Sexy legs and spritzers!

This week, Leigh got to play with an innovative new atomizer, vamp up her legs a la Sex in the City and unleash her inner beach bunny.

Article: Leigh van den Berg

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Hi girls!

This week I got to take look a rather exciting little beauty gadget called a Travalo, R150; a travel-sized, refillable fragrance atomiser.

Now, what makes the Travalo different to all the other 'spritzers' on the shelves is its unique, all-too-easy filling mechanism. To juice 'er up, simply remove the nozzle from your favourite perfume, place the bottom of the Travalo over it and give it a few pumps. Just like that, you're full and packing fragrance! In fact, it can hold a good 4mls – the equivalent to 50 sprays! Great for gals like my sis who tend to weigh down their handsakkies with big-ass bottles of perfume (she's a sneaky smoker) or anyone clocking up frequent flier miles. (Yep, it's "aircraft approved" so it's totally safe to toss it into that irritating, must-have clear plastic bag along with all your other essential in-flight liquids). I also like that it's got a handy clear window, so you can see exactly how much fragrance you've got left.

To get your mitts on a Travalo, pop into your local Euphoria*. For more information or to buy direct, direct, get in touch with Teresa Lane on info@travalo.co.za.

Another "two-thumbs up" product I got to test drive? ghd Sea Spray for Matte Waves, R195. Essentially it's a spritzer containing Dead Sea salt, so, if you spray it on wet hair, it dries to create that "I've just stepped out of the surf" effect. It also makes use of sunflower seed extract for UV protection and Meadowfoamate, a naturally derived ingredient that helps to improve your hair's moisture and elasticity over time. I must say, I loved how it made "Gisele-like waves" a walk in the park. All I had to do was tie up my hair up in plaits, give it a good going over with the Sea Spray and, once dry, let it loose. That's all it took to create beach bunny hair that stayed the day! And trust me, for a fine, limp-haired chica like me, this was nothing short of a bloody miracle.

Something else I got to try was RioBlush City Girl Firming Leg Shimmer, R399,99. Developed by Kyra Panchenko, a make-up artist for Sex and the City, she refers to it as a "leg firming, cellulite busting, imperfection hiding, skin softening, skin glowing body make-up". (It's also a big fave with Kim Cattrall). Thus, the moment it arrived at the office, we all hiked up our skirts and got busy, blending it into our pins.

Now, to warn you, this stuff's surprisingly dark (someone said "it looks like shimmery chocolate mousse"). In fact, you initially worry that you might end up looking like you've slapped a bit o' mud on your legs. However, it turned out to be very easy to blend and within two minutes, my "semi-tan" had been turbo-charged and, thanks to the slight shimmer, my calves looked a bit more defined. Still, Lili, our most Cullen-esque team member, has a word of advice for the very pale: when it comes to your ankles and feet, use the product sparingly and blend, blend, blend! If you don't, you could end up looking like you've gone for a run in the veldt.

RioBlush isn't in stores just yet, but until it finds a stockist, you can get in touch with Caron Hagues on caron@rioblush.com. She's in Jozi and will be glad to post one to you for free!

Last, but not least, are there any Clarins Eau Dynamisante fans out in the crowd? (This particular fragrance is a personal favourite of mine. I love that it's completely alcohol-free, so I always wear it when I'm out in the sun. It never fails to conjure up carefree, bikini-clad memories...) Anyway, to celebrate Valentine's Day, Clarins is launching a big, fat 100ml limited edition collectors bottle for a mere R440 on the 21st! It features a pretty gold, heart-shaped pendant on a red string and, for every bottle sold, R50 will be donated to three different charities. As if you needed more reason to indulge...

See you at the Clarins counters!

Love, love

Leigh

X x

*To find your nearest store, call (011) 5557971.