LA Girl Gel Eyeliner and Brush Review

  Eyeliner was one of the first make-up products I used when I started wearing make-up. I used to use those red and blue cones of kajal imported from Pakistan. Those things were blacker than black and I loved the effect on my young waterlines. Fast forward a couple of years and I spot this …

Sassy Wishes: May Make-up Wishlist

Hello lovely readers! It's that time again...a new monthly make-up wishlist! Whoop whoop! The products of this month's Sassy Wishes is quite diverse and ranges from Catrice Cosmetics to Lush and Nyx. Without further ado, you may (weak puns on point) read this... 1. Catrice Cosmetics The Essential Nude Collection Eyeshadow Palette I’m quite new …

Unfiltered: Reflections on my Month of Instagram

Today marks a month of my being on the social media that necessitates a certain kind of perfection: both filtered and flawless - Instagram.

Food for Thought: Samoosas and Milk Tart

I was a rookie in a place of veterans. The very first veteran I met was sitting next to me on the couch. She nudged me on the shoulder: “Don’t you have a samoosa?” she asked in Afrikaans. I was confused. I ate cheese sandwiches during the lunch break. I didn’t recall having brought a …

City Diaries: Chasing Pavements

Hi! So I thought I'd experiment and write a slice of life piece from my experiences commuting in my city, Cape Town, South Africa.

The Sassy From Birth Guide to Interviews

When I walked into the room, several expectant faces sitting around a table stared back at me. So this what they meant by a ‘panel’ interview. “Well this is not intimidating at all,"  my 17 year old self blurted out. This was met by chuckles from those at the table and the level of ice …

Two Weeks and Timeless Advice

Two weeks ago, my cousin suggested that I start a blog. That suggestion was met by numerous excuses by me, one of which was: “Who’s gonna read it? I don’t have 3000 plus followers like you.” She simply responded: “Do you think I started that way?” The internet and social media is saturated with writers, …

My First Ever Eyeshadow Palette Purchase! The Beauty Treats 24 Matte Eyeshadow Palette Review

My eyeshadow purchases – much like the relationship status of some - have been single. The glittery and shimmery palettes that I do have were received as gifts. While I like to ‘shine bright like a diamond’ as much as the next person, shimmery eyeshadow is not exactly subtle when you want it to be. Having …

I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg to cover my arm and leg

Disclaimer: I pray that this blog post is not misconstrued as me 'throwing shade at anyone'. It is merely based on an observation I had whilst scrolling through numerous modest dressing stores/designers on Instagram and the Internet as well as a conversation I had with some friends. I recently partook in a conversation regarding the …

Avon True Colour Concealer Stick in Light/Medium Review

Sticks and stones may break my bones but concealer sticks will never hurt me...? This adage certainly is true for the Avon True Colour Concealer Stick that I ordered from an Avon representative I know this month. Avon used to have an outlet store at N1 City Mall, which I absolutely loved, but then they …

City Diaries: Fast, Faster, Fasting

I had exactly five minutes to walk from the post office to the bus stop in order to catch the next bus scheduled to leave at 15:15. I walked briskly in the manner that I was accustomed to. 'Power walking' was a characteristic that most people I knew who used public transport had. It even …

Skin Strategy Deep Cleansing Nose Strips Review

Everyone and their cousin is on the charcoal mask bandwagon across social media and the blogosphere. But it simply looks too painful to subject myself to that if I’m honest. Especially when I think that pore strips work just as well...or do they? The product’s aims are printed on each foil sachet containing a strip: …

The Purge: Losing Friends and Removing Others

I got an e-mail from an old friend recently. The subject line simply read “Hi”. I almost thought it would be casual from that. The electronic equivalent of small talk. Of course, what a wrong thought that would’ve been. The e-mail consisted of a paragraph, ending with: “Please contact me.” I didn’t want to reply. …

{Sassy Wishes} – June Make-up Wishlist

Another month means another make-up wishlist. This month's one is all about pining over products that appear to be versatile. If variety is the spice of life, then versatility is the sauce. Can you tell i'm fasting and therefore coming up with food-related analogies?

City Diaries: The Man with the Red Backpack

There is a hospital in Longmarket Street. It was renamed after Christiaan Barnard – the man who performed the world’s first heart transplant. Of course names can be deceiving. He had performed the transplant at a hospital kilometres away, named Groote Schuur. When I was born there (at Christiaan Barnaard, not Groote Schuur), it had …

My Top 5 South African Beauty Youtubers

We're all familiar with Youtubers such as Nikkie Tutorials, Teri Panosian and Huda Beauty taking slayage to the next level in their uploads, but what about the talented MUAs or beauty fanatics from my motherland on Youtube? This post is dedicated to some of those gorgeous women to whom I've subscribed on Youtube because their …

Essence I Heart Extreme Volume Mascara Review

I don’t have super high expectations when it comes to mascara. All that I expect is that it live up to its claims. For new readers, my eyelash situation is straight af and sparse. Let’s see if the Essence I Heart Volume Extreme Mascara can give my moderate straight and sparse ‘wimpers’ (eyelashes in Afrikaans. …