Tag: Organic

HEY GORGEOUS PURE WILD VOLUMISING MASCARA [REVIEW]

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Are you tired of lashing out (lol, pun intended) at your mascara brush, because your eye feathers aren’t quite co – operating when it comes to looking all fabulously voluminous?

Great! I’m glad I’m not the only one.

As you may know, I am trying to make a conscious effort to use cruelty free make up brands and skincare products, and contribute towards living less of a waste free lifestyle. Fortunately, one of my favourite skincare brands from South Africa,  and now MAKE – UP brand too, so happens to fit these exact qualities.

Yes, my heart skipped a beat too, when I heard that Hey Gorgeous was working on a make – up line, and they’re dropping some hot new things!

For the last two months, I have been testing out their very first product from their up and coming range, which is the Pure Wild Volumizing Mascara in Black/Nior. Everything about this packaging is SO “HEY GORGEOUS”. Think fun, playful and my favourite bit – CRUELTY FREE!

I first used this mascara when having a braai (bbq) which lead to a night out of drinks, so yes, I have put this little tube to a few good tests! The brush wand is Pure Wild! See what I did there? Thanks to this marvellous wand (Oh, and Hey Gorgeous too), I found that when using this, my mascara was clump free. I have honestly struggled to find a non-clumpy mascara. I mean, how difficult can it be, with all of the mascaras out there in the world?

The formula is thick enough to build up to your desired thickness on your lashes, or keep it light and fresh for a day look. To get the look in my picture (above), I went in with 2 layers of mascara. Volume is key for all sorts of sexy eyelash fluttering! A girl has always got to be prepared!

Black marks under the eye? I absolutely love how I have had minimal to none! The only time I had a bit was when I got caught in serious torrential rain for about 30 min and when I’ve done really REALLY intense, sweaty exercise sessions. But that’s a given, right? Day to day activities, have also allowed me to return home after a day out looking like the same species that I left the house as, and not a panda! Black eyes are a thing of the past!

I love that the wand has smaller bits which allow for the inner lashes of the eye to be reached easily with no mess. If bottom lashes are your thing, then this wand makes that super easy too, with the smaller brush bits.

Another big quality that really tickles my pickle (and probably my lashes too), is that I don’t have to fight with them to get the mascara off at the end of the day. It is super easy to remove and totally hassle free.

Below is a picture my mascara in the morning, followed by an evening picture of what it looked like at the end of the day. Fabulous, isn’t it?

eautyblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/img_6351.jpg”> Bright eyed and bushy tailed with my lashes!

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This wand can be
[/caption]This wand can be found in both South Africa (R140.00) and in the U.K  (£14.50) Im so excited for Hey Gorgeous to release the rest of their make-up range!

ECO PERSONAL CARE BY NATY

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Being squeaky clean, should always be on the top of your list. A shower a day keeps the stinkyness at bay!

With that in mind, my husband and I have recently been trying to make a joint effort at being eco-friendlier. We have since introduced these eco-friendly ways into our daily hygiene, being conscious of the products that we use.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that our daughter has been using the most divine eco-friendly range from Naty (Eco by Naty). Naty are a Swedish company, dedicated to being waste free and have designed a beautiful extensive baby range from nappies, nappy bags, all sorts of baby toiletries to eco-friendly clothes!

Naty always leaves Harpers bum as happy as can be, so with that in mind, my husband and I gave the Naty Adult range a try. Parents have to have some spoils too, right?

We have the Naty shampoo, shower gel and body lotion.

A lovely family photo!

The first thing that I noticed is that all of these products are packaged in waste friendly bottles, with beautiful branding that’s simple, yet elegant. Who wants to look at unattractive bottles anyway? Respect for the eyeballs really goes a long way!

husband and I both really liked the shower gel, its smooth, fresh, and a little goes a long way. To me, the shower gel has a beautifully light rosey scent. Its super subtle, but its definitely there. Robbie said that he thought it smelt foresty, but this is also the same person who thinks that strawberries smell like apples.

Robbie loved the shampoo. He found it to lather really easily and left his hair as soft as Harpers bottom. I found that the shampoo worked quite well. I have EXTREMELY damaged hair from years of highlighting. I often buy salon quality shampoo ranges specifically for blonde/damaged hair which are extra conditioning and give my hair some serious TLC. As far as my damaged hair goes, my hair was left feeling dry, but I can only guess that it’s because there are no bad chemicals, parabens, or mineral oils. However, when brushing my hair wet, it was totally fine where my hair has grown out, but when I brought my hairbrush down to my highlighted hair, it didn’t brush through very easily. This tells me that if I had an entire head of natural colour free hair, that this shampoo would’ve been superb, especially being friendly to our planet and waste free. Robbie and I both loved the scent – very similar to the shower gel, just a little stronger, in a yummy way!

I absolutely LOVED the body lotion. It smells like a bottle full of sweets! How delicious! One of the mumma bloggers Gill from ChatsWithGill, that I regularly interact with and follow was recommending this lotion to her audience, and now that I have tried it, I TOTALLY understand why! The lotion formula is smooth and again, a teeny bit goes a long way. The bottle also has a pump lid, making it easy to apply and scoosh out. I’d absolutely recommend this!

All in all, the Naty Adult range is really an amazing one to try, simply for its eco-friendly, chemical free, oil free, pollution free ethos. So many things FREE!

It’s also a priority of Naty’s to be cruelty free, which is a major bonus in my books as I really am making a slow move in that direction. I truly love everything that this company stands for after using both their baby range and adult range of body care/hygiene products.

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade

xxx

MY FAVOURITE 2-IN-1 LUSH CLEANSER AND MASK

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It’s time to mask all things facial related! Yes, that means getting down to the bottom of those gnarly pores, blackheads, whiteheads and blemishes the natural way!

If you’re like me, you enjoy all things skin related. Facial masks are a regular, and of course, every day cleansing is a MUST! A happy face means a more confident you, and a confident Betty, means all the more reason to have those boys poreing (pun intended) their hearts out to you!

All natural, fresh ingredients!

I have been a regular user of normal store bought face washes, toners, moisturisers and everything in between, but since being pregnant, and after the extensive research that I have been doing about all the different chemicals that make up majority of these products, I have decided to opt for a more natural route of face bathing!

I have always had naughty skin, so much so, that at one point my spots were so uncontrollable that I had to resort to Accutane. If you know how bad Accutane is for the human body, then I hope that paints a clear enough picture of what my actual face was looking like at the time.

Since being pregnant, my skin has become more sensitive to harsh chemicals, which may be a good thing, since I have now switched over to using more of a natural range of products which I am totally enjoying. I can also totally pronounce all of the ingredients too, which is an added bonus!

The self preserving type is the best type!

Today, I am going to share my 2 favourite 2-in-1 all natural mask and cleanser with you. All organic. All natural. And all fabulous!

Up first, we have the Mask of Magnaminty . This tub brings more to the table than expected. It’s pretty much a 2 in one jar of awesomness! This peppermint mask can be used as a face or body mask and comes in two different sizes – a big tub and a baby tub.

The Mask of Magnaminty

This concoction is self-preserving, which means that it doesn’t need any synthetic preservatives (generally the ingredients that you can’t pronounce) to keep them fresh.

The freshness of peppermint oil and kaolin clay promote a feeling of tingliness and freshness. This mask is also great for redness of the skin (which I have) with its soothing vanilla properties. You can also enjoy a 15-minute moisture burst from the honey in the mask too. The consistency is spot on (excuse the pun) and thick which makes applying the mask to dry skin oh so easy.

Minty fresh!

My other current favourite from the LUSHious range of products is Angels On Bare Skin. This tub of goodness is frightfully heavenly. I will say that at first, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the smell, but after a few sniffs and wafts, I began to LOVE it! This might also be due to an over sensitive pregnancy snout. This product is a little different as it is not a mask, but rather a cleanser, both for the body and face – BINGO!

Angels on Bare Skin!

The consistency is crumbly with plenty of ground almonds, lavender and camomile oil. The lavender is super refreshing against unhappy skin and is an absolute skin savior with its disinfectant properties that help banish bacteria from the pores. How pore-fect!

To use this, simply scoop a few crumbles onto your hand and mix with a dash of water to make a paste. Massage this onto the face or body and rinse to have a smoothly cleansed face!

All of the crumbly goodness!

P.S I totally got my boyfriend to try the Magnaminty mask with me, and he secretly loved it. So come on girls, get your bubbly out and have a pamper night with your man!

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade

xxx

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES [SUGAR FREE]

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Are you ready for a “healthier” take on the ever so loved and oh so classical peanut butter cookies? Well my friends, you’ve come to the right place! Today I will be sharing one of my secret homemade recipes which will HOPEFULLY have you going as nutty as I do when I indulge in such treats.

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One of my favourite things about this recipe is that it’s sugar free which is always a winner in my books and can  make a fabulous  snack not only for yourself, but for the kids too!  Alright, shall we get started?

INGREDIENTS: (enough to make about 12 cookies)

  • 1 happy chicken egg
  • 58g raw rolled oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 4 tbsp agave nectar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  • 4 tbsp peanut butter
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips

WHAT TO DO:

Combine all dry ingredients and mix together.

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Next, add your happy chicken egg and agave nectar and mix together until combined.

I hope you have your arms prepared for the next bit because it requires some voluntary elbow grease. Yip, I bet you never thought that peanut butter cookies would cause some arm cardio! Add the peanut butter & chocolate chips and fold into the rest of the mixture until all is combined. Just a little FYI – this took me a while, but I found that a fork worked better than a spoon.

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Time to give your arms a break and set the mixture in the fridge to chill for 30 min.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius about 15 minutes before taking your mixture out of the fridge and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Scoop a cherry tomato sized amount of cookie dough out of your bowl, roll into a ball, and press down with a fork or spoon on the tray. Repeat this until your mixture is finished and pop in the oven to be baked for 12 minutes. The mixture will change to a golden brown colour when ready. Place your golden brown cookies on a rack to cool. Leave the biscuits in for a few extra minutes if you are wanting a good crunch.

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TOP SECRET: While your cookies are cooling down, stick a few chocolate chips on the tops for decoration.

Serve and enjoy with a cup of tea! YUMMMMMY!!

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Until next time

Mycaila-Jade

xxx

LUSH SHOWER JELLIES [REVIEW]

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The 411 of every day/morning or evening should definitely be personal hygiene. If not, we might have to reconsider our friendship, otherwise, let me let you in on my latest secret of how to smell like the freshest daisy in town, all day long!

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One of my favourite shower products from Lush is STILL their ever so famous shower jellies. I recently found myself back at their store in Buchanan Street gravitating towards the jelly section. There’s no doubt that these are totally my favourite wobbly bits!

First off, unlike all of your regular shower creams and products, these ones tend to live in the fridge, for extra freshness, and it makes sense when use them too. The sensation of a cold handful of jelly on your skin under hot water is super soothing & unimaginably refreshing!

Although there are a few different scented bits of wobblies, today I will be sharing my two favourites with you – The Whoosh & The Refresher.

THE WHOOSH

This jelly has a whimsical selection of the freshest ingredients being lemon, lime and rosemary all mixed with honey water – sounds good enough to have in your morning smoothie, right? Well, you can only imagine how delicious it smells!

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Whoosh appears to be a see-through darkish blue and lifts to a beautifully lighter colour in the sunshine. It’s like a little tub of the ocean – all magical and relaxing.

One thing that I love about Lush, is their sense of humour when it comes to their descriptions of their beautifully handcrafted products. The name “WHOOSH” comes from the sound of deadliness whizzing by for times when you feel like an alien on your own planet. A shower jelly with a bit of personality? We don’t seem to come across those very often.

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THE REFRESHER  

With this jelly, you’ll feel like a queen (or king) that has found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. With its rose oil & lemony scent, this jelly is a MUST when rethinking your morning routine. It will give you the ultimate blast to a good day and leave you feeling refreshed – just like the name says! And let’s not forget that the goldie colouring will make you look and feel like a winner all around! Fancy that!

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HOW TO USE

Firstly, we know that these creations live in the fridge. Secondly, these babies are super easy to use. Literally pop them out of the pot, and rub over your body for a squeaky clean experience. Pop them back in their pots & place in the fridge again.

These products are 100% vegan and are made out of a solid seaweed gel which is super moisturising for the skin.

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You can find these 100g jelly pots at your local lush stacked on the crushed ice display with all their other differently scented friends.

Happy showering!!

Until next time,

Mycaila-Jade

xxx

BUTTER-UP, BUTTERCUP!!!

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If, for some peculiar reason, you have ever wanted to be a walking Turkish Delight advert, frolicking your way down the streets of the city this Summer, then I have JUST the solution for you.

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Prepare to smell like the sweetest Petal in Town with the ever so delicious scents of the African Alchemy Body Butter. Hints of Cocao butter, Coconut oil, Cold pressed Almond oil, Rose geranium and Sandalwood essential oils come out to play releasing an overall scent of Summer sweetness and absolute deliciousness – almost good enough to eat!! All together, one can expect to smell like the Dandiest of Delilahs, radiating fragrances of Calming Cocoa, Turkish Delight and subtle hints of our favourite Anonymous Almonds make an appearance too.

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If you are a Natural Netty and are in awe of organic products, then I’m ecstatic to tell you that this Body Butter is not only that, but is also raw AND cold pressed!! Such Pure Indulgence if you ask me!!

When initially dipping ones paws into this tub of bliss, feelings of soft bubbliness with a light airy texture can be felt on the fingertips when going in for a scoop. A small bit goes a long way and is seemingly fit enough to spread across a mile. I bet you’ve never come across a body butter as fit as this one! As with any other form of butter, spreading is a relatively smooth process when involving such acts over our ever so precious bodily limbs.

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Buttercup looking radiant!!! Adopt a tub for R120 at your local Paardevlei Farmers Market in Somerst West on Saturdays from 9am-2pm!!!

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Moisturisation Station is a somewhat friendly stop as it does just that, and does not over extend its skills in such departments. Absorption is super well mannered and happens relatively quickly. Luckily for you, being a visual replica of an oil slick is not in the cards when using our Tantalising Turkish friend, as one is left with a gorgeous revitalising glow. How lovely and perfect for highlighting that summer kissed skin!

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A tub retails for R120 and can be found at our local Paardevlei Farmers Market in Somerset West on Saturdays from 9am-2pm. Not only will you be in for a treat but you’ll also smell exactly like one, how sweet!!

Time to Butter-up, Buttercup!!!

Mycaila-Jade

xxx