The British Beauty Blog
by Jane Cunningham since 2008

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I’ve got two lots of The Body Shop newness today – first up is the limited edition Bluebell range which is very far from my preconceptions. I think I imagined something a little fusty, akin to the homemade ‘rosewater’ we used to make as children, or even something old-fashioned or Yardley-esq. However, Bluebell turns…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] And, The Body Shop post number two! This is a limited edition version of the brand’s best selling product, Chamomile Cleansing Butter, which I know like the back of my hand. It’s one of my frequently used balmy cleansers. If you were to ask me the top ten perks of my job, I’d say…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] When I got sent the Sweed newness a few weeks ago, I got two mascaras – this one and the Cloud Mascara. I’ve only just got around to testing the Pro Lash Lift Mascara but gosh, I wish I’d got to it before! If you like lifted, spiky lashes, this one is for you.…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] Tatcha is one of my favourite luxury brands – formulated in Japan, founded in the US, it’s one of the few luxury brands that actually feels over and above on the luxurious stakes. A lot of focus is put on texture – I was thinking this weekend that we’ve lost sight of what luxury…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad]  I’m a big Bioderma fan – their micellar water is one my favourite products of all time and I always have a bottle of it in the house. Sensibio (it used to be called Crealine) is the perfect sofa + tv cleanse when you cannot be bothered to haul your good self to the…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] You know when something just keeps bugging you about a product? Well, that with this. For inexplicable reasons, the hole that lets the cream out at the top of the tube is tiny so you get worms rather than the full fat slug that you actually need. Other than that, I have no problems…

[unpaid/affiliate] I’m off for my first visit to Rome next weekend and it’s just put me in a summery mood. I’ve discovered, to my cost, that sometimes the best summer buys are the ones that arrive well before actual summer so you have to be prepared to think ahead a bit. I’ve done a quick…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I’m taking you back to 2013 when Max Factor brought out a 3 day mascara – at one end, a tint, at the other an oil based remover. Revolutionary at the time but in our cleansing obsessed mood of now, unthinkable to keep your mascara on over at least two nights. I liked it.…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I’m the first to say don’t spend all of your money on a cleanser that’s on your face only moments – the exception being cleansing balms, if you’re prepared to put the work in and really massage it into your skin. Even then, a budget cleansing balm will do the same job but I…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] The Inkey List has just produced a couple of body products under the umbrella Inkey Body. In the UK, we don’t have nearly the same choice of body products as we do for facial products and very little sitting in that in between slot of mid-price. I really like The Inkey List’s thinking on…

So, I’m a week and two days into using just Vaseline and Boots Glycerin & Rosewater and stopping the test now because I have other products that need my attention. I don’t think I have anything unexpected to report because, as I thought might be the case, my skin has not suffered in the slightest…

[unpaid/sample] The Easy Bake aroma comes from the Huda Beauty best selling scented ‘baking’ powders. Baking, in make up, is a process of applying concealer and powder (usually loose) to the skin for a more flawless finish. It requires a damp sponge to apply the loose powder and five to ten minutes ‘baking’ time to…

[purchase] I cannot tell you the joy that this tiny discovery has brought me. I just need to look at the box to start smiling. In a nutshell (or a matchbox), the Ten Minutes Aroma incense sticks are matches with a normal match head that you strike, but with the rest of the match body…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I don’t really feature beauty boxes much any more – they all got a bit samey to be honest. It feels like forever ago that I was actually doing my own boxes – this one has given me some thought that maybe it’s time to get another out. I know the effort that goes…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] On Friday, while we had sunshine (beautiful weekend – we went into Kent for the morning to walk Dora and it was glorious) I tested the brand new e.l.f. Bronzing Drops that launched on that very day. Every time e.l.f. releases anything new, TikTok goes into overdrive so I’m surprised that it hasn’t already…