Danielle's Beauty Blog: body shop

Sunday, 14 March 2021

Current Skincare | Cleansers #4

My cleanser obsession isn’t showing any signs of slowing down so here is the latest instalment of my current cleansers!

First Cleanse

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution* RRP £11

I hadn’t tried too many micellar waters before this one and I have no interest in trying any others as this one is so good! I use it to remove the bulk of my makeup before going in with a balm or oil and it is lovely. The formula is gentle, non-astringent and really just feels like water, I was shocked at how much makeup it removed while leaving no residue or film behind! I would say it struggles a little with my waterproof mascara but that doesn’t concern me as I always follow up with another cleanser! Full review here!

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser RRP £5.50

I am gutted this one is nearly finished! I was so late to the hype over it and it really is a beautiful, affordable cleanser! It feels so hydrating and turns from a creamy balm to a lightweight oil making quick work of removing makeup and never leaving my skin tight when I remove! I will definitely be picking up the jumbo size once this is finished and I get through another few cleansers! This also featured in a recent post all about my favourite affordable skincare picks!

Dr Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Marine Meltaway Cleanser RRP £30

Getting into pricier territory now and this cleanser like the name suggests is packed full of hyaluronic acid and is oil free. It is super creamy and almost feels like rubbing a moisturiser over makeup but again removes it easily (I use a damp face cloth). It’s also got quite an enjoyable sweet marshmellowy scent that adds to the experience and I love the bright blue packaging! My skin feels plump and hydrated after using and while I like this I don’t love it so probably won’t repurchase!

Jordan Samuel Skin The After Show Treatment Cleanser RRP £20

This is a brand I had wanted to try for ages as it’s so heavily hyped and I finally picked up this cleanser just before Christmas. It’s a thick, gel to oil formula so feels very rich and contains plant based oils and natural exfoliators and has a citrus scent. Again, this makes easy work of eradicating my makeup and spreads easily over my face before I remove with a face cloth. My face feels clean and hydrated after use but this is another one I just like and don’t love and I don’t think it will be a repurchase for me!

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm RRP £47

My HG favourite cleanser and this also featured before way back in my first cleanser collection post! This is the most luxurious balm I have ever tried and as well as being an overall experience it works beautifully to remove my makeup. The balm melts easily and breaks down makeup and the cleansing cloth that comes with it is really thick and soft so perfect for removing the balm. The moringa scent is so uplifting and my skin always feels soft and hydrated after use! It’s the most expensive cleanser in my collection and it’s well worth the money in my opinion, this size pot will last me a lifetime and Look Fantastic always have if on offer so I’ve never actually paid full price for it! I also talked about it more in this post!

Emma Hardie moringa cleansing balm review

Second/Morning Cleanse

Cerave Hydrating Cleanser RRP £9.50

Another great budget pick and one I have already mentioned a couple of times before! It’s so simple, full of ceramides and hyaluronic acid and leaves my skin feeling clean, hydrated and never tight! I got this right when I started Roaccutane in October and have used it almost daily since so it lasts a long time too! Can’t recommend this one enough and it also made my best beauty discoveries of 2020 post!

The Body Shop Deep Cleansing Seaweed Facial Wash RRP £8.50

My mum got me this for Christmas and even though it’s aimed more at combo-oily skin I opened it anyway! Aside from month one on Roaccutane I would classify my skin more as normal than dry the rest of the time I have been on it and I was expecting this to be drying considering it contains SLS and foams but I was pleasantly surprised! It doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or dry and the scent is very refreshing! I’m going to save some of this for summer as I’d like to see how it performs when my skin becomes more oily again!

Scientia Peachy Clean Milky Oil Cleanser* RRP £24

The newest cleanser to my collection and one that contains oils and glycerin to replenish and maintain moisture. Although this does remove makeup, personally, I prefer something more heavy duty as my main first/makeup cleanse so this has become a second and morning cleanser for me. It feels lightweight and has a pleasant peach scent and the milky liquid emulsifies on contact with water. After rinsing or using a face cloth my skin feels hydrated and soft. There is no tight feeling after use and no residue is left behind! Read my full review from last week’s post here!

And that concludes my current cleansers! Well my open ones anyway! I actually have a few more in my stash as you can see below – what can I say, I am a cleanser junkie! If you want to see the other instalments in this series click here for One, Two and Three! Let me know your favourite cleansers in the comments!

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

danielles beauty blog cleanser collection

Danielle xx

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Product Empties #26

product empties reviews Bardot vaseline BeautyBio olaplex

Another month another empties post! So close to finishing so many other products at the minute as well but they weren’t quite ready for this post and good job too as it’s a big one again!

Bodycare

Vaseline Intensive Care Essential Healing non greasy lotion

Love this stuff, it’s so lightweight yet hydrating and the scent is so soothing to me! Already repurchased!

Lush Snow Fairy shower gel

Sickly sweet but nostalgic and I buy one every year as it's limited edition! I actually picked this up in the sale after Christmas as its expensive and I savoured every last drop! Will buy again when it’s out later this year!

Marks and Spencer Rose and Lavender hand creams

Got these for Christmas and been using them up at work, I don’t love the scent as I find them a little old fashioned but they do an OK job of hydrating my hands after my many handwashes through the day. Will not repurchase.

Bath and Body Works Stress Relief Eucalyptus and Spearmint anti-bacterial hand gel

My favourite hand sanitisers as I am obsessed with the scent. Wish I could get these at home! Have a few backups and will repurchase in the future.

Skincare

BeautyBio The Balance pH Balancing Cleanser*

A really lovely gel cleanser that’s got quite a medicated smell which I personally love! Didn’t strip my skin at all and you can read more about it here! Would only repurchase if I saw a good discount as I think its overpriced at £45 for 180ml.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater (236ml and 118ml)

One of my favourite facial sprays, this is so hydrating and refreshing and I love having this in my handbag or on my desk at work to spritz throughout the day! Have a few others on the go at the minute but I’m sure it won’t be long before I repurchase!

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter

I spoke about this recently in my budget skincare post and I think it’s amazing whatever your budget! It feels so luxurious and it melts away all traces of makeup easily as well as not being irritating on the eyes. Perfect to travel with too as the tin is so lightweight! Will repurchase in the future.

Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight hydrating mask

Another favourite – this is one of my most repurchased skincare items! My skin quite literally does drink this up and always feels plump and hydrated in the morning. Have already repurchased the full size!

Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex

I originally thought this was going to be a cream texture with a metal applicator so I started out being a little disappointed by this as it’s a gel in a pump (I think since I purchased it now has a metal applicator). However, once I got over that I really enjoyed its cooling properties and found it to be hydrating enough too, it’s also got niacinamide which I love. Might come back to it in the future but going to try a few others first.

The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid

This is my second bottle of this and I always seem to resort to it when I’m desperate and almost out as it’s so easily available. But, it does not do a thing for me in terms of helping with hydration and I find the formula a little watery and sticky as opposed to thick and easily spreadable like say NIOD MMHC or Mabel + Meg Lumilixir. Won’t be repurchasing – if you want a good budget hyaluronic acid, the Good Molecules offering is the best I have come across so far!

Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-aging cream

Nice overnight cream but didn’t blow me away (probably because it was just a sample as I know so many people swear by Algenist!) Wouldn’t repurchase.

Blistex Lip Medex lip balm

My favourite budget overnight lip balm. Love the medicated scent and it stays on all night. Will repurchase once I finish up a few others!

Dr Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Acid

Now this formula is what I’m talking about! Really lovely but way out of my budget at £235 for 30ml so will not be repurchasing!

Sephora Rose lip balm

Not very hydrating, won’t be repurchasing!

Fresh Sugar Rose tinted lip treatment

Bit of a cult classic now, these balms are lovely and hydrating but I hate how “melty” the stick is so won’t be repurchasing! Shocked at how much was left in the tube too, I scraped it out while I was still working from home haha.

Haircare

Bardot Dry Shampoo

Picked two of these up when they were on offer a while back for £2.50 rather than £19. Really nice formula, soaked up excess oils without making my hair look dull and left no white cast but I don’t love the scent, little too floral for me. Would repurchase if on offer again.

Klorane Anti-Pollution detox shampoo with Aquatic Mint (giveaway prize and previous PR relationship)

Really refreshing scent and Klorane products are so gentle they work great with my tangled hair. Cleansed well and I would repurchase again but probably go for the original oat milk!

Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector

One of my favourite hair treatments and one I have repurchased many times now! I like to leave this on for a few hours and after washing out my hair is softer and feels more hydrated which is essential for me as my ends are so dry! Read more about it here!

Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

Really impressed with how much this lathered up with such a small amount considering its SLS free and my hair always feels super clean after use! I don’t love the scent as it’s a little too citrus/lemony for me but I would repurchase again in the future.

Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

Another one I’m impressed with – this is a lovely thick conditioner that makes my hair soft and manageable but again I don’t love the scent. Would overlook it to buy again though as it’s so good!

Makeup

Revlon Colorstay foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in Buff

One of my most repurchased makeup items! It’s my favourite budget foundation as it offers good coverage and it's matte and I wrote more about it here! Already repurchased and have several back-ups!

Well done if you made it to the end of that! I have quite a few almost finished products again already so I’ll probably have another one of these up soon! Do you love finishing products as much as me haha?

*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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Best Budget Skincare

Hi everyone, welcome back! Today I thought I would talk about some of my favourite budget skincare brands and products! As someone whose tastes are getting more expensive, finding these gems gives my bank balance a little break!

Starting with one of my favourites, The Ordinary is probably the OG budget skincare brand that everyone got on board with as they are so effective but affordable and they have so many products that I love! The Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA are amazing for blemish prone skin - I mix them before applying to my face and they do wonders for congestion and brightening. The AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution mask is potent and my skin always feels so soft and looks so smooth after use. The Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is another great option from them! This has been working really well on the texture of my skin caused by blemishes! I do also love their more expensive brand NIOD and have a whole blog post here on my favourites from Deciem as a whole!

The Inkey List have released a crazy amount of products recently and there are so many I want to try but my favourites from them are their Retinol Serum - so gentle but effective and I always wake up with plump glowy skin after using it and their Caffeine eye cream which is lovely and lightweight and great for puffiness. I would say though that I don’t love their hyaluronic acid, it doesn't do enough for me and their niacinamide and alpha arbutin aren't as effective as the Ordinary’s on my skin!

Good Molecules is a brand I've been lucky to been gifted some items from and I cannot rave about them enough! They are sold on Beautylish as well as their own website and their pricing is amazing for the quality of the products! Some of my favourites are pictured here, the Hyaluronic Acid* is the best budget option I've tried (miles ahead of The Ordinary and Inkey List versions), the Niacinamide Brightening Toner* is so gentle and brightening and the Pineapple Exfoliating Powder* makes my skin feel so soft and smooth as it exfoliates away the dullness! I've written more about them on my blog here!

I couldn’t do a budget skincare post without including my favourite Nivea Double Effect eye makeup remover as it’s one of my most long term skincare items. It’s dual phase formula makes taking off waterproof eye makeup a breeze! It is gentle, doesn't sting my eyes or dry out the skin around them! A must have on everyone’s skincare shelf!

I talked about The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter recently here but in short it’s a beautiful, gentle effective cleansing balm! It does a great job of removing makeup and the tin lasts ages! It’s also so lightweight and perfect for travelling with (though I won't be doing that for a while).

Lastly, I have to mention the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater! This facial mist is one of my favourites and I usually have a couple kicking around! I use it so much throughout the day as it’s so cooling and hydrating and as I work in an office it's perfect for when my skin gets dried out!

I would love to know your favourite budget skincare products or brands! There are so many that I haven’t tried! Hope you all have a lovely week!

*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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Current Skincare | Cleansers #2

cleanser review Dermalogica beautybio disciple body shop

You know when you start a blog series, do one post then it falls by the wayside? Well that’s what happened with this series unfortunately but today I am bringing it back! I do have a few more cleansers in my back up stash but this is what I currently have on rotation!

cleanser review Dermalogica body shop disciple

The First Cleanse/PM Cleanse

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter RRP £11

This is my budget pick and one that is perfect to travel (even though no one is doing much of that lately) with as it’s so light! I had this with me all last summer while I was roadtripping and while I've neglected it a little recently as I've been busy using up the others I can’t recommend this enough! It’s rich, removes makeup with ease and is perfect for sensitive skin!

Disciple Night Shift Oil cleanser RRP £27

I had some minis of their facial oils so wanted to try more of the range. I don't love this quite as much as the face oils but this is still a really lovely luxurious oil cleanser and its full of fruit oils and AHA’s! It removes makeup with ease (it comes with a face cloth too) and I love the green packaging however it does seem to collect some product buildup around the pump. I wish this was scented a bit more like the facial oils as that would really have sold it for me but my skin does feel calm and plump after use!

Dermalogica Precleanse* RRP £39.50

This has such an uplifting scent due to the citrus scent and a little goes a long way! It removes makeup very easily - I massage a pump into my face then add some water to my finger tips and massage again before using a flannel to remove. I do find this slightly irritates my eyes however unfortunately due to the citric additions which is a pity!

The Second Cleanse/AM Cleanse
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel* RRP £33

I'd probably go as far as to say this is my favourite out of the whole bunch I have here! When I first received it I have to say I wasn’t expecting much as I’ve never been blown away by a gel cleanser and always thought they were a little drying however this completely changed my opinion! This is so gentle, there is barely any lather but it cleanses so well, doesn't dry out my skin and it never feels tight after use. You can see my full post on this and the Precleanse oil here!

Dermalogica Active Clay Cleanser* RRP £35

This is the newest addiction to my cleanser collection and one I have been thoroughly enjoying since I received it about 4 weeks ago now! It's a thick dark clay based prebiotic cleanser so perfect for oily skin! This deeply cleans and absorbs excess oil and I can only imagine my skin will love this even more once we move into summer and it goes full oily as it drinks up the Kaolin clay haha! If I have a little extra time I sometimes apply a layer over my face and use as a quick face mask while I jump in the shower. It doesn't completely dry down so feels super comfortable and once rinsed off my skin feels soft and matte but not flaky or dry! My cleansers all stay in the bathroom and my mum recently said "oh that new Dermalogica one in the bathroom is nice isn't it?" so it’s got the seal of approval from her too!

BeautyBio The Balance pH Balancing Cleanser* RRP £45

Another lovely gel formulation and I love the scent of this one (maybe keep that in mind if you have very sensitive skin). Not 100% sure what it is but kind of smells like eucalyptus to me! This one is designed to restore the skins ideal pH, keep oils at bay and in turn combat blemishes while ensuring the skin doesn’t dry out. It’s lightweight, feels slippery and the gel lathers nicely with my skin never feeling stripped or dry after I use it and it doesn’t irritate my eyes. Unfortunately I do think the products from this brand are a little overpriced though! See my full post here!

If you would like to see the first post in this series check it out here! I hope you found some ideas if you are on the lookout for a new cleanser! Let me know your favourite cleansers please!

P.S. If you have any tips on how to make the font behave please let me know! I removed all formatting and set it to default font and normal sizing in blogger and it didn't work, so frustrating!

*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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Product Empties #5

product empties skincare haircare bodycre makeup soap and glory nivea la roche posay antipodes revlon dkny batiste

Hi guys, another bumper edition of my empties today and as usual it’s heavy on Soap and Glory so let’s get straight into it!

Haircare

Batiste Dry Shampoo 200ml

This isn’t my favourite dry shampoo ever but for the price I can’t complain too much! It has a nice smell and is good value for money as it’s always on offer (I buy mine in Savers). The only gripe I do have with it is the white cast it can leave on my hair so I have to make sure I really rub it in well but it might work better for blondes! Will repurchase in the future but for now my beloved VO5 dry shampoo is finally back in stock and I’m using that!

Bodycare

Nivea Waterlily & Oil Shower Gel 250ml

I loved the smell of this and would definitely repurchase!

Soap and Glory Pulp Friction Body Scrub 250ml

By far the best scrub I have ever used, foams up unlike any other scrubs I've used in the past and makes it so easy to scrub off tan! I love using this with exfoliating gloves to get rid of any worn off patches and it is a constant repurchase!

Soap and Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream 125ml

This is a lovely thick green cream that I apply (when I remember) liberally to my feet at night then put bed socks on to let it soak in. It has taken me absolutely ages to finish this and while it’s a great moisturiser I do find myself getting a little bored of it. Already using a backup and I probably have about 3 or 4 other backups of that too!

Soap and Glory Hand Dream Super Cream Hand Cream 100ml

I think I’d go as far as to say I prefer this to the original Hand Food hand cream S&G do! It’s a lovely moisturiser that is really lightweight and soaks in quickly and I’m only realising now that it contains AHA’s which although make your skin more sensitive to sunlight are great for evening out skin tone among other things! Will definitely be repurchasing!

Nivea Soft Moisturising Cream 75ml

As you will have seen from this post, I use this mainly for rubbing on the back of my arms to help get rid of keratosis pilaris otherwise known as those annoying bumps people sometimes get on the back of their arms! It does a great job of moisturising them and helping them become less noticeable and I love the fresh clean scent it has! Constant repurchase!

Skincare

Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing Toner for Normal & Combination Skin 200ml

I have went through so many of these but to be honest I think this will be the last for a while as I was starting to find it a little drying on me. It’s good if you are on a budget but I think for me I was switching between using this and Pixi Glow Tonic and could tell the difference a little too much! Won’t be repurchasing!

La Roche-Posay Serozinc 150ml

I got sucked into the hype with this one and ordered a bottle straight away when it came to Escentual! I don’t know how it works but it definitely did good things for my acne prone skin and felt really refreshing to use as well as seemingly calming my skin down! I have a few Caudalie sprays to get through then I will definitely be repurchasing!

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Age Support Cream 15ml

I got this in a set along with the cleansing balm that was featured in a previous empties. It was a lovely cream to use but I didn’t notice a massive difference compared to any other creams I use so I wouldn’t repurchase, the cleansing balm on the other hand was swiftly repurchased!

Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF 25 10ml

I got this in a try me set a good few months back now and was shocked when I saw the tiny size of the samples as the kit wasn’t cheap. This however lasted a good amount of time with daily use for me. There is a real sunscreen feel to this, it’s a white sticky cream that feels a little tacky to the touch and I just didn’t like the feel of it on my face so I wouldn’t repurchase.

Antipodes Divine Face Oil with Avocado Oil and Rosehip 10ml

Again another sample size I bought in a try me set that lasted ages (this one was reasonably priced though)! It’s a lovely thick oil that I looked forward to applying and sank in quickly giving me a nice extra boost of hydration! I probably will repurchase this or something else from Antipodes in the future as I like the fact it’s organic but at the minute I have a few other oils I’m nowhere near finished so it might be a while!

The Body Shop Aloe Lip Care 15ml

I loved this! I think originally it was a last minute purchase to get me to the threshold spend in one of the Body Shops 40% off offers but I’m so glad I threw it in my online basket! This kept my lips so hydrated all through the night! I hate waking up with dry lips and having to fumble in the dark for lip stuff so this stuff was amazing and on a par with my usual choice of Carmex (controversial but I really don’t like Nuxe Reve de Miel which seems to be a lot of peoples favourite!) Will definitely be repurchasing this!

Makeup

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Primer SPF 20 30ml

This bottle lasted me ages! It’s a thin white cream with a pump that dried in quickly and it did an OK job of priming my face. I wasn’t completely blown away by it though and it wasn’t memorable enough for me to repurchase!

Revlon ColorStay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in Buff 30ml

This is a constant repurchase for me and featured in my very first empties post here. It’s one of my favourite foundations and I actually couldn’t find my shade in it for a while so was rationing this bottle until it turned up which thankfully it did! No other drugstore foundation compares to the finish and shade match I get with this one and if you like full coverage and haven’t tried this yet what are you waiting for! Already repurchased two backups and using one of them!

Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm Pink Sheer SPF 15

This was at the bottom of my gym bag as I sometime reapply if I’m there for longer than one class (not too often ha). I have gone through countless of these as I love the sheer tint they give to the lips and moisturisation they offer. I have a few other lip balms I need to get through then I will definitely be repurchasing!

Soap and Glory Archery Brown Tint and Precision Shaping Pencil

This featured in my Soap and Glory brow product breakdown and I love it! It has a felt tip on one side and pencil on the other and gives a really natural groomed effect! If you read that post you will have seen a small look at my brow products and know I don’t need to buy anymore so even though I want to I won’t be repurchasing (for a while anyway!) If you’d like to see the rest of my brow products not including the Soap and Glory ones I've already shown let me know!

Fragrance

Soap and Glory Mist You Madly Body Spray 250ml

Probably one of my favourite scents in the world. I love this stuff, get to Boots and smell it for yourself! It lasts all day on my skin and I never get sick of it! Already repurchased!

DKNY Be Delicious Body Lotion 150ml

I love layering this up with the perfume to match. This lasts all day on my skin too and it’s not overpowering which I love! I already have a backup and will probably pop one of the Christmas gift sets on my Christmas list too!

Soap and Glory Original Pink Eau de Parfum 50ml

I love this one too, it smells so fresh and clean and I love the fancy little bottle it comes in! Its on my Christmas list!

So those are my latest empties! Have you tried anything I’ve mentioned? What did you think?

Danielle xx

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Danielle's Beauty Blog

Sunday, 14 March 2021

Current Skincare | Cleansers #4

Sunday, 28 June 2020

Product Empties #26

Sunday, 31 May 2020

Best Budget Skincare

Sunday, 17 May 2020

Current Skincare | Cleansers #2

Monday, 9 November 2015

Product Empties #5