Wednesday, October 29, 2014

My Hair Care Routine

If there is anything I am really proud of its my hair, when I get compliments on it it makes me feel really proud because I put allot of hard work in and I take really good care of it. As mush as I would love to say that I was born with it, I refuse to take away from the sweat and tears that's gone into getting it looking the way it does. Ive had so many people ask me whats my secret lol that I decided to share my routine as well as ruffle a little feathers of those so called experts and dispel a little myths. Also I want to share some of the products I use.


Hear are some things we have all been told. I am not saying that these will stand up in court as facts but honestly from the state of my hair right now I feel more than confident in my answers,

You must trim your hair every couple of weeks in order for it to grow:
WRONG. I have not cut my hair in the last 4 years (I trimmed it once myself though but less than a 1cm) and my hair has grown from just under my shoulders to the middle of my bum. This myth doesn't even make any sense to me to be honest, the only part of your hair that is alive is at the root. The other end of the shaft is dead so WHY would cutting it make it grow faster?


You must trim your hair every couple of weeks to get rid of the split ends and keep it from splitting all the way up the shaft:
WRONG. In the last three months I have been to the hair dresser twice (before that was 4 years ago) and they have yet to find any split ends. If you take care of your hair from the beginning there won't be any split ends which means you won't need to unnecessarily cut length away. I always apply a end protector that helps strengthen the ends of the shaft and also stop split ends before they happen.

High end vs Drug store
although these do the same thing the BC is a cream while the JF is a liquid. 
I do find myself reaching for the BC more often though.

Heat styling your hair will damage your hair and cause split ends.
WRONG AGAIN. I wash my hair everyday, not cause I need to but it is a personal preference. And because I wash my hair everyday I heat style everyday, but I make sure I take care of my hair through out the whole process. Just like you condition or use a mask while washing to protect it, I always use a heat protector or leave in conditioner so that it is protected from when I first wet it to when I am finished styling with my GHD.

High end vs Drug store
I use both of these products equally, they both smell amazing, feel amazing and is really easy to use.
And leaves your hair feeling silky soft, I use this every time I wash my hair.

Brushing your hair when wet will damage your hair.
TRUE. But this also depends on how you treat your hair when you wash it. Ive seen so many people that take their hair and rub it into a ball on the top of their head and then start going at it while washing it. First off this is not the 18th century and your not washing clothes in a tub on one of those cheese grater looking boards. Your hair needs to be treated extra gently when wet as the shaft is more fragile, weaker and more prone to breakage. I personally never wash my hair in the shower, I brush my hair before I wash it. I stand over the bath, throw my hair over and gently wash it downwards. This way it causes fewer knotting so requires less brushing. When I dry it i just pat it down with a towel to get most of the water out. I then part it in two and brush each side starting from the bottom up. I do this very gently and try not to stretch the shaft out.

On the price scale these are about the same depending on where you buy it.

The final step I always do is add a hair oil, I always feel like rubbing some extra goodness into the tips because in my mind I feel like the GHD burns most of the goodness off. I rub it into the shaft from about my ears down because it causes the oil to produce faster when I add it to my roots. This will also add a little extra shine as well as tame any fly aways. 

These are both on the higher end side but only because I have not found a drug store one that works for me yet.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Makeup Monday

So after sitting trying to think of when the last time was that I actually did a Manicure Monday post all it made me realise is that I haven't worn nail polish on my fingers or toes for at least 4 months now (hides face in shame) and honestly I just haven't been feeling it. So I decided that I wanted to start my own thing, you know something I don't leave the house without and that's my makeup. So I thought Id share with you my makeup Monday posts instead. Hey at least makeup is something I can do well hahaha


What I am wearing:
Becca ever matte pore less primer, Essence metal glam highlighter powder,
Oxygenetix foundation in beige, Essence long lasting eye pencil in Black Fever,
MAC alluring aquatic blush in Seduced at sea, Bourjois bronzing powder,
Essence glossy lip balm in strawberry cheese cake and Chanel inimitable mascara in black.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Chanel 2014 Plumes Précieuses De Chanel Holiday Collection

It's almost November! Which means it's almost time for the eagerly awaited Chanel Holiday 2014 collection to grace us with its wondrous presence! I don't think I have ever been as excited or impatient waiting for a holiday collection before, but honestly it's only due to the fact that we have never received any of the limited edition holiday illuminators before. For some reason we get everything else but the illuminator which honestly is not fair, HAVE YOU SEEN SOME OF THE PAST ONES (they are what dreams are made of I tell you, well my dreams anyway hahaha) The 2014 collection consists of a blush, nail polish, two lipsticks, eye shadow palette, illusion d'ombre, eye pencil and then the star of the show the gorgeous illuminator!




Collection will be in stores on the 10th of November and prices will range from R350 to R750!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

MAC Velvet Teddy - Review

The last couple of months I have been totally obsessed with finding the perfect shade of nude lipstick. I think partially because I just can't pull a nude lip off! I have an obsession with colours that don't make my teeth look yellow even though every single person I know tells me its in my head. What they don't understand is that, in my head is where it messes with my mind so that really doesn't help me. So Im either left with corps lips or really yellow looking teeth. It took me some time to actually figure out that there are plenty of different shades of nudes (pink, brown, beige) I would just want what ever shade was really nice even thought it might not work that well with my skin tone and Id be left disappointed and afraid of most shades. You just have to find what works with the natural undertones of your lips and take it from there.



As much as I would love to pull off the full on corpse bride nude it's just not my thing. When trying to pick a nude lipstick go for a colour that's your shade but better. So think a shade or two either darker or lighter than your natural colour/undertone depending on the look your going for. 



For myself velvet teddy is just that! I wish I could say i am this perfect know it all beauty guru, but I am not. It look me some trial and error to realize that my natural undertone of my lips is more brown than pink. Honestly the whole natural undertone thing is still very foreign to me but knowing what you are makes it so much easier. 



Velvet teddy is described as a deep tone beige and in the tube can be mistaken for a much darker brown. It is a creamy full coverage matte lipstick. If you have more pigmented lips it will look allot more brown and if you have a lighter pigmentation the pink will be allot more prominent. On myself it is very much a my lips but MUCH better shade, it picks up allot more of the brown shade and even makes my teeth look allot more white (insert issues face here) I have however noticed that depending on my foundation or how heavy I go on the contouring it will look allot more pinkish brown. 



This matte lipstick doesn't dry out your lips at all. I get about 3 to 4 hours of wear out of a application. It does not set completely and there is still some transfer but it's lipstick I wouldn't expect anything different. This is definitely a staple must have shade that any makeup lover should have in her/his collection. 

Retails for R195,00 

Friday, October 17, 2014

GHD Curve Curling Wands

I am pretty sure that by now most of you if not all of you would have heard that GHD have finally released their own curling wands! (if not then listen up) And if you like me suck balls at curling with your GHD flat iron then I am pretty sure that your probably just as excited as I am. If these are half as good as my beloved flat iron then I know that I will love everything about it. 





They are now available from the Retailbox website

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Nude

The liquified long wear lipstick formula from Too Faced is part of their permanent collection, which is a good thing for us forgotten folk over hear in South Africa because it means that we would actually have a chance at getting our hands on it. I remember when pictures were released on instagram I could not wait to get my hands on one and I was so happy that months later I finally did. 



The Too Faced melted lipstick has the shine of a gloss, lasting power of a stain and the intense pigmentation of a lipstick. It has a really creamy none sticky consistency, it is neither runny or watery in fact is pretty thick when you squeeze it through the tube applicator. It has a angled sponge applicator that allows for precise even application.



I did not find that this lipstick was much of a gloss, it had the creamy consistency of a gloss but did not have the stickiness or glossy shine like a gloss. I found that it was more like MACs satin lipstick formula, it applied creamy with a slight shine that after a bit of wear turned into a matte formula. It doesn't set completely so there is transfer but it did fade pretty evenly with out any patches. It didn't dry out my lips or leave them feeling moisturised but through out the wear had a comfortable lipstick formula feel. 



These lipsticks are insanely pigmented, it was way more than I expected. A single application lasted around two to three hours on me and through out held its intensity which was very impressing. The melted nude has very prominent brown undertones which I love because it wasn't harsh on me and didn't have that white beige look. Once dried matte it doesn't look as bright but more subtle. I wish I could get my hands on the rest of the shades now. 

I purchased this through Ulta for $21 before tax


Sunday, October 12, 2014

Current Obsessive Jam - Iggy Azalea FUCK LOVE

I think I have a new girl crush! No honestly I am obsessing over Iggy, she is gorgeous and truly talented. I feel like I could have been here in another life. My current favourite song....







Monday, October 6, 2014

Ren Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial - Review

I don't think I have ever been as intrigued by a product launch as I was by Ren's Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial. I mean a facial that only takes one minute I was like where the hell do I sign up (I am just to lazy for the whole facial process so it never happens) The lovely ladies over at Ren where generous enough to send me two deluxe samples which I've been using for the last couple of weeks.


What is it:
Flash rinse 1 minute facial is formulated with potent water activated Vitamin C that helps neutralise dull grey looking skin.  It helps rejuvenate the skin leaving it looking firmer, more toned and smooth while reducing signs of ageing, fatigue and skin imperfections.


The Vitamin C helps add brightness to the skin while boosting collagen and evens out the skin tone. It helps reduce sun damage while firming and toning the skin. The Boswellic acid and Magnesium helps boost radiance as well as relax muscles and reduce appearance of fine lines wrinkles.


It is a slightly gritty pale green gel like paste which you massage in before adding water. I like this because it acts some what as a mild exfoliator before you add water and massage in.  The water then activates the gel to deliver a intense shot of Vitamin C. You lather it in to a some what cream past and leave it for 1 minute to settle then rinse off. It has a really strong fruity scent and taste may I add (Yes I got some in my mouth) I did find that if I had any open pimples or scratches on my face it burnt quite strongly but once massaged went away really quickly.


I absolutely love this facial, honestly has become my holy grail product. It delivers on every promise, I have tried using it for longer than one minute but did not make much of a difference for me. A 75ml tube retails for R470,00 and can be found at Woolworths or Foschini.



Saturday, October 4, 2014

Chanel Joues Contrast Blush #160 Innocence - Review

Chanel Innocence powder blush in #160 is part of the 2014 fall collection. It is the only blush in the collection and has a matte finish with a soft white sheen and very subtle sparkle. Innocence is the perfect baby pink with out looking to bubble gum like or leaving you looking like a 1950's doll. The perfect every day girly girls pink that can be worn with anything and is perfect as part of your everyday makeup bag.


I've read a few negative reviews about this blush, people complained that it took allot to build up the colour and was way to sheer. My experience was the total opposite, I found it applied very smoothly. It picked up on my brush very easily, in fact I found myself having to knock most of the product off each time. It applied very easily with no patches or dry spots, it stained the cheek perfectly instead of just laying on the top. The colour picked up immediately on my cheeks and I found it very easily to over do but was easy to blend in. Overall it was really easy to build up and sheer down.



I picked it up for R580,00 which I know is allot but I know like with all my other Chanel blushes I use, once applied I know it will last all day long.