The British Beauty Blog
by Jane Cunningham since 2008

I can pinpoint the exact day that I stopped believing that skin care could change my life. It was at the launch of a (then) new brand that had apple stem cells as the key and game changing ingredient. Even for a non-scientist, that sounded so dodgy that I wanted to stand up and leave.…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] It’s coming up for peak holiday time and the dreaded squashing of all your under 100ml essentials into a plastic bag that barely holds one donut, never mind your beauty essentials. If you’re lucky and your airport has the new technology for screening, you don’t need to put your products in that silly sandwich…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I never quite know where I’m going to start on a Monday – I just sit down and hope for the best generally. I often use the weekends to experiment with new products, particularly make-up, so by Monday morning, I have several posts I can make for the week to come. It’s very clear…

[purchase/affiliate] I’ve got an event today so I’m fully focussed on not sweating into my newly blow dried hair so I had to think twice about whether to even try to get a snap of myself in a wool/cashmere blend hoodie this morning! All fans ON… The postman delivered my Chinti & Parker sale bargain…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] Japanese made beauty brand, Paul & Joe, has put together a summer edit and if you like whimsy with your sunshine, this could not be more right for you. It’s always the prettiest of make up with so much attention to detail in the packaging but I don’t think there’s anything new-new here because…

[unpaid/purchase/affiliate] It’s summer so the SPF Brigade are in full swing on Instagram, scaring us witless about even thinking about the sun. We are assumed a common-sense free zone with no ability to adult without a lecture about the dangers on the sun. The algorithm on Instagram is serving me nothing but SPF advice (as…

[unpaid/sample] Ooh. Now, this is quite something – you know when you suddenly have a moment with the power of make up? I had that very moment with the Hildun Beauty x Hannah Martin collaboration collection which turned my eyes from stark to smouldering in a couple of strokes of a brush. A Mediterranean type…

[unpaid/sample] I love a good eyeliner and Et Al has more than delivered with their new Line + Define liners – each one an absolute winner, colour wise. There are seven shades which include Ink (black) and Cocoa (brown) as standard shades but they’ve expanded on the colour wheel within that standard and created some…

You know those heavy and heady sunny days where every single item of clothing feels too much on your skin? This dress – in five options – from H&M is the least amount of clothes you can decently wear (add bra and knickers as your own preference) and be seen in public. It’s this same…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] If you’re a fan of a daily exfoliating toner I think this newness from DoSe is going to be right up your street. In fact, I’d say it’s better for anyone who is already using an exfoliating toner who’d like to take it up a level. Daily acid toners, or tonics as they’re sometimes…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] There really aren’t that many truly decent SPF lip balms around – we’re very focussed on SPF for the face but the lips don’t get the same amount of attention I don’t think, especially not at level 30. Since everything from Malin + Goetz is reliable, I didn’t expect anything less from the balm…

[purchase/affiliate] I’m one of the few people who didn’t like the Jones Road Miracle Balm – in fact, I hated the feel of it on my skin so really, I’ve kind of ignored the brand ever since. However, suddenly, I’m seeing Jones Road everywhere so I wanted to give it another whirl. In not new…

[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] Was there ever a more perfect collaboration than Jo Malone London and Little Greene, a family owned, environmentally responsible paint and wallpaper company with a special aesthetic. Combining fragrance and colour is an art in itself but it seems to me that it’s match made in heaven, project wise, for anyone with the sensory…

[unpaid/purchase/affiliate] I’ve been thoroughly influenced by a fellow Substacker because up til now I have avoided PDRN (or you might like to call it PolyDeoxyRiboNucleotide – maybe not) because the idea of putting salmon sperm on my face just sent me running away rather than running to. However, I’m always prepared to have my mind…

You know what I haven’t used for a really long time? A physical exfoliator. I’m also looking for a good face mask because it feels like I haven’t ‘masked’ for ages and when I go through the extensive range of products I have here, there is only one that I feel even vaguely tempted by.…