Last Friday I attended the Adelaide Beauty Bloggers Meet Up which has held at Chianti Classico. I have actually eaten at Chianti Classico before for dinner, but had no idea that they had private rooms for functions. 

We were there for the muk haircare Adelaide launch of their newish SPA haircare range and their new hair straightener, the "Style Stick 230-IR." 

Hard muk

The Director of muk Haircare, Mark Gariglio, explained to us all about the brand, the products and how muk is different than your usual haircare brand. Muk was born in 2006. Originally there was just one product, "hard muk" which is a styling mud. Chances are your father, brother or other half have bought this at least once. 

There was never supposed to be a range. There wasn't even a brand name at that stage. The name "muk" came about because when people wanted to buy the "hard muk," they would ask for that muk stuff. And the name just stuck. 

Deep Muk 1 Minute Ultra Soft Treatment

Muk's product names are slightly cheeky. They don't take themselves seriously... just the effectiveness of their products. The great thing about muk is that they don't formulate their products like other brands. Most brands will tell their chemist to make a product that cost "x" amount or under to make. Muk creates the best product they can without cost being the main factor. 

Hot Muk Thermal Protector

You would think by doing this, they make their products extremely expensive, but they're not. The main line is affordable. The products are between $23.95 and $25.95. Muk set out to have affordable haircare that out performs every other brand and makes you surprised that it's not twice the price. 

Their first product was such a success, and so quickly, that other ranges followed. Now their core range also includes...

Beach Muk, a sea salt spray

Deep Muk, a range which leaves hair soft and moisturised

Fat Muk, a volumising range

Hot Muk, thermal protection

Blonde Muk, tones blonde hair

Kinky Muk, amplifies curls

Intense Muk, repairs hair

Raw Muk, styling mud

Rough Muk, styling cream 

Filthy Muk, a firm hold paste

One thing that was missing was a more natural range. The SPA range is a natural based line that still gives professional results. It's taken a while for their SPA range to be available for sale as they wanted the line to be perfect and not just launch an average range because it's the "in" thing. 

There's 5 products in the range. A shampoo, conditioner, mask, shine spray and argan treatment oil. 

The great thing about the range is you can use gentle products that are free from sulfates, parabens and mineral oils. It also contains no added sodium chloride (salt). The great thing about muk is they are upfront. "No added soduim chloride" means that they don't add it into the formula, but there is naturally some salt in the other ingredients that they use. 

I'll be doing an individual post on the SPA range very soon. 

Hairhouse Warehouse currently have a special on muk SPA products. When you purchase 2 SPA products, you get a mask for free! Offer ends on the 22nd of September 2013. 

With the success of the hair care range, the next step had to be electrical products. Muk wanted to release a range that out performed the other brands, but was still affordable for everyone. 

The original Style Stick was released and it had everything that you want in a hair straightener. It has an adjustable temperature, tourmaline ceramic plates, a swivel cord and ion field technology. It retails for $99.95 and comes in black and white. 

Because muk want to be ahead of rest, they set out to perfect the Style Stick and create a hair straightener that had more advanced technology than any other straightener available. 

What they created will make you put your current straightener down and run to the shops to buy this!

 The Style Stick 230-1R includes infra-red lights that are in the ceramic plate which causes a gentle heat deep within the hair shaft. 

One of the benefits of this new technology is that hair straightener will create straight hair in a single swipe of the iron.

Like the original stick, the temperature can be adjusted. It also has a swivel cord that's 3 meters long. It's great for anyone that has their power switch/socket in an unusual spot or far away from a mirror.  

On the night, we were able to see the Style Stick in action. It was trialled on 3 girls with 3 different hair types and the results were amazing. It has all of us "ohh-ing" and "ahh-ing" in our seats. 

Like other straighteners it can be used to create curls. Unlike other straighteners, this one helps to stop frizz. The ion field technology seals the cuticle layer of the hair, which leaves your hair soft and frizz free. For girls with frizzy hair, you no longer have to straighten your hair and then go over it again to curl it. With one single twist and swipe, you're left with frizz free curls. 

It has universal voltage, so it's the perfect heat styling tool for travelling with. 

The style stick also has a 2 year warranty. It's a first of its kind and retails for only $199.95. 

After seeing this in action, I know why X Factor Australia is using muk to style the contestants! 

I'm so impressed with this straightener. I'll be doing a full review on it with before and after pictures very soon!

Curl Stick

The other electrical tool available is the Curl Stick. It's a clipless curler that also has the option to adjust the temperature. The great thing about this is that it comes with 3 different sized titanium barrels. Instead of having multiple curlers to create different curls, you only need one product!

It contains ion field technology (locks in your hairs natural oils) to keep curls soft and frizz free. 

The Curl Stick is unbelievably affordable. It costs only $99.95 for the stick with the 3 barrels and a heat resistant glove. Not only is it much cheaper than buying 2 or 3 different sized curlers, it's also great if you're like me and have limited bathroom storage space. 

And that was our ABBM August event! There was a lot of fun had and we all learnt a few new things about hair and ingredients. 

We were all so incredibly lucky to receive the SPA range and the Style Stick in a goodie bag to take home and try out ourselves. There are so many different hair types and styles between all of the Adelaide beauty bloggers, that it will be great to see the reviews from everybody. I'll be sharing their posts too so you can see how the products perform on all different hair types.

I'll be posting more about the Style Stick and the SPA range next week. 

A big thank you to muk, Chianti and Tess from Tambo Consulting. The event and the venue were both fantastic! We can't wait to have muk back in Adelaide in the future!

Find out more about the muk haircare range and electrical products here. In Australia muk is available from Hairhouse Warehouse, Price Attack and selected salons. 

When was the last time you bought a hair straightener or curler?
XO

PS Check out Gracious Magazine for great photos of the event and the venue. 

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When the lovely Sophie from Born to Buy tagged me in the The Skincare Tag and I couldn't wait to do it. It's a really interesting tag, especially for a beauty blogger.

I know for me, I'm very lucky to be sent items to review, and have been sent some skincare that I would of normally not have tried or even heard about. Some of my most loved products were actually reviewed by other beauty bloggers and made me want to buy it. I love knowing what people are using, as you always find a new product or two to put on your wishlist. 

Now that I've rambled, lets get on with the tag ;) I've also included some pictures of my favourite skincare products. 

                           MooGoo Cleansing Oil                     

Describe your skincare routine in 5 words.

Forever evolving. Always important. Complex.

What's your skin type?

My skin has been normal to combination for a LONG time. Recently it's been more on the normal side, but dehydrated. I'm not sure if it's because it's winter here, or if it's old age. 

What's your favourite skincare product?

I can't just pick one!!! 

But I would say one of my favourite types of skincare products has to be oils. I'm obsessed with them. It doesn't matter what type of oil it is (argan or rosehip) or how I use it (as a cleansing oil or as a serum), I use multiple ones daily. 

Top blemish zapper?

An oldie but a goodie has to be good old witch hazel. Also tea tree oil is amazing. I always think it's better to be gentle to blemishes. I've previously (when I was a teen) used harsh and strong zit zappers and I feel like they did more harm than good. It dried them out quickly, but it also irritated the skin and I don't think they healed as nicely as when I've used a more gentle formula.

Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser

Face Wipes. Yay or nay?

I think it's better to use one than go to sleep in your make up. With that being said, I try to only use one (or a micellar water) sometimes. I don't feel like they truly clean my skin 100%, so I only like to use it when I'm too tired to wash my face. 

Toner. Yay or nay?

Yay all the way! My beauty routine started in the 90s when it was ALWAYS cleanse-tone-moisturise. So I'm always surprised when I see beauty bloggers skipping toner. It's a way of (beauty) life for me!

Luminesce Cellular Rejuvenation Serum*

High end skincare or high end make up?

Without a doubt skincare. There's so many amazing dupes for high end make up, but it's much harder to do a dupe for high end skincare. I can enter a Priceline store and pick up great make up from brands like Bourjois, Rimmel, Models Prefer and more, but good skincare is a lot more trickier to pick up on a budget. 

Also skincare is what you apply to your skin first, not make up, so I want the best products to be on my skin first. While it's nice to have added extras in your foundation or primer, because it's layered onto 5 skincare layers, it doesn't really do a lot. 

Olay Advanced Cleansing System*

What's the most unusual skincare product you've tried? 

I haven't tried anything unusual, but anything that has snail slime, bird poo or whale sperm scares me!!! 

You're in a French pharmacy and can only pick one item. What is it? 

Since it's getting much easy to buy French brands online (from Adore Beauty) and instore (like Priceline and Terry White), I would probably pick something I haven't heard of before. I think picking a fragrance would be nice too. Every time you would use it, it would remind you of your holiday.

Lancome UV Expert BB Complete*

Tell us your top skincare tip.

Without a doubt it has to be protect your skin from the sun!! As a teen, being bronzed meant being beautiful. My skin is pale and burns easily. Now I have some skin damage (mostly obvious on my chest) because I didn't look after my skin when I was younger. While wearing and hat sunscreen isn't cool when your a teen, you'll be thankful in your 30's and older that you used sunscreen.

So that's the skincare tag!! 

I won't specifically tag anyone, but instead tag anyone that wants to do the tag on their blog.

What's more important to you... Skincare or make up?
XO

PS If you've done this tag, leave a comment with a link :) 

*I was kindly sent the item in the photo for consideration. All thoughts and views are completely my own, and are always 100% honest. See my disclosure policy here.

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Recently John Frieda released another blonde range to add to his 3 current blonde ranges. 

"Everlasting Blonde" compliments the existing range since it's colour preserving. Regardless of how blonde you are (foils, all over blonde or if you have ombre blonde ends), keeping the colour fresh can be quite difficult.

It contains safflower oil and bergamot extra to keep your hair soft and it protects the colour from fading. 

I've used just the *shampoo and *conditioner and found that it was hydrating enough that I could skip a mask, which is great for those mornings when you've slept in but still need to wash your hair. But it wasn't over hydrating that it made my fine hair limp, oily or looking greasy. I've also followed up the shampoo with the John Frieda *Intense After Colour Conditioner on days when I need more hydrating because I'm using heat styling, and it keeps my hair feeling and looking great without being too heavy.

Personally I like to use these every second wash. I use a toning shampoo and a mask on my other wash to both hydrate and get rid of any brassiness. I've found using this every second wash keeps my colour locked in. I concentrate the shampoo on my scalp and let any excess rinse down the ends. I apply the conditioner on the ends of my hair where the blonde starts. Doing this means I still get the colour fade benefits, without drying out the ends. 

One of the great things about the shampoo and conditioner is that it doesn't deposit any colour onto the hair, it just keeps the colour you already have from fading. If you've had issues with your colour changing by using specific hair colour shampoos and conditioners, you don't have to worry with this duo! 

The shampoo and conditioner have a gorgeous smell. The conditioner has a stronger scent, but it's delicious. 

I like that JF products are budget friendly. They're only $17.99 for 250mls. 

These can be used in conjunction with the other blonde shampoos and conditioners from the JF range. Or it's a good duo to rotate and to use with your current shampoo and conditioner.

If you suffer from brassy hair, then the "Colour Renew Tone Correcting" Shampoo and Conditioner is for you. I don't like to use a toning hair product everytime I wash, just every 2nd or 3rd wash depending on how brassy my hair is getting.

Otherwise if you like colour depositing shampoos and conditioners, then "Go Blonder Lightening" Shampoo and Conditioner helps to gradually lighten your hair. 

There's also the original blonde range, "Sheer Blonde Activating Enhancing" or "Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Moisturising" shampoo and conditioner available. This range is for revitalising dull hair and is available in a "light" or "dark" version depending on the colour of your hair.

Do you use the same shampoo and conditioner every single wash, or change it up?
XO

PS Get into Priceline on Tuesday the 27th and Wednesday the 28th of August to get a HUGE 40% off haircare! :)

*I was kindly sent these for consideration. All thoughts and views are completely my own, and are always 100% honest. See my disclosure policy here.

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In my third post for Pro's In The Know, I've got an e-interview with Bita Beyzaee, who's the Co-Founder of The Laser Lounge and Head of Client Services. 

I only just learnt about The Laser Lounge in the last 2 months, but have been impressed with my 2 treatments there (which you can read about them here and here). The great thing about having a treatment in a salon, is that the technician sees your skin a LOT different than you see your own. You might only see oily skin and big pores, but they may surprise you and tell you that your skin is actually dehydrated! 

While a salon visit can be a bit pricey for those of us on a budget, today I've got Bita's expert advice for free!! 

I've got a wide range of questions for her, which include questions about her best skin tips, how to get your skin glowing for a big event and advice for getting into the beauty industry. 

How did you get into the beauty industry? Was it something that you always wanted to do or did you have another career in mind?

I’ve always been fascinated with science and more specifically, the science behind the anatomy and skin. The reason I first got into the Beauty Industry was because I had the passion to make people feel great as well as look great. I also found it quite satisfying knowing that clients were achieving a boost in confidence by having their skin and unwanted hair concerns treated and/or corrected! My clients are the reason why I truly LOVE what I do. 

What makes the Laser Lounge different than other salons?

One thing that sets The Laser Lounge apart from other laser clinics is that we are an Australian family operated business, who is in the industry because of genuine passion for para-medical beauty. 

Our clinic motto is ‘live, laugh, love, laser’ and we reflect this concept in everything we do. Our motto stands tall at all The Laser Lounge clinics reminding our team and clients that we, live to exceed client satisfaction, enjoy the relationships developed amongst peers and clients, love the outcomes achievable and that laser can be a life-changing experience allowing you to live, laugh and love for a lifetime.

The Laser Lounge is in no sense a ‘production line clinic’, we tailor make our treatment plans to suit each clients individual needs, ensuring that the clients treatment journey is comfortable and successful. Clients have often told us that they feel at home in our ‘lounge-like’ environment, which is the best compliment you can receive when someone walks into your business! 

What advice would you give to anyone that wants to get into the beauty industry?

First and foremost, you need to have the passion to help clients reach their goals! The Para-medical beauty industry is a lot of fun, but it is also very hard work… so you need to be ready for one of the best rides of your life! Study hard, work hard and focus on high standards when it comes to client services, and you will go far.

What are your top 3 skincare tips?

1. Protect Your Skin

Slip, Slop, Slap!

It’s important to “protect your skin” from the sun’s harmful UV rays and slip, slop, slap! All Aussie’s should wear sunscreen; start young and apply SPF30 daily! Sunscreen isn’t just meant for the beach! Quick Tip: If you have oily, congested or acne prone skin, I recommend DMK Trans dermal Sun Block SPF30. It’s smooth and light, and leaves your skin feeling fresh and moisturised.

2. Care For Your Skin

Hydrate!

Keep up the fluids and drink lots of H2O! Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to the cells and keeps skin super hydrated! On top of this, it’s important to maintain a good beauty routine; wash, cleanse and moisturise morning and night.

3. Invest In Your Skin

Seek Professional Guidance! 

I strongly recommend paying a trip to your local salon or clinic, and let the professionals work their magic! If you’re a “DIY ” kind of girl, take this time to pick up key tips from your Beauty Therapist for maintenance in between treatments. Get to know your skin, the products you’re using and how best to use them. I always recommend for clients to take the time to have a thorough skin analysis by professionals before purchasing ANY skin care products! Understanding your skin will help you manage any concerns you may have such as redness, excessive oil, congestion etc. Also you may require occasional in salon/clinic treatments which a qualified Skin and Laser Technician can personalise for you!

What treatments do you personally get and how often?

IPL Skin Rejuvenation is one of my favourite treatments to receive, and perform. This is because it assists with so many skin concerns in the one go. You can achieve pigmentation removal, treat broken capillaries, even out skin texture/skin tone and rejuvenate the skin overall for that plump, fresh appearance! I also love Clinical Skin Needling and find that I can achieve amazing treatment outcomes when combining the two, into a personalised treatment plan. 

You recently got married (Congratulations!!), did you do any extra treatments in the lead up to your big day? 

I did every treatment under the sun leading up to my big day! I did a course of PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) as well as some Clinical Skin Needling to even out my skin texture as well as produce collagen to create a juicy, plump and fresh appearance in my skin. A very popular treatment for our Brides-to-be is the DMK Enzyme Therapy Corrective Skin Treatment, which achieves a bright, wedding glow! I did this treatment a few days before the wedding.

What made you decide to choose to stock the DMK range? 

Gita and I were inspired by DMK’s philosophy when it comes to treating skin concerns. The concept to ‘Remove, Rebuild, Protect and Maintain’ hit home with us, and we knew that this was the para-medical skin care range for our clients.

What treatments would you suggest to someone that is getting concerned with aging skin, but doesn't want to get botox or plastic surgery?

We have many anti-ageing treatments that our clients can experience before considering cosmetic injectables. Our rule of thumb is to treat the face as a ‘canvas’. By this we mean we cannot simply inject a client, without treating the skin concerns holistically. Therefore, we recommend treatments such as IPL Skin Rejuvenation and Clinical Skin Needling to dramatically reduce skin concerns such as pigmentation, gravitational changes and uneven skin texture. After a course of these treatments, we then recommend investing in cosmetic injectables to treat those deeper lines and wrinkles!

What treatments and DMK products would you suggest for someone with acne?

For our clients with acne concerns, we recommend a course of DMK Enzyme Corrective Skin treatments as well as the Acu Klear range to use at home to maintain the treatment outcomes we achieve in-clinic.

...

I hope that you were able to pick up some tips and tricks from the interview!I've been using the DMK Deep Pore Pure cleanser and the Solar Damage Gel for the last 2 months and have seen first hand how amazing the DMK range is and how effective it is on my skin. 

The Laser Lounge is available in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. You can see their website here to find locations, treatments and current promotions!

What's your number 1 skincare tip?XO

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I haven't been blogging about the Australian beauty boxes that I'm subscribed to lately because since I've moved from Sydney to Adelaide I'm one of the last to get them. A lot of time and effort goes into posting, and it sometimes doesn't feel worth it if people won't read it because they've already seen 437 posts about it. 

But even though I've seen a lot of bloggers post about the newest Her Fashion Box (mostly the feminine box), I have been really loving each box and wanted to share this months box. 

One of the good things about HFB is that it's slightly more tailored to your style. There's "classic," "feminine" and "trendy" variants. While all of the beauty products are the same, it's the fashion element to the box that is different depending on your box choice.

This month was about "Animal Instinct" and all 3 scarves reflected this. In the classic box, I had a scarf that had a tigers face on it. It has really earthy tones and can be manipulated into different shapes and ways so you can make certain colours more obvious.

The feminine box had a python print and the trendy box had a mixture of a leopard print and a nautical design.  

I'm a HUGE fan of the scarves being in the box. I could have a scarf in every single box and never be disappointed. 

I would love for there to be a way of purchasing the fashion products from the other boxes. I wish that HFB had a section on their website where you could purchase the other accessories. I ADORE the phython scarf and would love to be able to buy it.

The belt that I received is black with gold detailing. I love that it's a stretchy material. Since there's nowhere that we've indicated our size, the stretchy belt makes it suitable for a whole range of body shapes and sizes.  

The feminine box had a tan belt with gold detailing, while the trendy box had a grey belt with chain detailing. 

As for the beauty products, I love that it's all the same products. No box envy is needed since we all get the same. 

This month had an AMAZING mixture of beauty items.

Ardell Brow Perfection Stencils $9.99 and Brow Defying Kit $24.99

There were 2 Ardell products in this months box. One was a brow stencil as well as the Brow Defying Kit. I love that both of these products can be used together or by themselves, as well as with products you already own. 

The brow kit is fantastic. It contains 3 brow colours which you can use to custom blend a colour to suit your skintone as well as a highlighter. It comes with a grooming pencil and a brush to apply the colour to your brows.

L'Oreal Mythic Oil Travel Size (45ml)

I'm so excited to have the L'Oreal Mythic Oil in this months box. I've been meaning to buy this for quite a while as I've heard great things about it. I can't live without a oil (for either my hair, face or skin) and this is a great new addition to my hair product collection.  

I couldn't find a price for this. The full size (125ml) costs $38.00, so lets say the travel size is about $14. 

MeMeMe Beat The Blues Illuminator $18.95 (12ml, full size)

I really like MeMeMe products and was excited to see the Beat The Blues Illuminator in the box. I actually already own this, but a girl can never have too many illuminators :)

Press & Go Press On Manicure $14.95

I received a hot pink set, and while they sound great I most likely won't use them. They're supposed to be easy to apply, last up to a week and have no drying time. 

Because I'm quite rough with my hands (being a SAHM means lots of dishes and cleaning) I don't think that these will really last all that long. I'm sure my daughter will try and rip them off too!! 

Eyelash curler (no brand or price)

And finally there's also a eyelash curler in this months box as a bonus. An eyelash curler is a fantastic inclusion. I haven't seen one in any other beauty box here in Australia. It's silver and pink and is completely adorable.

As you can see there's so much value in the box. And honestly, there needs to be! At $39.95 for the box, they wouldn't be able to survive for long if the box didn't hold enough value. The beauty products (excluding the eyelash curler) are already over $80 and then you also have the scarf and the belt.

One thing that I love about HFB is that they are so generous with the beauty products. They mostly have full size products and any samples are deluxe ones. Unlike other beauty boxes, they give you samples that you can use that last for days or even a week or two!

Another stand out thing that HF does is their magazine. While other beauty boxes have a card with a sentence or two about the product, HFB have a magazine.

Because they have fashion accessories, they show you how to use them yourself. What to wear them with and ways to wear them. They also include why the product was chosen (eg it's a huge trend on the runways in Paris). 

Each box I've received is getting better and better. I really feel like HFB take members comments and criticism head on and use it to better their boxes. Other beauty boxes seem to have the same response to each customers comments and complaints. They just say something along the lines of "Sorry you're disappointed, we'll pass it on to someone else," and the concerns don't seem to be taken seriously (for example sample allocation, the value of the box and profiles not relating to the box they received). HFB don't have issues like that because the majority of the box is the same, and the fashion accessories are like for like no matter your profile (everyone gets a scarf, just a different design). 

I can't wait to get the September box as they've said it's their best one yet. It's my birthday next month and I'm thinking about getting a 3 month subscription to HFB, since I've loved every single box.

Do you still want to see a HFB post on the blog, even though it's a little bit later than everyone else? Or would you just like to see a picture on my Facebook page with a description of what's in the box?
XO

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