Danielle's Beauty Blog

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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Generally speaking, I’m a fan of matte neutral shades so the Morphe Brushes 35N 35 Colour Matte Palette (£15.95) is right up my alley! The size of the palette does remind me of those giant ones you would ask for at Christmas and practically have to dig into to get any colour payoff but thankfully this isn't anything like that! The shadows are so pigmented and don’t kick up too much dust when you put your brush in them! I haven’t noticed any creasing with these either and they stay as vibrant from when I put them on in the morning to when I take them off at night! The packaging is sturdy but there is no mirror which doesn’t bother me as I never use the mirrors in palettes anyway! The only negative I would say is that there are obviously a lot of shades I won’t use in there but at £15.95 for the entire palette it doesn’t worry me too much!

The first column as you will see from the pictures of the palette and the swatches are very light mattes that could be used as a base colour or matte highlight. The palette then moves into a few warmer shades with oranges and pinks which won’t get a lot of use from me but I can imagine people who are a bit more daring with their makeup using these! The palette then moves into the darker colours and a few purple shades which I can’t wait to use in a smoky eye! I have mainly been using this in the daytime with the browns in the last two columns along with the black shade in the very top corner as a shadow liner! Pigmentation varies a little through the palette with the most noticeable shades for me being the grey/black beneath the corner black and the grey at the top of the third column, I can’t get very much payoff from those at all but the rest have a really lovely smooth feel to them!

I also picked up a couple of brushes to try out. As you can never have too many blending brushes I got the M330 Blending Crease Brush (£4.75). The bristles are slightly longer than I’m used to which makes it a little bendier than my other blending brushes but nonetheless it’s soft and I like it! Probably the one brush I’m missing in my collection is a fan brush so I also ordered the B8 Badger Deluxe Fan Brush (£4.75). Again this is really soft and I’m enjoying applying highlighter with it as an extra step in my routine! I couldn’t find anywhere that stated Morphe Brushes were cruelty free so I sent them an email asking and they replied with “we work with many different factors that purchase their bristle from suppliers that are certified cruelty free”. 

My order was dispatched really quickly and arrived a few days later packaged really well! Beauty Bay also have free delivery on orders over £15!

I definitely want to try a few more things from Morphe especially more of their brushes and some other palettes like the blush one! Do you have any recommendations? Have you bought anything from a brand you haven’t tried before recently?

Danielle xx

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If you have read my Manicure Essentials post you will know that I usually forego coloured nail polish on my fingernails and save it for my toenails. This is because I cannot stand chipped nail polish or more likely, my obsession with then picking the rest of the polish off! This stuff however is on a whole other level and the little nail combination I have been using has ensured this is the longest lasting manicure I’ve ever had, lasting a good four days before chipping which is a lifetime for me!

As usual, I apply my OPI Nail Envy as a base coat, this is the most amazing nail polish ever and I often wear this on its own because it gives the most amazing shine to my nails and really strengthens them. Nail Envy was actually the only OPI nail polish I had tried prior to getting this one but I have a feeling this will change as I love the formulation of the two I have so much!

I first saw OPI My Very First Knockwurst on my friend at works nails about a month ago and had to know what it was! She couldn’t remember and wrote it down for me that evening and I had it ordered before break time at work the next day! It is the most perfect nude-y, pinky, pastely, chic, sophisticated shade of nail polish I have ever owned and I am obsessed with it! I mentioned that I have been so impressed with the wear time which could be down to the top coat I've been using (I haven’t tried it without).

Now I know Seche Vite hasn’t got the best ingredients in it but boy does it dry fast! Gone is the endless flapping of my hands to try and dry my nails quicker only to hit something by accident and smudge my whole nail anyway! Overall, this has become my nail dream team and I can’t stop wearing it!

What nail colours have you been loving recently? Do you like this one or is it too nude for you?

Danielle xx

Eucerin AQUAporin Active SPF 25 UVB + UVA Protection* RRP £16.50

As a big fan of Eucerin skin and body products I was excited to give this a try when it arrived a few weeks ago! It promises to provide deep 24 hour hydration to dehydrated, sensitive skin. This is right up my street this time of year when my usually oily/combination skin starts to play up with the change in weather/heating etc. and dry patches pop up! I recently took a reaction to a face tanner I used and my skin got really dry and flaky and none of my usual moisturisers were working so I gave this a whirl and have been so happy with the results! At first, although this moisturiser has SPF I though it would be too rich for me during the day but since my skin was so dry I piled it on anyway and was surprised by how well it soaked in, soothed and smoothed my skin. I didn’t use a primer and felt it gave a good base for my makeup too! I love the fact it has both UVA and UVB protection and will definitely be taking this on a short trip away next month (thank God for hold luggage)! There is a whole scientific explanation as to how this hydrates involving the skins aquaporin’s which you can read about here. The Eucerin range can be found at Boots, Look Fantastic, Escentual, Feel Unique and some independent pharmacies!

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask RRP for 100ml is £23

I got this in a set last Christmas and its one of the first Origins products I've tried and loved. The activated charcoal in it is meant to act like a magnet to draw out anything clogging your pores like dirt and pollution through daily life. I like to use this about once a week for a real deep clean and my skin always feels amazing afterwards! It really softens it and seems to draw out any impurities by drying up spots and blackheads! Plus I love how quickly it dries in! I like to rinse this off just in the sink with my hands, I found when I used a facecloth it stained really badly and didn’t come out in the wash but other than its great! I’ll then follow up with a moisturiser like the Eucerin one I’ve mention above as I find it can dry my skin out a bit but it’s totally worth it!

Avene Triacneal RRP £23

This has become my Holy Grail spot product! It’s pricey at £23 but it lasts ages! The product itself is a yellow paste that is not greasy in the slightest and helps eliminate severe imperfections. I use this over active spots at night where it helps to dry them out and also over old acne scars which I find it helps to fade. I have a funny feeling this is being discontinued as unfortunately as it’s out of stock on a lot of sites, this seems to have happened to a lot of products I love over the past few months! Avene did just bring out a new product called Triacneal Expert and their Cleanance Expert is also targeted towards spot prone skin so they would work well too!

Alpha H Liquid Gold RRP £33.50

This is one of my favourite treatments and I have gone through various bottles of it! It’s an overnight chemical exfoliator and I bloody love it! It claims to resurface the skin and help to diminish wrinkles, pigmentation and sun damage. I totally bought this because of the hype and its one I’m happy to say completely delivers on its claims! I can’t quite put my finger on it but my skin just looks better the morning after I’ve put this on. It’s clearer, more even, and plumper and my old acne pigmentation doesn’t look as pronounced. Couldn’t be without this now! Available at Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Look Fantastic among others!

Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned? What are your skincare saviours?

P.S. I also just got Twitter and Instagram and they are embarrassingly empty at the minute but links are below if you feel like saying hello :) 

Danielle xx

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