Christmas Gift Guide: R300 & Under

If, like us, you’re feeling a little cash-strapped this festive season but want to still spoil your loved ones without breaking the bank, here are a few cheap and cheerful options that we’re sure will be very well received… 1. Nails Inc Neon and Nude Mini Collection – R225 2. The Body Shop Festive Small Cranberry Joy Gift Set  – R220 3. Stila Sealed With a Kidd Lip Glaze Trio – R140 4. Lauren Conrad Beauty – R277 5. Cath Kidston Rose Manicure Gift Set – R230 6. Nesti Dante Soap – R49 7. Smashbox Photo Op Trio Eyeshadow – R280 8. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry…

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Lush Christmas Haul

Lush Christmas Haul | All Dolled Up

Of all the Christmas collections that are released around this time every year, the limited edition products from Lush are some of my favourites. They are truly the most festive beauty treats you can get and really help to get you in the mood for dressing the tree, baking mince pies and wrapping presents. I’ve picked my six favourite items from the Christmas range but they also sell brilliant packaged gift sets that look gorgeous under the tree and would thrill any Lushie on Christmas morning.

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2D or not 2D: Optical Illusions

2D or not 2D by Alexander Khokhlov and Valeriya Kutsan

Russian photographer Alexander Khokhlov and make-up artist Valeriya Kutsan have teamed up to create an amazing series of portraits that transforms the faces of models into 2-dimensional paintings. The series is cleverly called “2D or Not 2D” and is designed to make the faces look like 2D images when viewed in real life. Using various techniques, like pixelation, collage, cartoon outlines, and colorful shading, the only tell tale sign left that these pictures are even photographs are the models’ eyes peering from the painting. How beautiful?

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November Favourites: Jules

November Favourites: Jules | All Dolled Up

Aēsop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm I knew this was going to be a favourite the minute I opened the cap and breathed in the fragrant blend of mandarin rind, rosemary and cedarwood. The super moisturising and skin-softening formula absorbs into my skin without any greasiness and it’s ideal for regular use – in fact, I sometimes slather it on up to five times a day. My favourite hand cream by a country mile, this stuff saves my hands from dryness, flaking and callouses while filling my nose with herbaceous heaven. Highly, highly recommended. Aēsop body care products are available at…

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Brand Focus: Juliette Armand

A few weeks ago I admitted that I didn’t use sunscreen on a daily basis, much to the horror of our readers. Later on in that same week, a surprise package arrived from the girls at Positive Dialogue, the PR agency who represent Poise Exceptional Brands: a sunscreen from Juliette Armand! Now, I’d never heard of the brand before, but Poise is is the sole distributor for Mama Mio, so I knew it was going to be good. Juliette Armand was founded in 1992 by Greek couple Ioulia Armagou and Michalis Papaefstratiou, with the aim of creating affordable, high quality…

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November Favourites: Camilla

Skin & Bones Luxurious Moisturiser This has been described as “Jesus in a bottle” – I kid you not. Skin & Bones was founded in 2009 by a husband and wife team whose aim was to design and manufacture simple luxurious artisan products which were both glamorous and sophisticated, yet had youthfulness and a bit of an edge.Their signature product, the Luxurious Moisturiser, was released in 2010, and is created using a blend of 100% organic jojoba and nine therapeutic grade essential oils. I first learnt about this product when my boyfriend started using it and I became hypnotised by the scent…

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Christmas at Crabtree & Evelyn

Crabtree & Evelyn Secret Garden | All Dolled Up

Tucked away on the ground floor of the V&A Waterfront is a little row of shops with one thing in common: gorgeous beauty products. One of these stores is Crabtree & Evelyn; once a bit of a granny brand in all honesty, it has undergone a total transformation in recent years and has become one of my favourite stores to visit for gift shopping. Camilla and I were invited to pop in last week to see their special Christmas stock and we were, quite frankly, gobsmacked by all the gorgeous goodies on offer. Not only is the product range surprisingly…

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