2014 is all but forgotten and it seems like 2015 is well under way for the majority, but I was thinking back to some of the highlights for Beauty Shout Box over the past year.
My "beauty and anything nice blog" is now into its third year of existence and stats show that most blogs fail within the first 12 months, so I suppose I am doing well, as I'm still standing on my box shouting about beauty and all things related.
I feel that I have matured with regards to what I write about and products that I accept from the different companies. Last year saw me turn down and refuse several offers of "freebies"...
Yes I know its great to get free goodies, but there is a pressure attached in the form of a follow up post,Vlog , mentions on Twitter/instagram and facebook.
I will now only accept and review products that suit me, my blog and of course you my readers.
Below are some of "My Highlights of 2014"
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One of the real highlights of 2014 was a post I wrote about Christian Louboutins launch of his nail polish collection. The post itself was just an informative write up and not a review, but it's what happened after I posted an untagged link to my article on Twitter that was so special.
I know this may not seem exciting to some, but it was to me...
Out in "Twitter World" it got re tweeted by several followers and the next thing Christian Louboutin re tweeted my link to 1.392 million of their followers.
Now I know it's not the man himself but for me, it was as good as....
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Several products stood out in 2014 and I know this product is "High End", but it really impressed me and as I have said before, being a more mature blogger I am not "easily impressed", especially as I have been in the beauty industry for over 35 years, so it takes something really special...
La Prairie Cellular Mineral Exfoliator Face
The Swiss Skincare and Body range La Prairie launched a range of
Cellular Mineral Exfoliators in 2014 and I was lucky enough to try both the body and face versions. Now as you know I am a great believer in weekly exfoliation as it is, in my opinion, a vital step in anyones beauty regime regardless of age or skin type/condition and this La Prairie Cellular Mineral Face Exfoliator was SPECIAL.
Not one to use any type of eyeliner or pencil on my upper eyelid, this past year I was introduced to the Clarins 3 Dot Eye Liner and you've guessed it...eyeliner now appears alongside both my upper and lower lashes and I have not looked back.
I still have my off days with "wiggly" lines but on the whole I'm now pretty good at joining the dots.
Now onto drink and 2014 saw the launch in South Africa of the Swedish pear cider
Rekorderlig and I fell in love with their Mixed Berry flavour.
Prior to its launch I was introduced to this "drinkie" at the PicknPay Taste of Durban, which happened to be another highlight of 2014. I will definitely be attending the PicknPay Taste Of Durban 2015 and I suggest all "foodie and drinkie" lovers to do the same,
This next Highlight of 2014 really pushed me way out of my comfort zone, as I did my first Vlog.
Even though I'm a chatterbox and I'm never stuck for words, this Vlog was positively nerve wracking, but I did it and I am very proud of it, as it has received nearly 4000 views.
To many beauty vloggers that number is most probably pathetic, but it sounds good to me, especially as I really wasn't expecting more than a handful of people to watch it.
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Just to round off My Highlights of 2014
I have to thank those beauty houses that I have built up great relationships with over the past year and long may they continue to be beautiful throughout
I know I sound like a stuck record, but La Prairie has been one of my favourite brands for many years and having worked for LP for several of my 35 years in the beauty industry,
I feel I have enough experience with many Luxury brands to put this house at the top of my list.
La Prairie recently launched two new exfoliators;
Cellular Mineral Face Exfoliator read my review and the Cellular Mineral Body Exfoliator, the latter is what I have been using this past week.
(It was a sample that I pulled out of my Sunday Sample Jar)
Cellular Mineral Body Exfoliator
This divine smelling pink pearlescent gel is formulated with pure diamond, amethyst powders, rosa centifola, smithsonite extract and exclusive cellular complex to polish and condition your whole body. Cellular Mineral Body Exfoliator has noticeable granules of various sizes, that gently refine the skin by removing dead skin cells that, as we all know, can dull the complexion.
As with its face counterpart my skin was left feeling beautifully soft, silky and smooth to the touch. Scrubs and exfoliators disturb the skins natural hydro lipidic film, hence the necessity to always moisturise immediately afterwards, however what I find quite amazing with these two products is that they truely leave the skin feeling remarkably soft and moisturised unlike many that can leave the skin feeling dry and literally stripped of oils. Thanks to the inclusion of rose hips oil and camelia oil which help to soften and cushion the skin during treatment,they also leave a light veil of noticable moisture on the face and body.
I managed to get 2 uses from my sample and it is recommended to be used two or three times a week in the shower, either morning or evening, but taking into account the price and the effectiveness of this product once a week would be ideal pour moi.
As with most body scrubs and exfoliators:
Apply on a moistened body (remember more moisture will result in a more gentle treatment and vice versa)
Massage using gentle circular motions paying particular attention to elbows, knees and heels. (I found this Exfoliator to be fantastic to use before any type self tan application)
Rinse well
Pat dry and follow with a moisturising body product.
La Prairie is not in everyone's budget, I realize that, but this brand really elevates skin and body care frrom ordinary to extraordinary that I have never experienced with any mid price range products or even many of the high end brands for that matter and I have been lucky to have used many over the years.
If you are looking for an outstanding, high end body exfoliator then this is the "one" without a doubt. R1590 200ml
I have decided after a couple of months of no Sunday Sample posts,
to dip into my sample jar again.
My Sunday Sample jar has been added to over the weeks and as a reminder I only have samples in there of products that can be reviewed after a couple uses.
There are some bloggers that will review a moisturizer, night cream or even an Anti - Ageing product after using a free sample and those that read my blog regularly will know that the more specialized treatment products need a minimum of a months trial, but in my case it's usually 3-6 months depending on the product and this ensures that a complete and thorough review is posted on my blog.
Next Sunday I will be reviewing the
Cellular Mineral Body Exfoliator by the Luxury Swiss brand La Prairie.
As you know I am a huge believer in weekly face and body exfoliation, so let's see what my thoughts are on this "high end" body exfoliator.
Silver Rain was the first fragrance that the Swiss skincare house La Prairie launched back in 2005. Silver Rain creators were inspired by the phenomenon that takes place in spring in the mountains of the Swiss Alps. Rain is transformed into ice crystals of breathtaking beauty. In the spring these crystals melt and fall from a height of 1000 feet and is called “ silver rain”.
Back in 2005 I worked for La Prairie and it was an exciting launch, as the packaging was a beautiful sculpted gleaming silver raindrop and in my opinion still remains on my top 10 list of exquisite bottles. The fragrance itself was also unique for its time, as it did not transition on the skin from the top note through to the base note, but remained the same throughout. This modern woody floral fragrance is a sensual combination of roots, herbs and flowers that are both rare and costly. This elegant and complex fragrance was expensive back then and it remains so today at R1740 for a 50ml Eau de Parfum spray. Not in everyone's price range I know, but non the less, sells well and has its loyal followers. It was one of my favourites for several years and I have two empty bottles on display in my bathroom and they still look beautiful today with no corrosion or tarnishing,which considering I live at the coast, only goes to show that the bottles are lasting pieces of artwork.
I was given a sample of Silver Rain recently and was excited to re visit my once fragrance of choice,but unfortunately I have evolved with regards to my fragrance preference and Silver Rain sadly just didn't do it for me anymore. I found it to be too heavy despite having some of my "fave" ingredients like Vanilla,Verbena,Rose and Bergamot Zest. This only goes to show how our tastes change and for me the Jasmine and the Gardenia were too prominent, so remember that a fragrance we enjoyed in our 20's may not the be same type or classification as the ones we will necessarily enjoy in our 30's, 40's or even 50's as in my case.
I feel like a bit of cheat this week with my Sunday Sample, as its a sample of a perfume that I used for several years and was actually part of the launch team, here in South Africa back, in 2005.
The fragrance is Silver Rain by the prestige Swiss skincare house La Prairie and I was given a sample at a function recently. I know so much about this fragrance, but after not using for many years would I still enjoy today, the elements that I loved back then....
I will bring you my 2014 thoughts on my Sunday Sample post this coming Sunday!
July proved to be an interesting and exciting month for me, as I have experienced one of the best products ever and for those that know me...I don't say this lightly.
I also got a re tweet by the "red soled" icon of shoes, which absolutely made my day
{easily pleased I know}
Also this is the first month that food hasn't made it onto my "Monthly Favourite" post, but that does not mean to say that I am on a diet or fallen out of favor with food...
never! Throw a few handbags in and yes..July was good!
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The Swiss Skin and Body care house "La Prairie" recently launched their Cellular Mineral Face Exfoliator, so click on the pink link below to see what I got excited about.
One of my 'faves" for July was the introduction to the AnniKing collection of stunning bags and you know I am a sucker for a good, quality handbag.They are about to launch her Spring-Summer 2014/2015 collection and I cannot wait.
Read my review on her Winter 2014 collection that happened at the beginning of July by clicking on the pink link
This was a highlight during the month of July even though I haven't actually tried it or even seen one,
{I wanted to pop into Christian Louboutin in Paris on my recent trip, but this was the queue outside and it wasn't moving quickly, but if I was "in" the small boutique I also wouldn't be leaving in a hurry}
This icon of shoe heaven has launched a nail colour and I wrote a short post about it on my blog and posted it to Twitter, as usual,but amazingly it got re tweeted to over 1.5 million followers of Christian Louboutin. It wasn't him exactly that re tweeted it, but it was his social media people, but for me it's as good as, so to read more click on the pink link.
I know I am always "banging on" about weekly exfoliation, but I really am a true believer it's the key to a younger looking , more radiant and smoother skin. I am always on the lookout for new non-chemical products that can be used easily at home, yet give great results.
La Prairie have recently launched two Cellular Mineral Exfoliators, one for the face and one for the body and I was eager to try the facial addition.La Prairie has been for many years one of my favourite prestige skin care brands albeit one of the most expensive in South Africa, but this is the case worldwide. For the more mature skin like "Moi" has, I can highly recommend several of their products, as long as your budget can cope.
I have always enjoyed La Prairie and for several years used their Radiance Range.
This luxurious, translucent pink pearly gel is formulated with mineral-rich powders of quartz crystal, pure diamond and tourmaline to remove impurities, dead skin and dryness that can dull the complexion. The hundred-petaled rose, rosa centifola and scarce meteorite dust! (yes you read correctly) ensures that your skin feels fresh and softly moisturised.This product was apparently two years in the making and interestingly has two sizes of exfoliating beads in order to deal with both the removing of those drying dead cells and to dislodge and clean impurities in the pores. The sensation of having two sizes of beads, as you massage is noticeable and very pleasant to use.The product also has that distinct La Prairie cellular fragrance, tinged with a delicate soft rose and is beautiful, yes I know it's only an exfoliator, but it smells delicately divine!
Beautiful Pearly Pink Gel
La Prairie recommend to use this product 2 or 3 times weekly for combination/oily skin, and once or twice weekly for normal/dry skin.
(This is a "bone of contention" with me, as I disagree with any over stimulation, due to exfoliation, of combination/oily skins as recommended above.I personally feel that once or twice a week is preferable for all skin types)
Apply to a moist face and neck avoiding the eye area, the more moisture will result in a more gentle treatment.
This product will cleanse as well as exfoliate, however if used in the evening, I suggest that you remove all make-up first. This exfoliator is easy to use, just massage with fingertips in upward circular motions, concentrating around the nose area.Rinse well, pat dry and follow with your usual toner, serum and moisturiser.
Before I tried this product, I must be honest I didn't have such high hopes, as so many exfoliators generally do a reasonable job of smoothing and brightening skin and in my opinion there are very few that stand out above the rest (I have used many and most don't even get a mention on my blog) and I thought this was going to fall into that very same category, but how wrong I was...
This exfoliator is in my opinion outstanding! Not only does the product itself look and smell good, it feels different because of the two sized beads, it's gentle, yet leaves you skin feeling wonderfully smooth, incredibly soft and moisturised,which many don't. I know the ingredients are not the normal ones found in skin care, let alone in an exfoliator, but all the mineral rich gem powders and pure essence of wild roses from Provence, obviously combine well to deliver an extremely effective product .....
or maybe it's just a little magic in the meteorite dust.
Whatever it is...I cant wait to try the body exfoliator...
The Swiss Skincare brand La Prairie have done it again this Holiday Season with some beautiful gifting ideas. I know that we are not talking about gift ideas under a R100 here,
in fact more like gifts for under R20,000!
The Creme de la Creme of both skincare and gifting for this season has to be the
Luxuries Platinum Moments Collection.
This ultimate rejuvenating Platinum range will visible lift, firm and transform the skin to look, feel and move like younger skin, thanks to the Colloidal Platinum, which recharges the skins's electrical balance, whilst a complex of mega-actives work with La Prairies Cellular Complex.Without doubt this is pure science at its best and offers unparalleled benefits.
