If you’re in the new season feeling like you could do with a bit of a shake-up on the beauty front, or like you’re feeling a bit more drab than fab, then here are some beauty products I’ve been using over the last few weeks.
My hair in particular was looking and feeling dry, and my skin also looked a bit dull, and these issues seem to have been ticked off now.
Here’s what’s hot on my beauty shelves now:
For power teeth cleaning: Philips Sonicare DiamondClean electric toothbrush
A toothbrush is a toothbrush is a toothbrush, right? Well, not really. With a manual toothbrush, you might miss a spot (or several), and some electric varieties also don’t get in on all the action.
I don’t want to sound like a dentist and preach, but now that I’m here, I’ll say that if you’re not cleaning those pearly whites properly, the film of bacteria between your teeth and gums, can lead to gum disease and a range of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and coronary heart disease. Apparently, around 90% of South Africans suffer from gum disease at some point in their life.
So, you likely need the big guns. Philips Sonicare is what I’d call the Rolls Royce of toothbrushes, and while I don’t have the dentist X-rays to attest to my teeth’s health, I can say that each time I’ve used the toothbrush, it’s felt like I’ve just been to the oral hygienist. My teeth feel incredible, and invincible. Yes, yes, I know.
Philips is apparently the most recommended sonic toothbrush brand by dental professionals worldwide, and if you’ve watched Bad Moms, and you remember Kate brushing her teeth in her bathroom, well, she was using the DiamondClean (this was pointed out to me by a sharp-eyed mom on Instagram, Janice Raath).
It has five modes to cover all your brushing needs – Clean, Polish, White Sensitive and Gum Care, and Philips has the research to say that it removes *7x more plaque removal than a manual toothbrush (*this is based on two periods of two-minute brushings per day, on clean mode).
The DiamondCare comes with a deluxe USB travel case that doubles up as a charger to ensure you are never out of power.For home, the charger glass doubles as a glass for rinsing after brushing. To activate charge, simply place your brush into the glass to enjoy two weeks of regular use from a single full charge.
It’s available in a range of colours at Takealot and Dis-Chem for a recommended retail price of R3 299. It’s a pricey investment, but considering the painful cost of getting a filling or root canal (I know this from the dental work I had this year), it might be a worthwhile one if it’s going to keep you out of that oft-scary chair.

For hairvenly hair: Ellips Hair Treatments
If you need a hair treatment that works swiftly (ie after the first treatment), then Ellips it is. Every time I use a capsule, it feels like I’m using a steroid treatment for my hair.
Ellips contain hair oils and vitamins (Pro-vitamin B5 along with vitamins A and E), and include Argan oil, which is generally the “go to” ingredient when it comes to hair treatments.
They come in capsules, and there are five variants. I’ve used three that suit my hair and they all seem to work well, so I think the varieties are quite interchangeable – you don’t just need to stick to one. You don’t need to condition your hair before applying the capsules – you just towel dry your hair, and work the oil through your hair, which means it has the bonus of being a time saver too.
Varieties include:
- Pink Hair Repair to give intensive moisture
- Yellow Smooth & Silky to help treat fine hair
- Orange Hair Vitality to restore strength and vitality
- Purple Nutri Colour to help care for highlighted and coloured hair
- Silky Black to address the needs of very thick or dark hair
There’s also a leave-in conditioner “milkshake” (R132), the Ultra Treatment for “ageing hair” (R168), and a cuticle serum (R63).
All products are cruelty-free and the capsules are made from gelatine-based biodegradable capsules. Prices are around R89 for the 12-capsule pack, R333 for the 50 capsule jar, and R132 for the hair mask.
All products are available online at www.ellipshair.co.za as well as Takealot.com. To keep up to date with ellips, follow on Instagram and Facebook.
If you’re in doubt at all (which you needn’t be), start off with 12 capsules and move on from there.

For a lip-smacking treatment: ChapStick
I no longer need to get people to mule in ChapStick for me from overseas – the brand is now available in South Africa. It’s a moisturising range, and basically leaves your lips feeling fab.
There’s lots to choose from – there’s the original Chapsticks – Classic Original or Cherry (R41.99), Chapstick Moisturizer in Classic or Green Apple (R41.99).
There are also lip butters in Papaya and Green Mint variants (R69.95), the Total Hydration range, the Total Hydration 3 in 1 in Soothing Oats, Coconut Hydration and Cooling Peppermint variants (R99.95) and Total Hydration 100% Natural in Soothing Vanilla (R99.95).
But wait, there’s more. There’s also a lip scrub (R159.95), Total Hydration CoQ10 in Vanilla Cream (R99.95), and Total Hydration Moisture & Tint in Merlot and Coral Blush (R129.95).
They’re available from selected Clicks, and Dis-Chem – online and instore. stores nationwide.
Follow #ChapStickSA on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with new variant releases, information and promotions.





For a glow: Avène Les Essentials range
Red-fruit extract seems like the new darling of skincare ingredients, and Avène has a new range, Essentials, with a patented red-fruit extract, which is a combination of raspberry, blueberry and redcurrant extracts. These work to strengthen the skin’s barrier, and revitalise skin.But wait, there’s more… the products in the range also work with their star ingredients Avène Thermal Spring Water, which soothes skin, and Pre-tocopheryl, which is an antioxidant.
The range includes Revitalizing Nourishing Cream, Soothing Radiance Mask, Refreshing Mattifying Liquid, and prices start at R250. I’m always wowed by how affordable this hard-working French brand is.
So, at my age/stage, I’ll always look towards products with active ingredients first, and this range worked well for me. I used it on a recent holiday in Israel, where I was exposed to sun (and yes, I did wear sunscreen all the time), desert heat, pollutants and lots of sugar and diet drinks, plus winter had zapped me of my glow. These products soothed and took care of my skin, and these will likely stay in my arsenal.



Very handy: Mixa Anti-Dryness Hand Cream and Restoring Hand Cream
Mixa hand creams are no-nonsense hand creams that do just as they’re meant to – moisturise.While I prefer more luxury creams for their fragrance, I’m including these two here as they’re budget friendly and particularly great for dry and sensitive hands.

