The news of late has been swamped with stories of the horrific floods in Queensland, inundating tens of thousands of homes. At the time of writing, 20 lives were lost, and many people have simply lost everything. It’s heartbreaking.  The videos, images and stories are something I would never forget in a very, very long time.

In efforts to raise funds for the Queensland Flood Appeal, the very lovely Hannah of Counter Obsession is now running a Beauty Bloggers Auction on her blog. All proceeds will go to the QFL. I think it’s a brilliant initiative; you get to buy pretty makeup AND contribute to the appeal.

Some of the brands you’ll find in the auction: Benefit, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Crabtree & Evelyn, China Glaze, Illamasqua, OCC, NYX, Redken, Stila, Essie, Zoya and many more. I donated a few items too. See if you can spot ’em 😛

Just a little something I have to add before I go. I’ve been in Australia for three years now, and I am just so incredibly impressed and marvelled by the generosity of Australians, especially when it comes to major disasters like Black Saturday, the Queensland flood, and very recently, the floods in Victoria. God forbid that another one should befall us. When I say generous, I don’t just mean donating of money. It’s very easy to hand over a bit of cash, and then go about with your everyday life, and it’s out of mind. The incredible effort of the people, in volunteering their time, their energy, their equipment, etc in helping one another, in the cleaning up, in accommodating strangers who have lost your homes in your home…it’s wonderfully heart-warming.

So please, have a browse and buy something if you can. Every cent you pay will go to helping Queensland rebuild. The auction will end on Sunday night, Jan 23.

Every little bit helps. Thank you.

xx,
Tine

I haven’t used mineral foundation in years. The last time I dabbled with mineral foundation, it lasted about a year and towards the end of said year, I started developing some sort of allergy towards it. My skin flared up badly, and I had to stop. When the good people at Inika contacted me to review their liquid foundation, I was quite apprehensive that it would give me skin problems. After giving it some thought, I decided the bite the bullet and said yes.

The sample I was kindly given was in Cream.

Description:

Inika’s revolutionary Liquid Mineral Foundation is certified organic and packed full of organic antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It blurs the line between foundation and moisturiser by hydrating and nourishing the skin while providing a flawless and radiant finish that lasts all day. It helps to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and regenerates skin cells. Renowned antioxidant green tea extract and rosehip help to accelerate the formation of new skin cells, improve circulation and protect the skin. Inika’s pure mineral pigments provide exceptional coverage for all skin types, even the most sensitive.

First impression of the foundation – it smells very herbal-y. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but upon application, the scent smacks you right on the face. It doesn’t smell super awful, but certainly not one of the best I’ve had. It’s quite thick in texture, and takes a while to blend. When blended, it felt a tad dry on the skin.

In terms of coverage, it’s slightly more than medium. Not quite full, but certainly not sheer.

So, do I like it? Well, yes and no. I like the fact that it’s fully packed with antioxidants, vitamins and all that good stuff. It did give me an oily T-zone after several hours, but so did a lot of foundations I’ve tried. Its coverage is good enough for me to use it in the evenings. I really like that it comes with a tube, which makes product retrieval very easy and hygienic. What I don’t like about it is the smell. The herbal scent is just too strong for my liking. I also found it a tad too thick to use on a daily basis.

Inika Liquid Mineral Foundation comes in four shades.

It retails at AU$59.95 for 30ml and is available in selected pharmacies and health stores (check their stockists). You can also purchase it online from their website.

What I like about it: Good coverage, love the idea of the pump on the tube.

What I do not like about it: Strong herbal scent, no SPF.

In about 5 days, I’ll be leaving for Malaysia for almost a month, and I cannot be more excited. I haven’t seen my family and close friends in over a year and have missed them terribly. Other than that, I’m really looking forward to the food, and oh oh oh, the shopping! My list is growing more and more each day, and it scares the bejeezus out of me. *shudder*

I’ve started packing a little, and as usual, half of my bag is filled with items not for me 😛

Just thought I’d also show you a little of what I’m bringing with me, in my toiletries bag. I’m using Borne Naked’s transparent bag liner in a Medium, and it’s fantastic. Holds my stuff really well and makes it easy for me to find what I want.

I haven’t finished putting everything in yet as there are a few items I’m still using. Oh, and erm, this is just one bag I’m showing you. I have Kathmandu packing cells (awesome stuff) for items like sanitary napkins, tampons, facial cotton, hairbrush, etc.

Next up, what’s in my makeup bag! 😉