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27 July 2017

Stuttafords - The End of an Era and a Few Last Things From The Balm

On 1 August 2017 the iconic Stuttafords chain store will officially close its doors. I am deeply saddened by this, as Stuttafords has always been synonymous with a glamorous and chic lifestyle. In its 150+ years it was definitely something that South Africans could be proud of. I also feel incredibly sorry for all the employees and I hope they find work quickly. I will always think back to all the fun perfume events I was invited to at the Sandton Stuttafords and I will cherish the bottle of Versace Eros that I won at one of the events.

During the last few months Stuttafords have had numerous sales and at one of these sales I picked up a few The Balm items. I like The Balm's products so I am a bit nervous as to who will stock it now that Stuttafords no longer will.



Mary-Lou Manizer and Cindy-Lou Manizer




I already have the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter, but mine's a few years old and it's starting to show. I bought another one as backup as well as the Cindy-Lou Manizer. Now, for those of you who don't know, these Lou Manizer sisters are all face products: Mary-Lou Manizer is a beautiful rich golden highlighter, while Cindy-Lou Manizer is more of a pinky peach blush (but can also be used as a highlighter and eyeshadow), and Betty-Lou Manizer is a bronzer (or eyeshadow or highlighter for darker skin tones). The texture of both these products is super fine and there aren't any specks of glitter, the only glitter you see is shimmer. The packaging is super cute and fun and the compacts itself are pretty thin and solid with a mirror.

The Balm Voyage





This palette is just too cute for words. When I saw it for the first time I knew I had to have it. It comes in thin cardboard packaging and the front lifts open in two sections. It contains nine eyeshadows, a highlighter, a bronzer, two blushes, and two lip-and-cheek products. The eyeshadows range from nude to very dark, the highlighter should suit most skin tones, as will the dusky and pink blushes, and the bronzer looks quite dark (might be a good contour shade?). The lip-and-cheek products are orangey red and red. Each item has a quirky travel-related name and I think the entire thing is just beautifully put-together. I haven't used this so I can't comment on the quality other than swatching (which was nice).

I wanted to go back and get more The Balm products, but by then all the Stuttafords stores close to me were closed already. I think the last remaining one was in Sandton, but I'm assuming they will also be closed now. If you know who else stocks The Balm, please let me know.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

2 comments:

  1. Last time I checked retailbox sold the balm. Think they are a bit more expensive. Maybe wait until they have a sale.

    The one in Canal Walk also closed. H&M opening in its place. They were just too expensive and not part of a larger group like the other retailers.

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    1. Retailbox used to stock it but they only have like three items on their site. No matter the reason, it's a shame Stuttafords is closing down. Thanks for commenting!

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