My Beauty Birthday Gifts & What I Thought of Them

Back in December, Liz who is currently sunning herself in Tenerife, bought me a selection of Beauty Kitchen products for my birthday. Freshly made in the UK using 100% natural ingredients, Beauty Kitchen claim to be people tested, never animal tested & use precycled, carbon neutral packaging. Their products are sold online (HERE) and in Holland and Barrett and are, understandably, quite pricey but if you check out the discount shops on the high street and eBay you might get lucky.

I've been using these products for six weeks so long enough to give them a fair trial.

First it's the Seahorse Plankton Everlasting Radiance Cleansing Gel which, amongst other things, claims to stimulate your skin's elasticity and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. (Don't be put off by seahorse plankton - it's a fancy way of saying microalgae so no innocent sea creatures have been harmed in the making of these products!) I'm strictly a soap and water girl but have been using this on my face in the shower in the evening, massaging it in and rinsing off with a natural sponge. While I've not suddenly started looking like a thirty year old, my skin feels lovely.

Next it's the Seahorse Plankton Beauty Boosting BB Cream. I'm probably the last woman on the planet to have never tried a BB cream. I've never used foundation because I hate the idea of gunky brown stuff on my face or having a visible tidemark. I've been using a small pea-sized dollop spread across my nose and cheeks and I'm pleased to report that it doesn't make my skin look a weird colour or feel slimy but does add a subtle shimmer. The best bit is that it stops that red raw looking skin I get from walking around in the freezing cold.

Now lets look at the Abyssinian Oil Five Minute Miracle Mask. I'm wary of face masks as they used to make my skin spotty. Once a week I've been applying a very thin layer of this to my face and neck and rinsing it off five minutes later. This definitely does what it says on the bottle and it really does make my skin look radiant (and mercifully spot free!) 

The Seahorse Plankton Sleeping Beauty Knight Rescue Mask is another success. Its a misnomer as its more of a night cream than a mask, I apply it before bed and rinse my face with soap and water in the morning. It doesn't stain my pillowcase or feel remotely greasy. Even on those annoying nights when I wake up at 3am and can't get back to sleep for hours my skin looks healthy. 

Lastly is the Seahorse Plankton Transformation Body Cream. I'm not sure that I need my body transforming (that's down to a decent diet and exercise) and not having any cellulite or wobbly bits I can't vouch for its effectiveness however it does smell gorgeous and absorbs nicely into the skin, not leaving that horrid sticky residue like some body lotions do. 

I really like all these products. The only thing I'm not keen on is the use of the word Anti-Ageing on the Beauty Kitchen website. The only way to avoid ageing is death and I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet! 

Another birthday present I was lucky enough to receive was this Tropic Silk Gel eyeliner in Midnight Plum from my other friend, Liz (that's the Liz I went out with on Saturday night). Tropic cosmetics are vegan, ethically produced and sustainable with a percentage of the profits going to the WWF. I've used Barry M kajal for decades and never thought I'd ever say this but this eyeliner is the best thing ever. The colour is gorgeous. It's easy to apply, has a built in sharpener, lasts all day without budging and is even swim proof.  In fact, I love it so much I sold a dress on Vinted so I could buy a couple more! At £16 they aren't cheap but they're absolutely fabulous.

After 44 years of only ever wearing black eyeliner, I'm a colour convert! Ocean Dusk is a dark blue which I use under my eyes and along the upper lashes. I've been wearing it with my Barry M matt brown eyeshadow - see photo below.

So far I've only worn the Rainforest Green with my Barry M mascara (below) but I reckon it'd look good with some metallic gold eyeshadow and shall experiment over the weekend. Tropic is only available online HERE and I'm sure I don't need to tell you that this post isn't sponsored. 

It's another afternoon of being trapped under a cat so it's fortunate I have my phone close at hand and some previously unpublished photos! Excuse the state of William's coat, he's been rolling around with his catnip Trump again.

This was yesterday's outfit, a day which started with a Vinted parcel drop and a brisk walk to Poundland to pick up some AA batteries. I attracted the attention of one of the many town centre pissheads who told me about six times that my sheepskin hat was f*cling sick, man. It wasn't just about me though, he loved Jon's monkey boots, too!

Suede jerkins are like buses at the moment, just when you think you've found the perfect one another pops up. I'm not sure this handmade 1960s beauty can be bettered but you never know...

Later in the day Jon went out second-hand hand car shopping with Tony and left me to my own devices. My friend Heidi recommended the You're Dead To Me podcast so I downloaded it and went for a walk around the block, returning half an hour later more knowledgeable about the Arts and Crafts Movement than when I'd left the house. (Find it HERE). I do struggle with Podcasts - I have the attention span of a flea - but really enjoyed this. I'd changed my phone since I'd last listened and realised that there wasn't a socket to plug in my headphones so had to walk around with the podcast on loudspeaker like one of those annoying t*ats you get on the train - luckily the only sign of life on my walk was a cat and he didn't give me the death stare!

This was what I wore under my coat this morning. It was icy cold when we walked down to the baths so I opted for the tropical heat of the brine pool as opposed to the cooler Olympic one. Maybe next week!

I love this embroidered linen Free People jacket I scored for £3 from the Walsall branch of the Air Ambulance charity shop last year. It's a shame it closed down last month, it's also where I found my amazing Magic Box which now houses all my sewing paraphernalia. Excuse the profusion of selfies, Jon was doing some housework earlier and I didn't want to distract him!

We've got an amber warning for Storm Eoywn, set to batter the UK tomorrow so we're off to the cinema, there's a bar and artisan pizza just in case we get trapped.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!