Hourglass Veil Eye Primer VS Nars Pro Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base

I know! Another new Hourglass purchase but, in my defence, my Nars Pro Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base is almost finished so I decided to try the Hourglass Veil Eye Primer out of curiosity. I've been using the Nars one since it was released and it is, without doubt, the best eye primer I've used. I have the delightful combination of oily lids and watery eyes so I need my eye products to be hard working and I never, ever apply shadow without primer because if I don't, within a few hours, my shadow will have either creased or disappeared! There are other big name primers out there that other people swear by but they just don't work for me. So I wanted to put the new kid on the block to the test and compare it to my usual favourite.

Budget VS Bougie - which is best?

Anything gifted to me is marked with a *

Does expensive always mean more effective? Not necessarily, in my opinion. One example that immediately springs to mind is Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream ( I love her makeup, in general,  but I could easily give her skincare, apart from her Clay Goddess, a miss, and can think of numerous, more effective moisturisers for half the price. Today, I thought I'd do a post on this exact subject - Budget VS Bougie - which is best? We all know I'm a fan of luxury beauty products but there also quite a few budget gems in my collection so I thought I'd do a showdown today! At the end of the day, buy within your budget, this is just for fun!

My Weekly At Home Facial #2

I might be behind in posting my weekly facials, but they are happening! I highly recommend to all of you to just take some time for yourself and gather up your favourite products and take the time to give yourself a facial. It doesn't have to be fancy products, in fact, taking the time to really massage products into your face is probably just as, if not more, important than the products you use. Here's what I used this week. My skin was looking dull but also thirsty so I wanted to banish all signs of that! As always, if any product was gifted to me, it will be marked with a *

The Spring beauty edit - the lockdown edition!

If a product was sent to me, it will be marked with a *

Ordinarily if I were posting a seasonal edit, it would be full of palettes, blushes, lipsticks etc but given that we're in lockdown (and I will be cocooning until August due to my pre-existing illness), this edit will look a little different! I will still wear makeup occasionally but it certainly won't be an everyday occurrence! That said, I will keep up with my weekly tanning ritual, simply because it makes me feel good. That's actually the whole focus of this edit - products that make me feel good because it's so important when in lockdown to take care of yourself both physically and mentally and I believe they are intertwined.

My weekly at home facial #1

Any gifted products are marked with a *

I say weekly facial as though I use the same products on a weekly basis but I definitely don't - I use products based on what my skin needs that week (actually, it's probably more twice weekly at the moment) but I just thought I'd show you what I used in my most recent DIY effort. I actually rarely go out for facials (I did regularly before our wedding) but that is something I'd like to get more into and I especially want to try a Hydrafacial or (the dream) an Omorovicza facial! Anyway, back to what I used this week... (Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me).

Products I wish hadn't been discontinued

Don't just you just hate when you find your perfect product and keep repurchasing it only to find that the brand has decided to discontinue it and you never quite find another product that lives up to it? Yes? Well, That's what today's post is all about - products I'm still not over being discontinued up to 10/12 years later and I really want to hear what products are on your list?

A week in my skincare routine

If a product was gifted to me, it will be marked with a *

As regular readers will know, I post about skincare very often and I sometimes get DMs asking how often I use the products or what a week in my routine looks like. To be honest, it varies, depending on how much energy I have, how inflamed my skin is, the time of the month, if I've used anything new that has irritated my skin, if I'm experiencing texture - you get the gist! It changes depending on so many factors so I just took one random week to show you what I've been using and I'll do it again occasionally in the future. I definitely am not one to show my skincare daily on Instagram, at least not at the moment when my energy levels are so low but I do enjoy seeing other people's routines so if you let me know if this is something that you do! The lighting varies in some of these photos are they were taken at different times of the day and night. I also want to say that I have an unnatural amount of skincare products and assume that non-bloggers have a regular routine with a few extras thrown in so please don't think that I'm recommending having this huge number of products! Also, I always wear SPF but I let my moisturiser absorb fully first, which is why it isn't in any of these posts. I also wanted to mention that I apply Eyelash serum, neck serum and lip balm daily as part of my routine but didn't always remember to photograph them! For reference, I have dry skin that has some texture and is also quite sensitive but is very used to acids at this stage. I am on a lot of medication at the moment and am very ill so some nights, it's as basic as you can get! At the end of the post, I have some discount codes that will help you to save some money if you are interested in buying any of the products.