Complete DisbeliefComplete Disbelief

Winter Makeup Look | 27Pinkx Makeup Challenge

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:09:49 +0000

A few weeks ago 27Pinks contacted me to ne part of their Winter Makeup Challenge. The idea was this; they sent us a set of brushes and we had to create a makeup lookwith products that cost up to R350. It wasn’t a biggie for me because of my love for Essence. I just switched out my MAC eyeliner and Lancome and Smashbox mascara for Essence ones.

What I used:

Foundation: Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation

Eyeshadow, bronzer and Blush: All Essence

Eyeliner: Essence Superfine eyeliner

Mascara: Essence Get Big Lashes

Lipgloss: Essence XXXL Shine

Eyeshadow: MUA Undressed Palette. (I pushed the boundary a little, but technically you can get this in South Africa because they do ship to SA).

The Makeup Look

1. Apply foundation using flat foundation brush. At first it was quite a challenge to blend with the paddle brush, but it worked out in the end.

2. I then applied the 2nd lightest shade from my MUA palette, I wanted something as a base to even out my eyelids. The shade was really perfect for my skin tone. I applied it to my entire lid.

3. I then took a darker shade and applied it to the lower and outer corners of my eyes to create a slight contour. I used the round brush because I wanted everything to be subtle.

4. I applied the near black shade and further contoured my eye with the smaller round brush. This is for a natural day look so I didn’t do anything dramatic.

5. I then applied a highlighting shade to the inner corner of my eyes and my eyebrow bone. And I lined my lower and upper lids with a quick click of Essence Superfine Eyeliner

6. I thickened the upper lash line and applied Essence Get Big Lashes Mascara. Just look at how amazing this mascara is!

7. Contour, highlight and blush with Essence, then it’s all done

8. Whoops, I almost forgot a swipe of the Essence XXL Shine lipgloss! I chose this nude shade because it’s perfect for an understated look!

The 27Pinkx makeup organiser and brush range is aimed at consumers wanting affordable products, these brushes retail at an average of R37!

Now Trying: Mavala South Africa

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:23:39 +0000

Mavala is a quality nail care brand from Switzerland that has been available in South Africa for a while now and I actually love. Everything in their range comes in the cutest small bottles. They also have a renowned set of nailcare products that I’ve heard good things about.

Last week Mavala sent me a bag of goodies that I just can’t wait to try.

That one time I was a Covergirl ;)

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:24:02 +0000

Remember that amazing trip I took to Cape Town? Remember that amazing comp that Cosmopolitan and Colgate ran? Yeah, I finally got to have a look at what I’d look like on a Cosmo cover. The result was less sexy, more 16 I’ll leave it to the pros for now.

Did you enter?

Beauty Review: Essence All-In-One BB Cream

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:00:09 +0000

I received a sample of the essence BB cream in medium a while back and safe to say, I’m pretty impressed. The BB cream is moisturising and provides a sheer-medium coverage with a matte finish. It really does even out my skin tone and leaves me feeling a little more confident to face the day. It doesn’t make my face shiny, but I do have to blot it after a few hours.

What I don’t like about it is that it ONLY comes in 3 shades and medium is the darkest shade. I am not really a fan of how it matches my skin, it’s very pink toned and wouldn’t suit those with yellower skins. I wore it thinking that I would look fine but one of my colleagues actually noticed my ‘pale’ skin. So if you’re NC 43+ this is definitely not for you. For the lucky ladies that this matches, it’s a really good choice still. It’s great value for money, it’s a real pity that is doesn’t come in darker shades.

In the swatch it really looks like it matches my hand, but when I spread it on my face it is a little too pink. Doesn’t stop me from wearing it mixed with moisturiser though

My tube was a little overzealous and could not keep itself inside the tube, perhaps it just got pushed around too much in shipping because I haven’t seen anyone else mention this!

Dove puts on a Performance with a Difference

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:26:11 +0000

I received quite the package yesterday, a heavy box with a few words over the top, three layers of unwrapping revealed the 3 bottles of the Dove and more information about their Nourishing Body range and the activation they did at Cresta. As an aside, what is it about Cresta that makes brands do all their activations there? Dove created an activation that echoed their intentions with the Nourishing Body range. Dove sees your skin as a combination of multiple layers and will nourish more layers from deep down instead of just on the surface. This really just echos many of the Dove campaigns that focus on inner beauty.

See the activation below

In all honestly, they should have done it in another mall, I can see how well this would go down at the Protea Court of Sandton City. That’s just because I would really have loved to see it. A great concept brought to life by Dove, again.

About the range:

There are 3 body lotions in the Dove Nourishing Body Range, Essential Nourishment, Intensive Nourishment and Indulgent Nourishment. My favourite by far is the Indulgent Nourishment body lotion with Shea Butter. I can actually a remember a time when I didn’t like what shea butter smelt like, now I can’t get enough of it! All the lotions come with the Dove Deepcare Complex that provides ‘Up to ten days of Nourishment”.

All of the lotions are thick but absorb well and the Indulgent Nourishment is perfect for my hands.

You can find them at all the Dove retailers for around R33 each.

I tried to snap some quick pictures between layers of violent unwrapping, because I was pretty excited about receiving a heavy box!

A pretty well thought out press pack! I also think that this box can easily be re-purposed into an eyeshadow box.

N.B This is a Sponsored Post.

Forever New Monochromania Collection

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:25:33 +0000

As always I’m pretty willing to punt Forever New, mainly because I love the style of their collections. Their latest, Monochromania is pretty much the epitome of a collection I love. I’m actually hoarding a monochrome lookpost that I’m too scared to put up just yet. I love this simple tailored collection and am after that pleated skirt.

Revlon Haul

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:07:20 +0000

Last week I attended the #cosmopolished event which you can read about here, what I didn’t mention was that we got to take EVERYTHING from the stands at our desks and I ended up with a large booty.

I picked up a few nail files, a dotting tool, TONS of nail polish, a Photoready palette, a manicure set, hand cream and nail polish remover. Yep, there is also a Colorstay lipstick there.

I am already trying out the Brilliant Strength nail polish which has a weird scent, but no other complaints so far!

#Cosmopolished with Revlon and Cosmopolitan

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:10:26 +0000

Last week I attended the Cosmopolitan and Revlon Cosmopolished event at the Rooftop Venue in Kramerville. If you’ve been there, you’ll know just how gorgeous the view of Johannesburg is. While, I’m not patient enough for nail-art I had a really great time laughing with the ladies while I (predictably) failed at attempting the various nail art techniques. Revlon have also bagged themselves an amazing nail artist, Chi Chi who is just as pretty as she is skilled.

And no, we didn’t just watch, every seat had a rack of nail polishes, tools and to really end it off, hand cream for the ladies to attempt their own designs. I really had a great time and am so grateful I could attend (and I haven’t even started speaking about the goodie bag I took home).

DIY Honey and Nutmeg Face Mask

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 09:12:53 +0000

I’ve been using this mask for the past two weeks or so and have absolutely no complaints I just love the way this makes my skin feel and look. This also really helped smooth out my skin and get rid of some pesky pimples I’ve been having. Nutmeg is known to help acne-prone skin and then even out the skin tone and help erase some of the marks. When I remove this, my skin looks radiant and feels as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Well, only my cheeks. The rest of my skin isn’t really in the best condition right now.

Recipe:

There are some strict recipes, but what I do is use a tablespoon of nutmeg, just under a tablespoon of honey and teaspoon of milk. I leave it on for a good hour then rinse off slowly.

My current favourite beauty products

Zaahirah Bhamjee — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:04:51 +0000

I’ve been playing with a lot of beauty products recently and I’ve decided to start a semi-regular column that speaks to my favourites. The favourites aren’t what I’m currently using, but my favourites reviewed until the time of writing. They’ll also be limited to 3 or 4 items because it’s not about linking to all my recent reviews, but linking to what I still love and return to.

So here goes,

1. Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation (review here).

I can’t stop using this foundation, it gives me a clear, matte and smooth face.

2. Nesti Dante Citrus and Bergamot soap (review here).

I am STILL using the same bar that I reviewed, this little soap has been so long-lasting and it’s amazing on my skin.

3. Indeed Labs Hydraluron Serum (review here).

I love how quickly this cleared up my dry skin!