March 2012 Favourites

Another month gone by eh? Where has the time gone.

March's favourites for me are a bit of a random bunch and - shock horror! - no makeup items!

Rather than mention the same products each month (as I do use a 'core' collection which I genuinely love, such as my beloved Palmer's Cocoa Butter), I try and list those which are relatively new to me but which I have been using/loving on a regular basis.

On that basis, here's what I was loving during the month of March...

(I've linked to places where you can buy each product)

• Ionika Curling Wand - I bought this on a whim from TKMaxx when it was priced at £9.99 (every other one there was priced at £24.99, and TKMaxx have a policy that if a product is priced at a certain amount they have to honour that price), but actually didn't get round to using it till recently. I think it will take quite a bit of practising to get the technique down, but so far i've manged to create really nice curls that really hold, even without hairspray. The wand gets REALLY hot really quickly (which is why you need to use the glove provided) - I think I did quite well getting it for £9.99!

• Technic nail varnish in Carnival - The best OPI Rainbow connection dupe right now - and only 99p! (Nuff said).

• Sally Hansen Inst-Dri - I am a big fan of Seche Vite, but my bottle has went all gloopy, and rather than ordering the polish thinner off the internet (i'm too impatient) I decided to try this instead. Whilst it doesn't exactly deliver on the anti-chip promise, it is very similar to Seche Vite in that you can apply it almost straight away over polish and they are dry around 30 seconds later - great for those times I decide to paint my nails before going to sleep!

• Express Makeup and Style Eyes books (reviews here and here) - As i'm sure i've mentioned before, i'm really getting into my makeup at the moment, and i'm seeking inspiration from almost everywhere. My friend gave me these books to look at, and I was really inspired by the beautiful photographs and practical hints and tips.

• Favourite book: Change of Heart, Jodi Picoult - I have never read any Jodi Picoult books before now (i've always been put off by the tear-jerker genre), and I would not have read this particular one had I not just finished a book on my Kindle and my Mum had this to spare. Claire has a heart defect, and as it turns out the only suitable doner available just also happens to be the murderer of her father and sister some 12 years ago. When I read this (combined with the Amazon reviews, of which I am usually heavily influenced by) I was like "say what?! What a load of poppicock" and started reading it already with a negative attitude, but I have to say I was immediately hooked, and there is a theme/twist in the story (which is not mentioned on the back of the book) that definitely makes the book. I don't want to say what it is as I don't want to give anything away, but it definitely tugs at the heart strings whilst raising questions that i'm still thinking about even after I finished the book.

• Favourite blog(s) (I'm cheating this month and having two) - Philofaxy and A Thrifty Mrs - If you are a filofax/stationery/organiser obsessive like myself, you will LOVE Philofaxy. As well as free downloads to print out for each type of Filofax, there's also quirky little posts such as 'what's in my filofax' which I love. Totally conversely (although not really, cause this lady is also very organised) is A Thrifty Mrs - a fabulous blog on everything (as the name suggests) thrifty and money saving. Mrs Thrifty actually appeared on Superscrimpers on channel 4, and her blog is a fantastic little fountain of hints and tips relating to everything from charity shop shopping to cleaning around the house.
• Favourite YouTube Channel: Simon's Cat - Even if you don't own/like cats, it will not fail to make you laugh, and if you do own a cat, you can relate to everything that goes on in each little mini video (usually around 1-2 mins long). Recently when i've needed cheering up i've been watching one of these little videos - very daft!

What have you been loving this month?

Melanie x