My Current Hair Care Routine

Hello pumpkins <3

I am back! so a little quick update on my life~~ ... I'm in Taiwan at this moment and been super super busy, I haven't had time to blog or post much on my social media as well! My apologiesssss!!
Im studying in Taiwan as a nail technician and some of you might know I have done a short course with NSI in South Africa for acrylic and natural tips, so now I'm in taiwan and doing the more advanced courses through a very well known nail salon but its mostly gel nail art!! I also got a part time job as a english teacher next to the Taipei American School soooo busy busy busy but now i have finally settled down and can start blogging again yay :))


Anyways here are some of my products that I use on my hair, its nothing special but these are the products that have worked well for me! I have super thin hair and i don't wear extensions, i dye my hair a lot as well so thats super damaging but keep your hair in good condition then it won't look so damaged right? hehe :P

1. PAUL MITCHELL - THE WASH 

I use to have quite a dry scalp and I have used many many drugstore products but nooooo it didn't work for me and i ended up having dandruff and felt very uncomfortable with myself especially when I had black hair! This shampoo smells soooo yummy and it actually works very well, yes its expensive but its worth it. It leaves my hair soft and silky, looks healthy and NO MORE dandruff for me YAY! 

Retail price: R260

2.  MOROCCAN OIL EXTRA REPAIR CONDITIONER 

The extra repair conditioner is to repair my dry ends as i have bleached it and dyed it pink at a stage, now the pink has faded and i don't like it when my ends are so dry especially when its blonde so i use the repair. It gives my hair moisture and leaves my ends looking very healthy, like you don't see any split ends poking out haha  

Retail price: R280

3. TRESEMMÉ HEAT DEFENCE SPRAY

If I were to review this I would give it a 10/10!! This spray smells so delish and I have used this for so many years and it never disappoints. Good thing bout this is that its inexpensive! SCORE! haha so what i do after i shower is i spray this on even if i don't blow dry my hair because it gives your hair some moisture and shine so i spray it mainly half way down my hair and i wrap my hair in the towel while i do my makeup or whatever I'm doing and leave it for like 5-10 minutes. Love this!

Retail price: under R100

4. MOROCCAN OIL

Lastly I run the Moroccan Oil through the ends of my hair while my hair is still wet and then makeup is done, hairs done and ready to head out! I love leaving my hair to air dry especially when its super hot and humid here in Taiwan, so thats what iv been doing with my hair! Oh yes! It helps with frizz on those bad hair days as well haha

Retail price: +- R500 

These are my 4 items i use for my hair, I don't use a mask at the moment because i haven't found one thats good! If you have any recommendations please leave a comment or email :)) 

Thanks for reading, lots of love <3

       <3 Angel

Revlon Gel Envy Review and Colour Swatch!

In natural sunlight

Indoor lights at night

Revlon just launched their new long lasting nail polish - Gel Envy, complete with their unique casino card names! There's been a tread for "gel" like nail polishes recently and I've yet to try anything else but these babies. Clearly by the amount I bought you can tell I am in LOVE with them! I won't bore you will all the details yet~ let's go straight to colour swatches.

Winning streak and Dealer's Choice

Card Shark

Card Shark - baby pink

This beautiful baby pink colour is the very first nail polish from the collection I bought and immediately fell in love with it. It goes on thick and opaque. Put on two coats + a top coat and you're ready to roll. It didn't stain my nails but dried a little streaky.

Lady Luck - Charming Coral

 Stunning bright coral with a hint of sparkles. Unfortunately I did not grab a swatch of this when I had it on as I completely forgot. No stains and one coat is enough for me.

Pocket Aces - Not quite there red

 It looks like a red in the picture but is actually a deeper coral on your nails. Think Lady Luck but darker and slightly more red. I enjoyed having this as an alternative to the dark red Chanel nail polishes I usually wear. But oh! The stains after were very unappealing :( Use a base coat with this one!

Jokers Wild - Pastel Orange

 Pastel sweet orange. Nothing to not like about this colour. Two coats, no stains and lasts a million years.

Winning Streak - the lavender town

 Prehaps I'm just not a fan of purple but this colour did not look good on me. If you scroll up you'll see that it came out lovely but overall I just did not know how to flaunt it. It made me look rowdy and "punky". I think I'll stick to my "baby pinks". Still - no stains!

Full House - Turquoise Sea 

 Loved the colour but with the same overall effect as Winning Streak - punk rock and tough. How do I pull off this look when I work in an office?? WARNING: MEGA STAINS.

Lastly the top coat and "All or nothing" which is what I'm wearing in the picture. I had just cut my nails and this was after 3 days with a top coat. Let me just say that this is the first one of the series I DID NOT like. I mean, the purple wasn't a good look for my IMAGE overall but still applied smoothly and effortlessly. This nude colour just gave me a headache. You need 3-4 coats and even that doesn't cover up too well. So much streaking and drying took longer too. Urgh.. 

The top coat is great though, super thick and coats your nails in a "gel" like texture. Extra shine and durability when you use this with the gel envy nail polishes. I've yet to try this with any other nail polishes but I'm thinking of giving it a go with my CHIP CHIP Chanel red polish. I cannot go a day without chipping in that polish! 

Overall verdict: I was never a fan of nail polishes. I probably only owned about 4-6 polishes and most of them were gifts from my previous work place. But I straight up bought 8 of these! In regards to durability they are AMAZING. They don't chip but they do peel. I can go about 6 days chip free and then by the end of a week, I'll notice some tip wear and tiny bits of it peeling off. Yes, that's not as long as normal gel polishes but considering normal gel manis are $20-$40 each... these were only $20 for 2 (they retail at $16.95 now) when I got them AND they're good for at least 5-10 uses. So you do the maths. 

If you wanted some more swatches head over to ImaGeek - That is where I first sussed out the colours before deciding to invest my money into these polishes. I guess that's my nail shopping done for the entire year...

Hope you enjoyed this post :) I'll hopefully be doing a few more in the next week!

Cathie <3

Liquid Liner Reviews

Hi Guys~ 

I've been wanting to do this review for ages because I absolutely cannot live without eye liner. It's my one thing that I must wear if I leave the house (ok, fine not always... but most of the time!). I've used all the different types there is to use: Liquid, gel, pencil and crayon. I must say I hate the latter two and have never found one that did not smudge on me... I'm also not a huge fan of tightening my water line or drawing too much eye liner on the bottom of my eye. so liquid liner is perfect for me. 

In the past, Bobbi Brown's gel liner was my holy grail for liner, but as I grew more and more lazy, I couldnt be bothered using a brush - so I slowly moved away from gel. Today's review is to show you guys which of the following liquid liners are proven (for my eyes) to not smudge or smear.

Starting from the top we have Motives Luxe Precision Eye Liner ($16.95), then Lancome Artliner ($45), Essence super fine liner($5) and Tony Moly Long Kinny Gel Liner (19.95). 

Let's get started. I've done a few swatches below to show you how they appear after ONE application. As you cansee the Motives and Tony Moly are very pigmented, while the other two come short. You do have to excuse Lancome's Artliner as it's a little old so the colour might have been a bit darker when it was new. 

Next we have the smudge test. I tend to rub each liner a about 3-4 times and quite hard for you to see the resistance of each liner. Poor Lancome just did not hold up. Although I must admit that none of these liners say "smudge proof" on them. Motives and Tony Moly have held on quite well. I only bought the Essence because I thought it would be fun to do comparisons between lower end, mid and high end brands.

I don't go swimming but sometimes we all have the unexpected tears... or if you're like me, I use a lot of eye drops, you'd want your eye liner to be semi-water proof. These aren't meant to be waterproof but I've taken some water and rubbed it over the liner about 2 times. Lancome has disappeared and Essence actually left a very faint liner which you can't see on the photo. Now this wouldn't be a problem for those ladies who dislike using an oil based make-up remover but I'd much prefer it if my liner could last through a storm.

And then the oil test - I simply put a cotton pad over my hand and removed it. Holy crap, the motives liner still stayed on. I suppose it could be a bit annoying if you wanted to remove everything and the liner still stuck behind a bit. But it came off after I rubbed it gently.

Conclusion is that I would love to buy more Motives & Tony Moly liners in future. Too bad Tony Moly's Kinny liner is so hard to find! I grabbed mine in Sydney but I can't find it anywhere in Melbourne. Those who live in South Africa can order Motives online and Tony Moly through Ebay (I'm not too sure how legit those on Ebay would be but feel free to try)

Cathie <3

Circle Lenses Review: GEOLICA Holica

Hey Lovelies <3 

I get asked about these pair of lenses a lot so I thought I'd do a review on them. Melbourne has been freezing lately :( I feel like I'm going to die. My eyes have also been very sensitive lately and I cannot wear contacts for long periods of time. If you know me, you'll know I'm as blind as a bat. -8.00/-7.00 to be exact.

Anyways, these aren't normal yearly circle lenses as those seem to have made my eyes deteriorate a lot .___. These are a bit more eye friendly and last up to 3 months. 

Details:

Name: Geolica Barbie Hazel
Base Curve: 8.7mm
Color: 3 tones
Diameter: 14.5mm
Replacement Period: 3 months
Water Content: 42%
Purchased from: Uniqso

Colour and design: ♥♥♥♥
I'd have to say these are a little to vibrant for me. If you like super bright and unnatural looking colours then these are the right pair. I mean, the hazel is more yellow toned and honestly you won't find a person who naturally has this colour (ok- maybe you will... but rarely!)... So 4/5 because they're pretty but too obviously fake XD

Comfort: ♥♥♥♥♥
MAXXXXX comfort. I mean, they should be! They only last 3 months so they're thinner than the normal lenses and feel very hydrated. Currently these are the only lens I can wear in my eyes T^T

Enlargement: ♥♥♥♥
Not huge. 14.5mm is a standard for circle lenses and I like that! The bigger ones will dry out your eyes even more as less oxygen get to them. But these do enhance your pupils to a slightly larger size.

Overall: ♥♥♥♥♥ 

I am very please with this series and would love to try some more in the near future - when my eyes heal. I think these could be the only lens I will be able to wear ...

 Be super careful when you were circle lenses! They're very drying and long usage could lead to permanent eye damaged >____<''' I bought a lot because I think they're pretty and the normal ones are super expensive... but I know why they're priced so cheap. So don't risk it guys... you only get one pair of eyes and sight is so precious.

<3 Cathie

Mini CHEAP Haul: Eye masks, Garnier, BB cream and L'Oreal vs Lancome skincare

Hi Lovelies~ 

I'm trying really hard to blog at least once a week because otherwise everything I buy will end up just sitting there and I'd be finished with the product before I ever get around to doing a review... Anyhow! This week I went on a mini haul~ Priceline (probably my favourite store for lower end brands - for those in South Africa, its basically a Clicks) had 40% off all skincare so I decided to try a few Youtube guru's favourites. AND My Yesstyle items arrived!

I haven't used the Garnier cleansing water enough to review or say much about it but so far I LOVE the make-up remover. It isn't as oily as my Lancome Bi-Facil ($60 for 125ml) and does a great job removing all my water proof make-up! For only $8.99 (200ml) is an absolute steal!! I'm probably going to switch to this gem in future because I cannot afford the expensive stuff T^T'''

Skin79 BB cream ($24) - for oily skin. I tried this the other day at Westfield and really liked the texture on my hand. It's super matte and WHITE. Two things I love in a BB cream. I've used the Gold one for about 2 years now and have loved everything about it. So I'm quite excited to try this new range from the same brand. (Apparently the gold one was for hydration.. ) I'll do a follow up review later as I haven't been using this long enough to say much about it.

Next is this Japanese steaming eye mask I got from Yesstyle - it's rose scented ($10). I LOVE THIS. Anyone who's been to Asia has probably seen those little heat packs you get for your tummy or hands in winter. This is basically little heat packs for your eyes. Now you might wonder - HEAT PACKS FOR YOUR EYES? Won't that damage your eyes? The answer- not if you use it wisely. It says you shouldn't wear it long than 10 mins. I generally put this neat little thing on before bed and take it off about 5-7 mins later because that's about all I can take and because it's still warm, for girls on their periods, you can use it was a tummy warmer! It's greaaaaat. For $10 (R100) you get a pack of 5. Definitely will get more of these in future. I absolutely adore rose scented things <3 (They have other fragrances if you don't like rose scented things. 

I'd be lying if I said I removed my make-up properly every day without fail. We all get lazy, especially when it comes to removing our make-up after a long day of work/uni/school/socializing. I went to Brisbane recently and found that these were a life saver~ they're easy to pack and convenient for those who don't want to pack 3 different cleansers. You'll probably have to use about 2 wipes to remove heavy make-up but I soak mine in a little oil based make-up remover and everything comes right off! I think I got these for about $3.99 (25 wipes) - they're not the cheapest things but they're good for those lazy days ;)

L'OREAL VS LANCOME

Did you know Lancome is owned by L'oreal? Don't believe me- check it out here. Recently I've heard a lot of people talk about L'oreal's Youth code being the same as Lancome's Genifique... one priced at $29.99 and the other $95. I just couldn't believe it- I had to try it out myself! I mean, why would people be paying so much more for a product they can get at almost 1/4 of the price? 

Before we move on to the comparison, I have to clarify the difference on the bottle itself. Youth Code is made for dark spot correcting and promises luminous youthful skin while Genifique is a youh activator that is ACTUALLY NOT A SERUM (you'll see why later). Genifique is made to activate youth proteins in your skin and promises more radiant and youthful looking skin within 7 days of use. 

L'oreal : Dark spot corrector + illuminates the skin

Lancome: Activates youth proteins + radiates the skin

Maximize the picture to see what it says about the product at the back. This is a pump bottle and made to look like metal but is actually made of glass(?). Both bottles have a nice high quality (sturdy) feeling to them and are 30ml. The Genifique is a self loading drop top. The top will automatically load when you twist it back in and each load is enough for the entire face.

Conclusion:

Ta-Da. If you look below, the white is the Youth Code and the almost transparent one is Genifique. They are completely different from each other! The one is a thick silky texture while the other is a thing layer of almost watery texture. (Excuse the dark spot, that's from testing waterproof eye liner lol)

The biggest difference between the two is the first leaves your face feeling smoother, silkier for the first few minutes and then if you rub your face (in my case, the back of my hand) it starts to come off. Yes. That's right, it only SITS on top of your skin , it doesn't get absorbed INTO it. Sure, it feels nice at first but when I put my make-up over it... boy does it start to smear off. DID NOT ENJOY THAT.

Genifique on the other hand is absorbed within seconds and no residue is left behind. It does not feel as silky as Youth Code but your skin instantly feels much softer. I've used this product for the last 2 months and haven't really noticed a huge difference in terms of "youth" but my skin is definitely my softer than before and I love the fact it's easily absorbed! The price tag is the only thing that puts me off buying this in the long term... I mean, $95 (30ml) is pretty steep for someone earning a part-time salary. For those in South Africa, I think you guys have it for a little less R735 ($73) for a 30ml and R950 ($95) for a 50ml.  **

Anyways~ I hope you enjoyed my little haul. I really enjoy finding good substitutes to expensive things because I know we can't all afford  $100+ for a cream, especially students and those who aren't financially stable. Please leave a comment if you liked this post and if you'd like to see more of these posts, do let me know! Keep warm every one~~

Cathie <3

** I think I should put the disclaimer here that even though I work for the brand Lancome - I am leaving the company soon. So this isn't an advertisement and I'm not paid to write this review.Everything I say is all opinionated and you're welcome to go and test out every product I've listed here and prove me wrong.... if you're that kinda person. 

Benefit Review: Play Stick and They're Real Push Up Liner

Hi Guys! I know I am way over due for a post and have just been lurking around leaving all the posting to Angel (sorryyyyy)... I swear I'll be a bit more active. I've actually written up a few things but never finished them because I get easily distracted. So here we are! My new benefit cosmetics arrived in the mail while I was on holiday! For those who do no have access to Benefit, they ship internationally from their US website - which is where I got mine. Check them out here: Benefit cosmetics

Benefit is a moderately priced cosmetic brand that is aimed at younger audiences, even though I've seen mature ladies buy their mascara! But it's their fabulous pop retro pink themed counters that are bound to attract ladies of all ages. 

$36 Play Stick

First thing I got in this order was the benefit Play Stick in the colour Spin the Bottle. This is a stick foundation that starts off as a cream but blends into a powdery form. I like how easy it is to carry around and you can use it for a quick touch up through out the day. I only purchased this because I currently don't have a foundation and have been surviving on BB creams/samples.

The problem I have with this product is sometimes it would cake a little and even though it states that it's an ultra light foundation - it feels quite heavy on the skin. I can never blend it evenly with my fingers so I always have to use my beauty blender.

Verdict: Probably won't purchase again - as I didn't find the exact shade and this one was a bit dark... Plus I prefer the Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation in terms of texture. I feel like I've wasted my money this time.

They're Real $24

Oh boy, I don't know where to start with this product. I've been so excited ever since the rumours came out - I've always LOVED gel liners but hated using a brush (cleaning is a pain)... and so this product basically took care of both my love and hate. 

Gel liners are meant to be easily applied, long lasting and smudge proof... AND semi-water resistant. This liner does all of the above except "ease of application". As a make-up artist who's done countless eye liner on people, I've struggled to use this for the first time. I had no idea how much I should twist for enough to come out or how to angle the head so it would draw a thinner line. It also dried really quickly so working quick is the trick! The texture is smooth, the colour is SUPER pigmented (probably the blackest of black) and it's COMPLETELY budge proof for a while... till it starts to flake off my eyes. It just looks terrible by the end of the day and the flakes have gotten into my eyes :( 

You definitely cannot achieve a very thin line without going wrong a few times....

Verdict: I still have a love and hate relationship with this! I love how pigmented and innovative it is, but HATE it fact that it's not up to standard like my Bobbi Brown gel liner (which as withstood heavy rain). I probably won' get this again because I prefer my liquid liners Motive and Tony Moly over this. Sorry Benefit, you failed to impress me this time around :(

Well I hope you enjoyed my very first make-up review! I do apologise for delays. I'm currently going to a very busy time... For those of you who don't know what I do, I am a full time Master student and currently working two jobs 7 days a week. But I have finally decided to leave the retail make-up industry for something more related to my degree. I can't wait to have my weekends back :) At least then I'll be able to blog all I want. Hope you'll all stick around with us!

<3 

Cathie