Lab Rat Series: Nutrimetics Restore Set

Welcome to the new series!  Lab Rat Series.  I toyed with the name Crash Test Mummy but it just didn't quiiiite fit, so Lab Rat it is!.  Occasionally I get the opportunity to take products for a road test and feed back to the folks who either created them, or sell them.

Image source here

Sooo... I figured I'd share the love!

I have a wonderful friend Trish who is a Nutrimetics Consultant, as well as having a team of ladies under her wing who do the same.  She asked for some faces to test the new Restore skincare range.  You can check it out a bit more on her website linked here: 

This was a bit of a blind test for me: I was given three clear containers which were unmarked (except for a little sticker saying which was the cleanser, the toner and the moisturiser) and asked to use it morning and night for a week.  Here's what I found:

My Skin: probably what you'd describe as combination ... or perhaps even extreme combination.  I have reasonably sensitive skin which will be dry (like scaly dry) on my forehead, neck, and between my eyes, oily on my nose and normal on the rest of the face, but I am very prone to hormonal spots around my chin and blackheads on my jawline.  I also inherited high colouring so it doesn't take much to make me look pink!

The Cleanser: you only need to use a teensy tiny bit of this and apply to a wet face, or add a little water to your palm and work up into a soft microfoam.  It smells delicious, it feels gentle yet effective, and I continued using it after the week's trial time was up.

The Toner: thicker than all the other toners I have used in the past.  It is a rich formula which Trish recommended I water down by putting it on a wet cotton pad (instead of straight on a dry pad then straight on the skin).  Smelt great and gave a good tingle, but was a little too harsh for my skin - even using it really watered down would leave my skin very red for around an hour after using it. 

The Moisturiser: light and easy to apply.  It spread thinly over my skin and dried quickly, without leaving any extra shine or residue feel.

After the week was out I evaluated my skin... the wrinkles sadly hadn't subsided magically (don't worry, am just joking!) my skin was clean and similar to when I had begun the test.  The biggest change I noticed was that the dry, scaly forehead I started the week with, which had been thick and dry for a couple of months, had magically become smoother and noticeably softer.  Great result!

Who would I recommend it to?  Probably ladies with normal skin and dry (but not sensitive) skin.  After finishing the trial I checked out the website and saw that it is intended for normal or normal to oily skin.

There we go.  Lab Rat Series has begun!  Tune in next week where I review Womama's Organic Cotton Birthing Wrap Dress.  Long name, short dress, absolute Godsend.

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perfection.  my little man sleeping in his cot.  

31 August - I love instagram!  PHB items: cloth nappies, brown overalls with nz merino lining, handknit blankie.

 1 September - PHB items: lots (LOTS) of bibs including this darling from imba (a vintage one at that hehe!) and homemade nappies.

 2 September - PHB items: chocolate brown nz merino lined overalls, bibs, and the brown and cream striped beanie.

 3 September - Paired with the Tigger onesie is the blue pattern-knit hoodie which kept the new kid toasty warm... until he chucked all over it. 

 4 September - Fathers Day in NZ!  This is the outfit I'm starting to call his loungesuit - the cowpokes kimono matches the Pureborn Organics pants just perfect!  But alas, gingernuts are the new fabric paint so it spends a fair bit of time in the wash.

and another finished project for the week!  I started making this hoodie for our little friend Kalliana's 3rd birthday, but used the wrong material (it was a fine corduroy which didn't have nearly enough stretch in it *facepalm*) and when another friend attempted to try it on for size on her 2yo and it wouldn't budge past her shoulders... well we went for plan B!
So this one was finished off without the sleeve cuffs, and with a much bigger opening at the front, and fingers crossed my friend's 1yo will get a bit of wear out of it before it's too late. 
... I must get on to making a couple for my own kids ...

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Most of the second half of August has rushed past in a very temperamental weather range, and I didn't manage to get a daily photo every day... but here goes!  (excuse the raw photos, with a head full of a cold I simply haven't had the energy to crop or fix any.  *le sigh*!)

18-19 August: Getting the last few 'wears' out of the green kimono top.   And check out that fat cloth nappy bum!  Love it!

 20 August - off to a friend's engagement party (and celebrating us Shorty parents being married for 6 years ... where did that time go!).  The little hoodie is a Squidgyums one, it's very sweet but sadly not made for bigger-than-average heads!  It is a size 2 but we still had to perform an episiotomy of sorts to fit it over his head. 

 21 August... and it was that much effort to get it on that we left it on for another day.

 22-24 August oooh spooky shot!  We enjoyed the odd bit of sun but it was still fuh-reezing outside, so the cable knit grey cardy got lots of wear and the little kiddo stayed nice and warm.

 25 August: The little kimono top.  Paired with some matching natural coloured pants and it was like a little lounge suit.  Lovin' it!

26 August... now where is the picture of the stripy Suz jersey?!  Gahh!!

 27 August: Ooh I do love Hipstamatic prints from the iPhone app!!
This is a bib I found during my 40 bags in 40 days challenge - a little imba bib tucked down the back of the wee guy's wardrobe!  I love that it's so close to cow print...

 28 August: and another app I love: Instagram!  Chowing down a lovely Cruskit with a little retro bib - I just had to try and capture it with a retro-look/feel shot.  Love that blonde hair and those gorgeous cheeks!

 29 August: We rocked the chocolate brown overalls mostly, and lots of bibs (including this brand-newie dribble bibble with rubber duckie flannel!).  Then lots of spilling happened, along with plenty of outfit changes.  Hmm.  Maybe too soon to take him off the reflux medication?  I hope not!

30 August: and still more outfit changes.  A bit more of the green cardy (which is just delicious but I'm sure he'll hate me later for putting it on him!) and a lot more of blanket changes, bib changes... groan.

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12 August: no photos.  Was just another nappies and bibs day, nothing exciting.

 13 August: the stripy set from Suz's mum.  The weather was turning a fair bit so it was definitely wrap-up-warm (and matching!) climes.

14 August: Before the snow arrived... just for a change I put the kid in a teddy bear suit for church (drove all the young'uns nuts with cute overload I think) and bibs from goshorty.  We were visiting our friend's new little puppy Gizmo, she is a little bichon/tibetan spaniel and cute as a button so I think he was a bit worn out from some cute-overload himself!  

 14/15 August: SNOW!  I have been SUPER excited about it!  30 years living in this city and there has NEVER been snow that has actually settled on the ground in that time.  We had HEAPS.  So the knitted hoodie and orange beanie came in handy for checking out the white stuff.  While the new kid napped, we took his older brother out and made Roman the Snowman - Mr Shorty lived in the USA during the blizzard of 1995 so he was our resident pro.  (and remarkably unfazed by the snow.  bah humbug I say!)

 16 August: While big fat snowflakes fell down outside we stayed close to the window and checked it out!  Handmade stuff for the day was the hoodie, bibs, nappies, blah blah blah.  Not as excited about PHB because outside it was SNOWING!!!

17 August: Cabin fever had well and truly set in, and we were a bit over being indoors for long, long days.  So to mix it up I pulled out a pair of blue overalls (with an old-school hand-embroidered horse-with-straw-hat panel on the front) for Project Handmade Baby.

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August so far...

 1 August: my first crochet effort!  I've since learnt that what I thought was an 'hdc' stitch I was doing was actually 'sc' so this hat ended up a bit, well, munted.  But I love the little monkey hat and am working on some more little crochet things now that I know how!  Also in the pic are the handmade bib, dolly and blanket.

 2 August: Dribble bibble with monkey muslin

 3 August: Charcoal grey cable knit cardigan and matching beanie, knitted by my mother-in-law for the wee guy.

 4 August: the matching stripy beanie which was knitted with leftover wool from this cardy I knitted while pregnant and not sure if I was having a blue or pink baby.  It's miles too big even now!

 5-7 August ... the weekend of the fever.  Poor kid was bouncing between 38-40deg temperatures and he spent the weekend in nappy and muslin, and little more.

 8 August: nappies galore!

 9 August: these are some little slippers knitted by the boys' great-grandmother, they now have a couple of pairs each and in lots of beautiful colours!  And she must know how fussy I am, they are all in 100% wool.  Thanks Grandma!

 10 August: still not feeling too well (hence the dummy, I think it soothes his poor sore throat) we headed out to visit friends and kept the little head warm with the monkey beanie.  and the Dr Seuss bib caught a bit of the baby chuck.  poor little kid doesn't respond well to the new drugs.

11 August: handmade galore!  monkey beanie, brown overalls and cowpokes kimono.

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31 July - another day hanging out in the chocolate brown overalls, lined in blue/brown striped NZ merino.
... and I lurve instagram.  The old-school look and feel warms the cockles of me heart!

Pimp My Noticeboard

Item #2 in the 'Pimp My...' series: my noticeboard!

I love this material.  It's light cotton, a beautiful print that I love, and if I was material I would marry it. 

So one of the lovely projects I've enjoyed doing is pimping my noticeboard:

Pretty new noticeboard!  Love!!!

 I cut it to size and glued under and over the material with Mod Podge to attach it securely to the corkboard.  I also had some lovely clear, purple and dark raspberry pink drawing pins that coordinate so well with it!  Love it.  I had ideas that it would be an inspiration board, but I found I had more inspiration 'stuff' than space and it was swamping the pretty fabric.  So for now it's just a here's-that-voucher and there's-a-cute-pic board.

And a gift from my brother - a medallion of St Gerard, the patron saint of mothers, particularly those with tough pregnancies.  He gave it to me when I was in hospital early in the third trimester with Mr T, and I really treasure it.  If it's not around my neck, it's on my noticeboard.

Five Loves #2

After last week's Five Loves effort (linking to Paisley Jade) I noticed the positive effect doing Five Loves had on my daily life.  I notice the 'little things' more and it maketh this mama smile.



So here goes!  Five things I'm loving this week:

 Mini tracing cars.  $10 Buy Now set from Trade Me.  Mr T loves lining them up and letting them go all at once, or staggered like his Nanna does.. it even gets The Excited Dance!  (big seal of approval in our house)

 Organic cotton bib - I made 2 megamess bibs from a fat quarter ordered from Sew Pretty.  Looove it. 

 Another $10 Trade Me purchase.  LaFawnduh is hanging out in her new stroller and I love that my 2 year old SON loves to push her around.  Boys can play with dolls too.  So there.  (Just that she will be pushed around in the stroller and hugged more, but dressed up and re-dressed less than if I had a daughter I think!)

 My crochet hook!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have been confidently 'hooking' for a week now, I love it!!

 Good magazine.  It's really good.
I only discovered it 2 issues ago and I love it more than YH&G for homely advice.  Less gloss, more sound advice.  'sgood.