International Blog Appreciation

It’s no secret that I trawl a LOT of blogs on the daily, so I sift through a lot of information on your behalf (you’re welcome!). Whilst I’ve got a lot of love for local beauty blogs (I’m looking at you Tori, Luzanne and Chantelle), overseas beauty blogs are really what get my heart rate up – and even though a lot of the products aren’t available here, I do think that it’s important to keep informed! Here is a run-down of the articles and videos that I have been loving lately, I hope you enjoy… Caroline Hirons Caroline’s Cheat Sheet…

Favourite Five: Overnight Hydrating Masks

Overnight Hydrating Masks | All Dolled Up

I’m jetting off to London tonight and while I was packing my in-flight skincare kit, it got me thinking about all my favourite overnight hydrating masks. It’s the one product that I won’t go on a long-haul flight without so I’ve tried quite a few. Here’s my pick of the top five locally available moisturising masks, and although they aren’t all billed as for use overnight specifically, you could safely leave them on until morning for an extra boost of hydration: Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask (R395 for 100ml) – A creamy, oil-free night mask that helps skin replenish lost…

How Much Is Your Face Worth?

If you’re anything like me (which, for the sake of your bank balance, I sincerely hope you aren’t), most mornings start with trying to decide what to put on your face. I have containers full of make-up, and I try to use different products every day because otherwise I would never get through it all. However, on days when I’m not feeling particularly inspired, I have a fail-safe list of products that I know I can slap onto my face and they’ll leave me looking (relatively) polished. I started doing a little mental arithmetic one morning as I gazed lovingly…

Review, Photos & Swatches: Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palettes

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone and Walking on Eggshells Eyeshadow Palettes | All Dolled Up

In case you haven’t already heard, much-loved American beauty brand Wet n Wild recently launched in selected Clicks stores around the country. Known for their great quality makeup at super affordable prices, I was keen to try out some of their more famous products, like their Color Icon eyeshadows, Mega Last lipsticks and long-wearing nail polishes. As soon as I knew the range had rolled out in Cape Town, I popped into the Gardens Centre branch to peruse the stand and picked up two eyeshadow palettes: Color Icon Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette Price: R90 Shades: Left column: Browbone (warm beige), Eyelid…

Summer Must-Have: Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Bronzing Beauty Balm SPF 30

I will forgive whoever named this product with the world’s longest name, but ONLY because I like it so much. I bought this after reading Tori from Kiss, Blush & Tell’s glowing review (Tori, you are my biggest enabler and I feel that you should know that). Stila bills this offering as a high-definition, age-defying beauty balm which contains innovative micro-spheres that hide skin imperfections and reduce wrinkle depth by up to 84%. It has also enriched with a particular blend of ingredients which have been shown to reduce inflammation, improve texture and stimulate collagen production. Well I don’t know about…

Fresh and New: Smashbox

Smashbox South Africa | All Dolled Up

Camilla and I are both longtime fans of Smashbox so you will have seen the brand’s name many times on this blog. We’ve mentioned their amazing range of primers in monthly favourites, product reviews and video tutorials, included Photo Matt Anti-Shine in our beauty wishlist, and banged on about the Brow Tech To Go which is the best eyebrow pencil on the local market, IMHO. So we were understandably thrilled to crack the nod to a showcase of their newest products, which I attended with my main girl, Miss Emma Jude, last week. The event was fittingly held at Roodebloem Studios…

Lisa Miller Fragrances

I’ll be the first to put my hand up and admit that I know next to nothing about perfume – top notes, base notes…I just can’t seem to identify what’s what, no matter how hard I try. It’s been something I have been keen to learn more about, so when Lisa Miller, a Cape Town based perfumer, contacted Jules and I to discuss her line of fragrances, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more…

The Wedding: Make-up Tutorial

On Monday you would have seen all the “getting ready” photos from the wedding day and today we have a video tutorial for you that shows an everyday version of the look I wore. It’s a very classic soft eye with a neutral lip that can be amped up for a special occasion, or toned down for day-to-day wear. Enjoy!

The Wedding: Getting Ready

Today I thought I would share some photos from the getting ready process on the big day. The wedding ceremony was at 6pm so I had the whole day to spend with my girlfriends and took plenty of time doing hair and make-up. I hated the idea of being isolated from everyone during the build-up so I invited all the girls to pop in and visit me and the bridesmaids, which was quite successful at helping to keep the nerves at bay. We had such a lovely, relaxed afternoon with Misha AKA Brandslut doing a magnificent job on everyone’s hair…