Before I begin to talk about makeup, I just want to acknowledge that there’s been a lot of dark and horrific things happening in the world lately.

Of course, there’s always been evil out there, but in the last year or two it seems to have ramped up to epic proportions, and not a month is going by without news of something unimaginably dreadful.

Sometimes, writing about beauty seems like too much levity when things out there are hateful. But so much of the internet is full of catastrophe, that I actually think this is what’s needed. Let’s reclaim the internet for its higher purpose – the world needs more cat memes, more videos of babies dancing and dogs skateboarding, and definitely more pretty, sparkly things.

It won’t take away from the darkness outside the window, but it is a sort of two fingers up to all these unhinged extremists who would seek to crush any joy from the world and make it a sad, drab place. Let’s become their worst nightmare – educated, independent and wearing all the lipgloss we damn well please!

We seem to be hitting what might almost be summer (I live in Britain, it’s never a definite here…), so I thought I’d share my newest beauty essentials, products I’ve discovered lately and have been really enjoying using.

The change of seasons is always a good cue to change up your routine and discover some new products to love. And the best part? All the products below are effective and kind to your purse…

Have you discovered Stella and Dot yet? The on-trend jewellery and accessories brand has been on my radar for a while, but I’d never actually ordered anything until a few weeks ago.

I took the plunge and ordered one piece, then got another couple for my birthday at the beginning of the month and all of a sudden I’ve started to develop a little collection.

Another month, another Birchbox. And although I think the glory days of receiving full-size luxury products are all but gone, I thought this June’s offering was actually pretty nice. So no cancelled subscription yet!

This month, instead of a box, the goodies came in a reusable bag. I absolutely love this idea. They did a bag last year and I still use it now – in fact, I’d be thrilled if they did a bag every month, because I’m sort of harbouring a low-key obsession with cute little pouches.

This one was a pastel striped zip pouch with a little rope grab handle, which I’m sure I’ll find a great use for! The bag design is inspired by Brighton Beach, which is a place I have happy childhood memories of, so it made me smile – watercolour sunsets, chalk-coloured beach huts, sorbet ice-creams and sticks of rock. I really like that this pouch is different from the last design they had, both in design and in dimension.

Have you heard of Beauty Pie? The brainchild of Bliss Spa and Soap and Glory founder Marcia Kilgore, the brand is a new way of buying beauty products that makes bold promises of 'liberating women' - as well as selling them mascaras and lipsticks at factory price.

I signed up excitedly a couple of months ago, but my first order of products was a bit of a mixed bag, and overall I wasn't hugely impressed  - you can see my initial Beauty Pie review here.

Basically, you pay a monthly membership fee in return for being able to order the products at a low 'member's price'. You can still buy the products if you aren't a member, but it will cost you dear.

The products are supposedly formulated to the same specifications and in the same factories as big name luxury brands that cost top dollar. Beauty Pie won't state which, but a little search engine sherlock-ing will reveal a few products where those who are especially keen have done line-by-line ingredients comparisons and worked it out.

Last time, although there were a couple of products I liked, there were equally a few disappointing ones that left me feeling like I wouldn't be renewing my membership. You have to sign up for three months at a time, but last month I didn't order anything. This month though, I decided to have one last bite of the pie before cancelling my subscription.

Let's talk about midis. The style so named for hitting at the mid-point of your leg is having a loooong moment.

Yesterday was my birthday! I always used to do a post about the day, but then I stopped last year for some reason. I've decided to revive the tradition and do a post about yesterday.

Traditionally, I haven't been a huge fan of birthdays. I'm not sure why, but something about them makes me feel a little bit sad.

As soon as I got to 18 and could do everything I wanted to legally, I sort of stopped looking forward to them. But I've decided that is the wrong attitude, and I should use them as a chance to celebrate another year, not be sad it's over!