Current Favourites #2: Yes, Biscuits.

I tried to film this round up, but I am absolutely full of cold and it was not pleasant to look at… so Current Favourites #2 will be a blog post!

There are some cracking products here (BISCUITS) but I’m always in the market for recommendations so don’t forget to leave me a comment with what you’ve been loving recently as well!

Let’s start with the most exciting thing, shall we? My husband found Gluten-Free Hobnobs! I cannot describe to you how happy I was when he brought these home. If you can’t eat gluten then you need these in your life: they taste just like original Hobnobs (except for the chocolate which is a little bit different) and they. Are. GLORIOUS.

Smashbox recently released 120 amazing lipsticks and I was invited to play with all of them in store. I was in heaven! If you know me, you’ll know that I was instantly drawn to their more unusual shades: navy blue, slate grey, obnoxiously loud pink. However, I wanted to go out of my comfort zone, and for me that means nudes. Yes, I know that seems backwards. A very helpful Smashbox MUA helped me find my perfect shade and it was the Smashbox Be Legendary Matte Lipstick in ‘Tarot Card’*: a gorgeous mauve/rose nude that gives me that *rings the blogger cliché bell* ‘my lips but better’ look. The formula is lovely: matte but not drying or draggy on the lips and it lasts ages. Perfect!

DECIEM are a really interesting brand who I think are one of the most innovative companies on the market, if you’ve not heard of them I’d really recommend having a look at their different brands and products. I’ve got a huge bag full of stuff to test and every time I look at it I get a bit giddy! Recently I’ve been trying two products from one of their brands: the Hand Chemistry Hand Cream* and the Hand Chemistry Foot Cream*. I have used a lot of hand creams over the years and I’m quite picky. This is a wonderful product because not only does it do the basics (hydrates the hands and sinks in quickly with no tackiness) but it also helps to combat 8 signs of ageing. Your hands are exposed to as much sun as your face but we rarely remember to look after them in the same way. This hand cream helps with firmness, elasticity, density, evenness, brightness, texture, smoothness and hydration when used every day for 11 days. Even though I don’t have overt signs of ageing on my hands, I’ve noticed a loss of firmness over time, and I’ve definitely noticed a difference since using this hand cream. The Hand Chemistry Foot Cream (confusing name!) surprised me: I thought it was going to be a similar product to the Soap & Glory Heel Genius which breaks down dry skin with fruit enzymes. Actually, the Hand Chemistry Foot Cream helps dry and rough skin on the feet by interrupting the dry skin cycle: instead of only treating the surface dryness (which helps in the short term) it targets the cause of the dryness so that the new skin emerging is hydrated and healthy. I hate feet. HATE. But I’ve been applying this twice a day and then completely forgetting about it… and my feet are so much softer and look a lot nicer. The constant dryness and rough feeling is almost gone, with no horrible flaking or peeling. These are definite winners for me! You can get them from the DECIEM site HERE or from Look Fantastic HERE.

I’ve been searching for a brow gel for ages and all of them seem to fall down at the one thing I NEED them to do: hold my brows in place. I have very unruly brows and it felt like nothing could tame them and stop the flop. Until I discovered Browcote Brow Gel*. I’d tried Lipcote when I was at uni (it worked but was a little bit like painting your lips with nail varnish…) so I was a bit wary of this by MY GOD. It’s a revelation. A well-proportioned brush, slightly gloopy formula and a non-sticky, non-crusty finish, and all day hold… the dream!

I have run out of Sephora eye masks and am not going anywhere to stock up soon, so these arrived at just the right time. The Elizabeth Grant Collagen Re-Inforce Silk Edition Firming Eye Pads* are slightly different to the Sephora ones as they are gels, rather than a soaked gauze. I found that the gel texture gave a really refreshing and cooling feeling to my under-eyes which definitely helped with puffiness and sensitivity. I would definitely use these again, before a big event or on a flight, as they really do make a difference to the eye area. You can buy a box of 6 pairs HERE for £14.99 which I think is a bargain!

Similarly to the eye masks above, the 111Skin Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask* is not like the other sheet masks I’ve tried. The bio cellulose, gel-like texture is so strange at first but I definitely prefer it to the traditional paper/gauze masks. It doesn’t feel sloppy when you get it out of the packet, the product doesn’t run down your neck, the feeling is so cooling and soothing on the skin (which is great for people like me who have rosacea flare ups), plus the masks actually stays on your face! It doesn’t slide around or come loose and sections don’t dry out before others as the gel texture keeps the product in place. You could comfortably wear this for a whole flight, or even sleep in it to get the full benefit. They are pricey: £20 for a single mask or £85 for a pack of 5, but I am going to save mine for special occasions and flights, when I want my skin to look flipping amazing afterwards.

In news that will shock no-one, my new favourite nail varnish is a grey. I tried Morgan Taylor nail varnishes for the first time thanks to the MeeBox review (which you can read HERE) and was surprised I’d never tried them before. They kindly sent me their new winter range and this one just called to me: Morgan Taylor ‘Rule The Runway’*(FYI I’ve never used Beauty Express to order before, but it doesn’t seem that there are many stockists for Morgan Taylor in the UK). This gorgeous polish is a pale grey but has a lovely lilac tone to it that makes it really flattering and not at all flat or boring.

I’m going to do a full review on the entire MUA Luxe highlighting range as the whole collection is wonderful, but the stand out product for me at the moment is the MUA Luxe Glow Beam Liquid Highlight Cushion*. Cushion formulas have been around for a while in Asia and are becoming more mainstream over here in the form of foundation, but this is the first highlighter I’ve seen in that format. The liquid highlighter is in a well at the bottom of the pot, and you press on the sponge to dispense the product. This is an intense gold highlighter that looks so pretty on, but is not for the fainthearted! It gives a seriously eye-catching, dewy glow and I love it. Plus it’s only £5 – go go go!

What would you pick from my Current Favourites #2? Don’t forget to tell me what you’re loving at the moment!

Lex

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