Late to the Party

  Lime and Lilac Light Facial Oil* 15ml £32/30ml £52 - BUY HERE Not all facial oils are created equal!  I've always loved using facial oils, and my usage always steps up during the colder months, but I've always felt that performance-wise they can be  much of a muchness. Until now, that is! Earlier this month, Lisa of Lime & Lilac sent me her eponymous light facial oil to try. After she first released it in April of this year this face oil quickly gained something akin to cult status on Instagram. It was clearly no passing fad as again and again, her oil would appear in so many feeds as part of skincare routine line-ups and self-care selections. I think this speaks volumes about a product - it's all well and good for there to be a flurry of activity when a new product is launched, but often you'll find that the momentum drops quite rapidly. Not so with Lisa's oil. I'll be writing a full review about this oil after a good testing period has ...

  I managed to get through Black Friday without succumbing to too many deals. I didn't buy any makeup and made sure I only took up offers from brands who were already on my skincare wish list. I very almost bought a Jouer 'Skinny Dip' highlighter as Cult Beauty were offering 30% off - but by the time I stopped dithering and decided to purchase, the deal had ended. I think this was probably a good thing in the end - it would have purely been an impulse buy and not something that I'd been thinking of buying previously.   I de-cluttered a couple of items this week  - The Ordinary Colours Foundation and the Model Co concealer. They just didn't work well and I don't feel like giving them any extra time to prove themselves - life's too short and there's plenty of others to take their place! I also finally finished off the Illamasqua Gel Sculpt Contour stick. I really liked this and would consider buying it again some day.   * Foundation - L...

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 BUY HERE    It's all about the Zzzzzzz's with the November theme of  'Sweet Dreams' - which I'm personally delighted about because I also, am ALL ABOUT THE ZZZZZZs! It's a perfect theme for this time of year when the ni...

Still going reasonably strong with my 'one month one palette' challenge - although at times I'm really wanting the inclusion of a blue-toned shade in the Morphe 35O Nature Glow palette, to compliment the copper shades in the palette! * Primer - Pixi - Probably going to need a primer this week due to the inclusion of The Ordinary foundation. * Foundation - The Ordinary - Coverage Foundation -I thought I'd remembered that the last time I used this (probably back in the summer) it hadn't been so bad. But it's actually quite cakey on me and I'm thinking that if it doesn't perform well this week then I might end up de-cluttering it. * Under Eye Primer - E.L.F * Under Eye Concealer - Model Co Instant Radiance (not pictured) - after using the Maybelline Age Rewind for a few weeks I can really notice the difference in performance (even after using the E.L.F under eye primer which usually sorts every concealer out) between the Maybelline and this conc...

  Sanctuary Spa isn't a brand that I'd usually seek out - not for any other reason than it's a brand that I associate with Christmas gift boxes and I often have a body lotion or shower gel hanging around from previous Christmasses!   But I was sent a selection of Sanctuary Spa products to review, including their classic Hot Sugar Scrub (still love that after all these years) and the equally classic Body Butter. But in amongst the well-known body care items were a couple of skincare items - which were new to me as I wasn't even aware that Sanctuary did skincare!   One of the items received was the Beauty Sleep Recovery Mask.     Sanctuary Spa Beauty Sleep Recovery Mask £14.00 for 75ml BUY HERE   After recently concentrating on and using a lot of natural skincare, I've become much more aware of product ingredients. It's been great to use products that contain simple and few natural ingredients. This sleeping mask contains...

I won a giveaway!! It was a bloody brilliant prize too - the Natural Beauty Box August 'Quench & Glow' sold-out box. And I was so, so happy to have won. Just check out what amazing products were in the box:     The Natural Beauty Box costs £24.95 (with free delivery within the UK) - Subscribe HERE       Chobs - Collagen Mask I've been seeing quite a lot of these Chobs masks on Instagram recently and hadn't realised that they were actually a South Korean brand. This sheet mask contains organic collagen extract, organic rosemary leaf and organic chamomile water. I've been off my masking game recently, so I'm looking forward to trying this one. I took a look at some of the other Chob sheet masks in the range and they all look pretty exciting. These retail at £4.10 and seem to be readily available online in the UK.     Bespoke Aroma - Uplifting Bath Tea and Peppermint Facial Mist Bespoke Aroma is a new-to-me band who I...

It's been a while since I shared my morning skincare routine. I try and keep it similar every week, with the exception of alternating which serums and treatments I use daily.     First Step - Cleanse Most days I use a toner as a morning cleanse (or just plain water). Once a week I'll use an exfoliating wash. I'm currently using the Zenon Kition Rosewater. I've been doing this for over a year now and it really helps with sebum control - I now very rarely have to use a face powder or get oily during the day.   Toner and Serums   Depending on what serum or treatment I'm going to use, I may opt for an acid toner - currently Pixi Glow Tonic or a nice hydrating toner - currently The Body Shop Vitamin E Toner . If my skin feels like it needs some extra hydration I'll use a lotion - currently Dr Jart Ceramidin . Then on to a step I take every morning - a serum to address redness/broken capillaries. I've just run out of my all-time favou...

Week two of using my new Morphe 35O Nature Glow palette and not even slightly bored yet! However, some of the other basics in my weekly makeup bag might feel a bit boring as they're all items I really want to finish off - particularly the Missha BB Cream. I've promised myself that if I finish a couple of foundations/BB Creams then I'll buy some Estee Lauder Doublewear Foundation.   * BB Cream - Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream * Undereye Primer - E.L.F * Undereye Concealer - Maybelline Age Rewind * Contour (not pictured) Illamasqua Gel Sculpt Contour * Highlighter - E.L.F Baked Highlighter in 'Moonlight Pearls' * Blusher - Nars/Sarah Moon in 'Isadora'. I'm finding this a little too dark for my complexion at the moment, which is a shame as it's a lovely blusher. * Eyes - Morphe 35O Nature Glow Palette * Mascara - Ciate Wonderwand  

Possibly one of the easiest natural recipes ever! I had a bunch of Lavender that dried pretty quickly quite naturally when left out in a sunny spot. It still smelled gorgeous so I didn't want to throw it (or make scented drawer sachets !) so I decided to infuse the dried lavender in some oil - with the intention of using the infused oil for some home made soothing lavender balm.    Steps:   1. Take off the lavender flowers and crush them or bruise them to allow the scent to be further released. It doesn't matter if you accidentally get any of the dried stems - although avoid the woodier bottoms of the stems.   2. Sterilise an old glass jar.   3. When this is air-dried, add the crushed lavender to the jar and fill the jar (leave a space between the oil and lid) with a carrier oil - I used Sweet Almond Oil.     4. Leave the oil and lavender mixture in a sunny place for 3 weeks or more.     5. When you feel you...