Five Recent Favourites

This post was supposed to go out absolutely ages ago. The reason for my lax has been mainly due to poor health, and then my son has been unwell (nothing serious though). Which actually ties in nicely with the theme of this post. I’ll regularly be sharing 5 things that have been making life that little bit nicer. I think there’s a tendency to forget that small, everyday things can also add to our quality of life. And when quality of life is affected by disability and chronic health problems little things can make all the difference. Of course, I’d love to be sharing my latest trip to the Maldives with you and planning my next trip to Tokyo but that’s not the reality of my life, nor is it the reality of the majority. So here’s to embracing the small things in life!

First up are books by the author Keigo Higashino . I’ve now read quite a few of the wonderful Higashino books and you MUST read them. I think at the start they can be a little hard to get into but if you love crime novels with amazing intricate plot twists that explore human nature with the backdrop of Japan and its culture you will love his books. Higashino is an absolute master of his craft. Higashino is one of the best authors out there for me. A good starting point would be the huge hit The Devotion of Suspect X an amazingly impressive work looking at human nature and how to commit the perfect crime. I absolutely loved this. I also did a brief review of Malice here.

I generally love NYX products although I just didn’t get on with the Full Throttle lipstick I tried. I am so impressed with NYX Micro Brow Pencil. The packaging doesn’t feel as sturdy as the similar product from Urban Decay (the brow beater) that I also use but it is a fraction of the price. The performance is much the same though than its more expensive counterpart and the colour selection is much better than UD. Definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already. It’s practically fool proof, long-wearing and can be as low or high impact as you like.

Next from NYX is their Dark Circle Concealer. This is a brilliant little pot for knocking the dark colouring from under eyes. I use the colour Fair which is a peachy colour but there’s three other colours too. I think this is just as good as Bobbi Brown’s corrector and is much much cheaper alternative. I’ve also been using NYX HD Photogenic Concealer (not shown in photos) and I love this product. It gives medium to full coverage, is creamy, blends beautifully and is reasonably long-wearing especially when set with setting powder. And coincidently I’ve been using NYX’s Finishing Powder in either Banana or Translucent. 

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Liquid Peel* is an unusual product and initially I wasn’t entirely sold on it but after a few uses this has become a regular in my weekly routine (which also includes a face mask). This is similar to Ginvera Exfoliating Marvel Gel with Green Tea but I did find The Body Shop’s product to be less exfoliating than the very popular Ginvera. Despite this my skin is incredibly smooth after use, feels deeply cleansed and looks brighter so this is why I’ve continued to use it. The Body Shop’s Liquid Peel and Ginvera Exfoliating Marvel Gel are especially good if you suffer from blackheads or acne prone skin.

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA* is a concentrated serum that tackles hyperpigmentation. It’s supposed to help improve the look of skin prone to spots and discolorations. While I haven’t noticed an improvement with pigmentation yet I have noticed an overall brightness and plumpness to my skin. (I will just put a little disclaimer in here: I wasn’t using this along with skinChemists Bee Venom Facial, I’d finished using The Ordinary before using this product. I always do this so I know what is and what isn’t affecting my skin.) TBH I wouldn’t have expected much improvement in the 6 weeks I was using it but I liked this product enough to repurchase it. I’m very keen to try other products from this range. The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA* is only £7 but feels and looks like a much more expensive product.

  

Lipsticks are one of life’s little pleasures. You can buy a cheap and cheerful one or a much more expensive treat. A lipstick always makes me feel better, especially if I’m having a rough pain/illness day. I would have scoffed at this previously but these seemingly small things can and do help with daily life. I love most formulas of lipstick but my main loves are mattes and liquid lipsticks. In the photo that’s just a very small selection of my collection. I had a bit of a makeup clear out recently because I just tend to hoard without consideration of use by dates or the actual state of the makeup. While doing this I swatched quite a few of my lip products and I definitely have a type: raspberry reds. To defend the ridiculous amounts of the same colour I have I will say the formulas are slightly different and well, the colour really suits my skin colour so it is entirely acceptable and justified.

What have you been loving recently?

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