beauty

Lip balm – essentials

ramblingmads

An essential in my make up armoury and something I take everywhere with me is lipbalm. I get really dry, cracked lips, which drive me nuts.

I have a ridiculous number of lip balms stashed in various places around my flat and at last count about four in my bag.

I tend to stick to the roll up/push up kind that don’t require dipping your finger into the pot to get the balm out. More hygienic. Apart from the obligatory tub of vaseline – useful for so many things.

Here’s a selection of my favourites –

Balmi – I have this in cherry and strawberry, I love the cube design, and they’re long lasting and full of goodness – vitamin E, Shea butter, jojoba oil and SPF 15.

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Dr Organic – bit obsessed with the avocado and argan oil one but I can’t find it anywhere. The others are good too, quite like the coconut oil one too.

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Nivea – repair and protect is my favourite one, loaded with SPF and nourishes deep, perfect for sealing up cracks from the cold.

Korres – this is a new lip butter in my arsenal, made with natural ingredients, free of nasty chemicals, it has kept my lips soft all day.

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Burt’s Bees – the Coconut and Pear has been my go to this summer, hydrating and smells good too.

A product I have mad love for is Anatomicals Stop Cracking Up. This used to be available in Boots but now seems to be online only, I get mine from Amazon. This is magic stuff. My lower lip is prone to splitting in cold weather, leaving a painful crack in the skin, this gummy lip balm seals up the split and helps it heal up really fast – a must for winter’s bitter weather. I use it in conjunction with various other balms, keeping my lips soft and happy.

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ramblingmads

netflix, reviews, tv

Orphan Black is Back

ramblingmads

This past weekend one of the cleverest shows on TV returned to British screens. Orphan Black starring the incredibly talented Tatiana Maslany as most of the characters (they’re clones, it’s pretty vital to the plot) and weaving a story of intrigue, science gone awry, conflict and family.

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I caught up with the first two seasons on Netflix and season three was dumped almost whole on BBC Three, showing in blocks of episodes (catch up over on the iPlayer) over the week.

This show is not as well known or loved as it should be, it’s well written, the acting is fantastic, the storyline’s gripping and it is easy to devour in chunks.

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Without giving away any spoilers, the third series is revealing itself to be even more brilliantly labyrinthine, as Sarah and her ‘sestras’ try to find out where they come from and what was set in motion before they were ever born.

Are you a fan? Or do you have recommendations for me?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, make up, my little box, reviews, skincare

My Little Fashion Box

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You would think after the palaver this summer with boxes going awol, MLB would have switched back to Royal Mail, but no, so the boxes are still filtering out. September’s almost over, and fashion weeks have drawn to a close.

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September’s box is themed around fashion week with the box illustration of the infamous Front Row (Frow in fashion speak according to the press).

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Inside is another of in-house artist Kamako’s illustrations, the fold out magazine My Little World and a host of fashionable goodies.

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Nail decals designed just for MLB, not something I would use, but I have a friend with a thing for nail art so she’ll probably love these.

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A gorgeous patterned scarf. I love scarves, I own hundreds, they’re the best accessory. You can wear them so many ways, I got the blue one but there is also a black one in some boxes.

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Then there’s the beauty products. As always there’s a French slant to them. 

La Roche-Posay Effacler K(+) – according to the beauty bloggers I follow, this stuff relieves greasy skin, clears up spots and leaves you less shiny. I have combination skin so hopefully it’ll leave me with an even skin tone during the shinier moments.

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Kerastase Couture Styling Laque Noir – a water-free, fuzz busting, humidity preventer. Which would come in very handy for those mornings where you need less stresses in your tresses.

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My Little Beauty Red Dingue de lui – lip stain, from their in-house brand. It’s a rich cherry red colour, with serious staying power (I can’t scrub it off my hand!).

All of this is wrapped in MLB’s swanky packaging, printed bag, ribbon, box.

Now if only they could sort out their deliveries.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, love me beauty, make up, reviews

Love Me Beauty – bit of a wobble

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Love Me Beauty has revised its boutique again, the second time in as many months.

Now you get 60 credits and items are either 10 or 20 credits each – and apparently there is a way to add more.

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I stuck with the 60 member credits. It doesn’t allow you to select much. Most of the 10 credit items are things like a LMB nailfile. However there are a few gems.

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I got a Ciate mini nail polish and Lord & Berry crayon lipstick for 10 credits each and then Monuspa Rosewood Revitalizing Mist and a Lord & Berry Twistick lipstick for 20 credits each.

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Bit disappointing when you used to be able to get more under the old system for the same money. There were lots of Lord & Berry lip items and nail polishes, hopefully next month will have more variety.

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They’ve also dispensed with boxes and the items arrived in a little canvas bag inside a padded envelope, not as glam as some beauty subscriptions.

LMB has the possibility of being really fantastic, the ability to pick your products is great but a little more effort to make things seem special would be even better.

ramblingmads

adventures, challenges, charity, exercise, life

Walk4 round up

ramblingmads

My feet are throbbing and I am knackered so here’s a photo round up of the walk4 Refuge. Apologies for the less than stellar photos, the sun was in my eyes and my phone was struggling.

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A quick pep talk at the beginning in sunny Wapping
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St Katherine's Marina
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Ancient and Modern London
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Giant pink balloons on the North Bank
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A church tower
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Bridge over fairly calm waters
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A glimpse of St Paul's
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Old Man Thames
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Shakespeare's Globe
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A river view
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Art boat
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Bridges
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National Theatre, South Bank
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MI6 building
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Wahaca, South Bank, yum
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South Bank Undercroft Skate Park
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Street music
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London Eye
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Houses of Parliament
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A dragon guarding The City of London
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HMS Belfast
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Coming back to the Tower
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Tower Bridge
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Last bridge of the day
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The modern city viewed from the ancient
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Gherkin meets Tower
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Medal time

The day was really good, approximately 300 people, men, women, children, dogs, took part. Every £60 raised is a night in a safe place. An incredibly vital cause, rounded off with lemonade, goodie bags and winning in the champagne raffle.

There were lots of other charity walks taking place as well, for Cancer Research, Diabetes, MS, and a very cool dapper gentleman’s vintage motorbike ride for breast cancer – they looked amazing.

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Shame all the roadworks got in the way, but I’m sure you’ll find better photos out there.

Great to see so many people raising funds for the causes they care about.

You still have time to sponsor me, while I recover from my blisters and aches.

ramblingmads

Uncategorized

Domestic Abuse can kiss my arse…

ramblingmads

When you read this I will be doing my 10k for Refuge UK – the largest domestic abuse charity in the UK. They help women and children fleeing abusive homes by providing them a safe place to stay and helping them access legal support and put their abuser away.

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My number

Sadly this is something that exists in all stratas of society, regardless of wealth, privilege and education. But because it goes on behind closed doors we are often oblivious to it. 1 in 4 women in the UK will experience some form of domestic abuse – whether it’s physical, mental, financial or sexual. That’s a staggering number. Then there are children who suffer a secondary, equally harmful abuse, despite what a lot of people seem to think, children see and hear everything – imagine the effect this must have.

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Yes, men can be victims too, and it happens in same sex relationships as well as opposite sex ones. But women are overwhelmingly the victims.

Having worked with victims of crime for the last 6 years, I have seen first hand how awful this can be. From the client who cried in our office for two hours because she was too scared to go home, to the story a women’s aid worker told me of the husband who threw his naked wife onto the street, telling her that she could leave but take nothing that belonged to him and as she hasn’t worked (he hadn’t let her) even her clothes (and by his logic) children belonged to him. These women need help to be safe to be free of the terrifying control their abusers have.

So if you would like to sponsor me – all the money goes to Refuge, I just get sore feet and blisters, please click here.

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, nail polish, nails inc, reviews

Nailbox – Spooky September

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I skipped August’s nailbox while I tried to use up some of my existing nail polishes, and September’s box arrived today.

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Slightly confusingly it’s Halloween themed, despite it being September, but I suppose if you’re planning an All Hallows’ party, this would give you plenty of time to practise your designs.

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As well as three polishes, there’s a set of nail design brushes, and a base coat from Nail Apothecary.

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The polishes come from a range of brands, including my fave Nails Inc, and they’re all full size. For £15 this is a good range of nail items.

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ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, latest in beauty, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty – Heart Beauty Essentials

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Latest in Beauty loves the radio as it’s collaborations with Capital FM and Heart demonstrate.

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This beauty box in conjunction with my Dad’s favourite station (he always has it blaring away in the van) is jam packed.

Bloom & Blossom Bath and Shower Gel

Dirty Works 4-in-1 Face Wipes

Kitsch Prima Ballerina Hair Ties

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Lola Electric Purple Nail Polish

Nuxe Creme Moisturizing Cream

Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Mask

Roger & Gallet Lait Sorbet Bois d’Orange Body Lotion

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Rimmel London Provocalips

Philosophy the microdelivery peel

Urban Veda Hydrating Toner

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Also included are discount vouchers for some of the brands included.

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I think I will be making use of all of these goodies, most of the brands are already in my beautifying arsenal.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, make up, reviews, skincare

Birthday splurge

ramblingmads

Yesterday I had a meeting in town and as I was in Central London I thought I’d pop into Selfridges and spend some birthday money (the rest is reserved for shoes).

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I get serious shopping envy in Selfridges, there’s so many gorgeous things but my budget doesn’t stretch as far as I’d like.

I decided to hit up the Beauty Hall. So many gorgeous things. I made a beeline for the Clinique counter, I fancied a new chubby stick for eyes.  After scribbling a few testers on my hand, I picked shade 04 Ample Amber, a soft golden colour, perfect for all over eyelid glow or a hit of gold on my lash line.

While I was there I also picked up the face wash that goes with my sonic cleanser – a great way to get my pores scrubbed out. I also got two freebies – a chubby stick for lips in Super Strawberry and a sample of their superprimer.

Then I decided to check out the Birchbox build your own birthday pop-up. As you do.

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I couldn’t resist building a box – picking 6 samples and getting two bonus items exclusive to subscribers. I picked what I think is a good mix of goodies.

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I wandered about eyeing up the Tom Ford counter (gorgeous packaging) and trying out some new perfume ideas. If I had the cash, there would have been such a splurge!

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ramblingmads