So I very seldomly blog about tools but today I thought that I would give it a go. Earlier this year I learned what stress really was. I learned what it was to carry stress in my upper neck, shoulder blades and lower back. I was looking for a massager to relieve the stress and also ease the pain in those areas. I did some online searching and discovered that massagers are actually flippen expensive. I came across the Super Life Mini Electric Full Body Massager at a dirt cheap price and decided to give it a go.
Darlings, if you look at this massager you would assume that it doesn’t work and that it is gimmicky. Shhhheeeesh I live for the gimmicks in beauty products and tools. I always go out of my way to test these things out and prove the naysayers wrong. I am so happy to report that this has become my handbag staple and I would urge you to spend just a few rands on this product.
My mom bought this a few months back and I can honestly say that I have been using it religiously. It is such a convenient tool that makes it perfect for traveling or popping in your handbag. This massager works with batteries or you can charge it with the usb cable that comes with it. If you’re somebody that sits at an office desk for long periods of times, this will be your “at the desk” bestie”.
When you hold down onto the top (round section) of the handle, the massager vibrates onto the area where you’re applying the pressure. Vibrations given off by this massager, along with kneading action improves blood circulation and helps to unwind muscles; resulting in instant relief.
Obviously I am not going to sit here and tell you that this massager can work wonders, especially if you’ve been experiencing deep growing pains. I have had my mom test this massager out too but she didn’t feel that it was powerful enough but for someone like me that doesn’t usually have back pains, I felt like it was powerful enough for me. This massager is mostly for instant relief of long hours sitting at a desk and to release tension in the muscles. I can actually feel this tool working its magic and the muscles warming up and relaxing when it pulsates on the area that requires some TLC.
Now that things have slowed down on my side and I have way less stress and tension in my upper neck and back, when it is that time of the month this massager becomes handy as I massage all those areas where I carry my moods…
Kidding.
Or not.
The Super Life Mini Electric Full Body Massager retails for R35 on https://www.perfectdealz.co.za and comes in four shades. I haven’t purchased anything from this online store but they seem to have some awesome and legit deals.
I may be one year late with these brushes but I am 100% one of those people that don’t feel the need to buy items/products just because of their popularity status. I mainly wanted a new set of eye brushes because my Glamore set didn’t have every brush in for a complete eye look. I opted for a synthetic brush set because synthetic bristles doesn’t take up so much product and wastage is to a minimum. Who doesn’t like saving makeup so that it can last longer?! 
In this set you receive 11 brushes. Two fluffy brushes to do some work in the crease and outer eye. Three precision brushes to smoke out the lower lash line or to tight line the upper or lower lash line. One brush to carve out your eyebrow with concealer when you fill your brows (to clean it up). One fan brush. One foundation brush that I will be using for contouring and then 3 weirdly shaped brushes that I have no idea what it’s for. Of course you can choose to do whatever you like with your brushes as there are NO RULES in makeup. This is just how I’ll be using my set.
These brushes are quite lightweight and I have to say that it is one aspect of these brushes that I don’t like much. Of course I can’t expect luxe feeling brushes if I didn’t pay that price. I love this size of these brushes as there are lots of space on the handle to adjust your brush and hold it how/where you want it. I feel like it is the perfect entry level set of brushes for anyone that is in the market to grow their brush set collection and adding staple brushes that they can use everyday. 
Now let’s get to the aesthetic appearance and the reason why everyone loves these brushes so much. Obviously having brushes with this type of “bottom” is quite new and everyone wanted in on the newness. The handle of these brushes are plastic but it feels like metal. The ferrule however is metal and in a beautiful rose gold shade. Can we all just agree that these brushes are quite aesthetically pleasing? 
These brushes picks up product beautifully. With one tiny dab into the pan, the bristles are covered in eyeshadow and you don’t really have to tap off excess powder. With the amount of product that the bristles picks up, you can easily control your eye look and not overcompensate on the product. It is easier to add more eyeshadow than to take away. With the more precision brushes, it is easier to clean the brushes as opposed to the flufflier brushes because the eyeshadow does go higher up toward the ferrule. I have washed these brushes before and I haven’t experienced any shedding YET, just the odd bristle here and there. 
The last product in the brush set that I will be talking about is probably the most popular one of them all. These brushes are sold individually as well and I have even seen Manny MUA review these on his Youtube channel. He had a love/hate relationship with it so I was quite curious to see how it’ll pan out. This is actually a foundation brush but this isn’t the type of brush that I would typically use to apply foundation. I prefer a more densely packed brush like a kabuki. I have used this brush to contour, especially the nose area. I have to say that on the cheek area it focused the product on one section too much and the contour would look quite unnatural and it was harder to blend out. On the nose however it worked as the perfect contour tool. To me personally, I preferred using this brush for powder contour as cream contour was a mission to blend out.
Yes, definitely! It was Tinkerbell lipstick that my mom bought. I used to cherish it.
Firstly, the fragrance of this trio is AH-MAZING. I am not usually a fan of rose scented products as it can smell quite artificial but this smells like “the real deal”. It smells expensive and if I have to compare to a smell familiar to me, I would say that it smells like bottled rose water. You can smell this fragrance escaping the box even before you open it. For someone that is not a fan of rose scented products, this manicure set has me sold on it now.
Next up is the cuticle cream. Gosh I haven’t used a cuticle cream in years and this probably explains why I always have hangnails. If you’re not in the loop with your nail anatomy, hangnails are caused by nail folds losing moisture and becoming dry and brittle. For me, this is mostly evident in the winter months and I couldn’t have received this at a better time.
Now that I have completely fallen in love with a brand and products that I won’t be able to afford or get for myself in the foreseeable future, would I recommend these products? Absolutely! The scent of these are quite potent and it won’t be everybody’s cuppa tea but I personally love it and find it soothing. Of course I can’t vouch for long term effectiveness regarding hand aging but I can however tell you that I don’t currently have ashy looking, hangnail ridden hands. These have found a permanent spot in my handbag and I feel like it makes such a beautiful birthday or christmas gift as it comes in a beautiful box with stellar packaging.
I am going to start my review in the order that the products were applied to my face and also give you the lowdown on how the makeup worked with other products. So the Citi Girl makeup line doesn’t have a primer so I used the Clinique Hydra Essential moisturizer and the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser for my huge pores. At the moment I have a love/hate relationship with my skin because we are between seasons and my skin is trying really hard to adapt to the craziness.
Right off the bat, this foundation is too dark for me and I didn’t see a shade lighter than this at Edgars. In the warmer months this foundation will be spot on as I kind of still have that winter washed out look. I had to mix it in with a lighter Nars foundation in order to give me the look that I achieved further down below. This foundation is light coverage but can be built to a medium coverage. In my makeup look it appears full coverage but of course… it was paired with one of the best foundations of all time. That is another thing that I love about this foundation, it works well with other products and doesn’t alter its consistency much. The consistency is a bit thick but it blends like a dream. When getting the foundation I would suggest that you take one shade lighter than your complexion as it oxidizes darker. You really do need to set your foundation with a setting spray or else you won’t have any coverage at the end of the night. I would give this foundation a wearability of 6 – 8 hours before it looks as if you’re only wearing a tinted moisturizer. All in all, I would repurchase this foundation especially for the summer months as it is very lightweight on the skin and even oilier t-zone girls like myself can get away with this foundation paired with a good powder and setting spray.
As I mentioned in my first impressions post, this foundation I used as a contour stick and MAN OH MAN was it a good idea. Ladies, if you’re new to contouring or want to dabble in the world of contouring… this foundation stick is your friend. It is super creamy and blends out like a dream. This stick can be blended out with a brush or a beauty sponge. It gives you the perfect chiseled cheek bones without your contour looking muddy. If you feel like your contour is not defined enough, then you can always go over your contour a second time. This stick was also used to contour my nose and I have to say that my nose went from zero to one hundred real quick. 
So I wanted to use this powder as a setting powder but it was also way too dark for me. I used it as a bronzer and it worked like a charm. It gave me a “straight out of the Bahamas” bronze glow and I was all for it. My friend used it on his darker skin tone and it looked really beautiful on the face. If you are a deeper skin stone than what I am then I would highly recommend this powder as it compliments the skin well, without looking over powdery. It is also great for intensifying your contour.
This shade might seem a bit intimidating but it is not as “shocking” as it looks. I would however suggest that you go in with a light hand as it is pigmented. This blush gives a beautiful flush of colour to your cheeks without it looking clown-like. There are no glitter specks in the pan so it is a straight out matte blush. This blush would last me quite a long time as a little goes a long way. There are other shades in the Citi Girl collection as I feel like this shade would be too much for very fair skin tones.
This is currently my most used mascara in my collection. If you have nonexistent eye lashes then this mascara is for you. This product is labelled as waterproof but it is not. I can let that slide because this mascara gives your lashes volume and length. I was blessed with a good “pair of lashes” and when I have a few layers of this mascara on then it looks as if I have eyelash extensions. When pulling the spoolie out of the tube, be sure to take some product off from the spoolie as too much comes out and when coating the lashes it can become quite clumpy. I am also so in love with the packaging of this mascara.
If you know me personally or have been reading my blog for a while then you would know that I am not a nude or dusty pink lip kind if a girl. I kind of went with this shade to push me out of my comfort zone. I hate to admit it but this is currently in my top 5 lipsticks at the moment. If you are not a lipstick wearer then I think you would love this lipstick and shade. It is extremely hydrating on the lips and has vitamin E in it. This lippie also comes across as a tinted lip balm.
Before I get into the bold claim that I just made, let us just take a moment to appreciate its beauty. This palette release is part of the collaboration between British Youtuber Sophie and Makeup Revolution, so I have no idea if it is limited edition or not. Unfortunately this palette was not purchased in South Africa and I have no idea if it will be available here. This highlighter palette is one of two products in the line and I so wish I could get my hands on the eyeshadow palette as well. This particular palette retails for £8 on the 
The versatility of the palette is what I love most. As this is a highlighter palette, the obvious parts of the face where you would apply product is to the highest points of the face where the light hits first BUT I like pushing the boundary with my product. This palette gives you such a beautiful inner (eye) corner highlight and the wide range of colours makes for a beautiful all over the lid shade. I have used it as both and I can definitely say that it works like a charm. Sometimes I can get a little carried away with highlighter so I have to tone it down and I find that I can control this product easily and also remove some “blinding-ness” by tapping my beauty sponge on areas where I got highlighter happy. 
The formulation of the highlighters are quite soft, creamy and buttery. It is easy to blend and you can take your makeup look from everyday subtle glow – to- blinding oncoming traffic real quick. There are 8 shades in the palette and I feel like the diverse shade range makes the highlighter palette suitable for each and every skin tone. I have quite textured skin and finding a highlighter that doesn’t put emphasis on my textured areas is a mission. I love how this palette sat on my skin and didn’t grab at the patchy areas. It is what I live for in a highlighter!
In this makeup look, I had this highlighter on for quite a while and yet it was still visible. My double wing eyeliner had faded but the highlight was still there and it gave me such a good glow. I don’t usually reapply highlighter when I am out but I feel like this product held up quite well seeing that I have oily skin that eats product off from my face like clock work, especially since I have been under lots of lights this evening. When I want to intensify the highlighter, I give it a quick spritz with some setting spray. As you can tell, this product works quite well with other beauty products. I definitely prefer a powder highlighter like this over a liquid or cream highlighter. 
I prefer using a small fan brush to apply my highlighter as it feathers the product out onto the higher areas of my face, without focusing the product on one area too much. Using the small fan brush also allowed me to control the product more easily and not grabbing too much product at once.
Lip products are one of my top two makeup items that I absolutely cannot live without. I am always trying new lippies whether it is high end or budget. Ask me anything about lippies, I am your girl! Every few months I like to do a round up on the blog of all my favourite lipsticks and today I thought that I would do a budget version of it. We all want to save a few coins, right?! My shade choices this time around may shock a few of you as you know that I am a die hard bold lip girl but I am warming up to the neutral tones.
After I did my
This lipstick my mom brought back from Saudi Arabia and I so wish that it was available in South Africa. This brand is popular in Saudi and I can see why. This lippie is super creamy but not very long lasting. It is however very pigmented and nourishing on the lips, without bunching up and gathering in the fine lines of your lips. I can definitely see myself wearing this product in the warmer months when I want a burst of colour on the lips but not something as intense as a bold red or deep purple lipstick. Describing the scent of this lipstick, I would say that it somewhat smells like what Tinkerbell (if you were a kid in the early 90’s, you would know) makeup used to smell like.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a bold statement lip. If I had to give my current lipsticks on rotation a name and then this one would be “party season”. I know December seems like a far stretch but if you find yourself looking for an inexpensive red lipstick, pick this one up. This lippie is amongst my top 5 red lipsticks that I have ever used and you all know that I have a big collection. This lipstick is long lasting and is also jam packed with Vitamin E. I paid around R15 for this lipstick at Jet and I would absolutely recommend trying out the Just Be Gorgeous range of makeup, I have mentioned their products on the blog many times before and I can’t even begin to describe how underrated this brand is. This lippie however is a classic red lip and I believe every girl should own at least one red lipstick. This lipstick straight up smells like chocolate and I love it!
I did a full review on this lipstick last week when I blogged about the entire Citi Girl Makeup line. This is another nude lippie but it has a pink undertone. Unlike the above mentioned lipstick in the shade “Ice Coffee”, the lipstick has tiny specks of glitter in it but isn’t really that much visible when on the lips. This lipstick has all the same aspects of the other Citi Girl lipstick so I guess the shade that you would opt for would depend on your choice of a pink or brown undertone in a nude lipstick.
Ah, I love me a good tinted lip balm! I have basically tried the entire Design Cosmetics range (you can check my archives for reviews), so when I saw a new product that I haven’t tried before, I immediately popped it into my basket. You can probably see a trend with this post, I was going for more moisture enriched products seeing that we are just at the back end of the icy cold winter in the Cape. This lip balm is one of the best I have used in a long time. If you are wearing a super drying matte lipstick, this lip balm is your bestie. This lip balm is very moisturizing but won’t eat through your lipstick. I wear this lip balm when I am in the house 
Both my sister and I have been using this fragrance mist, edging for two months now and as you can tell the bottle is still quite full. Surprisingly, a little goes a long way. I have sprayed my jerseys and jackets with this mist and the following time that I have used the item of clothing, the fragrance was still present. The mist is definitely not as potent as a perfume, eau de parfum or eau de toilette but it definitely packs a punch. I feel like it is the perfect transition into perfume from using body sprays.
If this fragrance mist was in Britney’s “Curious” scent, then this would be a rave review as that is my most loved perfume to come from her. I don’t want to be reaching but this fragrance smells almost (if not identical) to Katy Perry’s “meow” perfume. Just less intense as it is a mist. I am a huge fan of how this product disperse out of the bottle, over the desired area. It focuses the mist over the entire area instead of on one area.
is about love’s ability to overwhelm you when you least expect it. Fantasy BRITNEY SPEARS is for the woman who is Seductive, Charming and Elusive.”
In the Mixa range available in SA, there’s a selection of body lotions, body creams and a repair balm. Today I will be reviewing the restoring body lotion for very dry skin and the anti-dryness body lotion for dry skin. Perfect for us just coming out of the cold winter months.
To be completely honest, I cannot tell the difference between the two lotions. Both smell and feel the same. I have placed one bottle in the bathroom in my home for everyone to enjoy and the other one next to my bedside table so that it forms part of my night time routine or random hand lotion application.
I have mentioned before that I suffer from mild eczema only behind my ears, with occasional flare ups along my hairline, eyebrows and scalp, with that being said – I wouldn’t dare applying any body lotion behind my ears to relieve the itchy and flakiness. A few weeks back when my skin decided to wreak havoc, especially behind my ears, I decided to dab just a tad bit behind my ear with a cotton swab and I was pleasantly surprised to see 
The formula is the perfect consistency to what I like in a body lotion. Not very runny but not very thick either. I pump a generous amount onto my hands and just go to town with it – all over my body. It absorbs into the skin effortlessly and doesn’t leave you feeling greasy… which means you can get dressed after your bath/shower and not wait around for your product to dry down.
Today is such a sad day for both my beauty and makeup collection. Some of these products are my most loved, used and recommended. If you look at how beat up the packaging is, you can definitely tell that I used the heck out of these products. Usually with my empties posts I would tell my readers what I would or wouldn’t repurchase again but this time around, this round of empties are all on my repurchase list.
I have had this palette for almost 2 years and it had three of my most loved items in it. I used the heck out of this palette the moment I received it from the darlings over at Glamore. If you look in my empties bin, you will see just how much I loved this palette. I did a 
This mascara is one of my faves in my collection. I received my first H&M Black Volume Mascara from 
This foundation appeared on the blog many times before and if you take a looksee in my empties bin then you would see that I have two tubes of this foundation. I popped into Jet over the weekend and I was bummed to see that they didn’t have it in stock. I don’t think that they stock this foundation anymore but I did see a different foundation from this line. If you want to read a full review on this foundation then just click 
I blogged about this cleansing gel not too long ago and I would’ve loved to get my hands on this product again but I can’t find it in any of our stores. I really do burn through facial cleaners super fast and I am already onto a new one that I am testing out for a review in the near future. I did a full review on this product a month or so ago, 
So it seems like I may be running out of foundation and I am in the market for a new drugstore foundation. I can however tell you that this one ranks in my top 3 best foundations that I have ever used. This will most probably be the next foundation that I buy again and if you read 
I am just gonna come out and say it… this was the best facial product in my skincare routine that my face have and ever will experience. Over the months, my skin has really come to love this moisturizer. My skin drinks it up and it is like an injection of moisture into the skin. I can’t seem to find this product online anymore (only the others in the range) but I really do want this one. I am not giving up though! I did a full review on this product. If I don’t find this exact product again, I will most likely give one of the other products in the range a try.
Yes, there is another concealer in my empties bin and I am happy to be using all of my products. This is another product that 
Before I get into the reviewing part of this post, let me put your mind at ease and just quickly mention that I haven’t experienced any of those symptoms/results since using this product for almost a month. The thing with skincare and beauty products is that it is a very personal thing. We all have different skin types and needs. What I may seek in a product, may differ from yours.
Firstly, as the name suggests – this product is extremely gentle on the skin. I have been using it every day for the past month (or so) and it really didn’t affect my skin whatsoever. Girls with oily skin – this product is for you! I use this product in the morning in conjunction with my gel moisturiser and I cannot even begin to describe the huge difference its made in the way that my foundation now sits and blends into the skin.
The consistency of this mask is quite creamy and doesn’t lather up. I usually just massage into the skin in circular motions and then rinse my face with lukewarm water. On the packaging/tube it states that this mask is an exfoliating facial scrub but I don’t find it nearly abrasive enough as the microbeads in the mask is just not sufficient. If I had to describe the fragrance of this mask, so that you can associate it to something – then I would say that it smells ‘soapy’ and fresh. The microbeads in the mask is Jojoba beads which is known to promote more of a healthier and radiant glow. The mask also has Kaolin clay in it which most probably explains the texture and ‘tight’ feeling I feel on my face when I use it. I don’t really have pigmentation problems but I have noticed a major difference in the complexion of my skin as my face is more evened out. This product however isn’t helping with my enlarged pores – so the hunt for the ‘perfect’ product continues.
Let’s get into the reviewing, this daily scrub retails for R59.95 at Clicks and I think that it is quite affordable. Now if you’re a regular reader then you would know that if I don’t like a product AT ALL or if the product didn’t work for me one bit, then I won’t post about it on the blog (purchased with my own money or sent to me). Now speaking honestly, if you have enlarged and clogged pores then this blackhead clearing scrub is not going to work for you.
In my last skincare product review, I mentioned that texture has always been one of my biggest skincare concerns and since I started using this product I haven’t had any texture issues and my foundation blends and sits on the skin beautifully. This scrub is also perfect for people with sensitive skin. It has no fragrance in it and it didn’t irritate my face one bit. I simply squeeze a decent amount of product onto my fingers, massage it into my damp skin (face) in a circular motion for quite a while and then rinse it off with lukewarm water.
When I received my online order, I saw the name of the brand and hopped online to see what the brand was all about as I haven’t seen any reviews of it before. The brand launched to the SA market just a few weeks ago and I have a feeling that SA consumers are going to love it. They have a huge variety of the most beautiful bath and body products, candles, lip scrubs… the works! The best thing about their products are that they are super affordable and I can guarantee you that you won’t leave their website without having something on your wishlist. Times like this I am really angry that Cape Town is going through a drought because you would fall in love with their range of beautiful bath bombs, tea bags, milks, fizzers, crystals, foam baths and salts. Before you read any further – you may want to take a looksee at their packaging 
Back to the reviewing part of this post. I got a nail file with my hand and nail cream and it comes in handy especially after I cut my nails and feel like I need a little reshaping and smoothing as I am not a fan of long nails (on myself). I chose the macaroon scented cream and it really does smell exactly like macaroons. The scent is long lasting on your hands and every now and again I get a whiff of it when I am going about my day. What I love about the scent is that it is noticeable and long lasting but not headache inducing.
As I mentioned, I am a huge fan of the brand’s packaging and I love the tube that this cream comes in because when I get to the last few drops of this product then I won’t have to cut the tube open. Christmas time is coming up and I feel like this product (and some of their other products) would make stunning stocking fillers or Secret Santa gifts. Would I recommend this product to anybody? Definitely!
This scalp spray comes in the menthol variant, which I love and if you squint closely in the above picture then you would see that the menthol variant shampoo is my go-to Head & Shoulders product. Just a quick headsup: The menthol variant is not for everyone as it can leave a burning sensation on the scalp. Me on the other hand? I find it quite soothing for my scalp and it relieves the itching that I experience from time to time.
I love love love the scent of this spray. It smells exactly like the shampoo and it just gives your hair this nice burst of freshness. You get a whiff of it the entire day and it doesn’t fade into nothing. Even though it is a scalp moisturizing product, I didn’t find it to make my hair greasy at all and I have greasy hair to begin with (even one day after washing it). Surprisingly I only have mild eczema on my scalp, eyebrows and behind my years and I am grateful that I don’t have it as severe as alot of people do and having a product like this to relieve some of that itchiness is a true gem.
For my lippie choices today I have two lipsticks, two tinted lip-balms and a clear lip-balm. I decided to choose five products under R50. These are all products that I haven’t used before but the Lip Ice brand is definitely a firm favourite of mine since primary school. First up…
On my recent Dischem haul I picked up this Lip Ice lip-balm in the summer melon variant. I thought that it was such a perfect and seasonal appropriate fragrance and name. I have done a 
This is a lipstick that I picked up at Fashion World a few weeks back. If I had to choose one shade that I had to wear on my lips forever, this would be it. This ‘Just Be Gorgeous’ range is not the same as the one that is stocked at Jet. I haven’t worn a matte lipstick in a hot minute and I have to say that this may be the best matte lipstick that I have ever tried… or at least in the top 3. It is quite comfortable on the lips and very pigmented. I have worn it for hours and I always get a even fade from it – without it looking patchy or flaky. I can’t remember the exact price that I paid for it but it was under R20. This lippie has a purple undertone to it and it definitely makes for the perfect vampy lip. It may not be a “summer appropriate” lip but I am living for it! The scent of it reminds me of strawberry chewing gum, but it’s not very pungent and it fades when on the lips.
I am in love with this range of Lip-Ice lip-balms. This is another one of my Dischem haul products that I also picked up for R22.95. I don’t think that this is a new release but all of the names in this range is quite “summery”. Strawberry sorbet gives your lips the most beautiful hydrating burst of pink colour. It looks great worn on it’s own or even over a very drying red lipstick. This lip-balm smells exactly like the strawberry Labello and I love love love it as the strawberry Labello remains my top lip-balm of all time. I see this as the perfect lip product for when you’re running errands and don’t feel like faffing about with a lipstick or lipgloss.
So I can’t remember the name of this lippie shade as I yanked off the sticker with the name on it the day that I got it. If you want to see what it looks like on the lips then you can check out my “
This lippie I picked up at Dischem as well. This can apparently be a dupe for EOS lip-balms. This is my first sphere shaped balm and I was quite eager to give it a go because I’ve never tried a pineapple scented lip-balm before. Not only did they get the scent spot on but it actually tastes like pineapple as well. I love the hydration that it gives my lips and I prefer wearing it at night. When you wake up in the morning you can actually feel your lips feeling alot smoother and if you’re a lipstick wearer like me, it makes for great overnight priming for a matte lippie. At the fraction of the price of an EOS lip-balm, this retails for R17.95. I must admit, at first opening this balm was quite a mission. I thought that it needed to be pinched off but alas… it’s a turning contraption. Also, whoever sees this and isn’t familiar with EOS is so intrigued by the packaging. Yep, it’s a crowd pleaser and I am a fan of it.
Up until a couple of weeks ago when I started using this palette, I had no idea what the difference was between strobing and highlighting. I came across this 
Okay now let’s get into the reviewing, this creamy textured products applies smoothly and for strobing for my skin tone I like mixing in the last two shades from the right in the top row. I tried buffing it into my skin with both a brush and a beauty sponge but I find that the beauty sponge works better because the brush tends to move the product around too much and leave it sitting on the skin. What I loved about the top row shades is that my 
The bottom row in this palette is obviously for contouring. If you like a subtle contour then you will be a fan of this palette. The bottom row (just like the top row) is not very pigmented but it is definitely buildable. I also apply these contour shades over my foundation and then blend it out with a beauty sponge because I feel when I use a more dense kabuki brush, it moves the product around too much and it can end up looking muddy.
In my opinion, this palette is more suited for light to medium skin-tones as the second last shade in the palette for contouring is my perfect shade and that being said – I am in the middle of fair and medium toned. I do however think that the last shade in the strobing row would look bomb AF on a deeper skin tone. This palette retails for R150 and I think that it is super affordable. I have seen international Youtubers call it a dupe for beginners for the NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette. All in all… I love the versatility of this palette and I am definitely one of those people that advocates that there are no rules in makeup such as “you can’t mix creams with powders”. I did it and I think it looks absolutely great. Or maybe I am just a noob but it WORKS FOR ME.
Sometime in 2017, I decided to cut my hair and for majority of 2018 I spent the time trying to get my hair healthy again. After months of being so tempted to colour my hair, I decided to try out the Colorsilk range from Revlon. I don’t usually use just any brand of hair dye because I have had my fair share off eff ups with even expensive brands but because I am a firm believer in the Revlon brand, I decided to give this at home kit a go. To give you an idea of my natural hair colour and how my hair got to this shade, this is what my hair colour was before I dyed it.
Voila! This is how it turned out. In direct sunlight, my hair looks way more vibrant and shiny. I have to say that I am mighty impressed by the colour pay off. I dyed my hair a month ago and wanted to wait until I reviewed this kit in order to see if the colour faded and I am happy to report that it didn’t fade at all. I only have some slight regrowth at the root and will most likely do a touch up sometime next month. This hair dye is also enriched with apple extract.
I would suggest you get a good conditioner if you decide to use this kit because your hair can feel quite dry if not well moisturized. I am currently using the Revlon Flex – Balance conditioner with silk and keratin protein. It gives your hair a healthy shine and strengthens your hair. It is not a colour protecting conditioner but I found it to be the only conditioner to make my hair feel nourished. The best thing about the Revlon Flex conditioner? It retails for under R30!
If you’re too afraid to venture out into shopping malls right now, you can shop online at Clicks – which is also the only stockist of the Oh So Heavenly brand. The reason why I think this particular selection of OSH products would be the perfect gift for a teenage girl/college student is because it smells quite sweet and definitely the kind of scent I was into when I was a tad younger. I feel like more mature women won’t appreciate this type of scent as it is more ‘playful’. I could be wrong. Enough with the rambling, the first product that I will be reviewing is…
If you love bubble gum scented products then you are going to be a huge fan of this fragrance. It really does smell exactly like bubble gum and it lingers for a long time. This is the type of body wash that I think makes for a lovely night’s sleep after a hot shower. I prefer this type of scents when going to bed at night. I squeeze a generous amount of this body wash onto my loofer and wash my body in circular motions in order to lather the product up. This body wash is also very moisturising on the skin but it works even better with the body lotion. It’s summer time in South Africa and no one wants to walk around with ashy legs and arms, right? right! This product retails for R23.00.
If you’re from Cape Town or have visited in the past year then you would know that we are currently in a drought. This has forced us to take drastic measures in terms of saving water and nifty products like this make this process easier. It’s a bonus when it smells this good. This waterless hand cleanser is such a handbag staple and if you’re not a handbag wearer, keep one of these on deck when you’re in your car or even at your desk. I remember Oh So Heavenly hand sanitizers being one of the first products that I ever tried from the brand and it still remains one of my favourites. All I do is squeeze a pea size amount onto my hands and have my hands smelling refreshed and feeling clean. My hands don’t feel sticky at all and what I love about this cleanser is that it doesn’t smell very acidic or like my hands are drenched in alcohol as with most waterless cleansers like this. This product retails for R17.99 and you’re guaranteed 70 uses from one 90ml bottle.
If you don’t like using the little bottles of body washes that you get in hotels, then I think this foam bath will be the perfect companion for you. The foam bath however doesn’t lather up as much as the body wash but I love using this product as a handwash as well. There are definitely foot soaks in the Oh So Heavenly range but this product is another favourite of mine when it comes to my footspa. This foam bath forms part of the carnival candy range which means its supposed to smell like cotton candy but when I smell it, I smell vanilla and strawberry cupcake frosting. Out of all of the scents, this one is my favourite. I am not entirely sure about the price of this product but it retails for under R30 and makes for a great addition to a gift.
For a body lotion, I have to say that this is quite a huge step in another directions when it comes to my type of fragrance. I don’t see this as a day time body lotion (for me personally) as I like more fresher scents and this body lotion would clash with my perfume. What I do love about this body lotion is how hydrating it is. I especially love slathering it all over my legs when I get out of shower and after I shave my legs. I don’t however like this body lotion on my hands as it can get a bit sticky. The proof is absolutely in the name of this body lotion as it smells like delightful vanilla cupcakes from Woolies. This body lotion retails for R24.99.
I have been on this hand lotion gravy train all of 2018 and I find that I have a hand lotion for every living space in my life. One in my car, one in my handbag, one in the bathroom, one on my bedside table… you get where I am going with this? alright. So this may not be a hand lotion per se but is so so so so good for my cuticles and putting moisture back into my hands. At night after I complete the mundane and unglamorous task of doing the dishes 
Nonetheless, I shopped a lot over my holiday break and I have been loving a few beauty, fashion and lifestyle items. I decided that I wanted to share it on the blog and let you know what’s worth spending your coin on. I divided my favourites into 3 posts (fashion, beauty and lifestyle) and today I will be sharing my fave beauty products with you darlings.
Second up is the Revolution palette. I am not even exaggerating when I say that this is my ultimate palette in my entire collection and if you’re a regular then you would know that I have a lot! If I had to choose just one palette that I would have to use for the rest of my life then it would be this one. The palette is stunning, from the gold glitter packaging on the outside, to the pigmentation and formulation of the shadows itself. I won’t go into too much detail on this palette as I have a full post dedicated to it and a makeup look featuring it. I picked this palette up at Clicks for under R250 and it is worth every little cent.
Next up are these two makeup brushes from a brand called ‘Warm Heart’. I have never heard of this brand before but I found this powder brush in 749 and packer brush in 711 at my local Jet store on sale for under R15 each. I definitely don’t need any more brushes in my collection but these brushes were a steal and let’s face it… you can never have too many makeup brushes 
Following with my Lasting Finish foundation that I have been using for a year now. This is such an affordable foundation and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good drugstore foundation. As I have been using this foundation for over a year now, I came to the realization that this foundation is not designed for people with oily skin like me but I don’t mind powdering and blotting my face throughout the day, as I really like the finish and medium coverage that this foundation offers. I did a full review on this foundation before, check it out
Another palette that I picked up at Jet was this ‘Mezmerize’ palette. I grabbed this palette on a whim as it was quite affordable and the shades just ‘spoke to me’. You can’t get a full look out of this palette as there are only satin shimmers in this palette and no matte shades. I can however tell you that the shadows in the palette can be comparable to some of my higher end shadows. There is a tiny bit of fallout when using this palette with a brush but I find that when I pat these shadows on the lid with my finger, I get little-to-no fallout. I am obviously not a fan of the type of applicator that you find in this palette but it doesn’t bother me as I don’t usually use any of the applicators that I get with my palettes. Another pro about this mini palette is that it is not tested on animals. YAY!!!
Lastly I have another Revolution product that I wanted to give a go at. I am not very big on primers as I haven’t found one that I love 100%. I will do a full review on this priming water as well when I do my review on the Revolution palette. This aqua based primer water is perfect for someone that uses a lot of powder on the face (like me) and it also works great at intensifying eyeshadows. Without going too much into detail, I just know that this is a product that many makeup users and lovers would adore.
As you can see, there’s little flex of gold particles in these crystals – I can’t even begin to describe the beautiful glow that it gives your body, especially if you use it targeting a specific area. When it comes to my beauty products, I love using my items for more than what it’s been intended for. This product is no exception. If you’re a leg shaver like myself, bath crystals in general makes for great exfoliating. It removes those dead skin cells, prevents ingrown hairs and gives you that overall smooth feeling on the legs.