Precious Memories: Captura Photography Photo Shoot!

I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Hannah Grant from Captura Photography, a professional Adelaide-based Photographer. Hannah takes the most gorgeous photographs (specialising in Weddings), so I jumped at the chance when she offered me a photo shoot. We don't have any professional photos of our seven year old son, Zach, so this was the perfect opportunity for an experienced and talented photographer to capture some precious memories of our only child.

These beautiful pictures (which I am SO happy with, by the way!) were taken at Wittunga Botanic Garden in Blackwood, which provided an ideal backdrop. Zach had a whole heap of fun and Hannah made him feel very comfortable and at ease. She was all about capturing natural moments, and encouraged him to play and tell jokes, to bring out his playful and cheeky side. Hannah was lovely to work with; very friendly, accommodating and professional. I'd highly recommend her if you have an upcoming Wedding, special event, or would even like some gorgeous family photos that you can treasure forever!

You can check out more of Hannah's work at Captura Photography.
You can also like the Facebook page.
Hannah Grant can be contacted via hannah@captura.com.au or 0477 901 128

A huge thanks to Hannah for these stunning photos. I'll be framing a few to adorn our walls, and my Dad might be getting a nice surprise featuring his Grandson as his Birthday gift this year!

A picture's worth a thousand words.....

Disclaimer: This photo shoot was provided free of charge in exchange for a feature on Max The Unicorn blog. This is a not a sponsored post and all thoughts are my honest opinion.

Lush Goodies from the 50% Off Boxing Day Sale!

I know it seems like all I do is blog haul posts lately, but rest assured I have some interesting content coming up that has nothing to do with me buying shit! But for now, the Lush half price Boxing Day sale. Anyone remember? It was a while back. I can never resist bagging myself a bargain and eagerly anticipate the Lush goodies I'll be getting at a steal in their infamous Boxing Day sale. Completely true to form, I went straight for the shower gels and soaps. I was so excited to grab a few I'd never tried before. Here's what I got!

Rose Jam shower gel
So White shower gel
Hot Toddy shower gel
Sexy Peel soap
Bohemian soap
Sultana of Soap
Porridge soap
Yog Nog soap
Mask of Magnaminty Cleanser (free sample)

Rose Jam is a truly beautiful, very feminine scent! I love smelling like fresh roses, and this is one of my favourite Lush shower gels. I've talked about it before in A Merry Lush Christmas and Celebrate Christmas Cruelty-Free With Lush. It's Limited Edition and only available at Christmas.

I finally got my hands on So White, a 'sumptuous, shimmering shower gel as pure as the driven snow'. It smells like apples; fresh, crisp and clean! I'm giving So White a big thumbs up. It's as good as I thought it would be. Again, this one's only available at Christmas time.

I haven't tried Hot Toddy yet, but it smells very spicy, and I love the deep red hue. Obviously another product from their Christmas range.

Lush are more than happy to include free samples with your instore order, so always be sure to ask! I was interested in their cleansers, and ended up getting a sample of Mask of Magnaminty. This is listed as both a cleanser and a mask on the Lush site and is described both ways, so I'm confused! I think it's a 'cleansing mask'. Anyway it smells minty and refreshing. I applied it as a mask, waited a while then washed it off in the shower, rubbing it in as I did, since it contains evening primrose seeds to exfoliate dead skin cells. I'm really liking this one.

I'll go through the soaps from bottom to top because I'm a rebellious rule-breaker like that....

Bohemian soap is a square of lemony, invigorating goodness which has yet to encourage my creative streak to realise my masterwork, despite Lush's claim on their site. It's gonna take more than a lump of zesty soap to accomplish that, goddammit!

Sexy Peel is another citrusy-scented revitalizer, with lemon, lime and grapefruit ingredients designed to WAKE YOU UP. How much do I love citrus scents? A lot. The answer is a lot.

Sultana of Soap has been living in my fridge for a month because it's a delicate, melty motherfucker that barely lasted the length of the photoshoot. I jest (but it did start softening in my hands, and I was worried I'd only get three goes at it in the shower before it melted away). However, it's a lot more resilient than my last bar, and I still have the majority of it left. I LOVE the rich creaminess of this luxurious soap and the scent is divine. It has currents and chopped apricot pieces in it!

I have yet to try Porridge soap but it looks like another creamy one, contains oats and orange juice and is meant to be good for sensitive skin. Bring it!

Yog Nog soap (a Christmas product) is the most exciting to look at, with a decorative, patterned top encrusted with festive spices and containing moisturizing soya yoghurt. It smells amazing and I'm glad I got a huge chunk. Can't wait to try this one!

Disclaimer: All products were purchased with my own money. All thoughts here are my honest opinion.

Thoughts on my Priceline 40% Off SkinCare Haul!

Ugh. I swore I wouldn't do it. I tweeted that I need more skincare like I need another Kim Kardashian ass photo (not at all). But then it happened anyway. Le sigh. I just bought all these Alpha-H skincare goodies, too.  I'm addicted to beauty and cannot resist a sale. Especially a 40% off one, godammit!

This is the worst photo ever. I'm SO sorry.

Skin Doctors Eyecircle
I have high hopes for this, because the Skin Doctors Eyetuck is amazing and has drastically improved my eyebags. Now it's time to attack those pesky dark circles. PLEASE WORK!

Olay Total Effects Day Cream
This is my everyday moisturiser. I've used it for years, it doesn't break me out and it gives me great results. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes (Original)
I never use Facial Wipes on my face, because I'm paranoid my skin will react badly and I'll break out. These will sit beside my makeup organiser and be used to remove eyeshadow from my fingertips and any other errant makeup during application. They'll also be great for removing lipstick swatches and eyeliner lines on my hands and arms.

Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes (Aloe Vera)
I'm not gonna lie. I'll be using these to freshen up on hot days. And by 'freshen up' I mean I'll be using these fuckers on my vadge and under my boobies. As you do. LOL. Sorry.

Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer
I'm a Jergens virgin, so what a fantastic opportunity to try this much-hyped brand. This smells great and I hope it makes me glow like J.Lo. The tube says "3 days to glow" so no pressure or anything, Jergens. Mind you it also says "see color results fast" AND "gradually creates flawless natural-looking color" so I'm slightly confused.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+
Another hugely hyped product in beauty circles, so to say I'm excited to try this is a huge understatement. Everyone loves this. It's supposed to unclog blocked pores, fight against marks and correct the appearance of imperfections. Sounds great to me, bring it on.

Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm
This will be my second jar of "one of the world's most loved lip balms" and it is amazing. It tingles slightly on application and is seriously the most moisturising, nourishing balm ever. If I get dry, chapped lips I always reach for my Carmex to fix it pretty damn quickly.

Palmers Cocoa Butter Lip Balm (Dark Chocolate & Mint)
Full disclosure: I needed a product to get me over the $100 mark so I qualified for free delivery and this product was cheap and did the job. I just bought a Korres Lip Butter (in Mango), plus the Carmex one..... I do not need another lip balm. I will give this one to my husband.

Models Prefer Soft Touch Mineral Powder (Photo Ready)
What's that you say? This isn't skincare? Right you are! However, have you heard the news? The Models Prefer Soft Touch Mineral Powders are apparently a dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders! THIS EXCITES ME! I've been wanting an Hourglass Ambient Powder for ages, but I'm too lazy to get my shiny Kim K butt into town to swatch them (not to mention a notorious cheapskate). Of course I used this immediately, and am very impressed. Obviously I haven't tried the Hourglass for direct comparison, but I love how the Models Prefer one blurs my imperfections and gives me an airbrushed-type finish. I seriously can't see my pores once I've applied this. Also, $59 versus $16.99. Enough said.


I'd love to see your Priceline skincare hauls! Link them up in the comments below!

Mani: Blossom Fever with Added Sparkle!

Products Used:
Ulta3 nail colour in Blossom Fever
BYS nail enamel in Million Dollar Baby

For this manicure I wanted a nude look, but with a bit of sparkle, so I used my new Ulta3 Blossom Fever nail colour, with two coats of BYS Million Dollar Baby over the top. I am so drawn to Million Dollar Baby, I have to stop myself from applying it over every polish I wear. It looks amazing in the bottle, but when you apply it, the small and large gold glitter pieces are actually few and far between, so I usually find myself adding another coat just to get my desired level of sparkle. Unfortunately, capturing the true effect of sparkly glitter in a photo is really hard to do, so some of these photos don't do it justice!*

Blossom Fever by itself

* are crap!