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Review of Adventures in Zambezia

Recently Super Mom Blog was invited to the screening of Adventures in Zambezia, which is the first animated feature film produced by Cape Town-based company Triggerfish. The event took place on Wednesday 19 October 2012 at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, to launch the Animation Festival in South Africa and was preceded by a cocktail function at The Pavilion.

Adventures in Zambezia was produced by Cape Town’s very own Triggerfish Animation Studios and earlier this year won the Best South African Feature Film category, at the 2012 Durban International Film Festival. The film show-cases the talents and hard work of 80 of SA’s top animators. Triggerfish Animation Studios is on the forefront of animation in Africa and after releasing in 12 weeks, in only the first 5 territories overseas, “Zambezia” is the most successful theatrical feature film to ever be produced by an African studio. The Film took 6 years to make and has premiered in 44 countries overseas and has been rated as the No 1 Film to come out of South Africa.

You will hear the well-known voices of Samuel L. Jackson as Tendai, Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) as Ajax, Nik Rabinowitz and Richard E. Grant (Corpse Bride) as Cecil. As well as Jenifer Lewis (Cars, The Princess and the Frog) as Gogo and Jim Cummings (Shrek, Aladdin) as Budzo. The movie is written by Anthony Silverston, Raffaella Delle Donne, Andrew Cook, Wayne Thornley and directed by Wayne Thornley.

The story revolves around a young, high-spirited, falcon called Kai (Jeremy Suarez) and his father Tendai who live in a heavily fortified nest on the edge of a canyon. Kai leaves his father and his home and travels to “Zambezia” – a bird utopia situated in the middle of the spectacular Victoria Falls. Famous for being the safest city in all of Africa, Zambezia has become the breeding sanctuary throughout the river valley where birds of every feather can flock together in harmony and peace.

The peace in Zambezia is threatened by Igauna’s who have enlisted the help of the Marabous, to build a rope bridge to cross the Falls and attack the nests of the other birds. In order to help save Zambezia, Kai has to face his past and with the help of his father and the birds of Zambezia, he sets out to save the day! On his quest to help others, he begins a voyage of self-discovery and he learn more about himself and his capabilities.

The story line is simple enough for children to follow and the animation is colourful and bright with a pleasant soundtrack. There was no subtle adult humour which is often present in other animated movies, this is truly a movie for children. All in all it was a lovely movie to watch and the animation is world-class.

Adventures of Zambezia is due to open in local cinemas on the 28th December 2012.

Cape Town Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Living Green, Product Reviews, Proudly South African, Reviews and Features

Consol Glass New Grip and Go Bottle

Consol Glass is one of my favourite household products. I particularly like the fact that glass, is the more eco-friendly option. Making it the more responsible choice especially, for everyday use. I have featured both their utility jars on the blog before as well as the amazing Solar Jar. Consol has recently launched a new product to the market, the Consol Grip and Go Bottle.

Beautiful Earth Barrier Cream Review

Recently we were asked to review the Beautiful Earth Barrier Cream. Beautiful Earth is an amazing range of 100% natural personal care products, sold to both the individual consumers and the hospitality industry. This brand is no stranger to Super Mom Blog, as we have done reviews of their products before, which you can see here.

The BE Barrier Cream contains Calendula and Benzoin essential oils, which act as a natural barrier to protect delicate skin against wetness. Also very effective for treating nappy rash. Apply a thin layer on baby’s bottom before putting on a nappy. ~ BE

Below is the feedback we received about the Barrier Cream, from Lyndsay, who is a mom to four boys:

Her initial thought, was that the cream was quite thin in consistency. “As a ‘Barrier Cream’ I was expecting something quite a bit thicker, much like other products on the market. It goes on really well and sinks in without leaving a greasy residue; you could even use it as an all over body cream.” When she applied it to her baby son’s bum, it was almost transparent so she was initially hesitant that it would act like a barrier cream, but she was pleasantly surprised. He had no adverse reaction to it (and her boys all have problematic, eczema prone skin) and his bum was smooth and clear.

The product does have a fairly strong smell – not unpleasant but something different to what you would normally associate with a baby product, again her son is very sensitive to most products, so she normally buys fragrance free products.

Thank you Lyndsay for your feedback!

I think that sometimes natural products are somewhat different to their more synthetically processed counterparts and do not necessarily smell or feel the same, but in essence if they do the same job and we are doing something for the environment in the process, we should at least give them try. ~ Super Mom Blog

To find out more about the other baby products on offer from Beautiful Earth you can click over to their website.

Beauty, Beauty Box, Beauty Products, Online Shopping, Product Reviews, Reviews and Features

My October 2012 rubybox

October has been a rather busy month but one of my highlights each month is the arrival of my Rubybox, it is exciting to see what new products the Rubies have sent my way. My October 2012 rubybox included a how-to self-breast-examination, in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness month, something we all need to be more aware of!

My October rubybox Review:

African Extracts Rooibos Anti-Ageing Hand & Nail Cream – I am fairly besotted with hand-care and use hand cream religiously. I feel that you can really tell a person’s age by looking at the hands – so why not try to fool nature and keep them looking as young as possible! The cream is lovely and nourishing, it coats your hands well and almost acts as a barrier cream. It does have a slightly sticky feel to it once applied and a fairly strong fragrance but overall it does the job of moisturising your hands.

Gatineau Melatogenine AOX Probiotics – As I may have mentioned before I am rocking the big 40, so anti-aging is top off my priority list when it comes to buying skin care. This cream promises the whole she-bang, it is rich in antioxidants and probiotics, to slow down the visible signs of ageing. I love the feel of the cream on my skin although it is fairly thick and a tad greasy for me to use during the day but it left the skin on my face and neck silky smooth.

Kenzo Madly – first off let me say I am not a big Kenzo fan, I find their fragrances tend to be a bit overpowering and extremely floral and can give me a headache, when I wear them. I did however remain open-minded when trying the samples, out of the two Madly is definitely more me, it is floral with Jasmine notes but it also has a sensual musky element which is something I like in a fragrance.
Kenzo Flower – it has a lovely floral scent but this is not the fragrance for me, even though it has notes of vanilla which I love, I find the overall scent too sweet.
Kenzo Homme Sport – something for the man in your life! It is a rather musky fragrance, with notes of aromatic mint, ginger and cedarwood. My first thought was that it was quite a heavy fragrance but as the scent developed and it settled on Mr I decided that I quite liked it!

Rubybox Tools Eye Lash Curler – this is a new addition to Rubybox’s range of “tools”, I have never used an eye lash curler before and I must admit I was a bit nervous when trying it for the first time, scared that I would accidentally pull out all my eyelashes if I slipped. Thankfully I did not pull them out and I did notice a bit more of a up-swept curl, on my lashes but I think I still need to get the hang of using this beauty tool!

Zehra Age Beautifully – the last item in this months box is by far the most intriguing! It is an oral collagen supplement, to help you maintain youthful looking skin. I have not tried it yet and I am somewhat sceptical but hey best I try it and find out for myself. The Zehra supplement contains Peptan Collagen, to help stimulate collagen production, improve skin hydration and re-densify the dermis.

To find out more about rubybox and how to order your own bespoke sample beauty box click here.

For more beauty reviews and product news click here.

Beauty, Beauty Products, Reviews and Features

Lady Gaga Fame

I recently received a sample of the new Lady Gaga fragrance, Fame, from the Beauty Bulletin, to review. This exciting new fragrance is the first of its kind in fluid technology; the black fluid turns transparent once it is airborne – freaky right! We would expect nothing less than off-the-wall, from the pop Diva!

The technology behind this magic show is called “push-pull technology”, where the ingredients interact together to highlight different olfactory aspects of each note at the same time, resulting in complete harmony. The scent has three main properties being: dark, sensual and light.

The dark component comes from the mysterious Belladonna, the deadly nightshade, which evolves into a sensual combination of dripping honey, saffron and apricot nectar. To round off the scent crushed Tiger Orchid and Jasmine Sambac bring in a lighter more floral note.

When sprayed on the skin you can actually see the fluid change from a black to translucent which, truth be told, is rather amazing! The actual scent is warm and very sensual, pretty much my favourite type of fragrance. It is very sultry and the epitome of sophistication, perfect for wearing out in the evening to compliment your sexy little LBD.

For me the scent is as important as the bottle it comes in and this is one really sexy bottle, I received the tester bottle to review and would love to see the full size bottle in “the flesh”! Fame is definitely going to be appearing on my Christmas or Birthday list!

Thank you to the Beauty Bulletin for the opportunity of trying this amazing new fragrance!

* 30ml of Fame R400 and 50ml R500, available in retail outlets in South Africa.