Product Reviews - Inspired Living SA

Be Inspired, Design & Decor, Lifestyle, Product Reviews, Proudly South African, Reviews and Features

With Love Products

I love the amazing local products that I am encountering across this beautiful land of ours! A very recent find were these beautiful candles by “With Love Products”

With Love Products are hand crafted with organic and natural materials carefully chosen to uplift and enhance your environment. As you can see in the photo’s I took, the packaging is gorgeous, capturing the essence of LOVE!

Products are shipped locally and internationally and they offer a secure online ordering system, but the best part is that a portion of each product sold goes to assist a child in need. So you can shop with joy knowing that your purchase improves the lives of many special children.

With Love Candles are made with raw Beeswax, which is sourced direct from Beekeepers. The Beeswax is heated to filter out natural organic material like vegetation etc. but it is not bleached or diluted with normal wax. Beeswax releases natural Negative Ions into the air, which remove unnatural chemicals and harmful elements. Beeswax has a rich fragrance and the Essential Oils are used subtly enhance this fragrance. One of the main features, is that our Beeswax Candles burn for much longer than normal Candles.

With Love Products have very kindly offered all Super Mom readers 10% off their first purchase in February 2013. All you need to do is add the Voucher “With Love 10” on checkout, when you make a purchase. If you would like to view their whole range of products and place an order pop over to their website here.

Accessories, Be Inspired, Fashion, Fashion, Product Reviews, Reviews and Features

FEAT sock co

As I have mentioned previously nothing gives me greater pleasure than discovering amazing home-grown talent! Meeting these creative people who have taken their skills and talent and put them into practice, doing what they truly love, is truly inspiring!

I am a true sock lover and very fussy when it comes to buying socks, my precious tootsies deserve only the best! Soft and comfy and more importantly socks that do not cut off the circulation in your lower leg, are attributes that are very important to me, when selecting a pair of socks. So if this all sounds familiar then look no further, FEAT Sock Co. have a pair of socks with your name on it!

The feature of an ensemble is the focal point, the centerpiece, the element that draws one’s attention. ‘Feat.’ socks characterise the collaboration between eye-catching aesthetics and quality comfort. They are made with truck loads of soul and with all your swagger, you and FEAT. will make the perfect pair. As you strut your stuff, remember that FEAT. socks are made with only the best yarns and all production is kept local to the Western Cape, South Africa. ~ FEAT.sock.co

I love the funky designs and fresh colours – taking the ordinary sock to a whole new level. Below are a few of my favourites – truth be told my favourite-favourite is the pair above from their mens range, I will have to buy them for Mr and subtly move them to my sock draw!

So who are these sock loving designers?

Alison and Chelsey are two best friends whose dreams and adventures have always been cushioned by a pretty pair of socks. At age eight and nine, their friendship bloomed in dance class, wearing little, lacy, ribboned toe-socks. By age thirteen, they were stealing Ali’s older sister’s socks to slide around muddy paddocks with horses. Today, in their early twenties, they have decided to take their love affair with socks more seriously, with all the joy and frivolity of those two silly little girls.

Check out this great short film featuring FEAT socks:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/3RpROT5eRYo[/youtube]

If you would like to get in touch and find out more about these amazing socks you can visit the FEAT website here or pop over to their Facebook Page.

Images:©FAR Photography

Be Inspired, Beauty, Beauty Products, Beauty Spa, Cape Town Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Product Reviews, Reviews and Features

Kalahari Ancient Desert Secrets

At the end of last year we were invited to attend the launch of Kalahari Spa Products at the Inzolo Spa at the Hout Bay Manor.

Shelley went along to find out more about this inspired range of beauty products.

A bit of background info on Kalahari Spa Products:

Kalahari Spa was inspired by an extraordinary journey that started in the vast open plains of the Kalahari Desert in Africa. Carina Franck, Founder and Director of Kalahari Spa International, grew up on a farm in the Kalahari Desert where the rolling sand dunes and expansive blue skies shaped her childhood playground. “From an early age I knew that the heritage of this magical land and its humble people was something that would be ingrained within my core.”

For the last decade Carina was in the forefront of the fast-moving beauty industry, local as well as international. With her passion for Africa, Carina was inspired to create a range of world-class Spa products that was shaped to capturing the unique characteristics of the Kalahari Desert. “It was important for me to merge the complete experience of the desert including the colours of the earth, raw textures and rare fragrances, in this signature range of products”. “My focus was on making the Kalahari Spa experience an intimate journey by bringing the ancient secrets of the desert to the client through touch, sound, visual interaction and smell.

Carina and her team strive for perfection and every product contains a bouquet of pure natural plant oils, making each product harmonious with nature by enhancing the true value of the desert and the plants of the Kalahari.

“We pushed the eco boundaries with regards to the use of naturally harvested botanical ingredients and we were sensitive towards the deserts vulnerable ecosystems. We insist on using reputable phytotrade organisations and certified sustainable sources. All our packaging is 100% recyclable and the paper we utilise is recycled! All these merits contribute to making Kalahari Spa a pioneering range and the first to capture the true meaning of Africa in this extraordinary manner.”

Some ingredients frequently used in the Kalahari Spa Products:

Hematite stone – this is ground into a fine powder and is excellent for the formation of collagen.
Resurrection plant – this plant can live for 50 years with no water and this extract is used to protect the skin against free radicals and seals in moisture for up to 24 hours

Other ingredients used in their products are Marula Seed Oil, Kalahari Clay, Red Dune Sand, Matura Seed Butter and Baobab Oil.

There are 4 signature fragrances in the range, which are from inspired by the Kalahari:

Khoi-San = Escape – the main aroma being that of Buchu.
Dune = Relax – this fragrance reminds one of sitting around a camp fire in the bush.
Tsamma = Refresh – is a cooling, cucumber scent.
Wild Honey = Enhance – it has a lovely honey fragrance with undertones of vanilla.

The Inzolo Spa Experience:

I personally found most of the products very pleasant and if they claimed to be non-greasy and quickly absorbed, they actually were! I particularly loved the Hand Cream, Cuticle Oil, Body Oil and the Body Balm. The Fragrance Tree was very pretty and makes an unusual and different ‘diffuser’. The Lip Balm works really well and dry lips are definitely a thing of the past. The majority of the products are safe to use on sensitive skin, one simply needs to select the correct fragrance range. My favourite scents were the Tsamma and Wild Honey range but the Dune was also very pleasant. I found the Khoi-San scent very strong initially and it would take some getting used to but I was assured that it is definitely one that grows on you quickly. ~

The products are very wholesome and the company has a great ethos and endeavours to use completely natural and sustainable ingredients in their products. ~ Shelley Nell

The treatments offered are:

Kalahari Calabash Sole Survival
Kalahari Tsamma Hand Ritual
Kalahari Khoi-Khoi Escape – this is a back massage using the therapists hands and forearms
Kalahari Desert Glow Exfoliation – they use the Kalahari salt and it helps to detoxify as well
Kalahari Rolling Sands Massage – this is a full body massage

To find out more about the treatments offered by Inzolo Spa contact them directly on 27 21 790 0116.

Thank you to the ladies at Inzolo Spa at Hout Bay Manor and the team from Kalahari Ancient Desert Secrets for a fabulous afternoon!

Source: Images Shelley Nell, Background Information – Kalahari Spa

Be Inspired, Beauty, Beauty Pick of the Week, Beauty Products, Product Reviews, Reviews and Features

Beauty Pick of the Week

A few weeks ago I received an email enquiring whether I would like to receive a Beauty Spoon to try. I was intrigued from the onset! I have heard about this amazing beauty tool but had never yet seen it in the flesh.

So what is a Beauty Spoon? The Beauty Spoon is designed with an ergonomic handle and flexible stem making it easy to retrieve every ounce of liquid and cream located at the bottom of your product bottles and containers. It can be most frustrating when you can see the cream at the bottom of the jar but are not able to get to it, especially with beauty products being so expensive! It also comes equipped with a contoured spoon for retaining and scooping out as much liquid as possible.

When you are finished using it simply wash The Beauty Spoon with soap and it is also dishwasher safe! Using The Beauty Spoon, to scoop out your beauty products, also avoids getting bacteria, from your hands, into your products when you are using them.

I am loving using my Beauty Spoon and think that it is an essential beauty tool that maximizes the use of all your beauty products!

The Beauty Spoon retails at R110 and if you would like to find out more or purchase your own Beauty Spoon visit their website.

Be Inspired, Beauty, Beauty Box, Beauty Products, Product Reviews, Reviews and Features

My November 2012 rubybox

Where indeed has the year gone? I cannot believe that we are a less than a month away from Christmas but here we are! It has been a great year of trying out new and different beauty brands, some of which I would never have encountered had it not been for rubybox.

My November 2012 rubybox did contain three full size products but I must admit I missed having a skin care element in the box this month but without further a do here is my review:

Armani Code, both the woman’s and men’s fragrance has been a firm favourite of both mine and my hubby for a while now!

Armani Code Pour Femme ~ is fresh and sexy, my definition of the sporty girls fragrance, it combines zesty citrus, with ginger and exotic jasmine and orange blossom. With my favourite vanilla notes to round it all off beautifully!

Armani Code ~ This is one of my favourite mens fragrances! It is mysterious with a hint of the orient and a sexy balance of citrus and soft woody notes. Makes my man smell yummy! 🙂

Also in the November rubybox were three full size products from Essence Cosmetics, which I have not used much before.

Essence Lipgloss ~ I am a lipgloss lover and although this promises to be an ultra-glossy gloss I was not overly impressed, it did the job but I prefer a slighty thicker gloss. It is not too sticky which is always good but if I am completely honest I would not buy it again, I feel that there are far better options available. ( the only sway towards it would be the extremely reasonable price tag of R19.95)

Essence Colour & Go in Nude It ~ I have been looking for a nude nail polish for a little while now but not been too successful, many of them dry with a grey tinge. This one was definitely more successful colour-wise but it does take at least two coats to see the true colour. Again price-wise it beats all the competition, at R19.95 it is a steal!

Essence Eyeliner in Think Khaki ~ I have not worn coloured eyeliner in years but I was really impressed with how this looked on my eye. I usually wear a nude eye, with either brown or black eyeliner during the day, so this is quite a nice change. Again the price is really low at R14.95.