Bodycare | New to Me ft. Elemental Herbology, Sanctuary Spa, Ameliorate and Bondi Sands

I’ve been quite skincare and makeup focused on the blog recently so thought I would do a little round up of some body products I have been using recently! 

 

Elemental Herbology Zest Bath and Body Oil* RRP £28

My first foray into this brand and it won’t be my last! It’s based on the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine and this is from the Fire range. I find body oils so luxurious to use and this one is a dream! Like the name suggests, it’s a citrus scent and includes orange (to energise), rosemary (to stimulate the mind and work as an inflammatory) and marjoram (to boost energy). It can be used in a hot bath but since it isn’t the weather for those right now - heatwave anyone? – I have been using it at night as a body oil (concentrating mainly on my legs if I have tan on) and waking up to soft, nourished skin! The scent is beautiful too – not too overpowering and very uplifting!

Sanctuary Spa De-Stress Warming Body Balm* RRP £10

Before the heat wave I had been loving this self-heating body balm! It’s a little too warm for it right now but I really can’t get over it! I wasn’t expecting such a warming sensation but this is HOT! I personally like the feeling though I can see it being too much for some people and but this will be a godsend come winter for me with my tense neck and shoulders! It comes with some safety warnings like not to use after a hot shower, do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding and wash hands after use so you know it means business! I use just before bed and it really is such a comfort! You can control how much it heats up too and I would recommend starting with less product so you can get used to the sensation! It reminds me of deep heat in that it obviously heats up but instead of a menthol scent here we have a relaxing jasmine, patchouli and frankincense scent. I am not usually a fan of jasmine but the blend is beautiful and it makes it perfect for bedtime!  

 

Ameliorate Nourishing Body Wash RRP £12 and Transforming Body Lotion RRP £24

This brand is so hyped up it’s crazy! I managed to nab the Look Fantastic x Ameliorate box at a steal a couple of months ago and quickly integrated this and the body lotion into my routine! It’s specialist care for bumpy, dry, KP prone skin and contains their unique LaH6 formulation – a hydrating powerhouse! The body wash is a creamy gel that smells pleasant and fresh and it leaves my skin feeling hydrated and soft after use. It also works well with my scrubbing gloves to remove tan. The body lotion has a bit more of a funky scent (I would definitely go with one of their actual scented ones next time) but it’s not noticeable once it dries in. It contains lactic acid so gently resurfaces the skin as well as hydrating it and I see and feel an improvement in my skin texture (particularly on my arms!) after use and it’s way less bumpy. My only issue with this is that I am a serial fake tanner so can’t use it as much as I would like as it wears my tan off quicker with the lactic acid! A little bit frustrating so I only use it around twice a week towards the end of my tan and when I am scrubbing off. I can only imagine the results would be even more noticeable if I was using every day!

Bondi Sands Pure Gradual Tanning Lotion RRP £12.99

As a huge Bondi Sands fan (their Liquid Gold oil and dark lotion are long term favourites) I was interested in their latest launch, Pure. This contains Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin E and is colourless and fragrance free so perfect for sensitive skin if you want to build your tan. Now I’ve got to say, I didn’t read up as much on this as I should have before buying. I thought within about 2 uses I would have a nice light-medium tan but I was wrong. I mentioned before I normally go for the shade “dark” so going from that to this was an adjustment! To its credit this does say use daily to achieve a year round golden tan so it definitely is buildable but and I shouldn’t have expected a dramatic colour but there is barely any difference after 1 or 2 uses! By the 3^rd use I have a very light tan. It does apply evenly even though it’s a white cream so no guide colour, it’s not scented, dries in pretty quickly and wears off evenly too but it’s just not dark enough for me! I’m glad I got it on offer at £7.39 instead of £12.99 and I will probably use to top up my darker tans towards the end of the week when I want to get a few extra days out of them! This would be perfect if you are a newbie to tan or scared of a deeper colour developing quickly! Side note – I also picked up the face version of this too and I have the opposite problem – way too dark lol. 

 

So those are my latest body care products! I would love to know if you have tried any of them and what you thought!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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Makeup Review | My Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk Collection

I was rotating my lip balms and glosses the other day and it dawned on me how many different variants of the Pillowtalk product I have so I thought I would do a quick post with some swatches and a comparison! By far my favourite shade, generally speaking, Pillowtalk is a natural, “my lips but better” pinky nude shade.

 

First up, and the one I’ve had in my collection the longest (though this is, I think, my third pencil) is the Lip Cheat lip liner RRP £17. This is so smooth, it never drags my lips but it doesn’t bleed either despite being nicely creamy. It makes my lips look even and full and it goes with literally every other lip product I own. I personally like wearing this with the K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in Bitch Perfect which I find leans too peachy on me on its own! It’s got great lasting power and to me is an essential in my makeup bag! I just checked and I got my first one in 2016 so this has been a 5 year love affair now! Oh and it used to be £16 back then!

 

After falling in love with the lip cheat so much I then purchased the Matte Revolution lipstick RRP £25. I am not a huge matte lip wearer but this formula is second to none! Creamy like the pencil and not drying in the slightest thank god. It also wears off evenly and like the rest of the line, is a beautiful pinky nude that just looks like a better shade of my lips! The packaging is beautiful and instantly recognisable too! 

 

The lip balm lover in me then took over and I picked up the Superstar Lips RRP £25 – I believe this was originally released as a limited edition shade but then came back to the permanent line which I was happy about as I instantly knew I would love it! It’s described as a part balm/lipstick/lipglow and it is also the longest lasting on my lips, most hydrating and basically just my favourite! It can feel a bit stiff to apply but I think this is what makes it so hydrating. It gives the perfect tint to my lips and keeps them from drying out even through my multiple morning teas at work! I also love the skinny packaging – so luxurious! Read more about it here!

 

Sticking with the lip balm theme, the Hyaluronic Happikiss RRP £25 is a part balm part gloss and another hit of hydration! This one is more glossy than the superstar lips and not quite as long lasting on the lips. It makes them look juicy and full but feels a little on the sticky side and I hate the packaging. The burgundy looks chic but overall it feels cheap and you can’t screw the bullet down again if you accidentally screw to much of it up which is frustrating. I would have liked to have seen the pricing of this one be a bit lower too!

 

Finally, I have the Lip Lustre RRP £19 – a classic gloss! I got this free with a Cult Beauty GWP and to be honest it wasn’t really on my radar as I do prefer the bullet balm/glosses. This gives a creamy, opaque colour to the lips but I do find the middle of my lips tend to go a little streaky with this. It makes them look plumper and it keeps them hydrated though I would say to more around the 3 hour mark rather than 6 hours like it claims! 

 

swatches l-r: Lip Cheat, Matte Revolution, Superstar Lips, Hyaluronic Happikiss, Lip Lustre all in shade Pillowtalk

The Pillowtalk range has also been expanded into medium and intense shade versions for some of the lip products (mine here are the originals) as well as blush, mascara and eyeshadow palettes. There are A LOT of variants haha and I do like the look of the blush! Charlotte Tilbury is expensive but I do think the Lip Cheat, Matte Revolution and Superstar Lips in particular are worth it! I would give the Hyaluronic Happikiss and Lip Lustre a miss though. I always try to get any CT bits I’ve been eyeing up when Cult Beauty or Space NK have an offer on as I hate paying full price for anything!

 

Have you tried any Pillowtalk products? What’s your favourite Charlotte Tilbury product?

 

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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Skincare | NIOD Modulating Glucosides and Survival 0 Review

If you have read my blog for any length of time you will know what a huge fan of Deciem I am and while I haven’t tried much from Hylamide; The Ordinary and NIOD in particular have some Holy Grail products for me so today I thought I’d share a quick review of two products I picked up late last year when they did their annual Black Friday sale that are now almost ready for my next empties post!

Iphone portrait mode doing me dirty on the lids :(

For me, NIOD products are slow burners, I happily use them up, sometimes don’t really know what exactly they are doing for my skin then as soon as they are finished something clicks and I realise I am missing something and straight into my basket do they go again! I am by no means a scientist but I appreciate the research and development that goes into these and for me the higher price tag of NIOD is worth it! These two are pretty affordable though at £20/21! 

 

I picked up Survival 0 (S0) and Modulating Glucosides (MG) at the end of last year when I was on Roaccutane and looking to incorporate more gentle and repairing products to my routine and spoiler alert, I really can’t recommend them enough! I honestly didn’t even realise I had been reaching for them so much but I literally have them sitting upside down now to get the last few dregs out.

 

Starting with Survival 0, this is an antioxidant, reparative serum targeting damage caused by environmental stressors like pollution, smog and blue light. It also comes in 10, 20 and 30 which offer some SPF protection as well but I use this at night and let it do its magic. It’s a lightweight, orange-y serum that absorbs easily and has a faint herbal scent. Overtime, this reduces photo damage and I have noticed my skin tone is healthier overall. It also feels hydrating (includes glycerin and squalane) and layers well with other skincare! Antioxidants are a pretty new category I have started incorporating and this one is *chef's kiss*

 

 

Modulating Glucosides targets sensitive, irritated skin encouraging a calmer complexion. It supports the skin barrier, hydration and repair and contains oat synthetic analogues, ceramides and purified ginger root to help reduce redness, itching and burning. Again, its lightweight and sinks in easily though I find the scent stronger than S0 and a bit like paint haha but it doesn’t linger. I really did not think I was seeing any difference with this one then realised it was finished (and it was probably the reason my skin had been so calm while I was on Roaccutane!). I had one dry spot in particular near my lip that would flake each day and with concentrated use of this it calmed right down and went back to normal within a few days. It is so comforting and if you struggle with sensitivity you need to try this! 

 

These have become essentials in my skincare routine and I really can’t recommend enough if you have stressed out, sensitive skin! I know a lot of people use MG with their retinol too which I am looking forward to trying once I up my strength! They are sold from Deciem directly as well as Cult Beauty, Escentual, Look Fantastic and Beauty Bay although they go in and out of stock regularly as they are so popular! It’s also worth waiting for a discount like the Black Friday sale on Deciem or Escentual and Look Fantastic in particular always have offers on if you can catch them in stock!

 

Read about more of my Deciem and The Ordinary faves here!

 

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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Current Skincare | Facial Mists #2

I thought it was about time for another little roundup of my current ‘in use’ skincare at the minute – this time it’s facial mists! I say ‘in use’ as due to my hoarding tendencies I already have three new facial mists that I haven’t opened yet so I could do with getting a wriggle on with these three! I used to be a big fan of a spritz throughout the day and I am still using the Mario Badescu from part one of this series for that but I am not misting as often anymore now I am working from home. The temperature is more constant and I am not back and forward as much so not really needing the refresh which has slowed down my use! I was finding the nozzle wasn’t the most precise and sometimes the spray was making my hair go frizzy too. Anyway, that aside, the three I have here are more so skincare steps for me, I will sometimes spray again at lunchtime but I like these as part of my morning and evening routine to dampen my face before hyaluronic acid and my moisturiser! 

 

The La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra 8 Daily Soothing Hydrating Concentrate RRP £19.50

was one I picked up back when I started Roaccutane as I had heard how good it was for sensitive skin and I was not disappointed. This feels so soothing and hydrating as a skincare step and the mist is very lightweight and fine too! This aims to provide gentle relief for tight, irritated and dehydrated skin and contains glycerin, propanediol, pentylene glycol and allantoin which are all ingredients designed to increase hydration and soothe skin. It is also alcohol and fragrance free and has been formulated specifically for sensitive skin! If you have sensitive skin I cannot recommend this enough, like I said it feels so soothing and is perfect as the step before moisturiser. My skin isn’t as sensitive anymore but I would still pick this up again in the future and it's always on offer! I also wrote about it in my French Pharmacy Favourites post here!

 

Next up, the Heritage Store Rosewater and Glycerin RRP £7.99 and to me this is such a cult product! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it when it came to Cult Beauty! It contains aqua, glycerin  and rosa damascene flower oil so bear in mind it's scented. This isn’t an issue for me and I find it calming and hydrating! I don’t love the spray on this though – it doesn’t distribute evenly unfortunately and like with the Mario Badescu, I need to make sure the front of my hair is covered so it doesn’t get frizzy! Other than that it’s another nice skincare step to aid with hydration! I also wrote about it in my Best Budget Skincare picks here!

Lastly I have the mini Dermalogica AGE Smart Antioxidant Hydramist* RRP £12 which is the newest to my collection and probably the one I have been enjoying the most! It contains butylene glycol, sodium PCA and arginine/lysine to hydrate and restore the skin. I love that this has the added benefit of creating an antioxidant shield for your skin as well as containing hydrating ingredients! The mist is fine and sprays evenly and to me it had like a very subtle almost cinnamon scent? I’ve see other reviews saying herbal so maybe that’s a better description haha but I find it very soothing. This is the priciest per ml but I have been enjoying the mini so much I see myself picking up the full size (£45 for 150ml) when I get through my stash! So far, this is the closest I have come to finding a replacement for my beloved January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist which I can’t get hold of in the UK anymore!

So that’s my three current facial mists on rotation! I’d love to hear what your favourite mist is! You can see part one in this series here!

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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