My Lipgloss Is Poppin'

Here is my current collection of lip products.

I am absolutely crazy about lip gloss, lip balms, lip ice, and lip stains. I have all these products strategically placed all around my house so that as soon as I feel my lips are dry, I can immediately reach for one and apply it!

Brands include the following
Left: Bee Natural, Bloom,  The  Body Shop.
Middle: No name, Revlon, Rimmel, Charlie, Balm Balm, Labello.
Right: Woolworths, No name, Balm Balm.

I am constantly collecting new beauties, to add to my lip balm family, so I will do an update in a few months time :)

What lip products are you using at the moment?

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

P.S. Oops! My labello has expired (04/2011). #BloggerFail

Sally Hansen - Strawberry Icing

Sally Hansen's Strawberry Icing is one of the nail polishes I won in my BB hamper. It was my favourite of all the polishes so I put in on my nails the day I opened my hamper *Eager beaver*.

I just love the name "Strawberry Icing", it makes me all giddy inside. The name suites the colour so well. It is a very pretty "My little pony" kind of pink with tiny silver micro glitters inside.

Sally Hansen products are very well know for quality and durability. This polish is not sticky or tacky and is so simple to apply. It has a really long stem to the applicator which makes it really easy to see your nail when you're applying the polish. The bristles are really soft and easy to move to where you want them to go, which is a dream when applying the polish to your cuticle area and the sides of your nails.

Here is what the polish looked like after 5 days:

There is a little bit of fading at the tips of my nails but other than that, my manicure was still wear-able for another day or two. (I took the polish off after 5 days because I wanted to try another colour)

I am really enjoying this polish and will continue to wear it throughout summer.
Seeing as I didn't buy this polish, I'm sure about the price but you can pop into Dis-chem and check out their Sally Hansen stands.

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

My Mr.P Delivery

I bought a few goodies on Mr.Price's new online store about three weeks ago, just to try out the whole Mr. Price online shopping experience. I didn't really need any new clothes but this girl loves to splurge so I browsed their online store and these two items caught my eye:

The number one thing I was impressed with, is that you can purchase on your Mr Price Money card. I was super excited because I have MRP money card with tons of credit on *Wink wink*.

I put my order through on a Sunday night. My order was confirmed on Monday and arrived at my door on Wednesday.
I must be honest, I was hoping to receive it on Monday (Some other ladies recieved their deliveries within 24 hours) or Tuesday. I suspect the reason was because they get many orders over the weekend so they have a bit of a backlog to get through.

Never the less, I was happy with my purchase, all the clothes fit and I now have two new items to add to my billowing closet. I did have concerns about returning items that do not fit or you dislike because it is probably a lengthy process. To my surprise, my order came with a return form, explaining what to do if you would like to return anything. Easy Peasy!

Thanks so much to Mr.Price for creating a fab online store. To visit the Mr.Price online store, click here.

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

In my sample basket - Dr.Hauschka

This week I will be reviewing my Dr.Hauschka Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream.

Image Source

"Daily Revitalising Eye Cream is composed of nourishing plant oils and medicinal herb extracts that care for and refresh the delicate eye contour area. Its lightweight formula is absorbed rapidly by the skin, meaning it can be used immediately before applying make-up.

It has been formulated to provide calming, soothing, and fortifying care to the skin around the eye area, therefore helping to prevent premature wrinkles and bringing welcome relief to the eyes." - Source

What I liked

I learned something new! One of the ingredients is marsh mallow which I got really excited about because I love marsh mallows!! After doing further research, I found out it is actually a plant called Althaea Officinalis, which is indigenous to Africa. It helps refresh and soothe skin and is more traditionally used for mouth and throat ulcers, and gastric ulcers (It also looks really pretty). In traditional Chinese medicine it is known to increases the flow of breast milk and soothes the bronchial tubes. Read more about the awesome 'marsh mallow' here.

Althaea Officinalis - Image source

What I disliked

The first time I applied this eye cream, my eyes felt irritated and itchy. I am not sure if I maybe got some inside my eye but it was really uncomfortable. I also hate it when I have to go searching for prices of a product. We Humans, are very lazy creatures, so if something isn't right in front of our eye's, we wont think twice about just passing right by, without a caring. None of the Dr.Hauschka products, on their website, have a price tag. Immediate "product turn-off".

Full size

I doubt I will purchase the full size because my skin doesn't feel as comfortable with this eye cream as it does with others (namely my Payot eye cream). I will be doing another few posts about Dr.Hauschka in the future beacuse I have more samples in my basket.

If you are interested in reading a bit more about Dr.Hauschka's products then visit Dr.Hauschka's website and Facebook Page.

Have you tried this eye cream? I would love to read what you thought, in the comments below.

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

Memories for Monday

I had silkworms every Summer when I was a kid. Amazeballs memories :)

Madison Footwear - The Heart of New York

All images from www.madisonfootwear.co.za

This lovely brand was recently brought to my attention and I decided to have a little look see at their online store. OH WOW! Madison shoes are so modern, beautiful and stylish. What made me the happiest is all their shoes are under R500 and they offer free delivery. Yes please!

Visit their online store or view their stockists to get you hands on some very purdy shoes ;) You can also keep up with all things 'Madison' by following them on Twitter and liking their Facebook page.

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

Beauty Bulletin Polish Up Hamper

@candyangel88 on Twitter, was curious about the Beauty Bulletin hamper I won in their polish up challenge and I thought other ladies would also like to see what I won. Below are the AMAZING products I received.

There are some big brands like Sally Hansen, Rimmel, Zoya, Yardley, Bloom and Boujois in the hamper. I will be doing individual reviews at a later stage.

I hope this motivates you to enter all the challenges. Click here to find out what the BB ladies have challenged you to do this month!

Cray cray thanks to Lori and Kerri from Beauty Bulletin. You can expect reviews very soon ;)

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Hair Therapy {Video Review}

I was very fortunate enough to be a part of Beauty Bulletin's product review club again this month. They sent me two lovely Dove hair therapy products and here is my video review.

You can view my individual reviews on Beauty Bulletin:

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner

Social media shenanigans:

Beauty Bulletin Website

Beauty Bulletin on Facebook

Miss Claira-Bella on Facebook

Thanks so much to Beauty Bulletin for the great products!
Don't be shy, comment below :)

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

Candy Hamper Winner

I thought I'd share this lovely picture from Tammy Perry. She won this Candy Hamper in my giveaway, with Sweet Heart Candy Buffets, about 3 months ago.

Thanks so much to Tammy, for being a great sport, and sending this picture :)

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

10 Day 'you' Challenge - 1 Picture

One Picture

Thanks so much for reading theses posts and getting to know me a lil' better.

If you missed any of the challenges then click here.

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

Memories for Monday

This is me at the beach when I was about 5/6. I will always remember this day because my mom forgot to pack me a swimming shirt and I had to walk around and swim only in my shorts. This is very embarrassing for a little girl :(

In my sample basket - Versace

I got totally side tracked last week and didn't get to post my sample basket review so this week there will just be two reviews instead of the usual one.

I've taken another EDT sample out of my basket and it's the Versace Yellow Diamond EDT. I tried this sample when I first got it (in one of the previous Ruby boxes) and fell in love immediately.

I know I say "I'm in love with this product" or, "I love, love, love this product" a lot, but with this Versace Yellow Diamond EDT, I literally get butterflies in my stomach, that's how much I love it. Weird?

RSP R950.00

Versace Yellow Daimond is described as a pure, transparent and airy floral fragrance, sparkling and intense as the yellow color, while being luxurious and feminine like a diamond.

It's top notes are neroli, bergamot, amalfi lemon and pear; middle notes are african orange flower, water lily, freesia and mimose; and base notes are musk, guaiac wood and amber.

There is nothing that I dislike about this EDT. I love the full sized bottle with the gigantic yellow diamond cap. It smells like something Cinderella would wear when she attended the magical Ball *Good job Fairy God Mother*.

Eau De Toilette 101

EDT is also know as "Toilet Water" and is considered a "weak" or diluted version of perfume. The concentration of aromatic ingrediences in an EDT is 5-15% (typical ~10%) aromatic compounds where as Eau De Parfum (EDP) is 10-20% (typical ~15%) aromatic compounds.

This EDT is a bit too pricey for my pocket so I doubt I will ever own the full size :( but if you purchase it then you wont regret it.

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

P.S. The price might differ from what I captioned in the full size photo.

Lushy Lusciousness

It's not really new news that LUSH fresh handmade cosmetics (and body goodies) are opening in Cape Town at the end of September this year. This will be South Africa's very first LUSH store on South African soil and can I just say, I am frikin' EXCITED!

This is the most anticipated launch for us beauty bloggers and even though I am 1500km away, I am stoked that LUSH is just that bit closer to coming up to Gauteng. I have already checked out some of their products and below are a few products on my Luscious LUSH wishlist.

Follow LUSH on Twitter and like their Facebook Page to keep up with the exciting launch news.

Essence stay all day concealer {Review}

I received a Clicks gift voucher for my birthday last month and decided to pick up some Essence products. One of the products was their Stay all day concealer. It's not new to ladies, that Essence is one of the "cheaper" cosmetics companies out there so I thought I'd share my thoughts on this concealer and let you know if it's cheap for a reason.

Product claims: Covers under eye shadows and skin imperfections. Lasts 16 hours.

I chose 'soft beige' (20) as my skin is quite fair. This is what the before and after looks like when applying the concealer to the dark bags under my eyes.

Before vs After

As you can see, you can still see my freckles and a little bit of "blue-ness" in the inner corner of my eye. I actually prefer this because it still gives a natural look. I imagine a BB cream would be perfect for my dark circles (Can't wait for my Garnier BB cream). I'm not really looking for something to hide all my imperfections but rather lighten the dark patches, which this concealer does perfectly. 

It has a really easy applicator that reminds me of the Tinkerbell lipglosses I used to wear when I was younger. I was quite impressed with how long it lasted. It didn't fade very easily and kept my dark circles hidden. I also applied a tiny bit to my eyelid to give a nice base for my eye shadow to stick to. I don't need my makeup to last 16 hours so I didn't really test this claim.

Overall I really like this concealer. I think its very affordable at R29.95 each and works really well for my eyes. I definitely recommend this to ladies who are looking for a light concealer. 

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

10 Day 'you' challenge - 2 Songs

2 Songs

I don't really have a favourite song so these two songs are just what I feel like listening to today :)

Gavin DeGraw - I don't wanna be

Pitbull - Back in time

10 Day 'you' challenge - 3 Movies

Fifth Element (1997) Main Actors: Bruce Willis and  Milla Jovovich.

This is my number one favourite movie of all time...EVER! I was only 7/8 years old when I first saw it but ever since then, I have had a thing for robots and cool spaceship movies.

I think its because its an "In the future" movie and I firmly believe that one day, we will live like the people in this movie (not in our lifetime though).

LOVE IT!!!

Man on Fire (2004) Main Actors: Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning.

This is another one of my favourites. It is a really 'deep' movie and has a bit too much guts and gore for my liking but I love watching it.

There is a 100% chance that when I watch Man on Fire, I am in tears at the end of the movie...(Sad story)

You need to watch it!








Transformers (2007) Main Actors: Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox and Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime.

I just love this movie! (The other 3 are also pretty awesome!) Awesome, kick ass, robot fighting. 

Colour my life: Coral

View the full "Colour my life: Coral" board by clicking this link.

*All images from Pinterest

10 Day 'you' challenge - 4 Books

To be bluntly honest, I don't read books. I am more of an internet and magazine reader. I have read a few books but only because people just cannot stop talking about it (e.g. 50 shades of Grey *Bleh*) or have been reccomened to me by someone I know.

My favourite books have to be the Twilight Saga and I was really tempted to just list those as my four books (Twilight, Eclipse, New moon and Breaking dawn). I realised that wouldn't really reflect well on my intelligence level and might be interpreted as me being a Twilight freak. So I'll just say that I really enjoyed The Twilight Saga because they are way better than the movies. The End

My mom bought me a collectors edition of Hans Christian Anderson's Original Fairy Tales when I was 10 years old (In Denmark). I loved reading the fairytales, being so little, and still read them into my teen years. Now, much older, I am grateful to have it so I can one day read it to my kids :)

(Not actual book)

The Little Match Seller/Girl is my favourite short story in the fairytale book above. It is a very sad yet touching story. One of my favourites. (There are different versions, one called the little match girl and the little match seller.)

(Not actual book)

I think every little girl, at least once while growing up, has fantasized about having 'little people' living in their cupboard...Or is that just me? *Awkward smile*
Anyways, I really love The Borrowers (even the movie was good).

Rimmel London Hamper

One of my fave sites that I visit at least twice a day, is Beauty Bulletin! If you haven't heard about it or don't know what it's about then I suggest you check it out. It's a fun community of amazing ladies, who share beauty tips, great product reviews and general 'girly stuff'.

I recently won a Rimmel London hamper from Beauty Bulletin for the Scandal eyes review I did in May. The products I received in my hamper are really amazing! Here's what I got:

The Max Bold Curves Mascara (001 Black) - When I first got this mascara, it really agreed with my lashes. They fanned out so nicely and the formula was not sticky at all. However, I have found that after a month and a half, the mascara is starting to dry out and the formula has become very goo'ey. This makes my lashes stick together and 'fall down'. I do think the curved brush helps make your eyelashes fan out, the only downside is that it dries out faster that regular mascaras :( *bummer*

P.S. I did makes sure it was closed properly. It has one of those click-close features.

Glam'eyes HD Eye Shadow (001 Black Cab) - This eye shadow palette is so easy to use and is perfect for the smokey eye effect. The colours are really well pigmented and don't fade very easily. There is a very helpful illustration of how to apply the mascara to get the best HD effect, at the back of the packaging. I think this is the perfect compact for ladies who are new to achieving a smokey eye.

Five Nail Polishes - The colours I got were mostly metallic which is a pitty because winter is almost over and I wont really wear them in spring and summer (Pastels FTW). I will be doing a detailed review on each one at a later stage. (There are only four in the picture because I gave my mom one of them)

Two, Stay Glossy, Lipglosses - I really love these lipglosses. They aren't sticky or goopy when you apply it onto your lips. The colour match my skin tone really well and I love the subtle shimmer in them. Jewel in the crown is a pretty rosy pink with silver shimmer and Gold digger is a maroon colour with gold shimmer (I didn't put a thick layer of gold digger on my lips in the image above so it seems pink but it's a red/maroon colour).

As much as I love them I am disappointed in the "It lasts up to 6 hours" claim because it's bull-shit definitely not true. I have tested it in countless occasions and it really only lasts about 2 hours (if you don't drink, eat or lick your lips).

Colour show off lipstick (104, Kiss me) - This lipstick is a fantastically fun colour but it is really difficult to wear because it overpowers everything else on your body/face. I have applied it many times but I found myself taking it off because it looks really crappy with the other makeup or outfit I'm wearing. This obviously has nothing to do with the actual lipstick and rather my lipstick wearing skills. The formula is really creamy and when  I did wear it, it lasted about 4 hours. I think I will find myself reaching for this a lot this summer because bright colours are in!

Thanks so much to Beauty Bulletin and Rimmel for this amazing hamper! Follow them on Twitter and like their Facebook Page. I am also on Twitter and Facebook :)

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

Spring flowers nail art

Here is another cute Spring nail art design inspired by one done by Cute Polish on YouTube.

Step1: Paint a neutral base coat. Apply 2 coats if necessary and wait till its completely dry.

Step 2: Make 5 small dots with a dotting tool (in any colour). While still wet, take a toothpick and draw a line from the middle of the dot into the center of what will become your flower.

Step 3: Make a dot in the middle of the flower (in a different colour) and wait for the whole design to dry.

Add a top coat and you're done!

Tips and tricks

Do one nail at a time. This will ensure that you have enough time to make the stripes in each 'petal' before the nail polish dries.

Wipe the toothpick after making each stripe. A ball of polsh will form on the end of the toothpick, it becomes messy and will smudge. Take a tissue and wipe the polish of the tooth pick when there is too much polish on the end.

You don't have to stick to doing one flower on each nail. You can do as many as you like. They can even overlap each other.

If you are inspired by this nail art design, send me some pictures, I would love to see them. Share them on Facebook or Tweet them to me

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

10 Day 'you' challenge - 5 Foods

5 Foods

Here are my five favourite foods in order of preference.

Delicious Banana Bread!

Everyone who follows me on Twitter, would have seen that I tried my hand at making Banana bread. I was craving banana bread so just searched for a quick recipe online and came across this one by Simply Recipes. It was easier than I thought and this is how my banana loaf turned out :)

I love baking and have decided to add an "I bake" category to my blog so you can see all the goodies that...I bake :) Needless to say the whole household loved the banana bread, including my little Bear :)

If you're looking for a different recipe to the one I linked above, just search online, there are tons.

I hope you give it a try and please comment below :) 

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

Memories for Monday

This is a picture taken of my me in my Matric dance dress back in October 2008. 

(I obvs didn't know anything about self tan back then)

10 Day 'you' challenge - 6 Places

6 Places

Zanzibar is my dream honeymoon destination

Scotland has always been one of my favourite places and Scottish people sound pimpin'.

New York, specifically Times Square on new years eve, need I say more?

Randers, Denmark, is where I stayed when I was 10. I was too young to really appreciate it so I would love to go back and experience it all over again, being much older and wiser.

Cape Town is a place I have never been to but would love to visit. All the pictures on Superficial Girls' blog makes me yearn CT more and more each day.

Switzerland...for the chocolate!

*All images from Google unless stated otherwise in the caption