Let’s talk about NYX. You’ve seen it in Clicks right? They’re a great drug store pick when it comes to niche-market beauty goodies – things like eye shadow primer and colour correcting concealers, but where they really shine is the eye shadow department. Many of their shades are shameless dupes for MAC colours and their quality, pigmentation and staying power is great. Also, at R99,95 a pop they’re pretty much half the price.

I was sent a few of their goodies to play with (thanks Celeste!) and most liked the shadow but, to be honest, I didn’t need that little pot to swing me over to NYX’s loveliness – I’ve used a few of their bronzier hues in the past and have always been happy with them. If you’ve yet to try them, make a plan.

Another of NYX’s best sellers with a cult following is their Butter Gloss (R124,95).

I’m not a big fan as they’ve got a cocoa butter scent (I hate that particular smell!) and prefer my gloss to be very sticky but the fact that Butter Gloss is very silky-feeling and without a drop of ‘tack’ is exactly what other people love about it. When the brand first arrived in SA, many where bleak to realise that Butter Gloss wasn’t part of their offering but now it is so if you’ve been craving a sweet-scented wash of non-sticky colour this dude could be your baby.

Moving on, GOSH sent me a few of their new make-up brushes and the overall quality VS price point is fabulous! Each brush features cruelty-free synthetic bristles and boasts a birchwood handle. Of everything I tried I most liked the kabuki brush (R240) which is super soft but fabulously dense – everything a good kabuki should be. It’s now living a happy life in my hand bag where it does a brilliant job of helping me swirl blotting powder on my face. In fact, if I lost it, I’d happily buy another one.

Last, but not least, I ran a horrifying 9km trail run last week (80% of it was up a hill in the blistering sun) and used it as a day to test drive a new sunscreen I was given – GR8 SKN face friendly sunscreen with an SPF of 30 (R350, available online here).

I slapped it on my face and body and liked that it felt like a light moisturiser, absorbed fast and didn’t leave a white-looking caste on my skin once it was rubbed in. It took me an hour and 35 minutes to complete the race (I had to power walk/crawl during the worst of the uphill) and sweated up a storm but, as the suncreen’s nice and light, it didn’t rise up out of my skin, convert into a soupy mess and stream down my face.

A big dankie to my running buddies Gaylord and Leah for forcing me out into the cold and straight onto the dirt on mornings when I’d much rather have rather slept in. (So that’s basically every morning of my life.)

Love, love

Leigh