Happy first day of Spring, everyone! I hope you all had an amazing winter. I spent it freezing my butt off and trying not to get sick at every given opportunity (though the flu did get me around the end of June). Other than that, I spent most of my time testing and trialing new products for all y’all. And while I made quite a few discoveries, these five products were the ones that really stuck out to me. So, let’s get into it!
FRANK BODY GLYCOLIC BODY SCRUB – $25.00
This one will be no surprise to anyone. This pot of magic saved my skin during winter. And it sells out constantly for a reason. Not only did it leave my skin looking and feeling so smooth, it also helped significantly with my KP and my scarring (cat mum life). My pro tip for this is one that I’m cribbing from Hannah English. She puts this onto dry skin and leaves it for a minute or two before jumping into the shower. Works a treat. If you haven’ t tried this, I can’t recommend it highly enough. This will be in my year end favourites.
GUNK OFF MELTING BALM CLEANSER – $55.00*
Has this ever happened to you? It’s the end of the day, it’s cold, you’re tired, and you just want to hop into the shower and get ready for bed. Only to realise that you forgot to take your makeup off once you’re already in the nice, hot shower. I have done this countless times this winter. Which is why I’m over the moon that my favourite cleansing balm now comes in a shower friendly tube. I use the same amount as I would with the tub version, massage onto my face, and then rinse off (never directly under the shower). Bob’s your uncle, I’m one step closer to bed. Thank you, Gunk Off! You continue to be awesome.
OAKCHA X PAUL REACTS MISS GIRL EXTRACT DE PARFUM – $79.00
NOTES – Top: Bitter Almond, Sour Black Cherry, Saffron. Middle: Warm Tobacco, Jasmine Sambac, Turkish Rose, Tonka Bean. Base: Moss, Sandalwood, Rich Amber, Vanilla, Caramel
I’ve been following Paul Reacts over on TikTok for a while now. He has very much become my go to person for new fragrance releases. So I was super excited to hear that he was collabing with Oakcha to create his very own fragrance! It’s called Miss Girl and I have been unable to stop wearing it since I got it. The inspiration was the fusion of Paul’s two all time favourite fragrances. MFK’s Baccarat Rouge 540 and Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry. And as someone who has sampled both, I get that vibe completely. It’s fruity and floral in the best way. I even reckon that if you don’t like those scents, you might still like this. But if you are a fan, you have to try this. Also, how gorgeous is this bottle?
HOLME BEAUTY GOLDEN HOUR GLOW SETTING MIST – $49.00
I’ll be the first to admit that I am super picky when it comes to setting sprays. They have to settle my powders down, help with the longevity of my makeup, and not make me feel like I’ve dunked my face in water when I use it. The Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Setting Spray is still the gold standard for me. But this one from Holme Beauty is chomping at it’s heels. I will admit that I picked this up because of peer pressure. So many of y’all have been raving about this. But it’s beautiful. Not only do I notice a huge difference in the wear of my makeup, it also has light reflecting particles suspended in the spray. Which adds a lovely luminosity to the skin. I am all about this now and I cannot rate it highly enough.
URBAN DECAY STAY NAKED QUICKIE CONCEALER – $49.00
Now, this one surprised the hell out of me. I picked it up because I saw a ton of positive reviews before it launched over here. And like the Candy Cloud Blushes from Too Faced, the Quickie Concealer has bought Urban Decay right back onto my makeup radar. This stuff is full coverage. But can be used with a light hand. I love this for both on the face and under the eyes. It doesn’t really crease on me at all (which is a minor miracle). And one it’s set, it’s set. It ain’t going anywhere. I wear the shade 20NN, which is a pretty perfect match for me. But I wouldn’t mind a lighter shade for highlighting. Definitely worth the money.
So, that’s a wrap on the makeup faves. Let’s get to the other faves.
BARBIE – No surprises here. This is my movie of the year. And I don’t think anything else is going to come close. I saw it twice in theaters. I cried, I laughed, I embraced the pure feminine joy that was this movie. Nothing else needs to be said. Except the question when can I buy this on DVD? And will there be bonus features?
COBS NATURAL POPCORN LIGHTLY SALTED SLIGHTLY SWEET – Everyone has their emotional comfort snack. And for the last few months, this has been mine. I am obsessed with the combo of salty and sweet. And this popcorn nails it. Also, with it being popcorn, I can delude myself into thinking that it’s better for me than chips. It has to be this version though. I actually hate the chocolate drizzled one. Please don’t cancel me.
SMOSH – So, fun fact. As a teen, I was a huge Smosh fan. But I will admit to falling off as I got older. But when it was announced that Anthony was not only returning to Smosh after 6 years away, but Ian and Anthony were buying Smosh back and owning it outright, it smacked me right back to 2007. Let’s face it, I’m 34 and extremely tired of everything, getting back into Smosh again was exactly what I needed. I’ve spent the last few months binging all of their videos. Just vibing in the nostalgia. If you want to start somewhere, I highly recommend the funeral roast series on the main channel. So funny and so good.
And that is a wrap on Winter. Now, Spring! I can’t wait to see what the next few months have in store for me. How was your winter? Let me know in the comments below.
Cheers and love
Emily xo