SOS Lip Secret

Chapped lips are one of the biggest nuisances on my face, I haven't had acne since I was a child (weird, I know but infantile acne is a thing) and dark circles are a foreign concept in my world but my lips are particularly difficult to keep moisturised. The Australian climate has a bit to do with this with often harsh winds and disgustingly hot temperatures damaging my lips, not to mention the sun.

I've made a point to put more effort into looking after my lips as personally I feel like they are one of my best features and there is not much worse that flaky dry lips. The four products I tested vary from cult status to standard products with the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm, Burt's Bees refreshing lip balm with pink grapefruit (the best smelling of the lot), good ol' Vaseline and the internationally lesser known Lucas's Papaw Ointment.

Starting off the with the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm; it was an impulse purchase and one I only don't regret purely because I know I won't buy it again. People lust after this product but I don't understand the hype, it's good but not great and not worth the money you have to fork over for a small pot. Also the smell is a bit off putting, especially for an expensive product which is applied right under your nose.

Next up is from Burt's Bees, a budget lip balm that smells heavenly. The application is the easiest of the four.. no fingers needed which is definitely a bonus from the hygiene freak within me. For maintaining moisture this is just fine and if you don't get really bad chapped lips I'd say it would cut it but I don't find it is moisturising enough to bring my lips back to life.

Vaseline is an oldy but a goody and something most would have lying around the house. This wasn't so much for it's moisturising qualities as to why it's included but for it's exfoliating potential. A beauty hack was recommended to me by using vaseline and a soft toothbrush and brushing it over your lips to get rid of the dead skin. Maybe my toothbrush was too soft but it really didn't do much for me and I couldn't get over the yuck factor of it, I'll be sticking with the brown sugar and coconut oil lip scrub Essie Button posted about here. Still something to keep around though and I'll definitely have this out in flu season as the 'vaseline nose' becomes all the rage when I'm going through a box of tissues per day.

The aforementioned SOS Lip Secret for which this post is titled after is the Lucas' Papaw Ointment, an Australian product which advertises itself as a "local topical application for boils, burns, chafing, cuts, cracked skin, gravel rash, splinters, open wounds, insect bites and nappy rash". I've grown up with my mum using this liberally on her terrible eczema and so the smell has this unfortunate association for whenever her skin was playing up but moving past the smell, the product is unbelievably nourishing. It saddens me to say that it took it's feature on Man Repeller's website for me to give it a go and I now use it constantly, already purchasing a new tube so I am never without. It's available from supermarkets around Australia quite cheaply and it can be found online on ebay for others who are curious.

What is your holy grail lip saviour? Have you tried any of the ones I've mentioned above and how have they worked for you?

Speckled Nail Art

I love a bit of nail art but often it's a bit of a faff to do for something that only lasts a couple of days. That's why when I saw the L'Oreal Color Riche top coat effect in confettis I was very intrigued and alongside the low price point I bought it and gave it a try.

Being a top coat effect you of course need a base colour, I used a simple cheap white nail polish for a statement but I think a grey (Essie's Master Plan is my favourite) or even perhaps a red would work nicely. The white polish did hide the white speckles but I love monochrome contrast so that didn't matter to me. I found it was an easier adjustment into the white-out nail polish trend with the addition of speckles to break it up a little and make it look more polished.

Removal was the worst part but it was only mildly traumatic and only makes me slightly hesitant to do it again. One hand at a time wrap half a cotton pad that has been soaked in an acetone based nail polish remover around the nail. Over the top of that cover the finger in foil and leave for a few minutes before taking off the foil and wiping away the polish. This will get the majority of the speckles off but you'll need to go back to get the cling-ons. Lily Pebbles explains this process much better in her post but you get the gist.

What do you think of the speckled nail effect? Will you be tempted to try this soon?

A Date With My Book

Reading is something that I've always loved but never really prioritised. It always tends to be a pre sleep activity to settle my mind before I turn out the lights. It's never the first thing I think of when I have some time to myself but today I made an effort for it to be hence; A Date With My Book.

I went to my favourite cafe which boasts a beautiful frangipani tree shaded courtyard creating unintentional patterns from the sun peaking through the leaves and is filled with an eclectic mix of verge collected furniture and decorations. With my book in hand, Sleeping At Last in my ears, the breeze in my hair and an iced coffee on the table I sat there for over an hour and read 100 pages.

My book of choice was Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan and I had to conceal my laughter through some parts which was the only drawback because I am sure I looked like a loon smiling to myself. I'm not quite at the end yet but so far, so good!

Dining alone is not something I've ever really experienced or been too keen to try but after this morning I have realised that a book and some soft music in my ears is the only company I need. It was a perfect morning and one I'll definitely be making a weekly occurrence because I left very calm and relaxed, ready to enjoy the rest of my day.

Let me know in the comments if you can dine alone and what is the latest book you've read and loved.