My Current Skincare Routine

Just dropping by with a quick Skincare related post for you all! I get asked quite frequently what I use on my skin, as what I recommend for individual friends. I have expressed my love for a few products in the past, but have never compiled it in an all-in-one post. I will showcase the order I use the products in, and provide a brief description about the purpose of each product, as well as links with more information and where to purchase them.

I have quite similar routines for morning and night, with obvious products like sunscreen being left out in the PM etc. Now - my routine is by no means perfect, and some of these products may not work for everyone, but they are currently working for me. There are some staples that I don't see myself ever getting rid of, but I will quite often mix up my moisturisers, cleansers and treatment products. One thing missing from my routine is a Vitamin C Serum, and I am currently on the hunt for one - if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below!

I do not use a cleanser in the morning, rather just splash my face with cold water and have done this my entire adult life. I think over-cleansing can cause issues with skin (especially when using a stripping cleanser!).

1. SKII Facial Treatment Essence. This product is something I can not go a day without. Made from 90% Pitera (the company's signature ingredient), it leaves your skin feeling moisturised, and helps maintain the skin's natural renewal cycle, which in turn creates a wonderful glow. I have been using this product everyday for the past 6 years and would be a 'Desert Island' selection for me. 

2. Clinique Even Better Clinical. Another product I have been using for about 6 years. Being quite fair skinned (and not into tanning - I am pretty much Snow White all year round), some pesky pigmentation spots became slightly visible on my cheekbones when I was quite young. Only really visible to me, I still wanted something to make these fade AND stop new ones from forming. Enter this product. I definitely stand by the Even Better and it's fading powers, and have occasionally tried other newer concoctions, but always come back to this. It is something you need to use consistently to see results, and you MUST wear at least an SPF30, otherwise it is a complete waste of time! Bonus points for this product - it also helps to fade those annoying red spots that acne can leave behind.

3. Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum. Another one from the 6 year family! This product firms, brightens and restores the under eye area like no other. It sinks into the skin in an instant, and despite the name, it isn't really 'serumy' (made up word, I know) like most serums are  - more like a slightly oily water. Would not go a day with out this product either.

4. REN Keep Young and Beautiful Eye Cream. This is a relatively new product to my collection, so I am unable to give you my long-term thoughts, however the last month or so I have been using it, I have really liked it. It claims to 'dramatically reduce the appearance of wrinkles, crows feet and deep expression lines around the eyes'. I don't really experience any of those yet, but I am all about prevention. I find it very moisturising and replenishing.

5. Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF 30+. Yet another 6 year baby. Can you tell I got 'serious' about my skincare at a certain point in my life? Love this sunscreen. Although I would prefer to use a Physical rather than a Chemical sunscreen, I am yet to find one that my skin likes. This Mecca sunscreen also doubles as my morning moisturiser and primer as it sinks in like a dream and isn't even remotely greasy. Triple win.

Despite what it may look like, my Morning Routine does not take me that long, and after I have applied my sunscreen, I start with my make up application.

Some of these products are double ups from my Morning Routine, so I will not go into any detail in regards to those. Like I mentioned earlier, Moisturiser is something I change quite often, and sometimes think about going back to my good old Oil of Olay I used for over a decade, but being the beauty junkie that I am, I love trying new products too much to settle on a permanent moisturiser...

Midori Traveler's Notebook Style Planner { Pelledori }

Hi Guys! Today I have for you a look at the new planning system I have recently adopted. You probably remember only a few months ago I ordered the new Erin Condern Life Planner in Rose Gold and showed all of it's beauty in this post. Now - I still love this planner and still recommend it and all the other Erin Condren prodcuts highly. This year the company made a few changes to the Life Planner, and one of them being a bigger coil. I didn't think much of this upon ordering, but as I got a few weeks into using the planner, I soon discovered that the coil was just too large. I am one of those people that carries my planner around everywhere and uses it to refer back to many times a day for lists and to-dos. The larger coil just made it too awkward to carry around with me. I started to leave it at home/school and transfer lists to another piece of note paper, but that proved to be counter-productive and just plain annoying! So sadly, I made the choice to repurpose my Life Planner (I will showcase this at some point) and started the search for a new planner.

Recently, I started seeing the Midori (or Fauxdori in most cases) pop up on Instagram and Pinterest. I liked the look of this cute little Japanese invented system of interchangeable notebooks, so I started researching. I stumbled across this Video by Youtuber Brittany at VasseurBeauty and she pretty much sold me. So over to Etsy I went and found the gorgeous array of designs by Pelle Studio. After many agonising days of trying to decide what colour Pelledori to purchase (you can't go wrong, and that makes it even harder to choose! hashtag libraproblems) I decided on the Mint and Lush Grey (I also purchased one for my sister's birthday gift).
The turn around was quite fast, and I received my planner from Hong Kong in under two weeks. The lovely Cindy is always there ready to help and answer your questions (I had a change of heart after placing the order and wanted to change a colour I'd chosen. Cindy happily did this for me with a small fee and responded very quickly!).  I would definitely re-order from this store and recommend it to all.
Now for a look at the gorgeous products! (and as usual - Photos are sub-par due to my lighting issues. I know I sound like a broken record! But just need to say it...not even photoshop can help these babies. Hopefully this will be one of the last averagely-lit posts as our house is SO close to being finished!!)

 The gorgeous Pelledori Packaging

Creating Holiday Memories at Home

I have some very exciting news to share with you all! I was recently invited to become a Brand Ambassador for the gorgeous UK wall interiors group,  Graham & Brown. Of course I said yes straight away - as I am building a house, I had already stumbled across some of the gorgeous Wallpaper Graham & Brown has on offer in my many hours spent researching decor for our new home. So I am super thrilled to be working with the talented team and be able to share with you my favourite designs and decorating inspirations on a monthly basis.

Some background on the company - Founded in 1948 by Harold Graham and Henry Brown, the brand has grown with it's customers and offers fashion-forward designs across 4 continents and 65 countries throughout the world. Wallpaper, Kids Decor, Wall Art, Paint and Home Accessories are items that Graham and Brown specialise in and everything they do, they do it well!

Each month I will be sharing my ideas and thoughts on a particular design trend, as a part of Graham & Brown's Year in Design initiative. This month, I am exploring the 'Horizon' trend. Nature is a big influencer in a lot of people's decor, and personally, I love to create subtle reminders of special vacations and trips within our home.

As we were married in Hawaii at the beginning of the year, the Hawaiian Islands hold a very special place in our hearts. If I ever find a Hawaiian scented body wash, candle, soap - you name it - I will most likely purchase it as a little daily reminder of our magical trip.

When I spied the Honolulu Palm Wallpaper by designer Julien MacDonald, I was in love.

"This ultra hip palm leaf wallpaper design hits the tropical fashion trend of the moment, this gorgeous design is very versatile allowing you to create real drama with the darker colourways or a more subtle effect with the neutrals. With a glittering background and metallic embellishments to the leaf it's got to be the hottest look of the season. This statement wallpaper design in palm green, white and metallic looks fabulous on all four walls, or if you prefer you can use as a feature or parallel wall utilising the Disco white design as the coordinate. This design would look perfect in any room of your home, and better still so you can spend less time decorating and more time relaxing we've produced the collection using our paste the wall technology which means it's far easier to hang and remove, so what are you waiting for embrace your inner glitter" 

 Given that our new house is still a month or two away from being finished, I am going to create a mood board based around this amazing wallpaper. I could see this statement wallpaper as a feature in a guest bedroom or even to make a Home Office feel fun, cheerful and inviting.

{from top left and clockwise}

Honolulu Palm Green Wallpaper, Graham & Brown

Map Printed Canvas, Graham & Brown

The World Wall Art, Graham & Brown

MAP Shaped Letters, Graham & Brown

Our Wedding, Kualoa Ranch, Ashley Goodwin Photography

Aloha Pillow (already owned), Target

Oahu Candle, Glasshouse Fragrances

My Hawaiian Memories...

White Leather Love

As our house build is moving along quickly, we have started to look at purchasing feature items such as our bed, couches and a dining suite. We made the decision on our new bed last weekend (we are upgrading to a king size, our current queen bed will become the guest bed), and we are very close to making the call on our main living area couch and theatre room couch.

The couch we are looking at for the main living area is a white leather modular. Up until Sunday, I had pictured a cool grey, fabric covered modular couch to give the area a comfy and inviting look. The leather gorgeousness that we saw on Sunday however, threw a spanner in the works. I loved the couch itself, but wasn't sure if it would give our space the inviting look I desired.

{source : Caitlin Wilson via Made by Girl}

So to help me make a decision, I called on a gal's best friend in a situation like this - Pinterest. I created a board and after pinning just a few images, I knew that the white leather couch we found on the weekend was going to be ours. Our floors are a dark brown-grey wood, the the white on top of the darkness will take away any 'clinical' look a white couch could give.
We will still run with a cool grey fabric couch for the theatre room, but I am now excited to start planning the styling of the living area.
Below are the images that helped me to make the decision (not my own, sources noted under each photo). Enjoy!

Our Hawaiian Wedding

Aloha!

Those of you that know me, know that I am recently married. My Hubby and I had a a very short engagement and decided to do things slightly different to the 'traditional' wedding. Hubby and I have always had an open communication line about our wedding, even before we were engaged. I have never been a big 'wedding' girl, and although I love attending weddings and celebrating love, I had never fantasised about 'my day' and all that comes with it, I just dreamed of actually being married.

After many, many talks, run throughs of several different scenarios, we decided on what we felt was perfect for us, and like to call a 'Backwards Wedding'. The ceremony part of our wedding was done in private (just the two of us) on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. So in essence, yes we eloped. Prior to our departure to Hawaii, we had what the majority of our guests thought was our 'Engagement Party' (one in Western Australia and one in Victoria to cater for all of our loved ones), and we surprised everyone with our wedding news on the night. As you would imagine, we were faced with a room of many stunned and shocked faces, tears, laughs and cheers. Our engagement - turned - wedding celebrations were some of the best nights of our lives, and we wouldn't change a thing for the world.

When the news broke, many of my girlfriends had the same questions. Are you wearing a wedding dress? Do you have a photographer? Are you getting married on the beach?!!? You are SO not a beach girl... Do you have a minister?  What about your hair?? Makeup?! How did you organise it? and the most frequent of course was: Why??! When you hear the word 'Elope', many minds turn straight to a runaway bride, Vegas, bad photographs and unhappy families. Before sharing some of our beautiful photos (which in themselves manage to diminish all preconceived ideas on eloping) I thought I would answer these questions and explain how eloping doesn't have to involve some guy dressed as Elvis.

Did you wear a wedding dress?

Yes. I am not a Princess dress type gal, and was always going to choose something sleek and classic. I turned straight to one of my favourite Australian Designers, LOVER and fell in love with the Marianne Dress. I ordered it in a heartbeat and luckily it fit like a glove and was perfect. Yes - this is a very 'simple' dress in terms of a wedding dress - but it is 'me'.

Did you have a photographer?

UMMMM... Yes.  Photos are very important to me (my iPhoto catalogue could easily tell you that) and I pretty much like to document everything. Many people don't know this, but we changed our wedding date to suit our photographer. I am the type of person that researches everything to the absolute core. Planning a Disney vacation? I became a Disney expert. Buying a bed? I became a bed expert. Getting married in Hawaii? I became a Hawaiian Wedding Photographer expert.  Many, many hours were spent researching and stalking other people's Hawaiian weddings, and guys, I found the Holy Grail. Ashley Goodwin is beyond amazing, and if you know anyone planning on getting married in Hawaii, recommend her one thousand times over.

Did you get married on the beach?

That would be a no. Not that there is anything wrong with getting married on the beach - I think it is beautiful! But as my friends pointed out, I am not the quintessential beach girl by any means. I am pale, don't really like the sun with out a hat and love heels. Again, I researched quite possible every wedding location on every Hawaiian Island. And settled on the amazingness that is Kualoa Ranch (and I promise it's not just because Jurassic Park was filmed there...). Photos do not do this place justice at all. We were absolutely dwarfed by the landscape and our breath was literally taken away. There are several venues to choose from on the ranch, and we decided on Hale Moli'i. For those movie fans reading along - it is the location of Kate Hudson's wedding in You, Me and Dupree. Anyway.  It can be quite tricky finalising the details of your wedding via the www, and Heather at Kualoa Ranch was more than helpful and patient when I was deliberating between two different locations.

Did you have a minister?

Yes, our Wedding Planner (which I will get to in a moment) matched us with the most perfect Wedding Celebrant. Kahu Bruce gave us a truly spiritual, meaningful and personal ceremony, with elements of Hawaiian culture and tradition tied in. I couldn't recommend him more.

Did you have your hair and makeup done?

Of course! It was my wedding day and I wanted to look my best. I found Leslie Fair after (surprisingly...) extensive research and knew she was the gal for me. Leslie is the sweetest and really listened to what I wanted in terms of my look, and I also trusted her input and suggestions.

How did you organise it?

If you haven't guessed by now, I am a Type-A personality and like to have everything organised and researched to the tee. There were some things with a Destination Wedding that I wasn't 100% comfortable in organising myself, so enlisted the help of the amazing Kibby from Oahu Wedding. This was seriously the best money we spent in regards to our wedding, and having Kibby there to help us prior to and on our day was amazing. She organised flowers, Kahu Bruce, coordinated our vendors, transport, wedding licence meeting and also supplied us with a time line of events for our day. She was such a darling and could not recommend her and the rest of the girls at Oahu Wedding more.

Why??

This is a very personal question with a very personal answer, but in a nutshell, it is what we felt was right for us. It had nothing to do with our families not getting along or disapproving of our marriage, it is quite the opposite in fact. If eloping is something you and your Fiance are considering, the best advice I have for you is to block out all outside noise and decide what is important to you as a couple, and to do it for the right reasons.

Now! Time for the photos. As mentioned earlier - all photos were taken by Ashley Goodwin. Enjoy!!

Sunday Funday & A Recipe

So, this blog could never be called a food blog in any way, shape or form, as we both consider a glass of red, some crackers and camembert cheese a well rounded meal .

However, I do want to share this gluten free savoury muffin recipe with you all, as it is simply delicious. I try to stay as gluten free as possible, as it just makes me feel better, but I do love my sourdough and rye breads , so I give into the 'devil' (as my sister, Zoe so fondly calls it) every now and again.

I served these muffins at the little Oscars Party I had a few weeks back, and they were a hit with all - gluten lovers included.

Sun-dried tomato & herb muffins : 

1 1/2 cups gluten free self-raising flour

1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped basil and/or spinach

1 1/2 cups finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

80g softened butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and prep a muffin tray. 

Combine dry ingredients first, then mix in the herbs/cheese & tomatoes. 

Beat (or stir!! this is what I do and it works fine) butter & eggs together and then add milk. 

Mix the wet ingredients into the other bowl and stir together. Divide the mixture evenly between each section 

Cook for 15-18 mins and serve when warm for the yummiest results!! {Makes 6-8 large muffins.} 

I have also added sweet potato and feta cheese to this recipe and that turns out delicious too. 

Last weekend we spent the entire Sunday down at the South Perth Foreshore with some lovely friends. 

There were bottles of bubble consumed, games of cricket and elastics (blast from the past, that one!!) played and a yummy BBQ prepared by our boys to eat. It was such a lovely day, and as usual, the Perth weather was on it's best behaviour. 

The Long Weekend

I know it is almost the weekend again, but my Long Weekend last week was too beautiful not to share with you all.

On the Sunday, we caught up with some great friends for a bit of a tradition that we like to call 'Super Seafood Sunday'. The men go to 'hunt & gather' with the kids at the amazing local seafood shop, Seafresh Myaree, while the ladies stay home and prep (or drink champagne and chat...shhh).

We try to organise it for the middle of each school term (we are all teachers, believe it or not) and this particular time it also coincided with the Point Walter Concert which occurs down on the beautiful Attadale Foreshore.

Super Seafood Sunday has become a tradition that both Jarrod & I look forward to each term as a way to break up the routine that we seem to get into once school (& football!!) is back.

Beautiful Perth

Good morning and Happy Friday!! Perth have a long weekend this week, so we are getting excited for that, with lots of social outings with lovely friends planned.

We thought we would leave you with some beautiful photos that Brooke took on the way to work this morning. We are so lucky that we live in such a beautiful city. 

Have a beautiful weekend everyone, 

B & F xxx

nb : all photos taken with iPhone 5 

Sun Protection

Anyone that knows me, is aware that I have a very strict sunscreen policy. Most of my friends, at one point or another, would have had me in their ear like a nagging mother about the 'importance of wearing sun protection' and so forth.

I have heard every excuse in the book...

'But I like having a brown face'

'It gives me pimples'

'I have SPF8 in my foundation. That's enough'

'I only wear it in summer'

'My skin doesn't burn'

None of those excuses cut it with me, unfortunately. Brown face = premature wrinkles. Pimples? Try a different brand. SPF in your foundation? It's not enough. Only wear it in summer? Umm...pretttty sure the sun also comes out in winter... My skin doesn't burn? UVB rays are different to UVA rays (rays of the ageing kind).

If you want to age at a rapid rate & acquire premature pigmentation, those excuses will definitely work. But, if like most women, you want to slow down the ageing process, sunscreen should be the Robin to your Batman. The Minnie to your Mickey. In other words, you should always have it close by.

Some of the science behind sunscreen:

Beautiful Treats.

A few beautiful things that are inspiring us currently. 

Christian OITA/WONDERLAND

Peter Lindbergh 1990

Hepburn/Kelly

    Anja Rubik by Mateusz Stankiewicz for Fashion Magazine April 2009 

Kate Moss for Vogue US September 2011 by Mario Testino

Vanessa Paradis by Kate Barry

Model Sue Jenks in Joset Walker swimwear, 1952

Rose Byrne - Bazaar Australia by Will Davidson, October 2012

B & F xxx

The Perfect Orange Lipstick

At the beginning of 2013, I had a black tie wedding to attend in Sydney. A few days before the wedding, the Golden Globe Awards were on and I spotted the look below on Jessica Alba. (Red Carpet season is my favourite season of the year!)

I knew immediately that this was the exact lip colour I wanted to wear. I spent about half an hour on google tracking it down, and was extremely excited when I discovered that it was a shade by Hourglass Cosmetics, one of my favourite makeup brands. I had booked to have my makeup applied at Mecca Cosmetica (who stock Hourglass), so it felt like it was meant to be.

{Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in 'Riviera' is the name of it for anyone who is interested, and it can be found here for $42.}

The lipstick is in a liquid form with an applicator stick attached to the lid. The colour is very rich and it stayed on all night - I only really needed to reapply top coat and fix the edges a little after eating. 

Below are a few photos of the shade on me (as I look nothing like J.Alba..).

{please excuse the hotel room selfie..}

{we look extra shiny as it was one of the hottest days of the
summer in sydney that day. but it was a good test for my makeup!
this photo was taken about 4 hours after the initial application of my lippy
...not bad, hey??}

I have worn the shade several times since this particular wedding, and always get comments on the colour. I have tried several different orange lipsticks before finding this one, and it beats all the others by a mile. 

Happy weekend everyone

B xx

All About the Eyes

Keeping the skin around your eyes in tip-top condition can help to reduce and slow down the signs of ageing. It is important to start to look after your skin before it starts to age, rather than when you start to see the signs. The eyes are often the first thing a person looks at when meeting you  - so don't you want to give a great first impression??

Here are our pick of eye serums. Now, everyone has different needs when it comes to the eye area, so we would suggest having a chat to one of the lovely girls at your closest Mecca Cosmetica or Aesop store. Serums are not designed to be the only eye care used - they are best followed by complementing eye creams, especially if the skin is dehydrated. Like a face serum, eye serums are formulated to target particular skin issues such as dark circles and fine lines. 

Brooke's Pick:

Perricone MD

Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum

$82 from Mecca Cosmetica

I have been using this eye serum for about 5 years now. It is very lightweight, with it's consistency a little like water. My main concerns about my eye area are dark circles and developing fine lines. The ingredient 'Vitamin C Ester' has been developed to target our darker areas by acting as a brightener (and don't we all love a brightener!). Makeup goes over this product smoothly, and there is no down time while you wait for it to soak in, it is absorbed straight away. 

Perricone MD describe the product as follows: 

"Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum is the perfect complement to your daily eye treatment regimen.  With nourishing and protective antioxidants, this lightweight formula absorbs easily into the skin to deliver stunning results. It encourages collagen production to boost elasticity.  Apply on cleansed skin and follow with one of our award winning eye treatments."

Perricone have also released a whole face Vitamin C Ester Serum {here} which I am very keen to try. 

Francie's Pick:

Aesop Parsley Seed Eye Serum

$81

I love this eye serum as it is quick and easy to use, and soaks into the skin straight away. Aesop are a natural skin care brand, and this sparked my interest. The product feels refreshing on my eye area and has many essential oils and vitamins packed into this one little bottle. I have been using this product for several years and have been happy with it over the years. 

Aesop describe the product as follows:

"An easily absorbed moisturising treatment serum perfected for the sensitive skin area around the eyes. Its greaseless, silicone-free formulation makes this product ideal for all skin types and is designed for everyday use. The blend of concentrated botanical extracts in this exceptional product includes Carrot Juice, Lavender, Grapefruit Seed and Chamomile that, in conjunction with Parsley Seed Extract, constitutes a potent combination suited to all skin types. In our quest for perfection this product takes the extra step of using a silicone-free formulation to allow fast skin penetration, removing any incidence of product build-up or pores becoming clogged."

Have a beautiful weekend (long weekend to the follow Aussies!) everyone.

Love B & F xxx

Proplenish : A Review

ProPlenish is a relatively new anti-ageing product on the market, and I have been taking it religiously for the last 7 months. ProPlenish is a collagen supplement (in the form of Marine Collagen) that helps to replenish the collagen that our bodies (horribly!) slow down the production of as we go through our 20's. You can read more about the product here .

I could not recommend this product highly enough. I add one sachet to a glass of water first thing in the morning, and give it a stir. It dissolves and settles within a few moments, and has absolutely no taste.
If you prefer, you can add it to your morning coffee, sprinkle it over your cereal or mix it into a shake, it's a personal choice.

Being on the cusp of turning the big 3-0, anti-ageing is high on my radar. ProPlenish is by far the most effective anti-ageing product I have tried. Since I have been taking ProPlenish, I have noticed a fullness in my lips, tiny little fine lines that were appearing around my eyes have disappeared and my skin has a plump, dewy glow to it. It also helps with nail and hair strength and growth.

With my job (a Teacher of little ones), my hands are constantly being washed and in all sorts of mess. My nails were also a mess. Since starting on the product, my nails have been their strongest in my whole life and no amount of wear and tear will hurt them. My hair is also very long and in good condition. My girlfriend (who also takes ProPlenish) and I have fondly nicknamed the product "Mermaid Water" because of the Mermaid-like hair it has given us.

I don't tend to wear much coverage on my face during the day (usually just some concealer and powder) and you can see the glow that ProPlenish has given my skin through the little makeup I wear.

the proplenish glow and mermaid hair ;)

And sorry...two no filter, minimal face makeup 'selfies' to come below...but just wanted you to see my skin close up!

^^ best lip colour ever!! ^^

ProPlenish can be purchased on the ProPlenish website and select health food stores around the Country. It costs $49.95 for a months supply. That is less than $2 a day. A bargain in my opinion. And the best $2 I spend in my whole day.

**Update!! (June 2015)**

Dropping back into this post to update you on my usage of ProPlenish! It has been over a year (closer to 18 months!) since I wrote this post, and OH MY how time flies.  New blog, new look, but same old me. So you are probably wondering: Is she still using ProPlenish? and the answer is yes. Most definitely. I still notice the difference in my skin, hair, and more recently, my nails. I thought they were good 18 months ago, but I didn't know what I was talking about as now they are beyond unbelievable! I still recommend this product to all that are interested in glowing, plump skin, and I kind of fear the day I fall pregnant and have to stop taking it. Kidding!! But kind of not... ;)

B x

Please note all opinions are my own. I was not paid or seeked out to write this review, I simply wanted to share the goodness that is Proplenish with you all. 

SK-II facial treatment essence : a review

For the past 10 years I have been extremely diligent in my beauty regime. 

A lot of the items have been mixed up and changed through out that time, but my one constant has been SK II Facial Treatment Essence (FTE).

FTE's main ingredient is Pitera (90%-read the background on Pitera here-it's quite amazing) FTE's nickname is 'Miracle Water' because of it's water like qualities and the way it works miracles on skin. 

I must admit, the first thing that enticed me to try the product was the marketing of the company. The peaches and cream complexion of Cate Blanchett staring out at me from the pages of glossy magazines wore me down, and I did some research on the brand. After reading some reviews on FTE, I decided to give it a go - and haven't looked back since. 

It gives my skin a gorgeous glow and is surprisingly hydrating for a product that isn't a cream. I use FTE morning and night, and it is the first thing I put on my skin after cleansing.

I use my hands to distribute a 20 cent piece sized drop over my face, using a patting motion. I let the goodness soak in for a few moments then follow with the rest of my products. I have somewhat sensitive skin and the product has not once irritated or broken out my skin. It also evens out my skin tone (a very important factor to me with combatting the ageing process!)

just wanted to show what my skin looks like with little makeup on - in this photo I have just concealer and a light mineral powder as cover on my face. 

In Australia, we can purchase the product at Myer and David Jones stores, and also some online retailers.

At a cost of $99 AUD for a 75ml bottle, it it on the pricey side, but money well spent in my opinion. I go through approximately 4 bottles per year as an indication of how much I use. 

Even Sebastian gives his paw of approval...

B x

**disclaimer**

all opinions are my own, I was not paid for nor seeked out to write this review. I simply wanted to share how much I love the product

photos taken with canon eos 100d and iphone 5