Since discovering Olaplex No. 3, I have tried every product that they have ever released so it goes without saying that I bought their recently released No. 4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo. I wash my hair once weekly so dry shampoo is an essential part of my hair product collection. This one offers a lot in the name but it's also pretty pricey and I have two that I adore so it really did have stiff competition, but I just couldn't not try it!
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| Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
I'm sorry for the radio silence here on the blog over the past month! I'm really making an effort to listen to my body more this year after having infection after infection for years, so when I need a rest/break I'm just going to take it, which my GP has been warning me to do for a long time! I've been very ill again and am still waiting for some results, but the break did me good. I hope you all had a nice Easter break and are enjoying the May Bank Holiday Weekend, and that the weather is actually starting to feel Spring-like wherever you are! Let's get into what I've been enjoying over the past month (it's just film and TV because beauty loves will be in an upcoming post), and I'd love to hear in the comments what you've loved! We're going on a sun holiday at the end of the month and I am so excited to feel some heat in my bones!
March is a month that I generally love because of St Patrick's Day, the start of the longer evenings and seeing the Spring flowers appear. However, this March has been cold and wet (despite a few sunny days!), which shouldn't determine whether or not I've enjoyed a month, but the bad weather coupled with being ill and one of my cats being attacked meant it hasn't been my favourite month. That being said, Spring is all about hope and there is no month that has no good in it (or even a day if you think really hard about it!), so here are my March favourites in terms of beauty, TV & film. I'd love to hear what yours were in the comments below!
Before I first tried the IT Cosmetics CC Cream, I really wondered what the hype was about because any BB or CC products that I had tried previously had only disappointed me, whether due to lack of coverage, oxidising, being too shiny and unnatural looking - basically, I didn't get the hype! This was when we couldn't get this brand on this side of the Atlantic so I wasn't going to spend a fortune in shipping to try a product that I didn't think I'd like. Then I was in New York in 2018 and I saw it in Sephora, tested a little on my hand and realised that it offered a lot more coverage than I thought and I liked the finish so I bought my first tube..... the first of many!
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| None of these products were gifted to me. |
There are so many celebrity skincare and makeup brands on the market and most of them don't interest me, however when I received some samples from Rare Beauty with a Sephora order last year, I knew that I wanted to try more. Once the brand launched on this side of the Atlantic, it sold out so quickly that it was virtually impossible to get your hands on any products, so I just put it out of my mind........ until a few weeks ago when I had a little splurge and I want to share my thoughts with you today!
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| Any product marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
I'm very fortunate that I get some products sent to me (without obligation) to use and share my thoughts with my lovely readers. It's not something that I take for granted and I very much appreciate it. I also like to buy products myself as I personally find blogs/Instagram/TikTok boring if the person only uses products that were gifted to them (even worse when they don't declare them!). Today, I'm sharing a mix of both products I've purchased and others that have been sent to me (marked with a *).
I'm a bit of a haircare junkie because when I first became ill with Lyme, I lost around 50% of my hair (fortunately I had been blessed with A LOT of hair so although I was conscious of it, others wouldn't have known), but having Covid numerous times has really taken its toll on my hair. I have regrowth of a few inches, but then lost some density each time I've had Covid so my constant aim and mission is to strengthen the hair that I have to preserve it and also try to prevent losing any more through supplements and nutrients in my diet. I have three that I want to share with you today, one of which is a budget option.
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| This product was kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
It's rare that I receive a product and wait until I've completely finished it to review it but that's what has happened in the case of IT Cosmetics Confidence In A Cleanser*. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this brand is known for its makeup but its skincare is right up there with some of the very best that I have used. The products are all very effective and reasonably priced for the results they give.
It started with the new Hypnotising Pop Shots Pillow Talk Ultra Violet eyeshadow and then kinda snowballed into a little haul! I just love a purple eyeshadow on my green eyes but it's a colour that is very difficult to get right, so I had to buy it and then the Magic Body Cream intrigued me and I had early access, which lured me in...
If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that's where I share my empties these days. I used to share them on the blog but stopped a few years ago and I find it quick and easy to do on Instagram stories, where I also save to highlights. I'm always completely honest, whether the product was gifted to me or not and will tell you why I love a product, or didn't get on with it. I was looking through some of these posts recently and was reminded of some products that I loved. I don't always repurchase them immediately if I have a similar product to use first, but there were five that stood out to me that I repurchased and have been using and loving.
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| This product was kindly sent to me, without obligation. |
It's a while since I last did a 'The hype is real' post but when I started to use Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream*, I knew that this would be the first product in the comeback of this series! This has been around since 2006 however it was recently revamped and I really believe that this cult product will be around forever. It's the ultimate in hydrating creams, yet it's surprisingly lightweight so I think that this will suit a lot of skin types and conditions.
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| The Omorovicza lip balm was kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
I don't know what the weather is like where you are but here in Ireland, it's been bitterly cold for weeks. My skin isn't suffering so much (I've been adjusting my routine), however my lips are so dry. The weather coupled with being so unwell has meant that I've been flying through lip balms. I've used ones from all budgets and wanted to share my three favourites for each budget with you today as I'm sure that there are some of you out there who have chapped lips too!
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| All of these products were kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
The Clarins Hydra-Essentiel range has had a revamp and there are now seven options to choose from; - six for the day time, depending on your skin type and a new night cream. This range is made from almost 90% ingredients of natural origin. The glass jars are made from 40% recycled glass and 90% of the packaging is fully recyclable. Clarins is a brand that is almost 70 years old, but it is constantly working towards biodiversity as well as using the latest science and technology to produce more and more effective products. Late last year, I reviewed the newly reformulated Beauty Flash Balm and it certainly did not disappoint (post here). I was very kindly sent five of the new products to try and want to share my thoughts with you today.
I honestly don't know where this month has gone! I know that February is the shortest month of the year but it seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye - probably because I was on bed rest and then in isolation for more than half of it! It wasn't all bad though - my husband & I celebrated 23 years together early in the month and had a nice date. It's so hard to believe that it's been that long because. it feels so fresh in some ways and also like we've always known each other at the same time! Anyway, on to what I've loved this month....
Despite decluttering regularly, I still have a pretty vast makeup collection. However, I find myself reaching for the same foundations on repeat in the past few months. Maybe I need to a mega declutter again, but the thing is I love the makeup that I have, especially eyeshadows, but I know that if I got rid of all of my other foundations, I would be happy with the five in this post (and yes, I know that's excessive). For reference, I have dry skin so if you do too, you may find this post helpful.
When Victoria Beckham Beauty first launched, I was a little overwhelmed and didn't know what to buy. the products are expensive, so I didn't want to make a (pricey) mistake! I now know that the quality explains the price tag and it's a brand that I gradually want to add more products from to my collection. If, like me, you often toy with the idea of buying something but are overwhelmed, I would suggest starting with the Lid Lustres!
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| These products were kindly sent to me, without obligation. |
Nourish skincare is a brand that I have often seen reviewed on blogs over the years and I've often added products to my never-ending wishlist, however the brand wasn't easily accessible to those of us in Ireland. That's no longer a problem thanks to Brilliance.ie which is a new site that sells hair and beauty brands, Nourish London being one of them. This is a certified organic and vegan skincare range, which includes facial skincare, SPF, hand cream and a pillow mist. I was kindly sent some products to try and want to share my thoughts on them with you today!
Since Olaplex first burst onto the scene, there have been a number of haircare ranges released, all with the aim of strengthening and repairing the hair, rather than just making it look good temporarily. When the hair is strong and elasticized, it looks good in terms of colour and bounce. My hairdresser used the new Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate products on my hair last year and I immediately purchased. I loved how soft and lightweight my hair felt, but it also looked as though my hair had been cut because it was so bouncy. I bought the 4 step bundle, which includes a pre-wash treatment, shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in treatment, all of which are full size. They are currently reduced on Look Fantastic and using my code BEAUTYLYMIN will save you some more money.
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| These products were kindly gifted to me, without any obligation. |
You all know how much I love L'Occitane products - for bath/body/face/hair etc, so when their latest range of Lavender & CBD range was released, I knew that I would be ordering some products. Fortunately for me, I was kindly sent some products from the range and they really couldn't have come at a better time for me because I had Covid, was feeling rotten and my sleep was very disturbed. I mentioned in this post how well the massage oil has been working for me (my sleep was so deep that I thought I'd woken the next day, rather than a few hours after falling asleep during the day!), so I want to share my thoughts on their other products and new releases today.
I've raved about Drunk Elephant skincare on the blog previously, but I've never done a dedicated post to their body care range. To be honest, I don't always spend a lot on body products, however I noticed in recent times, after having the flu and then Covid again, that my skin was looking lacklustre and was dry and just showed signs of how run down I was, so I decided to invest in my body care, instead of just spending on my facial skincare products. I guess I just wanted a treat, and to use some products that I had previously (the glycolic body lotion and almond milk scrub), but also some other products that were new to me. If you want to try any of the products mentioned, it's worth keeping an eye on Look Fantastic, as they sometimes have 3 for 2 on this brand (not sponsored, I bought everything myself!).
January actually feels like it's flown by this year! I didn't do one of these posts in December, so this might combine both months but before I get into any favourites, I'll tell you what I didn't love - getting Covid again! Hopefully that will be the last time!
I personally think that planning to start New Year Resolutions or goals on January 1st is a little pointless! It is in my family anyway! Let me explain.... we have another Christmas dinner on New Year's Day, as we don't all get to celebrate together on the day itself, due to extended families etc. Therefore, there are desserts, drinks, chocolates etc etc. I rarely drink, but if you do, chances are New Year's Eve will be a big night out and waking up worse for wear will mean that a green smoothie or porridge might not fulfil your cravings. Also, my husband is generally off work until the second Monday in January, and we spend a lot of the first week with family/friends etc, so the second week is when we do what we want, therefore we tend to kickstart the healthy (or healthier!) eating at that point (well actually, my Dad's birthday in mid-Jan, which we always say is the last hurrah of the season!). There is so much pressure to make changes on January 1st that it almost feels like you're doomed to fail (by society) if you don't start that day....... nonsense! You don't have to make any changes at all, in fact I like to take the time to think about my goals, so it's usually a few weeks into the month before they're made because December is such a busy month. That said, I am usually sick of chocolate and all of the treats at this stage (or my body and skin are), so I like to do a gentle reset.....
Wow - I did NOT expect to have taken such a long break from the blog! I got that awful flu that was going around in December, which lasted around 3 weeks and left me pretty weak afterwards, then I got Impetigo, needed a hospital visit for a scan and now I have Covid again.... so how was your Christmas?! It's not a pity party post, but I just wanted to explain my absence because I rarely take breaks that are this long! I think maybe once or twice before, and again, they were through illness. So, Happy New Year! I hope 2023 has gotten of to a good start for you and that you enjoyed the holidays that now seem like a distant memory? At the end of every year, I always post my favourite products from that year and I feel that I still have to do that, despite the first month of the new year being almost over! I have condensed them down to the products that have really stood out, as this post would be too long otherwise! Let's get started... (As always, anything gifted will be marked with a *)
