Liquid Gold: Five Hacks for Moroccan Oil

OK, confession time, I am about as late to the Moroccan Oil party as can be. Actually, I tried it years ago, when everybody else was raving about it and I didn’t get the hype. My brother, who had been travelling in Morocco brought me back a bottle of “real” Moroccan oil as a souvenier. If I was using it wrong that’s on me, but it made my thin and fine hair lank and greasy, and in frustration I retired it thinking it wasn’t for me and my hair type.

About 12 months ago I had a culinary disaster and burnt off a chunk of my hair (because that is just the sort of thing I do). And as the front part of my hair has grown back it is still a bit dry and frazzled, and sticks out at a curious angle, and no amount of frizz ease has managed to tame it. Hair oil seemed like a reasonable solution. After checking a few out I picked up the OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Miracle In-Shower Oil and now I couldn’t function without it, I seem to be finding more and more uses. Here are five miracle uses I have discovered, with this multitasking gem.

Hair Oil

Let’s start with the obvious bit, what this stuff is marketed for, hair oil. My last foray into hair oil I had been using this post shower, now I pop it in before I shampoo, focusing on my burnt frizz and my ends. It gives my hair the boost of moisture it needs, because I love a bit of volumising shampoo, which is notoriously dehydrating, this is the fix my thirty hair needed. My hair is not just moisturised at the front, which is what I needed, it is glossy throughout.

Skin Care

I didn’t know you could even use Moroccan oil on your skin, but the bottle suggests it as a use. So I gave it a quick blast, because it couldn’t hurt. My skin was silky and smooth, in fact my dry winter skin hadn’t looked so plump in months. I have been using it as a weekly face mask letting it sink into my skin while I take a bath, it all feels super luxurious.

Eczema

If you read my post on cleansers, you’ll know I’ve had a couple of runs in with eczema over the last couple of months after reacting badly to new cleansers. There is nobody alive that wants that on their face, and I have been desperately seeking a quick fix cure that isn’t the usual doctor prescribed steroid cream (been there and done that with previous outbreaks, I’m yet to be prescribed one which works). I’ve been massaging in a barrier of Moroccan oil to the affected areas while showering. It’s certainly helped in bringing down the redness and easing the irritated feeling of my skin. A quick google told me that Moroccan oil is rich in a rare form of vitamin E which helps repair the skin. As the eczema has fade I have found that my skin hasn’t been left with an scarring which I have suffered from previously.

Shaving

We’ve all tried out baby oil to shave with before, but since Moroccan oil seems to be the multitasker supreme of the beauty world I thought I would give it a whirl. After all there isn’t much point keeping around two products which have the same function. Performance wise there isn’t a whole lot of difference between them, luxury wise, this one wins hands down, and my skin looked less red and irritated in more sensitive places. I’d definitely recommend this over the baby oil, especially if you don’t often use oil to shave.

Nails

We all love an at home manicure right? I’m not exactly skilled with nail varnish, but that doesn’t stop me. I’ve used it a few times now as a cuticle oil before letting loose with the polish. I wish I could say it really makes it look like I’ve had a professional manicure, but … my skills only extend so far, but it makes my nails look so much healthier, and if you’re having a pampering session then this really adds to the experience.

Do you have any other uses for Moroccan oil? Some amazing hack that you think is life changing. I’d really love to hear it, as finding hand uses for this product has become a bit of an obsession.

The Glow Down: New In Beauty Spring 2018

I decided to spend too much time and money in Boots, and find out what new makeup they had in stock. For spring it seems like it’s all about the getting that glow, and if there is one brand who have really nailed the spring trends it seems to be L’oreal. I should probably rename this the L’Oreal haul or something, although stay tuned for some special guest appearances from a couple of other brands.

Benefit’s Pearl Porefessional Primer isn’t the newest product out there, but it’s still a fair recent addition to their line. I love the original Porefessional, although I don’t particularly have any skin concerns that tend in that direction the feel and finish is amazing so I keep repurchasing. I have long wished it was a little less matte, and slightly more glowy. So I was pretty excited to try this product. Don’t expect it to be a blinding glow. But it does add just a hint of pearl to your skin. Along with this I also picked up the original Porefessional and some more High Beam, both of which are staples when I’m going all out with my makeup. Since, spring trends seem to be focused on glowing, pearlised finished High Beam I know I can rely on the High Beam to deliver just that.
I also picked up a couple of makeup brushes from Spectrum, I’ve been contemplating some new brushes for a while, but options in store have been fairly standard and limited until this point. These are soft and beautiful, as well as a reasonable price point. I picked up B01 Buffing Foundation Brush and A10 Small Fan Brush, because I’ve been applying highlight with a blush brush for years and it’s not the easiest way to apply it.
Of everything I picked up Max Factors Colour PrecisionEye Shadow is the winner. The shade I selected was Pearl Beige and it is beautiful. I’ve not seen eyeshadow in a tube in the drugstore for years, and this made me instantly nostalgic for a little gold number I used to wear for dance makeup as a kid. It also brought to mind the CoverFX shadows. It hasn’t let my expectations down. I’ve worn it everyday, with a matte crease colour it makes my eyes pop while still being neutral. It also lasts all day and is quick and easy to apply with just the applicator and a finger to blend.

Now we should probably move on to my product fails. I want to preface this by stating that they are all amazing products, which I have donated to friends, but which are no good to me personally. I’m an avid reader of ingredients lists for skincare, but I’ve never had an issue with makeup before, although I do check mascaras. L’Oreal seemed to have the edge on all the glowy spring launches, I wanted them all. But coconut oil features heavily in their formula, which is great for a product that goes on smoothly and beautifully. I didn’t notice until I got home and put the Nudista Skin tint on my face that it was making me itch. Only at that point did I check its ingredients and then the ingredients of everything else I’d picked up. It would be nice if it was easier to read the ingredients on makeup, there is nothing more awkward than peeling off labels in shops.

To summarise, the Bonjour Nudista Skin Tint has a great finish, with a bit of effort, although the shade range is quite limited if you’re pale, the colour Fair is a good light shade, if you’re dark skinned you may have some issues. Life’s a Peach Blush is the most beautiful shade for spring and summer, it has just a hint of glow, despite being matte, and it smells like peaches which was a pleasant surprise. Finally there was La Vie En Glow pallet in Cool Glow, I’m not sure about the blue shade, moonlight, it was very blue on my pale skin and popped a bit too much, but the other three shades are beautiful, I was half tempted to keep this pallet as I don’t often use highlight and I thought if I used it sparingly it wouldn’t affect me too much. In summary I’d recommend these products and feel over all a bit disappointed that I can’t use them and embarrassed that I wasted so much money.

Back to the L’Oreal wins now, the Color Riche Shine Lipsticks are stunningly packaged and remind me of the grown up version of the Revlon Lip Butters (who remembers those?), without the weird grainy glitter in them. They are semi sheer, but with more pigment than a tinted lip balm. I love how fresh and light they seem, even though I still love a matte lip, they are much more in line with the dewy spring makeup look. I picked up #MLBB, I’ve mentioned the never ending nude quest before, it’s too brown toned to be my lips but better, but at least it is neither too light nor too dark to be my nude, and I can see I’ll get plenty of wear out of it. I also love a sheer red lip in the summer, nothing too strong and pigmented, but just a hint of something bright and cheerful, Insanesation will be just perfect for that specification. On the lips these last as well as you would expect a sheer slightly glossy lip product to last, although Insanesation left behind a nice stain when it had worn off.
Paradise Lash Mascara has been doing the rounds for a little while now, and in fact I picked this up quite a while ago. My impression of it is much like everybody else’s. AMAZING. It gives my lashes awe inspiring length, and volume, it doesn’t clump, it doesn’t run, it doesn’t give me panda eyes, I don’t end up with a weird clumpy clod of eyelashes on my left eye (a very specific issue). My only complaint is the amount of product which comes out the tube each time, I have to spend ages wiping it off and trying not to waste any, and it’s a pretty messy process. But this is a product that I will repurchase frequently.

Fifty Facts About Me

I think it might be time for a get to know me post. So here are fifty interesting, mildly interesting and probably even some boring facts about me.

1) I’ve always consistently wanted to write books. I wrote my first story when I was three, it was about a girl who dances naked in a field and dies of a fever. I must have been a really twist child!

2) I wasn’t taught to read, I simply picked it up as I went along and could read before I started school.

3) Despite this I was diagnosed with dyslexia, very late on, just after my twenty-first birthday.

4) I don’t know what my favourite book is. It depends on the day.

5) I am a huge huge Jane Austen fan, my love of the internet started with Jane Austen fanfiction.

6) I had a story plagiarised, I still can’t get my head around the idea that somebody was making money off something I wrote when I was sixteen.

7) Although Mr Darcy is of course Mr Darcy, I have a literary crush on Henry Tilney.

8) I have a degree in Medieval History, I’d been meaning to read English until I started studying Chaucer.

9) I also have a masters in History Theory. It was probably the poorest financial decision I’ve ever made.

10) I wish I’d thought about becoming an architect, but then I remember that I’m useless at drawing and I don’t really like maths much either.

11) After I’d finished university I became a cliché working in a coffee shop.

12) I still hate coffee. It smells so good, but it tastes so different.

13) I neither love nor hate marmite. I can’t be the only person who is indifferent to the stuff, right?

14) I have been putting together a world carbonara ranking since I was ten years old. It’s my absolute favourite food ever.

15) I’m allergic to tomatoes (mildly) and coconuts (hideously). Aside from food allergies I’m also allergic to chicken pox and penicillin.

16) I’m lactose intolerant, but not very good at it because obviously there is pizza and tea and chocolate in the world and I have zero self-control. And of course there is the aforementioned spaghetti carbonara too.

17) The only food I absolutely will not touch is beef. Although I wouldn’t eat pork after watching Babe.

18) Pigs are my favourite animals.

19) I claimed to hate sushi for years and year, but I’d never tried it. I’ve only just learnt I love it and now I can’t believe I’ve deprived myself of it for so long.

20) As a kid Disney was largely banned in our house, although we were allowed to watch anything we were given.

21) I still haven’t seen Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, but I know that Belle is my favourite princess anyway.

22) I watched The Little Mermaid for the first time in an A-level history class, my teacher was honestly concerned I hadn’t seen it yet.

23) Even though I’m not an avid fan of the films I’ve been to Disneyland Paris four times, the most recent this summer.

24) I haven’t travelled as much as I’d like, but I loved Egypt when I had the chance to go there.

25) Going on holiday with me is quite hectic, I get a bit obsessed with site seeing, and I really want to see it all before I leave. I’m not one for lazing around by the pool.

26) The one place in the world I’m desperate to visit in Venice.

27) I have a twin brother, who is my complete opposite in personality. He was like my human security blanket when I was little.

28) I’m related to Samual Morse, the inventor of Morse Code, which is cool, but would be better still if I was also related to Inspector Morse.

29) My Dad has one hundred and twenty first cousins, but I only have one half cousin.

30) To this day I’m convinced I once levitated around my house when I was eight. Sadly, the rational side of my brain knows I must have dreamed it.

31) I love Harry Potter so much I thought that was a sure fire sign that I’d get my Hogwarts Letter.

32) I believe in ghosts, and have lived in two houses with a spirit. One was friendly and the other ceased her hostilities eventually. I swear I’m not totally crazy.

33) I am a cat person, and have always lived with cats. I only have one right now, I call him Bear.

34) I’d like to keep chickens and goats for pets too.

35) If I was really really rich, the most extravagant thing I would spend money on would be wearing new socks every single day.

36) I absolutely love clothes, but somehow I can’t figure out why I keep running out of storage space.

37) My biggest fashion gripe is that a lot of clothes are made for women without women’s shapes.

38) I wear a GG bra, they’re all real, and it’s quite a burden. Should I even be telling the internet this?

39) I wasn’t interested in makeup in my teens. I didn’t really wear it until I was twenty-one.

40) Like a lot of people, I got into makeup watching YouTube Beauty Gurus. I found it relaxing watching makeup tutorials, I used it as a way of calming my anxiety.

41) Somehow I’m still not particularly good at applying it myself, I guess I just lack any sort of artistic talent.

42) I love dancing, I started ballet when I was three years old, and even though I’m pretty clumsy I’m sure it would have been ten times worse without.

43) As well as ballet I’ve studied tap, modern, jazz, latin and ballroom.

44) I can play the piano and clarinet, but only where there’s nobody around to hear me.

45) Everybody thought I would become an actress, despite being painfully shy.

46) Whenever I meet a famous person I don’t have a clue who they are. This includes, but is not limited to Prince Charles and Camilla. More embarrassingly I once told Jasper Carrot I thought he was a black man (I was nine, my parents still love to tell the story).

47) My friends all call me giraffe, because of my skinny legs. Each different group has come up with this idea independently.

48) I lived in London for five years, I used to think I’d be there forever, but I’m happier in my field in the country now.

49) Sometime I feel like the only person who’s lost and confused by live. But other days I think I adult quite convincingly. Does everybody feel as at sea as me.

50) I’m sorry I cannot think of a fiftieth fact! So I lied, it’s only forty-nine semi interesting facts about me.

What’s in My Bag

To be perfectly frank this isn’t just a what’s in my bag post, this is motivation to have a good spring clean inside my bag. It might be only just February, but spring is on its way, I hope anyway. Even though I do have a sift through on a pretty weekly basis and pull out the most offensive rubbish, somehow my bag has got itself into a pitiful state. I’m holding a busted makeup bag zipper and a ripped travel card wallet entirely responsible. It has absolutely nothing to do with my Mary Poppins like tendencies.

Let’s start with the bag. This is the best bag I have ever owned. My Osprey Rebecca Hobo Bag was

bought in TK Max two years ago (seriously the best place to buy a good bag), it manages to achieve smart and professional and relaxed all in one go, I think it’s the suede tassel. It’s light weight and I can carry everything but the kitchen sink in it without struggling. That said I do think the bag is losing its shape a little bit, and I’m almost convinced that is because I completely over stuff it, otherwise the leather is holding up well, and the handles are still completely attached to the bag. I love this so much I’ve started looking for another one as a direct replacement – a girl can hope right?

So what’s inside, and what am I fixing and replacing? I’ll try and be completely honest and even tell you the most embarrassing details about my lack of organisation. The first thing out is my purse, from Radley, which I got for Christmas, I’ve been using Radley purses for years, but specifically asked for one in the medium size, as I have a tendency to overstuff my purse as well as my bag. And yes, I am one of those people who keeps their purse in the dust bag! I also always carry recyclable shopping bags, the ones from Paperchase are particularly good as the fold up small into a pouch which attaches to the bag so you can’t lose it. If I’m out shopping I also usually carry a note pad and pen, because I love a shopping list and a to do list.

The other essentials I always carry are my keys, complete with ridiculously large pompom keyring, a

phone charger, and my glasses case, which occasionally contains my glasses. I also have a travel wallet, for my Oyster Card (I moved out of London quite a while ago now), as well as expired travelcards from Paris and Barcelona and a ticket from my first trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, back in 2013. What can I say I’m a hoarder? There were also twenty-six old train tickets. I think you’ve guess this is why my travel card holder was broken and spewing out all over my bag. I replaced the old wallet with a new one also from Paperchase, it seems quite sturdy, but it doesn’t fit into the card pocket in my bag unless I put it in sideways, which is slightly irritating.

I don’t carry around a huge makeup bag, just the bare essentials (uh, theoretically). I replaced the one with a broken zip for this slimline marble effect one I picked up at a local pharmacy. Inside I carry my Laura Mercier Mineral Pressed Powder in Tender Rose, this is good for a touch up or as a complete base. There are two lip products, a Clinque Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry and my favourite Avon’s Matte Lipstick in Tempting Mauve, one is more every day and the other more dressed-up. In the name of honesty I cleared out another eight other lip products. I also carry around the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lipbalm because it’s winter and my lips are insanely dry right now.

The bag also doubles up as a little first aid kit – I’m clumsy and allergy prone, so I have some plasters, bits of medication, my inhaler and sanitary items. Finally, it contains a travel sized pack of makeup wipes, or babywipes because they’re just useful. Loose in my bag I also carry around a travel sized Tangle Teaser which is compact and lightweight and always good when you need to quickly smarten yourself up.

Lastly, I carry around some slightly more usual items. Because I live in England and the weather is, well everybody knows what English weather is like you’ll never find me without an umbrella, I’ve had this one for years, I wish it was lighter, but I adore the pattern. I also usually have a hat and scarf in my bag, if I’m not wearing them, I’m always cold. Because where I live there are no street lights, I have a teeny tiny light weight torch from Maglite, it’s useful for walking back from dance classes and nights at the pub. And then there is my tea collection. I always have teabags with me, usually I have some fruit teas, but at the moment I just have some English Breakfast, because again I’m English, and I’m fussy about tea.

The last item I carry in an unused pocket, where it’s being kept safe. It’s highly sentimental, although I’ve never read it and it is just a piece of paper. It was one of hundreds of letters written by my Great

Aunt to my Grandad, somehow I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out when clearing out his house. Again my hoarding tendencies are making an appearance here, but it was hard to throw out their weekly letters. I’ve kept it, although it was never intended for me because I wanted something to cling onto.

But it’s a handbag, at the end of the day it gets filled with some fairly bizarre items, earlier this week there was an empty egg box inside, there’s often food, bits and drabs of shopping, hair straighteners, greetings cards and bits of post and even pairs of shoes! It’s not always kept in the most perfect condition, sometimes there are old sweet wrappers inside. I think it’s a sign of a real life with a functional handbag. So what treasures do you keep hidden in yours?

Maybelline and Gigi Hadid Eyeshadow Pallet: A Novice’s Review

I love makeup, although I had reached my twenties before using it much or realising it. I have no talent for applying it, so please have no expectations of an amazing tutorial from me, but sometimes I think that is what you need from a product review. How functional is this for the average every day not professional make-up aficionado? I’ve lost count of the number of times I have fallen into the trap of making a purchase, based on a beauty guru’s recommendation, only to find myself severely disappointed with the product, because I don’t have the skills to make the colour pop, or the blend so flawless, or the pigmentation so rich.

At £13.99 I had been, understandably, leery of purchasing the new Gigi Hadid Eyeshadow pallet collaboration with Maybelline, but the neutral pink shades were calling to me, it was incredibly appeal to me, and it had some amazing an unusual metallic shades. But, I was lucky enough to be gifted this by a friend for Christmas, and I love it. I love the shades, I love the size, I love how multifunctional it is. Dare I utter the cliché? It’s the sort of product that would be amazing to take on holiday.

I have two eyeshadow pallets, which I love, and use fairly regularly (I don’t wear any eye-makeup day to day). Both of them are by L’oréal, my go to smokey eye is the Colour Riche quad in Marron Glacé, this is the most buttery and pigmented eyeshadow I have ever used, but I can only create the one look out of it. I also have the La Palette Nude in Rose, which is, as you have probably guessed, full of ten pinky nudes, I use this on days I was to do something a bit extra with my daily makeup, although I’ve used it to make a smoky eye before. I thought I would use these as a point of comparison for the new Maybelline pallet.

Formula wise the Maybelline pallet is reasonably creamy, especially the metallic shades Gi Force (the gold one) is mind-blowing when swatched, I’ve never found anything similar in the drugstore, the three matts are a little more hit and miss. Carbon Canyon is lovely, the deep purple East Valley is a little patchy but overall pretty good, especially for such a dark shade. I found that Butterfly Lane, the mauve shade was on the chalky side, and my makeup brush took chunks out of it. It was also the colour which I thought I would get the most use of, it’s an amazing crease colour.

The pigment in them is great, I noticed that Carbon Canyon, Butterfly Lane and Magic Hour were not entirely dissimilar to shades in the Rose La Palette Nude, and swatching them side by side the Gigi Hadid pallet was a lot easier to work with, you get more pigment, I think because the formula is creamier.

In terms of functionality the Maybelline pallet is pretty spectacular, it comes with instructions for one eye look which uses all six shades. I’m pretty sure that if I were to try this it would look like a muddy overkill, I shall leave it to the more talented among you. But I have been able to create three other looks.

Again, not a makeup artist. Actually, not any sort of artist. But a complete novice like myself was able to create three looks which I was happy with. Firstly, a nice neutral day to day look, with Butterfly Lane in the crease, Carbon Canyon all over the lid and light dusting of Magic Hour in the centre of my lid, ridiculously easy and fail save. I’d probably repurchase this pallet just to recreate this look again and again.

The second look was a more smokey evening appropriate look, I used Butterfly Lane all over the lid and crease, East Valley in the outer corner and lower lash line, and Gi Force on the lid as well, with Off Duty in the inner corner, it is an incredible inner corner shade. I will say that Gi Force wasn’t so easy to apply to my eye as it was to swatch, but I loved the shimmer.

The final combination was a little more out there for me. Full of metallics. This time I used Carbon Canyon in the crease, Off Duty on the inner third of my eye, magic hour in the centre and Gi Force in the outer corner, with just a little touch of Butterfly Lane. Honestly I’d save this for days I was feeling brave and wanted something totally out there, or if I was going to some sort of futuristic fancy dress.

The final verdict is I would buy this again. Without hesitation. But of course it is limited edition and will be long gone from the shelves before I am even half way to pan. For an “everyday” neutral look it is absolutely a winner. But I also loved the smokey look I was able to create. Do I think it’s one of the best pallets I’ve ever used, yes! It’s functional, flattering and flexible. It’s about to become a mainstay in my makeup bag.

Avon Calling

We have an elderly Avon Lady in our village, we also barely have a bus service, consequently she is the gateway to all your cosmetics needs. The closest “drugstores” aren’t what you’d call bountiful. My beauty addition is now being supplied by Avon, and it’s given me an opportunity to rediscover some old loves and try out some new. So here it is, Avon makeup, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Eyes. I’ve been in a committed relationship with Benefit Bad Gal lash for the last few years, as without an Avon lady my stock had run low on True Colour Supershock Mascara, oddly I don’t enjoy ordering it online as much as through the catalogue. It makes my lashes look ridiculously long and it doesn’t make me look like a panda. What more can you want from a mascara?

I am no makeup guru, a better description would be a novice. I’ve only just, about, mastered eyeliner, after several years and many more pounds wasted attempting a cat eye, with various “miracle” tools, products and hacks I almost have it down. I cautiously ordered the Avon Glimmerstick Liquid Eyeliner, I’ve heard from a friend who had a brief stint as an Avon Lady they are some of Avon’s best sellers. I can see why, the tip is neither too fine nor too thick and chucky, the product glides on smoothly, and is a deep pigmented black. I love it for all its lack of gimmicks and will definitely be repurchasing.

Eye don’t know about this…

 

I can’t say the same for the Mark. Instense Kohl Longwear Eyeliner, it wasn’t a favourite, it required some building, and the smudging tool seemed almost redundant, the best I can say is I’ll use it up. 

The True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in Berry Love is a product I’ve been lusting after for years now, but it’s a rare occasion I venture beyond a neutral brown look, eventually though I caved, despite my previous experience of Avon eyeshadows and the acknowledgement that it was a frivolous purchase. The pigmentation isn’t the best, but it’s buildable, if you have a complimentary cream shadow underneath.

Lips. Until recently I’d never tried an Avon lip product I hated, so in my never ending quest to discover the perfect nude I tried out a few of their offerings. True Colour Perfetly Matte Nude in Tempting Mauve has become a fast favourite of mine. It claims to be more matte than Mac, I can neither confirm nor deny this. It’s not my perfect nude, more like an autumn plummy nude if that’s possible, I like the shade a lot despite not being what I set out looking for. It looks high end in its packaging, but is only £8.

Mark. Matte Liquid Lipstick in Dare to Bare on the other hand is miles away from my perfect nude, it seems to be a curious grey orange shade. I’m yet to decide if I like the colour or not, but its pigmented and creamy, although it does stay quite tacky on the lips. I’ve just never met anybody with lips even close to that colour. Despite the nude quest I also picked I up in Passion-it a plummy colour that seemed perfect for a dramatic look on a night out. The colour is patchy, and definitely needs some patience and layering, but it dries down unlike the nude one, so the formulas are quite different. Honestly, they don’t hold up against my favourite Bourjois Rouge Velvets.

Skin. In the past I’ve had a pretty rough experience with Avon foundation, my only advise is that they are good on pale skin. I decided to try out the True Colour Flawless Concealer Stick, mostly because it was being offered as a free gift, but also because my dark circles and I have been at war for a good few years now. I’ve yet to find a product that completely defeats them and I was a bit concerned that the stick form wouldn’t blend particularly easily and would crease under my eyes. But it doesn’t do any of that, I like it a lot.

Avon is pretty well known for its various Pearls, bronzing, colour correcting, illuminating, I could go on. I was thrilled to see that the Illuminating Face Pearls were still being made, I probably use them wrong, like a blush, but I really like the rosy glow they give to my skin. It’s probably a product I’ll purchase again and again.

Nails. I’m a sucker for nail varnish. I have more of the stuff than I have makeup. Avon is some of my favourite. My go to red is an Avon (Real Red if I must give up my secret), it’s better than any of the others I have, and yes I own a completely unnecessary amount of red polish. The brush applies smoothly, and the colour lasts well and is as chip proof as nail varnish can be. I also love their base coats, I’ve gone through about 5 bottles of the stuff. If my nails are in bad condition the Mineral Fix is my first and only stop for seeking a repair.

Pictured: Base coat, Berry Nutty and Cherry Jubilee

Despite the red fetish I tend to favour more neutral grey toned nail varnishes, something that doesn’t stand out too much on my nails and won’t need changing daily to co-ordinate with my outfit. So I picked up a couple of the Mark. Gel Nail colours, in Berry Nutty and Moody. Just like with every other Avon nail varnish I’ve tried the colour pay off is incredible. In the lazy girl world, you could easily get away with just one coat. In terms of longevity they are as good as Avon’s other polishes. Berry Nutty is practically identical to Essie’s Merino Cool, which is a long term favourite of mine. I did a little “science” and tried them both out against each other, in terms of wear they did equally well. I guess you could say they’ve nailed it!

So some of these products aren’t in my every day rotation, some of them have cemented themselves in there for the foreseeable future. I will always get a thrill from flipping through the Avon catalogue and seeing what the offers are and what’s new. In terms of value for money I think they are an entirely dependable brand that I will use for many years to come. The Avon lady has a great place in the community here, going around from door to door, making cosmetics accessible to the old and young inhabitants of the village, making it just a tiny bit more beautiful. I love discovering new products so if you have any Avon recommendations I would love to hear them!

What I got for Christmas

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without socks.  Of all the gifts I receive each year, it’s always the socks which I remember getting and can precisely date years later. This year, I’m going to keep a record for myself, and if anybody else wants to read (I like these, but I was born nosy) then by all means be as nosy as I am.

This year there is not a duff present in sight, everything I received was thoughtful and am excited to use each thing I received. First off, because I am still definitely young enough for Santa, he brought me a new Radley purse with a cute little motivational Beyoncé approved motto. I have a large purse and a tiny purse from Radley already, sadly I tend to over fill the large and the tiny one just isn’t big enough it’s also in a completely impractical pale pink colour. I’m fairly confident that this one, in a darker pink and a slightly larger size will be just right.

Santa was also nice enough to include the highly important socks, which are sparkly, pink and covered in cats, so they are utterly perfect. There was also a pair of rose gold earrings, which I cannot wait to have an excuse to wear. He also got me a manicure set from Avon, and their nail varnish is some of my favourite. There was also a portable charger that looks like a lipstick, this will be super useful to put in my handbag, my phone is reaching the end of its lifespan now and the battery has become unnervingly temperamental.  

Actually I got two portable chargers this year, which has made me wonder, why are these appropriate presents, considering you’re essentially gifting somebody a battery? Don’t get me wrong, I was really pleased with them both, they are useful and I’ve been toying with the idea of getting one for a while. But I’ve got this vague idea that gifting somebody just batteries is rude – I think I’d be upset if I unwrapped a packet. So what’s the difference?

From my gaggle of real and respectful nephews and nieces I got, some very sweet presents. A lovely plaid, grey and gold scarf. A copy of “Howard’s End”, which has just been televised and my love of a period drama and books is very well known, so I’d already been thinking about getting a copy and now I don’t have to! My nephew very proudly gifted me Taylor Swifts new album, because we love to dance to Shake it off, for five he is incredibly thoughtful. From a friend I also received a very cute little pink hat with a super fluffy pom pom, I’ve wanted one of these for years, but despite being an avid hat wearer, I look ridiculous is them whenever I try them on. She has somehow picked the only one on the planet I don’t look ridiculous in, and sadly it doesn’t have a label.

Otherwise I got clothes, mostly in burgundy. A cord pinafore from Oasis, which I have had my eye on for a while as it will be perfect for winter layering, I have to admit it’s quite tight around the boobs, and while I was zipping it up had some visions of Elizabeth Swann exclaiming, “Women in London must have learnt not to breath!” There was also a lovely top with a lace insert from New Look, that will look good in the spring paired with jeans and a leather jacket, I’m really excited to wear it.  

My mum also got me a Christmas jumper, although she gave me that for Christmas Eve. However frivolous it is I seem to have a new Christmas jumper every year now, which gets stashed away from pretty much twelve months of the year. I love the pale blue colour of it, most of my others are predominantly red, and the penguin design with the little bit of sparkle isn’t so ostentatiously Christmas that I’d only get away with it for a tiny portion of the year. It’s from Marks and Spencer, the only thing I would say is the fit of the arms is nothing short of bizarre.

The final thing I was really really excited by was a hot brush. I’ve been eyeing these up for a while now, because I have ridiculously fine hair and I will do anything for some extra volume. The one I have is from Remington and is from the Keratin Protection range. I love Remington hair tools, so I’m sure these will be good and I’m looking forward to experimenting with them to see how well they work.  

Aside from that I got a few other very Christmassy essentials, a time travelling diary and pen (no seriously half way thought the year becomes 2108, an excess of chocolate coins, a lot of bottles of prosecco, some money from the relatives living abroad, which will hopefully partially transform into a new watch, and a few smellies, and bits of makeup. I’m sad Christmas is over for another year, but I feel like I’ve been really lucky. How about you?