Penneys Haul

So you know how it is, I went into Penneys (Primark to those outside of Éire) the other day for some new Pilates gear and left with a Cocoa Brown tanning mitt, two pairs of extra thick tights (with a fleece lining..snug FTW), a lip balm with SPF (covering all weather conditions, clearly), the aforementioned Pilates clothing and the few items below. I basically saw the colours and went a bit mad. Colours and florals mean only one thing. SPRING. That's right, people, time to break out the fun clothes and throw off the shackles of Winter. No need to look like 40 Coats anymore because Spring is coming! Well, Spring is a good bit away yet but it is coming. Oh yes. 

First up, is this rather cool neon tweed print shift dress. Made of a lightweight material with sheer sleeves and a woven collar, this would need a chunky cardigan for now but will be fine on its own for Spring/Summer. 

I'm planning on wearing this with those thick tights in navy, ankle boots and a chunky necklace (possibly one of the new ones in the photo). This was €10. 

Next up is this tropical floral print on a vibrant orange-red background. I love the detail on the sleeves here, it makes it that bit more interesting. 

I'm mostly planning on wearing this just with jeans but for some reason I have a strange hankering to try it out tucked into a striped pencil skirt..hmm. This was €9.

I'm obsessed with yellow and my favourite way to wear it is with a casual shirt like this. Featuring rolled up sleeves, some gold detailing on the shoulder and tiny yellow polka dots throughout, there's a lot going on here for just €13. Again, this is probably a jeans kinda top. I'm thinking tucked into flares with gold wedges and a big old hat for when the better weather comes (really thinking ahead here!).

Lastly, these chunky ball necklaces caught my eye in the window on a mannequin so I had to have them. These won't be to everyones taste as they're a little bit different but that's why I like them. I debated between which colour to get but in the end I went for both (it also comes in white). I'm into statement necklaces in a big way and tend to accessorise every outfit with one so these are ideal for me. And those colours..swoon!! €6 each.

And that's my Spring wardrobe sorted!

Anything catching your eye? Are you as done with Winter as I am?! 

COME ON SPRING!!!!

XX

Current Skincare Regime

In the last month and a half I've unintentionally started an entirely new skincare regime, so I thought now would be a good time to talk through what I'm currently using.

My skin veers on the dry/sensitive side so I've been packing in the serums, oils and super moisturisers of late. Observe:

Oskia London Renaissance Cleansing Gel*. This is unsurprisingly, a gel cleanser in a thick formula that smells faintly of roses. Full of vitamins, minerals and collagen, it's designed to keep skin strong and supple. You apply this to dry skin, adding a little warm water to emulsify and then remove it with a damp muslin cloth. So far I'm really liking this, it doesn't dry out my skin and takes off all of my make up, leaving my skin feeling fresh. I forgo this for removing eye make up though so for that I return to my old faithful, L'ancôme Bi-facil.

My lovely friend Aundrea from Dancing With Disaster gave me this Diptyque Infused Facial Water to try out as she knows I like all things fancy. She's not wrong! There's no alcohol in this and combined with a blend of nine plants and flowers, it feels like pure refreshment for the skin. A word of warning though- it's rather pungent, fragrance-wise and takes a little while to get used to! Worth it though!

In the mornings I've been using Aqualia Thermal serum from Vichy, underneath my moisturiser. Containing Vichy Spa Thermal water, this leaves my skin soft and hydrated without that sticky feeling that you often get with serums of this formula. You can use this at night too but I've replaced that with..

..Clarins Double Serum Complete Anti-Age Concentrate. I've wanted a full size of this for a while now after trying and loving a sample of it last year so I hunted it down in the sales and got it for a bargain price (you'd want to really as it costs about 70 quid otherwise..eep). The bottle is made up of a dual chamber; containing two different anti-ageing serums that you pump to release and then blend together before applying to the face. A couple of things about this; it smells incredible, is super comforting at night and my skin feels smoother every time I use it. Every damn time! Worth all the monies. 

Under my eyes, I've been using Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate* from The Body Shop for a while now and am liking it. This is a cooling roll on with one of those little metal balls so it's particularly effective first thing in the morning. It contains Edelweiss plant stem cells to smooth the appearance of lines, bags and tiredness. I like it the most for underneath my concealer as I think it provides a good base. This is a little bit sticky and needs some help to sink in so I pat mine in with my ring finger and I'm ready to go.

Lastly, my current moisturiser of choice is this fella from La Roche Posay; Nutritic Intense Riche. That's right, I brought out the big guns. If you've got dry skin, this is heralded by many as the moisturiser you need to use, especially in the colder months. It's quite heavy and takes some massaging to be fully absorbed but it's working well so far. The strong fragrance is again slightly off putting (I'm annoyed because when I originally smelt this in the shop, it seems to be fragrance-free. The sealed pot however, was not. Hmm) and I'm not sure yet if it's too thick for use throughout the year but we'll see. 

Have you tried any of these? What's your current skincare go-to?

XX

*Indicates a product was provided by a brand/pr for review. As always, all opinions are my own.

New Books!

I was once again lucky enough to receive lots of beautiful books for Christmas this year. I don't want to judge a book by its cover, but some of these are seriously stroke-able and while I already have an insanely long to-be-read list, these are just demanding to be picked up straight away. There's a fabulous mix of genres here, something I love as it means there's no risk of me getting bored any time soon. 

So many books, so little time..

I've wanted to read Pretty Honest for ages now and I've already started flicking through it. The chapter on beauty and illness is so spot on, I can't wait to read the rest.

This book on the life of fashion powerhouse Vivienne Westwood looks incredible and as a big Great British Bake Off fan I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into the recipes in this one.

Lastly, my wonderful husband and sister in law joined forces to get me series nine and the start of series ten of Buffy! If you read the blog last year you'll know I made a concerted effort to read more graphic novels and particularly enjoyed the Buffy books that came out after the final TV series aired. I love these- full of the same Buffy humour, with beautiful drawings and extra big monsters. Swoon. 

Have you read any of these? Did you get any books for Christmas?

XX

Benefit Sweet Tintations | Review

When Benefit released their Christmas sets this year I had my eye firmly on this lip and cheek set, Sweet Tintations. I just didn't want to spend the bones of €30 on it is all. So I waited patiently and picked it up in the Arnotts sale for a mere €19 (which is pretty amazing considering one of the lip balms alone will set you back €21 and there's two full sizes in this set). You might still be able to find this on sale if you scout around- definitely worth checking as the saving is brilliant!

Inside are mini sizes of lip and cheek stains; Benetint and Lollitint and full sizes of tinted lip balms; Benebalm and Lollibalm.

Look how dinky those mini tints are! Benetint is the original in the range and is one of the brands biggest sellers. It's a rosy shade and I've always found it slightly too watery for my liking so I tend not to use this on my cheeks- it stains and stains hella fast too so be extra careful when using this fella. No one likes a face like a slapped arse, am I right?

Lollitint is one of the newer tints from the brand, along with Posie and Cha-Cha (both of which I've tried and also love) and is creamier in texture. It's a pastel lilac hue and is surprisingly flattering, looking extra lovely on pale cheeks. I used to wear and was a huge fan of the Benefit gloss "kiss me", which was similarly pale lilac in tone and something about the purple in there was very pretty on the lips- it is here too. 

The balms came out this year and are basically a glossy wash of the same shades as the accompanying tints but are super moisturising- containing mango butter and sodium hyaluronate (me neither), these provide sheer colour while preventing your lips from drying out (as they may well do from a tint alone). 

If you're looking for a dramatic lip, you're barking up the wrong tree with these. If, however you want a pretty kiss of colour for daytime, work or going for dinner (I can't be dealing with the hassle of wearing a full-on red lip while trying to eat a meal and somehow avoid looking like the Joker) then these are ideal. 

Left; Lollibalm, Lollitint, Benebalm, Benetint. Right; Lollitint and benetint staining my skin there several hours later.

I really like these and have been wearing them non stop since I got them. My lips have been dry this Winter but are responding really well to these. That aside, they also smell incredible, like orchids (Lollitint/balm) and Roses (Benetint/balm) and the packaging is gorgeous. Bringing a mini tint and balm out with you like this cuts down on the amount of random lip products floating around in the bottom of your bag and results in a naturally pretty look.

Have you tried any of the Benefit tint/balm combinations?

XX

Kindle Book Sale!

Even though I got more than enough books as gifts this Christmas, I still felt the need to pick up some kindle options- I can't resist more books. It's an illness really. Bookaddict-itis. Look it up. 

Anyway, Amazon are doing a 12 days of Christmas sale and it's running only til Monday the 5th, so get on that! Here's what I've picked up already:

These feminist reads have been on my list for a while so I snapped them up. 

We Should All Be Feminists (perfect title right there plus she's amazing)

Unspeakable Things (the sexual counter-revolution discussed by well known feminist activist, Laurie Penny)

 Everyday Sexism (I'm already reading and although bleak, it's really interesting so far). 

Ayoade on Ayoade (love him, this looks super quirky)

Confessions of a Sociopath (looks intriguing!)

The Body Book (this one is probably better in real book format for photographs but I couldn't resist the sale price!)

More options…

The Shining Girls

Half Of a Yellow Sun

Into The Darkest Corner

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Requiem for a Dream

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

You can find plenty more great options HERE (there's 900 books in the sale!) 

Have you read any of these? Are you stocking up in the kindle sale too?

XX