5 things I love this week: Mid October 2021

The weekend is coming up, which means it’s time to treat ourselves to a few small, affordable bargains, with prices starting from £2.50 and not going too much higher than that. Here’s what’s really caught my eye over the last few days, including some lovely bling, nibbles, skincare and more.

JewelleryBox Sterling silver & 4mm garnet studs | £4.65. Buy here.

I love this dinky little pair of real gemstone studs for an autumnal pop of wine red colour. The backs are 925 sterling silver, and they’re great for under five pounds.  If garnet isn’t your colour, they also have them in lapis lazuli (blue) or carnelian (deep orange) in this price bracket, or for a little more (£5.25) they have tiger’s eye or malachite. These earrings are also mercifully low maintenance, allowing you to put on and take off any face coverings without their ear loops getting snagged on the jewellery.

JewelleryBox Sterling silver 4mm karma circle stud earrings | £4.95. Buy here.

Another pair of teeny tiny earrings, this time with a minimalist circle shape, just right for everyday use when you want something low key and easy but still interesting. These are part of their absolutely huge recycled silver and gold collection, created to reduce environmental impact and move away from mining. JewelleryBox has a whole ‘under £5’ section that’s worth a trawl, and orders over £10 get free postage and packing.

Nakd Almond macaroon fruit & nut bars | £2.50 for 4x35g . Buy at Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.

Snack time! Something tasty for your mid-week tea break now. These are a 2021 addition to the Nakd range of raw food bars, which are just dried fruit and nuts smooshed up without any added sugar or syrup, with a gentle almond and vanilla flavour. Not as crispy or posh as an incy wincy French macaron, but more filling and probably a bit better for you, as long as you don’t have nut allergies.

Beverly Hills Formula Professional white advanced 2 in 1 whitening kit* | RRP £25.00. On offer at the moment for £12.50 at Superdrug and £14.50 at FragranceDirect.

Most off-the-shelf dental whitening kits in the UK don’t really work beyond removing the very lightest of surface stains, but I’m happy to report that this Beverly Hills Formula product started to give me gentle tooth whitening effects after just three uses, and there was an obvious shade difference by the end of the 14-day course. The box contains 28 whitening strips (14 upper and 14 lower) and a touch-up pen, both of which contain safe levels of hydrogen peroxide.

If you haven’t tried whitening strips before, there’s a bit of a learning curve with applying them smoothly so you don’t miss any areas of tooth, and generally keeping them on for an hour remembering not to eat and drink, but getting the hang of it is fine. I found this version easy to use, with a light minty flavour, and straightforward instructions and safety information. The effects aren’t as intense as a session of whitening done by a dentist, but for a home kit they’re quite impressive.

Dermatica Ultralight recovery moisturiser | £9.90 for 30ml. Buy here.

In a nutshell, this is an excellent hydrating, soothing, skin barrier repair moisturiser that’s been created by dermatologists and formulation scientists. It’s ideal for this time of year, when cold weather and central heating can cause skin dryness and irritation, or you’ve got sensitivity after using strong skincare ingredients. This light cream/lotion contains squalane, ceramides, shea butter esters, panthenol and sodium hyaluronate to soothe, hydrate and replenish the skin, plus niacinamide and sodium ascorbyl phosphate (a gentle form of  vitamin C) to refine, brighten, and fight blemishes.

It’s fragrance free, alcohol free, cruelty free, suitable for vegans, and comes in recyclable packaging. Housed in an airless pump dispenser to keep the ingredients fresh, you only need one or two pumps of moisturiser to treat the whole face and I found the bottle lasted me more than two months for nighttime use. Not bad for something that costs less than a tenner, and all in all a bit of a bargain that should help most people’s skin.

Back next time with some more good value goodies. See you soon.

Disclaimer: All things bought by myself, apart from items marked with “*” which are review samples kindly provided by PRs for an honest review without obligations.