A DIY Bridal Manicure

Our wedding turned out to be a big DIY fest. Not that we set out to have it that way, it just seem to happen that we are surrounded by uber talented and creative friends that wanted to contribute to our wedding and so many things we did just seemed natural to do ourselves. And yes, I did my own makeup on the day as well. I will share more about that soon!

As my hands were still busy working in the lead up to the wedding and I am a little bit particular about what I put on my body, I decide to do my own mani and pedi. That way I could do it nice and fresh the night before the wedding and also pick my favourite nail products.

For the colour I chose Sienna Byron Bay, a toxin free, high quality polish brand. I use them in my pro kit and they totally live up to my quality standards. Sienna Byron Bay produces their products as eco-friendly as possible. All their Australian made nail polish is produced using a professional, reduced toxin formula that is as clean as you can get. They also only use Cruelty-free, Vegan components.

I fell hard for the colour "Aura" which I used on finger and toe nails for the wedding. It's a beautiful sheer pearly white. (On honeymoon I used "Utopia" a stunning pastel mint green colour, that Dave was really over the moon about, good to have a designer husband!)

To prep my nails properly I used the brand new Weleda Nail Care Pen and Cuticle Softener Pen. Both contain organic pomegranate seed oil, which is extremely high in antioxidants and promotes cell regenaration. The nail care pen is a staple in my bag now, also for days when I am not wearing any polish. It smells delicious, but not overpowering. The Pomegranate Regenarating Hand Cream is another winner in the range. It absorbs very quickly and doesn't leave the hands greasy at all. It's a really great anti aging hand treatment as the antioxidant-rich, organic pomegranate seed oil helps to protect your hands from environmental influences that can cause the appearance of age spots. The Cuticle Softener Pen, really made my manicure look professional and super neat. How genius is Weleda ? I haven't seen any natural or organic manicure products like these on the market. They were a dream to use, toxin free and really worked a treat. They will be repurchased for my makeup kit as well.

Uni Organics Review or Sleeping Beauty & the Good Day

uni organics review Liv Lundelius Natural Beauty Expert

I just had the chance to try out the beautiful anti ageing range by Uni Organics. It's the latest certified organic skin care brand here in Australia. There is something very different about this range, that I noticed immediately: The textures and scents! They seem very familiar as you would expect from any conventional high end luxury beauty brand. Very pleasant and not too aromatic. Most natural organic brands have an essential oil smell to them, or smell simply herbal (not that this is a bad thing!). The Uni Organics range however has sophisticated textures and a really pleasant soft creamy smell. I think it's the perfect introduction range, if you are changing from conventional to organic beauty products. The packaging is travel friendly, hygienic and neat.

The ingredient list is cutting edge and on trend with the latest potent super foods for your skin. For example: Kakadu Plum! I have seen it pop up everywhere recently, so I was really curious to learn more about it. It's a Australian native plant, which is extremely high in Vitamin C full packed with antioxidants. Kakadu Plums also have anti-carcinogenic, anti fungal, antiviral and anti inflammatory properties. This miracle worker is great for all skin types.

The Uni Organics Range focuses on anti aging with a straight forward compact range. There is a cleanser "Perfectly Clean", day cream "Good Day Face", night cream "Sleeping Beauty", a serum "Restore" and an oil "Repair" that I have tried. I liked all of them! (There are a also few additional products that I haven't yet tried: A face mask, an eye cream and a face scrub.) All of them are meant to be suitable for all skin types, with exception of the night cream which is not suitable for oily skin types. In my experience the range is perfect for normal to dry skin, as most products are very hydrating and rather rich. My skin loves it as it's a little more on the dry side naturally, I am a combination skin type now that I live in Australia. (besides random flare ups of oiliness and breakouts, when I am out of balance)

I like how the range is inspired by Aboriginal Australian Bush medicine and uses many local indigenous ingredients. They have a lovely little explanation of the extracts they use and their effects on their website here.

Clean Skin , Clean Home Envirocare Review

Over here at the Liv headquarters it seems things are finally getting sorted and back to "normal", after our wedding and trying to catch up on everything it's been a hectic (!!!) few months. This last weekend Dave and I had some time together to sort out our home and did a full spring clean, and home cleanse. We got rid of unwanted clothes and did multiple trips to donate them, we threw away boxes and boxes of useless stuff that had just accumulated and we also cleaned our apartment in depth. It feels SO good! I can move around again in my office and breathe! There is nothing like a good tidy up.

You know that I am trying my best to avoid any unnecessary toxins in my life. At home we do our best to only use green cleaning products. I love buying from companies that care about the environment and source and make their products in a sustainable way. We lately got sent the EnviroCare Earth range over here and really liked them. EnviroCare Earth products have never ever been tested on animals. They are safe to use without polluting our home with nasty chemicals. Dishwashing Liquid, laundry detergent, Hand Wash and also they Body & Hair Cleanser (which I used as travel size on our honeymoon, and loved it!) They are fantastic unisex products for the whole family including the dog. Not even kidding, they have a lovely natural pet grooming range, approved by always white and fluffy Dalston. Most products also come in generous sizes, reducing packaging and landfill. I really love how they thought about everything.

All their body products are extremely gentle and have the most pleasant barely there scent. I would highly recommend them for sensitive skin and sensitive noses that aren't a fan of strongly perfumed products.

The cleaning products are really powerful and work a treat! I love how they don't leave a strong scent either, they simply work and have no nonsense added to them. I think it's especially important if you have pets or babies in your home as they are much more sensitive to toxic ingredients and often are the first ones to develop allergies or skin problems. Do you use green cleaning products in your home? Do you know that conventional cleaning products often contain allergens and toxic ingredients that can seriously effect your long term health?

Skin Is In - New Jane Iredale Collection

Jane Iredale Skin Is In Review Liv Lundelius Natural Beauty Expert

bridal-hair-piece-3 2

Makeup By Liv Lundelius using Jane Iredale, for Bride La Boheme, Photography by Lana Ivanova

Jane Iredeale got it right! The new collection is all about the No Makeup Look, which I LOVE. There is a new PureGloss colour called "White Tea" which is a sheer nude browny/beige colour, I love it, especially on medium to darker skin tones or summer bronzed skin. "Flawless" colour blush, which has a very lovely neutral shade, just enough colour to give your cheeks that healthy flush without looking like you are wearing blush. It's also a matte colour, so it's undetactable, no shimmer, no sheen. Quite a nice change after all the gloss and shimmer we have seen for years now. (nothing wrong with it if you like shimmer and dewyness, I love it too and you can always add highlight!) The Eyebrow Kit has had a revamp and is now called GreatShape and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, it's my favourite brow product which I use on myself every day and it's the staple product in my pro makeup kit as well. The Limited Edition Naturally Matte Eyeshadow Kit, is a real winner, with 5 (!) neutral and very wearable shades all completely matte. Jane Iredales matte shdows are never chalky though, they are richly pigmented and glide on very beautifully. It comes as a mirrored compact, which is very nice and flat, so perfect for carrying in your makeup bag.

It's your no nonsense, quality basics kinda collection. Think Capsule Wardrobe for Makeup. Good quality basics that you can actually wear day to day and that go with everything. Well done Jane Iredale!

For the look above I have used: Smooth Affair Primer, Dreamtint Tinted Moisturizer with Pure Pressed Powder, Great Shape Eyebrow Kit, Longest Lash Mascara, Naturally Matte Eyeshadow Kit, Brown Jelly Jar Eyeliner, Yummy Play On Lip Crayon, Moonglow highlighter (the lightest shade)

Spot Treatment Revolution

Dream Dots Review Liv Lundelius Beauty Blog

A question I get asked a lot is what to do when you get a spot/breakout/massive pimple before an important event, or just in general. We all know the usual advice it to keep our dirty little fingers away from it and don't pop it, to reduce the risk of infecting it and leaving a scar behind. The best thing to do, if it's a red hot inflamed and painfully swollen spot is to ice it, to take away pain and inflammation. That's as far as I would recommend to self medicate. Of course there also many useful topical spot treatments. The best ones usually have Salicylic Acid in it and work pretty well.

I just got to try out Dream Dots. They are little stick on dots, completely clear and almost invisible that will heal of a spot in record time. You use them overnight and trust me it's super easy. The great thing is as well, that once you covered the spot you won't be tempted to pick at it. Of course I was trying to investigate the ingredients of the product and also if it was tested on animals. As the product is certified as a medical device, there is no ingredient list , like it would be the case for a cosmetic product. So I have no idea what actually is in the patented gel formula, and can vouch for it's safety, but I know it works and if it's used as a treatment only, I decided to use it. Dream Dots claims the formular to be drug free, paraben free, latex free and containing no harsh ingredients. The company was able to insure me however that the product has not been tested on animals, that's why I decided to review it.

I found the little dots worked really well and to my surprise they don't dry out the skin either. They just take any redness and swelling down and when you remove them the spot is barely there. YOur skin won't be damaged. It is really clever. The clear gel swells up a little and turns white overnight. You will then remove the dot in the morning. The spot will heal in half time and you won't damage your skin. Quite impressive! I do highly recommend this. I will keep these dots handy in my bathroom cabinet now.

Do you have any tips or tricks on handling blemishes? Have you tried Dream Dots yet?