La Roche-Posay Skincare Haul

I had some skin issues last month. For some (still) unknown reason, I developed sporadic itching and rashes on my hands, scalp and even my face dried out even more than usual for a short period of time. I went to get it checked out, but other than suggest antihistamines, they didn't offer up much of a solution. I've considered many causes, including washing detergent (we changed this and then changed back to our original brand); stress; reaction to baking ingredients, cleaning and beauty products. 

It seems to have eased up, but one way I coped with it and restored my skin health was by turning to La Roche-Posay, a French pharmacie brand whose Cicaplast Soothing Skin Balm was my saviour when I had a terrible reaction (swelling and mild chemical burn) to some Murad products a few years ago. Yes, it was as horrible as it sounds! I decided that now was the time to try out more of the range, so I placed an order with escentual.com  Here's what I purchased:

My Top 5 Autumn Jumpers

It's that time of the year when you start raiding your wardrobe for a comfy jumper. No longer can you get away with strolling outside with just a T-shirt on: Autumn is officially here! 
I have built up quite a collection of jumpers over the last few years because, in my opinion, there is nothing more satisfying than wrapping up as the weather starts to get cold. Personally, I look out for cotton blends rather than 100% acrylic because I prefer the texture and find high content acrylic items can quickly lose shape when washed. The knitwear in my collection was bought mainly last year, often in sales, therefore you will probably not find these exact items. You may, however, enjoy snooping a look at what knitwear I love to wear from Autumn into Winter: these are my top 5!

Herringbone: This pattern is so chic and smart. I love my American Apparel sweater. I picked it up in a sale in a unisex size 'small'. This pattern never really goes out of fashion, so it's quite easy to find herringbone pieces, especially accessories like scarves.
Forest green: My Monki jumper is such a lovely flattering shade. I think this Isa knitted top is available in new colours now. 
Boucle: This type of knit can look rustic and unique if done in the right colours. I think I picked the QED London brand jumper from New Look a few years ago. The brown colour with multicolour accents looks laid back and quite 'folky' (which works for me, being a bit of a 'folkie' myself!).
Olive: I put off buying the olive clean rib jumper, so was delighted to pick it up this year in the sale. This style of jumper comes out in different colours throughout the year at Topshop.
Mustard: This shade is popular for Autumn and I can see why. Yellow can be quite an intimidating shade for some people to try and pull off, but mustard, on the other hand, is far more flattering against a range of different mix of colourings! I love my River Island cropped jumper in this shade. I also have it in navy and love the length for wearing with skirts and high-waisted jeans.

What is your favourite jumper/ sweater?

To cull or not to cull: When should I throw a lipstick away?

We all know that make-up doesn't last forever. Lipstick should ideally be used within a year or two after opening it, but do you really abide by these rules? I'm afraid to report that I don't.

A Few of my Favourite Things #6 (August 2014)

Currently wearing

  Comfy jumpers

Summer is well on its way out and this means that the jumpers come out in full force. This olive jumper from Topshop is warm and nicely oversized- perfect to throw on with skinny jeans. The colour is perfect for Autumn and I love the neckline. 

If you love comfy Autumn jumpers, look out for a future post about my favourites for this season!

Autumn Make-up Trend: Matte Nudes

Left to right: Bourjois CC Cream; Benefit They're Real mascara; Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow; Mac Kid eyeshadow; Rimmel Notting Hill Nude lipstick; Mac Tenderling blush; Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in Underground; Nars Creamy Concealer 

Word about town is nudes are in for Autumn. I've seen nude matte lips on many blogs recently which is part of the 90s revival apparently! I say 'apparently' because to me, the 90s were only yesterday and it surely can't be time for a revival yet? (That's when you realise you're getting old!)

Make-up Storage in Pictures

How do you store yours?

Investment Pieces

 Today's post is an ode to those beautiful items in my collection that I treasure and adore. I am not suggesting that you have to spend lots of money on high-end purchases to enjoy using make-up. But if you do spend out on luxury brands, I believe it is important to appreciate and love what you have. These are some of the pieces that I see as 'investments': products that were well worth the spend and will be enjoyed for a long time.

Washing Your Hair Without Shampoo? Review: Ojon Cleansing Conditioner

I heard about the concept of washing your hair without shampoo through a link on Twitter to an article on the Cosmopolitan website. Cleansing conditioners have been popular with those with afro hair for some time now, but Ojon have recently released their Rare Blend Moisture-Rich Cleansing Conditioner, so I decided to try it out.

The Liebster Award: nomination #2!

I've been nominated again, how exciting! Pat from All About Me By Pat nominated me and has posed some excellent questions. As I did the Liebster Award Tag previously, I won't re-nominate or give 11 facts about me. You can find my original post by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. 

Folkestone Triennial Artworks

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to visit Folkestone, a town in my home county of Kent, to see some of the Triennial artworks for 2014. It is great to see art being made available in such a way and the town was alive and bustling as a result. I also took the opportunity to shoot a range of photos on my daytrip, some of the area in general and some of the pieces that I encountered whilst walking around the harbour.