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?
I skipped this category last year –
probably because I already threw the packaging I needed out - but it’s back
this year! 2024 really was the year of body skincare for me and I upped my
retinol and AHA usage and saw good results!
Starting with theNaturium The Glow Getter Multi-Oil Body Wash RRP $16 USD | $21.99 CAD | £18and this really
does deserve the hype it gets. It’s gentle, contains 50% glycerin and a blend
of oils and squalane and changes from a light oil into a milky lather while
showering. It leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated, doesn’t strip it and
doesn’t leave any residue. I wish it had a scent like I do with all Naturium
products but I’d rather it stay scent free than have a scent I don’t like! My
mum enjoyed using this so much when she visited me last summer she bought her
own to take home and I just repurchased during the black Friday sales along
with the next two products!
Moving onto body lotions now and I have a
few that I loved last year and have repurchased for this year too! The Naturium Skin Renewing Retinol Body Lotion RRP $44 USD for 414ml | $40.99 CAD for 234ml
| £27 for 234ml might just be my favourite of the three, so much so that I
repurchased the jumbo bottle! This is suitable for daily use and is formulated
with an encapsulated stabilised pure retinol complex that works to nourish the
skin all over the body to help improve its tone, texture and firmness. It has a
lovely creamy texture and sinks in quickly leaving my skin feeling soft and
smooth. It’s fragrance-free, keeps my skin hydrated, supple and firm and I
don’t experience any sensitivity. Obviously if you are using in the summer,
make sure you apply SPF! I picked up one for my mum for Christmas too as I
loved it so much!
The Naturium The Smoother Glycolic Acid Body Lotion RRP $17 USD | £19 is another great body cream that helps
with exfoliation and tackles uneven skin tone. It contains 10% glycolic acid to
smooth skin and encourage a brighter appearance and the shea butter in the formula
keeps my skin hydrated too! This worked well to keep KP on the backs of my arms
at bay and I loved this in the summer!
I find Naturium really well priced for
the quality of products and to be fair they go on sale quite often too but The Inkey List PHA Exfoliating and Hydrating Body Water Cream RRP $19 CAD | £13is
a really great budget pick! It’s a lightweight lotion containing 3% PHA to
gently exfoliate while hydrating my skin and made it feel so smooth! It is also
scent free and was another lotion I used to target my KP on which it worked
very well to smooth and brighten!
Lastly, the JVN Complete Pre-Wash Scalp Oil RRP $43.50 CAD | £28which I have been using regularly for a year
now. As you can see, I still have some left so a little goes a long way with this
one! It’s a pre-shampoo hair treatment that works to nourish, hydrate and
cleanse the scalp. I use it 1-2 times per week and leave it in for 10 minutes
or more before washing my hair as normal. It contains rosemary extract to aid
scalp circulation supporting hair follicles in the growth phase, turmeric oil,
a natural anti-inflammatory that helps reduce redness and irritation and
hemisqualane to improve hair health and strength. This has been working well
making my scalp less irritated and I notice less flakes. I haven’t noticed a
huge difference in hair growth but I am happy with how my hair is looking and
feeling right now. My hair is shiny and my breakage isn’t as noticeable and
neither is hair fall. It’s als silicone and sulphate free! Read more about it and my other haircare essentials here!
So, that’s the end of my favourites for
2024! See my makeup discoveries here and my skincare discoveries here! Let me
know if you have tried any of the hair or body products I’ve mentioned or tell
me what your favourite discovery was last year!
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 a 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 and since 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!
Happy New Year everyone! I’m going to try
and get all my best beauty discoveries of 2024 posts up this month but I’ve
been a little unproductive lately so I hope I can get my ass in gear and get
them written up! As always these are not necessarily new releases for 2024, it
just happens to be the year I’ve got to try them properly!
Starting with base makeup, and I have a
few products here that I really like and work especially well together! The Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base RRP $34 CAD for 15ml* is a newer product
to my makeup collection but one that stood out immediately! I feel like this is
such a cult product but I’ve never had the chance to try it before now and the
consistency was so different to how I expected! I thought this was going to be
a gel formula but it is a thick oil free cream. It’s non greasy and very moisturising
so has been perfect for me this winter as it’s so dry where I live! This preps
my skin well for makeup making sure it doesn’t settle into fine lines and helps
plump my skin and keep it hydrated all day. I will be sad when this runs out as
it’s on the expensive side but I see why it’s such a classic product now!
It works particularly well to provide a
good base for the Urban Decay Face Bond Foundation in 5 Fair Neutral RRP $57 CAD| £36.50*. Billed as waterproof, sweatproof, and transfer resistant
with up to 24 hour wear and a medium buildable coverage, this foundation comes
in 40 shades and while I wouldn’t say it’s been able to knock my number one
foundation (Estee Lauder Double Wear) off its top spot, I find myself reaching
for this a lot! It’s great for oily and combo skin, though I have heard less so
for dry skin, it’s mattifying, the wear time is great and it doesn’t oxidise or
separate. I love the packaging too, it looks sleek and saves so much space!
I do like to mix it with the Pixi
Flawless Beauty Primer $37 CAD | £24* to add a little something extra
though! I think Pixi makeup is so underrated! This helps add some luminosity to
the UD foundation and I only need a tiny blob to do so! There is quite a bit of
sparkle but it still somehow manages to be subtle and helps make my makeup look
better!
Sticking with Pixi and the H20 Skin
Veil in Translucent RRP $34 CAD | £24*. This is a weightless, loose water
powder that sets makeup and mattifies my combo skin all day without looking
flaky or cakey! The pot looks small but this has lasted me months and I only
need a tiny amount to set my whole face. I don’t feel like I need to top up
during the day either and my face never looks flat or dry! Definitely worth a
try it you are oily or combo, it works so well!
I am a complete convert to the Urban Decay All-Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray RRP $48.50 CAD| £28.50*. I’m
cheating a little with this one as I have had minis before in 2023 and not been
blown away but them but since I’ve had the full size, I’ve been using this
every day and testing it more fully so I’m including it because I love it! I
recently flew home for Christmas and had numerous delays and an extra flight in
order to get to my destination and when I finally walked in the door, I could
not get over how good my makeup still looked considering I had been traveling
for around 30 hours altogether! This spray promises to last up to 16 hours, is
waterproof, transfer free and kept my makeup looking fresh! You only need to
spray after makeup application, not before and I ended up giving my mum the
rest of my bottle in order to save a little weight in my luggage on the way to
my home in Canada as I have a backup here and she had used it a couple of times
over Christmas and was enjoying it too!
For blush, it was love at first use with
the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint in Rosy Peach (50.5) RRP $56 CAD| £36*earlier in the year. I have previously found liquid blushes a little
intimidating but this one is fool proof! The formula is lightweight and
buildable, blends easy and has good wear time. It’s a peachy shade with a hint
of pink that gives a beautiful, brightening healthy glow. I apply a couple of
dots on my cheekbone then use a brush to blend, add another dot if needed to
build it up and it gives me a diffused, airbrushed finish. I want all the
shades!
I hesitated on whether to add the YSL Make Me Blush Liquid Blush in 44 Nude Lavalliere RRP $56 CAD| £31as I
just recently got this at Christmas. However, I’ve been using it non-stop since
then and it’s a beautiful nude pink shade that, like the Armani, has a
beautiful formula! It looks like it’s going to be pigmented when you first dot
it onto your cheekbones but it sheers out and is easily buildable. It gives a
lovely flush of colour and a diffused finish like the Armani too!
Top to bottom -
YSL
Make Me Blush Liquid Blush in 44 Nude and
Armani
Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint in Rosy Peach (50.5)
Next up is a product that has a special
place in the category of “products previously send in PR that I have
repurchased” – the MERIT Clean Lash Mascara RRP $36 CAD| £23. This is a
tubing mascara that defines, separates, and lengthens lashes for a wide-awake
look with zero smudging. The bristles make it easy to coat my lashes and it
works well to lengthen. There are no clumps or flakes and no smudging as the
day goes on! Although this is a more natural looking mascara and doesn’t give
as much volume as some I have tried, I am so happy to finally have a smudge
free mascara that doesn’t bother me! I took this on holiday to Mexico earlier
this year and was so impressed with how it lasted in the heat! I am also
obsessed with the packaging! It looks so luxe on my dressing table! See my full MERIT post here!
Finishing up with lip products and the Armani Beauty Prisma Glass Hydrating Lip Gloss in 02 Candy Halo RRP $52 CAD| £30*
is much more of a luxury pick! It’s an oil in gloss formula giving volume shine
and care and contains 15% squalane. It has a lightweight formula, feels comfortable
and hydrating on my lips and there is no scent, stickiness or tingling. It’s definitely
a nice to have in my collection!
Lastly, and probably my favourite lip
products of the year, the Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm in Petal RRP $10 USD| £12 at the very end of 2023 and despite having some issues with the
packaging (the end popped!), customer service were great and I duct taped it
and used it up anyway (using my new Peach shade for the photo as Petal is
already finished and in the bin – another sign that I loved this product!).
This is a very hydrating lip balm with a beautiful shine and non-offensive
vanilla scent! It has the perfect amount of stickiness for me and was long
lasting so I didn’t need to top up too often! Petal is a lovely my lips but
butter shade and this kept my lips so smooth. Like I said, I just recently repurchased
in a new shade as I couldn’t bear not to have it in my collection despite the
bad packaging!
Wow, that was a little longer than I
intended this post to be and I probably forgot a few products too! Have you
tried any of these products? Let me know what you thought if them and what your
favourite makeup product was of 2024!
