Danielle's Beauty Blog

I almost made it through January with no beauty purchases but I caved when Boots did a payday offer with 20% off and I thought treat yo’self. With that thought, I decided I might also try to turn this into a blog series and spending diary for myself this year! I have done something similar in the form of my Try not to Buy hauls but it’s been literal years since I last did one and I didn’t go into details on pricing or anything. Since I try not to buy anything full price I’m going to try keep track of my savings and spending with these spend reports – I’m also hoping there won’t be one every month! 

The product that started this haul off was the NARS Soft Matte Complete Foundation in Deauville. It’s been receiving rave reviews and curiosity got the better of me. I kicked myself after Christmas as this had 20% off and I didn’t pick it up then I had regrets so I patiently waited for another offer and Boots delivered! Full price this is £28 but with 20% off it was £22.40 and I actually used my advantage card points to pay for this so it was guilt free! I’ve been using this all week and I have to say my first impressions are very good – I think I will do a full review after I have tried it for a while longer but it was points well spent! 

I then did a separate order – side note – it is so annoying you can’t part pay on Boots with points and you can’t use gift cards either! This order consisted of the NARS Mini Afterglow Lip Balm Duo in Orgasm and Fast Lane which is now out of stock and I wasn’t expecting it to be in stock for me either but I saw it because was sitting in my saved for later from Christmas and had a third off in the January sale so instead of being £20 was £13.33. I already have the shade Dolce Vita and love it and I am using balms a lot more than lipsticks at the minute so was happy to pick these up! 

Next up, a gloss that has been on my radar for ages and again while it was 20% off I thought I would take the opportunity to try it! I find Boots more regularly do 15% off Fenty rather than 20% and while it’s not a massive difference it’s all money! I picked up the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fu$$y and one of the newer cream versions too – the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Colour Drip Lip Cream in Fenty Glow. These are both £17 full price but £13.60 with the discount. Finally, the Fenty Skin Start’r Set dropped into my basket. It contains minis of the Total Cleans’r, Fat Water and Hydra Vizor and is £32 full price and £25.60 with the 20% off. I thought these minis were a bit bigger so I’m annoyed as the price does still seem quite steep for the size but hopefully they are good and will be worth the money! Love the cardboard packaging too! 

As well as the 20% discount, I also had a £5 off voucher I was pleasantly surprised that worked so my total for this haul was £61.13 instead of £114 which I was pretty happy with! I used TopCashback to shop too which sometimes takes quite a while to clear but is pending 56p and 73p for these two transactions (let me know if you want a referral link)! I used to use Ebates as well when I lived in Canada which is the same idea and got cashback through my online shopping!

I have a really old blogpost on the Best UK Beauty Sites and how to save money that I would like to do an updated version of this at some point this year but most of the content is still relevant if you are also looking to save on your beauty spending this year! I can’t wait to try out everything here so let me know if there is anything specific you want to see a review on! I always post more pictures on Instagram so do come over and say hello there too! Did you make any makeup or skincare purchases this year yet?

Danielle xx

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Today I thought I would do a quick little one brand review of Lanolips – a brand I fell in love with because of one of their lip products and more recently their skincare! They are an Australian brand that uses lanolin (oil that occurs naturally in sheep’s wool) that is cruelty-free sourced from sheep in Australia and New Zealand. There is no petrolatum, parabens, artificial fragrance, mineral oil or sulfates in their products. 

The first Lanolips product I got was actually from a gift with purchase on Cult Beauty (isn’t it great when you find something that normally wouldn’t be on your radar and end up loving it!) The product in question is the 101 Ointment Multibalm Coconutter (RRP £8.99) and it is one of the most nourishing, longlasting lip balms I have in my collection! It comes in four flavours, of which I have coconut (I neither love nor hate the scent), and it’s also infused with Vitamin E, known for its antioxidant properties! Chapped lips are a thing of the past with this, it leaves me with the smoothest, flake free lips imaginable, and I also talked about it more in this Five Things I’m Loving post here! 

The next product I picked up was the Everywhere Multi-Cream RRP £10.99 and this was on the recommendation of my mum who is obsessed! Like the name suggests, this is made for use everywhere – face, body, hands, under eyes etc! I personally use it as a body moisturiser and it hydrates my skin really well without leaving a greasy feel. I would say though that I have gone through this tube far quicker than I would have liked using it all over my body! My mum uses it as a face moisturiser mostly at night and loves how nourished and hydrated her face feels! They do have a pump version that is double the size of product for £14 so I will be picking that up next time as I love the formula!

Unlike my mum, I tend not to opt for the Multi-Cream on my face as I have two dedicated products for that! I picked up the Winter Dry Skin Essentials kit for myself at the beginning of December and I cannot get enough of the face creams! The Face Base Vitamin E Day Cream RRP £20 is a super creamy formula that sinks in quickly but leaves a bit of tack which I find perfect for applying makeup over. My skin is drier than normal at the minute due to being on mediation for my acne but I don’t think this would be too much for my oily skin either! It keeps my skin hydrated all day long and under makeup it also substitutes as a primer helping make sure my foundation doesn’t settle into fine lines so it’s a winner for me! It's perfect for barrier repair too!

Also in the set was the Face Base Aussie Flyer Recovery Mask RRP £20 which as well as lanolin also contains coffee to reboot dull skin and mint oil to restore radiance. Neither product is strongly scented to me nor do I experience any tingling with this one! It's not recommended for sensitive skin but I personally haven't had any reaction to it! It leaves my skin feeling plump and hydrated and I don’t bother tissuing off any excess after 10 minutes I just leave it on and sometimes put some oil on top aswell right before bed! I have a mini 30ml in both of them but the full size is £20 for 60ml!

Lastly, the Lanolips 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm RRP £10.99 – the original Lanolips cult classic! This is a do it all balm with, you guessed it – 101 uses! – lips, dry patches, cuticles, nasal passages, you name it, so it’s perfect to have to hand for any rough or dry skin emergencies! I use this again mainly for my lips and sometimes I rub a tiny bit inside my nostrils as they are dry and prone to nosebleeds at the minute and it works a treat! It is more dense so much harder to squeeze out than the 101 Multibalm and needs a little more work rubbing in too but the effects are worth it! It stays put all night long so no waking up with uncomfortable dry skin on my lips! 

I honestly can’t recommend these products enough! Everything I’m using at the minute is obviously geared towards my drier than normal skin due to the Roaccutane I’m taking but if you are experiencing dry skin due to winter as well these would be perfect! I also think the price point is great for the product as you never need a huge amount (aside from the everywhere multi-cream which I need to the bigger version of!). Have you tried anything from Lanolips? Let me know your recommendations!

Danielle xx

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I thought it was about time for an update on how I’m doing on Roaccutane! I just picked up my fourth month (out of six) last week and things are still going really well! Thankfully, I haven’t had any of the serious side effects, my face is looking and feeling a lot smoother and I have no active acne! I am still using the products I talked about in my first Roaccutane post as well as a few new ones for my pigmentation that I’m not finished testing out yet so for this update I thought I would concentrate on the body products I have been using over the last few months! I have noticed the skin on my body becoming a bit drier and I have been getting some small patches of itchy skin on my hands and legs and drier skin is a side effect of Roaccutane. Now, I do tend to experience this in winter anyway but overall, I generally don’t have sensitive skin on my body and I don’t suffer with eczema or psoriasis. 

First up, I was actually given some Aveeno products on prescription which makes a change from I think Doublebase the last time I was on it! I believe the Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Wash RRP £9.59 has caused a bit of controversy recently as its been recently reformulated to include Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS). Although this is something I avoid like the plague in my haircare it’s in all of my shower products and I have personally never had a reaction or experienced sensitive skin with it! I find the body wash to be gentle while still working well to cleanse my body although I would prefer a pump on the bottle especially as I have the large size! Matching this, I also have the Aveeno Cream RRP £15.99 and I have already gone through a huge 500ml of this before Christmas and I love it! It hydrates my skin all day long and sinks in quickly! It contains Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil which I talked about more in this post but basically it works to help lock in moisture in the skin which is what I need right now and these are both fragrance free! 

The Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Nourishing Anti-Irritation Shower Oil RRP £10.50 has been mentioned quite a few times on my blog already so I won’t bore you but I bloody love this stuff! It doesn’t feel greasy at all and can also double up as a makeup remover. As well as being hydrating, it leaves my skin feeling supple and smooth after use and a little goes a long way! I was also kindly sent some more Bioderma body products before Christmas which I have also been enjoying. The Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Gentle Shower Gel* RRP £8.80 and Bioderma Atoderm Crème* RRP £12.50 are another two products perfect for my drier than normal skin right now. The shower gel feels lovely and doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight and the crème (also containing paraffinum liquidum) is soothing on my skin and again keeps it hydrated all day long and doesn’t leave my wanting to itch my skin later in the day! They all have a very subtle light scent too (though I can’t detect any in the creme) but worth bearing in mind that there is fragrance if you have super sensitive skin – it doesn’t bother me! I was also sent the Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Repair hand cream* RRP £4.50 which is a lovely, lightweight cream that sinks in quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind! Again, it’s very lightly scented and it’s been perfect for moisturising my hands after copious amounts of hand sanitizer!

Although I love the above products, sometimes I do just want a little more scent and luxury and the Dermalogica Phyto Replenish Body Oil* (full size £49) has been providing just that! I was tempted to keep this good and use it before an occasion then I wised up as we know those are few and far between right now. This is such a beautiful lightweight oil and I have been applying before bed and waking up to soft, supple skin. The mini has a rollerball which makes it a dream to apply – I am usually messy with oils but not this one and the bergamot and neroli scent is gorgeous and not overpowering at all!

I also want to give a shout out to the Frank Body Coconut Coffee Scrub RRP £7.95 for also keeping my skin smooth and hydrated! I don’t use this as often as I would like because it creates such a mess but every time I do I am reminded how great a product it is! If you are doing a big pamper session it’s a must and no other exfoliator leaves my skin as soft as this one! It’s gritty but gentle and the coconut oil keeps skin hydrated!

As the Aveeno is unscented and the Bioderma is very lightly scented sometimes I do want something stronger and the OUAI Body Crème RRP £32 (mine were limited edition holiday releases) and Sol De Janeiro Bum Bum Cream RRP £18 are always a winner for me! Hydrating (but more expensive than the others I’ve mentioned so too good for every day haha), sink in quickly and smell incredible!

Escentual regularly have offers on Bioderma and French Pharmacy products keep an eye out and stock up on any products you are eyeing up! Let me know what your favourite body products are for dry skin!

*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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Fun fact – after my empties posts, these are my favourite to write up but always receive the least engagement haha so if you are reading or commenting, thank you! Coming up to Christmas, my spending was in full force and it resulted in a few repurchases of products I had either run out of or wanted to replace! 

First up, The Balm Down Boy and my original version of this is the oldest blush in my collection at this point! It’s very well loved (although no pan :() and has been on countless trips with me because as well as being in very sturdy packaging even though it’s only cardboard, the baby pink matte shade is super flattering, not too pigmented and lasts all day on my normally oily skin! It is also very reasonably priced at £13 (I got mine from Look Fantastic where there is always a discount as well!) I never hear The Balm talked about much anymore and this shade was out of stock on a few other websites so I just bit the bullet and repurchased as knowing my luck it will be discontinued or something!

Next up is another replacement in the form of Essie Bahama Mama! I got rid of a lot of nail polishes in my collection a couple of years ago as apart from two, I never wore them and they were just sitting there. Bahama Mama was one of the two and I thought it was finally time to treat myself to a new bottle as mine again was very well loved and the formula was getting a bit gloopy with whatever was left. This is the most perfect plum, burgundy shade and it’s opaque in two coats. I also wanted to replace Essie Midnight Cami aswell but unfortunately this seems to be discontinued which I am gutted about!  

The Becca Backlight Priming Filter has been a constant in my makeup collection for the last few years albeit in mini form as I kept getting them in GWP’s from Cult Beauty then Sephora. I picked up the value set at Christmas as I love having it in my routine! I don’t use this to make my makeup last longer but I do use it to add glow (not glitter) and blur imperfections. It’s a pearlescent cream that adds luminosity and as a matte foundation and powder lover, this gives my makeup the little somethin’ somethin’ that it can sometimes be missing. I also used to love their liquid shimmering skin perfector and I would mix that into foundation but it seems like it’s been discontinued!

A couple of skincare items next and I repurchased the Cerave Eye Repair Cream before I had even finished my first one! It’s the perfect, simple eye cream and works well to hydrate round my eyes! It contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid and targets dark circles and puffiness too! I find my fine lines aren’t as noticeable and while my circles aren’t that dark it helps to decrease my puffiness! It also sinks in quickly and sits well under my makeup as well as feeling hydrating enough overnight too!

Finally, the Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner which at this point features in every other post on my blog so I won’t harp on about it for too long! Basically this is the best hydrating toner I have tried and even though I have a couple other hydrating toners on the go and didn’t necessarily “need” this one right away I ordered it when there was a discount so it’s ready to go! It contains seven ingredients in a gel like formula and it is just perfect for my sensitive skin right now! It’s go gentle, cooling and hydrating and I totally get the hype surrounding it!

So that’s a roundup of my latest forever repurchased products! Do you own any of these? What’s one beauty product you always repurchase?

Danielle xx

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