OMG, January has been a terrible month for me. For the first two weeks I was ill with such a bad bout of Tonsilitis; then over the last week i’ve been in hospital and had surgery to remove a mass in my nose. Still awaiting biopsy results; but the consultant/surgeon didn’t think it looked like anything sinister. However, David and I might lose our honeymoon if we don’t have a full diagnosis by 8th February as we can’t pay the rest of the money until we have insurance, and I can’t get insurance while i’m still awaiting a diagnosis. Nightmare! Anyway, i’m finally feeling well enough to share my monthly favourites with you. Some of these are December favourites too.Aldi Rose Noir Candle & Diffuser – £3.99, Aldi

I have gone through so many of these. It is the most incredible chic scent, and definitely rivals Jo Malone and Diptique. Both the candles and the diffusers have a really intense scent that fills a room. If you are a fan of Jo Malone’s Velvet Rose & Oud scent, this is quite similar. A deep, moody rose scent. It is only £3.99 for a candle or diffuser, and I go regularly to stock up, just incase they discontinue. That thought terrifies me!Neomist Formule Mains* – £35, Cosmetify

This is a hand moisturiser that I like to use as a hand ‘serum’. It’s a very runny milk and I apply it before I apply a thick hand cream. It really helps with helping my hands to retain moisture for hours afterwards, and it smells beautiful – a light, fresh floral. It’s 98% natural and feels like a luxurious treat to apply this. I’d recommend if you have very dry hands and are tired of applying hand cream every hour.Roccabox Beauty Subscription Box* – £10 per month, Roccabox

This month I finally got to try a Roccabox beauty subscription box, and I was so impressed with the contents. These cute pink boxes arrive with subscribers every month and contain 5 to 7 beauty products, carefully curated by the box’s founder Tia and coresponding to the theme for the box that month. These will be a mixture of full-size travel-size products. January’s box is all about a new start for the new year and discovering new products to add to our self-care skincare and makeup routines. There were some cult brands in January’s box (St. Tropez & BeautyPro) as well as more unknown independent brands (such Daily Concepts and Dirty Little Secret Cosmetics).Glossier Futuredew Serum-Oil Hybrid – £23, Glossier

I am such a Glossier girl, and I picked up Futuredew when I was in Los Angeles in December, at their Melrose Avenue store. I love this product, but there are so many mixed reviews on this because people aren’t using it in the best way. I adore this product for no-makeup days. After my skincare, this is all I wear. I would class Futuredew as a makeup product with some skincare benefits. It’s something you would use after your SPF and before any makeup, to give your skin a dewy radiant glow. You don’t need much of this at all. Glossier say two pumps, but I prefer one (or one and a half sometimes). I dispense it onto my fingers, pat it across two sets of fingers, then press it into my skin like I would an oil; focussing in particular on the high points.Personalised 32GB Custom Flash Drives* – £POA, USB Memory Direct

This is a company that makes custom flash drives and memory sticks. They offered to make me a batch featuring my blog logo and my blog header’s exclusive comissioned illustrations. I chose their Card Flip model, and these were then gifted to some of my favourite PRs from 2019 at Christmas. The printing is such high-quality and they look amazing. I’ve been using them myself (obviously I stashed a few away for myself). I love that they are basically credit card-sized so can slip into a purse or wallet. You can get cards with storage from 4GB to 128GB – whatever best suits your needs.Pop Socket X Harper’s Bazaar Genuine Malachite Pop Socket* – £84.99, Pop Socket

Pop Socket have teamed up with stylish fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar, to create a range of ultra chic pop sockets for your phone. I fell in love with the limited edition, green Genuine Malachite one as soon as I saw it, and Pop Socket were kind enough to send me it. I’m really into stones and crystals at the moment, so this fits my style perfectly. It is very expensive for a pop socket; but if your phone is your world, it deserves to be treated with something luxurious. I dropped mine, so there is a little crack in it.Verso Skincare Anti-Pollution Mist – £45, Dermacare Direct

This mist has fast become a favourite of mine. The bottle is heavy and weighty in feel; so it feels like a luxury product. The mist dispenses very gently and evenly, and it hydrates and protects my skin so well. It’s packed with antioxidents, so it defends your skin against environmental agressors. The mist is weightless so it won’t disturb any makeup; meaning that you can use it throughout the day with ease.Wicked Gummy Co Summer Lovin’ Bundle – £27.98, Wicked Gummy Co

This is now my favourite way to take my daily vitamins and supplements. I take two of their gummy sweets every day – their Daily Multivitamin Gummies and their Hair, Skin and Nails gummies; both of which come together in a bundle, saving you some money. Both gummies are really fruity and tasty; so if you are someone who doesn’t like swallowing tablets, or who just likes sweets, this could be the way forward for you. They are vegan, gluten-free, contain natural ingredients and no artifical sweeteners.Sierra Gold Crystal Starburst Adjustable Bracelet – £29, Lace & Favour

How pretty is this bracelet from Lace & Favour that I spotted when looking for wedding veils (which i’m actually not getting now as my dress is too detailled and lacy)?! It is exactly my style as I love things with stars and cosmic symbols/prints. The quality of this is lovely, and it has a really easy and stylish ‘drawstring’ fastening. I’ve been wearing it all the time!Bybi Beauty Strawberry Booster* – £12, Bybi Beauty

This is 100% cold-pressed strawberry oil; which has a host of skin benefits – very moisturising and skin-softening, It comes in the most beautiful pink bottle, and has a subtle strawberry scent. I add this to other skincare products; especially vitamin C products when I think my skin needs a little bit more moisture and care. Also, it’s made from the waste product seeds from the juicing industry, so is hot on sustainability, as the bottle is 100% recyclable too.

Mila Simone Azzura Essence* – £20, Mila Simone

This is a really gentle vitamin C product on the skin; but still one that delivers good brightening and tone-evening results. It’s light, absorbs beautifully into the skin and the addition of Hyaluronic Acid helps to make the Vitamin C more gentle on your skin. There’s also Aloe Vera & glycerin in there, so it’s really comforting and moisturising your skin whilst that Vitamin C works it’s magic!

Acure Beauty Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Serum Stick – £11.74, iHerb

I’m loving the current trend of skincare coming in stick form. It’s so handy! I picked this up when I was in LA and i’ve been loving it. David has also been using it on his red, angry, flakey winter skin and has found that it really helped. The principle ingredient of this serum is Blue Tansy. Blue Tansy oil is particularly good for irritated skin. It’s cooling and soothing, is a powerful antioxidant and helps to settle redness and angry skin. It also hydrating Hyaluronic Acid and is 100% vegan.IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Gel Lotion* – £30, IT Cosmetics

I love a refreshing gel moisturiser, and when my skin is feeling and looking good, I don’t need a heavier cream. This one is so hydrating and really plumps the skin. It comes with a handy pump dispenser and really does feel weightless. It’s also packed with skin hydrating moisture barrier strengthening ceramides, glycerin and cactus flower. I highly recommend it!

Murad Prebiotic 3-in-1 MultiMist* – £30, Murad

This is a lovely cooling and refreshing mist that also has real skin benefits. I love the spray on this – it’s light, even and gentle – a true ‘mist’. Dr Murad describes it as “nourishing skin with prebiotics to rebalance the skin’s microbiome, which is the collection of bacteria living on skin. This keeps skin well-hydrated, balanced and healthier-looking overall”. It’s also contains yeast peptides to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier to lock the hydration the mist delivers into the skin.

Decree Peptide Emolient Veil+* – £115, Cult Beauty

This is a beautiful moisturiser that my skin loves when it’s feeling a bit dry. This again is a really premium product; but it’s worth every penny. It is so hydrating, moisturising and skin softening; but it doesn’t feel heavy or greasy at all, despite being so rich. It is from the skincare brand Decree; formulated by Dr AJ Sturnham. It’s for when your skin needs that extra moisture boost. It has ultra hydrating Hyaluronic Acid, moisturising and soothing Squalene, brightening and skin-protecting antioxidants, skin firming and collagen boosting peptides, and a blend of soothing botanicals.Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate – £38, Kiehls

This is a lovely botanical oil for your PM routine. It has definitely achieved cult status now, and it’s not the first time I’ve used this product – i’ve just forgotten about it for years. It restores and replenishes your skin during the night, so that you wake up with soft, firm, glowing and youthful skin. The key ingredients are Lavender Essential Oil, Primrose Oil, and Squalene, and it smells so relaxing, so is perfect for bedtime. You can go to sleep and trust that you’ll wake up with much healthier-looking skin.

One Ocean Beauty Revitalising Sea Serum

This is a new brand discovery for me. One Ocean Beauty has been created with wellness in mind – the wellness that it’s founder feels when she’s by the sea. This is a high-end brand and sells on Net-a-Porter in the UK. It is a vegan brand, sustainably made and their products come in recyclable packaging. This is more of a light liquid moisturiser than a serum i’d say, so I tend to use this at night, layered over other serums and under an oil and thicker moisturiser. It contains active marine ingredients from the Antartic and French coast to hydrate and protect the skin e.g. the emollient Brown Kelp, which also helps with skin elasticity… as do the Hexapetides in the serum. Clinical trials have also shown that it really helps with collagen synthesis. It just feels really conditioning and comforting.

Decleor Aromessence Lavender Fine – £63, Decleor

This is a 100% naturally derived blend of oils, which an extremely relaxing, powerful lavender scent. There’s Lavender Essential Oil, Chamomile, Bergamot and Plum Kernals, to boost skin firmness, reduces appearance of lines, boosts the cell renewal process, comforts the skin and boost the skin’s moisture barrier. I just find this really relaxing, and it’s an oil that I like to massage with at bedtime, with a facial roller or gua sha tool.

This post contains press samples, but all opinions are my own.

You can see more of what i’m loving, and what i’m doing, over on my Instagram.