30 May 2013

FRIDAY FINDS

My Friday Find this week is not exactly a new find, as they have been around in Umhlanga for the past two years, but it relatively unknown to anyone other than the locals...The UK Emporium KZN is a small retail space situated in the lower basement of the Granada Centre, Lagoon Drive, Umhlanga Rocks. However this somewhat obscure, simple shop, is an Aladdin's Cave of "Yumminess" as it holds over 500 of the UK's favourite food items!
As with many people living away from their homeland, for some reason we always crave foods that we cannot readily have....and it doesn't matter where in the world you live or for how long you have lived there, there's always a small part of you that longs for that item...
You will find several UK Emporium's around the country, so in many cases, that craving "fix" is never too far away....
Below are some photos just to make those ex-pats feel even more homesick for their fave goodies!

Visit their website to order online


I have spotted one of my many "faves" Jamieson's Raspberry Ruffles



Branston Pickle anyone?



Bisto Gravy Granules, Paxo stuffing and Atora Suet



Bassets Sherbet Fountain brings back memories of my childhood



Now we are talking...Heinz Sticky Toffee Pudding and real jelly cubes!



Oh No! my best Jaffa Cakes



Walkers crisps and Quavers another blast from the past




 They stock a great selection of cool drinks including Coke Vanilla, Irn Bru, Vimto and Tizer
 plus many more...




LUSH GREASE LIGHTENING SPOT TREATMENT {VIDEO}

I cannot rave enough, about how good the Lush Grease Lightening Spot Treatment is. I came across this video that perfectly explains the wonders of this product....
Enjoy!




29 May 2013

MY FAVOURITE THINGS {MAY}

May has been a busy month and I had real difficulty, in deciding, which items would appear in this post, so I have chosen six as opposed to the usual four,
so Enjoy!




1. Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream 
has become one of my absolute favourite products!

2. Blinkmints 
have been a recent discovery for me, I must say I am addicted
 and I love the cute little tins!


3. Bella & Boo Natural Frozen Yoghurt 
is the best fro yo around!




4. Lush Grease Lightening Spot Treatment
has worked wonders on my teenage sons zits!

5. L'Oreal Rowenta Steam Pod hair straightener 
has given my hair the best smoothness, shine and condition ever!


6. Rain Bath Salts
are just the best!


28 May 2013

KULENI GAME FARM {ZULULAND}

This past weekend my hubby and I were invited to a friends lodge in a private game park called Kuleni approximately 20kms outside of Hluhluwe. This 170 hectare farm consists of 17 totally private sites, which are privately owned and house individually styled eco-sensitive timber structured lodges.Each lodge has its own watering hole, ensuring that the following game can be seen Giraffe, Wilde-beest, warthog, nyala and impala literally drinking within a few meters of your deck....Kuleni is also a bird watchers paradise!There are also plenty of walking trails around the park of varying distances.
Unfortunately my friends do not rent out their lodge, but many do in the park, for rates and info.
This really was luxury in the bush and we had a wonderful and relaxing weekend.....






27 May 2013

REVIEW FOLLOW UPS

Recently I have written a couple of reviews, where I said I would give you some feedback as to how and if the products were continuing to perform and here are my follow up comments on three products.


Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream




I am still loving this product and this past weekend I put this BB cream through its paces, as I went to a game farm in Zululand and it was extremely hot and dusty! Not only did I travel light with regard to my make up items, but also with my treatments. This multi tasking cream was a "god send" and the SPF 25 worked perfectly, so this product makes it onto my "must have" list.


L'Oreal Proffessional & Rowenta Salon Steam Pod Hair Straightener 




The manufacturers say that the straightening effect will last longer due to the steam and seal action,so where better to put this to the test, yes....at a hot, dusty Zululand game farm....again I am thrilled with the results.Normally with my straightener, after a couple of days in the Durban humidity, some frizz will start to appear, but with this new steam straightener there was no waves or frizz and my hair stayed smooth and straight!





I have found out that L'Oreal have launched a very good home version and its available for sale in the UK and retails for approx £150, so I cannot wait for it to be launched here in SA or if they decide not to....I will just need to make a plan to get one from overseas, as it really gave a wonderful shine,softness and feel to my hair that no other straightener has ever given me.



Lush Grease Lightening Spot Treatment






Success again, as my teenage sons are continuing to use this product and I cannot tell you how much better their skins are looking! Their troublesome spots are looking calmed and have subsided. I would recommend Lush to tackle any of those hormonal, teenage, acne problems, as its worked wonders for my 14 and 19 year old skins.


24 May 2013

FRIDAY FINDS

Being a Mothercare Baby....To read post
means, this UK high street brand will always have a special place in my heart.
Woolworths have some price reductions on several of the Mothercare baby items at the moment, so if you have a babies birthday or a baby shower on the cards, then check out my Friday Finds....Enjoy!

1. Mothercare: Brights Wobbly Cow
R180
R144

2. Mothercare: Night Time Blue Bear
R160
R128



         


3. Mothercare: My First Bear Rattle

R89.95
R71.96

4. Mothercare: Activity Toy
R199
R159.20

          



22 May 2013

CLARINS BB SKIN PERFECTING CREAM {REVIEW}


I have purposely held off trying any of the BB creams that are currently on offer in South Africa. Even though I have read numerous reviews, of which most rave about this "wonder" product, I wanted my "first time" experience of a BB cream, to be one from a reputable house and preferably from a house that had its roots in skin care rather than in make up. I have been somewhat sceptical about trying a BB cream, as I am a mature female who has all the normal concerns about ageing, so was this type of product going to have any place in my beauty regime? 

What does BB stand for:
The BB can stand for either Beauty Balm, Blemish Balm or Blemish Base, but I prefer to refer to the BB cream as a Beauty Balm.....

What are their purpose:
BB creams have hit the cosmetic market with a vengeance since the beginning of 2012, but have been around for many years and with great success, in most Asian countries.
Each cosmetic house seems to have their own take on the BB cream, but most are promoted as a multi tasking cream and can be used as a:

Moisturizer
Primer
Tinted moisturizer/light foundation
Radiance Enhancer
Coverage of sunspots/age spots/acne
Sunblock
Line softener
Anti Ageing treatment

The reason for my hesitation with not getting too excited with all this BB hype....is that I cannot understand how one product can claim to literally "do it all", so call me "old fashioned" but I am not sold on multi tasking products that claim to do all of the above and in some cases, even more....

My advice to you, is to check out the features and the benefits that each of the BB creams will provide for you, and work from there.....not every brand out there will suit your shade of skin colour either, as the selection of colours is fairly limited.

The product that I have been waiting to try was the Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream, which was launched a couple of weeks ago here in South Africa....

R375




They claim that their BB skin perfecting Cream will:
"Even skin tone, revitalise and protect - resulting in beautiful skin with a perfect complexion in one simple step. Efficient skin care and beauty expertise have been combined by the Clarins Laboratories in this 3-in-1 product".

I was comfortable with the claims above, as they are not trying to multi task too much. I used the medium of the three shades that they have on offer. The product was easy to apply and I applied over my usual moisturizer, as I felt I needed that extra protective layer, but a younger and less dry skin can definitely use this product alone. I must make mention here that you need to warm the product between hands and apply with your fingertips in order to get the best application results. I tried both ways and the warming does make the product more emollient and  therefore application easier, far easier than if you just applied cold, straight from the tube!

I was not prepared for the great coverage that this product gave me....without appearing too "foundation" like. 



 



The other advantage that I was hoping to see was the effect of the 3-D Pigments, which Clarins have in several of their products, and is especially good for the more mature skin. These 3-D Pigments help to give you radiance, smoothness and an even complexion , which I enjoy, as would any older user! The product felt light on my skin and provided a perfect satin canvas for my blush etc......however I especially enjoyed the product when used alone and as you can see from the photos the medium shade was perfect for my colouring.


Other active ingredients include Organic Kiwi extract, which enhances vitality and radiance, as well as an exclusive combination of Katafray and Hyaluronic acid ensuring that your skins water stores are kept topped up, which in turn keeps your skin feeling soft and comfortable. 

Another important feature of this BB cream is the fact that it contains an SPF 25....

If you read my blog regularly you will have read my series of posts on Tinted Moisturisers and I even made comment, that the arrival of the BB cream could mean the demise of the tinted moisturiser and I have to say that this could be true, as the BB creams have so much more to offer.


So does this product have a place in my beauty regime? It most definitely does and I am somewhat disappointed with myself that I did not try a BB cream sooner, but I think I made the correct choice in waiting for the Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream to be launched, as this product has "blown away" all my hesitations and doubts for good!

Well Done Clarins for producing another great product!

Available at all Clarins outlets




21 May 2013

LUSH GREASE LIGHTENING SPOT TREATMENT {REVIEW}



I am excited to write about another success with a Lush product.....a few weeks ago I bought my teenage sons a bottle of Grease Lightening Spot Treatment from Lush in Cape Town, with the hope that they would at least use it and by some miracle, it would simply clear up their varying stages of hormonal eruptions, and do it like the name suggests as quick as "grease lightening".... a huge ask I know!
Well...What can I say, other than my boys love using this clear gel and within a couple of days of applying daily to their zits/pimples/volcanoes, even the most "angry" "spottys" have been calmed, soothed and zapped considerably!

The key ingredients that make this product so effective are:

Tea Tree -  a powerful antiseptic
Organic Aloe Vera Gel - has wonderful healing properties and soothes and calms
Seawater - also known for its antiseptic benefits
Thyme & Rosemary - gentle antibacterial
Witch Hazel - an astringent

I am really impressed with Grease Lightening and even if you have no "erupting" teenagers like me, this is a great standby for "zapping" that unwanted spot.


R75 (45gr)

Unfortunately Lush is only available in Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront and they are opening a branch very soon in the Cavendish Centre in Claremont.
They also have plans for an online ordering website, which will be great for rest of SA.

TO READ OTHER REVIEWS ON LUSH PRODUCTS


19 May 2013

AT HOME - SUNDAY SKETCHES

This is the second in my series of Sunday Sketches.
I hope you enjoy these "at home" sketches from Inslee Haynes....







17 May 2013

FRIDAY FINDS

As you know I just adore any type of home fragrance and I spotted these three new room sprays in Woolworths. I tested them all and was pleasantly surprised with both their quality of presentation and their actual fragrance. Another bonus, is the affordable price and I am really excited to see both the South African retailers and the buying public, embracing products to fragrance their homes!


1. Prevoir Wild Iris and Mimosa Room Spray
This is my "fave" of all the three, as it is a combination of sweet wild iris and the soft powdery notes of mimosa. It's also the largest in quantity and the price is under R50
260 mls
R49.95




~~~~


2.Aquitane The Collection Aromatic Room Spray
An aromatic yet refreshing fragrance.
150 mls
R39.95




~~~~


3. Classic Collection Wild Fig Room Spray
This is a combination of both wild fig and hibiscus extracts
R79.95







15 May 2013

AFRICAN PRIDE CRYSTAL TOWERS HOTEL & SPA





I have been lucky to stay several times at the 4* Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa located in the heart of Century City in Cape Town and again recently spent a couple of nights there in between Christmas and New Year. 


The hotel is part of the African Pride group and as the name implies,


African Pride embodies the proud spirit of Africa, an exclusive collection of superior-deluxe hotels, lodges and country houses, offering the highest international standards of service, accommodation and facilities. African Pride Hotels:Africa’s signature of luxury hospitality


The hotel is described as innovative, modern yet timelessly sophisticated and luxurious. 





The rooms deliver on everything that you would need, whether you are staying there on business or for leisure.You will find all the usual comforts, right down to the DVD player with a library of movies and a collection of the latest magazines strategically positioned in the separate loo...and I must not forget to make mention the mood enhancing (pink and blue) lighting, which I think is what my hubby didn't like, so it failed to enhance his mood....








They also offer a complimentary daily shuttles to and from the CTICC, V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain, Camps Bay & Clifton Beaches and can I say that this was an absolute bonus, especially over the busy Christmas season, when parking can be an absolute nightmare in Cape Town and costly! It was wonderful, it was as though we had our own chauffeur. Another advantage to staying at the Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa, is the great shopping nearby at Canal Walk.I have to say now, that I cannot comment on any of the hotel restaurant or bar facilities,The Spa on the other hand, I have lots to say and this will be another post for a later date.


The Crystal Towers hotel is in my opinion is "Bling" all the way...and I love it, my husband on the other hand hates it...so hence I have often stayed there either on my own or with my kids, but on a couple of occasions he has had no choice....