July Favourites ’19

It’s August and only one more month now until my favourite of the year, September. I’m shocked at how quickly 2019 is going by, as well as the fact I have now been in my new (well not so much new anymore!) job for 4 months now. It’s flown, I still feel like I’ve only been here for five minutes.

Either way, summer is officially here and we had some glorious sunny days in July. It was amazing and me and Dane even got the BBQ out after work one of the days! I’m rather excited for this month and what it holds as I feel there will be plenty more BBQ days and pub garden evenings to be spent. 😛

July also brought along some blogger events in Birmingham, which I haven’t done/attended for YEARS! So I was really happy for that. I hope I am able to attend more Birmingham blog events in the future. This month I hope to be attending a couple of Coventry Blogger events too, so keep eyes peeled for that.

For now though, I’m back (even if it’s 2 days late!) to talk about my monthly favourites! 😀

• SBC Honey & Almond Bath & Shower Creme.

This is something my mom recently gifted to me, as she’d bought it in a set and due to the size worried she may not get around to using it alongside her other SBC shower creme. This is amazing and I honestly love it so much right now! I use it daily and I’ve noticed a dramatic difference to my skin. It doesn’t feel or look dry and tight, but looks and feels softer. Not baby soft, but definitely softer. It smells amazing too! I honestly cannot get enough of it right now! It reminds me of times away in Fuerteventura as I often use honey scented shower gels and cremes whilst I’m there. This bottle will last me ages! I plan to try it as a bath creme next month when the cooler weather is upon us.

• Cath Kidston Hand Cream.

I didn’t realise I had SO MANY of these little hand creams from my advent calendar from Christmas time. I found about three in one of my drawers recently and decided to take them all to work to use up. I actually forgot how amazing this hand cream is and when all of my hand creams are used up and gone, I plan to stick with Cath Kidston in the future. The hand creams are rich and a little bit of it goes a long way. The scent isn’t really my thing as it’s very “old lady” scented. I love my fruity and unique smells when it comes to perfume. However, I can live with it if it helps my eczema along the way, which I have recently noticed is rearing it’s dry, ugly head.

• MUA Pro Base Soothe & Cool Primer Stick.

This has been so perfect during July due to the warm weather. I usually only apply this under my eyes as I tend to find if I apply it all over my face it has a tendency of making me feel oilier and that’s not something I wish to be! However, I did use it all over my face on lazy days off work to try and cool down my face a little. Alongside powder it works okay, but on its own it’s so much better for me. I do love this primer stick, but whether or not I’ll repurchase it, is another story.

• Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops (review here).

I wrote a review about these primer drops towards the end of 2018 and you know what? I wasn’t very kind to these primer drops at all! If anything, I feel like I need to review these because I’ve changed my mind dramatically since then in so many different ways. I love these, they’re my go to these days whenever I wear a primer and whenever I go to buy a new one too. They just always do me good and never let me down. They leave my face feeling cooled, soft and plump looking, with a bit of shimmer to brighten the skin. I also use these on my lips to soften them too, as it works really well before product, even if it’s just a bit of lip balm. Would you guys like me to re review these in the future? Let me know in the comments!

• Taya Copaiba Resin Volumising Shampoo.

This is something else my mom kindly gifted me recently and it’s such a gorgeous shampoo. My mom is honestly the best when it comes down to beauty and I always go to her for suggestions on new brands and products to try and use. She gave me this as she’d given it a go and wasn’t sure if it was for her. Well, it’s definitely for me! This really does leave my hair feeling and looking healthy, shiny and thicker! Not that my hair needs to be any thicker… 😛 It smells gorgeous too and has a lovely honey smell to it, which works perfectly alongside the SBC shower creme mentioned here too. A little of this goes a long way, which is great because my hair always craves ALL the shampoo when it comes to cleaning it!

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Image taken from GIPHY

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite TV Show – Strangers Things 3 and Orange Is the New Black.

Fuck me, Netflix brought out the big guns in July and they did bloody good too! Not one, but TWO new seasons of shows that made Netflix what it is today, sadly with one leaving us for good. Me and Dane both made sure to binge Stranger Things 3 before any spoilers leaked out and ruined it for us. I honestly LOVED season 3 as I found it brought back the action of the whole gang that we missed out on in season 2. Season 2 was okay but it was meh at the same time. It focused too much on Eleven for my liking and this whole rebellion she seemed to go on. Season 3 definitely covered more of what was happening with the town and the shit that was about to hit (I totally rhymed on purpose)! I’m not saying too much due to spoilers, but it was amazing and I nearly cried at the end.

Orange Is the New Black is over. Like so over, that we need a new word for it (Sex & The City quote right there :P). I LOVED Orange Is the New Black so much and I’m glad it’s a season I invested time into because it’s been worth it. This season went too quickly and the end was shocking, so much so I don’t feel like the show has come to an end due to it. There’s no happy endings all around and there’s moments where you can’t believe it’s happened or happening for that matter. I can’t say much without spoiling. The one thing I will say is, Piper is her usual annoying as fuck self! I honestly hope the real Piper isn’t that annoying in real life… That’s the only good thing about the show coming to an end, no more annoying Piper. 😛 OH and who the hell calls their kid Piper?! Just me who thinks that, or?..

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Movie – Spider-Man: Far From Home.

This film was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I was on the edge of my seat throughout and stayed well until the end to see what was happening next! If you didn’t stay until the end then shame on you! 😛 Without saying too much (because apparently this IS spoilers) I LOVED Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterion. He was one of my favourite baddies back in the day as a kid of spending my every waking moment playing the original Spider-Man PlayStation game. The movie overall with Mysterion’s scenes were done so well and I also loved the story of Peter Parker wanting to be a normal teenager, but needing to be Spider-Man at the same time. It was great and I definitely enjoyed it more than the first film.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – Persona 4

Although I picked up the Elfen Lied omnibus in June – I didn’t actually get around to reading it in July… Which I am really pissed off about. It’s my favourite manga of all time (to date) and I don’t seem to want to read it again… Yet. To be honest, I will probably just prioritise series I need to catch up on and then start on Elfen Lied. So, as I had an Amazon discount code recently, I decided to pick up some more volumes for Persona 4, two in total (volumes 2 and 3). I haven’t finished the game, but I am loving and enjoying reading the manga. I feel like the story of P5 and P4 are both completely different and due to that I enjoy them both so damn much. I really do need to finish playing the game though…

Favourite Music – Litany 4 Track EP.

This is an EP I adore and I wish it had more tracks due to that. This is the song that introduced me to the band, which you may recognise from the Extra gum advert from TV… Where the zombie girl and the guy kiss. Yes, that advert. This song is just so chill and perfect for those summer vibes, as is the rest of the album. I recommend you go and check out Litany if you fancy something new to listen to! I recommend “Bedroom” which I have linked about and “Work It Out”, which isn’t on the 4 track EP.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Game – Pokemon Edition Monopoly.

Completely random game for me to mention here this month but me and Dane recently had a little game date night in and we played this. It was actually really fun to play and we had a laugh during it, for a change! Monopoly can take forever (which this did) and be boring towards the end due to that reason. This was just fun. I find if you play Monopoly with the right people you can have an amazing time. Especially when it’s Pokemon themed too. 😛

So those are my favourites from July! I cannot believe how quickly the month flew by, it’s pretty crazy to be honest.

How was July for you guys? What were your favourites of the month, both beauty and in general. Make sure to let me know in the comments below.

Until next time all, take care and I hope you have a lovely weekend upon you all!

Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops – Review

I feel like I haven’t done a review for the longest time, but apparently I only did one last week which was my Lime Crime Plushies review (which you can read here). How on earth did I forget that I wrote that review last week?! Either I’m beginning to show my age or it’s just showing how quickly the days are flying by!

Anyway, I’ve wanted to review the Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops for the longest time, but as of yet I just haven’t managed to. I’ve thought about adding this to my favourites since September but to be honest with you, it hasn’t been a favourite product.

Personally when I read and write reviews I don’t want to always see them be positive and, “OH MY GOD THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING AND YOU NEED TO GO BUY IT. Oh and P.S. my affiliate link is down below.” No, no and no again.

I like to read and write reviews that are realistic and honest. I like to think I’m honest when it comes down to reviews, even when I’m sent and gifted items to review and talk about. I was in two minds whether or not to review the unicorn primer drops as I didn’t quite know how I felt about them, to be honest.

So I’m going to be honest throughout this review, no fakery or BS here. 😛

I picked up the unicorn primer drops about a month ago now and have been using them almost daily. I heard about this thanks to Instagram and Facebook and everyone was talking about how it reminded them of the Farsali unicorn essence and in all fairness, it’s pretty much a duplicate of the unicorn essence.

I’ve been after a primer for a while now, as sometimes I do like to have them to try and help mattify my skin. I used to use one from The Body Shop last year, which I loved but as I managed to get hold of it when it was on offer I haven’t picked it up again since.

I actually forgot about the Barry M unicorn primer drops until I ventured into Boots in September and decided to pick it up to try. I mean why not eh?

Prep skin for the ultimate makeup application with this innovative oil-free elixir. Packed with superfruits such as acai berry, goji berry, watermelon and tamarind, this hybrid-serum brightens, detoxifies, hydrates and smooths the skin for the perfect primer and skin care treatment.

Use under makeup to prime skin or on its own to hydrate, brighten and protect from free radical damage. Taken from barrym.com

I remember watching some YouTube videos where people were testing this and reviewing it and in all honestly, most of the videos I watched weren’t praising this product. One girl said how the product caused her make up to feel tacky and sticky and another commented on how it didn’t seem to improve her make up much.

As I don’t wear make up, I didn’t think it would affect me in this sense and if anything I hoped it might help my translucent powder last longer!

It’s been over a month now since I first bought it and I finally feel like I’m ready to review it.

My thoughts on this primer have chopped and changed over the past month for so many reasons. I started using it whilst the weather was still warm and recently as the weather has cooled down, I feel like I’ve really began to see how it works, if that makes sense.

The primer comes in this purple square bottle with a pipette at the top. You get 15ml of product in this bottle which I think is a decent amount. I find that a full pipette is too much for my skin and only find that I need a small amount for it to cover my face and neck. This primer is also VEGAN! Although I’m not vegetarian nor vegan, I do love when brands bring out products that are vegan. I think it’s only fair for everyone to be able to use and enjoy the same products, so I was really pleased when I read that the primer drops were vegan.

A lot of people online have been complaining about the pipette not working for them and how due to the thickness of the primer, it causes the pipette not to work. I’ve not had this issues personally and if anything I LOVE the pipette! Whenever I go to use this product the pipette is always full of product and ready for me to use.

People have also complained about the packaging and how it just doesn’t look “special” enough for them. I never give a shit about the packaging with products nine times out of ten, but I do get what they’re saying. It’s very simple and to the point and I’m surprised that Barry M didn’t try and do more with it really. I would have liked the bottle to be see through so I can see how much product you have left. Maybe Barry M will make new packaging eventually if they bring out a whole line of primers, who knows!

I pop 5 little drops on my face, one on each cheek, my nose, my chin and my forehead. I find this is the perfect amount for my face. The primer itself isn’t thin nor thick in consistency but I find that when it’s warm it’s really thin. I love the consistency of this primer as I find it’s easy to use.

The colour of the product is so magical (as you can probably guess by the name!) and it’s a gorgeous bubblegum pink colour, with shimmer running throughout. It’s so pretty and if you’re a magpie for shiny things like I am, then you’ll love this!

One thing I remember about the reviews on YouTube that I watched was how this smells, “So good I could eat it!” I didn’t personally get this, yes it smells really sweet but I wouldn’t say it’s good enough to eat. It does contain a lot of fruits such as acai berry, goji berry, watermelon and tamarind which are all superfruits and are said to help keep skin looking beautiful.

I used this every morning after my moisturiser and then put on my translucent powder. I’ve not yet mixed the primer in with my moisturiser, although I am tempted to. It’s just fun to look like a beauty guru or Instagram beauty video where you apply those pink unicorn tears on your cheeks! 😛

After you’ve applied this primer it does feel tacky on the skin and although a lot of people complained about this on reviews, I’ve also seen a lot of people rave about this due to how it helps their make up stick to the skin etc. I get that and after hearing and thinking about it, it has helped with my powder sticking to my skin.

During the warmer days I didn’t feel like this worked for me as well as I hoped. It definitely makes my skin feel hydrated and even gives my skin a little bit of glow after applying, but I couldn’t say if I feel like my skin is brighter looking throughout the day.

I expected this primer to help my powder last longer throughout the day, but when it was warmer I felt so greasy, especially on my t zone. I don’t carry my face powder around with me anymore so I couldn’t top that up. However, as the weather has started to get cooler I’ve found that my powder is lasting longer and thus I don’t feel or leak greasy/oily. Now, whether this is down to the primer or not, I don’t know.

One of the things I really love about this primer is that it’s oil-free. As I’m combination skin I try to avoid using any products with oil in, so when I read this was oil-free I was pretty stoked about that. I also love how baby soft my skin feels since I’ve started to use it too! I use it after wearing face masks to give my skin an extra boost of TLC. I feel so pampered afterwards as well.

I’ve watched a few YouTube videos to see how other people use the primer and one person applies it all over their face, like I do before their make up BUT they also applied it to the lips! I never thought to do that to be honest with you, but it’s definitely something I’m going to try and start doing that in the morning, especially if I’m planning to wear lipstick.

After application. My hand definitely looks brighter in places!

Personally I do have mixed feelings on this primer as I don’t know if it’s actually done anything to my skin and I have to keep wondering if my skin is benefiting from using it? I do wonder if it’s help moisturise my skin more and given it an extra boost of something, as I remember with my old primer my skin felt and looked dry in patches, especially on my cheeks and around my mouth and chin. This has gone to be honest, so maybe all those superfruits has actually helped my skin the TLC it needed!

This has been out since August/September and for the 15ml bottle it costs £7.99. I think that’s quite expensive, but I am a cheap skate at the best of times! For how lovely and soft it’s made my skin look and feel, I do think it’s worth it though.

I wonder if I can’t see any difference in my skin because I don’t use make up, all I use is powder to help my skin look matte. At the time of writing this I am touching my face and looking for any signs of oil. It’s lunch time now and my skin looks as it did when I got ready this morning, which is amazing!

Maybe during the warmer months, this doesn’t work as well as it could but during the colder months this will be a game changer.

Right now, this isn’t a game changer for me and overall whilst I do like using it and feel like an Instagram beauty guru when I use it, I don’t know if I’ll repurchase it or not… I’d like to find a primer that helps my powder last longer AND helps my skin look matte for as long as possible.

If you really want to give a new primer a try, whether or not you wear a full face of make up then I recommend trying this! I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s a life changing product. It’s better than some primers I’ve used in the past BUT that’s due to its moisturising properties and maybe because it’s a gorgeous pink colour. 😛

Also if you are looking for a cheap duplicate of the Farsali Unicorn Essence then this is your best bet! Especially as that essence will set you back £20.00 for just 10ml of product. Ouch.

I’ve linked at the start of this post directly to the primer at the top of the blog post, but I’ll link the Superdrug and Boots so you can buy them from there if you wish to do so.

Overall these unicorn primer drops are definitely worth picking up to try, especially if there is a 3 for 2 offer on which both Superdrug and Boots have at the time of this post! They’re also worth picking up if you suffer with dry skin and want to help keep your make up lasting longer. I never had an issue with combination skin, which was great! Just don’t expect a life changing product as personally I don’t think it was that, sadly.

Otherwise I really hope you enjoyed this review today! Sorry that my blog has been quiet since last Friday but I just wanted a break from blog work this weekend. I had a new game to play with Dane, friends to see as well as LOTS of blog work!

I also apologise for how rambly this blog post reads/feels! I just wanted to get all thoughts and feelings out there, I hope you didn’t get too bored. 😛

Do you think you’ll give the Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops a go? Or have you already? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all and I hope you’re all having a lovely week so far! Not long now and it’ll be Halloween.