I’m going to tell you about something quite fun that happened some time last week. I woke up with a rash on my elbow and was quite alarmed – I never experience rashes, so I decided to schedule an appointment with my doctor. I had also been troubled with severely dry lips, not to the extent that they actually looked chapped or anything, but it felt like I had french kissed the Sahara! I went to the doctor, showed him my arm – and also remembered to tell him about my forehead, which has been bugging me for just about forever. Because of my situation I don’t drink as much as I’m supposed to, so I’ve always assumed that was the reason why my skin had been acting up over the last years. My doctor glanced at my forehead – yes, he glanced – and told me that I’m suffering from something called Seborrhoeic Dermatitis. It sounds pretty scary and I’m sure it can be a horrible disease, but in my case it shows itself in the form of a tiny rash mainly concentrated along my hairline, on my forehead and above my eyebrows. He gave me a prescription for a cream, and told me that the rash on my elbow was triggered by the warm weather and would go away by itself.

I’ve now been using the prescribed cream for a week – naturally according to the doctor’s orders, and my skin has never looked as good as it does now! Seriously. I thought it might have been my imagination, but I actually saw a huge improvement after only three days, and the best thing? It isn’t itching anymore. As with most medical treatments there are possible side affects to this cream – and some of them are quite scary, so I didn’t want to use it for my lips. By using Google I found a product from Eau Thermale Avène called Cold Cream Lip Cream, and picked it up at the local apothecary. It’s nothing less than awesome! It’s intended for severe dryness, and it’s incredibly long-lasting.

I’m a little bummed out that I managed to ruin my summer tan by scratching my forehead sore, because I now have a few areas with a different coloration. Oh well, if it suddenly starts to bother me it can always be fixed with a little foundation. I don’t believe I’m saying this, but if that rash hadn’t appeared on my elbow, I might never have found the cause of my problems – and it could have gotten a lot worse.

In the middle of April Mr. Postman delivered a package from LoveLula, and one of the items inside was the Apple & Pears Calendula Lip Balm. Since my lips tend to get dry and sore very easily I’m always on the lookout for a good lip balm, and I’m kinda picky about the scent. The first impression of this cute little jar was very good. It’s made of glass as far as I can determine, and it’s got a screw on lid with the imprint of a bee. Why a bee, you might ask? Because the products from Apple & Pears are natural bee remedies, made from only the best honey and beeswax.

I said that I would try to write a review of my Apple & Pears Calendula Lip Balm, and I’ve now been using it almost every day since I received it with good results.

A soothing blend of sweet yellow beeswax, organic calendula infused oil and sea buckthorn oil, to heal and protect dry lips. Essential oils of citrus fruit fight infection and give this balm a zesty flavour.

Ingredients: *Jojoba Oil, *Castor Oil, Yellow Beeswax, *Shea Butter, *Sesame Oil, *Calendula Infused Oil, *Carrot Infused Oil, *Cocoa Butter, Honey, *Sea Buckthorn Oil, *Lecithin, and a healing blend of Citrus Essential Oils.

*certified organic

Ever since I was a little girl I have been taught that bees can do wonders, and that their honey and beeswax can work miracles on a sick body. Bee remedies have a quite distinct scent to them, and personally I’m not very fond of it. I don’t like the taste of honey either, but I use it for medicinal purpose from time to time. And it works.

The jar contains 5 ml of lip balm, and cost £9.25 or about 84,- NOK with today’s exchange rate, and can be ordered from LoveLula.
It comes in three different varieties: Calendula Lip Balm for sore and dry lips, Wild Rose Tint Lip Balm for daily protection and Beeswax Organic Lip Balm for sensitive lips.

The Verdict:
During my constant search for a lip balm that actually does something for my lips, I came across this cute little glass jar. I’m not a big fan of these jars you have to put your finger into to get the product out, but I decided that it couldn’t be left untried. I’m also having a hard time describing its scent, but the best I can do would be something like citrus, Calendula and beeswax – and to me it has absolutely no flavor. It also feels kinda oily on the lips, probably as it melts with your body heat, and gives a nice sheen to your lips. Since I don’t really like the feeling it leaves on my lips, I usually put it on straight before bedtime – that way I wake up with a soft pout.

I’m not giving this lip balm a full score. This is mainly because of the underlying scent of beeswax, but also because I absolutely hate sticking my fingers directly into the product. If you don’t mind these two things, and can get past the somewhat oily feeling this lip balm leaves on your lips, it’s indeed a wonderful product!

For more information, visit Apple & Pears.

It seems like this volcanic eruption is causing a lot of trouble, stopping all air traffic due to the ash floating in from Iceland. To me it seems a bit scary, and on the news they’re saying that it might last for months and even years to come. As if the air isn’t polluted enough already? The whole thing is making me think of the Fimbul Winter and the following of Ragnarök, the end of the world. Being completely shallow I’m irritated that this affects the mail system as well, as most of the mail is shipped from A to B by air. I’m not so worried about my two expected packages, but I’m also waiting for an important letter, and the sooner it arrives, the better.

Mr. Postman also decided to stop by today, and left me a package from LoveLula. I ordered three items from them on March 24th, it was shipped the same day, and arrived today – 19 working days later. Quite long, if you ask me. Many years ago my parents, or rather my mom, sold organic health products from Helios. She also sold some skincare products from Weleda, and all I remember is the wonderful scents of these products. When I stumbled upon LoveLula, I was thrilled to rediscover Weleda. Since I didn’t have any facial cleansing products – no, I don’t use a ton of expensive skincare products every day and I still have nice skin, go figure – I decided to go ahead and order their Wild Rose Cleansing Lotion and matching Facial Toner. Some might say that these products has got a quite strong scent, but I like it and it smells exactly as I remember it from back in the days. The scent is fresh, somewhat floral with a touch of rose, but not overpowering in any way. If you don’t like scented products, then stay away.

The WIld Rose series from Weleda also includes moisture cream, day cream, night cream, intensive eye cream, intensive facial masque, intensive facial oil, deodorant, body wash, body lotion and body oil – a little something for every need. I chose to buy only two of their products, as I’ve found love with “Ice Cream Time” moisturizer from Make Up Store. It works for me, so I’m sticking with it. Fair and square. I added a small jar of Calendula Lip Balm (for dry, sore lips) from Apples and Pears, which is a company offering natural bee remedies. I’ll write a proper review after testing these three products for a couple of weeks.

The Verdict:
Since this is my first time ordering from LoveLula I don’t feel confident enough to reward them with a top rating, even though I don’t have anything negative to say about them. My shipment was sent the same day as I placed the order, but it did take nine days longer than it was supposed to according to the shipping option. Such a delay may be caused by many different things, not necessarily something LoveLula did, or failed to do – delays often happens somewhere along the route to reach the target, or possibly in customs. LoveLula is situated in the UK, and shipping was £7 (Western European Airmail, 3-10 days) which would be 64,- NOK with today’s exchange rate. LoveLula also operates with a bonus point system rewarding their customers with points every time a product is purchased.

Would I place another order with LoveLula?
Most certainly.

Photo © Shamini Thevarajah ’10

Jeg er svært glad for å ha Licota som venninne og “partner in crime” på generell basis, men når det kommer til makeup er hun bare helt uunnværlig! Akkurat som meg blir hun aldri lei av å snakke om makeup, og hun elsker shopping. Derfor kan vi alltid ty til hverandre, og snakke om hva vi har lyst på, hva vi har kjøpt og ikke minst hva vi planlegger å gå til anskaffelse av, når alle andre rundt oss himler med øya, og er møkk lei av å høre om foundation, øyenskygge, eyelinere og alt annet som hører med til moroa. De siste dagene har jeg sett video etter video med både tutorials og reviews på MakeupGeek, som jeg ved en tilfeldighet kom over på YouTube, da jeg lette etter en eller annen tutorial. La meg bare si at jeg er fullstendig fascinert over hvor lett Marlena hos MakeupGeek får alt til å se ut! Dette gav meg selvsagt ikke mindre lyst til å shoppe, og dermed ble det til at jeg gjorde som Licota, jeg anskaffet meg Revlon Colorstay® som skal være langt bedre enn MAC Studio Fix Fluid.

Siden jeg fortsatt ikke har noen som helst erfaring innen foundation og fargevalg tok jeg utgangspunkt i hva damen på Solsiden Spa sa, og derfor valgte jeg denne i “Natural Tan”. Det er umulig å si om det var et bra valg før jeg får den i posten, men om jeg har bomma helt som vet jeg om iallfall et par stykker som helt sikkert kan bruke den istedet. Igjen, fordi jeg sliter med disse evinnelige blanke partiene i ansiktet, valgte jeg å gå for den som er beregnet på kombinasjonshud da den spesielle SoftFlex® formulaen skal kontrollere blankhet, og gi perfekt hud i opptil 16 timer. Det høres veldig forlokkende ut, ikke sant?

Prisen kom på $7.25 + frakt, som totalt ble 142,- kroner med dagens kurs. Jeg syns egentlig det er hårreisende å betale ca. 50,- for selve produktet, og hele 92,- kroner i frakt – men når det er produkter som ikke er å få tak i her hjemme, og som i tillegg ville kostet minimum 200,- kroner på det norske markedet, så syns jeg egentlig det er greit likevel.

Hele sammenligningen av Revlon ColorStay® vs. MAC Studio Fix Fluid ser du hos MakeupGeek.

Fantastisk! Idag kom pakken fra FeelUnique, og det rett i postkassa!

L’Occitane Cherry Blossom kommer i en kjempehendig liten tube på 30ml, og jeg måtte selvsagt teste denne håndkremen med en gang. Perfekt størrelse! Den dufter kanskje litt i sterkeste laget for min del – dette ble dog merkbart svakere etter bare noen minutter – men den dufter godt, er ikke fet, og trekker umiddelbart inn i huden. Selv jeg, som under normale omstendigheter ikke takler å ha krem på fingrene, kan bruke den! Produktene kom i en søt liten toalettveske med L’Occitane-logo, og ville fungert ypperlig som en gave til en du vil gi en liten oppmerksomhet. I og med at dette er et såkalt “Try-Me-Kit” er produktene ganske små, men personlig syns jeg det er en fordel at det ikke er for mye i emballasjen. Det er bedre å bruke det opp, enn å måtte kaste det fordi det er for gammelt, ikke sant? Så absolutt verdt 153,- kroner.

Konklusjon:
FeelUnique sender fra Storbritannia, nærmere bestemt Jersey – og alle prisene deres er oppgitt i britiske pund. Pakken min ble bestilt på en torsdag, og ankom meg på en tirsdag. Det tok altså bare fem dager, inkludert helg! Jeg er kjempefornøyd, og kan med dette anbefale FeelUnique på det varmeste. Når de tilbyr merkevarer til lave priser, man slipper å betale frakt, får pakka rett i postkassen og det etter bare fem dager – ja, da er det virkelig ikke noe å utsette på denne butikken!