Top tips to reduce waste and shop sustainably this Christmas

 Everyone knows that Christmas is a very commercially busy time of year. Shops online and offline are bustling with people trying to buy gifts for their loved ones. This year is a lot stranger than most due to Corona virus and a lot of businesses in various parts of the world have lost a lot of business due to the fact they may have had to close due to lockdowns. A lot of small and independent companies will be looking at this busy period to help keep their business growing so it's up to everyone as a consumer to help support local and small businesses for Christmas. A lot of people may not know how to support local as we often shop in big conglomerate companies as they are very easily accessible. I'd like to share my top tips for having a more sustainable Christmas for the economy and for the environment.

- Shop Locally: This seems pretty simple, but I think when it comes to Christmas people tend to veer towards bigger shops and buy more extravagant things. The truth is that smaller shops sell just as good stock as the big companies that we all know and love. I'm sure everyone has a local area full of some independent shops that probably sell some of the stuff that you would otherwise buy online, yet buying the products local helps boost your own local economy and the people that you surround yourself with. Plus you never know what gems you'll find!

- Shop on more independent online businesses - As well as shopping locally, you could shop independently - shopping from some smaller businesses, ones who create their own items. There are some great online shops that help smaller creators, and allow an easy platform to search for products you may like. Ones I use frequently are Etsy, and Redbubble. These sites allow creators to sell their creations online and there are some wonderful products. Obviously this is not the only way to find smaller businesses as many have their own sites but I think it's an easy way to find something you're specifically looking for and compare items in one place.

- Support a creator you like - If you really like watching a certain streamer, or youtuber, or even an artists work, it's a great idea to buy some merch from the creator that you enjoy. This would help support the creator that you like and help fund more content from them so it's a win win.

- Shop vintage - There's a lot of really cute shops that sell a lot of vintage items. I've tried to only buy vintage and second hand recently in terms of clothing in particular so that I can cut down on my consumption and save some items from landfill. I'm planning on buying some vintage pieces for my friends as I think you can find some really unique pieces that I think are individual and really show you put a lot of thought into what you gift someone.

- Look for sustainable products - By this I mean products that come in recyclable packaging, more natural products, and items that will get a lot of usage. Rather than gifts that are made cheaply and will be easily disposed of. Think of gifts that you know the person will use like perfume, or makeup or books, rather than something that is cheap and cheerful. 

- Look for sustainable packaging - I mentioned this in the last point but wrapping paper sales are crazy at this time of year, I don't know many people that don't wrap their gifts. An alternative to wasting all this paper is to but recyclable wrapping paper as not all are - a lot a coated in was or other substances that can't be recycled! Another alternative would be to not wrap the gifts but put them in a reusable gift bag instead that won't go to waste! Or you could reuse newspapers or magazines you've had during the year! It looks pretty cool too! 

I'm considering making a gift guide to help small businesses so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in. Let me know if you have any tips for reducing our consumption and being more sustainable this Christmas period!

C.Y.O. Haul

Just before lockdown I wanted to restock on some make-up. I often use the C.Y.O. foundation as it's pretty affordable and cruelty free. Yet on this trip the whole section had been cleared and I couldn't find any. I was told by staff in Boots that they were discontinuing the whole collection which I found very sad to see. I thought it may have just been that Boots were stopping selling them but after a quick google I found out that everything is discontinued and the site has put up an announcement. I hate to see a good brand go and it will be annoying to read considering the products are now unavailable but I thought I'd share anyway incase there's still some places with stock! I bought a good few things and a few things I wouldn't normally buy as everything was more than half price to clear stock.

What I got: 

• C.Y.O. long lasting foundation - this is something I've used many times before and love the lightweight consistency. I go for the lighter shades and even at that they can come out quite dark but do look nice when properly blended. It's very watery and smooth and lets other products sit on top nicely.
• Triple Fix prime, glow and mist - honestly the look of this really intrigued me. Its a very pale pink which has a shimmer flowing throughout which you shake around and honestly it just looks pretty. I haven't tried it yet but it's meant to prep the skin and also leave a nice glow so I'm not sure how shimmery it is on the skin but is very interesting.
• Plumping Lip gloss in the shade Act Up - this is very nice lip gloss material which is kinda sticky but also very shimmery with little specks of glitter throughout, it's also pretty light on.
• Kohl gel eyeliner in the shade highflier - this is just your basic eyeliner but I really liked this as its a very electric blue which is not something I can say I've ever tried before. I won't get a lot of use out of it but it'll definitely make an eye look pop.

• Take the Threeway shadow, liner and mascara - this is interesting too as it's very skinny and small for something that has a few things incapsulated inside. On one side theres a liner and underneath that is and eyeshadow that you can blend. On the opposite end there's a mascara. I think this is such a good idea and perfect for short trips or something to throw in your bag for everyday use.
• Brow Sculpting pencil - this is your standard pencil with one end being the pencil shade, and the other being a brush. I feel like you can't go wrong with a pencil that has a brush with it it's always a bonus to help get the perfect blend.
• Two clever by half lipstick and liner in the shade Free Pass - I think you could tell if you've read this far that I love duo products or things which have more than one function and this is no different. One side is a liner and the other is the lipstick, which again is perfect for having in your bag and carrying around.

Has anyone tried any products before? What would you try if you could?

 

Body Shop Carrot Wash Energising Face Cleanser | Review

 This cleanser was not something that I went into the Body Shop to purchase. I actually had never heard of this collection before but when I saw it I knew it was something I'm interested in. This product is the Body Shop Carrot Energising Face Cleanser. This product is vegan and comes in 100% recyclable packaging, which is something I love in a product. The packaging also has a really nice feel to it. This cleanser is made from what they describe as 'ugly' or 'wonky' carrots, ones that aren't commercially sellable in the super market that people don't want to eat as they look unpleasing. I appreciate that these carrots aren't going to waste and will actually be used for something. I also really love when you look up this product on the website there is a really clear 'how to use' section. 

I can't say that I've ever used carrots in any of my skincare routines before. I feel like in general skin care products, usually fruits are used rather than vegetables. I was excited to try this as carrots are one of my favourite vegetables. This face wash does smell like carrots and it's very subtle, it doesn't have a strong smell but it is pleasant. This scrub is meant for daily use and although it is a cleanser I would not use it as a cleanser in terms of taking makeup off but more as an energising morning face wash. This makes your skin feel super soft and the carrot feels really nice for your skin. I don't know what properties carrot would have for doing good things for your skin but it does feel really cleansed. It feels similar to using a citrus scrub. This is definitely a product I would re-buy and will probably have in my skin care routine in the future.

Has anyone tried this before what do you think?

Yet another Kiko Haul

If you've been reading my blog for a while or even just read one or two posts, something you'll see a lot of is Kiko. Now there's no shops near me but whenever I'm travelling I buy so many things and I decided that this time I should just do an online order. I was running out of a lot of things and running low on staples so I re-purchased somethings that I have tried and loved before as well as ordering some new bits. Also as I am writing this I realised that I didn't include the lip products that I bought. I got the Unlimited Double Touch in the shade 101, which comes with a base colour and top coat. I love these and I have the shades 102,103 which I love so I thought this shade also wouldn't disappoint but I was wrong. The shade is too light and doesn't compliment my skin tone in the slightest. I also received a free lipstick for a purchase over £50 but I misplaced it so don't know what it was but it was a nice surprise to receive it also!

The first thing I repurchased was the Green Me mascara - now I have tried this before and have been using it consistently. I love their Green Me range as they are very environmentally friendly in this range particularly in their packaging of the products, and I think it looks great. I've never had any issues with this mascara, it's super easy to apply, dries quickly and is easy to remove also. There's a lot of product in the tube also, you'll be using this for months without it drying up.

Pink Clay Mask - This is a hydrating and soothing clay mask. The weirdest part about this mask is the fact that there is no instructions or how to use on the product itself, which I think is pretty necessary for something that you're going to put on your face. It's pretty easy to give it a quick Google but I still find it on that you would need to do that. This mask is okay for what it is, it did make my skin feel soft but I don't think it actually did anything beneficial for my skin. 

Smart Contouring Palette - I again, have tried this before. I got the shade 01 light to very light. This is meant to be a highlighter and contour set, yet I don't think the highlighter part is much of a highlighter. I actually use the highlighter as a powder for setting my makeup, but if you wanted a very subtle highlight this could be a good choice. The contour is a great contour though the shade is very light and blendable they're also very soft powders which are buildable.

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Eyebrow Sculpt Automatic pencil shade 04 - This was another re-buy (clearly loving Kiko) This eyebrow pencil is super handy. It comes with a twist up pencil which is not a pencil feel it's a lot softer and comes out on your eyebrows like it's an eyebrow gel so it is very easy to stroke out and draw. The other end is a little brush which you can use to brush out your brows or fix lines that you've drawn with the pencil. I would highly recommend this, especially if you don't spend too much time on your makeup.

Smart Hydra Shot Stick - I've never tried this before and never tried anything similar. I use facial sprays and toners usually to hydrate my face but I love the idea of hydrating a particular area that may need some extra hydration. This is great for sensitive places and priming before applying makeup and is a great little product to have for sure.

Smart Hydrating Foundation shade 01 Warm Rose - Foundation is something I change up a lot and it doesn't tend to affect my skin what I use. I use the lightest shade as I am very pale. This isn't a very pale shade and does bring a lot of colour to my skin. It's glowy and more matte than liquid finish and I like that in a foundation. You don't need a lot of product for it to go a long way so it does last a while, although foundation is probably the product that runs out the most for me. I would like to invest in some more high end foundations if anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them!

Has anyone bought anything from Kiko recently? What are you loving at the moment?

Recent Reads | June 2020

I've always been an avid reader, but my frequency for reading has dropped over the years and I began to struggle focusing on books. Over the last month or so having a little bit more free time has allowed me to rekindle my love for reading. I've set myself a goal to read 60 books this year, which sounds like a lot but it'll push me to work toward it. I've decided to review and recommend some of the books that I've enjoyed. I've done this as a series before and decided to bring it back on my reading journey and it'll hopefully keep my motivation and maybe get some recommendations from others along the way! 

• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

This book has been on my to read pile for a long time. I've seen it all over instagram and everyone had given it raving reviews, I'd even gotten it recommended to me a few times. The main character, named after the title, Eleanor, is written as a very unlikeable character. This is one of the reasons why I liked her character, to me she felt like a really real person like reading her diary, it wasn't a fake kind of happiness that you often seen in novels. She has many redeeming qualities throughout the novel. She is mainly happy with her own company and the novel focuses on her journeywhere she unwillingly makes a friend and becomes a more sociable version of herself. This book has many twists and points that have you wanting to scream into the pages. Without spoiling it, it's a. book that will be in your mind surrounding its message on mental health and looking after others. This is my favourite book I've read so far this year and I can imagine I will read it again.

• Station Eleven by Emily St John Mendel

I hadn't heard anything about this book until I bought it and then had a lot of people I know telling me how much they enjoyed it. I am a huge Science-Fiction fan and it had been a while since I had read anything as fantasy as this. The book has many different time frames that it is written in that go back and forth interweaving between each other and connecting the story between character's in different times. It begins set in a virus pandemic (how apt) and the majority of the story is the aftermath of its destruction and about the survival of a few in a travelling theatre. This book was very clever in its story line and how it all came together in the end. There are so many characterswithin the story but they all got appropriate time to develop and show their individual story. I enjoyed the flashbacks and present passages in the story and how it didn't have one set narrator, it was hard to figure out at first but it all made sense the more you read. It's thought provoking about what could happen in times of mass hysteria and also solidarity between people.

• Fishbowl by Bradley Somer 

I've had this book for a long time and never got around to reading it. This book is similar to Station Eleven in narrative. There is no individual narrator and the storyline is very strange but it is interesting to see how it progresses. The story follows a fish, Ian, as he falls 27 stories from a building to the ground. On his journey it depicts who and what he sees on his fall. It shows how many individual events are happening in a single moment in one building, and how all these events are connected all together in one moment, and how they build on each other to create a bigger picture. I would love to see another follow up to this with different characters it was very intriguing, and I love books with a style or narrative that is unconventional but overall works.

Has anyone got any book recommendations? I've a lot of books to read to reach my goal for the year! 

Primark Balm to Oil Cleanser | Review

I've been using the same cleansers from Lush for a long time. As much as I love them they are expensive for what they are - I'll probably always still go for them as my top cleansers but it's nice to try some new ones every now and then. I saw this Balm to Oil cleanser in Primark recently, and it seemed to be part of a more eco conscious collection. It included some skin care items and also bamboo pots and brushes of various types which I loved. I only picked up the cleanser as it was the only thing I needed at the time but I would love to try some of the other things I've seen as they seem like a more eco-friendly version of the items that everyone usually picks up at Primark. It's great to see some bigger brands getting more products that are friendlier to the environment and also more natural as I know a lot of people are becoming more conscious of what is not only in the products they're buying but also the packaging too. 

I've been trying this cleanser for the past few weeks by blending it in to my face and using a wet cloth to remove. It doesn't say anything about using this to remove make up but I have been doing so and it has worked perfectly that way. The texture of it is very similar to coconut oil yet the main ingredients are camomile and aloe vera. It is solid until you put it in your hand and it becomes an oil straight away which becomes easy to rub into your skin. It doesn't have much of a scent which is nice about it and it is also very light weight. As it turns into an oil you get a lot of product out of one tub. It's a very cheap and natural alternative to a lot of other cleansers I've used before. It has also been very soft on my skin and feels moisturising. 

Has anyone tried any good cleansers that they would recommend?

Lush Marshmallow Bath Bomb | Review

Long time, no Lush review. I tried the Marshmallow World bath bomb twice and it's becoming a favourite of mine. This is one of the sweetest bath bombs out there so if you have a sweet tooth you'll love it. The main ingredient is sugar, also with vanilla and marshmallow powder (which I didn't know was a thing until now). It smells like it's straight out of a candy shop. It smells like a fizzy strawberry sweet and it is so refreshing and pleasant. It's also enjoyable to relax in because it's not an overwhelmingly strong scent. It's also one of the bigger bath bombs that Lush sells which is always a bonus. 

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Marshmallow World is mainly pink in composition, but also has streaks of white, blue and yellow. When dropped in water it fizzes and turns the bath a pretty pale pink colour. It then mixes with the colours that it is streaked with. These colours are all really pale shades and when they mix together they create some new colours that are even more vibrant. It has one of the prettiest end colours I've seen. As it's a bigger bath bomb it swirls around the tub for a long time and it's visually pleasant. I found that it foams really nicely while it fizzes also leaving a nice fluffy layer to the bath water. 

Has anyone tried this bath bomb before? What do you think of it?