November 14 Monthly Beauty Favourites
*Insert obligatory ‘Oh my god I can’t believe it’s December where is my life GOING’ comment*. So it’s time for my November beauty (and other) favourites…
Boscia ‘Make Up Break Up Cool Cleansing Oil’ – If you’ve seen my Sephora unboxing video you will know that I was very excited to try this cleansing oil. When my beloved DHC oil finished I was feeling a bit lost but this has filled the gap nicely. It smells lovely and fresh, gets all my make up off (including waterproof eye make up) and leaves my skin feeling very happy. Can’t recommend it enough!
Herbal Essences ‘Dry Shampoo Uplifting Volume’ – I cheated on Batiste…and it was goooood. I still use Batiste (it’s cheaper and you get a lot more for your money) but this is wonderful for a proper boost of volume while you’re giving yourself a day extra between washes. You can get it HERE.
Maybelline Color Elixir in ‘135 Raspberry’ – I didn’t think I would like these lipglosses as I hate anything sticky and gluey feeling. I’m a matte lip girl, through and through. But I’ve ended up with 3 of these and I love them. They pack a lot of colour on the lips and the gloss feels silky and watery rather than gloopy. Gorgeous. You can get them HERE I think these have now been discontinued.
Rimmel Exaggerate lipliner in ‘East End Snob’ – I think I included this in my favourites last month as well, but that’s how much I love this! I needed a nude lipliner and Rimmel do good lip products at a great price. But I’m still surprised at how much I like this. It’s a beautiful pink-nude that perfectly matches my lips and goes on very smoothly. You can buy it HERE.
Aussie Miracle Dry Shampoo ‘Aussome Volume’ – Another dry shampoo mistress. Like the Herbal Essences, this gives your hair some proper oomph and smells divine (as do all Aussie products). I wouldn’t use this every day as it builds volume and doesn’t look particularly natural, whereas Batiste can fake a just-washed hair look. Perfect for up dos and big party hair – get it HERE.
Josie Maran ‘100% Argan Oil Light’ – Another Sephora order gem. Facial oils are my favourite step in my face routine, I find them so relaxing and luxurious. This feels very rich and soothing without feeling heavy. It also doesn’t aggravate my rosacea and sinks in quickly. Thumbs up all round! The only UK retailer is QVC, you can get it HERE.
Atonement by Ian McEwan – I had seen the film adaptation of Atonement and really enjoyed it (despite Keira Knightley) and had heard that the book was fantastic. I usually prefer to read the book before seeing the film as it can sometimes ruin a book to have the actors in mind when reading, but in this case I think the casting was so good that I didn’t mind. The book is heartbreaking and breathtakingly well-written. I was reading this during the build up to Remembrance Sunday and the war scenes were made even more poignant because of this. I cried on the tube even though I knew all of the plot points which shows how powerful it is. Buy it HERE.
Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson – This was recommended to me by a woman at work and I really enjoyed it. It’s a mystery-thriller that kept surprising me throughout. I don’t want to say too much in case I spoil anything, but it has been made into a film so I’ll be interested to see what that is like. Buy the book HERE.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – You know when you finish a book and you feel completely bereft? Yep. This book. As soon as I started it I was in love and couldn’t put it down. I was actually looking forward to getting on the tube so that I could read it! Because it was on my Kindle I didn’t see that it’s actually a fairly chunky book, but that was a huge positive for me: I remember being about a week into reading it and suddenly feeling sad that it must be close to the end…then I looked at the percentage read in the corner and seeing that I was only about 20% through and I was so happy! When this book finished it took me a few days to want to start another book as everything else seemed so dull in comparison – it was like I was grieving! I have been recommending this to EVERYONE so please read it – HERE.
Barbara Daly Trade Secrets Velvet Touch Bronzer – I wrote a full review on some of the new Barbara Daly Trade Secrets range HERE and raved about this bronzer there as well. I have used it every day since. As mentioned in my other review, you only need the tiniest amount as it’s very pigmented, so this means I’ve barely dented the powder, so this is great value for money.
Wishbone necklace from Accessorize – I have a thing for wishbones as one of my earliest memories is my grandma explaining to my how to break a wishbone to get the wish, so I’ve wanted a wishbone necklace for a while. They seem to be all over so I was pleased to find this pretty and delicate one from Accessorize. I love it and have been wearing it a lot.
What have been your favourites recently?
Lex