Swap Haul - Products I received

So this is my third swap.  It contains a combination of stuff from overseas and South Africa (in a different city).  I wanted to get some stuff for myself as well as for my bff for her birthday.  I did not take pictures of what I sent, but here is what I received.  I may do another post later as a follow up for things that missed this swap.

Kapruka Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Hey Gorgeous Mineral Mud - face and body mask

Hey Gorgeous - Honey Papaya Pomegranate - Facial Scrub

Avon Blackhead Clearing Daily Cleanser

Avon Blackhead Clearing Deep Treatment Mask

Black Soap with Shea Butter

I love the Avon Blackhead Clearing products,  I wrote about them in a previous post.

ELF Small Stippling Brush
Beautique Blusher Brush

Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana Bronzer

This serves as a highlighter not a bronzer.  It has been compared to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder which costs $$.  This on the other hand costs $3.50

ELF Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

This is another cult product overseas which costs only a few dollars at the drugstore.  The picture does not do it justice.  It is gorgeous and it is super pigmented.  Especially the bronzer, a light hand is needed with this.  The blush looks pink in the picture but it is more on the peachy side which is flattering on almost all skin tones.

 Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm in Peach Kiss

ELFJumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Flirty & Girly

Inthusiasm Make-Up-Mitt

I am happy with my swop.  I am going to have fun trying out new stuff.  I have added a few more things for my bff before I give her stuff to her, which I have not shown in this haul.

xoxo

Nats

Essence Fantasia Collection

The Essence collection that is currently in the Durban South Africa Stores is the Fantasia collection.

After swatching the testers, I made a decision on what to buy and what not to buy.

I already had the exact same eyeshadow shades, so I passed those by.  But for those of you who don't, these shadows where very good quality and highly pigmented, so you would not go wrong buying these.

The Liners swatched a bit patchy.  Maybe because the testers were opened too many times and where drying out?  Anyway, Essence liners are normally really nice and smooth.  

The Lip Laquers where really nice and very pigmented.  The normal essence lip glosses are divine.

I love Essence nail polishes.  They rival high end brands in my opinion.

The eye jewels is not something I really wear, but it was cute anyway.

And the one product I did purchase...the Highlighter at R29.

Why? Because I am a sucker for highlighters and it was soo pretty, just look at it!

It may be a little shimmery, but still very pretty.

So that's my run-down of the Essence Fantasia Collection.

xoxo

Nats

Clarins Haul & Gift With Purchase x2

Hi there

I have really being trying to invest in some good skincare.  My Bee Natural Rich Hydrating Face Balm was almost finished and it has not been restocked for at least two months now.  I reviewed this balm in a previous post, and was impressed by it.  It has anti-ageing properties and is even better under a serum, not to mention perfect under my eyes.  However, I was now left without a night cream or an eye cream.

Clarins is a brand I have come to love.  I only started purchasing from Clarins from the end of 2012.  Almost all high end brands have their GWP in different stores form time to time.  I didn't post my last GWP I received from Clarins.  Let me tell you, I loved the products I bought , the GWP and the ton of samples I received.  

So how Clarins works their GWP is that you have to buy two products (one of which must be a moisturiser or serum) and you get to choose two travel size products free.  Bear in mind that a travel size product is 30ml and a full size is 50ml. That is damn good in my opinion.  Also, this time around, besides getting to choose the two free products, you also receive a stylish bag two free products in it as well.  

The products I purchased to qualify for the GWP

Clarins Everlasting Foundation in 110 Honey

This has no doubt become a holy grail foundation for me.  I LOVE IT!

I use a damp beauty blender sponge for natural medium coverage and a small stippling brush for flawless full coverage.  I never need a concealer with this foundation.  It is also great on my sensitive skin and is a great colour match.

Clarins Eye Trio

This was my serum purchase.  The eye serum alone was more expensive than buying the trio.  It blows my mind that trio with a full sized serum is priced cheaper than the serum on its own. Which I am not complaining.  The trio contains:

- Serum Super Lift Multi Regenerative Advanced Extra-Firming Eye Contour Serum - Full Size

- Instant Eye Makeup Remover - 30ml

- Advanced Extra Firming Eye Contour Cream 3ml

Like I mentioned before, with your purchase you get to choose two travel size products.  The bag with the two products in front of it are part of the GWP that you also get free, which is a 100ml Clarins Eau Dynamisante Mositurising Body Lotion as well as a sample of Clarins Eau Dynamisante fragrance sample.  Here are the choices for the travel size products:

My 2 choices where a no brainer:

I needed a night cream so I chose the Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Comfort Cream.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm - This is a back-up for when my other tube finishes.  Looks great under the Clarins foundation.  It brightens and Tightens. I cant say enough good things about this product.  

But it didn't end there......

Edgars / Red Square offer - You walk away with a stylish bag, full of fabulous treats when you spend R750 or more.

So I received a second bag free with four lovely samples:

-  Paco Rabanne Lady Million Eau de Parfume 

- Carolina Herrera 212 Men NYC Eau De Toilette

- CK We Are One Eau De Toilette

- Clarins Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate

Those where my Clarins purchases and free gifts.  It was like opening a gift at Christmas and no doubt brightened my day.  I received things I really needed, being the night cream, eye cream and foundation and was pleasantly surprised with all the other goodies I received.

xoxo

Nats

Bionike Haul & Gift With Purchase

Bionike is sold exclusively at Dischem Stores, who every so often has sales.  The recent sale was their "Spring Fair" with lots of discounts and gift with purchases from the very low priced brands, to the very high priced brands that they sell.

I am no doubt in love with Bionike products.  They have skincare for every skin type, and is 100% preservative free and fragrance free formulas.  Bionike was created for people with sensitive skin, by people who have sensitive skin, but everyone one can use Bionike.  They have skincarefor all skin types (dry, combo, oily, acne prone etc).

They had a Gift With Purchase on.  A purchase of two products will get you a free cleanser of your choice.  A purchase of three products will get you a free cleanser and an automatic opening and closing Bionike umbrella.  I had already received the umbrella in a previous GWP and I didn't need an extra product.

Bionike 50+ Defence Sun Very High Protection Sun Spray Lotion - Sensitive and Intolerant Skin

I loved the last bottle of this I had.  I cannot use chemical sunscreen, this physical sunscreen is the bomb.  I even made my sister buy one.  I have had the cream formula as well which is perfect for winter.  I will always buy this product over and over.  Price R149 for 150ml.  (R189 for the bigger size)

Bionike Defence 100 Protective and Reinforcing Base cream - Sensitive and Intolerant Skin

This is my third tube of this wonderful cream.  I wear it over the sunscreen in the morning.  It does come in a 200 Base Cream as well.  The Base 100 cream seems to be more for combo oily skin and the Base 200 cream is supposed to be for dry skin according to the sales assistant.  I really want to try the Base 200 cream this time but was sold out by the time I reached the Bionike counter. Price R140

Bionike Defence Radiance Milk Cleanser - Normal and Combination Sensitive Skin

This was the cleanser that I received free with my purchase of two products.  Almost all the cleansers where gone from the shelf because of the GWP offer.  I had a choice of this one and a two in one creamy cleanser, which now I feel I should have taken as it would have been similar to by Almay two in one creamy cleanser which I adore.  This Cleanser is still lovely though.  It is a pre-cleanser not a finishing cleanser.  So you have to  put it on your face over your makeup and you wipe it off.  It comes with a lovely pump which is always a pleasure to use.

Thanks for reading
xoxo
Nats

Inglot Haul

A few weeks ago, I went out on my lunch break to pick up a few groceries.  On my way out of the mall I saw a 50% sale sign at the Inglot stand.  They are introducing their products with new packaging. Inglot is doing away with products in the "round pan" and stocking products in the "square pan" etc.  There was concealers, lipsticks, eyebrow powders, foundations etc.  There was soo much stock on sale and all the shades where available.  However it was taking time picking out shades and I had to get back to work.  So I was upset that I missed the sale.  However two weeks later, when I walked past, the sale was still on.  No doubt, a lot of the shades had been sold by then.  The lipsticks in a pan where so pretty, but I do not generally buy lipsticks in a pan. I picked up 3 things:

This is not the best picture, but here is what I got.

Cream Concealer in the shade "31" 10ml - R50

For a liquid concealer this is thick and highly pigmented.  It gives full coverage and conceals my under eye circles perfectly. However I could have gone one shade darker.  I still make it work though.  So I am happy with this purchase.

Freedom System Cream Concealer in the shade "LW700" 1.3g - R20

This concealer surprised me.  It has a lovely yellow undertone and is super creamy. 

Normally concealers in a pan are dry, but this was not.  It has a medium coverage.  The yellow tone is good for me on blemishes and under the eyes.

Freedom System Brow Powder in the shade "564" - R25

My eyebrow pencil is almost finished and I wanted a brow powder so my eyebrows would look more natural.  I like this powder, however, since I have been colouring my hair black, a darker shade would have been nice.

So overall the sales assistant could have colour matched me better than she did.  However, I love all the products I bought and I will no doubt use then up and make them work for me. 

xoxo
Nats

Avroy Shlain Colorfull Concealer Pen

This is only the third product from Avroy Shlain that I have purchased.  A lady who used to work for the same company as I do, used to sell Avroy Shlain, so I had purchased a powder and a bronzer & highlighter duo from her.  She then left the company and I never found or heard of another Avroy Shlain consultant.

While at the hairdresser having my hair cut, I picked up a catalogue from the counter.  Since everyone overseas was raving about the L'oreal concealer pen, and here in South Africa, we never get any L'oreal concealers, I thought I would give the Avroy Shlain Colorfull Concealer Pen a try.

 I got it at the launch price of R69.  It does twist up and down, so no need for a sharpener.  it comes in two shades, Light and Dark.  I purchased the shade Light.  It is meant to conceal acne spots, discolouration and under-eye darkness.

The shade Light has a pink undertone.  I noticeably have a yellow undertone so I do not use this on blemishes.  If I had to use concealer on blemishes, I would use one the same colour as my skintone or foundation.  Since this does have a pink undertone, it is good as an under eye corrector.  Salmon colour correctors brighten up the eye area by correcting the darkness under the eye if you have blue or purple bags under the eye.  

I do have very dark under eye circles and am always looking for something to correct and cover them up.  Before I apply this, I always apply a moisturising primer, then the corrector then a concealer in my skin tone, or one shade lighter.

I like that it is twist up, so there is no mess by dabbing my finger in it then applying it.  I can apply it straight to the eye area.  I always follow with a yellow toned liquid concealer over it.  I achieve decent coverage this way.

 I have just started using it, so we will see if it will hold up in the hot summer months ahead, then I can decide if it is worth repurchasing or not.

Thank you for reading

Nats

Kiehl's Haul - Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Serum & Samples

Hi All

I have been reading reviews on Kiehl's products for a while now from overseas bloggers.  Recently bloggers in South Africa have been raving about Khiels products as well, specifically Cape Town.

None of the mall's close by to where I live stock Kiehl's products.  I stumbled across a Kiehl's counter purely by accident when my sister and I took a drive to "The Pavillion" mall which is a bit out of the way.  You can only imagine my excitement.  The sales assistants wear white lab coats who offer expert personal consultations. You also receive complimentary samples with every visit. I loved the set up of the Kiehl's counter, it drew me in immediately. 

Kiehl's is by no means a new brand.  This brand has been trading since 1851 in New York's East Village neighbourhood.  After chatting to the sales assistant for quiet a while my sister and I decided to purchase the Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Serum for R585 and split it in half.  

KIEHL'S CLEARLY CORRECTIVE DARK SPOT SERUM

"Fast-acting serum that evens skin tone and diminishes dark spots to impart overall radiance and luminosity to the skin"

CREME DE CORPS

My sister also purchased the "Crème De Corps" "All day hydration enriched with the finest skin-nurturing ingredients for a rich, elegant skin texture".  She bought it because she was complaining about having dry flaky skin.  It is also sold in the form of a thicker body butter.  She said that she is loving this product, and is keen to try their facial moisturisers once her current skincare is finished.

My sister and I both received one of each of the samples below....

KIEHL'S MIDNIGHT RECOVERY CONCENTRATE

I used this every night as advised by the sales assistant, and I was told to use the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Serum during the day.  I used this it under my moisturiser at night and although I only used it for over a week and a half, I did notice that my skin looked brighter and more supple in the morning.  I have noticed a difference especially now that the sample is finished.  My skin now appears drier in the morning since not using it any more.  This is the product that everyone has been raving about, and now I see why.  Imagine what it could have done for my skin with continued use.  

Three more samples we both received where
- Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate
- Highly Efficient Skin-Tone Corrector
- Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion

I have only used the Eye Concentrate, not every night though, and the other samples are still unopened.  I took a pamphlet which gives you a brief description of each of their products and what they do for your skin.  These product samples sound amazing from reading the pamphlet and will definitely try them out in the near future.  The sales assistant also explained these products to us.

Three more samples where also given to us which I let my sister have was:
- Amino Acid Shampoo
- Amino Acid Conditioner
- Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil

I started off using the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Serum only in the morning at first.  Now I use it morning and night since the Midnight Recovery Concentrate sample is finished.  I do have sun spots "hyper-pigmentation" that I want to diminish.  So I am going to use this product religiously and hopefully report back soon with the results.

Thank you for reading
xoxo
Nats