March Favourites | Product Reviews | Siobhan Alford

Well better late than never! Here is a round up of products that have all brought something g o o d to my life during the bitter month of March 2013! As this is my first ‘favourites’ post I’m going to chuck in some mini reviews as well. As you probably know (I moan about it enough) I don’t have any money at the moment, it’s all going on bills and my flat, so (most of) these aren’t new products for me but still products that have worked a little magic lately.

♥ Beauty Favourites ♥

S k i n C a r e | Soap & Glory: Hocus Pocus
Soap & Glory’s ‘Instant visual flaw-softening’ Hocus Pocus works as a kind-of primer, kind of-highlighter, kind-of skin tone evener. I say ‘kind-of’ because it doesn’t really come across strongly as any of these. So why do I like it then?! Good question, I’ve always had a penchant for the S&G brand, I love their shower products, moisturisers, the floral fun scent they have going on and the packaging too. They are mid range price wise and in Boots there is a never ending 3 for 2 offer going on which makes stocking up cheap and easy. Even though I can’t pin down exactly why I enjoy using Hocus Pocus I’ve kept going back. This March it has been a life saver in brightening up my dull, red skin. I mix it with moisturiser and it gives a radiant finish. I’ve also opted a few times to mix it with foundation which makes my heavy coverage foundation (Nars Sheer Glow) a bit lighter and a bit brighter (yes, I don’t really find this foundation ‘bright’ despite the name, we’ll save that for another time!) Hocus Pocus comes in a dinky but heavy glass bottle that just screams quality.

S k i n C a r e | Soap & Glory: Instant Radiance Energy Balm
Another one from S&G, so same applies as above. Again it’s a radiance product and promises (as S&G tend to do a lot) BIG things, primarily ‘Beautifully luminous skin.’ I don’t think this balm lives up to all its claims, there is nothing particularly ‘instant’ about the benefits either. But then that’s the way it goes with beauty, it’s best just to blank out anything written by the brand itself and look at user reviews instead. What I will say about this is it is a great moisturiser for flagging and tired skin, whilst it doesn’t give me luminosity, it absorbs well and tackles dry areas, smells nice and has been a regular go-to for me in March.

S k i n C a r e | La Roche-Posay: Effaclar Duo
You will definitely have seen this product on the YouTube and Blogging circuit lately! I bought this after hearing rave reviews online from some trusted beauty gurus, It was accoladed as a skin-savior for blemishes, redness and pesky pores a bit more open than we’d like them to be. The consistency is not fragranced, quite watery (definitely not heavy or seemingly moisturisng) but surprisingly does not dry out skin at all. I’ve been using this for about five months and more often than not it is the only product I use after my cleanser. Which means it’s already ticking a lot of boxes, good moisturiser, good make up base. Sometimes I find a bit more product is needed than I’d like to cover all dry patches, but in these instances I’d suggest prepping with a beauty serum, mixing the Effaclar Duo with a moisturiser or following up after with one. In terms of results I can say without a doubt it has improved my blemishes, I have a more even skin tone, break out less and when I do get hormonal/stress spots (I never seem to be able to avoid these) they reduce and fade a lot quicker than before. I won’t stop using this little gem any time soon.

S k i n C a r e | Korres: Body Butter Guava
This was a present that came as part of a set I got at Christmas and I have to say I’m majorly impressed. I’ve been using two Korres body products, this and the Body Milk: Coconut Milk. I find they both moisturise great and smell DELICIOUS. A fragrance that lingers as well so you feel fresh all day. I’ve picked the Guava body butter as my favourite this month because I think it just tops the other (it’s close), it’s a bit more of a heavy weight moisturiser so really tackles dry bits and lately my skin has needed this. I tend to use on my arms, elbows, neck and chest area and walk around feeling like I’m on holiday whenever I get a whiff!

N a i l s | O.P.I: Nail Envy
Recommended by my friend Daisy I purchased this off Ebay (worth checking out it was £9 compared to the £18 it goes for in Boots). I was desperate for any sort of nail saviour after suffering for a long time with short, brittle nails that can’t quite make it over the edge of my finger. I’ve mentioned this product in more depth h e r e but to cut a long story short this is a base coat nail product that has improved the condition of my nails dramatically! They are currently all sporting (small) white tips and are healthier looking than they ever were before March and the before the start of my love affair with Nail Envy.

N a i l s | Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Another nail life save saver for me, this is the best top coat I’ve ever tried. Big claims?! Well I’m pretty darn impressed. I used to find my nail polish would be chipped to the point it looks tatty and I’d have to take it off almost instantly! I’m quite clumsy as well so find it hard not to ruin nails as soon as I’ve painted them. This little beaut flash dries nails and greatly improves the resistance of the polish.

N a i l s | Shades of the Month: Barry M
Pastels have been dominating the nail trends recently and I can’t get enough of lavender/lilac shades. I’ve been using Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine: Papya and Barry M: Berry.

M a k e U p | Mac: Colour 3 Eyeshadow Quad
This was another steal off of ebay (£11 I think I paid) and is a cool toned, purple eye shadow quad. The shades are (from top left): Mink Pink, Brusied Plum, Black Tulip & Jungle Moon. Purple may not be everyone’s first choice of eye colour, I do usually tend to stick to my brown, beige and gold, But purple is a colour I think suits my skin tone and eye colour (hazel) and I couldn’t resist this well ranged palette that allows me to create a soft ‘barely-there’ hue of pink or build a dramatic smokey eye with Jungle Moon in the crease and along the lower lash line. I’ve been wearing this heaps during March, if you can’t find spring, you gotta bring it to you!

♥ Fashion Favourites ♥

B a g | Primark: Aztec Rucksack
Since I haven’t bought any new clothes thought I’d share this cute aztec print rucksack I got from Primark for £9. It’s a lightweight bag that is just adorable. I think these mini rucksacks are bang on trend and are actually a really practical alternative to a handbag : )

S c e n t | Tu: Orchid and Sweet Coconut
At £4 you can’t go wrong, a delicious summery scent I’ve been burning a lot this month.

♥ Other Favourites ♥

B o o k | In The Woods Tana French
Currently reading so can’t review just yet but enjoying so far! It’s been a while since I read a crime thriller and they are always good to get really engrossed in. This story focuses on a pair of detectives trying to solve the murder of a 12 year old girl, however protagonist Detective Adam Ryan must face some hidden memories from his own past and races against time to remember what happened when he was 12 when his two best friends disappeared. I’m about half way through so will let you know how that goes.

B o o k | The Pocket Muse Monica Wood
I dug this little gem out of my book case recently, it gives ‘ideas and inspiration for writing.’ I bought this a few years ago to help me with my dissertation in which I created a series of short stories each based on a central motif. I was reading some blogs that featured a lot of creative writing and was thinking how I’d like to start a series of weekly creative fiction posts. This book is great at giving you scenarios to work off, beautifully presented with some great imagery inside it offers tips on writing, lets you read some fiction, and offers you a starting point – word, idea or question, on which to base your piece. You’ll see more of this book once I launch the weekly creative posts, watch this space!

♥ So they were the items that rocked my world more so than usual in March.
What has been rocking yours lately? Any suggestions what I should read once I finish this book? ♥