MARCH FAVOURITES

Well, where the hell is this year going?! I cannot believe we're nearly in April already, Christmas feels like it was just yesterday and it's ridiculous that Nick and I will have been married for 3 months in just a few days! But anyway, with the end of the month coming up I thought I'd share with you some of the things I have been loving this month!

RED NAILS

I've been wearing nude on my nails for months and months up until recently when I just really fancied a change. I used to wear red nail varnish a lot but over the past few years, and with the increasingly vast array of gorgeous and tempting colours on offer, I've barely worn it at all so I thought I'd crack it out and I've been loving it. This red, 'Got the Mean Reds', is from OPI and was part of the 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' mini 4 pack (which was a gift from my lovely work chums for my mini hen-do) and it's a perfect, classic red that is amazing to apply and relatively long lasting (with the Seche Vite top coat it lasts probably 3-4 days without chipping, but I'm one of those people whose nail varnish chips incredibly quickly so it could be longer lasting on other people).

LOAFERS

Nothing groundbreaking here but I absolutely love a loafer. Now that it's getting slightly warmer out I was finding it hard to know what shoes to pair with my outifts that wasn't a boot, and these fit the bill perfectly. I first picked up the Primark version (on my right foot in the picture below) which were about £8 I think and they're fine but really not that great quality, so the other day when I was shopping in Topshop and saw that they had their version in the sale for a bargainous £22 I had to pick them up (left foot in the picture below). The Topshop version is so much more sturdy, they have a proper sole and they're real leather so I was very happy to have been able to get them at that price. They go with literally anything and I can definitely see myself wearing them a lot over the coming months.

Also, I'm not putting them as a separate favourite, but the jeans I'm wearing here have also been very popular with me this month. They're the 'Straight High Jean' from H&M and I love the ankle detail as well as the slightly darker jean colour down the centre panels, it just adds something a bit different to your standard blue jeans and they're really high waisted as well which is my fave! I REALLY want to find some slightly looser, maybe a girlfriend fit, pair of jeans but I just cannot find any that I like the fit of yet. I'm getting a bit sick of just wearing skinny fit so if you know of any recommendations then please do let me know!

LIZ EARLE EYEBRIGHT

I put this up on my Instagram last week and mentioned how bloody tired I was feeling all week (damn that drinking too much and being horribly hungover all of Sunday) but this really did help. My eyes are the first place I notice even the tiniest bit of tiredness, they get so dry and sore (it doesn't help that I wear my contact lenses much more than I should), as well as getting puffy, so this soothing lotion really does help. I just pop some onto two cotton pads and hold them over my eyes for as long as I can be bothered (about a minute tops) and they do feel really refreshed afterwards. Even if you're not tired, it's great to use every morning just to really open up the eyes and get rid of any sleep (lovely) that might be lurking around.

BOOK: THE WAR ON WOMEN

This is out in May and is a fantastic account by Sue Lloyd-Roberts of the differing struggles of women all across the world. The information in this book is presented in such an interesting and accessible way that I flew through it and honestly found it hard to put down on more than one occasion. The book is divided into chapters based on location, so for example one chapter is all about the struggles of women in Ireland who were sent to work in the laundry workhouses and another is set in Saudi Arabia and discusses the multiple ways women are oppressed here, one of which is being unable to drive. I found the content so interesting and it was really very eye-opening to learn more about some of these astounding issues facing women in this day and age, and historically, and I would very highly recommend this to anyone, but particularly anyone that is interested in feminism and women's issues.

There are quite a few times throughout the book where there a rather descriptive accounts of some very difficult topics, namely rape, and on a couple of occasions I found it a bit difficult to read, so I just wanted to let you know if this is something you're sensitive to. However, Lloyd-Roberts doesn't dwell excessively and coming away from the book finished, I came away astonished, angered, informed and with a desire to read further into the topics she presents here.

NEAL'S YARD ROSE OIL

Finally, I wanted to share this lovely Rehydrating Rose Oil from Neal's Yard Remedies. I bought this last year whilst I was going through my skin crisis but, because of this, I couldn't ever really give it a fair and proper trial becuase I pretty much stopped using anything and everything on my skin. However, a couple of months ago I rediscovered it in my collection and have been using it about 3-4 times a week and I'm really enjoying it. The consistency is similar to that of Moroccan Oil (obviously I don't use this on my face!) and I find it sinks in really quite quickly, leaving a lovely glow as opposed to an oily shine. It smells amazing, not synthetically rose-y at all but just a very light rose scent that you can't smell too much after you've applied it. I like to use this on its own on the evenings I reach for it and the next morning my skin will feel lovely and plump and hydrated. I very much enjoyed slathering this on my face a couple of weekends ago when I was feeling slightly worse for wear (oh gin) in an attempt to get some moisture back into my face!

So, there we have it a nice round up of a few of my favourite things from March. I hope you've had a great month and are looking forward to April. I'm loving the fact it's warmer and lighter now it just makes everything feel so much better doesn't it? I'm also really excited because the next weekend Nick and I are off to London for our amazing dinner at The Westbury hotel (an incredible gift from my giwls for our wedding!) as well as a two night stay so I cannot wait! The chef at The Westbury is Michelin-starred Alyn Williams who appeared on Masterchef last year (speaking of Masterchef, the new series starts tonight!) and I am a huge Masterchef (can I say Masterchef any more times?) fan so I'm even more excited because of this hahaa. I'll be sure to be that person taking pictures of their food so keep your eyes peeled for some serious food porn!

#review #monthlyfaves #lifestyle