My Latest Beauty Haul...

I am seriously considering buying shares in Clicks and/or Dischem! Either that or I have to start attending BPA (Beauty Products Anonymous) meetings *sigh*. I find it very hard to walk out of either shops without buying ANYTHING! So I thought maybe if I keep a 'beauty diary' (ala food diary) and share with you my purchases it will hopefully shock me into buying less??? O well, one can only try and hope for the best. That or a steady income to support my growing beauty addiction ;)

So lets see my latest offense...

1. Essence Nail Cuticle Softener Pencil. I've been searching for this type of product for a while now. There are a few out there, but they are a bit pricie for my pocket! Finally I found this one from Essence and @R34.95 really is almost a third of the price if other similar products out there. It contains apricot seed and jojoba oils that will help soften your cuticles so you can easily push them back, either with the tip or the specially designed cap. It also has a nice citrus smell to it.This is definitely a product I would repurchase!

2. Yankee Candles. As I am writing this post my Apple Cider Yankee candle is burning very bright! I've only heard great things about these candles and they're always on a few girls' wish list. Finally I saw them in a store and bought two minis - Apple Cider and Midsummer's Night. The Apple Cider smells like Christmas and the Midsummer's Night a little bit manly, which I like because it reminds me of my dad. I think buying these minis is a great way of trying different types and finding your favourite without making serious damage to your monthly budget. I bought the minis @R40 per candle at a tabaco shop of all places! I'm not aware of specific retailer, but I'm sure if you keep your eyes (and nose!) open you will find them. 

3. Exfoliac Acnomega 100, Matifying Care. Exfoliac is a Noreva Laboratories product, which in turn is part of Cipla. That's quite a mouthful, but I thought you'd like to know that it's part of a pharmaceutical company, where as most beauty products we buy is from beauty companies. This product is highly recommended for people with acne problems and it can be uses in conjunction with medical treatment. So I may not have the worst skin, but it's always good to prevent rather than treat! One of the ingredients is glycolic acid which is one of the most common AHA used in skin care products. So what does this mean? This cream will gently exfoliate your skin whenever you are using it, thus help get rid of dead skin that can clog pores and contribute to blemishes. I'm very eager to try this product and will give you a full review when I've used it for a bit. O yes, @R81,95 for 30ml it's  not waaay expensive either! And as far as I know it's only available at Dischem, if you don't find it on the shelf just ask at the beauty counter and I'm sure they'll be able to help :)

*Note: Please remember this is my personal opinion regarding Exfoliac and if you're really struggling with acne it is always best to visit your doctor or dermatologist. Also it might not be the best idea to use this product and a product that contains retinol at the same time! 

4. Catrice Ultimate Colour 060 in Oh Juicy! As you can see on the photo this is a very bright orange and exactly what I was looking for ;) The colour pay-off is great and it has nice creamy texture. @R54.95 you won't break the bank buying this lippie! I'm very happy with this purchase as I was really searching far and wide for an affordable bright orange lipstick. Despite the fact that I bought the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 040 Rendezvous the other day (I told you I have a problem!), I couldn't resist this popping colour which I knew would give a greater pay-off. So my plan of action is to initially use the Catrice and just fill the spaces with the Revlon when it wears off during the day or night. Now all I need is an orange lip pencil... teehee...

5. Lee Stafford's POKeR STRAiGHT FLaT iRON PRoTeCTION ShINE MiST. I've already done a review on this product which you can have a look at here if you haven't seen it yet! My mini bottle that I originally bought is almost at its end, so it was time for me to commit to the full size product.  I'm keeping my mini bottle so that I can fill it up and just throw it in my vanity for a weekend away. The fact that I'm willing to buy the full product must tell you that I really really love it and that it works! @R94,99 it's affordable and I'm almost certain that this will last me the rest if the year, as the mini lasted me more than three months! Just remember that Lee Stafford is exclusively available to Clicks stores in SA.

6. MAVALA Nail Colour 212 in Gold Diamond. So I have a little girl crush on Lauren Conrad and   everything she does! And when I recently spotted this gold mani on The Beauty Departement  and variations thereof on Pinterest I just had to try it! Let me just tell you that I'm absolutely rotten at nail art, so I'm always looking for something easy but pretty and this mani just nails it! I bought this nail colour at Dischem @R29.99, which I think is bit cheaper than their usual polishes so it might have been some of the old polishes that they wanted to get rid of - yay for me!

7. Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Anti-Wrinkle Serum. This was my most expensive buy this weekend @R129.75, which I still don't think is that expensive for a retinol serum. I might have bought this a bit prematurely seeing as I don't have any visible wrinkles to speak of. But as I said earlier it's always best to act preventive rather than trying to treat something. Most articles will tell you that from 25 to 30 is when those nasty wrinkles start forming as the elastin in your skin starts to weaken and you start producing less of it. This is where retinol comes in, retinol (a form of vit. A) gently exfoliates your skin that will smooth the appearance of wrinkles and age spots. It's best applied at night as retinol can make your skin sensitive. If you do apply retinol containing skin care products during the day it's extra important to apply an spf and avoid direct sunlight!! Retinol SA (Sustained Action), which is exclusively patented by Neutragena, penetrates the skin better and will continue to work for 12 hours after its application. I look forward to seeing some results as I am struggling with some pigmentation! 

Phew, that was more than a mouth full! What was your latest beauty haul??

Until next time beautiful finds...

Jana

xxx