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17 August 2017

New from Skin Creamery

A while back I did a post about the Skin Creamery products that I bought (you can read it here). A few weeks ago I did another spot of shopping (this time on Faithful-To-Nature's website) and bought a few new things.


I bought another The Everyday Cream (for face and body) but I'm keeping that as either a backup or as a present for someone (I'm still deciding) so I'm not featuring it in this post.

Oil-Milk Facial Cleanser

This comes in the same packaging as the Everyday Cream - a 200 ml frosted glass bottle with a pump. The cleanser is a thick almost gel-like consistency and is a pale, almost milky colour. It contains sesame oil, baobab, and melon seed. I pump a few pumps of this into my hand and apply it to dry, dirty skin. I find that I need about three pumps which seems excessive, but I find that with less it doesn't give me a nice slip to spread it over my skin. After massaging it into my skin (even over my eyes, there's no stinging), I take a little bit of water and work that into my skin. The cleanser immediately turns from an oily gel to a light milky texture. I then use a facial sponge or a hot cloth to gently remove all the cleanser from my face, before rinsing everything off one last time. My skin is left clean and super soft, and not dry at all. The scent is also incredible, just what we've come to expect from Skin Creamery. It smells herby and delicious and I think what attracts me to most Skin Creamery scents is the melon seed, delicious!

Skin Tonic

This was the product I was looking forward to trying the most as you all know I love a good spritz. I initially thought that you would spritz it directly onto your skin, but the directions tell you to pump a few drops onto a cotton round (or your hand) and then apply it to your skin. The applicator on the bottle also prevents you from spritzing it on your skin, it dispenses drops, not a spritz. The tonic contains baobab, malachite, and rose (which is always a good ingredient in a toner or spritzer). The tonic looks like some of those bi-phase makeup removers: an oily part on top and a watery part on the bottom. My favourite way to use this is to shake it first and then apply a few drops to a cotton round and use it as a toner after using the oil-milk cleanser. The scent of this is also delicious and the rose scent makes it nice and sweet, but not in a sickly way. Better yet, you have to smell it for yourself.

I bought these goodies on Faithful-To-Nature's website but you can also get them from Skin Creamery's own website. These products are not cheap, but if you're serious about skincare, or just want to treat yourself or someone else, they are perfect.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

14 August 2017

Empties Post #10: Skincare

I've apparently used up a lot of serums these past few months so I thought I'd show you what I used and tell you if I'd repurchase any of it.


Serums


I love French skincare and Vichy is one of my favourite brands. The Vichy Aqualia Thermal serum comes in a classy and sleek blue pump bottle. It's quite expensive for a drugstore serum so not something I would necessarily purchase monthly. I can't remember the price and I can't seem to find it on Clicks' website, but I believe it to be around R400. But...it does give the skin a nice boost of hydration and everything you put on afterwards just looks and sits better. I'd maybe repurchase this as part of a 3-for-2 promotion.

Ahhh, The Body Shop's Vitamin E Intense Moisture Serum. I have probably gone through about four of these and I still like it. The plastic pump bottle is light and compact, making it perfect for travelling. It doesn't exactly revolutionise my skin, but for the price point (R180) it's definitely worth buying. The Body Shop also regularly have sales and special offers, so this is a good item to put in your basket next time you're there.

Lately I've been loving Neutrogena's products. The Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Anti-wrinkle Serum comes in a sturdy bottle with a pump. At R180 at Clicks (although Dischem is usually cheaper) this is also a very good deal if you think about the fact that this actually contains Retinol (although I can't find out the amount) and multivitamins. I have repurchased this and will continue doing so in future.

Another French pharmacy goodie is the Avène Hydrance serum. It comes in a clear plastic bottle with a pump and the serum itself is quite milky. It doesn't smell like anything and is a fuss-free hydrating serum. At R299 it's quite expensive for the drugstore, but Avène is a great brand and they also regularly have 3-for-2 specials at Clicks.

All four these serums are 30 ml each (with the exception of the Neutrogena which is 29 ml, odd), so it's easy to compare the prices. The Vichy serum is by far the most expensive, with Avène coming in second. The Body Shop and the Neutrogena offerings are the cheapest. I won't only go on price when comparing these products, but if you're on a budget, it's nice to know what's out there.

Eye care



The Vichy Aqualia Thermal Awakening Eye Balm offers dynamic hydration and is paraben-free. It comes in a small pump bottle and although my eye area felt nice and hydrated, I can't say that it did anything more. I probably won't be repurchasing this.

The Body Shop's Drops of Youth Youth Eye Concentrate is a pretty nifty product. It comes in a thick pen-sized bottle with a weird tip with a metallic roller ball. When you press the "button" on the side the product is dispensed around the roller ball. You then use the roller ball to massage the product onto the skin. It hydrates my under eye area nicely and there's been no flaking or peeling or redness. I'm also busy with my second bottle of this, so you can tell that I like it. It's not the best eye cream I've ever used, but I like the hydration and the cooling sensation, plus, at R195 it's not a bad deal.

Which of these products have you used? Would you recommend it? Let me know in the comments section!

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

07 August 2017

Travel Post: One Night in Cullinan - What to do?

A week ago I blogged about our one night stay in Cullinan (you can read it here). Today's post is about what there is to do in Cullinan. There is obviously much more to do than what's in this post, but these are the kind of things that we like to do.

Oak Avenue

Oak avenue is a short street, but probably the most important (and famous) street in Cullinan. It houses everything from a jeweller to restaurants, shops, a venue, and mine tours. There's a Harrie's Pancakes, le Pate a Choux, As Greek As It Gets, Oak Guest house, Cullinan Mine Tours, Whispering Oaks Garden Cafe, Jan Harmsgat se Agterplaas (venue), Rust in White (shop), The Cockpit Brewhouse, and Studio 14 Gallery. We've spent many Sunday afternoons strolling down Oak avenue perusing all the little shops and eating at restaurants.



The Cockpit Brewhouse

Our favourite place to eat in Cullinan has to be The Cockpit Brewhouse. Long before the days of Capital Craft (which I love dearly!) we ate beer-inspired lunches and drank delicious beers from The Cockpit's own brewery. The husband and I actually featured in the background of an interview between Valiant Swart and The Cockpit's brewmaster and owner on the Afrikaans TV show "Mooiloop" a few years ago!

Their menu consists mainly of pub lunches and I can highly recommend the beer-battered fish and chips and the burgers. They also brew six beers which you can taste for free before deciding which one you want to drink a full size of. On weekends there are live music and I've always felt right at home there. It feels like you're having a lazy lunch in someone's front yard!




Cocopan Coffees

A fairly new (well, new to us) addition to Oak avenue is Cocopan Coffees. It's a tiny shop where you can buy coffee and either drink it outside on the cute stools, or inside by the coal stove that they fire up in winter. We had lunch at The Cockpit and, after wandering around Oak avenue, stopped here for cappuccinos and oats cookies. They also sell huge soft serve ice creams for something ridiculous like R10 a cone, bargain!








Oppistasie

After a lazy hotel afternoon nap we wanted to try out Oppistasie as we always see their signs when entering Oak avenue and because it's one of the only restaurants that are open in the evening. It was too dark to take photos of the place, but it's out on a dirt road close to Cullinan station. Driving there in the dark we weren't certain we were on the right path, but just before we wanted to take out the GPS the restaurant appeared before us. It's very quirky and I loved the three cats roaming around the restaurant. They weren't a nuisance but it was fun watching them snoozing and playing with each other.

We were both in the mood for steaks so we ordered steaks with chips and a mushroom sauce. As you can see our steaks were buried under a mountain of homemade mushroom sauce! I've never eaten out of a shovel so this was definitely an experience! Next time I'd like to return during the day so that I can take pictures and explore the place more.



We also went to the jewellery store, the gallery, the sweet shop, the shop that sells other people's crafts, and the second hand bookstore. There truly is something for everyone!

Have you ever been to Cullinan? What can you recommend we do next? Let me know in the comments section.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

03 August 2017

Monthly Favourites: July

This month's favourites are oddly enough centred around makeup. I'm still using and loving my skincare items from the previous months, so I'm not including them again.


Eucerin Urea Repair Plus Replenishing Body Wash

I read about this body wash on numerous blog posts and when I heard about the benefits, I knew that it would do the trick. My skin gets incredibly dry in winter (especially since I'm not too keen on applying body lotion in winter, oops) and my husband's skin is even worse. And he is even worse at applying body lotion... This body wash is quite pricey at R180, but the bottle is a nice and big 400 ml. It comes in a pump bottle so very handy to use in the shower. The body wash is colourless and odourless and contains 5% urea which is incredibly good at moisturising. It's aimed at very dry and rough skin and it replenishes the skin's moisture. The condition of our skins have improved a lot and I can highly recommend it for dry winter months. I recently spoke about it here.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in "05 Lovely Pink"



I've had this shimmery, marbled beauty for a while but this past month it's been my go-to for a healthy, natural flush on my cheeks. It's a light pink with flecks of bronze and shimmer running through it. The blush is quite fine but not powdery or chalky. All in all a very nice blush for everyday use.

Wet N Wild eyeshadow in "Nutty"



This eyeshadow single is so cute and small, perfect for popping in your handbag or travel makeup bag. It's a beautiful taupe-y brown, although it comes out more bronze and gold in photos. It has an almost metallic finish but is perfectly suited for day and night. I like to use it as an all-over shade across my eyelids and then just blend out the edges. The texture is smooth and buttery, exactly what we've come to love from Wet N Wild.

Benefit Erase Paste




I've been using this as my under-eye corrector for the past month. I have it in the shade "2 Medium" which is a salmon-coloured cream. It's very creamy and I find it blends easier than my Bobbi Brown Corrector. I dot it in the inner corners of my eyes and blend it downwards so that only the bluest of areas are covered. I then follow it up with my normal concealer.

Maybelline BrowPrecise Fiber Filler in "Deep Brown"



I've been using the essence brow mascara for months and when I heard Camilla from All Dolled Up rave about this product from Maybelline, I had to give it a try. The applicator is quite weird: it's shaped like a spade and there's tiny spikes only on one side. When I comb it through my brows I find that it distributes a fair amount of product and that everything looks nice and polished. I didn't think it would work, but I am quite impressed by this weird little applicator. If you're on the market for a new brow product, give this one a whirl.

Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Angel Mascara 


I bought this mascara on a whim and when I opened it up at home I didn't think that I would like it. At all. This is such a weird-looking mascara wand, but boy, does it work! Instead of normal bristles all the way round it basically only has a comb. I find that it combs through my lashes and separates them nicely. There's also no mascara rubbing off on my brow bone, which is always a bonus for me.

And that's it from me in the favourites department! What were your favourites for July? Let me know in the comments section.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo