Danielle's Beauty Blog

I can’t believe it’s been six months on Roaccutane already, the time seems to have flown! I have a couple of days worth of tablets to take then a check-up in 6 weeks time and hopefully this round of medication sticks (third time lucky and all that) and I will continue to be acne free! I will link my previous two updates at the bottom of this post if you want to read them but for this final instalment I thought I would focus on the makeup and haircare that has been working well for me while on the tablets! 

 

My favourite side effect of Roaccutane aside from clear skin is a drier scalp meaning my normal every 2 day hair wash has gone down to once a week. What a dream! I’ve been lucky not to suffer with a flaky scalp but I still like to use my Nature Lab Tokyo Perfect Shine Clarifying Scalp Scrub (10% off with code Danielle10 on Nature Lab website). It has such a great SLS free formula and contains sugar crystals to exfoliate. It’s easy to get worked into my scalp and does a great job of getting rid of build-up leaving my hair shiny and feeling hydrated but not weighed down. Read more here in this Five Things I’m Loving post!

 

Next up, my old favourite Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector. I‘m sure you are sick of hearing me talk about this but it really is one of my favourite hair products and I have repurchased it countless times over the last 3 years! It is a bond rebuilder and I like to leave it on as long as possible before washing out and it has made my hair so much stronger and healthier. I notice far less breakage with this which is much appreciated as someone with dry ends no matter if I am on Roaccutane or not! I pick my split ends far less when I use this regularly and it’s been a life saver over the last year when the hairdressers have been out of action for so long! See more of my haircare essentials here! 

 

A more recent addition to my haircare arsenal is the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer* RRP £37 (10% off with code PKARAW). Now, this is a product I have tried a mini of before and thought it was a nice deep conditioner but never really paid much attention to. Like the Olaplex No.3 it also needs to be used regularly in order to see the benefits and I have been taking turns using one or the other each time I wash my hair. The sweet spot for me with this is an overnight session, my hair seems to drink it up and after washing out and drying, it looks shiny, my ends don’t feel dry or crispy and when I brush, I can visibly see the ‘elastic’ bounce on tangles that before would have broken. My hair doesn’t feel weighed down and I can’t wait to see more improvement with continued use! This is the limited edition Egyptian Jasmine and Mandarin scent which if I am honest I don’t love but it’s not overpowering at all and I don’t find it lingers! How beautiful is the packaging too!

 

Moving onto makeup and I treated myself to a few new bits more suited to dry skin as most of my current stuff was very much geared to my oily/combo skin though to be honest apart from month one, I would class my skin as more normal right now than very dry! The Fenty Beauty PRO FILT’R Hydrating foundation (shade 150) is absolutely beautiful! I was already a big fan of the matte version but this really brings the glow! It’s medium/full coverage, doesn’t feel heavy or settle into fine lines and lasts really well on my skin without flaking or wearing off. I resisted the NARS Soft Matte Concealer (shade Light 2 Vanilla) for a long time thinking it would be too drying but how wrong I was. It has been perfect for covering up some stubborn pigmentation I have, doesn’t disturb the makeup I put on top and a little goes a long way! It also made my Best Beauty Discoveries of last year! I also recently picked up the NARS Soft Matte Foundation (shade Deauville) which is another full coverage foundation (the only type I am interested in lol) and though the name obviously says matte it isn’t drying at all and again lasts well for me throughout a full day at work with my mask on and off. Full review here!

 

As well as those newer products I did have a few old favourites that have also risen to the occasion for me! The Becca Backlight Priming Filter is a primer I love to mix with foundations to add a little somethin’ somethin’, it feels hydrating and creates a soft focus and I am devastated the brand is ceasing trade later this year! Pick this up while you can! I chatted more about it in this Forever Repurchased post! NARS Sheer Glow foundation (shade Deauville) is an old favourite that even my oily skin loves though the longevity is better for me right now! It’s another medium/full coverage base that feels so lightweight and gives the most natural but perfected finish! Lastly for base, the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, another product I have went through countless pots of. It’s never cakey, adds a little extra coverage and while my skin is more normal, towards the end of the day with makeup on it can start to feel dry but it never looks flaky or flat when I use this. I prefer to use with a fluffy brush than a puff and a pot lasts ages so worth the investment in my opinion! Talked more about it here! 

 

Finally, some lip products I love! The NARS Afterglow Lip Balms (Dolce Vita, Fast Lane and Orgasm) and Charlotte Tilbury Superstar lips (Pillowtalk) have been my go to’s. Although my face isn’t too bad, my lips are DRY. These are my favourite long-lasting tinted lip balms (I haven’t worn lipstick in over a year more so due to lockdown/mask wearing than Roaccutane), these are hydrating, they give my lips a great my lips but better colour and the lasting power is great on them too! Spoke more about them in this lip balm post here!

 

So that’s it for my Roaccutane hair and makeup favourites - I have a check-up in 6 weeks once the medication is out of my system but I’m not sure if I will have any other posts about it! I’m just really hoping it doesn’t come back so keep your fingers crossed for me! Did you see any of your favourites mentioned?

 

If you want to read the other instalments in this series see below!

 

Roaccutane Diaries | Month 1 | Skincare

Roaccutane Diaries | Month 3 | Bodycare

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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I thought it was about time for an update on how I’m doing on Roaccutane! I just picked up my fourth month (out of six) last week and things are still going really well! Thankfully, I haven’t had any of the serious side effects, my face is looking and feeling a lot smoother and I have no active acne! I am still using the products I talked about in my first Roaccutane post as well as a few new ones for my pigmentation that I’m not finished testing out yet so for this update I thought I would concentrate on the body products I have been using over the last few months! I have noticed the skin on my body becoming a bit drier and I have been getting some small patches of itchy skin on my hands and legs and drier skin is a side effect of Roaccutane. Now, I do tend to experience this in winter anyway but overall, I generally don’t have sensitive skin on my body and I don’t suffer with eczema or psoriasis. 

 

 

First up, I was actually given some Aveeno products on prescription which makes a change from I think Doublebase the last time I was on it! I believe the Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Wash RRP £9.59 has caused a bit of controversy recently as its been recently reformulated to include Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS). Although this is something I avoid like the plague in my haircare it’s in all of my shower products and I have personally never had a reaction or experienced sensitive skin with it! I find the body wash to be gentle while still working well to cleanse my body although I would prefer a pump on the bottle especially as I have the large size! Matching this, I also have the Aveeno Cream RRP £15.99 and I have already gone through a huge 500ml of this before Christmas and I love it! It hydrates my skin all day long and sinks in quickly! It contains Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil which I talked about more in this post but basically it works to help lock in moisture in the skin which is what I need right now and these are both fragrance free! 

 

 

The Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Nourishing Anti-Irritation Shower Oil RRP £10.50 has been mentioned quite a few times on my blog already so I won’t bore you but I bloody love this stuff! It doesn’t feel greasy at all and can also double up as a makeup remover. As well as being hydrating, it leaves my skin feeling supple and smooth after use and a little goes a long way! I was also kindly sent some more Bioderma body products before Christmas which I have also been enjoying. The Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Gentle Shower Gel* RRP £8.80 and Bioderma Atoderm Crème* RRP £12.50 are another two products perfect for my drier than normal skin right now. The shower gel feels lovely and doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight and the crème (also containing paraffinum liquidum) is soothing on my skin and again keeps it hydrated all day long and doesn’t leave my wanting to itch my skin later in the day! They all have a very subtle light scent too (though I can’t detect any in the creme) but worth bearing in mind that there is fragrance if you have super sensitive skin – it doesn’t bother me! I was also sent the Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Repair hand cream* RRP £4.50 which is a lovely, lightweight cream that sinks in quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind! Again, it’s very lightly scented and it’s been perfect for moisturising my hands after copious amounts of hand sanitizer!

 

Although I love the above products, sometimes I do just want a little more scent and luxury and the Dermalogica Phyto Replenish Body Oil* (full size £49) has been providing just that! I was tempted to keep this good and use it before an occasion then I wised up as we know those are few and far between right now. This is such a beautiful lightweight oil and I have been applying before bed and waking up to soft, supple skin. The mini has a rollerball which makes it a dream to apply – I am usually messy with oils but not this one and the bergamot and neroli scent is gorgeous and not overpowering at all!

 

I also want to give a shout out to the Frank Body Coconut Coffee Scrub RRP £7.95 for also keeping my skin smooth and hydrated! I don’t use this as often as I would like because it creates such a mess but every time I do I am reminded how great a product it is! If you are doing a big pamper session it’s a must and no other exfoliator leaves my skin as soft as this one! It’s gritty but gentle and the coconut oil keeps skin hydrated!

 

As the Aveeno is unscented and the Bioderma is very lightly scented sometimes I do want something stronger and the OUAI Body Crème RRP £32 (mine were limited edition holiday releases) and Sol De Janeiro Bum Bum Cream RRP £18 are always a winner for me! Hydrating (but more expensive than the others I’ve mentioned so too good for every day haha), sink in quickly and smell incredible!

 

Escentual regularly have offers on Bioderma and French Pharmacy products keep an eye out and stock up on any products you are eyeing up! Let me know what your favourite body products are for dry skin!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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If you read my blog regularly or follow me on Instagram you might have heard me talking about starting Roaccutane (also known as Accutane or more broadly as Isotretinoin) again recently. This will actually be my third time on the drug, the first was when I was about 15, then again when I was 18 and now at the grand old age of 30 (not sure when that happened!).

I’ve struggled with acne basically since puberty hit, I have oily skin and no matter what fancy products I use, antibiotics or vitamins I take, nothing really gets rid of it for long. While in the months following my first two bouts of treatment my skin was clear, slowly my acne came back though not as severely and mostly I could deal with it. For the past year however, it’s been pretty constant and nothing was helping so finally I rang my doctor to enquire about the possibility of going back on the stronger stuff. He told me the waiting list would be months so I made a private dermatology appointment shortly after that to get things moving quicker and finally got my first months’ worth of tablets on 23^rd October and I will be on a six month course!

There are a whole host of tests and questions to answer before starting treatment and a long list of side effects that they go through but this blog post will be the length of a short novel if I go through everything so I’m going to keep it skin orientated! Unfortunately I can’t remember what dose I was on the previous couple of times nor what products I used to help with dry skin so I do feel like I’m starting from fresh! My doctor prescribed me 50mg a day, she normally prescribes 40mg but we discussed the fact I had not experienced any severe side effects (depression etc.) the last two times I was on the drug and coupled with the fact my acne came back, she went higher. Throughout my course I will see the nurses every month before I am prescribed my next month’s supply so should my skin be drying out too much or if I feel any other negative side effects my dosage could change.  

 

Four days in I could not believe how quickly my skin dried out! I had stopped using retinol the week before I started Roaccutane (which is basically a strong dose of Vitamin A) and was avoiding any acids as well but I got in from work one day and couldn’t get over how flaky and tight my skin looked and felt! I took my makeup off straight away and made a few orders for some more hydrating products as I realised a lot of my stash wasn’t as suited to dry and sensitive skin as I first thought and I really wanted to simplify my routine. About two weeks in my skin started purging and I still have some huge boil like spots kicking about on my face which is just the medication working. Overall, my dryness has really settled down and the flaking when I wear makeup is minimal! I’m a serial facial mister at the best of times so I have been doing that even more! 

 

Here's a run-down of what’s been saving my skin the last month! The Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm needs no introduction – it’s the most luxurious and hydrating cleanser that removes makeup with ease! I also picked up the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser to use as a second cleanse and in the mornings and its very simple but effective! I’m all about the hydrating toners and have been reaching for Pyunkang Yul Essene Toner after cleansing. It’s a gel formula and feels so soothing on the skin! I’ll follow with a mist like the Pyunkang Yul Mist Toner to dampen my skin (and to add hydration throughout the day too) before applying Hada Labo Lotion No1 Super Hydrator. This is a huge bottle of hyaluronic acid and it’s been so effective at keeping dry patches at bay! Next, I’ll go in with the I’m From Mugwort Essence which has been a really nice extra step for me considering I usually forget about essences but this is a lovely layer of hydration my skin thanks me for! Following that, I’ll apply the Vichy Mineral 89 serum because you can never have enough hydration then if it’s the morning and I plan to wear makeup, the Bioderma Sebium Hydra* has been amazing underneath! My lips are covered in the Bioderma Atoderm lip balm* at the minute too, it keeps my lips hydrated, lasts well and is perfect underneath a face mask too! 

At night I’ll alternate between my old faithful Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Hydrating Mask or mix some Dermalogica Barrier Defence Booster* with something like the CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion. I was also prescribed a very fetching tub of paraffin which I used at the very start as my skin was drying out so quickly overnight however over the past couple of weeks it hasn’t been necessary though I do apply quite a few layers of moisturiser before bed! The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask has been keeping my lips hydrated and comfortable overnight and lasts through to the morning time which is amazing! 

My body doesn’t feel dry but it took about two weeks for my favourite side effect (apart from clearer skin of course) to kick in and my once greasy scalp that needed washed every other day is now giving me six days of grease free good hair days! No flaky scalp…yet. I have also experienced a couple of nose bleeds which is another side effect of the drug and I don’t think I’ve had a nosebleed since the last time I was on it so that’s fun haha. It always seems to happen when I’m in the middle of doing my makeup – specifically when I am using my BeautyBlender around my nose so I guess that’s why, maybe I need to bounce a bit lighter! 

 

Congratulations if you made it to the end of this bumper post! I’m not sure if I’ll do monthly updates or maybe just one at three and six months but it’s nice to document and hopefully some of the skincare suggestions are helpful to you if you are also on treatment or just experience dry/sensitive skin! Let me know what your favourite products for dry or sensitive skin are! 

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here. 

 

Danielle xx

 

If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me on

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