I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a truly ridiculous number of lip balms/glosses hanging around their general vicinity at all times. Five or six in the handbag, at least three in the bedside drawer/on the bedside table, one or two in the car, another couple on your desk at work and of course multiple on-the-benchers hanging round in handbags that you're not currently using. It really is crazy how many I own. I haven't actually counted because, honestly, I don't know where they all are, but anyway, these here are my current fave that I seem to grab over the millions of others I own. 

From top of the picture to forefront, let's start with the Kiko lip gloss. I have had a look on the Kiko website but I don't think they have the exact one I have, Kiko seem to change their product line so often it's hard to keep up. The one I have is actually a slightly plumping, ever-so-slightly creamy finished lip gloss that has a sweet mint flavour and a slight tingle on the lips. The one I've found on their website is the 3D Hydra Lipgloss which does also claim to be plumping so perhaps it is the same, although the one I have definitely isn't called the 3D Hydra lipgloss. It's really non-sticky and leaves a lovely, almost creamy finish to the lips, making them look healthy and happy. 

Next up is an absolute classic - the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. If you haven't heard of this before you must have been living under a rock, but this is an absolute beaut of a lipgloss/lipbalm. I have shade 2, Apricot Shimmer, which is a beautiful nude colour. The texture of these is beautiful, again quite creamy and not sticky, your lips feel cushioned and smooth when wearing this and as it's available in multiple shades, this is a winner for day to day wear. 

Third in line is the Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss. Now this one is more of a 'proper' lip gloss. It's much stickier than the previous two and can feel a bit tacky on the lips, but it is SO shiny and lasts a long time because of this. This is the perfect choice if you want that vinyl look to your lips and want to layer up over lipstick. This isn't one I reach for all the time because of the texture, but definitely has its own pros. 

Fourth is the Eve Lom Kiss Mix. I really do love this one because it feels like it's actually properly helping your lips whilst you wear it. This is one I generally try to remember to apply at bedtime and apply quite a thick layer to ink in overnight. It has an almost medicinal scent to it which really makes you feel like it's doing something. On the Eve Lom website it states that it can be used in extreme weather conditions, so it definitely is pretty hardy. It lasts a long time on the lips and definitely makes them feel soft and nourished. 

Finally, we have the Herbivore Coco Rose Lip Tint in Coral. As you'll know if you've read some of my more recent posts or follow me on Instagram, Herbivore is my current favourite skincare brand and this lip tint is great. I was looking for a lip balm that had a bit more colour to it because sometimes you don't want to be wearing a full on lipstick and deal with the upkeep that often comes along with that. This one is great as it definitely packs a colour pop, it's a lovely muted coral, whilst also nourishing the lips. It has coconut oil, shea butter and rose absolute oil in which gives it a great smell and consistency. 

What are some of your favourite lip balms and glosses?

Those early Summer, Spring fresh days are some of my favourite and also, I think, some of the easiest to dress for. Apart from Winter when you can literally throw anything on because you'd have a massive coat covering everything anyway, Spring/early Summer is great when it's around 15-20 degrees, the perfect outfit weather. It's not too hot so that a. you get flustered and sweaty just trying different outfits on, b. you can still wear a nice sleeve or a pair of trousers with a strappy top, meaning you don't have to have legs and arms and stomach out just to stop from melting away.

Life can be hard and the temptation to lunge half-heartedly from one exciting event to another can be draining. Life is about the big things, but it's also about embracing the every day, the mundane, the not-so-glamorous, to make each day special and to make sure you're not simply wishing your life away.

Here are four small things I like to do to bring a little happiness to my day.

1. Grab a coffee. Whilst not the most groundbreaking idea, my morning coffee genuinely feels like a treat to me and properly sets me up. It's not the caffeine boost that does it, although I'm sure that helps, but the anticipation of going in to pick it up, the small warmth and comfort it brings when I walk into work to face the day. My coffee of choice is an oat milk flat white, the perfect size to not fill me up with a milky sloshy feeling, but just enough to give me that morning pick-me-up.

2. Pick a tarot or angel card. This one is pretty niche I'll give you that, but just before I leave the house I love giving my tarot or angel cards a quick shuffle and picking one out to see what my focus and thoughts could hover around throughout the day. Don't get me wrong, by lunchtime I've usually forgotten which card I had, but I like that small minute of mindfulness before I step out of my cocoon into the real world. It makes me feel peaceful and gives me a sense of something bigger out there, something I'm connecting to even if just for a moment.

3. Send a text to a friend or family member. If I'm feeling down or just want to start my day off on a positive note, I will send a text to my mum or dad just saying morning or something mundane. I always get a lovely message back telling me to have a good day and it instantly makes me feel happy and less alone (if I'm having one of those days where I feel lonely). Even reaching out to someone that you've maybe not spoken to for a while, I always find that if I make the effort to send out messages, the joy of receiving them back and reconnecting gives me a massive uplift.

4. Do something creative. The feeling of being excited to get back to a project of some sort can be a great way to make each day feel more enjoyable and give you something to really look forward to. I believe that everyone has something that makes them excited, whether it's writing, videography, organising your photos into an album, painting, colouring - you name it I bet there's something out there that sparks a little twinge of excitement within. Nurture that and focus on it whenever you're feeling down. Make the space and the time to do the things that you enjoy, rather than just sitting in front of the TV each evening.Even if it's just one night a week you put aside to do something creative, I'll bet this will be the evening you start looking forward to most. 

What small things make you happy?

Created with natural, plant-based, food-grade ingredients, including essential and cold-pressed oils, GMO free soy wax and many of those being certified organic, as well as using recyclable and reusable packaging, Hervbivore is the reasonably new hot brand on the beauty scene. 

Besides the beautiful, aethetically pleasing packaging that would take pride of place on anyone's bathroom shelf, the products themselves are fantastic and a pleasure to use. 

I had a short consultation with the Herbivore brand representative in Liberty London and was pretty much sold straight away. So far I've used a small selection of thier products, although their range isn't massively extensive anyway, and I've enjoyed them all so far.