Review: Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick

Firstly, I would like to apologise for the lack of posts recently. I was going to wait until my camera was fixed before I posted again but it looks like that is going to take a while so I decided to post anyway and make do without my camera :(

I grabbed Sexy Mother Pucker because I had fancied a berry shade lipbalm and had heard good things about the Soap & Glory lip range, so I went for the shade Plum Jam as it was a lovely purple colour but wasn't too pink.

First impressions were mixed. I loved the packaging for a number of reasons; the black tube with pink writing looked slick and sophisticated, so you don't mind showing it off to everyone else and the name retains that playfulness which we love Soap & Glory for. Also, the applicator is a good shape (like a large crayon) and when you wear it down you simply twist the bottom to get more, so it goes a long way. However, I found that the product itself didn't last very long and created these weird solid lumps of product on my lips. Not good.

I really liked the colour though, so decided to give it a wipe and see if that helped. Miraculously it did and I haven't had a problem since! Admittedly you do have to reapply it fairly often but since it's a balm that doesn't really matter, plus it really does keep your lips moisturised. I tend to get quite dry lips but since that initial problem it has been absolutely fine and hasn't dried them out at all!

Might have to get a few more shades...

You can pick it up from Boots for £8 and they currently have an offer on. The other shades are Nudist, Fushia-Ristic, Bashful and Raplumsel.

Much love,
Sasha Monday x

Tips for Getting to Sleep

I am one of those people who have always struggled to get to sleep, even if I'm tired it can take me hours to actually drift off but over the years I have developed a few tricks which help me get to sleep when it really counts and I thought I would share them with you.

1. Start to relax long before you plan on going to sleep. Take the time to slow down before you go to bed by turning off the tv and not worrying about the washing or anything like that. Read a book, listen to an audiobook or take a bath. I often  treat myself to a LUSH bath bomb, my favourite is Twilight which smells like lavender to help you drift off.

2. Speaking of lavender, a couple of drops of essential oil on the inside of your wrists and the nape of your neck can help, alternatively get a pillow spray, it'll have the same effect.

3. Make sure your room is dark. This sounds like an obvious one but if you can still see across your room when you turn all of the lights out it might be too light and be stopping you from sleeping properly. If you can't use blackout blinds, pick up a comfy sleep mask, mine came with the bed I bought(!) but this one from Boots would do the trick.

4. This next tip I technically stole from an interview with Jeremy Paxman on Radio 4. He said that he had struggled with sleeping but that having a good book by the bed really helped. This is so that if you can't sleep you have something distracting but it also means you are being productive instead of just lying there worrying about not sleeping. Once you have done this a few times the fact that the book is there just helps to relax you as you know you have something to fall back on if you can't sleep. Cheers Jeremy!

5. Above all, DON'T PANIC! If you find yourself lying awake worrying about stuff, quickly jot down anything you need to remember, then try to forget about it and if you can't then it's time to reach for that book…

Hope that there is something useful for you in this, let me know if you try any of these, I'd love to know if they work for you too. What helps you get to sleep?

Much love,

Sasha Monday x

Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I am always searching for a good foundation for pale skin and until quite recently drugstore foundations were a no-go, always too yellow or dark. But since Rimmel brought out their new shade "Light porcelain" I have been trying out every kind! My most recent purchase was their Wake Me Up Foundation because I already have and love their Wake Me Up Concealer. Here are my thoughts…

I have to admit that I was put off by the bright orange lid. This is probably because being pale I have a natural dislike of the colour but I got over that pretty quickly. The pump gives a good amount of product and doesn't squirt it too far either.

The consistency of the product is lovely and creamy and it blends into your skin really easily. The colour also blends fantastically well, not too pink or yellow and it doesn't sit heavily on the skin. It gives a medium coverage but it can be built up and it gives your skin a natural healthy glow, which is good for people like me who have dry skin. One thing I would say, is that if you have dry patches it does sit in them and make them a bit obvious, so make sure you put on plenty of moisturiser before applying it.

As for it's staying power I have taken it on a very hilly walk on a sunny day (it is SPF 15, woo hoo!) and it didn't budge! At the end of the day my skin still felt soft and had a nice glow to it, without getting oily, and my blush had stayed in place as well.

Conclusion

Really pleased with this product! It's fantastic for pale skin in terms of colour and that all-important SPF and it wears really well as a foundation too. You can currently pick it up for £8.99 from Boots.

Have you tried this foundation? What is your go-to drugstore foundation?

Much love,

Sasha Monday x

Friday Favourites #1

So I have decided to start a weekly favourites series on Fridays, partly because I'm so fickle with my favourite products and partly because I felt it would allow me to add a few more fashion/lifestyle pieces.

This week the weather's been pretty rubbish and the one good thing about this is that I can get roll out my standard autumn look with my leather jacket from ZARA paired with a scarf, this one from New Look is my favourite at the moment. 

As I said in my perfume post, I've been absolutely loving Agent Provocateur Fatale perfume. I've even worn it on days I'm not going anywhere because it makes me feel better about myself and the scent stays so well that you only need a little and it'll stay all day!

As for makeup, a friend of mine introduced me to Topshop's Lipstick in Mink a few months ago and it is great if you just want to emphasise your natural shade, or you can build it up to give a darker purpley brown. It has a matte finish but doesn't dry your lips out making it ideal for daywear. It does need topping up occasionally but it has generally pretty good staying powder. Annoyingly it seems to have been discontinued (again) I have also been loving Bobbi Brown's Cream Blusher in Fresh Melon because I was finding that powders were sitting a bit on my skin and not blending well. Plus I've been favouring a more natural look lately and the creaminess of this blush blends so well that it doesn't look like you're wearing anything.

Also pictured: Rimmel Rita Ora Nail Varnish in Pillow Talk, NARS Tinted Moisturiser and Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara. 

What products are you loving at the moment?

Much love,

Sasha Monday x