5 Things Friday
Finally we've made it to the end of January, let's have a catch up with some of my favourite things from this month, what I've bought, watched and can recommend.
It’s the last day of January… high five everyone; we made it through to the end of what’s officially the longest month of the year! I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but actually, I’m kind of okay with January as winter months go, probably, I think, because it always seems so busy! Two of my daughters celebrate their birthdays on consecutive days, so that’s always full on (bad planning I know!). We managed two weekends away, one in the Lake District at a friend’s cottage who, in return for us taking down the Christmas decorations, lets us stay (I know… lucky!) and one to London to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary! We saw Moulin Rouge, which I can highly recommend - and I hear it’s starting a UK tour too, so well worth checking out. Add into that all the usual January activities, and let's not forget all the wardrobe organising and styling that’s been going on here, and it’s been a busy month! So, a little catch up it is. As always, grab a brew and let’s look at…
1. What High Street Beauty Products I’m Rating
Lash serum is essential for my pathetic eyelashes - I cut them when I was 7 years old. I have no idea why, but they’ve never recovered. A few years ago I started using Revitalash, which is brilliant, but pricey, so when my current bottle ran out and I was considering a purchase again, my interest was caught by a few people recommending a similar one from The Ordinary, but at a fraction of the cost. A few days later I trotted into my local Boots to seek it out and came out with a bottle, plus a handful of other products, which kind of ruined my money saving intentions! My mistake was wanting to check out the new No.7 bronzer (research purposes only) everyone is raving about. I clocked the bronzer (to be fair it looks good and is competitively priced) but I wasn’t that keen on the big jar packaging, plus I recently bought the Two Faced one which I’m really happy with. Then the No.7 assistant approached and I was like putty in her hands - in my defence I needed a new mascara, so came away with that…and a new blusher and a new brow pencil - oops! It’s those £5 money off vouchers; they get me every time. So, how do I rate my new purchases.
No.7 Pro Artist Tubing Mascara 7/10
If you're not familiar, a tubing mascara is a type of mascara that forms a tube around each eyelash. The tubes are made of polymers that create a long-lasting, smudge-proof, and clump-resistant coating and, yes, I did Google that! My lashes are pathetic at the moment and I’m not overly impressed so far, but I do find mascara has to be used a few times before it dries out a little and, in my experience, works better. Nothing has beaten my favourite Nars one though, so I’ve started saving the pennies for that, but in the meantime this one will suffice.
N0 7 Eyebrow Microfilling Pen 4/10
It’s basically like a felt tip for your eyebrows, with a fine 4-pronged angled tip. You definitely need a light touch and if, like me, you can’t see a thing without your reading glasses, it’s a bit tricky to get a good result. I’m still on the search for the perfect eyebrow pencil, and one day I WILL get them microbladed… I just need to build up the courage!
No 7 Pro Artist Luxe Liquid Blush 9/10
Now this one I can rave about. If you like a liquid formula that’s buildable this is a great highstreet blusher. It says the silky formula has a blurring, soft glow effect, leaving your skin with a natural, radiant finish, and I wouldn’t disagree. I bought the pink blush.
As for the lash serum, I’ve been applying it twice daily for a week and my brows are getting the treatment too. Nothing to report yet, but I do know that you need at least 4 weeks then, if it’s anything like Revitalash, they suddenly grow overnight! I’ll keep you updated.
2. What Substacks I have been loving.
Since the new year I’ve been spending less of my time scrolling on Insta and more time reading on here. Insta can be a bit smash and grab, which has its benefits, but I’m enjoying taking my time and reading some longer content. Here are a few of my current faves:
is billed as interiors and garden, but is actually a little bit of everything, dished up with lots of wit. His post Five Free Ways To Fight The January Funk had me wanting to clear out my larder immediately.
I used to read Anna Eleri Hart’s blog 'South Molton St Style’ back in the day, so was pleased to see her come over to substack. What she doesn’t know about skincare and the beauty industry isn’t worth knowing. Her post Let’s all laugh about my holiday skincare routine had me taking notes!
Ali Pew’s Uniform makes me want to throw all my clothes out and start again. It’s minimal, chic and, as a Fashion Editor, she gives excellent recommendations.
