Hi Divas

Welcome back to my blog. Yes I know it has been a while since I posted anything meaningful on here. To be honest I struggled to get back into the blogging groove. Easter happened and I was doing shows and didn't have the motivation to blog. I have since shaken off that negative energy and decided to get back into the swing of things. Also, I totally forgot that this month my blog turned 5 years old. Whoop Whoop!!! Happy Birthday to Diva Desle ;-) Any way to brighten things up on this little space of mine I thought I would do a fun post. This week I am sharing some great and crazy makeup hacks with you. Hope you like them.

1. Create your own Tinted Moisturizer: If you have natural glowy skin and want a light coverage base on lazy Saturdays, you could totally create your own BB cream. Mix a drop of your foundation and moisturiser and blend it on your face. You will enhance your natural beauty and look like you have flawless skin. Of course be careful what foundation you use. Preferably pick one that blends out easily with your hands and does not cake up or become chunky.

2. Control Oils With Powder Before Foundation: If you struggle with oily skin and your makeup tends to melt off your face here is a quick hack for you. Before applying foundation, dab a little bit of translucent powder on your t-zone. Make sure you do a light layer so that the powder is not visible. This will create an extra barrier for your oils to seep through before it hits your foundation. If you know you are going to be out in the sun all day and your trusty makeup primer is nowhere to be seen, then this is a great trick.

3. Swatch Lipsticks On Your Finger Tips: When swatching lipsticks in stores don't swatch them on the back of your hand. Swatch them on the tips of your fingers. It has a similar appearance to your lips. I know, like who knew?! This will help you in making those super tough life decisions.... Coral red or Coral pink?

4.  Use Sticky Tape To Spot Clean Your Eyeshadow Brushes: So you are in a hurry or you went on a business trip and only brought one eyeshadow brush with you, don't fret. Miraculously you got some sticky tape lying around, LOL. Take a piece and use the sticky side to clean off any eyeshadow you used before. Gentle rub the bristles on the adhesive side and watch how easy it is to clean your brush in seconds. This is great if you only have one brush to do a whole eye look.Yes the struggle can sometimes be SO REAL.

5. 3 In 1 Look With Lipstick: Did you know you can use lipstick as a cream eyeshadow and not only as a blush. Yip it is true folks! It gives a natural flush of colour on your eyelids when you blend it out with your finger. I have done this before and it seriously works. Say you at the gym or in a random parking lot looking like a walking corpse. You see a cute guy walk pass and you want to look semi decent when he sees you. Just grab that pink lipstick and plump up your lips, cheeks and eyes. Viola semi goddess in seconds ;-D Do remember obviously creamy formulas blend out better than mattes. Also a light sheer pink or nude colours look more flattering on the eyes. Make it work for you girl. *wink* ;-)

6. Make Your Own Colourful Liquid Eyeliners: This hack is for the adventurous spirit in you! Scrape off some coloured eyeshadow of your choice and mix it with eyeshadow primer and a bit of Vaseline. Blend it with a brush and draw it on with an eyeliner brush. You can also spray some MAC Fix Plus to make the product glide on easier. Great if you are at a festival or music concert and want to jazz up your makeup.You don't need to spend money buying 10 different colour eyeliners. Make your own when the occasion arises.

7. Match Your Concealer Shade With Your Inner Arms: This one blew my mind away too! The skin on your inner arm is usually a true indication of your actual skin tone as it has not been touched by the sun. If you want to conceal blemishes and scars (not highlight your face) then match your concealer shade to the tone of your skin on your inner arm. The shade that matches you the most will be perfect to conceal imperfections and still look natural and not overdone.

8. DIY Highlighter Brush: If you have fluffy brushes and struggle to control the amount of highlight you put on your face then this hack does the trick. Take a hair pin and place it towards the middle of your makeup brush hairs. It will cause the hairs to taper and create a perfect shape to apply your highlight. This is great if you are travelling and you only brought minimal makeup brushes along with you. You might be out of control when using a fluffy brush and end up looking like a glittery unicorn if you don't restrain your overly excited hand. It seriously works!

9. Craziest one yet! Make Your Own Face Setting Spray: If you have seriously sensitive skin, this last hack is just for you. Most setting sprays contain chemicals that might aggravate your skin if you are allergic to the ingredients. To prevent your skin from becoming irritated and full blown angry with you, mix a few drops of Aloe Vera gel with some purified water in a bottle. Use a 1:3 ratio and shake it up. Viola, you have a refreshing makeup spray. You can even add a few drops of rose water, lavender or witch hazel to give your spray a lovely scent and kick to revive the skin. This spray will freshen up your makeup and revitalise your face. Make sure to use purified water and not regular tap water as this spray will contain no preservatives and won't last as long as store bought spray. 

*****

Do you have any makeup hacks you want to share with me? Comment down below.

Thank you so much for reading. 
Lots of love. 
Xxxx

 Hi Divas!

Recently everybody and their dog was doing the Ride or Die makeup tag on YouTube and I decided to be annoying and do it too, Hahaha. ;-D It was created by the very famous beauty Youtuber Jaclyn Hill. The tag is all about your holy grail products. Cosmetics that have never let you down and makeup that has been with you through thick and thin and will always be your number one. I have included Korean brands as well as Western brands because you know I am about that ''Cosmetics around the World'' Life! This is quite a long tag so hope you enjoy reading it and find some mini reviews helpful.

1. Ride or Die Primer: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. This is a skincare and makeup product in one. I love that it brightens and lifts my face while creating a smooth and even canvas to apply my foundation.

2. Ride or Die Foundation: Peripera BB cream. This Korean product comes in the cutest packaging you will ever see. I am already on my second bottle. The BB cream gives me the coverage that I need while still looking natural on my face.

3.  Ride or Die Concealer: Rimmel Stay Matte Stick Concealer. This concealer is so creamy and blends like a dream! Unfortunately I have not seen it in stores for a while. Someone please tell me that this is not discontinued. *Crying face*.

4.  Ride or Die Powder: Innisfree No Sebum Powder. Another holy grail Korean product is this very famous Innisfree powder. It's similar to an HD powder which smooths the face and eliminates all traces of oil. It blends makeup well and has a super fine texture.

5.  Ride or Die Contour: NYX Contour Stick. I am not much of a contour girl, but I do enjoy a light application of it on special occasions. I use the nifty NYX contour stick as it is easy to travel with and to apply on the face. You can read my review on it here.

6.  Ride or Die Bronzer: Sephora Collection Shimmering Bronzer on Seychelles Cruise. I love that it contains three shades of colour and can be used as a bronzer or dark blush as well as an eyeshadow. Yay! ;-)

7.  Ride or Die Blush: Too Faced Sweethearts blush in Peach Beach. I feel like my cheeks were kissed by unicorns when I use this blush. Not only is the packaging gorgeous but the blush can be used as a eyeshadow and highlighter too. Read my full review here.

8.  Ride or Die Highlighter: The Balm Mary LouManizer. This is a great universal highlighter and perfect for travel. Read my review on it here.

9. Ride or Die Eyeshadow Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion. I have used many eyeshadow primers but nothing has ever come close to Urban Decay. It is seriously holy grail material.

10.  Ride or Die Eyeshadow Palette: Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. This palette has a lot of sentimental value to me as it is the first Sephora product and Too Faced product I ever bought. I love it so much and we will never ever part! Review here.

11. Ride or Die Single Eyeshadow: Essence Single Eyeshadows. I am not much of a single eyeshadow person, but I do enjoy the Essence single eyeshadows. They are super affordable and some of the shades can double up as a highlighter and bronzer.

12.  Ride or Die Eye Liner: Essence Super Fine Liner. No product can create a wing that can cut my worst enemies like this liner. Plus it  retails for under R50/ $5. Hello!!! Review here!

13.  Ride or Die Mascara: Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara. I love this mascara as it gives bold dramatic lashes which stays put all day. I will buy this mascara over and over again.

14.  Ride or Die Lip Liner: NYX Lip Liner in Pinky. I only use on lip liner and this one by NYX is my holy grail product. It remains in my cosmetics purse and compliments all my lipsticks.

15.  Ride or Die Lipstick: Wet n' Wild Bare It All and Mauve Outta Here Lipsticks. I cheated and chose two lipsticks. These are my favourite as they are light on the wallet and give a beautiful semi matte finish on my lips. They also work with any makeup look. LOVE!!! Review on them here.

16. Ride or Die Lipgloss: NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches And Cream. I am not much of a lip gloss wearer but these glosses smell so good and give a beautiful sheen on my lips.



Thank you for reading!
Divalicious Kisses
Xxxx

1. Use a body loofah to clean your makeup brushes: I found this one out one day at a hotel I was staying at in Qatar. They gave me so many free body loofahs that I did not know what to do with them. I got a brain spark one day and decided to clean my makeup brushes. Who needs to buy expensive brand name makeup brush cleaners? Any body loofah with some ridges will do. You can use them many times before throwing them away and buying a new one. I personally found this to be the best method in thoroughly cleaning my makeup brushes without breaking the bank! ;-)

2. Use a nail art brush to draw a winged liner and clean nail polish around cuticles: Another brain spark I got in my room one day. I have many nail art brushes in all sizes. One day I was struggling to draw the perfect winged liner with my Maybelline gel. The smallest brush I had was a nail art brush, I decided to give it a try and it worked surprisingly better than any makeup brush. On another occasion I ran out of ear buds to clean off my nail polish on my cuticles. I grabbed a small nail art brush and dipped it into my nail polish remover. It worked amazingly well and I never looked back!

 3. Use a frozen spoon to soothe swollen puffy eyes and decrease under eye bags:  Please tell me I am not the only one who wakes up in the morning looking like a puffy mess! Sometimes I feel like, I look like a blow fish in the mirror (insert ugly cry here) Lol. There is a temporary and cost effective solution to my problem. Pop a spoon a night before into the fridge. The next morning, place the back part of the spoon on your under eye bags or place the front part of the spoon over your eyes. The swollen blood vessels will decrease and your puffy mess will too. Whoop!!!

 

4. Press for time? Use a bronzer on your eyelids and cheeks for a contoured and glowy look: If you need one makeup product in your life when you are stuck on a desert island, that would be bronzer! This nifty compact can be used as an eyeshadow to warm up your eyes on the lids or crease. Use it as a blush or contour to warm up your face and sculpt it. Place it on the sides of your nose for a more chiseled look. Preferably use one with a little bit of shimmer in it to give a lovely glow as an eyeshadow, blush and highlight combo on the face. I love my Sephora bronzer in Seychelles Cruise. It comes with three tones. A dark and light bronzer with petals of pink blush and shimmers in between. It really is so versatile and pretty. Will do a review on it soon.

5. Hair smelling a bit funky? Spray some perfume on your tresses and brush it through: During the midweek slump, you may have no time to wash your hair and have run out of dry shampoo. No problem! Simply spray some of your favourite perfume onto your hair or brush and comb it through. The scent will linger in your hair all day long and lift your mood.

6. Use Vaseline as a base around your nails when painting them to help for a cleaner and easier manicure and rub this miracle product on your eyelashes: Vaseline is one of those holy grail products. I swear you can use it for practically anything. Another reason to buy a tub of Vaseline is for a easy and painless manicure application. Rub it along your cuticles to prevent nail polish spills on the sides of your fingers. You can rub your trusty Vaseline on your clumpy eyelashes to loosen up stubborn waterproof mascara and it can be washed or wiped off easily. You are moisturising your pretty lashes while you do this too. Yay!
 
7. Place dry mascara and eyeliners in a cup of hot water to revive it!: I hate wasting. I will use everything to the last drop unless it is really hazardous to my health. Only then I will throw it away. For all your dried clumped up mascaras and eyeliners, you can give them new life by placing it in a cup of hot water for an  hour or so. Those products will work good as new. Well for the moment. If it cannot be saved rather throw it out. Nobody loves an eye infection ;-D

8. Use your GHD/flat iron to iron your clothes if you are press for time or do not see a actual iron in sight: Ladies, I have done this many times and I am not ashamed to say it. When you travel a lot like I do sometimes a iron meant for clothes is no where insight. Especially when I have been travelling on those long road trips to rural areas for work. I never leave my GHD at home because a girl's hair always need to be on fleek! After I styled my hair to the max I then proceed to iron out my clothes. You know those shirts and tops need ironing because it was rolled up in a little travel bag and thrown in the back of a 4x4 jeep because your guy coworkers couldn't care less how things are packed. Ladies, the straightening iron is your friend!

9. Decant your facial toner into a spray bottle for a no mess and no waste application: I prefer to spray my toners onto my face and wipe it off with a cotton pad. When you pour it on a cotton pad and then wipe your face you really do waste a lot of product. By decanting it in a spray bottle you can use every last drop because you know skin care these days are super expensive. If your toner does not contain alcohol you can use it as a refreshing spray throughout the day too.Whatever rocks your boat!


Thanks for reading Beauties
Much love!
Xxxx

The Blush Addict Tag

 Hi Divas, welcome back to my blog!

This week I wanted to do something fun and take a break from all the reviews. I decided to do a blush tag as I haven't done anything in this line before. I do not own too many blushes as I am more of a lipstick and eyeshadow palette kind of girl. I would love to expand my blush collection in time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this tag below and leave me recommendations of blushers I should put on my wish list ;-)

1. What colour blush suits you the most?

 I love wearing soft pink blushes on my cheeks. Almost baby pink in shade but a little brighter. I find that these shades suit me the most. They make me look pretty, young and feminine.


2. Pressed/cream/loose blush?

 I prefer a pressed blush as it is less messy and I find it easier to control how much I apply on my face. Plus most pressed blushes have really beautiful designs. I always look at the pretty packaging before I buy a blush or any makeup product for that matter.


3. Favourite shimmery blush?

 I love my Too Faced Sweethearts blush in Peach Beach. It has three tones of gold, pink and bronze. It gives a beautiful hint of shimmer on the cheeks that looks classy and pretty,


4. Favourite matte blush?

I have a deep red blush in Renesmee Red by the Essence Twilight Breaking Dawn collection. It is a lovely red blush that looks matte but not flat on the cheeks. I hardly wear it because it's a deep red shade and it is more suitable for vampy looks.


5. Favourite cream blush?

 I only own two cream blushes and I love them both. One is from Becca in Petal and the other one is by Sonia Kashuk in Petal as well. Both are easy to blend and give a natural look on the face. Maybe I should do a comparison review of them in another blog post.


6. Favourite drugstore blush?

 I loved my Catrice blush in Tickled Pink. It was a perfect bright pink blush that gave a beautiful flush of romantic pink hues on my cheeks. My mom stole that blush from me that is why I am using the past tense words: 'was', 'gave' and 'loved'. Lol ;-)


7. Favourite high-end blush?

I adore my Clarins Blush Prodige blusher in Miami Pink. It comes encased in a beautiful gold case that has a mirror and brush. It looks very regal and sophisticated.


8. Favourite bright blush?

 This blush actually comes from my BH Cosmetics That's Heart palette so it is not a free standing product. The blush in that eye and face palette comes in a bright pink shade that is perfect to wear everyday. I am almost hitting pan on that blush as I love it and use it so much.


9. Biggest blush disappointment/regret?

 I don't think I was ever disappointed in the blushes I have purchased or have a regret buy. I honestly cannot answer this question right now because I don't have one yet.

10. Best blush packaging?

 The Too Faced Sweethearts blushes wins hands down!!!! The gorgeous heart shaped vintage boxes are just stunning.

11. What's on your blush wish list?

 Oh my gosh, for me a blush has to have beautiful packaging before I even look at it. I don't care about the fantastic product. If it does not come in a pretty pan or box it will get rejected, Lol. My blush wish list includes:


1) Too Faced Love Flush Blush in Justify My Love
2) Missha Signature Dramatic Rose Petal Blusher in Pink Rose (Korean brand available on Ebay)
3) Guerlain Rose Aux Blush duo in Smile


12. Number 1 holy grail blush?
My holy grail blush is definitely my Too Faced Sweethearts blush in Peach Beach. I would buy that blush a thousand times over again. Packaging is 10 out of 10. The product itself and the colour combos are 10 out of 10. You could use it has a bronzer, highlighter, blush or eyeshadow. It's just the best blush of life!!! 

Hello gorgeous Divas

Christmas is finally upon us. It really is my most favourite time of the year. I hope that you are as excited as I am for this very special day. Are your Christmas decorations up yet and have you finished all your gift shopping? The only thing that I hate about this festive time is the Christmas rush. I prefer doing things earlier in the month so that I have no stress about crazy holiday shopping and trying to find parking at busy malls. The worst! This week on the blog I wanted to share my Christmas makeup and manicure with you. Plus I did a fun festive tag to get us in the Christmas mood. For my makeup I used my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and my Nude Dude palette by The Balm on my eyelids. These palettes have beautiful glittery gold shades that are great for a festive look. I lined my eyes with a Maybelline Studio Fix gel liner and topped off my lashes with my favourite Hypnose Drama Mascara by Lancome. For my blush I used the gorgeous Clarins Blush prodige product in Miami pink. For my highlight I used The famous Mary Lou Manizer by The Balm for that extra golden twinkle on my cheeks. To top everything off I used Cinnamon Spice by Wet 'n Wild for a deep red lip. This makeup is great for a Christmas dinner as it is super glam and golden.

Holly Jolly Holiday Tag Questions:

-Favourite Christmas movie?
I love watching The Family Stone and The Holiday.

-Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?
Always Naughty, lol.

-Show us an embarrassing Christmas Card photo!
I shared one of me and my sister on Instagram last year. My hair was whack in that photo. You can view it here ;-)

-Have you ever had a White Christmas?
Never, but I am dreaming of one.

-Where do you usually spend your holiday?
Sadly in my home town. I would love to take a trip overseas but times are tough people!

-Play or sing your favourite Christmas song!

 I'll add a YouTube link instead. O Holy Night by Mariah Carey and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Bing Crosby. So beautiful!

-Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
No. My mother was always very strict about opening presents on Christmas day after church. The torture was real! So I have it ingrained in me now to only open presents on Christmas day. I find that it is more exciting that way.

-Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Hell no. I only know Rudolph ;-D

-What holiday tradition are you looking forward to most this year?
Eating and more eating. No jokes!

-Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

 It is fake. We used to have real ones when I was a child.

-Hands down, what's your all-time favourite holiday food and holiday sweet treat?

 I absolutely love my mom's homemade roast lamb and chocolate mousse. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

-Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

 I love giving gifts. I especially love wrapping gifts and making them look pretty. It is so much fun.

-Show us your tackiest Christmas attire!

 Hahaha, I don't have one.

-What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

 I would love to visit the Christmas markets in Germany. They look so stunning in pictures online. As I said above I have never had a white Christmas, so I would love to be in the snow.

-Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?

Yes. I love helping my mom make the desserts. Like the chocolate mousse and cheesecakes. Yum!

-Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

I am definitely a pro! I wrap up those prezzies with precision. No peek a booing allowed ;-)

-Most memorable Holiday moment?

 When my dad almost set the Christmas table alight when he knocked over the candle and it landed on a serviette. All you saw was flames! Hahaha

-What made you realise the truth about Santa?

 When I had to say thank you to my mom and dad for the gifts. I couldn't understand why I had to thank them and not Santa Claus. Something clicked inside me and realised they were somehow involved in the gift giving.

-Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you stick to them?

Never! I don't believe in making New Year's Resolutions. 

-What makes the Holidays special for you?
Family always makes the holidays special. I love spending time with them. We have so much fun together.



 For my nails I used glittery red Nails Inc nail polish in Marylebone and Nails Inc Foil in Kings Road as a base. I drew on my funny Santa Claus with some Tip Top nail polishes with my dotting tools. I used silver nail trips for my thumb and pinky fingers. I then topped up four of my nails with Christmas nail stickers. Super easy manicure and super fun too ;-) I really hope I have inspired you for this Christmas day and that you enjoyed this post.


Wishing all you lovely Divas a Beautiful and Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!
Thank you for all your support on the Diva Desle blog this year. See you in 2016 ;-)
Lots of Love
Xxxx

 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty

Hi Gorgeous Divas!

 

I want to take a break from beauty reviews and do a fun makeup tag. I found this one on Youtube and thought it would be perfect to do it on my blog. Beauty products are very subjective, as what might work for you might be and look terrible on me. I remember back in high school my friend and I were playing with her mom's makeup one day after school. We found this really bold blue mascara and decided to try it and see if it will match our blue school uniforms. I will never forget that day. I looked like an absolute clown with that blue mascara on my eyes topped with a bright red blush on my cheeks. We both laughed so much at how crazy we looked. From that day on I vowed to never touch another blue mascara ever again. Lol, I definitely stuck to my promise. Blue mascara is an all time deadly sin for me. Do you have certain products that make you cringe when you think about wearing it? Please let me know below! ;-)
I hope you enjoy my answers to the 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag. Here we go...

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?
My most inexpensive beauty product is a yellow eyeshadow by Essence. I paid R22($2) for it as it was on sale. It has really great pigmentation, so it was quite a bargain. My most expensive beauty item is my eyeshadow palette by Guerlain called Ecrin 6 Couleurs Tailored Harmonies. You can read my review here. This palette retails for about R1100 ($100). Super duper crazy expensive!

2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?
The product that I have a love hate relationship with and is the most hardest to get is my actual foundation shade. Foundations are usually too light or too dark for my complexion. I always have to mix foundations to get my perfect shade. That is why I have always used BB Creams as they oxidise to my skin tone throughout the day.

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?
What a strange question! I would have to say my EOS and macaron It's Skin lipbalms. They both smell good enough to eat. I adore my Too Faced Chocolate palette as well. Read my full review on it here. The palette smells exactly like chocolate and all the eyeshadows are named after decadent chocolate bars. Yum!!

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?
In my skincare routine I used to always skip using toners. I would wash my face and apply cream afterwards. I could never find a toner that didn't burn my face or leave a residue. As I have gotten older, I realise how a good three step skin care routine is essential for healthy and glowing skin. I found a Korean toner that worked for my face and am using it religiously.I love using Clarins toners too, as they are very gentle on the skin.

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?
This is a hard one to answer as I don't have one particular product. I have too many! Lol. I think mascara and lipstick gives me the most self confidence. I love accentuating my long lashes and full lips. If I have these two products on my face I feel that I am ready to take on the day.

6. LUST: What beauty product has the sexiest packaging?
It would definitely have to be The Balm Nude Dude palette. You can see my review here. It has six sexy naked men covered by eyeshadows in all the right places. Hell YES!!! ;-D

7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?
 I adore eyeshadow palettes and holiday makeup sets. Holiday gift sets always have the most fun and pretty packaging. I enjoy opening up pretty gifts and having fun goodies to play with.



Thank you for reading Beauties!
Much love.
Xxxx

Hi Divas

This week I want to take a break from the reviews and do a fun tag. Winter is almost coming to a close in the Southern Hemisphere. I am really glad that Summer is approaching again because Cape Town has been particularly cold these last three months. I am so looking forward to the warm sunshine days, lazing around on the beach and wearing my pretty bright dresses again. What I will miss about Winter time is not worrying about whether I look fat in an outfit or not. In Winter you can wear heavy coats and big slouchy jerseys to cover up the extra bulges on the body. Lol, that is my favourite thing about Winter. I think this tag is done. Hehehe, just joking. I will be doing a random Winter tag in this post. Hope you all enjoy reading and learning a little more about me. You can answer some of the questions in the comment section below too.

Questions:

1. Do you like winter?
No. I am a Summer baby. I don't like getting cold.


2. What is your fave fashion accessory for the winter season?
I love wearing different coloured scarves and textures. It really brightens up an outfit and changes the look. 


3. What is your fave winter activity?
Reading and drinking tea/coffee in my bed.


4. What is your fave winter scent?
I adore the Guerlain scent La Petite Robe Noire. It is a beautiful sweet and fruity scent that is very warm and inviting. I love the cute bottle packaging too. It is fit for a diva! ;-)


5. What is your fave winter drink?
Anything with coffee in it. I love drinking decadent lattes and Mocha cafes. Yum!


6. What is your fave winter lip colour?
I like a dark smouldering lip. Be it a dark purple, red or plum shades. My favourites are Gemma by Stila, Rapture by Urban Decay, Shanghai Express by Nars and Cinnamon Spice by Wet n' Wild.


7. What is your fave Winter holiday movie?
 I don't really have an absolute favourite Winter movie, but I do enjoy watching The Holiday and The Secret Garden with a big bowl of popcorn and my warm oversized blanket.


8. What is your fave winter blush?
Too Faced Sweethearts blush in Peach Beach is my favourite. It gives a beautiful peach and bronzy glow in the winter time. It really warms up the face.


9. What is your fave winter holiday treat?
 My bed! I rarely go away on holiday during the Winter months. I prefer being cozy in my bed.


10.What is your fave nail colour/polish for the winter season?
 I don't have a favourite Winter nail polish as I wear all my bright colours all year round. I enjoyed my leopard print manicure that I did a while back. It is dark and vampy, yet still fun to wear. I want to recreate that manicure again. It is great for Winter time.




I really hope you enjoyed this tag
Much love!
Divalicious kisses
Xxxx

The Random Asks

Hi Divas

I decided to do a tag on the blog and answer some random questions I found on Tumblr. I thought I would shake things up this week and take a break from doing beauty reviews. These questions are super random and are not tied in to a theme in any way.
Hope you enjoy it. Xxxx

1. Are you tall or short?

Super duper short. Meh!

2. What do you love about yourself?

My eyes and I love making people laugh and feel happy.

3. Do you see yourself differently than other people describe you?

Yes I do see myself differently sometimes. I think I tend to put myself down more. Sigh!

4. What’s something you’re bad at, but love?

I am really bad at painting but I would love to paint pretty pictures and portraits.

5. How do you spend your free time?

I love reading, listening to music, blogging and going out and having strawberry milkshakes and yummy coffee.

6. Have you ever gotten your nails professionally painted?

No. I do my own manicures.

7. Favourite game?

I love Spider Solitaire. I think I am addicted to it. I have the app on my phone so I am constantly playing when I have nothing to do. Lol

8. Do you believe in God?

I do believe in God with all my heart, soul and mind ;-)

9. Does love really exist?

Absolutely! Love is all around us.

10. Are we raised into what we love, or do we come to love it based on how we were raised?

What a question! I think how we are raised definitely influences what we love but ultimately we have free choice and choose what we want to love. Unless you really love something but decide to not love it due to society pressures.

11. Do you believe in fate or destiny?

Yes, I do believe in destiny to an extent.

12. Do we define ourselves, or does our past?

I think your past plays a major role in who you turn out to be but in the end you can either let your past define you or choose to make different decisions and grow from there. So I think you have the power to define yourself and your future.

13. Do humans matter–tiny specs on a floating piece of rock in a solar?

Well when you look at it that way, the answer would be No! Lol. Yes I do think humans matter. I think everything that was created matters.

14. Is there good in everyone?

I believe there is good in everyone. No one is born hating. So again I think the choices you make in life depend on whether you want to be good or not.

15. How do you feel about society, the vague “they” blamed for everything?

I don't blame society. I blame the media! Lol

16. What’s the first thing you notice about someone?

I definitely notice their eyes first. As they say windows are the eyes to the soul, so you can kind of tell by someone's eyes if they are happy, feeling down or just plain crazy.

17. Favourite hair colour?

I love black hair. I think it always looks beautiful and shiny in the sunlight.

18. Ideal height?

How I would love to be 1.75m tall.

19. Describe, appearance-wise, what your ideal boy/girlfriend would be like?
He must look like a famous soccer player. Tall, toned, dark hair and light eyes. Hello!!!

20. Could you fall in love online?

I don't know if I could fall in love online but I do believe it is possible. I know of a couple personally who have met on an online dating site and are happily married.

21. How would you introduce yourself on a blind date?

Hi, I am Desle. I like running around in bear and duck costumes. I am a theatre actress by the way ;-)

22. Is lying about something serious as bad as cheating?

Absolutely! You have to be honest and faithful in every aspect of your life.

Thank you for reading. 

XXX

 Hi Divas!

I am back from my little travelling adventure and ready to blog again. I really missed blogging and I have so many product reviews to post. Thank you for all the well wishes on my trip. I had a wonderful time in the Middle East. Even though I was working I did a few tourist activities which I will share with you below. This week, I thought I would do a travel tag as it seems appropriate since I wanted to do a little more than just show off some of my recent adventure photos. Hope you enjoy it and feel free to do the tag on your blog. I would love to read your answers as well.

Flying over beautiful Cape Town. What a stunning view!

1. How many countries have you visited?

I have only been to Qatar and the UAE.

2. Why do you travel?

I mainly travel for work purposes. I perform and do theatre shows in other countries. I am very fortunate that my job allows me to travel abroad. I really wish I could travel for pleasure though.

3. Favourite City or Country?

I am biased but my favourite city is my home town, Cape Town. Sorry, but nothing has stolen my heart like Cape Town yet. ;-)

4. Most memorable experience abroad?

It would have to be riding a camel in the middle of the Qatari desert. It was such a surreal experience. Like something out of a book or movie. I loved every minute of it.

5. Best item purchased abroad?

Wow, this is a hard one as I tend to do tons of shopping when I am overseas. I think my favourite item is my beautiful teddy camel which I named 'Jasmine'. I bought Jasmine at the Abu Dhabi airport when I was stuck there for nine hours back in 2013. It was my first time going overseas and they had a problem with my visa. I bought Jasmine to cheer me up but also to have an item as a remembrance of how great God was in sorting out my visa and taking care of me on my first flight overseas. Whenever I look at Jasmine I am reminded of that experience and God's goodness.

6. Favourite travel accessories you always pack?

I love my travel neck pillow which I use on the plane to have a peaceful and comfy sleep. I like to take my mini cosmetics bag and pack my Maybelline Clear Smooth Powder and Maybelline Baby Lips lip tints to keep the dark puffy eyes at bay and the lips looking plump and cute. Along with that I have my mini eau de toilette spray from The Body Shop to keep me smelling fresh after long haul flights.

7. Advise for those who want to travel but think they can't...

For me travel takes a lot of faith. You have to mentally prepare yourself as well as financially prepare yourself. You have to take a leap of faith and put some money aside and time for your trip. You have to plan and believe that everything will work out in the end and you will have a great time.


*****


Photo's of my Qatar February 2015 Trip: 
I went on a boat ride around the city and experienced a beautiful sunset. We had a mini party on the boat singing karaoke songs, dancing and eating snickers chocolate ice cream desserts till we were blue in the face. It was very cold and windy on the boat. It was surprisingly chilly in Qatar this time round. There were quite a few sand storms in the evenings.


 

 I went out to dinner with my fellow cast members and as we were driving we spotted this beautiful skyscraper building. We decided to stop and go inside and take a look. This is the Torch hotel and it is the tallest hotel in Doha with 51 floors. It looks really spectacular at night as the building lights up in an array of colourful lights. We went to the Tea Garden restaurant in the hotel and had high tea. I ordered a lovely Arabian Masala Chai Tea which was served with freshly baked biscotti biscuits. This tea was so delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

When I am in Qatar I have to go to my favourite mall, Villaggio and shop up a storm. I swear, it's like I have a complete black out moment when I shop there. My mind goes into a shopping trance and I end up swiping my credit card every where. Talk about no self control! Lol ;-) I bought many makeup products at Sephora and went completely crazy at Bath and Body Works. They even gave me a free pink bag because I bought so many goodies there. I also stocked up on my favourite chocolate and date brands at the airport. This time we stayed in the beautiful Zubarah hotel. Everyday they packed the bathroom with travel size L'occitane products. I threw all of them in my suitcase and took them home with me. Score! ;-)

Have a fabulous week!!
Divalicious kisses.
Xxxx

I'm back Divas!!

 Hey girls, what's up? Hope you all had a beautiful Christmas and New Year Holiday. I thoroughly enjoyed myself eating and eating some more. I swear, I think I overdosed on chocolate and ice cream. My festive season was pretty chilled. I had a fun New Years Eve braai with my friends and watched the fireworks displays from a roof top building. I also really enjoyed taking long walks along Seapoint promenade and breathing in the fresh sea air. Most of you have probably started work already. I am still on holiday and currently enjoying a really good book. I let you know about the novel when I am done with it. I will be doing the Summer Tag this week to kick things off on my blog. (For all my international readers it is Summer time in the Southern Hemisphere.) Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what your favourites were these past holidays below. Much love!

Follow me on Instagram: @DIVADESLE

1. What is the best part of Summer time?

I love the vibe that summer brings. Everybody is happy, relaxed and in a party mood.

2. Do you tan or burn?

I tan and turn into a chocolate brown biscuit ;-)

3. Favourite Summer nail polish?

I usually wear neon pinks in Summer but this year I bought these cute pastel speckled nail polish from Tip Top. I have been loving them and wearing them non stop. The shades remind me of ice cream flavours and makes me super happy.

4. Favourite Summer drink/ beverage?

Passion Fruit and lemonade. 

5. Favourite Summer Clothing Item?

 I have been loving mini shorts this year in different colours.

6. Favourite current phone app during summer?

 I'm not really into phone apps but the one I used the most this summer was Sound Cloud to listen to all my favourite Summer jams.

7. Favourite Summer movie?

I love watching Casino Royal in the Summer time. I have no idea why. Maybe it's because Bond is in the Bahamas and then he travels to the beautiful Montenegro and Venice. You see all these stunning holiday destinations with beautiful beach sceneries.

8. Favourite Summer beauty product?

Why do tags always ask these hard questions? I can't choose one. I love everything! If I really have to choose something this year it would be fragrances. My favourite Summer perfume Burberry Summer and Sweet Pea body mist by Bath and Body Works. They are very light refreshing sweet fruity scents that make me feel beautiful and uplifts my mood.

9. Favourite Summer activity?

 Swimming, swimming and more swimming. Oh and eating tons of ice cream!

10. Favourite lip product for the Summer time?

I love wearing bright pink lipsticks during the holidays. I have been reaching for my Lime Crime lipstick in Geradium a lot lately.

Hi Divas! 

Yay, it is almost Christmas and I am so excited. This is my favourite time of the year. It is very special to me as I celebrate the birth of my Lord and Saviour Jesus. I give HIM all the glory and praise! I also love this season as I get to spend time with my family. My sister won't be in South Africa with us but I still feel happy and blessed to be sharing Christmas with her via Skype (Praise God for technology, lol). What will you be getting up to in the last few days leading up to Christmas? All my Christmas shopping, decorating and gift wrapping are done. Now my mom and I are preparing to cook up a storm on Christmas Eve as we usually do. Have you figured out what you are going to wear?

I did a little makeup and nail art tutorial below to give you some inspiration for your Christmas look. I used my beloved Too Faced Chocolate palette (review coming soon) on my eyes. I placed gold on my eye lids and a warm caramel brown in my crease. I lined my eyes with black liner and created a wing. It is all about the shine this Christmas, so I used a peach blush by Too Faced to highlight my cheek area. On my lips is Russian Red by MAC topped with a Stila lip glaze in Persimmon. I think red lips and gold eyes are always a beautiful classic look for this time of year. You can't go wrong with that combination.  My nails look a little crazy as I did it in a rush and my hand was not very steady when I painted the little details. Any way, I added a Christmas tree, candy stripes and little bow gift wraps for fun playful nails. I hope these ideas help you when you getting ready to do your makeup and nails too. 

Finally I have added a Christmas tag in this post. I thought it would be fun for you to learn a little more about me. Below is a throwback photo of my sister and I when I was 4 or 5 years old. It is one of my favourite Christmas memories. Read the tag below to find out more....

Christmas makeup using Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and Russian Red lipstick by MAC, Crazy Christmas nails, Me and my sister at a hotel on Christmas day when I was 4 or 5 years old.

1. When do you start getting excited for Christmas?
I usually get excited for Christmas in the first weeks of December when the Christmas decorations are up in the malls and the pretty gifts are being advertised.

2. Do you still have advent calendars?
I have never owned an advent calendar in my life. I would really love a makeup or chocolate one though. I haven't found any I like.

3. What are your favourite Christmas movies?
I love watching The Holiday, Family Stone and The Nativity Story.

4. Do you have any Christmas memories?
When I was little my mom always dressed my sister and I in matching outfits. There was one Christmas when my sister and I wore the same purple frilly dresses with puffy sleeves. We had Christmas lunch at a hotel and my parents have many photos of my sister and I in those dresses. Every time I look at that Christmas album I burst out laughing.

5. Talk us through your typical Christmas-day.
We usually go to church in the morning and wish our friends at church a Merry Christmas. We then go back home and on the way wish my aunt and cousins who live in the same road as us. My grandmother stays with us for the Christmas week. We make coffee, eat my moms home made doughnuts and open presents. After that we eat lunch and dessert until we are in a coma. We then watch movies or my mom's favourite Il Divo concert dvd and eat snacks. We basically eat all day and spend time laughing with each other.

6. What do you eat for Christmas-dinner?
In my family we have a big Christmas lunch. My mom usually cooks most of the food and my sister and I help her and make desserts. My mom always makes delicious leg of lamb and gammon in the oven, roast potatoes, roast vegetables, and various salads. For desserts we eat home made chocolate mousse, ice cream and cheese cake fridge tart or lemon meringue.

7. Do you have any Christmas traditions?
On Christmas eve we make eggnog, burn scented candles and we sit in our lounge chatting or watching Christmas concerts on TV until the clock strikes 12 and we wish each other a Merry Christmas.

8. Which are you favorite Christmas songs?
My favourite traditional Christmas songs are Silent Night and O holy Night. It is so beautiful and gives me goose bumps when I hear it. I really love Mariah Carey's and Il Divo's versions. For secular songs I love Santa Baby, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

9. What is the best Christmas present you ever received?
I received a beautiful silver watch when I was 15 from my mom. I still have that watch and it is very sentimental to me.

10. Real or fake Christmas tree?
When I was younger my parents used to get real Christmas trees. Now that I am an adult we have a fake one. It is very cost effective and less hassle.

Merry Christmas Divas!!!

Have a blessed holiday and festive season. 
Love you guys so much. 
Xxxx