Danielle's Beauty Blog: primer

Thursday, 13 February 2020

Five Things I’m Loving | February 2020

Hi guys! Every now and then I realise there are a few products I tend to reach for more than others and when I do I get the urge to write one of these posts! So, without further ado here is what I have been loving recently!

Disciple Dreamy Skin Retinyl Oil has been a constant in my routine for quite a while now and before this full size, I went through a mini. This is amazing for stressed out skin, it’s got rosehip oil and retinyl palmitate among other ingredients so works beautifully to hydrate, and reduce pigmentation and fine lines! It also does very good things to my acne and calms inflammation down overnight. As well as this, is smells like a spa so is instantly relaxing!

I am obsessed with using this alongside my White Lotus Jade Gua Sha. This is the skincare tool I didn’t know I needed and now couldn’t be without. Traditionally, this is used to treat the signs of aging and it hugs the curves of my neck and face stimulating blood circulation while hitting acupressure points. It is cooling on the skin and used with oil is super relaxing and smoothing! I am obsessed and use this 3-4 nights a week. My other more long-term facial tool love is my Yu Ling Jade facial roller (medium) which has been a daily staple in my routine for almost three years now! This boosts circulation and really helps eliminate puffiness. It's cooling and relaxing and I find this with my gua sha really helps calm some major spots I get on my jawline, this literally flattens them overnight and really helps towards healing them for me!

Moving away from skincare for a minute, the Touch in SOL No Poreblem Primer* is my current makeup love. I often forget primer as with my favourite foundation (Estee Lauder Double Wear) it is not needed, however I have been trying to use up some of my less favourite foundations and primer is a must! This stuff is magic! It is so smoothing and good for a matte finish, it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin but most impressively it blurs fine lines and pores like no other! The difference is real! One of the best primers I have used!

Finally, one of my most recent skincare additions – the Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. I resisted this for the longest time and now I am kicking myself for denying myself and also for only buying the mini! I saw a noticeable difference in my skin the morning after I first used this, it is exfoliating but gentle, smoothing and clarifying! I will be purchasing the full size as soon as I run out even though I’m on a spending ban!

Overall, I think it’s clear to see I like my skin to look smooth lol and if you do too these products should be right up your street! Let me know if you have tried any of them and what you thought!

*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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Skincare Review | Dermalogica

As a member of Dermalogica’s Skinfluencer programme I am very lucky to be sent some of their products to try out so here are my thoughts on some of their most classic skincare products!

dermalogica pre cleanse microfoliant special cleansing gel skin smoothing cream skin perfect primer review

Precleanse* £39.50

I love a good cleansing oil and this one is beautiful! It’s feels luxurious and the citrus scent is very invigorating! It makes light work of removing makeup but man does this sting when I go too near my eyes! Bit of a deal breaker for me as I like a product that does it all but I really enjoy using this on days I don’t have eye makeup on so can get away with just my normal eye make-up remover! Adding water changes the oil to a milky emulsion giving it even more oomph but I just wish it didn’t react with my eyes so bad!

Special Cleansing Gel* £33

Since cleansing gels aren’t really my jam, I have to say this was the product I was least excited for but how wrong I was. This has completely changed my opinion on them! It’s a watery gel (a little goes a long way) that lathers without drying and makes my skin feel fully clean and not stripped at all. I love using this as my morning cleanse as it leaves my skin feeling calm and matte perfect for my next skincare steps and makeup. A very surprising love!

Daily Microfoliant* £51

This really is the standout product for me! I had heard so much hype before I tried it and it completely lives up to it! It’s a super finely milled rice-based powder that activates when in contact with water to release Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes. The first time I used this I thought it was going to feel harsh but how wrong I was, this is the ultimate exfoliator and I can’t get over how gentle yet effective it is at removing dead, flaky skin and making my skin feel the smoothest and softest it has in years!

Skin Smoothing Cream* £37

Another favourite for me is this moisturiser! Its creamy but lightweight and serves as a great base for my makeup as well as hydrating my skin throughout the day! It is patented with Active Hydramesh Technology to give skin 48 hour’s worth of hydration and also protects against environmental stressors. I haven’t went 48 hours without doing a full skincare routine but my biggest indicator this works for me is how plump my skin still looks after a full day in a heated office!

Skinperfect Primer SPF30* £46.50

Lastly is the skinperfect primer and I love how this contains SPF30! It’s a velvety tinted primer that works well to even out my skin tone and ensures my makeup applies smoothly, For me, it doesn’t give my makeup quite the lasting powder as the Touch in Sol No Poreblem Primer does with my nemesis (Note foundation) and with the SPF in it it’s not something I would wear if I knew there was going to be flash photography but it really does leave a lovely base and I can imagine me getting a lot of use out of this in the summer in particular!

Overall I am super impressed with my first foray into Dermalogica skincare and I think the price point is spot on for the quality of products! My favourites are obviously the Daily Microfoliant, Special Cleansing Gel and Skin Smoothing Cream as you can tell from the reviews so they are definitely top of my recommendation list at the minute if you need any new cleansers, exfoliator or moisturisers in your routine!

Dermalogica can be bought directly from their website as well as many UK retailers such as Look Fantastic, SpaceNK and Sephora UK!

Have you tried any Dermalogica skincare products before? Let me know your favourites!

*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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Five Things I’m Loving | January 2017

daniellesbeautyblog 5 things im loving nyx vincent longo seventeen laura mercier soap and glory review

I’ve mentioned on Instagram a couple of times recently but I’m currently attempting a ‘try not to buy’ rather than a full spending ban (I’d be sure to cave if that was the case!). With that in mind, I think posts like this will be cropping up a lot more as I get around to actually using the products I already have rather than buying new things I don’t need! It’s pretty makeup heavy this time round but here’s what I’m loving at the minute!

NYX Slide on, Glide on, Stay on and Definitely a Turn on Waterproof Colour Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes £5.50

Ridiculously long name aside, this is an amazing lip liner! I first saw it featured on Havanna’s YouTube channel and I ordered it soon after because it looked a lot like Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk lipliner to me! While it’s not quite the same, I love this in its own right! Like the full title says, it's creamy, applies easily and sticks around for a decent amount of time! Nude Suede Shoes is a beautiful pinky nude that goes with so many of my lipsticks and I love it with CT Bitch Perfect. The formula is gorgeous and I definitely want to get my hands on a few more of these!

charlotte tilbury pillowtalk nyx nude suede shoes swatch review

Swatches l-r: Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillowtalk, NYX Nude Suede Shoes

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil Brownie Points review

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil in the shade Brownie Points £10

Although the Archery 2 in 1 brush and pencil seems to get most of the attention where S&G brow products are concerned, there is something special about this one that keeps me coming back! It has a fine felt tip end and a screw up pencil on the other. I like to go in first with the felt tip end to build up more colour with some fine strokes then go over my brows with the pencil to add more shape. I always store this in a tub with the tint at the bottom to keep it moist so the colour doesn’t run out as quick! The pencil side is slightly thicker than the Archery 2 in 1 and feels a little waxier so helps to set hairs in place too. Overall, the lasting result is a natural, full brow and it’s made me want to explore brow markers a bit more as I love the result! See my review of some of Soap and Glory’s brow range here!

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil Brownie Points review swatch

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

This is the second tube of this I have gone through and it’s such a lovely primer! I got both in beauty boxes ages ago but I’ve only recently opened this up and fallen back in love with it! It has a lightweight gel/cream texture, sinks in quickly, feels hydrating but doesn’t make my oily skin oilier and its smoothing without having a silicone ‘slip’. I did notice with my first tube that the quality of this went downhill the longer I had it open and it does have a 6-month expiry date so I’ll be trying to stick to that because it does such a good job of extending the wear of my foundation and making it look fresher for longer!

vincent longo creme to powder blush swan lake review

Vincent Longo Water Canvas Creme-to-Powder Blush in Swan Lake* RRP £33.50

I have been appreciating this so much more now its Winter and my skin is more dehydrated than usual! This has the most beautiful, unique crème to powder formula and feels amazing on the skin – it’s so cooling and refreshing! I like to use a Zoeva Cream Cheek brush to apply which makes it easy to build up the pigment. Swan Lake is a lovely natural pink shade with a slight silver shimmer and it lasts all day on my combo skin giving a healthy flush of colour! Its oil free, fragrance free, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic and cruelty free and though its more expensive than my usual blushes (not counting my Hourglass palette!) it’s well worth the money as it’s so long-lasting and I barely have to touch the product to get payoff! I love this on my oily/combo skin so I can imagine those with drier skins would fall in love with it too!

Seventeen Miracle Matte Oil Free Loose Powder £5.49

A few months ago, I went on a powder buying session because my skin was getting too used to my beloved No7 Perfect Light pressed powder and I ended up buying this from their baby sister brand. Now I’m not the biggest fan of loose powder as it’s so much messier but I’m a convert for this stuff! It’s a very lightweight powder that doesn’t add any extra colour to my face, it just makes my makeup look better! I still get a bit of shine round my nose at about lunch time which is common for me but with this I can just add some more powder and it doesn’t look like my foundation is separating or rubbing off! It’s such a great price too and I have a feeling it will last me ages!

So, there’s my round up of my current favourites! Have you tried any of them? Tell me what you’re loving at the minute!

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

Danielle xx

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Five things I’m Loving | January 2016

Some of these are new to me, some I have been using for years but I've been getting a lot of use out of them this month so though I would do a quick roundup!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer

I actually bought this way back last year and it featured in my first ever post (lol) here! At the time I still had a few other primers to finish up but I can’t resist a Boots offer so in my basket it went. I used to love the Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation but haven’t used it in about six months as I’ve gone off it so wasn’t expecting much from this primer. How wrong I was! This does such a great job at helping my makeup last all day and reduce shine and is a bargain at £6.99! It’s quite a thick white cream but it spreads easily over my face and feels nicely hydrating too! This and the Nivea Shave Balm are my two favourite primers available for under £10!

L’Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist

Towards the end of summer last year I took my first foray into the world of setting sprays and was left disappointed by the much raved about Urban Decay De-Slick! It did nothing for my oily skin and left me having to top up my powder at lunchtime as usual so when I spotted this L’Oreal Fixing Mist for £7.99 on Boots.com I thought I’d see if it would fare any better and in short, yes it does! Although it comes out as more of a thick spray than a fine mist it dries in quickly and does wonders for my oily skin all while making my makeup last longer! So impressed with this!

Cult 51 Night Cream*

This is a more recent discovery for me and one I’ve been so happy to add into my nightly routine! Since turning 25 a few months ago, fine lines and wrinkles are something I’m starting to worry about and I figured prevention is better than cure with the introduction of this into my skincare stash! It’s a thick cream that sinks in quickly to the skin and actually feels like it would be a good day cream/makeup base too. There is a whole scientific explanation for why this stuff works which you can read about here in an interview with the founder Richard Mears as science is not my strong point! In a nutshell, the ingredients in the cream raise ATP levels and increase oxygen exchange in the skin while working with the skins metabolism to make it look great! I’ve noticed my skin looks plumper, fresher and brighter in the morning after I've used this and just better all round. The one downside to this is perhaps the fact it’s billed as “the world’s most expensive anti-aging cream” therefore costs £125 for the full size 50ml pot. So, unless I win the lottery or get a better paying job it won’t be one I’m able to run out to repurchase just yet! Available at Cult 51, Cult Beauty and Look Fantastic!

Smashbox #SHAPEMATTERS 3 in 1 Contouring Palette

I ended up buying this when Boots had it as their first star gift in the run up to Christmas back in October and I have been using it solidly ever since! I actually did take photos back when I first got it but never got round to posting, then it was sold out so I didn’t bother! Anyway I thought it was about time I gave it some love on the blog and while I love the eyeshadows and brow powders, it’s the contour powder I want to talk about because it’s perfect! It’s just the right amount of pigmentation, so finely milled and the perfect shade of cool toned brown! I choose this probably 9 times out of 10 when I go to contour and was so happy to get it for half price!

Eucerin Dry Skin Intensive Lotion

Another old favourite of mine that I don’t think I’ve mentioned before but that I absolutely swear by! About two years ago I started getting random eczema patches on my legs and arms for the first time that would leave me scratching all night. I tried every cream under the sun including doctor prescribed moisturisers and steroids to no avail. I think it was my mum who had a sample of this and it worked so well I've never looked back! It’s quite a runny white cream that doesn’t have the nicest smell in the world but once it dries in there is no scent! It sorted my skin out completely and I hardly ever have to use it anymore apart from the odd time like over Christmas when a few patches cropped up on my legs but a few nights with this and they were away again! As I said, I don’t have severe eczema so I’m not sure how it would work on that but if you get patches regularly and haven’t found anything that’s helped then try this, it’s amazing! And it’s usually on offer as it’s included in the French pharmacy promotions most online stores do! I've linked a few here, here and here!

Have you tried any of the products I’ve mentioned? What did you think of them?

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

Danielle xx

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New to Me: Skincare

Hi everyone, I have few newbies to my skincare stash to share today!

skincare nivea sensitive caring micellar water sensitive post shave balm primer pixi overnight glow serum

Pixi Overnight Glow Serum RRP £26

Since I got Pixi’s Glow Tonic earlier this year I have been absolutely in love with it so on a recent splurge on Cult Beauty I decided to go for this serum as a little extra add on to my skincare routine! It’s described as a concentrated exfoliating gel and as it contains AHA’s, it may increase the skins sensitivity to sunlight. The product itself is distributed from a dropper and has a thick silky consistency and actually feels a little slimy to me but in a good way!

A few drops spread easily over my face and neck and dries in quickly ready for my moisturiser over the top. Pixi says it’s “brightening, hydrating and clarifying” and I would have to agree. While I don’t see drastic results over night there is a subtle difference in my skin and it looks clearer when I wake up and flakiness (nice) is at a minimum. It’s obviously not all down to this serum but it’s a welcome addition to my skincare routine! The only con to this would be that the bottle top can get a little messy when putting the dropper back in!

Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm 0% Alcohol RRP £5.35

There is so much hype about this as a primer! I think it stems from NikkieTutorials originally who I haven’t watched before but I've seen it mentioned and blogged about by so many people! When I saw half price in Boots for £2.67 I slipped it into my basket to see what the fuss was about. It’s a really weighty bottle with a lot of product although it doesn’t have a pump which I usually don’t mind with things like foundation bottles but with this I sometimes find myself tipping it just a little too far then trying to scoop it back in as so much comes out!

The balm is lightweight with a thin consistency and dries in quickly on my face ready for makeup. I’m so impressed by this! It’s a lot cheaper than many primers, especially if bought while on offer and its works better than a lot of them too! I’m definitely a lot less shiny than I usually am at lunchtime when I top up my powder and the makeup on my nose which is the first to go throughout the day is still hanging in! So glad I picked this up!

nivea sensitive caring micellar water 3 in 1 care cleanser for face and eyes review

Nivea Sensitive Caring Micellar Water 3in 1 Care Cleanser for face and eyes* RRP £3.89

This fragrance free Nivea micellar water promises to remove eye makeup gently, cleanse deeply and remove makeup with the sensitive version moisturising and reducing three signs of sensitive skin – redness, tightness and dryness leaving skin feeling soft and supple and looking healthy and beautiful. The range offers three options for different skin types, Sensitive Caring for sensitive skin, Gentle Caring for dry skin and Caring for normal skin.

Micellar water is something that honestly I have never really been interested in. I've read the hype about Bioderma and the Garnier micellar waters and never been tempted and as a bit of a skincare snob, I wasn’t expecting much from this. Two cotton pads get the majority of my makeup off (I do like to cake it on) but I still like to go in with a balm or oil cleanser afterwards to make sure I have all my makeup off. The micellar water does what it says in terms of sensitive skin though, it doesn’t flair any redness or make my skin feel tight or dry which I really like about it! It also doesn’t leave a residue after use but on its own its not enough to make me feel like I’ve have a deep clean. Overall, I am not fully converted to micellar waters; however this is a great option as it’s so gentle! Oh and it’s great for getting rid of swatches of my arm after a blog photo taking session! Available at all major retailers!

Have you tried anything I've mentioned? What did you think? Tell me what’s new in your skincare stash!

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

Danielle xx

Boots/New in at the Drugstore Haul August 2015 #3

Boots Drugstore August 2015 haul soap and glory max factor new in

Hi everyone, I have a sneaky Boots haul for you all today! I saw a few weeks ago that Soap and Glory had released a few new products and Max Factor had a new foundation and lipstick range out that I wanted to try so I took advantage of the 3 for 2 offers and buy one get one half price and treated myself!

Here’s what I got:

Soap and Glory

Soap and Glory Original Pink Body Spray

I’m a big fan of the Original Pink fragrance so love the fact they have added a matching body spray to the line-up! However, I had this on me today and it didn’t last on my skin at all! I've spoken about my love for the Mist you Madly body spray on my blog before and it lingers all day on me so I was really disappointed with this!

Soap and Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow Sculpting Crayon and Setting Gel

I haven’t tried this out yet but I have high hopes for it if it’s anything like the other brow products Soap and Glory have! Embarrassingly I now own all their brow products, would anyone like a review and comparison post on them all? Let me know in the comments!

Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Instant Perfecting Power Primer

I got so excited when I saw Soap and Glory had started doing a primer! I haven’t tried this yet because I have a wedding this week so I’m trying not to use anything new on my face in case I break out but this will be cracked open next week for sure :)

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker GlossStick 3D Volume Lip Shine in Nudist and Technicoral

These are like the baby sisters of the original sexy mother pucker gloss sticks! As far as I can tell, there is a lot less product in these which doesn’t bother me because I doubt I will ever finish off the originals anyway! These also come without the infamous tingle some Soap and Glory lip products have! They give a lovely wash of colour and shine and feel really moisturising on my lips! I want the other colours now!

Max Factor

Max Factor Miracle Match Foundation in Warm Almond

I saw this on Really Ree’s blog a while back and just really liked the look of it so ordered it! I used to love their Miracle Touch foundation but thought it was quite dear and I went through it quite quickly. Again, I haven’t tried this in case it breaks me out – I swear I’m so paranoid!

Max Factor Lipfinity Longlasting Lipstick in Evermore Lush

Again I think I saw this on Ree’s blog and as it was 3 for 2 I picked it up to try it! It’s a gorgeous berry colour and although it claims to last up to 8 hours I can’t see this being the case! I tried it out today and it was really easy to apply and felt quite moisturising. With lipsticks like this that are a little darker than I would usually apply, I rub them in with my finger to stain my lips a little more so I don’t have to worry as much about transfer! I noticed there was a little glitter in the lipstick but it wasn’t too obvious!

Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve

This is my third Crème Puff Blush now and I absolutely love them! The give such a subtle healthy glow to the skin they are gorgeous! While it’s easy to go overboard with some blush I think these are absolutely failsafe and everyone should have at least one!

Collection

Collection Crème Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake

I've seen this in a few of Alix’s videos and it looks gorgeous so I finally bought it! I love her blog and channel and think she has such good recommendations! This is such a bright corally pinky colour and the formula is really easy to work with! Even though its matte it feels quite moisturising. I can’t say much for lasting power yet as I literally just tried it on to see how it looked but for £2.99 you can’t go wrong!

There we go, a slightly blogger influenced haul! See my previous Boots/Drugstore Hauls here and here! Have you treated yourself lately?

Danielle's Beauty Blog

Thursday, 13 February 2020

Five Things I’m Loving | February 2020

Thursday, 19 December 2019

Skincare Review | Dermalogica

Monday, 30 January 2017

Five Things I’m Loving | January 2017

Monday, 25 January 2016

Five things I’m Loving | January 2016

Thursday, 17 December 2015

New to Me: Skincare

Monday, 24 August 2015

Boots/New in at the Drugstore Haul August 2015 #3