Sugar, ah, honey honey...

I'm sitting here at the uni library. People all around me are talking about essays and all things wonderful that will get them great marks. I, on the other hand have forgotten my bloody essay at home. Good student me. Ah well, there is always a silver lining when you forget things; now i have time to blog, and there is one thing I've been dying to blog about...

True story: Last Friday night, I was planning to give myself a hit of summer and fake tan. So with St. Tropez fake tan on standby I was ready to hop into the shower and exfoliate. Exxcepptttf or one teeny tiny problem, I had no more body scrub. Shit, I initially thought, but being my determined self I decided I would make scrub, from scratch. Turned out, it was very simple and I was very impressed with the results! I mixed half a teacup of honey, with a 1/4 amount of sugar. It was a much better alternative to some of the scrubs which I've tried which are too coarse, not coarse enough, too oily or too dry. Let me just say, after using this honey scrub, I had the most even all over body tan I've ever had. 'Nuff said.

Fact: Sugar is not as dehydrating as salt and natural honey as its both moisturising and antibacterial, aka good for problem or dry skin.

What not to do: When making your own masks and scrubs at home, don't add mint, lavender oil, lemon or lime. These ingredients can agitating, so whatever skin type you have, you can do without irritation.

Right, now I have to work on an at home quick fix for a 3month late essay. Some sort of fruit for bribery perhaps?

Review: Garnier Fructis Instant Melt-In Mask for Colour Treated Hair

Info: A product that asks the question, “Why hasn’t somebody thought of this sooner?” I chose to use the one for colour treated hair as the one meant for frizzy hair had too much silicone. Too much silicone in hair products (esp conditioners) tends to coat the hair in a dull product layer over time. It is good at keeping really frizzy hair in control, but make sure that you wash it off every week or two with a good claryfying shampoo such as the one in Tresemme's range.

What it’s meant to do: “...active fruit concentrate penetrates and strengthens the hair fibre. The mask also contains nourishing oils, avocado and apricot to help detangle, repair, nourish and strengthen hair. The mask can be used as an alternative to conditioner for a deeper and more penetrating treatment once or twice a week or as desired.”


What it did: It basically played the role of a basic conditioner. When I used it on my colour treated hair that was quite long, it didn’t provide as much nourishment and moisture as I would have liked from a treatment. When used on my newly cut above the shoulder hair, it was enough to give some softness and a fair amount of moisture. Don’t think I would buy it again though, I prefer my Redken All Soft as a conditioner and Terax Original Crema as a treatment much better. Sometimes when a product tries to be great at two things, it ends up only being average at both.

Rating: 2 KISSES. It smells fruity I guess.

Yay to new summer smells.

There are so many new perfumes popping up left right and centre. I’m a tad overwhelmed to be honest. There are so many scents that are quite worthy of being called ‘my signature scent’. But how are you suppose to find this one signature scent when there are so many you like? Having 20 of them really defeats the purpose; who has 20 signatures? (The bank window teller would have a heart attack; they get worked up when I can’t exactly replicate my own signature on a stupid little computer piece of crappy technology, so you can only imagine the fuss if I had 20 of them).

All this hoopla of a single signature scent has got me thinking that our signatures actually lie in the TYPE of smells we go for e.g. fresh, woody, musky... (did you know musk is originally extracted from the glands of animals. I love animals, but not so much their gland juices thanks.)

Be sure to check out some of these new summer smells that might tickle your fancy.

cK One Summer Limited Edition available August.
Oh my dear god, Im very excited about this one. I loved the cK One Summer of 07 and am eagerly waiting for August. It is a watery, woody fragrance with opening notes of watermelon, cucumber and watermint. Its the fresh, clean, yet zingy summer day smell that I personally adore. Oh, and the packaging makes you want to jump into the bottle and play.

Stella McCartney Limited Edition Sheer Stella available August 4th.
A sheer, feminine floral and musk scent. Opening notes of peony and white freesia and end notes of musk and raspberry. A very sweet sucle smell.

Calvin Klein Eternity Summer available in August.
A fresh, soft and floral fragrance with top notes of bamboo leaf, crushed basil and mandarin. An airy summer day fragrance with a touch of gingerroot that excites the senses. This fragrance is both uplifting and serene.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, now available.
My favourite pick for the ultimate ‘summer night’ scent. The notes include orange blossom, jasmine, mandarin, amber, sandalwood, vetiver, caramel and coconut cream. Very similar to Azuree Soleil from Tom Fords collection for Estee Lauder which is now over. It also comes in a body oil consistency that begs to be worn on a warm summer’s night with beach hair and bare, bronzed skin. Estee Lauder also launched a complimentary makeup collection. Once again, it is limited edition so snap it up. Oh how I’m missing summer...

P.S. Benefit is releasing a new fragrance called B Spot. Stay tuned.
P.P.S. I mentioned the words ‘scent’ and ‘fragrance’ too many times to count (aka 11)

Review: Clarins Body Shaping Supplement

Info: This is quite an innovative body product from Clarins. It’s basically a concentrated firming serum you can use alone for a more targeted result, or add a few drops to your favourite body moisturiser in order to give it firming and toning powers.

What it’s meant to do: “Smoothes away sponginess by blocking the formation of new adipocytes. Visibly shapes and tones skin by slowing down fat storage. Reduces stubborn curves by stimulating fat removal. Refines the body's contours by increasing blood circulation and lymphatic drainage."

What it did: The claims of this product are pretty high to achieve. Clarins uses big words to make those promises seem achievable. When mixed into my usual Palmers Coca Butter, it didn’t do much. However, when I applied the concentrated serum directly to the skin it showed a slightly visible firming effect which was temporary of course. If your thinking of purchasing this product, I’d suggest you ask for a sample first to try it out and see how well it works for you.

Rating: Highest being 5, I give the Clarins Body Shaping Supplement 2 KISSES.(I couldnt think of any other way to rate things so I had resort to using stars. Only one problem, I hate the damn stars. But I do like kisses. So kisses it shall be!)

Reinvented; The middle part

I have found a new, reinvented love for middle parts. They're the hair equivalent of natural makeup and give off that 'naturally polished yet still not high maintenance' vibe that i am in awe of at the moment. Contrary to many, I believe that they really can suit every face shape; it’s all in the way you need you face to be framed. The general rule of thumb is that the roots shouldn't’t be too flat or stuck to your head, unless you’re a supermodel that can carry off a weird hair and still look half decent.

(I can’t deny, it’s quite an impressive impression of an elephant; the fact that its fugly only kicks in after the amazement is gone)

But back to the point, it’s best to try a couple of styles out on yourself to see what suits you. You can never really tell from a picture. If you have an oval face shape, feel free to experiment with different styles. If however, you’re trying to hide a particular part of the face, like a wide jaw, square hairline or wide cheeks, allow the hair to fall on the area so that it can be disguised.

Middle part overload, I'm off to blow dry my hair.