January 2013 – All Dolled Up

January 31, 2013

We Need to Talk About Kiehl’s

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

A brand that needs no introduction, surely? In a nutshell: It is an American cosmetics brand that specializes in making premium skin, hair, and body care products. Founded as a single pharmacy in New York City’s East Village in 1851, Kiehl’s was purchased by the L’Oréal Group in 2000 and currently has more than 30 retail stores worldwide, as well as concessions in various high-end department stores. When Jules and I heard that they were opening a store in Sandton, we actually contemplated flying up there for a day just to shop. Thankfully sanity prevailed, but I think it’s safe…

January 17, 2013

Girl Crush: Blake Lively

“Crush” is actually not a strong enough word for how I feel about Blake Lively. I’m actually obsessed with her perfect features, glowing skin, thick, glossy hair, endless legs, Hollywood smile and extremely hot husband. She also famously refuses to diet or exercise… so basically a fine example of just how deeply unfair life can be. Let’s look a little closer, shall we? Excuse me while I cry myself to sleep now. Images via.

January 15, 2013

Brand I Wish Was in SA: Laura Mercier

Laura Mercier’s main focus is, and always has been, flawless skin. Consequently, her range of foundations, tinted moisturisers, concealers, and powders are so outstanding that they have reached cult-status amongst professional make-up artists and discerning make-up lovers alike. Her approach is very simple: prime the skin, apply foundation, apply concealer and then set with powder. As someone who struggles with rosacea and acne (WHY ME?), I have been through the mill with concealers and powders and can safely say that I have yet to find a brand that does a better job than Laura Mercier. Additionally, all of her products…

January 15, 2013

The Original YouTube Beauty Queen

Discovered this little gem after seeing Lisa Eldridge post it on Facebook. It’s footage of Joan Collins being interviewed by Michael Parkinson while she puts on her make-up and the look is pure 1980’s glamour: gold-and-purple eyeshadow, dark brows, glossy pinky-red lips and a big, fat, stripy line of blusher down her cheeks. Despite the dated make-up, she has plenty of sensible things to say on the subject and seems like a total pro. Enjoy!

January 14, 2013

Beauty Spotlight: Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

One of my biggest beauty gripes is mascara that smudges, especially on the bottom lashes. I have quite long lashes so I am particularly prone to it, which means I am often left with a lot of darkness under my eyes – not ideal. (Shame, the problems I have to deal with – sometimes I don’t know how I muster the strength to face the day!) A few months ago I started hearing a lot of positive things about the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara and decided to give it a go. This product is specifically designed to coat the bottom…

January 13, 2013

My Manicure: Essie "Tart Deco"

Pretty, nê? This is one of my favourite nail polishes from Essie. It’s bright without being neon so totally appropriate for you office-bound types, and looks fantastic on toes too (especially if you have a tan or are lucky enough to have naturally darker skin). My only issue with it, as with all of the lighter Essie colours, is it needs a few coats before it turns opaque. Essie is available from Clicks, Dischem, Foschini, Edgars, Wellness Warehouse and various pharmacies, and is priced around R100 each. Image by me.

January 12, 2013

Beauty Spotlight: Clarisonic

The Clarisonic is a sonic skin cleansing tool which promises to clean the skin 6 times more effectively than manual cleansing alone (by that I mean using your hands only, instead of a washcloth or sponge, for example). Clarisonic have 5 different systems – the Mia, the Mia 2, the Aria, the Plus and the Pro. They also come with 5 different brush head options – normal, sensitive, delicate, acne and deep pore cleansing. I’m not going to list the differences between all the systems and brush heads now – you can learn more here. How does it work? It…

January 11, 2013

Trend Report: Glitter Nails

I’m just a LITTLE bit obsessed with sparkly manicures at the moment. Pretty much every time I paint my nails (which is about once a week) I add a glittery top coat or go full dazzletard with all-over shimmering polish. Something I haven’t tried yet but seems to be popular is the “ombre mani” done with a glitter – here’s a great tutorial by The Nailasaurus or check out Pinterest for inspiration. Some of my favourite sparkly polishes are from Inglot, Mavala, Essie and OPI. A word of caution though: don’t be fooled by cheap imitations. Many of the budget beauty…

January 9, 2013

Favourite Five: Lush hair products

By now you’ve probably all heard that Lush have opened a store in the V&A Waterfront, much to the delight of the brand’s South African fans. I used to avoid Lush when I lived in London as I always found the smell of the store really overwhelming, and I’ve heard this from a lot of other people too. The strong scents and bright colours of the products also give the impression that everything is full of nasty chemicals and synthetic ingredients. The truth is that not only are Lush’s products ALL NATURAL (and organic where possible) but they’re handmade with…

January 7, 2013

Brand I Wish Was in SA: Urban Decay

Urban Decay is a brand name that I’ve started seeing popping up regularly on overseas beauty blogs. They appear to have had a makeover and are now famous for their brilliant makeup, with many products reaching cult status with fans. I bought a few things recently and had them brought back to SA for me – these are the highlights: No. 1: Eyeshadow Primer Potion – I have suffered from oily lids and eyeshadow creasing for as long as I can remember, until now. This stuff is amazing, it primes the lid, giving a smooth base for makeup application and ensures…

Posts Written OnJanuary 2013