Treat your hands with Crabtree & Evelyn

I’m rough on my hands and I don’t look after them. I have no good excuse for not treating them with a little care; I am surrounded by products day in/day out designed to treat and pamper.

 So I have decided to treat my usually neglected hands. 

I have chosen

Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Recovery

followed by

Crabtree &Evelyn Hand Therapy

- both in the scent of La Source.

 

Hand Recovery is basically a hand scrub.

Hand Therapy is basically a moisturising hand cream.

 

 

·        I applied the Hand Recovery to dry hands and rubbed all over.

 

·        I rinsed off in warm running water, dried my hands and applied the Hand Therapy and rubbed that in.

 

 It really was an easy process and didn’t take long at all.

 

The La Source scent is described by Crabtree & Evelyn as “A crisp, clean scent reminiscent of fresh sea air”.

I can totally relate to that description. It is a very light fragrance and it did remind me of holidays at the beach.

 

After all was done, my hands really felt baby soft. They looked a little better, a little softer and all the wrinkles looked a little smoother. I think I will have to continue to do this a few times to get a real improvement. Crabtree and Evelyn recommend twice a week. Given how quick and simple this was to do, twice a week doesn’t seem hard to maintain at all. 

 

 

 

 

Illamasqua Purchases

I was in Melbourne CBD for work recently and squeezed in a little retail therapy whilst I was there. I thought I would, along the way, pick up some more foundation. Alas, this did not happen. I could not get any service. No-one was around to assist at the brand I wanted plus the ladies at the neighbouring counters couldn’t/wouldn’t help me. A disappointing situation that I find more and more frequent. I should just find a foundation that is available at an independent retailer so as to avoid this kind of frustration and disappointment.

 

However good did come from it (this time). The Illamasqua stand caught my eye on my way out. I've heard alot about Illamasqua but have never tried it. After playing around a little I was approached and together with the helpful staff we had lots of products that I was loving.

 

My purchases could easily have been triple what they were, but I mustered up some strength and narrowed it down to:

 

Left: Pure Pigment. Colour: Berber

Middle: Powder Eye Shadow. Colour: Tango

Right: Pure Pigment. Colour: Ore
(This one has turned out to be my favouite of all 3. I love the Sparkle/Glisten/Glittery effect)



 

Little Village Market Elwood

For a year now the Little Village Market Elwood has been running.  It’s on a few times a year when school holidays are on.  

I had a stall myself at the very first one. It was a great experience. It was my first market stall anywhere and what a great one to have as a first. The people organising the market and the fellow stall holders were all lovely.  I’ve since developed a friendship with the organiser and brains behind it all, Bella. She is all round a lovely, lovely person.



My stall at Little Village Market Elwood (Oct 2011)



Nicole from Pompadour and me at my stall for Little Village Market Elwood (Oct 2011)

I think I have attended every market they have held so far. I was chatting about this to Bella and she pointed out that she cannot recall one that I have left empty handed. It’s true, every market I find something quirky, cute, interesting, or yummy. It’s a small market, but packed with great stalls. All are worth a good look.

 The latest October market was once again filled with great stalls and finds.

 I was torn between many necklaces at ‘Arrow Divine’ until the gorgeous one I ended up purchasing was shown to me. I loved it the moment I laid eyes on it - a stunning large silk tassel from Turkey. Bright yellow or hot pink were the choices and, whilst the yellow was lovely, I couldn’t not have the hot pink.

Me and my 'Arrow divine' pink silk tassel necklace



I stocked up on incense. Although I stock oodles of scented candles, diffusers etc I still enjoy other scented lines. I will go out and buy candles that I don’t stock just to try them. The incense I buy at this market is called ‘Hippy Sticks’. I’ve bought these a couple of times now.



This was the last Little Village Market Elwood for 2012. I hope it comes back in 2013.

Check out more details on‘Little Village Market Elwood’ here.

AHAVA favourites (Guest Author)

A number of years ago a customer walked into my shop with an empty soap wrapper.  The soap had been a gift from her grandson from his travels.

 She asked if I was familiar with the brand and whether or not I could source the product.  The brand was AHAVA.

 This led me on my own journey of discovery into the fascinating world of the Dead Sea and the wonderful benefits of the minerals it contains.   AHAVA products focus on hydration, anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory agents and stimulation of the skin cells to encourage cell renewal and boost collagen & elastin.

 

 

 

I could go on forever with details about our body and its need for minerals but AHAVA Australia has a great website with a host of information about the Dead Sea and their wonderful products.

 

One of my favourite products is the Hydration Cream Mask.  (Using AHAVA’s products as a complete skincare regime is so simple, which is another thing about them that I love.)  After cleansing at night, simply apply the mask and leave on instead of your usual night cream.  If you try this, I’m sure you’ll find, as I do and many of my customers, that you will wake in the morning with your face feeling extremely moist and soft.

 

 

 

 

Exciting news for this year is that AHAVA has finally released its Mineral Makeup.  They have four types of makeup but I love the liquid Rich Foundation.  When I have tried mineral makeup in the past, my face has felt quite dry but AHAVA’s Rich Foundation contains shea butter, macadamia oil and avocado oil which makes it quite moist.  I also intend trying their loose powder which gives a dewy, shimmery appearance.

 

 

 

 

 

AHAVA even includes in their product range sachets of pure Dead Sea mineral salts so you can be carried away to the world of the Dead Sea in your own bathtub!  Many of my customers have visited AHAVA’s showroom right at the Dead Sea – one day I hope to have that experience myself and bathe in the Dead Sea which is the largest and richest natural spa on Earth – once the legendary, personal spa of Cleopatra!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to veiw the AHAVA range for purchase at our boutique

 

 

 

Comfy Walnut Shoes

Walnut Shoes could just be the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned!

 

I bought myself a pair Walnut shoes for the first time. I chose a pair of plain black leather ballet flats. “Oh how boring!” I can hear you saying. All I can say to that is practicality wins sometimes. I find black flats versatile and easy to slip on when in a rush.  Walnut shoes all have little details, so my plain black ballet flats have subtle stitching and elastic features that I love.

 

My Walnut ballet flats are sensationally comfortable. I am on my feet nearly all day, and these really feel like I have the most comfortable slippers on.