Makeup Review - L'Oreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

What is it?

So this is the trend of the moment - a makeup compact containing a sponge and puff. I saw it in the supermarket (Woolworths) and decided to give it a go. It was $29.95. This foundation concept started in Korea and is now sweeping the world.

How to apply?

On a cleansed and moisturised face I pushed the puff into the sponge, which is soaked in foundation, and then used a patting motion to apply the foundation all over my face, being careful not to pick up too much product. Using the puff is a bit unusual if you are used to using your fingers, a foundation brush or a beauty blender. To me it feels very old school. The compact doesn't seem like it holds much makeup but I have heard that when it runs a little low just turn the sponge upside down and keep on going.

What's the finish like?

I have sun-damaged, quite texturised skin and I find the dabbing motion makes the foundation look smooth and it doesn't seem to sit in my lines and pores like some other foundations can. I would say the finish is glowy, medium coverage. If you are looking for full coverage you might find this doesn't fit the bill. For me though, as someone who is happy with a medium coverage, I give it a thumbs up!!

What's the colour like?

It comes in just 6 colours. I chose porcelain 01 and the colour match is a good one on my pale cool-toned (pink undertoned) skin. It is a warm colour so for me it doesn't make my skin look flat and cool like some foundations can. A thumbs up here!!

How does it wear?

Wear time is good, and given I have oily skin, that gave it a good test. It did get rather oily on my forehead which was a bit strange and a bit cakey between my eyes which again is a bit strange for me. I think the wear would have been better if I were to blot the oil off and powder half way through the day. That's not an unusual thing to have to do with oily skin so it is still considered acceptable. Miss P also tried the foundation and like me has slightly oily skin and she too had an oily build up on her forehead - weird!! In the photo below you can see how oily my skin was after 6 hours. Cheeks and nose are okay but my forehead is pretty greasy and shiny.

Who does it suit best?

I think this would be good for normal to combination skin but probably not the best for truly oily skin. For me I could build up the coverage thicker in the areas I needed it without it becoming cakey.

The verdict

I was surprised with how much I liked the L'Oreal Cushion foundation. I think it probably has come second place as my favourite foundation - and that's saying something. My holy grail still remains the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ SPF50+. The IT Cosmetics still beats the L'Oreal because the finish is still the most natural, the colour is perfection and I don't need to touch up throughout the day (lazy aren't I). But great work L'Oreal on creating such a great product. At half the price I encourage you to give it a go, you may just fall in love with it!

Until next time xx

Organising - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying

So I like to think of myself as a neat and organised person and I've read a number of books over the years about organising and decluttering.

The most recent book I've read is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo. 

This book has gone gangbusters and I've read a few articles where people have discovered the KonMari Method and rave about it.

Be warned, Marie Kondo is not for the faint-hearted. She's obsessed with tidying and organising and is rather condescending to other methods of organising other than hers.

Not all of what she said resonated with me, but some of what she did say was GOLD. In a nut shell, here's what she believes:

1.     Ask yourself Do the things I own spark joy, if not get rid of them (this is Gold!!)

2.     Tidying should be done by category, not location, that is, if you're going to organise say your clothing, organise it all at once, including items that are stored in other parts of the house, that is, in your wardrobe, in your bedroom drawers, in the spare room, under the bed, everywhere all at once (for me I don't have things from the same category scattered around the house, that is, all of my clothing is stored in the one location)

3.     When they say there are two types of disorganised people - either the can't-throw-it-away type or the can't-put-it-away type (gosh I'm definitely the second on many occasion)

4.     Discard first, store second (in other words cull, cull, cull - Marie's really into getting rid of stuff rather than storing it in containers)

5.     Tidy in one-short quickly (difficult unless you're super motivated)

6.     Have a visual idea of what you want your space to look like (Pinterest is a great place to find and store visual cues, below is my Organising Board)

7.     Don't let your family see what you discard (it will just sit in someone else's room then)

8.     Don't move clothes into the loungewear category, that's not discarding (I have to agree with this one)

9.     Fold and stow as many clothes in drawers as you can (um I'm still a fan of hanging clothes as opposed to folding them so big fail here for me)

10.     Fold vertically (this is something that I have taken on board, I have to agree that you can see what's in the drawer so much better when they are folded this way - yup addicted)

11.     Hang heavy items on the left and light items on the right (this doesn't work for me, I'm still into colour order, yeah but no)

12.     Order left to right - coats, dresses, jackets, trousers, skirts and blouses (I already do this and it works a treat for me)

13.     Put all of the books on the floor, pick up each one, one by one, and ask yourself does it spark joy, don't read books as you go, don't fall into the trap that I might read it or I might read it again (argh books are difficult to let go of)

14.     There needs to be a spot for everything (ahh a place for everything and everything in it's place, my favourite saying)

15.     Am I having trouble getting rid of this because of an attachment to the past or because of fear for the future? (Yup I have discarding issues).

The Wrap

If you're into organising as much as me, this is definitely a great read, although you need to get past the contemptuous language in the book. Give vertical folding a go and see what you think. And then when you are next purchasing items or tidying ask yourself does this thing spark joy. Thumbs up from me.

Until next time xx

My Minestrone Soup

When I first got married, many years ago, I couldn't cook, let alone boil an egg. Since then with lots of help from my family I think I'm a pretty okay cook and that's saying something considering I have married into an Italian family.

Today the weather is cool, the sun is hidden behind the clouds and it feels like a real Brisbane winter's day. One of the staples in our house is Minestrone Soup. This is an old recipe but it's a cracker and it will be perfect on a cool night like tonight.

I can only cook it on the weekend as there is never enough time during the week. I have to start it by 3pm to have it ready for 6pm. The house smells amazing whilst it's cooking. Here's the recipe.

Minestrone

2 onions, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

3 sticks celery, finely chopped

250g potatoes, diced

2 zucchini, diced

90g green beans, chopped

250g cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup oil

45g butter

1 1/4 litres of water

3 beef stock cubes

2 x 400g cans peeled whole tomatoes

400g tomato puree

310g can cannellini beans

1/3 packet of Angelo's Beef Raviolini

salt and pepper

Method

Heat oil and butter in a large pot, add onions, cook over medium heat until onions are pale golden brown. Add carrots, cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat this procedure with the potatoes, then the celery, zucchini, beans and cabbage.

Stir in water, crumbled stock cubes and undrained, mashed tomatoes and tomato puree.

Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the soup is thick.

During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in drained and rinsed cannellini beans and raviolini.

If desired, parmesan cheese can be stirred into the soup before serving or served separately with the soup. Serves 4 to 6.

This is just one of the recipes that's in my Family Favourites Recipe book (which now stands at 72 pages) that I've been compiling since I was first married. I'll make a copy of this book and give it to Miss P and Master P when they leave home one day.

Until next time xx

My Style - Pants for Work

I find getting my hands on the right pair of pants, a bit tricky. They need to be just the right cut and just the right length. But when they fit great, they're magic. This blouse is from Howard Showers and the pants are from Zara.

In warmer months I team a pair of pants with a blouse and maybe a necklace - keeping it super easy. This blouse is from Zara and the pants are from Forever New.

Generally I wear my blouse out as I have very narrow hips. If I tuck in a shirt and wear a belt it can look out of proportion. To me this is about the only look with a belt that works on me. This Events blouse enhances my shape. The pant are by Events too.

To me though, the shirt worn out seems to work better. Tee by Giordano, pants by Zara, heels by Diana Ferrari.

Blouse by Bardot, pants by Zara.

Head to toe Zara, heels by Novo.

Blazer by Zara, blouse by Bardot, pants by The Works.

Blouse by Jacqui-E, pants by Zara.

Blouse by Review, pants by The Works.

In cooler months I add a blazer. To be honest, when I do this it takes me forever to get the right look. There is probably about 6 outfit changes to get it just right. This blazer is el-cheapo Ally, blouse by Review and pants by The Works.

When I get these looks right they are by far my favourites.

Blazer by H&M, singlet top by Witchery, pants by The Works.

Blazer by Zara, blouse by H&M, pants by Zara.

Blazer by H&M, blouse by Country Road, pants by Esprit.

Blazer by Zara, blouse by H&M, pants by Esprit.

I love to pair heels with trousers and with a tapered cuff I think it looks pretty classy. The pants are from Zara and the heels were designed by me from Shoes of Prey.

As you know I don't wear a lot of black but with a bold blazer I really like the look. Blazer by Zara, singlet top by Country Road and pants by Jacqui-E.

And often on Friday when it's time to take it from work-to-drinks afterwards I will probably choose a more casual look. Blouse by Portmans, pants by Zara, heels by Novo.

Until next time xx