Becca under eye brightening corrector

When I posted a photo of the Becca under eye brightening corrector recently, I received many comments asking about this product so I thought I’d write a mini review.

One of my main skin concerns is dark circles under my eyes. I’ve tried so many different products that claim to help but unfortunately most of them fail to live up to their own claims. This under eye corrector from Becca is one of the few products that actually helps.

The corrector is pale pink in colour & has a creamy texture. The product feels nice around the eyes & doesn’t dry my skin out. I’m pleased to report that the product doesn’t settle into fine lines around the eyes either.

The packaging of the product is very sleek & compact. I love the rose gold colour of the lid. It’s lightweight too, making the product ideal for travel & already bulging makeup bags!

I got this product as part of a value set but the RRP of this product individually is £22, which in my opinion is rather expensive, especially for the small size (4.5g). However, I’ve been unable to find a good high street alternative so for now this is the best the industry has to offer.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you use to help combat dark circles in the comments.

July GlossyBox

I’ve been a loyal GlossyBox subscriber for over two years now and in that time I’ve received amazing boxes, good boxes and less than average boxes, but I’d say most were at least good. I was particularly impressed with this month’s offering so I thought I’d share a review with you.

The actual box that the five beauty products arrive in is usually a light pink colour with bold black writing on but I like it when GlossyBox do one off boxes. This month we received a one off box called “Hello Summer”. The design is very simple yet so pretty. I love the font they’ve used.

The first product I noticed in the box is definitely a new favourite; the Spectrum small fan A10 brush. I’ve used Spectrum brushes before but I’ve never tried their fan brush before & I love it. On first impressions the brush looks so pretty & feels so soft. It looks like the sort of brush a unicorn or mermaid might use. This brush applies highlighter like a dream & now I won’t be able to apply highlighter without a fan brush. The fan brush can also be used for dusting on face powder. One of the best things about Spectrum brushes is that all brushes are cruelty free.

As soon as I discovered spiral hairbands I was hooked. They are so much better than hair elastics or regular hair bands because spiral hairbands don’t damage or pull hair. Anything that prevents breakage and split ends is a winner in my eyes! I was chuffed to find two spiral hairbands in my box from Papanga as I like to keep one in every bag. I love that spiral hairbands come in lots of different colours.

After sun lotion is an essential in summer time. We all know we should wear sun cream but sometimes we get caught off guard & after sun really helps when your skin is feeling hot and sore. I recommend wearing SPF on your face daily no matter what season it is to avoid premature ageing but if you do get burnt then the MonuSpa soothing after sun lotion in this month’s box can be used on face as well as body. This particular after sun is suitable for all skin types and contains aloe vera, shea butter and vitamin E. It’s also good to know that this product is against animal testing as well as being considerate to the environment and it’s made in the UK. It’s another thumbs up from me, GlossyBox! 

Lip balm is a handbag essential at any time of year. The Cutebalms macaroon tint balm in crushed berry doubles up as a cheek tint as well as a lip balm. The deep pink shade looks beautiful on the lips & feels moisturising without being sticky. It smells good enough to eat too!

The final product in this month’s GlossyBox is the Bellapierre banana setting powder. I’ve never tried a banana powder before so was keen to give this a go. Powder has made a comeback recently thanks to beauty bloggers and Youtubers who sparked a facination with the baking makeup trend. I’m yet to try the baking technique but will definitely be giving it a go. This banana setting powder has a yellow hue that helps to counteract redness, discolouration, blemishes and dark circles in paler skin tones & creates beautiful highlights against olive and dark skin tones. Sounds like a multitasking hero product to me! I used this product as a finishing powder over the top of my foundation & concealer. This product is a keeper!

To read my post about the May 2016 GlossyBox copy this link into the address bar: https://kateiscoveting.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/glossybox-may-2016/

 

 

Why we should all be speaking out

As you may have noticed I’ve had an extended break from blogging recently but I’m pleased to say that I’m back now. Did you miss me? (I hope so!) I’ve missed writing but really lacked inspiration for a long time plus I’ve had a lot of issues to deal with including my health (read my post about my illness here) Anyway lets get on with this blog post…

I’m sure you haven’t failed to notice that recently the world has been in utter shock and turmoil over the new president’s actions and views . Everytime we switch on the telly or open social media we are slapped with the bitter reality of what Trump is not only doing to America but to the whole world…But I’m not here to explain Trump’s actions. I’m here to say that it’s extremely important that we all use our voices, actions and written words to express our opinions and fight injustices. If you’re a fellow blogger then I’m sure you’re aware of all the debates and conversations that have taken place lately on the issue of whether or not bloggers/writers should be expressing their opinions and speaking out against Trump. I decided to write this post because I think it’s essential that we all speak out when things are happening in our world that threaten to destroy human rights or cause pain & suffering to undeserving people. I think we need to speak out when bad things are happening otherwise things can snowball and get worse very quickly. It is also a right to have freedom of speech & we are very lucky to have it in the UK so we must use it. This post is not just about encouraging everyone to speak out against Trump’s hateful views but I also want you to speak out about other issues that affect us all. If history has taught us one thing it’s that staying silent when faced with evil only leads to great atrocities.

Monday 27th January 2017 was an important day for two reasons, firstly it was Holocaust Memorial day and secondly it was also the day that Donald Trump enforced the Muslim ban in the US. How crazy is that? On a day that we remember all the horrific things the Nazis did to the Jews and other minority groups (including the disabled, homosexuals, gypsies and Poles) Trump went and banned Muslims! By doing this Trump showed the world that he has the same mindset as Hitler did. The worlds problems will never go away by blaming a whole group of people. Surely this was a lesson we all learnt when learning about the atrocities of WWII at school? Clearly not.

Seeing the floods of images and news stories surrounding the Women’s March that took place recently in many cities all over the world including London and Washington filled me with pride and sadness. Pride because I thought it was fantastic that so many people felt passionate enough to protest and express their views but also sadness that this event even needed to happen in the first place. The images from this march reminded me of the Suffragettes and we all know that without them women wouldn’t have got the vote or the equal rights that we have today. Lets take the Suffragettes as an example of how staying silent gets you nowhere. If the Suffragettes hadn’t protested & voiced their opinions then the world could be a very different place right now for women. They did us a great service so lets do the same for future generations and not allow them to grow up in a world where one religion is singled out and punished for the actions of an evil few.

In conclusion I just want to say that if you have opinions and a voice then you should be using it! As humans we need to defend those who need our help.

I’m sure Trump’s future actions will cause further angst and when the news comes on you know what we’ll all be thinking “God, what has that orange turd done now!?”

What do you think? Do you agree? Let me know in the comments

Kate x

 

I’ve been nominated for The Liebster Award!

I’m really thrilled to be nominated for my first blogging award by the lovely @teaisfortina. Tina is a lovely person & a great blogger too, so you can imagine how honoured & pleased I was to receive this nomination. A HUGE thankyou to Tina of http://www.teaisfortina.co.uk for nominating me, it really made my day!

The Liebster award was created to recognise new bloggers and reward writing talent. The award exists only on the internet and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. The award has German origins and the word “Liebster” has several meanings including: sweetest, dearest, kindest, nicest, beloved & lovely. The award follows similar principles of a chain letter in the sense that when one blogger receives a nomination she/he must thank the blogger who nominated them then pass on the award to other bloggers who they admire. The blogger who nominated you will have answered a set of questions about themselves & then they will choose their own set of questions for their nominees to answer. The new nominees must then answer the questions set for them by the blogger who nominated them, created their own questions and nominate other bloggers. Bloggers that get nominated are generally newer bloggers that have a following of less than 3,000 followers. I think it’s great that newer & smaller blogs are being recognised & given some credit.

Here are the 11 questions that I have to answer:

1. How did you choose your blog name? 
2. What is your biggest achievement this year so far?
3. Are you usually late, early or on time?
4. Who would you call first if you won the lottery?
5. Do you have any phobias?
6. Who is someone you admire, and why?
7. Are you a planner or spontaneous?
8. What is the first thing you notice about people?
9. Who would play you in a film about your life?
10. Do you have any bad habits?
11. Tea?

Answer 1: I thought of a few different names for my blog by making mind maps. I wanted my name (Kate) to be in my blog name so that eliminated several ideas. I tested my final two name choices on my family & they all said that KateIsCoveting sounded the best. So KateIsCoveting it was…..

Answer 2: I’d probably say the progress (even if it is relatively small progress) I’ve made with my health & mobility after an operation on my back wasn’t successful (it was far from successful, it actually made me a lot worse!). Right after the op I couldn’t sit up or lie down without assistance. I also couldn’t even get up one step but now I can manage to get up a few steps if I use my crutch or hold the banister. The pain is always there & sometimes it is unbearable. My mobility is still very limited, I use a crutch to hobble around the house but have to use a wheelchair to go out or for further distances. Whilst I still have a very long way to go at least I can go to the toilet on my own now! (I’ll be writing a full post about my condition soon. It’ll explain exactly how my disability happened & what each day is like).

Answer 3: It depends who I’m with! If I’m on my own then I’m usually on time (I aim to be early but choosing my outfit & doing my hair/makeup eats up a fair bit of time!) If I’m with my family then we’re usually late as they’re all rather unorganised and if I’m with my boyfriend then we tend to be early as he hates rushing & tends to panic.

Answer 4: This is the easiest question on the list by far! The first person I’d call would be my partner, Jon. We tell each other everything & we always share everything too including money & chocolate!

Answer 5: Yes unfortunately I do have a few phobias. I’m terrified of both snakes and spiders. I’ve been scared of both these creatures all my life. I don’t know how it started but my phobia of these two beasts means that I can’t see pictures of them or watch them in films or on TV. My third phobia is small spaces called claustrophobia. I’ve also suffered from claustrophobia for as long as I can remember. I feel very alarmed, panicky & anxious if I’m in a small space or near a snake/spider.

Answer 6: I have always admired those women who were part of The Suffragettes because without these women’s tireless campaigning we wouldn’t enjoy the freedom that we do today. Not only did these amazing women get us all the vote but they made the UK stand up & open their eyes to women’s rights. I particularly admire those women who joined the movement who had to hold down a job as well as being a mother and housekeeper. These women are responsible for making life so much better & easier for women all over the UK & for so many generations.

Answer 7: I’m a bit of both – I do plan a lot of things but I can be spontaneous too sometimes. On the whole I’d say I’m more of a planner than a spontaneous person, for example I’d always wanted to go on a safari to Kenya ever since I was five years old so I spent many years planning & researching where I’d go & exactly what I wanted to do. By the time I left secondary school aged 16 I’d saved up enough money (I had paper rounds & babysitting jobs) to pay for myself to go! I did it and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Answer 8: The first thing I notice about people is always their eyes. I think eyes are the window to the soul. When I’m speaking to somebody I always make eye contact as you can tell how somebody’s really feeling or if they’re telling the truth or not from their eyes. Eyes can reveal so much about a person. My partner has the most beautiful brown eyes.

Answer 9: The perfect person to play me in a movie about my life would be Kate Winslet or Rebel Wilson. I think Kate Winslet would be a good choice because a few people have said I look like her in certain photos, she has a great sense of humour, is very down to earth, is British and has always been one of my favourite actresses. Rebel Wilson would also be a good choice because she can be very sarcastic at times just like me & she has a great sense of humour. I love Rebel’s attitude to life & she’s also very down to earth.

Answer 10: Jon moans at me for biting my nails! I only bite my nails when I’m nervous or anxious about something but it still really bugs him. I hate doing it but I seem to do it without realising it sometimes.

Answer 11: I do drink tea but not that often as I much prefer cold drinks. When I do have a cup of tea then I like it very milky with one sugar.

I’ve found that a lot of my favourite bloggers have over 3,000 followers so they don’t qualify for the award but here’s my faves who do qualify (I think). My 11 nominations for The Liebster Award: (in no particular order!) @JadeImogen94 http://www.wingitwithjade.com @heidifibro46 http://www.chronicbeauty.uk @luciebehn http://www.lucieleannexo.wordpress.com @EmmysBeautyCave http://www.emmysbeautycave.com @g_beauty_blog http://www.gbeauty.co.uk @AcupofTblog http://www.acupoft.co.uk @PrettyPPD http://www.prettypurplepolkadots.wordpress.com @JustSteviee http://www.steviesbeautylounge.com @sarahs_chapter http://www.sarahschapter.co.uk @erincadams http://www.erincharlotte.co.uk and even though she nominated me my final nomination goes to @teaisfortina http://www.teaisfortina.co.uk 

Here’s the 11 questions I’d like you to answer:

1. What would be your perfect day?
2. When did you last sing out loud?
3. What are you most grateful for in your life and why?
4. If you could have one super power what would it be and why?
5. Given the choice of anybody in the world (alive or dead) who would you most like to have a conversation with?
6. What are your dreams or aspirations and how long have you had them?
7. Who were you in your school nativity play?
8. What is your most treasured possession?
9. What was your last fashion or beauty purchase? Was it an impulse buy?
10. How many countries have you visited?
11. If you could only wear one colour for the rest of your life what would it be and why?