Let me first apologise for my slackness when it comes to monthly favourites. I haven't posted one since March. But, I guess you could also see this as a good thing because I wanted to wait until I had products that I really loved. Thanks June!

To kick things off, I'll talk about Essie Island Hopping nail polish. I'm definitely a sucker for Essie nail polishes and I've been looking for a colour like this for a very long time. I own lots of red and purple nail polishes but I was looking for something where the two colours combined, a little muted and more washy. I saw this in Priceline and instantly knew it was what I needed. It's perfect for any time of the year in my opinion, so just know that you'll see me using it quite a lot.

A foundation that I fell head over heels with recently is the Avon Luxe Silken Foundation*. I don't think I can really express how much I love this foundation. It just works so damn good on my oily skin. I did an entire review on the Avon Luxe range which you can read here. I give you all of my thoughts on the foundation but I basically think it will work incredibly no matter your skin type and it feels so lightweight - ah perfection.

Now this product has been a holy grail of mine for what seems like forever. I always go back to it. It's the Maybelline Colour Elixir in Caramel. I love how it looks freshly applied, it has an amazing scent, fades nicely and just works with every outfit and every makeup look. The whole Colour Elixir range is amazing, but I definitely think you have to swatch Caramel next time you're in Priceline.

For months on end my highlighter routine consisted of Benefit Cosmetics Watts Up, which I then set with the highlighter from the Face of Australia Glamazon Duo. Both of these products are holy grails. But, I introduced the Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Opal (Pressed)* into my routine and haven't been able to go back. Opal is stunning. I've actually had it sitting in my drawer for a while so I have no idea why it took me so long to try it. It's a gorgeous shade that so far from what I've heard looks great on everyone. I have a whole post on Becca Cosmetics Opal as well as a comparison of the Pressed, Poured and Liquid formulas which you can read here.

Moving onto skincare, there are two products that have definitely transformed my skin. The first being the Philosophy Cream Cleanser*. I took this cleanser with me to Europe and my skin did not break out, at all. That's after 24 hours on the plane, both to Europe and home from Europe, changing climates - everything. My skin reacted so lovely with this cleanser. It foams up and lathers quite a bit and feels incredible on my skin. My skin also didn't dry out or become overly oily. It just left my skin so happy.

The second skincare product I've been obsessed with is the La Roche Posay Serozinc* Spray. It's essentially magical water in a spray bottle which you use as a toner. Not only is it insanely refreshing but it's really helped lessen the amount of oil that my skin produces. I also find it really great to help my rosehip oil sink into my skin, so in a way this product has also helped reduce my redness. I've also been trying a couple of La Roche Posay products in conjunction with Serozinc which I also love, so I'm thinking of doing an entire post on the three shortly.

Last up, I have to talk about a candle. This particular candle, oh my. It is none other than Glasshouse Fragrances Tahaa*. If you don't own this candle, then I really feel like you don't know what a real candle is. Tahaa is the perfect combination of caramel and vanilla, which is something I really appreciate during the cooler months. You can find it in David Jones so PLEASE go in store and give it a whiff. It's one of those scents which you can smell even when you put the glass lid on or after you've blown the flame out, hours later. It lingers and it's gorgeous.

What were some of your June favourites?

*Products marked with an asterisk have been provided for editorial consideration. For more information, please read my disclaimer.



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Last year I had the privilege of trying some Natura Siberica goodies. I loved their
Oblepikha Maximum Volume Shampoo* especially and till this day I remember it's beautiful scent.

When I was contacted by Natura Siberica this month to review some of their new products, of course I said yes. Clearly I couldn't try them all, so I roamed around their website for a while and picked three to do a first impression post, which you are currently reading.

If you've never heard of Natura Siberica before, here's a little bit of background information. Their products are born in Siberia and are made in Europe. They are all about using great, highly concentrated ingredients which actually make a difference to your skin and hair. If you're someone that loves to know what they're using on their bodies, I think that Natura Siberica is the brand for you.



Natura Siberica Northern Soap For Deep Facial Cleansing* and other goodies in the Northern Collection contain an abundance of good ingredients. The ingredients really spoke to me because I deal with acne scarring and puffiness. To name a few:
- Oblepikha Oil which helps with skin elasticity
- Siberian Cedar Oil which helps moisturise and strengthen the skin as it is high in vitamin E and vitamin P
-Flax Seed Oil which is great for anti-inflammatory purposes

Although this product is called Northern Soap, I used it more as a mask. I found this product quite interesting from the moment I opened it because it came with a sponge to apply the product to the face. As instructed, I wet the sponge, dip it into the soap and apply it sort of evenly to my face. Because this is a first impressions post, I didn't have any past experience using this product so sadly my application looked a little patchy. I'm sure after using it a couple more times I'll perfect it.

Something I quite liked about the soap was the scent. This cleanser reminds me of marzipan for some reason. I think if you're looking for a good deep clean and you're sick of charcoal products that smelt like burnt hair, you'll really like this. The formula feels nice on the skin and it doesn't go tight.My skin felt really good. Smooth, clean and unclogged. I saw a clear difference in my pores, which are usually quite congested.

After around 10 minutes, I removed the soap and I was really happy about how easy it was. I didn't have stained skin and my sink didn't turn black with too much residue either.

Natura Siberica Nourishing Facial Mask* smells great. When I opened it, I thought of vitamin c orange tablets (faintly) and it was also herby, fresh and floral. One of the main ingredients is Siberian Pine Oil so maybe that's what I can smell.

The mask is really enjoyable to use because even though it applies like a thicker moisturiser, my body heat warms up the product. I find that it really sinks into the skin and feels a little warm. I liked it, so I decided to massage it into the skin for a while. After washing it off after 15 minutes, my skin looked quite refreshed and radiant. It also felt quite bouncy so I definitely feel like it soaked up a lot of the formula.

Last up and probably my favourite product of the bunch is the Natura Siberica Sophora Japonica Day Cream*. It goes on feeling quite similar to the face mask but after a while it completely sinks into the skin. The day cream leaves no white cast and the reason why I absolutely love it is because it dries matte. I also feel like it helped my pores appear smaller. Since trialling it initially for this post, I've used it a few times under makeup and I am 100% sold. Expect to be seeing more of this product in the future, because I'm hooked. As with the face mask, a main ingredient in this product is Siberian Pine oil.

If you're interested in checking out Natura Siberica or any of the products in this post, click here http://www.naturasiberica.net.au/products/ or on the name of the products in this post.

Have you ever used Natura Siberica products before?
What are some of your favourite skincare products of the moment?

**This post was Sponsored by Natura Siberica however all opinions are 100% honest and my own. If you have been reading my blog for a while you would know about my constant skin problems. Thank you very much for understanding how this product aligns with me and my blog, For more information, please read my disclaimer.



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For years I have battled with congested and acne prone skin. As many of you would know, I have recently been on a mission to change this and really improve my skin. I have had extraction facials which work a treat and you can read about here. One product that was used on me at these treatments was an Enzyme Exfoliator. I found it a bit difficult to find an exfoliator but my eyes then became drawn to Babor's Enzyme Cleanser*. After doing a bit of research, I decided, yep I am going to try this product. 

If you're like me and are super bad with understanding lots of skincare terminology, here's a little run down of what Enzyme's are in Katina terminology. Enzymes are pretty much everywhere and they're apparently awesome. When it comes to skincare, instead of scrubbing the heck out of your face with chemicals and little beads, enzymes help melt away your dead skin cells gently, leaving behind a smooth surface. 
Babor's Enzyme Cleanser is also packed with vitamin C and is suitable for all skin types. The way you use this product is that you mix a tiny little bit with water, rub it into a lather, put it on your face and wash it away. In other words, yes the word Enzyme sounds a bit daunting but the process of using them is super easy.
I was expecting this cleanser to be water based so I was definitely surprised when I saw that it was a powder. I really like this because if you tip out too much it is super easy to put back in and you can see through the packaging exactly how much product you have left.
I've used this cleanser quite a few bit now and I love how it leaves my skin feeling clean but not harshly, squeaky clean. It just removes the dead skin cells, oil and dirt really, so it is incredibly gentle. 
I haven't noticed much of a change in my overall skin yet, but I do like that I can now clean my skin in another way that doesn't really need harshness or pressure. 
Have you ever used any Babor or Enzyme products before? What's your current favourite cleanser? 
*Products marked with an asterisk have been provided for editorial consideration. For more information, please read my disclaimer.



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