LUXURY BEAUTY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 2022

 Normally not one to post Christmas Gift Guides, but I decided to

change that for 2022.

If you are looking for something super special on the beauty gifting

front then here is a selection several luxe gifts that I would very happily

 receive on Christmas morning.

So get comfy, grab a drink and peruse what has turned out to be

my personal luxury gift guide.

(A quick calculation the items on this list add up to approximately

R60,000)

Dr LEVY

INTENSIVE 

EYE RESCUE KIT

R2,625

15ml

ARC STORE

My eye area has always been a cause for concern, as I'm sure it is with

many of you reading this post.

I recently saw the Dr.LEVY products on my trip to Switzerland and I'm

intrigued by this Swiss brand.

Dr. LEVY's revolutionary skincare is the world ’ s first cosmeceutical 

that reawakens your skins ’ youth. 

Their supercharged ArganCellActiv® complex contains a 

plant - derived stem cell extract, 

scientifically proven to revitalise dermal stem cells in vitro; the primary

 source of collagen and elastin. 

With over 50 global awards and accolades, their formulations combine medical grade efficacy with a luxurious multi - sensorial experience. 

The result? A visibly firmer, more youthful and radiant looking skin.

This exclusive best-selling kit for instant, long lasting results designed to

 target the delicate eye area. 

The Intense Eye Rescue Kit contains the Eye Booster Concentrate 15ml 

partnered with the TwinTech BeautifEye device. 

Designed to contour the eye area, this hand-held device uses an 

innovative micro-current technology to help enhance product penetration. 

This tech-savvy companion stimulates the eye contour muscle for a 

micro-lifting effect. 

111SKIN

CRYO DE-PUFFING EDIT

R3,440

SKINS COSMETICS

Now this set really appeals to me and why wouldn't it...

The Cryo De-Puffing Edit by 111SKIN is a regenerative face mask for a smooth, sculpted and awakened appearance. 

The set contains the cult-favourite Sub-Zero De-Puffing Energy Facial Mask, 

Sub-Zero De-Puffing Eye Mask and Sub-Zero De-Puffing Eye Duo. 

The edit is completed with a complimentary pair of cryo sculpting tools. 

When combining these three products, you’ll alleviate the appearance of redness, encourage circulation, reduce puffiness and temporarily tighten the skin. 

The Cryo De-Puffing Edit is a great revitalizing at-home-facial, perfect for those seeking a tighter, toned and enlivened complexion.

DYSON

AIRWRAP

COMPLETE HAIR STYLER

R10,999

  

ARC STORE  

What can I say about the Dyson Airwrap that hasn't been said already.

I have had my Dyson Hair Dryer for severals years now and I love it

and I'm sure the Airwrap wouldn't disappoint.

LA MER

THE COMPLETE

GENAISSANCE DE LA MER

COLLECTION

R19,000

ARC STORE

This gift set has an eye watering price tag and having never

experienced any products from LA MER I cannot even comment

on the products, but this exquisite set would be a good way to experience

 the very best of La mer.

Delight in the discovery of our most luxurious gift of the season, 

The Complete Genaissance de La Mer™ Collection. 

This time-transcending ensemble reduces the look of lines, imperfections 

and other signs of time for a more refined complexion. 

Paired with a keepsake vanity tray for an elevated finishing touch. 

Your collection includes: 

Genaissance de la Mer™ The Serum Essence 30ml

Genaissance de la Mer™ The Eye & Expression Cream 15ml

 Genaissance de la Mer™ The Concentrated Night Balm 5ml 

and 

Genaissance de la Mer™ The Infused Lotion 150ml.

JO MALONE
WILD BERRY & BRAMBLE

TOWNHOUSE CANDLE

R2,100

JO MALONE SOUTH AFRICA

I've included home fragrance in my guide, as they do add beauty to our lives.

Enliven the spirit with the fresh juiciness of red berries on 

a brambly bush. 

A fragrant tapestry of thorny shrubs and arching brambles,

 brimming with red berries. 

Crafted in a textured bisque ceramic. 

Burn time approx. 70 hours. 

This is just one of several Townhouse Candles fragrant options.

DIPTIQUE

CANDLE SET

3 X 70G

R2,705

SKINS COSMETICS

It wouldn't be a Luxury Christmas gift guide without DIPTYQUE

making an appearance.

Three starry skies come to life in the winter night: 

Diptyque’s three limited-edition scented candles in 70g. 

Gathered in a gift box strewn with stars, they envelop the holidays in

 emblematic winter scents faceted with new and singular tones. 

White, gold and silver stars plucked out of Diptyque’s map of stars enhance

 the intense color of the wax.

 Letters flecked with gold dance on the Maison’s emblematic oval.

 Turn out the lights and watch as the starry, phosphorescent design glows 

in the night as if by magic!

DIPTYQUE

CAROUSEL

 BERRIES CANDLE

190g

R3090

SKINS COSMETICS

How stunning is this candle carousel from DIPTYQUE

Like stars around the sun, 

the carousel’s golden charms revolve around the flame.

 This year, the charms are adorned with a myriad of 

Diptyque’s emblematic ovals: 

delicate patterns that make the light dance in a cosmic sparkle.

 In this limited-edition gift box, adorned with stars and dancing letters 

plucked from Diptyque’s map of stars, the carousel enchants the 

classic Berries (Baies) candle. 

One of the Maison’s emblematic scents, Berries combines the tangy coolness 

of just-picked blackcurrant berries with the lively, flowery accents of rose.

DR VRANJES

GIFT BOX

R2,380

My personal favourite Dr.Vranjes fragrance is Rosso Nobile and you

can discover Dr Vranjes' Rosso Nobile home fragrance in a stylish way 

thanks to this Rosso Nobile Gift Box. 

Inside the box you will find a Rosso Nobile Diffuser 250ml and a Candle 200g. 

The delicate fragrance is a sublime combination of sweet and fruity with a 

hint of wood. 

Thanks to this fragrance, enriched with notes of magnolia and berries, you will provide a living space with a relaxing atmosphere.

SUSANNE KAUFMANN

GLOW BOX

R2,815

SKINS COSMETICS

The Glow Box by Susanne Kaufmann makes the skin glow. The longtime classic, the Hyaluron Serum and two additions, the Glow Mask and the Rose Water Mist, made it into the box.

Having tried and reviewed several Susanne Kaufmann products I

can highly recommend this brand.

The Glow Box by Susanne Kaufmann makes the skin glow. 

The longtime classic, the Hyaluron Serum and two additions, the Glow Mask

 and the Rose Water Mist, made it into the box.

JO MALONE LONDON ENGLISH PEAR AND FREESIA COLOGNE {REVIEW}

Considering the vast array of fragrances that 

JO MALONE LONDON

 have in their "fragrance stable" I have only ever found 2 that have

 truly unleashed my fragrance love and adoration;

Earl Grey & Cucumber Click here

Wood Sage & Sea Salt Click here

  Granted I haven't tested them all yet, so my journey with 

JO MALONE scents continues.

However with a recent JO MALONE order that I placed online I was 

gifted a rather cute 9ml spray size of their popular 

English Pear & Freesia Cologne

and Freesias just happen to be my favourite scented bridal flower.

I had freesias in my own bridal bouquet along with roses and still

to this day they both remain my favourite flowers.

English Pear & Freesia sounded like a match made in floral heaven.

JO MALONE describe this combination as 

The essence of autumn. 

The sensuous freshness of just-ripe pears is 

wrapped in a bouquet of white freesias, and mellowed by amber, 

patchouli and woods. Luscious and golden.

Top Note:

King William Pear

An unusual, innovative ingredient, this accord of mellow scented fruit is 

fresh and ripe with a juicy facet.

Heart Note:

Freesia

Quintessentially English, cool white freesias imbue the heart of the fragrance

 with a delicate yet distinctive scent.

Base Note:

Patchouli

A sensuously deep, woody note that enhances the longevity of the fragrance.

For the lovers of the English Pear & Freesia scent there is an 

extensive collection of scented products including: a Home Candle, 

Body Cream, Fragrance Diffuser, Body & Hand Lotion, Bath Oil

and a Body & Hand Wash, Hair Mist and a Hand Cream.

Unfortunately for me, this combo was not a match made in floral heaven,

as I found the fragrance was more dominant with the soft pear notes

 than my beloved bridal freesias.

Despite being classified as "Fruity" this isn't your usual fresh, citrus, 

sparkling, fruity offering, for me it leans towards being a more delicate 

floral scent.

I personally found the lingering woody base note of Patchouli

to offer little longevity, as on "moi" it soon faded.

As I've said in numerous fragrance reviews, it's all a matter of personal

taste (not literally) and sadly the rather nondescript 

English Pear & Freesia 

was not for me, so for now my JO MALONE "loves" still remain at two...

 JO MALONE 

LONDON

ENGLISH PEAR & FREESIA

COLOGNE

30/50/100mls

R

995/1500/2100

£

50/70/100

$

72/100/142

Let me know in the comments below what your favourite JML

fragrances are.

BEAUTY PRODUCTS CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW {MAY 2021}

As you may or may not know I like to give you prior

notice as to which products I will be reviewing in the near future.

I have an assortment of beauty products to review over the next

couple of weeks ranging from fragrance, to yet another lip balm,

a rather pricey sheet mask and finally some skin glow drops that I 

have had my eye on for sometime now.

L-R

1.

111 SKIN

ROSE GOLD

BRIGHTENING FACIAL 

TREATMENT MASK

 Despite having heard of this brand and knowing of their infamous

 sheet masks, this will be my first time trying one, so I'm excited

to finally get to try and experience and more importantly to see for 

myself what all the fuss and hype is about.

2.

JO MALONE

ENGLISH PEAR & FREESIA

COLOGNE

Having struggled for so long to find any JO MALONE fragrances that

I truly love and adore I have successfully only found two

Wood Sage & Sea Salt & Earl Grey & Cucumber are my fragrance 

loves and to read my reviews on both of these fragrances click here

I recently received this 9ml deluxe sample spray of 

English Pear & Freesia Cologne with a repeat purchase of my

Wood Sage & Sea Salt and this will be nice to see if I can make

it a JO MALONE hat trick, as the scent from Freesias are my favourite.

*NOW POSTED*

To read my full review 

3.

BURTS BEES

TINTED LIP BALM

I may be appearing a little obsessed over BURTS BEES 

lip products, as I have another to review this month, but I really

do rate them and they're so affordable and easily available.

I feel tinted lip balms are becoming the new lipsticks and I

have high hopes for their tinted version.

To read my previous BURTS BEES reviews click here 

*NOW POSTED*

To read my full review

4.

RODIAL

SOFT FOCUS

GLOW DROPS 

A couple of years back, when this product was launched overseas, 

I was quite taken with it and for a short while it was

on my overseas wish list and for some reason, I removed it. 

It recently appeared on a third party South African beauty retailer

at a reduced priced and I snapped it up, as it worked out cheaper

than the normal overseas RSP.

I have reviewed a couple of RODIAL offerings and had mixed

opinions, so I'm hoping this product won't disappoint. 

To read my previous RODIAL reviews click here

* NOW POSTED *

To read my full review

As always let me know in the comments below, as to what you

think of any of the above products that are "Currently Under Review".

MY TOP 10 HAIR & BODY PRODUCTS PART 1 {2020}

My annual Top Hair & Beauty Products list for 2020 has had to increase 

from six in 2019 to ten for 2020 and I don't think it will be long before I have 

to split these into two separate categories.

These products are in no particular order and are the best hair & body products 

that I have tried and tested in 2020. I have decided to run this post over 

2 parts again (part 2 will be up on Tuesday 26/1/21) as I did with 

My Top 12 Skincare products of 2020, which you can catch up with 

by clicking on the Pink Links below

Part 1 & Part 2

I will also link my Top 6 Make-up Products 2020 Here

and the not so good of 2020

My Top 3 Disappointing Products 2020 Here

JO MALONE LONDON

WOOD SAGE & SEA SALT

COLOGNE 

Having struggled to find Jo Malone fragrances that I really connect with, 

and love enough to buy, 2020 saw me fall in love with their popular

Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne.

I'm already a fan of the Earl Grey & Cucumber Cologne, so I'm happy

to add this to my JML collection, which at the moment only consists

of two and considering the size of the Jo Malone fragrance offering is

not very many.

I have to have a love affair with my fragrances, so who knows maybe

2021 will add another "love" to my fragrance wardrobe.

To read my full review

 

 

1.

MAVALA

MAVADRY SPRAY

This is a product that I regret not having discovered years back, as it would 

have saved my nails and my patience on so many occasions.

This Quick Dry nail spray works brilliantly when you want to dry your

 freshly painted nails in double quick time.

I was a little concerned initially as to how long the spray can would last, 

as it is a rather pricey indulgence, but I'm glad to say that my 1st can seems

 to be keeping up with the pace at which I paint my nails, so the cost per use

 isn't very high and that's always a good sign.

To read my full review

2.

RITUALS

RITUAL OF AYURVEDA

FOAM BATH

Sadly not available in South Africa RITUALS has a great collection

of pamper and holistic well being products that hail from the Netherlands.

Actually it's a good thing that they're not available in SA, as they would 

be taking all my money, as I cannot rave enough about these products, 

so on your next trip overseas (whenever that will be) treat yourself to 

something, as you will not be disappointed.

The RITUAL OF AYURVEDA is my personal favourite and the link below

 will take you to my review on several of the products from this range and

whilst I adore them all, the Foam Bath is one of my absolute faves of all time.

Not knowing when I can replenish my stock of any of the products

I am conserving my last couple of uses...

To read my RITUAL OF AYURVEDA reviews

NATUR VITAL

HAIR S.O.S

FORTIFYING MASK

DAMAGED HAIR

My 2019 Top Hair & Body Products list also included a shampoo from the 

same brand and range. Natur Vital have an extensive collection

of hair care products for hair loss/thinning hair and like it or not our

hair does thin with age.

I have been using the usual trio of hair products i.e. Shampoo,Conditioner

and Hair Mask for most of 2019 and I am loving this range and having always

 been one to invest in the more expensive Professional Salon brands 

my budget is loving it to.

I find the mask to deeply nourish and condition without overloading

the hair with product and the size of the tub makes this very cost effective.

The Natur Vital have an extensive hair care product range and is well

worth further investigation whether it be for colour treated hair, dandruff

prone, sensitive scalps or Vegan options Natur Vital seems to have all

bases covered.

To read my Quickie Product Review

CETAPHIL

SUN SPF 50+

LOTION

This has been a newish discovery for me, but that being said its

been a big hit with all the family this summer.

We have had no sunburn whatsoever and it works just as well

on the face as it does on the body.

It does exactly what it says on the packaging and

the price again is good and a little covers well and it has been our

go to sun protection.

To read my full review

As always let me know if you have tried any of my fave Hair & Body products

in the comments section below and don't forget and Part 2 will be posted 

on Tuesday 26th Jan.

JO MALONE LONDON WOOD SAGE & SEA SALT COLOGNE {REVIEW}

Who doesn't love JO MALONE LONDON, I adore

the whole Georgian London Townhouse vibe along with the now iconic 

luxe cream boxes with black ribbon, yet

despite having a huge selection of fragrances to choose from I, personally, have 

really struggled over the years to find a scent to fall in love with.

Having spent many years dealing with the marketing of fragrances, I

find that I'm really under whelmed by so many and impressed by so few.

Perhaps what I'm trying to say is, I'm picky when it comes to fragrance.

Not having a Jo Malone boutique in KZN I often made a bee-line for

the counters in Duty Free and the boutiques on my travels, but sadly

I just couldn't find THE ONE.

That was until a couple of years ago when I discovered one of my

all time fave fragrances ever...Earl Grey & Cucumber Cologne.

There's a back story to this fragrance, as I dismissed it from the onset

of my search, due to the name and I convinced myself that I wouldn't

be the ONE for me, so didn't even give it a spritz.

How wrong I was, as it proved to be THE ONE and was my first 

Jo Malone fragrance.

Earl Grey & Cucumber Review

Recently I found my 2nd Jo Malone scent in the form of

Wood Sage & Sea Salt

and dare I admit to this, but again I dismissed it, as I really didn't

think I would like it due to the ingredients.

How could I make the same mistake twice, so in future even if I don't like 

the name of a fragrance I will try it first and hopefully I'll discover some

new fragrance likes.

Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne arrived on the fragrance scene in September 2014 accompanied with a perfumed body care collection. 

 Complex Ingredients include ambrette seed, sea salt and sage, along with red algae and grapefruit. Sea air is mixed with salty and mineral texture of sand and stones and the scent of driftwood adds a natural and fresh sophistication.

Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne was created with the intention to evoke the

 feeling of pleasure, freedom and escape into nature, inspired by the unique character 

and quality of British beach. 

As with many Jo Malone fragrances, fragrance pairing is encouraged

 and this fragrance can be mixed with

 Lime Basil & Mandarin or Nectarine Blossom & Honey eau de cologne.

As I always say fragrance is a very personal choice and that's why it's so

important to try on your skin to see how it develops and finally settles.

I personally buy the smallest size initially, generally 30ml and then move

 onto to purchase the more economical 50ml or 100ml sizes.

Both the Earl Grey & Cucumber and the Wood Sage & Sea Salt are lighter

Citrus/Woody/Aromatic fragrances and for me are ideal for daily Summer wear.

Both are unisex and my hubby also is partial to a spritz of

Wood Sage & Sea Salt...

It's taken me several years of perseverance with Jo Malone fragrances, 

but I feel the wait was worth it, as I Love both of my choices.

JO MALONE

WOOD SAGE & SEA SALT

COLOGNE

30ML/100ML

R

995/2100

£

50/100

$

72/142

Please let me know in the comments below as to which are your favourite

Jo Malone scents.