Danielle's Beauty Blog

Sunday, 21 June 2020

Current Skincare | Toners #2

Welcome to the second instalment of my forgotten blog series in toners! I’m going to try and actually keep it up this time! Way back in the day, toners were almost like an extra cleansing step for me and the amount of makeup that would still come off even after double cleansing was embarrassing, I obviously wasn’t being too thorough! Nowadays, I love using toners to prep my skin for the rest of my skincare routine and always try to have an exfoliating one and a hydrating one in my routine at least. Here are the current open toners in my collection and my thoughts on them!

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner*

This is the one I’ve had in my collection the longest at this point. It targets uneven skin tone, dullness and visible pores and contains licorice root extract, arbutin and Vitamin C as well as niacinamide. It’s super gentle and suitable for both morning and evening, I use a cotton pad to apply and it is very easily absorbed. There is no scent and I love that it is alcohol free! Just enough comes out of the bottle when you tap the bottom and you get 120ml of product for $14. After continued use my skin looks brighter and left over pigmentation from acne scarring has been less pronounced (I haven’t just been using this product but I do believe it has made a difference)! My skin never feels dried out when I use this and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it! The only negative I would say is that the bottle doesn’t make it the most travel friendly option but who is doing much of that at the minute! Read more about Good Molecules here!

Versed Baby Cheeks All in One Hydrating Milk

This is my current soothing, hydrating toner, it contains algae extract, bamboo extract, and coconut water to leave skin soft and residue free. If my skin is feeling over exfoliated I always come back to this as it’s so calming! The all in one refers to the fact it can be used as a makeup remover, cleansing milk, toner or post-workout refresher but as mentioned I use it as a toner before applying the rest of my skincare routine! The packaging is super cute, I love the pastel shade and it has one of the push down pumps which is fun to use! It’s £16.50 for 120ml.

Ren Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic

This is only a mini so I’ve been using it more sporadically than I normally would a toner which is probably going to skew my review a little as I don’t get the hype haha. This is such a cult favourite for loads of people and I wanted to love it but it feels a little too astringent for me to use daily and I just keep thinking about how I want Pixi Glow Tonic back in my life (which I repurchased last week). It contains lactic acid and salicin to exfoliate, brighten and hydrate with aims to leave a smooth, even and energised complexion. My skin definitely feels smooth, brightened and energised after using this but as I mentioned, because I don’t use it every day I’ve been struggling to see it helping with breakouts. It also contains fragrance and citrus oils which may be adding to why this feels astringent to me! It’s £27 for 150ml.

So that’s my little round up for today! Have you tried any of these toners? What are your thoughts! Let me know your favourite toners too! If you want to read the first instalment of this series click here!

*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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Best Budget Skincare

Hi everyone, welcome back! Today I thought I would talk about some of my favourite budget skincare brands and products! As someone whose tastes are getting more expensive, finding these gems gives my bank balance a little break!

Starting with one of my favourites, The Ordinary is probably the OG budget skincare brand that everyone got on board with as they are so effective but affordable and they have so many products that I love! The Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA are amazing for blemish prone skin - I mix them before applying to my face and they do wonders for congestion and brightening. The AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution mask is potent and my skin always feels so soft and looks so smooth after use. The Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is another great option from them! This has been working really well on the texture of my skin caused by blemishes! I do also love their more expensive brand NIOD and have a whole blog post here on my favourites from Deciem as a whole!

The Inkey List have released a crazy amount of products recently and there are so many I want to try but my favourites from them are their Retinol Serum - so gentle but effective and I always wake up with plump glowy skin after using it and their Caffeine eye cream which is lovely and lightweight and great for puffiness. I would say though that I don’t love their hyaluronic acid, it doesn't do enough for me and their niacinamide and alpha arbutin aren't as effective as the Ordinary’s on my skin!

Good Molecules is a brand I've been lucky to been gifted some items from and I cannot rave about them enough! They are sold on Beautylish as well as their own website and their pricing is amazing for the quality of the products! Some of my favourites are pictured here, the Hyaluronic Acid* is the best budget option I've tried (miles ahead of The Ordinary and Inkey List versions), the Niacinamide Brightening Toner* is so gentle and brightening and the Pineapple Exfoliating Powder* makes my skin feel so soft and smooth as it exfoliates away the dullness! I've written more about them on my blog here!

I couldn’t do a budget skincare post without including my favourite Nivea Double Effect eye makeup remover as it’s one of my most long term skincare items. It’s dual phase formula makes taking off waterproof eye makeup a breeze! It is gentle, doesn't sting my eyes or dry out the skin around them! A must have on everyone’s skincare shelf!

I talked about The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter recently here but in short it’s a beautiful, gentle effective cleansing balm! It does a great job of removing makeup and the tin lasts ages! It’s also so lightweight and perfect for travelling with (though I won't be doing that for a while).

Lastly, I have to mention the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater! This facial mist is one of my favourites and I usually have a couple kicking around! I use it so much throughout the day as it’s so cooling and hydrating and as I work in an office it's perfect for when my skin gets dried out!

I would love to know your favourite budget skincare products or brands! There are so many that I haven’t tried! Hope you all have a lovely week!

*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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Pamper Essentials | Skin, Hair and Body

Although selfcare is always an important part of my day to day routine, sometimes you need a full body and hair deep clean so here are my current pamper essentials for when I just need my skin, hair and body to feel and look better!

Starting with a full scrub with the Frank Body Coconut Coffee Scrub, this stuff is messy but worth it! It feels so invigorating on the skin and leaves my body soft and smooth. It also helps to firm and hydrate! Afterwards, I’ll go in with the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. People seem to love or hate this scent but it gives me so much nostalgia as I originally had it when I was in Canada. It is super thick and creamy but sinks in quickly and moisturises so well it feels amazing! Sometimes right before bed I will grab the Versed Keep It Supple Body Oil. This is a beautiful, lightweight but hydrating dry oil that makes my body feel so smooth! The scent is also a lot more subtle than the bum bum cream! I’ll then pop some Australian Bodycare Foot Cream on. I've been obsessed with this since I got it, the tea tree scent smells like the beauticians and it does a lovely job of moisturising my feet which need a little TLC coming into summer! All the above has been in preparation for the next night when I tan. The Bondi Sands Liquid Gold is my favourite for a subtle healthy colour - you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s got a guide colour so it’s easy to use, it smells like coconuts and it wears off so evenly!

Being overdue a haircut and not being able to go to the hairdresser has got me reaching for the hair masks like no other! While my long term favourite is the Olaplex No3 treatment for its reparative properties (read more here), I don’t always have 3 hours spare to leave it in to do its thing! So, recently I picked up the Phyto Phytojoba Mask and having used this a handful of times I can safely say I am IMPRESSED! I leave it in my ends for about ten minutes before washing and rinsing and my ends feel super soft and you can hardly tell how many split ends I have! It seems to last to my next wash too! Sometimes my hair will look so dry a couple of days after I wash it (stretching hair washes to every 4 days now) but it stays smooth and soft with this! Smells lovely too! After that I always spritz with my Ouai Leave In Conditioner, the most luxurious scented brand ever, I am addicted to the scent and how the products make my hair feel! This is great to use as a heat protectant and detangler as well as adding even more hydration to hair without weighing it down!

Finally onto skincare and my favourite overnight treatment, Alpha H Liquid Gold. This is an amazing exfoliater that I use regularly as works so well for my skin. I always wake up the next day to brighter, smoother, clearer skin! Though not on the same night, depending on how my skin is feeling I’ll sometimes do a face mask and the Origins Original Skin Retexturising mask with rose clay is the best for refining my skins texture and minimising my pores! Following that I’ll pile on the hydration with the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Hydrating Mask. I’ve lost count of how many tubes of this I have gone through now! It’s so soothing and hydrating and my skin always feels soft and looks so plump after use! Finally, I’ve included the Disciple London Dreamy Skin Retinyl Oil as my last step as it feels and smells so luxurious and it makes my skin feel supple, look clearer and helps with fine lines too! Bonus points for using a roller or gua sha at any point during a skincare routine as well for ultimate pampering!

I did a similar post almost four years ago here if you want to check out how my tastes have changed! There is one product that has stayed the same! I’d love to know what your pamper essentials are!

Danielle xx

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Current Skincare | Cleansers #2

cleanser review Dermalogica beautybio disciple body shop

You know when you start a blog series, do one post then it falls by the wayside? Well that’s what happened with this series unfortunately but today I am bringing it back! I do have a few more cleansers in my back up stash but this is what I currently have on rotation!

cleanser review Dermalogica body shop disciple

The First Cleanse/PM Cleanse

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter RRP £11

This is my budget pick and one that is perfect to travel (even though no one is doing much of that lately) with as it’s so light! I had this with me all last summer while I was roadtripping and while I've neglected it a little recently as I've been busy using up the others I can’t recommend this enough! It’s rich, removes makeup with ease and is perfect for sensitive skin!

Disciple Night Shift Oil cleanser RRP £27

I had some minis of their facial oils so wanted to try more of the range. I don't love this quite as much as the face oils but this is still a really lovely luxurious oil cleanser and its full of fruit oils and AHA’s! It removes makeup with ease (it comes with a face cloth too) and I love the green packaging however it does seem to collect some product buildup around the pump. I wish this was scented a bit more like the facial oils as that would really have sold it for me but my skin does feel calm and plump after use!

Dermalogica Precleanse* RRP £39.50

This has such an uplifting scent due to the citrus scent and a little goes a long way! It removes makeup very easily - I massage a pump into my face then add some water to my finger tips and massage again before using a flannel to remove. I do find this slightly irritates my eyes however unfortunately due to the citric additions which is a pity!

The Second Cleanse/AM Cleanse
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel* RRP £33

I'd probably go as far as to say this is my favourite out of the whole bunch I have here! When I first received it I have to say I wasn’t expecting much as I’ve never been blown away by a gel cleanser and always thought they were a little drying however this completely changed my opinion! This is so gentle, there is barely any lather but it cleanses so well, doesn't dry out my skin and it never feels tight after use. You can see my full post on this and the Precleanse oil here!

Dermalogica Active Clay Cleanser* RRP £35

This is the newest addiction to my cleanser collection and one I have been thoroughly enjoying since I received it about 4 weeks ago now! It's a thick dark clay based prebiotic cleanser so perfect for oily skin! This deeply cleans and absorbs excess oil and I can only imagine my skin will love this even more once we move into summer and it goes full oily as it drinks up the Kaolin clay haha! If I have a little extra time I sometimes apply a layer over my face and use as a quick face mask while I jump in the shower. It doesn't completely dry down so feels super comfortable and once rinsed off my skin feels soft and matte but not flaky or dry! My cleansers all stay in the bathroom and my mum recently said "oh that new Dermalogica one in the bathroom is nice isn't it?" so it’s got the seal of approval from her too!

BeautyBio The Balance pH Balancing Cleanser* RRP £45

Another lovely gel formulation and I love the scent of this one (maybe keep that in mind if you have very sensitive skin). Not 100% sure what it is but kind of smells like eucalyptus to me! This one is designed to restore the skins ideal pH, keep oils at bay and in turn combat blemishes while ensuring the skin doesn’t dry out. It’s lightweight, feels slippery and the gel lathers nicely with my skin never feeling stripped or dry after I use it and it doesn’t irritate my eyes. Unfortunately I do think the products from this brand are a little overpriced though! See my full post here!

If you would like to see the first post in this series check it out here! I hope you found some ideas if you are on the lookout for a new cleanser! Let me know your favourite cleansers please!

P.S. If you have any tips on how to make the font behave please let me know! I removed all formatting and set it to default font and normal sizing in blogger and it didn't work, so frustrating!

*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

Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Danielle's Beauty Blog

Sunday, 21 June 2020

Current Skincare | Toners #2

Sunday, 31 May 2020

Best Budget Skincare

Sunday, 24 May 2020

Pamper Essentials | Skin, Hair and Body

Sunday, 17 May 2020

Current Skincare | Cleansers #2