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30 March 2015

New things: The UK Haul

A few months ago my friend from France, Marcelle, told me that she and her husband are coming to South Africa on holiday and can she bring me anything? Obviously I jumped at the chance. Lists were consulted, new lists were made and filtered, and budgets were worked out. I gave her a long list of possibilities and a budget and told her to "go for it". This is the outcome...

I am beyond pleased with my haul and would definitely recommend Marcelle as a personal shopper of note! She also gave me a few things that she has used but that didn't agree with her, or that she didn't like. All contributions gladly accepted, I say.

Urban Decay Naked On The Run palette





First up is the amazing birthday present that Marcelle and her husband Steve gave me. When I opened the wrapped present I didn't ever dream that it could be the Urban Decay Naked On The Run palette, ahhhh! I'm only showing you a single photo now as I plan on swooning about it in it's own blog post soon.

Soap & Glory 


I have two Soap & Glory bath/shower products and two makeup products. First up is the Orangeasm Super Rich Body Butter and the Whipped Clean Luxe Cream Wash Shower Butter. The Orangeasm body butter smells like all things yummy. You can really smell the mandarin, Sicilian lemon, and the sweet orange peel oils, delicious! The Whipped Clean shower butter is a very interesting product. When glancing at the label you'd think it was a body lotion or a body butter, but it's in actual fact a shower cream/body wash. And it smells absolutely amazing: it contains cocoa, shea butter, grapeseed, sweet almond oil, as well as macadamia nut oils.

 
As for makeup, I have the Archery Brow Tint & Precision Shaping Pencil in "Brownie Points". It is dual-ended: the one end has a twist-up pencil (not a triangle-pencil like normal eyebrow shapers), and the other end has a super fine brush (almost a super fine highlighter!). I also now have the much-talked about Solar Powder which is a beautiful bronzer/highlighter duo with the finest of shimmers. 

Barry M nail polishes

Marcelle really went wild at the Barry M stand and I love her for it! She bought me four Gelly Hi-Shine nail paints and two nail paints from the Christmas collection (plans for this haul have been in place since the start of December 2014!). My Gelly polishes are Guava (a very non-guava light blue), Green Berry (turquoise), Papaya (a pastel orange), and Dragon Fruit (a baby pink with subtle shimmer). The Christmas collection polishes are Starlight (gold and silver glitter) and Moonlight (red and silver glitter). I can't wait to start painting!

NARS Laser Cut palette




This was my splurge-within-a-splurge item. Every year NARS releases a few Christmas collection items and this was one of them. It fits into my hand (I have quite big hands), and is a bit bulky but so beautiful. The packaging is sturdy and solid, and the lid is the most beautiful white flower "laser cut" pattern. Opening the palette reveals a large mirror in the lid, as well as a mini lipgloss (Dolce Vita) as well as three eyeshadows. The eyeshadows do not have individual names, they're just referred to as "Hardwired". From left to right is a light sandy colour, then a glittery gold, and then a matte khaki colour. I've only swatched the eyeshadows, but they feel buttery to the touch. 

But wait...that's not all! When you lift the "lip" below the gold shadow, it reveals a second little compartment that swivels over the lipgloss: a blush (Day Dream) and a bronzer (Laguna). I've wanted a Laguna bronzer for a while now, so I am pleased as punch with this selection. I will probably do a swoon-y blog post about this palette in the future.

Origins GinZing Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff




I've had a sample of this previously and really liked it. The Origins GinZing range is targeted at brightening the skin and injecting some serious illumination. The eye cream is a light peach colour and when applied it gives the skin a bit of brightness, gorgeous!

Kiehl's Aromatic Mist in Orange Flower & Lychee




I've used a sample of this as well, but sadly it's not available in South Africa. I've asked Kiehl's about it and they've said that they're looking into it but that they want to focus on skincare first.

The bottle is super understated, just what you'd expect from Kiehl's. The scent, however, is absolutely divine. Some people might think it's a bit too sweet, but to me it's the perfect blend of floral and fruity. Among the orange flower and lychee it contains a bit of honey and Moroccan rose. I'm not very good at describing scents, but trust me when I tell you this is a goodie.

More treats...


These are the treats that Marcelle has used but that either did not agree with her, or that she didn't like. Obviously I'm not talking about the Chanel lipstick, because who wouldn't get along with that?

She gifted me half a (half litre) bottle of Bioderma micellar water. I am a massive fan of this, but Marcelle says this still doesn't remove all of her Bourjois mascara, haha. I also received a travel size Caudalie cleansing milk (another French skincare brand). She's also told me a lot about the Cleanser 27 which is a thick cleansing balm (think Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm), but that it doesn't agree with her sensitive skin. I shall use it and report back.

Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Soothing Treatment Lotion

Wow, what a mouthful! This little green bottle really intrigued me, and after a Google search I learned that it is basically a toner for sensitive and dehydrated skin. You apply it where it is needed on a clean face, before moisturiser. The smell is very interesting...if I use my imagination it smells almost like mushroom soup. I wouldn't want to put mushroom soup on my face, but I still actually like the scent...

Chanel Rouge HydraBase in 170 Gypsy Scarlet



A quick Google search revealed that this is a discontinued lipstick, so I'm extra chuffed that it is now in my possession! It's a beautiful pink red with a bit of shine, and promises to feel hydrating on the lips.

If you're reading this, congratulations are in order for getting this far! Thanks for reading until the end. Please let me know in the comments section which products you'd like me to review first.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

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