There is no doubting that Pat McGrath makeup is expensive but there is also no doubt that it is one of the highest quality brands that I have used and delivers every time, which is probably why I couldn't resist buying her two latest palettes (in my slight defence, I don't think I've bought (m)any palettes all year, plus I had a 20% discount code! Defending over, let's get into a review and swatches!
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| Both of these products were kindly gifted to me. |
Regular readers will know that I'm a huge fan of Dermalogica and have used the brand for 20 years at this stage. I'm also lucky enough to be part of their #skinfluencer progranne, which means I am sometimes sent some of their new releases. A few months ago I received the two products in the Phyto Nature Firming range - a serum and a moisturiser. The serum has been around for a few years but the moisturiser is new. I was delighted to receive the products because I loved the serum when I used it first time around. Recently, my skin was feeling very dry, which I put down to the change in weather and the central heating being on and I knew that I needed to bring out the big guns to get my skin back on track. Read on for my thoughts...
I usually do a week of gift guides with a variety of budgets and categories but this year, I decided that I was going to do it differently and just do one post with something for all budgets and hopefully you'll find something you love (either for yourself or a loved one!). Everything is beauty related and I know that I normally include some non-beauty products but I had to narrow it down to just 10 products. Some of these are included in the Black Friday sales so if you like the look/sound of anything, act fast!
I'll be honest, I've had festive fragrances going in the house for a few weeks at this stage and even burnt a Christmas candle back in July (to be fair, the weather was like December anyway!), but I know that most people will wait until December to start with the festive scents. I wanted to share my favourite candles and diffusers with you today because they make perfect gifts, but also really set the mood for the coming weeks. I will say in advance that I don't like the usual clove/cinnamon/nutmeg festive scents. I like that smell coming from the oven when I'm baking or when I make mulled wine (I don't eat or drink any of those), however I find they catch in my throat when they're in candle form, so all of these are based around other festive scents.
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| For complete transparency, both of these products were kindly gifted to me without obligation. |
I don't know about you but I get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Black Friday emails that are in my inbox! Most are of no interest to me as they're similar to what is offered throughout the year but I had to share the codes in today's post with you because they are actually an increase on the usual discounts and both products are splurges but worth the money. CurrentBody have been kind enough to increase my discount from 15% to 20% on their CurrentBody Skin products (the LED mask worked absolute wonders on my hyperpigmentation, as you'll see below) and 20% discount on ZIIP products. These codes are valid until November 30th, at which point they will return to 15% and 10% respectively. The codes you need at checkout are LYMINCB for the CurrentBody Skin products and LYMINZIIP for the ZIIP products. Read on for why I think they are worth the investment...
I actually feel that over the past year or two (maybe longer), I've developed beauty fatigue and by that I mean that I'm a bit over new release upon new release, day after day. It takes a lot to pique my interest these days because a lot of brands seem to just churn out products. Some go viral and then disappear, others retain their hype - but are they worth the hype? Today, I'm choosing 10 very hyped beauty products and telling you whether I think they deserve that status. This may become a series! I would really love to hear your thoughts on the products too...
Did I need them? No! Did I feel like a bit of splurge while I was in bed ill recently? Yes! And a few lip products are a hell of a lot cheaper than the handbag that I was eyeing up - that's my justification anyway! I also thought that adding some colour to my Autumn/Winter lip collection was a good idea - not full on colour but something more than my usual nude lip. So, what did I get? (I was also kindly gifted two lip products, marked with a * below)
It's been a hot minute since I did a Brand Focus post but looking at my stats, they were always very well received so I decided to bring the series back, starting with Shani Darden. I first used this brand around 4 years ago when she had a capsule collection - it has since expanded but isn't a huge range at the moment. I actually like this because it means that she is taking a lot of time developing each product. I like the chic, minimalist packaging, which is also functional. Shani is known for being a facialist to some big names, with Jennifer Aniston being among her fans. For reference, my skin is dry and dehydrated.
I think that we can tend to overlook the products that we use daily as they're just taken for granted and not seen as exciting or new enough to blog about, but it's the consistent use of these products that keeps things from getting out of control. I'm not going to include any facial skincare products because you know the building blocks of my routine and the products vary, depending on what I'm currently testing/wanting to use up etc. However, there are other products that I use daily without even thinking about it, but if I didn't, I would see a huge difference and not in a good way! SPF and deodorants are a given so I haven't mentioned those, but take a look at what are non-negotiable for me...
