Nailene Goodies

Hi Dolls,

Happy Friday!

I hope you'll have a fab weekend.  At the moment I'm somewhere magical helping a gorgeous bride-to-be get ready for her big day.  So exciting!

Nailene Artificial Nail & Polish Remover - R130.00   |   Nailene Nail Studio Long Nails - R64.95   |   Nailene Studio Toes - R64.95   |   Nailene Nail Glue - R34.95

 * All nailene products available at Clicks *

I almost never get my nails done professionally, I get terribly bored with my nails so it totally defeats the purpose.  I have no idea what it is, but by the 2nd week I have to repaint my nails, and yes, I do envy people with awesome nail art done by professionals.

Nailene is one of my favorite brands for stick-on-nails, I've blogged about them before so they're a trusted brand that I know works.  Now I don't care if french tips are considered 90's - I love the look of it, it's classic and chic and truthfully in my opinion never goes out of style.   Normally I'll choose the medium or short length, but this time I got the long ones as we'll take loads of wedding pictures and dramatic looks good on photo's.  

You want to know my trick on making nail polish last ages?  Apply them over stick-on's.  Seriously, if you're looking for a mani that'll last ages this is the way to go.  I almost never have natural nails, 99 % of the time I have stick-on's over my nails.  Not only is it a good way to save money, but it minimizes damage to your own nails, as I only file it softly to remove shine, don't go crazy like I've seen at some salons, you're not suppose to file away your nail!  These babies lasts until I remove them with the artificial nail remover, whether it be a month or two.  So it's absolutely worth it.  

I've never tried the toe stick-on's so it's a first for me, but they look nice so am excited to try them out.  If your nail routine is the same as mine, this remover is a must have.  You just dip your nail in for a few seconds, twist and turn and voila - nail has been removed.  It's quick and easy and the smell is nice, unlike acetone which has such a strong smell.  I'm not sure why but normally Nailene nails come with glue, but I noticed that both of these didn't have it in, so I'm not sure if this is the new way for Nailene, not that I'm complaining, the glue wasn't that expensive.

Stick-on's have gotten such a bad rap in the past, but honestly, they look as good as professionally done nails, they shape according to your nail shape and looks gorgeous.

Love,

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Favorite Eyelash Brand: Eylure - The Lash Edition

Hi Dolls,

Hope you've had a great week so far!

With party season coming soon, a pair of great falsies is a must!  Especially if you have lashes like I do - or the lack thereof in my case.

Eylure The London Edition - R120.00 available from Clicks

I watch a lot of You Tube video's, and am always amazed to see women who wear false eyelashes everyday, nothing wrong with it of course and kudos to you if you do it.  A lot of lashes aren't comfortable to wear, and I have very sensitive eyes and they go red for anything, even a little bit of wind.  It's not a very glamorous look to have big bambi eyes that are red, so when I found the Eylure lashes I gave a little jump for joy.  I don't have to fiddle with them to get them to stick, and the band is ultra light so it doesn't feel like you have anything on your eyes, and the glue that comes with it works really well so no need to purchase additional glue.

My favorite type of lashes from Eylure is the lengthening one, because it gives my eyes a bit of oomph without looking overdone or as if I'm wearing false eyelashes.  They're so comfy I wear them from the morning till night and it doesn't bother me one bit.  I highly recommend you give them a try if you normally struggle with lashes that feel heavy or look unnatural.  If you want to see them in action have a squizz at my instagram, I've worn them a few times in the last month or so.

I recently popped into Clicks, and wanted to pick up the lengthening lashes for a wedding this weekend, and I noticed they had a few boxes of eyelashes, all named after popular cities like New York and London, if I remember correctly there were 4 cities to choose from.  The London one was by far my favorite, not only because London is a place close to my heart as I lived there for a few years, but the lashes all seemed like ones that would still look natural but give a more glam look.  I normally wear lashes 2 - 4 times before I throw them away.  R120.00 for 3 pairs of lashes is a really good deal!  Normally its around R60.00 for one pair, so you are saving about R30.00 when you purchase this.  

I wanted to get this post up as soon as I could because I'm not sure how long these will still be available at clicks.  I've heard really good things about Ardell lashes in terms of affordability, but for some reason Clicks doesn't stock the Demi Wispies, which is raved about on You Tube.

Oh, just a few tips on how I apply lashes that makes it super easy:

-  Wait about 15 seconds after applying glue to apply otherwise they're too wet and you'll struggle to get them to stick (I apply two coats of glue on the lashes).

-  Take a mirror, look downwards, apply lashes with a tweezer and press against eyelid.

-  Take your finger and press the lashes gently against your lid and do an upward sweep (gently).

-  Voila!  Practice makes perfect ladies!

Love,

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Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover vs Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation

Hi Ladies,

I hope you had a stunning weekend, it seems like we might be in for another rainy day today.  This week is quite busy and hectic as my cousin is getting married on Saturday and I'm the MOH, I'm very excited, I just love weddings and get to see family members we don't see often.  The only sad thing is that my husband and I had tickets to see 30 Seconds to Mars in July, and they postponed it until Friday night (our luck), so now he'll see the concert with my brother.  Oh well, that's life right.

If you had to ask me what makeup product is the most important - I'd have to say foundation.  All the other things are the bells and whistles to a look, but if you don't get your foundation right it's just not going to look good.  So today I have a battle between two Estee Lauder foundations:

If there is one product worth investing in, that is unless you have really great skin, that is foundation.  I'm all about bargain shopping, I love luxury products as much as I do affordable ones, and my two favorite brands for foundations are Estee Lauder and MAC.  Both of these shades will suit you if you're MAC NW20.

The Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover has a mousse type texture, it's really thick and has a matte finish.  It dries incredibly fast and you have to do section by section.  Because of the texture and dryness I prefer applying this with a damp beauty blender, which helps to spread it evenly and gives it more of a dewy finish.  This foundation is absolutely perfect if you have tattoos, birth marks or scars that you need to cover.  I'd highly suggest this foundation for oily / combination skin, if you have dry skin make sure you moisture, moisture, moisture ... and do use a great primer such as the Oh So Heavenly Miracle Blur Primer which gives you a smooth canvas to work on and has illuminating particles which gives your skin a dewy look.

I like this foundation for the coverage it gives, if you have problem skin like mine with acne scarring and so on, this would definitely get rid of any uneven skin tone and pigmentation, it also lasts forever on your skin. What I don't like about it?  It will show any skin problems you have such as enlarged pores and dry areas.  

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place apart from MAC Studio Fix Fluid is my holy grail foundation.  I love it!  It's way more forgiving than the Double Wear Maximum Cover, it's a liquid similar to Studio Fix Fluid, and gives medium coverage that is build able to full coverage.  It dries semi-matte and lasts all day. 

I really like the coverage and finish of this foundation, it looks beautiful and flawless, and quite frankly the quality is exceptional, from packaging to product.  I'd say the only thing I don't like is the price tag, but I can live with it because it is amazing!

The winner of this battle is the Double Wear Stay in Place, however, I do like the Double Wear Maximum foundation too, so I definitely like having both of these in my beauty cabinet, what I do for nights out or special occasions is to wear the Double Wear Stay in Place all over, and then dab the Double Wear Maximum foundation on the areas that need more coverage such as my cheeks and any areas where I have acne/breakouts.  So I basically use it as a concealer and I love the overall look and finish with both of these combined.  

Just as a side note, these foundations have lasted me ages!  Granted I do wear MAC as well, but I bought the Double Wear Maximum Cover in January and it is only finished now, the Double Wear Stay in Place I got in March and I still have a bit left, so although it's pricey it lasts forever (almost).

Love,

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OOTD: Day Time LBD

Hi Dolls,

I hope you've enjoyed the lovely rainy weather we had in South Africa this week?  I absolutely love love this type of weather, not all the time of course but now and again it's really nice, and I then indulge in a day long You Tube marathon when I'm not working, and thanks to all the rain we have our fluffy grass back and our garden is looking fabulous!

Dress and Shoes - Mr Price   |   Makeup:  Used the NYX Spring Fling Palette on my eyes - NYX is available at selected Clicks stores   |   Kangol - Time to Shine Bronzer (Review)   |   Kardashian Beauty Lip Gloss (Review)

There's no filter on the face of the day photo as I wanted to show you true colors of the makeup (as I always do with makeup and product photos, I never filter them I may just adjust the lighting if it's too dark), anyway, I'm not scared of makeup.  The more the better, throw it all on - lol kidding, but let's just say I'm not afraid of wearing colors on my eyes or go for a dramatic day time look (as I'm typing this post my eyes are bedazzled with a dark purple/blue smokey eye slap bang in the middle of the day).  I feel like once you get over that initial fear, as well as all the rules that people used to associate with makeup, you can have fun with it - honestly, if you're a novice give it a try, put a color on your eyelid and pair it with a neutral brown/bronze and you're good to go, the more you wear it the more confidence you'll get.  I absolutely adore the green in the NYX spring fling palette, in fact I've worn all the colors and love them equally, it's really beautiful and the shadow is very buttery and pigmented, I wear it over the NYX white eye shadow base which helps to intensify the color.  

It's a really nice eye look with the little black dress, how beautiful is the cut out details at the top?  So as you may know already, I'm petite and pear shaped, and this dress is perfect for pear shaped women, it's fitted at the top which makes your bust appear a bit larger (goodness knows I need it, and btw don't pay attention to my bra-dent, for some reason it appears in photo's and not in real life, not sure if it's a shadow causing it or what but nevertheless), cinched in at the waist with a belt and flaring out at the bottom which gives your curves a softness and is very flattering.  

I then wore these really pretty and colorful shoes, it's fun and it gives me height (plus they're comfy - bonus).

On a side note I totally need to get my hair trimmed again, my hair have always grown really fast, but now that it's short it seems to get out of style really quickly and I do have to go every single month.  Not that I'm complaining, I'm totally loving my short hair, and next time want to go shorter in the back but keep the length in the front so it's more asymmetrical from the side ala Victoria Beckham.

Hope you have an awesome Friday!

Love,

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Just in Time for Christmas: New Oh So Heavenly Skincare Range

Hi Dolls,

Hope you're having an amazing weekend?

I'm watching some movies and catching up on all my blogging duties (fun).  November is my favorite month by far:  it's summer, my birthday (are you tired of hearing it already lol) and brands are releasing fabulous ranges and products just in time for Christmas!  'Tis the season to be jolly ... lalalaaa ... Okay, enough of the banter, I'm really happy to be sharing this new launch with you.  And you'll see peonies overload, I love these flowers but they're only available for something like 3 weeks a year, so I had to make the most of it.

Age Defying Facial Toner - R54.95 per 175ml   |   Anti-Ageing SPF15 Day Cream - R99.95 per 50ml   |   Age Defying Facial Serum - R99.95 per 50ml   |   Miracle Blur Primer - R119.95 per 45ml   |   Age Defying Facial Cleanser - R54.95 per 150ml

Oh So Heavenly is available at Clicks stores nationwide

Oh So Heavenly ~ Your skin's best friend

Age Defense Lasting Perfection Range:

"Stop the clock!  With a unique proactive anti-ageing complex to help fight the first signs of ageing.  Skin plumping pro-collagen actives help promote skin cell renewal, reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve skin elasticity, while silk extracts leave skin feeling smooth and looking radiantly youthful.  Being proactive has pretty awards!"

Recommended for women age 30+

I've not had a chance to properly test these products so am not doing a review, but I wanted to let you know about the new range of products so you can either spoil yourself for Christmas or put it on your wishlist, and what's great about them is that it's not going to break the bank!

Oh So Heavenly is a brand that I've used for many years, I mostly switch between them and The Body Shop, in terms of quality of product they're very similar.  Oh So Heavenly also do body butters that smell incredible and is very moisturizing, give them a try it's definitely a dupe for The Body Shop body butters.  

All my fellow 30-something ladies will know that once you hit the big 3-0, lines suddenly creep up on you, your skin changes and you may struggle with issues you've never had before.  The  Age Defense range is absolutely perfect for our age category as it includes a wide range of must have products including a serum, they have released different lines in this range that is suitable for younger skin and older skin, which I obviously didn't receive to review, but check them out if you're not in my age range.  Firstly, the packaging is so pretty!  It's pink and soft and looks really great, and although it's a very affordable range the quality of product and packaging is outstanding.  

I was really excited to try the Miracle Blur Primer, I know that there is quite a big hype on the L'Oreal Blur one, which although is still affordable is more expensive than this one.  I will be doing a review on this very soon.

The last thing I wanted to share is something for all the mommies!  I was sent this bubble bath which is so adorable, how I do wish I had a little girl but one day right?!  In the meantime I think this is such a cute stocking filler for her, she'll feel like a real princess and I love the little wand they included (perhaps I'll have some princess time myself, I mean we're never too old for girly bubble bath things right):

Unfortunately I don't have the RRP

Oh So Heavenly is Beauty without Cruelty certified across all their products.

*  PR Sample

Have a lovely weekend girls!

Love,

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Perfume Favorite: Aquolina Pink Sugar

Hi Girls,

Happy Monday!  I hope you have an amazing week ahead!

You'll most likely find me in one of the sugary aisles, whether it be candy or baked goods, I'm game for anything that is guaranteed to add weight to the hips ;) lol.

And when it comes to my perfume choices, it's no exception, the sweeter the better.

Aquolina Pink Sugar available from Escents

A long time ago, I'd say about 4 years ago, Dischem had this aisle with dust of abandonment on it, with all kinds of perfume that never got any love.  This beauty immediately got my attention because the packaging looks like swirls of candy right?  When I got a sniff of it I just knew that I'm going to love it.  When I used it all up and went back to stock up, they told me that they had discontinued it *slap on the wrist Dischem*.  I know that it's available at Sephora in the USA, but that wasn't of any help to me.  Gladly I found this amazing online store in South Africa, they're very well priced and they delivered it to me next day! Bonus! Their customer service is top notch, they reply speedily thank you Paul, so have a look at their online store for great deals.

These are the official notes of the perfume as per Sephora's website:

Stylish and lively, with a distinctive personality, Pink Sugar takes you on a journey through the pleasures and flavors of childhood with a playful blend of vanilla and caramel.

Notes:

Bergamot, Sicilian Orange, Raspberry, Fig Leaves, Lily of the Valley, Licorice, Strawberry, Red Fruit, Cotton Candy, Vanilla, Caramel, Musk, Wood, Powder.

Style:

Playful. Mischievous. Romantic.

Aquolina Pink Sugar literally smells like candy floss, fudge, freshly baked vanilla cupcakes or those hard raspberry/vanilla sweets.  It's heavenly and I adore this scent!  It's very strong, but addictive, I catch myself opening the lid several times just to get a whiff of it.  You may enjoy this scent if you like perfumes such as Viva la Juicy (Juicy Couture).  This can be sickly sweet - which I love, but if you're not a fan of that then this isn't for you.

I wish I could get my hands on all the products in this range, I know they have some bath goodies and a hair perfume which I'd absolutely love!

I have about 5 - 7 perfumes that is my all time favorite and has a special place on my beauty cabinet, and this is definitely one of my favorite favorite ones, which I use sparingly out of fear that I won't be able to get my hands on them again.

Love,

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Outfit of the Day: Fun Florals

Hi Beauties,

I hope you had a fabulous week?

Happy 1st of November, it's my birthday month hoorrayy. I still get excited for my birthday, it's always a big event in our house so it's a lot of fun.  I hope I never get tired or bored of celebrating it ;)

Seeing as we're still in the Kruger National Park, I thought I'd schedule this post with one of my favorite items for summer from cotton on.

Top - Cotton On   |   Black Pants - Mr Price   |   Cropped Black Vest Top - Pick n Pay Clothing   |   Shoes - Legit   |   Handbag - Guess   |   Earrings - Fashion Express   |   Stiletto Nails - MOB Ministry of Beauty available at Clicks

I love Cotton On, it's absolutely one of my favorite stores!  I feel like they have an amazing range of different styles available, all in one store, from really nice t-shirts to more dressier items like this flowy floral top, which by the way looks really fab with a more dressier statement necklace for a night out.  I also really like the material of most of their garments, their t-shirts are made of the softest material which is very flattering, plus they regularly have specials on certain items and who doesn't love an awesome deal? 

This top is one that I purchased when they had one of their promotions on recently, and I love it.  I wear it so often I think people may be getting sick of seeing me in it, but honestly, it fits me perfectly, it's such a soft and flowy top which goes with everything, and I adore the print on it, it's still feminine without being cutesy.  If you want to incorporate prints into your work wardrobe items like this is a must have. Underneath I'm wearing a cropped vest top from Pick n Pay clothing, it's really stretchy and was so affordable, I highly recommend getting a few pairs of these because they're perfect to wear underneath tops that may show too much skin (if that's not your kind of thing).

I got these pants and shoes last year, which I've also worn to death, I've done a post about my body shape and both of these are very flattering and makes me look like a skinny minnie haha.  At a stage I went through a handbag obsession and bought anything and everything I liked, the more the merrier, but I've noticed the past year or so that I'm now buying more quality pieces and tend to stick with them, I also feel that a quality piece ads sophistication to an outfit (Í'm aware that Guess is no Prada but hey, you have to work with you have).  So if you like wearing Mr Price just like I do, adding a good quality handbag makes it look as if you've spent more money on your outfit than you actually did.

Oh, I tried these MOB Ministry of Beauty stiletto nails a while ago, and then I used the remainder of them this week.  They are stick-on nails which I apply with nail glue, when the stiletto trend came out I really didn't like it very much.  Maybe because some can be very long or have too busy of a print, I don't know, but after trying this I really do like the shape, although it is an absolute hassle typing on your phone, and be careful not to poke your eyes out (thank goodness for my BURST Studio brushes which came in handy this week)!

My makeup I kept relatively neutral, I just had a bronze/golden smokey eye with my flicked eyeliner which I wear most of the time, and a neutral glossy lip.

PS ~ For all my South African dolls, some insider scoop, but Clicks recently tweeted me that due to the high demand, they will be stocking the NYX Butter Glosses (not sure about the lipsticks) for a limited time during 2015 so please be sure to check out my twitter/instagram pages because I will keep you informed.

I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Love,

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