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.

Wishing Wednesday

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to meet with a marketing lady from L'Occitane to learn more about the brand.  I have been a fan of L'Occitane for a long while now and have tried quite a few of the products when they were included in the Glossyboxes I used to get.  After my meeting it really had me thinking about the products of their's that I really liked and I was chatting to Alice from Lipgloss is my Drug and got the idea to do a post on the products I wish I had (Although it isn't easy summarising what I love into one picture so here are a few)

1. L'Occitane Roses et Reines roll-on perfume 2. L'Occitane Rose Heart Ultra Soft Cream 3. L'Occitane The Creme Divine Face Care range 4. L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate 5. L'Occitane Pivoine Flora eau de toilette 6. L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel 7. L'Occitane Hand Creams

I really love the packaging of L'Occitane products - how timeless the bottle and tub designs are.  I really don't know why I haven't been into a store recently because I used to spend quite a bit of time in the stores and have even included some of their products in giveaways I have done in the past.  

The meeting yesterday really reignited my interest in this natural products brand (one which also does no testing on animals) and I just felt like doing a quick post on them to share my love and admiration for the brand. Also, I wanted to share that they currently have a sale on their online store so go check that out if you want to grab a few products - First time customers get a discount based on the total value of your purchase, you can choose 3 free samples and at the moment you also get a free 100ml Lavendar Foam Bath. There is however a R100 delivery charge for orders under R1000. I was fortunate to receive a R193 discount on my order and also got a R200 discount on their Essential's Pack that is usually R400. So all together I really got a great deal and picked up some great gifts for upcoming birthdays (as well as a few treats for myself).

Here are links to a few short product reviews I have done on some of the products: L'Occitane Immortelle Eye Balm; L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate; L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Hope you are all having a great day!

Big Hugs,

Charlene XXX

PS. In case any of you are wondering if I was asked to do this post, I was not requested to feature the brand or any of the products on my blog. I won't even inform L'Occitane that they were featured here today.  I rediscovered something and I thought I would share it with all of you - especially because there are products on sale and I LOVE sales!

Clinique Cheek Pop | Blush Pop

I received two Clinique Cheek Pops for my Birthday.  I truly love using these beautiful blushes - a good blush is a must have in every makeup stash.

I have been using Ginger Pop quite a bit since the weather has turned colder and the Plum Pop in warmer, sunny weather.  I really love the beautiful design of the blushes.  It really brightens my day whenever I use these.  Luckily the design is imprinted deeply into the product so you can use if for quite a long while before losing the beautiful flower.

The blush is very pigmented and silky smooth in texture.  It transfers well onto the skin and gives my cheeks a natural flushed look.  The colour can easily be built up when you want a brighter cheek.  I can go a whole day with the blush on my cheeks which is incredibly impressive to me.  My trick to making it last is to use a primer under my BB Cream or foundation and then immediately applying the blush while my cheeks are still a bit damp.  You can then seal it in with a bit of translucent powder.  However, if you want to have a more dewy look skip the setting powder as the powder will make your skin matte.

Clinique really hit a home run with these beauties.  Not only does it make a lady's makeup collection more beautiful but it is a wonderful blush.  Definitely one of my favourites to use.  You can purchase this for R300 at any Clinique stand.

Let me know what you think!

Big Hugs,
Charlene XXX