Jules

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 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 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 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…

May 1, 2013

Cruelty-Free Beauty: Skincare

Leona Lewis for The Body Shop: Cruelty Free Beauty

Following on from Monday’s post about cruelty-free cosmetics, we have now compiled a list of locally-available skincare products, many of which are organic, vegan and/or produced in South Africa too. As before, brands marked with an asterisk appear on PETA’s list of companies that don’t test on animals. You can learn more by visiting the PETA website, LeapingBunny.org, GoCrueltyFree.org and the Vegan SA product directory. Montagne Jeunesse* (Clicks, Dischem, Hyperama and Pick ‘n Pay) Balm Balm (Stockists) Esse (Stockists) African Extracts (Spar, Pick ‘n Pay, Checkers and Dischem, selected Clicks stores and pharmacies) Neal’s Yard Remedies* (Woolworths, rubybox) Crabtree & Evelyn* (Store locator) Dr Hauschka* (Stockists) Paula’s Choice*…

April 30, 2013

Winner: Mama Mio OMG Feel Good Mini Kit

The winner is… Leilah Kirsten! Mama Mio’s OMG Feel Good Mini Kit is on its way to you xx

April 29, 2013

Cruelty-Free Beauty: Cosmetics

Cruelty-free beauty is more popular than ever before, and for good reason. It’s no longer acceptable for cosmetics companies to routinely brutalise innocent animals in the name of our vanity and consumers are unable to claim ignorance of these practices. Living more conscientiously is a lot easier these days, thanks to stricter controls on animal testing and a growing demand for planet-friendly products from the public. While I can’t claim to have a 100% cruelty-free existence (and neither can you if you use any products from these brands including L’Oreal, Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, Estée Lauder, Unilever and most of their…

April 25, 2013

Revlon Nail Art Stencils

I came across these in Clicks a little while ago and I thought they were cute so I picked up the bow and moustache designs. Each little block is a self-adhesive stencil that sticks well to your nails and lets you quickly and neatly jazz up your manicure. I put them to the test using Essie Off the Shoulder as a base and Woolworths Metallic Champagne for the accent colour. My verdict: Fab and fun! Price: R29.95 Availability: Clicks, Edgars, Dis-Chem, some pharmacies Images by me.

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