And my brushes repeatedly live to tell a tale.

It was a recommendation made by Karen, you know, of Makeup and Beauty Blog. Like Oprah, if Karen said "bees are coming!" I too would be crazy excited.

Dr. Bonner's Bar Soap was fairly ace at the start until I became grossed out by the used bar stowed away in a Ziploc baggie - a potential breeding ground for who knows what? For kicks, I replaced the bar with the mint scented, pump version, but the syrupy consistency of the gel proved to be too heavy for both the natural and synthetic bristles. Plus, it took forever and a day for me to properly rinse out the brushes.

Switched I did to dare I say an Aesop equivalent, Subtle Energies Revive Body & Hand Wash. It's clear, lathers quite nicely, leaves behind a fresh lemon-y/clean scent and washes my handle holding, tram riding hands.

Save money you won't and perhaps I'm a tad blasé about its function as this was a surprise goodie from the very generous people over at Subtle Energies.

It's a right good soap, albeit an expensive one, but my brushes (and hands) are cleaned in no time and that's the most important thing.

*Subtle Energies kindly provided a PR sample – Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

I can't tell you what's safe and not safe to use on your own body, because everyone's skin reacts differently. Further to that, what works for you might not work for me, but I am always happy to compare notes -- I love a good chin wag regarding beauty, hair and skin care products.

This week I'll be focusing on skin care products kindly sent to me for review. You see, I've had more ups than downs with my skin for the whole of my adult life and sometimes I wonder if things will get better or does my constant worrying perpetuate most of my skin ailments?

Oh, and what I thought was a rosacea flare up turned out to be dermatitis. Sexy, eh? And it only cost me somewhere around $300 to figure that one out (all spent in one day, mind you -- so much for getting those Charlotte Olympia Kitty flats).

As a result, I culled my skin care regimen (it's nothing fancy, promise) out of fear and went back to basics. Since walking out of the doctor's office I've been mainly using Cetaphil's cleanser and moisturiser and thankfully the redness, itching and bumps have mostly subsided.

In no particular order, here's what we'll be taking a closer look at: