July Favourites 2020

Friday, 31 July 2020

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This year is just going super-fast – we have all had to deal with so much these past few months, but hopefully things are on the up! I collated ten of my favourite products for the month of July, with a little bit of haircare, body care, skin care and of course, makeup!

I include the Batiste Dry Shampoo* (£2.99) in so many of my monthly favourites, but that is because I use it so much, but they are often releasing new scents. The most recent is the Batiste Love Is Love Dry Shampoo, which was released for Pride month, and the packaging is super fun, featuring rainbow adorned lips. The scent is labelled as fruity and bright, and I would definitely agree with that and it is actually my most favourite fragrance they have released to date – it leaves my hair refreshed and smelling so fresh and fruity, yet not overly sweet. You can find it online at Boots here.

Another new collection from Essence is their What’s Your Fruit Mood?, and once again I struggled to get a hold of most of the collection, but I did get the Essence What’s Your Fruit Mood? Refreshing AllOver Mist (I paid around £2.50 for this as I did get it from a German website). It has a grapefruit fragrance to it, which isn’t overly heavy, and it gives a continuous light misting over the face and body to cool you down and refresh the skin. One other thing which I really love about this mist is that it has SPF 25 included in the formula, so you are also taking care of your skin whilst out and about in the sunshine. You can find it online at Kosmetik 4 Less here

The Vita Liberata Beauty Blur Skin Tone Optimiser (£29.95 for 30ml) certainly isn’t a new product, but it was one I never really got around to buying before. During lockdown, I went a little makeup-buying crazy and ended up ordering it in the shade Café Crème (extra light). There are a further six shades which you can get depending on your skin tone, and at the time this shade worked really well for me, but now I have a bit of colour, I could do with a deeper shade. However, I really love the product as it is, and it is a moisturising primer and skin finish, and so the sheer tint covers, corrects and adds natural radiance to give you a flawless base, and so because it is more of a sheer coverage, it isn’t overly noticeable that it is a little light for my skin tone right now. I don’t love my skin, and so this is ideal for me to even things out and give me a little coverage, whether I use it on its own or as a primer before applying foundation. You can find it online at Vita Liberata here.
 Again, something that isn’t new to the beauty world, but which I have been loving lately is the Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb All-OverDiamond Veil (£31.00) in the shade How Many Carats? There is a darker-toned version for deeper skin tones too. The compact is really pretty, with a light pink and glitter dusted casing. You get a mirror on the inside of the lid, and then a good amount of product inside. This highlighter is definitely blingy – however it can be used all over the body too, if you want glowy skiny, or on the cheekbones, and I even use it as a glitter topper on the eyes sometimes. The formula is super soft and not at all gritty like some high-glitter products and it just really is super beautiful and unlike any other highlighter I have come across. You can find it online at Boots here.

 I have been going to Orlando since I was 15 and went on my 26th trip back in December. I am super sad I won’t be able to go this year, but the Catrice x Disney collection has definitely helped cheer me up! This is the Catrice Limited Edition Minnie & Daisy Eyeshadow Palette in the option C02 Daisy’s Signature. I paid around £7.82 as it was from a German website again – why can’t we have all the good makeup?! This sweet lilac palette features Daisy Duck on the front, and you open it up to reveal a mirror on the inside of the lid and nine eyeshadows. There is a mixture of metallic and matte shades in a variety of neutral tones, lilacs and purples. I like how they have included those more neutral shades rather than just have a full purple palette, so that you can create a full eye look and the formulas are great, so now I need the Minnie version… You can find this palette online at Kosmetik 4 Less here.
The only other item I was able to get from the Essence What’s Your Fruit Mood? Collection was the Essence What’s Your Fruit Mood?Grapefruit Lip Balm (I paid around £1.70 due to it being from a German website). This super fun and cute grapefruit container opens up to reveal a coral-tinted lip balm, which also smells of grapefruit too. It is a soft and moisturising formula without feeling heavy or sticky on the lips and I just wish we could get all of the Essence collections here in the UK as their products always amaze me. You can find the Grapefruit Lip Balm online at Kosmetik 4 Less here. (I promise this post isn’t sponsored by them in any way, they just have some great makeup!).
A new product on the market is the Fenty Beauty SlipShine Sheer Shiny Lipstick (£19.00), which is available in ten different shades. I opted for Makeout Break, which is pretty light nude with tiny gold sparkles. I adore the formula of these, it is buttery soft, super glossy and hydrating, yet not at all heavy feeling on the lips and very comfortable to wear. The other shade I was eyeing up is called Tang Thang, which is a beautiful coral shade, and so that has definitely gone on my wishlist. The packaging is typical Fenty Beauty style, with a high-shine faceted bullet and I would definitely recommend you check these out. You can find them online at Boots here.

Another lip product I have been enjoying this month is another Essence product – I am sorry, but I really do love the brand! It is the Essence Water Kiss Glossy Lip Colour (I paid around £1.95, and yes, from THAT German website again haha) and there are six shades available. Here, I have the shade 05 Ocean Girl, a medium coral pink colour. It is literally like applying water to your lips, they are that hydrating and lightweight and even though they are glossy, they do not feel like wearing a gloss whatsoever. They don’t lack on pigment either – they add full colour to the lips, and I have already bought another shade since. I would 100% recommend these all day long due to price, quality and pay-off. You can find them online at Kosmetik 4 Less here.

Last but certainly not least is the Barry M CrystalPotion Shimmer Body Oil (£7.99 for 50ml) and again, it isn’t a new product, but I have just been reaching for it a lot lately. This beautiful shimmer oil is a light peach with stunning light gold shimmer and iridescence, and it has been perfect for the warmer days when I have wanted a little shimmer to the skin. It contains jojoba and coconunt oils to keep the skin hydrated and Vitamin E to leave the skin feeling healthier. So not only does it add that beautiful shimmer to the skin, it also keeps it protected and well-nourished too. You can find it online at Superdrug here

All the Loves,
Kathryn xxx

*This item has been gifted to me, but all opinions are my own
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The Anastasia Beverly Hills x Carli Bybel & Jackie Aina Eyeshadow Palette Reviews & Swatches

Wednesday, 29 July 2020

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I wanted to do a duo post for these eyeshadow palettes as they are both by the same brand, and you get to see the shades and swatches together in one post. Years ago, I once got an Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palette, and I can’t remember which one it was, but as soon as I put my brush in one of the pans, there was powder and dust everywhere – I was so unimpressed that I put it to the back of my makeup drawer and never touched it again. However, they have definitely touched up their formula, and I have been revisiting some of their palettes in my collection and loving them, so I decided to order the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Carli Bybel and Anastasia Beverly Hills x Jackie Aina Eyeshadow Palettes whilst they were on super good deals recently.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills x Carli Bybel Eyeshadow Palette (£46.00) comes in super pretty light grey, gold and soft pink packaging and it looks like it is adorned with jewels. As with all Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palettes, you receive a mirror on the inside of the lid, a double-ended eyeshadow brush (one that is actually great quality, unlike a lot of brushes you find inside palettes), and then 14 eyeshadows. I find palette to be a great all-rounder – there are mattes, shimmers and metallics, and you get some pretty neutrals, a few bolder shades and some great sparkle! 
The shades inside this palette include:
·         Boli – Pale pink shimmer
·         Bybel – Pink nude matte
·         Mandala – Lilac shimmer with colour-shift
·         Libra – Taupe shimmer
·         Jode – Purple grey shimmer
·         OA – Lilac metallic with holographic glitter
·         Boie – Matte light to medium brown
·         Bear – Cream matte
·         Moo – Peach champagne metallic
·         Chai – Light nude matte
·         Cindy – Peach matte
·         Stev – Magenta matte
·         Aura – Copper metallic
·         My Angels – Warm gold metallic
I find this a very wearable palette, and you could easily travel with this palette and be able to create many different looks. The formula is so much better than when ABH first came out with their eyeshadows, and the mattes are pigmented and blend really easily, and the shimmers and metallics are simply stunning. I am super glad I ordered this palette; it really is very pretty. You can find it online at Anastasia Beverly Hills here.
Moving on to the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Jackie Aina Eyeshadow Palette (£46.00), this comes in gorgeous packaging too – I really wish it would show up on camera – but it has a mock reptile-effect cover which glows iridescent when you move it and it is so pretty! As I mentioned before, this too has a mirror, a double-ended brush and 14 eyeshadows. This palette is definitely warmer than the Carli Bybel one, featuring pinks, reds, purples and browns with a mixture of matte, shimmers and metallics. 
The shades included in this palette are:
·         Soleil – Peach champagne shimmer
·         Supreme – Medium pink matte
·         Pinker – Light burgundy matte
·         Big Wig – Cadbury purple matte
·         Dwollahs – Light gold metallic
·         Credit – Warm toned brown matte
·         Lituation – Light brown metallic
·         Zamn – Rose gold metallic
·         Wiggalese – Ruby red shimmer
·         Shookington – Purple shimmer
·         Trust Issues – Cream iridescent metallic
·         Edges – Tan matte
·         Sponsored – Green purple shade shift metallic
·         Ginger – Light tan matte
I find the formula and pigmentation just as good as the Carli Bybel palette, and I had very little fallout, even when swatching them. I think this is a very versatile palette, as you get those warmer tones, but then pops of colour and some amazing metallics and shimmers too and so it is definitely something you can use all year-round. At £46.00, the Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes are quite pricey, but if you keep an eye out, a lot of sites such as Feel Unique and Look Fantastic often have deals on. You can find the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Jackie Aina Eyeshadow Palette online here. 
All the Loves,
Kathryn xxx
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Barry M Hi Vis Collection Review & Swatches

Monday, 27 July 2020

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Barry M have a brand-new collection out – the Barry M HiVis collection and it includes a good selection of nail polishes, pencil eyeliners, liquid eyeliners and water activated colours. They come in a variety of bright colours, and so are perfect for Summer – and I would have thought festivals had we not been in the middle of a pandemic! 

I did buy one of the nail polishes, but I didn’t include it within this post as I didn’t have the whole collection of them. So first up, are the Barry M Hi Vis Eyeliners (£3.99). There are five different shades to choose from:
·         False Alarm – Coral Red
·         Riot – Bright Pink
·         Caution – Bold Blue
·         Dangerous – Bright Purple
·         Strobe Light – Lime Green

When you see the nail polishes, they are neon, and with the rest of the products and the name of the collection being Hi Vis, I did expect them to be brighter than they are (I ordered online), and so that was my only disappointment with the collection. However, the eyeliners are super soft and glide effortlessly onto the eyeline, meaning that you’re not tugging on that delicate area and I did find them to last throughout the day without smudging or budging.
This is quite an eyeliner-heavy collection, and next up are the Barry M Hi Vis Liquid Eyeliners (£4.99). There are four shades to choose from, but when I ordered online, they didn’t have the green shade available. The shades don’t have names, but there is a lime green (which is the one I don’t have), a lilac, a light pink and a bright turquoise. Again, they are not neon shades as you may expect, but the turquoise is a really unique and great colour. I do also love pastels, and so the light pink and lavender are lovely too. I have been loving lilac and purples on the eyes at the moment, and the lilac liquid eyeliner finishes off my eye looks beautifully. These have a very precise applicator, so even if you aren’t a cat-eye master, you can still get a straight, even line from these and they do last on the lids throughout the day too. The formula does dry down pretty quickly, which I love as I have hooded lids and so if it is too much of a wet formula, it transfers straightaway on to my brow bone and I look rather silly!



For more of a neon look, I would recommend the Barry M HiVis Water Activated Colours (£4.99). These are definitely brighter, and come in three shades:
·         Trance – Bright Blue
·         Wavelength – Neon Purple
·         High Voltage – Bright Pink

To use these, as the name suggests, you do have to wet your brush first, and then apply to the lids, and they can be used as liner or as all-over lid colour. Do I think these are necessary when you could just apply a shadow or a regular liner? No, I don’t – it was a little bit too much messing about for me, when I have much quicker options, but these do last, and I mean they last all day and all night. When I removed them, you could still see the remnants of the colour, and so if you are looking for something bulletproof, then these are for you! You get a lot of product and a little goes a long way, and once again, they dry down super quickly.
You can find the Barry M Hi Vis collection online at Barry M here.

All the Loves,
Kathryn xxx
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The Essence Wanna Bee My Honey? Collection Review & Swatches

Friday, 24 July 2020

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I love a new Essence collection and releases as they are one of my favourite drugstore brands here in the UK. I have featured endless products here on my blog and so when I saw the Essence Wanna Bee My Honey? Collection, I knew I had to try it out. There are other products in the collection – a total of eight – but here in the UK, I could only get my hands on two of them. Other items in the collection include an All Over Balm, Reusable Makeup Remover Pads, a Colour Changing Glow Lipstick, an Eyeshadow Brush, a Highlighter Brush and a Luminizing Primer. I really wish I was able to get more of the collection as it looks lovely.
 
The first product I was able to get was the Essence Wanna Bee My Honey? Mattifying Fixing Powder (£2.99), which comes in just the one shade, 01 You’re The Bees Knees! And is a translucent powder. The Powder comes in cardboard packaging and has a little elastic band you keep the compact closed with. The formula smells of honey, so that is super sweet, and the powder itself features a honeycomb design and the script, ‘bee my honey’ and overall, this is a very cute product. The Mattifying Fixing Powder is to be used to set the makeup after you have applied your foundation, to keep it in place for the whole day. If you have super dry skin, then I don’t think this product would be suitable for you, but if you do have oily skin or tend to get an oily T-Zone later in the day, then I would definitely recommend you trying this out. When you’re applying the powder, it does feel very soft and lightweight, so you don’t feel like you have the powder on and there is zero cakiness or texture to the skin once applied either.

The star of the show is without doubt, the Essence Wanna Bee My Honey? Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette (£7.99). It has the same packaging theme as the Fixing Powder, with that brown cardboard look, decorated with gold honeycomb and bee illustrations. It is a neat, petite palette and inside it features six eyeshadows and two highlighters in a honeycomb pattern. The six eyeshadows include matte, shimmer and metallic finishes, and there is a cream matte, ochre matte, light gold shimmer, yellow gold metallic, pale yellow shimmer and a bold gold metallic. I like the variation this palette gives you, despite being a small palette, with the different textures and gold and yellow tones. The highlighters are both much bigger pans and you receive a light, pale champagne highlighter, and a warmer, gold toned highlighter and you can of course use them on their own on the cheeks, or even use them on the eyelids too. I love the formula of both the eyeshadows and the highlighters, which are almost creamy to the touch and they are all highly pigmented, even the cream matte. As with the Fixing Powder, this also has a delicate honey scent to it, and I think for the quality and price, you really can’t go wrong with this collection.

You can find the Essence Wanna Bee My Honey? Collection online at Feel Unique here.

All the Loves,
Kathryn xxx
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Enjoying Self-Care With Antipodes

Wednesday, 22 July 2020

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These past few months have been such a tough time for everyone, and every single person's experience has been different. I was put on four different types of hormone medication at the beginning of lockdown for endometriosis surgery, which will now more than likely be next year. So for that reason, I have found it tougher recently than I did at the beginning of lockdown. However, Antipodes very kindly sent me some beautiful skincare and makeup products recently, so that I could indulge in a little self-care.
One of Antipodes' newest releases is the Antipodes Baptise H2O Ultra-Hydrating Water Gel (£25.58 for 60ml), which comes in a glass pot and smells heavenly, although it is not overly fragranced, so if you don't like heavily scented products, you will still enjoy this. Baptise is infused with pure, natural moisture and is a gel formula that instantly hydrates dry and dehydrated skin without feeling heavy on the skin or greasy. The lightweight texture sinks into the skin instantly and is super refreshing as soon as you apply it. Main ingredients include hyaluronic acid which is well-known for holding up to 1000 times its own weight in moisture and helps give the skin a plumping effect, New Zealand manuka honey and harakeke gel which will deeply hydrate the skin, mamaku black fern to provide the skin with regenerative benefits, helping those dead skin cells to renew, and South Pacific hibiscus flower which gently exfoliates those dead skin cells to leave a smoother, clearer and brighter complexion. It is to be used in the same way you would use your regular moisturiser - both morning and night after cleansing and toning. My skin has been super dry due to all the hormones I currently have in my system, and this is such a refreshing, hydrating and beautiful product to use and has really helped my skin to look and feel healthier.
Antipodes do have a Kiwi Seed Eye Cream already, but they have since released the Limited Edition Antipodes Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream (£45.99 for 30ml), which contains pure 23K gold flakes. This luxe ingredient helps to add an illuminating property to the cream, helping your under eye area look much brighter and helps to rid it of dark circles. Again, this comes in a glass pot, and you get 30ml of product, which is a good amount for an eye cream, and so this is going to last you a while. The formula is enriched with Vitamin C from the New Zealand Kiwifruit, which delivers intense moisture to that delicate eye area and helps to soften any fine lines. This one is fragrance free, and is suitable for all skin types, with a formula that is lightweight yet ultra moisturising and refreshing. You need just a tiny amount both morning and night and apply by massaging it into the socket bone around the eye. As this is an illuminating eye cream, if you suffer from quite tired looking eyes and dark circles, then this is going to brighten that area, and the 23K gold really helps to get your peepers looking perfect.
Did you know that Antipodes also create lipsticks? I love combining makeup and skincare, so I think the Antipodes Moisture-Boost Natural Lipsticks (£19.99) are a winner! They are available in a wide range of colours to suit all skin tones and preferences and the two I have here are Forest Berry Red, a warm true red, and Queenstown Hot Chocolate, a medium warm nude. As soon as you remove the lid, you can see how moisturising they are! The formula is infused with a nourishing blend of Evening Primrose, Avocado and antioxidant-rich Argan Oils, so these are super creamy, moisturising and caring lipsticks. They glide on to the lips effortlessly and even though they are a more sheer, lightweight formula, you get great coverage and colour with every stroke. The Moisture-Boost Lipsticks looks slightly glossy on the lips due to how hydrating they are and they are super comfortable to wear with great longevity of wear. I am definitely going to pop a few other colours on my wish list.
You can find Antipodes online at Look Fantastic here.

All the Loves,
Kathryn xxx

*These items were gifted to me, but all opinions are my own
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