Beauty – Glowco

The Mascara Low Down

Mascara is an absolute beauty essential. We all use it and love it. Let’s face it, we are always on the look out for the next best thing. Here are my top 5 mascara facts.

It doesn’t last forever

Eyelashes naturally have bacteria in them, and overtime double dipping our mascara wands even in our own products can multiply this bacteria and cause serious eye infections and allergic reactions. Most mascara’s will expire after 3 months so make sure you replenish your products regularly.

Taking it off

Leaving mascara on over night can cause you lashes to weaken and break. Pieces of mascara can land in your eyes and cause redness, irritation and even scratch the eye. I always take my mascara off gently with an oil-based cleanser specific for the eye area.

ECO BY SONYA GLORY OIL works really well too!

Moisturising your lashes

Eyelashes are just tiny hairs and should be treated with as much care as the hairs on your head. Using a lash conditioner under mascara or as a night time treatment will help prevent breakage and promote long thick healthy lashes for life.

Try jane iredale’s PURELASH® LASH EXTENDER & CONDITIONER

Try brown mascara

I love brown mascara on particular skin tones for a softer look. It works really well on mature faces and teenagers. Black can sometimes look too harsh.

Brown is a neutral colour and will make your iris’s appear brighter, particularly if you have blue or green eyes.

Blondes, red heads or fair skin tones look great with brown mascara too.

Try the shade espresso in jane iredale’s LONGEST LASH THICKENING AND LENGTHENING MASCARA

Waterproof mascara for everyday

I try an avoid waterproof mascara, but from time to time I will use it when I know I am going swimming or have a special occasion on a hot humid day.

If I am going on a beach holiday I will usually tint my lashes and then I can skip mascara all together. But tinting is also a beauty service you want to limit because of the synthetic dyes. It’s all about balance right 🙂

Using waterproof mascara everyday will weaken your lashes, dry them out and cause breakage. The removal alone can cause a lot of strain on both your eyelashes and the delicate skin around your eyes. If you wear contacts, you will probably ruin them by wearing waterproof mascara because you simply wont be able to remove the mascara residue on the lens.

The ingredients in chemical based waterproof mascaras are some of the harshest found in cosmetics. Eeeekkk!!!

Common ingredients to avoid include: Carbon Black, ethanolamine compounds, BAK, Formaldehyde, Aluminum powder, Retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate, coal tar dyes and synthetic fragrance!!

What I’m currently using –

jane iredale’s LONGEST LASH THICKENING AND LENGTHENING MASCARA

If you like your lashes looking natural but still long and ‘fluffy’ this mascara is for you.
It’s packaged in a squeezable tube with a high-quality, jumbo sized hollow fibre brush.
It’s also brilliant if you have sensitive eyes.

Let me know what you are using in the comments below?

Milly xx

Mum Beauty Hack # 1 (Face Tan Water)

I’ve been using a new skincare product, which is a serious time saving, skin boosting game changer!! It’s an Aussie organic brand, and multi award winning. I am honestly not surprised because it’s the best!!

I am talking about Eco Tans Face Tan Water. Basically this is a toner with gradually building tanning ingredients. The texture is a liquid and I use it with a face pad. I work it all over the face, working it up into the hairline, around the ears, neck and décolletage. It is recommended to use this product 2 or 3 times a week to achieve a natural golden complexion, but it is really up to you to decide the level of colour your like. It dries almost instantly and then you can apply your moisturiser over the top.

What I love is that this is a skincare product filled with nourishing organic ingredients such as Aloe Vera, which is soothing and conditioning and natural Hyaluronic Acid, which hydrates and holds water in the skin. It works for all skin types and skin tones even if you have sensitive skin, acne, rosacea or eczema. There are no nasties in this product too.

I started using it for 4 days in a row, and now I can maintain my tan only using it 3 times a week. To wake up with a little bit more colour is awesome, and it really could replace your foundation if you like a natural makeup look.

Thanks for reading, Milly xx

Herbalism and Skincare

Hey Team ,

I want to introduce you to Herbal Hiraeth, a new brand I discovered this month!!

I began following Candice O’Shannessy the owner on Facebook. I love watching her informative videos on natural eco conscious skin care that is formulated with herbal remedies. Since then I have tried a few of her products and they are amazing!!!

She really is the new herbal skin care guru and I just had to learn more. So Candice was kind enough to contribute a write up on her brand and skincare philosophies for our Glowco blog. I have no doubt you will enjoy the read…

What is a herbalist?

Hi, I’m Candice the founder and creator behind Herbal Hiraeth. I am a qualified Herbalist and Skincare Formulator. One question I get asked a lot is what is a Herbalist?

An Herbalist is one who studies and practices herbal medicine, it is the study and use of herbs and botanics to improve health, wellbeing, promote healing, and prevent and treat illness. I utilise herbal healing through many parts of my life from skincare to first aid to relaxation, illness and everyday aliments.

Even my partner who was sceptic at first now wouldn’t even think twice about reaching for a packet of paracetamol when he has a headache instead he asks for a cup of headache tea!

What inspired your business?

I was always fascinated with using herbs and plants for healing and remedies, quite often I felt like I was born in the wrong time, I feel very connected to the old healing ways when our ancestors found their remedies to colds, flus and skin issues and collected their food all from their backyard, along streams and in the wild. This is where Hiraeth comes from, pronounced as HEAR-eth. A welsh word describing the nostalgia and yearning for lost places or memories of the past. Herbal Hiraeth represents the souls longing to the herbal connection it once knew, the ancient wisdom of healing from herbs and the earth, hidden within our history and souls.

My journey with herbalism and herbal skincare started many years ago when my beautiful dog Lilo developed severe skin allergies and I myself developed a range of skin issues. Of course my main focus was on Lilo first so after trialling everything under the sun, spending thousands on vet bills and not finding anything that worked without harmful side effects I turned towards Herbalism, I formally began studying and still continually study to this day to further my knowledge. I developed a wholesome herbal approach to Lilo’s skin, after commencing this within two weeks she had significant improvements and a month later she no longer had skin issues and continuing this approach she lives an extremely happy playful and skin issue free life!

I then went on to studying natural skincare formulation formally and developed herbal skincare remedies for my own and my families skin which had incredible results especially with my own and friends acne!

I had friends of friends asking me to make them products for acne, skin pigmentation, flaky dry skin, oily skin and the products I developed had such wonderful reviews, I then decided to begin selling them. I also felt more in tuned with nature and grounded using natural products made from botanics that were also eco-friendly. I launched Herbal Hiraeth in 2018 to bring the herbal connection to everyday lives.

What skincare ingredients should we try and avoid?

One of the greatest gifts I learnt from all my studies was the ability to read and understand cosmetic labels and ingredients and I think it is so important to completely understand exactly what you are putting on your skin. Up to 60% of what we put on our skin can be absorbed into our bodies, with many toxic ingredients in many common and big brand skincare products, we are putting our health at risk. Below are a few common harsh ingredients that should be avoided –

DEA (diethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine) – are chemicals that when combined with other ingredients, produce known carcinogens;
Phtalates – are hormone disruptors used to carry synthetic fragrance in perfumes and skincare. This can be hidden as “parfum”, “fragrance” or “perfume” on labels;
Fragrance/Parfum/Perfume – cosmetic labelling allows synthetic fragrances and preservatives to be labelled as parfum if under a certain percentage therefore always be cautious when you see this listed. Many toxic ingredients are used as fragrances, causing everything from skin reactions, headaches, depression and vomiting;
PEG (Polyethylene Glycol) – Potential carcinogen;
Urea – is quickly absorbed into the body, bringing other chemicals in the product along with it, it can cause dermatitis and contains formaldehyde a known carcinogen.

Therefore even if a product is labelled as “natural” it is always wise to check the ingredients list to be absolutely aware of what you are putting on your skin.

Do you feel a connection between daily rituals and skincare?

Skincare to me is a part of a self-care and self-love ritual that I practice each day, it allows me to wash away the day’s stressors and take a moment to practice mindfulness. When I developed the Herbal Hiraeth range, the essential oils and herbs chosen had a twofold purpose one for the skin loving benefits and the other for the grounding aroma they had, a few of my favourites are lavender, roman chamomile, frankincense and geranium. The range is earthy and grounding to connect us with our natural world that we are so often neglected from in our busy day to day hectic lives, it re-establishes that connection to nature, and for a moment you can enjoy the pure peace and relaxation it offers. By practicing self-care, we can significantly improve our well-being. Well-being dramatically affects our mental health and our ability to handle stress.

Can you let us in on one of your DIY beauty recipes?

There are many DIY options you can make to practice self-love in a beauty routine! One of my favourites is a DIY Formula for a Tranquil Herbal Bath Tea!

This Bath Tea recipe is extremely nourishing and soothing especially for dry skin, it is gentle enough for all skin types including children. The aroma of lavender is relaxing and grounding to sit back and enjoy and be nourished by nature. You can experiment with other skin loving herbs as well such as chamomile, calendula, rose petals, just be sure to use organic herbs to avoid the contamination of pesticides in your bath!

Thanks so much Candice!!!

What an incredible business and story…

check out her website here www.herbalhiraeth.com.au

Milly xx

Hemp The Wonder Crop

I first discovered and learnt about Hemp based products when I worked at The Body Shop who has been championing it since 1992. The Body Shop has always been such a pioneering business influencing so many of us charging forward in this clean beauty movement.

Yes, hemp is the same species that is used to produce the drug cannabis, but a non-psychoactive variety of hemp produces beautifully rich hydrating oil. It is seriously a wonder crop!

Hemp is the most moisturising and conditioning oil known to humankind. Once applied it will create a barrier on the surface of the skin to prevent moisture loss without clogging the pores. It helps with skin conditions including psoriasis, acne, eczema and dermatitis. Hemp has incredible anti aging, anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties too!

Basically Hemp seed oil is a beauty sensation because of its high ratio of essential fatty acids Omega 3, 6 and 9.

My top 3 favourite Hemp facts (un-beauty related)

Hemp is four times more effective at capturing CO2 than trees.
Hemp can be grown as a renewable source for raw materials that can be incorporated into thousands of products (eg. ropes for sailing ships, textiles, clothing, insulation, paper, cardboard, biofuel, ethanol, biodegradable plastic.) The whole crop can be used producing less waste whilst reducing our carbon footprint.
Hemp doesn’t require much water, grows quickly and farmers don’t need to spray the crop with pesticide as it is resistant to pests.

Product Review –

I came across a new skincare brand called ‘Hempme’ and being a supporter of anything Hemp related I wanted to give it a go.

They have developed an incredible nourishing all-natural, certified organic face cream made in Australia. It is great for sensitive skin too!

The face cream is packed in a biodegradable tube to ensure a low environmental impact, and their product is animal cruelty free too.

I am so excited to see where this brand goes as they develop more products.

www.hempme.com.au

Milly xx

Faking the Glow with 1 month to go

I full heartedly know how blessed I am to be carrying this little miracle that is almost fully grown inside of me. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t pinch myself and feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Frustratingly I still battle with body confidence at times. I’ve had to practice a bit of self-love in the mirror and try with all my might to ‘master my mean girl’ (read Melissa Ambrosini’s book) attempting to warn off hateful thoughts around my bloated appearance, varicose veins, broken capillaries, dark under eye circles, skin pigmentation, acne, and a pale anaemic completion… It’s fair to say that despite what my incredible partner, friends and family say I don’t feel like I’ve got the ‘GLOW’.

Luckily I can fake it! I’ll share my 5-minute easy pregnancy look with you all. It’s my go to at the moment, and gives me more confidence to face the day and just get on with more important things.

This look uses 100% Jane Iredale mineral makeup products, I loooooveee this brand. It’s clean, nontoxic, cruelty free and doesn’t irritate my skin. Their foundation collection is exceptional catering to all skin types and concerns. They offer an extensive range of products, so you can pretty much create any look you like.

Base

Smooth Affair Primer ‘Normal Skin’

This is an anti ageing skin brightener, it disguises pores and wrinkles and makes your makeup go on more easily and it will last longer too. I use a pea size amount and apply with my fingertips.

Dream Tint ‘Medium’ mixed with Liquid Minerals Foundations ‘Radiant’

Mix a drop of each and apply in circular motions with fingertips. This combination is amazing. The Dream Tint contains SPF 15. It’s hydrating, lightweight and water-resistant. Liquid minerals is a treatment serum with pigment that provides sheer to medium coverage, it makes your skin look plumped and fresh. It contains active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin c and Coenzyme Q10. These ingredients prevent skin water loss, rebuild collagen and fight free radicals.

Pure Pressed Powder ‘Radiant’

I just apply a little powder with a clean soft powder brush on my pigmentation and through my t zone for extra coverage. I love this powder because it’s made from micronised minerals, free of synthetic chemicals, oil free and weightless. It won’t dry out the skin like other pressed powders and contains SPF 20.

Eyes

Active Light concealer ‘No. 3’

I use a little of this under my eyes to brighten and minimise dark circles, redness and puffiness. It contains cucumber extract, white tea leaf extract, and avocado oil to sooth the skin.

Lash Conditioner

One coat adds thickness and length to your lashes and conditions them at the same time

Longest Lash ‘Black’

This is a great non irritating mascara. It will thicken and lengthen your lashes. It’s packaged in a squeezable tube and a great jumbo size brush.

Retractable Brow Pencil (Blonde)

A groomed brow really helps frame the face. I feel this is one of the most important makeup steps not to skip. This retractable pen is very precise so you can draw hair-like strokes onto your brows creating a natural look. It is also long wearing and waterproof.

Lips

Lip Service ‘Flirt’

This is incredibly moisturising, protective pink tinted lip balm. Contains SPF 15

2. Lip and Cheek Stain ‘Forever Peach’

This adds gloss, and is the most gorgeous summery colour.

Cheeks

Lip and Cheek Stain ‘Forever Peach’

If I can use a product twice on the face I will (money and time saving), this will brighten up your cheeks, and give them a dewy look.

2. So bronze ‘2’

This is a highlighter and bronzer in 1. I use the bronzer shade under my cheek bones to create more definition, and then I apply a little bit of the highlighter on the highs of my cheek bones and the top of my nose.

Milly xx