Please note: this post contains some press samples gifted to me for trying (marked with *'s) and also affiliate links which means that if you purchase anything using these links, a very small percentage of the product's cost will come to me at no expense to yourself. This helps with the running costs of my blog, thank you!

< disclaimer > 

I’m not in any way a dermatologist but I’ve had KP for as long as I can remember and understand the science of skin due to my degree and being an Aveeno ambassador, so I just want to share what I’ve learned from researching and also sharing products I’ve tried myself so far.

Please do consult a doctor or dermatologist first and check the NHS website for more info if it is something that is really bothering you (most of which I’ve included in this post)!

So seeing as KP aka Chicken Skin / Strawberry Legs is very common (particularly in POC), I figured I’d dedicate this blog post to it, as it’s something I’ve had on the back of my arms for ages and would like to help anyone else who also has it and wants to read up more on it and is thinking about buying products for it.. read on to find out more!

Emolyne Cosmetics - Metamorphosis Lips and Nails

The last time I did a lipstick swatch blog post was last year and for a similar theme - nudes and reds for all skin/lip tones (by BECCA, blog post here) and because I love the idea of nudes and reds so much, I had to write another blog post featuring this British beauty brand - Emolyne Cosmetics* (*gifted).
I actually was sent this package in May but with the postage delay I received it in June and didn't realise the founder was Ugandan born and the theme of each shade is named after an African country, city or landmark - which I love! The #BLM movement has really been an eye opener and I thought it would be a perfect time to spotlight this beauty brand on my blog, because quite frankly I love the whole concept and have been super impressed with the quality.
So Emolyne Cosmetics was founded by Emolyne Ramlov who wanted to create a brand that catered to those who were looking for coordinated lip and nail colours.. which I think is genius and genuinely have found it hard to find exact nail and lip matches even within brands sometimes.
Emolyne Cosmetics offer 30 coordinated lipsticks, lip liners and nail polishes with: 15 nude shades  15 red shades 
As mentioned in my previous lip swatches posts, I've been focusing on lip swatches for the past couple years because my lips are pigmented/darker than some other people's, so I like to show people who have similar lip and skin tones to me what shades could look like (to help them decide which may suit them too). Of course everyone is free to wear what they like but if you have darker pigmented lips like me then certain nudes just end up looking ashy/pastel, which I'm personally not a fan of on myself.
Read on to see the shades I was sent and the ones I want to try next!

Mother's Day 2020.. hand care!

please note: this post contains affiliate links which means that if you purchase anything using these links, a very small percentage of the product's cost will come to me at no expense to yourself. This helps with the running costs of my blog, thank you!
It feels surreal writing this post right now when I took the pictures of these products last year in my old home, when I was actually meant to write this blog post for Mother's Day.. but it definitely is more relevant this year at this very uncertain and strange time.
The world is being told to "wash your hands for 20 seconds or more" due to the outbreak of Coronavirus and we're being told to practise social distancing to reduce spread of the virus or self isolation or quarantining.. so I thought I would use my extra time at home to achieve one of my goals I've been slacking on for the last two years - nurturing this very blog again <3
It's quite a worrying time for a lot of people, especially here in the UK when we're on a 2 week lag behind other countries where the virus has hit hard, but if you were still looking to buy something for your mum for Mother's Day here in the UK (or just any day to show you appreciate her), then I always thought hand care options would be best (as mum's use their hands so much!), so they deserve hand care products as a treat.

Obviously now with the government advising us to wash our hands with soap for 20 seconds+, pretty much everyone is experiencing ashy hand syndrome (including myself, even though I don't have eczema like my son), so tbh if you want to treat yourself here are some options I thought I'd include [some *gifted],  starting with my faves that are most affordable and then some special gift worthy treats:

Reflecting on 2019 and going into 2020 - a new decade

I almost feel embarrassed to write this as I feel so guilty I’ve not been able to blog as much as I’ve wanted to in 2019.

Somehow this year has slipped by so fast and in retrospect I realise how and why I haven’t been able to keep up and why I feel so unaccomplished despite actually accomplishing a lot this year.

Simply put: Instagram has taken over my priorities as that’s been my main source of earning now that I’ve gone full time with this “influencing” career and it bothers me that I feel like I’ve neglected my baby- this blog.

my beauty highlights post from 2019 (here on IG)

Fragrant Fridays: Eid Gift Guide - Moresque Secret Collection*

*this post is sponsored by Moresque Parfum
If you've been following me and have never heard of Moresque before, you probably haven't been paying attention! Last year I was introduced to the parfum brand and included one of their fragrances in my Eid blog post here where I talked about the history of Oud and why it's so popular particular in the Middle East.
For those of you who haven't heard of Moresque, it is a fairly new fragrance house (est. 2015) that fuses art, history and Middle Eastern tradition and its bottles are crafted in Italy. Up until now the fragrance collections I've seen from Moresque have been housed in very distinctive thick, rounded bottles, which are each hand crafted and uniquely designed in Italy and range from £215-£310, only available at Harrods.
The new Secret Collection is being launched exclusively at Fenwick, at a much more affordable price point and I worked with Moresque for the launch event this week to pick a few girls I thought would best appreciate and fit this collection launch (saved on my instagram highlights), which I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do (thank you KGA!).
Read on to see which fragrance is my favourite and which you may like the sound of best...

Turmeric Tales: Disciple "GOOD SKIN" Facial Oil-Serum

please note: this post contains affiliate links which means that if you purchase anything using these links, a very small percentage of the product's cost will come to me at no expense to yourself. This helps with the running costs of my blog, thank you!

I was meant to finish writing up my Kiehls Turmeric & Cranberry mask draft and post it next in my Turmeric Tales series (read my first post describing Turmeric benefits here), but life has massively got in the way of blogging as consistently as I intended for this year and recently I’ve been using this Disciple Good Skin facial oil-serum (due to my skin reacting to something), so I felt it deserved to be bumped up the Turmeric Tale list as I haven't been using much else (in a bid to make my skin return to normal).

I haven’t yet tried the Dreamy Skin facial oil in this Discovery Set that I bought, so I am focusing this blog post on the Good Skin Facial Oil-Serum, but the Dreamy Skin sounds amazing and I always look for sets when purchasing new products from brands, so I’d recommend buying this one to see if you like both, as it works out better value for money.

Read on to see what my thoughts are on the Good Skin facial oil-serum and why it may be good for you too..