Shea Butter Cottage Mungala and Pasuca Soap Review

I bought the soaps below  for my neices who have eczema and very dry skin and for my sister. (Well not for her but she uses them anyway)


Mungala Black Soap

Pasuca Black Soap


I haven't used them but i will paraphrase her answers to me.

They're big bars of soap (Bang for your buck!)
All natural ( Yeah babay!)
Unlike commercial soap you don't get that weird film you get in the bathtub ( yeah, what is that? Soap Mucus)
Unlike commercial soaps they do not dry out your skin (Fantastic!)

She loves em! If you're looking for natural soaps, that don't irritate and dry out your skin check them out, amongst the treasure troves of goodies at


http://akuawood.x-shops.com/

( A dummy like me didn't take any pics before giving them to my sister, and i don't want to be sued!)

The curious case of L'oreal and Liya Kebede's missing Lipstick.

Are "we" worth it?

I'm sure you've seen the ad here in the uk, but let me just give you a refresher.

The L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Collection Privée

The L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Collection Privée

L'oreal TV AD- Click me baby

This is the ad currently airing in the UK. There are different versions on youtube as i understand different lipsticks are being released in different territories. There has been fanfare that L'oreal have designed a nude  lipstick for all skintones.  Their L'Oreal Color Riche Collection Privée range. I was excited to read about this colour range online and i thought the next time I'm at the L'oreal counter I'll swatch Liya's shade and buy! ( Barely Moka nb7 by the way) But something strange happened. In shop after shop i could not find Liya's shade, i at first blamed it at these concession stands being small ( every other shade Cheryl Cole, Eva Longoria, Doutzen Kroes, Freida Pinto and Julianne Moore was there) but i finally saw Liya's shade in a Superdrug. Alas the tester compartment and section was empty. Totally empty. Hmm maybe it's all sold out i thought. I asked the sales assistant. She actually went into the back and began looking for the shade. It wasn't there, ( she had wheeled the box the lipsticks in to me) and she confessed she HAD NEVER seen the lipstick there at all. Ever.

I called Boots customer service. The lady there couldn't even see the lipstick on the system. Then she asked one of the online staff. It was online only. OH. So no if i wanted to get the lipstick i would have to buy blind. No boots store will be stocking it, in stores.  I emailed L'oreal asking if it were available anywhere in store. As of today still no reply. ( I wrote to them on the 12/9/13)

So Why would L'oreal go to the trouble of creating a lipstick, advertising it and then making it unavailable in stores? What would be the point?

More troubling is that they decided that every other skintone could be stocked in store but not Liya's.  I visited 7 stores and did not find Liya's shade. If it is available in stores ( most probably Superdrug or independent Chemists, as boots aren't) then it must be one or two in London. Even in a heavily "ethnic minority" area, it wasn't stocked. Lets not even get on to the fact that Fan Bing Bing's lipstick isn't stocked over here when there is a sizable East Asian community in the UK

It just baffles my mind. Why advertise the fact that the shade is available but make it online only? Making the inevitable sales figures  low. Most people are not willing to A- Buy blind or B- traipse all over London in pursuit of one lipstick they may or not buy. Then when the next time L'Oreal think about stocking darker shades or ranges, their data says it doesn't sell. Its a vicious circle.

L'sigh. People wonder why i like to purchase from brands that actually cater to me ........

Paradise Cosmetics UK- All day liner for 99p!

Glides on smoothly. Is really black. Lasts all day and all night. Cost me 99p from PAKs.
It is  para, para paradise ooohhh ooohhh.
I'm joking.
Their site

http://www.paradisecosmetics.co.uk/about_products.php#eyepencil

Olay ultra moisture in shower body Lotion Review

OMG it works!

As anyone in the UK now recently Nivea launched their in shower body lotion. I was quite excited by this but also concerned. Would these products  it work on those of us who suffer from ashiness?

Could it really moisturise our skin?
The answer for me at least is a resounding yes!

Now the Nivea in shower lotion is at nearly £6 a ridiculous price IMO
Then i saw OLAY!

I saw it at PAKS initially for £2.50. I debated. I then saw it at savers for £1.79 and yes out came my purse. I've used it for over a week and my skin is pleasantly moisturised.

Those areas more prone to dryness on my skin- my lower legs, arms and nooks and crannies are ash free! Of course not the feet( this isn't a miracle worker) but it knocks 10 minutes off of my daily routine. ( I can eat breakfast before i have to run to the bus stop.Yay!)

I have already repurchased twice and in this heat its great! I also went and bought the accompanying body wash.

I guess its just adapting a technique  that eczema and those with very dry skin have done for decades, cream baths.

Love it!

I don't have the ingredients to hand, but it does have a cone and petrolatum.

A study in Pink- Color Mania hair shadow

I have wanted to dye my hair for ages. The last time i dyed my hair, all of my hair fell out. Thanks Creme of nature!!! So i haven't taken the plunge because of this. Whilst mulling over going blonde for the past 4 years i spied some colourful hair shadow in an Afro hair shop and got to colouring!

Now i have heard of this chalking trend and what not and using eyeshadow but i hadn't really looked in to it. I guess this is the same procedure.

the instructions are rub into hair and seal with straighteners or hairspray. I'm not going to use straighteners on my fro but i had hairspray.

The hair shadow gets Everywhere and rubs on clothing and anything else leaving it pink. I advise anyone to use gloves with these because your hands end up looking like Dr Zoidburg from futurama.

With all those cons it came out pretty well ( i rubbed it on the ends of my plaits and then all over my fro) and the colour actually fades to a soft purple after an hour or too. I will use again( if i find them) if i straighten my hair

http://www.colour-mania.com/

Fyrinnae Swatches on Black/Dark Skin

L-R: Gilded Wings, Mermaid Masquerade, Hypercool, Pumpkinfire, Sake and sashimi

L-R: Hypercool, Pumpkinfire, Sake and sashimi

L-R :Gilded wings, Mermaid masquerade and Hypercool

My favourite colours are gilded wings and sake and shashimi. I'm not a giant blue fan but Hypercool is lovely. All were swatched dry

 You can find info on buying Fyrinnae ( especially for uk based people) at the end of a previous posting on Fyrinnae
http://bananaplusbamboo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/wonderful-affordable-primer-and-powder.html

The website
/http://www.fyrinnae.com/

They are priced at around £4 ( check currency conversion rates) and last for absolute ages. They are pigments but they do offer pressed options for some shadows. I will do a whole eye look very soon.

Ta-ra

Argania Spinosa Supreme Cream Conditioner Review

Have i found my go to conditioner? Considering i am a semi product junkie, maybe.
I was browsing in a savers recently and found this

Argania Spinosa Supreme Cream Conditioner

I read the ingredients and thought, why not? The use of the word "supreme cream" made me think, this looks thick and would be suitable for my natural hair. I like thick conditioners, the thicker, the better.
I washed as normally and used it as instructed. Wow, my hair felt so soft, smooth and moisturised. Ive used it each wash since then, and its replaced my curls conditioner i was using. I have natural Afro hair and i got my friend who has a short relaxed cut to buy the shampoo, conditioner and oil. ( I will get her judgement once she returns from her holiday). If you are on a no silicone routine this is great as it contains none. I would recommend this a thousand times for anyone that has kinky, curly natural hair. Its a wonderful conditioner and yes, i went back to savers ( which is where i found it) and bought 4.



I actually used it this morning. I'm just like this

I googled when i got home and it appears that a salon in Romsey, Hampshire have developed this product. My afro and i salute you

I bought mine at savers, but you can buy it online and through their website.
  http://www.arganiaspinosa.co.uk/