Review: Bioderma Micelle Solution Sensibio H20

Hi Pretties,

Today I'm so glad glad to be sharing this review with you!

I know it's a really big thing to say, but this is one if not the best product I've discovered to date.

Available from Clicks (purchased it on special with a Bioderma sunscreen) - R230.00 

I think the big bottle retails for around R290.00

To be honest, a cleanser has always just been a cleanser for me, and although I've enjoyed cleansers from Beaucience and Oh So Heavenly I've always had to use them in conjunction with face wipes and / or eye makeup remover, this cleanser is on a whole other level.

When I do my makeup in the morning, I make sure that I do sweat-proof, cry-proof and any other kind of proof's out there lol.  I slather on primer, MAC Fix+, eye shadow primer and use mostly waterproof makeup. So my face lasts all day long!  I truly need a heavy duty cleanser to take it all off.  About 3 weeks ago I was browsing one of my favourite places, Clicks (heaven right there), and browsing the aisles I came across the Bioderma brand.  I've seen so many people rave about it, but frankly it's expensive, a bottle is around R290.00 and I just couldn't justify spending that amount on a cleanser, but then they had a special for a 100ml Bioderma Micelle Solution and a Suncreen SPF 50+ for face and body, and I thought it's the perfect opportunity to test it out.

I take 3 cotton wool pads, I soak 2 cotton wool pads quite thoroughly, then I place one on each eye and lightly tap it into my eyes for approx. 15 - 20 seconds, and then I do one swipe and 95% of my eye make is removed, I then turn the cotton wool pads around and then do another round as above.  I then soak another cotton wool pad and remove the rest of my makeup.  I cannot begin to explain how quickly it dissolves your makeup, it's like magic!

It's absolutely perfect for use around the eye:

-  It doesn't sting one bit, seriously, this claim is 100% legit!  This cleanser is made for sensitive skin, this solution has seeped into my eye when cleansing, when I press my eyelashes up to get into it to clean thoroughly, my eyes not only doesn't sting but it doesn't make them red either.

-  You minimize rubbing your eye, which is the worst thing you can do as it will cause eye wrinkles, it's so gentle and effective that no rubbing is needed to get that pesky waterproof eye makeup off.

This is a rinse free cleanser.  Created in France, free of fragrance, soap and alcohol.  Although they claim that it is fragrance free, it actually smells really feminine and fresh though.  It's quite a new concept for me, to "wash" my face with something that looks just like water, the main ingredient is Aqua btw, and that doesn't require any rinsing afterwards.  My face is very sensitive, I'm prone to acne breakouts and have an oily t-zone, this cleanser is absolutely perfect for any type of skin, but especially if you have troublesome skin types such as acne, dry skin, eczema, rosacea to name a few. 

I cannot rave about this product enough, the 100ml lasted me 2 weeks, so a bit goes quite a long way.  I'll absolutely be purchasing the big bottle, I just cannot see cleansing makeup with any other product .

Let me know if you've tried this?  I now that Garnier made a similar product and am wondering if this is going to be released in South Africa, but I'm not holding my breath ;)

Have a FAB sunday!

Love <3

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Review & Swatches: L.A. Girl Beauty Brick Nudes Eyeshadow Collection

Hi Pretties,

I hope you're doing well?

I've heard about this palette quite some time ago on You Tube, and was so excited to see it's launch recently at Dischem stores.  If you're not familiar with the L.A. Girl brand, it's a really affordable drugstore brand and their HD concealer is a dupe for MAC Pro-Longwear concealer - tried and tested by me - for a fraction of the price.  Imagine my delight when I got my hands on this, especially as it's rumored to be a dupe for Urban Decay Naked 3, I cannot vouch for this as I don't own the UD3 palette so cannot do a comparison (and if you live in South Africa you know the struggle to get a hold of some of these brands).

Unfortunately I didn't keep the receipt but this palette was less than R100.00

Let me start with the packaging first.  I don't mind the look of it when it's closed, it doesn't look like an expensive product but it's okay, although I really don't like the creamy/beige block of colour.  Unfortunately once you open it, it looks cheap.  The eye shadow holder which is in that awful colour, seems to be made of plastic, but I have to say that it feels quite sturdy and I like that the palette has a magnetized closure.  

Onto the eye shadows, these colours are absolutely gorgeous!  You can see that there's a big difference to what they look like in the pan to the swatches.  I've been loving the glowy look recently, I've always steered well clear of it as I thought it wouldn't suit my oily t-zone, but I've found that with blotting once during the day I don't look like an oily mess but instead just has a stunning glow.  These eye shadows are perfect for this type of look, in my opinion anyway, the rose-gold shades are absolutely beautiful!

There are 12 shadows, 3 matte (and I'm so glad they have a matte creamy white shade), and 9 shimmer ones.  It also comes with an eye shadow brush (small) with a sponge tip applicator on the other side.

It's quite hard to give you my favorites because these doesn't have any names on them (crikey), but I love the 2 other matte shades which I sometimes mix, and it's the perfect crease colour.  Although these shadows look like they might give you some fallout, I've not experienced any more fallout than I do with my Stila In The Light palette, and they're very soft and buttery to the touch.  I've tried these shadows as is, and then I've tried them with MAC Fix+, which I normally use with an eyelid colour just to intensify it.  The difference between the two methods are really subtle and in my opinion not really needed.

The quality of the shadows itself, is really good, and you wouldn't expect it judging by the packaging.  

I really love this palette, I probably use it at least twice a week, it's just an easy one to grab to create something pretty.  If you can still get your hands on it go for it!  I know that these sold out almost immediately in my area.

I've recently done a DIY Z-Palette project, and I'll share it with you very soon.

Hope you have a FABULOUS and BLESSED day!

Love <3

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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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