My Updated Cleanser Collection - Part One - Makeup Removers

I think we all know by now that I'm a bit of a skincare fanatic so, when it came to going through my cleanser collection, I figured it was going to be a bit of a monster post. I've decided to break down my collection into two separate posts to make it a tiny bit more manageable. Round one? Cleansers that I primarily use for makeup removal.

There's one product in this category that I need not linger on: the Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Cleansing Oil. If you haven't heard me hap on about this before it's a beautiful, affordable oil cleanser that removes makeup effectively without stripping the skin of any moisture and the citrus scent is heavenly. My one gripe with this product is the non-pump based packaging but the formula is lovely.

The newest addition to my cleansing wardrobe is Sonya Dakars Eye Wash. I'm fairly certain this is one of the products that came in the Caroline Hirons' Cleansing Box that I picked up from Cult Beauty because it isn't something I'd normally pick out for myself and, if I'm honest with myself, I find this one a bit of a faff to use. I'm a double cleanser anyway and so a separate eye makeup removal stage for me seems unnecessary. The cleanser is good quality and removes makeup effectively, it's just not something I personally reach for all the time.

Recently I've really been enjoying the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. It's taken me way too long to get around to trying this but it's a really effective makeup remover. If you like your skincare to be a sensory experience you may want to steer clear of this one because it's completely unscented, but for this reason it will be amazing for people with especially sensitive skins. It's not the most exciting cleanser I've ever used but it gets the job done really well.

My favourite cleanser for short term traveling are the Olay Daily Facial in a Box. These are loose, dry cleansing cloths that you add water to and they foam up to remove makeup. I think these are a brilliant alternative to traditional cleansing wipes as they are all the convenience of a wipe but they don't contain any alcohol so they're not harsh on the skin. They come in boxes of 30 and as they are separate, single use cloths they take up no room at all in an overnight bag. They come in a few different textures but I like the ones that are marketed towards sensitive skins. The only thing I would mention is that, with them being a foam cleanser, I don't tend to use them for more than one night as they can get a little drying on the skin, but they don't contain SLS.

For longer traveling trips (2 nights+) I tend to pack MV Organics Pure Jojoba Oil. THis can be used for all kinds of things but I like it for makeup removal and since it's only a small 35ml container it's super convenient for traveling. With it being an oil it removes makeup quickly and isn't at all moisture zapping (are we noticing a trend yet?) and with it being just pure jojoba oil it's not heavily scented so, again, great for sensitive skins.

My least used makeup remover is the Pixi Nourishing Cleansing Balm. I think this is a really nice cleanser, the scent is lovely but not over-powering and it removes makeup quickly. However I don't rech for it too often because I find it a little heavy for my normal/combination skin, it's full of super moisutrising ingredients and I can imagine drier skin types would love this cleanser but I tend to save it for the rare occasions where dry patches show up.

And finally? RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream. I'm not sure why I don't use this more often than I do because it's absolutely dreamy. The scent is beautiful and it's feels lovely on the skin (again, another fab makeup remover). My one complaint about this one is that it's so sensitive to temperature that you simply couldn't use it anywhere that's warm. I live in England and we're not known for our hot weather but in summer this cleanser has been known to completely liquidise in the pot in my bathroom.

2016 Beauty Discoveries

So 2016 definitely wasn't my best year for blogging, but I thought this would be a great time to mention a few products I found in 2016 that I loved, that may not have gotten the blogging attention they deserved. I obviously loved more products than just the four I'll be mentioning today but these are the new-comers to my stash that really stood out.

1. Tata Harper's Regenerating Cleanser. So 2016 was the year in which I was introduced to Tata Harpers products, and narrowing down a top pick from her cleansing range wasn't easy, (I also have the Purifying and Oil Cleansers and they're both FAB options too). I decided to go with the Regenerating one for a couple of reasons: firstly, it got me back into manual exfoliation. Second? It's unlike other things I have. While I love the Oil Cleanser, we all know I love a bit of Una Brennan for oil cleansing. Equally, I really enjoy the Purifying Cleanser, but it's not leaps and bounds away from the Oskia Cleansing Gel that I've been using for years. The Regenerating Cleanser is a thin cream cleanser with little sand-like grains (no plastic beads) that provide a light exfoliation during your cleanse. I use this either AM or second cleanse in PM. Bonus points for the scent.

2. Pixi Rose Oil. This is just genius. Now I will never be caught bad mouthing the MV Organics Rose+ Booster, but if there's ever going to be anything that comes close to rivalling that product, for texture, for how it leaves the skin looking and feeling, for scent, it's Pixi Rose Oil. It's mind-boggling how they've managed to make an oil that is so lovely for such a good price. It's £26. just go buy it. Your skin will thank you.

3. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. Let me go on record for saying: liquid eyeliner was once the absolute bane of my makeup existence. I found it difficult to apply, and once I did apply it I found that it never really lasted well on me, that it faded or smudged. This eyeliner pen is so user-friendly because of it's flexible felt nib and the ink inside the pen is super black, doesn't fade and it's very water resistant (and I'm a contact lens wearer so trust me I have tested that claim). It's not the cheapest liquid liner out there but it's also not half the price of the Tom Ford one, so I'd say I'm on to a winner.

4. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in "Ex-Girlfriend". So do we remember the series of posts around this time last year where I went a little loopy for the Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay collection? I did go back, I did buy the lipstick in "Ex-Girlfriend" and I have worn that shade at least once a week since. It's just such a good nude for paler people. It's nicely sheer and a little deeper than my skin-tone and has a lovely, wearably glossy finish. Goes with everything, super comfortable, thank you Urban Decay.

My Thoughts On Caroline Hirons' "Cleansing Box"

I must admit, when Caroline Hirons announced that she was releasing another Cult Beauty Box, I may have had a moment. I'm not quite at the point of booking time off work to make sure I'm available to snag my box as soon as it becomes available, but my word that woman knows how to put together a skincare collection. I was gutted that I wasn't in a place financially to commit to her Christmas Box of Dreams back in December (insert sad face emoji here) and hoped this would live up to it.

Then the reveals started, the lineup for this box looked a lot different to previous boxes. It was advertised as a "Cleansing Box" and I looked at my skincare collection (the "cleanser shelf" has become a more of a "whole and very much over-flowing cleansing cabinet") and had a good hard think. "Do I need this?" and the answer was a sound and definite "certainly not". I resisted. For about a week.

Now I don't want to fill this post with a quick look at each product because I'd like to do more in-depth reviews with them (and to be completely honest I haven't actually gotten around to trying them all out just yet), but my thoughts on the actual box are quite mixed. 

Firstly the packaging. I loved the idea of the neon green writing on the plain white background. However this design is just a cover for the box that you have to un-stick to actually open the box, and the box itself is plain white which was a little disappointing. I realise that packaging isn't everything, but it's a definite drop in quality from the last CHCB Box I purchased and when you're investing £175 into something, it's disappointing when the packaging feels cheap.

Repeats: Now I'm really happy that the Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm made it into this box. It's definitely one of those products that I never would have picked myself but having tried it, it's lovely and I like it. But I, like many others, can't help but notice that it was also in the very first CHCB Box, and while that was around a year ago, original purchasers commented that they either didn't like it the first time around or that they'd simply not managed to use up the first one yet, so potentially a draw back.

That being said, the box is valued at £274 and is selling for £175, so you're saving pretty much £100 (36%). It's also packed full of some of my absolute favourite skincare brands: Oskia, MV Organics and Pixi have been long time loves of mine, I've recently been woo'ed by Tata Harpers range and the May Lindstrom Jasmine Garden Facial Spray that's included in this box has definitely got me itching to try more from her range.

Over all, I feel like this box is a really good investment for 3 very distinct audiences:

1. You're new to skincare, or at least new to a proper cleansing routine. You have maybe 1-3 cleansers in your current arsenal and you're wanting to dip your toe into some new/different formulas of cleanser. - This kit has almost everything. There's an oil, a cream, a balm and an eye make-up remover for cleansing steps, both a chemical and a physical exfoliant to suit your needs/preferences and then a refreshing toner in there too. Everything you need to get yourself started in proper cleansing.

2. You've got cleansing down, but your arsenal is currently heavy on budget-friendly products, and you're wanting to try some more luxury products in a way that's kinder on the purse strings. This box includes some amazing luxury brands - May Lindstrom, Oskia, Tata Harper and MV Organics are all fairly up there in price for skincare and while £175 is definitely an investment, it's a decent saving on a £274 value purchase.

3. You're just like me. I.E you're just obsessed with skincare. You already have 300 cleansers but you don't have some of these products and if you do have any of them you'd like a backup of it. If you're in this category, I'm not sure why you're here, you clearly don't need any further convincing.

So I guess the only question left is: have you given in to the temptation?

Five Reasons To Pick up Anna and Lily’s Cult Beauty Box (If You Haven't Already)

I've been reading and watching content by ViviannaDoesMakeup (also *here*) for a few years now and I more recently started follow LilyPebbles on YouTube and I love these two. Anna's blog is amazing and I love Lily's videos and when the two of them are together it just works. So I'm never surprised when they announce a collaboration. As soon as I heard they'd done a box with Cult Beauty I was pretty sure it would be something I'd be wanting to pick up: and they didn't disappoint. Here's Why:

1. The product lineup. Need I say more? This box is jammed full of products that I either already know I love or products that I'm itching to try. The box includes an Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel and we all know how much I love that cleanser. There's also a Medium Jade Roller, a Classic Wet Brush, the Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist, a Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner, a travel sized Becca Backlight Priming Filter, and to top it all off:

2. The generously sized bottle of Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil. I feel like this needs a point of it's own. I've been wanting to try this since even before it was launched but the price point was too high for me to bite the bullet. I couldn't justify dropping £85 on an oil that I didn't know I loved when I have so many oils and treatments in my collection that I love. Spoiler alert: I've used it once and my skin is already looking better for it.

3. The value. Whilst I can understand that £85 is a lot to invest in something at once, this box contains 7 products, 5 are full sized, 1 is half sized and 1 is what I'd call a travel mini (20% of the full size). With the none-full sized products I've worked out that the half sized Luna Oil is worth £42.50 (full size is £85) and the 6ml sample of the Becca Primer is worth £6.40. Those added up with the full sized items comes to a total value of £149.39 - the box is priced at £85 (a little over half price).

4. Cult Beauty's insanely good shipping. I love shopping with Cult Beauty for a lot of reasons: the website is nicely laid out so it's easy to shop with them, they accept Paypal so there's no faffing with card details, they always do great value sets and gift with purchases. And their shipping is always great. I ordered this box with standard shipping on the Friday afternoon and (despite is being a bank holiday) the box was with me by the Wednesday morning. I always get the standard shipping and regularly receive my items from them the next day or within 2 working days.

5. The box itself. The design of the box is so beautiful - marble effect on the actual box and gold/black writing. I repurpose these boxes as they're a good size for general storage. I have a similar one from Fashercise that now houses my workout leggings, my Caroline Hirons Cult Beauty box is now home to my hair tools. These boxes are so useful and this one is really pretty too.

So there's my thoughts - let me know in the comments section what you thought of the box an whether you'll be picking it up! :)

Days 19-24 of the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar

And we're back! Sorry for the unscheduled break on Friday - I was going to do a post on the good stuff in the Boxing Day Sales but I decided that, actually, the sales this year were a bit pants and not worthy of a post and so I had a day off, but we're back. Today brings the final instalment of my Mark's and Spencer's Beauty Advent Calendar! I know that Christmas is over, but I figure you'd be interested to see what the final 5 things were, so here they all:

On day 19 I got an Autograph Ultra Shine Twist-Up Colour in the shade "Nude". This is a glossy lip pencil in a shimmery brown-neutral colour. It's a bit thin and sheer in colour but there's a nice amount of shine on the lips with this and it's comfortable to wear.

As mentioned in my Stocking Stuffers Gift Guide Post (clicky link here), I love the  L'Occitane Verbena scent, so I really excited to see that there was a nicely sized Verbena Shower Gel behind door number 20. It's not the most lather-y shower gel ever but the scent is lovely and refreshing and it isn't at all stripping on the skin.

Day 21 brought the wonderful Pixi Glow Tonic. This has been a favourite of mine since I picked one up in the Caroline Hirons Beauty Box 2 (clicky link here). It's a lovely acid toner that you use with cotton pads after cleansing and it's gentle enough to use morning and night.

On day 22 I opened a mini size of the REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, which is one of my favourite face masks. It comes out of the tube a little bit like toothpaste but it leaves your skin feeling amazing and it's a really quick fix.

I'd heard a lot about the Stila Lip Glaze and day 23 brought me shade "18 - Sugar Plum", a dusty plum-pink colour. These come off quite sheer on the lips and they're a little sticky on the lips. The click-up applicator is cool but personally I prefer the formulas of the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Gloss or the NYX Butter Gloss.

And finally, on day 24, we have a Morgan Taylor Professional Nail Lacquer in the shade "Pretty Woman" (a bright pillar box red). I must be honest, I haven't even bothered trying it, it will be given straight to a sibling, I really just don't do red nail polish :( - a really good week of picks there until that last one!

November Favourites

So with the 30 Lips Challenge over I'm back to my usual schedule of Monday, Wednesday and Friday posts (because as much as I love writing posts, a post everyday when you work full time is just really difficult to keep up with). And despite my manic lip-product-testing extravaganza, I still managed to find a few products I've been using and enjoying pretty consistently this month.

So my absolute favourite of this month has to be the Steven Klein for Nars One Shocking Moment Blush Palette, I did a dedicated review post to this in late October when I first got the palette which you can find: here. All in all, I love it. It's everything you need for colour complexion colours from contouring/highlighting, bronzing and there's a good selection of blush colours in there too. Everything else in my cheeks drawer this month has been feeling pretty lonely since this hit my collection.

Another pick from the Steven Klein for Nars collection that I've spent the month falling in love with is the Single Eyeshadow in "Stud". This is an absolutely amazing shade and it's quite unique as well. It's a wearable cool taupe shade with flecks of glitter running through it that I can imagine looking great on most skin/eye colours. I just love how it's so wearable but it still manages to have that "wow" factor about it too.

For skincare I've been gravitating to a lot of exfoliating products and I've been using the Pixi Glow Tonic at least every other day, it's gentle enough to use morning/night but still leaves the skin feeling smooth and it still manages to have a light, pleasant scent to it. I can see this being a staple in my skincare stash.

When i want something that packs a bit more of a punch for exfoliation, I've been going for the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask. This mask doesn't smell the best and it doesn't have the "pampering yourself" feeling because it's so gloopy and sticky on the skin, but as soon as I take it off my skin feels amazing. If I use this before I go to bed I see a noticeable difference to the look and feel of my skin the next day and I've just been really impressed with this product lately.

And finally, since November is my birthday month and I generally have a lot going on, I like to take a bit of time off to pamper myself, get my Christmas shopping sorted and generally sort my life out a bit, and since I've been having a couple more lazy morning than usual this month I've made a dent in my Sarah Chapman Skinesis Morning Facial. I think it's a bit heavy to wear under makeup but if you're having a day in the house or you're going to be doing your makeup later on in the day this is lovely. It smells great as you massage it into your skin and just gives a nice amount of hydration and glow to the skin. Facial oils are a winter skincare essential for me and this is a really nice one.

The Cult Beauty Box by Caroline Hirons Number 2

When the first Cult Beauty Box by Caroline Hirons came out, I resisted hard. As much as I liked the look of a lot of products and the savings were great I just couldn't justify the £140 price tag it came with, especially when I was only actively seeking 3 of the 8 products, and 2 of the 3 were trial or deluxe sizes. This time around though 3 of the 5 full size products were on my wish list and the rest looked interesting and with the price point being a slightly more kind-to-the-bank-balance £100, I decided to put in an order. So while the box is no longer available, I figured the products are still for sale individually and so I'd let you in on how some of them performed.

A Caroline Hirons top rated product that I'd been dying to try for a while was the Pixi Glow Tonic and it really didn't disappoint. The packaging is practical and I like how the pastel green label looks on the orange bottle. The formula is 5% glycolic acid and contains aloe vera to sooth the skin whilst exfoliating, it's also alcohol free which is nice. It's gentle enough to use morning and night but does leave the skin feeling soft and smooth and as an added bonus it has a light fresh scent to it which I enjoy. It's left me itching to try more of the Pixi range, especially the Glow Mud Cleanser and the H2O Skindrink.

The other two products I really wanted to try were both cleansers, and I thought it was interesting that Caroline chose to include two cleanser in the box but I'm glad she did. The first one is the RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream and this one's my favourite of the two for make-up removal. It's really solid in the jar but once it comes into contact with the skin it instantly melts down into a smooth, silky oil that removes makeup easily. I like the soft hint of a coconut scent that the product has and would more than likely buy it again, I like to use this in rotation with my Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Cleansing Oil.

I was pleased to see that the Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cleanser had been included in the box as well. I've been wanting to try some more products from Skyn Iceland since the moment I used their Glacial Cleansing Cloths and this cleanser has definitely put them on my radar for sure. It's a really nice soothing, creamy cleanser. Skyn Iceland aim their products towards "stressed" skin, which is something I think we can all relate to at some point or another and this for me is a really nice calming morning cleanser, I just love the cooling sensation it has on my skin in the morning and it's a nice way to wake yourself up. This cleanser also doesn't seem to have any kind of artificial scent to it which is nice.

The Odacité Pomegranate and Rose Geranium Hydration Serum Contentrate had me a little confused at first, the bottle calls it a "serum" but for me this is a little heavy for a serum step and I'd put it more in the "oil" category of skincare. I liked this product but I don't think it's anything special, when you consider that the full size is £33 on it's own and for that you get just 5ml, I don't think it's any better than the Sarah Chapman oils (£46 for 15ml) or the MV Organics Rose Plus Booster (£70 for 30ml), while they're both more expensive product, the price per ml makes them a much better value product in my opinion.

A product I wasn't sure I'd like was the Skin Owl Eye+, as it's marketed as a "nourishing and youth stimulating eye concentrate" and as I'm just about nearing my 23rd birthday, I figure "youth stimulating" isn't really something I need just yet (I hope!). That being said, I have noticed my under eye area is a lot smoother after using this and the beginnings of very faint dehydration lines have disappeared since I started using this. I love how cooling it is on the under eye area on application and that you can feel a light warming sensation shortly after applying. My only issue with this one is the packaging, as nice as the glass jar is, it's not the most hygienic way to package eye cream and it does make it slightly difficult to pick up the right amount of product.

The box also contained a full size Pommade Divine and small sizes of the Alpha H Essential Hydration Cream and REN's Vita Mineral Omega 3 Optimum Skin Oil but I haven't quite gotten around to trialling those yet. All in all though, this box was a nice collection.