{NEW IN} | Urban Decay #PrepPrimeSet // Primers

Urban Decay is a brand recognized by many incredible makings, one of them being that they constantly hear what their fan base has to say. This is to make sure they’re continuously putting out products that the customer is asking for and that will satisfy a high percentage of Urban Decay shoppers. With the launch of #PrepPrimeSet you can really see the endgame as it caters for a large number of skin types and has also tackled some packaging issues. Today I will be telling you a little about the new primers and giving a little review the 2 that I received.

When Urban Decay decided to create a primer they extensively researched what their UD Junkies were looking for and then went on and created four different ones! These are De-Slick; for oily skin, Self-Adjusting; which contains magical pigment particles that adjust to your skin tone and have colour correcting properties and Urban Defense and Optical Illusion which I will be chatting about today. One of the best qualities about all these primers is that they’re so lightweight and comfortable that you can layer them together. The idea is that you can create “skin-cocktails” and tackle your skin issues without looking weighed down or cakey.

All the primers come in chic, clear, tall bottles with a pewter base and lid. The thin, lightweight bottles make them easy to use, store and carry around.  They all also have airless pump-action which means the entire product stays hygienic and you can’t really take out more than you will need and waste the primer.

Optical Illusion is infused with argan, rosehip and meadowseed oils which moisturize and plump the skin. The primer is a very light peach in colour and refines fine lines and pores into a naturally smooth finish. It also creates a translucent, soft focus effect of the skin that blurs imperfections and makes the skin look softly lit. I’ve been using this primer often since I got it about 2 weeks back and I quite like it. I’ve used it alone on those bare faced days and I really did see the difference as my skin looked even and healthy. Under makeup it is so comfortable and foundations and creams blend in really beautifully. I will say that this is a great versatile, well-rounded primer for all skin types. If you’re not quite sure what you need to prime your skin then this is a safe and wonderful bet. It retails for ZAR450 for a full sized 28mL primer.

Urban Defense is like a transcendent myth; the invisible and lightweight sunscreen.  It is completely transparent, meaning you won’t get that grey-ish veil that many sunscreens give off and it is so light that you barely feel like you have it on. It contains broad spectrum SPF30 blended with sesame seed oil and tomato fruit extract (amongst other ingredients) to make sure skin feels conditioned but not oily. When I say it’s completely clear I am not exaggerating. I have even re-applied it over makeup and everything still looked intact. I can honestly say that this is a luxury level skin product and at ZAR600 for 30mL you should definitely get your hands on it. I cannot stress the importance of sun protection and with Urban Defense there is absolutely no excuse.  

All the #PrepPrimeSet products are available at Easgate in Johannesburg and quite soon they will be available in Sandton City and online at foschiniforbeauty.co.za I will be reviewing the priming and setting sprays soon so do look out for that.

What are your thoughts on Urban Decay’s new #PrepPrimeSet range?

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

{FRAGRANCE REVIEW} | Lady Emblem Elixir by Montblanc

Hi lovelies! Even though temperatures are still in the higher 20s, there is definitely a distinct chill in the breeze. When the mornings and evenings begin to fill with that thick, cool air I always find myself looking for deeper, warmer scents. Lady Emblem Elixir ticks all the boxes!

Montblanc’s original Lady Emblem is a really delicate musky floral and Lady Emblem Elixir holds on to that sophistication but takes it a little further with woody, oriental notes. It is housed in the same stunning jewel shaped bottle, inspired by the cut of the Montblanc diamond and the house’s 6-point star logo. The rounded star is said to characterize the snow covered peak of the Mont Blanc which is the highest European mountain. This time; the bottle is partially coated in soft, metallic rose gold and topped with a sparkling, crystal-like, lid that allows you to see the tiny Montblanc logo engraved on the top of the spray nozzle. As you know, I am obsessed with bottles and packaging and I am really taken by the details on this one! You can see the Elixir through the top of the bottle and it is a soft, amber colour.

The fragrance itself is just as chic. It is a breath of wooded florals, enhanced by subtle hints of fruit and spice. The Elixir opens with a punchy blend of black peppercorn, sweet litchi and fresh mandarin. A fragrant Damask rose, jasmine and iris bouquet bursts open at the heart, tempered with hints of faintly bitter orange blossom and syrupy honey. The base brings together with an aromatic mixture of patchouli, sandalwood and vanilla. It feels balmy and alluring but also evokes moodiness and boldness.

Lady Emblem Elixir marries a juicy and daring scent with something warm, pleasant and sophisticated. It remains true to the essence of Lady Emblem but still manages to find its own uniqueness.

The wear on this Eau de Parfum is really good; I only found it fading out after 8+ hours. I will most certainly be wearing this perfume a lot during autumn and winter.  

If you can’t quite afford Montblanc’s beautiful jewellery and watches just yet, I would say that this classy scent is definitely a small taste. From the stunning bottle to the actual fragrance, it is all very glam and luxurious.

You can find Montblanc’s Lady Emblem Elixir Eau de Parfum at Edgars, Red Square, Dis-chem, Truworths, Foschini and Clicks. It retails for ZAR745 (30mL), ZAR995 (50mL) and ZAR1195 (75mL).

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

{BEAUTY REVIEW} | L’Oréal Pure Clay Masks

Hi beauties! A lot of you were rather excited for the products when I attended the launch for the new Pure Clay Masks from L’Oréal Skin Expert. Today I’m going to tell you a little about multi-masking and give to a small review of the 3 masks.

Multi-masking is a Korean (of course!) skincare technique that involves using a cocktail of different masks at once to address the several issues you may experience on varying parts of your face. The notion is that we often have opposing concerns on, for example, our t-zone and cheeks and no one product can tackle all the issues. It also encourages the idea that we do not mask when we see problems but rather often enough so that our skin maintains balance and constantly healthy and happy. This is why I would recommend masking once a week and also when your skin feels like it needs a little pick-me-up like after the gym, a late night or a junk food binge.

L’Oréal Pure Clay Masks are the perfect blend of ingredients for multi-masking and won’t hurt your budget either! At ZAR149 each for 48g they truly are a steal! Each mask is housed in a luxurious and elegant glass jar with a lovely pearlized mint green screw-top lid. L’Oréal Pure Clay masks all contain a blend of 3 pure clays and they all have a pleasant spa-like scent.

The Purity Mask is for oily skin or oily parts of the face. It contains soothing Eucalyptus and cleanses deep into the skin to purify and unclog pores. It has a smooth texture and once washed off, leaves the pores tightly closed and the skin squeaky clean and mattified.

The Detox Mask is black in colour and also has a smooth, creamy  texture. It is for parts of the face that seem dull and contains a blend of charcoal that draws out pollution and impurities with magnet like properties. It detoxifies the skin and leaves it radiant and fresh.

The Glow Mask is blended with red algae and volcanic to exfoliate and is for drier skin. It has a rough texture and is a lovely red, almost terracotta, colour. I must mention that unlike many products I’ve experienced, the exfoliating grains feel so small and natural and wash of really easily. It cleans out pores, removes dead skin cells and refines the skin. Your face is left smooth and glowy.

The other great thing about L’Oréal’s Pure Clay Masks is that you only have to leave them on for 10 minutes. After washing I can honestly that my skin feels smooth and soft, clean and so blissful!  Make a playlist or a sandwich, check your emails, page through a magazine or read a chapter while your skin gets cleaned and pampered. What would you do in those 10 minutes?

Have you gotten your hands on L’Oréal’s Pure Clay Masks?

Until next time

Love, great skin and sparkles

Zaakira xox

P.S The masks are on special for ZAR129 at Dis-chem’s Beauty Fair (ends this week) and are also on 2+1 Free!  

{BEAUTY REVIEW} | Estée Lauder DayWear Matte

Hi beauties! Today’s review is quite exciting. After lots of research, Estée Lauder has created a moisturizer to specifically target South African skin concerns. Many South Africans suffer from shiny, oily skin and large pores. Daywear Matte is here to help you say goodbye to shine and Hello Matte!

Now, if you’re familiar with Estée Lauder’s OG and iconic DayWear moisturizer you’d know that it is packed with the free radical fighting and damage repairing Super Anti-Oxidant Complex. DayWear Matte contains the same powerful elements but in a gel crème form. This formulation means you are getting the same benefits along with shine control, oil absorption and control and pore minimizing. Like all Estée Lauder products, DayWear Matte has gone through strict assessments and is dermatologist tested. DayWear Matte is also tested to be non-acnegenic which means it won’t cause or agitate breakouts.

DayWear Matte is still housed in the chic, soft turquoise jar topped with an elegant gold screw-top lid. (Details, details. I LOVE talking about packaging) The crème has the same, lovely and subtle cucumber scent and has a thick, gel like consistency. It absorbs quickly into the skin and wears quite comfortably.

I don’t suffer from particularly oily skin but I did try out DayWear Matte to see how it would feel and what effect it will have on my skin. I personally expected it to pull moisture from my skin and make my face feel tight but I experienced none of that. While keeping skin matte and smooth, it does not compromise on hydration. I will continue to use it along with my other moisturizers because it makes for an amazing primer under makeup. I did, however, decant small amounts and ask my husband and Aunty Nona who both suffer from oily skin to try it. After the first use, Aunty Nona was really delighted with the outcome and she has since told me that nothing has felt this comfortable on her skin. There were visible results on the husband after only a few days and he has since said he is noticing that the pools of oil he continually observes have definitely diminished. The only drawback I can think of is that it doesn’t contain any SPF.

I will pop a list of the ingredients used to formulate DayWear Matte at the bottom of this post.

You can purchase Estée Lauder’s DayWear Matte for ZAR515 (30mL) and ZAR620 (50mL) online here at esteelauder.co.za or in-store at your nearest Estée Lauder counter.

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

Ingredients (DayWear Matte): WATER\AQUA\EAU , ISODODECANE , BUTYLENE GLYCOL , POLYPROPYLENE , DIMETHICONE , BIS-PEG-18 METHYL ETHER DIMETHYL SILANE , GLYCERIN , AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER , PYRUS MALUS (APPLE) FRUIT EXTRACT , LENS ESCULENTA (LENTIL) FRUIT EXTRACT , CITRULLUS VULGARIS (W ATERMELON) FRUIT EXTRACT , LAMINARIA SACCHARINA EXTRACT , NARCISSUS TAZETTA BULB EXTRACT , CUCUMIS SATIVUS (CUCUMBER) FRUIT EXTRACT , TREHALOSE , ERGOTHIONEINE , ALGAE EXTRACT , LACTOBACILLUS FERMENT , CAFFEINE , ACETYL GLUCOSAMINE , HORDEUM VULGARE (BARLEY) EXTRACT\EXTRAIT D'ORGE , THERMUS THERMOPHILLUS FERMENT , POLYSILICONE-11 , ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER , PROPYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRATE , TOCOPHERYL ACETATE , HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEEDCAKE , SODIUM LACTATE , SODIUM HYALURONATE , ETHYLBISIMINOMETHYLGUAIACOL MANGANESE CHLORIDE , LECITHIN , TETRAHEXYLDECYL ASCORBATE , LAURETH-23 , TROMETHAMINE , CITRIC ACID , CYCLODEXTRIN , CAPRYLYL GLYCOL , LAURETH-4 , OLETH-10 , SODIUM PCA , SILICA , FRAGRANCE (PARFUM) , HEXYLENE GLYCOL , DISODIUM EDTA , BHT , PHENOXYETHANOL , LINALOOL , BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL , BENZYL SALICYLATE , BLUE 1 (CI 42090) <42547>

(Please be aware that ingredient lists may change or vary from time to time. Please refer to the ingredient list on the product package you receive for the most up to date list of ingredients.)

{BEAUTY REVIEW} | Me & Youth Quick Beauty Fix

Hi beauties! Today I’m going to be giving you a quick rundown of the Me & Youth (rebranded from Beauty Fix) Quick Beauty Fix spray and sharing some of my impressions with you. This 3 in one face mist is produced right here in South Africa and completely cruelty free.

Me & Youth is loaded with rose water and other botanicals and soothing extracts like aloe vera and cucumber. These ingredients make sure your skin is calm and happy. It is housed in a simple black and white spray bottle and is so easy to use. You can also pop the 50mL bottle into your handbag and use it throughout the day.

You can use this spray to nourish your face further after moisturizing and to prime and awaken your skin before makeup. It is also a fixing spray which means that it blends together all the products you’ve used on your face and leaves a fresh, polished finish. It also helps to set product that can eventually pool into fine lines and keeps away that caked look. Me & Youth can also be used to simply awaken and hydrate your skin at any time during the day.

I personally love Me & Youth. I used it to fix my makeup and I am truly happy with the results. It really gave the most refined finish. I also used it on its own a few times when my skin was feeling exhausted from the heat and air conditioning and it really made my skin feel less exhausted.

You can order Me & Youth here and it costs just ZAR250 for 50mL of product. You can also pick up at bottle at these stockists.

Have you tried Me & Youth. Pop me a comment or tweet and let me know!

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox