Covid - six months on. My update.....

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When the news started trickling in about Coronavirus at the beginning of the year, I really didn't think that we, as a world, would still be talking about it all these months later. I definitely didn't expect that I would be sharing my story 6 months on, but here we are....

New in my skincare stash....

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I probably didn't actually *need* any of these things but the lure of birthday discount codes is strong and there are some seriously good offers online anyway, so for the first time in months, I have a bit of a haul to share with you and it's all skincare! Two products were kindly gifted to me (without obligation, one more was a birthday gift and the rest, I bought myself!). So, let's get into it!

Jo Loves is fast becoming my favourite fragrance brand.....

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I first wrote about Jo Loves fragrances here, early last year. Since then, the love affair has just consistently grown! If you don't know the background, Jo Loves is actually produced by Jo Malone, who sold her original company to Estée Lauder companies and then, after a period of ill-health, left the company completely. Five years later, fully recovered and ready to rebuild, she started Jo Loves and it has gone from strength to strength. During a visit to Space NK Christmas 2018, I sampled some of her fragrances and was immediately hooked - Jo certainly knows which notes blend well together. I don't have a huge collection, but I want to share what I have with you today, in case you're on the hunt for a new fragrance. I really hope I do the scents some justice as it's difficult to get across just how beautiful they are. The scents just resonate with me. You know how Omorovicza is my favourite skincare brand? Well, Jo Loves fragrances just fit with and work for me in the same way. If I could create a skincare brand that was just perfect for my skin, it would have been Omorovicza. Likewise, if I could have created a fragrance brand that represented me, it would be Jo Loves - the scents speak to me!

L'Occitane Limited Edition Happy Cherry Collection

Regular readers will know how much I adore L'Occitane*, so when they release any new products, it excites me! Their most recent release is a new twist on their Cherry Blossom range, called Happy Cherry Blossom, which is limited edition and usually sells out quickly. I was kindly sent products from the range, which I want to share with you today. 

3 treats for 3 budgets

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I skipped my monthly 3 treats for 3 budgets post in July because I was on my blogging break but thought I'd bring it back this month. I know during lockdown, people were either shopping a lot more or not at all, whereas now I think things are a little more 'normal' in some respects and are possibly treating themselves a little now. I have three great products for three budgets so let's get into it.....

OPI Muse of Milan Collection...... giving me Autumn vibes

These nail polishes were kindly gifted to me without any obligation.

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In my head, we're still in March but in reality, we're almost in Autumn and that's exactly what popped into my head when I saw the stunning new OPI Muse of Milan Collection. OPI are known for their destination collections, so to get inspiration for this range, they travelled to beautiful Milan and immersed themselves in the culture - food, architecture, style and more. This happened before the pandemic began, which claimed so many lives from the area so it is fitting that this launch is in honour of Milan and also, the spirit of the city - who remembers seeing videos of people meeting on their balconies in the evenings to sing and play music, in Milan and its surrounding areas? That spirit, during what was probably the worst time of their lives, inspired other countries around the world. The collection contains 12 shades, in a variety of finishes and I want to talk you through them today. 

Bon Voyage Discovery Box

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I know that there's a green list of countries that are supposed to be safe to travel to, but I personally wouldn't risk flying anywhere until at least next year because as much as the lure of some heat in my bones tempts me, I'm still very ill and wouldn't take a chance of being on a flight or in a hotel, or general vicinity, of any Covidiots. Apart from missing lying by a pool, one of the things I really enjoy about going on holiday, is Duty Free shopping! In fact, I usually time my purchase of some of my favourite serums around holidays and flying to see my husband's family. Because that's not possible this year (for so many of us), I was delighted to hear about Beauty Boat*. This is a new, virtual pop-up shop, which has been launched to fill the void for those of us who aren't travelling abroad and therefore, not travelling through Duty Free, this year. It offers up to 30% off best-selling luxury brands and to celebrate, it has launched a Bon Voyage Discovery Box.

My DIY Image skincare facial

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I haven't posted one of my weekly DIY facial posts in a while so I thought I'd show you my most recent one, where I decided to use all Image Skincare* products. Most of these current products were kindly sent to me at various times (denoted with *) but I have also purchased some products from this brand myself over the years - regular readers will know that I swear by their Total Pure Hyaluronic Filler! Let's get into it....

Potion Paris - the discovery set

This set was kindly gifted to me without any obligation.

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I was very excited when I received an email about Potion Paris* because I'm a fragrance addict and the more I read about this brand, the more it appealed to me. The brand has taken fragrance back to its roots, with toxin-free ingredients. I personally dislike fragrances that smell really synthetic so I was really looking forward to smelling the perfumes. Not only this, but the brand is committed to sustainability with a return, refill and repeat programme (which I'll discuss more later), it also works in partnership with One Tree Planted, planting one tree for every purchase of one of its Box or Collection Sets. I was kindly sent The Discovery Sampler Set, which consists of 7 2ml eau de parfum vials, housed beautifully and a £20 gift voucher to redeem against any of their Box Sets.

Five products I'm currently loving...

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me without obligation.

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It's a while since I showed you my current most used and most loved products. I always narrow it down to five - otherwise, we could be here all day!

Omorovicza Gold Collection Review

These products were kindly sent to me, however, I have bought most of them myself previously.

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It's been well established here on the blog that Omorovicza is my favourite skincare brand and I regularly review their products, but I thought it might be a good idea to review their collections so that if you wanted to get started with the brand, you'd know which collection might suit your needs best. I already reviewed the Silver collection here and today, I'm going to talk about the Gold Collection. I'm focusing on the facial collection as there are two products in the line from body care but I have already discussed those on the blog here.

Pat McGrath Bundle Giveaway!

As many of you will know, Pat McGrath recently had a sale and I adore her products - she really is the ultimate Queen of makeup, so I decided to buy a selection to do a giveaway! One of you will win a mini lip balm trio, some single shadows and a mini palette.

Natasha Denona Bronze Palette - worth the hype?

I'm not even going to try to make any excuses for buying this palette - no, I didn't need it but yes, I wanted it! Life's too short not to treat yourself (within reason - it's an eyeshadow palette, not a car!). I'm glad that this is one of her smaller palettes, which makes it more accessible to most people - I'd imagine that this size and her mini palettes are her bestsellers now. As soon as I saw the preview of this palette, there was no doubt it would be mine as bronze shadows really make my green eyes pop, but actually bronze is a shade that suits eye colours so I doubt there's anyone who wouldn't enjoy this palette. So, ladies and gentlemen, let's get into my thoughts on the Natasha Denona Bronze Eyeshadow Palette. There are other products in the line (a face palette and lip glosses but none appealed to me, thankfully for my bank balance!).

Some great black owned brands you need to try!

Since the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter protest/issue has really garnered traction, worldwide. It has made us all aware that it is not sufficient to just not be a racist but to be actively anti-racist. It is still a subject I am trying to educate myself on through books and documentaries/films, but I don't know if I will ever know enough, it will be a constant education. Sal from Ummbaby wrote a post about Black Owned Body-Care Products that she discovered on Black Pound Day, which is a day on which people are encouraged to spend their money only on black owned brands. I discovered some great products through her post, all of which I want to buy! Today, I want to share some of my favourite black owned brands that I love and use in the hope that you might find something that you might want to buy. I bought the majority myself, but two were sent to me without any obligation to post, but are marked with a * for transparency.

Pixi Clarity Collection review

Regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of Pixi skincare - they're probably the best mid-budget brand that I have tried and they have come a long way from their original Glow Tonic, which you had to phone the store in London to order, way back when! They now have ranges for many skin types and issues, the latest being the Clarity Collection, which is exclusive to Look Fantastic for 1 month. The Clarity Collection is aimed at congested skin but is actually suited to all skin types, as although it contains a number of acids, it isn't harsh on the skin. My LYMIN code works on this collection so don't forget to use that at checkout if you plan on buying any of the products. I want to make it clear that this is pretty much a first impression post after a few uses, rather than my usual 4-6 week trial time, because I wanted to get it to you before the month's exclusivity was up, plus, as luck would have it, I got a spot on my chin so it was the perfect time to test it!

L'Occitane Verbena Collection - happy, summer vibes!

All.of these products were gifted to me without obligation.

Every year, I look forward to the L'Occitane Verbena Summer Collection - I love the original but in summer, they add products with a twist. I was lucky enough to be sent a selection of some of the products but I know I'll buy some more because even if the weather doesn't agree, it is actually summer and this collection makes me believe that it is! Plus the scents remind me of my childhood in my Granda's garden as he grew mint, lemon balm and lemon verbena. I should show some photographs of his garden on here sometime as he was a landscaper by trade and from above his front lawn was a horseshoe shape with a Chinese gate at the bottom, with ponds, water features and a fairyland. It was a good few acres but the front lawn was my favourite as it had so many types of rose, full of fragrance.