Danielle's Beauty Blog

Lip products and lip balms in particular are my vice so when I saw this trio on sale for half price a couple of months ago I thought it was about time I saw what all the Pat McGrath fuss was about! 

The set includes three of the sheer lip fetish lip balms in the shades Clear, Blow Up (a warm beige) and Flesh 3 (a bronzed rose). The formula is shea butter based and glides on so easily. The balms feel very lightweight but also hydrating and are infused with soothing emollients, antioxidants and vitamins that protect from free radicals and restore softness and elasticity and they leave a gorgeous sheen behind!

Pat McGrath’s packaging is instantly recognisable with the little gold lips on the casing and while the white outer packaging is plastic it feels really secure. There is 1.2g of product inside each of the minis and I believe the full sizes contain 3g at £28 each. I know a lot of people complain about the wasteful packaging as a con of buying from the brand but as I first time customer I found it to be quite a novelty! I still have the sequins and I need to find someone crafty to see if they can reuse them! 

l-r: Clear, Blow Up, Flesh 3

Like I said, I got these on sale for £10 instead of £20 but I don’t think I would pay full price for them! I am getting through Blow Up especially quickly as it’s my favourite and with regular use these won’t be the most long lasting bullets as they are so small! Flesh 3 will probably get more use from me throughout winter and though I don’t see these lasting long I am going to enjoy them while they do!

Unfortunately, this set doesn’t seem to be on the website anymore but Pat McGrath Labs regularly do sales so keep an eye out if you are interested! They also had free delivery with no minimum spend which was a nice surprise! 

Have you tried any Pat McGrath before? What is your favourite lip balm? 

Danielle xx

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It’s been a while since I did one of these so I thought I would gather up a few current favourites to share today! 

Although Olaplex will always be my favourite hair treatment, the Phyto PhytoJoba Mask is a great option that leaves my hair soft and manageable as well as hydrated and healthy looking! It's concentrated so a little goes a long way and it smells like coconuts. I leave it on for as long as possible and it acts as a conditioner. If your ends are as parched as mine are you need to try this, they will thank you for it! 

While I was repurchasing my beloved OUAI North Bondi perfume I decided I would also splash out and pick up the OUAI Melrose Place Eau de Parfum and I am so glad I did! Melrose Place also lasts longer on my skin than North Bondi so that’s a plus too! If you have sniffed the OUAI rose hair and body oil or their scalp and body scrub you will know what this smells like already! It’s beautiful! I’ve included the notes here for anyone who is more of a perfume buff than I am but I just know that I love it! It’s not overpowering at all yet still unique and I can’t get enough of it! 

Top Notes: Champagne, Pink Peppercorn, Berry, and Lychee.

Heart Notes: Peony, Rose, Freesia, Jasmine, and Bergamot.

Base Notes: Amber, Sandalwood, White Musk, and Cedar-wood.

My latest lipbalm love is the Sol de Janeiro Cupuaçu Brazilian Kiss lip butter. It’s huge and leaves a gorgeous hydrating sheen behind and it lasts so long between top ups! It contains cupuaçu, acai and coconut oil and makes my lips feel so soft! The scent is not overpowering at all and once it’s on you can barely smell it!

I’ve got a new budget powder contender in the Collection Primed and Ready Invisible Setting Powder which was an impulse buy a few months ago. I hate wasting my Laura Mercier as I obviously haven’t been going anywhere so I thought I would try this and at £3.99 (and I think there was money off when I bought it) I have been super impressed! It’s a very finely milled mattifying powder that doesn’t cling to dry patches and does a very good job of keeping my oils at bay! Not bad for under £4! 

After trying the Nature Lab Tokyo Perfect Shine Clarifying Scalp Scrub (Affiliate link - 10% off with code Danielle10) in mini form from a GWP I knew I had to get the full size. It contains sugar crystals to exfoliate and is my go to when I leave my hair for an extra day and use dry shampoo instead of actually washing it. It does a great job of getting rid of build-up and makes my scalp feel invigorated. I find with some scalp scrubs I can’t even seem to get it worked into my scalp but this is the most amazing formula – it’s sulphate free however lathers up well and it’s really easy to get it worked into the scalp! It leaves my hair shiny and feeling hydrated but not weighed down. Love it!

Let me know if you have tried any of the products I’ve mentioned or what you have been loving recently! 

P.S. I hate the new blogger layout, anyone else? (if that's what you use!)

Danielle xx

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About two months ago, Dermalogica sent out the most beautiful care package to help with breakouts which included their new Retinol Clearing Oil*, AGE Bright Clearing Serum*, AGE Bright Spot Fader* and a satin eye mask! I’ve gathered my thoughts on the products after trying them out now for the last 7 weeks and here they are! 

To give you a bit of background, my skin has troubled me for around 15+ years now with varying levels of acne which right now is quite moderate and to be honest I will probably be looking for a referral to a dermatologist for another bout of Roaccutane should it get much worse. I’ve got combo skin that leans towards more oily in the summer and though that’s not the most positive intro, I do have plenty of good things to say about these three products! However, they are not the cure to acne, I’m still on the lookout for that :P 

The newest product to the Active Clearing line up is the Retinol Clearing Oil* RRP £69. This is a luxurious dry oil that contains time-released retinol, salicylic acid, argan, rosehip seed and jojoba. It is usually recommended that you use either retinol or salicylic acid, not both at once, however, Dermalogica have created a formula that is both gentle and effective in this oil and you can apply moisturiser over the top of this if you wish before bed. The retinol has been working well to minimise the fine lines I am becoming conscious of on my forehead and especially my “elevens” between my eyebrows as well as helping with stubborn pigmentation while the saliciylic acid gets to work on my breakouts and also works as an exfoliator. I haven’t experienced any sensitivity or irritation with this formula and the oils really help nourish and protect my skin while the active ingredients work! I always wake up to smoother, calmer skin and this has been helping with my leftover pigmentation. I am still breaking out with the same consistency as always though like I mentioned before so the results for me are short lived as I seem to enter into a revolving circle of breakout/treat/heal/breakout again. The bottle is also luxurious with its ombre print and fancy dropper! 

The AGE Bright Clearing Serum* RRP £65 has been a nice addition to my AM routine. Like the oil, it also contains salicylic acid as well as niacinamide and white shitake mushroom for even skin. AGE Bright complex promotes clearer and brighter skin and phytoactives from the resurrection plant hydrate and smooth skin. Again, this hasn’t cured my breakouts completely but I have noticed a much quicker recovery time while using this on active breakouts which has impressed me and my skin looks more even and bright! It sits really well under makeup and doesn’t dry out my skin at all. The scent is not my favourite thing in the world but you can’t smell it once it dries in. 

Lastly, the AGE Bright Spot Fader RRP £45* was sent over to me which to be honest is the one I forget about the most! While I have been using the oil and serum about 4-5 times a week I have probably remembered about this targeted treatment gel maybe 1-2 times a week. It contains salicylic acid, niacinamide and hexylresorcinol which all work together to clear breakouts and improve skin tone. Any time I do remember to use this I do find it calms the area and like the clearing serum, contributes to a quicker healing time on active breakouts but I wouldn’t say I have noticed any major differences using this specifically on pigmentation though I will keep testing! 

Overall, I am impressed with how quickly these get to work on active breakouts though it is difficult for me to see long term results as once I get rid of one patch of breakouts the next one seems to make its way onto my face! This is also a common pattern for my skin and not something I would say any of these products has contributed to. I start a new job on Monday where I think I will have to wear a mask all day so that will be a new test for my skin as I've only had to wear them for short amounts of time so far. I will be sure to keep you updated on how these continue working for me! Have you tried this range? What are your favourite products for clearing breakouts? 

The Dermalogica Active Clearing range can be bought directly from their website as well as many UK retailers such as Look Fantastic, John Lewis and Feel Unique and is cruelty free, vegan, paraben free, gluten free and free from artificial fragrances and colours!

*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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