January Favourites

It is finally the last day of January, the most boring month of the year. This month has dragged and dragged, and I am so happy that it's almost over. Bring on Valentines, Easter, Pancake Day and all that spring stuff! So, as it is the last day of the month, I thought I'd show you my favourite products that I have been using.

Monthly favourites are one of my favourite posts to read/videos to watch, and I always enjoyed doing them when I first started blogging. Since we've just had Christmas, I've had loads of new products and different pieces to try out this month, and I have found some firm favourites in my new collection. Some products I've been using religiously this month, whilst others are ones that I found halfway through, or have only used a couple of times but already adore.

Starting with skincare, I'm really loving the Benefit cleanse and moisturise set, containing the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash cleanser, the Smooth It Off Cleansing Exfoliator, the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion moisturiser, and the Moisture Prep Toning Lotion. My mum got these for me for Christmas and I'm enjoying using them so much! They look super cute in my bathroom, and they all smell amazing too. I definitely feel like this range is helping my skin in the horrible winter weather. The facial wash removes all of my makeup very easily and leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh, and the exfoliator is so gentle and rejuvenating. I especially love the toner as it has a slightly thicker, oily consistency to it, which I think I prefer over the watery toners. The moisturiser sinks in wonderfully, and the set combined leaves me feeling so pampered.

 I am also absolutely loving the Nip and Fab Hydrate Dragons Blood Fix Plumping Serum. It has that light sting to it that actually makes it feel like it's working, and it definitely does make my skin feel much fresher. I use it after my toner, and before my moisturiser both morning and evening to enhance hydration and plump the skin.

Lastly for skincare products, I've been loving the Dr Botanicals Pomegranate Superfood Regenerating Sleeping Mask. It smells amazing, and once washed off in the morning, leaves your skin feeling so rejuvenated. It's also cruelty free, vegan, and 98% natural!

Not so much skincare, but definitely related to it, is the Magnitone London Bare-faced2 3D Vibra-sonic Daily Cleansing and Skin Toning Brush. This thing is basically a giant electric toothbrush for your face, and it really works wonders. It gives you a much deeper cleanse than using your hands or a cloth, and is honestly so relaxing. It wakes your skin up and leaves it feeling super fresh and bright. It also has 3 different settings, a cleanse and a deep cleanse, as well as a toning setting to massage your toner into your skin. My brother got this for me for Christmas and I absolutely love it.

Next up is makeup! I've not actually tried an awful lot in the way of makeup this month, but there are a few things that I've been really enjoying, including a couple of foundations.

The first foundation, Revolution Conceal and Define, is the one I've been using longer, and it's one that my friend Brenna recommended to me. I feel like the shade isn't quite perfect, but it's one of the closest I've ever gotten. It's a high coverage foundation, but it is buildable so if you wanted a lighter look you could achieve that too.

Secondly is a foundation that my friend Jade recommended to me, which I've only been using for a couple of days. The L'Oreal True Match foundation blends so well, and I feel like it's a fantastic match for my skin, and will look amazing when the warmer weather comes in.

I've also really been enjoying using the Eyeko London Lash Alert Mascara, which I got in my advent calendar in December. It helps to condition your lashes and wake up tired eyes with caffeine, while making them fluttery and flirty. A winner in my eyes!

Onto random bits and pieces - I've been watching quite a lot of Netflix this month, and like everybody, I went nuts for You. What a wild ride of a show! I'm so excited for the second season to come out, and I really want to read the book too. If you haven't seen You yet, I definitely recommend it. My friend Brenna wrote an awesome review for it - read it here.

I also absolutely adored Sex Education, and I want to watch it all over again. It is so funny, and just executed so well. That vagina scene made my heart swell... which will sound really weird if you haven't seen it yet. Girls supporting girls yo!

Another random thing I've been loving this month is water. That's right, water. I've been chugging it down like nobodies business, and I feel so much better for it. I'm really trying to make a conscious effort to drink more water, but it seems I'm craving it anyway!

Lastly, I've been really enjoying reading through my Happi Cards. My friend Maddie got me these for Christmas and I think they're super cute. They have little inspiration words of wisdom and affirmations on each card, and they really do give you that little boost first thing in the morning.

And that concludes my monthly favourites. Like I said earlier in the post, I really enjoy monthly favourites, so I'm going to make a real effort to do one every month.

What have you been loving in January? Let me know in the comments, and I'll see you soon!

Ciao for now, 

Katie x

A Trip to the Eden Project

I am a big fan of the Eden Project. It's the heart of Cornwall, and somewhere that I have been on school trips, with friends, and with family. I hadn't been in years, but my brother and his girlfriend had been a few months ago and rekindled my excitement for it, so we decided to take a little family trip and have a day out.

Walkway to the entrance

If you haven't heard of the Eden Project, it's home to the world's largest indoor rainforest, and is basically a huge, amazing garden centre, with plants from across 5 different continents, as well as events, exhibits, and more. Even though it's so much better in the summer, there's still so many wonderful things and inside exhibits to explore during the winter.

An image of the Biome before the completed construction - they built this bad boy in a flood!

"The Eden Project, an educational charity, connects us with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work towards a better future.

Our visitor destination in Cornwall, UK, is nestled in a huge crater. Here, massive Biomes housing the largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, exhibitions and stories serve as a backdrop to our striking contemporary gardens, summer concerts and exciting year-round family events. Registered charity number 1093070 (The Eden Trust)." - www.edenproject.com

Driftwood horses - the original driftwood horse is now too fragile

It's all about sustainability and learning more about the world around us. There's all sorts of interactive bits for kids, as well as all the information you could possibly want for us plant lovers and those wanting to learn more about sustainable living.

The Core building (featuring my mum and brother)

We parked up in Lime 2 (the car park is in sections named after fruit), wrapped up warm, and hurried down from the top of the hill to grab our tickets. We had a short walk to the Core building, which is where the different exhibitions are held, and I was really quite excited for the Bee exhibition they have on at the moment. There's loads of artwork, as well as a science lab where you can look at bees under a microscope.

There's also an exhibition of bacteria and micro-organisms. There's a huge model of the first bacteria to produce oxygen through oxygenic photosynethis - it blows out smoke rings and has a riveted texture. There's also loads of smaller artworks and information about the science behind them, such as this amazing piece of art depicting the body as a map, with trillions of microbes represented as hand-embroidered french knots.

Something that has been a part of the Core building since the beginning is The Seed - a huge, 70 tonne monument by Peter Randall-Page, made by reducing a 167 tonne block of granite into the seed shape, and then carving 1800 individual nodes in Fibonacci spirals, reflecting the amazing pattern found all around us, in sunflowers, pine cones, and daisies.

The Seed by Peter Randall-Page

After having a little wander around the Core building, we made our way through the gardens to the Biomes. As you enter, there's stairs down to a huge open restaurant, and a walkway with the Mediterranean Biome on the right, and the Rainforest Biome on the left. We headed towards the Med Biome first, as it's the smaller of the two, and were immediately greeted with the smell of herbs, plants, and flowers. Just like the rest of Eden, there's information galore - every plant is labelled and there's informative signs all over the place to educate you on the history and culture surrounding the plants. There's also wildlife including small birds and frogs!

After completing the Med Biome, we made our way downstairs to the restaurant and grabbed some grub - a delicious lemon and sesame chicken and seasoned vegetables. There's multiple different cafe's and restaurants around Eden, and there's plenty of places to sit and enjoy a packed lunch too, but my mum treated us to a meal, and a cake after. Yummy!

After lunch we made our way back upstairs and had a quick nosy around the little gift shop, before heading into the biggest indoor rainforest in the world. This is such a wonderful experience as there's huge waterfalls, birds, and so many plants and trees amidst the rainforest heat.

Since it's the middle of winter, there's not a huge amount of plants in the outdoor gardens, and a lot of the plots are being replanted with new plants. It was getting pretty chilly outside anyway, so we had the choice to go around the biomes again, or head home. There's a huge gift shop at the end, and I do mean huge, with loads of Eden's own skincare, clothing, food, toys, etc, as well as loads of different things surrounding Cornwall and sustainability, from Cornish artwork and Cornish skincare, to books and plants. We spent a nice while leisurely looking at the things they had to offer, and we came home with a few lovely mementos.

Mum absolutely spoilt me, and treated me to a Chilly's water bottle (I've wanted one for ages), an adorable fluffy bee whom I have named Bumblebutt, a gift box of Bomb Cosmetics bath bombs, an Eden Project orange lip balm, a panda candle, and a cute little bee enamel pin.

I also picked up a little Eden chocolate bar, an orange and cinnamon candle, and a mini beeswax candle.

I can't wait to revisit the Eden Project soon, and I get free entry with my season pass which is available to anybody that lives locally! (Cornwall/Devon)

Have you ever been to the Eden Project? Let me know in the comments!

Ciao for now,

Katie x