What I loved in March

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!

Comparing IT Cosmetics CC Cream with CC+ and Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation and Glow Serum

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!

I finally got my hands on some Rare Beauty products!

 

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!

Testing, testing..... new in skincare!

 

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 *).

Pre-wash hair repair and strengthening products for all budgets reviewed.....

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.

IT Cosmetics Confidence In A Cleanser Review

 

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.

A Charlotte Tilbury haul

 

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...

Reading old empties posts made me repurchase these products...

 

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.

The hype is real.... Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

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.

Budget/affordable/bougie - lip balm

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! 

REVIEW: Clarins new Hydra-Essentiel range

 

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.