Happy Spring!

It is time for my August First Impressions, a wrap up of all the products I have tried this past month!

First up I have this *mio Double Buff dual action enzyme exfoliator, and let me tell you, my skin has never felt softer. It has the same amazing signature scent as the other mio products I have tried. But the thing that really impressed me was how fine the scrub is, it is so dense and gritty that it almost feels like The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Microdermabrasion but for your body. I have never found such a fine grit on a body exfoliator before! You might have read about my Simple and Affordable Dry Skin Remedy, well this product definitely does the job!

Next up I have the Good Stuff Argan Oil & Midnight Jasmine Body Cream and Pillow Mist. Unfortunately the cream is just not moisturising enough for me. I do like the subtle scent though. I really like the pillow mist, but the Oh So Heavenly one is still my favourite.

Next up I have two products from SKNlogic. I have been a fan of this brand for ages, I first bought their products on Style36, before they closed down, which was a good couple of years ago. The first two products I bought were the SKNclarify and the SKNexfoliate enzymatic, both great for problematic blemish prone skin, and I loved them! Now that my skin is less problematic, but still slightly clogged as well as dehydrated, I am trying out the *SKNmasque hydrate and *SKNexfoliate. The masque is thick and creamy, with a light comforting scent. It leaves my skin plump and hydrated with fine lines less visible. It is thicker than other hydrating masks I have tried, which I love, because it feels as if the product seals in the hydration better. The exfoliator contains apricot kernels for physical exfoliation and papaya enzymes for a chemical exfoliation, so you get a deep exfoliation without being too harsh. This does a really great job at smoothing out the skin, and it is not very scratchy. If you have problematic skin though, the SKNexfoliate enzymatic would be a better option. The best part about this brand, they are super affordable!

The Body Shop Tea Tree Daily Solution is a new product I picked up recently since my skin felt more clogged than usual. It is meant to be applied all over the face, but I apply it to target areas because it would be a bit drying on my entire face. I haven’t seen a noticeable difference, but will keep at it.

Physicians Formula Super BB is a great every day cover up, with SPF 30. It is a bit on the dark side, but it doesn’t offer a huge amount of coverage, so it is easy to get away with. What I really love about it is the sun protection, especially with summer coming up!

Next I have a Cuticle Care Pen that I found at Dischem. It is okay, but I much prefer my Darling Jane Oil.

I also bought the LUX Sheer Twilight soap. I love the scent of the body wash so much, that I thought I would try the soap too. It doesn’t have as much of a scent unfortunately, it is there, but it is faint. I would much rather stick to the body wash.

I received the new *TRESemme Beauty-Full Volume Shampoo, Conditioner, Mousse and Maximizer. The Shampoo and Conditioner are amazing, and are two of my August Favourites. The Mousse really gives a sleek frizz-free finish, and leaves hair so soft! The Maximizer also helps to give a smooth finish, and I prefer it to the mousse since I hardly heat style my hair. This is a great affordable new range!

La Roche-Posay the “IT” brand for sunscreen and sensitive skin will finally be available in South Africa at the end of this month at selected Dis-Chem and Independent Pharmacies. You can check them out here and here to keep up to date on the latest news. The two products I can’t wait to get my hands on are the Anthelios 50 Anti-Aging Tinted Primer with Sunscreen and the Anthelios SPF 50 Tinted Fluid. None of the products are over R300, which is awesome! I received the *Lipikar Baume AP+ and the *Thermal Spring Water. Now that the weather is warming up, the Thermal Spring Water is great for calming down red and irritated skin, and also for a cool refreshing spritz. The Lipikar Baume is aimed at atopy-prone skin and is suitable for babies and adults. It soothes extremely dry and irritated skin immediately to reduce irritation thus preventing the need to scratch. I have used this post face treatments, and it really helps to soothe the skin.

Since Spring is in the air, let me introduce you to the *Morgan Taylor Spring Collection. I have already done a full review with swatches, but basically this collection has every shade needed for the warmer months, and all of the shades are available in a mini pack!

As you might know by now, Urban Decay is finally in South Africa. I received the *Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup and the *Afterglow Highlighter in Fireball to test out. I have already expressed my thoughts on the foundation in my August Favourites, to summarise, it does not come highly recommended for no reason! When I first swatched the highlighter I thought it looked too powdery and ashy, but when I used it on my face I was completely surprised. I like to use it as a highlighting blush topper, and for fairer skin tones it could even be used as an illuminating blush. Since trying and loving this highlighter I now have my eye on the shade Sin. I like my highlighter subtle and glowing, not glittery and chunky, and this definitely hits the mark!

Almay has launched a new range of makeup infused with anti-ageing ingredients which is aimed at busy women who need a do it all product. I received the *Foundation, *Concealer and *Lip Treatment to try out. The Age Essential Multi-Benefit Foundation includes a built-in moisturiser as well as anti-ageing ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Peptides and Collagen. So you can get coverage, hydration and a skin boost all at once. The Concealer and Lip Treatment include the same skin boosting ingredients. The Foundation offers a good amount of coverage with a dewy finish and lasts for a good amount of time. The foundation is lighter than it looks in the bottle, so the shade I have is a bit too light, but there is nothing a bit of mixing won’t fix, because there is no way I am letting this one go! It is perfect for my current dehydrated skin situation. The shape of the Concealer makes it super convenient to swipe on and blend out, and even though I usually find stick concealers pretty drying, this one is an exception. Although it is aimed at dark circles and age spots, I still find that I need a corrector to properly disguise under my eyes, but I will definitely continue to use it. I like to use the Lip Treatment around my mouth, before I apply concealer and it completely get rids of those annoying dry patches. As a lip balm it is okay, a bit too waxy though.

When Catrice has a new limited edition I am first in line at Dischem, and the Bold Softness Range was no different. I did a full review on the collection which you can read here. If you can still get your hands on something, let it be the polishes!

How cute are these white and gold HD Lip Products? Well, they are cute and affordable and available at Clicks. I have done a full review here. My favourite product is the HD Chubby Lip Crayon in Secret.

I have done a full review with swatches on the *Revlon Photoready Insta-Fix Contour & Highlight Duo, so I will not go into much detail.

I loved the duo I received so much, that I went out and bought a darker version. And the highlighter in Gold Light is amazing!

I also finally found the Softlips Cube at Dischem, and it was worth it! It is moisturising and smells heavenly, and so so cute too.

The Estee Lauder BB Brush on Glow Highlighters are great for under the eyes. They are thicker and less shimmery than I expected and work great to brighten the under-eye area.

The Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF 45 is going to be my Summer hero! It is a thin tinted fluid with high sun protection, and it works really well under makeup too. The tint works on all skin tones, as the colour is barely noticeable and it just helps to brighten the skin.

I love ombre blushes, because it gives you so many options, and the MAC Toledo Blush in Kindergarten Red is no different. This was actually a gift from my boyfriend, he is so sweet! It is a peach to red shade, and gives a healthy flush to the skin. It is a bit hard to pick up on the brush, which is actually a good thing since it is so pigmented.

I placed an order online from Freedom Makeup a while ago, and have only gotten around to using all the products now. The Pro Conceal and Correct Concealers are pretty good, good pigmentation, but unfortunately the coverage is not the best. The Pro Melt and Pro Butter Liquid Lipsticks are highly pigmented and non-drying and I am really impressed by them! The Pro Highlight in Brighten is not a favourite of mine, so it is going to my Blog Sale. The Pro Glow Highlighter in Meow is really nice and looks super cute too! The Pro Brow Pomade is amazing! Really really happy with it! Lastly, the Pro Studio Strobe Cream is awesome as an illuminating primer to brighten the skin and prep it for makeup, it can also be used over makeup as a highlighter. It is basically a dupe for the MAC Strobe Cream and I am impressed! I bought an extra one for my Blog Sale too.

I am sure you have all heard by now… There is a new Beauty Baby in town, called 3INA. And the *Cream Eyeshadow is so amazing, it was featured in my August Favourites, yes, it is that good.

I also tried the Lippie Stix in Cami from Colourpop. I love the colour, but I found it a bit drying. I will give it another shot though.

I also tried a Glossy Stick in Luminous Rosewood and a Velvet Stick in Peony Star from Essence. I was really impressed by these! I prefer the Glossy finish to the Matte finish, but for the price these are a win. They aren’t as smooth as the Colourpop one, but I will definitely keep using these. There is a Velvet Stick up for grabs in my Essence and Catrice Giveaway!

I had high hopes for the Smashbox Contour Kit, but it was a bit of a let down. I think the contour shade, is amazing, it is cool toned, and casts a perfect shadow on the face. The bronzer is pretty nice, it warms up the face, and is pretty warm-toned, but nothing I don’t already own. The highlighter is matte, and doesn’t offer much of a glow, I like my highlighter to glow so this isn’t the best option for me.

Lastly I have some beauty tools!

The Beauty Blender is amazing, and I really think the Original beats all of the dupes such as the Real Techniques and Cala ones. Those are good, but this is just better. It puffs up to four times its size, and blends like a dream.

I also bought two Stila brushes. The One Step Complexion Brush is great, I love using the small side for applying concealer, and then the larger side for blending. My only issue with this brush is, how do I store it? The Double Duty Cheek Contour And Blush Brush was a bit of a disappointment for me unfortunately, but I think the reason for that is I want to use it as a buffing brush, not as a blush/contour brush. I prefer less dense blush brushes, so this is going to my Blog Sale.

*Press Sample

Have you entered my Essence and Catrice Giveaway yet?