It’s been so long since I’ve had the time or energy to put together a decent blog post, or keep things consistent, but I’m hoping that I’m FINALLY back on track now!
I realise these March favourites are so late, that it’ll only be another couple of weeks and my April favourites will be going up, but who cares really? These are the products I loved during April, so you’re going to get to hear all about them anyway.
dr.dermal Texture Correction Pads R475 for 30 pads
I’m pretty sure that I’ve spoken about these before, and mentioned how much I love them. They have been such a lifesaver lately, that I’m now more in love with them than ever! I’ve spoken about how my skin has been pure chaos since I went off the contraceptive pill last year, and I had a Mirena put into place at the same time. I know that coming off the pill, or having the Mirena in place can put your hormones and skin into a bit of a funny state for a while, but doing both things at the same time just took my normal, slightly dehydrated skin, and turned it inside out and upside down, until it was combination and VERY oily in the t-zone, and I started getting horrible breakouts, the likes I have not seen in about 12 years, since I was originally put onto the pill for bad skin. I also had weird dry patches I’ve never battled with before, and the texture of my skin on my cheeks and forehead was really weird, dry, and bumpy.
With me getting married soon VERY shortly, and after some massive panicking, I remembered that my lovely buddy Camilla from Jane Wonder, had passed some more of these Texture Correction Pads onto me, after she had a few spare, and I’d been saying I needed to get my hands on more. On the dr.dermal site, these claim to reduce wrinkles, smooth skin, reduce the appearance of blemishes and make your skin glow.
I literally used these every second night for 2 weeks. My skin is now almost back to what it was before. Granted, I’ve been so strict with ensuring I complete my full skincare routine, regardless of how lazy tired I am, but this is the only major thing I’ve switched up in my routine.
I stopped using them briefly (they’re so special, I didn’t want to be wasteful) and my skin did start a bit of a backwards slide, yet the second I started using them again, it righted itself. I’ve realised I need to just continue these every second or third night, up until my big day. The difference they make is just so remarkable, and they’re well worth every penny you spend on them.
P.S. These do have professional-strength glycolic acid in them, so your skin could (and probably will) tingle and go a bit pink after using them, at least the first couple of uses. This is normal, you aren’t having a reaction to the product. I tried one on my fiance, and his skin burned and went quite red (he has normal skin), whereas my skin (sensitive) barely felt a tingle and didn’t really go pink at all – I put this down to my using the Nip + Fab glycolic pads, or the REN AHA Concentrate (both of which seem to be discontinued here in South Africa and/or overseas) on and off the last few years. My skin was obviously just accustomed to these acids, whereas his wasn’t. Just remember to use these at NIGHT, and slap on a decent SPF the following morning, as your skin will be more sensitive afterwards.
dr.dermal The Omega Skin Oil R675
I love my facial oils, and this one is no exception. I realise I have two dr.dermal products in a monthly favourites post, and no, I’m not sponsored to write this. I actually won this baby in one of their Instagram competitions last year.
Even when my skin has been oilier, at night I still like to pack on a good facial oil, either in place of my regular night cream, or in a very light layer on top. This helps me to seal in all the goodness of everything I’ve already applied to my skin, plus I get all the good fatty acids repairing and hydrating my skin from the day’s damages.
Not only is this oil so packed with Omegas that it’s the first facial oil in the world to have a complete set of Omega 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9, it’s all also vegan friendly as they’re all plant-based Omega oils!
It’s a super-rich, dark yellow oil and to me, it just smells like vitamins and health. It isn’t exactly a pleasant scent, but I don’t find it unpleasant at all, I find it smells rich and nourishing. In fact, I’ve grown to love it! I do feel I’ve been using a few drops more each night, now that my skin is a bit drier with the onset of our winter.
It definitely makes a difference in my skin’s hydration and softness, and I use this nightly. I’ve had it for over a year and it’s still going! I have a feeling I’m going to need to get my hands on a new bottle sometime in the next month or so, but it’s definitely replaced my love for the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate since mine finished (sob) and it’s actually CHEAPER!
Zoella Double Creme body cream from the Sweet Inspirations range £5.50
I placed a Superdrug order last year, and treated myself to this body cream, along with the matching body spray from the Sweet Inspirations range.
Sadly, I’m a clumsy thing, and my bottle of the body spray smashed onto my floor. At work, no less. Thanks to these shenanigans, I’ve been hoarding this body cream, only to be used on ‘special occasions’, as I can’t get it locally and it just smells so darned divine.
It’s a lovely rich body lotion, perfect for winter, and it smells like almond macarons, sweet, nutty and delicious. This isn’t for anyone who doesn’t really love a sweet fragrance, but if that’s your jam and you live overseas, or you’re travelling to the UK sometime soon, try one out.
Paco Rabanne Olympea EDP R1125 for 50ml
I received this as a birthday gift last year in July, and I have made it last a whole year – a feat in itself, as it’s so beautiful I would gladly spritz myself silly with it every single day.
It’s an incredibly feminine fragrance, it is said to have an opening scent of ‘sparkling green mandarin, water jasmine and ginger lily, with heart notes of salted vanilla, and base notes of sandalwood, cashmere and ambergris.
Now, other than vanilla, I have no clue what each of these things smells like, but I feel so incredibly confident and womanly when I spray myself in this fragrance. I’ve been using fresher, cleaner scents during the summer months, but now that things are getting cooler, I’ve started using this again, and I just can’t stop! I don’t see it lasting too much longer.
OGX Quenched Sea Mineral Moisture Shimmering Weightless Moisture Replenisher R179.95
I’ve been using this as a sort of shine spray/moisture boost in the lengths of my hair for a while now, but have only really starting loving it in the last couple of months. It leaves my hair soft and shiny on the lengths, while sealing split ends.
I can’t seem to find it on any SA websites, and even overseas I think it might have been discontinued, so if you see it at your local Dischem or Foschini, then snap it up!
L’Oreal Paris True Match Super Blendable Foundation R199.95
I’ve had this foundation in a couple of different shades in my collection for a while. Every now and then, I reach for it and fall in love with it all over again – as you can see by the packaging.
It’s such a perfect, every day foundation – light enough that you barely feel it, yet it offers decent coverage, it’s super easy to blend out (I can even apply this with just my fingers and it looks fab), and it lasts well especially if set with a powder.
This shade 3N Creamy Beige (the N stands for neutral, i.e. neutral undertone) is actually my perfect shade right now, even though I have a more yellow undertone to my skin. I’ve been using this every single day, and with a tiny bit of concealer under my eyes, this is all I’m needing on my skin.
L.A. Girl Strobe Lite Strobing Powder in 100 watt R149
These highlighters look absolutely stunning in the pan, on your finger when you swatch, and once it’s been blended onto your cheekbones, your inner corner of your eyes, your nose and cupid’s bow.
I had a bit of a problem with this highlighter, in that the brush I usually use for highlighting (the Real Techniques Setting brush) was kicking up too much powder, and it was looking chalky and powdery on my skin. I really need to get myself a good quality fan brush – I know there’s one from NYX Professional Makeup that I liked the look of!
I realised that if I used a damp beauty sponge – I have a smaller one from Cala Urban Studio at Dischem – or even my fingers, the highlight was a lot more soft and shiny, as opposed to chalky and powdery. And then once I spray on a setting or finishing spray, things look perfect.
This one is a soft, champagne colour, and is so pretty. I want to definitely get my hands on a few more shades!
Ultra-Metallic Super Shock Shadow from Colourpop in the shade Muse $5
This little gem was part of my last Colourpop haul, and I’m so glad I decided on it. I’ve loved the soft rose-gold shade Weenie for so long, and have hit pan on it, and this is pretty much her darker, deeper, more metallic big sister.
I’ve used this in so many eye looks, but it’s so easy to swipe on with a matte shade of soft brown in the crease, as an almost one-shadow look. It makes the green in my eyes really pop, and it looks like I’ve spent ages doing my eye makeup, when in reality I used two eyeshadows and just blended until the edges were perfectly soft.
All of my Colourpop eyeshadows are much loved, and at only $5 a shadow, they’re well worth it.
Bourjois 1 Seconde Volume Waterproof mascara R165.95
After some issues with my eyes constantly watering lately, I had to toss my beloved L’Oreal False Lash Wings Sculpt mascara in the bin, as I was worried that it had become contaminated and was irritating my eyes. I purchased the Catrice 3D Lash Multimizer mascara that has been raved about by numerous people, and that irritates my eyes a bit too (not as much, but it’s also still very wet, and it needs to dry a bit before I can continue to use it. Does anyone else hate super-wet mascaras?). Perhaps my eyes needed a bit longer to calm down before I introduced a brand new item into the mix? I have no clue.
I already had this waterproof one in my stash, from my last beach-holiday to Mozambique, so I figured I’d try it out with my watering eyes, even though it only probably has a few months left before it gets tossed too.
Somehow, my eyes haven’t been NEARLY as irritated, and this one won’t run even if they do. It’s been smashing! I hate using a waterproof mascara on a daily basis, as it can’t be good for one’s lashes, but I don’t really have any other options at the moment, and so far I’m super impressed.
