2013 – Page 14 – All Dolled Up

May 13, 2013

Review: Essence Gel Eyeliner

Let me start off by saying that Essence as a brand has completely surprised me. I assumed that, since their products were so ridiculously cheap and seemed to be aimed at the teen market that the quality would be questionable. After trying some of their nail products with varying degrees of success, I still wasn’t convinced but decided to try the gel liner as I’d heard a few good reviews. It also seemed like a low-risk purchase considering that it costs only R40! It is an amazing product and all the others I’ve tried from Essence since (like the cream…

May 10, 2013

Flawless Face Series Part III: Concealer

Concealer helps to even out your skin tone, cover blemishes and disguise dark circles. It comes in various forms – pens, creams, sticks – you will need to play around a little and see which formulation you like best. I like to separate concealers into two categories: those for the under-eye area, and those for blemishes/the rest of the face. I always use two different concealers for these areas and I don’t like to interchange them. I like to use stick or a cream concealer for blemishes, and a light reflective concealer for under the eyes – the reason being…

May 9, 2013

Mother’s Day Beauty Buys: Luxury

Charlotte Rhys Candle with Silver Lid – R201.85 Cath Kidston Rose Manicure Gift Set – R219.95 Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful (hardcover) – R333 Three Month rubybox Subscription – R349 REN Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil – R440 Elie Saab Le Parfum EDP (30ml) – R550 Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair – R585

May 8, 2013

‘Beauty’ at the Met Ball 2013

I say ‘beauty’ because, quite frankly, 80% of the attendees looked horrendous. Now, I know the theme was Punk: Chaos To Couture, but some celebs took it a little too literally for my liking. Here’s a round-up of the worst looks of the night. Images via

May 8, 2013

Review: Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Face Mask

I asked Jules to bring this mask back from London for me because I had been dying to try something from the Origins range, and this product seemed the most suited to my skincare needs. This mask claims to rapidly reduce visible redness, blotchiness and reactivity – the perfect anecdote for my irritable, sensitive skin. The magic ingredient, allegedly, is mushrooms (which you will no doubt have gathered from the name), which Dr Weil maintains are essential for the well-being of your skin, and play a particularly crucial role in the reduction of inflammation. Does it work? No. Or rather, not in…

May 7, 2013

Mother’s Day Beauty Buys: On a Budget

If your mum is anything like mine, then she doesn’t spend lots of time or money on herself. Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to spoil her with a treat from the beauty department and here are my favourite finds if you’re on a budget: Essie Nail Polish in Ole Caliente – R100 African Extracts Spa Treatment Pack – R100 The Body Shop Honey & Oat 3 in 1 Scrub Mask – R125 LUSH Dream Cream body lotion – R155 Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Cream Mini Kit – R160 Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Patina – R180 Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara – R180

May 7, 2013

April Favourites: Jules

So all my favourite and most-used products this month are from overseas but I had to be honest and include them because otherwise this wouldn’t really be a list of my monthly favourites! They’re all things I bought in London and have used pretty much every day since. By the way – do you guys want me to do a haul and show you all the stuff I bought or does that sound boring? Let me know in the comments. Mini product reviews for each of these after the jump.

May 6, 2013

April Favourites: Camilla

Tom Ford Lip Color Shine in Frolic: Julia gave this to me as part of my 30th birthday present – does my best friend know how to spoil me or what? I think I actually squealed when I opened it. It’s a beautiful, soft coral colour with a subtle shimmer shot through it, and whilst the finish is quite sheer and glossy, it is definitely buildable. It has more of a balm-like consistency, which I like as it’s so smooth and creamy, but it does also mean that it’s easy to over-apply. I am trying to use it sparingly because…

May 3, 2013

NEW: MAC Temperature Rising Collection

MAC’s latest collection, Temperature Rising is now in-store. Our sale spy at the V&A Waterfront spotted the store being stocked with all manner of gorgeous new goodies, so if you like the look of this collection, I suggest you check it out. I was bitterly disappointed to miss out on buying ANYTHING from the Archie’s Girls collection because I made the mistake of going to the store at 11am on the day of the launch and it was sold out already. Extreme sadface. Here’s the official collection description: “MAC captures the steamy nocturnal scene in a vivid summer colour collection.…

May 3, 2013

Cruelty-Free Beauty: Hair Products

Last in our list of cruelty-free beauty products available in South Africa (we did cosmetics and skincare earlier in the week) is hair products! Tarah, one of our readers, asked us on Twitter for some help finding shampoos, conditioners and styling products that weren’t tested on animals, besides the obvious ones like LUSH and The Body Shop. It was that tweet that inspired this whole series so thanks Tarah! There are quite a few cruelty-free haircare brands out there and Wellness Warehouse is a real goldmine. Unfortunately it’s difficult to find a good variety of reasonably priced, bunny-friendly haircare in the…

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