L'Oréal Air volume Mega Mascara

I have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this mascara and it is one I really wanted to love because I like the description, how it is packaged and despite my awkwardness when choosing a mascara, I should like it a lot!

Here we have the airVolume Mega Mascara from L'Oréal is described as being 'as light as air' with a formula which has been whipped to add definition as it elongates the lashes without any hint or sign of heaviness. For me, choosing a mascara is something I talk about a lot because I am so picky.  It is by far my most favourite item of makeup and something I wear every single day.  I have fairly long lashes and I wear glasses for reading, writing and watching television, so I am looking for a product that I can wear without weighing down my lashes and without smudging with my glasses wearing - that means no overly wet formula and whilst I am not a fan of big thick bushy wands, I like something which can reach every lash.

L'Oreal Paris Air Volume Mega Mascara, Black, whipped texture, up to 24hr hold, smudge proof, clump proof

Packed inside its metallic pink avant-garde packaging, which looks more gold than metallic pink, the tube has been specially designed to preserves the airy formula inside, thus ensuring it keeps as fresh from the first application as it does to the last. 

As you can see, the wand is fairly thick with a lot of bristles and those bristles are fairly long. L'Oréal state that their length is to help evenly distribute the formula.  Being intensely black, I am thankful this mascara doesn't clump, smudge or flake everywhere, but and it is a big but, I do wish the wand had a slight curve to it so I could get to those corner lashes much easier. The end of the wand always has excess formula clinging to it which I find annoying, but it can be wiped off back into the tube.

The formula for this mascara has undergone testing so it is suitable for everyone, even those with sensitive eyes.  I haven't found it to be irritating in anyway, I like the intense black shade, I like the formula a lot but the wand I am not 100% sold on right now, hence my love/hate relationship with it overall.

The L'Oréal Air volume Mega Mascara is priced at £10.99 and can be found in Boots*, Lookfantastic*, ASOS* and similar sites.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Take The Edge off Stressed Skin With The Bodyshop

The Bodyshop very kindly sent over their new CBD Collection* a good while ago now and I really wanted to give it a good try before sharing it on my blog. With the mantra ' Take the edge off stressed skin' it caught my attention because one thing I've noticed throughout both lockdowns is my skin is not really happy.  

Described as being a powerhouse on their own, the CDB collection features a Restoring Facial Oil, Replenishing Moisture Cream and Soothing Oil-Balm Cleansing Mask which you can use on their own, as part of your existing routine or combine all three of these products to create a new routine.

The products are all enriched with natural-origin CBD, vegan squalene and hemp seed oil. They help to restore your skin’s moisture levels and leave dehydrated skin feeling smoothed, soothed and with a gentle glow.  There is a few misnomers when it comes to CBD skincare - it won't get you high and it doesn't have any medical benefits, just two of the common questions I see being asked when brands create a collection such as this.

I adore the cleansing part of my skincare routine, especially a double cleanse. There is something about literally removing the day from your skin, even if you have moved from Bed to Sofa for work purposes.  The first product I wanted to try from this Bodyshop Collection was the Soothing Oil-Balm Cleansing Mask (£17/100ml).

This mask is a wonderful gel-to-milk texture which feels just divine on the skin, whilst there is no particular scent worthy of being noted.  Designed to be used after cleansing and on dry skin, you apply a layer and then leave it to work for up to 5 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

The texture and formula which are enriched with olive oil, white clay and a blend of that CBD and hemp seed oil which come together to hydrate, purifying and ensure dirt and grime has been listed well away from the skin.  Afterwards, my skin felt insanely look, soft, smooth and it felt incredibly clean.

If you are a fan of oil within your routine, the next product from this collection is the Restoring Facial Oil (£25/30ml).  Packaged inside a green coloured glass bottle, I am glad this comes with a pipette dispenser to make the application a much easier process.

This Restoring Facial Oil is, I am pleased to say, non-greasy. One of the things that puts me off some facial oils is the greasy residue they leave behind, not this one! Enriched with squalene and patchouli extract which work alongside a blend of naturally derived CBD and hemp seed oil, this is a really lightweight, non-greasy formula and its job is to restore your skin’s moisture levels and relieve the discomfort of dehydrated skin.

This oil can be used both morning and evening and you only need 2-3 drops at the most to cover your entire face and neck, I always go down to my décolletage as to not waste any of the oil.  It is divine.

The final product from this collection is the Replenishing Moisture Cream (£20/50ml) and it is the kind of cream you just want to bathe in, it is just a delight to use.

Described as being a friend to all skin types, but especially for those with dehydrated skin, this is a lovely rich and velvety cream which has a slighted whipped feel to the formula. As with the rest of the range, this cream is enriched with a blend of naturally derived CBD, hemp seed oil and squalene as well as patchouli extract which help relieve and calm the signs of dryness and the feeling of dehydrated.

I think you can probably tell that I really like this range, much more than I had expected too. Life for many is quite difficult and different in more ways than one and if like me, stress and strain shows on your skin - dryness, flare ups, redness and so on, this range is a real help.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Wall Art, Posters and Framed Prints - For the Home

(AD) Having just decorated a third of our house, we are still in the midst of adding some finishing touches, trying to combine hanging framed prints and our wall art between working from home, zoom meetings, ensuring the cats get some attention and trying to find time to relax is quite time consuming, especially as we still want to decorate the kitchen this year as it looks a little tired and dated - the bedroom can wait!

When it comes to wall art, thankfully the mister and I both have similar tastes , whilst we would both love to own some original pieces by Dali, it is not a position we are likely to ever be in, so we tend to stick to the more abstract wall art pieces and he has even taken up painting himself, so around the house we plan to display some of those pieces.  We did look at using Bumblejax Acrylic Photo Block as as way to show off some of our art work, I love that they can change the look of your works of art to 3D giving you the option to hang them or stand them on mantlepieces, book cases or even shelves around your home.

On our walls before we decorated in the lounge we had just two pieces of art featured, both of which I have shared on my Instagram many time.  As the decorating started to take place, we need to find new homes for them - one is more abstract than the other, but we bought them with money we had been given as a Wedding Present many years ago and I really want to see both of them hanged somewhere.

We have both always wanted a feature wall of sorts, but instead of using paint or wallpaper, we wanted to use art and with the lounge set up we have, realistically, because it is a short L-Shape, we only have one wall that we could use, which wouldn't be too much of a distraction of the cats. Before we move onto the lounge, we decided to deal with the hallway first. In there are family photos and prints we have taken and collected over the years and have never quite known what to do with them.  So, I bought a whole lot of black frames so there is some continuity and then having laid it all out on the floor, we have hand drawn a plan as to what it might look like and so we can change them round before we hang them on the wall.

I'm clearly no expert at all of this home decor stuff, I have watched others do theirs, read websites on how to create feature walls and pretty much have done my own thing, once it is all done and dusted - the task of Lockdown 2.0, I will share it with you.  But I know some of you are pretty good at this kind of stuff, so if you have tips, find a way to message me, direct me, what goes where or can I just be a bit alfresco about it and do what I want?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.