November Favourites
Sometimes it's hard to find thing's that we like. Whether it be a movie, skincare product,
recipe or type of exercise. There is something out there for everyone, but how do we find it? In these monthly blog posts I plan to bring you my favorites of some of these things. You will only find products I have actually used and love, maybe you will find yourself a new favorite too.
So without further ado, here are my favourites from the month of November!
Skincare
Number one on my favorites list today is the Lush Ultrabland Self-preserving Cleanser. This little tub of creamy heaven packs a punch and let me tell you why.
A good 5 years ago I started experiencing problems with my skin. I was breaking out all over my cheeks and chin and it was something that made me feel small and undesirable. I couldn't understand why in my 20's I was now getting the teenage acne I had always expected. I still don't really know why, I suspect it had something to do with my contraceptive pill.
Fast forward to present time and my skin is millions of times better, it's not what it once was, but it is healing. Sometimes I forget that I'm in my twenties and that means that my body and skin is too, I won't be a teenager again and so I needed to change my skincare routine to reflect my maturity. That's where Lush comes in.
I needed a gentle cleanser for my combination skin, a product that would feel like a bit of luxury, would get the dirt off and feed my skin what it needed all at the same time. I really do feel like this product does exactly that. It's very simple to apply by just warming it between my fingertips and then rubbing in light circles on my face before gently washing off with warm water.
It's a wonderful product to use and can be used to remove eye make-up as well. I love Lush already because of it's dedication to eradicating animal testing but it's incredible effort to reduce its impact on the environment, something that sits very close to my heart. Thank you Lush for producing such a wonderful product!
If you would like to purchase this product please follow the link below, I find that a 45g tub lasts me 2-3 months as you only need a small amount at a time.
https://www.lush.com/uk/en/p/ultrabland-self-preserving-facial-cleanser/45g-self-preserved
Podcast
I love listening to music in the car and having my own little concert but sometimes I need a bit more stimulation. Listening to a podcast helps me feel a part of something, i like to be apart of a conversation and I've recently found the best podcast for this!
Sometimes funny always awkward is a podcast that I could binge over and over again. Maddy and her co-host Grace bring a realness to their podcast which is so refreshing I could drink it in all day everyday. I love their humour and ability to talk about things so openly without it getting heavy.
My particular favourite episode so far is 'Sex is Never Sexy'. I'm not sure about you but I'm sick of seeing this "perfect" image of sex portrayed in the movies and tv shows, when in reality it's not like that! Maddy and Grace talk, laugh and giggle about the truth and share some pretty embarrasing but funny stories in their segment Tell Me About It. It's exhilarating to be able to hear REAL peoples stories, to know that what other experience is NATURAL and I don't like the word but, It's normal.
If you need a good honest laugh with the gierls then this is the podcast for you!
To listen on apple podcasts follow the link below:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sometimes-funny-always-awkward/id1638036923
Recipe
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. That is all.
Nah only joking! But seriously, this is the season for cookies and the best home bakes. This week in one of my youth clubs we set out to make cookies and boy did they deliver!
For the recipe we used the following ingredients:
120g Unsalted Butter
75g White Sugar
75g Light Brown Sugar
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
180g Plain Flour
1/2 TSP of Baking Powder
1 Pinch of Salt
100g White chocolate Chips
Method:
Pre Heat your oven to 160 degrees and place some baking paper on a couple of flat trays.
Cream together the butter and sugars together in a large bowl. When it looks light in colour and a creamy texture it's ready. You might find it easier and quicker to do this with an electric mixer.
Add in the egg and beat together.
The add flour, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt, white chocolate chips and mix!
You can then choose to roll your dough into even balls to put on your baking trays or roll out into a large flat piece to cute shapes from.
If you have some sprinkles they work great on top of the cookies!
Put them cookies in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes, checking that they're golden brown before pulling out.
And that's it! The cookies where incredibly tasty, I highly reccomend them with a glass of cold milk and a good sit down, after all baking is exhausting.
Book
My most recent read has been Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane. I love the style of writing McFarlane uses, the skill she has at portraying her characters feelings is spellbinding. I'm up to chapter 11 and so far, the book explorers the relationship between a couple who ultimatley break up. The male partner completely ignores the wishes and feelings of his female counterpart and ends up alinating her in front of his family and it costs him the love of his life!
I don't want to give too much away because I get the feeling that this book will have many twists and turns. I'm hooked and can't wait to tell you all more about it in one of my book nook posts! I will say, that if you're looking for the perfect reading material with the right amount of romance, sarcasm and relatability, then this is for you! Happy reading!
Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/3Va5s3D
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Thank you for reading!
Do you have any favourites from this month or any suggestions for me?
Have a try at some of these and let me know what you think!
Em x
*Discolsure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through the link used in this post, this is at no additional cost to you.