Danielle's Beauty Blog

Monday, 5 September 2016

A Working Week in Blush #1

blush blushers tarte supreme nars orgasm laura geller rosewater soap and glory rosy chic the balm down boy brush

Hi everyone! I recently did a working week in lipstick post so thought I would follow up with a blusher version! I mentioned I like to try and change the products I use on my lips and cheeks every day if I can as they are the products I have most of and it lets me get better use out of my makeup! Here’s what I wore last week!

blush blushers tarte supreme nars orgasm laura geller rosewater soap and glory rosy chic the balm down boy

Monday

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour blush in Supreme

I had wanted to try the Tarte blush formulation for months so when I saw a set of four mini blushes on QVC at the end of last year I couldn’t resist! Some in the set are a little glittery for my liking but this matte coral shade is just the right amount of pigmentation and stays on all day!

Tuesday

NARS Orgasm Blush

I got this mini cult classic in the NARS Modern Minimalist Box a few months ago as I had a code for £15 off a £60 spend and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do! As you can see from the swatch below it has a lot of gold glitter in it but on the skin this translates as a gorgeous sheen!

Wednesday

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl blush in Rosewater

This is probably the prettiest indentation in a blush ever! I’ve found there are two ways to apply this – a little dip in the centre with your brush to build it up slowly or if you are going all out, follow the pattern of the swirl and watch the pigmentation increase! I’ve dipped my brush in blushes before and looked like a clown because I haven’t realised how pigmented they were so this is one I like to build up with maybe 3 or 4 swipes over each cheek. It has quite a noticeable glitter in it which I normally don’t go for but there is something about the formulation that works with this and it translated to a subtle glow on the skin.

Thursday

Soap and Glory Made you Blush in Rosy Chic

This is quite a recent purchase as it only came out at the start of summer and out of the three shades they released I went with this one as it was matte and less pink in tone than the other two! This is definitely the most pigmented of the blushes in this post so I have to be careful when applying and you really only need the smallest tap of the brush in the pan for it to show up! The packaging is a little deceptive and there isn’t as much product as I originally thought – the blush flips up and there is a mini brush underneath but other than that I have nothing bad to say about this and I might go back for the other matte one!

Friday

The Balm Down Boy blush

I *think* this is my all-time favourite blush. Big statement but when I think about it, it comes with me when I travel anywhere (even if I take something like the NARS Virtual Domination palette which has four blushes with me), I wear it on occasions I know there will be photos because it shows up, it doesn’t fade or go patchy and it’s the most perfect pink colour. I love the packaging, the size of the blush pan is generous and it’s well worth the £15.50!

blush swatches tarte supreme nars orgasm laura geller rosewater soap and glory rosy chic the balm down boy

Swatches l-r: Tarte Supreme, Nars Orgasm, Laura Geller Rosewater, Soap and Glory Rosy Chic, The Balm Down Boy

Brushes

I am a massive fan of using angled brushes to apply my blush so I thought I’d add in a quick note here about my favourites!

blush brush zoeva luxe sheer cream spectrum ao5 soap and glory

First up, the Zoeva offerings - I have a few Zoeva brush sets now and these two are definitely up there with my most used! I love using the luxe sheer cheer brush with my Hourglass brushes especially and use the Bamboo cream cheek brush with powder blushes as well. Both are super soft, pink up product easily and blend like a dream!

I got the Soap and Glory blush brush in a Christmas set last year and I wish they would bring out a permanent range because I am so impressed! The bristles are so soft, it’s the perfect size and the handles are nice and weighty! I’d buy the whole set if they brought a range out!

I bought a set of Spectrum brushes a few months ago to see what all the fuss was about and honestly, for me, they don’t beat the likes of Zoeva or Real Techniques. I found the eye brushes far too big (I have hooded eyes) and hard to use however I do love this AO5 brush and a few others in the set I got! It has a longer handle than I’m used to but again its really soft and blends blush easily!

Anyway, that wraps up a week in blush for me and as you can tell its peachy pinks all the way!

Do you change the makeup products you use every day or stick with the same ones? Have you got any blush recommendations for me?

Danielle xx

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Best UK Beauty Sites and how to save money

best online beauty shops site uk boots beauty bay look fantastic space nk feel unique escentual debenhams house of fraser

Happy Bank Holiday Monday everyone! I've been planning this post for a while and scheduled it last week without realising today was a bank holiday so if you are planning a splurge - now is the time! The majority of my spending is done online because more often than not there will be a discount code flying around or my favourite brands are only sold online but yeah mainly the discount codes, with an expensive beauty habit I need all the money off I can get! I’ve put together a list of my favourite online shops for beauty and skincare and what I like to buy from them! A lot of the brands crossover but some sites have better offers/more frequent offers/a better loyalty card etc. so I’ve tried to make it as detailed as possible without writing a dissertation on it!

Boots

Probably my most used beauty site and where half my wages seem to disappear every month - good old Boots! As well as shopping frequently in their stores I seem to make orders regularly too as a lot of my local stores don’t stock what I want!

Best time to buy?

Anytime! Boots always have 3 for 2 or buy one get one half price offers on but I also like to wait for a coupon with a points offer like 400 points when you spend £40 (easily done)! The advantage card is my favourite loyalty card and the points add up quickly so you can treat yourself and feel a little less guilty! Oh and they do the best Christmas/Boxing Day sale but you need to get in quick!

Brands to check out?

Soap and Glory, Bondi Sands (their dry tanning oil is amazing and exclusive to Boots), No7 (Perfect Light translucent setting powder in particular), SEVENTEEN, NYX, Smashbox, Origins, Liz Earle…I’ll stop now!

Beauty Bay

Ah Beauty Bay, probably the most controversial of the shops I’ve listed as a lot of people seem to complain about their delivery service. I’ve never had a problem though and they are my favourite place to get my Makeup Geek and Zoeva fix! They don’t usually have many offers on, things go out of stock fast and bear in mind that discount codes don’t work on a lot of items because they are excluded but delivery is quick (for me anyway) and they have a great range of hard to find brands!

Best time to buy?

Wait until you have a few things in your basket – their deluxe gifts are brilliant, I’ve gotten a High Definition Eye and Brow palette and a deluxe Kevyn Aucoin Flesh Tone lip pencil before and been really impressed with both! The best offer I’ve seen was the half price Makeup Geek sale but as I’ve mentioned, things went out of stock fast and I know people had trouble getting it to apply to their basket (they have also now upped their prices too)! See my Makeup Geek collection here!

Brands to check out?

Makeup Geek and Zoeva as previously mentioned as well as Morphe LA Girl, Z palette and Spectrum! Gerard Cosmetics are next on my hit list and I may have placed an order on Friday with the money off spend code Beauty Bay have up for the weekend!

Escentual

I love Escentual for their skincare offers, they seem to have a new one every week and a great range of products from some of my favourite brands!

Best time to buy?

Wait for a big percentage off – they do them all the time and I think the most I’ve got off was 25% which was applied to everything on site! Their 1/3 off French pharmacy offers are also very regular and great for stocking up on your faves!

Brands to check out? Hylamide, Vichy, Eucerin, La Roche Posay, Bioderma.

Cult Beauty

A little more luxe and edited, Cult Beauty stock - you guessed it - cult beauty and skincare products!

Best time to buy?

Wait for the gift with purchase offer! I always splurge on things I’ve been wanting for a while when this offer comes round then feel a little less guilty because the GWP is always filled with loads of new products to try from amazing brands! I am hoping they have another one soon because I have my eye on quite a few things!

Brands to check out? Pixi, Becca, Huda Beauty, Beauty Blender, Anastasia Beverly Hills, OUAI, MOA, Stila.

Feel Unique

Another great site that stocks loads of brands and always seems to have an offer on or 10% off! They also have a new Pick ‘n’ mix service where you can try five samples of products out for £3.95 shipping then get the money back on your next order!

Best time to buy?

Wait for 10% off site wide or a save on spend offer and have a splurge! They also do 10% off for students if you have an account with something like Unidays (but this can’t be used with other offers!)

Brands to check out? Urban Decay, Estee Lauder, Giorgio Armani.

Look Fantastic

I literally get an email from this site every day, it’s a pity most of their discount codes have a lot of excluded items but like all the websites I’ve mentioned, they have a good range of brands and other offers like free gifts on constantly! They also do a monthly beauty box which you don’t have to subscribe to for £15. I like to check any reviews at the start of the month for spoilers to see if I want it – I haven’t bought one in ages but it can include products from brands off their site so NUXE, Caudalie and Ren pop up quite a bit!

Best time to buy?

They do timed offered like the first 200 people to checkout get 20% off quite often though see above note about excluded items!

Brands to check out? Illamasqua, Deciem, Trilogy, Shiseido.

Space NK

Like Cult Beauty, Space NK to me is a little more luxe and on the expensive side of things! I have managed to get a few good things from the sale but you have to be quick as things sell out so quickly!

Best time to buy?

Wait for a £15 off £60 spend offer, the sale, or until you have enough N.centive points to get some money off!

Brands to check out? NARS, Kevyn Aucoin, Hourglass, Grown Alchemist.

Debenhams

I thought it was worth mentioning Debenhams too as they often have 10% off beauty and do a loyalty card. I never get much use out of mine but I suspect this will all change as Kat Von D is coming next month! Exciting times!

Best time to buy?

A 10% off beauty offer, they do them regularly and they last for a good few days!

Brands to check out? Too Faced, MAC, Urban Decay, Benefit, Kat Von D.

House of Fraser

Very similar to Debenhams in my opinion and I am just realising they do a loyalty card too, I don't order off these two websites as much as the ones at the start of this post so I think my points expire before I get a chance to use them! They do student discount like Feel Unique so you can get 10% off!

Best time to buy?

They do 10% off beauty offers too and a regular £10 off £50 spend when you buy one of their favourite beauty products but if you are a student, any time really!

Brands to check out? Charlotte Tilbury, Laura Geller.

Special mention also goes to ASOS who have a pretty good beauty section with brands like NARS and Illamasqua and regularly have offers on (as well as doing student discount). Marks and Spencer are great for Pixi and Emma Hardie, Cloud 10 Beauty for The Balm, The Body Shop for their 30% and 40% off codes and Superdrug for most things that Boots does as well (I just don’t have one near me so rarely shop in it!).

I’m signed up to all of these sites email newsletters and while some can be a bit overkill with how often they send them out most are great informing you of offers or new arrivals to the site! I also always google discount codes before I buy something in case I've missed an email so it’s good to check before you hit buy!

Like I said, I’ve added a brands to check out list under each online site but obviously a few of these crossover into different stores, I’ve just went with where I’ve found the best deal!

I may have also made a few orders this weekend as it was payday on Friday and there were some offers on that I couldn't resist! I post a lot of my hauls to Instagram so follow me there if that’s the type of thing you like to see!

Let me know if you bought anything this weekend! What’s your favourite online beauty site?

Danielle xx

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Wishlist #4

beauty wishlist ft. urban decay vice all nighter naked, kat von d shade + light huda beauty lip contour

Hi everyone, I have another beauty wish list post today to coincide with a few new launches happening soon! As usual, its palette heavy J

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Face Palette

I have had my eye on this for what seems like forever! It gets raves reviews, seems to be perfect for fair skin, it’s cool toned and it’s all matte! I will not be a happy bunny if this sells out before I get my hands on it! I never wanted to make a Sephora order for it because I was worried the powders would smash in transit so I’m glad the brand has finally made its way over here after months of rumours! I think it’s due for release on Debenhams online on the 13^th September and will make its way into stores in October!

Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette

See above! If you have read my blog for any length of time you might know that I like matte formulations especially when it comes to eyeshadows. For me they are just easier to wear on a day to day basis so I am all over this release like a bad rash!

Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation

A full coverage, matte, waterproof foundation from one of my favourite make up brands? Yes please! I will be hot footing it to my local Debenhams as soon as this comes in store to get matched and hope it lives up to the hype I have created in my head for it! It’s release in the UK on September 1^st!

Urban Decay Vice Lipstick

It goes without saying that Urban Decay’s huge lipstick overhaul has been one of the most exciting launches of the year! I can’t believe I haven’t actually bought one yet but there are so many I want I can’t decide! Every time I’m near a counter I swatch the life out of my hand and still can’t decide what I want! Backtalk, Wrong Number and Morning After are top of my list at the minute and I actually went to order Backtalk from Feel Unique a few weeks ago when they had 10% off but it was out of stock!

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics

Naked Basics 2 is my favourite Urban Decay palette and contains the only shade I have ever hit pan on – Frisk – so it only seems right that I add this to my wishlist! I am loving the shade range and I know it’s another matte palette but man I really want it! Maybe one for the Christmas list! It launches in September in the US so I’m assuming the UK should be around the same time!

Huda Beauty Lip Contour in Bombshell

I am currently loving lip pencils so after seeing a lot of hype around these they are next on my list to try! Bombshell looks like the perfect pinky nude which is a shade I wear very often and if I’m going to pay £16 for it I want it in a shade that will be in constant rotation!

Special mention also has to go to the new Too Faced/Kat Von D magnetic palette, I love the concept of this but a lot of the shades don’t appeal to me and there aren’t enough mattes for me to justify it but I think it’s an amazing idea! I’m very worried for my bank balance over the next few months! Expect to see these in a wish list purchases post soon!

If you liked this post you might like these:

Wishlist #1

Wishlist #2
Wishlist #3

Wishlist Purchases #1

Wishlist Purchases #2

Have you tried any of these products? Tell me what you are lusting after at the minute!

Danielle xx

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Yes OUAI

OUAI haircare review repair shampoo conditioner finishing creme wave spray

Morning everyone! I was recently sent some exciting hair products to try out from celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin’s new haircare brand OUAI! Looking after the likes of the Kardashians and Chrissy Teigan’s hair I had high hopes for these products and *spoiler alert* they didn’t disappoint! Called OUAI after the casual slang for yes in French, this brand is all about getting good hair (inside and out) the easy way.

First off let’s talk about the packaging. Chic, simplistic, understated and I love the hexagonal lids of the shampoo and conditioner! All the products have very generous sized packaging so even though they are more expensive than your average drugstore hair product you really are getting value for your money. OUAI products are also not tested on animals.

The OUAI Repair Shampoo* (RRP £22) is a nourishing shampoo, free from parabens and sulphates, designed to fortify breakage prone hair and leave it feeling stronger and shinier. Although I have oily hair (with dry ends) I haven’t found this too much for my roots at all and have been washing my hair as normal every second day! It leaves my hair stronger and looking shinier and works perfectly with the OUAI Repair Conditioner* (RRP £22). This is a moisturising shampoo that nourishes damaged hair without adding weight which is perfect for my fine hair! I got it cut about three weeks ago so it is in pretty good condition at the minute anyway but it grows quickly and I use heat on it every day so the ends do tend to get damaged!

OUAI’s range of shampoos share a signature scent which includes a blend of Italian lemon, Turkish rose, jasmine, iris, lily and white musk while the range of conditioners also share a signature scent – a blend of Italian lemon, bergamot, rose de mai, magnolia, lily, blackberry, cedar wood, amber, patchouli, sandalwood and white musk. I can definitely detect the slight difference in scent but they both work together so well to create a long-lasting, distinctive scent that lasts to my next wash!

The OUAI Finishing Crème* (RRP £20) is a lightweight cream I've been using on the ends of my hair, it smooth’s dry ends and gives hair extra shine! It also protects against UV rays, pollutants and heat but I felt like I was missing out on this quality the first few times I used it as I applied the crème after I was finished styling with my GHD’s. I now pop a little in damp hair before blow drying and then a little more after I've finished styling and it works so well to tame flyways while not weighing my hair down!

When I first saw the OUAI Wave Spray* (RRP £22) I almost mistook it for the hair oil because of its colour! The wave spray is a lightweight texturizing mist perfect for enhancing your natural waves to give it perfectly undone look. I unfortunately don’t have a natural wave to enhance so I rely on a wave wand to make my hair look undone! I spray this liberally through the lengths of my hair when it’s damp and a little bit into the roots then rough dry before taking different sized sections and wrapping round my wave wand. I’m so impressed with the finished result! As my hair is quite straight naturally, anytime I curl it I have to spray so much hairspray or the curl will fall out almost straight away. To properly test the “memory” claims this wave spray has I've been forgoing the hair spray and I can’t get over the results! My waves last all day, they have a gorgeous texture that doesn’t feel sticky or crunchy, it doesn’t make my hair greasy and it smells amazing too! I’ll spray some more in my hair the next day, turn upside down and scrunch upwards to get a bit more volume and texture. It’s also been forcing me out of my comfort zone as a serial hair straightener! Like the shampoo and conditioner, the wave spray contains similar notes contributing to its beautiful musky scent. A perfume with the OUAI scent will also be released next year!

OUAI haircare repair shampoo conditioner wave spray review

A cringey timer shot of me ruffling my hair after washing with the Repair shampoo and conditioner and using the Wave Spray and a waving wand - hope you can see the shine!

All OUAI Haircare products also contain what they call Smart Technology – a cocktail of nourishing ingredients including amino acids, tamarind seed, keratin, ama oil, hibiscus and jasmine to fortify strands, enhance moisture levels, repair and protect from humidity. All these elements work together to make my hair supper soft, shiny and yep I’m going to say it – swishy! Definitely a brand to try!

You can purchase OUAI Haircare from Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic and SpaceNK.

Have you tried anything from OUAI Haircare? What’s your favourite hair care 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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Danielle's Beauty Blog

Monday, 5 September 2016

A Working Week in Blush #1

Monday, 29 August 2016

Best UK Beauty Sites and how to save money

Monday, 22 August 2016

Wishlist #4

Monday, 15 August 2016

Yes OUAI