Product Empties #26

Another month another empties post! So close to finishing so many other products at the minute as well but they weren’t quite ready for this post and good job too as it’s a big one again! 

  

Bodycare

Vaseline Intensive Care Essential Healing non greasy lotion 

Love this stuff, it’s so lightweight yet hydrating and the scent is so soothing to me! Already repurchased! 

Lush Snow Fairy shower gel

Sickly sweet but nostalgic and I buy one every year as it's limited edition! I actually picked this up in the sale after Christmas as its expensive and I savoured every last drop! Will buy again when it’s out later this year! 

Marks and Spencer Rose and Lavender hand creams

Got these for Christmas and been using them up at work, I don’t love the scent as I find them a little old fashioned but they do an OK job of hydrating my hands after my many handwashes through the day. Will not repurchase. 

Bath and Body Works Stress Relief Eucalyptus and Spearmint anti-bacterial hand gel 

My favourite hand sanitisers as I am obsessed with the scent. Wish I could get these at home! Have a few backups and will repurchase in the future. 

Skincare

BeautyBio The Balance pH Balancing Cleanser*

A really lovely gel cleanser that’s got quite a medicated smell which I personally love! Didn’t strip my skin at all and you can read more about it here! Would only repurchase if I saw a good discount as I think its overpriced at £45 for 180ml. 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater (236ml and 118ml)

One of my favourite facial sprays, this is so hydrating and refreshing and I love having this in my handbag or on my desk at work to spritz throughout the day! Have a few others on the go at the minute but I’m sure it won’t be long before I repurchase! 

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter

I spoke about this recently in my budget skincare post and I think it’s amazing whatever your budget! It feels so luxurious and it melts away all traces of makeup easily as well as not being irritating on the eyes. Perfect to travel with too as the tin is so lightweight! Will repurchase in the future. 

Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight hydrating mask

Another favourite – this is one of my most repurchased skincare items! My skin quite literally does drink this up and always feels plump and hydrated in the morning. Have already repurchased the full size!

Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex

I originally thought this was going to be a cream texture with a metal applicator so I started out being a little disappointed by this as it’s a gel in a pump (I think since I purchased it now has a metal applicator). However, once I got over that I really enjoyed its cooling properties and found it to be hydrating enough too, it’s also got niacinamide which I love. Might come back to it in the future but going to try a few others first. 

The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid 

This is my second bottle of this and I always seem to resort to it when I’m desperate and almost out as it’s so easily available. But, it does not do a thing for me in terms of helping with hydration and I find the formula a little watery and sticky as opposed to thick and easily spreadable like say NIOD MMHC or Mabel + Meg Lumilixir. Won’t be repurchasing – if you want a good budget hyaluronic acid, the Good Molecules offering is the best I have come across so far! 

Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-aging cream

Nice overnight cream but didn’t blow me away (probably because it was just a sample as I know so many people swear by Algenist!) Wouldn’t repurchase.

Blistex Lip Medex lip balm

My favourite budget overnight lip balm. Love the medicated scent and it stays on all night. Will repurchase once I finish up a few others! 

Dr Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Acid

Now this formula is what I’m talking about! Really lovely but way out of my budget at £235 for 30ml so will not be repurchasing! 

Sephora Rose lip balm

Not very hydrating, won’t be repurchasing! 

Fresh Sugar Rose tinted lip treatment 

Bit of a cult classic now, these balms are lovely and hydrating but I hate how “melty” the stick is so won’t be repurchasing! Shocked at how much was left in the tube too, I scraped it out while I was still working from home haha. 

Haircare

Bardot Dry Shampoo

Picked two of these up when they were on offer a while back for £2.50 rather than £19. Really nice formula, soaked up excess oils without making my hair look dull and left no white cast but I don’t love the scent, little too floral for me. Would repurchase if on offer again. 

Klorane Anti-Pollution detox shampoo with Aquatic Mint (giveaway prize and previous PR relationship)

Really refreshing scent and Klorane products are so gentle they work great with my tangled hair. Cleansed well and I would repurchase again but probably go for the original oat milk! 

Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector

One of my favourite hair treatments and one I have repurchased many times now! I like to leave this on for a few hours and after washing out my hair is softer and feels more hydrated which is essential for me as my ends are so dry! Read more about it here! 

Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

Really impressed with how much this lathered up with such a small amount considering its SLS free and my hair always feels super clean after use! I don’t love the scent as it’s a little too citrus/lemony for me but I would repurchase again in the future. 

Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

Another one I’m impressed with – this is a lovely thick conditioner that makes my hair soft and manageable but again I don’t love the scent. Would overlook it to buy again though as it’s so good! 

Makeup

Revlon Colorstay foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in Buff

One of my most repurchased makeup items! It’s my favourite budget foundation as it offers good coverage and it's matte and I wrote more about it here! Already repurchased and have several back-ups! 

Well done if you made it to the end of that! I have quite a few almost finished products again already so I’ll probably have another one of these up soon! Do you love finishing products as much as me haha? 

*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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Current Skincare | Cleansers #2

You know when you start a blog series, do one post then it falls by the wayside? Well that’s what happened with this series unfortunately but today I am bringing it back! I do have a few more cleansers in my back up stash but this is what I currently have on rotation! 

The First Cleanse/PM Cleanse

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter RRP £11 

This is my budget pick and one that is perfect to travel (even though no one is doing much of that lately) with as it’s so light! I had this with me all last summer while I was roadtripping and while I've neglected it a little recently as I've been busy using up the others I can’t recommend this enough! It’s rich, removes makeup with ease and is perfect for sensitive skin! 

Disciple Night Shift Oil cleanser RRP £27

I had some minis of their facial oils so wanted to try more of the range. I don't love this quite as much as the face oils but this is still a really lovely luxurious oil cleanser and its full of fruit oils and AHA’s! It removes makeup with ease (it comes with a face cloth too) and I love the green packaging however it does seem to collect some product buildup around the pump. I wish this was scented a bit more like the facial oils as that would really have sold it for me but my skin does feel calm and plump after use! 

Dermalogica Precleanse* RRP £39.50

This has such an uplifting scent due to the citrus scent and a little goes a long way! It removes makeup very easily - I massage a pump into my face then add some water to my finger tips and massage again before using a flannel to remove. I do find this slightly irritates my eyes however unfortunately due to the citric additions which is a pity! 

The Second Cleanse/AM Cleanse
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel* RRP £33

I'd probably go as far as to say this is my favourite out of the whole bunch I have here! When I first received it I have to say I wasn’t expecting much as I’ve never been blown away by a gel cleanser and always thought they were a little drying however this completely changed my opinion! This is so gentle, there is barely any lather but it cleanses so well, doesn't dry out my skin and it never feels tight after use. You can see my full post on this and the Precleanse oil here!

Dermalogica Active Clay Cleanser* RRP £35

This is the newest addiction to my cleanser collection and one I have been thoroughly enjoying since I received it about 4 weeks ago now! It's a thick dark clay based prebiotic cleanser so perfect for oily skin! This deeply cleans and absorbs excess oil and I can only imagine my skin will love this even more once we move into summer and it goes full oily as it drinks up the Kaolin clay haha! If I have a little extra time I sometimes apply a layer over my face and use as a quick face mask while I jump in the shower. It doesn't completely dry down so feels super comfortable and once rinsed off my skin feels soft and matte but not flaky or dry! My cleansers all stay in the bathroom and my mum recently said "oh that new Dermalogica one in the bathroom is nice isn't it?" so it’s got the seal of approval from her too!

BeautyBio The Balance pH Balancing Cleanser* RRP £45

Another lovely gel formulation and I love the scent of this one (maybe keep that in mind if you have very sensitive skin). Not 100% sure what it is but kind of smells like eucalyptus to me! This one is designed to restore the skins ideal pH, keep oils at bay and in turn combat blemishes while ensuring the skin doesn’t dry out. It’s lightweight, feels slippery and the gel lathers nicely with my skin never feeling stripped or dry after I use it and it doesn’t irritate my eyes. Unfortunately I do think the products from this brand are a little overpriced though! See my full post here!

If you would like to see the first post in this series check it out here! I hope you found some ideas if you are on the lookout for a new cleanser! Let me know your favourite cleansers please!

P.S. If you have any tips on how to make the font behave please let me know! I removed all formatting and set it to default font and normal sizing in blogger and it didn't work, so frustrating! 

*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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Skincare | BeautyBio Review

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! 

The Balance pH Balancing Cleanser* RRP £45

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 Moduline Peptide Filling Sphere Serum* RRP £105

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 Quench Restoring Quadralipid Cream* RRP £125

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! 

*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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