We did it! We made it through the first month of the year! I have to say that I didn't really find it to drag and I busied myself with a massive declutter, which took weeks because I took one section at a time and was really ruthless! I also found time for plenty of good films and tv and I want to share those with you today, along with my beauty standouts!
Today's post isn't strictly beauty related (although there is a bit of a mention!). 2023 was a pretty tough year for me in a lot of ways. It took its toll, which I don't mind saying because normally, despite having to face a lot of adversity in life due to health issues, I remain very positive and generally don't let things I have no control over get to me. However, in 2023 it feels like so much caught up with me. It's hard to keep going when you're incredibly ill and get infection after infection and feel like you see your GP, Consultants and pharmacist more often than your friends! Coupled with that, there have been other stressful issues and I feel like I lost myself a little. I am absolutely determined that 2024 will be a much better year than 2023, but also better than the last 4/5 years. So, how am I going to make it happen? By leaving certain things in 2023 - Covid being one because 13 times is more than enough!
 |
| The products in this photo were kindly gifted to me, without obligation. |
The first product that I tried from this range was the serum and it absolutely blew me away, so when I was fortunate enough to receive some products last year that promoted a GWP, which Lancôme are notoriously generous for, I was absolutely delighted! The luxurious range is based on the combination of innovative science and French Grand Rose Extracts, which results in not just visible improvements but also a beautiful experience while using the products. The rose extracts are exclusive to the brand and comprise of a trio of roses, which help the skin to regenerate itself. They are the Lancôme Rose (focuses on regeneration), the Centifolia Rose (focuses on repair and uses between three and five tonnes of rose petals to produce a single drop) and Rose Damascena (focuses on inflammation). You can see why the range is so exclusive and expensive when so much work, time and science is dedicated to it.
Last October while I was in bed feeling very ill, I treated myself to two Advent Calendars - one from Space NK and one from Harvey Nichols. Both offered amazing value - worth well over £1k and priced at less than £300. I started to open them on Instastories daily and after two days I stopped due to losing a close family member. They remained unopened for most of December (although I'll admit that I ate my chocolate one!), but I eventually opened them all over the holiday break and I have my top picks to share with you all. If I'm being entirely honest, I'm unsure which products are from which calendar, but I know that the Harvey Nichols one contained a lot of fragrance options, which is why I bought it. Let's get into the stand out products...
Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a peaceful and restful festive break. It was a different one for me because I lost a family member at the beginning of December, who has been central to my Christmases for as long as I can remember and I have been missing him immeasurably. Life will never be the same again but he would want us to carry on and be as happy as we can, so that is what I intend to do in his honour. I really hope that this year is easier and happier in so many ways for us all. Now, I know it's early to be coming at you with some new beauty loves but throughout December, I introduced a small number of new products that already have me hooked and I want to share them with you today!
