L'Occitane Almond Body Oil

I mentioned in a post last week that I met up with a Marketing lady from L'Occitane who chatted to me about the brand.  I was very lucky to give a bottle of their Almond Body Oil to try out.

For those of you who don't know how to pronounce L'Occitane, it is pronounced as LOX-EE-TAN.

As always, the first thing that grabs my attention is the beautiful packaging. I currently have this beautiful bottle up on a glass shelf in my bathroom.  The bottle is made of glass and has a spray nozzle to easily apply the oil to your body.  The nozzle really works well. It dispenses just the right amount of oil to easily cover your body with only a few sprays.  The biggest bonus for me is the fact that I can spray the oil on my back.

I have dry skin which means I need more moisture than a body cream or body butter can provide, but at the same time I do not like to have greasy skin that is covered in a film of oil.  What I love about this L'Occitane oil is that it is light and non-greasy.  it is absorbed quickly into my skin and leaves it soft and well moisturised. The scent is a beautifully soft almond fragrance that isn't overpowering.  What I love is that I wake up to a warm, soft almond scent on my skin.

The oil is formulated with more than 50% Almond oil which helps make the skin feel smoother and more supple.  There is also omega 6 and cameline oil which further helps to improve the suppleness of your skin and also soothes skin.

From L'Occitane:  "The almond nut, which grows protected in a beautifully soft and green velvet shell, is renowned for its ability to soften and smooth the skin. L'Occitane is committed to purchasing almonds from producers in the South of France so that the almond tree, which had been forgotten in the region, once again becomes a familiar element in the Provençal landscape."

I really love many of the L'Occitane collections and thought I would share this beautiful video, "The Scents of Provence".

"Take a sensorial journey through Provence to discover the plants used to make our signature fragrances: Lavender, Peony, Verbena..."

Big hugs,
Charlene XXX

Wema Rose Geranium Whipped Mousse and Soap

One of the great things about being a blogger is that we sometimes get given really fantastic products to test out.  I recently received 2 products from Wema Bodycare to test out and I couldn't wait to dive right into testing them.  I received a Rose and Geranium Body Mousse and natural soap also in Rose and Geranium.  I was tickled pink when I saw that I received products in this fragrance because it is one of my favourites.

The natural soaps retail for R60 (buy it here).  They are made using a cold press method which ensures that all of the natural ingredients are preserved and you receive the maximum benefits of them during use.  The first thing I noticed about the soap was the amazing fragrance - it has a rich scent that literally fills up a room but not in a way that it makes you feel overwhelmed. Once I opened up the wrapper the look of the soap really appealed to me.  I love the colour and texture of the soap. The soap contains Mafura butter which softens skin and improved the elasticity.  It also helps improve cell regeneration which means you'll have great skin with continued use. Also in the product is Kaolin which cleans pores along with Aloe Ferox, long know for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. After a bath I can still feel a layer of the oils on my skin leaving my skin well hydrated and  feeling silky soft - this is due to the polysaccharides which form a thin film on the skin helping to protect from dryness.

The body mousse retails for R150 for 100ml (buy it here).  It has been such a treat to use, although I admit that I mostly use it as a hand cream, especially after washing dishes or doing house work. Because it contains cocoa butter, shea butter and grapeseed oil it deeply moisturises and nourishes skin which is exactly what I need after having my hands soaking in a basin of very hot water.  The coconut oil in it also has antibacterial properties perfect when you've been doing house work.  The coconut oil is also one of the main ingredients in this mousse which is probably why the price is a little steep for 100ml.  What I love about this mousse is the fact that it hydrates and moisturises my skin incredibly well.  I know after using it my skin will look and feel better almost instantly.  The rose geranium fragrance also acts as aromatherapy for me and it is such a treat to open up my tub (which is starting to run quite low now).

I always love using brands that are natural and pride themselves in the quality of their products. Another thing I love is that this is a South African brand.  There are so many wonderful things on the Wema website that I suggest you go have a look for yourself, click here to go shopping! If located in South Africa you can enjoy free shopping as well.

A big thank you to Wema for these fantastic products.  I really enjoyed using them and definitely have my eye on a number of products on your website.

Big Hugs,
Charlene XXX

Manicure Monday

I have become quite a big fan of Morgan Taylor nail polishes ever since I first spotted them on Retail Box and bought a few over the months.  At the end of last month my sister and I celebrated "Sister's Day" and she gave me two new colours to add to my growing collection.  The one I am featuring today is called "Adorned in Diamonds".

It is such a beautifully femanine nail polish that looks beautiful on its own but is also a great nail polish to add over other shades to give them some sparkle. it was quite difficult to photograph it and get the true colour of it, but I would say it is a light champagne colour.  I applied 3 coats of this to get a more opaque finish but a single coat is very pretty over bare nails.

Morgan Taylor nail polishes can be bought from Retail Box, Sorbet beauty stores, Takealot, Carlton's Salons and Takealot (these are the places I have spotted them).

Hope you have a great week!

Big Hugs,
Charlene XXX

Feel Good Friday!

Thank heavens it is Friday! I wasn't too sure what I should post about today but then I came across this photo on my phone. I thought I'd show you what I took with me on a recent weekend away.

My essentials for the weekend:

1. Clinique Cheek Pops
2. Dior Smoky Eye Trio
3. Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
4. Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation
5. Inglot Travel Makeup Brushes - I LOVE this brush set - I'll do a proper review on this soon.

I chose to take these products with me because they are so easy to use and creates a nice natural look.

Have a great day everyone and enjoy the weekend!

Big Hugs,

Charlene XXX

Letibalm Repair Balm for Nose and Lips

I have recently just overcome 2 fights with flu and I was actually so fortunate that it coincided with a Letibalm parcel that was sent to me. I am the type of person that hates having a red, dry, chapped nose and tend to prefer to sniff than look like Rudolph (sorry to all the people around me). I have actually carried a specific lipbalm around with me that I only used for my nose so I was thrilled to see that there is actually a product developed for this purpose.

The Letibalms are repair balms specifically formulated to treat the nose and lip area in order toreduce the redness and dry skin associated with having to wipe your nose a lot. It also helps to treat skin that is exposed to cold, wind and sun. I am a big fan of multi-purpose products, especially balms because they can be used anywhere on your body where you struggle with dry or damaged skin. I have used my balms to treat the skin around my nose, repair chapped lips, moisturise dry patches on my body and even help ease the sting of a small tear in my cuticle.

The balm has a really pleasant fragrance which makes it a treat to use and because it contains menthol and camphor it also helps to relieve a blocked nose. Although it contains menthol it doesn’t have a strong menthol scent, to me it has a sweet rose like fragrance with the refreshing menthol feeling on your lips / skin.

The balm comes in a tiny tub and is also available in a tube. I am not a huge fan of dipping my finger into lip products because I hate the greasy texture on my fingers, but this balm absorbs so well into the skin that I use one of the tubs purely for treating my cuticles and hands now.

My tips: 

• Wash your hands before applying the product, to make sure that the balm stays clean inside the tub. 
• Don’t double dip – use a different finger if you need more balm when applying the product. This will ensure the balm is clean.
• Rub the excess balm into areas that are dry.

These fantastic balms are available at Dischem, selected Pick ‘n Pays and leading pharmacies.

Big Hugs,
Charlene XXX

PS. I also received a nasal spray to help with my stuffy nose. I hardly ever use nose sprays because I hate the bitter taste that it gives me as it runs down the back of my throat (sorry for the TMI) but because I was sent this I thought I would give it a go….and I continue to use it now even though I am much better. It helps to ease any stuffiness I experience as I sometimes battle with sinus. This is a must for sinus suffers as it does help to purge and cleanse the sinus build up at the base of the throat. What I like is that it doesn't burn my nose at all when sprayed and it also doesn't have a weird taste to it.  This is also available at Dischem and leading pharmacies.