Ready for a few another round-up of beauty bits and pieces?

The Body Shop have added two new fragrances to their Voyage collection – English Dawn Gardenia and Polynesian Island Tiare (R285 for a 50ml EDT).

If you appreciate a soft, feminine floral you might like both of these fragrances. Gardenia feels like the more grown up of the two and has a lush, dewiness to it. As for Tiare, this one’s my favourite. It’s a summery, spritz on-and-go frangi pani type of scent that reminds me a bit of The Body Shop’s Moringa line that I like.

Next up, Lee Stafford’s just launched a new coconut oil-infused range called Coco Loco (R99,95, exclusive to Clicks). It’s geared towards anyone wanting softer, silkier locks and I thought it might be a little too ‘heavy’ for my baby fine, gets-oily-quick hair type but it’s been working a treat and isn’t building up or weighing anything down, despite the fact that I was my hair every single day. I like that it’s got a soft, sweet coconut scent that makes me think of coconut ice but it doesn’t linger around and interfere with your perfume. Also, it really does deliver on the ‘silkier’ promise. My hair did feel softer and swishier after using it and was super easy to comb out while wet but like, I said, it didn’t add any weight.

If you’ve got hair that’s easy to care for and doesn’t require anything repairative or serious de-frizzing this is a nice li’l duo to use. If I was in the business of buying my own shampoo I’d happily toss these guys in my shopping basket. In fact, maybe I will regardless.

Lastly, Placecol sent me their Power Firm Serum (R580, Placecol.com) the other day. I’m glad to see it’s packaged in an airless pump because at one point this brand used a lot of jar and if you’re a regular reader you’ll know I don’t like packaging that exposes any actives to air.

A light textured, easily absorbed lotion, it provides just enough moisture for my oily-combo skin and would play nicely when layered with a heavier cream for anyone with a drier skin type. As far as the firming bit goes, any dermatologist will tell you the best way to protect and boost your skin’s collagen supply is to shield it from the sun and invest in proven collagen-boosting actives like retinol, alpha or beta hydroxy acids and peptides. Placecol’s lotion doesn’t make use of any of those, but does contain hematite extract, a mineral that’s also shown an ability to stimulate collagen synthesis. How effective is it in comparison to the aforementioned collagen-boosters? Truthfully, I really don’t know as it’s not a commonly used ingredient.

Still, I can tell you about the serum’s other active and that’s niacinamide (also known as vitamin B3). Niacinimide’s another collagen-encourager but also a bit of a power house in that it improves hydration, minimises the look of pigmentation and acts as an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. Another good pigmentation buster in the mix is antioxidant peony root extract. So, while this product’s pitched as a ‘firmer’, I think it would be a nicer pick for anyone concerned with mild pigmentation provided they teamed it with a sunscreen. (If you’re dealing with serious pigmentation, consider something more potent like retinol or a super strong vitamin C serum or chat to a dermatologist who can guide you through laser and peel treatments as options.)

Love, love

Leigh