vanity notes #4
An ode to Medik8, Medicube and seemingly lots of brand beginning with M. Oh and some bronzers because vampire season is over.
I thought I’d do things a little differently this month and take you through my actual skincare drawer. As I mentioned last month, as it’s been 4/5 months since the Christmas gifting stampede I have finished up a lot of things I opened back then, meaning I had the weird experience of opening my drawer and realising I didn’t have a cleanser on the go. Odd, given the month before I had had *five*. So I’ve opened three - a balm, a gel and a cream…
Let’s sort and replenish the carnage that is my bathroom drawers… Well, one of them. The other is a hot mess, I’m in denial about needing to sort it out (a hair mask has most definitely exploded in it).
We’ll go through new ins, old favourites and then some reviews of empties. Ooh and then at the bottom I’ll take you through a new bronzer because (and I cannot believe I am saying this) I think I have found one I love as much as the Westman Atelier serum.
I came up with this title the other day and to be honest am livid it didn’t occur to me sooner, I love an alliterated title. Kicking this section off with the lowdown on the new cleansers and then a bit about new things I’ve bought.
murad cleansing balm - Starting with one that I think may become a consistent thing in my drawer. This cleansing balm’s packaging is incredible. You turn it like a deodorant and the right amount of balm comes up. The balm itself is lovely; cleanses without stripping and leaves my skin feeling like it’s been moisturised.
wildsmith cleansing gel - I had a facial with Wildsmith last year and this cleanser has been sat in the cupboard since then. was quite excited to try this. It is so, so good. Rich in vitamin B and C so *perfect* so anyone who links to get some sun on their skin - as it’ll support, buff and tone the skin. Big fan of this. Made in the UK too which is cool.
iraye cream to foam cleanser - I use this as the second step after either of the above. I like it a lot. Iraye is a v good brand, I am currently using their body cream too and really like it. As a unique selling point, their products are excellent to encourage lymphatic drainage so if you are someone who gets puffy I’d recommend looking into this brand more.
muji compressed face masks - My husband bought me these and they are *incredible.* They look like a little cotton pad but soak them in your favourite toner or serum and they blow up to being a sheet mask. GENIUS. I have been using with my toners and they are fantastic. Doesn’t seem to use that much product up to work either.
sonsie multi moisturise cream - A quietly brilliant finds that doesn’t shout about itself, it just gets on with the job. It’s a rich, fragrance-free cream built around 12% glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which sounds almost boringly functional until you wake up and your skin looks plumped. I use it as an overnight mask, it layers beautifully under SPF without pilling too, sits well over actives, and somehow manages to feel substantial without being heavy.
vue hydrocolliod nose strips - I had a moment of weakness and after being spammed by these guys on Instagram decided to make the purchase. My verdict? Very good but not entirely practical as they need to be on for 6-8 hours. They’re not really robust enough to sleep with, unless you’re a front sleeper I guess. But they did work. I would say that it’s important to make sure you give your skin some extra love as those newly open pores could get nasty/dirty quickly. So lots of hyaluronic and avoiding strong retinols and glycolic stuff for a few days…
There's something deeply satisfying about finishing a product. The kind of quiet victory that feels disproportionate to the act of scraping out the last of a moisturiser with a cotton bud at midnight. This month's empties are a mixed bag: some old faithfuls I'll repurchase without a second thought, one or two that turned out to be perfectly fine but not fine enough to earn a permanent spot, and at least one that I mourned. Let's get into it…
irene forte hibiscus overnight retinal cream - This one was from a partnership I did in January and *oh my god* I really hope they want me to work with them again because it’s ace. Really good for people who want to use a powerful but gentle formulation. Very much recommend and would buy myself with no regrets at the price tag.
tower 28 cleansing gel - I liked this, I really did. But wouldn’t run back to it. It cleaned my skin really well, I’ll give it that. Actually maybe I’m just being harsh, the brand is very good. I think the stand out product of this brand is the hydration face spray I keep on my desk.
beauty pie uber youth spray - There will never, ever be a day I don’t have one of these on the go. It works brilliantly on its own but even better if you spray it on straight out of the shower and then layer with moisturiser. Just incredible.
beauty pie retinol hand cream - Yet another one of these finished. I had a horrifying moment last year when I saw my aging hands and wrists so I got this cream back out. It’s made a serious difference. I finished one but have one in the car too that’s still going.
JS health vitamin shampoo/conditioner duo - AKA my husband calls it “the ones that smell like pepper.” I really liked this, even if I did think I was ordering supplements before they arrived. I’m really trying to look after my scalp and this stuff came with good reviews. I liked it, my hair felt incredibly clean afterwards and I needed to wash my hair a bit less which, i’m guessing, is because my scalp got a good cleanse.
I’ve had to really edit this down - you can see I use a lot of products in one go (all in the name of research…). I’ve shared the ones I’ve rebought or will be re-buying so it gives you an idea of how great they are…
medik8 ceramide eye cream - I do not miss a day’s use of this. It comes in 3 levels (3, 6, and 10). I started on 6 as I’m a long term retinal user. I’m now on the 10. I can’t envisage myself ever not owning this. This brand is just the best of the best - their formulations take them years to put to market as they’re so particular and I am grateful for it.
medik8 advanced liquid peptides - Going to real with you, I need to do a bit more research as to what exactly a peptide is but I can tell you this; when the marketing said this serum “got rid” of fine lines in 10 minutes I scoffed. Then I tried it and my jaw dropped. It is incredible. Incredible. The best there is.
dermalogica depuffing eye gel - Full disclosure, my company ran the influencer campaign for this years ago. We all got samples and I remember the quarrels over the last one left in the store room. If you have puffy eyes you need it and I have no further notes. For an extra oomph, put it in the fridge.
naturabisse invisible body SPF 50 - Just got this again ahead of our holiday plans. Yes, it is pricey but I find it wild how people are prepared to use any old SPF. It is literally protecting your entire body from the sun. This one is excellent and stops me looking like a shrivelled prune after some sun exposure. In fact I’d say my skin is in even better condition than normal from using it. Do not scrimp on the important stuff!
skinrocks pigmentation serum - Whether I’ll need to repeat the process this summer will be interesting but after using this serum consistently for maybe 4 months, my upper lip pigmentation has gone. This is remarkable as even laser didn’t achieve this for me. Very, very good.
skins rocks the amplifier - I doubled up the serum with the amplifier to increase the effect and it turns out you can put this alongside anything to speed up the result. My favourite thing is putting it with my retinals as it *really* gives it all a bump. 11/10. I’m on my third bottle.
naturabisse diamond extreme mask - If I were getting married this summer this is the product I’d invest it. Frankly it’s insane. The smell is refreshingly masculine (to the point I wondered if it was aimed at men?) and it makes me look like I’ve been on a 10 hours sleep a night for a week vacation. Incredible. I feel chiselled (goodbye puffiness), less wrinkly and brighter. A miracle product.
matter of fact vitamin C serum - The day I found this product was a good day. I have been gifted a couple of these but bought 2 too. It packs a punch, definitely for the more advanced skincare user (it has a lovely warming sensation when you put it on) but wow, it’s worth it. If you want an impactful vitamin C serum look no further than this.
glow watermelon toner - When this arrived the packaging gave me the ick. It’s giving Gen Z. But to be fair, perhaps the impatience of this generation explains why the brands’ formula seem to work v quickly. When you get to the stage of “maybe I need a facial” try this first. It buffs and soothe, really great.
origins apple peel - I love this entire range (you’ll notice the moisturiser is on the other side of the drawer). This brand should never be forgotten, it does organic, plant based stuff so well. Incredible powerful. I use this toner when my skin just needs some extra help (particularly good using one of the muji pads I mentioned above). Gorgeous - would recommend to anyone who’s looking to get into skincare and wants a safe starting place.
Summer is here and it’s time to drop the Vampire-pale look. Bronzers are an absolute essential and we’re far beyond the days of bad, dusty powders.
Last year I found the Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Drops and loved it so much I bought spares (it was eternally OOS). But, the new Victoria Beckham Colour Wash Bronze Water Tint has arrived and it’s extremely good. Both are chasing the same dream: that elusive, shimmer-free, just-got-back-from-somewhere-warm warmth.
The WA drops have a creamy, liquid-silk texture that melts into skin and dries to a natural matte finish; buildable, blend-able, never sticky. The VB version takes things a step further in terms of sheerness: it’s genuinely water-thin (the name isn’t a bluff), dispensing almost like a tinted serum before sinking in and leaving behind a soft bronze stain rather than a visible layer of product.
If anything, it’s the more low-commitment of the two; slightly harder to overdo, slightly more “your skin, but warmer.” Both are shimmer-free (so you can layer with a blush more easily) and both do that convincing, authentic-glow thing beautifully.
If you love the idea of the Westman Atelier but want something even more fluid and skin-like in application, the VB is a fantastic option (the code HELLO15 gets you 15% off your first purchase btw).
For more on my every day make up choices, click here.
As a final thing, I need to shout about my Tria Laser. I was extremely confused when I found out Tria is part of the same group of companies as CurrentBody, because CB gifted me their laser device last year. So when Tria offered me theirs it seemed counterintuitive? However, that is a riddle I’ll leave someone else to solve because *this thing is amazing.* I found the CB one a bit laborious as needed 12 weeks of multiple sessions per week.
Tria needs 4 weeks, and to be honest I am 3 weeks in and the hair on my legs and armpits has pretty much gone. I’m yet to try it on *other regions* but plan - because it doesn’t hurt (there are 5 levels and the top level is a little spicy but by no means painful). If you are in the market I’d say go straight to the Tria device because having tried 3 (I bought the Braun one in a Black Friday deal during Covid, how cliche) this is the only one I can see myself sticking with to the end.
Find all my beauty tech recommendations here.
Fabulous and so timely. Count me as an instant devotee of Recent and Decent (please make it a permanent feature)! I was scrabbling about in my drawer at the weekend trying to find some inspiration. I am at that point when I have almost used every product I’d started, up. Satisfying, yes - but some of it wasn’t that great and I am bored with some of the products I have been using on repeat - (and consequently have let my routine lapse. I just about remember to moisturise of an evening - which is terrible at my age)! ….so definitely time to explore some new options. Thank you! ❤️
Loved this! What do you think of your medicube bits?