Right, let’s do this!

Maybelline The Colossal Go Extreme! Volum’ mascara, R124,95

It feels like every time I blink Maybelline is gooi-ing out a new Volum’ Express mascara. In fact, a quick visit to their site reveals the lot of them and a quick count reveals ten of them. Good God! That’s a lotta options, chicas!

The latest Volum’ Express offering, The Colossal Go Extreme! volum’ mascara, spots a larger brush with a ‘double curved stem’ that promises to ‘deposit an extra shot of volume on the supersized brush’  for 20 x more voluminous-looking lashes.

To be honest, I don’t really understand the mechanics of  ‘double-scooping’. I’d probably have to see a slow-mo video of the process to really grasp it. But hey! Hey, in the same way no meisie needs to ‘relate’ to her toy boy (all those stupid indie bands… all those crafty beers at Aces with his boring hipster friends…), you don’t have to ‘get’ this mascara to use it.

Results-wise, Go Colossal serves up a very nice, well defined lashline that, ultimately, looks a lot like what you get from the original (Volum’ Express The Colossal) creates. Still, due to Go Colossals’ big ass brush you might need fewer coats to get it that way. (I can’t be certain though as I don’t have the original on me at present to compare. And if it was speedier, I didn’t really notice.) I don’t think it really delivers on the volume side of things though and, as the wand is so big, you have to be really careful to not end up getting mascara all over your brow bone. You do eventually get the hang of it though.

I don’t think it really delivers on the volume side of things though and, as the wand is so big, you have to be really careful to not end up getting mascara all over your brow bone. You do eventually get the hang of it though.

The Body Shop Moringa Body Sorbet, (price TBA).

It’s ‘summer’ in the UK right now (I’m using snarky inverted commas there ‘cos I lived in London for a year back in 2000 and trust me, those poor people have no idea as to what a real summer’s about…) so you can expect a flurry of cosmetic brights and light, refreshing formulas from the The Body Shop right now.

I love that they don’t make us wait for the ‘right’ season to get their goodies – if it’s new, we get it. And as far as their new body sorbet’s go, I’m like bring ’em on baby! I’m not really a dry-skinned lass so I never feel like my skin has to convert to a heavier, thicker constituency when the humidity levels drop. The new body sorbets are essentially body lotions but with a super light, gel-like texture that pretty much melts into your skin on contact.

When I first squeezed it out the tube, something about its matte-looking gel texture made me think of those clear mattifying make-up gels that had a bit of a moment back in the day and I thought ‘Oh God, please don’t let this dude be riddled in silicone.’ As it turns out, its silicone-free and most of the heavy lifting, hydration-wise, is being done by good ole glycerin and castor oil. There’s also a bit of honey, sesame seed oil and the teensiest dash of aloe leaf juice in the mix.

Being sent the Moringa variant really made my day as that’s my favourite scent in the entire body shop collection. To me, it smells just like frangipanis which is pretty much what all my happy summer memories smell like thanks to a childhood in the Eastern Cape. (Now that’s a place that knows all about summer. All you had to do to survive a ‘winter’ in PE was buy a hoodie and switch to closed shoes!)

Anyway, if you’re looking for a light, deliciously textured gel-like body lotion available in a myriad of yummy scents, know that The Body Shop has your back.

Labello Fruity Shine lip balm,R17,99 each.

If you’re a Labello girl, keep an eye out for the brand’s new Fruity Shine lip balms available in two juicy fruit variants, Watermelon and Peach.

Each balm promises to hydrate your lips with a moisturising formula that includes hydrating ingredients like castor seed oil, Shea butter, bees wax and glycerin. They also have a very subtle taste and scent – the one being watermelon and the other peach – and impart the slightest hint of colour to your lips.

While the packaging says each balm has shimmering pigments, never fear. If they’re there, they’re pretty much invisible. For me, this is a good thing ‘cos pearlised lip balms always end up making those horrible little lines on my lips and that drive me crazy. These don’t. You’re just looking at hydration, a hint of a tint and a yummy, fruity flavour and, if this were high school, I’d probably be walking around with watermelon in my pocket. (Along with a more hard core lipstain. Plus a gloss on days where I didn’t have classes with the strict teachers. And maybe a pocket ghd…)

Love, love

Leigh