamier but they work wonders on the lips. They're moisturising and comfortable yet give amazing pigment and lasting power (on the lips).

Here are swatches of the products in my current collection:

In the very near future I plan on trying the magnetic matte lip color, concealer pencil (probably when my skin clears because I worry it won't be enough coverage) and nudies all over face color bronze + glow.

What Nudestix products do you own? Do you also love the brand? I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!

Happy New Year fellow beauty lovers! I was going to wait before doing another skin update but I decided to start the blogging new year with my skin. Especially because this year, one of my major focuses is to clear my skin and get my hormonal acne/scarring under control.

As per usual I will attach images of the current state of my skin, the products I am implementing, diet etc. So let's get into it!

Supplements
These are pretty similar to my last update, just with a few tweaks by my naturopath.

• Vitamin A
• Zinc - liquid zinc because my body cannot tolerate tablets for some reason
• Evening Primrose oil to help balance my hormones
• Herbal mix from Naturopath
• Fish oil - a new addition to my supplement mix. This helps with removal of dead skin cells

Diet/Exercise
I am focusing on a more plant based diet and making an effort to eat a lot more vegetables. I've also consciously been drinking more water.

In terms of exercise, I am currently at the beach so I am going swimming. I also do yoga and strength workouts occasionally at home.

Skincare
My favourite part of these posts - the products I'm using. Reading back on prior Skin Diaries helps me realise what works and what doesn't, so I hope it is also helpful for all of you reading.

Since I have gone away for the month these skincare products are also my "must haves".

To cleanse and remove makeup I am using Dr Bronner's liquid castile soap in peppermint. This really deep cleans my skin, especially after a day of layering sunscreen. I only leave it on my skin for roughly 30 seconds to ensure it doesn't dry it out. In the mornings and evenings I am also using good quality Manuka honey, I leave it on for 10-20 minutes at a time.

I only brought one mask away with me and that is a detox clay mask. Since I've skipped out on an exfoliator, doing this mask twice a week is necessary. It is the Teami Green Tea Detox Mask. It has lot's of benefits including pulling out toxins from inflamed skin, helps repair sun damaged skin and naturally heals skin.

Now for serums and facial oils, the best part of skincare in my opinion. I am using the Antipodes Apostle Skin-Brightening Serum* again. This features in one of my most popular blogposts here, I also have a post dedicated to it coming soon! Basically, I've introduced this product back into my routine as it helps diminish my scarring.

The facial oil/my moisturiser is by Zum Face and it is their Nourishing Facial Oil. It is a very light oil that sinks into the skin quite quickly but actually does leave a glow and hydrated appearance. I am able to wear it under makeup without it affecting anything.

As toner, I occasionally use watered down apple cider vinegar. I am pretty slack with this step but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Makeup
I actually have another post coming including all the makeup I travel with, which is the makeup I am currently using so keep an eye out for that!

Current state of my skin to kick off 2018:

*Photos were taken yesterday, mid way through my period. As you can see one cheek is looking a lot clearer than the other. Does it ever happen to you that only one side of your face breaks out at a time then swaps? I change my pillow cases regularly so i've eliminated that. I assume it is related to my hormones and ovaries??

That brings me to the end of my first skin diaries of 2018, I can't wait to see the future improvements and let me know what skincare you are loving lately!

Previous skin diaries to compare products and skin photos.

Disclaimer: Products marked with * were sent to me. All opinions are 100% honest and based off my own experience and I have tested each of these products as if I had purchased them all myself. Thank you to Antipodes for sending me the product to share with you all.