Sunday 4 October 2020

Bioglan Inulin

AD:

I think we all know how important it is to eat healthily. We all know the basic message of eating more fruit and vegetables and less “bad stuff”  I think the role fibre plays in a healthy diet is a message we need to get out there as fibre is so important to help with our digestive health and bowel functions. 

 

That is why I couldn’t wait to try Bioglan Inulin powder. It’s high in fibre and dissolves easily in water making it such an easy supplement to incorporate into your daily routine. I think that’s something we can all appreciate and if you are like me, means I will definitely take it. 

 

Here is a bit more on what inulin is as you may not have heard of inulin before.  It is a water-soluble fibre sourced from Chicory Root. It is non-digestible so passes through the stomach and small intestine into the large intestine where it’s fermented by the gut bacteria with the material and energy needed to grow. I feel a bit like a scientist sharing this with you....but it’s so good to know what something actually is. It is not only high in fibre but contributes to normal bowel function and promotes digestive wellbeing naturally. 

 

To tell you more about my experience with Atlas Biomed the first thing I had to do was send a sample of my stool off to Atlas Biomed where they did a Microbiome Test - Listen To Your Gut.  This test helps us learn more about our gut bacteria. Here comes the sciencey bit - this test shows how diverse your Microbiome is, what priobotic bacteria it contains, how it breaks down fibre and it’s ability to make vitamins and butyrate (an essential shirt chain fatty acid)  Taking the stool sample and sending it off was not as scary as you might think - it was super easy and quick. Not a problem at all and I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive beforehand. 

 

I then took inulin 3 times a day for 2 weeks. I put a teaspoon in a glass of water and drank it with my meals. So quick and so easy (I kept it in my glasses cupboard so I wouldn’t forget!). You can though put in it a juice or a smoothie or into your baking or a curry! At the end of the two weeks I took another stool sample and send it off to Atlas Biomed for retesting. 

 

A few weeks later I was sent my own personal set of results from Atlas Biomed and these were fascinating. I will share the main findings with you here:

 




They provide a very helpful health dashboard which gives you what I would call the “headlines” of your results and then you can click on each topic and get a deeper analysis. You can also download a PDF of your results which was very handyl. 

 

Here is an overview of my results:

 



It’s interesting to note my fibre intake is medium. I would like to increase this even more and will be carrying on taking my Inulin and am planning on doing another test in a month or two to see how it changes.  

Thursday 1 November 2018

Party Dressing

I don’t want this title to mislead you, as by party I mean either full-on dancing on the table to The Pogues “Fairytale of New York”, to a civilised mid-week drink with friends, to outfits to wear on the big day. If you follow me on Instagram you will know I have been fully immersing myself in the world of sequins and sparkles recently. I am a total magpie and I love any chance to don a sequin or sparkle - I also love sparkly festive makeup too so watch out for a blog post coming on that soon.


Now you don’t have to go total walking festive bauble (as is sometimes my want) but you can add a dash of sparkle or sequin to any outfit to give it a festive twist. I am going to show you options for the huge sparkle fan right through to the ones who maybe just want a light touch of something sparkly.



Right, for those of us ladies who are up for diving into a pot of festive glitter, I am a fan of full sequin dress. Even within this style there are chances to be as bold or not as you like - there are so many colours and styles out there and a sequin to suit everyone. I think it's also how you style these dresses. You can go complete glamour with a heel and faux fur, which I do love, or you can dress it down or toughen it up with a black biker jacket or a blazer. When trying these dresses on I was often in trainers and actually I am a big fan of that look too.




I also found myself loving what I would call a sparkly dress - so not a sequin but something that just has what looks like glitter running through it. Like above, these can also be dressed up or down.

If you want to break your look up a bit or adapt it more for daytime, I love a sequin skirt. These can obviously look fantastic as an evening look with a lovely vest and blazer and a heel, but I love these also in daytime with a chunky knit and a biker jacket. Just such a cool look I think. You can do the same with a sequin jacket or blazer which is so great with a black tuxedo trouser for the evening, but also I love these with a great jean and a heel or jeans and trainers. Sequins and sparkles for me work day or night and all ages. There are no boundaries and to be fair in may eyes they aren’t just for Christmas either.




I have also been loving the sparkly and sequin jumpsuits which are about at the moment. I am a big jumpsuit fan apart from the obvious loo issues...they are to me an easy wear and feel sometimes less dressy than a dress. There are also sparkly playsuits about which I do really like but haven’t found one which suits me yet...




I mentioned sequin skirts above and I also love all the glittery/sparkly skirts (especially the pleated ones) and trousers that are out there. Again a less full on party bauble look but still one that I love. These items can also be dressed up or down depending on your mood or occasion.




I have to give a shout out to velvet while I am here. Another look I just adore for this upcoming season. There so many lovely velvet skirts, dresses and blazers out there in beautiful festive shades or “Quality Street” colours as someone said to me. However, for me the velvet look is great and am going to invest in for the party season is the velvet suit. I just love this look. There are so many gorgeous ones out there and I just think this look is fabulous and for me works both dressed up with a killer pair of heels or with a great pair of trainers.



Whilst looking for sequin inspiration online, I found these three beauties...







Hope you found some helpful ideas for festive fun here and after writing this I feel I need to write one on accessories too. Is it too early to crack open the mince pies and indulge in a Snowball?

Sunday 21 October 2018

My Daily Skincare Routine

If you follow me on Instagram you will know how fond I am of the odd selfie or two. This means that I need to take the best care of my skin I can. I love makeup but I also love skincare too and I make sure I remove my makeup every night or at least most nights...I also try to avoid face wipes as they just dry my skin out, but there are times when I can only muster the energy to use a wipe.



I thought I would share my current favourite products and ones that I am introducing to my routine. I would love to hear some of your hero or must use products. I am 43, with what I always thought was combination skin, but as I am getting older it is more oily.  My skin isn’t too sensitive but I am prone to hormonal spots around my chin. I also am becoming more aware of pigmentation from the sun too - ah the joys of ageing so I always use a sunscreen every day. 

Morning Routine

I like to use a non-foaming facial wash in the morning and I have loved this cleanser by La Roche Posay Effaclar - so much so it has nearly very finished. I would defintely buy again as it has worked so well for me. I then remove any remnants of eye makeup. Although my skin isn't sensitive my eyes can be, and I love Nivea’s Double Effect Eye Make-Up Remover.  This is such a good product and so reasonably priced - I always re-purchase when I have finished one.  Toner next and in the morning in an attempt to wake myself up I like to use a spray toner and love the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Sprtizer. This smells so lovely and I spray it during the days sometimes for a little skin boost. 



I am a big fan of facial oils even though my skin is oily. I find they work so well with my skin and definitely help to keep it soft. I am loving my Organic Facial Oil By Sarah London which is natural and organic and is such a lovely product. Eyes next and I have been liking the La Roche Posay Hydraphase Intense Yeux at the moment but to be honest I have yet to find my definitive morning eye cream and have tried a good few....maybe I am expecting too much from the eye creams - they can’t work miracles on black circles it turns out. I then mositurise and I have been enjoying the Malin + Goetz Vitamin e face moisturiser which is lovely and light and which I have liked over the warmer months. However, as winter and the weather and central heating dries my skin out, I like to use a thicker moisturiser and this Gatineau Defi lift 3D one seems perfect.  I was kindly gifted the Gatineau products so will let you know what I think. I do also really like my Simple moisturiser which I find nice and light on my skin. 



Evening Routine

My evening routine is similar in each stage to my morning routine but with different products. I like to remove my makeup with a cleanser and a muslin cloth - I alternate between a balm and a liquid. My current favourite liquid cleanser is Youth to the People’s Kale + Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Superfood Face wash. I have really enjoyed this product as it’s full of good things and does a good job at getting all my layers of makeup off. When I am in the mood for a balm I love to use the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. I have used this on and off for a couple of years and always come back to it and this one came in my British Beauty Box kindly sent to me this week.



As I do like to go quite full-on with my eye makeup and makeup in general, I usually have to do a double cleanse. For me this just involves going over my skin with some Micellar water. I am currently using the Bioderma one but I do also love the Garnier ones too.  Then for my evening toner I use Pixi Glow Tonic a couple of days a week or La Roche Posay Serozinc. I don’t really use any acids etc at the moment but I think I should be so let's hear some recommendations about what ones you use and love. 



An oil is also an essential part of my evening skincare routine and for the last few years I have used Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate and I love it. I don’t always use a moisturiser in the evening - I don’t really know why but in winter I will probably use the Gatineau one to help my skin out.  I do enjoy doing an evening face mask once a week and at the moment I am using Lowengrips Hydration Mask, which I like a lot. I also love a sheet mask and am looking forward to trying my Patchology ones, especially the eye and lips one. Let me know of any other ones you recommend - I keep meaning to try Charlotte Tilbury’s clay mask and sheet masks as they get rave reviews.


As I get older looking after my skin is so important to me - it’s this or I turn into Cher which to be fair is rather appealing....

Thursday 17 May 2018

Carole's Coral Club


My Top Coral lipsticks for summer

Coral is my absolute favourite summer lipstick shade and these are my current favourite ones. I was aiming for 10 but it turns out my love for a good Coral lipstick runs deeper than even I knew. They range from the brighter lighter ones to the deeper richer shades - I love all and any shade of Coral lipstick. I hope you find one in the selection below that works for you. I have written a blog post on mixing Coral lipsticks with summer fashion and accessories which will be coming to the blog soon.

High Street

Collection - Blissful Peach - £3.99

Maybelline - Craving Coral - £6.99

Sleek - Guest List - £5.50 


L’Oréal Color Riche - Magnetic Coral- £6.99

NYX Lip Cream - San Juan - £6.00
Designer:

Tom Ford - True Coral (this has to be my favourite lipstick ever) - £40

MAC - Lady Danger - £17.50

Chanel Rouge Allure - Vibrante - £31

Nars - Heatwave - £22.00

Hourglass - I Live For - £28.00

Charlotte Tilbury - Coachella Coral - £24.00

Charlotte Tilbury - Sexy Sienna -£24.00

 

A cheeky little extra one below. This is maybe more orange than Coral but still perfect for summer.

Charlotte Tilbury - Tell Laura - £24.00
 
As you can see I am fond of a Coral lipstick, and I hope there is one here for you. Coral is the way forward for summer.

Wednesday 14 March 2018

Wake up Boo....

Updated Everyday Beauty Routine 



Due to my break in blogging (let’s call it that) I thought I would write an updated post on the makeup products that I am using every morning. There seems a lot, I know, but I love makeup and it’s part of my morning routine and sets me up for the day. Not everyone needs to use this many products and you can pick and choose what works for you. 

I make sure my skin is moisturised first and then I use a primer, as I have oily to combination skin, and find my foundation can easily slide off my face before lunch. I have a few primers but my current morning favourite is the NARS Pore & Shine Control one, followed by my NARS foundation which is their All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. If I have a morning where I am going out for a fancy lunch (am not sure what fancy lunches I am going to..) I would use my Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow under my foundation for some extra luminosity to my skin. I also like my YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer for a bit of extra glow - I love the gold flecks in it. Who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle in their makeup?

I have only mentioned maybe a thousand times my obsession with my black circles, so I move on to concealing them next. I am always changing my concealer trying to find the perfect one. I have an old favourite and a new one on rotation at the moment. The one I keep going back to is the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer with the fab sponge applicator. My new one is the Too Faced Born This Way concealer. I also conceal any redness or any of the crazy hormonal spots I keep getting and at nearly 43 I am just loving these!




I like to powder my face due to its oiliness and I like the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder. I then do my eyebrows and I am currently using two products together as I like a well defined and strong brow. Firstly, I use a Maybelline Browdrama Pomade Crayon and then go over the top with the Glossier Boy Brow. I should say that I do have HD Brows done too to help define and shape my brows.
 

I am a big fan of bronzer. I did say at the beginning of the year that I wasn’t going to fake tan my face as much but it turns out that I feel happier with some colour on my face and to help with this I use a bronzer too.  I have been using the Tom Ford Ultimate Bronzer in Gold Dust for a while now and for me it’s the perfect bronzer. Blusher - which is my favourite thing - is next and my new go to is by Marc Jacobs Beauty in the shade Lines & Last Night Air Blush. It’s such a great colour and lasts too - it’s so pretty too.



Eyeshadow is next, and as you saw from my previous blog post I love a palette and at the moment I seem to alternate between the two NARS ones - The Loaded and Wanted Palettes. I then use a black liquid eyeliner and I have just bought a new one by Guerlain which I am really liking. It is expensive though and I still really like my much more purse friendly Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner.  Then I apply a black kohl pencil to my waterline and I again have a more expensive pencil and a cheaper one which I seem to alternate between. My Trish McEvoy Intense Gel Eye Liner one is lovely and soft and could be used on the eyelid too, and it has a handy smudger on the end to do a smokey eye, or to make it look more natural. My more budget alternative is a Rimmel black kohl pencil which is very good.



I change my mascara so much as I can never find one I really love and I am currently using the Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot which I really like. I am a big fan of the Maybelline and L’Oreal mascaras and for the more expensive ones I like the Clinique High Impact Volume Mascara, Charlotte Tilbury’s Legendary Lashes and Dior’s Diorshow Pump ‘N’ Volume mascara.

I think I may own more lipsticks than anything else. I love them and to me they can make an outfit and brighten my mood. I tend to wear brighter colours. I just can’t seem to find a natural or nude shade that suits me. I tend to go for Corals, Pinks and Reds. The ones I use on rotation are my YSL Rouge Volupte Shine no.12, Charlotte Tilbury’s Lost Cherry and Coachella Coral and Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Colour in No Vacancy.




All these products make up my everyday look.  I have been known to be seen without it on but these are rare occasions as makeup makes me happy and it is best not to scare people I find.

Friday 2 March 2018

Hungry Eyes.........

Eyeshadow Palettes


I am a big fan of eyeshadow palettes. They are all I tend to use these days, as I like to apply more than one colour on my eyes, so it makes life much easier for me. It’s probably out of date now but I still like to sweep a main more neutral shade over the whole eyelid. I then use a darker one on the outer edge of the eye and into the socket line. I then use a lighter colour in the corner of the eyelid nearest to the nose.  Then for my evening makeup I apply sparkle or glitter to the middle of the eyelid. To make the eye “pop” as they say.  

My two current favourite palettes are both by NARS- the NARSissist Loaded Palette and the Wanted Palette both containing 12 shades. Loaded is more gold/bronzey in tone and Wanted more pinky/rose gold. They both contain a mixture of matte and glittery shades which I really like as I do enjoy a bit of sparkle for a night out. 



I really like the Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow quads as they have the perfect colours and shades for a smokey eye which is my go-to look. They also tell you on the bottom how to apply them which I think is so helpful. My favourite two are The Dolce Vita and The Legendary Muse. Dolce Vita has copper and bronze shades while The Legendary Muse is more golden. As you can probably tell my usual look is a copper/bronze smokey eye for the day and the same - but more intensely with some sparkle - for the evening. Recently though, I have been liking more pinky shades on my eyes which I incorporate into my bronzey smokey eye look.


Other palettes I like are the Anastasia ones. I enjoy her Modern Renaissance one which is shades of brown/bronze and berry and I have her new palette which is called Soft Glam on my wish list. It looks perfect for me. I also like my Huda Rose Gold palette which is pretty but I find the foil shades tricky to apply.


I mustn’t forget the Urban Decay palettes. Their range of NAKED palettes are so successful and I think for good reason. I have 2 or 3 of the palettes and have used them well. I think for me the original palette and the Smoky ones are my favourite. I also rate the Heat one but to me it feels more of a summer palette and think it will get most use when the sun comes out. The sun will re-appear won't it?


The mini MAC palettes are also really nice and have 9 shades in them. I have the Burgandy one and all the colours are very wearable. The other palettes in the range look great too and are reasonably priced. I particularly like the look of the Amber one.


I do use the odd individual shadow  - there are some MAC individual shades I really like such as one of my favourites called Amber nights. I also like individual ones to add glitter or sparkle to an evening look. Top Shop has a couple including one called “shuffle the cards” and for a bit of va va voom of an evening I love my Stila Magnificent Metal in bronzed bell - just the right amount of glitter. No longer being 17 I don’t need glitter flying all over my face and landing in all my wisdom lines!


I must give an honourable mention to an eyeshadow duo from NARS which is my staple at the moment for my evening eye look.  The duo is called Isolde and are the perfect copper/bronze/gold shades. To say I love it isn’t too strong a statement - my feelings run deep for this eyeshadow.


I keep meaning to try the NYX palettes and the Colllection or L’Oreal ones as these all look like they have some lovely shades in them. The NYX Ultimate Shadow palettes in particular look very good. Please let me know if you have tried any of them. 

On my wish list currently is the new Charlotte Tilbury Smokey Eye Makeup Palette, and her Vintage Vamp quad, the MAC Warm Palette x 15, Huda Beauty Smokey Obsessions Palette and the Too Faces Chocolate Gold one as it looks all kind of glitzy.

I would love to know your favourite palettes or ones that you are thinking of burying. I can never have enough eyeshadows or makeup in general......I have only spoken about eyeshadows and palettes here but my love of eye makeup runs deeper than this. Keep your smokey eye out for further eye related blog posts. 

Sunday 25 June 2017

Lipstick, powder and paint



In summer, I love to mainly wear Coral lipsticks or colours in this range. So, I thought I would share with you my current favourites. They range from some quite pricey to more purse-friendly ones. There are also a couple of lip glosses thrown in there too. Hope these give you some inspiration to add a new colour or two to your collection.
I should say that everyone's natural lips are different colours so this can affect how some lipsticks may look on you as well as your skin tone. I have a yellow undertone to my skin which tends to suit these type of shades.

Sexy Sienna
Portobello Girl, Ibiza Nights and Belize


The first one in my collection is Sexy Sienna by Charlotte Tilbury. This is one of the lighter Coral ones in my collection but I just love it in summer especially in the daytime or at night when I like to put a gloss over it. Then I either use my Glossier clear one or my Charlotte Tilbury Ibiza Nights which is coming up shortly.

Now for glosses. I do like a lip gloss in summer for a quick and easy daytime look when you want a hint of colour but not anything too much. The first one is Belize by Nars which is a very sheer gloss but makes your lips look healthy and glossy. It isn't very pigmented so great for daytime or applying over the top of a lipstick. The next two are both by Charlotte Tilbury. Portobello Girl has a slight pink colour, though again very sheer, and Ibiza nights has a gold shimmer running through it. I like to put this over one of my other lipsticks for a glossy evening look. I would say that I am not sure the Charlotte Tilbury ones are worth the money. I am on the look out for some better glosses. I find these are a bit sticky and clogged to apply with not much colour payback.

Lost Cherry, Striking Specataculaire and True Coral

Lost Cherry by Charlotte Tilbury I love all year round, but I think is great for summer as it's a lovely pinky Coral which is super flattering.  This Lip Crayon called Striking Spectaculaire is by Revlon and is one of the brighter more "out there" ones in my collection but I love how easy these lip crayons are to apply and they feel so soft too. I have tried and like a lot of Revlon's lip crayons and have been really impressed with them all.

My all time favourite lipstick next - True Coral by Tom Ford. As with my Lost Cherry you will have seen this colour on me a lot and not just in summer. I think this is the most perfect true Coral shade.  I can't tell you how much I love it! It would have to be my Desert Island piece of makeup.

Disturbia, Stay With Me Coral, Heatwave and Wild Ginger


I hadn't tried a lip pen before and picked this one up by L'Oreal in the shade Disturbia and loved it straight away. I like the pen - it goes on easily and feels nice - plus the colour is just so great for summer.  This one by Maybelline always has people asking me what I am wearing. In fact I only found it by asking someone what they were wearing on their lips. It's one of their 14 hr lipsticks in the shade "Stay With Me Coral" and it's such a great colour. A gorgeous Coral but I can't find it anywhere and fear they may have stopped making it. Why do companies do that?

The next two are my most recent purchases. I bought the Nars Heatwave lipstick after seeing it on Sali Hughes and loving it - she is the beauty columnist in the Guardian. Now I have it I really like it. It's a lovely texture as it's a sheer matte and is the perfect reddy Coral. I think I need to work on my colour descriptions!

 
Maybelline Stay With Me Coral

Nars Heatwave

Tom Ford True Coral


This Tom Ford one I also saw on Instagram - it can be such a dangerous place! It's called Wild Ginger and I think is one of my new favourites. It's such a great reddy orange and I do love the texture of Tom Ford lipsticks as they just glide on and look so lovely. They are expensive though so I recommend trying before buying as I would hate to waste that money.

Hope this has given you some inspiration to try a new Coral lipstick or tell me what your favourites are. I always have room for one more!!