Makeup & Skincare Empties - February 2024

This has been a long time coming - lots of favourites in here but also some I never want to see again!

Norwegian Formula Deep Moisture Cream
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream
Sam McNight Lazy Girl
Urban Veda Radiance Day Cream
Babo Botanical Sheer Tint
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel
Nu Skin Toothpaste
Garden of Wisdom Hyaluronic Acid
Stila Glitter & Glow
Elvive Dream Lengths
Elf Camo Concealer
Tropic Smoothing Cleanser
Vapour Mascara
Lush Sleep Time Soap
Lush Honey I Washed My Hair
Nu Skin Activating Cleanser for sensitive skin 
Pai The Impossible Glow in Champagne
Tropic Elixir
Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi
Oskia Super C Beauty Capsules
Kjaer Weis Suntouched Blusher
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Upcircle Cleansing Face Balm
Tropic Sunglazed Illuminating Shimmer Drops 

Naturismo

Empties (1/2022)

My first empties for the year and there are a lot of products I buy over and over again and a really great new way to recycle your old beauty products. 

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (double size)
Skin + Me 
Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream
Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes
Byron & Co Soothing Magnesium Bath Salts 
VO5 Volume Boost Gel Spray
Lumi Spa Cleansing Tool (choose the one for your skin type, the tool is the same, the cleanser is different)
Garden of Wisdom Hyaluronic Acid
Origins Make a Difference Plus +
Roen Cake Mascara
This Works Pillow Spray
Percy & Reed No Fuss Fabulous Dry Shampoo
Jason Lavender Shampoo
Drunk Elephant Slaai Cleanser
Naturismo Recycling Bag 

Empties 5 (February 2021)

It's been a while, and after I finished filming this I found another empty bottle of the Oskia and an empty bottle of my favourite perfume Eau Dynamisante.

All links listed below - some of them are affiliate but they don't cost you anything and you can always go and find the products yourself using whichever search engine tickles your fancy. All affiliate links will take you to the best deals/prices available at the time

LimeLife Perfect Mascara VO5 Volume Foam Mousse LimeLife Perfect Sunscreen Doterra Conditioner M&S Apothecary Sleep Bath Salts Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel Green People Intensive Repair Conditioner Auralia Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser Garden of Wisdom Hyaluronic Acid

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel - LMB Cult 60 Products

Why I think you should know about it? - my ride or die cleanser, this one suits the majority of skin types and works well at either end of the day. 

Best Bits - a cruelty-free UK company this is a hit of antioxidants for your face. A lovely gel like formula this works even on the most sensitive skins. 

Pros - fantastic blend of ingredients, the only cleanser you need (if you are only after one cleanser), UK brand, antioxidant and radiance boosting. Removes all makeup and sunscreen without irritating the skin. 

Cons - I don't love the packaging as I feel like brands need to be moving towards something more sustainable. That being said it's one of the few products that I've bought religiously since I started using it and I have never had a faulty one. 

Who's it for? - everyone except those with really oily or really active acnaic skin - even then it would probably work but wouldn't target the problems. If you have sensitivity this is definitely worth a try. 

Where to get it -  Oskia, Cult Beauty, Space NK, Beauty Bay, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic 

Read my full review here

                                                        These products are in no order. 

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself. If it is an affiliate link it usually means I've taken the time to find the best price available at the time of posting

Come and join in the conversation on Facebook at the Corinna Harrod Beauty Group - just send me a request and I'll add you.

Skin Brightening

There are a few reasons why you may want to think about skin brightening, usually to lift dull looking skin, lightening areas of pigmentation and to create a healthy skin glow. Now is a really great time to work on getting healthy glowing skin as during the autumn/winter months we are less exposed to UV (the number one cause of signs of aging, pigmentation and damage to our skin). But it’s also a time of year where you may notice your skin getting duller and tighter and that’s mainly down to central heating drawing moisture from the skin and us going from the cold outside to warm inside and vice versa. Here are my tips on how to brighten your skin, what ingredients to look out for and some of my favourite products.

Empties 2

The Empties bag is full so it's time to see what I've been using.

LimeLife Dew Date
Garden of Wisdom Hyaluronic Acid 
The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter
Superdrug B. Multi Acid Pads 
Reusable Cotton Pads 
Geoorganics Peppermint Toothpaste 
Indeed Labs Hydraluron
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara
LimeLife Mascara
LimeLife Perfect Sunscreen
Garden of Wisdom Azelaic Acid
Hourglass Diffused Light Ambient Lighting Powder
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Clarins Eau Dynamisante 
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 
Garden of Wisdom Vitamin C + Ferulic Acid
Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser
LimeLife One Drop Wonder
Skincetuicals Retinol 0.3

Come and join in the conversation on Facebook at the Corinna Harrod Beauty Group - just send me a request and I'll add you. And don't forget to go and subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself. If it is an affiliate link it usually means I've taken the time to find the best price available at the time of posting. 

Morning Skincare Favourites

My skin is looking the best it has done in years and I’m pretty sure these products are the reason why

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Superdrug B. Multi Acid Pads
Garden of Wisdom Hyaluronic Acid
LimeLife Dew Date
LimeLife Perfect Sunscreen 

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself

Come and join the Facebook group for more Live tutorials, tips and tricks - Corinna Harrod’s Beauty Inside & Out or send Corinna Harrod a friend request and I'll add you to the group. 

Empties 1 (2019)

The first Empties video of 2019 and indeed the first video of 2019. I haven't done a video or a blog for quite a while. I will be trying to up my game a little but other work has taken over and if I was to see my husband at all something had to give a little.

Anyway, I've been meaning to do this video since before Christmas and I'm going to be so happy to have my 'empties' washbag no longer full to bursting. As always, all the products are listed below and any of my product reviews are listed below them!

If you haven't already then do go and subscribe to my channel xx

Dove Deodorant 
OGX Argan Oil Conditioner
Origins Spot Remover Pads (no longer available here are the Medik8 ones I am currently using)
Pixi x Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse (looks like this is going to go so get it while you can)
Lush Scenic Shampoo Bar
SkinOwl Beauty Drops PM
Liz Earle Botanical Shine Treatment (no longer available)
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
LimeLife Perfect Mascara
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser
Garden of Wisdom Azelaic Acid
Amelia Moss Argan Oil (discontinued)

Reviews:
Pixi x Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse
SkinOwl Beauty Drops PM 
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel 
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser
Amelia Moss Oils

Come and join in the conversation on Facebook at the Corinna Harrod Beauty Group - just send me a request and I'll add you.

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself

I was sent some of these products as a gift or for review purposes but the choice to feature it was entirely my own. 

Fabled - Top Picks

I was suspicious of Fabled when it first appeared which was during a rather dubious time for beauty shopping on the Internet. However it is a lovely website, a really good idea to affiliate with a magazine and for those of us who shop with Ocado it's pretty life-changing to be able to get some incredible brands delivered for free with your weekly shop.

But with so many online beauty shops to choose from why go to Fabled? Well I've found that there's not one site that sells all my regular brands so I tend to go to each for different things but this site has a lot of what I like and is generally a really nice, easy shopping experience. I can't be the only one who can get overwhelmed with the online beauty superstores can I? The delivery is free when you spend over £15 and because it's done through Ocado you get allocated a 1hr delivery slot - no more hanging around for the whole day wondering when the driver is going to turn up.

Fabled has lots of interesting brands - Institut Esthederm, Ilia, delilah - the Marie Claire edit and very interestingly, a tab on the menu for just looking through the vegan products. It's really easy to navigate and they often do sales and discounts. I feel like it's the small brand of the online beauty giants and I'd like to support it. So what would be my picks from their brands?

1. Urban Decay Naked Palette
Soon to be discontinued and still my favourite palette I've bought a couple of these for my spares drawer. It's currently the cheapest I've seen it anywhere, here at £29.50.

Top Cleansers for Dry Skin

Let's not limit ourselves, these cleansers would work for all but oily skins, but dry skin recommendations I get asked for a lot so that's where I thought I would start. All three of these I use myself regularly, I have dry, sensitive, often reactive skin. This is not in order though possibly it accidentally is.

1. Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Balm
I love this though I can't exactly pinpoint why. Full of antioxidants, brightening but not astringent, easy to use. Good value for money, cruelty free. I'm 90% sure this would also work on oily skins but I haven't tried it on a client with oily skin so I can't confirm. Good enough for make-up and grime removal I mostly use this in the morning to prep my skin with antioxidants and because it has never caused a reaction and works well under make-up. £31

2. The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter 
When people finally want to move away from a foam cleanser (step away from the foam cleanser people) this is the place I send them. It's affordable, easy to find and use and feels great on the skin. Once they have tried this there's no turning back. I've yet to find someone who doesn't love this. Use morning and evening I like to use as my PM cleanser as it's sooo easy and not too expensive so I can wearily slap it on without being too frugal. £10

3. Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm
This used to be my number 1 and I still love it but of late Oskia has slightly edged it out of the running. A tub of this will last you a long time. It feels incredible on the skin and gets all the make-up off. But this has made my skin react when it is at it's most sensitive, not irrevocably, I carried on using it once a day and it is, for me, the original balm cleanser. The one that really changed my skin and made me realise that what you use on your skin really can make a difference.

What's your skin type?

Skin Rehydration Favourites

Skin is a tricky mistress and even something simple like rehydrating dehydrated skin can be tricky. These are my favourites for when I'm doing a skin rehydration bootcamp but too much of a humectant (like hyaluronic acid) can draw moisture from deep in the skin towards the surface so if you have a dry skin type you may want to watch your usage on this.

All products and reviews are listed below. If you want to then come on and join the Facebook group.

Products:
The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Indeed Labs Hydraluron
NIOD Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex
Origins Make A Difference Plus (for dry skin)
Origins Make A Difference Plus (for normal skin)
Origins Make A Difference Plus (for oily skin)
Epoch Glacial Marine Mud Mask
Gold Collagen Hydrogel Mask
Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser

Reviews:
The Body Shop Camomile Cleanser
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Origins Make A Difference Plus (for dry skin)
Epoch Glacial Marine Mud Mask
Gold Collagen Heliogel Mask
Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser

Antioxidents - What are they and why do we need them in our skincare?

This post is a big one so make a cup of tea and get comfy. I get asked a lot about antioxidants in skincare I'm going to talk about some specifically here and some more in depth in the future. You can also have a look at my What's In Your Products Page. I've tried to keep it the right side of technical. I think it's important to understand the science behind it without needing a chemistry degree (which I don't have... I scraped a C at GCSE). 

Antioxidants & Free Radicals
A lot of the antioxidants found in skincare are already present in the body, which naturally produces them, but the amounts will decrease as we age meaning we need to use them in our diet and skincare to give our bodies a boost. We know that a healthy diet should give our bodies antioxidants but very often our skin is the last organ to benefit and, as it is on the outside and we are able to, we should apply things topically. Sometimes our environment, poor lifestyle and diet mean the natural antioxidants get overwhelmed so it is great to give the body, and the skin as much help as we can.

Free radicals (and oxidative stress) are the biggest cause of early signs of ageing and these harmful cells cause lots of damage including attacking collagen cells - collagen makes our skin look plump and healthy. Oxidisation is what you see when an apple or avocado goes brown if left open to the air. This oxidisation is why these fruits have great antioxidant properties, often in their skins, as they've had to naturally develop them to protect themselves from the environment, unlike us they can't move out of the sun when they need to. 

Blog Favourites

My readers are not commenters. Yes I'm talking about you. This is fine. I know you are there and frankly, I'm not a commenter either. But you do send messages and it is so nice to know what products I've recommended that you've bought and loved. I really appreciate this as I find the business of recommending things for people to spend their money on a bit worrying. I mean what if you hate it? Luckily that is yet to happen but I though it might be nice to give a mention to the products that I consistently get messages about. Those products that have made their way into readers routines and stayed there.

These are in no particular order except for the first one. When it comes to feedback the first one in this line-up is the one that I hear most about people loving and repurchasing. This isn't a competition but if it was then entry number 1 would be the winner - by far.

2017 Favourites

Some of these were new this year, some were just new to me this year and some are old favourites that just haven't been beaten yet. I've marked the products that were released this year with a *

It's quite a long video but there was a lot to cram in. All products are listed below and any blog reviews are listed at the bottom.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year - see you in 2018!

Products:
Cowshed Grumpy Cow Shampoo
*Mane 'n Tail Conditioner
Amelia Moss Argan Oil
*Pixi x Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
*Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Pads
Origins Make a Difference + Cream
Origins GinZing Eye Cream
The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10%
Skin Owl Beauty Drops PM
*NARS Sun Wash Diffused Bronzer
Bourjois Smokey Stories in Over Rose
Hourglass Ambient Light Powder
*Rosie for Autograph Eye Shadow Sticks
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Younique Precision Lip Pencil in Popular
*Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser
Jao Brand LipJao
Eco Tools Brushes
Louise Young Eye Trio in Studio 54
Ilia Multistick
Ilia Illuminator
Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner
*Pixi Correction Concentrate
Maybelline Great Lash Big
*Daniel Sandler Customisable Colour for Cheeks
Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Rose Glow
Lord & Berry Kajal
Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Bitch Perfect
MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Dangerous

Reviews:
Cowshed Grumpy Cow Shampoo
*Mane 'n Tail Conditioner
Amelia Moss Argan Oil
*Pixi x Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
*Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Pads
Origins Make a Difference + Cream
Origins GinZing Eye Cream
*The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10%
Skin Owl Beauty Drops PM
*NARS Sun Wash Diffused Bronzer
Bourjois Smokey Stories in Over Rose
Hourglass Ambient Light Powder
*Rosie for Autograph Eye Shadow Sticks
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser
Jao Brand LipJao
Eco Tools Brushes
Ilia Multistick
Ilia Illuminator
Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner
*Pixi Correction Concentrate
*Daniel Sandler Customisable Colour for Cheeks
Lord & Berry Kajal

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself

Oskia Ranaissance Cleansing Gel

Lean in close, I'm going to whisper this, but I may have a new favourite cleanser. I still love the Emma Hardie Amazing Face cleansing balm but the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is giving it a run for its money. The first thing I've noticed about this is that its one of the few skincare products that while it claims to be illuminating does not make my sensitive skin tingle or go bright red. I've been using it for about 4 months and on those weekends when I've been away and have wanted to just take easy to use, hero products this has been the only cleanser I take with me.

Ideally I would use this as a second cleanse but when needs be this works well as a first or only cleanse, it gets make-up off an my skin is left feeling incredibly clean and soft. I genuinely believe that there are products in here that are working on my skin - and I don't get that very often.

Pumpkin Enzyme gently exfoliates the skin, Vitamin A Palmitate which is a derivative of Retinol but slightly gentler making this cleanser great for sensitive skins, though whether in these amounts it will have any of the desired effect (gentle resurfacing and promotion of elasticity) is unlikely. Vitamins C and E are great for deal with free radicals and pollution, which is great for us city dwellers. My skin feels firm but not tight, clean but not irritatingly so and really soft and smooth.

September 2017 Favourites

As the name suggests this is a September favourites video. All products are linked below and the reviews are below that!

Products:
Superdrug Naturally Radiant Pads
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
NYX Intese Butter Gloss in Tres Leches
Maybelline Great Lash Big 
Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Tinted Moisturiser
Sunday Riley CEO Cleansing Oil

Reviews:
Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser

More Like This:
September 2015 Favourites
February 2016 favourites
October 2016 favourites