So, how was your summer?
For me in the great North West, Summer, for a pleasant change, didn’t mean scorching temperatures. This time, it meant torrential, record breaking rainfall, constant road closures, and so, so much goddamn humidity. All that combined meant I had a summer where wearing makeup wasn’t really on the cards. Even I’m shocked that I managed to wrangle up five products for this post. But I somehow got there in the end. So, let’s chat about the beauty product faves that survived my summer!
BENEFIT THE POREFESSIONAL FOUNDATION – $72.00 (review here)
Yep, we are kicking this off with yet another cut from the Best Of list. But I swear, this was one of the few foundations I wore over the last few months that actually wanted to stay on my face and not sweat away. The finish is absolutely gorgeous (think Mecca Max Satin Blur but more matte). And the wear time is second to none. A total home run from Benefit. I can’t wait to see the concealer launch when it happens. Because one of those has to be on the cards!
HALF MAGIC EYELECTRIC EXTREME LENGTHENING MASCARA – $45.00 (review here)
A bit of a cheat perhaps, considering I just reviewed it. But wow, I was truly blown away by this mascara. The length and lift this gave my lashes? Chef’s kiss. So freaking good. I am beyond tempted to buy some of the other shades in this range.
SAIE GLOSSYBOUNCE LIP OIL GLOSS in PUSH – $34.00
Right at the tail end of November, Saie opened their shipping internationally for the first time. And you already know that I pounced on that. Now, while I haven’t gotten around to trying as much as I would have liked to, I do have to say that the GlossyBounce Lip Oils are pretty amazing. The shade Push has been my go to shade at the moment. A stunning milk chocolate brown that pairs so well with some of my favourite lip looks. The formula is light, but super glossy. With a good amount of staying power for a lip oil.
TOWER 28 GOGO COOLING EYESHADOW STICK – $35.00
I am the easiest lay on the planet for Tower 28. We know this about me. You can write it on my tombstone. But even I was blown away by how good these are. The cooling sensation they have when you’re applying them to the lids is a bit of a head trip at first. But once they are on and blended, they aren’t budging. They don’t crease on me, they don’t fade on me. They wear all day with the humidity and sweat. And it’s not coming off until I take it off. My go to shade is Viper for an instant smokey eye. But Garden is stunning for a lilac moment.
LE LABO ANOTHER 13 EDP – $362.00
My fragrance wishlist is never ending at this point. But I do like to chip away at it every now and again. And at the start of 2026, I finally bit the bullet and bought a fragrance that has been at the top of my list since, well, since I bought Oriana last year. And Le Labo Another 13 couldn’t be any more of a different fragrance to what I would normally go for (I am a woman who contains multitudes). Another 13 is comforting, yet so incredibly sexy and adult. It has a rawness that I find irresistible! It’s a huge step outside my fragrance comfort zone. And yet, I cannot stop wearing it. I’m so glad that I now have it. It’s definitely worth it.
And that is a wrap on my beauty faves. Now, let’s get into my other faves. All of these are television shows (I had a lot of time off at Christmas). But if you’ve been following my TikTok in particular, none of these will be shocks.
HEATED RIVALRY (HBO Max)
Hey, I said no surprises here. This show managed to crawl it’s way into my brain back in December and it’s been living in there rent free ever since. You don’t need me to describe the plot, you all already know. Two dumbass hockey players spend nine years realising they are in love with each other. Plot done. I have actually lost count at the amount of rewatches I’ve done (it has to be the low 30’s). I’ve read the books (my official ranking is 6, 5, 2, 1, 3, 4). Fuck, this show got me back into fan fiction. Which is something I haven’t read since before I MET my husband. I cannot get enough of this universe and I am waiting oh so patiently for 2027 so I can get more.
*Em’s Note* Wow, if I had a nickel for every time I fell in love with a series called Game Changer, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot. But it’s weird that it’s happened twice, right?
*Em’s Note Pat 2* Because I’m kind (and kinda obsessed), here is my favourite picture of Hudson Williams from the Wonderland shoot a few weeks back.
A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS (HBO Max)
Now, this was the book to screen adaptation that I was looking forward to at the start of December. In fact, I had been waiting for two years for this one. Set some 90ish years prior to the events of Game Of Thrones, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms tells the story of the Hedge Knight, Dunk, and how he meets his chipper young squire, Egg. Shenanigans ensue. And now that the first season is out and finished? It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s basically ripped word for word from the original novella that I loved so much as a teenager. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell were born to play these roles. The world is so lived in and wholesome, with just a sprinkling of the darkness that comes part in parcel with the A Song Of Ice And Fire Universe. It’s easily my favourite new show of the year (Heated Rivalry came out last year). Even if you’re burned out with Game Of Thrones, I insist you watch this!
LETTERKENNY (SBS On Demand)
Now that Jacob Tierney has blessed us all with Heated Rivalry, I figured it was high time to finally get into his original baby. Premiering in 2016, Letterkenny is a slice of life comedy about the residents of a small rural town in Ontario, Canada. And the weird and wonderful adventures they get up to. I won’t lie, a lot of the affection I have for this show is how close it hits to home for me. Coming from a rural town, I can certainly relate to the Hicks more than I probably should. The main selling point though is that this is easily the funniest show I’ve seen in years. The amount of time I’ve had to rewind because Dennis and I were laughing so hard cannot be counted. Best of all, you can watch it for free! So you have no excuse.
And that is a wrap for Summer. Thank god! Here’s hoping the weather is a little less homicidal coming into Autumn. Let me know in the comments what your Summer go to’s were!
Cheers and love
Emily xo