Hot off the press!!! I heard whisperings that the delighful Soap & Glory is about to arrive in Kit Stores nationwide on 11th October. Soap & Glory is a fab brand designed by beauty industry darling, Marcia Kilgore, also founder of  the successful Bliss Spa range. I am a long-term fan of the brand having previously purchased it on trips overseas, where it has been around for a little while. In a nutshell, Soap & Glory is a beauty must-have in your cupboards, it offers a wide range of reasonably priced, gorgeously scented, cruelty-free products in delightful (mostly pink!), vintage style packaging. My fave piece from the collection is FlakeAway: a superhero-strength, skin-smoothing scrub.

Soap & Glory FlakeAway rrp: $17.95

…the countdown begins!

For more info, check out: www.soapandglory.com

Dr Bronner's Magic Liquid Soap rrp: $7.95

It seems that more than ever, beauty brands with a conscience are making an impact in the Australian beauty industry and I, for one, will always give as much attention to these as possible on this site. The latest of these is US brand, Dr Bronner, who is already well known over there for his famous ‘Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap’. The certified organic range of liquid soaps are literally quite magical and claim to have an impressive 18 uses for one bottle! Best used with a cloth or sponge, the soaps can be used to clean the body, mouth, teeth, fruit and veg, bathroom and kitchen, clothes and even pets! They come in seven variants, the original being the famous tingly Peppermint, my personal fave, closely followed by traditional Rose and fresh Eucalyptus. Despite being impressed by the many uses, I have chosen to keep my bottle of liquid soap reserved for shower time only. The bottles are a pop at $7.95 each and also have charming labels which include Dr Bronner’s philosophy;  featuring musings on everything from Shakespeare to Confucious. Dr Bronner’s products are available at health, natural product and organic stores nationally.

Dr Bronner's Soap Bars

For more info check out: www.drbronner.com

Invisible Zinc Tinted Cheek + Lip Balm rrp: $18

One of my fave turn-to brands is the ever-smart Invisible Zinc. I have very fortunately just discovered their Tinted Lip + Cheek Balm which is a chubby, go-anywhere tinted sun-stick for use on lips and cheeks. Like all IZ products, it offers full Zinc sun protection, while adding a delightful pop of pink to your lips and/or cheekbones. The clever-clogs shade is designed to suit every skin tone, so moisturizes, protects and enhances the natural pink in lips and cheeks while offering very high UVA and UVB protection. A great little gearing-up for summertime skin-saver, which I urge you to go and try!

For more info check out: www.invisiblezinc.com

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl rrp: $53

 I love beauty products: FACT. But once in a while a product comes along that sends me glass-of-champagne-giddy. So, it is with great pleasure that I am introducing you to Girl Meets Pearl, from our friends at Benefit. We just met, yesterday, actually. Pearl doesn’t arrive in stores until 8th September but I thought i’d give you readers a little preview, so you can snap her up when she hits counters.

GMP is a liquid pearl illuminator ideal for gliding over make-up, or may be worn alone providing a golden-pink dewy glow for cheekbones. You can mix it in with your foundation to give your skin  instant life; it seriously gives you the most exquisite glow. GMP offers the usual Benefit attractions; the packaging is a pop cultural hit (metallic pink tubing) and it has a luscious raspberry scent. If diamonds are a girls best friend then pearls are a life-long romance!

Girl Meets Pearl rrp: $53 and is available from Benefit counters from 8th September

POREfessional by Benefit, rrp: $53

Here we have another newbie from Benefit! POREfessional is a genius primer invention, specially designed to minimize the appearance of pores. It is slightly thicker than your average make-up primer, but still maintains that fabulous lightweight, silky texture. It works to diffuse the appearance of pores and fine lines to give you an ‘airbrush’ finish.  Pat on to areas that require pore-fecting and voila: you have the perfect make-up canvas!

POREfessional, by Benefit, is in stores from 21st August.

Certified Organic Rosehip Oil rrp: $20

So, why does one need this? For starters, it is 100 per cent pure organic goodness! It also comes with a little squeezy cap so you can pop droplets on to the skin conveniently when needed. Its properties include magical anti-ageing powers; it also assists skin renewal and repair, and is a clinically proven treatment for scars and damaged skin. Added to this, it has a really lovely formula: the super-fine oil absorbs instantly into skin and doesn’t feel at all greasy.

Specially Marked Cert. Organic Rosehip Oil rrp: $20

From September, there will be a Limited Edition Rosehip Oil hitting the shelves to support the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, where $1 from every bottle sale will go towards this very worthy cause. So, please make sure you grab the specially marked boxes!

For more information check out: www.trilogyproducts.com and www.savetheorangutan.org

Divina Argan Gold Primer rrp: $80

For decadent beauty, look no further than Divina’s Argan Gold Primer. This luxurious make-up primer smoothes skin to create the perfect foundation base. It contains real 24K gold flakes, which reflect light and illuminate your complexion. It presents the ideal daily extravagance your skin deserves. Infused with organic Argan Oil (known as ‘liquid gold’ in Morocco), it acts as a natural anti-ager; helping to reduce lines, renew cell structure and revitalise skin. The formulation is divine and literally glides on to your skin perfectly. The gold flakes blend in as you apply to skin to give the most subtle, illuminated skin. This really is one of those star products that speaks out from it’s delightful little tube and says: “buy me, love me, worship me!”.

The Divina range is available from selected spas and salons nationally, for more info: www.divina.com.au

Being a busy PR girl, I adore those saviour products designed for on-the-go moments. Between my PR role and this beauty blog, I am often rushing off post-work to events and so therefore carry a fair few beauty staples in my handbag. I now have a new favourite which is one of those rare finds that once you have it you wind up wondering how you ever functioned without it! This is the Silver Bullet Mini Moods hair straightener with a delectable, stylish look (available online from www.i-glamour.com).

Silver Bullet Mini Moods Hair Straightener in 'Florentine' rrp: $29.95

 Another handbag essential for me is the Borne Naked Handbag Liner. Made from clear plastic, they come in various different sizes so that you can keep all your bits and pieces together, find them with ease and swap between your favourite handbags in seconds.

Borne Naked Handbag Liners prices from $24.95

Lip Therapy pots by Vaseline are super versatile and pocket friendly. You can use them on cuts, chapped lips or dry skin. The formula moisturises, soothes and hydrates skin/lips.

Vaseline Lip Therapy Pots rrp: $3.99

 Polka Dot Mini Slant Tweezers by Tweezerman, are the perfect answer for all your on-the-go plucking needs. Featuring the same professional slant tip Tweezerman is famous for except in a cute little miniature version. The polka-dot designs are adorable, yet still functional. Available in pink with yellow and white dots, black with pink and white dots, or blue with pink and white dots. Each tweezer also come with a bonus clear protective case.

Polka Dot Mini Slant Tweezers rrp: $26.95

The Blush Cheek and Lip Tint by Kit, gives lips and cheeks a natural rosy blush for dewy radiance. Featuring a delicious watermelon scent, this 2-in-1 compacted colour also contains green tea and rose hip extracts with vitamin E. The squeezy tube is pocket-friendly and provides easy pop-on colour in an instant.

Kit Cheek & Lip Tint rrp: $22.95

Another fresh new idea from LUSH: the fab skincare brand has now introduced a rance of facial tints, which enable you to ‘create-your-own’  tinted moisturiser…pure genius!

There are four Colour supplements to choose from depending on your skin-tone, these consist of: dark pink, light pink, dark yellow and light yellow. All you do is use them with your daily moisuriser for a lighter alternative to foundation. This is a really nifty little product and even works well as a concealer when used straight from the pot.

Colour Supplements are available in LUSH stores nationwide from July, rrp: $17.95 each

Imagine my excitement when I was informed that Garnier would be adding concealer into the mix and making an excellent product truly ah-mazing. The NEW Garnier Skin Naturals Youthful Radiance Anti-Dark Circles Roll-On (rrp: $18.95) uses well-known under-eye circle weapons like caffeine and lemon essence alongside the concealer, sunscreen and mineral pigments to work wonders on your dark circles.

‘Tis like a little roller-disco party for your peepers!

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