Right, then! I’m going to sound like aaaaaaaaall the humans in the world when I say: Where has this year gone!? We are officially in the month of December, 21 days away from Christmas, 28 days away from 2015, and about 2 months away from my birthday – yaaaay! *counting down the days*
Would you like to know what I’m most excited about this month? All the festive makeup looks I’ll be creating, and all the face masks I’ll be slapping on my face to combat the effects of all the aforementioned makeup. Festive manicures also get my blood pumping, and delectable Christmassy food… Yum!
November was a month of new discoveries for me – and an appreciation for ‘oldies but goodies’ too! Before we jump into all the products I loved during the month of November, let me ask you one question: Have you entered my LUSH Hamper Giveaway yet? If you haven’t…why on earth not? It’s an international giveaway, so anyone can enter. Click here to check it out!
One product that absolutely knocked my socks off was the Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minizing Primer, I hoped I would like it (it is a pretty pricey primer) but had no idea I would love it this much. Makeup always looks better when you use a primer, not only does this primer reduce the appearance of pores but it is also oil-free, which means it is perfect for combo or oily skin types (even if you’re an oily beast like me, on a hot Summer’s day). It doesn’t clog my pores – I have had ZERO breakouts this month, and absorbs oil throughout the day. Another bonus? I can wear it alone (without foundation), because it blurs the look of pores and ever so slightly evens out my skintone too since it is a tinted primer. I imagine this primer is suitable for sensitive skin too, as I don’t see any ingredients listed that might aggravate sensitised skin. Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minizing Primer retails for R 395,00 at selected Red Square, Edgars and Woolworths stores.
You’re probably sick of me talking about LUSH here on the blog by now, especially after reading 12 LUSH Christmas 2014 collection review as part of my ’12 Days Of LUSHmas’ series. For the record, I will never get sick of LUSH…so you’re stuck with me and my LUSH posts (you secretly enjoy all of them, don’t you?). I fell in love with the LUSH Snow Fairy shower gel last year and decided to splurge on 2 BIG mama 250g bottles this year. So glad I did, because Snow Fairy and I are officially in a long-term relationship. I’m almost done with my first bottle (eeeek!) because I use it so much! This pink shower gel smells as sweet as candy, the scent is apparently not for everyone and I have no idea why, because I think it smells heavenly…almost like unicorn farts. Use it as a shower gel on your bath lily / loofah, or as a shampoo (yes, you heard me!) or squirt it under the running tap to create mounds of fluffy bubbles in your bath. The sweet, sugary scent of Snow Fairy instantly perks me up, even after a particularly crappy day. LUSH Snow Fairy Shower Gel retails for R 65,00 (100g), R 120,00 (250g) or R 195,00 (500g) and is currently available in the LUSH South Africa online store as well as in-store (Cavendish, V&A Waterfront, Canal Walk and Gateway).
FOREO, my skin thanks you. I took this nifty little skin care tool along with me on holiday in October, and have been using it non-stop since…it’s a total game-changer. FOREO arrived in South Africa a couple of months ago and very kindly sent me one of their devices to trial. What makes the FOREO skin care devices so unique, is that they havespecial silicone touch-points on the one side, that are gentle enough to cleanse even the most sensitive skin. It vibrates (8000 T-sonic pulsations per minute) and the vibrations help to clear the pores of dirt as you cleanse,almost like pushing the dirt out of the pores. The silicone bristles are non-porous so they don’t absorb any bacteria which would otherwise lead to breakouts and blemishes.
This is an electric device (100% waterproof), so it does need to be charged BUT each battery charge gives you 450 x 2 minute uses – amazing, right? You use it with your everyday cleanser, it just gives your cleanser that extra boost, making the ingredients in the cleanser just that much more effective.
After cleansing I use the reverse side (you can see the reverse side in the reflection of the mirror above) on areas that I feel need some ‘anti-aging TLC’, the lower-frequency anti-aging mode help to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also helps your anti-aging products to penetrate deeper into the skin. Another bonus? No replacement heads are required, just make sure you clean your FOREO well after each use. There are 3 FOREO Luna variants available (Sensitive/Normal skin, Combination skin & Ultra-Sensitive skin) retails for R 2790,00 in theFOREO online store (free shipping & delivery is via courier, not the post office) and Zando.
If R 2790,00 is a bit steep for you, you can also purchase the FOREO Luna Mini (in 5 gorgeous colours) for R 1900,00 – it’s very similar to the original, just a bit smaller, a fully charged battery lasts for 300 uses, and doesn’t have the anti-aging side.
And now I kind of want the FOREO ISSA (in lavender shade, please Santa?) too – it’s the world’s first electric toothbrush made completely from non-porous silicone. It promises to brighten and whiten your teeth while a gentle gum-massage function will help with gum issues. Instead of scratching the tooth’s surface, the ISSA’s rounded silicone bristles effectively remove stains and won’t damage tooth enamel or irritate gums.
I just have to give a shoutout to the Labello Fruity Shine lip balm in Watermelon, it’s the perfect hydrating lip balm for Summer. This shimmering pink lip balm gives my lips a shiny tint of pink, whilst the Hydra IQ complex provides long-lasting moisture. I also adore the delicous fruity fragrance of this balm, so much so that I own 2 of them – one lives on my desk & one lives in my handbag. Labello Fruity Shine lip balms (there is a Peach variant too) retail for R 17,99 at Clicks, Dis-Chem, PnP and Checkers stores.
Guys, you need to try this hot cloth cleanser from Dirty Works! I must admit, in the past I always refrained from buying Dirty Works products because well…I made the mistake of thinking the quality must be average if the price tag is so affordable. You and I both know, it’s not always the case with budget beauty products (read this blog posthere). Anyway, while we were on holiday in Cape Town I saw this at Clicks and IMMEDIATELY popped it into my basket – anything with the words ‘Hot Cloth Cleanser’ in the name will always be tested by moi!
In a nutshell: I love the Dirty Works Pore-fect Facial Hot Cloth Cleanser so, so much! The idea behind these hot cloth cleansers are, you work the cleanser onto the skin using circular motions, and then follow up by placing a hot wet muslin cloth over the face to open your pores. Using a damp, hot cloth (not super hot, though) not onlyremoves every last trace of makeup, but also gently scrubs the skin, leaving it glowing and ready to drink up your favourite serum.
The Eucalyptus in this hot cloth cleanser has a cooling and refreshing effect on the skin, leaving it feeling revitalised. It also contains Shea Butter and Vitamin E, so it’s a really creamy cleanser that doesn’t dry out the skin at all. Compared to other cleansers, I can use this product on my eyes to remove every last smidgeon of eye makeupwithout any irritation or stinging reaction. Dirty Works Pore-fect Facial Hot Cloth Cleanser dissolves all my makeup in one clean sweep, leaving my skin feeling fresh and plump.
However… I do think the Eycalyptus oil will irritate super sensitive skin, so if you struggle with skin that is very reactive, I suggest you steer clear from this one. The box also includes not one, but TWO muslin cloths – very generous, Dirty Works! The Dirty Works Pore-fect Facial Hot Cloth Cleanser retails for R 79,95 at Clicks stores.
No unfavourites this month, well none worth mentioning since I already mentioned quite a few FAILS in my ‘Beauty Lessons Learnt Whilst On Holiday’ blog post.
Those are all the products I loved during the month of November! If you have any product(s) you think I should pick up and try because you love it so much, let me know in the comments section below. We’re all here to enable each other – enabling each other to start a support group called ‘Beauty Product Hoarders Anonymous’ – haha!
