Late to the Party

Never thought I'd say this but I'm getting a bit bored of makeup! Not particularly my makeup collection, but just makeup in general. I just don't seem to be 'ooh-ing' over anything new I see at the moment. This is probably not a bad thing as it will hopefully stop me needlessly accruing items I don't need. I'm also currently feeling put-out by the idea of panning products at the moment too. I ended up dumping my sample of Nars foundation yesterday that I've been trying to use up recently, as it doesn't wear well and no primer seems to help, so why am I bothering with it? It was a free sample, for god's sake! I needed to let it go. So, to stop ennui completely taking over and putting the brakes on this project (that I hope to continue until, at least week 52) I've decided to have a free-for-all makeup bag week. I'll probably stick with the chosen basics, but I want to include several eye shadow palettes and not just use one per week

Has a month already passed since receiving the last Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box? It feels like the time has whizzed past. But in this instance, I'm not sorry. I was really, really looking forward to this, my second box from Skin Organics Clean Beauty.   The Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box is a monthly subscription service offering a selection of five full/deluxe sample sized natural beauty, skincare and makeup products.   100% natural, organic, non-toxic, eco-friendly, cruelty free, ethically sourced and often from up and coming British Indie Natural Beauty brands, the products chosen are free from Parabens, Petrochemicals, PEGs (petroleum-based compounds), silicones, Sodium Laureth or Lauryl Sulphate, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol , Synthetic Colours and Fragrances, Triclosan,  Formaldehyde, Toulene, Benzophenone/PABA, Petroleum/Mineral oil, Alcohol,  Urea, PEG, PG/BG, Dioxin, Aluminium, DEET, Camphor, Talc and Carmine. A monthly subscription costs £21.00 + £3.95 p+p

Last week's makeup bag was sooo boring! I almost gave up the entire project! It just felt dull and uninspired and not surprisingly, ended up in a few de-clutters! Single eye shadows were boring - I much prefer a good palette!   It's made me have a little re-think about panning projects too. Although I'm all for using what you have and trying to have less waste, the idea of chugging through a product that you are bored with just to use it up is starting to fill me with dread! Life is too short to be wasted on mediocre makeup!   So here's this week's choice - have I managed to pick products to inject a little joy back into the routine?     * Lumene Instant Glow Beauty Serum - this is a fantastic light coverage foundation for just evening out skin tone and texture. Best applied with fingers. The brush in the photo came with this serum, but I find it quite hard to work with. * E.L.F Undereye Primer - I'm not sure how much of this is left but it&#

Recently I had a little consumer-related battle with my 'other self'. I'd like to think that the dominant shopping personality within me is the savvy, money-saving, only-buy-if-you-need-it, wise one. But I think that my shopping history (and every page in this blog) shows that I am constantly fighting the 'buy it - it's pretty' personality that lurks just beneath, popping it's head up just at the wrong time (low on funds, trying to finish something else up, trying to ignore what everyone else has...)   The responsible side of me has a wish-list, it looks for the best deals, it tries to fight FOMO, it weighs up if a product is actually suitable for me, if it will work well, if there's space for it in my current routine.   It's a battle of sensible versus sparkly, basically!   You can see where I'm going with this preamble, can't you? Yes, I bought something because it was so unbelievably pretty and I just wanted it. Right now.

I haven't had a build-your-own Latest in Beauty box since February but in the past few months they've been doing things a little differently. From having featured brand weeks to giving sneak peaks via email of the items that will be featured as their 'product of the day'.   When they announced a few weeks ago that a Dr Jart Ceramidin trial box was going to appear as a product of the day during August, I pretty much camped out every morning waiting for the day for it to drop. Last Sunday was the day, and I was up bright and early to order my box featuring the Dr Jart set. They also offered (and it's still running throughout August) a special code for £5 off which meant that I got three products, plus free delivery for just £4!   I chose the 'Beauty Novice' Box which is usually £9.00 for 3 items BUY HERE The 'Beauty Enthusiast' Box is £15.00 for 6 items The 'Beauty Guru' Box is £18.00 for 9 items. £5 off in August Code: AUG5

It's with great reluctance that I pop my new Revolution Reloaded Velvet Rose palette back into the palette draw! What an amazing palette - such pretty shades and I was never stumped for a different look to create over the past seven days - I could have done more too, which made me think that I might even keep this in the weekly makeup bag for a second week running - but I absolutely need to share my time between the huge number of eye shadows that I have - and this week it's time for the singles to make an appearance. This isn't the jazziest of picks - this feels like a week where I might be making some decisions about more de-cluttering.   * Vita Liberata Self-Tanning Serum * Nars - All day Luminous Foundation sample in 'Mont Blanc' * E.L.F Under Eye Primer * Maybelline Age Rewind Under Eye Concelaer * Ilamasqua - Gel Sculpt Contour * Revolution Gradient Highlighter in 'Rose Quartz Light' (worn as a blush) * Physician's Formula -

Rosewater has long been an item I've kept in my skincare arsenal. In the past I used it for general misting and mixing with clay-type facial masks. But more recently, I've been enjoying using different floral waters more often and for more purposes.   Floral waters (or Hydrosols) are made by distilling fresh flowers, fruits, leaves, herbs and other plants. They are obtained during the same process as essential oil distillation but they are a much gentler alternative to essential oils (which generally cannot be applied directly to skin).   Note: It's very tempting to rush out and buy lots of different floral waters BUT remember that they have a reasonably short shelf-life - maybe as short as 3 months!   My current floral water collection     Rose Water Zenon Kition 100ml for £9.99 BUY HERE My favourite of all the floral waters. It's great for normal, dry, mature, sensitive skin and skin prone to redness. Helps to retain moisture, is mildly as

Another month another Look Fantastic Beauty Box! I've been subscribing to this box for nearly a year now which is pretty good going for me as I tend to get disillusioned with subscription boxes after about three months! These boxes have been reasonably consistent in bringing exciting and usable products, there have been a couple where the excited anticipation of opening a new box has turned to slight disappointment on seeing the contents, but I've not thought about un-subscribing.   The Look Fantastic Beauty Box is £15 per month (free P+P) Subscribe HERE   This month's edit is called 'Feel, Be, Look Fantastic'. The philosophy behind this is to have confidence in your beauty routine and being the best you can be (with the help of the products in this month's box).   So, how 'best' can me be this month?!     Box Design: 4/5 Two-tone summery-sky blues with a gold trim.   The Reveal!     Excitement Score: 3/5 Mostl