EOS Lip balm in Sweet Mint Review

I think everyone knows about the EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip balms by now. I saw them two years ago in London and I remember thinking that they were adorable. Fast forward two years and suddenly, everyone is raving about them!
I bought mine from The Bikini Club and I was very impressed with their service. They delivered it in two days without any problems.

Besides having a really nice scent (that's always a plus), it is paraben and petroleum free! It also contains Jojoba oil, Vitamin E and Shea butter. This lip balm has no tint and is quite comfortable to wear. I often wear it under my matte lipsticks (I'm looking at you, Ruby Woo).

It has made its way into my hand bag and has replaced my other lip balms. 

Have you tried any EOS products?

A few goodbyes (and a little hello)

No, I will not be leaving my blog. Although, I haven't posted in ages I promise you I have a really good reason. I have finished my third year of college... And hopefully, if I pass everything I will have my degree in Graphic Design!
So over the last couple of weeks I have been trying to finish up my degree and work as hard as possible.

And now for the hello... I started working as an art intern at Cosmopolitan magazine! I work 9-5 everyday but I love it. It feels good to come home and know that I don't have crazy deadlines to work on.

I have gone from drinking this in a day...

To chilling with this little guy at lunch...

I hope your week has been great so far!

Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach

I mentioned in yesterdays post that I received this Sleek product when I ordered a few things from a blog sale. I hadn't tried Sleek when the full range was sold in South Africa. Zando now sells a select amount of their products.

When I saw the colour, I thought it wouldn't suit me. I never wear coral or orange. I tried it on and changed my mind immediately. Unlike most lip balms, this one is incredibly pigmented. Its definitely not a sheer lip balm. Its also not too sticky which I like. I did need to reapply often but I do that with most lip balms. I also like that it has SPF15, making it perfect for the warm weather thats to come.

I think its perfect for summer when I feel like wearing very little makeup but I still want a pretty lip color!

Blog Sale Haul!

Recently, Nicole from Princess Noo blog (visit her here) had a blog sale. I immediately emailed her  because her prices were so reasonable.

I had actually only ordered the Mac products from her. She kindly included the Sleek Pout Polish and Wet n Wild lipstick! I was so excited because Wet n Wild is not available here.

Items:
Mac Pro long wear lipstick in Love Forever!
Mac matte eyeshadow in Graphology (deep purple)
Mac matte eyeshadow in Flourishing (khaki green)
Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach
Wet n Wild lipstick in Cherry Picking

I will be reviewing these products soon but let me know if theres anything here that you are really interested in so that I can get the review up sooner!

Brands I wish were in South Africa- Paul and Joe

Paul and Joe is a french brand that has always been attractive to me. Theres not much I can say about them except that any crazy cat lady would love them! Their packaging and actual product is beautiful.

Visit the Paul and Joe Website here.

Montagne Jeunesse T-Zone Peel Off Mask

I bought this mask from Clicks because it was on sale and because I like to try out different masks all the time. This mask has no color and it is a peel off mask so I thought it would be perfect for me.

When I applied the mask, my cheeks began to burn. I thought that might just be the tea tree in the mask so I left it. After a few seconds, the burning stopped. Once the mask had dried, I tried to peel it off. It hurt so much. I was literally in tears as I peeled the mask off. My cheeks were ridiculously red the rest of the day and my skin was very dry. I was too scared to try the moisturizer that came with the mask after my experience.

I don't like to post negative reviews but I do feel like I need to warn others about this. I will definitely not be repurchasing or recommending this mask.

Have you ever experienced something similar?

Im back!

Its been quite a while since I have last written a blog post. Over the last 5 weeks I have been working on a really big assignment and hopefully, I now only have about 2 months left before I finish my degree! Its going to be a tough 2 months but it will not be as crazy as the last 5 weeks.

I could have easily blogged during my 5 weeks but I was so tired that I probably would have just written anything. I want my posts to actually be helpful. So from Monday onwards, I will begin posting reviews and my other usual ramblings. I would like to do consistent themes at least twice a week (like my "Brands I wish were in South Africa" Wednesday posts). I will be spending my weekend thinking about that!

Also I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog over the last couple of weeks! My views have gone up tremendously and I reached 10 000 page views without even knowing it! Maybe by 15 000 or 20 000 views, I will host a giveaway! Depending on my student budget! :)

A little blogging hiatus

So, if you are a follower on my blog, you would have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. I feel like I do this often and I end up having to apologies all the time. As much as I do not want to give you a list of excuses, the last two weeks have been crazy.
I had the flu and I was trying to get an assignment done. I have also been given a new assignment and I have been trying to focus on that. I also went for a hair cut, which for me is a big deal because I never cut my hair. It is always long. I took quite a bit off and its still ridiculously long.

As I type this, my lip has swollen to about double its usual size (too much info?) due to an allergic reaction to something unknown.
Its been a bit crazy in my life.

Anyways, as this week comes to an end, I thought I would share with you the very few highlights of the past two weeks.

A candy bar!

Supper with my friends (my sock bun and ghetto gold chain made an appearance)

I bought a new Mac lipstick in the shade Media!

I was sent these to review and I am very excited about it.

What have been the highlight/s of your week?

Brands I wish were sold in South Africa- Make Up Academy

If you haven't heard of Make Up Academy, I suggest you go to their website (here) right now and have a look at their very affordable makeup range! I have read on Charlene's blog (here) that she has ordered online from them but I really wish they were sold in our stores so I wouldn't have to worry about shipping or anything. I have compiled a list of the items I have been looking at lately.

1- Blush perfection cream blusher in Bittersweet. 
I have a slight obsession with cream blush and I am always trying new brands

2- Pro Brow brow kit
My eyebrows usually behave most of the time but sometimes I need to perfect them and this palette comes with three shades, a fixing gel and a mirror!

3- Pro Base Complexion Kit
This kit contains three products I use everyday in one palette. Foundation, concealer and a highlighter. Its such a convenient little kit.

4- Matte foundation
Any foundation that promises to cover up the shine on my face grabs my attention.

5-Undress your skin highlighter
Cream blush and highlighters fall into the category. Definitely obsessed.

6-Undress me too palette
These eyeshadows seem like the perfect mixture of nudes that could easily be worn everyday.

7-Stippling brush (sorry for the bad quality image, its all I could find on their website)
Ever since I used the Real Techniques Stippling brush, I haven't been able to use any other brush for foundation or cream blush. This brush would be perfect in my collection.

8- Lip Tint in Broken Hearted
These remind me so much of the Clinique Chubby Sticks but are definitely a lot more affordable.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think of them?

Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask- The Body Shop

I recently received a voucher from The Body Shop (read more about their loyalty program here) and I decided to pick up a face mask. During winter, my skin dries up but still manages to stay oily in my t-zone (forehead and nose) area. The consultant at The Body Shop recommended this because it is for oily/combination skin.

When I opened this in store, I immediately put it back down. The smell was really over powering. As you can tell by the name, this mask smells like seaweed. I then gave it a second chance and the smell was not too bad. Its just a bit different to what I usually expect from a face mask. I ended up getting the mask because The Body Shop was having a 20% off special on everything in the store. That plus my voucher made this mask affordable.

The mask is grey in color but dries white on your face. It tightens up on your face quite a bit. It is a clay mask so if you do not like masks that makes it impossible for you to smile, you will not like this product. I left this mask on for about 10 minutes (The Body Shop recommends that you leave it on for 10-15 minutes) and then removed it by wetting a makeup sponge and gently wiping my face. I could instantly see that my face looked a lot less oily in my t-zone area but still moisturized. My skin felt softer and it didn't react to the mask at all.
I would recommend this product if you suffer from combination/oily skin but if you are not a fan of the smell of the ocean then you wouldn't like this product at all.
I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Brands I wish were sold in South Africa- Urban Decay

I loved doing last weeks post on Nars so I thought I would make this a weekly post on my blog. If you follow any beauty blogs that are not South African, you will hear them rave about the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. It seems to be the must have item in your makeup kit. I have some other items that I would love from the brand.

The Naked 2 palette is obviously the item I want the most from Urban Decay. It reminds me a lot of the Stila in the light palette (review here) but with a few more colors which I could wear during the day and night. It also comes with a brush and a mini lipgloss. Naked Flushed is also very appealing to me because I love contouring and highlighting. The bronzer in the set seems quite light for my skin tone though.
Have you tried anything from Urban Decay? Would you like to try?

My favorite South African beauty site

Most of the time before I buy a product, I read reviews about them. This meant that I would have to google the product and sift through quite a few web pages before I actually found a good or honest review. Before I started my blog, Charlene from Gee Whiskers (have a look at her blog here) mentioned a site called Beauty Bulletin to me. I had a look at the site and I was drawn to it immediately.

The sites very pink and bright home page

For a long period of time I was just searching for product reviews and seeing what other people were saying on the site. I then decided to sign up to become a VIP member which meant I could write my own reviews, create a personalized profile and become part of the community chat. Beauty Bulletin also runs monthly product reviews in which they send out beauty products to active members to review for free. Its a great way to try new products and also to tell others about your experience with it. Beauty Bulletin also runs amazing competitions all the time. I won a Stila hamper from the site two months ago and I have also been sent a YSL Glossy Stain to review previously. Click here to view their site, read reviews and become a VIP member!

Starting the week off on a good note

My brother recently came from a trip overseas and brought me a few presents which I am very grateful for. I thought I would share them with you today.

He ended up getting me DKNY Fresh Blossom because I have been wanting it for ages. He also got me the Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder Quartet Air Sensation in Sweet Caramel (that is quite a long name hey) and it has to be one of the best best face powders I have ever tried. I also received (and immediately opened) a bag of Hersheys Miniature chocolates.

He also chose out a bag with a Mini print, either because he knows I like strange prints or because he knows a Mini Cooper is my favorite car and a tshirt he thought I might like.
I posted the picture above on my instagram. If you have instagram, follow me on there (amiiparker).

Hope everyone has a good week.

Brands I wish were sold in South Africa- NARS

There are so many beauty brands that I wish were available in South Africa and Nars is just one of them. I have been following beauty blogs for a while now and most of them mention Nars and their cult blush, Orgasm. I have been wanting a few of their products, not only the blush, and I thought I would share them with you. 

My two favorite products on this list would have to be the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Never say Never and the Matte Eyeshadow in Outreamer. I only wear matte lipsticks and the deep pink color of this one appealed to me. The eyeshadow looks like it could be the perfect cobalt blue that I have been searching for. Cobalt is one of my favorite colors but I cannot seem to find it in a matte eyeshadow that I actually like. The search continues.