February Favourites

In the blink of an eye another month has flown by and once again we all say the cliché "I can't believe how fast this month has gone by". Cliché or not, its a saying that oozes with truth. Tomorrow is March and I still relive New Years 2014 like it was yesterday, yet its the third month of the year already and technically the beginning of Autumn in the South (even though the heat says something different). So while I reminisce, here are my favourites from February to keep you occupied in the "here and now"...

January Favourites

So the first month of 2014 has come and nearly gone. January has got to be the longest month ever. It drags so bad, mainly because January is the month that everyone is a little bit more broke than they'd like to admit. For some odd reason, even though January is a time for new beginnings and a new start, I never really have liked January all that much. Last year I never did a December Favourites post so a lot of these products are mainly December's favourites with literally a few products being the favourites for January (no money month - what can I say? I never bought a lot.)

November Favourites

Who would think that its already the 3rd of December already? This year has flown by at a highly fast pace, hardly even have time to blink without the months just whizzing by. With that said its time for another monthly favourites and it felt as if I had just put up my October favourites just last week.

October Favourites

My October favourites this month isn't very many products and its mixed between skin care, hair care and makeup. I've been trying out my fair share of products lately so heres what made the cut...

May Favourites

So today I'm doing my May favourites, there's not too many products that really stood out to me last month but these are definitely the winners for May and every other month. It's a real mix of all products ranging from hair to skin to nails, I love it when that happens!

Anyways my favourites for May are:

Clarins Cleansing Milk

Catrice Cosmetics Infinite Matt Makeup in 010 Light Beige

A Beauty Blender dupe (see full review here)

Avon Speed Dry+ in Vamp It Up (see full review here)

Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick

Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula (mini size)

Tip Top Protein Base Coat

I've been using the Clarins Cleansing Milk for about two months now and I can really feel a difference in my skin. It hydrates my skin but not too much that it makes it oily and it removes excess makeup and cleans your skin. My skin hasn't felt so soft and hydrated in a long time and I'll be doing a full review once I'm completed satisfied.

The Catrice Infinite Matt Makeup is the perfect shade for me. I've also been using this for about two months and I'm completely sold. It's so easy to apply and its matte so it doesn't make my t-zone shiny but its also not that matte where you skin is flaky and visibly dry, it still provides hydration. I would say this is medium coverage and is definitely buildable and I find that it covers dark circles like never before while also brightening the eye area. It covers redness and blemishes (with a little help from concealer) but it still looks natural because it allows your freckles to show through it. I find I get the best look out of it when I use my Beauty Blender dupe which has also made it to my May Favourites without hesitation. It blends foundation out so well and almost gives it a sheer, dewy effect when the sponge is damp.

The Avon Speed Dry nail polish is my favourite colour and I love that it really does dry in 30 seconds, I just wish it would last longer.

The Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick is a no brainer. These lipsticks are so soft and hydrating to your lips and provide such a nice colour on your lips.

Advance Techniques conditioner is a conditioner that I don't think I'd be able to live without anytime soon. This make the ends of my hair so soft and shiny and manageable that I can't stop playing with my hair after I wash it. And paired with the shampoo these two are a killer team.

The Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula is one that surprised me. I really don't like the smell of a chocolate cream, nor do I like smelling like chocolate, for some reason I find the smell quite nauseating. Anyways like I said this surprised me. I thought I wouldn't like it just based on the smell but I reach for it all the time because of how soft it makes my skin during these cold days and I've gotten used to the smell now. My skin is visibly smoother and I'm definitely getting a bigger sized bottle though.

The Tip Top protein base coat is my favourite. It doesn't allow coloured nail polish to stain my nails and it makes nail polish last for longer. I've worn this on its own too and it has an incredible shine too while making your nails feel stronger. Repurchase again and again.

So those are my favourites for last month and I can't wait to see what this month brings for me!

xxx

April Favourites

Happy Monday everyone and I hope you all have a good week! Also, a happy mothers day to all the mom's out there for yesterday, I hope you got spoilt rotten! Today this post will be on my favourites in April. Sorry that this post is about 13 days late, I had completely forgotten about doing my April favourites and my favourites were a complete mix of everything!

Anyways my favourites this month are: Bioderma Sensibo H2O; The Body Shop Shea Sugar Body Scrub; Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner; Essence Sun Club Brunettes Bronzer; Rimmel Kate 05 lipstick; Woolworths Lip and Cheek Tint in Cherry Cherry; Catrice Cosmetics Nail Lacquer in All I Can Blue; Avon ColorTrend Nail Varnish in Mint Ice; Catrice Cosmetics Fresh Skin Make Up and Venus Pro Skin Moisture Rich Razors.

I have mentioned Bioderma so many times on my blog that I think it's obvious that I really like love this product! You need the tiniest amount to remove all traces of makeup and to make your skin look healthier.

The Body Shop Shea Sugar Body Scrub is a must have in all seasons. It exfoliates your skin to get rid of all dead skin cells and it moistures your skin too because of the oils, the smell lasts forever on  your skin and your bathroom smells amazing afterwards.

The Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner is one flipping amazing product and I couldn't believe I hadn't done a seperate post on this before! This conditioner is so thick and moisturising and it leaves the ends of hair looking and feeling smoother. It is basically like a hair mask/treatment but it works in the time of a conditioner and it really does. I leave this in my hair for about 5 minutes and then rinse it out and my hair feels completely different post wash. Just be careful to put it by your roots as it can make it oily.

Essence Sun Club Brunettes Bronzer is such a good bronzer, It doesn't make your skin look muddy or over shimmery. Its a matte bronzer that is made to suit your skin judging by the colour of your hair. I love the fact that its matte - I really don't suit shimmery bronzers - its also not overly dark or too light its that perfect colour for my skin. Just lightly swipe your brush through and tap the excess powder off and you're good to go.

The Rimmel Kate lipstick in 05 - need I say more? Its such a beautiful lipstick. It applies smoothly and evenly and all the colours are great and suitable for everyone. I'm sold on this product and have even bought more this past weekend.

The Woolworths Lip and Cheek tint in Cherry Cherry made it onto my favourites. It really does work for both lips and cheeks and gives your cheeks a healthy, rosey pop of colour on your cheeks. Its very creamy and applies smoothly. I just keep it between my hands to warm up for a while and dab it on my cheeks and then brush in in in circular motions and you're good to go. Your lips need a lip balm before applying it otherwise it doesn't apply very smoohtly but otherwise it gives a light cherry colour.

Catrice Nail Lacquer in All I Can Blue and Avon ColorTrend Nail Varnish in Mint Ice are my two favourite nail polishes for April. They both apply very nicely althought the ColorTrend one you have to put three coats on otherwise it is very streaky and not bright enough. The Catrice nail polish last for about 4 days while the ColorTrend lasts for about 3 days.

Catrice Cosmetics Fresh Skin Make Up is easy to apply. Its like a tinted moisturiser that offers a little bit more coverage, its oil free but still gives your skin the hydration it needs and lasts about 6 hours.

Last but not least is the Venus Pro Skin Mositure Rich Razors. Now if you knew me properly you'd know that my two pet hates are washing my hair and shaving. I hate washing my hair because my hair is just so difficult sometimes and I hate shaving because its just so time consuming. That's when my sister told me to get these babies. They have like a soapy, shaving gel attached to the razor so that you don't have to apply shaving cream or soap to your legs, your just dip your razor in water and start shaving - perfect for the classic lazy girl like me! The best bit is once your shaving gel bar is finished it doesn't mean you have to throw your razor away because the blades are still sharp but you do have to apply some shaving cream though...

So thats my favourites for April and sorry that its so late!

Have you tried any of these products? What have made it onto your April favourites list?

xxx

The Winter Routine

Evening Primrose Oil Cream - R44.90
Bioderma Sensibo H2O - R152.50
Avon Solutions Hydra Radiance - R99
Avon Hint of Nature Face Mask - R49.95
The Body Shop Moringa Body Butter - R150
Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula - R29.95
Labello Hydro Care - at the time it was R14.50

As it's going into winter very quickly here, I thought it would be a good idea to get all my winter skin care needs into gear. These are all the things that I'm going to be using for my winter routine. My skin gets very dry and tight in winter and that makes it dull.
First up is my face. I'm trying this face wash from Avon called Solutions Hydra Radiance. It's supposed to hydrate your skin while giving your skin radiance. I don't really think it works too well, don't get me wrong it does hydrate my skin and doesn't leave it feeling tight and dry like most face washes can do but the 'radiance' bit is a little far fetched. My skin doesn't look brighter at all. It's not a major issue though because I'm glad that I've found a face wash that doesn't dry out my skin although it would be nice if my skin could be a little brighter and radiant. Definitely not the product to use if you're looking for radiant skin. Next up is the Bioderma Sensibo H2O - see the full review here - which is the best make up remover EVER. It removes make up in one swipe like a dream and you can feel your skin is so much smoother and cleaner. It gets rid of pimples too as it unclogs your pores and removes all the dirt from them and its not harsh on my skin. It doesn't leave it dry like most make up removers do which is a plus in winter. Highly recommended! I've also tried the Avon Hint of Nature Milk and Honey Face Mask which is an absolute pleasure to use. The milk and honey combination makes my skin feel smooth and hydrated and cleaner. It literally feels like you putting cream on your face that's how rich and creamy it is. I leave it on for about 5 minutes and rinse it off. I like that it doesn't dry on your face either. Now onto the face cream. This Evening Primrose Oil Cream is a really cheap cream from Dischem. My mom first tried it out and then I bought it myself later on. This moisturises my face without making it oily or making my skin break out. Evening Primose Oil is the stuff that is recommended for girls and their hormones... It can come in pill form and it balances your hormones so you don't get crazy freak outs and it even controls pimples to a certain extent. This cream also has Vitamin E in it which can be good for scarring. I reach for it all the time and I'm even scared to get other face creams because this stuff works so well that I don't want to buy a cream that may not work. Definitely a bargain.
Next up is my body. All I use in winter is thick body creams and this Body Shop Moringa Body Butter is just amazing. It's so thick and moisturising and gets rid of any dry patches or any tight places. The smell of Moringa is also so fresh and floral and reminds me of spring time that I don't mind it being winter if I can smell spring. The smell lasts for such a long time and mixed with my perfume, the smell is heavenly. It's not overpowering at all and I like knowing that I smell good. Definitely a good winter buy. Next is the Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula. I only got the small one because I really don't like the smell of chocolate creams. It makes me feel a little sick to be honest - crazy right? Anyways this cream stays next to my bedside table and I only use it for my elbows, knees, hands and feet as the little bottle says its for. This cream is the concentrated one so its richer. I find it works well for those areas as I find those areas get really dry in winter and this cream just gets right on down to softening the skin properly. You don't need a lot of cream for these areas either so a small bottle for me is perfect.

Last but definitely not least is the Labello Hydro Care lip ice. My lips get dry and flaky and they go white during winter because of that cold, dry air. I find this stuff really helps, it eliminates dry and flaky areas and also creates a smoother surface to apply lipstick over. I bought this last year winter and its lasted me since then and I use it all the time.

So those are my winter products with a few extra's added in whenever I feel I need it such as a bath oil or body scrub. I feel this routine really works for me... now to find some product that'll give my face a radiant glow!

xxx

March Favourites

Todays post will be about all my favourite products for March. As you can guess I am new to blogging so some products that are on my favourites list I have not reviewed them yet but I will in time. I have a lot of catching up to do so bare with me please :)

Avon Advance Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo which I have done a post about here. I just got the conditioner yesterday and will be testing it out soon!
Aussie Frizz Miracle Conditioner which you can see a review about as well in the Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo link.
Essence Soft and Natural Long Lasting Make Up Foundation in 03 Medium Biege. For my skin this is great as it doesn't make my skin oily or shiny and it gives coverage that lasts all day. You can't skip putting a cream on your face before applying this though as it can make your skin visibly dry.
Essence Pure Skin Anti Spot Compact Powder. I said in my post about this here that its a really great powder that covers shine if you have any shiny bits.
The Body Shop Vanilla Body Mist. I am crazy about things that smell like vanilla or have a floral scent. The review is coming soon.

Essence Eyeshadows starting from left to right: 35 Party All Night Metallic Effect, 06 Metropolitan Sparkling Effect, 22 Blockbuster Matt Effect. I always reach for these eyeshadows. They are cheap and perfect for if you want a natural look or a smokey eye look.
Avon Kabuki Brush. I use this to buff my foundation and if needed to apply compact powder to my face. I wouldn't recommend this brush for people with highly sensitive skin as it does feel scratchy on the skin but it works like a dream.
Lancome Rouge In Love 322M lipstick. My full review on this is here if you would like to see it.
Revlon Grow Lucious Waterproof Mascara. I find the brush too big and I don't like the waterproof one but they do have one that is not waterproof - yay!
Yardley Proteinized Glaze Nail Varnish. This stuff is amazing and a must have for anybody who likes the nail polish to last for around 5 days.
The Body Shop Moringa Body Butter. The Body Shop's body butter are gorgeous. They have a great smell and are so thick that'll it'll be perfect for winter days when your skin gets very dry. This one is Moringa, its a very subtle floral smell which I love and you can smell it all day and it moisturises so well. I also have the Moringa Shower Gel which I just realized I don't not add in my favourites (oops!). The shower gel has a slightly stronger scent that lasts for a long time and you get whiffs of it every now and then.

So those are my March favourites and I can't wait to see what April has in store!

Have you used any of these products before? If not would you try them?

xxx