It is time for my September First Impressions. Can you believe there are only 3 months left of the year… I can’t! Soon enough the Christmas collections and decorations will be up and then onto a new year we go.

I received a lovely press drop with the new *Garnier Moisture+ Range (R84.95 each). This range replaces the Hydra Match Moisturisers, and these are in a tube, which means less exposure to oxygen, so the ingredients stay fresh and effective! There are four moisturisers tailored to different needs from Matte for combo/oily to Radiance for dull/tired. Each have specific ingredients suited to your skin type such as Blue Lotus and Camelia Oil. All skin needs a hydration boost even if it is oily, and with this range, you get just that. My favourites are the Moisture+ Soft and Moisture+ Radiance. Oh and they all have a heavenly scent too!

Another new and exciting launch from Garnier is the *Oil-Infused Micellar Water and Wipes! Now, I am a fan of micellar water, and I am an even bigger fan of oils, so obviously these products excited me. I love the Micellar Water, it removes liquid lipstick and waterproof mascara better and gentler than other non-oil micellar waters without leaving an oily or tacky residue on the skin. I wasn’t sure if it is meant to be shaken to combine the oil or not, since the bottle doesn’t say, but I found that when I didn’t shake it, it was a bit too greasy, so for me, shaking worked. I have all three variations of the Garnier Micellar Waters to giveaway. Next up, the wipes… I am not a huge wipes fan, I prefer to remove heavy makeup with a cotton pad and micellar water, and then double cleanse. But, I gave these a try and they weren’t that bad. They are gentle, don’t drag at my skin, and they are more saturated than other wipes I have tried. If you are a wipes fan, but need something less irritating to your skin, then these would be great. I don’t think wipes could ever take the place of a good old face washing though.

Next up for skincare is this amazing *Vichy Aqualia Thermal Power Serum which is so light and hydrating that I have been using it every day twice a day since I received it.

I also received a huge hamper from *Clere Radiance. Unfortunately most of the products were too drying for my skin, but the BB Cream and Face Wash Gel were pretty impressive. The BB Cream doesn’t offer much coverage, but it evens out the skin nicely, and when used with concealer and some cream blush gives you a healthy no makeup look. All the products have a lemon scent which is refreshing but can be slightly overpowering if you are not a fan of scents.

The *Physicians Formula Argan Oil, which was part of Allure’s Best of Beauty 2016, really is worth it! It is non-greasy but nourishing. It hydrates and plumps the skin, and, it can be used on the face, hair or body, although I am saving this all for my face! It comes with an easy to use dropper, which keeps the product fresh and hygienic.

I received this First Aid Beauty Deep Cleanser in my Sephora Play Box, and I am really loving it. It has red clay, which helps to purify skin, but it is not harsh or drying and is suitable for sensitive skin too.

I was pretty surprised at how well the Mavala Oil Seal Dryer worked. I painted my nails about an hour before bed, and then applied this. I totally expected to wake up with sheet marks on my nails, but absolutely nothing in sight. My nails were smooth and smudge free!

The Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in So Hap’pink is smooth and non-drying, it is highly pigmented and relatively long lasting. The colour I chose is a pretty nude pink shade. I like it!

I don’t know if it is in my head, but ever since I started using the Noreva Iklen SPF 50 my skin looks so much more even! It is thin and non-greasy, and doesn’t leave that dreaded white mask on your face. It is meant to assist with brown spots, I am not sure about that claim, since I don’t really have any, but as a sunblock I am loving it! I use this over the Vichy Serum without any moisturiser and my skin has thanked me for it.

Lastly I have the *Pond’s Age Miracle Intensive Cell ReGen Serum which contains retinol to help kick-start your cells. I haven’t used this for long enough yet to see any major results, but so far I like how affordable it is whilst still containing great active ingredients.

The new *Morgan Taylor Street Beat Summer Collection is bold and fierce and amazing!

The most exciting nail launch of the year is the *Essie Gel Couture, and it is well worth the hype!

I got my hands on a few products from the essence Winter Wonderful collection at Clicks. Unfortunately the highlighter is not available here, sigh. The blush is gorgeous though, and I quite like the lip oil too. The hand balm is not as moisturising as I would have liked for a balm, but it does smell nice.

There are a few new *L’Oreal and *Maybelline launches you will soon see in store, if not already.

From L’Oreal there is the Brow Artist Maker, which is a chubby eyebrow pencil with a tiny kabuki brush on the end that gives brows a naturally full look that I love!

The Black Velvet Super Liner which is a thick shaped liquid liner that somehow gives the best line, it doesn’t drag, it is highly pigmented, and easy to use.

Also from L’Oreal is the Miss Hippie mascara which is my absolute favourite mascara of the moment, it gives a thick, long, but natural look without being clumpy.

Lastly is the Volume Million Lashes Feline Mascara, which is nice, but the Miss Hippie knocks this out the park.

From Maybelline there is the long awaited Master Contour Stick, and the new Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara.

The contour stick is really really handy and easy to use. It has both products in one stick, and at first I was a bit worried that the wrong colour might end up transferring during application, but that was not the case. The contour is a nice colour, although I would have liked it a bit more cool toned, but it does cast a nice shadow and doesn’t look muddy at all. The highlighter is more brightening than highlighting, since it doesn’t have much of a shimmer, but I like the finish and it helps to accentuate the contour.

The Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara gives lashes an insane amount of volume and length, my boyfriend even asked me if I had fake lashes on. It can look clumpy and spidery, so it is best to gives lashes a comb through after applying it. This mascara is the luscious version of the original Lash Sensational Mascara which had everyone going crazy.

I am sure you have all heard about the newest affordable international beauty brand 3INA that has landed on our shores. I was sent a couple of products to review, and I bought a couple of products too, after being impressed by the brand. I bought the liquid lipstick and black cream eyeshadow, you can check out what else I bought in my September Beauty Haul. I will be doing a full review with swatches on all these products, but here are my first impressions for now.

The Liquid Lipstick is pigmented and long lasting, it is slightly drying so prep your lips before use. There are 10 shades to choose from, and my favourites are 505 and 503.

The black Cream Eyeshadow is so so so long lasting and pigmented and matte. I can’t get enough of it. I received the *rose gold Cream Eyeshadow a while ago, and even featured it in my August Beauty Favourites. There are 17 shades to choose from, imagine that!

I was sent the *Highlighter in 201 which is a stunning champagne gold shade. It is so finely milled and buttery and there is no chunky glitter in sight! It leaves a glow that is just amazing. There are 2 highlighter shades available, but this is by far my favourite.

I also received the *Chubby Lipstick in 101 which has a matte satin finish that I adore. It is a stunning bright orange, similiar to MAC Teen Dream, but better. It is bright, pigmented and long lasting. There are 10 shades available.

I tried a few new lippies this month, and the Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Balm is all it is hyped up to be. It is moisturising with a subtle rosy tint, and has a fresh citrus/mint scent. The Lancome Rouge in Love is a subtle pink shade that is both long lasting and comfortable on the lips. The Bobbi Brown gloss was not very pigmented or long lasting, and was pretty disappointing. The Make Up Forever Gloss is nice, but I am not a fan of the colour.

This *fragrance from essence, really does smell ‘like a first day in spring’! I love that although it is affordable, it does not smell cheap at all! It if fresh, fruity and floral without being sweet. I have previously bought a few of the fragrances from the essence trend editions, and loved them! Definitely worth a whiff!

*Press Samples

GIVEAWAY

 One of the products mentioned above has three variations, and I am giving away all three to one lucky reader! I have hidden a mystery picture of the three products in three posts from the past six months (April to September). The first person to find the picture in any one of the three posts will win. Comment below with the link to the post you found.