CLOSED Go for gold (or silver or bronze!) in my Olympic sized giveaway

This competition has now closed. If you would like to see how your guess compares to all of the other entries see the table in this post. Good luck!

My excitement is building in anticipation of the Olympics. I love the Olympics! So, I have decided what better way to celebrate than with a giveaway.

Rather than host a usual giveaway I have decided to have a little bit of fun with this one and make it a guessing game. What you need to do is guess how many medals Australia will win, in total, in the London Olympics. In case there are a couple of responses that are the same, I will get you to also guess the number of gold, silver and bronze medals. So, your answer should look like this:

Total - 150; Gold - 100; Silver - 30; Bronze - 20

I will be drawing the winner based on who gets closest to the total. If there is more than one person who guesses the total correctly, I will then see who got closest to the number of golds, then silver, then bronze. If there is an identical answer, then I will deem the person who submitted it first to be the winner.

To help you out, this year Australia are sending 410 athletes to the games. Below is Australia's medal haul for the last 5 Olympics.

• Barcelona  Total - 27; Gold - 7; Silver - 9; Bronze - 11 (no. of athletes - 290)
• Atlanta      Total - 41; Gold - 9; Silver - 9; Bronze - 23 (no. of athletes - 424)
• Sydney      Total - 58; Gold - 16; Silver - 25; Bronze - 17 (no. of athletes - 630)
• Athens      Total - 49; Gold - 17; Silver - 16; Bronze - 16 (no. of athletes - 482)
• Beijing      Total - 46; Gold - 14; Silver - 15; Bronze - 17 (no. of athletes - 433)

Prizes: There will be 4 prizes in total for 4 different winners - Gold, Silver and Bronze for the top 3 guesses,  and a final random winner picked from the remaining entries using random.org. The prizes are:

Gold Medal Prize: The Jojoba Company Starter Pack

What better way to be introduced to be introduced to a gorgeous range of products containing Australian golden Jojoba than with The Jojoba Company's Starter Pack. The pack contains:

• Jojoba Bead Facial Cleanser 20ml
• Jojoba Absolute Serum 3ml
• CoQ10 Antioxidant Serum 3ml
• Hydrating Day Cream 30ml
• Intense Overnight Renewal Cream 20ml
• 100% Natural Makeup Remover 30ml
• 100% Natural Australian Jojoba 30ml  

This prize has gratefully been sponsored by The Jojoba Company.

Silver Medal Prize: A selection of gorgeous nail polishes

(apologies for the dodgy photo - camera was dead so I had to use
my phone 3)

A selection of gorgeous nail polishes from Australis, Orly and China Glaze. These include:

• Australis Nail Colour in Foil Spoil
• Orly Nail Lacquer in Sterling Silver Rose
• Orly Nail Lacquer in Sea Gurl
• Orly Nail Lacquer in Walk Down the Aisle
• China Glaze Crackle Glaze in Cracked Medallion

This prize has been sponsored by me! Please note that if an international reader wins this prize I will have to substitute it for something else as I won't be able to post the nail polishes overseas.

Bronze Medal Prize: Napoleon Perdis Bronze Patrol

There can be no better bronze medal prize than my all time favourite, Holy Grail bronzer - Napoleon Perdis's Bronze Patrol! This prize has gratefully been sponsored by Napoleon Perdis.

Random prize: To keep it random and a little bit fun the random prize is a surprise but let me tell you that it is one of my favourite bath products! This prize has also been sponsored by me!

Rules

• You must follow my blog by email, GFC or Facebook. Please let me know in your response how you follow me.
• Include your guess of Australia's medal tally in the following format Total - 150; Gold - 100; Silver - 30; Bronze - 20
• This comp will open at 7.00am on Friday 13th July and will close at commencement of the Opening Ceremony on Friday 27th July (I haven't worked out what time that is yet!).
• The winners will be decided at the end of the Olympics and announced on this blog and contacted by email.
• This competition is open to all readers (though if an international reader wins silver their prize will be substitute).

Since this competition is a guessing game, there will be no bonus points on offer. However, I would absolutely love it if you shared this on Facebook, tweeted about it or did that Google +1 thing (that I don't quite get yet!).

Good luck!

(and just a heads up, there will be another Olympics inspired giveaway in 2 weeks after this one has closed so make sure you check back regularly!).

The Jojoba Company’s 100% Natural Makeup Remover

As I have recently had a baby, I haven't worn makeup in months. At best, I am lucky to manage a shower! However, my mummy uniform of a tracksuit, bare face and occasionally brushed hair was not going to cut it at the Lancôme media briefing I attended last week. I needed a full face of makeup, and neat hair and a pretty outfit - though I brought Kiki along with me so I really could have gone in my mummy uniform as all eyes were on her, anyway. But I didn't, of course! I wore my Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation to the event and this was over my Philosophy The Present Clear Makeup primer. On my eyes I wore colours from my Yaby palette over my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion with NVEY ECO Volumising Mascara on the lashes.

 

I think it was a combination of the primers I used as well as the fact that the makeup I wore was long lasting but it didn't budge all day. That evening I was shattered (big day for me going out on the town...even if it was during the day!) so I had a nice relaxing bath. I couldn't be bothered cleansing so thought that I would just use water to wash my makeup off. Nope. Not a chance. It wasn't going anywhere. That was when I remembered that I had The Jojoba Company’s 100% Natural Makeup Remover to review. I had kind of put it aside as I just wasn't wearing any makeup, and I might have forgotten about it, but here was an opportunity to see just how good it is.

 

What they say: Gently dissolves makeup and surface impurities. A 100% natural jojoba based makeup remover enriched with a nutrient rich blend of natural fruit oils, kiwi, passionfruit, blood orange, musk melon , cranberry and pink grapefruit which also work as natural AHAs to gently remove dead skin cells. It will effectively remove all traces of makeup, leaving your skin clean, deeply hydrated, soft and smooth.

Skin Types: Suitable for all skin types.
Usage: Use at the end of each day to gently dissolve makeup. Apply using a makeup pad and remove as needed. Follow with a cleanser.
Key Ingredients:
Pure Australian Jojoba - antioxidant, rich in Vitamins A, D & E, hydrating
Kiwi Seed Oil - hydrating
Musk Melon - moisturising
Cranberry - anti-aging
Pink Grapefruit Oil - toning, cleansing

 What I say: The Jojoba Company’s 100% Natural Makeup Remover is actually an oil cleanser, so quite different to your typical makeup remover. The Jojoba makeup remover comes in a convenient pump bottle that actually squirts out quite a generous volume of product. As I had some seriously set on makeup to remove, I used plenty of product - three pumps, which covered my face with a decent layer. I then massaged the makeup remover over my entire face, including my eyes. I probably would have massaged it for a good minuted before wiping it off with a face washer soaked in hot water. Unlike oil cleansers that are not all natural, this did not emulsify with water so it couldn't simply be rinsed off with water - the hot face washer was necessary. However, it wasn't particularly difficult to remove - three wipes and my face no longer felt oily. The directions suggested following up with a cleanser but as I mentioned, I was feeling too lazy so I didn't bother. I suspect the cleanser would have ensured that every trace of product was removed, but as it was, all of my makeup was gone - including the Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion which can be bloody tough to remove.

Since I didn't cleanse afterwards, the oils of the makeup remover left my skin feeling moisturised. It wasn't at all tight and was lovely and soft to touch - a vast improvement on your typical makeup remover! Jojoba is incredibly beneficial for your skin, as I have discussed previously, so you can see why this is such a beautiful makeup remover.

The Jojoba Company’s 100% Natural Makeup Remover has very little scent - just the faint nuttiness of jojoba - which I don't find offensive.

The fact that The Jojoba Company’s 100% Natural Makeup Remover was able to remove all of my long wearing makeup with just 1 minute of massaging makes it a winner in my books. I will definitely continue using this every time I wear makeup.

The Jojoba Company’s 100% Natural Makeup Remover is available from The Jojoba Company in a 100ml ($29.95) bottle. As one pump goes a long way a bottle is going to last you quite a while. This link will show you where to find a stockist near you.

All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. This product was provided for consideration.

Hotel toiletries that are actually worth stealing

I don't know about you but every time that I stay in a hotel I am compelled to take all of the toiletries that they provide. I then get home, unpack my wash bag and have a look at my new haul of toiletries only to decide that they are crap and I doubt I'll ever use them, so I end up binning them.

A few years ago something strange happened - the toiletries in hotel I was staying at were actually quite amazing! We were on our first family holiday with The Crazy Kid, who was only 3 months old at the time, and in the mad rush of trying to pack absolutely every baby item we owned I completely forgot to pack any hair or shower products for myself. As I was also travelling with my mother-in-law I just figured that I would borrow her products (or let her buy me some new stuff hehehe - she has three sons so it is my duty to let her buy me beauty products!!). We didn't have time to buy anything on the first day so I had to use the supplied products - some brand called Romy that I hadn't heard of - then the plan was to do a shop the next morning. Well, was I in for a surprise. These products were stunning. The hotel supplied a shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion all fragranced with Eucalyptus and Lemongrass. That combination of essential oils was so uplifting and intoxicating. It was truly stunning. But that wasn't all. The shampoo and conditioner actually left my hair in really good condition. It was soft, manageable and really healthy. Upon returning home I tried to google the brand but couldn't really find anything so kind of forgot about them, until the other day when I saw an article on BeautyDirectory titled From hotels to the home. It was here that I learnt that Romy was expanding from being a line of toiletries found in hotels to one that individuals could also purchase. I was about to be reunited with my beloved Eucalyptus and Lemongrass shampoo and conditioner!

About Romy: Romy is a body care range from the Northern Beaches of Sydney. The products are plant-derived and enriched with aromatherapy oils and natural Australian bush fruit extracts. Romy contains the highest quality ingredients that are good for people and the environment. In addition to the Eucalyptus and Lemongrass range there are also Cinnamon & Cocoa Butter and Lavender & Fir Needle ranges. In each of these ranges are a shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body scrub, lotion, body butter and hand cream. Romy also have a facial skincare range - Kosmetik which has a cleanser, exfoliant, toner, day & night cream and eye serum,.

I now have a whole bevy of Romy products that I will be reviewing over the coming months. I will review the Eucalyptus and Lemongrass shampoo in more detail to see whether it lives up to the wonderful memories I have of it. So far, I have just sniffed the products and they are exactly as I remembered so fingers crossed they are as equally beautiful to use.

Romy can be purchased online from their website.

Have you also discovered any hotel toiletries that are actually any good? Do you compulsively steal hotel toiletries and then never use them?

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

The Science of Beauty has a Facebook Page

I just thought that I would let you all know that I have a Facebook page for The Science of Beauty:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Science-of-Beauty/310943825586832

I find this is the easiest way for me to interact directly with you, especially as I am on Facebook all day uploading pics of The Crazy Kid and Kiki (and stalking people I used to go to school with!).

I am using my Facebook page to not only post links to my articles but any beauty article that I have found interesting plus news of releases and giveaways from companies that I love.

I would love it if you liked my page. If you write or come across any articles that you think are interesting, please post them on the wall!


What would you like to see either on The Science of Beauty or on The Science of Beauty's Facebook page? (if your answer is more giveaways then what would you like to win?)

The risks you take when buying grey market cosmetics

I mentioned the other day that I attended a Lancôme media briefing. Whilst I was there, a few of us had an informal chat about grey market cosmetics and it really was quite eye opening so I thought that I might share some of what we talked about with you.

What are grey market cosmetics? These are cosmetics that are legally sold through unauthorised distribution channels. It does not necessarily mean that the product is fake; however, as the distributor has not been authorised by the manufacturer the authenticity cannot be guaranteed. The best known grey market cosmetics distributor would have to be Strawberry Net. Others include some of the larger sellers on eBay or discount stores (as opposed to department stores) such as Chemist Warehouse.

What are the risks? The main risk is that you have no idea whether the product you have bought is in fact genuine, or if it is genuine, just how fresh it actually is. Lancôme bar code all of their products so that they can be traced throughout the distribution chain. There have been times when they have tried to trace back the origins of a product purchased on the grey market to find out which distributors were responsible for the products ending up on the grey market only to find that the bar code did not correspond with any of theirs. So, in this case, the products were fakes.

If the products are fakes then you have absolutely no idea what is in them so you are putting yourself at risk of a reaction to the product as it is unlikely the ingredients have been tested for safety. Best case scenario you have wasted your money on a product that does not do what it claims. Worst case - you have a severe reaction to dodgy ingredients.

As I mentioned, not all products on the grey market are fake. Some find their way there by being bought in countries where the product is cheaper (either for full retail or wholesale prices), then on sold at a profit to countries where the product is more expensive. In these cases, the products are genuine but you have no way of knowing how old the products are or whether they have been stored correctly. Storage at incorrect temperatures can cause cosmetics to greatly deteriorate. Before I understood the concept of grey market products I bought some Estee Lauder skincare from a cheap online site. When they arrived, the packaging all looked genuine; however, when I went to use the products they had separated and there was an oily residue on the top with the cream below looking curdled. I suspect that this was either old stock or it had been stored at excessive temperatures though I really have no idea what as in that jar.

The big companies hate the grey market distributors and it is not just because they cut into their profits. These grey market distributors can really affect the reputations of the big brands by selling products that are inferior that the consumer believes are genuine. Say a beauty blogger buys a much hyped skincare item from StrawberryNet or any other grey market distributor and finds that it does nothing for them, or worse they react to it. They might then blog that the product is a load of crap and not worth the hype. So their readers then think 'Ok, I am definitely not going to waste my money on that one'. The bad review is then on the net forever for anyone to google when in reality the 'load of crap' product is probably not even genuine.

Now, I am not saying to not look for bargains online as no-one likes to pay full price. However, you really should do you research to find out whether the supplier you are buying from is an authorised distributor - often it will say so on the website. If it isn't, ask yourself is it worth the risk and if it is then don't be disappointed if it doesn't perform as expected as you really do get what you pay for.


What are your thoughts on discount cosmetic retailers? Worth the bargain or too risky? Have you ever been burnt by a non-genuine product?


All opinions stated in this blog are my own and I received no remuneration for my comments

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation

I mentioned on my Facebook Page that I was off to a Lancôme event, yesterday. It was a media briefing for two new products that are being released shortly - Visionnaire LR 2412 Correcting Polishing Cream (which is being released in Australia on July 29th) and the Gentifique Yeux Light-Pearl Eye-Illuminating Youth Activator (being released in September 16th). The science behind both these products is really interesting and I will be sharing it with you closer to their release dates, but one super exciting thing that I can tell you is that these products are being released in Asia Pacific first which means that for once we will be the first ones to get our hands on a new product!  In the interim I thought that I would review my Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation.

Time and time again I have found myself disappointed with the foundation I was wearing. I would always see models wearing foundation in magazines and it looked flawless yet, whenever I tried it, I found that it was noticeable on my skin and I hated that. I wanted my skin to appear perfect but also look natural - not caked in make up. I had virtually come to the conclusion that the perfect foundation did not exist - that what I had seen in magazines was air brushing magic and not reality (and here is my rant on airbrushing if you missed it!). Well, it seems that I have been proven wrong! Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation is amazing. It leaves my skin flawless. Not as flawless as an airbrushed magazine, obviously, but it is so natural looking that my husband didn't even notice that I was wearing foundation when he got home from work.

What they say:

24-hour wear for divine, lasting perfection Following 8 years of research, Lancôme unveils its first 24-hour wear foundation for lasting perfection. With its new EternalSoft technology, Teint Idole Ultra 24H defeats all challenges. Complexion stays perfectly flawless and unified. Never cakey.

24-hour divine comfort In perfect affinity with the skin, Teint Idole Ultra 24H is irresistibly comfortable. Its new, blendable and fresh texture leaves the complexion perfectly smooth, velvety matte with no powdery effect.

Result The full coverage you need – flaws, pores, redness and all imperfections visibly disappear. The velvety finish you love for 24-hour lasting perfection and comfort. Full coverage. Velvety matte finish with no powdery effect.

Oil-free. Fragrance-free. Transfer-free. Non-comedogenic. Tested on sensitive skin. Tested under dermatological control. Patent pending.
                                                                                           

What I say: This foundation did not feel heavy at all. In fact, it did not feel like I had any foundation on at all - yet the coverage was quite high. I have some patches of pigmentation that really irk me - and these were made worse by the fact that I was pregnant and went to Hawaii - the pregnancy pigmentation was quite bad this time around and was quite noticeable. Not when I am wearing this foundation. I am actually quite shocked at how it can feel so light yet offer such good coverage.
 
It is a liquid foundation and at first it felt a little difficult to apply - however, on this first attempt I used my fingers to apply it and it just didn't seem to spread well. I then tried applying it with the Lancôme Foundation Brush 03 and it still looked a tad streaky. However, once I had set it with some powder (I used Guerlain, Meteorites Pearls), it was complete and utter perfection - there was not a hint of streakiness - just an even, perfect complexion. So, once I was used to it, application was actual very easy.

The foundation came in a glass pump bottle which was very luxurious. I suppose the packaging doesn't make it easy to carry around with you during the day, but in all honesty I never really carry my foundation on me - just some powder to blot the shinies away - so this was not an issue for me. At any rate, the foundation claims to last 24 hours so why would you need to carry it with you! I never took it for the full 24 hour test drive but after a good 10 hours of wear, my skin still looked amazing - very, very impressive. It didn't look as good as freshly applied but with any other foundation I have tried, after about 5 hours it has all but vanished so this was a massive improvement.

I have quite oily skin and when I first applied this, it looked and felt oily on my skin for a good couple of minutes. I was actually a tad disappointed. Even after I applied my powder it still felt a little sticky. I then had a few things to do so left the bathroom, pottered around, then happened to run my hand over my face. The foundation had completely settled into my skin and there was not even the slightest hint of oiliness. By the end of a full day's wear I am a tiny bit shiny but the foundation hadn't budged which is a massive improvement on any other foundation that I had previously tried.

Colourwise, I ended up going with 03 - Beige Diaphane and this colour had both the golden tones that I have in my skin but it also had pinky tones which was very true to my skin tone. I also trialled 035 which is very very similar to 03 but without the subtle pinky tones so it ends up looking a tad too yellow on my skin. I could easily get away with this shade in the summer but think that it would be a tad too golden for me in winter while I think 03 would work beautifully for me year around. You can see below how natural the foundation looks on my skin.

I can honestly say that I have found my Holy Grail foundation and will most definitely purchase this again in the future.

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation retails at $68 and the Lancôme Foundation Brush 03 for $72 can both be purchased from Myers, DJ's and selected pharmacies.

Have you discovered your HG foundation and if so what is it?

All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with Lancome and received no remuneration for my comments. The dfoundation and brush were provided to me by Beauty Heaven to review as part of their Trial Team.

How to know which foundation colour from any brand best suits your skintone

These days, especially with the Aussie dollar going so strongly, I find myself doing more and more of my beauty shopping online. However, there is one thing that I find near impossible to buy online and that is foundation. Unless I have bought the brand before, I can never work out what colour I need. In fact, I can barely get it right even when I trial it in store. I find the names given to foundation shades to be useless - my skin isn't porcelain, or sand or beige - so I end up sticking to couple of tried and tested brands rather than trying new ones.

 Well, I have some awesome news for every person who has been too scared to buy a foundation online, a solution to your foundation woes. Findation.com is a website that will recommend foundation colours based on the colours of foundations you currently wear. From the website:

How does this work?

People like you, all over the world, tell us what foundation colors they use. We then use an algorithm (=fancy math stuff) to figure out what colors are similar, across different brands and products.

For best results:

• Only tell us colors that are a good match for your skin. Would you buy that same color again? If not, don’t enter it.
• Don’t guess, if you can’t remember exactly which color you used. Go check the packaging just to make sure!
• If you’ve worn two different shades in the same foundation before (e.g. one in summer and another in winter), just tell us the one that is the best match for your skin for most of the year.
• If you only tell us your matches in sheer coverage foundations or tinted moisturisers, we may not be able to give you a perfect match in a full coverage foundation.

I decided to give it a try. I have only found two foundations in which I have been really happy with the match - Napoleon Perdis Camera Finish in Look 1 and Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation in 03 Beige Daphane (so my skin is beige after all!). I entered these into the website and it spat out 46 foundations that would be suitable, each one with a percentage indicating hw good the match is. Below is a couple of foundations it picked out for me.

This website is currently in Beta mode so what we all need to do is enter in as many foundations as we can that are great matches to our skin. The more people who enter colours, the more accurate the results will end up being.

This is an absolutely genius idea that I can't believe no one has thought of sooner. The founder of Findation.com is Kate Morris, who is also the founder of Adore Beauty. She obviously has had to deal with many frustrated customers who had been unable to work out which foundation colour to choose.

So, what you need to do now is to go to Findation.com and enter in all the foundation brands and colours that you wear. Not only will you get a selection of suitable suggestions to try, you will also be helping create one of the most valuable online beauty tools!


Once you have entere your shades, let me know what suggestions it has come up with you.


So, are you as excited about this as I am?