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19 June 2017

Empties Post #9: Haircare

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, partly because I threw all of my empties away when we were moving house middle of last year. I mean, who wants to lug bags of trash around? I've slowly but surely built up a collection of beauty trash and today we're starting with haircare.


Garnier Ultimate Blends The Sleek Restorer Shampoo and Conditioner


I really like the Garnier shampoos and conditioners and The Sleek Restorer range smells like cocoa, hmmm! It contains coconut oil and cocoa butter and is said to help with frizzy and unruly hair. It's also available everywhere (Clicks, Dischem, PnP, and Checkers) and doesn't cost a lot. Clicks usually have them on 3-for-2 promotions and then it works out even cheaper. The shampoo and conditioner isn't necessarily the best I've ever used, but for the price point it's pretty darn good. It leaves my hair soft and smelling like cocoa, so what more could you want? I have repurchased this (well, the conditioner at least) but I would like to try other variants in the Garnier range next time.


VO5 Strong Hold Hairspray


I bought this gigantic can on a whim when my beloved L'Oreal Elnett spray was finished. It doesn't look that way, but believe me, a 400 ml can of hairspray is a lot of hairspray. It claims to be weather resistant (your 'do won't fall flat when it's raining?) which I can't confirm, but it smells delicious and it holds my curls in place all day long without being crunchy or sticky. If they come out with a travel size I will definitely buy it (why don't everyone do travel size hairsprays?), otherwise I will be sticking with my Elnett spray (which I have repurchased in the meantime). I really like this hairspray, but I like the Elnett more.


L'Oreal Ultra Riche Intense Nourishing Mask


This range from L'Oreal is touted as a drugstore alternative for Pureology. It's very luxurious and creamy, but without any sulphates. I've only tried the Ultra Riche range as the other two ranges didn't appeal to me at the time. I've gone through quite a few shampoos, conditioners, and now this mask. It's super creamy and if this gets on the shower floor you best know you're going to be slipping around in there. About once a week or once every two weeks I use this mask instead of conditioner and just leave it on while I do the rest of my washing and primping in the shower. I then run a wide tooth comb through my hair and rinse it. It makes my hair ridiculously soft and I will definitely repurchase it. This and the other variants are often on special at Clicks so you can buy a shampoo, a conditioner, and this mask, and then get either the shampoo or conditioner for free. Bargain! At R169 it's not the cheapest drugstore shampoo or conditioner, but it's still half the price of Pureology.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

12 June 2017

New from the Drugstore

I've been collecting a few new things from the drugstore and thought I'd put them all in a post to share with you. There's a few bits from Catrice, from essence, and from Maybelline.

Catrice







Catrice has really been killing it in the high-quality, low-cost department lately. They stopped making their old seven-shadow palettes and replaced them with four nine-shadow palettes. I have the one called "The Precious Copper Collection" and the shadows are absolutely beautiful. All nine shadows are shimmery but there's no chunks of glitter, only metallic shimmer. The shades are warm-toned and gradually go from rose gold on the left to coppery bronze in the middle, to a rich chocolate brown on the right. There is also a "Light" shade (opal) and a "Sculpt" shade (purpley brown). The shadows blend nicely and I get a decent amount of wear out of them. There are three other palettes in the range: The Essential Nude Collection (nude shades), The Modern Matt Collection (pinky nude matt shades), and The Nude Blossom Collection (pinky shades). You can pick these palettes up for R99 each at Dischem.

I bought The Liquid Luminizer Strobing Pen in "020 Ready for Champagne!" on a whim, and although the colour is gorgeous, I find the applicator a bit difficult to work with. Concealer in a pen form, that I can do. Highlighter in a pen form? Not so much. I find that it dries down quite quickly, however, if I put a few drops on the back of my hand and then either use a stippling brush or a damp sponge and gently dab it onto the high points of my face, I can get a blotch-free application. This shade is a beautiful champagne gold, kind of like a liquid version of The Balm's Mary Lou-manizer.

essence






Essence completely revamped their stands and I for one couldn't be happier. There's always something fun and new to try out, but this revamp made me feel like a kid in a candy store! I tried the Volume Stylist Lash Extension Mascara that contains lengthening fibers. I love the packaging, especially the textured cap. The mascara is quite wet and thick and it makes my lashes look nice and thick. The shape of the wand didn't do anything as far as I could tell, but I like that it's quite straight. I can't comment on the 18 hour claim (who wears mascara for that long?!) but all in all I liked it, even though it did transfer slightly onto my brow bone.

I'm a big fan of the original Lash Princess Mascara and I'm liking this Lash Princess Sculpted Volume Mascara as well. I like the curved wand as I can cover all my lashes in one swipe. This mascara transfers much less than the Volume Stylist one and I've been using this one exclusively for the past month.

I've seen setting sprays that can be used as primers, setting sprays that give you a glow, and setting sprays that make your makeup last ridiculously long, but never have I seen a setting spray being marketed as "mattifying". This one claims to instantly mattify your skin post-makeup application, and that it is oil-free. I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, as I was scared that my makeup would look cake-y or that it would dry out my skin, but I am pleasantly surprised. It doesn't make my makeup look glowy, so I have to be careful to not use too much powder when setting my makeup. But I do find that my skin stays shine-free for longer and that I have to powder less during the day. So, a thumbs-up from me!

Maybelline




Sticking with strobing, the new Maybelline Master Strobing Sticks are creating quite a stir in the beauty world. People love the compact applicator and the beautiful shades. There are only two shades (there might be more overseas, but here we only get two), and I have the cooler shade "100 Light Iridescent". It comes in a twist-up stick and the texture is creamy and smooth with no chunkiness. It applies easily to the high points of the face and I either swipe it directly onto my cheekbones and blend it out with a brush, or I dab my stippling brush in the product before dapping it onto my face. The texture is similar to Benefit's Watts Up highlighter (I have a feeling the shade "200 Medium Nude Glow" might be a dupe for Benefit?), but at a fraction of the price. 

Have you used any of these products? Let me know in the comment section!

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo