If you have read my blog for any length of
time you will know what a huge fan of Deciem I am and while I haven’t tried
much from Hylamide; The Ordinary and NIOD in particular have some Holy Grail
products for me so today I thought I’d share a quick review of two products I picked
up late last year when they did their annual Black Friday sale that are now almost
ready for my next empties post!
Iphone portrait mode doing me dirty on the lids :(
For me, NIOD products are slow burners, I
happily use them up, sometimes don’t really know what exactly they are doing for
my skin then as soon as they are finished something clicks and I realise I am
missing something and straight into my basket do they go again! I am by no
means a scientist but I appreciate the research and development that goes into
these and for me the higher price tag of NIOD is worth it! These two are pretty
affordable though at £20/21!
I picked up Survival 0 (S0) and Modulating Glucosides (MG) at the end of last year when I was on Roaccutane and looking to
incorporate more gentle and repairing products to my routine and spoiler alert,
I really can’t recommend them enough! I honestly didn’t even realise I had been
reaching for them so much but I literally have them sitting upside down now to
get the last few dregs out.
Starting with Survival 0, this is
an antioxidant, reparative serum targeting damage caused by environmental
stressors like pollution, smog and blue light. It also comes in 10, 20 and 30
which offer some SPF protection as well but I use this at night and let it do
its magic. It’s a lightweight, orange-y serum that absorbs easily and has a
faint herbal scent. Overtime, this reduces photo damage and I have noticed my
skin tone is healthier overall. It also feels hydrating (includes glycerin and squalane)
and layers well with other skincare! Antioxidants are a pretty new category I have started incorporating and this one is *chef's kiss*
Modulating Glucosides targets
sensitive, irritated skin encouraging a calmer complexion. It supports the skin
barrier, hydration and repair and contains oat synthetic analogues, ceramides
and purified ginger root to help reduce redness, itching and burning. Again,
its lightweight and sinks in easily though I find the scent stronger than S0 and a bit
like paint haha but it doesn’t linger. I really did not think I was seeing any
difference with this one then realised it was finished (and it was probably the
reason my skin had been so calm while I was on Roaccutane!). I had one dry spot
in particular near my lip that would flake each day and with concentrated use of
this it calmed right down and went back to normal within a few days. It is so comforting and if you struggle with sensitivity you need to try this!
These have become essentials in my
skincare routine and I really can’t recommend enough if you have stressed out,
sensitive skin! I know a lot of people use MG with their retinol too which I am
looking forward to trying once I up my strength! They are sold from NIODdirectly
as well asCult Beauty, Escentual, Look FantasticandBeauty Bayalthough
they go in and out of stock regularly as they are so popular! It’s also worth
waiting for a discount like the Black Friday sale on Deciem or Escentual and Look
Fantastic in particular always have offers on if you can catch them in stock!
I thought it was about time for another
little roundup of my current ‘in use’ skincare at the minute – this time it’s facial
mists! I say ‘in use’ as due to my hoarding tendencies I already have three new
facial mists that I haven’t opened yet so I could do with getting a wriggle on
with these three! I used to be a big fan of a spritz throughout the day and I
am still using the Mario Badescu from part one of this series for that but I am
not misting as often anymore now I am working from home. The temperature is
more constant and I am not back and forward as much so not really needing the
refresh which has slowed down my use! I was finding the nozzle wasn’t the most
precise and sometimes the spray was making my hair go frizzy too. Anyway, that
aside, the three I have here are more so skincare steps for me, I will
sometimes spray again at lunchtime but I like these as part of my morning and
evening routine to dampen my face before hyaluronic acid and my moisturiser!
was one I picked up back when I started
Roaccutane as I had heard how good it was for sensitive skin and I was not
disappointed. This feels so soothing and hydrating as a skincare step and the
mist is very lightweight and fine too! This aims to provide gentle relief for
tight, irritated and dehydrated skin and contains glycerin, propanediol,
pentylene glycol and allantoin which are all ingredients designed to increase
hydration and soothe skin. It is also alcohol and fragrance free and has been
formulated specifically for sensitive skin! If you have sensitive skin I cannot
recommend this enough, like I said it feels so soothing and is perfect as the
step before moisturiser. My skin isn’t as sensitive anymore but I would still
pick this up again in the future and it's always on offer! I also wrote about it
in my French Pharmacy Favourites post here!
Next up, theHeritage Store Rosewater and Glycerin RRP £7.99 and to me this is such a cult product! I couldn’t
wait to get my hands on it when it came to Cult Beauty! It contains aqua,
glycerinand rosa damascene flower oil
so bear in mind it's scented. This isn’t an issue for me and I find it calming
and hydrating! I don’t love the spray on this though – it doesn’t distribute
evenly unfortunately and like with the Mario Badescu, I need to make sure the front of my hair is covered so
it doesn’t get frizzy! Other than that it’s another nice skincare step to aid
with hydration! I also wrote about it in my Best Budget Skincare picks here!
Lastly I have the miniDermalogica AGE Smart Antioxidant Hydramist* RRP £12 which is the newest to my collection
and probably the one I have been enjoying the most! It contains butylene
glycol, sodium PCA and arginine/lysine to hydrate and restore the skin. I love
that this has the added benefit of creating an antioxidant shield for your skin
as well as containing hydrating ingredients! The mist is fine and sprays evenly
and to me it had like a very subtle almost cinnamon scent? I’ve see other
reviews saying herbal so maybe that’s a better description haha but I find it
very soothing. This is the priciest per ml but I have been enjoying the mini so
much I see myself picking up the full size (£45 for 150ml) when I get through
my stash! So far, this is the closestI have come to finding a
replacement for my beloved January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist which I can’t
get hold of in the UK anymore!
I have a bit of a bumper empties of
mostly full size products today! I am happy to say I have managed to stick to
my no buy this month – can I get a hallelujah – which has definitely helped
motivate me to finish what I have and I am also really close to finishing some
other products (mostly skincare) so I hope my next empties post will be 4 weeks
away not 6! Anyway, onto the mini reviews!
Haircare
Schwarzkopf got2b Dry Shampoo Extra
Volume
They seem to slightly change the name and
scent of these every time I purchase but the formula is great – no white cast
or sticky residue and very affordable! Will repurchase!
OUAI Repair Shampoo and Conditioner
Lol at this old packaging. I bought these
right before they introduced the new packaging last year when I wasn’t even
finished my last bottles hence how out of date they are. I then was only
washing my hair once a week for six months while on Roaccutane and was also
sent some Philip Kingsley to try out so neglected these for a bit. I first received them in PR way back in 2016 and they have been in my haircare routine
ever since. I have lost count of how many times I have repurchased! I loved the
repair line – it made my hair, shiny, smooth and hydrated and it smells
incredible - I will be heartbroken if the fine hair line doesn’t live up to it!
Already repurchased the new line!
A pre shampoo treatment that I loved to
use overnight. This really helped to reduce breakage and hydrate my dry ends! I
wasn’t a huge fan of this limited edition scent and I did go through this quite
quickly as I have long hair but would repurchase in the future as its often on
discount! Read my full review on the Philip Kinsley haircare range here!
Olaplex No3
Are you sick of hearing about this one
yet? Forever repurchased by me as its been such a game changer for my hair.
Rebuilds bonds from heat damage making it stronger and healthier, I love this
stuff and am already using my backup! Read more about it here!
Skincare
I’m From Rice Toner
Love this, milky, hydrating and
brightening as it contains niacinamide – wrote more about it here! Will
repurchase in the future!
Dear Klairs Supple Preparation Facial
Toner
A gel like formula, this was perfect for
my dehydrated and dry skin while on Roaccutane, it’s soothing and my calmed my
skin. Another one I would repurchase and I wrote more about it here!
I really have a thing for toners hey?
This one was also perfect while I was on Roaccutane as it contains tranexamic
acid and bakuchiol, much gentler ingredients! It was hydrating and made my
skin look more even and brighter. Also smells lightly of peach which I enjoyed!
Would repurchase and I wrote more about it in this post!
The Body Shop Seaweed Deep Cleansing Gel
Wash
I wasn’t expecting to like this one so
much as I thought it was going to be quite drying as its not SLS free but
surprisingly it wasn’t! It felt clarifying and refreshing and my skin didn’t
feel tight after use. Think my skin would like this even more in the summer and
when its back fully to its oily self but won’t be a repurchase just yet as I
have so many other cleansers to get through! More on it here!
Despite the word invisible being in its title,
this takes a little bit of work to rub in before it is actually
invisible – I am fair/light skinned so can’t speak for those of a darker skin
tone though. Once it is rubbed in I really like this! It’s perfect for
sensitive skin, doesn’t sweat or run into my eyes or make them sting, it doesn’t pill
and it sits really well under my foundation! I am using a different one at the
minute but Dermalogica have sent me a backup of this! Full review here!
I’m From Mugwort Mask
I am so sad to see the end of this! It’s
another one of my Roaccutane skincare saviours and I can’t recommend it enough!
It instantly soothes and calms my skin taking the redness out and leaving it
looking clear and even! Won’t be repurchasing just yet as I have so many other
masks to go through but if you have sensitive skin you need this! Recent review here!
Garden of Wisdom Azelaic Acid
Azelaic Acid is a strange one for me, I
want to love it but sometimes I’m not sure it’s really doing anything? It’s
anti-inflammatory, good for sensitive skin and rosacea, it brightens skin and
helps with pigmentation and I prefer this formula to The Ordinary version but I
don’t see drastic results with either. As I said, it’s a product I want to
persevere with so I have repurchased the much talked about Paula’s Choice version to
see what that’s like!
I know this is a cult favourite for a lot
of people and I have been through several bottles myself but it’s not my
favourite hyaluronic acid so while I’m sure I will pick it up again some time I
haven’t repurchased just yet! Nicely hydrating but packaging is not my fave! Full review here!
One of my favourite lip products ever and
another product I am gutted to be finished! This has lasted me forever and a
day and I am so glad it’s now available on Cult Beauty! At £19 it’s not the
cheapest lip balm but it’s worth it! This really does keep my lips hydrated
overnight and I wake up to them being soft, plump and flake free! Will
repurchase when I finish a few other lip balms! Full review here!
Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes Dark Circle
Radiance Concentrate
A nice little mini I got a good amount of
use out of, felt hydrating and brightening but the full size is a little
expensive for me right now when there are other more affordable eye creams I
enjoy just as much so not a repurchase!
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength
Daily Peel
Forgot how good these were! I had a
couple of samples of these and used one the other night and woke up to smooth, clear, even skin! The full pack of these is so expensive I can’t bring myself to
purchase it when I have so many other treatments right now but I would for sure
if I had a big event coming up!
Bodycare
Bondi Sands Liquid Gold Self-Tanning Dry
Oil
Another product I have repurchased a few
times since discovering in 2016 – must have been quite the year for me finding
products I like! This has a lovely coconut scent and leaves the most subtle
medium colour! It’s a little messy as it’s a spray but there is a guide
colour and it can be built up easily if you want a darker shade of tan! Wears
off nicely too! Will repurchase at some point!
Lush Snow Fairy
A classic I get every year, it’s sickly
sweet but I love it! My mum picked this up for me in the boxing Day sales (I
generally find Lush overpriced so don’t buy much from them) and as I usually
have about 3-4 body washes on the go at any one time it’s taken me to now to
finish! Will repurchase at Christmas time again!
Makeup
Too Faced Lip Injection Glossy in Spice
Girl
I got this in a Sephora Favourites longer
ago than I care to remember and I have finally finished it. It’s a little too
on the peachy side of nude for me personally but lasts a decent amount of time
on the lips. It tingles but I didn’t find I got much plumping with it. Not a
repurchase!
Miscellaneous
Dose & Co Pure Collagen Unflavoured
Collagen Peptides
I don’t normally include supplements etc
in my empties but I recently jumped on the collagen bandwagon and as it’s more
of a beauty supplement I thought I would include! My skin is still doing really
well after Roaccutane and to be honest I take other vitmains anyway for my hair and nails
already but what I did notice with this was that my joints felt a lot better. I
have been taking cod liver oil tablets since I was a teenager but being on
Roaccutane can affect your joints too so I started taking this in late March
and found it made a difference. I take in in water and dilute juice – tried it
in tea once and it was gross! I was worried the pot wouldn’t last long but I
got a good 6 weeks use daily out of the powder and repurchased the Vital Proteins
collagen this time as it was on a better offer for more grams – I have to say
it dissolves much better too! Will repurchase!
Carex Love Hearts Hand Cleansing Gel
My aunt got me this as part of my
Christmas present and the hand gel itself is great, non-drying and sinks in quickly
but the scent is so sweet, not for me! Will repurchase a “normal” scent next!
Congratulations if you made it to the end
of that! Let me know if you saw any of your favourites here! Have you been
finishing up products this month or buying new ones?
