July Favourites 2014

My post have been slow as I have this wedding thing now. Here are some of my favourite things for July.

Beauty favourites:

Good stuff In Good Hands 2in1 Rooibos, Lemon grass & Ginger.

As the name states. . . it's good stuff. My sister got Raspberry body cream from them that absorbed so quickly. I immediately thought of them when I wanted to buy hand cream. I like Nivea's little blue tubs BUT hate the greasy, wet feeling on the palms of my hands. This stuff is just not the same.

Bonus: It's antiseptic. Perfect for germy work

Not so cool: That I forgot it at work and a co-worker decided she help her self to my hand cream . . . :-(

Get it at: I got mine at Pick'nPay but they have a section at Dischem as well.

Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo:

I bought the conditioner as well but the 'poo it what immensely impressed me. I have washed my hair since I was six. My fave 'poo's are TRESemmé Breakage Defence, Hands On B Blonde Silver Shampoo and when I now and then have my dry scalp moments I grab some good old Head and Shoulders from my sister.

This shampoo is next level. Have you every washed your hair with shampoo that you could put your hand through you hair JUST after you shampooed with NO conditioner? . . .

App Favourites:

My Fitness Pal:

It's a calorie counter but also measures your water intake and takes into account work outs. You can make yourself sick and beat yourself up and develop a mental illness with this app but I'm using it to make healthier food choices. It even calculates vitamin, fat, mineral and protein intake.

I upped my water intake and made better food choices and already lost 2 kgs in two weeks.

*PLEASE NOTE: I may have lost 2kg in two weeks but I've been using this app for 4 weeks. The first week I was awful. The second week I starved myself that also didn't work. I changed up my snacks and this week really started drinking water.

Download here

Battery Doctor:

Fitness Pal robbed my battery. Battery doctor kills apps. Problem solved.

Download here

Food favourites:

Slow cooked chicken:

Rotisserie chicken ain’t got nothing on this. My recipe is one whole chicken, Salt and pepper. Set oven to 100ºC. Salt an pepper the inside and outside of the chicken. Put in the oven and forget about is for 5 to 6 hours. Take it out of the oven. Enjoy.

Himalayan Pink Salt:

When you eat salt this is apparently the salt to have. It's has antioxidants. I used it on the chicken above. It has a little sweetness. And it's PINK.

Bought this at Checkers.

Living favourites:

Woolies Memory foam slippers:

Fuzzy and comfy. I always use to do the socks and slop thing for slippers (NOT OUTSIDE THE HOUSE tho') but my feet were never really warm. But these are amazing. It's got a short term memory or my feet are a shape they don’t want to forget.

Drinking more water:

Read what sweet Lauren has to say here and this woman's awesome experience here
Water bottle: BPA FREE Pure and Go Water bottle

Bonus: It awesome for your health

Not Cool: Peeing so much in the winter.


What's your secret to peeing in winter?

é

Haulling like a trucker

My hauling has become slower because of my wedding issues. I don’t twit as much either but when I did this is what I tweeted :

Full on Queen bedding from Mr Price Home.
 

I’ll be for reals with you. I don’t what I’m doing but I have inspiration and a Pinterest Board with a name : For the Home. I don’t have a house nor an idea what it looks like inside but I had to have 5 star hotel white bedding. It’s neutral and I can add any pop of colour. I also see it’s Aloe “infused” (there were anti bacterial ones too)


 Silk pillow case:

Everywhere I read about growing hair they recommend silk pillow cases. I bought this one also at Mr Price home for R39.95. (That awkward moment it’s the same material as your My Little Pony’s princess dress . . .)

Dischem add buys:

Dquip Facial cleaner: I enjoy YouTubing BubzBeauty and she raved about Clarisonic. I can’t throw my money at them because I enjoy eating and mascara. I picked up this at Dischem with my gran’s Christmas voucher (Last year’s was a NYX pallet). What a cool machine. My skin texture already feels different. I actually buffed out my one zit. It started getting red and ‘hatching’ but that thing just washed it out before it became an issue. Buy two AA batteries.

Basics heated eyelash curler: 15 years ago there were annoying infomercials with a heated eye lash curler. I bought this one. When it’s heats up, the rubber pads turn white. Don’t worry, it won’t fry your eye balls. I’m still out if I like this concept. I’m use to seeing through the curler so it feels awkward.

Compact mirror: Because Leopard print.

Gingerbon

Something about this sweet makes me feel super healthy. Maybe it’s the ginger, maybe it because I can actually understand what the ingredients are.

Have you tried any of the above products?

é

Make up is Easy – Basic as it can get

I took all the photos with my Samsung S3 mini to see how they edit BUT also falls into the easy theme of this blog. Recently I assisted a first time make up user to purchase her first items.

Now a lot of people think they have to buy the whole, Dischem, Clicks, Edgars AND Woolworths' make up, when all I need for basic face make up is this:

Garnier BB Cream

Essence Matt Fixing Powder

Powder Brush

Maybeline Great Lash in Lots of lashes

Lip Balm

First moisturise your face. I bought Clicks’ own brand Rooibos day Cream SPF15. It’s got sunscreen in it but isn’t greasy at all. Remember your neck needs some too.

Then apply your BB Cream. For first time make up users this is just the easiest. No need to test colours on your jaw line. It isn’t heavy. This specific brand blends so easy. I’ve bought a more expensive drug store brand that also changed shades to suit your skin before and it turned orange. What a disappointment.

I simply use the back of my hand to dispense the BB and apply it with my finger tips. Here you can throw your money at sponges, stippling brushes, foundation brushes, beauty blenders or what ever magazines tell you is the new must have foundation applier. I know each has their own merit but I’m just stripping everything back to basics. When I need to get my make up on quick I use my fingers. Natures applicators. 100% organic. Dispense a little at a time. You can always squeeze more out of the tube but you can't put it back.

Next is one of my favourite products. Essence all about matt loose fixing powder. With my Palladio powder brush I press the powder into my T-zone as well as the areas right next to nose on each side. Don’t dust, press it into the foundation. Dust the rest of your face lightly. This helps blending the BB cream as well.

Stop, It’s mascara time. As a teen I was IN deep deep LOVE with BLACK EYELINER. I didn’t have a boyfriend, I had an affair with black Kohl eye liner. Especially inside the waterline. I did not feel made up unless I had eye liner on. My mother always tried to steer me towards brown but how can I cheat on my black eye liner. These days I barely wear the stuff. I brush some mascara on my bottom lashes and that lines my eyes. Also read what the mascara manufacturer on application. With Maybeline I don’t have to wait for it to dry. I know some brands prefer another coat after it's dry. First time mascara buyer? I won't recommend buying waterproof. It's a real pain to remove. I also experienced that it got tacky and all my lashes would clump up together,

É's top tips:

• First time make up user? Buy a BB or CC Cream. It's light and super easy to apply. They aren't just beauty buzzwords. Every company has it's own little things it does but every one is easy to apply and match your skin.
• NEVER BUY A FOUNDATION WITHOUT MATCHING IT TO YOUR SKIN. Just don't. Weird orange glow, too pale, too dark. Please people, we need to stop this.
• Blend the foundation. Especially around your jawline into your neck. Make up is about looking natural with a touch of flawless. It shouldn't look like a mask.
• We all know the Moisturiser, Foundation, Powder routine. Try the moisturiser, Powder THEN the foundation. I know it sounds unnatural but check out Wayne Goss do it.
• Don't brush the powder on. Press it into your face. This is a trick to really set the powder to the foundation.
• Mascara your bottom lashes first then the top. I found it just works better that way around.
• Made a mess on your eyes with mascara? Take a small brush or cotton ear bud and dab a little foundation on it and correct your mistake by dabbing on the spill over.
• Remove your make up every night. Trying to put fresh mascara on yesterday's coat is impossible. It's just not good for your skin. If you enjoy break outs . . . be my guest and say hi to you wrinkles for me.

Higher Grade tips:

• Whip out your eyelash curler. Heat it with your blow dryer and curl away.
• When I have spare time I like to apply my foundation with a stippling brush. I don't have the cash to buy one so I bought a cheap make up brush set and use the blush brush to stipple and blend it.
• I sometimes line my eyes on the waterline with a white eye pencil. Especially when I feel tired. So I can at least look awake.
• Gel your eye brows. Seeing as it's on trend at the moment and I'm lazy. I just shape my eyebrows with Essence eyebrow gel.

What's your 'easy make up' game?

é

That time I went to . . . travel on the N3

I had the privilege of going on a vacation this year with my family. Because of the high cost of flying down and renting cars and tradition, we drive down.

Here are my items I need for a road trip:

Full charged cellphone:

On this you can update your social media, listen to music, Candy crush. OR when you get stuck or lost it an invaluable tool.

Jacket: I love my Woolworths leather jacket. I use to be a huge hoodie wearer but the jacket is just more on point.

Hair clips or ties: With the tropical climate form about Pinetown it's pretty humid. I like to keep my hair out of my neck. It's easier to deal with when it's out of the way.

Sun Glasses: I can almost guarantee you that if you drive as early as we do (04:20 get up at 04:00) that you will look crappy at 10:00. Not only do they protect your eyes from the sun, it protects your identity.

Sunscreen: I don't want my arms burn even before I hit the beach.

Lip balm: Pictured is my trusty Zam-buk. I just love the stuff. I use it on bite marks, scratches, what ever.

Camera: I charged all the batteries and cleared the memory card.

USB Stick: I added a whole bunch of music on it for everyone to enjoy (Be sure for everyone because we had an awkward situation with Jay Z a few years ago.)

Hand cream and Hand sanitizer: so needed. My face and hands feel so dry coming back up to GP. Going down to KZN everything seems to get a bit greasy. We always a have some snacks so it's always awesome to clean your hands.

Water and Snacks: I made the mistake of not drinking enough water and the next day I felt hung over. That's exactly what dehydration does. Drink water regularly. Have a snack or few as well. For some unexplained reason I'm always hungry at 5 when I wake up at 4. Some dried fruit or energy bars.

é's top tips

• Follow @n3route on Twitter. They update weather conditions, road works and accidents.
• Stretch at stops and stop regularly. We have the most fun at stops. Drink a coffee, buy a magazine.
• Remember that your vacation started! Breathe deep and relax.
• Take photos. My best funniest vacation photos are ones we've taken on the road.
• Remember to drink water. I did say that above but I can't stress it enough. I didn't and I felt hung over the next day.

What do you do/ need for an excellent road trip?

é

Domo arigato Mr Roboto: Samsung S3 mini

I'm not always up to speed with the latest cell phones and gadgets. It just gets too expensive to buy the latest and greatest that will be outdated in a few weeks. When I do buy Tech I choose something I know will last. I still have my same old phone while other people paid a ridiculous price for a few phones. No thanks. My budget is more important than trying to keep up with the Jones. Jones must mind their own business if they want to mock me.

My last upgrade I got a Samsung S3 mini. I love Android. He is so cute. I know that that's no basis to get a phone on but I know a few things about Linux and Open Source. This is being written on OpenOffice and I only use Firefox.

Here are my apps I just had to download.

Of couse the obligatory Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. No big surprise there. Those are my top Social networking sites. I know new social networks get started everyday that people claim are better and ya know maybe they are but these are the three that are just sticking. All of my accounts are interconnected. It's where I connect with my people and where I share my stuff.

Pinterest: Finally I have a good enough phone for this app to work!! I don't necessarily pin and browse on it but when I pinned a recipe or a pattern I can just go on my phone and recall that info in the shop. Brilliant.

PaintUp: I wanted to download an app that I could draw on. I enjoy doodling and this takes it to the next level. You can save your doodle or Paint it up. This is what I do when I can't sleep. I also use my master pieces as back grounds for my phone.

PhotoGrid: I really like using this app because is so easy to use. You pick the photos you want to gird up and shake your phone to change up the types of girds. On a recent update they added stickers. Unfortunately you have to upload them separately. I downloaded Rage Comics (I just love derps) and Doodle. Now shake shake shake!!!

My Bar Free: I love cocktails. Probably making them more than drinking. There was a reason why I always got good marks for 'Drinks' in Hotel and Catering. This is an awesome app where you mark all the spirits and ingredients and it tells you what drinks you can make from the official IBA drinks as well as a few classic extras.

 

Ymail: My personal email is yahoo. I always procrastinated with stuff with my email. It just helped me get more organised.

Pou: This is my only little game app. It's a pet rock Tamagotchi type game. You feed it and can buy it clothes. It's not a very demanding creature. Very low maintenance. But with in this game it has games where you can win that world's coins. Games like bubble puzzle, a matching game and all types of other mini games. Great to get your mind thinking.

Another  two are ConverterPad and an add free Kitchen Timer

And that sums up of what I downloaded on my phone for now. What apps have you downloaded on your phone? Am I the only one that's unnaturally attached to old cellphones?

é

Migraine Haul – Dischem makes me feel better

Yesterday I really started feeling bad. I took my trusty extra strong Disperine. It relieved some of the pain but in the late after noon I developed an even stronger head ache. I just thought “Aaw I'll just sleep it off”. No such luck. I went to work and after consulting with my mom and one of my close work colleagues I went to the doctor.

I explained my situation and earned myself a shot, two muscle relaxants and the rest of the day off. I went to my Dischem. Mine because I know the people who owns the store. (like a boss)

I don't go to the doctor or the chemist often. The doctor thought I went to a different practice because the last time I saw them was 2012! So it's a bit of a trauma for me. Half way to the doctor I try to miraculously be cured. So I usually buy myself something awesome to cheer me up. (Especially since my latest buys were 6 pairs of socks and bras . . . Grown up stuff) Here is my min haul:

Essence Matt Fix and Finish Powder

When you buy a product the first time it's just a tester. I can say this product is my staple product. It makes my makeup stay and stay. Go read reviews on it. For real. EXCELLENT product.

Black Onyx Lipstick in 124

I bought a tube previously but it got swallowed by the same monster who ate my promise ring and new tube of liquid eye liner. I love this colour on blond me. It's like my lip colour in nude. Very Shakira-ish.

Essence Nail Polished:

Also an old staple polish “Sweet as candy” with a new Glow in the dark top coat.

Sweet as candy is one of my first Essence polishes. A cute sheer pink.

My problem with glow in the dark polishes:

So brittle. I painted this with a Primer, Base and top coat and it's awful,

this can surely solve that problem(Will post pics and a review)

Do you have any staple products you rely on? Are cosmetics a healthier alternative than the chocolates I wanted to binge on?

é

Cooking while under the influence off . . . Northern Africa - Shakshuka

I first heard of this dish from my fiancé’s best friend. I was a bit weirded out. I was just like "ja, ja". I saw this BuzzFeed Food article and went for it. I really winged the recipe. Now we can argue about were this is originally from but let's let food bring us together. It may seem exotic but I really bought all the ingredients at the friendly Spar

For two but I stretched it for 3 with added protein in the form of chicken

Diced Bacon

Onions*

Cumin*

Garlic

1 Can of Tomatoes

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Sugar (to taste)

6 eggs

Fresh Cilantro/ Coriander leaves*

I made it for a dinner meal so I bought Portuguese and a Garlic loaf and made easy cook in a bag Chicken to keep the other components simple as the prep for the shakshuka.

Fry off your bacon. I don't give an amount because I feel that some people love bacon on a higher level than others. For mine I used half a packet of 250g bacon. (I made two pans though, so for all the bacon lovers I did use the whole packet. I HAVE 6 PEOPLE TO FEED before you get judgey)

The onion has a star because of variables. Yellow or red I would use half an onion. Since some of my family aren't real big onion eaters I fried off three spring onions in the bacon. I cooked them until they were soft.

Cumin is also a variable. (Yes you can buy whole cumin from the <Mister Spices or the Robertsons part of the spice isle) Here you can add coriander seeds, crushed chilli, turmeric and paprika. Now that I mention I added a small bit of Paprika.

Only now I add the Garlic. I didn’t want it to burn and spices react to hot heat better that Garlic does.

Then I added the tomatoes. You could buy fresh and chop them up and add them or use the All Gold ones with the chillies or even the onion mix. Feel free in being creative. (Before you add the tomatoes you can even deglaze the pan with wine.)

FOR THE LAZY PERSON: You could skip out on all of this and buy store bought ready made tomato pasta sauce. Spice it up with some mixed spice maybe. . . if you want.

Now taste the sauce. Add salt and/or pepper and sugar if it's very acidic. Swirl it into the tomato mixture and let it cook for 5 minutes and taste again. Season again ONLY if necessary.

Bring the mixture down to a slow bubble. If the boil is too rampant it will biol the egg to scramble. Make a small well in the sauce and break the egg into it.

For hard eggs set your timer for 10 minutes, for soft 7. 

Sprinkle with fresh herbs. I used Coriander leaves. I think Basil might be awesome as well as Parsley.

 Enjoy. Ever tried this type of meal?

é

That time I went to . . . Chinese new Year

Every year for the last few years I’ve been going to the Chinese new year festival in Cyrildene and this year it’s the year of the Horse! 

Here is a quick guide to my way of doing Chinese New Year:

 

Do

• Go for the cultural experience. It feels like I’m transported to another country
• Check out the shops. There are things imported that you probably never thought we got in South Africa
• Be respectful. There are going to be food stuffs you’re not use to in our Westernized country
• Enjoy more Pak choy
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Take photos. It’s all super Instagramable
  
  
  
  
  

Don’t

• Go if you’re against fireworks
• Go if you’re planning to make trouble (They have extra security and Police for that evening
• If you are a picky eater. That evening most restaurants have set menus of the most delicious foods. MMM Pak Choy
• Take your small children or animals sensitive to loud noises

É’s top tips:

• Most shops trade with cash. I usually have a few R100 to pick up a few things
• Follow the dragons or wait by the shops with the most fireworks. (The dragons eat the fruit offering walk through the shop then they fire off the fireworks.)
• Take earplugs
• During the night book a table
• There are no real bathroom facilities so keep drinking to a minimum (I won’t usually say that)
• Go back during another time and walk through the shops
• Eat a mooncake at the Bakery
• Eat five of those pork sticks they braai next to the road.
• Buy a bubble tea
• Keep yourself and your bag safe. I have seen 3rd degree burn stories of people who got in the way where they clearly shouldn’t have been. And you for sure don’t want to replace all your stolen stuff
  
  
  
  
  Which Lunar new year festivals do you go to?
  
  
  é
  
  

Doing Business with people . . . with purple hair

For a while I have been following Pretty Pandora on Facebook. As you could guess I like my oddly coloured hair and with Pinterest sparking more interest in all the colours of the rainbow hair it was only a matter of time before I started looking for product to give the same result.

The hard part was picking the colours. Especially since she got a teal colour in earlier that week (Mermaid hair!!!) I was in the My Little Pony vibe so I got electric purple, deep blue and a flaming pink. It was as easy as I in-boxed Pretty Pandora and placed my order. She gave me banking details with a reference I must use. The day she received my payment she posted my tubs.

Here is how I used the product:

A bowl you don't mind messing up

Conditioner or I used normal Previous Christmas’s unused Body lotion

Gloves are a must

An old damaged towel

Foils if you do peekaboo highlights like I did or want colour only on certain places

Highlight brush to mix and apply colours

A shower cap to limit mess

AND the pretty Pandora dye powder

This is how sectioned up my hair

I didn't colour my whole head. . . YET. I just wanted peekaboo colour that I could hide and didn't colour close to my face

Hair dresser tip: Fold foils about 2 cm over a piece cardboard. I hacked up the box the dyes came in.

The cardboard keeps the hair steady on the foil

And with the help of my sister we foiled my colours in. Pink, purple, blue, pink, purple, blue

After this I put on a shower cap and did a few things around the house

Pretty's instructions are to leave it in for an hour though in our conversation she said she sleeps with her colour over night (Semi permanent colours need all they can get to last) I left mine in for two and a half hours.

This was two weeks on after colouring

Top tips For maximum results:

• Don't condition your hair before you do this. This dye gets mixed with a conditioner so your hair sucks up the colourful goodness of the powder.
• After colouring keep washing to a minimum. Opt for a dry shampoo or baby powder.
• This works best with lighted hair. The lighter the hair the brighter the colour
• Wear a shower cap or wrap a plastic bag around your hair. Heat assist it the colouring process. (Good call sleeping with it. Everything stays nice and warm)
• The old towel must also be used for after colour drying.Unless you like rainbow towels.

Pros:

• Was so easy to order
• Easy to understand instructions
• Fun variety of colours
• Cheap compared to other very similar products. Three tubs for R180 Postage included
• Awesome specials

Cons:

• Post office is so slow (Hopefully the business grows enough to afford a courier company)
• That I didn't find this company sooner
• That you probably haven't ordered yet.

Thanks for the great service and excellent product Pretty Pandora!

What Pretty Pandora Dye colour would you colour your whole head?

é