Danielle's Beauty Blog

I got sent the cutest package from Bondi Sands’ new(ish) skincare range a few months ago so thought it was about time I wrote about them! If you are a regular reader, you’ll know how much I love their self-tan range so I was excited to see they had expanded into skincare! I was sent three products to try but there are plenty more in the range and they come under five categories – cleanse, treat, hydrate, protect and mask. Bondi Sands are an Australian brand, vegan and cruelty free and as well as having a vast tanning and skincare range they also do bodycare and suncare!

 

The product that immediately stood out to me after only a few uses was the Thirsty Skin Hyaluronic Acid RRP £8.99*. I tend to have expensive taste when it comes to hyaluronic acid so I was only too happy to find a budget formulation I love! This one is the thickest formula I have tried, and I love the gel texture! It spreads easily, leaving my skin feeling soft and supple, locking in moisture and plumping and filling out my fine lines! As well as HA, it also contains glycerin and is an all-round goodie if you are looking a budget HA serum! See more here!

 

Next up is the Bondi Babe Clay Mask RRP £11.99* and it’s another hit! This is a blue clay mask that purifies and detoxifies skin to help clear complexion. It contains blue spirulina extract (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties), bentonite clay (to soak up excess sebum) and Red Algae Extract (helps reduce redness). It dries down quickly but doesn’t make my skin feel tight and after washing off after 10-15 minutes, my skin feels so soft and looks so much more refined and clearer! This has quickly become one of my favourite clay masks and it doesn’t feel harsh or drying at all!

Lastly, to round up this trio, is the Sweet Dreams Night Moisturiser RRP £10.99*! This has a lightweight consistency and contains hyaluronic acid for hydration, squalane to soften and blue algae extract to smooth. This has worked well for me during the summer but I think during winter I will want something heavier! Despite feeling lighter than other night creams I use, this does keep my skin hydrated overnight and when I wake up, my face feels plump and nourished. I will probably mix this with an oil in winter if I want an extra hit of hydration! 

 

I also have to mention the packaging – how cute? It’s so kitsch and I love it! It almost reminds of my toy skincare or something, it’s so dinky! It’s all recyclable too and the products are fragrance free.

 

Overall, my first foray into Bondi Sands skincare has been a success and I think they are well worth checking out! The stand outs for me are the clay mask and hyaluronic acid! As well as their own website, Bondi Sands skincare is also available from Cult Beauty, Boots and Look Fantastic! Have you tried anything? What’s your favourite budget beauty brand?

 

*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’m back with another edition of my best budget skincare picks! Generally, I try to keep individual prices down to £10 or lower but some of these are a little more expensive but I wanted to include them as they are often on offer making them around the £15 mark! 

 

First up, trusty Inkey List - it wouldn’t be a budget skincare roundup without them would it? Cleanser wise, I can’t recommend the Oat Cleansing Balm RRP £10.99* and Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser RRP £10.99* enough. These are such a good double cleanse duo! The oat cleansing balm is great for sensitive skin and removes makeup with ease leaving my skin feel soft while the Fulvic Acid brightens and never makes my skin feel tight or dry – I prefer this to their Hyaluronic Acid cleanser which I find more drying for some reason! These are both 150ml tubes too so last ages! Read more on the oat cleanser here!

 

 

Their Caffeine Eye Serum RRP £9.99 is another good one, it’s a lightweight creamy texture containing, you guessed it, caffeine, so helps depuff the eye area and is also hydrating enough to help minimise my fine lines! I have also been impressed by their 15% Vitamin C and EGF Serum* £14.99! I didn’t like their other Vitamin C serum so honestly wasn’t expecting much from this, but the formula is just beautiful - it's watery and sinks in quickly. This is not the most potent Vitamin C but with regular use this helped brighten and even my skin tone and made it look and feel plumper! Read more about it here! Lastly from the Inkey List is their Omega Water Cream RRP £9.99* and this is by far my favourite moisturiser they have, it’s a water-based gel that contains three omegas to help prevent water loss as well as glycerin and niacinamide. It sinks in quickly leaving no white residue behind (I’m looking at you Vitmain B, C and E moisturiser), works well under makeup and my skin feels hydrated all day long.

 

The Good Molecules Glycolic Exfoliating Toner RRP $14* is a 3.5% glycolic concentration so nice and gentle, perfect if you have sensitive skin, but still effective and my skin has been feeling smooth and even with continued use. I love the Good Molecules nothing to hide ingredients list which shows you the full details of the percentage of ingredients and this also contains galactomyces ferment which helps retain skin barrier function and moisture level as well as hyaluronic acid and aloe help to hydrate and soothe skin. Read my full review here!

 

I can be quite picky with hyaluronic acid formulations and unfortunately, tend to prefer pricier options but the Bondi Sands Thirsty Skin Hyaluronic Acid RRP £8.99* has really stood out to me! It’s a gel formula so a little thicker than a standard serum and it spreads so easily leaving my skin feeling soft and supple, locking in moisture and plumping and filling out my fine lines! Plus look at that packaging! It reminds me of toy skincare and I love it! I also really enjoyed the Garden of Wisdom RetiStar Retinol Serum RRP £10. It’s gentle as retinol serums go so perfect for beginners and I noticed my fine lines were much less pronounced when using this, skin was brighter, smoother and plumper too! Such an underrated brand! Next up, a bit like what I said earlier, it’s hard to write a best budget skincare post without a mention of The Ordinary! Here I have their Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA RRP £6.80, another no fuss moisturiser containing amino acids, fatty acids, urea, ceramides and hyaluronic acid that is perfect for daytime use for me. It’s non-greasy, doesn’t interfere with my makeup and keeps my skin feeling hydrated all day! 

 

I have another great budget moisturiser option in the form of the Cetraben Natural Oatmeal Cream RRP £8.99* which is for both face and body! It is perfect for eczema prone skin and feels so soothing. It’s another one that, despite feeling lightweight, packs a punch with long lasting hydration and it really helps to repair the skin barrier if you have any sensitive skin issues! See more here! To finish off, I’m slightly cheating with the Vichy Capital Soleil UV-Age Daily SPF 50 RRP £21* as it’s a bit out of the “budget” range but this is always on sale and I usually see it for around £15 on French Pharmacy offers! This quickly became one of my favourite SPF’s last year due to its lightweight fluid texture! Containing Vitamin E, peptides and niacinamide this works to target pigmentation as well as offering UVA and UVB protection. I was worried about the percentage of alcohol denat in the ingredients but apart from a slight “active” feeling on application which soon disappears, it hasn’t been a problem for me! If you have *very* sensitive skin it might not be the one for you though. This also has no white cast (I have pale skin for reference), it absorbs easily, doesn’t sting eyes and sits very well under makeup with no pilling in sight! LOVE!

 

Let me know if you see any of your favourites here or tell me your favourite budget skincare brand! There are loads I still need to try! If you want to see the other installments in this series, click here for Part One and here for Part Two!

 

I’ve had a couple of messages this week from people having trouble leaving comments and I have also noticed some blogs I normally comment on not having their usual comment section there – I checked all my settings and I can’t see any issues so sorry I’m not sure what’s going on!

 

*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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It’s been close to a year since my last best budget skincare post and when I looked at my dressing table I realised I had quite a few new additions so thought I would do round two! Budget is different for everyone but most of these are around the £10 or under mark with a few exceptions which I will explain when I get to them! There are quite a lot so I will try to keep this short and sweet but I’ve linked to their full reviews too! 

 

First up, the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution* RRP £11 – a cult classic and one I can see the hype with now I have tried it for myself! This is great for removing most of my makeup before going in with a balm or oil and it works perfectly with sensitive skin too! I have a full review of it in this post! Sticking with cleansers, the Cerave Hydrating Cleanser RRP £9.50 is another top notch budget pick! It’s so simple, packed full of ceramides and hyaluronic acid, doesn’t foam up too much and leaves my skin feeling clean and hydrated! I am kicking myself for not getting on The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser RRP £5.50 hype train sooner! Another lovely, hydrating cleanser, removes makeup well but also lightweight enough to use as a second or morning cleanse! Will be getting the jumbo size once this is finished! Both of these also made my best beauty discoveries of 2020 post!  

 

Next up, a product that is a little over budget – the Hada Labo Tokyo Super Hydrator Lotion RRP £17.45 – I’ve included it because its always 1/3 off on Superdrug so can be picked up for £11.59 on offer! It contains 3 different types of hyaluronic acid and really helps keep moisture locked in all day for me. It also comes in a huge 150ml bottle so will last forever! Full review in my Roacccutane Diaries Month One post! The Garden of Wisdom Hyaluronic Acid Serum RRP £10 is another hyaluronic acid I really rate. Again, my skin feels hydrated all day long when using this!

 

I am a big fan of a facial mist and I have two new budget faves! The Sukin Original Hydrating Mist Toner RRP £7.95 (I have a mini that was £2.50) is perfect for misting throughout the day to cool down and hydrate with and I have a full review in my last current face mists post! The Heritage Rosewater and Glycerin RRP £7.99 is newer to me but again perfect for a quick burst of hydration as a skincare step or throughout the day over makeup! The only thing I don’t love about this one is the pump action which isn’t so much a mist but a violent spray!

 

Moving onto serums now and this is the second bottle of Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum* RRP $12 I’ve been through! Containing tranexamic acid, niacinamide and glycerin, this is a beautiful serum that sinks in quickly and targets uneven skin tone and pigmentation. The results for me have not been dramatic as my pigmentation from old acne is quite bad but being on Roaccutane means I can’t use retinol or glycolic acid right now which are my normal go to’s and this has been so gentle and brilliant at evening out my skin tone (full review here). The Inkey List Q10 Serum RRP £4.99 has been a revelation to me as I find their products quite hit and miss but this one is most certainly a hit! It’s a hydrating antioxidant that minimises the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and I didn’t even realise how much I liked it until it was empty! The price is insane and if you are worried about early signs of aging or environmental stressors what are you waiting for, pick it up! One budget moisturiser I have been loving is the Cerave PM Facial Moisturising Lotion RRP £12. Containing ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide this is a lightweight but still nourishing overnight moisturiser. It sinks in quickly but my skin doesn’t feel dried out! 

 

 

Finally, budget eye creams seem to be my thing! Another from Cerave - their Eye Repair Cream RRP £12 is such a simple lightweight hydrating cream. Like the cleanser and moisturising lotion it contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid and it’s great for puffiness and dark circles and sits under makeup very well too. This featured in a recent forever repurchased post too and Cerave is always 1/3 off or 3 for 2 at Look Fantastic or Boots! The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG RRP £5.80 is a lightweight watery serum that feels so cooling and instantly refreshes my under eye area, reducing puffiness and dark circles. The last product I have is also the newest to me! It’s the Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel * RRP $6 and it is a beautiful gel formula that sinks in quickly and hydrates my under eye area. Yerba mate is an antioxidant and the eye gel contains three forms of hyaluronic acid. Like the other two, it also helps with puffiness and dark circles and brightens and the packaging is cute to boot! 

 

So that’s my most recent budget skincare picks! If you want to see my thoughts on my last batch (see above) of best budget skincare click here! Let me know what your favourite budget skincare is!

 

*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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