My Postpartum hair loss journey

Hi Lovelies,

Hope you are all feeling fabulous❤

Today I’m starting the journey to document my postpartum journey and I’ve decided to start with the hair loss.

Honestly it took me by surprise! I have read about it extensively but when it happens to you, it’s so depressing honestly. I have opened up about it on my Insta stories and the journey continues!

For me, the hair loss started 4 months postpartum. My mum says she never had it so for some reason i thought i had escaped it but I definitely didn’t! My hair fell in clumps and because it was extremely long it looked so excessive. By the first week i felt like had lost at least a quarter of my existing hair. My hair felt thinner and it was falling all over the place. After washing, the amount of hair on the shower floor literally scared me! Brushing my hair was a nightmare as the fallout was so extreme.

I didn’t know where to start to tackle this. I read online, watched videos and then decided to start taking my pregnancy vitamins again. I bought some hair oils and hair vitamins. I also decided to cut my hair much shorter to make it more manageable. The fresh cut also made it look healthier and a bit thicker.

For the next few weeks my hair still fell badly but after 3 weeks of taking the vitamins and applying the oils i finally started to see a change. I could visibly see less hair on the chair and floors. There was less hair coming out when I ran my fingers through my hair….I finally felt that I was heading in a positive direction.

My approach to address postpartum hair loss was as follows:

• I only washed my hair once a week
• Soaked my hair in oils for 2-3 days at a time. I used a combination of Amla & Indian hair grower oils
• Alternated between pregnancy vitamins and Hairtamin mom vitamins daily
• Didn’t brush my hair daily
• Avoided heat on my hair
• Reduced styling
• Applied hair treatments which contained biotin
• Kept my hair tied up majority of the time

It’s now almost 2 months since my hair loss started and i definitely see a huge improvement. There’s hardly any hair falling out and baby hairs are starting to grow. My hair is looking and feeling so much better. I am still following the steps above and will keep doing it till my hair is back to where it was in terms of length and fullness.

Short hair

Short hair

Products used

Fresh cut and Products used

If you are going through this at the moment i hope my process gives you a starting point as i know it’s so overwhelming. If you are still pregnant I have read that you should continue taking your pregnancy vitamins after birth to help reduce the impact of postpartum hair loss. I had planned to do the same but things got so hectic that it slipped my mind honestly.

Having a baby is such a beautiful blessing. The journey is filled with ups and downs and this was definitely such a horrible experience. There’s so much going on already and adding in hair loss just makes you feel so sad but there definitely is hope! Talk about it, cry about and then tackle it head on! You got this!

XOXO Michelle

Pregnancy & Postpartum

Huda Beauty: Life Liner

Hi Lovelies,

Hope you are all doing well and looking forward to the holiday season.

So, lets jump straight into this! If you know me, eyeliner is the one product I cannot live without and I am obsessed with Huda beauty products. Their palettes and liquid lips are my absolute favorite so obviously when my fav brand announced they would be releasing a liquid eyeliner I got my hands on it as fast as possible from their site.

Huda Beauty Life liner

Details:

• Price: $25.00
• Type: Dual ended liner with Liquid eyeliner on one end and pencil liner on the other end
• Description:
  • The ultimate life-proof, dual-ended eyeliner with a liquid tip one side and pencil on the other. Long-lasting, waterproof, smudge proof and fade proof.
  • Finally, a liner that you can trust to stay put, while remaining super matte and super black.
  • Up to 48 hour wear*
  • Dual-ended
  • Intense black
  • Smudge proof

• 

• 

Right of the bat I am going to tell you that I do not like the liquid eyeliner at all. The pencil eyeliner is good but this product in its entirety did not deliver what was promised.

I am really not sure what to make of it as there are so many great reviews out there and then many reviews that match my sentiments. The only explanation I can think of is that there were some good batches and some not so good batches. I had such high hope for this product. I really believed this was going to be my ride or die liquid eyeliner.

My thoughts:

What I ♥

• Both the pencil and liquid eyeliner are really pigmented
• The liquid eyeliner lasts long once applied

Cons:

• The pencil liner smudges a bit towards the end of the day. This is not uncommon though for most pencil eyeliners.
• The brush on the liquid eyeliner is not great. I find it to be too short and difficult to use.
• I find the liquid eyeliner formula to be a bit lumpy.
• This liquid liner gets really stuck into my lashes and it dries so fast that the lashes become stiff, it then makes it difficult to apply mascara.
• The first time I tried to swatch the pencil liner is broke so easily 😦

I really am so disappointed in this eyeliner guys. I was so excited to try and I really tried to make it work. This is the first product I have tried from Huda Beauty that I did not love. I have stopped trying to use the liquid liner at this point. I do use the pencil liner on my waterline regularly mostly because I did not want this to be a total waste of money. I definitely would not repurchase this liner.

Hope you enjoyed this review lovelies.

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer

Tips for flawless looking foundation

Hey Lovelies,

I always get such kind compliments on how great my foundation looks, so in this post I will share how I apply & set my foundation. I have also created a step by step video on how I apply my foundation which can be found on my Instagram page.

Right of the bat I have to say that knowing your skin type and prepping your skin correctly will go a long way towards helping your foundation look great. You may have noticed that brands now days create so may different types of primers and this is to cater for all the different skin types out there. For example if you have dry skin then your skin prep should be different to someone who has oily skin. A mattifying primer may work wonders for someone with oily skin while a more moisturizing primer may be suited to dry skin.

Maybelline baby skin pore eraser primer

I have combination skin, my T-zone is very shiny and the rest of my face is normal. I have to therefore pay more attention to setting those parts of my face that tend to get shiny. My other options are to use a matte primer or matte foundation. I did try using matte foundation on my shiny areas and a satin finish on the other areas of my face and it looked amazing. The only trick here is you have to make sure the 2 foundation shades are almost perfectly matched.

Makeup Revolution Fast base stick foundation provides a dewy finish

Choosing the right foundation for your skin type also plays a huge part in the process. Brands also diversify their foundation types to cater for our needs and off the top of my head I know there are matte, dewy and satin finish foundations. We all love a dewy finish foundation but on oily skin it may not wear well. If you have oily skin you may be better off with a matte foundation and for that glowy finish you can add in a bit of skin illuminator into the foundation.

Maybelline Fit me foundation provides a matte finish

A really matte foundation may not sit well on dry skin but correct skin prep can assist to avoid those problems. Dewy finish products will work great on dry/combo skin and give you that glow you crave. I personally love satin finish foundations as they are in in-between of dewy and matte foundations. They give more of subtle healthy glow finish which is totally gorgeous! This foundation type may work well on all skin types if the skin is prepped properly and the foundation is set properly.

Estee Lauder Double wear foundation provides a satin finish

Lastly, as with the other mentioned products, there are also different types of setting sprays for different skin types to assist with setting your foundation better. There are matter, dewy, illuminating, shine control and many other types of setting sprays to help you lock in that look!

Step 1: Prep skin accordingly

• Cleanse & moisturize skin
  1. Starting off with clean fresh skin is a step in the right direction.
  2. After cleansing apply your moisturizer and wait at least 30 minutes before applying makeup. Remember, even if you have oily skin you still need to moisturize to ensure the skin is well nourished.
• Prime skin
  1. Choose your primer according to your skin type and you will be good to go!
  2. My go to primers are the Maybelline baby skin pore eraser, Smashbox Photo finish primer water and the Maybelline Superstay 24hr primer.
  3. I normally give my primer some time to settle, usually about 10 minutes, before applying foundation.
  4. If I am using a matte foundation I add some skin illuminator to it for a lovely glow.

• Blot out excess oil
  1. Blotting paper can be used to remove excess oil before you apply your foundation. This is recommended for people with oily skin.

Step 2: Applying foundation

• Once the face is prepped apply foundation as desired.
• Blend out the foundation evenly using a brush or beauty blender. Remember to blend into the hairline, ears and down the neck.
• Dab the foundation with a damp beauty blender to help it set better into the skin or if you want a more natural finish.

Step 3: Set the foundation

• Use a setting powder to gently set the foundation in place. I use a large fluffy brush to apply the setting powder.
• If you are not using a matte foundation, then apply some setting powder on the very oily areas and let it sit for a while. Then dust off with a brush.
• Once you have applied all other makeup products use your face powder to set the look.
• Finish off with a suitable setting spray to help your makeup stay in place.

Yardley translucent powder can be used to set foundation

Step 4: Touch ups

• As and when required during the wear time keep your powder on hand to touch up if necessary.
• If need be you can also apply some setting spray to refresh your makeup.
• Lastly you can use blotting paper to gently absorb excess oil.

So lovelies, I hope this post was helpful to you. If you have any questions drop them in the comments below.

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer

Makeup Revolution: Fast base stick foundation

Hi lovelies,

We all love a good foundation and we all really love a good foundation that comes with great price tag!

Until I tried this foundation I had never used a stick foundation before and to be honest I was not sold on the concept. I will be the first to say that I was wrong and the concept is amazing.

So I was on the look out to try some new foundations and brands. I really wanted to try out the LA Girl foundation which I did get, but then this one caught my eye on Instagram. Influencers were raving about it and I did some further research online and the reviews were mostly great, so I picked this up on one of my visits to Clicks.

Deets:

• Price: This retails for around R110
• Description from the site:
  • Foundation just got faster! Launching in 18 shades and a range of undertones, Fast Base Foundation quickly perfects, contours and highlights your complexion.The easy-to-apply stick formula melts into skin, blending seamlessly to leave a fresh and dewy finish.Twist up, swipe on and blend out with fingers, a beauty sponge or your favorite foundation brush.
• Shade range: 18 shades (I am not sure if we have all shades in SA)
• Coverage: Medium and buildable
• Finish: Dewy

My thoughts

So I have used this foundation a few times already and I really love it. I love how creamy it is, how easily it blends and mostly I love that dewy/glowy finish it gives my skin. I have combination skin and I find that it wears well throughout the day. I usually set my foundation with powder. After a few hours I do need to powder my T-zone with this foundation.

The coverage is great and a little goes a long way. Its easy to get carried away while applying it but remember you still need to blend it out. As far as the price goes, I feel like its total value for money. The packaging also makes it easy to travel with which is always a plus.

What I ♥

• The creamy formula
• It blends like a dream
• The shade I have is so close to my skin tone
• The finish is gorgeous and glowy
• The price is right!
• It wears really well and I have not noticed it moving around

As mentioned I do have combination skin so I am not sure if this will work for oily skin types as it is a very dewy foundation. I also would not recommend using any glow products such a skin illuminating products under this foundation as you may end up looking a bit shiny.

I am very happy with this purchase and I would definitely repurchase this foundation.

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer

My experience with ordering directly from the Shop Huda beauty website

Hi Lovelies,

If you follow me on the gram then you know I have mad love for my Huda beauty products. There are a few suppliers here in SA but the prices are really inflated. So far I have 3 of the eye shadow palettes, a highlighter palette and some mini liquid mattes and a few lip contours.

One of the other bloggers I follow posted Huda beauty now shipping to SA and of course I had to check it out. When I got to the site there was also a 20% off sale and free shipping for orders over 75 dollars. Score!!!!!!!!!!!

www.shophudabeauty.com

I did a bit of research into PayPal as it was one of the payment options on the site. I signed up and linked my card all in a matter of minutes. I was then confident to do some shopping on the site. I purchased a few items which were all reasonably sale priced ::

• 1 x lash glue
• 1 x full liquid matte lipstick
• 1 x lip contour
• 1 x lashes
• 1 x Power bullet matte lipstick
• 1 x free sample of over achiever concealer

• 

So I calculated the how much these would have cost if I bought them here and I have saved just over R1000 guys!!!!!!!!!! That’s insane.

I placed my order on the 17th of May and it arrived on the 20th of May. Unfortunately my phone was giving me issues so the courier could not get a hold of me 😦 I got the order on the 23rd of May which is still super quick. It was delivered by DHL.

I am really excited that this process was super efficient and quick. If you guys love Huda products then I recommend you try buying from the site. If you need to find out the conversion rate at the time the just use Google and you will be able to see the Rand value of what you are purchasing.

If you guys have any other questions drop them below.

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer

The beauty products I traveled to Thailand with

Hi lovelies,

I think packing your makeup for travel is one of the hardest things to do!!!!! There’s so many amazing products that we own, how do we even choose right?

Right of the bat, people told me I shouldn’t even bother taking makeup to Thailand because of the weather. Its really humid so makeup does not sit well in that weather. I am just going to say that they were not completely wrong. I did not even attempt to wear foundation during the day as it was scorching!!!!! I felt like the makeup would just slide off my face LOL.

Anyway, I did pack my daily essentials which I used everyday and I packed a little extra for a full face of glam just in case.

While packing my products I considered the following:

• Which products wear well all day
• Which products are waterproof
• Which products are neutral and can go with any outfit

With this in mind I chose the following which I used everyday in Thailand:

• Estee Lauder double wear powder
  • I love this product and it did really well in the climate.

• Essence cosmetics liquid ink eyeliner
  • This is my favorite eyeliner at the moment and it looked great all day even after I went into water.

• Essence Lash princess mascara
  • No surprise here, this mascara is amazing
    
• Wet n Wild photo focus eye shadow primer
  • I use this even if I don’t wear eye shadow. It gives my lids a nice matte finish.
    
• Black Opal eyebrow kit
  • This brow powder is amazing and it wore really well throughout the long days.

• Kylie cosmetics liquid lipstick in Head over heels
  • This lipstick is amazing guys. It lasts so long on the lips and it does not fade. When you are touring the last thing you want to worry about is re-applying your lipstick constantly and thankfully I did not have that issue.
    
• NYX lip oil
  • I use this product everyday and its amazing. Applying this also made the liquid lipstick feel good on the lips and not too dry.
• Nivea makeup wipes

My daily products were chosen wisely and I would definitely travel with them again. It helps save a lot of time to have these products set out. The tours start pretty early and there really is no time to waste. We were always on the move so it was good that I did not have to constantly think about which product to apply.

The glam products I chose

• Maybelline Fit me matte and poreless foundation
  • When I did a poll on my page, many people thought I would take my double wear foundation. While I love love love it, I did not think I would be comfortable wearing it as it is a bit thicker formula than my Fit me foundation. From my experience in the Maldives of the extreme climate I thought my Fit me foundation would perform well and I was right.
  • I did not attempt to wear foundation during the day as I mentioned but one cool night I glammed up and I was right, this foundation was amazing.

• Mac cosmetics warm neutral palette
  • I chose this palette because the shades are versatile. I only used eye shadow twice though.
• Wet n Wild precious petals highlight
  • I love this highlight and the shade is gorgeous.
  • Its quite a versatile shade which is why I chose it
• Revlon blush in Marvelous
  • This is my favorite blush shade and I feel that it works well with most colors.
• Essence stay matt setting spray
  

In all honesty if I went to Thailand again I probably would not take my glam products as I only used them once. Its a chill place so I did not feel the need to wear a full face of makeup.

My daily essential were enough for the trip. I also took a few other lips colors for the evening and some glosses. In addition the other really important products to pack would be hair products. The frizz is real guys!!!!! To assist I took my L’Oreal studio pro Sleek it ultra smoothing cream and my Keratin oil. I forgot to apply it the one time and my hair literally went cray.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and it helps you the next time you need to decide what makeup products to travel with.

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer

Wet n Wild beauty: Megalast Catsuit liquid matte lipstick

Hey Lovelies,

Its been a minute!!! Life just gets so hectic but I am really trying to get back into the swing of writing for my blog.

So, swiftly moving along, I just had to review this liquid lipstick and let you guys know just how much I have been loving it! I was actually quite upset at myself for trying this so late as many other bloggers have been singing this liquid lipstick’s praises.

 

Details:

• Price
  • R99.00
• There are 20 shades to choose from

• Description from the wet n wild site:
  • What glides on like butter, feels like a second skin and wont budge? Our Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick! Made with glammed out superpowers, it goes on glossy yet transforms into a high – pigmented matte finish with some serious staying power. Read our lips This color is going nowhere.
    • Glides on glossy and transforms into high – pigmented matte finish
    • Lightweight formula made with serious staying power
    • Intense pigmentation without drying the lips

• Benefits from the wet n wild site:
  • Vivid Color
  • Ultra – Matte Finish
  • Comfortable Wear

• Ingredients:
  • Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Octyldodecanol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hydrogenated Polycyclopentadiene, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Triacontanyl PVP, Propylene Carbonate, Silica Dimethyl Silyate, VPEicosene Copolymer, Polyethylene, Copernicia Cerifera Carnauba WaxCire de carnauba, Phenoxyethanol, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Sorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, MAY CONTAINPEUT CONTENIR Titanium DioxideCI 77891, Red 7 LakeCI 15850, Yellow 5 LakeCI 19140, Iron OxidesCI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Red 28 LakeCI 45410, Red 6CI 15850, Red 30 LakeCI 73360, Blue 1 LakeCI 42090, Yellow 6 LakeCI 15985 0716

What I ♥

• • This liquid lipstick is insanely pigmented
  • It is long wearing (needs touch up after eating or drinking though)
  • Feels amazing on the lips. It’s really light and the best thing is that it doesn’t look or feel dry on the lips
  • Value for money considering its only R99!
  • The shades available are really pretty
  • It has a really great applicator which is important for precise application on the lips.

This is definitely on my list of most wonderful products purchased in 2018 and I think that I will be using this product for a long time to come. The Huda liquid mattes are still the best formula I have ever used but for the price, this beauty provides a great quality formula as well.

I have already started spreading the word on these and everyone who I have recommended them to already love this liquid lipstick. If you have tried this let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer

My favorite products that cost less than R150 each

Hey guys,

I love trying new makeup products and I have quickly learnt that a high price does not always mean good quality. We all have different makeup needs so some of the more affordable products may actually work wonders if we try them.

If you follow my blog you would know that I recently did my review on the Urban Decay All Nighter concealer which I was not entirely happy with considering the price I had paid. Soon after I purchased a more affordable concealer which I really love. We live and we learn 🙂

Anyway, today’s post will include my favorite products that cost less than R150, which most of you will agree, is a steal! I will try to give more than one product option where I can. I have checked all the prices at the time of writing this post but they may vary at different stores or due to price increases.

1.Foundation

• Maybelline Fit me matte & poreless
  • OK if you follow me on Instagram then you definitely saw this coming! I love this foundation.
  • It applies beautifully, the consistency is great, the finish looks amazing & the coverage is good.
  • This only costs around R100.00 and you can get it at Dischem. I see that Clicks has raised their price on this to about R110.

2. Highlight

• Freedom makeup Goddess of Love highlighters
  • You can pick this up for around a R100 and they are amazing. There are many different shades as well.
  • I have the shade Goddess of faith. It provides such a gorgeous natural glow and its build-able to a more intense glow.
  • You can get this at Jet stores or on the cosmetic distributors website.
    
    Goddess of Faith highlighter

3. Primer

• Maybelline Baby skin pore eraser
  • I use this primer all the time and I love it.
  • It keeps my makeup in place & at around R89.00 it just makes me smile.
  • I usually purchase this at Clicks or Dischem.
• LA Girl eyeshadow primer
  • I use this everyday so enough said 🙂
  • This primer provides a nice matte finish and it keeps your eye shadow in place all day.
  • The pen applicator makes for real easy application.
  • I bought this at Dischem for about R70.00

4. Contour

• LA Girl pro conceal-dark
  • For a really prominent contour I use this product and it works wonderfully.
  • The shade is perfect for those great contour lines and the product blends beautifully
  • This retails for about R62.00 at Dischem

• Essence Contour stick
  • I bought this when I was learning how to contour and it was really great.
  • The pen applicator is perfect for easy application & the product blends beautifully as well.
  • The darkest shade is however not very dark so this is best for fair to medium skin tones and for a light contour.
  • This costs around R85 at Clicks

5. Brows

• Essence brow pencil
  • I started off with this brow pencil and it’s really great.
  • Its pigmented and does a great job of filling in your brows. It also has a brow brush at the end which is useful 🙂
  • Sharpening this pencil can be a bit of a hassle so make sure you have a good sharpener.
  • This sells for about R29.95 at Clicks.
• Essence Eyebrow stylist set
  • Combined with the brow pencil this combo will give you amazing brows.
  • The packaging does sort of fall apart but the product is great.
  • I get my Essence products at Clicks and this sells for about R55.00.
• Freedom makeup brow pomade
  • This brow pomade is amazing. I use it on days when I want really natural looking brows and the shade ‘Soft brown’ really helps me to achieve that.
  • I got this at Muse beauty but Jet now stocks Freedom makeup. This sells for around R90.00.

6. Concealer

L.A. Girl pro conceal

Applicator

• LA Girl Pro conceal
  • Except for the applicator I love this concealer. Its lightweight, creamy, blends easily and the shade range is extensive.
  • This retails for about R62 and I purchased it at Dischem.
• Maybelline Fit me concealer
  • I was a bit slow on the uptake for this product but damn was I impressed.
  • This is super creamy and blends like a dream. It also has a wand applicator which I love love.
  • The shade range is not as extensive as the LA Girl Pro conceal though. I use shade 30.
  • This retails for about R99.95 and I purchased it at Dischem.

7. Eyeliner

• Essence Super last liquid liner.
  • I like this liner a lot. The pigment, the formula and the staying power is amazing. I am not a hug fan of the brush but I have learnt to deal with that.
  • This is around R49.95 at Clicks.
• NYX matte liquid eyeliner
  • This eyeliner is awesome guys and I especially loved the brush as it was similar to the Rimmel Glam eyes brush (which got discontinued 😦 )
  • This is about R135.00 at Clicks or the NYX store.
• Essence Liquid ink liner
  • This liner is awesome. I love the brush and the pigmentation.
  • The formula could use some work as I feel it fades a little but for just R54.95 you can afford to double coat and get on with life.
• LA Girl Glide gel eyeliner pencil
  • These eyeliner are amazing quality at such a great price.
  • I initially got the blue and then other colors.
  • These sell for about R25.00 at Dischem

8. Eye-shadow

Before I got to buying my first 35 pan eye shadow palette I was all about those little ones with 4 colors in them. I was still learning then but I had so much fun with them 🙂

• Maybelline Diamond glow palettes
  • This comes with a few options and I really like these shadows.
  • These are great for everyday use, especially for work.
  • This retails for around R149.95 at Clicks

9. Mascara

• Maybelline Rocket volume express
  • I used to be a Colossal girl but this mascara is my new favorite. I have the shortest eyelashes and this product does wonders for me.
  • It applies well, there are no clumps and the gives such great volume.
  • This sells for around R99.95 at Dischem.
• Essence lash princess: False lash effect mascara
  • People have been raving about this but lil ol me just got this a few months ago. I have used it almost everyday since 🙂
  • This sells for about R69.95 at Clicks stores.
  • This really does give you a false lash effect. Just a few coats lengthens and thickens the lashes and I love how black it is!!!

10. Lashes

• Eylure lashes
  • These were the first lashes I ever tried and they are such great quality.
  • The range is quite extensive and with the proper care you can get up to 5 uses from one pair of lashes.
  • You can get this at Clicks from R49.95. The price differs for some styles.
  • My favorite styles are 107 & 110.

• Ardell lashes
  • These lashes are really great. I bought the wispies and they look so lovely on the eye.
  • They retails for about R79.00 at Clicks.

11.. Lipsticks

• Essence Ultra last instant color lipstick
  • This was one of the first Essence products I purchased and I really liked it.
  • It applies well and it’s really creamy
  • This costs about R49.95 at Clicks stores.
• NYX lip lingerie
  • If you are a looking to try a new liquid matte lipstick then this is a great one to try.
  • The collection consists of nude shades and the range is quite impressive.
  • This sells for a about R149.00 at NYX stores or Clicks.
• Yardley Stayfast lipstick
  • I have used this for years and years. No matter what lipstick I am trying I always repurchase this one. It is a staple in my collection.
  • This retails for about R120 at Clicks stores and there are quite a few lovely shades.
  • Blush is my favorite shade, it is a pinky nude.

12. Lip liner

• LA girl
  • The LA girl lip liner is definitely my favorite budget lip liner.
  • It is creamy, pigmented and looks amazing.
  • My favorite shade is Plum.
  •  When I first bought these they were about R20-R25 at Dischem.
• NYX suede matte lip liner
  • For around R75 this lip liner delivers
  • It is creamy and pigmented and they have a really nice range to choose from.
  • You can get this at the NYX store or Clicks stores.

13. Blush

I am normally a blush palette girl but I really wanted to try a single pan blush. The price of some single pan blush are really surprising so I grabbed this when I found it.

• Essence cosmetics blush: Berry me up
  • These blush are totally cute and sell for about R54.95
  • I was really surprised at the quality as well. They are really pigmented and feel great on the skin.
  • I bought this recently and used it a few times so I am confident that it belongs on this list.
  • You can get this at Clicks or Dischem stores.

14. Setting powder

• Yardley translucent powder
  • This setting powder is the ish!
  • It is the only setting powder I use currently.
  • It just makes it on the list about R149.95…Whew!!!!!!!!
  • You can get this from Dischem or Take-a-lot. I see that Clicks has raised the price a bit on this

15. Setting spray

• Essence cosmetics Instant matt makeup setting spray
  • I was pleasantly surprised by this setting spray.
  • It does keep the makeup in place but I do not think it mattifies that much.
  • The spray itself is bigger drops that I would like but for just around R65 you can easily overlook this as it does keep your makeup in place 🙂 Just use a big powder brush to press in the droplets.
  • You can pick this up at Clicks or Dischem stores.

So there you have it guys, a list of great products that you can use for a full face of makeup & won’t break the bank. There were many budget friendly products that did not make the list, but that’s for another post.

The above definitely have my stamp of approval and they are wallet friendly so you can try them with no regrets. If there are any other budget friendly products you would recommend let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post ♥

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer

 

 

Essence cosmetics: Matt touch blush

Hi guys,

A good blush can give you that flush of color to brighten up your face and make you look vibrant. Personally I love matte blush and I was so excited to try this one. I got the shade ‘Berry me up’ which is a soft pink.

Details:

• Price: R54.95
• Finish: matte
• Colors available:
  • Berry me up
  • Peach me up
  • Rose me up
• Description:
  • Coloured cheeks! The matt touch blush with a soft powder texture creates a matt finish on your cheeks gives your complexion a fresh touch of colour for a healthy look.

My thoughts:

What I ♥

• I love that I was so pleasantly surprised with this blush!
• The color is amazing and sufficiently pigmented
• It blends so beautifully
• The price is amazing considering the quality of the product. I usually avoid buying single blush and go for blush palettes to save some moola but this one is affordable.
• The blush looks and feels great on the skin
• I love the matte finish, matte blush are my favorite.

Remember, when applying blush, pat the blush onto the face first and then start blending. This ensures you are applying in the correct place and that the color shows up nicely on the face. I don’t recommend applying color directly onto the apples of the cheek. You can slightly bring the blush onto the apples of the cheek when blending to give your cheeks a rosy look.

So as you can tell I am a fan girl of this blush already. I will definitely be trying the other colors soon. I do recommend that you guys try this if you are looking for a new blush. You can get this at Click stores 🙂

XOXO Beauty & the Bronzer