Ok everyone, quick question. Did anyone have a good summer? Like, anyone?
Yeah, between Omicron, heat waves and now the literal events of last week (at the time of writing), the last few months have been somewhat disastrous. And I won’t lie, it has had me in a serious funk. I did debate even doing a summer favourites for the longest time because I really didn’t do that much beauty wise. But there were a few products that snuck their way into my daily routine that I want to chat about. So, let’s get to chatting!
CHARLOTTE TILBURY EYES TO MESMERISE in AMBER GOLD – $44.00
Fun fact, there was a full 6 week period over the last three months where I didn’t wear makeup at all! The mask mandates here in Queensland put a necessary end to my makeup wearing and testing out for a while there. And at the risk of repeating myself, It really put me in a funk for a while. So, in February, I challenged myself to wear at least an eyeshadow every day. And this little pot of beauty was the one I reached for the most. I have to say, I already knew that I liked the Eyes to Mesmerise shadows. But now having worn it for close to a month, this is a formula that needs more hype. These shadows are easy to apply, blend like a dream, I have little to no creasing at all with them and they wear all day!
NARS SOFT MATTE CONCEALER – $45.00
Spicy opinion time. Between this and the OG Radiant Creamy Concealer, I still kinda like the Radiant Creamy Concealer more. It’s a much lighter formula and I prefer it for under the eyes. But for the rest of the face and for acne scarring especially, the Soft Matte Concealer has totally impressed me. This wears all day without budging. And the thicker consistency means I only need the tiniest amount to cover my spots. Best of all, once it’s on, it looks like skin! It’s definitely worth the hype.
KAYALI EDEN JUICY APPLE 01 EAU DE PARFUM – $40.00
While my makeup has taken something of a backseat, believe it or not, perfumes and fragrances are probably the two things that are sparking the most amount of joy in my life. And out of all of them, the Kayali Eden is the one I can’t bring myself to stop wearing. I described it in my Perfume Collection post (which you can find here) that it was the fruity floral perfume of my dreams. And I stand by that 100%. If you’re a sweet fragrance kinda person, you have to try this.
SWISSE MANUKA HONEY DETOXIFYING CLAY MASK – $21.99
This mask rocked up in my Bellabox the same week the mask mandates came back in Queensland back in December. And to say I’ve been using it a lot be an understatement. This has been my go to for breakouts, congestion, and just overall skin funkiness at the moment. And while I won’t say its the greatest clay mask I’ve ever tried (Flavanone is a hard act to beat), it has been a great relief for my skin. Well, this and…
NATURIUM VEGAN LACTIC ACID EMULSION 5% – $44.00*
It’s been such a long time since a lactic acid has impressed me this much. You see, while I love lactic acids, sometimes lactic acids don’t love me back. At best, they cause me to break out. And at worst, they have obliterated my skin barrier (looking at you, Dermalogica). But this one from Naturium is something else! At 5%, it’s a lower dose of lactic acid. Meaning that your skin has an easier time to adjust to it. And adjust, my skin has! I freaking love this stuff. I’m using it 3-4 times a week and I have noticed a significant difference in not only my skin’s texture, but my breakouts have reduced a lot. Naturium is a brand that has a lot of hype online. But off the back of this, I am psyched to try more from them.
And that is all on the beauty front. But I also had a few lifestyle things that have been putting a smile on my face.
PEACEMAKER – James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad was one of my favourite movies of last year. So, when I heard that he had written a spinoff during the first lock down featuring fan favourite character Peacemaker and it was going to be on Binge, I had to admit I was intrigued. Now, having finished the first season, I can now say that Peacemaker is my current front runner for show of the year. It’s that good. The show brings back John Cena’s Peacemaker for a whole new mission that is just as buckwild and bananas as the movie. But it fleshes out his character to make us understand what kind of a man he really is. But this isn’t a one man show. The rest of the cast is universally amazing (Danielle Brooks and Freddie Stroma are the other standouts from a 10/10 cast). And while it won’t be to everyone’s tastes. If you have a bonkers sense of humour like I do, definitely check it out. Also, the intro is unskippable.
NESPRESSO VERTUO NEXT – I didn’t do a ‘What I got for Christmas’ post this year. Mostly because the presents I got were less pretty and more practical. Having said that, my dad got me a Nespresso Vertuo machine and my life has significantly changed for the better. I’ve always been a Moccona coffee gal (I still love ya). But sweet bebe Jesus, how have I gone this long without this machine in my life? I love the convenience of it and I especially love making my own iced coffee’s at home. Also, I can now easily be bribed with Bianco Leggero pods.
THIS ENDS AT PROM – Yep, another podcast recommendation for y’all! And this one is so fun. Led by wife-wife duo BJ and Harmony Colangelo, the idea behind it is that BJ (an unapologetic Teen Movie stan) introduces ‘teen girl’ movies to Harmony for the first time (Harmony, as a transwoman, doesn’t have the same level of emotional nostalgia for them). And hearing them both talk about these movies that have been historically shat on (for lack of a better term) with such passion and joy makes me so happy. My favourite episodes so far have been 10 Things I Hate About You (for reasons you may not expect), Twilight (more recent, but definitely worth the listen if you rejected the Twilight phenomenon at any point) and Not Another Teen Movie (a movie I’ve gone in to bat for, but always interested in hearing why people don’t like it)
And now, I can rest. March is finally here. Here’s hoping that things get a little less crazy now. Let me know in the comments what your summer must haves were.
Cheers and love
Emily xo
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