Are you a Frillseeker? I am a Frillseeker

She's Baaaaaaa-aaaaaack...... She, of the Coolest, Quirkiest Statement pieces is back.  Kirstie (not Alley) McDermott has launched her lovely new website most appropriately called: Frillseeker.

"Devoted to accessories and life’s fun frills..." Frillseeker is packed with content to titivate the most discerning tastes. From statement earrings to statement throw pillows, there is something for everybody here.

I have already lost the majority of 2 nights prowling through all of Kirstie's picks and her wit and manner of writing is welcoming and she makes it feel like she is sitting right in front of you sipping a mocha-choca-frappo-latto-something. I like it.

Go and have a wee peek at it, even if it is just for the statement stuff.

Bargain Alert: Nivea for Men Energy

I picked up this double pack of Nivea for Men Energy Shower Gel for face, body & hair (from my local Bradleys Pharmacy) for himself as something extra to wrap for Fathers day. I took the outside packaging off before hand though...

As you can see, the double pack cost €3.29, for a total of 500mls of product. Bargain.

He likes multi-use products in the shower, although he likes a proper cleanser for his face, but being able to squish out a blob of gel and massage it into his hair and then spread the suds over the rest of his body is handy for him.

*grunts* Look how manly it looks in my hands...

Its it conditioning enough for his short hair and the scent hangs around to compliment his aftershave. It is a good fresh scent, but some may find it a bit over-powering. So watch for that. It is supposed to be minty, but I didn't get any mint from it...

All in all he likes this well enough and will use it until it is finished, but he wasn't blown away by it or even particularly impressed. He said: "eh yeah.... its ok I suppose".
If your other half isn't fussy about body wash or shampoo, you can't really go wrong with this.

A product that you can actually use on newborns: Bepanthen

Bepanthen. Anything they touch... is gold. Dry skin gold. And as far as newborn skin goes, Bepanthen knocks the socks of Johnson & Johnson.

I always have a tube of Bepanthen Nappy Cream on hand. It's my Sudacrem: I use it on EVERYTHING except spots. So when I was alerted to the fact that Bepanthen is expanding their product range, I was all over it like Bepanthen Nappy Cream on a nappy rash.

Bepanthen Baby Moisturiser is the shizniz. It has replaced my trusty must have Bepanthen nappy cream. You can use it on Newborns. You can use it on old people. You can use it on your sunburned/windburned/frostbitten face. You can use it on your poor schnoz when you have a cold. You can use it on scrapes and cuts to speed up the healing process. And because there is no alcohol, fragrance, parabens of preservatives in this it doesn't sting if the skin is irritated.

This works. I use it on Hannah when her eczema acts up and her skin goes sandpapery, it sinks in quickly and she doesn't complain that it stings. You can immediately feel a difference on her skin thanks to the provitamin b5 and within a few hours her skin looks so much better. And the smoothing, moisturising effect lasts for the whole day (until she baths and we have to cream her again). But instead of having to cream her twice a day to keep her skin hydrated, We do it in the evening after her bath. And after 3 or four days her flare up is toned down and her ski is back to normal.

This super nifty 100ml tube is perfect for taking away on holidays (it is plane friendly) it fits into bags of all kinds. And it retails at €7.49, which isn't exactly budget budget, but because a little goes a long long way ( I have had my tube for almost 3 months now).

The problem I have with Johnson & Johnson products, is that they are actually made for babies that are at least 9 months old. Not Newborns like one would suspect. I found this out the hard way. I realised my mistake when I was watching the adverts that not one newborn was featured in their ads. Not a single Newborn. So new moms and dads should pay attention to the age of the kids in those ads.... If your child cannot sit on its own, don't use Johnsons.

When Hannah was a baby her skin was a nightmare. Not just because we were new parents and we didn't know what we were getting into, but because she had eczema. And no matter what we used on her skin, everything made it worse. We changed her diet. We changed my Diet (I was breast feeding), I changed washing powders and softeners. I stopped using washing powders and softeners and babywashes and even aqueous cream. We tried every kind of cream under the sun. 

Hannah is almost 8 years old. Thankfully she has mostly grown out of the eczema, but I am still incredibly careful about what has long term contact with her skin. Bepanthen Baby Moisturiser is a bathroom staple in our house and I recommend it to all my friends with kids, actually I recommend it to anyone who will listen.

Crabtree & Evelyn: Not just for Grannies

Oh Hello!!!! Is the first thing I said when I smelled Crabtree & Evelyn's latest range: Tarocco Orange. I was a guest of DolledUp.ie and Closer 2 Fabulous for the launch of this new range and Deb's Studio was a great intimate venue to appreciate the products.

I was so wrong about Crabtree & Evelyn. Its not just for Proper English Country Ladies Who Own Estates And Horses And Only Eat Cucumber Sandwiches With The Crusts Cut Off.

Crabtree & Evelyn is for all the people who want to smell Lovely.

You see, we could get this in South Africa, but it was only available in the Sooper Posh North-side shopping centers... and only the very Posh "Mature Ladies Wot Lunched" could afford them....

But I was thrilled to see that a lot of the products have had a bit of a cosmetic update, they haven't lost their charm... but they seem younger, trendy, but not overly hip.

The Tarocco Orange range is Beautiful. Energising and uplifting and fresh, it reminds me of a product my mom used to buy for our long journeys (Johannesburg to Durban was an 8hour Journey in the 80's and there were no seatbelts never-mind aircon). I love the nostalgic hit it gives.

Crabtree & Evelyn have combined zesty Tarocco Orange (which is also rich in anti-oxidants) with eucalyptus and sage, this results in something very fresh and zesty but with an almost masculine dry down, while still retaining a lovely freshness. The Tarocco Orange, Eucalyptus & Sage extracts work to cleanse, balance detoxify and deodorise.

I have used this everyday since I received my samples. Everyday.

The Showergel* ( €16.50 for 250ml which last an age as you only need a wee bit) is perfect to wake me up and get me ready for the day. Its fresh zinginess is incredibly uplifting and the foam is surprisingly moisturising. My skin feels lovely after I dry off. On mornings when I am rushed I don't feel like I am going to regret not moisturising within an hour. The scent lingers on my skin and the only reason that I have not washed my hair with it is because I know I don't have a conditioner to follow but I am still tempted to try it... (if the makers of Crabtree & Evelyn make a shampoo & conditioner in this scent then I am sorted) .

The Body Lotion* (€17.50 for 245ml) is perfect for Summer. Light, easily absorbed, cooling, uplifting, and it leaves my skin feeling like velvet. And then of course there is the way it scents my skin. I smell my arms and hands (like some kind of wierdo) everytime they pass withing sniffing distance of my nose. It is gorgeous. My mood is lifted and I feel like I have had a 20 minute power nap.

Crabtree & Evelyn Tarocco Orange Body Mist* (€30 for 100ml) is the most beautiful product. I dare you to stand in a breeze and spritz this onto your naked self after a shower. POW! Its like a beautifuly scented shot of Wake the Heck Up! And you only need two spritzes: The fine mist envelopes my entire front side. I have gotten a few compliments over the past week from wearing this, and combined with the memories it invokes I will be saving to repurchase this. I smell that good when wearing it.

Crabtree & Evelyn do a scrub, a body souffle and a hand cream in this range but you'll need to check out www.dolledup.ie (they are the exclusive stockists). They have all the ranges that Crabtree & Evelyn do and they are well worth checking out.

 *PR Samples gratefully received

Work Apropos Coco with Catrice

While a few new budget brands have been creeping into my beauty stash, I still have loads of love for Catrice. Nail Polishes cost €2.99 for a 10ml bottle (they have gone up :(  ) and formulation is fantastic.

I picked up one of their Ultimate Nudes Collection the other day in passing and I am in two minds about it. I realise it is a Nude and that it should be subtle and work appropriate,  and this one ticks both of those boxes. But I was hoping that the colour would be a bit.... (I am struggling for the right word here now).... more..

This is Catrice Ultimate Nudes 04 Apropos Coco:

One coat

It is the sheerest of sheer, palest of pale creamy pink. One coat is mostly invisible, giving nails a healthy glow and lovely shine. Two coats gives more shine. Skinny coats dry in about 45 - 60 seconds which is awesome. But not enough colour (so it would be PERFECT for the workplace that scorns colour on nails)

2 Coats

I was hoping that it would be a bit more opaque... like a soft creme... And I almost gave up. But I am Afrikaans and stubborn as all heck and carried on layering on the layers. After 4 skinny coats I started seeing the colour I was looking for.

4 Coats

5 coats was Perfect. The Palest of Pale pink. 

excuse the nick on my index finger... my son needed me to open something

Creamy, soft, almost fluffy, and making my man hands look most lady like. 

5 Coats

I like the colour... but having to put 5 coats on to get it seems too much like hard work. But if you like to wear polish and need to go for the nude look... this is great. 

Maybe its a good wedding colour...

 The hunt continues for an off-white-White polish...

MICRO Pedi Man: Great for Fathers day ... or any day actually

Sooo... Feet. I like Feet. er... let me qualify that: I like nice looking feet. And there will be no feet featured pictorially in this post. So it is safe to keep reading...

Poor old feet. They really take a beating. Feet take us everywhere. They hold us up. They are important. And you don't realise how much you miss them until you fall down the last two stairs carrying the dirty washing to the washing machine at your favourite night club in your 9inch heels, and you dislocate 2 toes. So we need to pay them special attention...

Ah Crutches. You stinky bastards.

So when I was offered the opportunity to "Treat Himself's Feet"... I jumped on it. For Fathers Day *wink wink.

This is The Micro Pedi Man. It is very small and sleek and cute Manly. It fits so nicely into my gigantic man hands. So I knew it would fit his hands nicely too.

It is a little on the pricey side... It retails at €39.99, I recon this is totally reasonable as a gift spend for any man to improve the condition of their feet. Lets face it... nobody likes feet that snag on the sheets. And the MICRO Pedi Man is a totally awesome tool. Totally. Awesome.

It does exactly what it says on the box: "rapidly buffs away dry, hard and rough skin" And you can get replacement sander heads when this one runs smooth. Replacing the little replaceable thingies is simple.

It comes with a little cleaning brush (which you shouldn't lose cos it cleans the little gaps really nicely, well better than just shaking and blowing) and instructions. I have lost and found the little brush many times over and as soon as I get a chance I am going to make a manly bag to store it in..

Using the MICRO Pedi Man is mostly idiot proof. You do need to actually read the instructions though. So if you get this for your your man... read them on his behalf and relay the info. The big thing with this little gadget is that You need to be gentle. This is not a "harder is better" thingy. The gentler you are the better it works... promise.

And it works so so so well when you are gentle with this Man Version. I cannot believe how smooth my feet were after using it. It speedily sands away rough skin to reveal soft smooth feet. The only gross thing is the skin dust. Do your MICRO Pedi Man-ing over a towel or the bath or outside. You have been warned.

Himself used it too (after I cleaned it perfectly and put it back in the box and left it on his chair.... what?!?!? my feet are super clean and fungus free) and was "Mightily Impressed". He has used it a good few times since then and after he has used it I catch him stroking his feet in admiration of its super smoothness.

We like it so much that I am getting one for my Wonderful Father In Law. Because his feet need some TLC too.

MICRO Pedi MAN is available from Boots, leading pharmacies and health stores nationwide and online from www.micropedi.ie or phone 1890 25 22 06.

 Happy Pedicuring!


 **PR Sample Gratefully Received

Chameleon eyes...

C'mon Chameleon! by Catrice is one of my favourite eyeshadow colours. Its beautiful changeable colour suits any colour eye. The fact that it is a dupe for the more expensive MAC Club and costs a measly €3.79 is particularly good for my (threadbare / empty) pocket.

And this is my favourite way to wear it. Its a super easy fool proof look to do in 6 minutes.

These are my scary bare eyes:

So first thing to do is to draw on fairly messy black liner (my current fave is this one from Soap & Glory):

Then I used my trusty elf eyeshadow brush to smudge out the liner and work it into my lashes. I use what is left on the brush on my lower lash line...

Using the same elf brush I pat a load of Catrice C'mon Chameleon over the black shadow and then I work the colour up to the socket:

Catrice Bring Me Frosted Cake goes onto the browbone and blend down into the socket...

At minute 4 I lash on NYC's Big Bold Curl Mascara...

and at minute five I finish up my brows with Avon's brow definer in Slate and comb them thru...

I love how it brings out the yellow flecks in my eyes...

See???
 And that was my first tutorial.... Did it go ok?

Awesome Angel Wings from China Glaze

Soooo.... Beauty Emporium is having a bit of a clearance sale and this beauty fell into my basket. It's not my first China Glaze polish, but Angel Wings (I paid around €6 for it) is the first to feature on my blog.

And it is beautiful. Extremely unusual, but beautiful none the less.

You see... Angel wings is gritty. Yep. Not only is it glittery, it is also gritty. And that takes some getting used to. Well actually it only took me around an hour to get used to it.

And I discovered that the more coats you put on the smoother it gets.

I also discovered that you need to used 2 top coats to get it smooth.

And then I thought to myself: "What would really showcase the glittery sparkly-ness of of Angel Wings?" I sorted through my stash and NYC City Blackout was just PERFECT!

"How perfect?" you ask... well feast your eyes peeps:

And that is just one single coat of Angel Wings over 2 coats of NYC City Blackout. Look at the sparkles and the Shine! The best thing... China Glaze helped the NYC to last 8 days without a single chip or sign of tip-wear in sight!

I haven't tried too many China Glaze polishes... but I am deffo going to dig out the others I own and give them a proper go...

Green People Invasion: Vitamin Face Mask

I haven't used a face mask in a while. I have had this one by Green People on my wishlist for a while now... and after a very long, difficult month, I treated myself. I loved      The Cream (reviewed here) and I and loving the Vitamin Mask just as much!

Green People Vitamin Mask is different to     The Cream.... ( I like to Pause before mentioning          The Cream because it is that awesome) in that it is fragranced. But this mask is just as great for dry skins. Green People Vitamin Mask is worth Every Single Penny of the €14.95 that I paid for it (from awesome natural website Nature7.ie )

The little bottle is plastic and fully recyclable. Two full pumps dispenses more than enough of this thick silky cream to do my face and most of the way down my neck. The Sunflower oil, Shea Butter, Olive oil, and all the other skin nourishing ingredients are so, so good and hydrating and loving the skin.

This is what 2 pumps looks like:

After about 10 minutes the mask sinks right into my skin.. and the last 2 times I used it I ended up forgetting about it and only remembering when getting into bed that I still had the mask on my face it, it is that comfortable. I use a warm facecloth/microfibre cloth to remove any remaining mask and finish with a few drops of facial oil. Just to finish off the ritual. But I don't think my skin would worry if I didn't.

My skin looks and feels hydrated. I feel like my skin looks glowy and healthy and plump and all those good things. And after using it weekly for a month now, I have had no breakouts or irritation from this beauty. And then there is this:

Green People's Pedigree. All those little badges and labels are well earned and make for a responsibly sourced product. I like that. I recon you would to.