*This post contains some press samples and affiliate links. Please refer to my disclaimer for further information.*
A bit late to the game this month but I quite LITERALLY didn’t even see the end of the month coming my way until it hit me in the face last week. Who knew?! HELLO MAY. The start of the summer, the blossom trees-a-blossoming, the longer days, the familiarity with the sun, tanned skin, lockdown lifting…..a bit of hope and freedom.
I’ve been feeling SO much more positive and lighter these last few weeks, something has lifted off my shoulders and everything is just a little better. Less heavy, less clouded, less hopeless-ness. I think the last year has been so hard for so many people and in many different ways and it’s only now that I feel a bit better than I can really see and feel how hard I have been finding things.
How am I even talking about my doom n’ gloom feelings…..this is a beauty favourites post, let’s get to it! April whizzed by before I could really find my feet. I was quite busy with work picking up, and very busy with Margot and also a huge house selling fail. It was kinda tough, and I think it’s been a lot of about QUICK BEAUTY. I haven’t really been looking after myself as much as usual, I haven’t been having my pampering ‘me time’ baths as much and I’m reaching for those multi-use, fuss-free products that will both save me time and energy!
Fuss-free, quick and multi-use is where it’s at this month.
S K I N C A R E
Caroline Hirons launched the first of her monthly beauty boxes which was an INCREDIBLE selection of products. I had never used the Dr Jart Ceramidin Cream Mist before and it’s straight into my routine. It’s the perfect facial hydration spray loaded with 5 ceramides and flower extracts and it’s super quick and easy to use under your serum/ moisturiser and it immediately nourishes, soothes and gives that little bit of love to your skin barrier.
Eye creams for the super tired! Two I am loving at the moment : STILL the Ole Henriksen Wrinkle Blur Bakuchiol Eye Creme (I think I may have featured this is my last monthly favourites!) and it’s a really nice, lightweight gel-cream formula that absorbs in quickly and makes my under eye area just look a little but better and smoother in an instant. Great for those early mornings / lack of sleep nights! Also it’s one of the best eye creams for under makeup. Another one I am reaching for a lot is the Dr Dennis Gross B3Adaptive Superfoods Stress SOS Eye Cream. I have used this on and off for years and I’ve just started using it again, and I’m back to loving it. This targets the main 3 eye concerns including puffiness, dark circles and fine lines and key ingredients include Niacinamide, superfoods and powerful antioxidants. A really great all-rounder!
Hydration heroes for me this month are the Aurelia Cell Repair Night Oil which TBH I use day/and or night as my skin needs. I just love the feel and smell of this and it makes my skin feel so glowy, loved and comfortable. One of my favourite face oils EVER and it smells like a spa in a bottle. The MURAD Intense Recovery Cream is another face treat that is still amongst my favourites and I’m getting close to the end of this now. Instant soothing and deep hydration without feeling overloaded. Dry and/or Dehydrated skin? You NEED.
M A K E U P
Quick and easy – YES PLEASE. It’s been a very ‘natural’ few weeks for me, with so many days makeup-free or minimal makeup. For a super quick and fresh looking base I’ve been picking up the old favourite, Erborian HD CC Cream. This never fails me in the 6 years I have been using it and it’s just one of the best lightweight, natural dewy bases. It come out as a white cream, and the pigments infuse and adapt on your skin to give you a really light coverage, hydration, glow and SPF 25 protection. A great day-to-day product!
I picked up a few ELF Cosmetics from my local Superdrug a few weeks ago and have been really enjoying their new launched including the ELF Hydrating Camo Concealer. This is the follow-up to their best-selling ELF 16-hr Camo Concealer (see my full review + swatches here!) and this is the slightly lighter and more hydrating version which I am loving!! It’s as good under the eye as it is on the face and it’s one of the best budget concealers I have used in recent times. I’ve been using the Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush to kind of blend both of the above together! It’s a really great buffing foundation brush (synthetic hairs) that gives a really polishes and even finish to your base makeup.
Lancôme sent me over some makeup last month and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying working my way through it all! If you haven’t seen the latest mascara launch from Lancôme then you must have been hiding under a rock because it’s been EVERYWHERE. The Lancôme Lash Idole Mascara is as fabulous as everyone says and it’s a great and easy day-to-day fluttery lash look. Oh and it stays on wonderfully in this warmer weather. For a flush of colour on the cheeks and eyes, I have been using the new PIXI Rose Glow-y Powder. You know I’m a huge fan of these and have used them for many years now and I couldn’t resist treating myself to the latest shade – this is in their new Rose collection and it’s a really pretty glowy pink with a bit of shimmer!
Last up in my makeup picks is the IT Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi LipGloss. I am a bog fan of the original balm of this and the gloss is just as stunning. It applies a bit like the By Terry Baume de Rose with it’s soft pink petal colour but then develops into a natural pink lip stain. Gloss and stain in one product sounds a near-impossible feat but it really does the job!
B O D Y + L I F E S T Y L E
I was so lucky to be sent the new Moschino Toy 2 Bubblegum fragrance a few weeks back and I can’t NOT mention this. I hate a sweet scent, ngl, and I was ready to despise this fragrance…..but it’s honestly very interesting and I’m loving wearing it. It’s FUN. It’s not sickly and it’s so different to anything else I have in my ever-expanding fragrance collection. The packaging is so cute, I love the colour….it just makes me smile and that’s what we all need right now. See my full review here.
A couple of body treats that have been working for me : the Crabtree & Evelyn Bali Jasmine + Ylang Ylang Body & Massage Oil is stunning! A product that I’m loving the more I use it. The scent is just pure beach holiday vibes and takes me to a happy place. I love it slathered onto my skin after a bath and it sinks in wonderfully and leaves my skin glowing and feeling so hydrated and gorgeous! ZERO by Skin Academy Hand & Nail Cream is giving me soothed and nourished hands. I have SUCH awfully dry hands and cuticles at the moment – something that gets worse with stress and anxiety and i pick and i’m terrible and i just can’t stop! Anyway, I’m going through hand creams like the clappers as I know SO many people are at the moment with the regular and frequent hand-washing, and this arrived in a package of skincare from the brand on a day that I really needed hand cream. I opened it straight from the box and stared using it then and there and it was an instant hit. I’m quite particular with my hand creams and know immediately if I’m going to get on well with it. I don’t like them too heavily sweet or scented and I like it to have quite a thick texture but to absorb quickly. This ticks ALL of the hand cream boxes for me and I would recommend it to all and everyone! Fuss-free, a great price at £9 and it just works.
Last up on the beauty round-up if the incredible Living Proof No Frizz Vanishing Oil. I think of this, and I think of Lisa Potter-Dixon slathering it on, on her Instagram stories and it working wonders! I was late t the game with this and it’s really made a different on my hair and gives my frizzy AF locks a bit of smoothness, glossiness and it tames. It’s just a great product to make your hair look healthier in an instant! You can use it in a few different ways and it’s a nice big 50ml bottle which seems to be lasting forever. I have been dipping my tow back into Living Proof haircare lately and will have some focus posts coming really soon with my top recommendations.
And breathe. That was a bit of a beauty whirlwind! I hope you enjoyed reading up on what I’ve been loving this month and what’s really been keeping me going and keeping my spirits up. We are nearly at the end of this and we can do this!
