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.

Paula's Choice Breakfast

Paula’s Choice Breakfast

I hardly ever watch TV so it won’t come as a surprise that I had no idea who Paula Begoun until I received an invite to the breakfast she was hosting for media and fans. After playing on the Google machine I found out a little more about the lady and came to the conclusion that she is a pretty big deal in the International cosmetic industry.

She has a whopping 18 books including “don’t go to the cosmetics counter without me” which is one of her many best sellers. She is quite a big consumer advocate and is best known for her name “the cosmetics cop”. She has so much knowledge on cosmetic ingredients, choosing the right products for your skin as well as her own skincare range, that her expertise has granted her some serious name dropping rights.

She has appeared on infamous talk shows such as CNN, Oprah and the DR. OZ show (just to name a few). I just had to accept the invite even if it meant I had to bunk work for it. So what was the event like? It was exceptionally eye opening.

Her presentation mainly focused on cosmetic myths out there in the industry and how we are so easily convinced to buy products that aren’t very effective and essentially waste our money. Here are some of those myths:

1. You don’t need an eye cream. There is no research or study that shows you need to have different ingredients to treat your eye area. The skin around your eye need the exact same treatment as your forehead or cheeks. You may use your regular face cream (containing proper ingredients) and it will care for the skin around your eye area just like the rest of your skin. That’s it!

2. Don’t buy products in a jar! Fantastic ingredients such as Retinol, detest air. As soon as these ingredients are exposed to air they deteriorate and do not last. Just imagine you spend R300 on a small jar of moisturiser and as soon as you open it loses 80% of its effectiveness. According to Paula, that’s exactly what happens!

3. Natural does not mean better and synthetic does not mean bad. Paula used this example; green tea is good right? But if you just drank green tea your whole life, you would simply die because your body needs other sources of nutrients not found in “the good stuff”. Your skin is exactly the same. Natural ingredients are also somewhat difficult to keep stable in skincare products. This is where the labs usually get involved to extract only the necessary components your skin needs. They may add a few catalyst ingredients to maintain stability. The more stable the better. So the elements in your moisturiser may not be 100% natural but it has been formulated to provide the best for your skin.

4. Aging is not really aging. It’s sun damage! This definitely struck home for me as I have been more aware of fine lines and the beginning effects of aging since the beginning of the year. Paula explained that sun damage is the root of most aging issues. There is no study that shows otherwise. The best way to fight the horrid wrinkles and sagging skin is to apply a high SPF sunscreen every day. Paula could stress the fact enough that you need two core ingredients in a sunscreen. Zinc Oxide and Titanium Oxide.

5. Scrubs are actually horrible for your skin. Would you use one of your home sugar scrubs on a new born baby? No! (Well I hope you wouldn’t) This is how you should see your skin, a delicate surface that needs to be cared for every second of the day. Most scrubs are far too harsh on your skin. They rip and tear at your skin, breaking collagen and causing horrible irritation even though you may not feel the pain. Paula suggests using less destructive methods to exfoliate your skin like a washcloth with an ordinary body wash and maybe only doing deep exfoliation once every 2 months or so.

All of this information was fantastic to hear but even better news, all the above and more are in her latest book called don’t go to the cosmetics counter without me. I feel that this book will help many woman with skin concerns and even though I haven’t read the book yet, I know it will be like having her in your head, giving useful advise.

Paula has a fantastic skincare range called Paula's choice which is only available on the SA online store right now. Go check it out. I was given one of the fab products to test out so look out for my review soon!

Mint Mani for Talia Joy

If you don't know who Talia is then hop onto Google and get informed. I'll give you a quick summary. She was a very strong and inspiring 13 year old who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma 6 years ago which is a type of cancer. She unfortunately lost her long battle and passed away last week. Even though she was only 13, shes left a huge legacy behind her and many people are inspired by her story.

She became famous in the beauty industry by posting awesome makeup tutorials and inspiring videos on youtube. She gained many followers who became her reason to fight with all she had and make-up was her wig.

Anyway, this post is to share my mint mani for Talia Joy which is the hashtag going around in her honor ( #mintmanisfortaliajoy). This is my design;

As seen on Instagram

I am really sad that such a beautiful soul is gone and I hope she is resting in peace. I hope her mom is doing well after losing her little girl! So sad!

"Old" fashioned shopping

I wanted to share a little snippet of my thoughts with all of my supportive readers. It dawned on me that if you have been reading my posts for the past year, you must like what I say about and how I say it. (Warning, this post contains useless rant)

This online shopping fiasco ticks me off a little bit. For people like me, who aren’t 100% confident in the system, especially in SA, and don’t feel like giving some else the chance to mess their order up, I prefer shopping at the actual store where you can feel, sniff, lick, cuddle and test the actual product/s.

Since online stores have firmly been put in place, I am finding most often than I’d like, that there is scarcely anything on the shelves these days. After browsing through categories, finding what I like, driving to the store with cold hard cash to purchase it, I get unbearably irritated when it’s not there and the assistants say “but you get it online”. Do you honestly think that after going to all that effort, I’ll leave the store a happier person because I now have to wait 3 days for the bloody thing to be sent to me!? No…just no!

There is a point to all of this.

I was window shopping at The Grove Mall in Pretoria and popped into the Edgars store. I knew exactly what I wanted. Gosh’s Matte top coat. I saw it on Edgars’ new online store but didn’t feel like paying shipping fees for one small bottle of polish (this is also how online stores catch you out). I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the polish in the cosmetics section. I grabbed it and walked quite briskly to the payment counter, clenching the bottle tightly in my hands (I was picturing one of those black Friday scenes when there’s only 3 products but 20 ladies want it. Dramatic I know). I paid and left. It was such a quick and painless experience.

This made my day and restored my faith in stores in general. High five to Edgars! I really hope they continue to stock products in Malls etc. and don’t rely on online sales too much. I can picture sharing stories with my great grandchildren about the times we used to use actual money and shop at actual stores. Savor the days of old fashioned shopping, they seem to becoming scarce.

Live Healthy: Update #8

I have been feeling rather motivated these past two weeks. It must be because my birthday and spring is near. 

Gym-ming throughout winter has given me some extra confidence. I’d love to be wearing a bikini this December. Although the exercising has toned some muscle and provided me with a good base to continue, I feel the “flab” and extra fatty tissue is covering everything and hiding all my hard work. I am planning to focus on what I am currently eating and make sure I only give my body what it needs. No more winter comfort foods and unnecessary sugars (that is my weakness).

I have also been concentrating on keeping my muscles engaged when doing exercises. This means keeping them tight at all times, getting the most out of each movement. If you try this, you will feel your muscles burn a lot sooner in your rep count than if you were just going with the flow like usual.

I have also been focussing on keeping my posture accurate to prevent injuries. Ballet dancers make me so envious but I admire the strong posture they carry. I can only try get to 10% of their grace and poise.

Drinking an adequate amount of water is still an issue for me at the moment. I prefer my cup of coffee (with two sugars, eek!) although lately, with all the gym visits, my body has been nagging for more liquids. I have obediently complied with its demands.

There are only 5 months left of this year and I am feeling a bit panicky. I honestly thought I would be further in my Live Healthy quest but as they say, there’s no time like the present, so I am not afraid to play a little game of catch up and work my butt off.

Here’s some inspiration that has kept me going.

Follow my Workout pinspiration board here

Are you excited that Spring is just a month and a half away?

My life on Instagram

Here are some recent snaps from my life on Instagram.

Follow me on Instagram by clicking here.

Water marble magic!

I thought I would share my "Manicure Monday" nail art design using the water marbling technique (as seen on Instagram and Facebook).

I found that using two very different colours, gives a very original design. I have used an opaque/milky blue (Tip Top's 'Cha cha cha') and a deep maroon/grape (Tip Top's 'funfair madness'). This gave a distinct line between the colours and the effect was magical. I really love how it turned out!

If you are new to the water marbling idea, visit my tutorial on how I do my designs.

As always, it is important to start off with a base coat and seal with a top coat. I have used Mavala's range of base and top coats (to be reviewed soon).

Tweet me your designs!

Live Healthy: The sequel

Last week I posted a new Live Healthy update. In that updated I mentioned a possible sequel resolution for 2014. Here it is.....

CRAZY YOGA!

Follow Zazayana on Instagram by clicking here

Follow Workin on my fitness on Intsagram by clicking here

Follow Workin on my fitness on Intsagram by clicking here

Follow Workin on my fitness on Intsagram by clicking here

I have been following these Instagrammers for a while now and I am in awe at what they are able to do with their bodies. I have not doubt that everyone has the potential to do what they do so this might be my 2014 resolution :)

What do you think?

MAVALA Via Veneto

I have a new crush...it's name is MAVALA Via Veneto!!

My new crush ;) 

This colour is beautifully elegant aaand has a hint of sassy-ness! I can imagine Cinderella wearing a shade like this to go with her stunning ballgown and unforgettable shoes. Just imagine what The Prince would have said if she was trying to pull off grotesque coloured nails. This proves that nail polish matters, when trying to make a statement.

I must say, I didn't think much of the colour by looking at the bottle but once it was brushed onto my nails, I couldn't stop staring!

The shade is washed out pink-caramel colour but it was the stunning shimmer-gloss finish that got me so worked up. It has a certain 'feel' about it, making it irresistible to stare at all day and admire

Due to my carelessness, the polish started chipping from day 2 but was only really noticeable from day 4 because it is quite a light shade.

I used a Mavala base and top coat which I will be reviewing next. I am convinced these products helped add the beautiful finish to my manicure.

I have many light/neutral colours in my polish collection but this one by Mavala is so unique I don't actually want to compare it to the others. It is for this specific reason, I love nail polishes. Even though there are thousands of colours out there, they are all unique and you can never have enough!!

Follow Mavala South Africa on Twitter to get new on fab releases. You can also follow me here as I will be reviewing more Mavala products next week!

Live Healthy: Update #7

So it has been quite a while since my last Live Healthy update because life happened! But I haven't forgotten my live healthy ways so here's what I've been up to:

My latest gym session and some snacks. I really needed a pick me up so I treated myself and my colleagues to bright cupcakes! I have found that adding fresh fruit like banana's and apples to plain oats, makes it taste much better.

Fruit shake time!! The best way to boost your immune system is by giving it tons of fruit. 

Have you ever been to Fruit and Veg Food Lovers Market? They are in most major cities. Fruit and Veg on steroids as I call it. They have dirt cheap specials that change every week. In the beginning of June we bought a veg special which was 7kg potatoes, a pocket of oranges, a pocket of butternut and a huge box of tomatoes for just R100. 

This weekend I bought their fruit special (hence the fruit shake). A packet of banana's, apples, oranges, two punnets of strawberries and one large paw paw for R50. Crazy right!? 

I always saw buying food was an expensive attribute to living healthy but after seeing these specials it is definitely do-able!

Gym wise, I've been a terrible girl! I have only been going once a week as it is year end at my firm and once I get home I just pass out. This week I am hoping to play a little catch up. I have my gym contract through our medical aid so in order for me to save money I need to go at least 3 times a week.

I also have to start running my little behind off for the Spar Women's race happening on the 31st of August which I noted in my last update. 

Later this week I will be announcing a possible 2014 resolution that will be a sequel to my Live Healthy 2013 resolution. I am really excited for this!

Here's a motivational poster that has kept me going these past few weeks :)

Follow my Pinspiration board here.

TTFN

Clean fun with The Beauty Factory's new "Originals" range

As soon as I hear the word originals, I think of Vampire Diaries (addict right here) and that leads me to a very philosophical thought. Originals are the base of everything. Without the originals, things would not be as they are today and it is very important to give originals the respect they deserve.

The new Originals range from The Beauty Factory definitely has my respect. 

Remember when soap was just soap? This new range from The Beauty Factory reminds us that sometimes our body just needs the plain ol' good stuff. No added ingredients to confuse our skin into thinking it needs something it doesn't. 

Here they are:

 The Body Polisher - 

My favourite of the three products which were sent to me by Beauty Factory. This 'polisher' has the most divine scent, just like clean PJ's that have just come out of the tumble dryer on a cold winters night *Bliss*. It has small little micro beads that lightly exfoliate your skin giving it a soft, polished, feeling. 

One thing I find extremely irritating about body exfoliators (the ones I've used) is, they don't have a 'soapy' texture so you end up using 2 products to satisfy your skins needs (cleaning & getting rid of dead skin). This is not the case with the Originals Body Polisher. It's soapy and polishes away any nasty dead skin clinging on for no reason. Perfect!!

The Hand Mask - 

I am still getting to know this product. I'ts unlike anything I've tried before. It's almost like the cream version of a waster-less hand cleanser. You know, like the ones you buy at clicks. It absorbs in like three seconds which totally messes with my mind. Usually you fight with creams, and skin, for up to 15 min before it completely absorbs. I guess this 'deep moisturises' your skin, giving it a jolt of moisture. I like it!

The Hand and Nail Cream -

This is a very simple cream that does what it needs to. It smells fresh and it is perfect to keep in your draw at work. 

I am really impressed with this fresh approach to skin care from The Beauty Factory. It's good to see that the technological advances has not affected their products. This balances nicely with the great brands who do use the new technological advances. The best of both worlds which you get to choose from. If it's plain, clean fun you're looking for then The Beauty Factory has something for you.

Like The Beauty Factory on Facebook for news on their products or pop over to their newly launched online store and shop your heart out!

#COSMOpolished

If you follow me on Twitter (if you don't, why not!?) then you would have seen that last week Wednesday I was invited to a night out on the town, Kramerville/Sandton, for a "Polished" event hosted by Cosmopolitan magazine and Revlon SA.

Here are some snaps from the night:

The Rooftop Venue view, posh seating area's and the stations where we got to do our nails.

Fellow beauty bloggers Nicola and Zaahira. Nicola got a huge Revlon hamper for her stunning nail art!

The awesome Revlon products we got to use on the night.

I got to meet an awesome Miss Claira-Bella reader, Hildegarde, we were serenaded while we got to try some great nail art techniques.

The delicious food we got to munch on and the champagne was flowing

Thanks so much to Cosmo and Revlon for inviting me to this event. I will be doing a full event review next week and tell you exactly what went down so keep posted :)

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