L'ORÉAL FINE FLOWERS CLEANSING MILK AND TONER FOR DRY SENSITIVE SKINS {REVIEW}

I spotted this L'Oréal Fine Flowers cleansing and toning duo in the UK 

last year and the only reason

 I didn't buy them then, was the size and weight, as they're both 400mls 

of product.

I then spotted them again in Duty Free at OR Tambo Airport (JHB) in November last

year on our way to Mauritius and having no weight issues with my luggage,
 I bought them both.

We don't have this range in South Africa and considering the price point 

I don't know why not, as it's so affordable, in fact in duty free they were 

both dirt cheap (or should I say clean cheap)

They retailed for R65 each, yes you read correctly...

R65

I don't think I have ever reviewed such an inexpensive Cleanser and Toner

before and they're both generous 400mls in size.

At first I thought they were priced wrongly, but the price in the UK

is around £3.99 - R5.99 depending if they're on a special promo or not

so that equates to the correct pricing considering it was duty free.

Now we are not talking any high end cleanser and toner here and

I'm one to advocate that if your budget is under strain, then rather down

budget on your cleanser and toner and invest in your skin serums and creams.

So considering the price how good or bad were they...

I was impressed with both, as they adequately did they're job, 

especially considering their price point as, 

they're both as "cheap as chips".

Formulated with soothing and comforting extracts of Rose and nourishing

extracts of Jasmine this combination works well. 

The creamy textured make-up removing milk leaves the skin feeling soft, 

comfortable and fresh.

Whilst the toner completes the cleansing routine it also leaves the skin 

feeling refreshed and free from any traces of impurities.

These two products are quite strongly fragranced with Rose & Jasmine

 and may not suit those that don't tolerate floral scents.

(I personally enjoyed the fragrance)

Despite this range being targeted at a Dry/Sensitive skin it surprisingly

 contains Alcohol in the toner and combined with the strong fragrance

I'm personally not too sure about how well tolerated this duo would be

if you have a sensitive to very sensitive skin.

I do love the packaging of the cleanser as it comes in an easy

to operate pump dispenser.

However the flip toner lid has my "pet peeve" a large hole, so if you're not

 careful the toner pours out and floods your cotton pad.

There are other products available in this range i.e Cleansing Wipes,

Cleansing Wash and Cleansing Cream.

This cleanser and toner are pretty basic and simple, but for the

price I quite enjoyed using both of these products.

It's a pity about the Alcohol content and for this reason I wouldn't personally

buy again, however if this isn't an issue for you and budget IS,

then you can't go wrong.

L'Oréal Fine Flowers Milk and Toner for Dry Sensitive Skins

400mls

R

Not available in SA

£

3.99-5.99

SUNDAY SAMPLE

I'm pretty excited to give this weeks sample a try, as it's from a brand 
that I've heard so much about and unfortunately we don't get here in South Africa. 
This Bare Minerals Foundation sample came in one of the magazines my son 
brought over from the UK last week and whilst the sample isn't the largest
 I'm hoping that from the one application I can get a good idea as to whether
 it's worth adding to my ever growing list of products to buy in the UK.

As always check back on Sunday to see what I have to say about the 
Bare Minerals Performance Wear Foundation.

REFECTOCIL SENSITIVE LASH AND BROW TINTS {REVIEW}

The last time I had my eyebrows tinted must have been back at beauty college 

and that's yonks ago. I'm not one to tint my brows, but over the past 

few years I find that I'm using far more brow products and

my faves have to be the brow "goodies" from benefit.

As I've aged I've also discovered that grey hairs not only confined to your head

 but they love to appear in your eyebrows and thankfully it's easily 

remedied with an eyebrow pencil. 

It's not that I'm wanting to go much darker with my natural brow colour, 

but I'm wanting to cover up the grey hairs and make the colour of my brows

 more uniform and hopefully become a little less reliant on the daily brow tools

Eyebrow tinting seemed like the best option and always one to promote 

the services of a "professional" at a beauty salon, 

this time I'm going against my own advice and I'm going it alone.

My reasoning behind this is simple, I wanted to be in control of my eyebrow colour 

and not reliant on what someone else thinks that my colour should be. 

I didn't want the shade or depth of colour to be in the hands of anyone else, 

but moi...hence the DIY.

RefectoCil is a professional range of Austrian Lash & Brow tinting products 

that I remember from beauty college and subsequently the range 

I used in my own beauty salon. 

It's been reliably tinting brows and lashes around the world

 for over 70 years and is now available 

for retail through Clicks, Dischem and Takealot.

Back in the day RefectoCil had a very small range of products, today they have

 a much wider range of both tints and tinting accessories. 

I opted for the NEW Sensitive Tint range, as opposed to their Original Tints.

The completely NEW 2 step tinting system allows you to tint 

eyebrows and eyelashes in only 3 minutes with colours based on plant extracts 

and is perfect for sensitive skin and eyes.

Step 1:

The tint is applied carefully with the white applicator to clean, 
dry eyebrows and leave for 2 minutes and then remove with a dry cotton pad.

Step 2:

Wait for 3-5 minutes before applying The Developer Gel over the brows 
with the silver applicator and then the gel is removed within 3 minutes.

(Remember the longer you leave the developer on the more intense the colour

because I was using Black on my brows I left on for only about 60 secs) 

Lasts up to 6 weeks and is smudge and waterproof.

(I enjoyed the fact that I covered those pesky odd grey hairs and

achieved a more even colour and to redo only every 6 weeks is a pleasure)

RefectoCil Sensitive is the first eyelash/brow tint that works based on 

plant extracts, 

with yarrow, horse extract, juniper, goldenrod, nettle, blueberry, 

chaste berry, red wine extract.

Its also not tested on animals.

Dermatologically and Opthalmologically tested.

(I opted for the Sensitive Tint to play it safe and I found there to be no

irritation at all)

Available in 4 colours - Black, Light Brown, Medium Brown, Dark Brown.

(I could have used Dark Brown, but I wanted to also use on my lashes, 

so opted for black.Even though my hair is highlighted blonde my

natural hair colour is quite dark)

I was completely blown away by how gentle and easy this duo was to use and the 
result was exactly what I was looking for.

*I do advise* 
that before you "tint your own" you pay a visit 

to the

RefectoCil Website 

to gen yourself up re the preparation, the application and loads
of other tips and advice plus tutorial videos and as always, 
fully read the enclosed leaflets prior to using.

If you have been considering tinting your own brows or lashes then the 
tried and tested RefectoCil products are the ones to opt for 
and brows are the easiest to start with.

Let me know in the comments section below if you tint your own
brows and lashes...


RefectoCil Sensitive 
Eyelash & Brow Tints
15mls

R119


RefectoCil Sensitive 
Developer Gel
60mls

R160

Takealot currently have a combo pack available which include the 
Sensitive Tint and the Sensitive Developer Gel

R200

Combo Pack

QUICKIE PRODUCT REVIEWS {QPR} MARCH 2018

My last QPR post was way back on the 1st January, so I think this
post is long overdue

so here is my one for March...

This is the first time I have ever given a score of 0/10 for any of the 

products that I have reviewed on my QPR.

Let me start with the hugely disappointing item first...


~~~~~~

1.

Brand : Cala 

Product : Bamboo Fan Make-up Brush

Price : R59.95

I have been on the look out for sometime now for a Fan make-up brush for 
applying powder highlighter, but surprisingly they're not that easy to find.
 I spotted this one in Dischem and thought it's not expensive
 I'll give it a try, with hindsight Dischem is where I should have left it.

The natural bristles are soft, in fact their too soft making it difficult for
 the brush to pick up any product and then it's just as difficult to apply
 to the cheeks. 

The only good thing that I can say about this brush - it's a fantastic brush to 
clean away the dust between the keys on your keyboard.

Verdict : 0/10

~~~~~~

2.

Brand : L.O.V.

Product : LipAffair Colour & Care Lipstick Shade 530
Price : R209

L.O.V. Cosmetics can be found in Dischem and on Takealot and I've used

several of their products now and I enjoy this high end drugstore range.

I still rate their nail polishes as the longest wearing and I also rate this

LipAffair Colour & Care Lipstick.

It has a quality heavy feel in the hand and has a click and magnetic 

clasp release.

The formula glides on beautifully and is enriched with Kendi Oil and

 Hyaluronic acid, the pigment is good and on me I found it to be long wearing.

Definitely one to consider if you are looking for a new lipstick

Verdict : 9/10

~~~~~~

3.

Brand : HASK

Product : Blue Chamomile & Argan Oil Blonde Care Deep Conditioner 

50g

Price : R59.95

I actually knew nothing about this haircare brand and spotted quite and 
extensive range on the shelves in Clicks.
After a little research HASK is made in the USA and features exotic
oils and other unique ingredients from around the world
Free of: sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten and drying alcohol.
Bring back your color clarity with Hask blue chamomile & argan oil 
blonde care deep conditioner. 
This light blue violet treatment helps neutralize unwanted yellow tones
 and reduce brassiness. 
Formulated with blue chamomile to help lighten and boost blonde tones 
and argan oil to help repair and protect coarse blonde hair, leaving you
 hair feeling soft and silky.

I found the 50g sachet enough to condition my hair for 4 applications,

so its pretty cost effective.

Verdict : 7/10

SORBET FACE FIRST SPF15 ANTI AGEING FOUNDATION +SERUM {REVIEW}

Since 2005 Sorbet beauty salons have popped up literally like "beauty mushrooms"

 all over South Africa and they now have over 170 salons countrywide 

and have even expanded their franchise to the UK.

Sorbet have, very recently, launched a range of make-up to add to their

stable of own affordable branded skincare, bath & body products, 

foot care and beauty accessories, they seem to brand it all...

So a make-up collection seemed the next obvious addition to the

 "Sorbet Empire".

This collection, especially the foundation range, has been created

with South African skin tones in mind and they have 

 Foundation Match Me activations in store to ensure 

that you get the perfect colour match.

I happened to pop into Clicks (Mount Edgecombe) on the day of their launch 

which wasn't intentional, but I caught sight of their rather impressive

back wall merchandising unit and did a detour 

 to take a quick look... 

First impressions of the new range, which includes face, lips and eyes

was aesthetically pleasing and they do have a good shade selection

across all 4 different foundation formats and that's what caught my eye.

The name of this foundation spoke to me, especially the +Serum part.

Face First SPF15 Anti-Ageing Foundation +Serum

Being launch day the unit and testers were all brand spanking new

 and despite a half hearted attempt by the consultant to help me 

select the correct shade, which I eventually did myself,(so much for

the Match Me service)

 I opted for the shade Honey and 
THEN 
it hit me I noticed the price...

R298 

Yes Sorbet, which is being sold in a national chain of drugstores is retailing

a foundation for nearly R300. At first I thought it was maybe due to the fact

that this foundation included a serum, but all 3 of their liquid foundations

retail for R260/R298/R299.95

My immediate reaction was to put the product back on the shelf and 

rather add another R150+ and buy a better know international

 high end foundation from a department store.

Slightly bewildered I checked out all the price points in the collection 

and it's not alone, as this range of make-up unfortunately does 

not fall into the "affordable" category.

With the pricing of this make-up collection 

Sorbet

 a well know "affordable" South African brand, appear 

to be dipping their pretty little toes into the "high end" waters,

which I don't have problem with, but I don't think I've encountered a brand 

where the pricing of their make-up is pitched higher than their 
own skincare range.

 I worked in beauty and retail for 35 years and this pricing

strategy slightly baffles me, but what baffles me even more is why

would someone spend a considerable amount of money to

 "self serve" in a drugstore?

We all enjoy that "buying experience" and many cosmetic brands feed into

 that and I for one.. love it. 

In-store consultants, especially those working for the high end brands

are trained to make the experience of parting with our money 

more enjoyable (in most cases anyway)

 I love to be made to feel special, I love the extra samples the consultant

 slips into my beautiful branded packet and I always enjoy receiving 

 those personal invites to their special events and launches.

Now...

 call me old fashioned but that's what I like to get, in return for my

"spend", not a rummage through a badly merchandised unit,

with either missing or dirty testers and unfortunately that's what 

merchandising units

become like over time, in a self serve environment.

After saying all of the above I did buy the foundation and paid for it with my

Clicks rewards, which made it for me, justifiable.

The reason for the purchase was a simple one

Curiosity 

Why would a local home grown brand market and retail 

a foundation for R300, could it be that this serum foundation is simply

Amazing?

Below are some of the features and benefits Sorbet give on their website

 and I've added my own findings and comments.

Medium coverage & easily blendable foundation

 It gives a medium, leaning towards high coverage,easy to blend 

with fingers (I'm not a big user of brushes or blending sponges)

It is buildable, but only to a point

 and in my opinion it looks and performs better when you opt for

the buildable coverage rather than a lighter more natural look

More on this point below.

 Anti-ageing benefits and soft focus for flawless skin

I love the fact that it contains that extra serum element, 

as not too many foundations focus on that. As for flawless skin, that's 

a big ask at my age, but it did give a smooth soft dewy finish, 

which I enjoyed.

High volatile content gives it a serum-like and non-oily feel

High Volatile is a strange term to use for the content, as it conjures up,

a negative view of the product.

Here's what the google search came up with:

Volatile (of a substance) easily evaporated at normal temperatures

I found the runny, liquid consistency on application

to have an oily feel enabling you to work and blend 

the foundation well, unlike some where you have to work 

really quickly before the foundation dries.

If you don't build the foundation,once dry and set, it left no

trace of oiliness on the skin whatsoever.

However if you build the foundation like I preferred to do,

the surface oils became noticeable.

Contains SPF 15 with sun protection

SPF is a "must have" inclusion in any anti ageing foundation, as the sun is

responsible for most of the ageing within our skins. I would personally like to see 

an even higher SPF to give even more protection from

the suns harmful rays.

Fragranced with natural Essential Oils

I can't say the foundation has a particularly pleasant smell, but it wasn't 

an issue.

Squalane – natural moisturiser from olive oil

Possible the reason for the oiliness when you build with the foundation.

Q10 & Peptides – anti-ageing

Vitamins A, C & E to fight harmful free radicals

All of these beneficial treating ingredients form the serum aspect

 of this anti ageing foundation and with daily continued use

there should be some cumulative effect on the skin, 

I like many women though tend to "chop n change" foundations

 depending on mood, the occasion and even the weather,

 which poses the question is a serum inclusion vital

in a foundation or is it a "nice to have" extra.
Maybe that's a post for another day.

Just to finish off this lengthy post I personally liked and enjoyed the foundation,

I found it easy to blend, it felt lightweight and comfortable

on my skin. The serum was noticeable within its texture and my normal to dry,

mature skin felt well moisturised throughout the day.

However I'm not sure an oily or even a normal, slightly combination would 
enjoy this serum foundation.

It worked well with the rest of my make-up application and seemed to last 

fairly well throughout the day, considering the Durban 

heat and humidity.

I found the overall simple packaging appealing, the bottle felt heavy 

and it does have a quality and a more high end feel to it.

As for the unique dropper applicator, it's a waste of time and frankly annoying 

when you're in a hurry to do your make-up in the morning.

The product also needs to be shaken very well before use.

 I'm also finding that the neck of the

bottle is becoming quite "gungy" and is constantly needing to be wiped. 

For this and several other reasons a sealed pump dispenser would have been

 far more practical and befitting for the price.

Did the + Serum render it 

AMAZING 

and worthy of its R300 pricing? 

Sadly No 

and despite reading on the box that this particular product is made

in Thailand (I'm not sure where the other products are made) 

I personally would still prefer to either stick to my tried and tested

R200 drugstore foundations,and use my specialised serum underneath,

or add another R150+ and purchase from a higher end cosmetic brand.

Whilst I enjoyed wearing, I found

it to be only on par with other more affordable foundations, 

there was nothing that wowed me, hence I can't say it's a 

"must have" "go buy" "can't live without" type of product
unless you have an issue with shade matching.

If you constantly struggle to find that perfect match, 
in terms of skin tone,then it's worth checking out this extensive collection
of shades and if you find your match then "go for it" it's worth the spend.

It's never easy choosing the correct foundation and none more so than

when you are pushing the limits of your budget.

My advice to you on this foundation, would be to definitely pop into a 

Clicks and test the product as normal.

However I would then advise you to walk around and continue shopping

for quite some time and just keep checking on 

the coverage, the texture and the overall finish to see if it

 warrants you parting with R300

I hope you were able to stick with me till the end of this lengthy post

and please let me know, in the comments below, if you have tried this

or any of the products from the Sorbet range.

I would love to hear your thoughts.