Barry M All Night Long Concealer

Hope you are all well and are having a good week so far. Today I’m excited to be reviewing this concealer I’ve been trialling by Barry M. In the past I’ve not really delved into the brand except for their nail polishes and glitter pots a long while back. I was curious to see how I went with this product, and was hoping for good things after reading previous reviews. Barry M offers a range of purse friendly make-up that is cruelty-free and many of their products such as this are vegan too.

When the concealer arrived in the post, the matt, sleek packaging really caught my eye and reminded me a little of Collection's lasting perfection concealer in the design and initial swatch. It’s nice to see such a pale shade available, and the undertones suit my skin nicely. I think this could be a staple for me, before my skin starts to tan. I use it under my eyes mostly, and it brightens my skin well. I don’t really have anything bad to say about it and would fully recommend. My shade choice was milk, the lightest of the five shades available and at £4.49 it seems a bit of a bargain. Look out for offers too. Click here to buy.

Have you ever tried Barry M make-up?

Do you have any concealer recommendations? :-) Xx

Spring & Easter Haul

Wishing you all a lovely Easter which is upon us in a couple of weeks. Spring always cheers me up after those dark winter days. I have a haul to share today with some themed bits and pieces I’ve accumulated over the last couple of months. A new shop called One Below opened up in our local town recently, it’s very much like the pound shops you get and they had a few interesting things in. These Easter cookie cutters for a pound seemed great value, and I really like the cute shapes included. I had my eye on these pastel silicon cake cases in Wilko for spring baking, they are reusable and so much better for the environment.

I was low on shampoo/conditioner and looking for a budget friendly option, I’ve been really pleased with this Co-op offering which I’ll be doing a review of fairly soon. I’ve been a bit low on some basic clothing items recently, one being pyjamas and bought two pairs in Peacocks. The designs are so lovely although, I might do a little altering, as the sizing is just a tad off. Lastly I picked up a red beret, which I’m hoping to get a lot of use out of. I tend to wear a lot of beret type hats, I like the style of them and are great for the season transition as I can just pop one on if it gets a bit cool.

What I bought:

One Below

Easter cookie cutters £1.00

Wilko

Pastel silicon cake cases £2.50

Co-op

Co-op red raspberry shampoo £1.00

Co-op red raspberry conditioner £1.00

Peacocks

Choose to shine pyjama set £14.00

Super soft floral pyjama top £10.00

Super soft floral pyjama bottoms £12.00

Red beret SALE £6.00 £3.00

Do any of these items interest you?

Have you bought anything spring or Easter related lately? :-) Xx

Recent Reads Reviewed #11

A Summer at Sea by Katie Fforde – 3/5

I picked this up as I was attracted to the beautiful cover and a chance to try out the author for the first time. The story is set in the Western Isles of Scotland where protagonist Emily accepts a summer job as a cook assistant on a puffer boat. My personal highlight included the chapters focusing on this as I did feel some of the on land periods dragged a little. The pace of the book was a little slow, but the characters were lovely as was the overall story.

The Last Dance and Other Stories by Victoria Hislop - 4/5

This was my first experience reading anything by Victoria Hislop and I enjoyed her collection of short stories. Each showed a different side of Greek culture, and the messages were informative of life living there. The tone was quite melancholy on occasions, but I flew through this quick read. I would be interested to read more from the author.

Laughter Lines by Des O'Connor – 5/5

I came across this book in my local free charity book shop, and grabbed it as I was in the mood for something light and humorous. Des O’Connor is known for being a comedian and TV presenter in the UK. The book is in comic verse to celebrate life's little moments, and I enjoyed reading through his poetry. Naturally, they were very English and quaint which was part of the appeal for me.

Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel by Jane Costello – 5/5

Jane Costello is a fairly well-known chick lit author and she has wrote some great books such as All the Single Ladies, The Time of Our Lives and Girl on the Run to name just a few. I was pleased to have come across this particular title, and in my opinion it’s one of her best. The story develops around three friends who join a dance class at the Moonlight Hotel, and follows their dynamic as well as the romances that form along the way. If you are looking to try out the author, this one would be an excellent place to begin.

Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs – 5/5

This book was a joy to read; a perfect mix of fantasy, and contemporary middle grade. Main character, Lily is half-human half-mermaid and in this second book from the series it follows her life on land. The story was written in a way that could suit a broad range of ages and I was able to read it as a standalone with ease. There was something special about this book so I would certainly recommend it! 

Have you read any these books or come across the authors? 

What are you currently reading? :-) Xx

The Snack Diaries | Part Thirteen

Pukka Blackcurrant Beauty Fruit Tea
(From Co-op, £2.00 for twenty tea bags)
I’d been wanting to try this specific tea for ages, and I picked it up after seeing it reduced in the Co-op. I wasn’t disappointed, the taste was very authentic and probably my favourite blackcurrant tea I’ve tried.

Co-op Rhubarb & Vanilla Infusion Fruit Tea
(From Co-op, £0.99 for twenty tea bags)
I often gravitate towards supermarket own brands for tea among other things. Own brand teas are always affordable and this particular product is one of my favourites. The combination of rhubarb, and the sweetness of the vanilla is perfect. I can see myself repurchasing which I don’t often do.

Aldi Pantry Carrot Cake Mix
(From Aldi, price and weight unknown)
I found this cake mix very reliable to use, as it rises well in the oven, and the carrot taste is amazing. I managed to get twelve buns and a small loaf which seems an ideal portion. The cakes were scrumptious fresh from the oven!

Harvest Moon Yogurt & Fruit Bars
(From Aldi, unknown price for six portions)
I went through a period of trying lots of healthier breakfast type bars, these ones appealed to me because of the yogurt coating however they came across a little dry unfortunately. They were rather average really.

Do you buy supermarket own brand food products? 

Do you have any snack recommendations for me? :-) Xx

Gosh BB Cream

Today I’m going to be reviewing this Gosh BB cream in Sand 1. I’ve actually purchased this product twice now and I’m excited to finally share my thoughts. I’ve always liked the brand Gosh, in my teens I was obsessed with their eye shadow pencils, and lately I’ve been getting back into their make-up. I find the quality is excellent for the price, and fortunately they are cruelty-free.

Foundation, primer and moisturizer in one. Gosh BB Cream has a natural coverage that adapts to the skin tone and furthermore leaves the skin soft and smooth. SPF 15 and cruelty-free. 

I struggle getting the right colour in base products as I have rather fair skin. I was browsing the Superdrug website one day and came across this product, the reviews were excellent and a lot of people commented saying Sand 1 is a good match for very pale skin. Sand 1 is perfect for me in the winter months, and the consistency makes it easy to blend. It gives off a very natural glow, and the look is quite flawless. There are two other shades, and when summer comes around I might go for beige 2.

It’s originally priced at £9.99 but on my second purchase I got a few pounds off in an offer which I would recommend to look out for. One tube lasts me months, so the price point is pretty okay. I like the simple, but striking packaging too. I can totally see why this product is popular, I fully recommend. Buy here.

Have you tried anything by Gosh before? 

What base products are your fav at the moment? :-) Xx

Healthier Mocha & Almond Cookies

Thanks for stopping by, today I have a baking project to share. These cookies are my own recipe, and great if you are looking for something guilt-free but still tasty. I enjoy the taste of coffee in baked goods, and with a bit of cocoa the mocha flavour is really nice.

I also added almonds as I had some left over in the cupboard. I used a recipe out of one of my baking books as a guide, but changed it quite a bit, adding my own things in such as coffee, almonds and sweetener instead of sugar. They came out pretty well, and I can see myself making something mocha inspired again. This sort of thing could be handy for putting in a lunch box or having as a snack mid-way through the day.

Let me know if you’ve been baking lately.

Do you like mocha flavour in baked goods too? :-) Xx

B. Pure Sensitive Micellar Cleansing Wipes

Hope you are all well. Today I’m going to be reviewing these B. Pure wipes I’ve been experimenting with. My all-time favourite drugstore wipes are the Boots No7 wipes as well as Johnsons pamper time wipes which have been discontinued. While writing a beauty blog, I’ve had the pleasure of trying a few natural brands too.

So far I’ve had success with the Pacifica coconut wipes, which I would recommend if you want something special. The Faith in Nature 3 in 1 facial wipes are great if you want natural on a budget. I tried Burt’s Bees wipes too, which initially were promising but I don’t think they are as natural as I first thought.

I do love the convenience of wipes when I’m unable to take off make-up properly and I’m still on the hunt for my holy-grail cruelty-free wipes. I spotted the B. Pure brand on Superdrug, and the reviews were amazing. Here I have wrote the positives and negatives I found while using them.

Positives

Very moist.

Generous size wipes.

Packaging keeps the wipes fresh.

Removes make-up well.

Cruelty-free leaping bunny logo.

Very affordable at £1.49.

Negatives

Left my skin a little tight.

Didn’t work as well with my skin as other brands I’ve tried.

Not sensitive enough for my skin.

Have you tried anything by the Superdrug B. Pure range? 

Any face wipe recommendations for me? :-) Xx

Recent Reads Reviewed #10

The Creative Photography Handbook by Lee Frost – 5/5

I was gifted this book for Christmas years back now, and last year I decided I would finally read it cover to cover. The glossy photos, and clever photographic ideas really won me over. It’s split up into two parts; creative techniques and creative subjects. In each section, many topics are covered such as composition, colour, darkroom as well as people, landscapes, nature, movement and so on. On the most part the text was easy to digest, and paired with large photographs to represent each topic. I would say any beginner, novice or experienced photographer could appreciate this book.

The Minimalist Budget by Simeon Lindstrom – 5/5

This was a fascinating book which covered all aspects of living within your means. Many of the ideas struck a chord with me, particularly the philosophical ones about our relationship with money and time. I learned a lot and would definitely recommend you give it a read. (Read as an eBook)

The Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel – 5/5

This is one of my all-time favourite books and last year I reread it. Based on a true story, Angela shares her ups and downs as a broke student through diary entries. She is both resourceful and hilarious, making her writing jump off the page. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this book, it’s a quick read that I recommend to all.

Me Myself Milly by Penelope Bush – 4/5

This story follows Milly and her experiences of being a twin through journal entries. There was a slow build up to the reveal of Milly’s secret of what happened to her last summer which kept me wondering. It starts off as a sweet story, and then about half way through the plot twist reveals it’s self which shocked me a little particularly because of its younger target audience. I thought the characters were believable and found the overall story compelling.

Learning to Fly: The Autobiography by Victoria Beckham – 5/5

I’ve had this book on my shelf since a teen and it still remains one of my favourites. I’d forgotten just how good it was but picked it up to reread last year, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. Since the spice girls began, I’ve been a fan and this book really delved into the life of a spice girl in the early days. I enjoyed hearing about Victoria’s childhood, background and how she met David Beckham as well. The writing comes across like Victoria’s talking to you over a cuppa, and it’s a very easy read. I would fully recommend.

Out of these books, which ones interest you? 

Do you have any current recommendations for me? :-) Xx

Film & Music Reviewed #1

After a little break I’m back with a new series featuring film and music I’ve been listening to lately with short reviews. There will be a mixture of current and slightly dated stuff but each DVD and CD will be new to me as a treat to myself. Please let me know what films and music you’ve been currently loving and any thoughts on my picks.

Film // La La Land

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star as Mia and Sebastian, an actress and a jazz musician pursuing their Hollywood dreams and finding each other in a vibrant celebration of hope, dreams and love.

I remember when this film came out at the cinema a few years back, and there was a big buzz about it. I never got the chance to see it at the pictures so I purchased it on DVD. I was highly impressed by this film even though I’m not big on musicals. The acting particularly by Emma Stone was outstanding. I really enjoyed the 50s setting and cinematic photography.

Rating: 5/5

Music // Younger Now by Miley Cyrus

This was a 2017 release that seemed to get some good reviews on Amazon. After Bangerz, Younger Now took a different direction, with a more laid-back, country sound. Miley’s gone back to her roots, as her music has matured. Malibu, Thinkin and Bad Mood are a few of my favourite tracks. I’m also appreciative of the retro, funky CD cover design, as it’s really eye-catching.

Rating: 3/5 

What are your favourite film and music genres? 

Do any of my picks interest you? :-) Xx

The Sitting Room Café Review and Tour

Today I’m going to be sharing with you a café located in Saltburn which I visited with my parents at the end of last year. It was a bit of a spur of the moment thing as another café we tried was closed. The feel of The Sitting Room café is definitely trendy, while my parents weren’t sure it was there scene, I personally really enjoyed the visit.

I’ve been a couple of times now and the tea selection is extremely good. On the day I visited with my folks, I had an earl grey tea and shared some buttered toast with my Mum. Both were really tasty, and the presentation of the food and drink was lovely. They had some cakes available which looked promising but I’ve been avoiding any sugary things.

I think this café would appeal to bloggers because it’s a very photogenic place. The cakes tend to vary depending on when you go and their drinks list is impressive. They also open in the evenings if you ever fancy going for a cocktail. The menu is a little pricier but the service is friendly. I would recommend you give the place a try.

Does this café look like a place you would want to try?

What do you normally order when visiting a cafe? :-) Xx