Current Beauty Favourites: First Edition 2018

Hi beautiful people,
I'm trying to be more consistent with my posts, but it's hard. There's plenty to write about but I haven't had the time to sit down and collect my thoughts about all the products that I've tried out over the last couple of months.
I tried my hand at monthly favourites last year but I think I lasted all of 3 months? So here we go again, this time I've titled the posts as "current favourites" because they don't necessarily change month-to-month for me.

#1 SVR Sebiaclear Crème SPF50 for combination to oily skin (50ml)

Anyone with medium to dark skin, knows the struggle of finding a high SPF day cream that won't gives that grey lavender tinge or make us look "casket-ready". I've been using this since January and one tube lasts about 4 months; which is not bad considering I use it every day. I've only just repurchased. This creme is thicker than the Body Shop Skin Defence Multi-Protection Essence SPF 50 (which was a favourite in 2017) but its not greasy. It has a neutral scent (not unlike other sunscreens), it's easily absorbed into the skin and it has a dry touch finish. I wear it on it's own or under my Lancome teint idole ultra 24hr foundation without any issue. This one is a keeper. It's available at most Clicks stores and online.

Never leave the house without suncreen.

#2 Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence &  #3 Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule
I have been in love with K -beauty since my first haul on holiday to South East Asia 5 years ago. I got this as free gift when I purchased the Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule at a Missha store in Singapore last July. I wish I was more conscientious in taking pictures of my skin when I start a new skincare product. I use this essence twice a day on most days after toning, but before moisturiser, serum or a sheet mask. This essence contains yeast ferment lysate and helps to
soothe texture, moisturising, balancing, brightening, and has anti-ageing properties. 

The Missha Night Repair serum has been touted as the cheaper dupe for the Estee Lauder Night Repair serum and the Lancome Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum; all 3 contain yeast ferment lysate. I alternate it with the Naruko Night Gelly and The Ordinary Vitamin C suspension. 
It has no scent and it's easily absorbed into the skin, without leaving any sticky residue or film. I've reached the pinnacle in my skincare journey: I no longer wakeup with a greasy face in the morning (That's a win for K-beauty right there).
My skin has definitely improved in terms of texture its much smoother and my blemishes fade away more quickly (I'll attribute this to the combination of this Essence and the night repair serum). I've gotten to the point where I can go out without foundation. Yay! 

It's available in South Africa from SAMIKA and Pink Cosmetics. Or you can purchase from YesStyle for really good deals but the wait time is ~2 months.

#4 My Natural Hair Edge Gel
I have never been one to "lay edges" maybe because I was yet to find the one. This edge gel is so good that it can slick down type 4 edges without a brush (Sorcery! I tell you). It's soft and flexible, so it's easy to manipulate. The fragrance is like the other products in the range, a light herbal floral scent. It's available from Beauty on TApp and Shop for Life.

sLay those edges

#5 Camille Rose Naturals Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse
Alert the media people, I have found my holy grail shampoo. It smells like cupcakes...I love cupcakes. This one is hyped up on YouTube  and I was curious if it would be THAT good. It is! It suds up like regular shampoo but it doesn't dry my hair out and I can detangle with it and leaves my hair soft and manageable.A little goes a long way so this current bottle should last me a year. It's available at Style Studio and Beau2you.co.za

Wash Day Heaven

#6 Juvia's Place The Festival Palette
I love all my palettes from Juvia's Place. This latest like the others is full of brights in mattes and shimmers. I can do so many looks with this palette; from neutral to bright and bold. Everyone should try at least one Juvia's Place palette.  Here's my full review for the palette. 

This palette inspired by West African festivals

#7 Stila Stay All-Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso
Stila makes my favourite formula for liquid lipsticks; they last through the day with minimal fading and no feathering. I got this in a mini/deluxe as a free gift for purchasing two Stila items at Woolworths. It's a classic red lip, not as blue toned as Fiery (another favourite of mine), it's a dupe for Ruby-Woo in terms of colour but not wear: Ruby-Woo feels more drying on the lips. This shade suits every skintone and I love that. 

The Classic Red Lip; Stila liquid lip in Beso

Have you tried any of the products? What are your current favourites? Let me know in the comments below. 

See you in my next post, 

xoxo, 

New Hair, Who Dis? My Experience with Brazilian Wool Hair

Hi lovelies,

This is definitely one of those, the internet made me do it. People were talking about it and I got curious. Took almost a year for me to finally try it though.

I've styled my hair wool before, the regular knitting kind. it's quit a mission, there's a lot of folding and cutting. The upside of using wool is that you don't find X-pression fiber 2 weeks later 👎
Here's a picture of my first try at yarn braids 2 years ago

Yarn Braids with 100% Acrylic

I enjoyed wearing these and though some people complain of drying, I didn't experience any. I was excited to try Brazilian wool hair because it's got very hair-like feel and look. Also, it takes less work to prepare the wool for installation, compared to regular wool.

Installation
First thing I did was watch a YouTube tutorial and read a gazillion blogs before attempting installation. Here's a link to Natural sisters video on installing faux locs with wool hair (click here).

Do your research

My initial plan was to install purple faux locs, but I changed my mind half way through and decided to add black into the mix.

I cut the wool into equal length pieces that were about 1.5 m long: I then used 4-6 pieces of wool to twist my hair. I braided the root and twisted to 3cm longer than my own hair and tied a knot. As always, I moisturised my hair with the Moisturizing butter from My Natural Hair and sealed with the Caivil Fusion Oil Hair Root Nourisher.

Brazilian Wool Hair 100% Acrylic Yarn

It took about 6 hours to twist my hair and another 6 to wrap it 🙈 (I wasn't feeling it, wasn't in the mood to install). I used 6-8 pieces of wool to wrap; I pulled the wool through the roots of my twists using my latch hook to keep the wool from slipping down the twist, especially once I wash it.

My locs are about bra-strap length, I cut the ends and burnt them using a lighter.
I used 5 and half packs of the purple to twist and wrap, and then I got black wool (enough for one bundle) from Rozanne (who installed the wool as a box braid bob).

Half and half faux locs: Purple hair don't care

Maintenance
I'm supposed to spray my hair with moisture mist and oil it every couple of days.
I've got the Refreshing moisture mist from Buuya and a bunch of oils I use (I use whatever is closest when the mood strikes 😎.

My thoughts
I've had faux locs installed for a week now and I really love them. The wool is super light and I managed to install without pulling my hair to much, so there's no tension.
I've already cleansed my scalp with and it still looks neat, so I think I'll be able to keep them in for 4 to 5 weeks.

Where to buy
I purchased my wool from Nat Moisture; they charge ZAR 20 for a single bundle, and ZAR 180 for a 12 bundle pack. The colours available are black, brown, purple and maroon.
You also have to pay for shipping, which is ZAR 60 to anywhere in South Africa.

You can also purchase the wool from @africanhair_galore an Instagram seller, based in Goodwood.

Have you tried wool hair? Is it something you're willing to try?

Let me know in the comments below

See you in my next post, 

xoxo

N 

Hair Review: New Hair Goodies from My Natural Hair

Can't believe that, September has come and gone, where did the time go? 👀
People, I cannot tell you how long I've been waiting for these new additions to the My Natural Hair product range. If you've been following me for a while, then you know that the conditioner and oil are on my list of favourite products.
I was privileged enough to be invited to the product launch at Style Studio Canal Walk, which took place on 31 August 2017.

The new additions to the family:
A Leave-in Conditioner, Hydrating Masque and a Curling Cream 😁 as well as the Nourishing Conditioner in a larger 500ml bottle (our prayers have been answered curly-coilys).

I've had braids installed for the whole of August; so I uninstalled and dug into these to try them out.

I shampooed with my usual; the Lush Shampoo bars the "NEW" or the "Soak & Float", I have scalp issues and these are the only shampoos that work for me.

I detangled with the hydrating conditioner and rinsed it out; I've already reviewed this one , along with the other products in the core range (click here) It comes in a larger bottle 👍👌😁

Look at my face 😁 It's the small things in life

I dry my hair with a towel to get rid of the excess water before applying the hydrating masque. I applied this to my hair one section at a time (I usually have 4/5 sections), then I cover my hair with cling film and put a towel over that and wait 15-30 mins ⏰ depending on how lazy I'm feeling.

The dilemma

After rinsing out the mask, I towel dried my hair and then I styled it. I decided to do a roller set. I separated my hair into 3 sections and applied the leave-in conditioner, the curling cream and strengthening oil.

First roller set in over two years

Feeling after roller set is done. Them rollers were digging into my skull 😶

 Skip past the overnight anguish of the roller set ...to the end result

Soft & Fluffy afro is my favourite way to wear my hair

Now to my thoughts about the new goodies...

1. Leave-in Conditioner 250ml
First off, the packaging in awesome. It's in a 250 ml pump bottle.
The fragrance is the same as in the other products in the range; its a light floral herbal scent, I quite like it. the conditioner is thick and creamy, it's not greasy at all and it spreads through the hair really easily. So a little goes a long way. it's got great slip, making it ideal for detangling and combing through. It performs in the same way as the Shea Moisture Restorative Moisture conditioner (Rinse-out/deep conditioner/leave-in), so yay!!

2. Hydration Mask 250ml
This comes in a tub, it's thick and creamy too. Like the the leave-in it's got really good slip. The end result once rinsed out is amazing. the coils were popping. My hair felt soft and manageable. The only other hydration mask I've tried is from Pure Oils, which is less creamy in consistency.

3. Curling Cream 250ml
So everything in this range is creamy and thick 😀 I really like this curling cream. It's not greasy and its super moisturising. Don't be heavy handed with this one. A little goes a long way. It doesn't flake or anything but why waste product.

My thoughts on using (almost) the entire range: everything works well together. I like how the leave-in, curling cream and oil layer together without flaking or weighing down my hair. There's no greasy mess afterwards either.
I only needed to refresh my hair with the curling cream and oil on day 3, so the longevity is also good.
Price wise, I'm pretty impressed; they range from R 74.99 to 134.99 on the My Natural Hair website. Also, always take advantage of the 3 for 2 specials that Clicks has quite often.

My ride or die from this range hands down are the Leave-in Conditioner and the Strengthening Oil; definitely "holy grail" status for me.

What products are you looking forward to trying from this range?
Let me know below.

See you in my next post, 

xoxo

Hair & Beauty - June Favourites

Hello Beautiful people,
I can't believe half the year is gone 😱 I still have so much to do before this year is out.
Here are my favourites for the month of June.

Some of my favourites from last month 💜

1. Juvia's  Place Nubian II palette
If you follow me on instagram, then you know how much I love my The Masquerade palette from Juvia's Place. I decided to purchase this Nubian II (pre-loved from Janet Pink) for everyday toned down neutral looks. I love this palette, because I can the dark shades for eye shadow and as blush/contour and the light shimmer shades as highlight. This makes it perfect for travelling, I only have to pack one palette.
Here are some of the looks achieved with this palette:

Price: R 650.00 from SAMIKA, R 950.00 from Pink Cosmetics
If you live in the US (they ship to some other countries as well), you can order directly from Juvia's Place for $ 19.99.

2. Essence Lights of the Orient Bronzer 02 Oriental Beauty
For those with deeper darker skin tones will understand my point of view: I've never been sure of how to use bronzers, since the shades are usually too light to have the same effect as intended for those with lighter skin tones. But I've figured it out; instead of using bronzer to warm up my face, I use it as an under eye and forehead highlight powder. I love the finished effect I get with this bronzer from Essence. 

Price: R 47.95 (it was a limited edition, but I've seen a few in stock at Clicks Tygervalley).

3. My Natural Hair Strengthening Oil 100ml
I've already waxed poetic about the My Natural Hair range here; but I have to highlight How much I enjoy using this oil. I use it to seal when I moisturise on wash day and then 2-3 times during the week. It's also superb for sealing when installing braid and twist extensions. I love it because I don't end up with a greasy mess. It works great as a scalp oil.
Price:  R 79.99 on My Natural online store, R 99.99 at selected Clicks stores

4. Native Child  - Shea butter cream 125ml
I was in Windhoek for a while and it is super dry, just harsh on the skin and the hair. So I decided to pack this shea butter cream from Native Child for my hair instead of oil. It's thick mainly consists of shea butter along with avocado oil and aloe vera gel. I really like this one, #nogrease and a little goes a long way. Also, it's locally made, #proudlysouthafrican.
Price: R 79.99 from Native Child online store

5. The Body Shop Matte Lip Liquid in Windsor Rose, Mauritius Dahlia and Sicily Iris
The Body Shop recently launched matte liquid lippies in South Africa and I am here for it.
I've got 3 of the shades; one nude and two dark shades. I love how these wear, they're very smooth and velvety when applied. they don't dry down like the Colourpop liquid lipsticks, so they do transfer and fade after eating. I however am not complaining because they're decently priced. I will definitely be adding at least two more to my collection.

Matte Liquid Lip in Windsor Rose

Price: R 85.00 (but I made use of the sales; 20% off or 3 for 2 specials)

6. The Body Shop Spa Of The World Hawaiian Kukui Cream 350ml
I'm a sucker for a good body cream; I've been eyeing the ones from the Spa of the World range for years but the price though...
Clicks had a 30% off in May, so I took that opportunity to purchase one of them. This cream has a velvet butter consistency with a faint floral scent. I love it! It's not heavy at all and it's easily absorbed into the skin and the moisturising effect is long lasting.
Price: R 380.00 ( I got it for R 266.00).

And those were my favourites for the month. What prodcuts did you enjoy using last month? Let me know in the comments section below.

See you in my next post, 

xoxo

N

April Hair & Beauty Favourites

 Hi loves,
Can you believe that it's almost winter? Time is flying ...faster than I would like.
I thought I'd share some of my favourites among the products I've been using recently.

1. Fountain - The Hair Molecule
I believe in taking multivitamins to supplement a healthy diet; they can't replace eating well but they do fill in some gaps. I've been taking Vital Hair, Skin & Nails for more than 5 years and they work really, but I was curious about liquid supplemments that have been launched in the last couple of years. I decided to try this food supplement from Deciem. I've been taking it for more than a month now (two teaspoons a day), I haven't done a length check but I've noticed that the amount of hair shed on wash day is much less. I'll be taking these for two more months before I do a full review.
Price: $ 39 (from Deciem) and ZAR 712 (from Bay One for Africa)

Image from www.deciem.com

2. The Ordinary - 10% Niacinamide + 1% Zinc
My second favourite is another one from Deciem, but the from the The Ordinary; which is one of their skincare ranges.  The premise behind this rnage is to provide effective skincare, at a reseaonable price. I decided to try the niacinamide (vitamin B3) solution (purchased from SAMIKA) as I've been struggling with hormonal breakout and subsequent blemishes. I've been using it every morning for the last month after cleansing and toning. The dark marks along my jawline have deifintely faded and my pores aren't as noticable anymore. It alos works really well under my makeup, so it's definitely a keeper. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other products from this range: I've got my eye on the Glycolic acid toner and the "buffet". 
Price: $ 5.90 (Deciem), ZAR 230 (SAMIKA) and ZAR 149.98 (Bay One for Africa)

Image from www.Deciem.com

3. My Natural Hair - Strengthening Oil
My Natural Hair is a locally produced haircare range that launched in 2016 (I've done a full review on all their products and you cna find it here). My hair is currently in a protective style; I've been wearing gypsy/bohemian faux locs for the last four weeks. I used this oil to seal moisture into my hair strands when I installed the locs. I've also been using as a scalp oil. I love using this oil because its light and non-greasy, easily absorbed.
Price: ZAR 79.99

Image from www.mynatural.co.za

4. Hada Labo - Mild Peeling Lotion
My friends travelled to Asia in April and I took this opportunity to request some asian skincare goodies. I've been wanting to try out peeling lotions but I didn't want to jump directly to strong acids, so I decided to start with this toner with gluconic acid. It's got a light acid scent not unlike highly diluted apple cider vinegar. I've been using it in the morinings after cleansing; It's refreshing and not drying at all. It's a keeper and I'll ahve to find a way of stocking up seeing as it's not readily availble in South Africa.
Price: MYR 54.80 (Watsons Malaysia)

Image from www.hadalabo.com.sg

5.  Lancôme - Teint Idole Ultra 24Hr in 14 Brownie
Change is season, comes with a change in skin tone; I get a shade lighter in the winter and my yellow undertones are more pronounced (my bb creams run a little too red) and this foundation is the only one I can wear all year round without getting "mask face" it's super light, so it doesn't feel like I'm wearing foundation. It's also long lasting, I wear it all day without re-touching. This is my absolute favourite foundation!
Price: $47 (USA Lancome website), ZAR 499.00 (www.woolworths.co.za)

Image from www.lancome.co.uk

6. Sephora - Cream Lip Stain in Always Red
whenever I wear this liquid lippy, I get nostalgic; this is the first ever liquid lipstick I ever purchased. I got it at a Sephora across the square from the Spanish steps in Rome. So when I wear it, I think of one my favourite cities. It's the perfect shade of red and it looks good on everyone. 

Image from www.sephora.com

 

Always Red

And those were my favourites last month.What products did you enjoy using last month?

See you in my next post, 

xoxo, 

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,

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,