Spring has sprung at last, although you wouldn’t have thought it this week when I looked out of my window to see snow in the middle of April. I don’t know about you, but it’s been a busy few months! I’ve been off to work events, birthday parties, blogger meet-ups and more, and it’s been brilliant fun. I’ve also acquired a fair few new favourites that I thought I’d share with you, from books, blogs and TV to skincare, fashion and cute home items.
Skincare: Garnier Moisture Bomb
First up is skincare. When the weather changes I always suffer with really bad dry skin on my face and pretty much everywhere else on my body, so I’ve been really grateful for these moisturisers sent over by Garnier. The first is an everyday moisturiser called the Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb 3 in 1, which comes in a nice sized bottle with an easy-to-use pump top. I’ve been wearing it underneath my makeup every day, and it’s made a massive difference to my skin. My dry patches have cleared up, and it sinks into the skin so quickly without leaving any stickiness meaning my makeup has been blending like a dream.
The second moisturiser, which comes in a little round pot, is the Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb Night Cream that I have been absolutely loving. I’ve only been using it once a week but it’s been making my skin feel incredible. It’s a thin, light gel so you don’t need much, and it smells gorgeously fresh.
I’ve always liked Garnier skincare (I’ve featured the PureActive Anti-Blackhead Deep Pore Wash in a favourites post before), so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed by these two moisturising gems.
Fashion: Nude heels from Clarks
I don’t write all that much about fashion here at Ashleigh Engaged at the moment, and that’s for a few reasons. One is that I am spending pretty much all of my money on our wedding so I can’t bring myself to buy any new clothes, shoes or accessories, and the second is that I’m really not all that fashionable! But I’m trying, and I absolutely love reading other fashion blogs, so later this year I’m going to start trying to be a bit more adventurous with my clothes and share my progress here, for now, I’m just concentrating on our wedding, I’m trying to find a cute dress and a pair of cinderella heels, meanwhile my fiancé is trying to shop wedding bands for us.
Last week, however, I did buy myself some gorgeous new shoes. They are first and foremost for my bestie Zara’s wedding in July (I’m Maid of Honour, yay!) but they’re a classic pair of heels that I’m sure I’ll wear again and again. They’re nude leather peep toe slingbacks with a stunning chunky heel and they are SO comfy thanks to the cushioning inside. I got these from Clarks, which isn’t somewhere I’d normally look for shoes but I was having no luck finding a pair I liked so I thought I’d try it, and there they were for £55.
Homeware: Ikea cacti & candle pots
We had a £20 voucher for Ikea that we got way back at our engagement party last May, so I picked up some cute cacti and some little pots that I’ve popped some candles in, and I think they’re super pretty.
I had cacti when I was a kid so when I saw these in a little set of three for £4.50 I couldn’t resist. They’re so easy to look after and look really stylish sitting on our kitchen window sill. We went for white but as you can see there are plenty of pot colours to choose from, each with different cacti in them.
I’ve seen the candle pots used for things like makeup brushes and other bits and bobs, but they look so pretty with the light of the candles shining through the holes, it’s really cosy. They’re only £2 each, and you can buy them here.
Blog: Rent or Chanel
I’ve been loving so many blogs lately but among my favourites is Rent or Chanel, written by the lovely Georgina. There, you’ll find stunning posts about beauty, fashion, Disney and much more, with gorgeous photography to boot. I love everything Georgina buys and DIYs, and she makes adorable cakes and cookies too. So cute.
Book: Underwater by Marisa Reichardt
If you didn’t already know, I have a second blog called Ashleigh Online. Right now it’s all about books, but after our wedding in October I plan to merge Ashleigh Engaged into Ashleigh Online to make one big blog that encompasses everything Ashleigh. I haven’t told any of my friends or family about Ashleigh Engaged because I don’t want them to get too many hints or clues about what’s in store on our wedding day.
But because I have Ashleigh Online, I get sent A LOT of books and go to a lot of book blogging events. This year, I’m trying to read one book a week, and so far I’m pretty much on track (it’ll be a new record for me). Recently, I read an absolute beaut of a book called Underwater, and I have no doubt that it’ll be one of my favourite books of the year.
Underwater is about a girl who is suffering from severe anxiety after a terrible incident at school that left her too scared to leave the house. She’s trapped inside her small apartment until a gorgeous boy moves in next door and makes her desperate to get better. It’s an incredible story about love, loss, determination and hope, and I couldn’t put it down.
Underwater is available for Kindle or in paperback from Amazon here.
TV: Jane the Virgin
I’ve been hooked on a brilliant feel-good show I spotted on Netflix recently called Jane the Virgin. It’s a hilarious story that all starts with Jane the Virgin getting accidentally artificially inseminated… yes, really. Somehow the farfetched storyline still manages to be believable and I’m looking forward to finding out what’s in store for Jane and her bonkers family who’ve already given me plenty of laughs. I felt like I’d watched the entire series when I first saw this trailer but everything you just watched happens within the first half of the first episode so don’t worry!
Don’t forget to share your latest favourites videos and blog posts with me in the comments section below, I love reading them 🙂
