Hi everyone! What strange times we are living in – as always, beauty blogging is a welcome distraction and I hope you feel the same! Today I want to talk about some of my haircare essentials. Obviously, it goes without saying that regular trims are an important part of hair maintenance but here’s what I use in-between to keep my hair in the best condition possible!
The OUAI Repair shampoo and conditionerhas been a staple in my routine for years now after originally receiving them through PR (see my first OUAI post here) and they make hair washing a dream! I’m a little sad as these ones in the picture have been discontinued and reformulated but apparently they have the same scent and are even better formula wise so I can't wait to try them too! Talking about scent, all OUAI hair products are on another level scent wise and it’s so long-lasting! I love it so much I also have a couple of their perfumes! Most importantly, the formula is lightweight, paraben and SLS free which is something else I always look for in shampoo!
Once a week I will incorporate a treatment into my routine when I have time to let it work its magic. The only treatment I have ever repurchased is the Olaplex No3 Hair Perfector which is a pre shampoo treatment that I like to leave in my hair for 2-3 hours to see the best results. It works so well on my damaged ends and makes them a lot softer, hydrated and also makes my split ends more sealed and healthy looking!
As a serial heat user, post hair wash is all about protectant for me! My favourites are the OUAI Leave in Conditioner and the Olaplex No 6 Bond Smoother. The leave in conditioner like all OUAI products smells amazing and feels really lightweight whilesmoothing my hair, detangling and protecting it from heat styling. The Olaplex No 6 is a leave in crème formula suitable for dry or damp hair and is perfect for adding some heat protection as well as eliminating frizz, hydrating ends and helping hair to dry quicker!
For the past couple of years I have been using a microfibre towel to dry my hair as it’s supposed to be better than a regular cotton towel to help with less breakage etc. This one is just a cheap gym towel from TK Maxx but it’s the perfect size for hair and absorbs quickly! My mum also got me a silk pillowcase a few years ago for Christmas and while it’s a little “extra” I love it, it promotes better skin and helps with wrinkles due to its smoother surface, feels so cooling and it also minimises hair static and my hair is less crazy looking in the morning and less greasy on wash days!
So that’s it for my hair care essentials! I’d love to know yours!
Danielle xx
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It’s empties time again! And it’s a big one so let’s delve right in!
Skincare
January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist
My number one favourite facial mist and one I am absolutely gutted is not being stocked on Cult Beauty anymore! I talked about it more in a recent forever repurchased post and I really hope they get another UK retailer to sell from as I can’t be without it! Its calming, hydrating and works so well with my acne prone skin – I have one back up left thank god!
Mabel + Meg Lumilixir Vitamin C and Serum and Hyaluronic Acid
One of my favourite serums and another one that features in the post I linked above! I usually alternate more expensive hyaluronic acid serums with more affordable but I can really feel the difference with this. A little goes a long way and it spreads so easily over my face ready for skincare/makeup. It brightens and helps with pigmentation and is just a general all-rounder! Will repurchase once I finish a few other serums!
Laneige Cream Skin Refiner
This is a really lovely product I used as a toner, it’s a very liquidy hydrating product and prepped my skin really well for its next skincare steps! Will repurchase in the future!
Dr Jart Ceramidin
One of my favourite moisturisers, this is a must have! This is perfect for morning or night, full of ceramides and hyaluronic acid and works wonders on my combo skin! It’s amazing under makeup too, no primer needed! Have repurchased the full size!
Origins Clear Improvement active charcoal mask
I’ve been on a bit of a mask emptying frenzy so there are quite a few to get through! This really helps with clogged pores and blemishes and never strips my skin! Have repurchased the full size!
Origins Original Skin retexturizing mask with rose clay
Probably my favourite face mask of all time, this gently exfoliates while working on problem areas making my skin less congested and calmer! Already repurchased the full size!
Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Cleanser*
This felt nice and worked well as a second cleanse or morning cleanser on my skin without stripping it but I much prefer the special cleansing gel to this so not a repurchase for me!
Dermalogica Precleanse Balm*
While this is a lovely feeling balm and takes my makeup off easily it stings the living daylights out of my eyes so I wouldn’t repurchase! The pre-cleanse oil is much better and doesn’t have this issue! Both of the above products feature in my Dermalogica Winter Care Kit post!
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
Drunk Elephant is a brand I don’t quite get the hype with even though a lot of people seem to love them! I’ve went through a few minis of this and some other products now and while they are nice products they don’t make me want to repurchase as I don’t think they do anything special! This feels lightweight and is a gel cream formula so cooling but I don’t find it amazingly hydrating so not a repurchase for me!
Fresh Rose Face mask
This is the second mini I have gone through of this and I originally think I was a little unimpressed but this time round I have come to appreciate its effects! It sinks in quickly (my skin literally drinks it up) and once rinsed off my skin looks glowy and more plump and feels hydrated. I don’t think I would repurchase the full size as its pricey for what I think are short term benefits but if I get another mini I will enjoy it again!
Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm
One of my favourite cleansing balms! This is a rich black oily balm that feels super luxurious on the skin, removes makeup easily and makes skin feel calm and clarified! I talk about it more in an old five things I’m loving post from three years ago where the full size was £7 cheaper wow inflation! I will repurchase in the future! With a discount lol
Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask
Really nice lightweight mask that clarifies my skin but I prefer the Origins ones I talked about above so not a repurchase for me! I think if I had a bigger sample this would be a firm favourite though but obviously its pricey so I am staying away!
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel
Have went through quite a few of these now and I love them! They work great to exfoliate, even though they are extra strength I don’t get any tingling but my skin does look clearer and more even! I won’t repurchase as I have a lot of other exfoliation products on the go right now but would reconsider in the future!
Bodycare
Vaseline Intensive Care Non-Greasy Lotion
An old favourite, this sinks in quickly, moisturises my skin and smells really light and clean! Have already repurchased!
Nivea Caring Shower Gel Sun Original Scent
This is a very nostalgic scent and I really enjoyed this but have repurchased one of the cream shower gels for now!
Soap and Glory Mist you Madly Body Spray
My absolute favourite Soap and Glory scent and I panicked when I thought they had discontinued it! It seems they have just repackaged phew and I have repurchased already!
Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Hand Food
Not a fan of this scent but love hand food and I am already using the original pink scent as I had a backup! Great formula!
Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter body moisturiser
One of my favourite body moisturisers as its so rich! I love this and a little goes a long way! Currently using up a few other moisturisers but I will repurchase in the future!
Jurlique Softening Body Lotion Rose
I liked the light rose scent of this and how lightweight it was! No plans to repurchase any time soon though!
Herbivore Jasmine Glowing Hydration Body Oil
Really enjoyed this body oil, it felt very rich and hydrating and I enjoyed the scent! Little bit pricey for the volume but it did reignite my love of body oils so I repurchased a Versed one instead but would consider this in the future!
Haircare
TRESemme Volumizing Dry Shampoo
The last of my stock from Canada! I am gutted as I don’t think I can get this in the UK? If you are able to get it, its very lightweight, smells good and leaves no white cast! Does a great job of letting me get an extra day out of my greasy hair too! Would repurchase if I could!
Sachajuan Hair Repair
I didn’t mind the scent of this and it made my hair feel soft but it isn’t a patch on the likes of Olaplex in my opinion as a treatment so I wouldn’t repurchase! It also contains dimethicone which correct me if I’m wrong but I think it coats hair and can tend to make it greasier quicker!
Makeup
Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combo/Oily Skin
This is my favourite affordable foundation! Its long-lasting and full coverage which is exactly what I look for and I have already repurchased!
Miscellaneous
Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Accumax
These also featured in my last empties post as I started taking them after coming off the pill, things were going well but after these ran out I went without for about 2 weeks and my skin is having a major freak out! I stocked up and have started taking them again but they are pretty expensive so I will really need to see some good results over the next few months of use to see if it is worthwhile for me!
That’s it for another empties! I’ve actually accumulated quite a few products since I wrote this up too so will have another one next month I think! Let me know if you have tried any of the above products and what you thought!
P.S. Sorry for the ridiculous amount of exclamation points in this post!
Hi everyone! This post has been in my drafts for a little while now but I am excited to post it and talk about some products that are constant repurchases for me!
First up is the Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector, this is my second bottle and won’t be the last! I love how this makes my hair feel! I have super dry ends that split very quickly due to heat styling and this makes them feel and look 10x better than any other product I have used in the past. I try to leave it on as long as possible which is usually about 2-3 hours for me then wash out and use shampoo and conditioner as normal. When my hair is dry it looks and feels so healthy, soft and less damaged! It’s £26 so not the cheapest hair treatment but well worth the money and I feel it lasts me pretty well as I use it about once a week (I wash my hair every 2-3 days).
Revlon ColorStay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in Buffis my number one affordable foundation and one I have lost count of how many I have repurchased! Perfect for my skin type, full coverage and long-lasting this is a constant affordable repurchase for me and Buff is the perfect shade for me when I have no tan on!
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfectis probably my favourite lipstick and this is the third time I have repurchased! I actually got this quite a while ago when House of Fraser had an offer on and it was £13 down from its normal £25. It’s a gorgeous moisturising formula and is a peachy pink nude that works perfectly under the lip cheat in Pillowtalk which is my preferred combo!
Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Lip Balmis my favourite on the go lip balm, it moisturises really well and it lasts long in the tube and on the lips and I love the peppermint scent!
The original Beautyblendercan’t be beaten in my opinion and is the only tool I use to apply my foundation! It leaves me with a streak free finish which I just can’t get with brushes or other sponges. Although its pricey I find them long-lasting and with proper care they each last me about 6 months with daily use so well worth the money in my opinion!
Have you tried any of these before? What’s your most repurchased beauty item?
Danielle xx
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Welcome back! When an email asking if I wanted to try some BeautyBio products landed in my inbox last month I was very intrigued! Having seen the brand on my favourite website Cult Beauty I didn’t hesitate to say yes and since I have been testing these out now for about 6 weeks I have some thoughts.
First off, a quick history of the brand – founded by Jamie O’Banion in 2011 and short for BeautyBioscience, she worked alongside her father in their cosmetic lab creating formulas for other companies before their own. Their most famous product is the patented GloPRO, an at home microneedling tool. With Truth in Beauty their mission, Beautybio aims to enable customers to get instant results within their own home at a fraction of the cost. For reference, I have acne prone combo skin and at the grand old age of 29 I am starting to worry about fine lines and wrinkles so hydration is an important part of my routine!
This cleanser has been designed to restore the skins ideal pH and so keeps oils at bay and in turn combats blemishes while ensuring the skin doesn’t dry out. It’s a lightweight, slippery gel with a kind of medicated/eucalyptus scent which isn’t for everyone but I personally like. I thought this might sting my eyes as they can be quite sensitive to strong scents but I am happy to report this is gentle enough not to sting them! The gel lathers nicely and my skin never feels stripped or dry after I use it. This is my favourite of the three products I was sent!
The Nightly was the product I was most excited to try, retinol is becoming a staple in my routine and I use it around 2 to 3 nights a week. This is described as an intense and potent serum boosted with deep-release retinol to stimulate cellular turnover and restore a youthful glow, moduline peptides to firm and smooth, and finally, hyaluronic acid filling spheres to draw in moisture to the deepest layers of the skin for plump skin and long-lasting hydration. With such high claims, I feel like I built my hopes up for this up too much. While my wrinkles are not pronounced I do have some fine lines on my forehead, between my eyebrows and one smile line in particular that I am conscious of. I like this product, it does make my skin feel hydrated and it also feels somewhat plumper the next day but I am not blown away by it and I don’t find the results very longlasting. I feel like I see better results from my £9.99 Inkey List retinol which is my only other retinol product currently apart from my prescription strength which I haven’t been using recently.
The moisturiser is described as being an intensely nourishing, rich yet lightweight nourishing cream that delivers instant and long-lasting hydration to parched cells while restoring skin’s healthy bounce. I definitely agree that the cream does feel very rich but nothing about it is lightweight! I found I had to use quite a lot to give my skin the necessary hydration it craves and I would say I have to use more of this than other moisturisers I have. When I used less I found my skin drying out way quicker earlier in the day. By using more my skin does feel better hydrated but it doesn’t really sink in at all leading it to feel quite greasy especially when I don’t have make up on. It also contains dimethicone, a very common ingredient mostly found in primers so I expected it to do a better job under makeup in terms of smoothing fine lines but it didn’t.
The packaging is very aesthetic but I do think it photographs better than in looks in real life, it feels a little cheaper than it looks if that makes sense as its plastic and shiny. I do like how the moisturiser comes with a little spatula as its more hygienic, the serums airless pump and the cardboard boxes the products are presented in do make it feel more luxe.
BeautyBio say to “prepare for actives that work, mind-blowing results and some of the loveliest formulations around” and while I love this confidence I think maybe it made my expectations too high – that along with the price tag means I was expecting BIG things from these products and while nothing has made me break out (my biggest deal breaker) nothing has wowed me either unfortunately. I will finish these products up but I wouldn’t repurchase them and I do think the price point is too high for the results I have been getting.
All BeautyBio products are free from sulfates, parabens, formaldehyde and they don’t test on animals and the brand is available from the BeautyBio website, Cult Beauty, Selfridges and Harrods.
Have you tried any of these products before? Let me know your thoughts or your favourite retinol product!
