I’m excited to share a closer look at the 6 products in my beauty store – The Confidence Collective – and why these amazing goodies should be part of your skincare and hair care routines.
Starting from just £5, I’ve tried and tested these products for weeks to ensure that they’re worth the investment, are truly effective, and have improved my hair and skin.
I’ve handpicked these beauty essentials, designed to make you feel empowered, confident, and radiant from the inside out. Let’s deep dive into each of the products, their ingredients, the benefits, and why I love them.
Dot & Lola Balance Shampoo
The Dot & Lola Balance Shampoo is plant-based, cruelty-free, and designed for all hair types. This gentle shampoo makes hair shiny, vibrant, and healthy. It works to soothe the scalp, promote natural hair growth, and deeply moisturise and strengthen strands.
It’s enriched with:
- Glycerin: to hydrate the scalp
- Argan oil: deeply nourishes the scalp
- Vitamin E: supports a healthy scalp and makes hair shiny
- Mandarin essential oil: promotes healthy scalp circulation and revitalises dull hair
- Lavender essential oil: soothes the scalp and prevents itchiness and dandruff
- Aloe vera: deeply cleans hair
The shampoo contains lavender, mandarin, and vertivert for a fresh, citrusy, uplifting, and floral scent. It’s sure to wake you up in the morning and evoke a spa-like sensory experience.
It comes in 2 different sizes: 50ml for £5 and 250ml for £20. Importantly, the packaging is eco-friendly and sustainable, as you can recycle the shampoo bottle once you’re finished (minus the pump dispenser).
Why I love it
I use this shampoo when my hair needs a refresh, to get rid of product build-up, and to hydrate my strands. I love how much shine it gives my hair and how soft it feels after using it.
This isn’t a shampoo I use to add volume to my hair, but rather one to keep my hair and scalp in great condition. It’s gentle, ultra-moisturising, and rinses out easily. I use this once a week to maintain optimal scalp health.
Dot & Lola Balance Conditioner
The Dot & Lola Balance Conditioner is vegan, cruelty-free, and designed for all hair types. This gentle conditioner nourishes strands, restores scalp health, rejuvenates hair, boosts shine, and encourages hair growth. The result? No more itchy scalps or dandruff, easily maintainable locks, and naturally healthy hair.
It’s formulated with:
- Argan oil: deeply nourishes the scalp
- Vitamin E: supports a healthy scalp and makes hair shiny
- Glycerin: hydrates the scalp
- Aloe vera: deeply cleans hair
- Coconut fruit oil: deeply conditions and restores damaged hair
- Citric acid: makes hair shiny, smooths hair texture, and helps reduce strand breakages
This conditioner blends lavender, mandarin, and vertivert to create a fresh, citrusy, and floral aroma that uplifts the senses—perfect for invigorating your mornings and delivering a spa-like experience.
It comes in 2 different sizes: 50ml for £6 and 250ml for £22. Again, you can recycle the conditioner bottle once you’re finished (minus the pump dispenser).
Why I love it
This conditioner is perfect for my oily scalp and fine hair as it’s hydrating without weighing my hair down or making it feel greasy. I notice my hair is significantly less tangly after using this conditioner, and it gives my hair wonderful shine.
Like the shampoo, this adds no volume or fullness to my hair. However, it works to keep my hair and scalp in excellent condition. It rinses out easily with no excess oil.
SOS Cleanse
The SOS Cleanse is a gentle and lightweight daily cleanser that’s designed for all skin types. This vegan and cruelty-free formula works to dissolve makeup; easily remove skincare products, dirt, and grease; and leave skin clean, fresh, and soothed. It has a soft gel texture that massages over skin easily, rinses off effortlessly with no residue, and leaves skin soft and hydrated.
The cleanser features:
- Propanediol: to make skin dewy
- Glycerin: to hydrate
- Grapesed oil: to soften and soothe skin
- Blue daisy extract: soothes skin with strong antioxidant properties
It comes in 3 different sizes: 15ml for £5, 50ml for £16, and 200ml for £35. The cleanser is fragrance-free and supports a healthy skin barrier.
Why I love it
This cleanser feels like you’re applying a moisturiser. It’s hydrating, softening, and leaves skin silky smooth. This never leaves my skin tight, stripped, or dry after use. It’s gentle and leaves no greasy residue behind. I particularly love how lightweight this cleanser is. While I love a thick cleansing balm, in the warmer summer months, sometimes the last thing I want to do is slather a rich balm all over my already-warm skin.
I use this as a first cleanse in the evening, as it does a great job at removing makeup, SPF, oil, and dirt from my skin. I follow up with a gel cleanser, and the result is fresh, clean, hydrated, and radiant skin.
MIE Skincare Tri-Active Hyaluronic Serum
The MIE Skincare Tri-Active Hyaluronic Serum is designed for all skin types and works to hydrate, smooth, and plump the skin. This luxurious formula targets dehydration, uneven skin tone and texture, and fine lines. The result is bright, nourished, smooth, and soft skin.
It’s formulated with:
- Hydrolysed hyaluronic acid: a form of hyaluronic acid that provides increased hydration in the skin’s surface layers
- Sodium hyaluronate: a form of hyaluronic acid that skin more readily absorbs and is an excellent skin-replenishing agent
- Sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer: a form of hyaluronic acid that facilitates enhanced hydration
- Glycerin: hydrates skin
- Panthenol: hydrates and soothes skin
This hyaluronic acid serum costs £47.50 for 30ml.
Why I love it
While this hyaluronic acid serum is a bit pricier, it’s one of the best I’ve tried. The formula literally melts into your skin and feels so smoothing and soft. It’s lightweight, absorbs instantly, and doesn’t pill.
But most importantly, this delivers serious hydration. It makes my skin ultra-moisturised all day and gives it a visibly plumper, smoother, and dewier appearance. The trio of hyaluronic acid derivatives work wonders on my skin. I love it.
SOS SPF 50
The SOS SPF 50 is a broad-spectrum mineral-based sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays. This fragrance-free SPF is non-greasy, leaves no white cast, and is invisible once applied. This sunscreen also slows down the development of fine lines and wrinkles.
It features:
- Titanium dioxide: a mineral-based sunscreen ingredient that protects against both UVA and UVB rays and is great for sensitive skin
- Zinc oxide: a gentle and non-irritating mineral-based sunscreen ingredient that protects against both UVA and UVB rays
- Hyaluronic acid: hydrates the skin
- Vitamin E: protects and defends skin against pollution and other pro-ageing environmental stressors
- Citric acid: an AHA that exfoliates the skin
There are 4 sizes available: 15ml for £5.50, 50ml for £17, 100ml for £28, and 200ml for £38. The sunscreen is also hydrating, calming, and suitable for sensitive skin.
Why I love it
Mineral sunscreens have a bit of a bad reputation for being thick, greasy, heavy, and leaving a white cast. This SPF 50 doesn’t do any of these things and is surprisingly lightweight. Once applied, you can’t tell you’re wearing any sunscreen except for the nice glow it leaves behind. I also find this formula hydrating and soothing.
I’ll be honest, this SPF can pill. I work around this by applying fewer skincare products beforehand. As the sunscreen is moisturising, I can get away with applying less moisturiser, for example. Also, I apply this SPF in small amounts, wait for that layer to absorb, and then go in with another layer to reduce any pilling. When I do this, I have no issues with pilling.
Honestly, while this may seem a bit fussy compared to chemical SPFs, the result is fantastic, and mineral formulas are typically gentler and kinder to the skin than chemical ones, so it’s definitely worth it.
Active Drip Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising and Antioxidant Cream
The Active Drip Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising and Antioxidant Cream is vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, and suitable for all skin types. It has a gorgeous gel-cream texture that’s refreshing, cooling, absorbent, lightweight, and hydrating. This moisturiser nourishes, brightens, smooths, and softens skin, while reducing fine lines and wrinkles, improving uneven skin tone and texture, and supporting a healthy skin barrier.
It’s enriched with:
- Vitamin C: helps to protect the skin from free radicals, environmental damage, and oxidative stress
- Sodium hyaluronate: hydrates and replenishes the skin
- Propanediol: makes skin look glowy
- Glycerin: hydrates the skin
- Citric acid: exfoliates the skin
- Caprylic/capric triglyceride: helps skin resist moisture loss
This costs £30.49 for 50ml.
Why I love it
Gel-cream moisturisers are my favourite as they strike the right balance between being lightweight and refreshing while still delivering long-lasting hydration. This luxurious moisturiser ticks those boxes and more. It makes my skin look particularly dewy and bright, so it’s great alone or as part of skincare prep before makeup application. This is one of my favourite moisturisers at the moment, and I find myself reaching for it frequently.
Sarah Sarsby is the owner of Honest Reviews Woman. With over 7 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has combination skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.
I love the sound of all of these, and all so affordable too! I can’t wait to shop.