It’s almost been a year since my last
instalment and I’m finished most of these of very near to finishing, so, before
I add some newbies into rotation, here’s my current cleanser stash!
Starting with my makeup removers and first
cleansers and theAlpha H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm RRP £39.99| $64 CAD.
This feels more lightweight to me than the Emma Hardie Moringa Balm Cleanser
but is just as effective at removing my makeup and also has a beautiful fresh
citrus scent! It’s antioxidant rich and anti-inflammatory and left my skin soft,
cleansed and hydrated! Feels and smells luxurious and spreads easily so a
little goes a long way!
The Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Cleansing Balm RRP £29| $29 USD is another great cleanser that I thoroughly
enjoyed! A little less on the luxurious side as there is no scent and a little
more travel friendly and hygienic with its squeeze bottle, this one also made
light work of removing makeup! It contains omegas 3, 6 and 9 and felt gentle and
hydrating!
Moving onto my morning and second
cleansers now and unfortunately, the Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser RRP £9.99| $17.99 CAD is not my favourite of the bunch. I find this irritates my eyes
quite regularly so I don’t reach for it and will probably pass it onto a friend.
It contains ceramides to nourish and there is a good lather which cleanses my skin well without leaving it feeling tight but I can’t get past the eye stinging!
The mini Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser RRP £15| $20 CAD is cute but slow to get the product out! This is
an antioxidant packed gel to foam cleanser. Even though it’s targeted towards acne
prone and oily skin, this works well to leave my skin feeling cleansed and doesn’t
make it feel dry or stripped!
I got the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Cleansing Gelee RRP £12| $45 CAD in a set at Christmas and immediately
opened it! This is another gel to foam cleanser with amino acids to support the
skin barrier. I really enjoy what I have tried from the Advanced Night Repair
range and this is no exception, my skin feels soft, balanced and clean!
Lastly, the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser RRP £22| $38CAD was another great gel to foam cleanser. It contains
squalane so kept my skin hydrated and supple and feeling clean without drying it
out!
I’ve enjoyed all of these apart from the Byoma
which I was a little disappointed with due to the eye irritation! The Alpha H
and Paula’s Choice aren’t quite up there with my favourite Emma Hardie cleanser
but I would repurchase both! Out of the last three, the Kiehl’s is probably my
favourite based on feel as well as price!
Have you tried any of these? What cleanser
are you using at the minute?
Last week it was makeup and this week I
have my favourite skincare discoveries of 2024! Again, these aren’t necessarily
new releases, 2024 is just when I tried them!
Starting with the one product I didn’t
hang onto the packaging for, the Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm RRP
£38. I used this up quite early in the year and it was a beautiful fist
cleanse! It’s a soft balm with a citrus scent that smells amazing. It contains
plant oils, olive oil and grapeseed oil as well as persimmon and Vitamin E
(think fatty acids and antioxidants). It feels very luxurious and I didn’t need
much to get my full face of makeup off and it left my skin feeling hydrated as
well as clean! Read my full review here!
The Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme Eye Cream RRP $100 CAD| £56 is another good one
and probably the most hydrating eye cream I have ever used. This is a silky gel
and works so well to hydrate under and around my eyes reducing fine lines! I
didn’t notice a huge difference in under eye darkness which it does claim to target
but I still really like it because of how smoothing I found it! It also claims
to fight the
effects of blue light on skin’s
appearance, as well as other environmental aggressors like pollution which I
love as I stare at a computer or my phone for most of the day. It absorbs fast
and works well under makeup too!
The REN Radiance PHA Exfoliating RRP £34* was my favourite exfoliation discovery this year. It contains a blend
of chemical, enzymatic and physical exfoliants, yet still feels gentle, removes
dead skin and leaves it feeling smooth and looking brighter and more even! This
also seems to be out of stock everywhere at the moment so must be a popular
one!
I have loved the Sioris Drops of Omija Calming Mist RRP $34.48 CAD* - Omija being an antioxidant and inflammatory ingredient
that strengthens the skin barrier derived from the reddish berry fruit of
Schisandra chinensis also known as five-flavour berry/fruit plant which is
native to Korea. This contains 34% Omija extract, Centella Asiatica extrace,
aloe vera leaf juice, Zinc PCA and beta-glucan and is so soothing and
calming! My skin feels nicely hydrated, redness is reduced and my skin barrier
feels strong! I love the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and I
prefer this to the Sioris Time is Running Out Mist!
I discovered one of the best Vitamin C
serums I have used last year (and one of the most expensive too!) in the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic RRP $208 CAD | £165*. This contains 15% pure Vitamin C
(L-ascorbic acid), 1% Vitamin E, and 0.5% Ferulic Acid to enhance protection
against environmental damage that can contribute to visible signs of aging. It
is a beautiful formulation that absorbed quickly and didn’t pill with other
products or makeup, helped brighten my skin and kept it looking more even. Marks
from any spots that popped up while I was using this faded much quicker too! I
didn’t notice my nasolabial folds forming a fine line at all which is the first
thing I normally do notice when it comes to signs of aging! I can definitely
see the hype with this and if you are in a position to afford it, I cannot
recommend enough! Read my full review here!
For moisturisers, last year I loved the Vichy Mineral 89 100H Moisture Boosting Cream Rich RRP $45.95 CAD| £24*. It’s formulated
for dry skin and contains hyaluronic acid, squalane, vitamins E and B3 to help
diminish the look of fine lines and texture. Despite being a rich cream, this was
great for my combo skin in the morning as well as the evening. It kept my skin
hydrated and looking plump and sat well under my makeup! My skin drank this up
overnight as well and my skin felt supple and smooth the whole time I was using
this! Read my full Vichy Mineral 89 range review here!
A more recent addition is the Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer RRP $65 CAD| £44*and I am
so happy to have this in my skincare collection! It is an intense moisturiser containing
ceramides and honey and is deeply hydrating and replenishes dry skin, smooths
fine lines and sits perfectly under makeup too! It’s creamy and works equally
well for both AM and PM and I love the jar it comes in too! My skin was feeling
so sensitised and rough a few months ago and this really helped calm it down
and get it back to normal!
I took the Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++ RRP $30 CAD to Mexico with me earlier this year and it was
amazing! It’s a chemical sunscreen containing mung bean extract to soothe
irritation, along with bio-hyaluronic acid to boost skin moisture. It felt
lightweight and absorbed quickly into my skin leaving no white cast (I have
fair skin for reference!) and sat beautifully under makeup with no pilling! My
skin was protected and I didn’t get burnt on my face or ears while using it!
Use my code DANIELLESBB5 for up to 5% off on YesStyle! Read my full review here!
The Dr Ceuracle Cica Regen Vegan Sun
SPF50+ PA++++ RRP $27 CAD* also impressed me this year! It’s another chemical
sunscreen formulated with centella asiatica extract and bamboo complex and
helps calms inflammation and protects skin against external aggressors. It’s a waterproof
formula in a lightweight cream texture and like the Tocobo this absorbs quickly
into skin leaving no white cast and doesn’t pill!
Lastly, the Lanolips 12-Hour Overnight Lip Mask RRP £13 was my go-to overnight lip treatment for most of the year!
It’s made with lanolin to deeply hydrate as well as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and
ceramides. This has a super thick texture with some stick to it and lasts all
night leaving my lips so soft and smooth in the morning!
Most of these products are now finished
or very nearly ready to be and I am gutted as I have loved them! Looking
forward to trying some new products this year and seeing what comes out on top!
What was your favourite skincare pick of 2024? Read my best makeup discoveries of 2024 here and shop this post here!
Welcome to my end of year empties! I
don’t think it’s quite as big as previous year end’s so I have obviously been
slacking lately but let’s get onto the mini reviews!
Haircare
Living Proof Perfect hair Day Dry Shampoo
One of my favourite dry shampoos! I do
prefer the advanced version but this one is still great! Doesn’t leave a white
cast and gives me an extra day of two out of my hair! Have already repurchased!
Read my full review here!
Bondi Boost HG Dry Shampoo
Got this on a half price sale from
Sephora a few months ago and it was nice to try something different! Smells
very strongly of rosemary (reminds me of a cocktail!) and had no whitecast
while giving me extra days out of greasy hair but I prefer the Living Proof
offerings so not a repurchase!
Head and Shoulders Classic Clean 2 in 1
I always like to have a shampoo with SLS
in my shower as I tend to use it once a week as it’s clarifying! This one also
happens to help with dandruff which I get occasionally and it's affordable! Will
repurchase!
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Milky Leave
In Conditioner
Loved this! Smells just like
the body cream, offers heat protection up to 450˚ and smooths my hair! Will
repurchase in the future! Read my full review here!
Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray
Found this to be a little disappointing
as the claims and hype are so built up! It didn’t do much for frizz when my
hair was going through a frizzy phase but it does make my hair feel incredibly
smooth and soft. Not a repurchase!
Kerastase Nurtitive Masquintense*
Love this! Smells divine and is very concentrated
so a little goes a long way! Leaves my hair feeling super soft, smooth and the
ends well hydrated which makes them look healthier! Despite my hair not being
thick, it rinses out well and doesn’t leave it weighed down. Lasted me ages and
I never wanted it to end! I will repurchase once I finish a few other hair
treatments! Read my full review here!
Living Proof Perfect hair Day Shampoo
Enjoyed this mini, made my hair feel
clean and would like to try more hair products from Living Proof but not a
repurchase right now!
Living Proof Triple Bond Complex
Another favourite! I use this weekly and
it offers heat protection up to 232˚C to help prevent future breakage and
leaves my hair feeling protected, smooth and manageable with a good shine and I
have noticed my ends looking way healthier with less split ends! Already
repurchased! Read my full review here!
Bodycare
Naturium The Soother Sensitive Skin Body
Wash
Got this on sale last year and it’s a really
nice, simple and gentle body wash! Unscented, so a little boring but works well
for my skin! Would repurchase but have a few others to get through!
Nivea Rich Body Lotion Firming Q10 plus
Vitamin C
Really enjoyed this and you know I love
Nivea! It felt hydrating, smoothing and firming and it’s so affordable! Will
repurchase!
The Inkey List PHA Exfoliating and
Hydrating Body Water Cream
Another love! This made my skin feel so
smooth! Another bit of a boring one as it’s not scented but it was affordable
too and worked well on my KP! Would repurchase!
Eresos Energos Active Muscle Therapy Balm*
Lovely balm that smelt of eucalyptus!
Took me longer to finish than I would like because I don’t tend to reach for
products like this so not a repurchase!
Frank Body Smoothing AHA Body Lotion
Another nice body lotion that hydrated my
skin and made it feel smooth but I went through this size so quickly! Would
repurchase the bigger size on offer!
Biossance Squalane + Enzyme Sugar Body
Scrub
This was nice but nothing special for the
price! I prefer something scrubbier or even exfoliating gloves! Not a
repurchase!
The Body Shop Hemp Hard-Working Hand
Protector
A little too rich for me for day to day use and I don’t love
the scent! Not a repurchase!
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
One of my favourite body creams! Smells
amazing and feels so hydrating! This size was handy to have for a couple of
nights away I had recently! Will repurchase!
Skincare
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel*
One of my favourite cleansers! I’ve been
through a few bottles of this now and it works so well as a second or morning
cleanse for me and is gentle and non-drying. It makes my skin feel calm and I
can’t recommend it enough! Will repurchase when I finish a few other cleansers!
Read my full review here!
Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Toner*
This was a really lovely gentle and
hydrating toner! It’s lightweight and replenishes skin moisture to keep skin
supple as well as strengthening the skin barrier. Would repurchase! Read my full review here!
Nivea Double Effect Waterproof Eye Makeup
Remover
The best waterproof eye makeup remover
there is! Gentle and hydrating and removes eye makeup with ease! Already got
several back-ups!
January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist
Love this mist, it works so well when I
have breakouts to calm my skin! Gutted this has now disappeared from SpaceNK as
it had already left Cult Beauty! I have one backup left and would love to
repurchase but it might be too difficult to get my hands on!
Enjoyed this – it’s definitely on the
hydrating side but non greasy and worked well to protect my skin leaving no
white cast and didn’t pill under makeup. Don’t love the smell and it's pricier
than some K Beauty SPF’s I prefer so not a repurchase for me right now!
Vichy Mineral 89 100h Moisture Boosting
Cream Rich*
Loved this cream – it felt so hydrating
and worked well with my combo skin as both an AM and PM moisturiser! Makeup sat
better underneath it and I would repurchase! See my full review here!
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye
Supercharged Gel-Crème
This is a balmy-gel and works so well to
hydrate under and around my eyes reducing fine lines! I didn’t notice a huge
difference in under eye darkness which it does claim to target but I still
really like it because of how smoothing I found it! Would repurchase if I found
on a good sale!
Pixi Clarity Concentrate*
This was my go-to when I was experiencing
breakouts and it worked a treat! It contains glycolic, salicylic and lactic
acid as well as probiotics and aloe and really helped to gently exfoliate my
skin while still keeping it hydrated and my breakouts healed much faster with
use! I don’t think this would work miracles if you are experiencing severe acne
but for the usual time of the month breakouts, it’s great! Would repurchase!
Read my full review here!
REN Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream*
Another eye cream I enjoyed for its
hydrating purposes more so than brightening claims! I tended to use this in the
morning and the Estee Lauder at night! Like I said, it didn’t do much for
brightening (a lot of eye creams don’t!) but it worked well under my makeup and
didn’t pill and kept my under eye hydrated throughout the day! Not a repurchase
for me right now though as I have a few others to use up!
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Toner
A lovely gentle toner that felt creamy
and hydrating! Would love a full size of this for winter and would repurchase
in the future!
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream
Really rich moisturiser that was great
under makeup! Super expensive though so not a repurchase for me as I have others
I prefer but a lovely product nonetheless!
La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume
A classic soothing balm/moisturiser, this
is nice to have on hand but I’m not sure it did much for me though that’s
probably to do with the size! Would consider a repurchase in the future!
Pat McGrath Divine Skin Rose 001 The
Essence
Nice hydrating essence but not a
repurchase for me, I’m a little sick of rose scents!
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength
Daily Peel
Love using these as a more intensive
treatment once in a while! Work well to smooth my skin! Will repurchase!
Pixi Volumizing Infusion Sheet Mask*
Patchology Flash Patch Hydrating Lip Gels
Patchology Flash Patch Illuminating Eye
Gels
Rodial Bee Venom Jelly Eye Patches
Won’t go into detail on all of these but
I enjoyed using them and they worked well as a treat to hydrate my skin!
Wouldn’t go out of my way to repurchase them but I do like using them when I
remember!
Makeup
By Terry Hydra-Care Setting Powder in 0
Colorless
Really enjoyed this powder on my combo
skin, it worked well to mattify my t-zone and never looked cakey or detectable!
Would repurchase if on sale!
Merit Clean Lash in Black*
This has become my new favourite mascara
this year! It’s a tubing mascara and there is no smudging, clumping or flaking,
the bristles make it easy to coat my lashes and it works well to lengthen. Received
in PR but I repurchased with my own money! Read my full review here!
Saie Glowy Super Gel in Starglow
This is a gorgeous illuminator that I mix
in with my foundation and it works to help brighten and add a little somethin’
somethin’ to my skin! Got another shade to try in a Sephora favourite set I
recently purchased!
Clarins SOS Primer (Boosts Radiance)
Another nice glowy primer I like to mix
with foundation! Overall, I prefer the Saie so not a repurchase for me but I
would happily use it again!
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm
This was a nice lip balm but it’s so
hyped up I’m not sure what I’m missing, it's nothing special! Have a mini in the
hot cocoa scent but not a repurchase for me!
Naturium Phyto Glow Lip Balm in Petal
Loved this! The perfect amount of
stickiness and lasted ages on my lips, hydrating them without having to top up
very often! Petal is a lovely my lips but better shade! The packaging on this
is awful though, I had to duct tape it as the end popped after only a couple of
uses. Naturium customer service was good and refunded me but I have never had
this problem on any tube lip balms before! Have repurchased in a different
shade!
Miscellaneous
Organika Enhanced Collagen Protein
Love these, absorb so well in water and
help my joints!
Genuine Health Original Greens+
Not my favourite greens taste but I’m a
picky eater so like to subsidise my greens intake with these. Have gone back to
the Costco ones as I prefer the taste but would repurchase these on offer!
So that’s my year end empties! I need to
get back on track as I had a few products I was hoping to finish by now but
didn’t quite manage to so hopefully they will be in my first empties in the New
Year! Did you see any products you like or want to try?
