M&S BEST IN BEAUTY - SHOP TILL YOU DROP

Marks & Spencer Best in Beauty

If you told me 2 years ago I’ll be spending all my money at Marks & Spencer, I’d laugh you under the table. Little did I know how bloody amazing M&S Beauty Hall is, or that it even had one! Well ladies and gents, if you’re after all sought out skincare brands, you want to try all the hyped up products and have the ability to shop both in-store and online then track down your closest M&S and your head, unlike your faves on this year’s Love Island won’t be turned. Ever. Emma Hardie, Glamglow, This Works, Pixi, Origins, REN and so many more have found their home tucked away on beautiful displays with CLEAN TESTERS always available. Why search further? 



When M&S new campaign PR arrives, it’s like Christmas come early including overzealous courier which comes at crazy hours of the morning and could easily wake up the dead, little like Santa no? Their new campaign - Best in Beauty* fits nicely in summer, the half year gone so a perfect time, to sum up, your favourites. The chosen few I’ve known and loved for a while but there have been few products I’ve yet to try. I’m a very careful skincare tester and try to introduce couple products at most at the same time and one instantly grabbed my attention. Formula Absolute Serum Elixir* is silky smooth, sinks in easily and leaves my skin feeling the love. I’ve been using it for a few days before I sat down and checked the ingredients. Imagine my horror at finding shea butter on the list! Yet despite the shock, this has yet to break me out. Have I been cured? Probably not, I assume the amounts used or the particular source may be non-offensive to my usually deeply ‘shea is evil’ kind of skin. Nevertheless, I love it. I really hope the initial lack of reaction is a lasting one, as I really like my skin after the introduction of this rich serum. I use it at night, about a pump and a half all over my face, neck and décolletage. *EDIT - I now use it twice weekly tops as shea butter started to play around with my skin texture a bit after 3 weeks continuous use. Nothing too noticeable but I don’t want to risk it*

Formula Absolute Serum Elixir

REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

On the subject of moisturisers, I’ve been so happy to see REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream*. If you’re new to this blog, I previously wrote about a calming mask from this series | POST | which has been incredible to me and my skin when I had a terrible cold, the one to go for even if you feel like your skin’s on fire. The formula of the cream (including a delicious scent) is super gentle, makes it look and feel healthy and soothed. Natural ingredients such as Blackcurrant Seed Oil and Seabuckthorn Berry Oil are a great source of Omega 3 and 7 keeping my skin super soft and soothed, while Calendula helps repair it at the cellular level and there’s plenty more where these came from! Again, shea butter is present in the ingredients, so I use this moisturiser on days where I have no other shea-based formulas. Having said that, I’ve used other products from REN with shea in them, all of which are yet to break me out. I now have a few favourites of this series, so keep your eyes peeled on a REN-centric post! If you’re sensitive, I dare you to try it as I have a feeling you may just love it as much as I do! 

Cleansing is super important to me and Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm* is the ultimate cleansing superhero removing all traces of makeup and grim quickly and without stripping the skin of its moisture. Ultra-rich, this balm melts in between my fingers, smells fantastic and does the job well. It doubles up as a deeply moisturising balm for your dry bits like knees and elbows or a deeply rejuvenating face mask if left on your face for 10 minutes. Great for pores as moringa seed oil, wild sea fennel and vitamin E help purify and minimalise their appearance. Perfect to rejuvenate and revitalise thanks to orange, neroli and mandarin extracts (which also give it the most incredible scent!) while jasmine, cedarwood and rose oils recondition dull, dehydrated and mature skin. My personal fave, I’ve been using it for a while and can’t put it down! 

Pixi Glow Tonic* gained its popularity years ago and is still going strong thanks to gentle 5% Glycolic Acid formula enriched with soothing and moisturising agents. Perfect for all skin types as it gently exfoliates at cellular level leaving us with glowing youthful complexions. I personally use it in the evening and follow up with SPF in the morning as with any acids, it may leave your skin little sensitive to the sun. Affordable and effective - you’ll love it as long as your skin isn’t allergic to glycolic! 

Pixi Glow Tonic

Ultrasun Anti-Ageing for Sensitive Skin SPF30

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

Talking about SPF and for someone as pale as me, sun protection is a daily must. I’ve used Ultrasun Anti-Ageing for Sensitive Skin SPF30* for 2 seasons now and it not only works daily but also when subjected to harsh sun on holiday! I couldn’t be happier with the results as it protected my ultra pale complexion perfectly! It sinks in quickly too and is a gem to use under makeup. I can’t fault it really other than a slight alcohol-like scent! 

There’s nothing better than taking a little me time. Self-care is important especially if you’re battling anxiety and what better way to care for oneself than with a little treatment. Marks & Spencer has got you sorted. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask* smells fruity and leaves my skin ultra moisturised, nourished and glowing! It’s formulated without Parabens, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, PABA, Petrolatum, Paraffin and DEA making it almost clean! It contains Avocado and Apricot Kernel Oils that instantly quench your skin and help build up a reserve for the next day while Japanese Seaweed helps repair skin’s barrier, fights dehydration and the signs of premature ageing. The formula is super rich yet it doesn’t block my pores! A winner in my books! 

Talking overnight treatments Marks and Spencer’s own Formula Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream* quickly became my Mom’s fave. It’s fully charged with anti-ageing peptides and Hyaluronic Acid! It’s buttery yet light and perfect to apply as a mask in the evening. I am yet to try it, but Mom loves how soft and nourished her skin is almost instantly and has that healthy glow the next morning! I’ll try and introduce it to my routine next, just need to ensure not to use it alongside other shea butter enriched skincare! 

Formula Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream 

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

Filorga Time-Filler Eyes Absolute Eye Correction Cream

I’m a part-time blogger doing it on top of a full-time job which means: sleepless nights planning & writing content. These Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels* are AH-MAZING! I keep mine in the fridge and apply it before skincare or even after if I have the time for the products to sink in prior but always before makeup. If you use them so, they will not only act as a skincare step by demolishing puffiness and brightening the eye area but also work as an eyeshadow guard, so win-win! 

Afterwards, I always follow up with Filorga Time-Filler Eyes Absolute Eye Correction Cream* - the magical eye cream for those fighting ageing. Botox-like ingredients combined with peptides actively smooth out expression lines and that’s a proven and noticeable result! I’ve been using it for 4 weeks and noticed an improvement already! It’s the first eye cream I own that asks you to apply it all over the contour of your eyes but also on upper eyelids and lash line as it contains a lifting complex responsible for fighting the lid sagging as well as matrikine that boosts the volume of lashes! I’ve got hooded eyes (thanks Mom!) so it’s important to me to try and prevent them for dropping even more! It’s a superb light formula that sinks in quickly and can be used both day and night. Not cheap but totally worth it in my opinion! 

Let’s go back to self-care now, shall we? There’s nothing that screams me-time like a lovely and relaxing bath. I’ve been adding a few drops of NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil* to my baths for years now and nothing works quite as well. It keeps my body moisturised when soaking for an hour or two and I love to use it on damp skin straight after as well! It leaves my skin so soft and moisturised, I’ll forever repurchase this thrifty little bottle - it’s the best! The trick is to keep the bottle and mix your own oils afterwards, it’s too pretty to throw out don’t you think?

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

L’Occitane Shea Intense Hand Balm

If you fancy a good night sleep but insomnia’s a b*tch and you rather not pop a pill again, why not try a more natural approach? I’ve been using This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray* for almost two years now. So allow powers of aromatherapy to work its magic as it combines the powers of essential oils like lavender, vetiver and chamomile helping you relax and fall asleep more easily. Simply spritz your pillow with it and breathe in deeply. It’s that simple! 

Every day must have - a hand cream. The massive packaging of L’Occitane Shea Intense Hand Balm* was a welcome addition to my stash, as I’ve been running dangerously low! No longer. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to make a more dent in it, so it looks crumbled! Such a cliche blogger, am I not? Lol. Shea butter may not be my fave ingredient but it does keep my hands ultra moisturised while the formula sinks in quickly. Can’t complain. Ok I can, the scent isn’t my fave, I prefer citrus/floral more but that’s just personal preference. 

Have they forgotten about my hair? No, they have not! I’ve been praising Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer* for years now and it still is the best pre-shampoo treatment for manageable and healthy hair. Simply wet your hair and apply the mask for 20 minutes before washing it with shampoo. It’s quite magical the way it works and leaves your hair frizz-free and shiny! I adore this stuff! 

Lastly, one of my favourites makeup brands found its way into Best in Beauty edit with their incredible Stila One Step Correct Skin Tone Correcting and Brightening Primer*. As if M&S were listening to me moan about redness lately! This funky primer combines the colour correcting formulas in green (combats redness), peach (counteracts dark shadows) and lilac (brightens, fights dullness) alongside moisturising factors that not only prep the skin for foundation but also prolong its life. I’ve been using it on and off for weeks and really recommend it under IT Cosmetics CC Cream or Too Faced Just Peachy foundation. I also used it underneath sheer coverage bases to minimalise the look of redness and even out skin tone. Love this! 

Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer

Stila One Step Correct Skin Tone Correcting and Brightening Primer

Where do you shop for skincare? I hope I managed to convince you to stop by your local M&S next when browsing for luxury skincare brands. If so, don’t forget to share and tag me in your Instagram posts (#BDQmademedoit) or tag me (@BDQblog) in your posts, Stories and tweets! Can’t wait to see your hauls! 

Thank You For Reading.
With love,

*All products were gifted for review consideration & links used are through M&S affiliate programme. It means I earn a teeny tiny commission each time you purchase something by clicking on the link. All commission to date has been spent on makeup/skincare shopping or updating my camera/lights equipment. All the clicks and purchases are very much appreciated as they help me keep doing what I love most - reviewing tons and tons of makeup and skincare for you.  This does not influence my opinion in any way. I’ll always relay my unbiased thoughts to my readers.