I enjoy preparing for all my blog posts, but there are certain blog posts I really, REALLY enjoy writing (and taking photos for) – ‘Beauty Snoop’ is one of them. ‘Beauty Snoop’ posts are short review / first impression blog posts, I usually feature 5 or 6 different products (skin care, hair care, nail care, makeup, fragrance or even makeup application tools) and give you my initial 2 cents worth on each item. You can take a look at my previous ‘Beauty Snoop’ blog posts here, and in case you are wondering what the asterisks (**) next to certain product names mean, I cover all that in this blog post.
Today we’re chatting about a wide variety of beauty products – everything from makeup brushes, to skin care and even a dental hygiene tool. Without further ado, let’s take a look:
NIVEA Q10 Plus Energy Eye Roll-on (R 149,99) ** – It’s like an espresso shot for your eye area, the light & quick absorbing formula revitalises and reduces the appearance of fine lines, while the cooling massage ball roller tip depuffs the under eye area. I’ve been using this nifty little little roller ball eye cream for a few months now and can confirm it moisturises and reduces puffiness quite nicely, plus also serves as a good base for applying my concealer.
I consider this to be more of a daytime than a night-time eye cream, since it is so lightweight but that’s down to personal preference as I love rich night creams. If you don’t struggle with a very dry under eye area and you feel you don’t need a potent anti-aging eye cream, this will be perfect for you.
NIVEA Q10 Plus Anti-Aging Energy Eye Roll-on is available at Clicks, Dis-Chem and other selected retail outlets &pharmacies. If you’re more of an online shopping type of gal, you can purchase this on Spree (it’s also a bit cheaper on their website) or in the Woolworths online store.
Woolworths Make-Up Finishing Spray (R 85,00) – As a makeup finishing spray, this works great. As a product for increasing the longevity of your makeup, not so much. I find it is comparable to my MAC Fix+ in that it takes the ‘edge’ off that super flat and powdery look. You know when you’ve just finished applying your makeup (foundation, powder etc.) and your face looks a bit too matte & one-dimensional? This makeup finishing spray adds a bit of glow to your look and removes the ‘cake factor’, but doesn’t really work as a proper setting spray.
It’s an ever-so-slightly fragranced spray that is formulated with a blend of chamomile extract and cucumber juice to condition the skin. I love the scent and it feels invigorating when spritzed on the face but in terms of adding staying power to your makeup, it unfortunately doesn’t compare to my MAC Fix+.
Woolworths W Face Make-Up Finishing Spray is available at Woolworths stores or online here.
L’Occitane Fleurs De Cerisier L’Eau Eau De Toilette (R 580,00) ** – This smells so beautiful and it’s times like these where I wish all computers came with ‘smell-o-vision’ or ‘smell-o-puter’. The scent is slightly sweet, refreshingly fruity and very uplifting. Cherry blossoms and roses are at the heart of this fragrance with juicy watermelon and fresh lemon as top notes. Base notes of musk and wood add a sensual & feminine twist.
Get ready to drop some coins, ladies, because once you sniff this in-store you will lust after it until you decide to purchase something (anything!) from this limited edition collection. Since it is an Eau De Toilette, it lasts on me for about 5 to 6 hours. It is perfect for the office and won’t intoxicate your co-workers. I also love the simple clear glass bottle, etched with cherry blossom designs.
L’Occitane Fleurs De Cerisier Eau De Toilette is available in the L’Occitane SA online store or at their boutique stores nationwide (take a look at their list of boutiques here).
Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Foot File (R 399,99) ** – I don’t know about you, but I prefer smooth & ‘well maintained’ feet. There is nothing quite like soft and silky feet, and on the other end of the spectrum, there is also nothing quite like dry, cracked heels (I’ll leave the unsightly look of rough heels to your imagination).
In the past I used a pumice to exfoliate the dry areas on my feet, but it’s quite labour-intensive and time-consuming and most days I couldn’t be bothered spending all that time buffing away at my feet (I’m a lazy little bugger, I know). When I heard the Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Foot File was coming to South Africa, I was both intrigued and excited. An electronic foot file that does all the work for me? Yes, please!
The Micralumina roller spins while gently buffing away rough callused skin in just a few minutes. The Velvet Smooth is battery operated, plus the exfoliating roller is replaceable (the refill pack contains 2 rollers). Just switch it on by twisting the head of the unit and run the gritty roller over all the troublesome areas on the feet, you’ll see it buffing away all the dead skin. What I really like about this pedicure tool is that it features no sharp blades (those old-school callus removers scare the heck out of me!) and is equipped with a safety stop that switches off when you apply too much pressure. The Scholl Velvet Smooth has become part of my weekly at-home pedicure routine as it really does a great job of buffing away rough skin – and I know I will find it particularly handy during the cold, dry Winter months ahead too!
The Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Foot File and refill rollers (R 149,99) are available at major retail outlets (PnP,Dis-Chem, Clicks) and online at Takealot & Rubybox.
Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads (R 264,95) – This little tub of goodness contains 60 round pads which can be used up to twice a day (morning and night) over the entire face and neck area. These pads are soaked in exfoliating Glycolic Acid (2.8%) to refine and resurface the skin, with added Witch Hazel to help the improve the tone of the skin. Moisturising Hyaluronic Acid and soothing Blue Daisy help to reveal brighter and smoother looking skin.
Each pad has a slightly textured surface (a gentle bumpy texture) which help the exfoliation process even more. I personally only use 1 pad once a day (I find using this product twice a day is a bit too intense for me) after I have cleansed my skin, then follow up with my serum and moisturiser. After each and every use my skin feels soft and smooth, and the dry patches on my forehead have been reduced significantly. I have also noticed my pigmentation spots (top cheek area) and acne scarring have faded considerably since the combination of ingredients also have a brightening effect. My complexion looks more radiant, plus the congestion on my forehead is also a lot less visible. I won’t recommend this for sensitive skin types as the Glycolic Acid may sensitise the skin even more.
Out of interest sake: I didn’t know ANYTHING about Glycolic Acid before I started using this product. I only knew that it’s used for exfoliation purposes. After researching it a bit more, I found out it removes dead skin cells (it’s a chemical exfoliator, not a physical exfoliator) to reveal a fresh new layer of skin, this also helps with anti-ageing.
Nip + Fab products are available at Clicks stores nationwide.
Kandy Kane Makeup Brushes (R 70,00 each) ** – These makeup brushes from Kandy Kane (a South African beauty vlogger) are such good quality for the affordable price. I’ve been testing out a couple of her brushes for about 3 months now (you can take a look at this video to hear my first impressions) and I must say, I’m impressed. I would imagine it’s not an easy task to create and brand your own makeup brush collection, especially when you are based in South Africa. Marlize has done exceptionally well with her makeup brush line and works so hard to bring us new & exciting brush sets – in fact, she just launched a new set of minty hued synthetic face brushes yesterday (take a squiz here).
We’ll start with the bottom brush in the photo, this is called the Angled Eyeshadow Brush. I use it to apply & blend my under eye concealer or to set my concealer with a powder. It’s small enough to fit perfectly in the contours of the face, plus the bristles are soft enough for the gentle eye area. You can also use this as an eyeshadow blending brush to diffuse a shade in the crease.
The middle brush is called the Tapered Eyeshadow Brush, I use it to apply a highlighting eyeshadow to the inner corner of the eye since the tapered tip gives me precision. In my ‘Face Of First Impressions’ video I also used it to clean up my eyeshadow look around the outer edge (creating a clean, crisp line) with a bit of concealer.
And the top brush is called the Flat Top Eyeshadow Brush (it’s currently on sale for R 50,00) and I like to use it to apply cream, liquid or powder highlighters to my upper cheek area. It blends cream- and powder-based products out really well since it is so fluffy.
You can purchase all Kandy Kane makeup brushes in the Kandy Kane online store.
Philips Sonicare Airfloss (R 1499,00) – I have been lusting after this unique flosser for more than a year now and was so excited when I received it as a birthday gift from Neal. He is really good like that, he will always ask me EXACTLY what I want for my birthday & Christmas because he likes to give gifts that I will use and love. I know what you’re thinking: “R 1500,00 for a flosser is madness!” All I can say is, just you wait until you take one of these bad boys for a test run, the Sonicare Airfloss has changed my life! I kid you not…
Not going to lie, I never used to be the world’s most consistent flosser. Anything that will upgrade my oral hygiene routine & save me some grief at the dentist gets an approving nod from me. You see, I used to visit the dentist quite often (I just have to look at a sweetie and a cavity will pop up in a tooth) and every time the dentist would tell me to start flossing more often. Brushing just isn’t enough apparently, and although I totally get the logic behind why flossing is so important, I just couldn’t get myself to floss on a daily basis. It’s boring, it’s time-consuming, I’m lazy and most of the time I’m in such a hurry, I cut my gums with the string floss.
Let me start by explaining how the Sonicare Airfloss works: Quick bursts of compressed air and water droplets clean deep between teeth where a toothbrush can’t reach. Basically you add water (or mouthwash) to the reservoir, switch it on (the Lithium-ion battery is rechargeable), place the nozzle between your teeth and press down on the button at the top of the handle. Short bursts of air and water blasts away plaque and bits of food (trapped food can cause bad breath, gum disease and even tooth decay). I can clean my entire mouth in just 30 seconds, no string floss needed and it’s fun too!
Constantly struggling with sensitive gums and fragile teeth is not fun, trust me. I’ve been using the Sonicare Airfloss consistently for almost 2 months now and have noticed a huge difference – my teeth look whiter and brighter, my teeth feel smoother and I don’t struggle with sensitive gums anymore. I have also noticed I can drink red wine without having to worry that it will temporarily stain any fuzzy areas on my teeth. The Sonicare Airfloss keeps my teeth pearly white throughout the day and night.
This nifty little gadget takes the hassle out of flossing, plus provides long-term oral health benefits (it removes up to 5 times more plaque than manual brushing alone), which means you won’t have to visit the dentist as often. If you struggle with teeth that are prone to cavities, or you like the look & feel of clean healthy teeth, I would highly recommend investing in something like this.
The Philips Sonicare Airflosser is available at selected Dis-Chem stores.
P.S. My gums went through an adjustment phase in the beginning where they bled after using the Sonicare Airfloss but it’s totally normal and didn’t last very long.
My final ‘Blog Birthday Giveaway’ will be loaded tomorrow, can you guess what the prize will be? Here are a couple of clues: It smells like chocolate. It’s an eyeshadow palette. And it is a cult favourite amongst beauty lovers worldwide.
I’ve extended my current giveaway (the prize is a hamper filled with some of my current favourite beauty products) until midnight – and I will announce the winner tomorrow morning. Get those final entries in here!