Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon

I'm more into skin care than actual cosmetics but lips are one thing I do pay some attention to.  I have my favourite ever lip liner (I chose wisely once and managed to pick a colour which seems to go with everything) and I have a pretty broad (but in many cases old) collection of lipsticks and lip glosses.

But last week beauty blogger Sarah What posted the most GORGEOUS coloured lip crayon (Face of Australia Glossy Lip in Berry Brulee) on her instagram feed.  At the time I 'liked' it but didn't think any more of it.

Then a day or so later, I thought about it again and remembered that the brand, Face of Australia, wasn't particularly pricey and it was probably worth investigating further.

After a bit of scrolling back through instagram, I found the product and a bit of a google suggested it should be available easily for the bargain price of $8.  The first Priceline I walked into didn't have it (well, if they did I couldn't find it) but I eventually made my way into a BigW where I found it straight away.

I was tempted by a couple of other colours at the same time but prudence won out (it always does): I thought I should see how one performed before investing in many!!!

The colour is great and it builds up easily.  The crayon glides on making it super easy to use.  I haven't used lip liner with it and it doesn't bleed/feather.  It also lasts surprisingly well: even after a couple of cups of tea and something to eat there was still some colour.  And the colour fades nicely - rather than looking like a colour which has worn off it just becomes paler and more subtle.

The one downer for this product is the smell.  It's very pronounced and is a little girl sickly sweet confected berry fruit kind of smell.  Fortunately, it does drop off (or I grow accustomed to it!) quite quickly. If I weren't in love with the colour and performance of this product, I'd find the perfume enough to put me off.

But put off I'm not.  I love this and I might even treat myself to the

Widely available. RRP ~ $8.

Face of Australia.

Source: purchase.

Sanctuary Foaming Shower Mousse

While this product isn't available in Australia, I've decided to review it because it is part of the current Sanctuary range.  I received this as a present a while ago and the packaging has changed but it is still in the pump-to-mousse format and (as far as I can tell) the same product.

Firstly, I have to say that I was really impressed that the pump lasted as long as the product did.  So often, moving parts in beauty related products fail long before the product is finished which means you either waste some product or you spend time battling packaging trying to use up whatever it is.  This is not just with the products aimed at women - my partner has had some impressive battles with various shaving foams.

This mousse also lasted really well.  A single pump doesn't dispense too much and I got excellent mileage from this.  I'm an intermittent (couple of times a week) mousse/gel/wash user (er, not because I only shower a couple of times a week - normally I use soap and I am in a hurry!) so most products in this category last but occasionally fragrances fade or, worse, go off.  I'm pleased to report that this didn't happen with this.

The fragrance is very citrussy - think mandarin rather than anything else.  The foam is soft and silky and is definitely not drying on the skin at all.  I used this on a loofah pad and got excellent coverage from 3-4 small pumps.

In winter you won't get away without using a moisturiser after your shower, but in warmer weather (or, I guess, depending on your skin) I can imagine that this mousse would be sufficiently moisturising to be a one-stop shop.

In the UK this is available for just £6 so I would definitely recommend giving it a go.  It's both refreshing and moisturising and, if it makes it to Australia, it will be perfect for summer in particular.

Not available in Australia.  Available in the UK from Boots (at least), £6.

Sanctuary Spa.

Source: gift.