Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Mono Blush

Rimmel's Claim:
Long Lasting Blush Soft texture glides on smoothly and blends evenly for a natural sheer finish. Long lasting powder that give you a natural looking colour for up to 6 hours. Streak and smudge resistant.

The rimmel website claims that there are 7 shades available:
Bronze
Live Pink
Pink Rose
Santa Rose
Mauve Cool
Pink Sorbet
Tickle Me Pink

Although the only shades that I have seen in store are:
Live Pink
Bronze
Pink Rose
Santa Rose

I have not picked these up yet only because I received two gorgeous Sleek Blushes in a swap.
I do however have the first version of the Rimmel blush before it was re-packaged in the shade 012 Coral Rose and it has great pigmentation.  A little goes a long way.

I did swatch the tester in-store and it still has the good pigmentation and quality just like its predecessor.

Have you tried these new blushes.  Please let me know in the comments section.

Thank you

xoxo

Haul / Swap with my bff

Hi there

These products where received from my bff. We swapped parcels on the same day she gave me my birthday presents. We have been collecting stuff for each other for a while now, so every time there is a sale and we see something we will get two of each. Especially if the branch closest to her may not have a product or the same sale. So we met for coffee / shopping and we did our swap.

I did not take pictures of what I gave her though. She received 2 lipglosses, an eyeshadow, 2 nailpolish, 4 lipsticks and I cant remember what else right now.

Anyway here is what I received:

Three nail products:
Clicks beauty essentials nail protector
Essence nailpolish in "Barefoot through the moss"
Define nailpolish in "Baby boy"

Three lip products
Charlie Shine Divine Lip Color in "003 Mochaccino"
Charlie Shine Divine Lionel Color in " 001 Royal Rum"
These you have to twist until the color appears. Can't wait to try them.
Yardley Rollo' Gloss Moisturizing Blame in Strawberry. Enriched with vitamin E and she butter.It smells yummy.
I will definitely thru these out and update on how I like them. So far they look great.

Essence Blossoms etc...Eyeshadow in "Bloom-A-Loom"
My Bff knows how crazy I went for purple eyeshadow last.  Purple is also my favorite color.  This is from the Essence limited edition Blossoms etc. line.  I am going to have fun creating an eyeshadow look with this. I think Essence eyeshadow is good quality and I have lots of them.

Montagne Jennesse Sensuous Spice Self Warming Mask. It has Cinnamon & Ginger exotic spices.  You get 10 uses out of this 100g bottle . My friend has already tried her one out and  she says this mask is divine. The long Easter weekend will be the perfect time to try my one out.

Olive de Provence Exfoliating Body Scrub.  I have already heard how good this brand is and not to mention how good it smells.

Essence Pureskin spot fighting duo.  This product is anti-bacterial and has a double action against spots and imperfections.  It has a roller-ball applicator that dries up spots before they come out. The concealer side of this duo offers coverage without blocking pores. New spots are also prevented. Sounds like an interesting product. The next time I have a zit I will definitely zap.some of this product on it and put it to the test.

So between my birthday haul, my bff swap and out of city friend swap, I received lots of pamper products.   Work has been super stressful so these products are just what I needed.  I am so glad we have the long weekend so I can pamper myself with all the new goodies I received.

Thanks for reading.
Xoxo

2013 Birthday Haul

Hi

So my birthday is on the 19th March, and I posted a.birthday haul last year, and thought I would show all the lovely gifts I received this year as well. I love all my gifts and my friends and family who who gave them to me.

The first gift was a Black Nine West bag.  I love bags (which female.doesn't). This was from my mom and sister.  Its so gorgeous and will keep it as a prized possession lol.

From my daughter I received the following:
x2 Oh So Heavenly Happy Hands Hand and nail creams.  One is Lavender Infused and the other is 24HR moisture. Keeping hand cream in my draw at work is a must for me. So I wont have to purchase for a while. And everyone knows how divine Oh So Heavenly products are.
Dr. Miracles Deep Conditioning Treatment -I really needed this product. I have been complaining about the condition of my hair lately. Looking forward to trying  this and hopefully repurchasing it.
Revolution Shadow Collection eyeshadow set. It has 5 gorgeous shades in it. She knows her  mother loves eyeshadow, enough said lol.
She also made me three birthday cards, one was 5 pages long.  Its was really precious, and also personal so I wont be showing those.

From my bff I received this gorgeous brown bag.  She has a matching one is black. She knows I like the same things she does.  I am going to love using it.  It is the right size for me as well.

She also.bought me "The Perfect Pamper Bathing Box" from Dirty Works.  OMW I love Dirty Works.  A colleague told me to try the body butter a while ago and once I did, I fell in love with it.  They have a lovely smell, very moisturizing and great quality. I am very happy with this gift. The pack includes "All of a lather body wash", "Buff your stuff body scrub" and "Supreme cream body butter". What cute names they have!
Dirty Works - Good clean fun!!!!

The next gift are these sexy red heals from a staff member of mine from work.  She did some research obviously, because those shoes are so me, lol.  I love them and I already have an outfit in mind to wear them with.

Lindt Chilli Chocolate

This I received from a good friend of mine.  We both love dark chocolate.  Chilli flavour Lindt - Yummy.  I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Last but not least is a.gift from a colleague if mine. She gave me a Loofah Body Strap. Its perfect because its hard to reach my back in the shower. I also received some Kleenex Kimberley Clark Professional facial tissues.  She knows that I always have to have tissues in my draw at work.  So thanks to her for my thoughtful gift.

That was my birthday haul.  As you can see I received some pamper products which I am definitely.going to try over the long weekend.  I am in no way bragging about what I received. I love everything I and wanted to share them with you.

Xoxo

Avon Haul March 2013

Here is my March 2013 Avon haul.  All these items where on sale. I did not pay full price for any of these items.  I got good quality items at bargain prices.

Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Mask.
I have been obsessed with Moroccan Argan Oil products and my hair has gone through a lot of chemical processes lately and is very dry and parched.  Hopefully this, together with the Moroccan oil will put some moisture back into my hair and make it grow. If it works, then it will definitely show up in a favorites post.

Color trend lipsticks - Any two for R55
Beige Star - The perfect nudish brown IMO. It does look a little darker in the picture but its more on the nude side.
Flirt - A really pretty coral shade.  I am obsessed with coral lipstick at the moment.
I have a few Avon lipsticks and have noticed what great quality they are and they have good colour payoff. I am really happy with these.

Simply Pretty Lip Balms - Cherry and Strawberry R9.95 each
I always keep a lip balm in my makeup bag and one in my handbag. Before I apply my makeup I apply lip balm to my lips, so by the time I get to apply my lipstick at the end, my lips are moisturized and there is no dry patches or cracks on my lips. My lipstick will then apply evenly.  I also apply lip balm before I sleep at night.

Avon Care Silicone Glove protective hand cream R19.95
Besides tissues, hand cream is another product I MUST keep in my draw at work. So I like to always get a back-up when I have opened the last one. There where two to choose from.  I bought the other one last time and thought I would try the silicone glove hand cream this time and compare the two and see which one is better.

Clearskin Blackhead Clearing Daily Cleanser with a free Blackhead Clearing Deep Treatment Mask
This was a good deal.  The price was reduced and included a free mask.  I have been using the Cleanser every night since I received it.  It has tiny beads in it so I don't need to use my facial brush.  These products have salicylic acid in them which is great for acne.   I normally use a facial bar soap with salicylic acid in it.  This is obviously easier than using a bar soap. I am please to say that it has kept my me blackhead free while I have been using it.  If my makeup is not removed properly (even if you think it is) I get blackheads.  Overall I am happy with the cleanser.  I have not tried the mask yet.  I have high hopes that it will be good as well.

So like I mentioned before, all the prices mentioned above where not full price.  I always get great deals from Avon.  They have sale items every month. Chances are a product I like will.go on sale sometime or the other.

I would like to hear if there are any Avon products that you love and purchase repeatedly. Let me know in the comments section own below.

Xoxo

My first swap

Hi all

I came into contact with a lovely lady who read an article on my blog and wanted a bit more information on the subject.  So she made contact with me on Facebook and asked some questions, to which I was only happy to answer.

She lives in South Africa as well but in a difference province and after chatting for a while we realized that we both have things in our cities that the other does not have.  So we decided to do a swap.
Overall it was a good experience.  The only bad thing was that the post office decided to go on a strike when my package was being sent. So it was stuck in between cities for a little while. Lol.
 Anyway, the strike ended and I got my package. Everything arrived safely except my Jordana eyeshadow.  The Post Office was obviously a bit rough with my packaging even though it had a "fragile" sign on it.
Which is still usable and it can be re-pressed, so yay for me. I literally tore the packaging open, I was soo excited to receive my swap parcel.

So the first thing I pulled out of the box was a Thank You Card. OMW that was soo sweet. I was really touched.

The next four things was the stuff I was most excited about receiving:

- NYX Mosaic Powder - looking forward to trying this.
- NYC Sunny Bronzer - this is a cult product overseas, and now I have one, yay!
- Sleek blush in Sunrise - A gorgeous bronzey blush with a gold sheen
- Sleek blush in Suede - A Gorgeous natural shade wearable with any other makeup

I have four Sleek eyeshadow palettes, which I love to death, and I have been wanting the blushes for so long. But unfortunately before I got a chance to get any, Foschini discontinued the brand from the stores in my area (how rude).  The quality of these blushes are amazing, so is the price and they rival super  high end brands.
 
- The Victorian Garden Apricot and Lavender Cleansing Cream :  I use the cleansing cream in the mornings before I tone and moisturize.
- The Victorian Garden Sesame and Honey Nourishing Eye Cream:  I keep the eye cream in the refrigerator and it gives a cooling soothing effect when I apply it.
- Black Opal Oil Blocking Mattifier: This is a gel based primer. It has awesome oil control.  I used it on my T-zone especially on the sides of my nose where I get oily in the summertime.
- NYC Skin Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer:- I have not tried this yet.

- Annique Miracle Tissue Oil - made with Rooibos Oil
- Naturals Spot Treatment
- Two Markwins Cream Eyeshadows - Colours in green and cream 
- Jordana Eyeshadow in Duet
- Ulta Eyeshadow in Plum Noir
- Two Sally Girl Baked  Eyeshadows
- The Color Workshop Eyeliner in dark green
I have not used or tested any of these yet, but fully intend to in the next week.

- Body Thrills body butter
- Tranquil Body Treats Indulgence Body Butter in Chocolate & Vanilla
- Miracle Body Sponge
- After Night Fever. Soothing Essence Mask
- 100% Natural Organic Goats Milk Soap - By Opulence Soap
- A Hydrating Masque
I still need to test / use these products as well.  Looking forward to trying them over the long Easter weekend and pamper myself.

So that was my first swap. She was equally excited when she received my swap parcel as well and we have become.good friends since then.ou would like a review on any of the products mentioned above and I will be only too happy to done one.

Let me know if you have you ever done a swap? I would love to hear about your experience. Please leave your comments and / suggestions in the comments section.

Thank you
Xoxo

Review: New Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks

At the end of February I was in the queue at Woolworth's waiting to pay when I spotted the March 2013 Destiny Magazine.  What caught my eye? Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks FREE with the purchase of the magazine.  This magazine costs R29.90. The free lipstick was a full size and not a mini and retails for R145.

Needless to say I took four.  The teller looked at me like I was crazy but I didn't care.
There where only four shades to choose from:

- 040 Flashing Lights - peachy coral

- 015 Runway - nudey brown

- 005 Muse - light mauve

- 035 Backstage - raisin brown

These lipstick apply exactly as the name suggests "suede".  It goes on smooth and moisturising.  After about 20 minutes it settles to a matte finish.  Essentially matte lipsticks are long-wearing lipsticks, and they last a long time on the lips.  Matte lipsticks also tend to be drying on the lips which feels uncomfortable, so you need to apply a lip balm underneath.

By force of habit with all lipsticks, I always apply lip balm, lip primer, lip liner, lipstick and top it off with some lipgloss. (A lot, I know)  but using a lip primer ensures me that my lipstick will wear for a longer period.  I did not own any long-wear lipsticks so this was essential for me.

This lipstick does not really require a primer and will last for a long time on it's own.  Though adding a lipgloss does make the lipstick less long wearing.  So, these lipsticks have vibrant colour pay-off and are long-wearing.
People who don't like matte lipsticks will not enjoy it. However, adding a lip balm and a lipgloss transforms it into a regular lipstick.

I have used Flashing Lights and Runway.  Backstage and Muse I will be giving to a friend.

Have you tried these Revlon lipsticks?  If so what was your impression of them?

Xoxo

Revlon Photoready BB Cream

I went to the Dischem Beauty sale saw that the Revlon BB Cream has finally landed in our stores, I had to pick it up only because it had such good reviews.
Revlon Photoready BB Cream comes in 4 shades, Fair, light/Medium, Medium and Deep.

It has the following claims:
- HYDRATES like moisturizer
- SMOOTHES like primer
- COVERS like foundation
- BLURS FLAWS like concealer
- PROTECTS with SPF 30 like sunscreen

My first impressions of this was that it is way better than the Garnier BB Cream which I gave away and didn't bother to review.  The Garnier one was too pink, did not cover anything and clogged my pores.

I was happy to find that there is four shades. Normally fair is too light and medium is too dark for me.
Light / Medium is an okay match for me.  It has better coverage than the Garnier BB Cream.  It is not so pink like the Garnier one either.  It is slightly dark for me but not by much.  I can get away with it especially in the evening time.  I can also mix it with my Colorstay foundation or Estee Lauder Double Wear foundations which are such dry foundations.  This will add moisture to those formulations.  It can also be used under a foundation as a primer.  I applied it with my fingers and instead of using concealer, I added a second coat after the first one.  I also always set this with a powder.

I have mainly used this in the evening only because it is summer now and worry that it will slide off my face because of the moisturising properties.  I cant wait to try this out in winter as I am always looking for more moisture during this season.

Has anyone tried this BB Cream?  If so, please leave me a comment and let me know how you like it.

xoxo

Review : Clarins Everlasting Foundation SPF 15

I received two samples of this foundation last year in 110 Honey. I tried one of the samples when it was still the dead of winter when my skin is a little lighter. For reference I am a Mac NC25 ( dry / sensitive) in winter and and NC30 (combo) in summer. The shade 110 Honey matches my face to my neck perfectly. 
It has a lovely medium, medium to full, or full coverage depending on how you apply this foundation.  It gives me flawless looking skin without my face looking caked up.
It claims to last 15 hours, which I do not wear foundation for.15 hours. But it does last my full working day. I apply it over a moisturiser and sun screen. On extremely hot days, I do apply a mattifying primer on my T-zone and down the sides of my nose.

Another thing I must mention is that this foundation looks gorgeous over Clarins Beauty Flash Balm.
This is now my go-to foundation when I do not want to use Concealer on blemishes.
Price wise is it cheaper than Estee Lauder Double Wear. But still on the pricey side as it is a high end foundation.

I have a distinct yellow undertone so I get excited when I find a foundation that is the right undertone, right shade, does not settle into lines, looks natural and keeps its promises as to what it offers. I have had many disappointments with foundations in the past but I have been having good luck recently.

It claims to be for all skin types, Non-transfer formula, Non-comedogenic and allergy tested.
I have super sensitive skin and this definitely agrees with my skin.
Since it is a long wear foundation, you still need to remove it properly at the end of a day ( double cleanse)

I have a few foundations in rotation at the moment but I reach for this one the most since I purchased it. Especially if I know that I have a meeting.  You are in close proximity to people while you in boardroom meetings so I like to look flawless if I know I have meetings to attend.

I would love to know what your HG foundation is and why in the comments below. 
Xoxo

Review : Blackhead Sandalwood Treatment

Hi there

I had this product included in my last "empties" post, and a lovely fellow blogger asked me do to a review on this product. I must firstly apologize for taking soo long to do this review as work has been consuming all my time. Its financial year end and so forth so its going to be hectic for a while.
Anyway, let me get on with the review....

Sandalwood Blackhead Treatment 50ml - helps remove blackheads and prevents re-occurrence. This is what is states on the front of the bottle. Price R27, purchased from Gorimas.

Key Ingredients:
Sandalwood
Cirrebelle Beads
Aqua
Strawberry Fragrance

Directions:
To get rid of toxins causing blackheads, apply scrub in a circular movements daily. 
Wash off with water.
Follow with Sandalwood mask for excellent results.

I have very sensitive skin so I was worried about the strawberry fragrance. It does not have the typical sandalwood powder smell. This definitely agrees with my skin.
It is typically a light pink cream with blue beads in it.  The beads where another surprise.  It was not a typical scrub. I initially thought that the beads where "too soft" and thought is was not going to be effective in removing blackheads.
After I applied it to my face and chin area, I kept rubbing it into the skin for a few minutes and then let it sit on the skin for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.
  The blackheads immediately move to the surface of the skin. I am not sure if this happens for anyone else who uses this product.  I then use a blackhead remover directly after rinsing this off.  I was impressed after not expecting much. My skin is smoother after using this.

I do not use it daily as the container suggests (no time, laziness etc) but I try to use it once or twice a week. I really should try to use it more often. This product has now become a staple in my skincare routine.  I have repurchased this product and am on my third bottle.

Other products I have tried are:
Sandalwood Scrub - for deep cleanse & exfoliation
Sandalwood Eye Mask - for dark circles and tired eyes.  Vitamin E enriched.

My next DIY skincare project is to make a homemade vitamin c serum when I find some time as others have had success with this.

Please leave any comments and suggestions below.
Thank you guys.
Xoxo