Beauty Pie // Ultra Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner Sample Review

Beauty Pie // Ultra Nourishing Shampoo &  Conditioner Review
RRP £25/£50* for 2x450ml

I chose this as my free sample as part of an order I did on the 12th December 2025 from the Beauty Pie website. 

Beauty Pie is a membership-based company. I am a "pro" member which means I pay £59 a year. This enables me to purchase items at "discounted" prices as many times as I want in a year. Their £29 a year membership only allows you to place four orders a year. *If you don't have a membership the shampoo and conditioner costs £50.

First Impressions:
I'm not sure 12ml is really enough of each product to get a good use out of them. The shampoo barely cleaned my hair and it had only been two days since I washed it so it wasn't particularly very dirty. 

The conditioner left my hair feeling dry and wasn't great at detangling. My hair felt quite rough afterwards so I went over it with a L'oreal Hydrating Mask.

Usage
First use - 24.12.2025
Last use - 24.12.2025

Would I buy it: No. Far too expensive for what it is.

Overall Impressions:
For context, I have mixed afro/caucasion textured hair with a 3A/3B curl pattern. My hair is currently at waist length (I'm 5'7) with a full and half balayage done six and three months ago.

So as this was a sample and I barely got one use out of them, take this review with a pinch of salt. I always shampoo my hair twice. I use sulfates and silicones, my hair loves that stuff (especially amodimethicone). 

These are effectively £12.50 full size but I feel the ingredients used are too cheap for that price. The shampoo uses Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate which are "softer" cleansing agents. It doesn't have any sulfates in it which I prefer as I use oils on my hair every day and I need the stronger cleansing agent to remove the build up. It also contains proteins and oils, which again, I don't think this shampoo is strong enough to remove itself from your hair.

The conditioner uses glycerin and mineral oil as it's main conditioning agents which are some of the cheapest ones to use. It does have dimethicone but that's the cheaper version. Amodimethicone is preferred (well for me anyway). I wouldn't expect a £12.50 product to contain mineral oil though.

I usually diffuse my hair and leave it curly and my hair felt soft afterwards but it was very fly away and frizzy. I'll be sticking to my much cheaper but superior L'Oreal hair products.

Beauty Pie // Super Healthy Skin Ultimate Anti-Aging Cream Review

Beauty Pie // Super Healthy Skin Ultimate Anti-Aging Cream
RRP £19/£39* for 50ml

I bought this on the 10th September 2025 as part of an order I did from the Beauty Pie website. 

Beauty Pie is a membership-based company. I am a "pro" member which means I pay £59 a year. This enables me to purchase items at "discounted" prices as many times as I want in a year. Their £29 a year membership only allows you to place four orders a year. *If you don't have a membership, this item costs £39.

First Impressions:
This is actually the seventh jar I've finished since I started ordering from Beauty Pie last year. This was one of the products in my first order (26.02.24). The moisturiser, and the skin elixir serum, are the reasons I continue to use Beauty Pie. This cream feels luxurious on the skin. It's thick and comforting and leaves my skin feeling hydrated. At first, it looks like it will leave you with greasy skin but give it 5 to 10 minutes and you'll have a satin finish. I love mixing this with my foundation to create the perfect tinted moisturiser. It has a light, sweet, floral scent that disappears quickly.

Usage
First use - 15.09.2025
Last use - 30.12.2025

I don't always do a full skincare routine in the morning but I always do it before bed, so that can extend the longevity. However, I use a good amount of this everytime, I'd say half a walnut. I've learnt that using small amounts to make a product "last longer" is counter-intuitive; just use the product.

Would I buy it: Yes. I'm about to start jar number 8.

Overall Impressions:
This product doesn't pill, mixes with other products well and I can tell when I haven't been using it because my skin looks and feels tight and dry. I'm currently using a sample of a new Beauty Pie moisturiser before starting my next jar and I'm starting to look haggard again. I've been trying to find a dupe or alternative product for this moisturiser but I just can't. This is my holy grail moisturiser.

There's a "version 2" of this cream on the Beauty Pie website which is £29 (£49 non-members) and I have no interest in trying it. Maybe one day I will but the trial results for v2 score lower with testers than the trial results for the original so I feel that kind of says it all.

If you're interested in trying this out, Beauty Pie always seem to do trial periods. Give it a go and see what you think.

Origins // Plantscription Anti-Aging Power Eye Cream Review

Origins // Plantscription Anti-Aging Power Eye Cream
RRP £45 for 15ml

I received this as part of an Origins Advent calendar a couple of years ago. It took me a while to get round to using it.

First Impressions:
This has a light earthy scent to it and has the consistency of a thick, moisturising face cream. It absorbs well and leaves the eye area looking refreshed and hydrated.

Usage
First use - Around July 2025
Last use - 29.12.2025

Would I buy it: Maybe?

Overall Impressions:
I reviewed the serum in this range back in 2020. Back then, I was a massive Origins buyer and nearly my entire routine was Origins products. I haven't actually bought anything from Origins in years now. I think I can tell a difference when using this product. I'm not sure anymore as my current moisturiser and serum do a lot of heavy lifting. I will say, I don't suffer from dry patches around my eyes whilst using this and my laughter lines seem subdued.

I have two eye creams to get through but seeing as it takes me around five months to get through 5ml of product, I have a feeling I won't need to buy eye creams until the end of 2026. If I don't like either of them, I will probably end up re-purchasing this one when it's on sale, or as part of a gift as I do like it and I've always been a fan of the Plantscription range.

Lacura // Tropical Essence Booty Balm Review

Lacura // Tropical Essence Booty Balm
RRP £4.99 for 250ml

I bought this from Aldi some time in September 2025.

First Impressions:
I have a feeling this will be a love or hate scent for people. It looks like a Bum Bum cream dupe, but it's not. The scent is unique and nothing like Cheirosa '62 (the signature Sol de Janiero scent). This is more musky and tropical. Incredibly sweet, more like a dessert. The guarana is very strong. I love it. The consistency of the product is buttery and smooth. It spreads and absorbs well without being greasy. It even leaves the scent behind on my bedding which I really enjoy. it's kind of like wearing perfume to bed. The weird part is the sparkles. It's very glittery, you can't visibly see it in the product but I wondered why my skin was shimmering in the light the next morning.

Usage
First use - Beginning November 2025
Last use - 30.12.2025

Would I buy it: If I see it in an Aldi store again, yes.

Overall Impressions:
I saw this discounted to £2.99 as they were clearing out the last of their summer stock and I impulse bought it. I'm glad I did. Sometimes I poo-poo the Aldi beauty products but this one is actually solid. It's a shame my local Aldi doesn't actually have a body moisturiser in stock all year round because this did a standup job. I can usually tell if a body moisturiser is rubbish because the skin on my hips and knees go flaky and itchy but with this everything stayed nice and moisturised. Hopefully this range comes back next year (I also saw this range for summer 2023).