I made Bread

I made bread. I know everyone else made bread too. I know this because it took three weeks to procure flour and four weeks to procure yeast.

Once I had procured said items, I chose a simple white bread recipe I found online here. According to the instructions it was going to take 30 minutes of preparation. It didn't. It took me at least 3 hours. In saying that, I don't think the 30 minutes prep time factored in the ZOOM session with my Mum partway through or the rising in the hot water cupboard component of the bread-making process.

Which leads me to this, what do people do if they don't have a hot water cupboard and it's winter? Do they light a fire or turn a heater on for their bread processing? Maybe they turn the electric blanket on and tuck their bread between the sheets? I think I have now satisfactorily answered that question myself. You're welcome!

Anyway, back to the bread-making business. It must be mentioned that I had flour EVERYWHERE! I mean everywhere. Every surface in the kitchen, cupboard handles, the floor, the cats, me. Everywhere.

Bread making is fun, immensely satisfying and I would go as far to say, a bit exciting. I felt very wholesome and earthy in my pinny, kneading my bread and covering it in teatowels (clean not used) to let it do its thing in the hot water cupboard. Kneading, by the way, is a fabulous arm work out. It was very exciting to peel back the teatowels each time to see how much it had risen. Eventually, it found its way to the oven, which I swear had been on for 3 hours!

A short 45 minutes later, with the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house, I pulled the loaf tin from the oven. It looked like the real deal and once sliced, oh my goodness, it tasted like the real deal, but even better than the real deal. We ate it warm from the oven with melted butter. So good!

I would definitely use this recipe again for a basic white loaf. My only critique is that it might have been a tad yeasty in taste, but that could be me because I haven't eaten bread in over a year. Oh, and that my two dough balls were not even in size, so my loaf was a bit lopsided. I thought it would be like cake mix and spread evenly in the oven. Ah, no!

Next up will be a fancy, twisty loaf. Watch this space!

Thanks for reading,
Rachael xo

It's Okay not to be Cooking, Crafting or Kondo'ing

If your Instagram and Facebook feed is anything like mine at the moment, it will be full of beautiful images of reorganised spaces, drool-worthy meals, baking and bread making. It will be full of knitting, sewing, painting, art, craft and all manner of creative projects. It will be full of images of people wearing nice clothes, playing with hairstyles and experimenting with makeup. I am not that lockdown person.

My Mum's work. I am not that lockdown person.

More of my Mum's work. I am not that lockdown person.

On my daily walks, I see evidence of people's productivity, there are freshly washed houses, newly painted fences, evenly pruned hedges, trimmed edges, manicured lawns, weed-free gardens, cute children's craft projects hanging in windows and on fences, and so on. I am not that lockdown person.

I could be that lockdown person. I am capable of being that lockdown person. But, I am not that lockdown person.

To be fair, the Princess & I did bake a cake.

I am the lockdown person who had grand plans. I was going to knock out the giant to-do list I have had forever. I was going to have an immaculately clean and organised house, inside and out. My gardens would have been done. My wardrobe, drawers and cupboards would have been Maire Kondo'ed. We would have been eating interesting meals and the jars and tins would have been full of home baking. I would have been crafting, making art and sewing up a storm. I would have all manner of behind the scenes school stuff and shop stuff done to carry me well into the next year. I was going to be making full use of my lockdown time so that when lockdown ended, my life would be orderly, up to date and organised to an inch of its life, well my life.

This is the only thing I have 'Kondo'ed'

So what happened? I'm stuffed if I know! I know I feel unsettled with this life on hold business. Most days I  just feel flat, blah, nothing. Every day I think to myself, "this is the day I am going to knock five things off my list."

It. Does. Not. Happen.

These two love lockdown. They have become very 'extra' with demanding attention.

I don't think I am that idle though. I am watching far less TV than I did before lockdown. Okay, maybe last week I didn't do much apart from reading (a book a day), Instagramming and playing Sims, but it was the school holidays after all! Time just goes.

I have read all but two of these in a week and a half.

The things I manage to do consistently each day are, drinking a lot of coffee, wearing clean underwear, brushing my teeth, keeping up my skincare routine, organising one meal for my family to eat and going for at least one walk. The rest of the day, every day, every week is just a blur. And, that is okay.

At least I am doing some selfcare.

It's okay to admire the pretty pictures online as long as they don't make you feel inadequate because you are not doing all that stuff. It's okay that some days are a struggle and you feel like you didn't do anything. That is lockdown life. That is life. We need to remember that what we see online is a snippet of a moment in someone's life. The rest of their day/week, whatever, could be spent working, wrangling children, watching Netflix or none of that. We just don't know. And that's okay. It's their lockdown life.

What I am trying to say here is this. You do your lockdown life. I'll do my lockdown life. If you are sticking to the lockdown rules and being kind to other people you are doing a good job of your lockdown life. I am doing a good job of my lockdown life. That's the best we can do at the moment. And, that's okay.

And, there's still time...

Thanks for reading.

Take care, stay safe, stay well.
Rachaelxo

Self-Care at Rosebud Cottage

This is a post I have been meaning to write for a long time! A while ago, okay a big while ago, I had quite a lot of turmoil in my personal life, Post Concussion Syndrome and sudden losses of people I cared about. One weekend I just snapped, I had totally had enough and needed to run away. Impulsively I booked two nights accommodation at a place that had popped up on my Instagram feed and with that, I packed a bag, whipped to the supermarket, bought food and off I went. My accommodation wasn't too far out of Auckland, in fact only a 40-minute drive, once I found it, because of course I did get lost!

Oh my goodness though, when I finally found my way to Rosebud Cottage my heart truly skipped a beat. It was as if it had been designed just for me, there was not a single thing I didn't love about it. Stepping through the french doors instantly soothed my poor, emotionally worn-out soul. Soft, vintage colours, French country decor with pretty bits and pieces everywhere, it was all perfect. Rosebud Cottage is a luxurious studio bedroom/living space with a bathroom attached. Another set of french doors led out to a little outdoor living area with seating and a clawfoot slipper bath. Sitting on the wooden kitchen bench was the most beautifully put together breakfast platter, enough to last for two mornings. There were fresh flowers, fresh fruit, farm eggs, artisan bread, chocolate and biscuits and a bottle of sparkling wine in the fridge.

I had arrived at around 5pm so on that first night I unpacked, ate my dinner of cooked chicken (from the supermarket) and salad in a wrap. I ran a bath, filled to the top with hot water and the Epsom Salts fragranced with fresh Lavender that had been thoughtfully provided. I lit the many, many candles from inside and out, placing them around my outside bath and lay back under the stars, reading my book by candlelight and sipping herbal tea. It was heaven. A soft robe had been provided which I slipped on before getting into the canopied wrought iron bed made up with crisp white sheets and lovely layers of bedding. I slept.

Waking up in that bed, in that room was bliss. I lay savouring my surroundings before getting up to make tea which I took back to bed and continued reading my book. After a leisurely cooked breakfast, eaten outside, I ran another bath and soaked while admiring the view of the countryside. Coffee was calling however, when does coffee not call me! A short drive to Murawhai and good coffee was found. Phew! That day, I walked Murawhai Beach, from one end to the other. It was perfect Spring beach walking weather, almost isolated apart from a few lone surfers and a dog chasing a drone! There is seriously nothing like a windy beach walk to blow the cobwebs away and to just sit and contemplate, life or whatever, or to not contemplate, just to sit and look out to sea. Bliss! Another stop for another coffee and I set off, back to Rosebud Cottage for the afternoon. Outside on the long deck was a French wrought iron table where I set my laptop up and worked on the Roseroom shop which at that time I was in the process of opening. How totally perfect that I was at Rosebud Cottage working on the Roseroom shop. Serendipity.

Another dinner of chicken and salad in a wrap and another candlelit, lavender-scented outdoor bath before reading in bed. I am clearly a creature of habit! The next morning, my last morning, I tried to book for another night, really, at that point, I would have booked for the rest of my life if it were possible. Sadly, the cottage had already been booked so with that I packed and drove to Murawhai for my daily coffee fix, another long beach walk and then a meandering drive the long way home and back to reality.

Nothing, of course, had changed with my actual personal issues, but what had changed was me. My inner turmoil had settled, my thoughts were clearer and I felt re-energised and able to deal with what was ahead of me. Going to Rosebud Cottage was the best form of self-care I have ever done for myself and something I plan on doing again, in the future.

Rosebud Cottage and it's sister cottage, Honeysuckle Cottage, as said, are a 40-minute drive out of Auckland. Rosebud Cottage sleeps two, Honeysuckle has two bedrooms and sleeps five. Honeysuckle Cottage has the same gorgeous French Country decor as Rosebud Cottage. I can't recommend staying at either cottage enough, either on your own, with your partner, a friend or a group of friends. The cottages are often used as a venue for bridal parties getting ready as the setting is perfect for beautiful romantic photos and is also the perfect accommodation for romantic honeymoons. Jenny, my host was so lovely to deal with via email and so welcoming in person. More information and pretty pictures, much prettier than mine, can be found on their website.

Thanks for reading.
Rachael xo

Life in New Zealand Lockdown

Long time no blog posts. I didn't realise it had been so long!

Well, how about life at the moment! It's kind of weird how quickly our new normal becomes normal.

It's also scary that back in January when many of us on this side of the world were enjoying our summer holidays while at the same time the Australian bushfires were out of control and COVID-19 was barely a thing. Look at us now, so many countries in full lockdown, like us here in New Zealand, as hundreds of thousands of people around the world, are contracting this virus and ten of thousands of people are dying from it. It seems unfathomable that this is happening in our sophisticated world of science, technology and knowledge, but it is happening. Everywhere!

All those futuristic pandemic movies many of us watched in the past are now our reality. Words that were not a normal part of our vocab such as pandemic, unprecedented, PPE, quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing, essential workers, essential businesses, essential outings, clusters and lockdown are now used daily. Frightening how quickly things can change.

I'm so thankful to be living in New Zealand, and so proud of our country and how we are handling this. No matter what political persuasion you might be in New Zealand, our government is incredible in trying to make sure every one of us is safe and provided for, as individuals, businesses and organisations. I feel like we have never had so much transparency in decisions and why they are being made. Life in our house revolves around the news, the daily 1pm update on our COVID-19 numbers and the 3pm update from our Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden.

The days are long and slow. That's a good thing though, it could be seen as a blessing really that people have this opportunity to step out of the busyness and rush of normal everyday working life to wind down. I do realise that for many people though this comes with a whole other set of worries, financial, business, even coping with children at home every day and maybe less than ideal 'bubble' living situations to be stuck in 24/7.

My 'bubble' is small, just three of us here and the two cats who are thrilled that we are home all day, every day. Days are spent doing school work so that I am super prepared for whenever we go back to real live school, cleaning, cooking, laundry, reading, walking, exercising and playing games online such as Sims, don't judge! LOL, As I said, it is all seems very slow. I'm spending a lot more time on social media interacting with family as well which is really nice.

I'm not bored, not antsy, sometimes a little anxious about what is happening in the world but all in all, I feel safe in lockdown and more relaxed about my families safety as I have a 94-year-old grandmother and also my parents who are very vulnerable healthwise.

I do miss my friends at school and the students but it's the school holidays so I wouldn't have seen a lot of them in any case. I really miss the freedom to go out for a coffee, however, we have a Nespresso machine here at home which is taking a hammering!  Other than that and of course the ability to visit my family, I don't really miss anything else. Yet!

I went to book club last week, in my bedroom, via ZOOM. It was great! LOL

Something I am loving is the community spirit throughout New Zealand. At first, I thought the national Bear Hunt in the Window idea wasn't a good idea, how wrong was I! It's so much fun going for a walk to spot all the bears and how creative people are being. There is great humour out there. I love the chalk art on the footpaths as well, which is a Girl Guide initiative. I love seeing families out walking or biking or skateboarding or scooter-ing. Out walking sometimes, is like playing human dodgems trying to maintain the two-metre distance! People are so friendly as well, or maybe it's just me because I am like that anyway, greeting strangers, cooing at babies and toddlers, chatting to cats and dogs. The Princess hates it when I do that, though HaHa. I do love walking and talking with her though. Another blessing from this situation.

 

I hope life in your lockdown and with your 'bubble' if you are in a 'bubble' is going as best as it possibly can. If you are an Essential Worker out there, THANK YOU!!!

Stay safe, stay well.

Kia Kaha, beautiful people!

Rachaelxo

Skin Deep

Let me take you on a journey of my skin and skincare and how it led to a complete turnaround in what I not only put in my body but also on my skin. It's taken me years to make the connection between the two. Yes, I am a bit slow on the uptake!

Apart from babyhood and early childhood, I've always had shitty skin. The minute I hit pre-puberty I started breaking out. Enlarged pores, nasty inflamed pimples under the skin and blackheads. I was really self-conscious about it, even though my Granny, who had the most beautiful soft, unwrinkled skin (she used nothing but soap and water and Ponds Cold Cream), tried to convince me that her skin too, was like mine as a young person and I would end up being thankful I had oily skin when I was older because I would be less lined for it. Hmmmmm.

As a teen, I used to read Seventeen magazine, which didn't help the lack of confidence I had, short, shy, glasses and bad skin, plus I was a nerd! Anyway, Seventeen magazine was full of advertising, naturally, an ad that stood at to me was Ten O Six Lotion. Does anyone remember it? I saved my pocket money and bought a bottle. It didn't give me the beautiful clear glowing skin that all the teen models had. I used it diligently and if anything it probably inflamed the already inflamed skin! Goodness knows what was in that stuff!

My Mum then took me to our GP, his fix was to have me wash my face using oatmeal soap and a Buff Puff. If you don't know what a Puff Buff is, it's an oval circle thingy with scratchy sides, sort of like a pot scrubber, very abrasive! What a bastard! Another thing he did suggest was steaming, which was to clear the pores and then splash with icy cold water to close them again. I had to do this for 5 minutes every night. My skin didn't clear up if anything it was probably worse, raw from the Buff Puff! During this teen time, a friend and I used to have beauty days where we would give ourselves manicures and pedicures and facemasks with beaten egg whites. I swear to this day an egg white facemask is the bee's knees for rejuvenating and tightening skin!

Next on my journey, was Blackmores Skincare. My Mum gave me a travel pouch of it for Christmas. From memory, it had a cleanser, scrub, toner and moisturiser. It was actually really nice stuff and did clear up my skin somewhat. I remember doing this makeup/beauty course to improve my self-confidence and the lady running in told me I had good skin. Wow! Thanks, Blackmores.

Moving into my early twenties came Shiseido, introduced to me by a friend. Just a cleanser, toner and moisturiser and a facial brush. It felt very glamorous as the range came in beautiful glass bottles with soft green tops. It also smelt divine. I used Shiseido for many years and during this time my skin was under control with the exception of the usual monthly hormonal breakouts and ongoing breakouts on my chin and cheeks.

In my late 30's I stopped using Shisdeo and moved onto Clinique, the Number 3 range for oily/combination skin. Clinique did me well for a fair few years and then it stopped 'working'. Truth be told, I stopped working on being healthy, too much caffeine, too much wine, erratic eating habits, too much stress, not enough water, no exercise, see the picture I am painting here? On top of that my hormones were completely out of whack due to severe endometriosis, so it wouldn't have mattered what range of skincare I was using, good skin is more than skin-deep!

I also became a single parent at the time, so when I ran out of Clinique and it was no longer an affordable skincare option for me I used supermarket brands that were on special, nothing wrong with that BTW or stuff I was given. My skin wasn't great but not hideously bad either so long as I consistently stuck with my skincare routine morning and evening and looked after myself reasonably well.

Three years ago, my skin really turned to crap so I bought a range of Olay skincare after doing their online skincare profile thingy and got back on top of my skin condition. Not long after this, I signed up to be a product reviewer (anyone can) for beautyreview.co.nz. Since then I have received and reviewed numerous skincare products and ranges, all of which, with exception of a La Roche Posey cleanser and moisturiser, have been L'Oreal Paris. My skin gets really antsy each time I try a new product and I will typically have minor breakouts around my chin of little whiteheads and inflamed underskin bumps which settle down after a week.

With the exception of a couple of products I have since bought, I have continued to use the full-sized trial products until they are empty and because I diligently look after my skin, overall my skin condition has been good, soft and smooth despite the same problematic breakouts. I also have small underskin bumps on my jawline that I have had for a few years. I don't know what they are but want them gone! I think I need to go to a dermatologist or the Caci Clinic or somewhere like. After I have finished funding my dentists overseas trip haha.

At the beginning of this year, I had a complete lifestyle overhaul after visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Cairns and came home with a diet and exercise programme. I have lost a lot of weight, I have so much more energy and I just feel great. I strength train and do a little cardio and pretty much just clean eat, try to drink a lot of water and avoid processed foods.  My skin has also been so nice, in fact, the best it has ever been, aside from that babyhood and early childhood period I mentioned at the beginning of this novella!

I'm now super conscious about what I put into my body and have had a huge shift in thinking about what I use on the outside, and that it should be clean as well. When I started my shop last year it was with the idea of being a one-stop shop for women and part of that was having a skincare line. It has taken a while to find a product that I would personally like and use from a company that I felt good about working with.

I went to the NZ Gift Fairs in March this year, with the sole purpose of sourcing an organic skincare range. It was serendipity really, the first skincare stall I came across was run by a delightful woman who I immediately connected with, she was in my age bracket and had fabulous skin!!! Anyway, she is the distributor for an organic, cruelty-free and vegan range called La Mav® Organic Skin Science.

She sent me away armed with samples and information to digest. Since then I have spent a lot of time, trialling the products, researching the brand and reading reviews online, seriously, the reviews are outstanding. La Mav® Organic Skin Science really is a phenomenal range of skincare that is the world’s first certified organic skincare infused with proven Bio-Actives. It is also certified as vegan and cruelty-free. I love everything about this brand and the company,

I'm super excited to finally have the La Mav® Organic Skin Science, Certified Organic Anti-Ageing Range in stock online at www.roseroomnz.com. I'm also super excited to start using this range myself, so not only will I be clean on the inside but also on the outside!

As stated by Dr TARJ MAVI, founder of LA MAV,

“No woman should have to sacrifice her health for beauty.”

Phew! If you made it to the bottom of this looooong post, well done you!

Thanks for stopping by and reading,
xoRachael

Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul

Yesterday, a cold and miserable Friday, I made chicken soup for the first time ever. I make other soups, vegetable and pumpkin mostly, but never chicken.

Anyway, I had leftover chicken from a supermarket rotisserie-cooked chicken and having been ill all week I had a hankering for chicken soup. Since no-one had delivered the broth I needed for my recovery, here's looking at you Mummy,(I don't consider a four-hour drive an excuse!) I had to make my own.

A quick search of everyone's online best friend Google, and I found a simple recipe of which I loosely followed.

Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients

• 8 ounces (approx 225g or 1 cup) pasta (I used macaroni and way more than that!)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion diced (I used a whole onion)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 medium carrots diced (I only had one carrot)
• 5 cups chicken stock (I didn't have it ready made so used Maggi Cubes dissolved in water)
• 1 cup cooked chicken cubed or shredded (I used way more than this)
• 1 medium zucchini (didn't have any)
• diced 1 stalk of celery sliced (didn't have any, but wish I did!)
• Kosher or sea salt to taste (I used 20 turns of the grinder)
• Freshly ground black pepper ( I used 20 turns of the grinder)

I also added about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of mixed herbs)

How to Make It
Step 1    
Cook the pasta until al dente and then drain and set aside.

Step 2    
In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, garlic and carrots and cook until onions are softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 3    
Add the chicken stock, chicken, zucchini and celery. Bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Step 4    
Stir in the pasta and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Because I used more pasta and chicken than the recipe called for my soup was quite thick, but this made it even more nourishing! It makes heaps too, I gave a bowl to my neighbour, we had it for dinner last night and there is still at least two bowls left in the fridge.

Here's the link to where I found the recipe. I might try the Asian version next time.

bon appétit!

Thanks so much for reading
xo Rachael

L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Golden Age Regime Review

At the end of last year, beautyreview.co.nz sent me three products from the L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Golden Age Regime range to trial and review. Here is the review I wrote about each product at the beginning of January.

L'Oreal Age Perfect Golden Age Radiance Serum
I was a little disappointed upon opening the serum box to find that the bottle was lightweight plastic and didn't have a pump or spray applicator.

The serum itself is a pretty blush pink colour with sparkles. It has a nice consistency and smells divine. I love the smell, it reminds me of a Shiseido Skincare range I used years ago.
It's easy to use, simply apply 2 to 3 drops on cleansed skin, massage and then pat to absorb. It leaves the skin feeling tacky which I don't like but it does provide a nice base for the day or night cream to work with.

L'Oreal states the serum will refresh and smooth the marks of sleep and fatigue. That it will intensely re-hydrate the skin to re-plump and alleviate the feeling of tightness and awaken the glow of dull skin for fresher, more radiant looking skin. Does it do this? Well not exactly. I do not wake up looking refreshed but that might be to do with my bad sleeping habits.  However, when used in conjunction with the day cream my skin certainly has a fresh rosy glow.

I do like this serum, however, I absolutely love the L'Oreal Revitalift Laser x3 Serum so it's a hard call to find a serum I love more. In saying that, the gorgeous smell alone would have me re-purchase this product if I for some reason the Laser x3 Serum was not available.

May 2019 Update
I have just finished using this serum and as time went by so did the beautiful smell. With that so did my level of satisfaction with the serum. It's not a bad serum, it's just that I feel the Laser x3 serum is more effective for my skin.

L'Oreal Age Perfect Golden Age SPF15 Day Cream
Let's start with the packaging, it's divine! Open the luxe goldy, pink box and inside is a frosted blush pink glass jar (love) and gold lid (love).

The product itself is pink, kind of a clay pink. Not at all unpleasant and I am guessing the colour is what gives the skin the promised rosy glow. It's a medium weight cream, you don't need a lot and it massages nicely into the skin. It has an SPF15 factor. It also smells nice!

L'Oreal suggests that this product will give the skin a healthy rosy glow and help fight sagging. Did it do this? Yes and No. Yes, it does give your skin a nice healthy, rosy glow. No, it is not fighting my sagging skin, I need surgery or injections for that, but it does leave my skin feeling soft and feeling nourished. My skin type is combination and this day cream is perfect, I think it would actually suit all skin types. When I use BB cream with this day cream it really changes up the look of my skin, the coverage seems better and my skin is extra smooth and glowy!

I really like this product and I will be repurchasing it when I've emptied this divine jar!

May 2019 Update

I have just about finished this product and have continued to be really happy with it. My skin always looks smoother after wearing it and I like the rosy glow it gives.

L'Oreal Age Perfect Golden Age Night Cream
I've already written about the divine packaging in the Day Cream review. The night cream comes in the same luxe box, but this time the glass jar is frosted gold which subtly distinguishes it from the day cream.

The cream itself is a thick white consistency which is what I imagine Ponds Cold Cream to be like. It has a slightly greasy feel to it and takes a bit of massaging into the skin. Unfortunately, I can't stand the smell of it, to me, it smells like shoe polish!

L'Oreal promises big things with this cream. While you are sleeping your skin will be nourished, tightened, re-densified and it will also encourage the repair of the skin's barrier. In the morning you should wake up with intensely nourished skin that is visibly fresh, rested and perfectly hydrated. Not only that but from night after night of use, the skin will gradually regain density and facial contours will be visibly re-defined.

I have used this cream night after night for weeks, diligently, despite the unpleasant shoe polish odour and upon awakening in the morning, as in dragging myself out of bed and checking in the mirror to see if a miracle happened overnight, I have been sadly disappointed. Yes, my skin is nicely nourished, but I'm still waiting for the promised tightening, density, and beautifully re-defined facial contours. I would have settled for looking rested and I don't, quite the opposite in fact, however, that might be because this skin care trial is in the hot and humid lead up to Christmas!

May 2019 Update
Despite not loving this cream, mostly due to how it smells, I have continued to use it, lavishly in fact, as I scoop out extra each night and use it on my face and hands. I'm about two nights away from finishing it and won't be repurchasing this particular cream.

Overall, I like the L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Golden Age Regime skincare. I especially like the packaging, I'm a sucker for anything luxe looking, add blush pink, gold and sparkles and I'm in!
While the products don't necessarily perform as promised by L'Oreal, they are still nourishing, my skin is smooth and I don't have major breakouts. At the price point, I would say that you can't go wrong with this range.

In New Zealand you can purchase the  L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Golden Age Regime skincare at the following stores:
Life Pharmacy
Farmers
The Warehouse
Countdown
New World

The products range between $30 to $40.

You can read other reviews at beautyreview.co.nz. You can also read my L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Laser x3 - Intensive Anti-Ageing Regime here.

Thanks so much for reading, 
xo Rachael