Reading Recap: Blanca & Roja, The Wicked King, Mary Renault

Hi everyone! I haven’t written a books-related post in like…A Good Time. (By which I mean a very long time.) Perhaps because recently I have read more non-fiction books for school which don’t lend themselves as well to blogging. However, I’ve been on a very  good streak for books in the last month, so I wanted to share a few mini-reviews and a small TBR with you!

Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore

This book has affirmed yet again that McLemore writes some of the most breathtaking YA fiction I have read in recent years. I can’t believe I didn’t read this sooner. The writing is so poetic and beautiful, and I fell in love with all four of the characters — the book features two Latinx sisters Blanca and Roja, who fear the family curse that one of each sister will be turned into a swan, and two other characters from the town, Yearling and Page. (I don’t want to reveal too much! ‘Tis so hard!) Personally, it was just so incredibly wonderful for me to read a story with a trans character who uses both he/him and she/her pronouns. Basically, I adored the cast, the relationships, the writing — it was just THAT GOOD.

The Wicked King by Holly Black

I’m not going to lie, I had a pretty limited memory of what happened in the previous book when I picked this up. But it was all good! Although I very much enjoy all the political intrigue, I’m more than happy to let it just pull me along without trying to figure out what’s going on, who’s behind this particular event. I also give it to Holly Black: she is very good at writing this hate/love relationship dynamic. I don’t want to spoil too much (again) but, like, I NEED the next book.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I am SO glad I finally got to read this book! It came on sale on the UK Kindle store so i was finally able to get hold of it. And like…WOW. I loved the form of it — how it used present day narration from a journalist, Monique, looking to interview the famous movie star Evelyn Hugo, as well as Evelyn’s own words to Monique and newspaper headlines from the events Evelyn was describing. I was drawn in so completely to Evelyn’s story. I really needed this book at a time when I needed an escape from everything in my life. . I’m definitely interested in Jenkin Reid’s new book, Daisy Jones and the Six, which sounds like it further develops the form used in Evelyn Hugo. Also, just to say, it was way better than The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

Fire From Heaven & The Persian Boy by Mary Renault

These are the first two books in Renault’s series about the life of Alexander the Great, covering up to his death at the end of The Persian Boy. I’m talking about them together because they are technically part of the same series, but in truth they felt more like standalone novels that just happen to follow on chronologically. The first book is written in a 3rd person narrative that switches from person to person — sometimes a little jarringly during a passage, though that could be my eBook format — whereas the 2nd is in the 1st person, exclusively from the point of view of Bagoas.

But, anyway, even if they are somewhat fictionalised, I found them both to be a very interesting and immersive introduction to Alexander the Great (and this period of Ancient History in general because I didn’t know much about Ancient Greece or Persia!). Also, I think Renault gives a good take on Alexander’s potential romantic relationships that isn’t just ‘these 2 bros are VERY close friends’ whilst also not transposing modern ideas of sexuality too much? (I mean, it’s hard for me to say. But I’ve read some books with extremely bad takes, so, it wasn’t that.)

on my tbr

There are several books that I’m looking forward to reading at the moment: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, which I FINALLY managed to buy as an eBook, I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver (non-binary main character!!! by a non-binary author!!), and Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault which I picked up from the Gay’s the Word bookshop in London. Also so many more books! But these are the fiction ones that I’m planning to pick up in the very near future.

have you read any of these? do you have any recs for me? i’d love to hear!

Isn’t It Strange? Collab Review

If you have yet to experience my intense Lauren Aquilina flailing, HERE IS YOUR CHANCE. Today I’m so thrilled to be reviewing (!!) her debut LP (!!) with An Overthinking Teenager (!!) @ Mixolydian Musings. We’ve both been massive fans of her for a while so obviously ALBUM NEWS was amazing to hear. It’s been a long wait for Isn’t It Strange? but I truly think it was worth it. 😀 We also reviewed some of her earlier music including the Ocean EP here, if you’re interested!

We’ll be going through the album track-by-track, but we’ll also discuss the album as a whole and general comments throughout.

midnight mouths

I personally wasn’t that keen on this upon my first listen — I think I was feeling a bit nervous that Lauren had gone completely electronic? But now I adore this one, especially the chorus!

Me: And I also love the whole ‘midnight mouths thing and the entire aesthetic of the song haha.
AOT: I loveeee how the texture thickens just before the chorus, it makes it so powerful… and I personally quite like tropical house/dance music so I like old Aquilina but I was well on board with the new electronic era too.

(Again I’m slightly paraphrasing and editing for readability, by the way. Not completely direct quotes! Because those had a lot more terrible punctuation and capitals on my part.)

wicked game

Wicked Game is definitely a favourite of mine on the album. I love the combination of darker lyrics with more electronic-y production, and the lyrics basically kill me every time. We also thought that the contrast of the lower verse with the higher chorus was super effective — the contrasts in this song do just work REALLY WELL.

AOT: And the lyrics kinda reflect a lot of life, like “nobody ever taught me to play this wicked game”…it kinda reminds me of how much of life you’re just expected to navigate alone.
Me: YES that is a good point! It’s kind of…both specific yet extremely relatable?

kicks

We discussed this one a bit in our previous review, but basically WE STILL LOVE IT. The production feels so seamless to me; the clapping and the little electronic-y riff going on are really cool. It was also fabulous to see a more positive song here! We also thought this (like many others on the album) felt more mature and experienced compared to the EPs.

AOT: AND ALSO KICKS = KICKING ME AROUND = PUNS/WORDPLAY = LOVE.
Me: IKR WHAT GREAT WORDPLAY HONESTLY.

(Okay, I lied about the capitals. WHAT CAN I SAY? Our flailing is too great to be constrained by proper grammar and capitalisation.)

how would you like it?

I loved this one from the first listen, although I think it’s only improved with time. We thought that the stripped production really let the emotion shine through — it’s just such a raw and powerful song. Although again it’s quite a specific situation, ‘how would you like it?’ feels like a really universal lyric too. HONESTLY, this just gives me the chills asdfjkl.

way too good

Me: I love the aesthetic of it like — I don’t know, it feels so classy to me.
AOT: Yesss I agree about the classiness thing, I think that’s because it’s more minimalist and, again, ‘grown up’.

I think I’ve said this way too good many times, but this one is ALSO one of our favourites. I love the humming bit at the start, and generally the whole minimal but also slightly electronic production? The lyrics are honestly SO AWESOME — in particular I enjoy the ‘I am, I am’ bits and the whole vibe of appreciating the moment even though you know it won’t last.

hurt any less

This one is pretty different to the last one, but it has so many great contrasts — the fast verse and then slowing down at the chorus, the lyrics/melody… I adore the pre-chorus bit. ‘This was never love/it was chaos,’ is probably one of my favourite lines on the album!

AOT: Yep it’s amazing and also like that it feels happy even though it def isn’t.
Me: Ooh yes that’s interesting! Like, it does feel rather upbeat but listening to the lyrics you’re like…wait… It’s a bit bittersweet, I guess.

fools – live at RAK studios

So this one is a re-recording of Lauren’s first single, Fools, rather than a new song. She only wrote this age 16 (!?!?) but it’s still an incredibly moving song — like, seriously, where can I get these skills? It still fits well with the rest of the album, and it feels very fitting since it’s been such an important song in her career. We thought it was a little more reflective and subdued than the original. Lauren’s voice has also changed a lot, wow!

Me: Currently I’m just listening to the original of this to kinda compare haha.
AOT: I read somewhere that she rerecorded it because her voice has changed. And I agree with something else she said — about the way she sings it now is more serious and less naïve because she knows how the relationship ends
Me: oh that’s very interesting to hear! I’d definitely agree — I think it actually feels pretty similar to the rest of the album. Like, more grown up.

suddenly strangers

Suddenly Strangers has a lovely water-y vibe, especially at the beginning! The concept of how people can go from knowing each other so well to not talking at all is really interesting, and I think it works wonerfully here. This song has some great lines including the album title, ‘isn’t it strange?’ Once again it feels like a very universal theme.

thinking about

I was pretty excited to hear this one because I’d seen a video of Lauren performing it live about a year ago and I was like OH I REMEMBER THIS LYRIC. (Actually, turns out the video is still up on YouTube!) We really liked that this is pretty pared down yet it’s still so powerful. The melody and lyrics speak so strongly on their own!

Me: Mm yes I don’t think it’s one of my absolute favourites overall but definitely another strong song. (And it reminds me a little more of like kinda Liars-y production? What with all those floaty piano things and stuff.)
AOT: Yes yes yes love it — I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite song overall but ‘all I’m thinking about’ etc is one of my fave lines on the album, I think.

ocean

We also reviewed this one previously, since it came out late last year, but IT’S STILL SO AWESOME. What a fabulous end to the album! To me it feels very cathartic, and it’s a lot more abstract than the others — like, it kind of applies to the whole album in a way.

an overall look

Me: *flails* tbh just…what great music…i think I have used too many ellipses here but yes I am vaguely speechless
AOT: Yess yess yess she’s done so freaking well it’s honestly amazing. 10/10 methinks.

In summary, we absolutely ADORED this. It was definitely worth waiting for, and I know that it’s one of my absolute favourite recent albums. We really liked that the songs sort of followed a linear narrative — going from the more electronic and dark opening tracks, they became a little more reflective as we went along. Something that I also noticed was that third person pronouns were used more; I think there were hardly any in the EPs! The lyrics in general just feel more experienced and direct, though they still retain a beautiful poetic quality. Like, there’s definitely less abstract imagery happening. AAH YAY IT’S JUST SO AMAZING and I can’t wait to hear more from Lauren Aquilina! Thanks so much to my wonderful reviewing partner An Overthinking Teenager, and I hope you guys enjoyed this flailing. 😀

what did you think of isn’t it strange? lauren aquilina fan? listened to any other good albums lately?

Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Review

I recently went to my aunt’s fiftieth birthday party so I took the  opportunity to make some new purchases (one of which is this purple eyeshadow). Anyway, I haven’t done a review in ages so I thought I’d give you all my thoughts on it.

 

Makeup Revolution seems to be, effectively, a rebranded version of MUA. Same philosophy, similar products, same cheap price – even the packaging looks the same!

MUA & Makeup Revolution packaging comparison – similar or no?!?

Swatches: with Nivea Express Hydration Primer on the right, alone on the left

 

Anyway, this shade is called Purple Heaven so I was expecting it to be a plain purple but it’s actually more of a shimmery-blue-purple-3D-effect colour, if you know what. I mean (which you probably don’t). It doesn’t show up that well swatched as it isn’t a particularly intense colour, as you can see, but it looks nice on the eye. I applied it in a wash and then put a bit more on the outer third of the lid which worked nicely as a highlight thing.

Considering this was £1 from Superdrug, I’d say that it was excellent for the price!

NYC Sky Rise Mascara

This was another surprisingly good yet cheap buy (it is just £1.99 from Superdrug). I’m not sure if it’s beachside my lack of experience therefore more generous reviews or extensive (cough, cough) internet research that I like to do before I buy anything, but this has proved to be another nice mascara.

The brush (wand?) looks a bit odd with its swirls but it doesn’t work that differently to a normal brush. What I love about it is that the stick part of the wand – you’ll have to excuse the names that I am giving all the parts – is that it’s longer than usual so it is a lot more comfortable to reach both the lower and upper lashes.

   

The formula flakes and smudges a little on application but it seems to last well after that; there’s always something passable at the end of the day. It gives length (as suggested) but not much volume. It gives your lashes that spider-leg look after a couple of applications.

I would buy this mascara again. The good product and awesome price has won me over. I would rate it 4/5.

Is it Spring-like where you are? The weather’s not to good over here, sadly. Still, I have the holidays to look forward to!

Apple xx

Cheap ‘n’ Cheerful: Drugstore Reviews #2

Finally! The second instalment in my drugstore reviews!

This one is on skincare, bath stuff and basically everything I didn’t cover in the first one. Although some of the stuff  featured are not in fact drugstore, they’re still quite cheap so I decided to include them anyway.

And, although this is not particularly related, PRIMARK LIPGLOSS HAS GONE UPMARKET! It now has a sort of brush applicator, like the one I have seen only in pictures of YSL Touché Éclat. Unfortunately, the product is still basically just glitter but I still think that brush is pretty cool. Anyhow:

The first item up for review is Nivea Express Hydration Primer.

I can’t really confirm its priming powers other than that it does help makeup and such to last longer, which is of course good! I sometimes get powder sticking to my chin in dry bits, for some odd reason, and I can say that this sorts that out. It has a gel-like texture and spreads easily so you don’t need that much to cover your face. It doesn’t do bad at moisturising your skin, either, but I don’t think it would help that much if you have dry skin. Overall a good, all-round product, like you often get from Nivea.

Next is Bomb Cosmetics’s Raspberry Blower Cleansing Shower Butter.

This stuff smells amazing. It makes my bathroom smell of raspberries. I love it.
This shower-butter-thing is semi solid in the pot, and what you do is scoop some up with your fingers and lather it onto your body. The result is very creamy, and very smooth. This product is a ‘very’ product, apart from the slightly tacky packaging. It doesn’t bother me a lot, though. In some respects, it adds to the novelty. It is £7.99 from the website.

Now for the Soap and Glory Bright and Bubbly gift set. It contains the Scrub of your Life, Hand Food hand cream, The Righteous Butter and Clean On Me shower gel. I got it for £5 from Boots on a deal, but it’s normally £10.

Left to right: Scrub of your Life, Hand Food, The Righteous Butter, Clean on Me and the accompanying loofah/poof

The Scrub of your Life: let me start by saying that I haven’t had a lot of experience with scrubs. This was, in fact, my second. I like it, and it smells good, and I think it scrubs well. The beads are fairly big, but not rough. As always with Soap and Glory, the packaging is cute and looks great.

Hand Food. A lot of people rave about the Soap and Glory smell, but I didn’t like it at first. I found it too strong and synthetic, but I actually quite like it now. Still, it might not be for everyone. You may want to smell it in the shop. The actual hand cream itself  is thick and creamy, but it sinks in quickly. I don’t have particularly dry hands but it is definitely working.

The Righteous Butter is a creamy body butter – it’s easier to ‘break’ into than the Body Shop’s Body Butter if you’ve ever used that. I can’t say it’s done wonders, but it isn’t bad. I haven’t really used it that much, to be honest.

The last is Clean On Me shower gel. It’s basically a sweet-smelling shower gel. You can’t really do much with shower gels to be honest. Still, it’s good for taking on holiday.

And that completes this part of my big drug store review. Until I buy more stuff, and then review that.

But, right now, I will say farewell. I just had a week’s holiday, so if you did too then I hope it was relaxing! If not, then we are coming into MARCH which means SPRING and NOT SO DARK AFTERNOONS! Yay!!

Apple xx

What I’ve Been Using: Nivea Soft Moisturiser

For a long time, I didn’t use moisturiser because I thought that it made my skin get all oily and break out (I have yet to convince my mum that it is not, in fact, absolutely evilest evil evil). If you’ve had a similiar experience, then problem here doesn’t lie in the fact that you’re moisturising, but more likely in that you’re using the wrong thing. Or maybe that your hands are really dirty. It could be either.

Let me start off by saying that I do not believe it is necessary to spend over £20 on a moisturiser. If you want to, then by all means go ahead and do, but it’s not completely necessary. There are perfectly decent ones you can buy for a whole lot cheaper.

Now, a while ago I wrote a review on Simple’s Light Hydrating moisturiser saying it was nice, but it started to break me out so I’m now using Nivea Soft (I should probably change that review). I think the Nivea was about £2.75 for a 75ml tube, and you can get it from Boots or Superdrug, though they probably sell it elsewhere. Nivea isn’t exactly obscure. Anyway, it dies a good job of moisturising my skin if it gets too dry. Often I get dry patches around spots where I apply gel cream, and it works pretty well in them, too. It doesn’t break me out and is basically all round good. Yay!

Well, I’ll see you around, folks. If you’ve bought Nivea Soft as well then I’d love to know what you think.

Apple xx

Cheap ‘n’ Cheerful Drugstore Reviews #1

I don’t feel like reviews are at the top of my list for things to blog about, but, especially after Christmas, I have a lot of things to get down and review! If you noticed the ‘#1’ in the title, then I am indeed planning to do a second set of reviews that will be leaning into the bath/skincare/lip balm category. Or categories. The products I’ll be reviewing are MUA blusher, Witch Anti-Blemish BB Cream, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed powder.

Anyway, first up is two MUA blushers in the shades Bon Bon and Cupcake (£1 each).

Bon Bon, top; Cupcake, bottom

The packaging looks nice, but it’s not particularly sturdy. Having said that, I dropped one on the floor and it didn’t crack at all. Personally, packaging isnt really a big issue for me unless it’s really bad or it’s really good. I do get tempted by nice packaging.

Bon Bon

Bon Bon is a dusky rose shade more suited to medium skin tones (it didn’t suit my pale complexion very well!) but I like layering it with other blush if I’m in the mood. I think I could wear it as a more everyday blush when I’m a bit tanned. Still, it’s a beautiful shade with good pigmentation. The lasting power is okay; if you want it to last a long time then you should use a good primer.

Cupcake

Cupcake is more of a light-pink-brown-jack-of-all-trades shade. It isn’t as dark as Bon Bon, so I use it as an everyday blush. Because of it’s colour, the it doesn’t show up as much (or maybe it just doesn’t have as good pigmentation) so if you’re in a rush and accidentally apply a bit too much it doesn’t look so bad. This shade is more suited to lighter skin tones.

Overall, these are both a great steal at just £1 each: you pick them up in Superdrug or off the MUA website.

Next is Witch’s Anti-Blemish BB Cream (£4.99).

This only comes in one shade, which is such a shame. The bottle says it ‘cares for all skin tones’ but it will really only suit those with light-but-not-that-light skin. That’s the specific name, by the way.

The packaging is good; nothing special. This BB cream provides actually quite good coverage for what it is. Although BB creams are meant to be all in one foundations, anyone who has tried (a Western) one knows that they don’t give as good coverage as most foundations. I don’t like to wear foundations that much, so this gave a good amount without looking too cakey. One thing that I have learnt, though, is that you have to beld it in quickly or else you can see the blend marks. I haven’t seen any spectacular results from the Witch Hazel, which is supposed to have anti-blemish properties. I do use a lot of other products, though, and there are so many other factors that it’s hard to tell. On the bright side, this BB cream certainly doesn’t clog my pores or cause any pimples.

The lasting power is nothing more or nothing less than expected; maybe something like 5 or 6 hours before it starts wearing? It’s honestly quite hard to tell.

If you’re willing to overlook the shade problem, which is really the only bad thing about Witch’s BB Cream, then this is a great product for when you want a bit less coverage. I’d buy it again. Witch’s Anti Blemish BB Cream is available from Superdrg for £4.99.

These concealers are well known in the beauty blogging world: Collection (2000) Lasting Perfection Concealer in both Fair & Light (£4.19 each).

1 Fair, standing; 2 Light, below

You’ve probably heard of these ‘miracle’ concealers. They give great coverage, amazing long-lasting wear and they’re just £4.19 from Superdrug. There are only four shades: Fair, Light, Medium and Deep, so, like me, you may have to buy two and then mix. I feel like Fair would suit very light skin tones, whilst Deep probably isn’t as deep as its name suggests.

1 Fair, left; 2 Light, right

A lot of people say that the writing on the tube rubs off easily: I have experienced no such problems, so perhaps they have changed it slightly? They have a doe foot applicator which is fine, though it makes it hard to get the last drips and drabs of product out. This concealer has a fairly thick and heavy formula with medium to full coverage. It’s doesn’t have a yellow or green tone to it which can cancel out dark circles or redness respectively; it’s just ‘skin’ toned. This doesn’t bother me that much, since it’s such a good concealer. I reckon you could use it over larger areas if you needed to, a bit like a foundation (after all, it would only be £8 for a tube of foundation if it came in the usualy foundation amount, 30ml).

I do like this concealer. I don’t feel like it’s a miracle, but it’s certainly great for the price – you can buy it for £4.19 from either Boots or Superdrug.

Finally, I have my first impressions of Rimmel’s Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Peach Glow (£3.99)

This is another favourite among many people; it gives the 5 hours of matte-ness (well, anti-shine) that the packaging says and all shades except for transucent give some coverage. I tried to swatch it but it didn’t show up, sadly.

The packaging is okay and feels pretty sturdy. It doesn’t come with any sort of applicator, though they’re usually pretty bad so I’m not particularly bothered. It doesn’t give a lot of coverage but does give a natural matte look for up to 5 hours, depending on how oily your skin is (I have comination skin: an oily t-zone but normal to dry everywhere else). So far, this hasn’t given me any skin problems so I like it. Plus, it comes with a very nice price tag of just £3.99 from either Boots or Superdrug.

Well, that’s it from me, folks! I hope you’ve all got off to a great start in January.

Apple xx

November’s Surprising Product | Incredilash Mascara

I’m so sorry I haven’t posted in a while – I was ill midweek, which is when I usually write.

Anyway, today I’ll be jotting down my thoughts for the surprisingly good 2True Incredilash Mascara, which was a mere £1.99 from Superdrug.
Ok, let’s get this straight: this mascara is probably not the one you want to use when going out to a party. It’s a day-to-day mascara. Having said that, though, it’s a much better mascara than I expected (I haven’t had particularly good experiences with cheap drugstore mascaras).
The packaging is not particularly attractive; it basically looks a bit cheap and nasty. But I’m actually not that bothered about packaging, to be honest, and this is fine in the bottom of arise or bag.

The 2true website says of the product: ‘This long wear, non smudge mascara is a must-have for any make up bag. Forget expensive lash growth serums or uncomfortable lash inserts, simply apply this purse friendly mascara with ultra lengthening lash technology for natural, voluminous lashes in an instant.’  The superdrug website says: ‘Ultra lengthening, long wear mascara with eyelash enhancing complex to help strengthen lashes. Non Smudging.’

Now, I’m not too sure about this matching up to lash growth serums, but it does seem to naturally lengthen them a little after you have worn it for several days or so. The mascara itself doesn’t give anything special in the lengthening/volumizing department, but it does seem to last a fair few hours without smudging (obviously, within reason).

Because I’m more of a fan of mascaras that give you a ‘I-have-naturally-super-long-black-lashes’ look, I’m not too hard to please. If you’re looking for a very lengthening mascara, you probably want to keep that in mind.

The eye on the left is without mascara, whilst the right eye has two coats.

The brush is probably the best thing about this mascara: it’s very easy to apple to both top and bottom lashes, which I sometimes have trouble reaching without getting it on my nose because they are virtually not there! My only problem with it is that it doesn’t seem to pick up a lot of product. I’m not sure if it’s that there isn’t much in the tube to start with, or it’s an actual fault with the brush.

Overall, it’s an excellent mascara for the price! I’m very happy with it. When I bought this, I also picked up NYC Applelicious Lip Balm and Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (yes, that one), which I’ll do a brief review on soon. I hope you are all enjoying the first week of December!

Apple xx

What Do You Think of My New Theme?

You may have noticed that my blog has had a little makeover, today! I’ll be testing this theme out for a while, so tell me what you think of it! My previous theme was the Forever theme, if you were wondering.

My next post will be on hand care in cold weather and I’m awaiting another Superdrug delivery; stay tuned for more (in the true style of…I’m not sure, but you know what I mean)!

A Review of Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser

Hey there people! Today I’m just going to do a short review on Simple’s Hydrating Light Moisturiser.

Packaging

The packaging is average: not particularly interesting, but not particularly boring, either. The top is a flip open and squeeze one, which can sometimes result in you getting too much of the product. This isn’t a big issue, though.

What does it claim to do?

The back of the bottle reads: ‘Our Hydrating Light Moisturiser is a perfect blend of multi-vitamins and skin-loving ingredients to keep your skin moisturised and pampered, and carries on working for 12 hours. Perfect for even sensitive skin.

My view

I find that while it certainly doesn’t last for twelve hours, it is a nice and – true to the name  – simple moisturiser. I think this moisturiser would mostly be for people with normal to combination skin because it isn’t especially moisturising. However, it might make your skin break out if you use it when you have oily skin, which we wouldn’t want! When I layered this on because I thought my skin was dry (or some other reason that wasn’t very sensible) I started to break out around my t-zone. As you might think, I didn’t use this product too much for a while after that!

One of my favourite things about this moisturiser is that it’s light and doesn’t leave your skin feeling clogged or heavy- it almost feels like you haven’t put it on, although your skin is more hydrated, of course. One of the downsides is that it doesn’t last very long, and even when it does last for a while it’s very hard to judge if you should put more on or leave it for later.

All in all, it’s just a nice, reliable but average moisturiser. Nothing special. You can buy it for £3.79 at Boots here!

Apple xx