Lierac Hydragenist Rescue SOS Balm & Lip Balm

A while ago I came across a Lierac Hydragenist gift set in TKMaxx and Dot kindy got it for me as a gift one Valentine's Day. The set included the Lierac Hydragenist Rescue Balm and the Lierac Hydragenist Lip Balm in Rose inside a pink zip-up wash bag.

The Lierac Hydragenist Extreme Nourishing Rescue Balm is a facial balm for undernourished skin that oxygenates, moisturises and replumps the skin. It has a very rich, thick and buttery texture that is full of nourishing ingredients including glycerin, shea butter, rose flower water, sweet almond protein, rosehip seed oil, and rose flower extract. While it is an amazing product for nourishing very dry skin I should have known better and stayed away from it (can't resist a gift set) as it was very rich for my already oily skin so it wasn't very comfortable to use because of the heavy texture, however I wouldn't mind trying a lighweight version of it. I couldn't find the exact product in the pot, however I think it has been made into a face mask that has almost the same ingredients - maybe I should have tried it as a face mask too.

The Lierac Hydragenist Lip Balm in Rose is a nourishing and repairing silky lip balm with a rosy gloss effect. It is infused with shea butter, soybean oil, cocoa butter, rose flower wax, and castor seed oil. The texture of this buttery lip balm is beautiful and melts onto the lips on contact, and within minutes changes into a sheer bright pink on the lips as it reacts to pH. It has tiny glittery particles that are almost unnoticeable once on and leaves a slightly glossy finish that's it's not sticky, greasy, heavy or waxy. I believe the beautiful metallic effect packaging was a limited edition but it's now available as a crayon. This lip balm is one of my favourites and would definitely repurchase it as a treat. 

Find the Lierac Hydragenist collection on Lookfantastic and Allbeauty.

Have you tried any Lierac products?

xo

New Holiday Collection: All The Jingle Ladies

I created a new design for my store: All The Jingle Ladies, using the holly I painted a while back, combining it with a Christmas inspired take on Beyonce's Single Ladies song in bright red text. It's available in cushions, phone cases, mugs, greeting cards, notebooks, tote bags, t-shirts and more. Find the whole collection of products in my Redbubble shop.

xo

Mysterious Plant

A couple of months ago I was gifted this plant, which I had no idea what it was called. Fast forward a few weeks and it started growing some interesting looking appendages. I got curious and took a picture to identify it using the google photos app, and it turns out this plant is called Peperomia Caperata, and those pointy growths are actually covered in miniature flowers. I've grown fonder of this plant now I know more about it, I just hope I can keep it alive ha.

xo

New in: September & October 2020

Samples galore these last couple of months. I got a Benefit Gimme Brow+ mini in a magazine, and a Elizabeth Arden Hyaluronic Acid Ceramide Capsule sample pack. 

Some wardrobe fresheners and a mini staple as gifts. Then the Superdrug magazine came with 4 samples: a Colgate Gum Invigorate Revitalise Mouthwash (not pictured), a Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Air Soft sachet, Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Cream, and a full size bottle of the Revolution Onyx Primer. 

Dot got me a new pair of slippers and a mini iris plant with a house shaped pot, an anthurium, as well as a succulent in a hedgehog shaped pot. 

More samples from the last couple of months include lots of perfume ones: Valentino Voce Viva, Tom Ford Black Orchid, YSL Libre, Dior J'Adore and Armani My Way (not pictured). 

xo

New Adidas Floral Trainers

Adidas released a pair of floral designs on the Stan Smith and Superstar trainer models. They are available to buy exclusively at Office. Both styles feature a retro white upper with floral printed accents and are finished with a printed floral insole. I really like the Stan Smith version, what about you?

Find the new adidas floral at Office.

xo

Harrods Beauty Opening at Lakeside

Last moth we ventured to the outside and visited Lakeside Shopping Centre for the first time in ages. However it also happened to be the opening of the new Harrods Beauty, a dedicated space where you can find a vast collection of beauty products from luxury and high demand brands. 

I really liked the giant makeup display, the teddy bear art piece at the entrance and also the beautiful chairs at the Gucci section. I was quite excited to find out they had a counter exclusively stocked with The Ordinary products, where I picked out a couple of things that Dot got me for Christmas.

Have you visited Harrods Beauty?

xo

Barbie x Skinny Dip London

Pink & Red Logo Jumper £25.00 // Retro Silicone Case £18.00 

Bling Fur Makeup Bag £16.00

Printed Tote Bag £8.00 // Frill Eye Mask £10.00

Nostalgia alert! Skinny Dip London have teamed up with Barbie to launch a new apparel and accessories collection including tops, phone cases, bags and more. Pictured above are my top 5 favourites. Shop the full collection on the Skinny Dip London website. 

xo

Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment

A while back Dot got me the Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment along with some other nice things for my birthday. 

Because I don't wear foundation, I was very interested in trying this cream as I wanted to reduce redness and conceal any problem areas or spots without having to resort to makeup. 

The Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment is a green tinted cream with Centella Asiatica meant to neutralise redness and protect the skin with it's SPF 30/PA ++. The 'Green Cell Stress Relief' technology helps soothe sensitised skin resulting from external environmental stressors. 

The packaging has the following directions: "after toner and serum, apply a moderate amount onto sensitised skin. The protecting treatment will change from green to beige to correct any redness to even out skin tone before makeup application."

Usually, I take a pea sized amount and put it on the back of my hand, then proceed to apply small amounts where needed and blend with my fingers. The cream definitely helps conceal any redness, uneven skin tone, pores and mild texture irregularities. So it would make a great primer if you do wear makeup, however if I'm going out I only apply some translucent powder on top. 

As it is a cream, it has a medium texture but it is not greasy or leave my skin looking shiny, and if you have dry skin you could probably get away with not applying any mattifying powder on top. 

All in all, I would definitely recommend this cream as it is a great way of improving the look of skin, not just instantly but also in the long run, without wearing any makeup. 

Find Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment on Beauty Bay, Cult Beaty and ASOS.

xo

PS. If you like this product as much as me, you can buy stickers, prints and cards with my watercolour illustration of it.

Top 5 Moschino Icing Details Bags

Piece of Cake Bag // Chapelier Bag

Icing Shoulder Bag

Little Cake Box Bag // Macaron Bag

Moschino, a fashion house known for its irreverent designs since it was taken over by Jeremy Scott, has released a new AW collection with garments and accessories inspired by the patisserie world. Pictured above are my top 5 favourite bags from the collection. 

xo

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

On Valentine's Day Dotcito got me a couple of skincare items, and with them he included the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, which is meant for all skin types, is rich in amino acids and claims to gently cleanse face and eyes. 

The Fresh Soy Face Cleanser has a lightweight gel consistency and doesn't really lather, however it is gentle on my skin and cleanses well without leaving my skin feeling dry or tight. 

This cleanser is very quick and easy to use and leaves skin very soft, it also has a light, natural scent that doesn't linger and it can be used to remove eye makeup, however I can't comment on that as I have only used it for my face because I haven't really been wearing eye makeup (or even going out for that matter ha!).

I think this cleanser is definitely something you could try if you want to treat yourself to a gentle cleanser that can multitask and leaves your skin soft and supple.

Find the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser at Cult Beauty.

xo

List of Enemies Stationery Collection

One of the newest designs available in my Redbubble shop is this List of Enemies number. It is originally a design thought to go on stationery, however it also looks good on the phone cases, mugs, zipper pouches and laptop sleeves and skins, plus the extra blank area means it can be customised with some patches or stickers to make it truly your own. 

Find the whole List of Enemies collection in my Redbubble shop.

xo

Video: On My Birthday

 

A video I took ages to edit and publish as it is actually from my birthday last year. This year we did want to go out for dinner but turns out someone in our party had to wait for their test results as they had been hanging out with someone that had the virus, then their test came back negative but the restaurant was all booked up as it was when they had tax free dining during the week. So this year we had some Indian takeaway for my birthday.

xo

Wholesale Hair at BrazilianHairTop

 *This is a sponsored post.

There are a lot of reasons why somebody would choose to wear a wig or extensions, whether it is to simply change up their look, they dislike their hair's natural texture, they don't want to damage their natural hair by using heat styling or dyes, they can't wait for their hair to grow longer or sadly, they might have a health problem that impedes their hair from growing.

However this is where wigs and hair extensions from hair vendors come in handy because it means that for the follicularly challenged these type of wearable products can provide some relief and improve self confidence.

At BrazilianHairTop they have over 15 years of professional experience producing human hair bundles, full lace wigs, lace front wigs and hair extensions. They are also suppliers of raw materials for a number of different factories. So if you are looking to start a business in the wigs and extensions sector, BrazilianHairTop can provide you with all the products you need.

The wide range of products on offer at the BrazilianHairTop website include hair sourced from six different nations, including Brazil, Peru, Malaysia, India, Cambodia and China, and eight different textures comprised of Straight hair, Body Wave, Deep Wave, Deep Curly, Loose Wave, Water Wave, Kinky Curly and Kinky Straight. 

At BrazilianHairTop there is also the option of Drop Shipping, so if you are really interested in starting a business using 100% natural hair products, even if you don't have a big warehouse to store lots of stock, or you don't have time to pack and ship orders, they can take care of those things for you. 

If you would like to find out more about the different type of hair products, textures, colours and prices they offer, take a look at the BrazilianHairTop website where you can make an enquiry and they will reply to you within 12 hours. 

xo

Aromatherapy Associates Orange Flower Mattifying Moisturiser

A while back I found the Aromatherapy Associates Orange Flower Mattifying Moisturiser at Poundstretcher for under £5, as I recognised the brand and couldn't pass up such a bargain.

The Aromatherapy Associates Orange Flower Mattifying Moisturiser claims to "moisturise, protect, regulate and clarify the skin's complexion" with evening primrose, rice germ and neroli, while also "leaving it smooth and matt" thanks to the use of oat extract.   

The texture of this moisturiser is very light and lotion-like, it doesn't feel greasy and doesn't leave my skin looking shiny either, but it does make it look more even in tone and also makes it soft and supple. It gets absorbed fast and has a soft natural scent that doesn't linger, plus it wears well under my SPF and would probably make a good primer under foundations.

Originally I wasn't expecting too much from this moisturiser as I thought it was just an overpriced brand but after trying out the Aromatherapy Associates Orange Flower Mattifying Moisturiser, I'm definitely interested in trying out more of their products, especially from the Mattifying range. 

Find the Orange Flower Mattifying Moisturiser on Aromatherapy Associates, AllBeauty and Liberty. 

xo

Friends x Revolution Makeup Collection

If you are a Friends fan then you are going to love this: Revolution has launched a Friends Makeup Collection consisting of 4 eye shadow palettes, 3 lipsticks and 6 lip glosses. 

There is a 27 eye shadow palette called Limitless, as well as 3 more eye shadow palettes named Rachel, Monica and Phoebe, with three different lipsticks named after them as well. And last but not least, 6 different shades of lip glosses: Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Ross and Joey.

The Friends x Revolution collaboration also comprises some accessories to help you apply and organise your new makeup: a cosmetic bag in 2 different styles, a hand held mirror and a pack of hair scrunchies.

My favourites have got to be the Phoebe Lipstick, Rachel Palette and Phoebe Lip Gloss.  

Find the Friends x Revolution Makeup Collection on ASOS, Revolution Beauty and Superdrug.

xo

Beautiful Personalised Notebooks at Old English Company

Ever since I can remember I've been a stationery fan, even when a lot of our work and life has gone digital there is always something so nice about having a physical version of our notes.

With people starting to go back to school and work, a beautiful personalised piece of stationery can make a great gift and give you the encouragement you need to start a new life chapter. Even if you are working from home, the right stationery can help you keep you motivated to stay on track. 

The people at Old English Company have generously sent me one of their beautiful personalised notebooks. I chose the Know Your Worth notebook which reads "Know Your Worth, Then Add Tax" and my name in gold foil, has a softback cover, 140 lined pages in 100 gsm ivory paper and is made in England using FSC certified wood.

I love the gold writing against the pink background and the quality of the paper is really good, I plan to use this notebook to keep track of my finances, which is why I picked that specific cover but they have lots of different notebook designs to choose from, all of which can be personalised with a name or short message. 

The Old English Company also gave me a 15% off discount code to share with you: OESPECBR15 so do check them out if you are looking to expand your stationery collection!

xo

Shapewear for All Occasions at FeelinGirl

*This is a sponsored post. 

Sometimes you have an absolutely amazing outfit ready for a very important occasion, however as women we all know that sometimes we could use an extra tool to make that beautiful dress look amazing from every angle - enter FeelinGirl: which is an online destination for all sorts of products that help you look and feel your best on that special day. They stock a wide range of waist trainers, thigh and arm trimmers, bodysuits, shorts and panties, neoprene shapers and even have a dedicated section on plus size shapewear.

  

In the FeelinGirl sports accessories section you can find a selection of thigh trimmers, which you can use to help with reducing the appearance of cellulite, help shed excess water weight and keep muscles warm, so it can be a great aid if used when working out. The one pictured above features three Velcro straps on each thigh and a waist belt for all over support and it comes in red, black, pink or green trims to match your sportswear. 

              

At FeelinGirl they also have some of the  best bodysuit shapewear, and above are pictured a couple of my favourites. The one on the left has detachable and adjustable straps, hook and eye closure for firm control and features plastic bone built in to avoid rolling. The design on the right has multi-way adjustable straps, a super stretchy and comfortable lace bralette style design, a high elasticity mesh in the tummy area for extra control and a lace trim at the thighs, which adds a feminine touch. They are both available in black and beige colours to best suit your outfit. 

So if you are looking for some hard working shape wear that you can use not just for under your special occasion outfit but also during a workout or even lounging at home, take a look on the FeelinGirl website.

xo

Miniature Pink Asiatic Lilies

A picture I took of the bouquet of flowers that Dot got me for our anniversary. It has beautiful fuchsia and pink dwarf Asiatic lilies as well as white roses and I wanted to capture it for posterity. I've also made this design available in my Redbubble shop (without the watermark, of course), where you can find it on over 80 different products including apparel, stationery, home accessories and more so if you like it please take a look at my shop.

xo

Our Anniversary

It was our wedding anniversary yesterday and Dot spoiled me with flowers, a card, a cute clear bag, and a Nintendo Switch bundle he made with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a pink Switch controller and a stand/charger. And my in-laws got me some PJs along with a card and some money. In the afternoon we went out for dinner and I had a chicken burger with some cheesy bacon chips which were yum haha.

xo

New In: July & August 2020

Because I haven't been shopping as much there haven't been as many New In posts in a while, but I've got a few items here and there over the last two of months, plus it was my birthday in August so I got a couple of things to show you.

Dot got me a little pink pot with a flowering plant from Tesco. I got a Hask Argan Hair Oil from Sainsbury's, and an Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask sample. 

From Poundland I got a Mermaid Plate, and a set of Paper Mate Inkjoy Pens. Another sample: this time a Michael Kors Wanderlust Sublime EDP. The cute Sesame Street Duvet Set is from Lidl. 

Some Mickey Summer PJs from Tesco, and a couple more samples: Aveda Nutriplenish Leave In Conditioner and a Loewe Paula's Ibiza Perfume. 

For my birthday I got a set of PJs from Primark, and Dot got me a Garnier Rose Micellar Water, Nivea Glow Cleansing Mousse and Superdrug Vitamin E Body Butter. Dot also got me some flowers, pearl earrings and an Osprey London Heidi Leather Bag. 

From my in-laws I got a Nails Inc Cosmic Blur Set, another set of pearl earrings, Superdrug Vitamin C Serum, and a Simply Pure Serum, as well as a Stationery Set, some chocolate and a pack of Paper Mate Ink Joy Pens. 

More skincare buys: Dove Argan Oil Soap, BYRE Full Cream Body Wash, a pair of Reusable Face Masks, a Unicorn Tape Dispenser from Poundstretcher, a Palmolive Coffee Love Shower Cream and a Sainsbury's Hair Conditioner.

xo

Nivea 1 Minute Urban Detox Mask

 A while ago I picked up the Nivea 1 Minute Urban Detox Mask as it was reduced to clear for around £1 in my local Superdrug and I can't resist a good bargain, especially when it comes to skincare. 

The Nivea 1 Minute Urban Detox Mask contains White Clay and Active Magnolia Extract. This face mask is meant to detoxify by reducing environmental stressors, exfoliate dead skin cells to provide extra deep cleansing, and purify skin while refining its appearance. 

What I found very interesting is the claim that it works in just 1 minute, which I obviously had to try to find out if it was true. I applied a thin layer all over my face and found that it dried quite fast. Something I didn't realise is that the mask has exfoliating particles (which isn't mentioned anywhere) and I rather it didn't have them as I prefer a chemical exfoliation over a physical one nowadays. 

After rinsing it off (very carefully to avoid irritating my skin with the exfoliating particles) I find that my skin feels softer, smoother and the next morning it is less oily with a more even looking tone.

There are some good ingredients in the Nivea 1 Minute Urban Detox Mask such as Kaolin, Glycerin, Shea Butter, Magnolia Extract and Castor Oil, however it contains some ingredients that aren't ideal in skincare such as Alcohol Denatured, which can dry skin out.

Overall, it is a nice affordable mask that is very quick and easy to use and produces noticeable results with minimal effort so I would recommend it if you have oily skin and are looking for a softening and smoothing clay face mask that works fast.

Find the Nivea 1 Minute Urban Detox Mask in Savers and Wilko.

xo