Five things I'm loving this week: Lockdown edition part 3

The clocks have changed, the weather’s frankly a little bit pants, and it’s suddenly so much darker in the evenings. Argh! A new round of lockdown calls for a few affordable treats to brighten up everyday life, so here are my latest product reviews and recommendations.

Black long sleeve floral midi dress | Matalan, £14.00.

First up we have this great midi dress and let me tell you it looks so much nicer in real life than it does in the pictures on the Matalan website. Perfect autumn colours in the print, long sleeves, falls to calf length on me (average height), and available in sizes 8 to 20.

It’s made from a sort of textured, stretchy material and I wouldn’t exactly call it jersey as such, but for the price it’s great. This casual easy-to-wear day dress skims but doesn’t cling to the body, and as the temperature drops I’ll be teaming it with chunky cardigans, warm tights and army boots.

Revolution Skincare Nourishing Boost Avocado Eye Cream, RRP £8.00 | Find it at Revolution and Superdrug.

Weeeell now, from the ingredients list this looks very very similar to Kiehl’s cult favourite Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, but at a fraction of the price. Maybe not so eerily similar they’d get sued for it, seeing as the INCI list is slightly different and it’s perhaps a bit less rich, but certainly similar enough with the main ingredients if you’re hankering after the spendy OG version and can’t justify the price tag. It’s a non-greasy but still gently emollient cream based on shea butter and avocado oil, and I reckon £8.00 is more affordable.

Not everyone needs an eye cream but my eyes are currently having their annual ‘oh no the central heating’s kicked in‘ freak out and right now I definitely do need one. This is a simple way to add a touch of extra moisture without causing irritation (obviously everyone’s different so patch test it before use), and I like that it’s fragrance free and essentially nicely bland. There are no fancy anti-ageing ingredients in it, but you could layer it over an eye-safe serum etc if you wanted to.

Punchy Golden Hour 0% (Blood orange, bitters & cardamom) 250ml | Buy at Punchy (from £12.00 for 6), or £1.50 each at Ocado.

I love a good non-alcoholic drink on weeknights, and Punchy have just won a Great Taste Award for their latest mocktail. It’s a refreshing, low sugar offering with juicy oranges, a touch of bitterness and a hint of cardamom for interest. Orange flavoured drinks are usually too strong or sickly sweet for my liking, but this is a lighter, more thirst quenching variety that feels more grown up, and I might get a few more of these in for Christmas sipping.

Punchy also offer their flavours in a low alcohol 4% version with a black background label, and the alcoholic one has scotch whisky in it. I haven’t tried that version but it costs £2.50 per can and gets good reviews on Ocado.

Purito Comfy Water Sun Block SPF 50+ PA++++, 60ml | £16.00 at Beauty&Seoul or on offer for £14.45 at Skinsider.

This is a very, very gentle mineral sunscreen that’s unscented, non-sticky and oil free, just what I want when my sensitive skin is playing up. This is lightweight, non-irritating, sinks in easily and it doesn’t leave a white cast on me at all, although I’m fair skinned so it might be different if you have a darker skintone. It gives good protection against both UVA and UVB rays, and it’s also safe to use on children. Dry skin types will definitely need a moisturiser underneath this, and I tend to put it over a hydrating serum.

It’s not waterproof, so I don’t think I’d take this one on holiday or wear it in sweltering hot weather, but it’s great for the price and is a really nice bit of Korean skincare that you might like to try out. Remember to let it dry completely for at least a couple of minutes if you’re going to apply primer over the top of it otherwise it can pill up, but apart from that I have zero complaints. I’ve used Beauty and Seoul a couple of times now and both times I was really impressed by the good customer service, plus you might get a free sample sachet or two in your order.

Yogi Tea Classic, 17 teabags | Buy for £2.35 at Amazon, or Ocado.

Yes, this has indeed been around for a while, but I’ve happily rediscovered it since the clocks went back. This is my favourite chai spice flavoured tea and it’s lovely and warming, plus it’s caffeine free so it can be drunk in the evenings without keeping you awake. It’s especially nice if you make it with half and half water and almond milk for a chai latte sort of drink that’s a bit of a rainy day treat, and the main flavours are cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and clove.

Nearly everything this week has been kept under £10.00 because I’m keeping the treats small and affordable for the time being. Let me know which one’s your favourite!