I see a lot of pan posting challenges on Instagram and in general, even
though its only makeup, its impressive to see someone finishing up or hitting
pan on a piece of makeup. Now I regularly hit pan on powder and finish up
bottles of foundation but I currently only have one pan showing on all of the
eyeshadows I own which got me pulling a few of my favourite pieces of makeup out
to see how close they were to being finished. So here is a selection of products
I would love to either finish or hit pan on by the end of the year!
Self-tanning is a weekly occurrence for me and something I almost do
now out of habit. Don’t get me wrong, I still have weeks where I don’t put any
on but I often get the “are you sick?” questions or just people stating the
obvious “you look very pale”. Add in the fact that most of my foundation is a
shade or two darker than my natural colour, tan gives me more options with my
makeup and I feel better with a bit more colour.
Showering
is a daily necessity and Nivea have recently upped their shower crème game to
include some new ranges perfect for indulging yourself. As you know, they are
one of my favourite brands and it just helps that they are budget friendly too!
After trying the new products out over the last few weeks here are my thoughts!
First
of all, you all know how much I love the classic Nivea fragrance but I am
obsessed with the Ylang Ylang scent of this! It’s so calming and relaxing and
reminds me a little of Johnsons baby bedtime wash!
The creme and oil formula feels luxurious and it includes Argan oil and vitamin
E making my skin feel smooth and nourished after use. It also has soft oil
pearls that very gently massage the skin before dissolving making a shower feel
more like a pamper session! I love using this at night before bed as the scent
is so soothing and lingers on my skin.
This
is also great to use with exfoliating gloves if you are removing tan as the
rich formula lathers up well and oil is known to help remove tan! It’s also
available in Cherry Blossom and Lotus scents and I had a sniff of these when I
was in Boots last week and they are both beautiful too but I definitely think
Ylang Ylang is my favourite!
This
mousse formula makes a change from my usual gel or cream body wash and I love
it! It’s formulated with precious silk extract, Nivea essential oils and almond
oil and has the classic Nivea scent. You shake before use and one pump gives a
generous helping of mousse that spreads easily over my body and leaves my skin
feeling silky soft. This definitely feels more indulgent to me than other
shower gels because the formula is so different to what I’m used to and it’s
such a treat to use!
I think
this would be perfect for anyone who shaves their legs too (I wax or epilate
mine) as it’s lovely and thick yet washes off easily! It’s also available in
Crème Soft and Crème Smooth formulations. I absolutely love both launches and they definitely add a little more indulgence to my daily shower! Nivea
Shower Silk Mousses and Crème and Oil Pearls are available from all leading
retailers. Have you tried either yet?
*denotes
a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my disclosure page for more information.
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
Well
it’s finally happened. I have too many products to fit in one photo so I’m
splitting my next few empties up – today’s edition includes recent body and
haircare empties and I’ll have my skincare and makeup empties up in a few
weeks!
Bodycare
Soap and Glory Clean, Girls Body Wash
This
is one of my favourite body washes and a product that turns up regularly in these posts. Mist You Madly is my favourite scent so I love layering this with
the body spray! The body wash is so smoothing and my skin always feels super
soft after using it. It’s also hugely affordable at £6.50 for this 500ml and is
a constant repurchase for me!
Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser
My old
favourite Nivea next and this is a product that has been out for a while and I
feel like I’ve had it for ages but I’m only getting it finished now! To be
honest I always forgot about it, I’d wash myself and be halfway out of the shower
when I’d see it then I just couldn’t be bothered with the extra step. I’ve made
more of an effort over the last few weeks though when I knew I was getting to
the bottom and have really enjoyed using it when I’ve been taking a bath. It’s
really silky and a little goes a long way, you all know how much I love the
Nivea scent and this actually reminds me a little of the Nivea sun lotion scent
which isn’t a bad thing! It leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft and means I
don’t have to moisturise after I get out of the bath so this would be perfect
for anyone who can’t be bothered with that step! I have a smaller bottle ready
to go already!
Eucerin Intensive Lotion
I got
sent the Complete Repair version of this a few months ago so I stopped using
this one to test that but I recently finished this one up. Both do a great job when
I’ve got dry patches on my skin and are the only thing that work when I get
itchy legs! It doesn’t have a strong scent but it’s not the most appealing
however it does dry scentless and the relief it gives is 100% worth it! It’s a
constant in my collection and I will always repurchase!
Grown Alchemist Intensive Body Cream Rosa Damascena,
Acai and Pomegranate
I
picked this up in the Space NK sale ages ago and I love it! The scent is not overpowering at all, it’s very
lightly floral and the cream absorbs very quickly. A tube definitely doesn’t
last as long for me as the next two moisturisers I'm going to talk about but I do
moisturise a lot so that is to be expected and I also like to use a metal wringer with this to
make sure I get every last drop out! I would repurchase if I saw this in the
sale again.
Soap and Glory Righteous Butter
My
favourite Soap and Glory moisturiser, unlike the Gown Alchemist a tub of this
lasts me an age! A little goes a long way with this as it’s so rich but I find
that it still absorbs quickly into my skin. I love the scent and it’s a
constant repurchase for me, I’ve got another one ready to open!
Nivea Soft Moisturising Cream
Another
one of my most used moisturisers, I love how lightweight this is and I am
completely addicted to the scent! A tub of this lasts me ages too like the
Righteous Butter and this one is even cheaper. I don’t have a backup at the
minute and again I’ve got a few moisturisers I want to finish up before I go
buying more but it’s so tempting to pick up a tub in Savers because it’s so
affordable and feels so good on the skin!
Soap and Glory Flake Away Body Polish
I
really like this exfoliator, it has the Original Pink fragrance and had a good
amount of grit in it to help exfoliate as well as being quite oily so makes my
skin feel smooth as well as nourished. Will repurchase in the future!
Mario Badescu AHA Botanical Body Soap
I got
this as one of the free gifts with a spend on BeautyBay and kept forgetting
about it. I loved the fruity scent and I tended to use this on my back and
chest where I still get occasional mild acne. This felt lightly exfoliating and
I enjoyed using it so would repurchase again.
Puriskin Nurse Aid Cream for hands and nails
I got
this in a Bloggers Beauty Box last year and enjoyed using it, I kept it on my
bedside table as its quite bulky for a hand cream to put in my handbag but I
enjoyed using it every night. It has a number of different uses though I didn’t
try these out but it sank into my hands quickly and was non greasy. I enjoyed
the scent and would repurchase in the future.
Haircare
VO5 Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo
This
needs no introduction to my blog now – it turns up in almost every empties post
I do! It’s my favourite dry shampoo, I love that it leaves no white residue in
my hair and it has a gorgeous scent as well as making my hair look non greasy on
days it desperately needs a wash! I do hate how hard this is to find though, I
usually get it in Savers but my local shop doesn’t do it so I always stock up
when I go to one further away and I’m down to my last couple of bottles now
which won’t last long considering how quickly I go through these! 100%
repurchase for me though I do want to try the new OUAI Dry Shampoo foam too!
TRESemme Expert Beauty-Full Volume Shampoo
I
picked this up along with the conditioner absolutely ages ago now and I really
like both! It’s got quite a lightweight, fresh apple scent and left my hair feeling
soft and clean. I have long hair with long layers so anytime I manage to get
some volume into my hair it will last a maximum of half an hour so in that respect
I can’t say much for the volume claims this has but I liked it and would
repurchase.
Misc
Baylis and Harding Sweet Mandarin and Grapefruit
Luxury Bath Crème
This
was in a set I got at Christmas and was perfect for throwing into the bath for
a few bubbles! It only lasted a few baths and I probably wouldn’t repurchase as
I usually stick to Soap and Glory or Lush as I prefer the scents!
That’s
it for part one! Do you see any of your favourites here or anything you’d like
to try?
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
I did a
post like this quite a while ago and since then I’ve thought of a few more
beauty tools and extras I couldn’t be without that I thought I’d share!
Bourjois Paris Pencil Sharpener
I love
this sharpener so much I have two! It’s got a double hole so can sharpen thick
and thin pencils and I use one for eyeliner and brow products and the other for
my lip liners! It’s a
steal at £3.49 too and holds the shavings until you can get to a bin!
This
is a life saver for products in metal tubing like my Grown Alchemist
moisturisers! It really helps to get all the product out and I love it for
little sachets too as there’s not a lot of product in most of them anyway so
anything to help make sure you get the last drop out is a winner in my book!
Plus it’s more fun to use this than your hands! I got this years ago so I’m
not sure if it’s the exact one I’ve linked but it’s very similar.
Mint Skin Applicator Brush*
I love
this! It’s not ground breaking but I had never even thought to apply my face
masks with a brush before I was sent this before Christmas! It gives such a smooth,
even application and means I don’t get any mask under my nails – annoying when
you use clay masks a lot and have long nails! See my full review of this brush here!
The
last two products I have to show are a few I have seen big brands do for
ridiculously high prices so I wanted to point these out that I got from good
old eBay.
Most
of the time I just use my hands to wash my brushes but I love this for my eye
brushes. It makes it so easy to give them a deep clean and so quickly too! See
my post from earlier this week about how I wash my makeup brushes here!
I’ve
had this for so long and use it regularly to clean out my hair brushes from
product build up and hair! The little spindles work so well so pull out crap
(for want of a better word!) from the bristles of my hair brush and I think
it’s such a handy little tool to have!
Let me
know if you’ve tried any of these products or what beauty tool you couldn’t be
without!
*denotes
a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
I think I might be in the minority of people when I say I find washing
my brushes an enjoyable activity! I think it’s quite therapeutic seeing all the
bronzer, blusher and eyeshadow fall down the plughole and I sometimes even
shout into my mum to see if she wants me to wash hers while I’m at it (she only
has about three so I’m not as good as I sound!).
Today I thought I’d go through how I wash my brushes and the products I
use for a deep clean as well as a spot clean! I do aim to give my brushes a
deep clean every week but it doesn’t always work out like that though I try not
to go past two weeks as nothing beats the feel of a fresh, clean brush plus you
know, hygiene!
This is hands down my favourite brush cleaner! My makeup brushes get
such a good clean with this, I run them under the tap then pour a little of
this into my hand and swirl the brush around before rinsing. If I’ve got a very
dirty brush or a bigger one like a powder brush, I will repeat this until the
water runs clear!
The soap itself is very lightweight and takes no time to clean the
brushes, I love the scent too, it’s really mild but smells so fresh. It’s very
liquidy so can build up a little around the cap but it’s nothing major. My
first bottle was slightly larger and lasted me around 2 years and you can see
what I thought of it here! I can’t see myself using anything else for a deep
clean!
I picked this up last year as I’d heard a lot about spot cleaning and
also because I needed to hit the threshold for a GWP spend on Cult Beauty
(priorities!). This has come in handy though for giving my eye brushes a quick
clean and sterilising them when I don’t have time for a deep clean. I
especially love this for my base shadow and blending brushes as they tend to
build up with product quite quickly.
To use, I spray directly onto my brush from about 15cm away while
holding the brush over a face towel. I’ll then wipe the brush on the face towel
until the excess eyeshadow is off – it won’t look completely clean but it
prevents the spread of germs so would be perfect for a makeup artist working on
different faces each day and its also suitable for both natural and synthetic
bristles.
Like I
said, most of the time I just use my hands to wash my brushes but I love my
fake brush egg for my eye brushes. I got this years ago on eBay and it makes it
so easy to quickly clean a few brushes at a time. I pour a little Dr. Bronner’s
soap onto the tip of the brush egg then while the tap is running I swirl my eye
brushes into the grooves on the brush egg then rinse! Hey presto, clean
brushes!
I will
then lay my brushes flat onto a towel down on the desk in my room – this is
recommended as any water getting into the ferrule could weaken the glue that
holds the handle and brush head together!
What are your favourite products to clean your makeup brushes with?
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
Probably
not the first time you’ve heard it this month but I can’t believe its March! This
year is absolutely flying and I have a few products to share today that as you
can tell by the title, I’m loving!
I won
this last year in a Cult Beauty Instagram competition (lovely feeling!) and it
sat in my collection for a few months while I tried to get some other cleansers
finished. Then I thought life is too short, open all the cleansers and I’m so glad
I did as it’s become one of my favourites! It’s a black oily balm made with
Hungarian moor mud and thermal waters that works to draw out impurities and I
use it as my second cleanse to remove the last traces of my makeup. I find it
very gentle on my skin and a tiny bit goes a long way with this balm! I use the
little scoop to get a bit of product out then warm it up between my fingers and
massage into my face. I’ll then use a damp face cloth to remove and overall I’m
left with smooth, clean, hydrated skin! At £48, this isn’t cheap but I will definitely
be making a repurchase when I finish this – I alternate this with my Emma Hardie
Moringa cleansing balm and both have lasted ages so are well worth the money
for that and how they perform on my skin!
Another
little Cult Beauty gem – I got this in a GWP towards the end of last year and
having never tried a manual cleanser before I didn’t use it straight away as I
was worried it would break me out. Curiosity got the better of me and I tried
it out one morning and haven’t looked back since! Its battery operated, non-chargeable,
waterproof and as you can see from the close up has two cleansing zones – an ultra-fine
one for normal areas and a thicker one for more congested areas. I tend to use the ultra-fine
zone all over my face then concentrate the thicker touch zone on my nose and
chin area. It uses T sonic pulsations to enhance the efficiency of your
cleanser and I have completely fallen in love with this little device and can’t
imagine my morning cleanse without it now! At £29, it’s good for 100 uses and it’s
recommended you use it for a minute each cleanse. It’s hygienic, gentle and
gives a non-irritating exfoliation and I’ve include a photo of my favourite
morning cleansers to use it with! I will definitely be buying a full size
chargeable one when the battery runs out!
I reviewed this just after Christmas but it’s nearly finished and I just had to mention it
again as I’m very fickle with conditioner and apart from the OUAI one I haven’t
found one I want to repurchase since this! I always brush my hair before I wash
it and pat it dry with a towel instead of rubbing it to try and minimise how
many tats I will inevitably be left with but I always have to spend so much
time brushing my hair out because the tangles just come out of nowhere! That
was until I tried this! It’s so gentle and I know every time I brush my hair
after using it I won’t get any giant knots caught in my brush because they are
just not there! It has a really inoffensive scent and is just a dream to use, I can’t
wait to pick up a bigger size!
I got
this in a set with the Aloe Herbs and Rosewater facial spray for Christmas and
while I love it too, I wanted to talk about the Drying Lotion because it’s been
amazing recently on any breakouts I’ve been having! It’s made with a blend of calamine
and salicylic acid and where I usually find spot treatments dry the spot and
skin around it out (all great until it’s a flaky mess with makeup over the next
day) this works on my skin to dry out the spot, all while being soothing and
not drying on the skin around it. It works really well to settle down my
breakouts and they don’t last for as long, hooray! The instructions say don’t
shake solution and use a cotton ear bud to reach the pink sediment at the
bottom then dab onto any spots and it has quite a medicated smell which I love!
I was sent three of these before Christmas and this one in particular is my current
hand bag essential! I go through hand cream so quickly but Nivea is by far my favourite
as I love how soft it makes my hands feel. The scent and how quickly it absorbs
as well as the fact I don’t feel the need to reapply 20 times a day are also plus
points! This is the 75ml so will last ages but doesn’t take up a huge amount of
room in my bag! Love!
That’s
five products I’m currently loving! Let me know if you have tried any of these
before and what you thought of them!
*denotes
a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
