Current Skincare | Facial Mists #1

I’m really enjoying going through my stash at the minute and doing these current skincare posts so here’s what is currently in my facial mist collection! First up, my ultimate favourite, holy grail – the January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist! I have lost count over how many bottles I have went through of this stuff now and I could not recommend it more! It’s refreshing, hydrating and really helps with blemishes! Containing aloe extract, witch hazel, sodium PCA, flower oil extract, licorice and calendula extract, this mist is anti-inflammatory and works as an antioxidant too! I use this in my morning and evening skincare routine after cleansing and toning before treatments or serums and moisturisers. There is a slight scent but it’s not offensive in the slightest and it’s been a staple in my skincare routine for four years now! Believe me when I say I am DEVASTATED Cult Beauty do not stock this anymore. If anyone knows of another UK seller please tell me because the shipping and customs to order this from the USA are more expensive than the product itself which is $24 

 

As a side note, it seems Cult Beauty have removed a few more indie brands from their website, as well as January Labs, I noticed Mabel + Meg have disappeared too. Obviously a business decision was made but as a consumer this is disappointing to me as that’s what I went to Cult Beauty for, not the big brand names like Elemis etc they have started selling. Personally, as Cult Beauty rarely do discounts, I try to wait for the GWP offer before making a purchase off their site and that’s when I will splurge! Look Fantastic do 20% off Elemis every day of the week so if I was buying something from them it would be off LF! Anyway rant over! 

 

Next up I have the Pyunkang Yul Mist Toner which I purchased at the same time as the cult favourite essence toner. Cooling and soothing, this contains Barberry root extract (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) as well as sodium hyaluronate so it feels nicely hydrating too. It’s also fragrance free and has been a real nice addition into my skincare routine as it’s so calming! Its £9.50 and Tonic15 usually have up to 15% off with a code! 

 

My other long term love and one I have just recently repurchased as it’s a handbag/desk side staple for me is the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater! It contains aloe and rosewater and like the others feels very refreshing and hydrating on the skin. I spritz my face with this throughout the day and find it doesn’t disturb my makeup as it delivers a good even dose of hydration. It also helps with the mid-afternoon slump as its cooling! Worth mentioning this contains fragrance which I find quite light so it doesn’t bother me but I know a lot of people don’t love this spray! It’s £6.75 from Beauty Bay and they often have 20% off it! 

 

Finally, the Sukin Original Hydrating Mist Toner was one I picked up from Holland and Barratt a few months ago when trying to meet the minimum spend for free delivery haha, at £2.50 I couldn’t say no! This is also one I prefer as a handbag spritz and I love how dinky it is! I thought I would go through it very quickly but its lasted me ages! It contains chamomile and rosewater and again it feels cooling and soothing and I know over winter when my skin dries out with the heating and weather extremes it will help hydrate it! 

So, that’s what I currently have in my collection! It’s also worth noting these are all alcohol free which is important to me as I use them mostly as an extra step for hydration and the calming effect they have! Let me know what your favourites are, I am always on the lookout for new products! If you want to see my other instalments in this blog series, here are the last batch of cleansers and toners!

 

Danielle xx

 

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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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Best Budget Skincare

Hi everyone, welcome back! Today I thought I would talk about some of my favourite budget skincare brands and products! As someone whose tastes are getting more expensive, finding these gems gives my bank balance a little break! 

Starting with one of my favourites, The Ordinary is probably the OG budget skincare brand that everyone got on board with as they are so effective but affordable and they have so many products that I love! The Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA are amazing for blemish prone skin - I mix them before applying to my face and they do wonders for congestion and brightening. The AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution mask is potent and my skin always feels so soft and looks so smooth after use. The Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is another great option from them! This has been working really well on the texture of my skin caused by blemishes! I do also love their more expensive brand NIOD and have a whole blog post here on my favourites from Deciem as a whole! 

The Inkey List have released a crazy amount of products recently and there are so many I want to try but my favourites from them are their Retinol Serum - so gentle but effective and I always wake up with plump glowy skin after using it and their Caffeine eye cream which is lovely and lightweight and great for puffiness. I would say though that I don’t love their hyaluronic acid, it doesn't do enough for me and their niacinamide and alpha arbutin aren't as effective as the Ordinary’s on my skin! 

Good Molecules is a brand I've been lucky to been gifted some items from and I cannot rave about them enough! They are sold on Beautylish as well as their own website and their pricing is amazing for the quality of the products! Some of my favourites are pictured here, the Hyaluronic Acid* is the best budget option I've tried (miles ahead of The Ordinary and Inkey List versions), the Niacinamide Brightening Toner* is so gentle and brightening and the Pineapple Exfoliating Powder* makes my skin feel so soft and smooth as it exfoliates away the dullness! I've written more about them on my blog here!

I couldn’t do a budget skincare post without including my favourite Nivea Double Effect eye makeup remover as it’s one of my most long term skincare items. It’s dual phase formula makes taking off waterproof eye makeup a breeze! It is gentle, doesn't sting my eyes or dry out the skin around them! A must have on everyone’s skincare shelf!

I talked about The Body Shop Camomile Sumptious Cleansing Butter recently here but in short it’s a beautiful, gentle effective cleansing balm! It does a great job of removing makeup and the tin lasts ages! It’s also so lightweight and perfect for travelling with (though I won't be doing that for a while). 

Lastly, I have to mention the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater! This facial mist is one of my favourites and I usually have a couple kicking around! I use it so much throughout the day as it’s so cooling and hydrating and as I work in an office it's perfect for when my skin gets dried out! 

I would love to know your favourite budget skincare products or brands! There are so many that I haven’t tried! Hope you all have a lovely week! 

*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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Product Empties #22

It’s that time again! Here are my most recent empties from the last few months!

Bodycare

Soap and Glory Clean on Me shower gel

One of my OG favourite shower products! This lasts ages and smells amazing! Forever repurchased! 

Nivea Shower Crème

Another shower favourite, Nivea is the best budget brand for shower gel and moisturiser for me! I love the fresh scent of this, it is forever repurchased! 

Nivea Soft moisturiser

Love love love this, huge tub for about £3-4, I repurchase this constantly! 

Soap and Glory Righteous Butter

This one feels a little thicker so more luxurious! Again, it smells amazing, feels very hydrating and I already have a backup! 

Nivea smooth care hand care*

This is PR from years ago that I left behind when I went to Canada and when I got home it still smelled good so I used it up! Love these and will repurchase when I finish up some more hand creams! 

Skincare

Skyn Iceland Arctic Hydration rubberising mask with vitamin C

This was so much fun to use! It comes with a mixing kit that you spread on your face then you peel it off after its dried. My skin felt so plump after using this and nicely hydrated. While I would like to use it again, its £10 for a single pack so out of my budget! 

Mario Badescu Aloe, Herbs and rosewater facial spray

One of my favourite facial sprays, this is a handbag essential for me and I use it constantly while I’m at work! It’s super refreshing and hydrating and I just repurchased 2 in the sales last week! See more on how much I love it here! 

Disciple Balancing Mist

This is also a really lovely calming spray but at £15 for 50ml not one I will be repurchasing! I prefer the January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist and you get more product at 118ml for £18! Love the packaging and have refilled with water to use as a plant spray J

NIOD Sanskrit Saponins

One of my favourite morning cleansers! I love this one and have repurchased many times but held back at Deciem’s recent 23% off as I have too many other cleansers to use up at the minute but will repurchase in the future for sure! 

111Skin Y Theorem Repair Serum

A lovely little serum from a Cult Beauty goody bag that felt beautiful and smelled great but at £190 for 30ml one I will not be repurchasing! 

Burt’s Bees beeswax lip balm x2 

One of my favourite lip balms, I have lost count of how many of these I have went through! Hydrating and affordable and I already have a back up J

Dr Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass Cream 

I absolutely love Dr Jart moisturisers, they are amazing! This is such a great moisturiser, it's so calming and also perfect for under makeup! I really like this but would repurchase the Ceramidin moisturiser over this! 

Caudalie Vinoperfect Serum

This is nice but it didn’t wow me – though I might be saying that as it’s a sample size! I wouldn’t repurchase but would happily use up another sample! 

Makeup

Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation

The OG number one best foundation in the world! I cannot get enough of this stuff and you can read more about why I love it so much here! Already repurchased! 

Revlon Colorstay foundation 

My affordable option to the above because I can’t afford to wear double wear every day haha. This is another long-lasting full coverage option that is usually always on offer in Boots too making it more affordable! Already using my backup! 

Laura Mercier translucent powder

Another favourite! This is my favourite setting powder, mattifying but not cakey and adds a little extra somethin somethin to my makeup! Already got a backup! 

NYX HD Finishing powder

Really enjoyed this but hit pan quickly so it didn’t last long and I prefer the No7 Perfect Light translucent powder for pressed powder. Would repurchase if on offer. 

Beauty Bakery flour powder

I was pleasantly surprised by this little sample too! It mattified better than I thought it would and even though I only got a few uses out of it I would repurchase if it had a good offer! 

Touch in Sol No-Poreblem primer 

I’m not a massive one for primer (I generally forget to put it on each morning) but this one has become a staple in my routine! It blurs pores, is mattifying and minimises the appearance of fine lines making my base look even better! I just got sent a full size of this recently through PR so have a back up ready to go! 

YSL Touche Eclat highlighter 

This took me ages to finish and to be honest I didn’t notice any difference when using it so not a repurchase for me! 

Haircare 

VO5 Refresh Me Quick dry shampoo 

One of my favourite dry shampoos! It smells amazing and makes my hair look less greasy! Sadly this seems to be discontinued so this is my last bottle L

VO5 Give me Texture dry texturizing spray

This was a nice little extra touch on second day hair to make my limp locks a little better looking! Would repurchase but I think this is discontinued as well! 

Miscellaneous

Crest 3D White 

Some Canadian favourites I can’t get anymore including this toothpaste lol best I found for gentle, effective whitening! 

Secret Clear Gel Stress Response 

Also gutted I can’t get this anymore! This is amazing on my sweaty pits and Mitchum doesn’t quite cut the mustard anymore!

Botanics Eucalyptus Pure Essential Oil

I got a diffuser shortly after I got home and have really been enjoying this oil in it. It’s so refreshing and stress relieving and I have already repurchased! 

Not quite finished 

The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion

Now some products that are past their sell by date unfortunately! This is a great budget option, super gentle but effective and I always wake up to plumper skin! Will repurchase in the future but using the Inkey List’s offering at the moment. 

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA  

Love this stuff but have neglected it since the end of summer and now the colour has changed! It’s great for hyperpigmentation and I love mixing this with Niacinamide! Will repurchase in the future but again going to try the Inkey List’s offereing first! 

Have you tried any of these products? Do you save your empties too? 

*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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Five Things I’m Loving | October 2019

Hey guys, hope you are all having a lovely week so far! Not sure what came on me this weekend, I finally sorted my memory card out and put my photos into folders ready for their blog posts! I don’t think I will be posting very regularly but some products do get me excited enough to want to write about them so here we are with what I have been loving this month! Incidentally, I am much more active on Instagram, and here’s my link if you want to come have a look! 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater

This has been a godsend for me over the last month as I have been back working in an office setting! With the change of seasons, my skin always freaks out and gets really dehydrated and this is such a refreshing, cooling pick me up perfect throughout the day! I have gone through countless bottles of this and tried the cucumber and lavender versions too (need to try the orange next!) but this one is my favourite! 

Lanolips 101 Ointment

I got this in a Cult Beauty GWP (my weakness) a couple of months ago and it’s been a staple ever since! It feels very hydrating on the lips and there is minimal reapplication as it lasts so long! The only thing I don’t love is the scent so I would try a different one next time but the formula is amazing! 

Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-Powder 

I’ve had this for ages and kept forgetting about it (usually because the bottle is so small it gets forgotten!). Now, this doesn’t do a lot for me on its own, but in conjunction with my normal dry shampoo this makes my hair look like it’s got a little somethin' somethin' going on when in reality it's day 3 and it could have done with being washed the night before! Rubs in easy and adds some lift to my roots! 

Clean Fragrance in Skin

Another recent rediscovery, I completely forgot about this set of 5 perfumes I got last Christmas! This scent is my favourite from the set and it’s so subtle but long lasting I just love it and the rollerball is so handy! I suck at describing scents but all the notes it includes are in the link if you are interested! Cannot find a UK link for it so I guess this will go on my ever-growing list of perfumes I can’t have after finishing them *sigh*

Anastasia Beverly Hills single eye shadow in Warm Taupe

I pretty much stopped wearing eyeshadow in Canada, not sure why, probably so I could have an extra 5 minutes in bed but since I have to drive to work and get up earlier now anyway its back! This shadow recently became part of a mini project pan I am working on and I have been loving it! It is the perfect one wash colour and impossible to go overboard with! It’s an ultra-matte warm brown shade and I have a pretty hefty dent in it already so looking forward to hitting pan on this one! 

So, that’s what I have been loving this month! I would love to hear if you have tried any of these or what you are loving! 

Danielle xx

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A Try Not to Buy Haul #3

I toyed with just calling this post a collective haul but technically I am still on my version of a spending ban even though it didn’t go so well last month! Anyway, here is what I tried and failed not to buy! 

I got an email from House of Fraser a few weeks ago with their current promotions and 10% off CT is too good to pass up! Especially when you can nab a student discount code too and get a further 10% off so I took the opportunity to buy two things I’ve had on my wishlist for the longest time! Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow isn’t completely brand new to me as I do have a mini version of it in my Instant Look in a Palette but you’ll know from this post how much I love those two shades and how I don’t really rate the blushers and eyeshadows in the palette.  Although I haven’t hit pan on that palette yet, I didn’t think I would get a better offer than this so I snapped it up and I’m so glad I did!

I also picked up the Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush, another item that I’ve had on my wishlist for the longest time and come close to buying but couldn’t quite justify it. I’m such a sucker for money off promotions aren’t I? Again I’m so glad I have this in my brush pot now, I have nothing like it, everything else is a lot bigger or not as tapered and this is a match made in heaven with Bronze and Glow! I might do a separate post on these two because I love them so much!

I made a mini Feel Unique order when they had 15% off and bought the Shiseido Ibuki Softening Concentrate as I loved the last Shiseido mini I had and read a good review of this on Naya’s blog as well as seeing Simone talking about it in her Instagram stories! I haven’t used this much yet as I’m testing a few other skincare items but I love the scent and it’s a very watery formula that is supposed to deliver moisture to the skin and leave it with a softer, smoother feel! I’ve enjoyed it the few times I’ve used it so I’m sure it will pop up again soon!

I bought The Body Shop Skin Defence Multi-Protection Essence SPF 50 last month when The Body Shop had their 40% offer on because I thought I had heard good reviews and I liked how lightweight it sounded. I’ve taken an instant dislike to it though because it smells like raw vodka when I’m rubbing it on my face so I’ve literally used it twice! I’ll try it again before deciding whether to pass on to my mum or not!

Beauty Bay was my next stop and with the introduction of a few new highlighters to my collection, I wanted to add a new brush! Ideally I would have got the Real Techniques fan brush because I have a feeling it would be a good size for my face and looks duo fibre so I could easily build intensity. However, it’s only available in a set and I already have the other two brushes. Instead I bought the Zoeva 137 Petite Fan Brush because I thought that though it looked a little smaller that the RT and I could work with it. How wrong I was, this is a lash separating brush which works fine when you have no mascara in but when you do it’s not strong enough to brush through! Waste of money!

To get the free delivery I also bought the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea as my Aloe Herbs and Rosewater one is almost out and whats one more facial mist in my collection. So far I’m loving this, its hydrating and calming and smells like my Gerard Cosmetics Green Tea setting spray!

Cult Beauty then did 15% off and I of course could not pass this up as they never seem to do them so again I went and had a look at my account wishlist and added a few things. I’ve heard good things about the Yu Ling Jade Medium Facial Roller and even though it’s expensive, curiosity got the better of me. My skin can be quite congested at times around my chin and I get hormonal breakouts on my jawline so I’m hoping this has a positive effect! I’ve using this most nights since getting and it’s a nice step in my routine, I usually spray a mist and then start rolling in an upwards motion and it’s very relaxing and refreshing. Will get back to you if it calms my skin down anymore! 

After my disaster with the Zoeva brush I picked up this Morphe M310 Large Soft Fan Brush and I’m loving it! I toyed with getting the Zoeva Luxe Fan Brush but it wasn’t included in the offer so Morphe won out! This one is a little stiffer than my other Morphe fan brush and its puts the perfect amount of highlighter on my face every time.

Lastly, I got myself the Becca Mineral Blush in Flowerchild which wasn’t actually on my list and I can’t  quite remember why I decided to get it but I am so glad I did! This along with CT Bronze and Glow have been the only products gracing my cheeks this week and I love it! The packaging is gorgeous and the blush itself is a beautiful peachy pink with subtle highlights and it’s really easily buildable. The formula is so smooth and I’m already looking at their other shades even though I shouldn’t!

There we have it, a very unsuccessful try not to buy challenge for me this month but one that’s made me feel great all the same! I feel like a junkie getting that next hit but I think I should be OK for a while now!

If you like this post you might also like installments 1 and 2! Let me know what you’ve been hauling lately or if you have tried anything I mentioned!

Danielle xx

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