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Beauty Booty: Clarins Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream, R620 Reviewer: Leigh van den Berg, Beauty Editor, Women24
As a chronic insomniac, I'm pretty much this cream's ideal target market – a woman who "doesn't get enough sleep and needs help recovering from daytime stress". Thanks to energising kiwi extract and Imudilun, it encourages cellular renewal while you snooze. It also helps to reduce the first signs of early wrinkles with a little help from natural carob extract, which assist in boosting collagen production. After the very first use, I woke to skin that felt smoother and more even toned. Now, a good month in, I think my skin looks more "rested" overall and I look forward to applying this sweet-smelling, light-textured cream in the evening. I like that it's deeply nourishing, yet sinks in quickly and doesn't leave my face feeling greasy or aggravate breakouts. And a little goes a long way. If you're looking for a new night cream to help fight the first signs of ageing and want something a little more natural (or gentle) than a retinol-based wrinkle-buster, I reckon this is a good bet.
Beauty Booty: Labello Natural Volume lip gloss SPF15, R32,99Reviewer: Kele Scheppers, Online Producer, Women24
For the record, I already have bee-stung lips, but I still love to emphasise them with gloss and lipstick. This one is contains 'collagen enhancers' to help plump up your lips as well as 'light reflecting pigments'. Now usually when a product says this, it means it has sparkles in it, which can leave you looking a bit like an 80's disco ball. But not this one. Labello Natural Volume actually does reflect light, but your lips still look nice – a bit juicier and fuller yet natural-looking. I also love that this is incredibly moisturising, but your lips don't feel like they're drowning in goop. Plus, it has a soft rose pink tint, which is great for daytime if you don't wear lipstick. But there is a downer: If you're eating or drinking, you will have to reapply it often.
Beauty Booty: Toni&Guy Brunette Shimmer Mist, R94,99Reviewer: Zayaan Schroeder, Content, Producer Parent24
At first I worried that this might be some kind of novelty hair colour spray – a bit like paint, but I was wrong. It didn't change my hair colour (mid-brown), but rather added a shimmer to it. Nothing too hectic. Just a little glow that boosted my colour with a sheer goldish-brown sheen that washed out easily the next day. I think it's great for a night out. The smell isn't as offensive as other hairsprays – it has that typical Toni&Guy smell which is very similar to Gucci Rush. In all, I reckon this is a good product, especially coming from someone who isn't a hairspray kinda gal.
Beauty Booty: The Body Shop Green Tea & Lemon Body, Room & Linen Spritz, R85 Reviewer: Tammy February, Online Producer, Women24
When this first came my way, I was a little reluctant. Firstly, because I hate anything green tea related, and secondly, because I found it hard to believe anything designed to scent your home could function as a body product too. But oh how my doubts vanished once I tried it – this product is simply divine. I found the scent (which is blended just like a fine fragrance – with lemon, lily of the valley, jasmine, white rose and orchid extracts) to be quite soft and gentle on the nose. Smelling this on me as well as my linen and in my home reminded me of being in the countryside, running wild in fresh, green, grassy hills. My favourite thing about it, however, is that it sticks around for a good couple of hours (on your clothes, your body and on your linen) which, in my eyes, makes it something worth investing in. My grubby little 'beauty mitts' are now definitely keen to try more products in this fabulous range.
Beauty Booty: Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel lipstick, R99,95 Reviewer: Caro de Waal, Resident Chef, Food24
Bourjois' new 'Naturel' lippies are made from 100-percent natural ingredients, created using pure mineral and plant pigments. Still, the best thing about these babies is that they're really long-wearing – I love that I don't have to re-apply them every time I have a cup of tea or eat a biccie. Also, despite being enriched with moisturizing magnolia oil and Shea butter, they're not that glossy on the lips. Instead, they're nice and comfy-feeling with a grown-up looking semi-matte finish. If I want to add a bit more sheen to them, I simply add a touch of 8-hour cream to my lips.
I got to try two shades and love them so much; they're now firmly planted in front of my mirror and have made the guest list of permanent VIP's in my make-up collection.
Beauty Booty: Dr. Hauschka Med Intensive Ice Plant Cream, R419 Reviewer: Kelly Atherton, Intern, Women24
Holistic German skincare brand, Dr. Hauschka now has a 'medical range' to for people with more specific skincare needs. As I suffer from eczema, I was keen to try their new Ice Plant Cream for extremely dry, itchy skin. Developed in collaboration with dermatologists, it's formulated to be super-soothing and reduce itchiness by helping to restore your natural oil and moisture balance. Eczema has been my worst enemy for as long as I can remember. Taking care of it and ensuring that my skin looks and feels soft and smooth is of the utmost importance to me. Sadly, this product didn't help much with that. However, I also applied it to areas of my skin that were merely very, very dry and was exceptionally impressed by the results. These bits were left with a gorgeous glow and stayed soft and smooth the entire day – even very tough areas like my elbows. The tightness was reduced and the cream left no greasy film. So, if you suffer from extremely dry, irritated skin or perhaps a milder type of eczema than I do, this might be worth the investment. For more info on the range, check it out over here.
Beauty Booty: Yardley UPlift MAXX foundation SPF 15, R129,95Reviewer: Robyn Addinall, Content, Producer Parent24
I'm really sceptical when it comes to foundation. They often promise the world and deliver a lot less. Also, because I have a combination skin, this makes choosing the right one even trickier. Fortunately, newly reformulated Yardley UPlift Maxx is a different story and has me covered perfectly. It's not too runny or sticky and, thanks to the addition of silicone, it goes on super-smoothly and stays put. I like that it gives my skin a silky-soft feeling that's left me feeling like a million rand. As it's supposed to help combat the signs of aging, some of the main things it promises to do is help fight is dehydration, reduce the appearance enlarged pores and redness. For me, it does just that! I also like that it contains vitamin A to help protect against free-radicals.
Beauty Booty: Revlon Age Defying Moisturizing concealer, R115Reviewer: Lili Radloff, Deputy Editor, Women24
This is a nifty little moisturizing liquid concealer with added SPF of 25. It also has anti-aging qualities thanks to the addition of something that Revlon refers to as Botafirm. I was skeptical at first because, unless used sparingly, concealers often make my face look pasty. Nonetheless, I used this around my eye area and around my nose (my poor nose has been red and splotchy for weeks because of a nasty winter cold) and it worked like a charm. I also liked that it's durable and blends really easily. I used it underneath my sheer foundation and it looked very natural and took care of all my red blotches and dark circles.
