Cherry nail art inspired by Batiste!

So last week I received a bottle of Batiste dry shampoo to review for Miss Claira-Bella. (Read the review here to see what I had to say about the actual product). The first thing that I thought was "Hey, cute packaging. That would make for a kick-ass nail art design" so of course I had to!

This is what I came up with!

 A base is always a good place to start. For my base I used OPI's "Top to Finish Base and Top" coat as well as Tip Top's "Cha Cha Cha" which has been one of my favourite polish's this year!

After the base I added some little red dots for the beginning of the cherries. I used two different reds to add depth. The first was Catrice's "Star of the show" and on top of those dots I did a smaller dot of Bobbi Brown's "Valentine Red". I used my dotting tool for this. Make two small dots which are touching each other.

After the base and dots, I took a striping brush (a toothpick will also work) and some green acrylic paint (you can also use green polish) and drew the cherry stems which join each other at the top. 

To finish it off I added some white dots with my Essence pen to add animation although after this step they turned out to be more like mushrooms. Oops! But its still pretty cute.

And the final design with the original muse:

I really love it when brands come up with cute designs for their packaging. Don't forget to read my review of the Dry Shampoo!

Do you like the design? Comment below :)

Batiste Dry Shampoo Review

The Batiste brand was not news to my ears when I received an invite to review their dry shampoo. It is the most loved dry shampoo and I am constantly hearing great things on Facebook and Twitter about it. The lovely Danielle (follow her uber cute doggies on Instagram here) sent me a bottle of Batiste dry shampoo to test out and let you ladies know how I enjoyed using it.

My Bottle of Batiste Dry Shampoo in "fruity and cheeky cherry". Oh and yes, that is matching nail art ;)

Let me just say that my past experiences with dry shampoo have been horrific! I once tried to spruce up my hair for my boyfriend's graduation ceremony, with a can of Lee Stafford dry shampoo and it was disastrous. White patches of powder on my black dress which made me look like I had just changed a homeless baby's nappy on the side of the street. So embarrassing.

This put a huge mental block in my mind and fueled my reluctancy to purchase and use dry shampoo in the future. Seeing as the Batiste brand was so highly spoken of I decided to give it a try. 

She's looking quite sassy in number 3!

If you aren't too sure what a dry shampoo is, it's pretty much a powdered formula in a aerosol can that you spray onto your roots to soak up oil and provide a boost of body to otherwise "lifeless" hair. I know in the olden days they took baby powder which gave a similar effect but that goodness for technological advances because that just sounds messy.

My experience with Batiste? Pretty frikin painless and rather enjoyable!

The instructions were easy to follow there was zero white powder residue (unlike the other brands I have tested) and it really did give my hair a boost of freshness and tons of body. The scent wasn't quite like cherries but it did smell nice. I am also crazy about the design of each can. So much so that I did a matching nail art design which I will be posting in a different post.

I am so happy that this brand has changed my mind about dry shampoo's because they are incredibly handy to have. Please note that dry shampoo's are a temporary fix and you should still wash your hair regularly. 

Thanks once again to Danielle for this fantastic product! Please also keep an eye out for my nail art design inspired by this can which I will post to my blog soon!

Live Healthy: Update #9

I'm back! Read my last update here.

Since my last update, I purchased a pedometer. It's a small device you clip onto your pants or belt and it counts every single step you take throughout the day. It's quite a trivial device but if you are like me, and you aren't a gigantic fan of gymming, it keeps you in check. Since getting the pedometer, I have found myself parking further away from where I shop, going outside more often and of course, window-shopping in big malls where your feet start to ache from walking too much.

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My initial motivation for getting the pedometer is that I get points for my medical aid if I do 10 000 steps or more every day because walking whilst doing every day tasks will effect your fitness level and your general health. It has a neat little USB in it so you plug it into your PC and upload your information. Ten thousand steps is really difficult to get to. So far my best is 6734 steps in one day and my worst is 999 steps *major couch potato*. I am hoping to get those numbers up on the treadmill this week.

Gym visits have been non existent lately as I have been away but I have an urge to catch up by the end of August. I also have been reminding myself that the Spar woman's race is on the 31st of August and I need to put in some extra km's on the treadmill before then.

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I do want to admit that I am disappointed in my promise to upload recipes and more on what I eat daily. The main reason I haven't done this is because my eating habits have not been anything to brag about. I have never been on a " diet" before which is really difficult for me but from now I am really going to try put effort into strict meals and share them with you. 

That's it for now. Keep living healthy and remember...

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*Images from Google.

New to Edgars: Kings and Queens

A few weeks ago I attended the mind blowing multi brand launch of six new brands making their debut on SA soil in Edgars stores. Besides being ecstatic about another Edcon event because they are always fantastically organised and the guest list does not disappoint, I was nervous about what was being presented to us seeing as the invite only said "Your Truly Exclusive invitation from Edgars: New Cosmetic Brands Launch". Of course, once I heard the words "six new international brands" I adjusted my mood accordingly and I was pleasantly surprised with the six names revealed that night.

One of the six is a bath and body brand from Greece called Kings and Queens.  

The Kings and Queens section at the multi brand launch for Redsquare Beauty.

"A brand which is built around the intriguing myths which surround countless royals and their obsessions with the healing powers of herbs and spices, Kings & Queens believes in every day royalty." - Edgars press release

I was privileged enough to receive a few Kings and Queens products in my goodie bag that night which I would love to share with you.

First is Emperor Akbar's Mango Body Butter which, for me, redefined the meaning of "body butter".

 Thick, rich, creamy and easily absorbed are a few of the qualities you will find when using this body butter. Ladies who don't like heavy creams but love the super hydrating benefits of a thicker lotion, this is for you. 

It has the perfect balance of heavy and light...if that makes sense. It really feels like you are applying a thick body butter but once rubbed in, it is light and does not leave a greasy film. Perfect!

There was one downside. The mango scent wasn't very "mango-ey". After passing the body butter between girlfriends and family, my sister also picked up that the scent was a bit artificial. It does smell nice but it is nothing compared to The Body Shop's striking scent-quality. If I were blind folded and had to identify the scent of this body butter, I wouldn't be able to...but maybe that's the point?

Final comments on the Emperor Akbar Mango Body Butter? It is amazingly hydrating and is the perfect blend between thick but not suffocating. The scent was nice but definitely foreign to my senses. The packaging is very appealing and makes me yearn for a themed bathroom with rich oranges, brown and golds.

"The Emperor Akbar Mango range was inspired by a 16th century Mogul Emperor who was known for his love of mangoes. It is said that he once planted 100 000 mangoes of superior quality in the Lakh Dagh orchard." - Edgars press release

Next up is the Aztec king Vanilla Pear Candle. Right off the bat I think the packaging looks like that Genkem shoe glue you get at hardware stores. It makes me all nostalgic and stuff (its the small things). 

So there's not much to a candle so I'll chat about what I noticed when burning the candle. 

First, after burning the candle for about 2 hours, I noticed some tunneling starting to form. That's when the candle's circumference is bigger than what the flame's strength can melt. What eventually happens is a tunnel starts to form and every time you burn it, it will only melt to a certain point, leaving a huge hole in the center of your candle. This isn't too much of an issue but if you're too lazy to reheat the wax and pour it back into the container, you're wasting quote a lot of reusable wax.

Secondly, I have been so spoilt with my Spa-Valous massage candle, that I was really sad when I realized that I couldn't use the wax on my skin because it's not soy (first world problems). Also, the scent was nothing compared to the Spa-Valous massage candle. You really have to be sitting right next to the candle before you smell anything. Again, this is not a major problem because it still adds ambiance to a room.

Final comments on this candle? The packaging is really pretty and it is believable that the candle can burn for 40 hours but tunneling forms in the candle and it doesn't really make an entire room smell like vanilla pear.

"The myth behind the Aztec King Vanilla Pear range is as exotic as its name. Vanilla, which was considered to be a potent aphrodisiac in pre-Columbian Mexico, was consumed in the bucket-loads by the ancient Aztec kings and their wives." Edgars press release

Thank you so much for the lovely organizers of the multi brand launch for Edgars (especially Sarann). The entire Kings and Queens range is on the shelves right now. There are more than just the two products I reviewed, in the Kings and Queens range such as shower gels, body milks, shimmering body milks, eau de toilette, deodorants, soaps and body scrubs.

This really is a unique gift to give someone. Everyone knows that bath and body products are the easiest gifts to give but seriously...be original and get them something special like products from the Kings and Queens range!

Comment below for price enquiries.