Pantone, Pink

We have all seen the colour popping up since it became one of the pantones for Spring 2012. Pink! Here are some inspiring pics of the colour in fashion, decor and beauty! Have you tried it yet?

In fashion mix it up by wearing one statement piece & tie in with neutrals, gold or colour block!

 I will rock pink lips ASAP!

 Don't you JUST want to take a seat?
Image source : 1,2,3,4

Beauty Buys

So lately I got some good beauty buys with all my rewards from The Body Shop and Clicks! 

1. Frizz-Ease by John Frieda. Well I just got my hair cut and I always try to find something extra for my hair. Not a fan of putting things onto my dried hair but this stuff smells incredible and I guess it works... 

2. NIVEA Creme. I already own and use daily the NIVEA Soft cream but I thought for those extra dry areas this would be a treat... and it is! Nice and thick and leaves my skin softer!

3. Catrice Cover Stick Concealer. I have been using a more liquidy concealer for a while and thought to try this one seeing as mine is finito! Catrice seems new to me but I must say so far so good. (Also try their brand in nailpolishes!)

4. The Body Shop, Moringa Shower Gel. Speaks for itself but I love this new refreshing smell. I am so used to the vanilla and shea butter for winter but this is so lovely for summer! 

L.A. Girl

I have been buying L.A Girl nail varnishes for about two years now... It could be because they are well stocked into Dischem and I live right across the road from the mall! I have recently bought some great colours and thought I would share them with you! I love their nail varnishes as the colours as so rich and a great match to what you see in the bottles. They also are so easy to apply and are not thick and blotchy! 

Fashion 101 : Bare Necessities

As much as we all love to rock a red lip or to do a great smokey eye we all know that being natural is the key to true beauty. I love to do a good job with my make-up at times but most of all I love being as bare as possible. It seemed to be quite the hit on the runway for Spring/Summer 2012 and I must say I am in! Here's a few tips, tricks and notes to this look! 

Summer heat 

Make sure that you are wearing a good SPF face cream as you will not be dousing your skin with your normal make-up which should add an extra SPF to your skin! 

BASE(ics)

You need a simple start to this look. First apply some concealer under your eyes and dab onto any problem areas. Remember for a more natural look using your God-given fingers is the key. Dab on concealer.

Eye Spy
For your eyes, just groom your brows to look very fresh faced and bright eyed. I like to add a tad bit of white liner on the inner corner of my eyes to make my eyes brighter! Slick on a light layer of mascara or use some Vaseline to moisturise and emphasise them if you want to be completely bare!


Foundational
If you use cream foundation: Mix a little dot of foundation into your face cream and smear on in smooth movements. Ensure it is all rubbed in - best to mix them together before applying for a more covered look.
If you use powder: So long as you put your face cream on just use a large brush to cover your face with your powder foundation.
It is better to use a cream foundation for this look as the coverage will last longer and you will get a more polished result.

Brush it off
If you have one, just take your airbrush stippling brush and swirl over your make-up. This will clear up any "mistakes" you may not have noticed and even out the applications.

Blushing?
For a little bit of colour in your cheeks apply a very small amount of your preferred blush on your cheeks.

Lips were made for pouting
If you want to add some colour to your look use a slightly pink/coral lipstick mixed with a slight gloss. Otherwise simply put some lipgloss on with a lip brush!

It seems like a lot but calculate the time taken to do this and you would have completed one smokey eye! Enjoy this new runway look and have long lasting fresh faced make-up all day! 

Images from Vogue.com

Fashion 101 : Ombre vs Regrowth

Yes, as Jeannie Mai always says, your hair is an accessory too! So that is why there is a hair post under my Fashion 101 slot. We all know that the Ombre hair trend has been quite the hit...whether it is over for good or not is yet to be decided! There is one small issue though... the difference between ombre hair and regrowth seems to be sorely missed and many people are walking around thinking it is OK to have THAT much blonde and THAT much brown at the same time... Here is the difference.

Ombre Hair:
Why - It is low maintenance, easy to grow out and so in this season! It suits most people and can look very professional if done really well.
Who - Alexa Chung. She has made this look and also sports it really well. Many people feel that you need to have long flowing locks to do the ombre hair trend but look how casual and cool Alexa looks in her do.

Image source.

How - Go to a salon! At least for the first do go and get the professionals to do it for you. The idea is to have darker roots and go slightly lighter down the length of your hair. There are different ways to do it such as more subtle or very ombre. The more subtle the more natural it would look and the more ombre the harsher the definition would be... BUT never looking like regrowth.
Colour - Yes. You can do a colour style of ombre hair such as Katy Perry is sporting now. Darker pink roots fading into blonde. Otherwise very often the reverse is all over hollywood with dip-dyed colour hair at the ends of the hair and lighter at the roots. Just be brave, be careful and do not look like a clown!

Image source.

Regrowth:
How - Regrowth is caused when the hair is dyed a shade darker or lighter than the original tone of your hair. As the hair grows longer the roots push out the new (natural) hair tone and the dyed colour fades downwards.
Who - Cameron Diaz does the right amount of regrowth as it makes the hair look more natural when there is a slightly darker root. It is healthier, newer and less exposed hair and so it will naturally be that way. But if the line between dark and light is too well drawn  then you know you need a major touch up.

Why - Regrowth can be the hair look unhealthy and also very poorly looked after. If you are willing to do a drastic colour change then you must be willing to pay the costs on a regular basis for a touch up.
What - Go to the hair dresser. If you are wanting to change back to your natural colour you can either dye it a closer shade and let that grow out properly or you could strip the hair of the old dye back to your natural. You will need a treatment if that is done as you will be doing a lot of damage to your hair.

Whatever your pick make sure your hair is clean, healthy and protected for longer lasting colour and a great feeling you. Because as I said your hair can make or break your outfit as an accessory!

Chocomania : A Valentine's Day Treat

Just a few more winks and we will be seeing this new delectable range in The Body Shop stores. I must say I am so excited for this tasty body treat and will definitely have it on my wishlist for Valentine's Day. 

DIY Tips for Natural Beauty

We all know nature knows best when it comes to health and beauty and we always feel that bit better after an apple or a good glass of water. So why keep your skin, body and hair from that same feeling? I have just read some great DIY tricks for healthier skin, hair and body. Here are a few of my favourites. See more here.

 Face:

Keep to your face skincare routine and you should be good. Cleanse, tone and moisturise. A good face mask is definitely the key to keeping up a fresh face. Here are some great ideas for face masks for your skin type.

Dry : Avocado & Honey mask. Mix 1/2 a mashed avo with a 1/4 cup of honey. Leave on for 10 minutes.

Oily : Banana, honey & lemon. Blend 1 ripe banana with 1 tablespoon of honey & 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Leave on for 15 minutes. 

Normal Skin : An exfoliator is great to remove any dead skin cells and increase vibrance in your skin tone. Blend 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of honey and half a cup of sugar (brown would make a harsher exfoliator and white will be a soft exfoliator). You can use it at least 2 times a week. 

  Hair:

During this hot summer season you will need to keep your hair hydrated and well looked after. A good conditioner or hair mask will protect your hair after a day at the beach in the harsh African sun.

Conditioner : Mix 1/4 plain yogurt, 1/4 cup mayo & egg whites of one egg. Cover your hair with the conditioner - use a comb to spread evenly. Leave in for half an hour and rinse out under warm water. 

We all want a bright beachy hair colour this summer. Here is a easy DIY technique for natural highlighting.

Lighten hair : Dilute 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice with 1/4 cup of water. Put the mixture in your hair for half an hour. Sit in the sun for the duration if possible to increase the effects. 

 Skin:

Baby soft, supple skin is each of our desires. I know I want to constantly feel touchably soft. Here are to quick, natural ways to achieve this. 

Milky smooth : Add a carton of milk to your bath with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. Soak in the goodness of easy beauty. 

Exfoliate : Mix 1 cup of coarse sea salt with 1 cup of olive oil. Add something with a sweet scent if you desire. Scrub away that dry summer skin for a smooth finish. Make it feel more beautiful by using pink himalayan salt for the scrub with a dash of vanilla essence. 

There are some other great tips online where I found these at College Fashion.  

H2O

We have all heard and claim to "know" that drinking water is very very NB but how much and how often do we drink the precious resource. Not to be taken for granted but to be used to nourish our bodies. Well I am not here to bore you with why it is so important but rather some ways to make it more fun if you battle to down glassfulls of H2O. 

1. Add fruit. Strawberries, lemons, melon, watermelon and apple. These all add extra nutrition and flavour. Also, the colours will make you want to dive in! 

2. Add veggies. Yes. Veggies. A little bit of cucumber will make the water that much more refreshing.

3. Herbs. Dash of mint. Sprig of thyme. Mixed with lime. Yummy :)

4. Heat 'n Treat. Not ideal for this summer sun but a warm cup of water in the morning is the best way to kick start your metabolism. And a fast metabolism equals a more vibrant you! Add some ginger and lemon or honey for an extra bit of a treat!  

Trick to Treat

Love this cute bit of info... 

I'm down with that little suggestion. 

NIVEA

I have resigned my use of The Body Shop products for my skin care regime and moved from there to IQ and now to the cheapest but my best yet, NIVEA. I used to use The Body Shop's Tea Tree range as I was trying to combat ANY spots that could surface. After that I started using Dr. Len Nel's IQ range for dry skin over winter and the Jojaba Scrub was my best. Soon nothing was giving me the smooth, clean, fresh faced look I was looking for. It felt as though my skin got used to the products and was just chilling rather than trying to look 100%.
Then I decided to go for the NIVEA products as those fresh faced ladies on their adverts make it SO convincing. Well I soon realised I have normal skin and so using something as basic as their "blue" range of Daily Essentials is perfect. I currently use the Daily Essentials Refreshing Face Wash Gel for most day-to-day use and at least twice a week I use the Daily Essentials Skin Refining Scrub. That is one of my favourite washes and I love how it makes my skin feel. I must say that I have gone from wearing make-up nearly every day to not at all. I encourage you to give them a try if you are on the look for something new as their prices are so great going from R30 up to R80 for simple face care items. Thank you, NIVEA!

 More NIVEA products I love are: 

Light Feeling Sun Lotion, 

NIVEA Soft (use on your face as a day cream too)

9 Ways to Healthier Hair

Everyone knows that healthy hair makes it grow longer and look fuller and richer. I found this awesome article on 9 ways to get healthier hair. Take a look at these remedies here.

For Fizzle, My Nizzle

So these are cute... Want to make some? Here is how.

Tie DYE hair

I have to say I am a hair freak... I adore playing and going crazy with what I can and I once saved about R750 to go top-deck style and it was my hair style for a few years. I have also recently cut it a bit shorter and made a boldish fringe... I kinda look like a blonde cleopatra I have been told. You don't have to agree.

I must say though... I cannot wait to grow my hair so that I can do this to it... I will do this to it.

Thank you Lauren Conrad. Check these girls out in the best beauty blog ever found - here!

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Skin Protectant

"I cannot believe you haven't heard of this stuff already! It is amazing. When you get home, google it. But wait, listen to this ladies story here...", the consultant at Elizabeth Arden in Woolies had me at hello with this product.

She was so passionate about this amazingly reasonably priced tube of "miracle" cream. The story the lady had was that she had a cold sore this morning and after trying some of the cream on the sore, she was left with a tiny red spot above her lip. I barely even noticed the red spot but I did notice she was a Clarins consultant who was over-joyed at her cold sore saviour from the rival counter.

I went in search of a new foundation and I was captivated at the idea that my issues of dry skin could become a thing of the past with this sunny looking cream.
History : Created around the 1930's. Mrs Arden used to love riding and racing horses and had first used the cream to cure a horse's injured leg. Within 8 hours she had noticed the difference, hence it's name. If you had been at the July you would have noticed the stand in celebration of the amazing cream and the horses.
Celebs who swear by it : Gisele Bundchen, Cate Blanchett, Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer and more.
Uses : Anything! Ha ha. For a more practical list it is used for curing dryness, cracked skin, taming eyebrows, itchy bites, used as an anti-inflammatory, weather burns, to shine legs (summer time short dresses-our legs need this). It overall is used to protect, soothe and moisturise skin.
Price : R145
Other products within the range are Eight Hour Cream Sun Defence SPF 50, Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15, Eight Hour Cream Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face SPF 15, Eight Hour Cream "Just for the Body" Set. There are lots of sets to suite your need but I have just bought the Skin Protectant which can be used for just about anything.

Take a walk past Elizabeth Arden and try this stuff out!