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New Home Tour
During a mad burst of inspiration a few nights ago, I scribbled down reams of blog post ideas that fell into the 'smaller' category - the kind that sat comfortably on the lighter side of life and didn't require thousands of words or luxe editorial photography to complete. The kind of posts you could quickly sift through whilst commuting home with a fried brain and little concentration, and the kind of posts that celebrate the little things without needing to turn them into anything more. Today's post is just that: a quick look at five of my latest beauty favourites, ranging from shower gel to eyeshadow sticks. Lovely stuff.
THE FAMOUS FIVE
I'd tried a few of these before and never really thought much of them; I like my face masks to be exfoliating and cleansing, and these are targeted towards moisture and hydration (Moisture Bomb masks are designed to be moisturising? Who'd have thought it?). They just didn't fit into my skincare routine easily, so I hadn't bothered to try them again. Fast forward to now, however, and I think I have found the perfect window to bring these puppies out to play. After an evening on the tiles, either enjoying dinner and cocktails or at a gig with my gals, I'll pop one of these tissue masks on for 15 minutes once I'm home and the next morning I don't wake up looking like death reheated. They're super simple to apply and because you massage the remaining product into the skin once well marinated, they're fuss-free enough for any tipsy person to handle. No face washing or flannel-faffing in sight (plus they're hilar to look at when you're pissed).
& Other Stories Sardonyx Fire Body Wash & Lotion
Way way back in the day, I remember Sam from Pixiwoo saying that her best beauty tip was layering scents by using the same shower gel, body lotion and perfume in unison. As rarely as I see this through, I have been loving the Sardonyx scent from & Other Stories, and I have found that using both the wash and the cream lets the scent linger for a little longer on the skin. With the promise of sunshine on the horizon, I've also been super into moisturising from top to toe, and this lotion is hydrating enough to deliver smoothness akin to butter, but not heavy enough to make me feel sticky. I do have sensitive skin across my chest so I have noticed a few tiny spots, but nothing to call home about. Not bad pricing on the two either and they're pretty generously sized.
Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow Stick in Golden Bronze
Most days all I wear on my eyes is mascara, but if I want to feel a little more put together or I just fancy switching it up, then lately I've been reaching for this Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Stick in Golden Bronze. I'm a lazy girl through and through so the ease of this lovely appeals to my core - just swipe it on, blend it in with your finger and then apply more as needed. I literally pop on a little scribble and then smudge it out so the colour is super natural, but if I've headed out in the evening or I'm shooting something special, then I just apply more product so the golden tones are more concentrated. A real easy winner (and I feel like it will last forever, too).
YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush, 12
I rediscovered this matte lip paint after rifling around in my make-up bag and thinking 'fuck it, just stick it on and hope for the best'. Turns out my gamble paid off because I've been wearing this daily ever since. I've got shade 12 (which I believe is called Nude Insolent but annoyingly the package doesn't say) and it's the perfect "my lips but better" kind of shade (that phrase is truly vomit-inducing, but just like 'Happy Monday', I can't stop myself from typing it). It doubles up as a cheek cream too, should you so fancy. I'm still using my Glossier Cloud Paint at the moment, so for now the YSL is only going on my lips, but I can't fault it for being an easy every day wearer (have a tap on this sassy link to see what it looks like on).
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane
Back in January (side note: can you believe it's April already? Wtf.) I popped up a post sharing my current skincare routine, and I included a mini-review of a few The Ordinary products which had made their way into my complexion collection. Of the products I'd used, the 100% Plant-Derived Squalane was the one I liked the least. It bunched up on my skin, felt overwhelmingly oily and eventually made me break out in a few small areas. Well, guess what? This chump was using the product completely wrong, and when corrected by the lovely Laura at Deciem and instructed on when to use it as part of my routine and how often to apply, I found that my opinion changed completely. I now only use the Squalane once a day when prepping my skin in the morning, and because I've switched up the order in which I apply, the bunching has stopped and I can enjoy all of the glowy goodness without the hassle. Tip: if you've purchased anything from NIOD or The Ordinary, shoot an email over to customer services and they'll let you know the best order to apply. Saves you wasting valuable product and means you'll get the most out of what's in the bottle.