THE MATTE PROJECT

We love do-gooders. Since 2011, Acqua for Life has provided over 530 million liters of clean water to nearly 80 communities, in seven countries and on three continents. This year, they put up a challenge as a way of raising awareness of this ever-increasing concern that is the scarcity of clean water. The challenge was to use only 10 litres of clean water for one day on the 22 March, World Water Day. This was not easy for me, not one bit. I was stressed at the thought of running out of water to wash my hands (something I do very frequently as I have two little ones at home), to cook with and the big one – to wash myself with. Here’s how my day went:

I woke up and headed straight to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my hands. For rinsing my mouth, I poured a little water in a cup so I didn’t use a lot. I was surprised at how much water I needed to feel as though my hands were clean. After this, I made a cup of tea for myself. The one and only for the day…

Next was to cook oats for the family, which used up about three cups of water, much to my panic.

A little later, it was time to shower. That was out of the question as I would need the whole 10 litres to do that, surely? So for the purpose of this challenge, I made a point of showering as late as I could the previous night so I could engage with a sink bath this morning, carefully measuring just enough water into the bathroom sink to be able to wipe my face clean and wash all the other parts of my body. The result was me standing naked in my bathroom, freezing and feeling clean-ish. All I wanted was one warm rinse of a shower but alas. This was not to be. Not today.

As soon as I was dressed, I prepared a hot water bottle to warm myself up a little bit. More water usage - ugh. I didn’t fill it up (I usually do so i dno’t have to re-fill every hour). I poured just enough water for it to be effective. I’m proud to say that once the hot water bottle went cold, I used the water to water the plants.

Luckily I’m not a big coffee or tea drinker. One cup of tea a day is more than enough for me. For lunch, I made a simple sandwich and drank a glass of water afterwards. Later in the afternoon, I had to get dinner started. Pasta, which is a go-to family meal for me when I don’t have much time, was out of the question. It requires too much water. So I opted for a chicken stir-fry, for which I used absolutely no water. I used the ready cooked noodles that come in vacuum packs.

For dinner, I had a great excuse to drink wine instead of water…which I did. But then I started thinking of how dehydrated I will feel in the morning, which will result in me using more water than usual. So I ended up having a glass of water after my wine.

Later, I brushed my teeth and washed my face, using the little bit of clean water I had left. I was truly happy to see the end to this day because all I wanted was to jump into a hot shower before bed. But I couldn’t. So I went to bed.

Here are some disturbing water habits I picked up about myself:

-I tend to be a bit of a germ-phobe so for example: I have to rinse a glass before I drink from it. Even straight from the dishwasher or cupboard. This is bad.

-I don’t drink nearly as much water as I thought I did. This should change.

-I wash my hands too frequently and unnecessarily.

-I’m too indulgent in my showers, they can definitely be cut shorter.

3 Tips on how you can save water on a daily basis:

1. Brush your teeth using a cup instead of running water.

 2. Use your water from your hot water bottle to water plants (winter is coming so this one will come in handy!)

About two weeks ago I received a delightful email from Joycee Awojoodu, creator of ORIKI skincare, seeking to know more about TMP and to introduce me to the ORIKI brand. We met over drinks and hit it off right away (especially because she brought me some samples to take home and indulge in. A girl after my own heart.)

Before I get into the products, here’s a little background to this very inspiring brand...

Joycee was born and raised in Washington DC, USA. Her parents are both Nigerian but Joycee and her siblings had never set foot in Nigeria...until just under 3 years ago, when Joycee decided to pack some bags and pay Nigeria a visit. She fell in love with her homeland and decided to relocate there permanently. Like many of us today, Joycee saw the potential her country had to offer especially for entrepreneurs. She wanted to be a part of this growth and creating a luxury skincare range from scratch seemed like a great place to start. And so she did. ORIKI was launched in June 2015. The flagship store is in Lagos and it also has a spa where you can get skin and body treatments using ORIKI products.

ORIKI is a botanically based brand that only uses potent plants, organic ingredients and 100% natural essential oils to make their products (32 in total, for men and women.) The ingredients are all natural and sourced from around the world. None of the products have any unncessary additives or parabens. You can shop their products online at www.orikigroup.com.

Here are the 3 products I’ve tried in the past week:

Nourishing Java Body Scrub with Shea Butter and Cocoa (all skin types)

I love the consistency of this scrub. It is made from Hawaiian Kona Coffee and Brown Cane Sugar. I always prefer a sugar scrub to a salt one because it feels less harsh but is just as effective. The brilliance here is that you can actually smell the purity of the ingredients it is made from. This smells like fresh cocoa. I use it at least once a week all over my body (it’s gentle enough to use more than that) and it leaves my skin feeling polished, smooth and hydrated.

2-in-1 Anti-Ageing Facial Exfoliator (FOR MEN)

I gave this to the mister and asked him to use it one morning as he made his way to the shower. He came out with a big smile and these words “best one I’ve used yet.” So of course, in the name of FOMO, I had to give it a try myself. Now, men’s facial products tend to be a little harsher than women’s simply because our skins are different. Men produce more testestorone which thickens their skin and gives it more oil (that’s why they wrinkle later than us!) My skin is generally quite resiliant so I can afford to be adventurous and try out harsher stuff which is why I wasn’t nervous to delve into this product. It paid off. This is a truly amazing exfoliator that has a mild peeling effect (massage into skin, leave it on for about 10 mins before rinsing off). It’s a gel consistency with tiny granules so it won’t irritate the skin. I love that it smells like fruit. It’s great for skin that feels clogged up (especially that nose and chin area).

Absorbing Clay Mineral Mask (oily or combination)

Many people can’t get around the fact that a face mask doesn’t necessarily have to go all hard and clay-like on your skin. It doesn’t even have to dry. You get moisture masks you can go to sleep in that feel like a super rich night creams; you get gel masks that need to be rinsed off after a few minutes and yes, you get the clay kind, usually for oily skin as the clay can absorb impurities from the pores. I love an old school clay mask. I like the feeling of detoxed skin afterwards. This ORIKI number is kind of in between - it’s a clay mask but won’t dry up so much that it starts cracking. It has a creamy, almost mousse-like texture that’s a pleasure to apply. After 10 minutes, it had dried slightly but not hardened. After rinsing my face, my skin definitely felt cleaner but also very soft.

Verdict: Thoroughly impressed. We’ll be shopping for the other stuff on their website - I’m dying to try their body washes and serums.

About a month ago I attended the first big press launch of the year where I ran into many former colleagues (beauty editors) from various publications. One of them was an old friend I haven’t seen in over a year. Her skin looked insanely flawless and to top it off she looked like she had not a stitch of makeup on. So we had the typical beauty editor conversation, which went something like this:

Me: So what’s going on with your face? Is that skin real? Spill it. You look radiant!

Her: SkinCeuticals, Mat. That’s all I’m wearing on my face nowadays. Get in touch with them.

And so I did - and they invited me for a consultation and one of their peels. I promptly made my appointment and went to meet Sonette Donker, who works with Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Dr. Anton Potgieter, offering aesthetic treatments from chemical peels to dermal fillers.

My consultation with Sonette lasted about an hour. She asked me questions around my lifestyle (drink? smoke? exercise? and took me through the range of products and what they do) and I had some questions for her around chemical peels. Here’s what I would like to share with you about peels (specifically for our skin - darker skin):

-If you’ve never done a peel before, make sure they use no more than 15% glycolic acid on your skin. (Caucasian skin can usually start from abour 25% but our skin starts producing more melanin to protect itself as soon as it feels inflamed or irritated. This is how we become more at risk of hyper pigmentation than paler skin.) If your skin is generally pessimistic and you are hesitant to try a peel, go for a lactic or citric peel instead of glycolic peel.

-Peels are great for the following: dull complexion, hyper pigmentation, enlarged pores, fine lines and wrinkles, sun spots, oily skin, acne prone skin, pretty much any skin problem you may have, really. You just need to know what type of peel to get and your aestehetic therapist or doctor should be able to advise you accordingly once a skin analysis has been done.

-There are many different types of peels out there and you no longer have to have “down time” after a peel. Nowadays, you can get a peel, apply makeup straight afterwards and get on with your business. (The milk Peel is one of these)

-Peeling is really a more intense method of exfoliating. It loosens and removes the top dead layer of your skin revealing a newer, brighter complexion.

-ALWAYS apply as much SPF as you can manage after a peel (whether or not you are going outdoors afterwards.)

-DON’T let anyone try to convince you to go higher than 15% glycolic acid if you’ve never peeled before. There are too many clinics out there that still don’t know how to perform aesthetic treatments on Black skin and I know too many people who have been badly burnt by peels or developed some serious pigmentation afterwards.

THE REVIEW

Sonette gave me a Dermaceutic Milk Peel. This is a superficial chemical peel system. Its key benefits are:

-restores a radiant complexion (double check!)

-stimulates the epidermis 

-improves fine lines and wrinkles (check!)

-evens skin tone (double check!)

-boosts the performance of daily cosmetics (check!)

There was definitely some tingling during the peel. I had overindulged in wine the night before so my skin was pretty dehydrated. This meant the drier patches of my skin were absorbing more product than the rest of my face (not good). There was specifically an area below my right eye that was particularly dehydrated - as a result, it burnt. Yep, I had a blister walking out of there but Sonette told me not to worrk and keep applying the after care lotion she gave me. I was worried.

Three days later, the blister was completely gone. My skin was smoother than any baby’s bum and my complexion definitely brighter. I loved how unclogged my pores (especially around the nose and chin) felt. My skin just felt really clean and supple.

 A week later, I am more than satisfied with the results - I’m thrilled! My skin looks better than it ever has before and this is not an exaggeration. I do have a small white patch where my skin burnt under my right eye. We’ll see how that goes...

Tip: If you have sensitive skin and exfoliators generally aggrevate your skin, try a mild lactic or citric peel instead as there is no scrubbing with peels so less irritation. Avoid glycolic peels as they may be too harsh for your skin.

What I took home and am now using daily:

Foamer 5 cleanser: Morning and Night

Light Ceutic: Night cream

C25 Cream: Day antioxidant Cream

Contact: Sonette Donker 083 250 5111

Room 10, 1st Floor, Main Building, Sandton media Clinic, Bryanston

We’re well into Feb and yes, many of us are already in the grind and once again reminded of how bloody expensive everything is. Getting to work every day is costly not to mention trying to feed yourself every evening. It’s all a bit much. We get it, which is why we put this post together for you. We’re sharing some of our favourite budget beauty products so you can go out there and invest in stuff that works... without having to starve for the rest of the month.

Neutrogena Deep Clean cleanser

-First things first: a good cleanser will take you along way. This one is a favourite because of its efficacy and price. It will leave your skin feeling deeply cleansed, removing all makeup in one wash. If your skin is super dry and sensitive and you’re not a fan of foaming cleansers, stay away. Try a milky, creamy or oily cleanser instead.

Lipidol Oils

These oily are appropriate for ALL skin types (yes, even oily skin – because oil fights oil.) An oil cleanser is great for dissolving and lifting all grease and makeup off the skin. Use it prior to your normal cleanser if you have on more makeup than usual and you want super clean skin that won’t feel tight and dry afterwards.

 Lipidol is created by the same guys who gave us Bio-oil. The oils are all priced at R79.99 and you get one for pretty much anything: - face cleansing (great as a pre-cleanser or a stand alone cleanser), body cleansing (use it to wash your whole body for well nourished and mosturised skin afterwards), shaving (apply to damp skin before shaving), suncare (apply over your moisturizer), face moisturising (apply as a night cream on cleansed skin for well nourished skin in the morning) and body moisturising (use alone or mix with your lotion/cream).

  Get one or all. You’ll thank us.

Coconut Oil

 Coconut oil will give you better value for money than any beauty product out there because of its many uses (including in the kitchen as a cooking oil). Get the one with no scent (scent free is always better for the skin) and use it literally from head to toe. Your hair will love it, so will your brows, your skin (including face) and your feet. It’s also great as a cuticle cream, a bum cream for babies, a beard cream for men and safe as a lubricant in the bedroom (you didn’t hear that one from us.)

  Zambuk (cherry version)

We’ve never met one person who said “Oh how I love the smell of Zambuk” – which is probably why the brand decided to give us this version. No one ever disputed the efficacy of the original but that smell was truly too much and not very pleasant. We love this cherry version because the scent is in fact very subtle and pleasant. Certainly nothing like the green tub. The great thing about Zambuk is that it can blend into the lips completely (non-greasy) and is great as a primer before you apply lipstick (matte or otherwise).

 Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

 This mascara is great for short lashes. A lot of the time mascara brushes are too big creating a smudgy mess when you try to apply them. This brush is slim enough to even use on your bottom lashes without the fuss. The formulation is excellent because after application you do see a dramatic effect yet it is easy to remove when you cleanse your face. The best thing, of course, is the price.

Essence makeup

 If you love playing around with makeup and are quite a frequent buyer of it, then you’ll love Essence. They are super affordable while offering the best value. The pigment is strong enough to translate well on darker skin tones and their colour ranges are pretty vast.

The Body Shop EDT sprays

Xmas shopping can be a great mission for many while others just love it. When it comes to beauty/grooming, take care not to offend anyone by makeing sure you buy the ppropriate gift that will actually get used. Here’s a little guide from us:

Perfume.

It’s a popular one and we suggest you only buy someone a fragrance as a gift if you know exactly what they like. So, a signature scent for that person is great... if you know it. Or if you’ve heard them rave about some new perfume, then it is probably safe to get it for them. Steer away if you don’t know the person well or have no idea what fragrance they usually go for.

Face Mask or Cream.

Don’t do it. Most face creams and masks usually aim to address specific beauty concerns. For example, more than just provide hydration many creams today address ageing concerns such as volume loss, fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone/pigmentation, etc. You gifting someone with one of these might be seen as throwing a little shade. Play it safe and give it a miss. Same goes with serums and eye creams.

Spa Voucher.

This one is a winner. Again, opt for a massage, facial or mani/pedi rather than slimming treatments or cellulite remedies. The former are more for relaxation and wellness (which we all love) while the latter are for more aesthetic reasons.

Makeup.