Dr PawPaw Balms

If you grew up in Australia, it's almost a given that you used pawpaw ointment at some point. My mum and every other mum I knew used it on our mosquito bites, knee scrapes and pretty much everything else until we grew up and found other, more fun uses for the ointment. PawPaw balm is one of those things I always had in my glovebox, first aid kit and handbag and used it for everything from a lip balm, to a cracked heels treatment and as a quick eye brow tamer.
PawPaw is making quite an impression on the UK market these days too, most notably in the form of Dr PawPaw.

Dr PawPaw was co founded by an Aussie here in the UK with the intention of making PawPaw ointments more readily available over here and so Dr PawPaw was born! Dr PawPaw balms are created and distributed in the UK but still retain the same qualities of their Australian counterparts - packed with antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.
The base of the unscented balm is, you guessed it - PawPaw. A nutrient rich fruit, PawPaw contains a load of vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which aid in skin repair (hence their inclusion in first aid kits). These ingredients also add moisture and have a smoothing and tightening effect on the skin.
Dr PawPaw balms also contain Olive Oil, which is anti-inflammatory and moisturising and Aloe Leaf Juice which retains and restores moisture, promotes cell regeneration, can minimise the appearance of pores and is cleansing and toning. Phew.

Like the balms I grew up with, Dr PawPaw formulas also contain medicinal grade Petrolatum and Potassium Sorbate as a preservative.

The real kicker with Dr PawPaw balms and what I think really sets them apart, is the fact that they have two tinted balms available, so you can have a kick of colour and still enjoy the benefits of the balm. Its a little bit innovative really!

I have the original balm, which is good for putting pretty much anywhere and is particularly handy as our extremities start to dry out and go a little nuts as we get closer to Christmas and the two tinted versions - Peach Pink and Ultimate Red.

Both balms provide a nice wash of colour and I was surprised by how densely pigmented they are. Ultimate Red reminds me a little bit of Benefit's Benebalm/ Benetint in terms of colour and the pink is very pretty and feminine. I think the pink might be my favourite which is odd for me as I'm such a red lipstick girl but I'm fond of this shade and think it would look pretty great against tanned skin.
The tinted balms can be used on the cheeks too (or anywhere really) for a quick pop of subtle colour.

You can find Dr PawPaw Original and Tinted Balms here for £6.95 each.

Post contains sample

First FOTD

Hello! I'm posting on my iPhone again because the dongle I got just isn't coming through with the goods :(

Anyway, to the point: For my first (and possibly last!) ever FOTD post, I thought I'd just show you the makeup look I wear most days.
It's all about flicked black eyeliner and bold red lipstick. Pretty simple really and oh-so-easy to achieve.

This morning, I almost went without the token red lip in favour of a neutral pout...

But I ended up reaching for the Ruby Woo :)

So a run down of the products used:

Base:
bareMinerals Prime Time Primer
bareMinerals Foundation in Fairly Light
Bourjois Blush in 34 Rose D'Or

Eyes:
L'Oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss in Carbon Black
Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Noir
Rimmel Eyebrow Definer in Black Brown

Lips:
Lucas Pawpaw Ointment
MAC Ruby Woo


So there you have it, hope you like it :)

Can't wait to be back online properly again :0
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Lucas' Papaw Ointment

We all know that winter can do various nasty things to our skin and as an Australian, I'm used to living in a climate that rarely drops below 10 degrees - so you can imagine how much my skin freaked out when I experienced my first British winter a few years back.

I was over here with my sister for Christmas in 2008 and after a few days in the face-freezing winds my lips were chapping, my elbows felt a bit like sandpaper and my hands dried out so much that my knuckles even cracked and bled :o

I found my salvation with a cult Australian beauty product -  Lucas Papaw Ointment.

Back in Oz this stuff is a handbag fixture thanks to its multitude of uses, neutral scent and exceptionally long shelf life.It can be used on minor cuts and abrasions, burns, rashes and chafing and is perfect for soothing dry skin and flaking lips. It's also great for taming brows or mixing with lipstick to tone down pigment - basically like an inexpensive version of (the very lovely) Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream.

The ointment is made in Brisbane, Australia (where I'm from!) using locally grown and fermented Papaw fruit. It is manufactured using pharmaceutical grade petroleum jelly and absorbs pretty quickly. Scent wise, it has a very slight sweet smell which I find really comforting, probably because I've been using it since I was little.

I felt compelled to write about this ointment because my skin is starting to feel the chill now so I've been reaching for it quite a lot lately. I feel like Boots or Superdrug should really stock this because it's a seriously wonderful product, but in the meantime you can find it online at Amazon. Prices vary but a 75g pot like mine will cost you around 10 pounds. Naturally it is more expensive here in the UK than  Australia, but if you're after something to soothe your skin this winter I think it's worth the investment!

Have you jumped on the Lucas Papaw Ointment wagon yet???