Danielle's Beauty Blog

I know there are a few days left but March has absolutely flown by! And, as of today, I am beauty purchase free for the month so no spending report from me, yay! Instead, I thought I would share some recent favourites! 

The priciest item I have today was kindly sent over by Dermalogica and it’s their Neck Fit Contour Serum* RRP £75. Now, having a dedicated neck serum is not a necessity for everyone, but, since turning 30, I am increasingly interested in products targeted towards aging skin. Neck skin is thinner and more delicate than the skin on your face as well as being more vulnerable to UV damage especially if using fragrance. Finally, and my main issue – the skin on your neck is more prone to creasing from tech neck and constantly looking down like me with my phone and iPad! The serum claims to lift and tighten, smooth fine lines and protect skin against pollution while delivering retinol-like results and strengthening the skins moisture barrier. I cannot get over the difference in my neck since using this! First off, the roller applicator is so cooling and relaxing to apply, it dispenses the perfect amount and then you turn the nozzle off and continue to roll in. It really has targeted the creases I had been noticing more and more and my neck has never felt so soft, smooth and toned and those fine lines are nowhere near as noticeable anymore! I cannot recommend this enough if you are concerned about aging skin on your neck and I can’t wait to see continued results from more use!

Moving from the most to least expensive of the items I want to tell you about today and the Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel* RRP $6 has slotted in very nicely as my current eye gel! Yerba Mate is a tree from South America and a source of antioxidants and polyphenols which help to slow the appearance of aging caused by UV rays. It also contains peptides, caffeine and hyaluronic acid so works to hydrate and revitalise tired, puffy eyes. The gel is so cooling and sinks in easily making it a perfect base under makeup. My skin is hydrated, bags are depuffed and look brighter and I am also obsessed with the fun, bright packaging! This also featured in my Best Budget Skincare post! 

Next up, the newest foundation to my collection, the NARS Soft Matte Complete Foundation RRP £28 and one I have been wearing constantly since I got it! NARS claims that it is oxidation proof and provides full, natural looking coverage and I would have to agree! Coverage is definitely full but not cakey and while it provides a matte finish it still lets some natural shine come through without the base disintegrating! It claims to last 16 hours though I haven’t had any reason to test it that long but it lasts well throughout a day of work and my mask being on and off! It also comes in a very generous 45ml size and I love the squeezy bottle! NARS recommend applying with fingers but I apply with a damp BeautyBlender and don’t think this has affected the coverage or finish! I plan to do a full review of this later in the year once I am off Roaccutane and my skin becomes more oily again so I can test how it performs fully as at the minute I would class my skin as “normal”. See the haul it was included in in my Beauty Spend Report forJanuary! 

Sticking with NARS and an oldie but a goodie - NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder RRP £30. A bronzer with a subtle golden shimmer running through it, this has been a favourite of mine for years since it was included in the Steven Klein palette way back when! I upgraded to a single pan in Sephora a couple of years ago and it’s been used regularly ever since! I neglected it recently as I was trying to hit pan on my Fenty bronzer which I was successful in (woohoo!) so I have set my sights back on this one as its already got a pretty good dip in the pan. It really gives the most natural, sunkissed warmth to my face and also adds a little contour without looking harsh. It is such a fool proof shade for lighter complexions and is so flattering on the skin! It is easily buildable, and leaves a beautiful healthy glow! A must have in your makeup bag if you ask me! I have another review of it here along with the matte version! 

Last but not least, the Sand&Sky Enzyme Powder Polish* RRP £44.90 deserves a shout out as it’s such a beautiful gentle exfoliator that has been perfect for my skin while on Roaccutane. The powder is ultra-fine, full of antioxidants and on contact with water it turns pink! It doesn’t feel gritty at all which is amazing for me at the moment as I can’t use anything too harsh but my skin always looks smoother and brighter after use and never looks red or feels tight or dry! It is very similar to Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and Good Molecules Pineappple Exfoliating Powder but this is the gentler of the three! 

So that’s my current favourites! Let me know if you have tried any of these and what your favourite products are right now!

*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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Today, I thought I would add my two pence on one of the many new additions to Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup line – the Airbrush Bronzer in 2 Medium! I lusted after this all summer but just couldn’t bring myself to spend £39 on it and I find CT discounts are usually capped at 10% off or the brand is excluded altogether. I finally made the purchase when Space NK did their £15 off a £60 spend and made the most of the discount with a few other purchases too! 

First off, this is the largest bronzer I own by a mile, at 18g it’s a whopper! No risk of me hitting pan or running out any time soon so I guess that price tag becomes a little easier to swallow! By comparison, NARS Laguna is 8g and Fenty Sun Stalkr is 6.23g. With only four shades, it’s not the most inclusive and I have to say that the second shade Medium is not actually as dark as I was expecting and I wondered if I could have got away with 3 Tan which is a little shocking considering how fair/pale I am! 

Not being as dark as I expected is not necessarily a bad thing as it means I can easily build up the colour. The powder is very finely milled and I wouldn’t say its hugely pigmented – again not a bad thing in my eyes – and this really does give a beautiful airbrushed finish as the name would suggest. It’s smooth to apply, gives my face some subtle warmth and blends seamlessly into the rest of my makeup leaving no harsh, hard to blend lines. It’s matte too but not flat and I really am blown away with the formula!

Not sure why I sound so shocked as I love all the Charlotte Tilbury products I have and in particular the bronze shade from Bronze and Glow is a long term favourite of mine! The only thing I would say is that on my oily/combo skin I do notice some slight fading/wearing off close to my ear where I am on the phone for work. This isn’t something that’s noticeable to other people and is a recurring problem I have with all bronzers not just this one! 

The compact itself, apart from being a bitch to photograph, is absolutely beautiful, it’s like a giant shell! It’s size doesn’t make it feel overly heavy and it’s sleek and got a good size mirror too. I don’t want to jinx myself but I feel like if I dropped it the powder would break in an instant so let’s hope I don’t get butter fingers! 

I’ve included some unedited swatches with some of my other bronzers so you can get an idea of how the shade compares, hopefully it helps! I am forever looking up swatches of products I am interested in especially now when I can’t get to test them out at the actual counter! If you like these types of reviews check out my NARS Laguna one too! 

Have you tried this bronzer? Let me know your thoughts or tell me what your favourite Charlotte Tilbury product is! 

Danielle xx

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