Posts Written ByJules
Introducing Eau Thermale Avène
French pharmacy fans will already be familiar with the brand Avène, a drugstore skincare range designed specifically for sensitive and intolerant skin. We were so excited to get the call telling us they were finally launching in SA and we went along to the launch to find out more. As the name would suggest, Eau Thermale Avène is a dermo-cosmetic brand built around the skin-soothing properties of the water that flows out of the Sainte-Odile d’Avène spring in France. The water is scientifically proven* (and constantly tested) to be remarkably anti-irritating and is contained in every product in the range,…
Online Window Shopping: BIOVEA
Full credit for inspiring this post must go to Luzanne from Pink Peonies who published a haul on her blog this morning that had me salivating! BIOVEA is an online store that stocks a number of hard-to-find-in-SA international brands. The real clincher is that they have a local warehouse so delivery is fast, cheap and the package doesn’t have to cross borders so NO CUSTOMS! Every order comes via courier and they currently have a side-wide sale running so you can get 14% off for the next couple of days. I’m trying to save up for my trip to the…
USA Drugstore Beauty Wishlist
Guys, I’m SO excited. I’m off to the States in a few weeks and while I’m really looking forward to visiting Sephora, I’m apoplectic at the thought of the big US drugstores filled with bargainous treats! I’ll be trying to find products in one of three categories: things I need, things that are stupidly cheap or things that I’m guaranteed to get lots of use out of. What I’m hoping to avoid is buying things that are basically dupes for existing products in my stash although a certain amount of that is inevitable as I always get overexcited when I’m…
Shopping the Stash #3
I’m trying to make a concerted effort to use up more of the products I have rather than constantly buying new things. I don’t always (hardly ever) succeed but it’s the thought that counts, right?! Recently I’ve dug out a few gems though so I thought I’d share them with you: Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Every time I pick this up and start using it again, I wonder what ever made me stop. It’s often touted as a cheaper alternative to the BeautyBlender and while I’ve never tried the latter, I can’t see how it could possibly work more…
Skincare & Makeup for the Morning After the Night Before
We’ve all been there. You wake up with a mouth like the underside of Ghandi’s flip-flop after one too many bottles glasses of champagne the night before, and one look in the mirror is enough to send you into a spiralling depression. But never fear, the right combination of skincare and make-up essentials can take you from Miss Havisham to Heidi Klum in a matter of minutes – here’s how: Exfoliating mask After a thorough cleanse, I like to give my skin a refreshing kick-start with a brightening or exfoliating mask. The REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial is perfect…
Favourite Five: Rosy Nude Drugstore Lipsticks
I only really discovered nude lipsticks last year; they’ve always been Camilla’s thing but I tended to gravitate towards bright colours. I was even a bit naive about how much one nude can differ from another – there are pink nudes and neutral nudes and brown nudes and peachy nudes and caramel nudes and… Luckily, I feel that I have now educated myself on the value of these subtle but chic lip options and started to amass something of a collection. Here are my favourite five within the “rosy nude” category, let me know if you want more posts like…
Autumn Trend Tutorial with Shahnaz
A few weeks ago we attended the MAC AW14 Trend Forecast presentation with Shahnaz and were totally inspired by the variety of looks that were demonstrated. In this mini tutorial that she did on Camilla, Shahnaz combines a few of the key trends into one wearable look: fresh, highlighted skin and a hazy smokey eye. Enjoy!
Summer Favourites with Shahnaz
All of the Lights: Maintaining Blonde Hair
I vividly remember the first time I got highlights. It was a special treat for my Matric dance (along with getting my ears pierced) and involved the very old-fashioned “cap” method of dying the hair. It turned out natural enough to get away with for school so I kept it and here we are 14 years later and I’ve never gone back… except for three miserable months spent as a brunette but that’s a story for another day. Chemically-treated blondes like myself run the risk of the tones turning brassy after a while, which is why an at-home maintenance routine…