A few weeks back I mentioned that my sister and her husband travelled the Middle East for a couple of weeks and then being the awesome people that they are, brought me back some swoon-worthy makeup goodies from Sephora. Over the next few weeks there will be Sephora branded makeup product reviews up on the blog and I can already tell you now that I love each and every product. Of course there are a few faults here and there as there will always be room for improvement in products but it is definitely worth checking out. I have used products from the Sephora brand before like eyeshadows and a lipstick that Desle spoilt me with so I knew that I was in for a treat. A little side note before I get into the reviewing of the products: I take all of my product shots before I start using/reviewing products so don’t ever think that the products are new and I haven’t used it before. I just feel that clean looking products makes for much better photography as opposed to dirty products which is inevitable when it comes to makeup palettes.
First up on the review front I will be telling you about my travel brush set. Now if you read my blog some time last year, you would know that I swear by my Glamore Cosmetics Kabuki brush set so finding a new set that I could travel with had to be just as amazing good. I mainly wanted a travel brush set because I didn’t want to travel with all 10 of my Glamore brushes and I really want to keep them in the best condition for as long as possible. I got gifted a 5 piece set which consists of A powder brush for applying pressed or loose powder and blush. A medium-sized brush for applying light-coloured base eyeshadows. A thin eyeshadow brush for precise application of dark eyeshadows and for graded effects. A sponge-tipped brush for easy eyeshadow application. Lastly an eyelash/eyebrow comb with a brush side for grooming eyebrows before applying eyeshadow and a comb side to separate eyelashes and remove excess mascara.
This travel brush set retails for 59 AED (R219.31) at Sephora in Dubai Mall. The bristles are super soft and my most used out of the five brushes are the powder, eyeshadow and precision brush. I don’t care for sponge applicators or those type of brow brushes. The handles of the brushes are quite sturdy and I can definitely feel that it is of great quality. I have to say though that I experienced some shedding in the beginning and I am led to believe that it is common in new brushes. Even though it is supposedly common, it lowkey freaked me out because I don’t want to be forking out R219 for a travel brush set that is going to shed. Some comforting in the situation is that I did however wash it already and there was no shedding again. If I have to compare these brushes to any brand that is available in South Africa then I would closely, if not identical match it to those travel sized Essence brushes and it even compares in appearance. The brushes picks up product like a dream and the powder brush is particularly my fave one as it makes blush blending super easy and brushes away ‘baking’ effortlessly. 
Next up is the 2 in 1 kabuki flex brush which is one the products that I was most excited to try as I don’t own a brush like this in my collection. At first glance it looks like any other powder brush but it in fact is so versatile and nifty. The bristles may appear hard and coarse but it is quite wispy and gentle on the face. I have used this brush for setting my entire face with powder, some blush and even contouring. Contouring you ask? Yes contouring! Let me show you how…
When you “flex” the brush, it is so perfect for contouring and buffs out any harsh lines. This 2 in 1 kabuki flex brush retails for 84 AED (R312,23) and is definitely one of my favourite brushes in my collection. I have noticed that if I were to not store this brush correctly and at least give it some proper TLC then it would definitely lose it’s shape and start shedding. To keep its shape and prevent it from getting ugly in my makeup bag, I do store it in its original packaging. If you feel like spoiling yourself, I would definitely recommend this brush as it is my go-to for setting my face with a powder after foundation. 
Lastly I was quite intrigued by this product because it made some bold claims that I wanted to test out and see whether it would match up to its expectations. The last product that I will be chatting about is the Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner that requires no water/rinsing. I thought that it would be such a nifty product to have in one’s beauty arsenal if it really did what it claimed to do. On the bottle it states that you should spray the bristles of the brush with 3-4 spritz in order to remove light traces of makeup and then dab it onto a tissue. I am happy to say that it works like a bomb! Of course it is by no means a replacement or substitute to washing your brushes but rather a short term alternative to using a brush that you simply don’t want to/cant wait for it to dry.
The Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner retails for 38 AED (R 141,25) for 60ml and I think it is such a handy product for makeup artists that has more than one client booked in a day. At first I thought that this product would irritate the living daylight out of my skin but to my surprise there’s no alcohol in it. It consists of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and tea tree oils that help to clean brushes naturally while conditioning and protecting hairs. Surprisingly this product dries down within a few seconds and you can immediately use it. It smells quite refreshing and not in any way artificial.
So that is a wrap of some of the products that I received from Sephora UAE. I will post another Sephora review sometime next week. I have to admit that Sephora has become quite pricey…or maybe it’s just the South African rand kicking us beauty lovers in the lady parts. All the more reason to get this brand/chain to SA I’d say! With some of my fave bloggers/readers jetting off abroad, do you see any product that catches your eye?
I thought that doing things this way would also give my readers a heads up on what to expect from the overall product before forking out their money. Please note that we all have different skin types and needs so what might work for you, might not work for me. Some of these products have been sent to me via PR and others I have bought. 
Avon: Clearskin – Blemish Clearing Peel Off Mask
Avon: Clearskin – Blemish Clearing Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser. 
Design Cosmetics Foundation in shade Toast
Jet: Just Be Gorgeous Compact Powder
EAD Tissue Oil Spray 
Babyliss: Iconic Curl Secret
This palette comes in two shades, the one I have and a palette called “Nude”. If I had to choose between the two palettes then I would definitely have chosen the one that I have for myself… good choice sister! The “Nude” palette has darker shades in and I feel that someone that is not as adventurous or pro in eyeshadow application, my palette is quite forgiving when creating looks. When I say forgiving, I actually mean easier to pretend that your makeup is perfectly blended and easier to correct mistakes. So City Girl Vibe makeup artist (oh yes girl, we have one of those around this parts of town 
) and I created a makeup look using this palette and this is what he came up.
I have to say that I am in love with the look that he created. It is quite versatile and can easily be transformed from day to night. Now let’s get onto the quality of the palette. In this palette you’ll find 12 shades. There’s 5 shimmer shades, one shade with tinier molded shimmer specks, 6 matte shades, a two ended brush and an eye pencil. Right off the back I can tell you that I am besotted with the shimmer shades… the matte… not so much. When using the matte shades in the crease, you require a lot of product and when you apply it to the crease it blends out to almost nothing and there’s quite a bit of fallout. I have resorted to using the lighter shades to set my 
The shimmer shades in the palette are some of the best that I have ever used. Its soft, buttery, easy to blend and work with. I didn’t experience any fall out and my favourite part was the highlight on the inner corners of my eyes and below my brow bone. To intensify the shimmer shades, 
This palette retails for 189 AED (R661.97) at Sephora. I don’t feel that it is particularly badly priced if you do consider that you get 6 fantastic shimmer shades, an eye pencil and a dual ended brush with 6 okay-ish matte shades. Some may argue that it is a bit steep and I totally understand why. If I had the moola then I would definitely fork out the R662 just for the shimmer shades but right now it is questionable. 
When the matte shades didn’t work out as well as we had hoped, Zoor lightly dipped into the 
Now let’s backtrack just a little bit. In the past six years that I have been blogging, I have always mentioned that I have “problematic” skin in the sense of it being extremely sensitive and finding a product that’ll work for me is like finding a needle in a haystack. Without throwing words at you that you won’t understand (I wouldn’t either if I didn’t go to the dermatologist), I have some form of dermatitis. It only affects my face, my ears and my scalp. I have to admit that it is not as bad as I have encountered in other people but the irritation that it causes on my skin is on another level of frustration. 
I have honestly been battling with my skin since February. The last time I had this kind of struggle with my skin is when I returned from the 
The hardest part for me was not being able to scratch my face or ears and this product soothed my skin the moment I massaged into my face in circular motion. I had inflamed spots on my face that disappeared after three days of using the Care and Repair Plus two times a day. My skin was smoother and I actually felt comfortable enough to not wear makeup and give my skin a chance to breath. 
The consistency of the product is like a crème. You do also get this product in a moisturiser type consistency which is not as thick as the crème and retails for R290 for 50ml and R585 for 150ml. A little product goes a long way so this jar will last me roughly 2-3 months. For the first time in two weeks I was able to wear makeup again as no foundation could hide my uneven skin texture and I didn’t want to irritate my skin even more. When I wear this creme it is quite comfortable on my skin and it doesn’t feel as if I am wearing anything. I have also switched to not using a primer under my foundation as this creme fills and reduces my pores without clogging them.
Right off the bat, I loved the fragrance of this product. I could smell it before I even opened the bottle. It smells exactly like rose water and not artificial smelling at all. The scent lingers onto the skin and is not overbearing at all. I definitely think a lot of people will appreciate this scent as it really is quite a calming fragrance to have on your skin, especially when going to bed at night when removing your makeup.
The reason why I prefer this method is because this is a cleansing milk and not a cleansing water so the product takes quite a while to soak into the pad and that also uses more product than needed. 
When using this product, after all of makeup has been removed, it really does sooth my skin especially now in winter when my skin requires a lot more TLC. There’s no sticky residue that remains but your skin feels a tad bit tacky and I know not a lot of people won’t appreciate that but the feeling does however disappear when you apply your moisturiser.
One thing that I love about this range is how affordable it is. Skincare can get quite pricey and finding a range that is affordable and does the job is always a great thing. So the Daily Purifying pack consists of a face wash (R45.99), 3 in 1 wash, scrub and mask (R57.99) and a moisturiser (R45.99). Firstly, I don’t use all three products on a daily basis and I tend to alternate between the face wash and the 3 in 1 wash, scrub and mask.
Spot Control Face Wash
3 in 1 Wash, Scrub & Mask
Dual-action Moisturiser
I am no stranger to the Rimmel London brand and am a firm believer in their lipsticks, mascaras and nail polishes. Rimmel’s lasting finish lipstick in shade 170 alarm is by far the best red lipstick that I have ever used and without a doubt knocks MAC’s Ruby Woo to second place. If I am a firm believer in that lippie then it is only fair that I tried their foundations. 
First off let me start off by saying that spring has barely sprung and this shade is already too light for me. The shade that I currently have is “Sand Beige“. For some reason I tan really easily without even being in the sun. Luckily with a good bronzer or darker setting powder, this foundation can still work for me. As soon as this hits my “empties” pile then I am absolutely going to have to repurchase it in a shade or two darker. 
This foundation comes in a pump top bottle 
I have tried three different tools for applying this foundation and the one that comes out tops (in my opinion) is the flat foundation brush. I tried the kabuki brush from 
I applied an even layer of product all over my face and let it work its magic for 15 minutes before I started peeling it off. In one packet there is enough product for 3 people. The peeling process is 100% pain free and from the minute you start peeling the mask off you can feel and see the difference to your face. If I could give you any advice on the application process then it would definitely be to make sure that you apply an even layer uniformly or else you are going to have to go in with a damp cloth to remove those thinly applied areas.My skin felt and looked super smooth with no irritation to my overly sensitive skin. Before I used this mask I had minor flaking along my eyebrow area but the mask sorted that out and even removed the excess makeup that my cleanser didn’t.
This mask has Bilberry Extract and Vitamin C which are both known to have excellent antioxidant properties that help to prevent or reverse damage to cells caused by free radicals. The sensitive skin mask retails for R120 on 
Every once in awhile I like flipping through the Avon brochure to see what I NEED. I have honestly stopped the whole process of buying things that I don’t need… well almost. A few months back I came across the Foot Works range and I decided to order two products in the range. In this month’s brochure I didn’t spot this range but I have spotted two other ranges in the Foot Works collection with similar products to what I will reviewing today. All the products in the Avon Foot Works collection is quite affordable as I remember paying under R100 for both of these.
Way back when I just started my blog (please excuse the really really really bad image quality) I 
The sole support cushion cream goes hand in hand with the foot soak and I apply it immediately after drying my feet after it’s soaked for 15+ minutes. To me the Sole Support Cushion Cream is like a pedi in a bottle… maybe without the nail grooming. Or if you wanted to you could totally go the whole nine yards. As this product is extremely hydrating on the skin, I prefer leaving it overnight with socks as opposed to using it as a daily foot cream because it has a “wet” feeling to it and it takes a while to absorb into the skin. The product claims to show results within a week and I cannot attest to that as I don’t really have dehydrated or flakey feet but I can noticeably see and feel a change in my skin.
Now let me give you the low down on Kinzd. Kinzd is a leather accessories business based in Hong Kong that manufactures all types of leather accessories such as wallets, card holders, money clips, card cases, belts, cosmetic bags and storage cases. They come in an array of different styles and sizes so there’s definitely something in the Kinzd range that you will love. The Kinzd brand is always adding new products to their ranges and speaking from personal experience, their products are great quality.
I’ve had my 
My bag costs $22.99 (R271.69) and I feel that it’s not badly priced since you’re getting a great quality travel cosmetics organizer. It did take a while(± 2 months)to get to South Africa but it was immediately shipped from China and the lengthy process of waiting was from the South African Postal Service. I paid R24 customs on my package when I received it from the PO and the packaging wasn’t in the best shape but luckily its not a fragile product.
If you take a looksee at what’s peeping out in my empties bin, I would describe it as my basic survival items. No mess, no fuss items and just the bare minimum that got me through the past few months such as dry shampoo (because I just didn’t have the time to do my hair as often), eyebrow gel ( to tame my unruly eyebrows because I didn’t have the time have them done)… and so on.
I have done a full review on the 
Now this dry shampoo has been a lifesaver for months! There were days where I just couldn’t be bothered to do my hair and have it perfectly styled. I would do a few sprays in my hair and work this product through to absorb excess oils from my hair. As I have an oily T-zone, my eyebrows would get greasy as well so I would spray a tiny bit of this dry shampoo on my spoolie or eyebrow brush and comb it through my brows. Seeing that this is a tinted dry shampoo, it didn’t leave a white cast on my brows as most dry shampoos usually does. I also have a post dedicated to dry shampoo hacks that you can give a read 
For both lippies, these are usually my go to shades. I love that they are long lasting but yet doesn’t dry the lips out. It is in fact quite hydrating. These two lippies are repurchases as well and have featured on the blog many times before. I loved the Maybelline Colorsensational lippie to give my lips a burst of colour and the Rimmel lippie still stands as a firm fave in my books as a classic red lippie that even trumps the likes of MAC Ruby Woo. Both are super affordable and will be making it into my shopping cart come month end.
I have been dying to try this eyebrow gel for the longest time, ever since I saw it being so popular amongst beauty bloggers in South Africa. I have been searching for this eyebrow gel for months and just gave up on it when I didn’t find it at Clicks. In between that I just used my 
I have done a
There is nothing I love more than trying a new foundation. Yes, sometimes it’s a hit and sometimes it’s a miss. I bought this foundation back in December and only just ran out a few weeks back. This foundation really gives you the perfect coverage and is completely buildable. I usually go for a medium coverage but if you’re a full coverage girl then this foundation will work for you as well. One thing that I have the biggest gripe with when it comes to this foundation is that if you have oily/combo skin then this foundation is definitely not for you. The first two hours of me wearing this foundation gives me the best coverage that I have ever had from a drugstore foundation but after two hours in summer time then I am a complete oily mess, not just on my T-zone but my entire face. To be completely honest, blotting and dusting powder over at the touch up interval is only temporary and I end up having to touch up every two hours or else this foundation separates in certain areas. When the colder months started rolling in this foundation was my ride or die as I don’t really get greasy in winter
I have been using this setting powder since December last year and I am still not half way through the tub. This is such an underrated product in my opinion and it is definitely a gem worth sharing. The yardley loose powder comes in a variety of shades such as caramelised, deep beige, cappuccino, translucent buff, translucent bare and absolute translucent – which is suitable for all skin tones. I am currently using the translucent bare shade as the other powders didn’t seem too fitting for my complexion and I didn’t want it altering my foundation shade (I didn’t spot the absolute translucent).
I have found that this product is not suitable for baking with the L.A Girl Pro Coverage HD Long Wear Foundation. It would settle into my fine lines, clog my pores and also exaggerate texture. Now this might only happen with my skin but it might work for you. Products do however vary between individuals. When I used a different foundation, I could bake my under eye area effortlessly.
This loose setting powder smells really good, not an overpowering good that becomes headache inducing after a while. I have super sensitive skin and the fragrance in this product didn’t irritate my skin one bit as this powder is also dermatologically tested. I cannot comment on the fact that it causes flashback when using flash photography as I haven’t used this setting powder when taking pictures with a flash. What can I say? when I am having a good time with my people:P I don’t feel the need to photograph every moment.
If you look at the packaging of some of these palettes then you can see that I have had it for a hot minute and of course used the sh*t out of it. By looking at the shade range, you can tell that I am a neutral girl and is not very adventurous with colour yet. Some of these palettes are now discontinued or rebranded but you will definitely find them or similar items in the brands product lines. It’s all about making the product work for you. First up…
I have a full review + a makeup look using this palette 
You guys, let me just start off by saying that I have had this palette since forever and it should probably be thrown out already but I just love it a heck of a lot. My sister gave me this palette a while back and it was the first high end makeup product that I owned. I didn’t use this palette because I treated it like a collectors item and the other half of me also didn’t want to use it because I didn’t even know how to start off using eyeshadows. Fast forward to new 
Out of all my palettes this is probably the most daring one. I received this from my MUA friend a few months back but it is such a goodie. I feel like this palette can take any boring makeup look and turn into something spectacular. With my love for neutrals, the looks can get quite boring so I always count on this palette to bring something new. I may not always dip into all of these shades but I especially love the second shade for the inner corner highlight or to tap on the center of the lid. In this palette you receive 7 shimmers and 1 matte. You can’t use this palette to create an entire look but it is such a great addition to your makeup collection. I have found that I can’t use a brush when applying these shadows onto my eyelid so I just end up using my finger to pack on product and then use a brush to blend out the edges where the shimmer meets the transition shade. Surprisingly for a shimmer palette there is little to no fallout in this palette. The shades also comes across as foiled before you blend it out. This makes the palette quite unique because you can either go for a foiled look or a shimmer look. I am not sure if this palette is still on the market as I can’t find it anywhere online but used to spot it at Clicks for R120 and a few months later in the sale bins.
If you look at the packaging of this palette now in the first picture, you will probably see how much I love this palette. To say that I used this palette to death would probably be an understatement. I definitely used the heck out of this palette and is one of my most recommended products if anyone asks for eyebrow kit/products suggestions. Besides the fact that it works like bomb, it is so affordable and suitable for everyone (blondes, brunettes, dark haired). I did a 
Before you freak out just a little bit because I am using makeup from Wish, just know that I have been using this palette for almost 3 weeks and I am completely fine, in fact I look like I have been tanning on a beach in Bora Bora – that is how bronzed up I look thanks to this palette. I use this palette for bronzing and not for contouring as I prefer cream contour. I honestly just bought this palette out of curiosity and to my surprise really loved it. Now I only use the bottom three shades in the palette and occasionally the third shade in the top row to set my concealer before applying eyeshadow. This palette retails for under R50 and is dirt cheap in my opinion. I sometimes use the browns as an eyeshadow and have also used the darkest shade to fill my brows, I promise it is worth every penny. The are many different vendors on Wish so you can definitely still find this palette. This palette also comes in a number of different shades to suit your skin tone. If you’re a Wish shopper and/or have the patience to wait 1 month minimum(sometimes months) for your palette then be sure to give this palette a try.
This cleansing gel claims to lighten skin and dark spots. Now firstly, I am not in the market to lighten my skin and to be quite honest I haven’t seen this happening in the ± 2 months that I have been using this cleansing gel. I have however seen a reduction in the dark circles around my eyes caused by lack of sleep. Even with the reduction in my dark circles around my eyes, I can’t be 100% sure that it is this cleansing gel as I now do get more sleep as I did in comparison to the past few months. The cleansing gel further claims to lighten skin and dark spots by inhibiting the transfer of melanin to the surface of the skin revealing a clear and translucent complexion. As I am already somewhat light of complexion, this might be why I haven’t experienced this but I wouldn’t recommend this cleansing gel for my deeper skin toned girls.
As you can see, the consistency of the product is quite thick and gel looking but once it gets massaged into the skin with the lukewarm water, the product spreads over your skin evenly. Surprisingly for a product that is so scented, this cleansing gel didn’t irritate my skin one bit. It is quite deep cleansing but you aren’t left with skin feeling tight or stripped from its natural oils. After I have rinsed the product from my face thoroughly, I let it air dry as I try to not dry my face with a towel. My face is left feeling super soft and well cleaned. If you have light-medium skin tone then I would highly recommend this face wash as an everyday gentle cleanser.
If you’re in the market for a mascara that is going to give voluminous lashes, that is visible from 10km away then this is not the product for you. Even though this mascara labels itself as such, this mascara is more of an everyday – no mess – no fuss – type of mascara that does an excellent job at creating a tiny bit of volume in your lashes and making it look more wispy. I have extremely sensitive eyes and the use of most mascaras just irritates my eyes so when I do find one that doesn’t burn the living daylights out of my eyes, I stick to it. This mascara does just that.
I love how product doesn’t gather at the base of the wand and hallelujah for a traditional spoolie. I am so tired of these oversized wands and gimmicky spoolies that makes the mascara near impossible to use. Just the right amount of product gets picked up on the wand and you’re left with sufficient mascara to give your lashes a few coats. This mascara is buildable on the lashes and doesn’t clump at all.
Today I thought I would share some of the goodies that I received and this will also stand as a preview of reviews that you can expect in the coming weeks. I started using some of these products right away so that I can give you the low-down on what I’ve been loving and what I would recommend to you should you find yourself in the UAE. Not everything made it onto the blog and not everything that I mention in this post will make it in a review like the Cala Body Refresher Cleansing Glove and Makeup-Brush. Come’on… I know you darlings don’t want to read about how well I clean myself. 
Himalaya Herbals: Nourishing Skin Cream – All Day Moisturizer 
Yardley English Lavender Perfume set and Luxury Soap 
Cala Body Refresher Cleansing Glove and Makeup-Brush
Fem Skin Softening Hair Removal Cream
. This product must be like Veet. I will however report back if it works or if it is complete trash. This product is aimed at sensitive skin so I am happy for that as I have sensitive skin that misbehaves whenever something is remotely harsh.
Max: Makeup Cleansing Towel
Let’s get into the reviewing part of this post, these nose strips are aimed at purifying and scrubbing (scrubbing, how?) and you find one strip per pack. I had a total of three strips and used all three of them in one go. I put one on my nose, and one on each of my cheeks. Following the instructions on the sachet was pretty clear and straightforward. Firstly you position the strips where you want it and then you wet it to activate it and make it stick even more. Before applying the nose strip, you have to make sure that your face is makeup free and clean. Don’t dry your face as your face should be wet/damp when applying the strip.
These strips retails for R57.12 at Sephora in Dubai Mall which is a bit steep for one nose strip. Obviously due to the exchange rate the price may vary from country to country but these were purchased in the UAE. Now I know you’re probably screaming at me to reach a verdict whether these nose strips work or not and I can happily report that YES THEY DO. So when I went to research the current price of these strips on the Sephora UAE site, I saw quite a number of mixed reviews on this product. When I do my reviewing of products, I initially hold off from googling the product because I don’t want to go into the review process with preconceived notions of the product that will later cloud my thinking and writing.
So the Max Makeup Cleansing Towel comes in a pack of two. It is super soft and very gentle on the skin. Instead of keeping you to the end of the post to see whether it works or not… It really does. It does a great job at removing makeup and prepping your skin for your night time skincare routine. It even removes “tough” makeup like waterproof mascara and makeup that has been set with different powders and setting sprays. After a long day and it is time for my makeup to come off, I simply wet the cloth and squeeze out excess water then wipe off my makeup in circular motions. On the care instructions it says that you should squeeze out excess water instead of wringing it dry.
The wash instructions are all stated on the label and I usually just use either shampoo or face wash to remove the stains from the cloth. In order for me to keep it in the best shape and condition as possible, I prefer handwashing it. It dries relatively fast which means that it is perfect for traveling. I would use it at night and by the next morning it would be dry. You can however just wet a small portion of it only when removing your makeup.
Some of the products that I did not buy is the nail polishes, nail polish remover, liquid liner, the other mascara in the product line, the compact foundation, the rest of the lip and eyeliner pencils, the lip glosses and the other lipsticks in the range. I didn’t want to go too crazy in the spending department so I decided to buy enough products to create a full face. I totally forgot to grab the liquid liner and will most probably purchase it before I do full reviews. I may purchase the rest of the products in the makeup line the next time I pop into Edgars as well. The total of my basket came to R358,86 which is not bad at all considering all of the products I recieved. 
I checked the labelling and the manufacturers of both Citi Girl and Design Cosmetic and they are the same company. I have to say that I am more in love with the packaging of Citi Girl. There are some similarities in the packaging of both brands but Citi Girl’s eyeshadow quads reminds of some Smashbox eyeshadows that I have in my collection and their blush reminds of MAC.
I am always keen on trying a new foundation. I have the shade “soft beige” which is on the lighter shade of the options available. It is my exact same shade and name as the foundation in the Design Cosmetics range. Many people would gravitate toward a pump foundation but to be completely honest, I prefer these foundations with the spatula. There are 10 shades in this foundation which is not such a big selection. To be quite honest, there aren’t shades for the pale and for the deep skin tones, but if you’re light-medium-dark then you will find your shade in this beauty line. This foundation retails for R44.95 .
Now what this brand lacks in shades in the liquid foundations, they make up for in their stick foundations and in their compact foundations. I was struggling to find a shade light enough yet warm enough for contour, which is what I am going to use my stick foundation for. This formulation is definitely better than the Design Cosmetics stick foundation as it is blends more seamlessly (I will elaborate further in my full review). This foundation stick retails for R39.95 and comes in 8 shades.
From what I saw on the display case, this blush comes in four shades. There was a pale pink, a peach, this cerise pink and a mauve. I felt like this one would best show up on my skin as the other two lighter shades seemed more fitting for lighter skin tones. Without giving too much away, I forgot how much I loved blush until I started playing around with this blush. When you lift the top compartment where the blush is, you will also find a mirror and a tiny brush. Also, a little goes a looooooong way – tread carefully. This blush retails for R39.95 .
You all already know by now that I am a nudes girl. When I saw this quad I knew that I had to have it. I feel like it is flattering for all skin tones and is one of those everyday eyeshadow palettes that you would use for work. It is also a great addition to your travel makeup bag. I feel like you could use this entire quad to create an eyelook without having to dip into other palettes. This quad consists of mattes and shimmers. At first I thought that it was only shimmers but when I started playing around I realised that once the top layer of product was off, the shimmer specks blended away giving you a matte and shimmer quad. This eyeshadow quad retails for R39.95 .
Now this quad and it shades encapsulates autumn in the city perfectly. It might look similar to the Beyond Natural quad but it is so different in shade and consistency. I feel like with the addition of this quad, you can take your eye look from a day at the office to a night out in the city by adding a little bit of shimmer to the lids. Both quads has a mirror and sponge applicator in the lower compartment which also make it great for traveling, retailing at R39.95 . There is a colour option of six different quads in this beauty line so it caters to both the muted and bold eyeshadow wearers.
So I couldn’t find a shade light enough as a setting powder so I decided to purchase this compact powder as a bronzer. There were many options for deeper skin tones but nothing available for the medium to light skin spectrum. In this compact powder you also receive a sponge puff/applicator. I would definitely have used the sponge if this powder was for setting my face but you can’t be applying bronzer with a puff like this. This compact powder retails for R44.95 and comes in 10 shades.
This is one of those double use products that can be used on both the eyes and lips. The actual product is much darker in comparison to the tube. I can’t even express how happy I am that this product comes in a roll-up/down tube as I remember that my Design Cosmetics lip liner required sharpening (Thank goodness it came with a sharpener attached to the cap). This eye and lip liner duo comes in 6 shades and retails for R34.95 .
Stepping out of my lipstick comfort zone, I decided to go for a much lighter shade than I usually would as my go to shades are usually deep reds or purples. There are many lipsticks and lip products in the Citi Girl range. Edgars currently has a 20% off all lipsticks in the Citi Girl range. This lipstick is enriched with Vitamin E and it is long lasting, perfect winter combo, right? In this particular lipstick there are 6 shades and it retails for R29.95 .
Lastly in my list of items that I purchased is the waterproof mascara. There are two mascaras in the Citi Girl range but I decided to go with this one as I was drawn to the packaging more. Just to throw it out there, this mascara is B-O-M-B AF but it is not waterproof. This mascara retails for R49.95.
I love using this cream under a really drying (matte) foundation as it fills my pores and preps my skin for the makeup to follow. When I use this moisturizer, I also don’t feel the need for a primer. It is very seldom that I find a moisturizer that works for my overly sensitive skin so when I do find one and it is this great, then it most certainly makes its way onto my repurchase list. This product forms part of the bodycare range but it was extremely gentle on my face and didn’t irritate it one bit. A little of this product goes a long way and I have even used it on other areas of my body.
The formula of the cream is quite whipped and somewhat reminds me of Nivea or 
For some reason I only have eczema behind my ears and along my hairline/scalp, I have used this to relieve and moisturize the area and prevent flaking. If you feel like your skin has lost moisture during the colder winter months, this is the perfect product as it nourishes and replenishes lost moisture. It makes my skin feel supple and hydrated all day without feeling the need to reapply it.