The ones that just didn't make the cut

I may come across as enthusiastic in my reviews, maybe even a little bit too enthusiastic, to the point that I might even appear to be a bit of a suck up to the brands that I review. Well, I thought that I might explain my personality to you a bit so that you understand my enthusiasm, and also list a few products that just didn't work for me, and why so that you don't think that I love every product ever made.

Firstly, my personality. I am an incredibly excitable person. At 30 years of age I still struggle to sleep the night before my birthday, and Christmas - well it is probably a good 3 nights that I am too excited to sleep through (though you will be pleased to know that I have finally out grown being too excited to sleep the night before Easter!). I just go mental knowing that there are presents in the house that I will soon get to open. But it is not just present receiving occasions that I get excited for - I get excited when I am going to get a haircut, or when I remember that my favourite TV show is on that night (for the record at the moment it is How I met Your Mother and the US version of The Office!), or even if I know that we are having something good for dinner that night! My stomach is constantly buzzing with excitement over something or other - it feels like I have a fizzed up can of Coke in there, just waiting to burst!

Coupled with my extreme case of excitism (I might have made that word up...), I am also an incredibly passionate person. I don't experience middle ground emotions such as 'like' - I either LOVE something or HATE it - there is no in between.

The final element of my personality that may explain my overly enthusiastic reviews is that I am also an incredibly laid back, easy going person. Very little phases me or gets me worked up.

So when these three elements combine it often results in a gushingly excited and positive review. My easy going nature means that I don't put overly high expectations on products - as long as they do what they are described to do, leave my skin or hair looking and feeling nice, and smell good, then I am in LOVE! And once I LOVE something my passionate side kicks in, and I just want to tell everyone about it. But then I get overly excited, develop verbal diarrhoea and out gushes an extremely enthusiastic review!

So, now that you understand me, you know to expect that a lot of my reviews will be very positive towards the product that I am reviewing. But there are some products out there that really didn't work for me. I wanted them to work, oh how badly did I want them to work. But, alas, they just were not for me. So here are some of the ones that just didn't make the cut:

Hair

• Tresemme shampoo and conditioner (can't remember which variety, though). I loved the smell of this - the chemically salon like smell but it sent my normally manageable curly hair quite wild. It was frizzy and dry and my curls lost all of their definition. I started using it soon after moving to a new area so possibly there could have been differences in the water that were responsible for my awful hair, but it was only 20 minutes away from where I previously lived so that is unlikely. And when I switched to Lush shampoo and conditioner my curls started behaving again
• John Frieda Colour Glaze This was meant to brighten up your hair colour without having to re-dye your hair - you just shampoo, condition then glaze. Colour and shine wise it made no difference to my hair. I found it hard to rinse out so it left my hair feeling a little strange - almost a bit sticky. Plus, while it didn't manage to add any colour to my hair, it did manage to add it to my bath - it stained the head rest beautifully! 

Skin Care

•  Paula's Choice I got Paula's book - Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me and loved it - it really is a fascinating read. So I thought that her skincare products would be amazing. But ( and this is a big 'but' for me), Paula is very anti-fragrance in her products whilst I adore beautifully fragrant products so I think my main issues were the scent of her products. I really didn't like the lack of fragrance and so this made it difficult for me to bring myself to use them. Anyway, this is what I bought:
• Skin Balancing Toner - this wasn't too bad but wasn't spectacular either. It did its job but just didn't smell overly appealing. I had to force myself to use it each day before I eventually gave up. I got the 497ml bottle and think that there is probably still around 300mls left sitting at the back of my cupboard somewhere
• Skin Balancing Daily Mattifying Lotion with SPF 15 and Antioxidants - like the toner, I really did not like the smell of this at all. I loved that it contain antioxidants and SPF but found it hard to rub in - it left my face looking quite white - as if it had zinc on.
• 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel I bought this to try and treat my blackheads but unfortunately it didn't do anything to get rid of them.
• Joey New York - this brand must have hit Australian shores when I was in my late teens or early 20's as I remember it being promoted heavily in the magazines that I read. I ended up purchasing the following products, but was disappointed with them all:
• Pure Pores Blackhead Dissolver This was the Joey New York Product that I was most excited to try. It really sound like it was going to be the saviour to my blackhead problem that I had been searching for, for years. Unfortunately, not only did it not work, it burnt the skin on my nose. I don't have sensitive skin at all, and used this exactly as described ie I only applied it for a minute then rinsed. It tingled a bit initially on application then the tingle got stronger - but nothing to indicate any damage was being done. I removed it then later that evening noticed that my nose was bright red. Within a couple of days it completely peeled as if it had been sun burnt. Not happy, Jan.
• Egg Cream Cleanser with Egg - this smelt absolutely terrible. I don't even know how to describe it but I really could not stand the smell of it. It was a fine cleanser - non drying, cleansed well, but the awful scent lingered on my skin for ages. I ended up chucking this away as I just could not bring myself to use it. I did buy it from Rescu in its closing down sale, so perhaps I got some dodgy old stock? I guess smell a demo one if you can and if it doesn't smell awful then know that my batch was obviously rotten!!

Body

• Lush Pied de Pepper foot lotion - OK I LOVE Lush so much, so really wanted to love all of their products - I felt disloyal, not to! But I really did not like this at all. It smelt OK - not as lovely as most Lush products, but not at all offensive but it stained my toenails and bedsheets a brownish colour. I probably should have worn an old pair of socks!

Perfume

• Kenzo Flower - I absolutely adore this perfume on other people but for some reason it has a severe nuclear reaction on my skin and smells terrible. It is funny how perfume does that...funny and heart breaking at the same time!

I am sure there have been a multitude of other products that I haven't fallen head over heels in love with but these are the only ones I can remember off the top of my head.

Have you tried and of these products and had better success than I have? Are there any products that have really disappointed you?

Want to try 4-5 (or 8-10!) new beauty products a month? UPDATED 1/6/11

 I LOVE trying new beauty products. The second I see an article in a magazine of a new product being launched I start daydreaming about using it, my hands itching to go out and buy it. The problem with this little (OK big!) obsession of mine is that I rarely ever finish a product. The old product gets pushed to the back of my vanity cabinet, to make way for my shiny new possession.

In the States, they have had a brilliant solution to this problem, in the name of Birch Box. For $US10 a month you get sent a box containing 4-5 deluxe sized beauty samples. If you Google 'Birch Box' you will get a whole list of beauty bloggers all sharing the contents of their monthly Birch Boxes, and they all seem to be deliriously happy. Quite often they receive full size products, or if they are sample sized they are very generous - similar to travel sized. The products they receive range from hair care, to perfume, to body and skin care to make up and nail polish - well, really anything and everything beauty related. Unfortunately, this service has only been available to residents of the US, so the rest of us have just had to experience the joy of receiving a Birch Box through the many blogs.

Well, that is, until now! Two of these companies have just been launched in Australia. The first one is Red Meow. For $AU10 a month (including postage!) you receive between 3-5 deluxe beauty samples. And the good news is that they have some pretty awesome brands on board already. Think Jurlique, Aesop, Napolean, Avon, Becca...I could keep going, but it will be quicker for you to go straight to the source: Red Meow brand list. At the moment they are still in the invitation stage. Simply enter your email address here and you will go on the waiting list to be invited. You are not obliged to sign up but will be sent an email link giving you the opportunity. You then sign up for one month, then after you get your first box, you decide whether you want to sign up for a year.

Another company offering a similar service is Haute Box; however, they are being much more mysterious about their boxes. All we know at this stage is that they will be $AU15 per month, but not what brands are on board. They will be launching in Winter 2011. Like Red Meow, you can put your name down on a waiting list and will be emailed an invite - but again you are not obliged to sign up. If this sounds like it might be up your alley, then you can sign up for an invite here.

For both of these services, places are limited so it would be a good idea to get your name onto the waiting lists ASAP. I plan on trying each of these brands for a month to see what they are like then decide whether to sign up further from there.

Update: The lovely Michelle has just informed me that there is actually a third company offering this wonderful service. Beauty Box promises to send out 5 hand picked deluxe samples for $14.95 per month. They are also in the launch phase so if you would like to secure yourself an invite, click here. They anticipate that the first round of boxes will be sent out in August/September so it really isn't long until we will be getting out hot little hands on our first box of beauty!

Now, which company to choose? Would it be excessive to sign up with all three?!
Do these services sound like something that you might be interested in?

Ingredient in focus: Coffee and Caffeine in Skin Care

Image courtesy of CoffeeHouseMystery

 Coffee is an ingredient in skincare that has been creating a bit of a buzz lately (sorry!! I just had to throw that pun out there - Dad is going to be so proud when he reads this!). But seriously, according to Ezine @rticle in 2006 in the US, over 140 skincare products containing caffeine were released, compared with only 21 in 2003. We are all familiar with the effect coffee has, when consumed as a drink - increased alertness, focus and an energy boost - but what can it do for the skin? Caffeine applied to the skin operates in three ways - as an antioxidant, a diuretic and a vasoconstrictor (Ezine @rticle).

Caffeine as a cellulite treatment: Caffeine is often included in creams designed to fight cellulite. I don't think that it has been scientifically proven to work (I don't think any anti-cellulite cream has been scientifically proven!) as there are conflicting results published in the literature. Skincare-news talks about a study from the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, where 104 out of 130 women (80%) who used a caffeine solution for 30 days saw a reduction in skin dimpling, their skin appeared tighter and they lost 2 cm off their thighs. But they then go on to quote dermatologist Michelle Rivera, M.D. in The Washingtonian, who stated that there was no research to support that caffeine was actually effective on cellulite. "Caffeine is simply not absorbed by the skin; it's like trying to shove an elephant through the eye of needle," explains Dr. Rivera. However, whilst there might be conflicting results in the literature, there are some fairly decent theories as to why it may work.

Image courtesy of Scott's Coffee House

Firstly, it is well known that caffeine is dehydrating, as it is a diuretic. Well, caffeine also dehydrates fat cells, giving skin the appearance of smoothness, says Linda Wells on Skincare-News.

In addition, according to MoneyWatch, topical application of caffeine can reduce fat content in cells by blocking phosphodiesterase. Phosphodiesterase is an enzyme that inhibits fat breakdown. Therefore, blocking this enzyme allows fat to be broken down.

Finally, caffeine is a bronchodilator - that is, it is a substance that relaxes the muscles in the lungs, allowing increased airflow in. The theory is that if caffeine can relax the muscles in the lungs, it could also relax the fibres around the fat cells that anchor the skin to the underlying muscle. It is thought that perhaps these fibres pull on the skin too much and are what causes the dimpled effect of cellulite. By relaxing these fibres the dimpled effect should be reduced.

Caffeine in eye creams: Another popular skincare product in which caffeine can be found is eye creams as it is thought that caffeine can reduce dark circles under the eyes. Dark circles are thought to be cause by a few different factors including dehydration, allergies, lack of sleep or genetics. Apart from genetics, the factors all cause blood and fluid to pool under the eye area, hence the appearance of dark circles. As caffeine is a diuretic, it assists to drain excess fluid from the under eye are. It is also a vasoconstrictor (causes blood vessels to shrink) and this prevents blood from pooling. So caffeine has the potential to temporarily treat dark circles under the eyes (though it is no match for genetic dark circles).

Caffeine to treat Rosacea: Rosacea is a harmless skin condition characterised by red flushing of the face. Pimples may also be associated with the flushed area. The flushing is due to the fact that the blood vessels in the sufferers face are constantly dilated. As caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, it can stop the vessels from being constantly dilated, thereby reducing the red flushing.

Ajana's Mocha Madness Scrub

I am currently trialling a coffee scrub from Ajana - the Mocha Madness Scrub (see the picture to the left). According to Ajana, the Mocha body scrub is a heady pick me up combination of chocolate and coffee and is perfect heading into winter. Aside from smelling great, coffee is stimulating and is said to have fantastic anti-oxidant properties. Once I have used this a few times I will provide a review - so stay tuned!



All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with any brand mentioned in this blog and received no remuneration for my comments.

Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream review

As I mentioned previously, Nivea continues to surprise me. I was recently sent the Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream by BeautyHeaven to review as part of their trial team and, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting much - I mean how good can a $12.99 moisturiser really be? I am a bit of a skin care snob in that I NEVER buy my skin care from the supermarket - always from department stores, online or from salons. So, I was actually quite shocked by how much I liked this moisturiser.

The weather in Sydney has changed from quite pleasant to bloody freezing almost over night and it has totally wrecked havoc on my skin. My skin is normally a bit on the oily side - mostly normal, but with a tendency to become oily. Lately, however, it has been feeling dry, tight, a bit sensitive and in some desperate need of nourishment.

The cream is actually quite thick (as you can see in the picture above), especially for one described as light, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it is too heavy if you do have oily skin. When I applied it, I found that it absorbed into my skin nearly instantly leaving it looking smooth, hydrated and with not a hint of oiliness or greasiness. My skin was honestly so soft to touch. Nivea claims that the Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream 'provides your skin with intensive moisture for 24hrs to leave a fresh skin feeling'. This is not far off the mark. I never actually tested it for 24hrs. I would apply it in the morning after my shower and then just before bed in the evening I would cleanse and apply my night cream - so it would be on my skin for about 15 hours and during that time my skin never felt dry, tight or sensitive and it also didn't get greasy.

The Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream  contains SPF15 which is sufficient for incidental sun exposure such as hanging the washing out or walking to the car. If you were planning on being out in the sun for longer, I recommend that you put addition sunscreen on top, but this is fine for short stints outdoors.

I absolutely adored the fragrance of the moisturiser. I do love fairly heavily fragranced beauty products and this one does have a decent amount of fragrance so it was right up my alley! It smells like a subtler version of Nivea's classic creme - so that gorgeous lily of the valley fragrance. I found that the fragrance fades pretty quickly on the skin, so if you are opposed to heavily fragranced products, I don't think that this would bother you too much, even though it does have a decent amount of fragrance in it.

I have thoroughly enjoyed using this cream as it by far exceeded my expectations. I can definitely see myself purchasing it again in the future as it is so economical - plus I honestly could not tell any difference in quality between it and my much more expensive moisturisers. So, if you are looking for a light moisturiser that does its job and doesn't leave you feeling sticky or greasy, plus is kind to the wallet, look no further - your search is over!

All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with Nivea and received no remuneration for my comments. This product was provided to me by BeautyHeaven to review as part of their trial tem.

Bergman Beauty Care GWP

I am an absolute sucker for GWPs! I just love getting a little extra with my purchase. Well I have just been informed of a great little GWP that is coming up in June. Spend $75 on the Bergman Beauty Care range at Myer Spa Universe counters and you get to choose from the following gift:

• 15ml Bergman Beauty CareUltra-Light Peptide Moisturising cream, or

• 15ml Bergman Beauty Care 24 Hour Guard Moisturising Cream

If you are unfamiliar with the brand, Bergman Beauty Care is a skincare range developed by the renowned Bergman Beauty Clinics in the Netherlands. According to the Bergman Beauty Care website, the products are developed in cooperation with scientific specialists and contain many valuable ingredients, offering the most effective solutions without a prescription for most skin types. 

I personally have not used any of the products from the range, but my interest was piqued when I saw that it had been developed by 'scientific specialists' (which I assume are scientists!). The range was developed in the Bergman Clinic - a well renowned private clinic for cosmetic surgery and skin treatments in The Netherlands - when they were getting unsatisfactory results with the skin care ranges already on the market in healing the post-operative scars.

The hero ingredient of the range is Beta Glucan. Beta Glucan is a sugar that has been shown to have a positive effect on the immune system. When applied to wounds it assists the white blood cells in preventing the wound from getting infected, thereby speeding up the wound healing process. The faster a wound heals, the less it scars. Therefore, adding this to a cream should assist in reducing post-operative scars. The range was initially only intended as a post-operative regime for their clients; however, the results were so amazing, many of the clients wanted to continue using the creams at home. Hence, Bergman Beauty Care was started.

The range has now expanded to include more than just Recovery Care. According to their website the moisturising creams contain cell-renewing qualities that retard the skin's ageing process and protect against daily contamination and inner stress. The creams are suitable for all skin types thanks to the preventive action of the ingredients. 

Have any of you tried any products from the Bergman Beauty Care range, and if so, what did you think?

All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with Bergman Beauty Care and received no remuneration for my comments.



My D.I.Y Jurlique facial

I spent last weekend at the Blue Mountains and ended up with two red angry pimples on my cheek. This is highly unusual for me as, these days, I rarely get pimples and if I do they are almost always the hormonal variety on my chin. There is only one plausible explanation as to why I got these pimples. You see, ordinarily I reside in an apartment on a busy highway in Sydney. My theory is that the pollution from the cars on the highway settles on my face forming a protective shield that bacteria cannot penetrate; therefore, no pimples. Then, when I left the security of my pollution laden apartment to the pristine mountain air, my protective shield was lost giving bacteria free reign on my skin. Makes sense, doesn't it. Okay, there is one other possible explanation - I ate like crap, got little sleep and was too lazy to cleanse before bed. Whatever the reason though, I had two angry new residents on my face that I now wanted evicted.

Now, like every woman on Earth (and probably every man as well if they actually gave it a chance), I love facials. But at 8.00pm on a Sunday night, very few beauty salons are open. So my only option was a D.I.Y facial. I had a few Jurlique products from the Jurlique Bloggers event that I was busting to try, plus a few I already owned, so I decided that I would have a nice long bath (with a Lush bath ballistic!) and give myself a D.I.Y Jurlique facial. Before commencing my facial, I did extract the two angry residents (doesn't extract sound so much more professional and clinical than 'popped' or 'squeezed'!)

 I started by cleansing with the Daily Exfoliating Cream. This is a thick paste of oats that gently lifts away dead skin cells. It is incredibly gentle on the skin. It has a bit of a unique scent, almost ever so slightly fermented smelling, mixed with herbs, though interestingly this scent isn't at all offensive. I worked at a gift shop years ago that sold Jurlique products and attended a product training course. In this course we were taught not to rub the Daily Exfoliating Cream onto your skin, but to mix it with a little water to form a paste, then to press this paste into your skin. This lifts away the dead skin cells and debris without harsh exfoliation. So this is exactly how I used my Daily Exfoliating Cream. I did this for about a minute then rinsed it off with water.

Following on from the Daily Exfoliating Cream I then used the Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator*, one of the products given to us at the Jurlique Bloggers event. The Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator is a highly effective fruit-based facial treatment that exfoliates skin with natural enzymes and indigenous Australian extracts of Desert Lime, Quandong and Wattle. This has a watery, gel-like consistency - very similar to the Herbal Recovery Gel, and smells deliciously like citrus and honey. I applied about four pumps to my whole face and left it on for around five minutes. It tingled slightly on application but other than that I didn't feel a thing. I then laid back in the bath, read Body and Soul, and let the Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator work its magic, before rinsing it off with water.

 I then felt that my skin really needed some TLC so I applied the Nurturing Mask. I bought this mask when I was pregnant and suffering terribly from hormonal acne. This is a gentle purifying mask that leaves delicate skin feeling soft, pure and revitalised and is ideal for rebalancing sensitivity. It is a gorgeous silky mask that spreads easily over the skin. It doesn't dry rock hard like other clay based masks but is still somewhat flexible, which is just what sensitive skin needs. The only issue I have with this mask is the fragrance. Whilst I love the fragrance - very floral and herbal - it really stings my eyes. I wear glasses, and usually leave them on whilst I have the mask on, as I like to read as well. I am not sure whether the fragrance wafts up and gets caught under the glasses so directs it into my eyes, or what, but they always end up stinging so much that they water. This hasn't happened to me with any other Jurlique product so it is a bit strange. If I do take my glasses off and lie there with my eyes closed, then the stinging goes away...but I like reading too much to ever do that! The mask had been on for about 10 minutes when I heard the delightful sound of my baby crying. Nothing quite ruins the serenity of a D.I.Y facial than a crying baby, so that spelt the end of my pampering time. I quickly rinsed the mask off with water, then went to attend to the baby when I heard that Hubby was on the job - sweet, a few more precious pampering minutes!

I spritzed my face with the Rosewater Balancing Mist*, which would have to be my all time favourite Jurlique product. It smells amazingly of roses and I find it so calming, both emotionally and to the skin. The mask had left my skin feeling a tiny bit tight and this completely relaxed my skin again, leaving it feeling really hydrated. I find that the Rosewater Balancing Mist is the perfect product to apply just before a moisturiser as it allows the moisturiser to spread more easily and seems to help it absorb better.

I finished off my D.I.Y Jurlique facial by applying the Balancing Day Care Cream*. I know that by this time day was long gone over but I figured that as the cream didn't contain any SPF (I don't like applying SPF at night as 1. there is obviously no need for SPF at night and 2. I worry that it clogs my skin) it wouldn't matter if I used it at night. Jurlique promotes using a very light night cream to allow your skin to repair itself, so this was probably a bit heavier than they would recommend. I used one of Jurlique's Day Care Creams years ago (I can't remember which one) and it was incredibly greasy and oily on my skin. This was not the case with the Balancing Day Care Cream at all. I don't know whether Jurlique have changed the formulation, whether it was in fact a different Day Care Cream that I used, or whether my skin has changed in the years since I last used it but it instantly absorbed into my skin, leaving my skin feeling so soft, smooth and really quite radiant. There was not one hint of greasiness. I was so impressed!

Unfortunately my baby was still crying so it really was time to switch back into Mummy mode. This is why I prefer someone else to give me a facial than a D.I.Y job - at least with a professional facial the only crying you hear is that of the whales on the relaxing music they play - whales crying is a much more pleasant sound than babies crying! But even with the less than relaxing finish, my D.I.Y Jurlique facial did wonders to my skin. It was so smooth, soft and hydrated - and the best bit - by Tuesday the two angry residents had well and truly been evicted.

All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with Jurlique and received no remuneration for my comments. The products marked with * were provided to me at the Jurlique Bloggers event. Images are courtesy of Julique.

The dangers of mixing beauty and the internet

These days the Internet makes it so easy to find out, and then buy, just about anything. This is especially true in the case of beauty products and procedures. Visit any beauty forum and you are bound to find out about a new product that you previously had never heard of, and now must have. Then, with a few clicks of the mouse, this said product can be ordered, arriving on your doorstep in a couple of days . The ease of ordering, coupled with exceptionally fast turn around means that common sense rarely enters the equation. The majority of the time the only damage you are doing is to your bank account, purchasing products that are too good a deal to miss out on. But sometimes the damage done can be much more serious.

I was once nearly a victim of this. I had been wanting to try a Vitamin A cream for my face for a while as I had read that this was one of the best things to combat wrinkles. However, in Australia, it is a prescription only medicine. And rightly so - Vitamin A can be exceptionally harsh to your skin, so you need to start at the right concentration, and more importantly, excess consumption can cause birth defects so a Doctor would need to establish that you are not pregnant, or planning to fall pregnant in the near future, before prescribing the cream. I was too embarrassed to go to the Doctor to ask for a prescription for Vitamin A as I was worried that they would think that I was vain. So I just put it out of my mind - that is until until one day I saw on a beauty forum that you could buy it online cheaply from India. I was so excited! I rushed to the website to check it out, decided that the strongest concentration was the best value, went to buy it only to find that it was sold out. THANK GOODNESS! I had been so swept up in the idea of getting my Vitamin A cream that I hadn't factored in just what damage it could do to me. Yes I would have saved $15, maybe $20 buying it online. But then if it had destroyed my skin I would have lost so much more than just $$$.

The problem with the Internet is that information that is posted on it is not regulated. People can post whatever they like. And often falsities get spread around the Internet, being quoted from one person to the next, without anyone checking whether the information is in fact true. All it takes is one person to say 'Hey, I bought this product and it worked perfectly for me' for a bunch of lemmings to rush in and buy from the same site. Firstly, how do we know that the said person did actually use the product, and that they are not actually associated with the website, and even if they did use it, a lot of these products are not made in accredited labs; therefore, just because one product turned out to be safe, there is no testing to ensure that the rest will be.

My friend, Jo from Little Jo sent me the following article from News.com.au: Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia warns women against DIY facelift that really highlights the problems with buying unregulated beauty products online. The woman below bought dermal fillers and got her friend to inject them into her lips and cheeks. She now has abscesses on her cheeks that are going to leave scars and at this stage it is unknown whether her lips will ever heal. According to News.com.au the woman has asked for the graphic pictures to be released as a public health alert.

Her lips were left dramatically swollen.
Credit: Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia

This woman suffered infected blotches on her face after buying products online.
Credit: Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia

I thought that I'd repost these pictures as a reminder to think before you buy online. Yes, it is probably okay to buy make up and beauty products online, if you buy them from a reputable source. But as soon as you are tempted to buy something that ordinarily you can only get from a Doctor, don't risk it. There is a reason why it is only available from someone with 10 years+ of medical training. If you take the risk to save a couple of $$$ then this may be the result you achieve.