March Hair & Beauty Favourites

Hey loves,
I thought I'd start sharing my favourites with you all. I love trying out new products, but  I do have "Holy grail" favourites that I wll always repurchase becasue I love them that much.
Here are some my March favourites:

March Favourites*

1. Juvia's Place Masquerade Mini Palette 
This is one my favourite palettes of all time. I love jewel tones for eyeshadow, so this palette is just "errythang". It's super pigmented and versatile; I can go from neutral gold eyelooks to bright carnival eyelooks. It's just gorgeous. Here's a collage of some of the looks I've created with just this palette. Price ZAR 800 (from Pink Cosmetics)

Eyelooks I've done with the Masquerade palette from Juvia's Place.

2. Essence Lights of the Orient Matt Lipsticks 
The lights of the Orient range launched in Clicks stores in early March; most of the items sold out really quickly , but I did manage to grab two of the lipsticks in the shades 01 Bellydancing Queen (Wine red) and 02 Princess Jasmine's Choice (Mauvey pink). They're both gorgeous colours and are hands down the best lipsticks I've tried from Essence. Price ZAR 47.95

Lip Swatches for Essence Lights of the Orient Matt Lipsticks

3. The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifiying Glow Mask
I snagged a sample of this mask early in the month while replenishing my skincare products at the Canal Walk branch. I love it! It has kaolin clay, Moroccan lava clay, bamboo charcoal, green tea leaves and tea tree oil. It tingles for less than a minute after application and my eyes watered after the first time I used it. I've been using it once a week and my skin has improved quite a bit; I have far fewer blackheads and my hormonal breakouts along my jawline has clamed down. Price ZAR 300 [The Body Shop has 3 for 2 special on skincare and makeup, and Love your body members can get 30% off this weekend].

4. Lush Soak & Float Shampoo Bar
Lush products are definitely one of my guilty pleasures; everything smells so good.   Have you ever walked down the aisle in Canal Walk anywhere near the Lush store? The tempatation is strong. I especially love the bath bombs and soaps, and so I decided to try one of the shampoo bars. I have a dry flaky scalp, so I decided to try this bar that contains cade oil and Marigold. I've been using this to wash my hair while I have braids installed and it's amazing. It removes all the buuildup without drying, so it's a keeper. Price ZAR 115

5. Essence the gel Top Coat & Base Coat
I love doing my nails, but I can't stand it when my nail polish chips with in two days of application. I was really excited when I tried the top and base coat from the "the gel" range; my nail polish lasts at least a week before I see the first chip. That's not bad, considering the price, ZAR 54.95

6. Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel 77
Where has this eyerliner been all my life? I feel like the universe has been keeping me in the dark. I purchased this eyeliner after reading rave reviews about how awesome this formula is. It is the TRUTH! It's easy to apply and it doesn't slide down my face or give me racoon eyes. I have found the ONE! Price ZAR 249

What are your curent favourites?

See you in my next post,

xoxo
 

 *Images used are from the following sites:

www.juviasplace.com

www.essence.eu

www.thebodyshop.co.za

www.lush.co.za

www.inglotusa.com

Build a Hair Regimen with locally available products

Hey loves,
I've asked my cutlfriends, the Llozanne (Rozanne and Lloyd) to help me compile a list of products available in South African beauty supply stores; Clicks and Dischem. Rozanne and I are certified product junkies; always looking for that perfect shampoo, conditioner etc. Between the two of us we've tried enought products over the years to come up with a list of local products that we liked enough to repurchase. Lloyd has been kind enough to let Rozanne try out stuff on his hair, since starting his hair growth journey over a year ago.
Here goes:

 

 

 

Most of these products are available at Clicks and Dischem stores. Most are suitable for relaxed, transitioning and natural hair.
Cold-pressed Castor oil is available at Durbell pharmacies or online at faithful to nature. 

I hope you find this list helpful my fellow hair health enthusiasts.

See you in my next post,

Love,

DIY Hair: New Hair do ...BLT

Hey loves,
What a week it has been. I've got a new hairdo: I've gone back to box braids, but with a twist.
for most people box braids are considered as a protective style, but it's more than that. For me, styling my hair is a way of self-expression. My personality and creativity show through how I look. I'm lucky in that I don't work in corporate environment; academia is pretty lax when it comes to personal appearance, you just need to be "not naked"...we're only interested in your grey matter...end of story.

So those who've been following me for a while know that I love to wear fashion colour braids; it's just more fun.

I got my inspiration for this look from @the_haircologist Moné save my hair on instagram; she's a celebrity natural hair stylist based in Atlanta, Georgia. I started following her work becuase i love how she installs Goddess locs, bohemian and gypsy locs. So a couple of weeks ago she uploaded a post on a new style that she calls the BLT (not the snadwich type ...Bacon, lettuce and tomato) which stands for Braids, Locs, and Twists. Here's the image

Beautiful! @the_haircologist BLT Braids.Locs.Twists 

I've done a combination of two extensions at a time; braids & locs or twists & locs but not all three, so I was pretty exicted to try it out. I obviously don't have the money for a return flight to Atlanta and I'm not sure about finding a hairstylist locally that will do it exactly the way I want it, so I did it myself.
I decided to use Darling Superstar extensions [colours #500 and bleu] that my friend purchased while she was home in Cameroon visiting family.

Darling Superstar used for braids and twists in the colours #500 and bleu *

Cuban twist hair in the shades teal/black and blue/black were used to wrap briads for locs #

I prepped my hair by washing, deep condtioned and applied leave-in conditioner before installing.
It took me all Saturday; I'm a bit out of practice with the box braids (it's been 6 months since I last installed them).
Here are the final results:

Blue hair don't care

They're waist length and I love them. I'll keep them in for about 4 weeks before uninstalling.
For maintenance, I spray my hair with Mandy hair growth mix and oil my scalp alternatively every second day, and I shampoo my hair once a week.

Where to purchase?
In South Africa: you can buy the darling superstar at most hair supply stores like Jabula and New look cosmetics for ZAR 53.
Freetress Cuban twist hair is available from wwww.haircity.co.za ZAR 130 for 12 inches and ZAR 150 for 16 inches.

What do you think of my new hair? Is it worth the day of toiling?

See you in my next post,

xoxo

Haircare Review: My Natural Hair...Local is Lekker

Hi all,
This post is long overdue, but work has been crazy and it took me a while to get to this post.

My Natural Hair is a South African hair care range that launched late last year; it is the brainchild of Catherine Williams.
I came across it in early October on one of my exploratory stolls through the hair product aisles in Clicks (Canal Walk). as a natural, one is always on the lookout for new and better products (that work and are reasonably priced). So I was really excited when I saw this range, I picked up the conditioner to try (that's usually the deal breaker for me in any haircare range...I'm a sucker for a good conditioner!). I promptly snapped a shot and posted it to the Cape Town Naturally Support group (sharing is caring! Can't leave my curlfriends out in the cold).

FIRST! Facebook post of my new find

I was pretty impressed with the condtioner, so I picked more of it at their stall during the Cape Town Natural Hair Festival (December 2016).

Got my pciture taken at theMy Natural Hair stand at the Natural Hair Festival. Image courtesy of My Natural Hair

And then I got lucky enough to win a hamper during a let your hair speak social media campaign.

I've been using the entire range for a couple weeks and so i'm ready to give my thoughts...

Wash Day things

1. Nourishing Shampoo 250ml 
free from (Sulphates, Pthalates, Parabens, Petroleum & Mineral oil)
Ingredient List (as listed on the website)
aqua, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, lauryl glucoside, cocamidopropyl betaine, PEG-18 glyceryl oleate/cocoate, cocamide DEA, PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate, glycerine, parfum, ethylene/sodium acrylate copolymer, sodium chloride, acetamide MEA, dimethiconol panthenol, hydrolyzed keratin, hyaluronic acid, disodium EDTA, methylchloroisothiiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, linoleic acid, dimethiconol cysteine, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil, sorbitol, citric acid.

I really like this shampoo, I've used after removing braids a couple of times and while my braids were installed. It cleanses without stripping the hair (even with a double shampoo). It leaves my hair really soft and manageable (I can't handle shampoos that leave my hair so stripped, that I'm afraid to touch it for fear of breaking it!). It's a clear formula with a light floral/herbal scent. It does foam up quite a bit, so you do have to rinse really well.

2. Hydrating Conditioner 250ml
Ingredient List (as listed on the website)

aqua, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride, glycerine, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, PEG-20 stearate, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, polysorbate-60, simmondsia chinensus (jojoba) oil, parfum, acetamide MEA, dimethiconol panthenol, hydrolyzed keratin, hyaluronic acid, linoleic acid, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, sorbitol.

I've used this conditioner as a pre-shampoo treatment and as a deep conditioner, and it works well in both instances. I apply this to damp hair section-by-section, detangle with my denman and cover my hair with a plastic cap (or cling wrap), then put a towel over my head and wait 30 minutes before rinsing. After rinsing, my coilys pop and clump together (this is my measure for a good conditioner...popping coils). 

Compared to the holy grail for coilys and curlies, Tresemme Naturals (Now Botaniques) it doesn't have a much slip but it works well enough to detangle without tugging and pain. My only gripe...I wish the contianer were bigger; I'm already more than halfway through the first bottle and the shampoo has hardly moved. You know how it is - it's one bottle of shampoo to a gazillion of conditioner. Tall n Curly the struggle with the most hilarious and honest illustrations (below).

 

True story

the struggle is real

 3. Moisturising Butter 125ml
Ingredients
aqua, butyrospermum parkii (shea) buttter, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, glycerine, trehalose, glyceryl stearate (and) PEG-100 stearate, helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil, polysorbate-60, olea europaea (olive) oil, ceteareth-20, niacinamide, phenoxyethanol (and) ethylhexyl glycerin, cetrimonium chloride, parfum, acetamide MEA, benzophenone-3, tocopherol acetate, carbomer, disodium EDTA, benzophenone-4, dimethiconol panthenol, hydrolyzed keratin, hyaluronic acid, linoleic acid, dimethiconol cysteine, simmondsia chinensus (jojoba) oil, sodium hydroxide.

4. Strengthening Oil 150ml

Ingredients
helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, persia gratissima (avocado) oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, olea europaea (olive) oil, coco caprylate, tocopherol acetate, parfum, benzophenone-3, butylated hydroxytoluene.

I applied the butter to damp hair, after towel drying (sometimes I'm too lazy to find the t-shirt); then I comb through with my denman and seal with the oil and then braid the section up and allow the hair to dry for a few hours or overnight before blowdrying on medium heat to stretch my hair. 
the butter has a chocolate mousse consistency; it's easily absorbed without leaving any white residue. Also, a little goes a long way so this little tub should last quite a while. I've used this as a moisturiser between washdays and as a moisturiser when installing braids. 
The oil is light without being greasy or too viscose, so it's easy to apply. as with the butter, a little goes a long way (too much of any product just ends in a big mess). 

Final thoughts: I'm impressed with this range, I tend to be sceptical of locally made products; a symptom of many decades during which ethnic or curly/coily hair was ignored. As a child, my mum washed my hair with sunlight green soap bar and sealed my wet hair with vaseline or Wella hairfood (the stinky yellow one), so seeing these locally made products with good ingredients, that work really well is super exciting.

Where to find them: the entire range is available at the My Natural Hair online store, takealot.com and in Clicks stores, Jet Mart and  Africa Cash and Carry wholesalers. All the products cost ZAR 79.99 at the My Natural Hair store, and cost between ZAR 89 and 99.99 at Clicks (in-store and online). 
 
Media Event
My Natural Hair held a media event for Cape Town at the Bunglow in Clifton last month. Let me tell you.. I had such hair envy seeing all those curly fros as I had Goddess locs installed at the time. It was an event for local curlies to mingle, we also got a chance to meet Catherine the creator and ambassdor to My Natural Hair (I met her briefly at the Natural Hair Festival in December). Here are some pics from the event. The rest are available on the The Little Black Book Facebook page (here)

Images courtesy of My Natural Hair

I always feel acomplished when I finish a post *waves hands in the air*

Until my next post ,

xoxo,