Earlier this year, as I said in the first of my The Skincare Diaries, I realised that I needed to get my sh*t together when it came to my skin.
I've always been a huge fan of skincare. I love learning about it.I love trying out new products.And, I love coming across incredible products that I absolutely LOVE, to add to my holy grail list.
The following products are exactly that.Read on for...
3 Skincare Products I am LOVING Right Now.
Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturising Cleanser
I was introduced to this cleanser by the lovely Caroline Hirons. She recommended it in her book, plus I saw a lot of people in her skincare group talking about it so I thought I'd give it a try. At £34, it was quite pricey compared to what I'd usually spend on a cleanser, but it was a good month so I thought I'd treat myself! ;) I bought this back in March, and 6 months later I've just finished it, and that's using it twice a day every single day. So I'd say it's well worth the money!
So, Kate describes it as 'a gentle daily face wash that's formulated to cleanse and soothe without tightness or irritation. It's enhanced, non-foaming, creamy formula removes makeup, dirt, oil and impurities while maintaining skin's radiance and essential moisture.' and I concur, it does exactly that!
I used this cleanser every morning, and every evening as a second cleanse. It never left my skin feeling dry or tight like many other cleansers have in the past, it is really creamy and comfortable to use, really moisturising and leaves my skin feeling super clean.
This cleanser was inspired by Kate's personal experiences with goats milk and healing skin, and along with Manuka honey and jojoba and avocado oils, it melts away any dirt left from my first cleanse while gently but effectively cleansing my skin leaving it feeling super soft.
This is definitely my new favourite cleanser, well worth the price tag in my opinion and I'll definitely be purchasing again soon.
Hada Labo Anti Ageing Day Cream
Now, I'm a big fan of Hada Labo, not only because it's a fantastic brand of great skincare, but also hugely affordable. It's now becoming more widely available in stores such as Superdrug as well as Amazon too. And the Day Cream is something I've repurchased over and over so it had to feature in my top 3 today.
Hada Labo is Japan's best selling skincare brand that grew popular online thanks to beauty bloggers and influencers, leading to many of their products being reformulated for use here in the UK. It has a huge following with skincare fans due to its ability to boost hydration with its unique formula containing up to FOUR types of hyaluronic acid.
Along with the 4 sizes of hyaluronic acid, the Day Cream also contains retinol and collagen, 3 of my favourite ingredients when it comes to my skincare, which is probably why I repurchase this stuff time and time again. Its gel like creamy formula glides onto my skin and absorbs well leaving the perfect base for my makeup. My skin looks and feels healthy, comfortable and hydrated, and at less than £19 for a pot, I don't think I'll stop repurchasing any time soon.
Dr Jart Ceramidin Cream Mist
It was only earlier this year that I started introducing a mist into my skincare routine. It's all about hydration, ladies! Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I've tried a few this year, but my favourite has to be this one, packed full of ceramides which encourages hydration, enhances water retention and strengthens the skins barrier by preventing water loss.
Dr Jart is a super popular Korean skincare brand who's products are known for its proprietary ingredient complexes. You may know Dr Jart for it's famous Cryo Rubber Masks, their Cicapair 'Tiger Grass' range, or their best selling Ceramidin range, with, as mentioned above, its blend of 5 ceramides which deeply moisturise and help strengthen the moisture barrier.
I used this during lockdown, and my skin was looking the healthiest it's looked in a long time! My skin is usually combination skin, with drier skin on my cheeks. Ceramidin provides an intense moisture boost and with a quick spray of the Cream Mist after cleansing, or at any point I felt my skin needed a quick spritz, it immediately felt hydrated, refreshed and comfortable.
Many of the others I've used have been water based, whereas this is cream based which made a huge difference. I'll definitely be repurchasing once my current mist is on empty. It's also a fantastic price, at just £13 for 50ml.
What about you?
What are your current favourite skincare products?
Which products are you repurchasing over and over just lately?
Are there any that should accidentally fall into my Cult Beauty basket? ;)
I'm OBSESSED with visiting hotels, or genuinely just staying some place different other than home. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm an absolute home girl, my home is my safe space, but I'm partial to a road trip or jumping on a train and heading somewhere other than home for a cheeky little adventure. And I just love a night away in a hotel.
This has been heightened since the pandemic and never ending lockdown, especially as I'm based in Leicester, the forgotten city left in a local lockdown for what seemed like a good six months after the rest of the country. So getting out and about and exploring some place other than home definitely has a different vibe about it.
I love a good hotel, whether it be a bit of 5* luxury, or a nice mid-range that makes the perfect base to go exploring, and I thought I'd start sharing some with you in a 'WHERE TO STAY' series.
My youngest turned 7 recently and I planned a little night away to Birmingham for just the 2 of us complete with a trip to Cadbury's World. I wanted a budget to mid-range hotel in the perfect location (close to the train station, and the Bull Ring Shopping Centre) and the one hotel that fit that perfectly was the Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre. I'd stayed there previously for a training event with my travel company and it was a lovely hotel, a stones throw from the train station and just down the road from the Bull Ring and to top it off, I got a fantastic rate through my Travel Programme too.
The hotel lobby / reception is combined with a multifaceted social space including an e-bar to charge up your devices or get some work done, a cocktail lounge & champagne bar, media lounge & open lobby restaurant. The staff are welcoming and polite, and there is ample room to socially distance where needed.
Their Guest Rooms are fresh and clean, available in Superior and Deluxe class, and larger Suites are available for those special occasions too.
We stayed in a Twin Guest Room which had a City View and it was perfect for us, plenty of room for the 2 of us, comfortable beds, a lovely bathroom, lots of storage space, and waking up to a nice city view (albeit only Birmingham City centre) made a nice change to waking up to my bedroom wall!
We had a lovely night away, my son is definitely following in my footsteps and loves a good hotel stay too! It is definitely one of my favourite picks when staying in Birmingham, it's a great price and in the perfect location, so if you're looking for a nice, affordable hotel, close to all of the attractions in Birmingham, you won't be disappointed with the Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre hotel.
Are you following my Instagram or TikTok? You can check out my Reels of our hotel stay, plus our trip to Cadbury's World over there, I'd love to know what you think!
I don't know about you, but I'm missing having my lashes done, whether that be extensions or just a simple lash lift, anything to enhance my lashes! I've spent many years trialing out ALLLLL THA mascaras, lash serums, lotions, and potions to give me longer, more voluptuous lashes. Everyone wants longer lashes right? I love the look that false lashes give, and finally managed to get the hang of applying them a couple of years ago, so when magnetic lashes came on to the market, I was intrigued to give them a try.
Lola's Lashes are, in their words, the home of FUSS FREE FALSIES.
They promise to have THE best magnetic eyeliner on the market, and unlike other brands, do not water down their eyeliner or shed no expense in their manufacturing process. Testing their unique formula against competitors time and time again, their eyeliner lasts an average of 6 hours longer than other competitors on the market, standing up much better in high winds and rain.
Their specially designed lashes include 5 magnets, and their liner a unique magnetic formula that work perfectly together giving them full confidence that they are superior to their competition in both safety and performance.
All of their products are manufactured in a cruelty-free environment and made from premium Korean synthetic silk, they never use mink or any other animal fur and their products are suitable for vegans.
I've tried Lola's Lashes before, so when they contacted me again to try out some of their new 90's inspired Throwback Collection, I was more than happy to oblige. The Throwback Collection features 5 Limited Edition styles in both magnetic and strip lashes.
Daisy Chain; an everyday lash for your inner girl next door.Love Letter; a subtle fox eye look. Kiss & Tell; a super glam lash with bold length and volume. Be Witchin; a full and thick cateye lash. Sundae; a head-turning lash with varying lengths and full volume.
All feature their new Un-Real Lash Technology, for the most mink-like vegan lash effect out there, except Kiss & Tell which is made from synthetic silk.
Application is super easy, simply apply the magnetic liner and let it dry completely, then apply the lashes starting with the inner corners, pressing on the lash line securing the magnets in place. The kits come with Magnetic Eyeliner Cleansing Oil for easy removal of the eyeliner. Full application and removal instructions are on the website. I shared how easy the application was over on my TikTok and Instagram Stories, so if you follow me over there you will have seen how super simple it really is.
They really have thought of everything, even recommending which style is suited to which eye shape and telling you everything you need to know about each style, including the band width and lash length, head over to the website and see which one gives you 90's vibes!!
Are you a fan of Magnetic Lashes?
love,
PR GIFTED ITEMS
I'm 37 and quite frankly I need to get my sh*t together when it comes to my skin.
I've always been a big fan of skincare. I've been writing this blog for over 10 years now and have shared tons of beauty and skincare stuff. (Remember #TheSkinProject I did back in 2013? Oh, how things have changed when it comes to skincare nowadays! And it makes me cringe to look back on what I used to use on my face over the years!)
I didn't really start looking after my skin until I was about 27. Before then I was happily using makeup wipes to 'remove' my makeup and then slap on the odd moisturiser every now and then, with no idea what or why I was putting anything on my skin. I also spent a lot of my early 20's sleeping in my makeup!!
I attempted to make up for it though by really getting into my skincare, and I soon fell in love with it; learning about it and trying new products. I even started a beauty therapy course a few years ago, but then I got involved in a project that pretty much took over my life and I quit the course, and over time, my skincare routine started slipping too. All my time and energy went into this project and unfortunately, my self-care suffered in the meantime. I got really lazy, and would often just wipe my face with micellar water before bed and be done with it.
I knew enough about skincare to know this wasn't great, at all, but I'd often stay up working until super late that it was all I had the energy for.
Last month I turned 37 and I had a bit of a wobble. I realised I really need to start taking more care of myself. My body has changed, my metabolism has pretty much given up on me after having my back for all these years, haha, and my skin is showing more signs of ageing. Getting older sucks.
So I started looking into, and learning more about skincare again. I got my books out and started to re-read them, I ordered more books. I started following my favourite skincare gurus and doctors again, researched products, and bought more products than I care to admit (Cult Beauty needs some sort of alternative to a parental control lock, I've placed 2 orders in a week, it's becoming a problem, haha) and I've even enrolled on a new Skincare course too.
I've fallen in love with skincare all over again.
Skincare has really evolved over the years and I'm really enjoying looking into all the products I'm using, learning about the ingredients, the benefits, and what is right for my skin, rather than listening to the hype that often surrounds beauty products.
Gone are the days of 'Cleanse, tone, moisturise and be on your merry way...' and the days where I'd treat my face to a good scrub with an exfoliator are no more, fortunately. I genuinely used to think this was the best part of my routine years ago, the scrubbier the better! I thought if it left my skin red, it was working, bye bye dead skin cells! *insert head in hands emoji here, haha* Then I'd usually follow with a good, usually alcohol-based, toner with absolutely no idea what it was for, it was just what we were told to do right? Oh my skin!
I have a whole new skincare routine that I've been using for a few short weeks now and can already see the difference in my skin already. Softer, cleaner... I'd go as far as saying I've got a bit of a glow! I've finally introduced retinol into my routine (better late than never!) too. My skin is starting to look a lot healthier so I thought I'd jump on here and share my journey with you guys, everything from my routine, my favourite products, and also what I'm learning about skincare along the way.
So keep checking back for updates, I'm excited to share it all with you.
What is your skincare routine like? Is it something you need to work on? Any holy grail products you use that you couldn't be without?
love,
