IndieAna- In Search of the HolyGrail

One of my fave indie brands is Silk Naturals , great service, reasonable prices and most of all fantastic products. Owner, Karen Stark, created this successful business in 2006, specializing in organic makeup and skincare. Some of her skincare products are staples in my daily skincare routine. Aside from great products, there are also other incentives to purchasing from Silk Naturals , such as, a free product, generally an eye shadow, for orders over $10 before shipping, free eyeshadow of your choice for every $30 before shipping spent, plus points are earned with every order, that can be redeemed on further purchases. From time to time there are also some sales. In my latest purchase I ordered AHA Toner, sample of Awesome Sauce, Super Defense Serum, Eye Lash Conditioning Gel, eye shadows- Jump, Kickstart and Naughty. Karen also included a sample of the eye shadow Grassroots Green and the gwp was Amplifying Lip Glaze in Dancing Shoes.. One of my skincare staples is the AHA toner...

Last, but certainly not least in this series of storage solutions, is an entry on how I store my makeup. Of all my collections, my makeup is my pride and joy. A couple of years ago, I was introduced to the world of mineral makeup, particularly from online indie companies. Being able to source makeup so cheaply enabled my collection to grow beyond my storage capacity. I went from storing mineral makeup purchases in a cardboard box :/ to purchasing a set of stationary draws. In no time, 5 drawers were not enough, so I continued to buy plastic drawers until I had enough storage for my obsession. The display folder is where I store my eye shadow samples that come in baggies. My brushes, eye liners and mascaras are stored in cutlery holders. In one set of plastic drawers are primers, lip balms, neutral shadows, orange/peach shadows and grey/silver shadows. In another set I have pinks, purples, blues and greens. Then in 3 drawer storers I have reds, olive greens, browns, golds, ta...

Not that long ago, I used to store my nail products in a small basket, but as the occasional urge to purchase a colour here and there resulted in overflow of bottles, I decided I needed something more practical. I am a fan of those stationary draws (which will feature in my final entry in this series, makeup storage) but found that they were never deep enough for the polishes to stand up inside. Anyway, on one of my many trips to those $2 type stores, I come across a set of deep plastic draws. I snapped it up, knowing it was exactly what I was looking for. On top there's 2 compartments, one that I store base/top coat products, the other one has a lid, inside I keep nail stamping tools and nail crystals. In the first draw, I store nail art polishes. In the following draws are where I keep my nail polishes. My nail polish collection ranges from high end, such as Zoya and OPI to cheapies from discount stores, I'm not fussy, I just like pretty colours, l...

Instead of cluttering my small bathroom sink with skincare products, constantly fighting for space with other members' of the family's products, I decided that I wanted to create my own space for skincare. I had planned to purchase one of those shoe storers that hang on a door. Then I happened to come across a luggage hanger at an op shop, of all places, and of course, I thought that it would be a perfect storage solution for my skincare :) I store day care in the compartment above the night care products. The only items of skincare I keep in the bathroom are cleansers and face masks. I find this convenient, easy access, as it is in my room, plus I can darken the room in the warmer months, so none of the products are in direct sunlight. Just to show how many products fit in the pockets, here's my collection of skincare products. It's not huge..but decent, me thinks :)

This is my first blog entry in a series that showcases how I store my beauty products. I'm beginning with perfumes, fulfilling a request made by the lovely Su, gorgeous friend, and writer of the blog, My Perfume Diaries . Perfumes being one of my latest online shopping obsessions, I wanted to find a way to store my perfume samples as they were beginning to pile up on my dresser. I finally decided on this easy-to-make storage solution. I simply sewed elastic banding (me and sewing are not a good combination, so it has to be really simple for me to even attempt, lol) onto a large, fabric placemat. I sewed each elastic band with vertical lines 3cm apart, making it perfect sizing for samples. It's by no means perfect, but looks good hanging on my wall, showcasing my ever increasing collection of perfume oil samples. For my full sizes and solid perfumes, I store them in a train case. The case has a few compartments, making it a very convenient storage solution. Hmmm, so m...

I was lucky enough to receive 2 Elizabeth Arden products from the Prevage range, thanks to a beauty forum I am a member of, Beauty Heaven . It's been a long time since I have been excited by moisturisers, but from my experience, these certainly lived up to the hype. My review of Prevage Day Ultra Protection Anti-aging Moisturiser with sunscreen: Elizabeth Arden's Prevage Day Intensive Moisture Cream comes in the well recognized Prevage packaging. A gorgeous silver/chrome jar. It looks so stylish and prestige, I'm rather happy to have the Prevage products taking centre stage of my skincare collection, they just look so good! Ok, more describing, less drooling, lol. To access the moisturiser, you simply take the cap off, which reveals a lid that opens 3/4s of the way. I appreciate that there's an applicator included, so you're not dipping fingers into the tub. It's not any ordinary plastic applicator, but a gorgeous metal one, just adds to the prestig...

If you are open to being enabled, like to try out different indie sellers and love a bargain (seriously, who doesn't??) then  Heartsy is the site for you..I know it is for me :) Heartsy showcases many sellers predominately from Etsy, some from Artfire, selling products such as bath and beauty, jewellry, art, etc... These sellers, via Heartsy, offer vouchers. You simply purchase a voucher, which is a fraction of the price that your voucher covers, you are then given a code, and instructions on how to redeem the voucher at the selected store. Payments are accepted through Paypal. I hope I haven't caused any confusion, it is all really simple to follow on the site. Heartsy also offers a VIP program, which I may or may not be a member of ;) this is at a charge of $10 a month. In return, you receive an extra $10 credit on each voucher plus have the opportunity to take advantage of offers a day early. The money is direct debited from your paypal account, and can be c...

I've tried many balms over the years, and coconut oil is by far the best I've used. I can use it for almost EVERYTHING. I use it all over the body, for smooth hydrated skin. It gives much needed moisturising to my neck area, yet I can use it on my combo skin, without it being too oily. I often use this magic oil on breakouts and cold sores with fantastic results. I normally get a horrid cold sore every couple of months, and haven't had one in such a long time. I usually dab some oil on the onset of a cold sore, when I get that itchy, tingling sensation, cold sore sufferers, I know you hear me! It is a great lip balm, soaking in to give me smooth lips.  I rub it into my hands, then any excess is rubbed into my cuticles.  It makes a great oil treatment for the hair, I simply massage into my hair after towel drying, then shampoo after leaving it in overnight, resulting in smooth, shiny hair..plus it's great for the scalp, too.  I even eat it, I use coconut oil in...

I've been meaning to start a blog for a while now, it just seemed to be on my ever growing "to-do" list. I thought that there were so many blogs out there, who needs yet another one? But, I decided that this would be a great way to inventory my many beauty related products, including my thoughts on brands and their goodies..I wouldn't want to forget about a product that I love, and need to repurchase :) My obsession is online shopping, most of which are from indie companies. They are often unique and WAY cheaper. I love the excitement of waiting for something, hopefully worthwhile, in the mail. I do like actual shopping, but really enjoy the bargain buys available online..besides, there's nothing better than shopping in pjs and having the convenience of doing it anytime you like :) I guess learning restraint will be my next goal...one day. Now I have to decide what my first review will be, until then, I'll be searching some online stores..all in the name of ...