I was going to leave this post until next week, as my April Favourites were late.  However, I’ve decided putting my May Favourites up a little early won’t be a bad thing, seeing as I just received the ultimate favourite of my month.  I had a checkup with my gynae after the horrendous time I’ve had the last 6 months on Zoladex for my endometriosis.  From what he could see, the endo has shrunk away, so I’m all clear for now.  It’s sad that I don’t know if I’m all clear for GOOD, but the disease could rear its head again sometime soon – I just have to stay aware of that and watch for signs.  To read more about my battle with endometriosis, and the treatments I’ve gone through read HERE.

Either way – knowing that the endo I had is now gone is very exciting.  It means that the 6 months of hell were worth something, so I’ll probably be having a glass of bubbly tonight to celebrate.  It’s all about winning the small battles.

Other than this favourite, here are the things I’ve loved during the month of May!

 

Hair Care

 

 

Schwarzkopf Colour Freeze Silver Shampoo (R265 for 250ml from Retailbox)

I’ve been searching for ages for a really good silver shampoo.  My hair is naturally quite dark, and always pulls warm tones when I have highlights.  I just prefer a cooler blonde for my skin tone.  Those silver shampoos you find in the drugstore will do in a pinch, but I find they leave my hair very dry and fragile after a while.

When I saw Dee from That’s Totally Fetch mention this shampoo on her Instagram feed, I knew it was one to try out.  I managed to nab it on a Retail Box sale too, for less than the original price above.  Such a score!

This deep, dark purple shampoo tones my hair so beautifully, taking away any brassiness there.  I’m left with a gorgeous cool-toned blonde, and it doesn’t strip my hair either.  In fact, while it doesn’t leave my hair with that squeaky clean feeling, I still manage to get 2-3 days between washes quite happily.

 

 

Nak Aromas Blonde Conditioner (R320 for 275ml from Retailbox)

I bought this at the same time as the shampoo above, as I figured perhaps I should invest in a good conditioner for blondes too.  I had yet to try anything from Nak, and this conditioner sounded lovely.

And lovely it is!  It has a purple tone to it, and is quite thick.   The smell is very spa-like, with gorgeous essential oils of Lavender, Patchouli and Geranium.  It’s such a pampering conditioner to use, and leaves my hair feel incredibly soft and nourished, yet it’s still very lightweight and doesn’t weigh my hair down.

Expensive, but you only need a small amount.  I’m convinced now that I’d like to try more from the brand!

 

Body Care

 

 

Vani-T Velocity Rapid Tanning Mousse (R540 from The Beautiful Store)

I’ve been a long-time lover of Fake Bake and Loving Tan.  Both aren’t as easy to get hold of here in SA, and I needed to find a brand that was easy to buy and where I wouldn’t have to wait for months for it to arrive.  The local tanners we have will do in a pinch, but I prefer a more olive tan.

I decided to give the Vani-T tan a try from The Beautiful Store.  What I liked was the ease of colour change – where you have to buy different shades of tan from Loving Tan, this single bottle can give you three different shades.  One hour for a light tan, two hours for a medium tan and three hours for a dark tan.  Simple, right?

I also really liked the fact that the maximum I needed to leave it on for was three hours.  Gone were the nights of sleeping with my tanner on, as Hubs can’t stand the smell of self tanner.

I discovered the following about this product:

1. One hour, to an hour and a half is perfect for me.  Two hours might be good in summer if I want to be very dark.  This means I can apply tanner, watch a couple of episodes of a series and then shower it off.  Quick and effective.
2. The colour is a beautiful olive – no orange anywhere in sight.
3. The smell is far less strong than other tanners I’ve used.  It also doesn’t linger as much on the skin after you wash it off.
4. It has a colour guide so you can see where you’ve applied it.
5. It doesn’t leave ANY streaks or patchiness whatsoever.
6. The tan lasts a solid week until I need to think about scrubbing the remainder off.  It also doesn’t fade patchily.

Who doesn’t want a tanner that works as hard as this?

 

 

Lush ‘I’m Home’ perfume (R445 for 30ml, R875 for 100ml from Lush)

Aaaahhhh this fragrance.  I mentioned this on my Instagram and completely and utterly raved about it.  The scent is warm and spicy and delicious and sweet and comforting all at once.

The Lush site states that contains vanilla absolute, benzoin resinoid and cocoa absolute.  To me, it smells like winter.  It smells like melted chocolate, crackling fires and creamy chai lattes.  You know those vanilla body sprays that we all wore in high school – those sickly-sweet ones that make you feel a bit nauseous when you smell them now?  This is nothing like that.  Sure, it’s sweet, but in a super grown up, sexy way.  It makes me feel happy and safe and comforted, and I can totally see why they named it ‘I’m Home’, as that’s the way being in my home makes me feel.

The fragrance lasts like a bomb too – a couple of spritzes on my neck will last me all day long!

 

Skincare

 

 

L’Oreal Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Scrub Cleanser (R176.49 from Foschini)

This is my second tube of the Daily Scrub Cleanser.  I love glycolic acid, and find my skin always looks better when I include it in my routine.  This may be a ‘daily’ scrub cleanser, but I only use it a couple of times a week, as I do use a weekly proper exfoliator, as well as use a glycolic acid toner a few times a week.

The scrub is so super gentle that I could probably use it daily with no adverse reactions, and it leaves my skin feeling so baby-soft that I’m often sorely tempted to use it more than once a day.  It takes away any dullness or dead skin, leaving my skin glowing and just generally lovely.  I plan on keeping this product in my routine for good – that’s how good it is!

 

 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater (R250 from Mario Badescu SA)

I’ve mentioned this Mario Badescu product already a few times on my social media.  It’s basically just a hydrating facial spray, yet I find it does so much more than that.  I’ve used it to hydrate my skin as a toner every morning prior to my serum, I’ve used it to settle powders after makeup application, and I’ve used it to hydrate my face during the course of the day when it feels tight.  The rosewater in it helps to calm redness and irritation, and leaves my skin soft.

I’ve used so much of this already that I can feel a repurchase may be on the cards this month.  I actually want to keep one in my pro kit too, for brides on their wedding day.

 

 

dr.dermal IntenCE Antioxidant Plasma (R875 for 30ml from dr.dermal online*

Last week I wrote a post on my current skincare routine.  This vitamin C serum from dr.dermal was one of the stars of the show.

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I started out using vitamin C in my skincare with The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone.  I adored what it did for my skin, but really disliked the silicone texture.  It did also tingle a little, but not badly enough to stop me using it.  However, the product worked so well I used

I’ve since finished that product, and have started using this offering from dr.dermal, which feels like a sticky, thin serum instead.  Much nicer texture, and it actually works even faster than The Ordinary one at brightening the skin, helping to fade some of my pigmentation and reduce fine lines.  The smell, however, is very vitamin-y, like health.  Not my favourite, but considering how amazing the results are, I’ll put up with everything it throws at me!

** You can also get 5% off your order with my code SUGARANDSPICE5 so if there are some products you’ve been keen to try from dr.dermal, or you’d like to grab this serum (trust me, the results are fantastic), you’ll get free shipping as well as 5% off your cart! **

 

 

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Bouncy Eye Mask (R230 from TBS or Clicks)

This has been such a lovely, hydrating eye product.  I’ve battled in the past, with products that either don’t hydrate under my eyes enough, or lead to creased concealer.  This gel-cream from The Body Shop does neither!

I can use a thin layer of this in the morning under makeup, or a thicker layer at night, in the way I’d use a sleeping mask for my face.  It truly does a lovely job at hydrating the skin, and it’s helped to reduce a few dehydration lines I had there.

A little goes a long way, so I can see this jar lasting for ages.  I just wish it was in more hygienic packaging, as I have to always ensure my fingers are 100% clean before I dip into the pot.

 

 

Jade Roller (R290 from The Beautiful Store)

I love this little tool more than I ever believed I could.  This was another gem I mentioned in my current skincare routine post.

The use of jade rollers goes all the way back to 17th century China, where the Chinese believed they had healing and protective properties.  Jade varies in colour from a dark green, to an almost-white pale green like mine.

The benefits of using one of these pretty tools are:

• Better absorption of products
• Reduced inflammation
• Less redness
• Encourages collagen production
• Decreased puffiness and under-eye circles
• Minimises fine lines
• Drains lymph fluid
• Relieves facial tension
• Increases circulation

You can read more about this product and my love for it in the skincare routine post HERE.

 

Makeup

 

 

Colourpop X Kathleen Lights Dream Street palette ($16 on Colourpop)

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know the desperation I threw out there, trying to get my hands on one of these palettes.  I love Kathleen Lights, and I adore the shades she chose for this palette!

Finally, I caved and just ordered it on the Colourpop website.  I was so impatient, that I even used Aramex to courier it to me, rather than just wait for it to come through the SAPO.  It was worth every extra cent and every minute spent waiting!

These shadows are so soft and buttery and the pigmentation is insane!  That colour on the bottom row – Elfish, the dark warm brown – is becoming one of my favourite shades of shadow ever!  So beautiful.

Take a look at the swatches of the shadows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Urban Decay Naked Palette (R850 on Urban Decay SA or Foschini)

Another long-yearned-for palette, I nabbed this baby on the Foschini 30% off sale.  I couldn’t believe my luck!

I opted for the original Naked palette.  I know the packaging isn’t as nice or as easy to keep clean (it’s like a brown velvet that clings to any and all fibres and fluff), but the shades just spoke to me the most.  Aside from the Heat palette, but that sold out like no tomorrow and I didn’t manage to get my hands on it.

While I do wish there were just one or maybe two more mattes in this palette, I’ve found it to be so versatile.  I can use it for many different looks, and they range from very natural to deep, dark and smokey.  The shadows are completely worth the hype too – the quality is insane!

Every girl who loves makeup needs one of the Naked palettes in her collection.

Here are my swatches of the shades:

 

 

And that’s it for my May Favourites!  Tell me, what products were you loving during the month of May?

 

 

*PR Sample