In My Travel Bag

I feel like I haven't done one of these posts in forever. I don't know about you, but these are some of my favourite types of posts to read (and to write!). The husband and I are going to the Kruger National Park for the long weekend and I couldn't be more excited. I've only ever gone to the KNP for work, so I'm looking forward to be touristy and having the husband with me. It will most likely be very hot and humid, and we will be outdoors for most of the time, so I had to take that into consideration when packing.

Makeup

Let's start with the most fun part: the makeup. The thinking here was: minimal makeup with a built-in SPF. Pictured above is the Vichy Capital Soleil SPF 50 BB cream which serves as a facial SPF as well as a BB cream. I've never used this before, but it sounded perfect for the trip as I don't want to go completely barefaced, but I also don't want to wear a lot of makeup.

For concealing I packed the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer and for setting that concealer, the Bourjois Healthy Balance powder that I've spoken about a lot. I'm assuming it is going to be scorching hot, so I didn't pack eyeshadows, but rather my Mac Paint Pot in "Groundwork". For blush I packed my newly acquired The Balm Hot Mama! blush, which is a beautiful glowy coral colour. I can't skimp on my eyebrows, so I packed the Billion Dollar Brows Universal Brow Pencil and the essence Make Me Brow in "02 Browny Brows". The Maybelline The Falsies Volum Express Mascara is looking after my lashes, and two drugstore lipsticks complete the picture. I packed Catrice Luminous Lips in "120 Wood Rose Propose?" and the new essence Liquid Lipstick in "Beauty Secret".

As for tools I tried to keep the brushes to a minimum, but that's not an easy task. For BB cream I packed my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, for setting powder the Real Techniques Setting Brush, for blush the Cargo Blush Brush, for eyes the Cala blending brush, and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge for touch ups and to blend my concealer.

Skincare

This is probably the least number of skincare products I have packed for a weekend away and I'm quite chuffed with my picks!

For cleansing I packed Sorbet Hydro Skin Cleansing Wipes. I've never used these wipes so I'm very excited to try it. I also packed a travel size Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser and a small cloth. Instead of a normal toner I decided to pack a travel size Vichy Eau Thermale thermal water spritz. My full size Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentration is finished and I luckily still have a sample to use. A small Payot Perform Lift Regard sorts out the eye area, and a mini Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate ensures that I have plump skin. The two travel sized Clarins Bright Plus moisturisers (day cream and night cream) are coming in extremely handy! I always have Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream with me as it can be used for basically anything, especially sunburn and insect bites.

I hope you enjoyed the peek into my travel bag! The only thing I like more than packing for a holiday, is seeing what other people pack. So send me links to your travel bag blog posts!

Until next time!

Hildegarde

xoxo

The Great Micellar Water Face-Off

Threatening as this title sounds, both micellar waters that I'm mentioning today are super gentle, even on sensitive skins.

Bioderma Sebium H20 Micellar Water

Bioderma is a well-known French pharmacy brand and they were the first brand whose micellar water was available in South Africa. There is a pink bottle for sensitive skin (my personal favourite) and a green bottle (pictured above) for combination oily skin. Both do the same job, but the pink bottle is for some or other reason more expensive. This micellar water removes everything from eyeliner to waterproof mascara, and even the most stubborn matte lipsticks. But at nearly R200 for 250 ml this makes for a very expensive makeup remover.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Garnier also has two variants out: a pink bottle for sensitive skin and a green one for combination oily skin. I have waited for this to reach our shores for more than a year, and boy am I glad the wait is over. This micellar water is just as amazing as the ones from Bioderma and are also available from Clicks. The best part? It costs R85 for a whopping 400 ml.

The verdict

You will never hear me knocking the Bioderma brand, as I have nothing but love for them, but as a girl on a budget, I just can't turn a blind eye to the difference in price.

Will you be buying the Garnier micellar water? Tell me what you think about it!

Until next time!

Hildegarde

xoxo

My New Favourite Foundation

I felt that this post deserved a bold title. After all, it's not often that I rave and swoon about a foundation. Regular readers of the blog will know that I mostly wear BB and CC creams as I find foundations to be too cakey and mask-like. After reading about this foundation on international blogs, I was thrilled to see it at my local Dischem. The lovely lady was kind enough to give me two sample pots as they didn't have my shade on both times I went there. After using the first sample, I was already hooked and bought the full sized product. I present to you... L'Oreal Infallible 24H-Matte Mattifying Foundation in "20 Sand".

My skin is combination oily, and by 11:00 I usually start to resemble an oil slick in the T-zone area. A lot of blotting and powdering ensues, and at about 15:00 I have to do all this again. That doesn't happen with the L'Oreal Mattifying foundation. Granted, I still need to powder a bit at lunchtime and again just before going home, but my goodness, is it an improvement! The word "mattifying" did scare me, as mattifying products usually tend to look cakey and flat, but not this. It's not a glow-inducing foundation, so don't expect radiant cheeks, but it does keep the oil and shine at bay without making you look flat and lifeless.

The texture isn't runny, nor it it a thick cream. It kind of sits in the middle and applies beautifully. I dot a bit on each cheek, on my nose, on my chin, and on my forehead. I then use my Real Techniques Buffing brush or Expert Face brush to buff everything in. The foundation basically disappears into the skin, which I absolutely love. There is nothing I hate more than seeing stripes or "brush strokes" on my skin after applying foundation. Just to be sure everything is blended in nicely I go in with a damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

The foundation works well on its own, but it works even better with a primer underneath. L'Oreal have brought out a primer especially for this foundation, but I haven't tried it yet. Does anyone have any thoughts on the primer? Please let me know!

My skin normally eats my makeup, so that by the time I remove the day's makeup there isn't anything left except, well, dirt. This, however, hangs around until you want to take it off. Take yesterday for example: I did my makeup at around 08:00 and when I removed it at 21:00, it was still there. Now if that isn't a testament to its staying ability, I don't know what is.

You can buy this from Dischem (R175) and Clicks (R189, but currently on 10% off for club card holders).

Have you ever used this foundation? Did my raving review convince you to buy it? Let me know!

Until next time!

Hilegarde

xoxo

Review: OGX Coconut Water Shampoo and Conditioner

Coconut seems to be all the rage at the moment, and so is sulphate-free and paraben-free haircare products. Put these two things together and you get OGX Coconut Water shampoo and conditioner!

I've seen one or two OGX haircare products in the Foschini at Sandton City (random, I know), and then suddenly the brand stormed into Dischem stores around the country. There are about three or four different variants, but this one immediately caught my eye. I do love coconut, and it seemed like a nice and summery combo that won't weigh my hair down. As I've already mentioned around these parts, I wash my hair every day. Sometimes over the weekend it happens that I have to wash my hair twice in one day (say if I showered on Sunday morning and washed my hair, I have to shower and wash my hair Sunday evening again so that it's nice and clean for Monday). This shampoo and conditioner combo is hydrating but also weightless. I once read that the clearer your shampoo, the less build-up it creates. So if I need to wash my hair twice in one day, I'm going to go for a clear shampoo.

The consistency of the shampoo is a bit weird. It's a thick gel, but it's not easy squeezing it out of the bottle: as soon as you squeeze the bottle and let go, most of the gel is sucked back into the bottle. The conditioner, however, is a nice and thick gel-cream (and is not clear, obviously). The smell is gorgeous, but be warned: if you hate coconut, you will most probably hate these products. It really smells like coconut. At first I didn't like the smell of the shampoo as it smells a bit too...raw, if that makes sense. It has grown on me, and I really enjoy the scent that lingers in my hair during the day. The shampoo produces a nice thick foam and leaves your hair feeling clean and nourished, but not squeaky. The conditioner is rich but not overly so. It hydrates your hair without weighing it down.

The products cost R149 each at Dischem. I'm keen to try out some of the other OGX ranges. Have you ever tried any of their products? Let me know in the comments section!

Until next time!

Hildegarde

xoxo

Unboxing: The Test Box - September

The Test Box for September includes two haircare products and a body product, which is something very new to The Test Box. Let's dig in, shall we?

Joico Smooth Cure Shampoo and Conditioner (50 ml)*

Both the shampoo and conditioner are sulphate-free, meaning that it is extra gentle on coloured hair. The shampoo and conditioner work together to combat frizz and to restore moisture to the hair, making it soft, smooth, and manageable.

Both products smell deliciously fruity and glide onto the hair. The products are not overly rich, but you can feel them coating the hair strands. If you have very fine and thin hair, this might be too rich for you, but the products are intended for frizzy, curly, and coarse hair anyway.

You can buy the shampoo here for R220 for 300 ml, and the conditioner here for R230 for 300 ml.

Scruff Coffee Body Scrub (40 ml)*

Scruff comes all the way from Cape Town and is a natural exfoliater and cleanser. Its oil hydrate skin and the antioxidants present are good for your skin. According to The Test Box, this scrub can be used on both the face and body, bonus!

This isn't a coffee fragranced scrub, this is a proper coffee scrub. The smell will fill the whole bathroom! The coffee granules are not too fine, nor too coarse. It's fine enough not to irritate the skin, which is a bonus if you have sensitive skin.

You can buy the scrub here for R145 for 180g.

The September Test Box costs R160 and you can buy it here. Happy shopping!

Until next time!

Hildegarde

xoxo

* PR sample

Monthly Favourites: August

My small blog break is over and I feel a bit better than two weeks ago. Onwards and upwards, I suppose! I'm starting my re-entry into blogging with one of my favourite types of posts (to read and to write!): monthly favourites. This month's loot is quite a mixed bag and I hope you enjoy it.

Hair care

Dischem recently started stocking OGX hair care products and I couldn't be more excited. I bought the Coconut Water shampoo and conditioner (I will do a full review soon), and I'm really enjoying it. I don't use it every time I wash my hair, but I like to alternate between this and richer shampoo and conditioner combinations.

I received the milk_shake Incredible Milk* in a Retailbox Secret Box (I did a review on it here), and at first I didn't get along with it quite so well. The incredible smell (it smells like creme caramel) resulted in me spraying way too much product on my hair, making everything a bit crunchy. I've since started experimenting a bit, and find that two to three sprays into the palm of my hand is enough for the roots and the lengths of my hair. I rub my palms together and distribute the product through my hair. This acts, among other things, as a heat-protectant, and I use it before blowdrying my hair.

Skincare

The much-hyped about Garnier Micellar Water (featured here is the one for sensitive skin) lives up to expectations and I am so happy that it's finally available in SA! I will do a full review on this soon, so keep an eye out if you're wondering whether to buy it or not. The bottle is huge and costs about 60% less than its French skincare alternative.

I bought the REN Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser a month or so ago when REN had a promotion on their website. I've used this cleanser most nights  to wash off makeup as well as the stresses of the day. It smells lovely (soft rose scent) and is creamy, feeling luxurious and soothing on the skin. It gently cleanses the skin without drying it out or making it greasy. The bottle is small and lightweight with a cap that clips on tightly over the pump, making it perfect for travelling.

Makeup

Another much-hyped about product that lives up to its name is the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. Another product that made its way onto our shores, yay! The texture of this primer is silky and it glides onto the skin, ensuring your skin is evened out, and that makeup stays in place for longer. It's also perfect for travelling as the tube is very small and has a screw-on lid.

I picked up this Catrice BB cream at a Dischem sale, so I'm not sure if it's still available. It's called a "BB Allround Foundation Multi-Benefit makeup". It includes six benefits, one of which being an SPF of 30. I have it in the shade "010 Light Beige" and I thought that it would be too light for me, but I find that it adapts well to my skintone. It's a nice and light BB cream and blends into the skin easily. The high SPF is also a bonus!

I'm on the hunt for The Perfect Brow Routine and in my quest I've started looking at brow mascaras. This essence Make Me Brow eyebrow mascara in the shade "02 Browny Brows" is an inexpensive product that you use to comb a mascara-like substance through your brow hairs. The spoolie is teeny tiny, the perfect size for combing through brows. The colour is a dark chocolate brown and I find that if I remove some of the excess on a tissue and use a light hand, I can obtain the perfect colour to match my hair.

And with that, the end of another monthly favourite post! What were your favourites? Come on, enable me!

Until next time!

Hildegarde

xoxo

* PR sample