Wishing this March

Where has the time gone? Seriously. It’s MARCH. Almost halfway through March no less. Okay fine, a third of the way, but still. I swear, the older I get, the faster time goes by. I don’t like it one bit!

Onto the wishlist items, I think. A cheerier subject 🙂

Elizabeth Arden Grand Entrance Mascara – R290 (I think)
You will be mine! The wand looks just like the one from my favourite mascara, the Loreal Telescopic. Also, did you seen Camilla’s eyelashes? Sjoe. Here’s a story for you guys… I hate the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara. I know, controversial! The mascara clumps on the wand, makes my eyelashes look…weird, the wand is just not that awesome… I can’t get my eyelashes to fan out nicely… The list could go on. Sorry guys.

Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream – R330
Been wanting this for over a month now but I didn’t think we’d actually get it. I mean, I’m still waiting for the Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil to hit our shores, and they’ve discontinued the Cleansing Balm (here, at least)… Back to the point, this sounds like everything I need in the morning.

Essie Letterpress Artists Almanac 2016 – R400 (I think)
I know, Christmas is practically around the corner (jokes.) but I’ve just finished my room and now I want something beautiful. This would do nicely on my table, I think. I’d also like to add the H&M copper baskets to this list, but then the list would be miles long, so nevermind.

CND Vinylux Weekly Topcoat
Alldolledup mentioned this in their February favourites and it sounds perfect. My nailpolish chips like nothing on earth. Maybe my nails just aren’t great for nailpolish, but I like to make a little bit of an effort every now and then. When I was younger, I just couldn’t do nailpolish. It always felt really heavy on my nails. It still does, actually, but when I started working at my current job, all the ladies looked so put together! So, I started making the effort and I now enjoy the ritual of it all.

Paula’s Choice Resist 25% Vitamin C Spot Treatment – R930
WHY does good skincare have to be so damn expensive? Okay, I know it’s to do with high quality/superior ingredients, etc, but it just makes me cry every time. This is definitely a WISH list item. This is more like a major splurge that won’t be happening this month.

Paula’s Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment – R930
This won’t be happening either. But hey, a girl can wish.

Oh, and just in case anyone is wondering, I did end up getting the Dior highlighter. Sigh. Let’s have a rant session, shall we?

Edgar’s beauty department. I wish I had good things to say about them but I just don’t. At least not the Cavendish branch. Things have sort of compounded over the last year and a bit. It could have been longer, but I really started paying attention to the bad service when I was on the hunt for a particular Bobbi Brown product.

So, whenever this was…maybe March or June last year, I enquired about a bronzer and was told that it was being discontinued but maybeeee it would be rereleased again. I asked the girl if she could find out if any of the other Edgar’s or Red Square’s had stock of it and she told me no. No one has it. So I asked how she could be sure – discontinued doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, after all. But no, she was adamant.

I tried phoning other stores a few days later, but try getting anyone in Edgar’s to pick up the phone… Anyway, I decided maybe I should go back in store and speak to another sales assistant, so I did just that. This time, the girl told me that she doesn’t have access to the other stores and I’ll just have to call them. Great. Thanks for all your help.

I tried calling Edgar’s and Red Square stores again, but was met with endless ringing phones, busy beeps and confusion. In the end, I changed tack. Maybe I should phone the place I think it won’t be at… So I called Red Square in Constantia Village. They’re really small, so I figured they wouldn’t have a comprehensive collection. I was so wrong. Not only was the girl super friendly but she had the product. She kept it aside for me and my mom picked it up and that was that.

Fast forward a few months… I was looking for a new foundation and had my eyes set on the Dior Forever foundation. I went to the counter on a Saturday morning, and there was no sales assistant. God, I must have tried for about 3 or 4 weeks and every time the sales ladies were either out on break, sick or just didn’t come in.

Eventually, one Saturday I was very lucky and caught one of them. I asked if I could get a sample of the Dior foundation as I wanted to see how it worked with my skin. She said she doesn’t have Forever samples but she was willing to put it on my face. Now, I don’t like this because I find most sales assistants are seriously heavy handed. Also, they prep my skin using products I don’t have at home, so I don’t get a clear idea how it would sit on my skin. AND, I was wearing makeup already. I didn’t want to take it off!!

I asked if I could get a pump or two in a sample pot. No, they don’t have sample pots. So I asked if I bought a pot, could she help me out. No, they don’t usually do that. What. This is like a R700+ foundation and you won’t even let me try it????

I ended up going back the next Saturday where, surprise surprise, no one was in. I had bought myself a pot and I helped myself to a sample. I wore it to my friend’s wedding and really liked it. They would have had a sale out of me. But no.

This leads to the next drama I had. I was super late for the Tie Dye collection and to be honest, I just didn’t have the cash at the time, so I just left it. I decided one day, a month or two later, to enquire about the Tie Dye blush on the off chance that they still had one in stock. More ringing phones.

Finally, I went in and asked. The lady there, although sweet and helpful, tried to sell me the orange shade (I wanted pink, but she only had orange in stock) under the premise that I’m “very pink. Pink would look bad on you. It would just make you look sweaty” – thanks, ladycakes. Yes, I have pink undertones. Yes, I’m pretty pink, but I had also walked there, was red and hot from the sun and wasn’t wearing makeup. And also, so what if I’m pink???

I realise she was trying to make a sale, but there are better ways to go about it. I felt insulted and pissed off. I tweeted about it, got a call, etc, but that doesn’t really do much. I didn’t want an apology. I just wanted them to be aware that their service sucks. I’d also like to point out that not every salesperson has sucked. I just happen to get some really tactless ones.

Then, this highlighter saga. I realise its not their fault that they didn’t know when it’d be launched, but I put my name down at multiple stores. I was promised by multiple salespeople that they would call me as soon as it arrived. I didn’t receive one phone call. I ended up just popping in to Edgar’s Cavendish one day and there it was. It had arrived the previous Thursday.

I told the sales lady (someone was there for once!) that I had put my name down…how come I hadn’t been called? She just looked embarrassed. To boot, it was the most expensive makeup item I have ever bought.

I just don’t understand this level of don’t-give-a-fuck. I feel that as a potential paying customer, or even just an interested consumer, that I should be allowed to test a foundation under my own terms. I don’t apply my foundation with a flat foundation brush, and when the saleslady grabbed that trusty tool of hers, I almost ran. I want to see how the foundation works on my skin with my own products. I want to be able to wear it more than once because a lot of my choices are driven by longevity and facial oil, and that changes from day to day.

Samples should be available for all skintones and should be restocked regularly. If stock isn’t available, they should allow sample pots. I’m not asking for half a bottle here. Just enough to apply it once or twice to see how it looks.

And with regards to helpfulness and actually being AVAILABLE in store… yeah, they have a lot to work on.

The Feb bin

February may have been a short month, but it was simultaneously seriously busy and realllllly slow. There are a few highlights though…

1. For the first time ever, I made a home cooked meal for the mister. I made creamy chicken, mushroom and sundried tomato pasta and for dessert, I made chocolate lava cups.
2. I saw an old friend for his birthday celebrations at Neighbourhood. That was good, and the Okinawa’s are exactly how I remember them!
3. I spent some time in Kraaifontein – had a braai and played drinking charades.
4. Finally, I met Jess‘ man and had an amazing burger night with them at Tiger’s Milk in Muizenberg.

I’m sure I’ve missed a few things but February really felt jam packed!

I also started with my room. I’ve been threatening for a long time to repaint and February was the month where I just thought fuck it, I need to do it. It’s taken a good long while. Mostly because I am the most indecisive person ever. I feel like when I must make a decision, it has to be the right one. But you don’t always know it’s the right one until you’ve made it or not made it. Yes, all this crap goes on even when the decision is just what colour to paint my walls. And paint can be repainted. So I really shouldn’t have been stressing. Thanks, brain.

I went twice to buy paint samples and I actually ended up going with the colour I got on my first trip (8 sample pots and swatches later). Then I was faced with the decision – do I paint the colour below the picture rails, above the picture rails or above AND below the picture rails. See my problem? I ended up going with below the picture rails, FYI. Now that it’s painted, I’m actually really happy with it all. If anyone’s wondering, I chose Plascon’s Still Water.

I’m just waiting for my cupboard doors to go back on and then it’s done! I can put my shelves up again, repack my books, have my makeup in front of me again… The excitement is real, guys!

So, with all this chaos going on, I had a tough time finding (I had to pack everything in boxes) and using stuff. Here is the very small list…

Sorbet Vitamin C Face Mask
I actually wanted to use one of the masks AwkwardPurse gave me, but it was packed in a box and had no idea which box it was in. I really need to learn how to label stuff. Anyway, I was in Dischem or Clicks or something and picked this up. I’m not sure it left my skin any better than it originally was, but face masks are nice excuses for “me-time” and I like the mindfulness of looking after yourself, if that makes sense.

Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub
My favourite scrub of all time. All. Time. If I could stockpile this stuff, I would. Maybe I should, actually… Anyway, this little pot of magic came all the way from the UK thanks to my dear friend Laurie. I was lucky enough to get a replacement when my boyfriend’s mom went to the UK in December, so I do have a back up, but I try use this sparingly because it’s so hard to get on a regular basis.

I’m currently using Mineral Line Dead Sea Body Peeling Scrub in Vanilla – as recommended by AwkwardPurse. Sjoe. Now this is a winner. Not like Breakfast Scrub territory, but it’s pretty damn good! Nice and scrubby, smells divine, and leaves my skin seriously moisturised thanks to the essential oils, etc. If you don’t like a layer of moisture on your skin, maybe give this a miss, but I personally love it.

Lush Soaps
Err… Hmm. I can’t actually remember what flavours these were. I finished 2. I think they were Christmas ones. I have a feeling Snowcake was one of them. Basically, I smelt like marzipan.

Just checked quickly… I got Snowcake like I suspected, and Yognog (both of them Christmas presents from the parents).

Now, this gets an err and a hmm because you’d think that a bar of soap would last a while. I got a decent size. They fit in the tins you get there, and I swear, they just shrunk with every use. I don’t know… they just weren’t that amazing. I prefer the shower gels. BUT I am tempted to get Honey I Washed the Kids soap.

Caudalie Divine Oil – Travel Size/Sample Size (15ml)
I got this in a Caudalie gift set I bought maybe 2 years ago when my brother was in Canada. Got it off Look Fantastic or Feel Unique or something, had it delivered to him and he brought it home. The thing I loved most in this set was the Caudalie Moisturising Sorbet (face cream). Wow. I swear, using it was like angel song every time. The price for the full size… Sob. Just sob. Anyway, back to the Divine Oil…

It’s oily when compared to the Nuxe offering. But that’s probably because the Nuxe one is a dry oil and this isn’t. It also smells more summery to me, which was great in the warm months. It made my skin feel nice and it smelt nice. Nuxe is still my favourite… BUT… the Caudalie is good – I can’t deny that.

Skoon Cleanser + Makeup Remover
This. Stuff. Makes. Me. SO. Happy. I bought a few sample sets from Skoon and this was one of the things I wanted to try. Now, it did sting my eyes a litttttttle bit when I used it to remove eye makeup, but whatever.

So, this stuff looks/feels like a gel and spreads really well. When you start rubbing it in, it turns into an oil and almost warms up. It’s a strange sensation, but a good one! And it removes everyyyyyyyyything. Then, when you add water, it goes milky and you wash it off. No residue. None! And my skin feels so soft and smooth afterwards. I’ll be buying a full size of this baby!

Sorbet Balancing Body Wash
I got this stuff for Christmas. I tend to use up Sorbet products REALLY quickly. I think it lasted like 2 weeks? And like a banana, I went and bought another from the Refresh/Spa range (my fav scent) and it’s also almost done. So weird.

And that’s it! Woohoo!