I have always been one of those massive losers people that’s longed for holy grail items. Like, I want to be that sassy 80 year old that’s used the same fragrance, foundation etc. for the last 60 years but the problem is… I’m thickle AF.
Oh, and also there are so many babein products out there that omg how am I meant to stick to just one?
So I’ve come to the conclusion that whilst I won’t be a chic AF granny bathing in only Chanel No5, I will be a 20 something girl that tries – and loves – a lot of products, and that’s absolutely OK.
So I thought I’d put together a post of all of my favourite makeup items that I have on rotation, and all the things that take my face from a 0/10 to a solid 4/10 [insert hands up/hallelujah emoji here].
Up until quite recently, I never really got primers. They were just an extra step – ain’t nobody got time for that – that I never found totally necessary. However I then tried a few major babes that completely changed that opinion. The first is the Loreal lumi magique primer and it is all kinds of unicorn/ethereal/magical goodness. It’s very pearlescent and glowy which means it gives you the most stunning “I’ve been drinking 20litres of water and got all my greens in, boo” glow and basically makes me look 10x healthier than I am. Makeup applies flawlessly over the top and it does make it last those few hours extra too. Such a fab, affordable product. On the more high end side, I have been absolutely loving the Laura Mercier blemish-less primer. It is the most perfect base for makeup and works amazingly well on all skin types but particularly well on my combination oily skin and is the little hero that I crack out every time my skin is having a bitch fit and decided to mimic a pizza. It really does help to clear up the skin whilst also allowing you to wear makeup at the same time. A gorgeous primer! And then we have the Bobbi Brown instant confidence stick which isn’t necessarily a primer but it absolutely needs to be included in this post because it’s frickin incredible. A super light product that instantly blurs any fine lines and basically makes your entire face look 10x smoother and more flawless. I use this prior to make and to touch up throughout the day to matte out any shine or get rid of pesky creases. The most insane product.
Up until semi recently, I’d been using the Bourjois healthy mix foundation for years and years and literally nothing came close to knocking it off of the top of my bae favourite foundation list. And then… I kinda got a lot of new things and I kinda loved a lot of new things and all of a sudden I’ve got a whole army of new foundations that I can’t imagine life without.
Lol. Gotta love a good bit of exaggeration.
The first foundation that pushes BHM (bourjois healthy mix, we can abbreviate cause’ obvs we’re bessie mates) is the SUQQU Extra rich cream foundation (released September 2016). Now, this actually reminds me a lot of BHM but I would say that it’s slightly thicker, has slightly better coverage and makes everything look a little more flawless. It kinda makes my skin look a bit photoshopped without completely caking it in makeup and looking too obvious. Skin-like, but frickin good skin. It’s ridiculously nourishing and always keeps any dry patches at bay and generally just gives me that boost of confidence that my skin looks sassy as hell and I also don’t look like a drag queen/like I’ve shovelled on a litre of foundation. Then we have the Laura Mercier Candleglow foundation and this is completely different to the SUQQU foundation. I would say that this has light to medium coverage and my god it gives so much frickin “I woke up like this and yes I’m actually flawless [insert sassy woman emoji here]” glow. This is healthy skin in a bottle and my favourite for when I need a really natural, quick look. This doesn’t last quite as long on my skin and if you have some blemishes/dark circles then you’ll definitely need a good concealer but I couldn’t not include it because it seriously is such a babe. The Clarins BB Fluid is the product that finally made me get BB creams. It’s the most stunning glowy, reasonably thick foundation that looks light but completely flawless, allowing your skin to shine through. It has an SPF of 25 which I adore and is a product that I know will see me through the rest of the summer.
Concealer wise, there really has been no big or fancy changes for me. I’ve been using the IT cosmetics Bye bye undereye for months now as it just does the best of covering dark circles and imperfections whilst also lasting all day and not creasing. It really just does the job. A less expensive – but very similar – alternative would be the Collection lasting perfection concealer which is the biggest drugstore bae of all the baes.
I seriously hate myself for that last comment. [insert shotgun emoji here]
When it comes to eyes, despite being ridiculously thickle with products, the overall look is always the same. Smokey, neutral golds/bronzes/taupes/champagnes tones, you get the gist… but despite my serious lack of experimentation, I have some seriously beautiful products that are all so different. Starting with The Body Shop down to earth quad. I actually used this in my drugstore makeup video and I absolutely adore it. For an affordable palette, the pigmentation and formulation is stunning. The colours are completely wearable for all seasons and blend perfectly together, it’s one of those products perfect for travel because it just kinda does everything. Then I have a totally different product in the form of the RMS eye polish in Solar and oh my sweet baby jesus this might be one of the prettiest eyeshadows I own. A gorgeous cream that almost looks 3D and… molton-like. You know, those cream eyeshadows that are so metallic that they almost look wet, I bloody love those bad boys. This one is in the shade Solar and is the prettiest goldy/bronze shade and I kinda feel like this is my perfect colour shadow. #CanIstartAnAppreciationClubForThisPlease
Mascaras are something that I can usually give or take – as in, I’ll just use any ole one, not that I could ever go without one – until the Clarins Supra volume mascara came into my life and completely changed the game. This gives me length, volume, curl and this one in particular comes in the most gorgeous rich brown shade which I adore for daytime as it makes your look look a little more natural and effortless. It doesn’t flake or budge and stays in place all blimmin day. Plus with the Clarins double fix over the top – i.e the biggest life saver of all time – it’s completely waterproof too! Then on the more budget side, I recently discovered the Loreal Miss Hippie mascara which reminds me so much of the former Clarins option. It gives gorgeous, fluttery volume which is always what I look for in a mascara and doesn’t do a bad of lengthening either. Stays all day, doesn’t budge – are you gauging that I’m really lazy/clumsy and need products that are longwearing and idiot proof? – and for £7.99 is such a winner.
I am a self confessed blush whore. Like, gimme all the colour on the cheeks because otherwise I look dead please and thank you?! But seriously, blush is one of my favourite makeup items and because of this, it takes a lot to knock my favourites off of their top spots but this month I’ve managed to find a few absolute gems that I can’t get off of my face! Firstly, this is one that really makes me feel sassy AF and it’s the Suqqu Urushibi pure colour blush. The two tone/ombre of this powder is an Instagram dream waiting to happen but the colour itself is just perfection. At first I thought this would be best in Autumn, a gorgeous, almost plummy, dusky pink but actually, swirled together it gives such a perfect pinky, healthy glow that I seriously can’t stop wearing it. It goes with any makeup look and just gives a “I’ve just done loads of exercise but lol not really because this is me after all” flush that I can’t get enough of. When I’m not blush-crushing (see what I did there, see what I did there) over the Suqqu goddess, it’s the Clinique cheek pop in Melon pop which has absolutely been hitting the spot. A stunning bright orange peach which just gives the most beautiful warmth to the skin, sometimes I use this and shun bronzer when I don’t have much time and it still creates enough warmth to keep me looking so much healthier than I actually am (unless Pizza’s all of a sudden become a superfood in which case I’m a frickin health god). It’s also a stunning formula which blends seamlessly on the skin!
We’re nearly there guys. I’ve been keeping it really simple with my lips because I’m a basic bitch and basically only ever wear nude lips. Sorry not sorry. A product that I’ve loved since the first time of using them is the Clarins instant lip perfectors. They’re glossy, extremely nourishing, taste like caramel and have a whole range of really beautiful colours. All of them are really subtle and don’t pack a huge pigmentation punch but I absolutely have to have one in my bag at all times because they really are that good. My all time favourite is Shade 1 however this Autumn Clarins have pulled the biggest babes out of the bag in the form of shade 10 and 12. The former being a really beautiful pinky coral which is perfect for brightening the face and adding a little more colour to a neutral look. The latter is one that I love because it’s almost like a red lip for beginners. Sheer, glossy, completely wearable but a little extra somethin somethin. Then I have a new discovery – also in my drugstore makeup look – which deserves all the heart eye’d emoji’s in the world. The Loreal infallible sexy balms remind me a lot of the Clarins instant light balms, beautifully balmy and nourishing but these also pack a really beautiful amount of pigmentation too. They last well on the lips but they’re also really easily topped up too. Oh, and did I mention that Sheer gossip might be the most perfect peachy nude ever made? Well there, said it. Finally, the Burts Bee’s lip crayon which may be my favourite formulation for a lipstick ever. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so pleasantly surprised by a product, they’re the creamiest, waxiest most nourishing crayons that are so incredibly pigmented. They last for hours but they also leave your lips in such good condition that you can reapply without having to sort out any dry patches. The colours are stunning – Carolina Coast, Sedona Sands and Hawaiian smoulder being my favourite – and I honestly don’t think there will ever come a time where I don’t crack these out on a weekly basis. Perfection!
Finally for makeup items that I’ve been fangirling over so much that I needed to write about them here, the Bobbi Brown retouching face pencil… and let me tell you gal pals, this is a little bit life changing. In short, it’s a creamy matte pencil that lightens shadows, covers blemishes and redness and basically diminishes any imperfections. They come in all different shades and my one just happens to have the slightest shimmer in it so obviously I wouldn’t go too crazy on the blemishes as I don’t want to highlight those bad boys, but they are absolutely incredible. What I love most about this though is that it’s so perfect for on the go, I literally slip this into my bag and any time my face needs perking up (i.e all day ehhr day) if my highlights fades or my circles are screaming out to be covered, this bad boy comes out and covers it right up. I just really feel like Bobbi Brown, as well as having stunning longwear eyeshadows, beautiful lipsticks etc. have just really nailed the “genius products” market. [insert hand clapping emoji here].