Beauty Tip of the Day: Cleaning Cracked Heels

Beauty Tip NoteIf, like me, you suffer from dry and cracked heels, and you don’t wear bedroom slippers or shoes in your home, chances are you might probably end up with dirt in those cracks of the skin. You know what I’m talking about? It’s those grey lines on your heels, caused by trapped dirt.

If the skin is very dry and the cracks severe, you may not be able to remove the dirt with rubbing your heels with soap alone. As much elbow grease I used, there was only so much of dirt I could remove by rubbing soap frantically on the heels with my hands, hoping to get rid of the ugly grey lines.

This is where a foot file comes in handy.

20090623 Foot File

What I’d do is this:
1. Wet the foot file when in the shower.
2. Squirt some shower cream on either side of the foot file (if the heels are very dirty, try using the rougher side of the file)
3. Rub the foot file (soaped side) on the cracked heels.

This way, you’d not only remove trapped dirt from the cracks in the heels, you’d also give them a good exfoliation. Just remember to slather some foot cream on those tootsies after you’re done. When exfoliated skin is not well-moisturised, it leaves room for it to peel.

This doesn’t just work for those with dry heels; if you have problems removing tough dirt from your heels (e.g. you’ve been walking barefoot on the road or something), try cleaning your feet with the foot file. Easy peasy.

This method works great for when my cracked heels get dirty, and I hope it works for you too.

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Chanel Natural Finish Pressed Powder in Naturel

I may not be able to afford a Chanel 2.55, but by George, I can buy the makeup! Okay, this is one of the very, very few instances (thank God for that, or else I’d be utterly broke) that I actually bought something purely because of the brand, luxury and look. It was a spur-of-the-moment-having-a-crappy-day-need-retail-therapy purchase.

Chanel Natural Finished Pressed Powder Official Picture

Description:

Translucent powdered perfection.
Mattifies with light coverage and optically conceals imperfections. Your complexion is natural, radiant and luminous. The fine, light texture of POUDRE UNIVERSELLE COMPACTE is very pleasant to the touch, and soft on the face, for maximum comfort.
POUDRE UNIVERSELLE COMPACTE combines all the cosmetic qualities of a loose powder combined with the ease of use of a compact powder. Formula based on micronised talc, which gives it its softness and natural mattness. Light-reflective pigments minimise imperfections and give the complexion its luminosity. Lauryol lysine, an amino acid derivative, contributes to the ยซ glide ยป of the texture.
Made in France.

Ingredients:
Talc, Nylon-12, Silica, Lauroyl Lysine, Magnesium Myristate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glyceries, Magnesium Stearate, Boron Nitride, Isopropyl Lanolate, Aluminium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Parfum, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid [+/- (May Contain) CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Mica]

20090622 Chanel Natural Finished Pressed Powder 1

20090622 Chanel Natural Finished Pressed Powder 3

As usual, all of Chanel’s compact powders and makeup palettes come beautifully encased in a double-C embossed velvet case.

20090622 Chanel Natural Finished Pressed Powder 2

20090622 Chanel Natural Finished Pressed Powder 4

The texture of pressed powder is very fine. I chose the shade Naturel as I wanted something with a sheer finish, which would go nicely over my foundation. The powder’s translucent, and applies smoothly on the skin. The coverage is light (this is not something you’d want if you prefer at least a medium).

20090622 Chanel Natural Finished Pressed Powder 5
My mistake for not snapping a photo of the powder first before using. Now the words are all smudged ๐Ÿ™

A snag about the pressed powder – it’s a tad too fine. In fact, I couldn’t even use a face brush to apply this on my face, because as much as I rubbed the brush on the pressed powder, very little would come out. I was hoping to not use the enclosed powder puff (tiny lil’ thing, that one), but in the end, I had no choice. The powder puff worked better with the pressed powder and gave me the amount and finish I wanted.

To be honest, other than the compact looking absolutely gorgeous and oh so luxe, there’s nothing more I can praise about it. You can definitely get better pressed powders out there (e.g. MAC, Max Factor, etc) that would cost you significantly less than this. Still, I love how this baby looks on my dresser, and there it’ll stay. Oh I know I know, it’s a very expensive decor item ๐Ÿ˜›

Chanel’s Natural Finish Pressed Powder compact costs a whopping AU$88, and is available at all Myer and David Jones departmental stores. The guilt of spending so much on this has definitely set in. Oh leave me alone, it’s so purdddddyyyyy … *caressing the compact against my cheek* ๐Ÿ˜›

No more. I promise *gulp, and cross my fingers behind my back*

What I like about it: Luxurious packaging, and hello, it’s Chanel.

What I do not like about it: Powder is too fine, gives very light coverage. Also, it’s very expensive for a compact powder.

Plug: Kahani of So Loverly just launched a new fashion blog, Frocking Around. It’s still fairly new, but you’d love the stories she and fellow blogger Meldee tell about the frocks they wear and what adventures they had in them. Do check it out!

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Some Noteworthy Australian Blogs To Share

I read over 200 beauty and fashion blogs every day. Obsessed much?

When you’re part of the beauty and fashion blogging community, you stumble upon more and more blogs as time goes by, and before you know it, you’d have gathered that amount of feeds subscribed on your Google Reader! It’s massive, I tell you.

Other than the popular beauty blogs which I’m sure you’re probably already subscribed to as well, here are a few noteworthy Australian blogs I found, have been reading, and absolutely love.

Mamamia
Blog by Mia Freedman. She is a former editor of Cosmopolitan, Cleo and Dolly Australia, and wrote the book The New Black, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I enjoy her snazzy articles on just about anything and everything (oh yeah, she does not only blog about fashion).

Lady Melbourne
This is a gem. Lady Melbourne is very popular for her fantastic op-shop finds, and is an expert on the sewing machine. She also blogs about etiquette (feel free to shoot her a question if you’re unsure about what to do in certain situations). I remembered the day I read about her finding a pair of True Religion jeans for AU$6 at Vinnies. It was then that I started scouring op shops for any gems too. No luck for me, but my husband did score a pair of Hugo Boss jeans for 8 bucks ๐Ÿ˜›

Girl with a Satchel
GWAS has been around for a while, but I’ve only recently discovered her site, and I was hooked. Rather than just blogging about the usual fashion industry, this lady loves her glossy magazines, and blogs about them. Thanks to her, I know what issue of what magazine is readworthy (hence I don’t buy the ones that are not, saving me money!). She isn’t affiliated to any of the mags, but talks very candidly about the articles, etc.

Super Kawaii Mama
If you love anything vintage, you’ll love her blog.

If you know of any good beauty and/or fashion blogs I should check out (not just Australian ones), do let me know in the comments. What’s a few more to add to that 200++ count of blogs eh? ๐Ÿ˜‰

2 comments

Malin and Goetz Detox Face Mask Giveaway

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

Jenny from Delight.com has very kindly sponsored Malin and Goetz Detox Face Masks worth US$39.50 each to TWO lucky readers!

Malin and Goetz Detox Face Mask

Description:

An easy five minute foaming gel mask.
Innovative, oxygenating cleansing agents replace harsh detergents and drying clays to deep-pore-cleanse, lifting dirt, oil and make-up away from the skin without irritation, while creating a physical barrier to seal hydration.
Complex amino acids and natural almond extract gently and effectively purify, clarify, balance and soothe.
Stable Vitamin C, anti-oxidant Vitamin E and Soy Protein help firm and address concerns for aging.
Natural fragrance and color.
0.3% Soy Protein. All Skin Types.

If you would like to enter this giveaway, just pop in your name and email address below (one entry per person, please). Two winners will be selected randomly, and Jenny will send out the masks to you.

Please note that this giveaway is open to US readers only (my apologies to my international readers. There will be another giveaway for you coming up soon). This giveaway will end on June 24 (GMT +10, Melbourne time).

Good luck!

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