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| None of these items were gifted to me. |
I'll be honest, March has been a crap month for me. My cats died, I'm still very ill and two very close family members are very ill, with the prognoses unknown at the moment. It's been a tough month, but I'm a firm believer in finding positivity where you can, so I'll share the few things that I've enjoyed this month with you today.
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| This product was kindly gifted to me, without obigation. |
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to the (online) launch of the latest skincare offering from IT Cosmetics. I was extremely intrigued because I know that the brand always keeps sensitive skin in mind (and develops its skincare products with plastic surgeons), but we all know that retinol can cause irritation. I was also intrigued by the fact that its a serum in a cream. The brand kindly sent out silk pyjamas, an eye mask, the new product and their well loved Confidence In A Cream Moisturiser* and Eye Cream*. The star of the show and main focus of the event was the new release: Hello Fresh Wrinkle Reducing Daily Retinol Serum-In_Cream*. Obviously with a retinol product, it's too early to give a full review, but I wanted to tell you a bit about it an give my first impressions, as this is already selling out!
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| All of these products were kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
Well, it's been a while! You may have wondered where I've been or maybe you didn't even notice, but I'm going to tell you anyway! On Friday, March 12th, one of my cats died - I know you shouldn't have favourites, but he really was mine! He was so bold, brazen, cheeky and adorable and spent 90% of his time by my side. I always said that he got me through Covid and all of the shit that came with it since. He was an indoor cat, but liked to go outside for maybe 30-60 minutes, either in the morning in the evening, to run up the trees and just burn off some of his crazy energy. That day, he ran, at speed, on to the road and was killed. When I say that my heart shattered, it doesn't even come close. I know that some people will say that animals shouldn't make us so upset, but he was part of the family. I obviously know that losing a person is worse, but my heart is still broken. Then on the following Monday, the 15th, our other cat was due with the vet for a checkup, as we thought she might need her teeth cleaned, and just a general checkup. He phoned us in the afternoon to say that her bloods had shown she had a virus, which the vaccinations don't protect against - a cat we had in 2008, had the same thing (it's rare, but lightning obviously strikes twice). He said that the options were to give her some medication, but she would deteriorate over the coming weeks/months, or to put her to sleep. We knew that we couldn't handle watching her die slowly, so we chose to euthanise. It was better for her too. You just couldn't make it up! Alongside this, I am still not over the pneumonia that I got months ago - it just won't shift and at this point, because of my symptoms, my GP is saying that I have long-Covid, on top of my Chronic Lyme. So basically, I needed a break and really wasn't in the mood for writing about beauty! I also needed time to grieve for my two cats, rest and try to just let my body heal a little.
So that's where I've been, but I've always said that my blog is a distraction and I most definitely need one of those right now, so I'm easing myself back in, starting with one of my favourite posts that I do monthly - 3 treats for 3 budgets. I've always loved to treat myself - any excuse really! And, like I always say, you don't need to spend a lot!
Having dry skin makes it quite tricky to find the right foundation, as it can cling to dry areas. Skincare is key, no matter what the skin type, however with dry skin, the wrong foundation can age you, plus dry skin is naturally dull, so generally foundations that add some luminosity or dewiness are best. My all time favourite foundation was Armani Hydra Glow, which was discontinued years ago, and it was been tricky to find one that has lived up to my forever love! I have tried so many foundations, and have a line up of six that work beautifully on dry skin.
Another month, another Brand Focus post! This month, I've decided on Wishful, which is Huda Kattan's skincare line. She started slowly, with one product and has gradually added more. Huda spent years working on this range, (with labs, of course), due to struggling with her own skin for years. I've tried all but one skincare product, but none of her tools as I think they're a bit gimmicky (feel free to correct me if you've tried them!), and I use a Foreo. Given that Huda's makeup products are quite pricey, I was pleasantly surprised by the price point of her skincare line and I like that she offers small sizes, so that you can buy, without spending too much money - something which more and more brands seem to be doing. Out of the seven actual skincare products, I have tested six, so let's get on with the post!
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| These products were kindly sent to me, without obligation. |
You've probably seen a lot of REN Clean Skincare* #Glowupchallenge posts floating around social media in recent weeks, and I was delighted when Cult Beauty* sent me the three products to join in. I know that the term 'clean' in skincare is quite divisive, but this brand is committed to being clean to the planet, with zero waste by the end of 2021, with recycled, recyclable and reusable packaging solutions, so even if the term clean skincare bothers you, surely a brand committed to zero waste is not something you can complain about! I was kindly sent three products to try from the radiance range, which is one I have tried some products from previously and loved: Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask and Wake Wonderful Night Time Facial.
By Terry is an expensive brand, but I've yet to come across a dud product from them. When I saw all of the "big bloggers" raving about their new Hyaluronic Hydra Concealer, I had to give it a go, because I adore the Hyaluronic Hydra Foundation, which was released last year (use the code LYMIN at checkout on Look Fantastic to save 20% on these and many other brands!). I have dry skin, so anything with hyaluronic acid in it, is always right up my street, but will the concealer live up to the hype?
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| These products were kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
I had never heard of U Beauty* before a parcel landed on my desk in the latter months of last year, but when I started to read the information, I was instantly intrigued because the basis of the brand is that you don't need to use a large number of products - just a cleanser and two U Beauty* products - The Resurfacing Compound* and The Super Smart Hydrator*. As a beauty junkie, I enjoy a good pamper session, but there are certainly times when a short and simple, but effective, routine sounds perfect. For me, that was when these products arrived, as I had double pneumonia, which left me very low on energy, and it still hasn't shifted, so I was really able to test these products, as the timing was perfect.
