Today I’m sharing e.l.f Hydrating Coconut Mist (£8) with you. It really is saving my skin and my mood on these absolutely roasting days that we are having in England.
It contains hyaluronic acid, coconut oil, Vit E and B5 to hydrate, soften and sooth.
The mist has kept my skin cool around the house and hydrated even though I’ve been sitting in front of a (surprisingly drying) fan a lot of the time. It also soothes my skin which is prone to redness as a result of mild allergies.
Bonus use as a moisturising setting spray
Earlier I moisturised with e.l.f. day moisturiser and applied their matte foundation (necessary in this heat) which made me look quite flat and meh, so I sprayed the Hydrating mist over the top and still I look fresh faced (with my foundation intact) three hours later!
💙 free from phthalates, parabens, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban, hydroquinone and sulfates
This Soothing Super Balm by Lucky Cloud (£7) is a skincare superstar in a jar. It contains organic cocoa butter and oat oil and works wonders on any patches of dry skin. I use it on my face and hands.
It also instantly calms irritated skin if you’ve been absent- mindedly scratching it, instead of applying balm straight away.
The fully recyclable packaging is also appreciated.
This has quite a thick consistency but still glides on easily. Soothing Aloe and Banana extracts. Good colour payoff but I should have chosen Cherry as it’s too pale for me. My lips are really happy with it and so is my purse!
This doesn’t glide on easily but it is hydrating and moisturising with Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter. Sensibly priced for something you would use everyday. The Garnet shade would be a moody sort of nude for people with olive – darker skin tones.
Sadly, the colour of this balm is incredibly sheer. Not quite as long-lasting as some other lip balms but it is a very purse friendly fiver. Cannabis Sativa extract to soothes chapped lips.
Anyone else hate the title of this, just me?! The colour of this balm only shows up on the palest part of my wrist, it’s that sheer. It works wonders on dull, dry, dehydrated skin. I apply this on my lips, my cheekbones, the tip of my nose and my chin to instantly make me look fresh and awake too.
A tube full of air! I was half way down the tube, squeezing with both hands before any of it came out. I love the colour but it’s too thick to spread consistently. This felt great on my lips at first but when it wore off (rather quickly) my lips felt dryer than they were before!? More like lipstick than a balm. Contains active ingredients of Olive Oil, Paw Paw and Aloe.
This is like the lip gloss you’ve been dreaming off. Glides on easily, with a sheer but noticeable tint and shine. The Jojoba, apricot and Vit E ingredients stopped my lips from drying out.
This oil (with Almond Oil with extracts of Cherry) works well and stays put, without feeling too thick or goopy. I love the retro packaging but sadly there isn’t any colour pay off, just a very subtle iridescent shine.
*In the above image I called this colour ‘Sugar’ by mistake*
Vegan
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Which one’s would you use? Do you have any recommendations?
Hello lovely people! Between the wind, rain, cold and central heating it’s no wonder our skin can become sensitive, dehydrated and dry, or like mine, freak out and become oily and dry in different places.
A really light, easily absorbed daily moisturiser which can be layered with serums and balms. This moisturiser contains (plant based) Squalane to improve moisture balance and elasticity, Peptides to protect skin, B3 to brighten and even the complexion and Hyaluronic Acid to help the other ingredients sink deep into the skin.
This serum uses repurposed coffee extract, which is rich in antioxidants and rosehip and jojoba oils to brighten and care for dry, dehydrated skin. I apply this serum and before it sinks in completely I apply moisturiser, which helps the moisturiser to sink in easily. It does have a tiny tingly sensation at first but doesn’t make my skin flush or react.
This has the most delicious chocolate scent! It also has the most amount of oil (cacao seed butter and Shea butter) and scrubby bits (cacao seed powder) in anything I’ve ever used before. It’s really easy to hold in your palm and one melt covered my whole body. I don’t think I’ll have dry skin again for the next year! Okay, a slight exaggeration there.
This balm contains Oat Oil, Evening Primrose Oil and Sweet Almond Oil to calm dry, sensitive, itchy skin. The Lavender and Geranium Oils also calm body and mind. It’s a little miracle in a pot!
I normally have very cold hands so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to use this but it melted into my palms straight away! Containing Cocoa Butter and Apricot Kernel Oil, this cream is both hydrating and moisturising, without clogging pours or creating an oil slick on your pillow.
Quite the dream team and all plant based!
Feel free to Like, comment (ask questions), follow and share.
These are the products I’ve been using and purchasing repeatedly over the past year. They have been perfect for balancing my combination-type skin and hair.
Skincare
Haircare
General
I hope you’ve found this helpful and, as always lovely people, leave any questions or comments.
Extra…
Over the next couple of months I’ll be reviewing more skincare and beauty (including tinted lip balms and super moisturising lipsticks), as well as self-care and pampering products. Keep an eye on my Insta for a heads up!
This year I’m going to be doing a series of posts focussing on independent business, starting off the year with skincare.
Love Absolute was created by Holistic Therapist Sarah Bisset and specialises in botanically derived skincare. The brand is 100% cruelty free, vegan, organic and uses locally sourced ingredients, to support farmers, biodiversity and to cut down on carbon emissions.
I love their minimalist and recyclable packaging and it’s also good to know that their products are natural, fresh and free from unnecessary chemicals.
Making the most of the dark afternoons by making the living room feel all cozy.
Lots of natural skincare and lifestyle goodies in this Freedm Street advent calendar (items available to buy individually from heir online shop).
Making ‘special coffees’ by adding Baileys or Sailor Jerries Spiced Rum and throwing in pieces of salted caramel or hazelnut caramel choccy.
Jumper – Shein
Joggers – Cotton Traders
Bizarrely, for someone who has disabling arachnophobia when I see one, this was one of my favourite books as a child. It’s magical and a little creepy!
Little reindeer I found at the back of a cupboard!
Sparkly chocolate vegan brownie from Zad’s takeaway.
Dad decorated the whole downstairs in under 15 minutes. Secret festive ninja!
I’ve been watching His Dark Materials on BBC iPlayer and I am so impressed with this adaptation. Especially my favourite bad-ass actress, Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter.
I’ve developed quite a obsession with cute cartoon penguins so I was really happy to get this card from my Dad ^_^
Tee – Next
Christmas fleece – Cotton Traders
Joggers – Cotton Traders
At the Blokes flat we have our 22inch Christmas tree. I swear, after Christmas this is being packed away exactly as it is now – it was so fiddly to decorate!
Like most people in he UK we don’t have candy canes but we do have gelatine-free sweets!
This wonderful wreath gives me serious Narnia vibes. Unfortunately where we live, neither of us can put wreathes on our front door as they would get nicked and given to someone’s Mam or Missus.
Everything I post on this blog gets posted (in an abridged format) to my Instagram, as well as me posting one lifestyle photo everyday of the year there too.
As you probably know by now, I’m Dyspraxic so faffing about with eyelash glue and false lashes has extremely messy, if rather amusing consequences. Not a realistic option!
This is why I jumped at the chance of reviewing Lola’s magnetic lash kit £35. The lashes ‘stick’ to the metallic eyeliner which comes with the kit. Afterward the just gently peel off (they are reusable) and liner removed with oil (which also comes in the kit).
I’ve been given two styles of lashes (there are six in total, with different options for kits, colours of eyeliner and bundles): The thick, fluttery Diamond style which look fabulous (above) and the more subtle Sapphire style which pass for my real lashes but prettier. I prefer the latter because I can wear these quickly and easily, every time I go out, with hardly any other makeup.
I struggle with the Diamond lashes but the Sapphire one’s are perfect as they don’t crowd my mono-lid or drag down the look of my hooded eyes.
Quite a difference between my normal lashes (left eye) and the falsies (right eye)!
The eyeliner brush is incredibly easy to use and I draw the best flick I’ve ever done but I still manage to get eyeliner all over (and even inside) the inner corner of my eye. After I’ve spread that everywhere by trying to clean it up with the oil on a cotton pad, I let it dry. The lashes themselves are fairly easy to apply. I think they actually lift my hooded eyelids too!
Rating 4/5
What do you think? I would love to hear your comments as always.
This Balm.com by Glossier is one of the best lipbalms I’ve ever used. It leaves lips hydrated and moisturised, non sticky and with a sheer tint of colour. The mango flavour is delicious!
I just wish the tube were bigger and that it wasn’t so hard to squeeze out, maybe a tin would be better and still easily recycled.
Note: Balm.com isn’t tested on animals (otherwise it wouldn’t be on this blog obviously) but it isn’t vegan as it contains Lanolin, which is basically sheep grease (from their wool). Gross but highly effective!
Rating 4/5
Future Dew Oil/Serum
Futuredew Hybrid Oil/Serum (sample) is so similar to the balm at first but then melts into skin making it look naturally radiant and healthy. My dehydrated skin loved it!
Less is more with this as it can feel thick and sticky if you over-do it. I only needed half the sample for both cheeks and my nose.
Rating 5/5
Note: Both products create a subtle sheen (rather than a gloss or a metallic/pearlised looking finish) and even-out pores and dry patches, rather than accentuating them.
