Danielle's Beauty Blog

Welcome back! I have a huge backlog of photos and so many post ideas but zero motivation to write the actual blog post! Same goes for Instagram but I thought I’d ease myself back in with a Five Things I’m Loving post since it’s been a while since I did one! I have a mixture of bodycare, skincare and makeup here that I have been obsessed with recently and a mixture of repurchases and products that are new to me so let’s get to it!

 

Lush Rose Jam RRP £16 is definitely not a product that is new to me and I have been repurchasing it for years (although this was a Christmas present from my aunt!). Lush isn’t a shop I buy from regularly, its usually a Christmas treat and I cannot get enough of this scent! It smells of Turkish rose and also contains argan oils, vanilla and lemon oils and I am addicted to it! Honestly, I could sniff this all day! The lasting power is amazing too, I get whiffs of it off my skin throughout the day and this 250ml bottle will last ages too as you only need a tiny bit to lather. It doesn’t dry out my skin at all and I can’t recommend it enough if you like rose scents!

 

Moving onto body moisturiser and I was so happy to see that Bath & Body Works had started being stocked in Next! Their PocketBac hand sanitisers are some of my favourites and I always stocked up on them when I lived in Canada. I also previously had this Aromatherapy Eucalyptus and Spearmint Stress Relief Body Lotion RRP £12 and while I don’t find the scent lasts as long as I would like it to, it is so nostalgic to me now (and I just love anything eucalyptus scented in general) and I have been enjoying having it in my routine again so much! It’s very lightweight and sinks in quickly and is nicely hydrating! Love the packaging too and I got a few other products from this line for Christmas too!

 

Now an oldie but a goodie, The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser RRP £13.90* which is no stranger to the blog but I recently got sent the large size and I have been using it non-stop! It’s a gentle, cream to oil-like cleanser that is perfect as a first, second or double cleanse! It makes easy work of removing makeup, feels hydrating and I think everyone should have this in their collection! It featured in this Best Budget Skincare post and my Best Beauty Discoveries 2020 post!

My skin has taken a bit of a battering the last month with the weather and working from home all day in central heating isn’t helping! After having a few reactions resulting in my face being red, inflamed, itchy and flaky, Murad Intense Recovery Cream RRP £69* came to the rescue! I wasn’t sure if this would live up to the insta hype it receives but I am converted. It feels instantly soothing on stressed skin and is so comforting! It contains shea butter and macadamia oil as well as microalgae extract and instantly reduces redness as well as hydrating my skin. As you can see, I have been making my way through it quickly as it really does what it says on the tin and is the most effective recovery cream in my stash! I have a brand review coming on Murad soon with a few other products they sent to me but suffice to say, I am impressed! 

 

Finally, a makeup pick and the Victoria Beckham Matte Bronzing Brick 02 RRP £52 has been a go to for me since I purchased it before Christmas! It’s a super weighty compact with two warm tan matte shades that I mix together to give me the perfect shade of bronzer! It matches my colouring perfectly leaving my skin looking warm but not orange, subtly defined and it never looks patchy! It lasts all day on my skin and while it’s expensive (I picked it up with 20% off) it was well worth it as I know I will get so much use out of it!

Unedited swatches - Victoria Beckham Matte Bronzing Brick, left shade, right shade, mixed

 

So, that’s what I am currently loving! Have you tried anything I’ve mentioned? Et me know your thoughts!

 

*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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I’m pretty happy with myself this month as I’ve managed my low buy - hopefully that continues into tomorrow and I haven’t hit publish too prematurely! You can find last year’s posts here but let’s get into it!

 

 

First up, I subscribed to the Liberty Beauty Drop last month so my subscription of £20 came out again and the first box (out of four per year) arrived. In it we have full sizes of the Frank Body In Your Dreams Sleep Scrub and Soak and MZ Skin Anti-Pollution Hydrating face mask, and minis of the Dr. Barbara Sturm Anti-Aging body cream, 111Skin Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser, Sarah Chapman Skinesis, Malin + Goetz Bergaot Deodorant and samples of the OUAI Detox Shampoo, Susanne Kaufmann Anti-Aging Regeneration Cream and Sisley Anti-Age Eye and Lip Contour Cream. 

 

 

The £20 is redeemable on the Liberty Beauty website, you get free delivery and you can opt out after 3 months. This was a pretty impulse purchase from me last month and I have never shopped from Liberty before. I think I will most likely cancel my subscription in March as their beauty offering is quite limited and there are a lot of (overpriced) brands I’m not interested in on there! I will keep an eye on the new in section though and I’m sure I will find something to treat myself to! Overall, I am happy with the contents of the box and everything but the deodorant will get used up by me! And side note, the floral design on the box is beautiful but it would have been nice to get a bag like the first Beauty Drop customers last year but I can understand why they wouldn’t do that every drop! 

 

Also this month, I picked up some of the Home Bargain Inkey List hair products! I’m sure you saw this all over Instagram if you are in the UK and I couldn’t resist the £1.49 price tag! I couldn’t find any in my local Home Bargains so I sent my mum with a list when she went shopping in another town and she came back with the goods! If you read my Best Beauty Discoveries post last month you will already know how much I love the The Inkey List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment so I picked up four bottles on offer. Note, it is the old, smaller, awkward packaging so I plan to refill my newer bottle with the contents of these! I have noticed much less hair coming out when I wash since I began using this late last year and I can’t recommend it enough, even full price it’s not that expensive at £14.99! 

 

 

I also got a bottle of the PCA Bond Repair and Peptide Volumising treatments to try as well. So far so good with both of these too, they are lightweight and don’t weigh my hair down but the Caffeine treatment really is the star of the show for me! At £1.49 each these totalled £8.94 altogether.

 

And that brings me to the end of my report – my total was £28.94! Like I said, it was a good low spend month for me and I want to try and keep it that way this year (well apart from maybe a little splurge at my birthday/Christmas time ;)) Have you bought much beauty this year so far?

 

*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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After last week’s post on my best makeup and haircare discoveries I am rounding up 2021 with my best skin and body care discoveries! Skincare is always a much harder category for me to narrow down and I’ll be honest I haven’t done a great job of it haha. I am also lucky enough to get sent products in PR (with no obligation to post about them) but I do tend to prioritise testing them before products I have purchased myself so this post is PR heavy! I will link to my full review but try to keep things short and sweet or this post will be so long! 

 

 

Starting with skincare and this year I found three new cleansers I fell in love with! First of all, the The Inkey List Fulvic Acid Cleanser RRP £10.99* which was on constant rotation for me last summer and perfect for a second/morning cleanse! It left my skin feeling bright and softened without drying it out! Full review here!

 

The Venn Moisture Balance All in One Face Cleanser via Face the Future RRP £55* had to make it into this post. It’s on the pricier side but so effective and works as a first cleanse as well as second/morning cleaner so really is an all in one! It has a beautiful texture, feels hydrating and removes makeup with ease. LOVE it and have a full review here!

 

Finally in the cleanser category, the Dermalogica Daily Glycolic Cleanser RRP £35* is the newest out of these three to land in my cleansing stash and colour me impressed! Super gentle but effective, this brightens my skin tone and leaves a great base for the rest of my skincare and makeup application! I haven’t noticed any sensitivity with the glycolic acid either!

 

Moving onto eye cream and serums and I have been so impressed with the NIOD Fractionated Eye Contour Concentrate RRP £43* this year. It’s a lightweight serum that is hydrating and targets signs of aging – I have noticed reduced puffiness and less visible fine lines as well as a firmer eye area and a very slight lift to my hooded lids which is very welcome! Full reveiw here!

 

You will be sick of hearing about the next two serums but I couldn’t not include them! NIOD Survival 0 RRP £20* and Modulating Glucosides RRP £21* were absolute Godsends for me at the start of last year (and still now!) when I was still on Roaccutane as they are so gentle and reparative – perfect for sensitive skin! These have their own dedicated post here!

 

The Inkey List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Serum RRP £14.99* is a gorgeous Vitamin C formulation and after struggling with the ingredient this one finally made me see the light!  It made my skin look brighter, more even and feel plumper! Full review here!

 

The Dermalogica Smart Response Serum RRP £130* is another that instantly calms my skin and makes it feel hydrated, brighter, soft and plump while making my fine lines look less noticeable. The price is eye watering but if you are streamlining your routine or want to cut out a few steps with multiple serums this is a one stop shop and well worth it! Full review here!

 

Sticking with Dermalogica, the Biolumin-C Gel Moisturizer RRP £59* was a firm favourite throughout summer for me! It’s a lightweight gel moisturiser and my skin looks instantly brighter when I use it as well as feeling hydrated, looking glowy and sitting well under makeup! See my full review here!

 

I fell in love with two SPF’s this year, the first being the Vichy Capital Soleil UV Age Daily SPF50 RRP £21*. Super lightweight, contains peptides and niacinamide, no white cast on my skin tone, no pilling and gives a lovely base for makeup. Full review here! La Roche Posay Anthelios Age Correct SPF50 via Face the Future RRP £25* was my next SPF find and this one is perfect for sensitive skin and also packed full of hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. It’s a thicker formulation than the Vichy but spreads easily and doesn’t leave a white cast either! Again, there is no pilling and it gives a great base under makeup too! I talked about it more in this post!

 

Coming to the end of my skincare picks for 2021 now and Scientia Dusk Elixir RRP £32* is a beautiful oil that is a dream to apply! It’s made up of 23 natural oils including Rosehip, Moringa and Bakuchiol and helps boost collagen production and tackle signs of aging. It has such a calming scent too so is perfect before bed. Full review here!

 

Moving onto bodycare now but I do sometimes use the Cetraben Natural Oatmeal Cream RRP £8.99* on my face too as it's multipurpose. This is perfect for eczema prone skin and works a treat on dry patches I get on my legs and stops me from itching! This is my go to as well if I have a reaction to anything on my face, I pile this on top of MG and my skin is back to normal in the morning! Can’t recommend enough if you need a do it all body/face cream for any emergency skin situations! Full review here!

 

Finally, the Elemental Herbology Zest Bath and Body Oil RRP £30* has been a luxurious treat to use! I love the deep citrus scent and I apply this just before bed waking up to hydrated, supple, nourished skin! I cannot get enough of this and have a full review here!

 

And that’s my best skincare and body discoveries of 2021! I would love to know yours in the comments! You can also see my best skin and body discoveries of 2020 here and last weeks best makeup and hair discoveries of 2021 here! 

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

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

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I’m never organised enough to have these up at the end of 2021 so today I’ve got my best hair and makeup discoveries of last year and next week I’ll have my skin and bodycare! Not everything was necessarily released last year, 2021 just happened to be when I tried it for the first time! 

 

Starting with makeup, and blush and lip balm are my weakness so it’s no surprise that my makeup discoveries are made up of them and you have probably seen them featured on the blog before too! At the end of 2020 I bought a couple of blushes in the Cult Beauty sale and I have used them non-stop since! The Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in Love Glow RRP £30 was a blush I deliberated over for ages, I had swatched them years ago in Sephora and couldn’t make up my mind but I finally bit the bullet and I am so glad I did (especially as there was 20% off!). This is a gorgeous pearlescent pink shade that is easily buildable leaving a beautiful healthy glow and colour to my skin. The lasting power is great too and I ended up picking up another shade in the Cult Beauty’s recent sale as I love this one so much! Full review here! 

 

 

At the same time, I got the NARS Blush in Behave RRP £27.50. I am a huge fan of NARS blushes but I’ve only had minis before and they come in limited shades so after looking at some swatches (thank god for Google images and YouTube lol) I went with this one – a warm pink, matte shade that, like the CT, is buildable and lasts all day for me. Another one I haven’t put down all year! See my full review and a swatch here! Rounding off my trio of blushes is the Pixi On-The-Glow blush stick in Juicy RRP £18* and one I would not have bought for myself as I thought cream blushes wouldn’t last on my skin and would disturb my base. How wrong I was! This formula is amazing and as well as being a blush, it can be used on lips too. The shade Juicy is a gorgeous subtle coral on my skin and makes me look so healthy and dewy and the wear time is great too (my skin is normal atm). Full review here with all three shades and swatches! 

 

Moving onto lips and the NARS Soft Matte Tinted lip balm in Unrestricted RRP £23 definitely needs a mention! These are billed as limited edition but most shades are still in stock and I really hope they make them permanent! This applies super smoothly and feels so comfortable to wear despite being matte. Unrestricted is a pink nude shade and I just think it looks so chic and understated being matte, LOVE! Full review and swatch here!

 

Continuing with lip balms (I can’t remember the last time I wore a lipstick but I still love a tint of some sort) is the Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss RRP £25. Part lip balm/part gloss, I gave this a pretty meh review if I do say so myself but it has definitely grown on me since then! I stand by what I said about the packaging – it’s awful but the product itself is lovely, it really does keep my lips hydrated and I love the shade – a classic my lips but better.  

Moving onto haircare now and most of my staples have stayed the same but there are a few that I have fallen in love with! The Inkey List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment RRP £14.99* and The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density RRP £15.80 are essentially very similar products aimed at increasing thickness in hair as well as decreasing hair loss and optimising growth in the Inkey List’s case. The ingredients list is similar for both of these and I have been using The Inkey List on my left hand side and The Ordinary on my right and I can’t tell much difference between the two. My hair has dramatically reduced in hair fall – I was seriously worried at how much hair was coming out every time I washed it – I know its normal to lose some but this was a lot for me). I was worried these would make my hair very greasy as I have an oily scalp at the best of times anyway and while it definitely does look like I have something in my hair I wouldn’t say its greasy looking. I have only been using these for just over a month so I have no hair growth updates but honestly for the price and how much less my hair is shedding I can’t recommend them enough! The Inkey List caffeine treatment is currently £1.49 in Home Bargains too but beware it’s the awful old packaging so no nozzle and it’s a smaller 50ml! I picked up four to refill this one when it's done!  

 

Finally, along with extra shedding this year, my hair has been super frizzy too which is unlike it and I originally thought it was humidity in the summer but now I’m not sure if its hormones/aging but it’s been driving me crazy! I tried loads of different serums and sprays and while they worked nicely at making my hair soft, the frizz was still poking out around the top of my hair. Queue me dumping some Heritage Store Castor Oil RRP £6.99 onto my scalp as a makeshift hot oil treatment (except it wasn’t hot). I thought it would be hard to wash out as it felt pretty sticky but surprisingly it wasn’t and when I dried my hair I was left with zero frizz! I only need to leave it on for about an hour too but so happy with the results!

 

So those are my standout makeup and haircare discoveries from this year! See last year’s here! Let me know what your favourites were from last year too!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

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