Danielle's Beauty Blog

Two blogposts in one week, what is going on! I actually used to blog twice a week back in the day but one is much more manageable for me now. I do, however, have a few extra posts I want to get up over the next few months and summer is pretty quiet for me at work so I hope to hit publish on a few more posts this summer! The first of which is a review of this beautiful package Pixi* sent a couple of months ago! Inside the cutest green backpack (which I still can’t get over!) were three Pixi Rose Bodytreats to nourish skin from top to toe. This range aims to hydrate, brighten and exfoliate giving you silky skin. 

The Rose Body Cleanser* RRP £18 contains rose flower to moisturise and restore and rosehip oil to smooth and condition. This is quite a different consistency to what I am used to in the shower as it doesn’t lather, instead it really does feel like you are rubbing the balm in and I sometimes get a bit of a “squeaky” feeling! Once you get over that though, it’s a lovely product that leaves my skin feeling well moisturised and never dry or tight. The light scent doesn’t linger and I really like the squeeze bottle in this instance as the formula is a bit thicker than a standard shower gel so I have more control over how much I am squeezing out. I’ve been using this almost daily since I got it and I’m shocked at how much is still in there!

Next up, the Rose Body Polish* RRP £24 which is a sugar scrub containing lactic acid and fruit extracts to smooth, exfoliate and brighten. Initially I was disappointed with this. I was applying in the shower and it really wasn’t spreading well or exfoliating. I then read the instructions on the back of it and realised this is meant to be used before the shower or bath as more of a treatment. Now, I massage it into my skin and leave it on for a couple of minutes before showering off and my skin is so soft afterwards! Rubbing it in warms it up so it spreads much more easily over my skin and the oils feel so luxurious along with the sugar! It does a good job of getting the bulk of my fake tan off but I do go over rougher bits like my elbows with an exfoliating mitt after. In this case though, I hate the packaging (all three have the same size “nozzle” and work well for the cleanser and balm) – the polish is very fine so I thought it would be easy to get out but it really isn’t and I have to squeeze so tightly to get even the tiniest bit out so I would prefer a bigger nozzle on this! I’m glad I took my pictures before I had used it as the packaging looks a lot more battered now from me squeezing it! 

Finally, the Rose Body Balm* RRP £24 is my favourite of the three products! Like the body cleanser, it contains rose flower and rosehip oil as well as shea butter to nourish and lock in hydration. The formula is super lightweight and sinks in quickly which is perfect now especially as its getting hotter. It also has a really subtle fresh, citrusy scent rather than rose I personally think but it doesn’t really linger which for me is fine as I spray perfume anyway however, if I was using this before a night out for example I would want something longer lasting! My skin feels well moisturised all day with this and again I am impressed with the size as I still have loads left! 

l-r - body polish, body cleanser, body balm

Pixi is a cruelty free brand and the Pixi Bodytreats collection is available from Pixi Beauty and Look Fantastic (who always have a 20% off code kicking around ;)!

*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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Well, I only thought last month was bad in terms of my spending on beauty but I guess May has knocked it off the top spot - two bank holidays will do that! I got sucked into a few really good deals and also picked up some things I’d had my eye on for a while so here is the breakdown! As usual, I haven’t got round to trying everything properly just yet so this isn’t a review of anything just a spending diary!

Look Fantastic has great deals on all the time but really ramped it up on the bank holiday so I took the opportunity to pick up the NuFACE Mini Facial Toning Device which I have wanted for a while now. Instead of being £167, I got this for £112.19 and in the same order I repurchased the ColorWow Dream Cocktail Kale Infused for Breakage which is normally £23 but I got it for £15.52 – full review here! We won’t mention that I then saw the NuFACE for £105 on the second bank holiday lol sigh. 

Later in the month, I saw the Look Fantastic x Ameliorate Starter Kit which is a brand I have heard so many good things about but have never tried so took the opportunity to pick this set up which was crazy good value – it’s worth over £108 and I got for £30 – it was meant to be £35 but I think their system glitched as I used a code I didn’t think would work but it did! 

Then I picked myself up the NYX Banana powder as I like to use a yellow based powder under my eyes and my current one is panned – this is £9 but I got for £7.12. I also grabbed a couple cheaper conducting gel alternatives for my NuFace as the branded one is expensive so chose the Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel (£3.15 instead of £3.95) and the Jason Aloe Vera 98% Moisturising Gel Tube (£2.40 instead of £3.99). I’ve been looking to get a new brush for a while too so decided on the Wet Brush Pro Flex Dry (£12.01 instead of £14.99) and finally to get free delivery I added the Holika Holika Mugwort essence sheet mask to my basket which was £1.55 instead of £1.95! Overall this was £26.23 instead of £30.76.

Finally (on Look Fantastic at least) I got sucked in again and made my fourth order of the month which included the new Bondi Sands Pure range – the tanning sleep mask (£8.53 instead of £14.99) and gradual tanning milk (£7.39 instead of £12.99). I also needed a new mascara so got the Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies (£7.07 instead of £8.99) and the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum (£47.52 instead of £60) which I have wanted forever and I also got a 4 well ABH palette (£4) for my single I got last month! This total was £74.51 instead of £100.97. 

Every month ASOS release a beauty box for £12 and every month I miss it as it sells out so quickly. Last month, they released two hair themed boxes and by sheer luck I managed to grab them both before they sold out! The Hair Repair Box had a 69% saving and the Textured Hair Must Haves had a 79% saving. I won’t go through every single product included here but the main reason I picked them up were for the full size Olaplex No.3 (worth £26 alone) and the Frank caffeinated scalp scrub. See how much I love Olaplex here!

Another “device” I have been eyeing up this year is the Revlon Salon One Step Volumizer which I got on Amazon for £39.99 (RRP £59.99). I have used this maybe 3 or 4 times now and to be honest I think it’s a bit wasted on me. I can see how it might work on thicker hair but for me with fine and long hair, I am not getting a lot of volume and as the brush blows out air I am getting a lot more frizz on the top section of my hair that I wouldn’t otherwise. It’s also taking much longer to dry and due to the frizz I am still running the straighteners over it! I think this will be heading to my hair tool graveyard soon unfortunately! 

I was hoping this month SpaceNK would do their £15 off a £60 spend but unfortunately they did £20 off a £100 spend which doesn’t work out as well. I had a £5 Ndulge reward to use and the expiration was coming up soon so I grabbed a couple things I had wanted for a while – the Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 and Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless setting spray and decided to add the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Butter hair repair treatment to make my basket up to £100. With the discount and my reward this came to £75 altogether. 

For the second bank holiday, Escentual did 25% off everything so I took the opportunity to get my favourite serum back in my routine – the NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum which is usually £60 but I got it for £45 with the discount – Deciem don’t even have that much off it when they do their Christmas offer, it was 22% last year I think so I would always wait for a deal like this as it’s pricey! Read more about how much I love it here!

And so concludes my beauty spend in May. Yikes. My total this month was an eye watering £442.44 :| I haven’t fully worked out the value but I think its £600+ so I definitely got some good deals and instant gratification but I am ready for a slow couple of months shopping my stash for sure! Not every month is like this for me and I will say that I also started my new job this month so was very much in treat yo self/congratulations to me mode. I hope to go on a “try not to buy” now for the rest of summer at least – calling it a full ban would make it too difficult!

I picked up a lot of things I had been eyeing up for quite some time so don’t have a lot on my wishlist right now apart from the Anastasia Brow Freeze and the Alpha H Liquid Gold Midnight Reboot serum so if you have either of those do tell me if I need to break my low buy for them! Let me know if there is anything in particular you want to see a review of and I will get working on it! See January, February and April instalments of this series – March was a no buy so it can be done!

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

Danielle xx

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Facemasks are one of my favourite indulgent skincare items and since my last facemask post in September, I have acquired five more! Read on to see what I think of them! 

The Huxley Secret of Sahara Good Night Sleep Mask RRP £24 has featured a couple of times before, most recently in my K Beauty Favourites. It’s a beautiful, cooling, gel like formula that contains Pricky pear seed oil, hyaluronic acid and centella asiatica. For an overnight mask, it feels exceptionally lightweight and absorbs quickly! I was actually worried that this wouldn’t hydrate my skin enough especially as I started using it regularly while on Roaccutane when my skin was at its driest but it delivered every time! My skin feels nourished and I wake up with calm, hydrated, smooth and plump skin! Bear in mind it is lightly scented – personally this doesn’t bother me and I love the scent – a subtle floral that reminds me of something I can’t quite put my finger on!

Sticking with K Beauty and the I’m From Mugwort Mask RRP £32 also featured in the same post as the Huxley mask! Forget outfit repeating, I am a product repeater! I love the I’m From Mugwort Essence so much I just had to pick up the mask to match after hearing so many good reviews and this really didn’t disappoint either! It’s a super gentle wash off mask designed for sensitive or irritated skin and it instantly calms down angry skin taking the redness out! The “bits” you can see are mugwort pieces but aren’t abrasive at all, the mask feels like gel and spreads easily! It has an earthy scent and only needs to be on for 5-10 minutes for skin to feel soothed and calm! 

Next up, back to overnight masks and the Lanolips Face Base The Aussie Flyer Jetlag Mask RRP £20 (for 60ml - mine is 30ml) which as well as lanolin also contains coffee to reboot dull skin and mint oil to restore radiance. This isn’t strongly scented to me nor do I experience any tingling with it due to the mint oil but it’s something to keep in mind if you have very sensitive skin! This only needs to be left on for 10 minutes then it can just be tissued off to get the results but I tend to just leave on overnight! It leaves my skin feeling plump and hydrated I reviewed it along with the other Lanolips products in my collection in this round up post! 

The newest mask to my collection is the Dermalogica Melting Moisture Masque* RRP £59 and its quickly become my most used! Containing shea butter, mango seed butter, linoleic acid and Vitamin E, this is a very nourishing moisturising mask that transforms from a balm to an oil on contact with skin and is perfect for dry skin! You just hold the pump to dispense (it can be quite slow especially if it’s a cold day!) and a pea size amount is enough for your whole face as a little goes a long way! It melts into an oil and is like a comfort blanket overnight for skin! I wake up to smooth and hydrated skin and this would have been perfect while I was on roaccutane! I think the price is really reasonable too considering its a 50ml and you need so little each time! 

Lastly, I have the Sand&Sky Australian Pink Clay Porefining Mask* RRP £36.90 (for 60g – mine is 30g) and this one I have had since before Christmas as it featured in my gift guide however I’ve only been able to use it within the last month as it contains Vitamin A which is a no go on Roaccutane (which coincidentally is also Vitamin A lol). Now I’ve been off it for the last month, I have slowly been introducing this mask and so far so good! It’s a ten minute mask that uses Australian pink clay to detoxify and brighten skin, drawing out impurities and refining pores. Now, I am still on a clear skin high at the minute so haven’t noticed anything in the way of a clearer complexion but the tingle with this is real and when I remove I do notice my skin feels smoother and tighter (but not dry), pores look smaller and my skin looks brighter overall. I think it would work particularly well if you have oily skin and I can’t wait to test it out more as my skin returns to normal over the next few months! 

So those are the latest five masks to my collection! If you want to see part one of this series click here! Let me know if you have tried any of these or what your favourite face mask is! 

*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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A couple of months ago I was sent a generous skincare package from The Inkey List to target my skin brightening concerns. I think at this point everyone is familiar with The Inkey List and their straightforward, high quality products at affordable prices so now I have had time to test, lets chat about the products!

First up, and dare I say it, this is my favourite along with the 15% Vitamin C serum, the Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser* RRP £10.99. I have fallen in love with this and I like to use it as a second cleanse or morning cleanser as it leaves my skin feeling soft and looking more even. As well as fulvic acid to exfoliate, it has Kakadu plum extract which contains Vitamin C to boost radiance, liquorice root to help deal with hyperpigmentation and aloe vera to soothe skin. It is very liquidy and a little goes a long way - I massage this onto damp skin then rinse off. My skin always looks fresh and bright, doesn’t feel dry or tight and it’s ready for its next steps. The texture looks like it might be gritty but that isn’t the case at all, it’s smooth! It’s a generous 150ml size too! I have been reaching for this every day since I got it and still have loads left! 

Next up, another standout for me, the 15% Vitamin C and EGF Serum* £14.99! I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this as I have previously tried and did not like the Inkey List’s other Vitamin C “serum” offering (I found it to be a paste that pilled with every other product I tried it with!) This however is a true serum to me, it's liquid, lightweight and sinks in quickly. I find it so hard to get Vitamin C formulas that aren’t oily or, like I mentioned before, don't pill so this was already in my good books with its formula! Vitamin C, in this case ascorbyl glucoside, helps brighten skin and protects from damage caused by environmental pollution while EGF (epidermal growth factor) is a peptide which promotes collagen production. I use this mostly in the morning where it works perfectly in my routine and under makeup too. My skin looks brighter, more even and feels plumper! The Vitamin C in this isn’t as potent as the Vitamin C serum I mentioned earlier which contains 30% L-ascorbic acid but like I said that formula just didn’t work for me so I am getting much more use out of this! I also love the pump packaging which dispenses the perfect amount of product!

Moving on to the cult Hyaluronic Acid* RRP £5.99 and I know this is a lot of people’s holy grail hyaluronic! This is the third or fourth bottle I have gone through and though it’s a lovely product I do have others I prefer. Hyaluronic Acid attracts moisture and can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water and I apply this after toning and misting onto damp skin before the rest of my serums and moisturiser. Hyaluronic Acid is a godsend for dry or dehydrated skin and helps to plump fine lines and keep moisture in. This one is a a steal! I don’t love the packaging, I find the cap gets messy quickly and I have to clean it often so wish it also came with a pump but for the price it’s not a huge deal. Like I said, I have other hyaluronic acids I do prefer (Hada Labo, NIOD, Good Molecules) as I find them more effective but this is a nice start! 

I was also excited to try the Polyglutamic Acid* RRP £12.99 which is said to hold 4 times more moisture than hyaluronic acid so perfect for those needing hydration! Unfortunately, this is the product I am most disappointed with! It feels lightweight but it’s silicone heavy so bear that in mind and it’s recommended to apply this as the last step in your routine before moisturiser or makeup. I personally only use this in the AM due to the silicones as they are known to be good for priming. When using this I just don’t see or feel a difference with the hydration in my skin compared to when I just use hyaluronic acid. My makeup definitely stays on my skin more evenly throughout the day, my skin looks smoother and again I love the pump packaging but I was expecting more if I am honest!

Finally, we have the Symbright Moisturiser* RRP £10.99 and this one took me a little longer to get on board with as when I first started using it my skin was a bit drier as I was still on accutane and this was just not cutting the mustard for me! Now I’ve been off it for just over a month this has come into its own! It’s a lightweight moisturiser containing symbright produced through clary sage to brighten and Kakadu plum extract again to increase radiance and luminosity. Like I said, if you have dry skin you might want something thicker but for normal/oily people this is lovely! Again I use this in the AM as I prefer heavier creams and oils at night time but this works so well under makeup and my skin feels moisturised all day! I also really like the packaging – it feels a lot sturdier than the squeezy bottle of the Retinol which is hard to control!  

It is worth noting all of these products have an expiration date of 6 months so will lose their efficacy after that time! Overall I am impressed, especially with the cleanser and 15% Vitamin C and EGF Serum! If you want to see some more reviews of the Inkey list, check out my review of their Retinol here and Q10 here!

The Inkey List products are available at Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic, Boots, Feel Unique and ASOS! Have you tried any 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

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

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