Scrub Up

There is no denying it, Spring is on its way and what a welcome season it is! It's a time for sweet smelling flowers, baby ducks and getting ready to bare some skin.

Exfoliation is preparation ground work, working in one of two ways:

Mechanical: small abrasives scrub and polish away dead skin to reveal the fresh skin that lies beneath.

Chemical: enzymes and alpha or beta hydroxy acids work to loosen the dead cells away from the skin. Like a facial peel which can really give you back your glow.

There is also the famous dry bodybrushing which helps eliminate toxins in the skin and works as a brilliant exfoliant but personally I think it hurts... It feels a bit like punishment and not the way I wanna start my day! So if you haven't been keeping up with a regime over winter and you need to get your scrub on.

Here are my picks:

Environ Hydrating Lotion $97.80, is like a little peel everyday. Apply it to your face and body for soft skin with great clarity. It can tingle when you start to use it so start with every second day and build up to morning and night and apply straight after cleansing.

La Mav Cranberry Bio Exfoliating Facial Scrub $54.95. This organic and creamy facial exfoliant can be used daily to keep a glow on.

GROWN Reviving Body Exfoliant with Pearl, Peppermint and Ylang Ylang $33.95 has light and refreshing little beads of pearl in a gel-like formulation. Incredible fragrance, organic and super easy to use. Your skin feels beautifully smooth and is perfect prepping for a self or spray tan application.

THE AROMATHERAPY CO. Therapy Range Therapeutic Body Scrub $18. I really love this, you get 4 sachets of a quality salt scrub you mix with the Aromatherapy Co. Therapy Range Body Oil $19. I used lavender, manuka and wild chamomile and then apply for a day spa at home salt scrub experience. Not hard to do at all, the salt feels amazing and the oil leaves your skin silky to touch and smelling sweet.

X Mimi

A New Colour

Yesterday we received the highly anticipated ammonia-free Davines colour called A New Colour. It is enriched with carotenoids, melanin and anti-oxidants for long-lasting, shiny colours. It has even been nicked-named the 'anti-age colour'!

Some would jump to the conclusion that a hair colour that is 'ammonia-free' is going to be natural and free of chemicals. A New Colour still contains chemicals but they are a lot gentler and are perfect for those who suffer allergies to ammonia. The reality is that chemicals are necessary for the colour to penetrate the hair shaft and is particularly important for grey coverage and lifting.

The chemical in The New Colour is monoethanolamine (MEA). It is a hydro-soluble, biodegradable, biological substance, completely oudourless, boosted by a synergy with metasilicate- a mineral quartz agent with remarkable light refraction capacity.

Not only does the new colour range include tints but it also has an ammonia-free bleach! It has very low volatility (meaning mimimal damage to the cuticle) and is enriched with sodium metasilicate.

We are really excited about the range and are attending a workshop on Monday to learn more. Mimi used it this morning to tone her hair and said it was noticeably shinier and Ella is having hers done as part of the workshop on Monday so will be able to give you her feedback on it also.

It is a slightly higher price but it's so special we think it's worth it and we can easily switch you over to it- that's the beauty of A New Colour.

New From M.A.C

Electric Cool Eye Shadows
This limited edition of twelve pearly finish eyeshadows are multi-dimensional and lightweight for superior blending power. With a firm mousse-like consistency they glide on with ease. You can achieve a high shine neutral with 'Pure Flash' a soft champagne or 'SuperWatt' a shimmering taupe. If you want a colour pop try 'Highly Charged,' a violet purple shot with pearly pink, or 'Switch to Blue' a bold cobalt. On sale now for $44 each.

Nail Lacquer

M.A.C's release of its first permanent nail collectio brings about new shades and some best sellers from past limited edition collections. With thirty colours in 3 finishes it means you can fall in love with a shade and not fear it selling out. There's everything from shimmers to glitters, neutrals to fashion trend faves.

My picks - Fiesta Ware' a creamy pastel coral, 'Coffee Break' again a cream finish in a mushroomy mid brown, GORGEOUS!

There are also a few like 'Snob' and 'Saint Germain' that come in a lipshade so you can do your matchy-matchy thing. On sale now for $26.

Mimi x

OPI GelColour Manicure

My lifestyle involves working a lot with my hands so I can expect the average nail polish to last 2 days before the chips set in. However that doesn't stop me from longing for a glance down at brightly glossed nails on well manicured hands.

Last week it seems I have found the answer - OPI GelColour manicure.

These long lasting polish's have been around for a while, and nail care mega brand OPI launched their version in February of this year, taking their time to bring to market an elite version of the gel manicure.

OPI's creation is 100% gel, unlike other hybrids and are therefore kinder on your natural nail. Application is a simple layer of GelColour basecoat, 2 layers of GelColour, 1 of GelColour topcoat with a 30 second curing time under LED UV light between coats. Your manicurist couldn't paint your other hand any faster, so it's not a moment longer than your traditional service.

The launch range comes in 30 of OPI's most loved shades, so you can team it up with your regular polished toes. But the best part is the super gloss finish the service provides.

The official lasting time is 2 to 3 weeks but the healthier the natural nail for the gel to bond to, the longer the chip free result. These babies do need to be soaked off before your next application, this can be done in the salon or at home by wrapping a cotton pad soaked in acetone polish remover around each nail and securing with a little foil, should take about 15 mins.

Well I'm sold, I love the super shiny finish of my " Suzy says Feng Shui " teal nails and I'm up to day 6 without a chip in sight. YAY!

Mimi x